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A
fter the immense success of the first edition, Disha’s Mega Yearbook 2017 presents
a thoroughly revised and updated edition. The new edition has been enriched
not only in terms of content but in terms of presentation and structure also. The
MEGA Yearbook 2017 is acclaimed as one of the most authoritative and comprehensive
compendiums of high-quality reference materials on all subjects and segments.
The MEGA Yearbook 2017 has been designed to cater to aspirants of various
competitive exams like Civil services, Banks, Railways, UPSC and PSC exams and Quiz
Competition across the country. It equally serves teachers, researchers, media persons,
planners, avid readers and laymen. The book keeps you informed about today’s world—
the constant changes, significant events, and dramatic developments that make history. It
helps you uncover it all.
The book has a very vast coverage that includes everything and anything related to
current affairs and general knowledge. The book can be divided into 2 broad parts: Part
A - Current Affairs; Part B - General Knowledge. Current Affairs contains articles on hot
issues, India Timelines, World Timelines, People in news, Events, Ideas and Issues, Bills
& Acts, Policies & Schemes, Emerging Trends, INDIA - SWOT, Paradoxes, Cause & Effects,
Mysteries(Resolved & Unresolved), Coming Up 2017 etc.
General Knowledge contains India Panorama, World Panorama, People Forever, History,
Polity, Economy, Business, Geography, General Science, Ecology and Environment, Art &
Culture, Sports, Healthcare, Communication, Media & Transport, Film Industries, Education
& Career, IT & Computers, English Language, General Aptitude & Personality Development,
Technology & its Applications, etc.

Unique Features of the New Edition:

• Game Changers: Highlights the people/ ideas that were or may be Game Changers -
Donald Trump, Demonetization, GST, PMMKY, etc..
• Global Economy Outlook: Covers a thorough update on the Top 10 global economies
of the World.
• India & World 2016 At a Glance: Captures the most trending social, economic &
political news.
• Top 20s India & World: Lists the Top 20 Rich People, Institutes, Industries, Companies,
etc.
• 10 Analytical Articles: Captures the hottest of the issues of 2016.
• Indian & World Panorama: Captures the unique features of states and countries along
with various superlatives.
• India’s Journey 70 Years (Since 1947): Chronological listing of Historical, Political,
Scientific, Economic, Demographic, Social developments in the past 70 years.
• Sectional Mindmaps: Presents the structure of each of the sections in a graphical
pattern for better retention.
• 500 Infographics: Diagrammatic representation of various facts and information for
better retention.
• English Language: Captures the basic definitions and rules of Grammar, Parts of
Speech etc. along with day-to-day’s useful idioms, phrases, words, foreign words and
confusing words.
• General Aptitude & Personality Development: Highlights the various techniques
we should work on to build aptitude and personality. Also covers Ethics, Personal
Interview & Group Discussion.
• QUIZ/ MCQ-400: General Knowledge Quizzes on India, World, Science and Finance.
• Coming Up 2017: Captures the important scheduled events to come.
• Things to look for in 2017: Lists various ideas, events or issues of 2016 whose impact
on the world is looking forward to. For example - Effects of demonetization, Changes
with Trump’s presidency, COP23 Summit, etc.
Disclaimer
The information contained in the Disha’s Mega Yearbook 2017 is of a general
nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or
entity. The views and opinions expressed in the book are those of the authors and do
not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the publishers. The content in
the book is not intended to ‘malign or glorify’ any individual, religion, organization or
company. It is not our intention to do harm to any person, injure, defame, or libel anyone
or anything. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the information
published in the book, the authors/ publishers should not be held responsible for any
error(s) or omission(s), if any.

Disha Experts
 CURRENT AFFAIRS
## A Glimpse of 2016 CA-3–59
• India At a Glance: Social-Economic-Political (Infographics)
• World At a Glance: Social-Economic-Political (Infographics)
• Emerging Trends
• Global Economic Outlook
• Causes and Effects
• Game Changers
• Paradoxes of India
• Quote - Unquote
• Mysteries Unresolved
• Mysteries Resolved
• SWOT Analysis – Indian Social Climate
• SWOT Analysis – Indian Economic Climate
• SWOT Analysis – Indian Political Climate
• Demonetization (Infographics)
• GST 2016 (Infographics)
• Books & Authors 2016
• Popular Terms
• Important Appointments 2016
• Awards & Honours 2016
• Obituary in 2016
## Modi’s visits to Nations CA-60–67

## Article : In Indian Universities, Politics and Education go hand in hand CA-68–69

## Article : Employment - The Indian demographic dividend may lead
to its fallout CA-70–72

## Top 20 CA-73–81
• Top 20  Rich  people in India - 2016
• Top 20  Rich people in World - 2016
• Top 20  Universities of India
• Top 20  Universities of the World
• Top 20  Industries of India @Growth %
• Top 20  Companies of India/World @ Turnover
• Top 20 Sports Personalities of India
## Article : GST– A Powerful source to curb Black money and corruption
in India CA-82–84

## Article : Globalization v/s Protectionism: Is it a right choice to

shut global gates to trade? CA-85–87
## National Events Diary 2016 CA-88–101

## International Events Diary 2016 CA-102–109

## Union Budget 2016-17 (Infographics) CA-110–112

## Railway Budget 2016-17 (Infographics) CA-113

## Article : Are fundamental rights above religion? CA-114–115

## Article : Make Reservation Quota Objective and Practical to

uplift Real Backwards CA-116–118

## Bills & Acts 2016 CA-119–130

## Policies & Schemes 2016 CA-131–140

## Article : Automation & Robotics: A way to Freedom or slavery? CA-141–142

## Article : Is Digital India Campaign in India, a country that ranks

97 in the Global Hunger Index, just a fantasy? CA-143–145

## PEOPLE in 2016(National & International) CA-146–166

## EVENTS in 2016 (National & International) CA-167–195

## Blood and Water cannot go together : Indus Water Treaty as

Handle to Deal with Pakistan CA-196–197

## ISSUES in 2016 (National & International) CA-198–243

## Carbon Sinks – Protection shields against Global Warming CA-244–245

## IDEAS in 2016 (National & International) CA-246–284

## COMING UP in 2017 CA-285–286

## Things to look for in 2017 CA-286

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
## PANORAMA GK-1–56
• Indian Panorama: Indian States and Union Territories, National
Symbols, India’s Journey 70 years (Economic, Political, Agricultural,
Scientific, Demographic, Social, Space-43 yrs); Defence and Security,
Atomic and Nuclear Science, National days, Awards, Books and Authors,
Scientists, Power Stations, First in male/ Female others, Superlative,
Founders, Heritage Sights, Different Scientific Revolutions, Sobriquets.
• World Panorama: World countries, Geographical Discoveries, National animals of
countries, Countries’ official books, International Awards, Books and Authors, 7
wonders, Countries’ Intelligence Agencies, Fathers of different fields, Superlatives,
Landmarks, National Emblems, International days, Sobriquets.
## PEOPLE FOREVER GK-57–88
 istorical, Discoverer, Political, Social, Religious , Businessmen, Geographical, Artists,
H
Sports persons, Space Travellers, Literary.
## HISTORY GK-89–124
• Indian : Ancient History, Medieval History, Modern History
• World : Ancient History, Medieval History, Modern History
## POLITY GK-125–180
• I ndian Polity: Constitution – Making, Features of Its Framework,
Statutory/Constitutional bodies, Governments (Types and levels),
Institutions, Elections, Political Parties, Pressure Groups, E-Governance,
E-Courts, Lokpal, NITI Ayog, Reservation, RTI, Foreign Policy, Neighbours.
• World Polity: International Organizations, United Nations, International Relations,
Important Summits, Parliaments and Political Parties of countries.

## GEOGRAPHY GK-181–242
• P hysical: Universe–Developmental theories, Solar Systems, Earth, Seasons, Rocks,
Mountains, Precipitation, Plains, Oceans, Atmosphere.
• India: Physiography, Drainage, Soil, Climate, Vegetation, Agriculture,
Industry, Minerals, Energy, Census – 2011.
• World: Continents, Languages, Religions, Climatic Zones, Industrial
Regions, Geographical superlatives.
## ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT GK-243–268
E cosystem and its types; Biodiversity and its types/Loss/Conservation; Endangered
species, National Parks/Sanctuaries ; Biosphere Reserves, Environmental Issues,
Pollution, Global Warming, India’s initiatives; International Conventions on climate,
Animal welfare, Environmental laws, Disaster Management.
## ECONOMY GK-269–302
Micro-Macro Economics, Public Finance, Indian Economy, World Economy.

## Major Policies/Acts – At a Glance GK-303–310

 Various Development and Employment programmes in India –At a Glance; Women
Employment programmes, Policies.
## BUSINESS GK-311–224
 usiness Entities, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Companies, Income Tax, Balance sheet,
B
Sources of Funds, SMEs, E-commerce, MNC, Business Terms and concepts, Startup
India, 19-point Action plan.
## Foreign Trade & Investment In India GK-325–334
Foreign Exchange Reserves; India’s Foreign Trade, Balance of Payments.
## GENERAL SCIENCE GK-335–412
• P hysics: Units and Dimensions, Mechanics, Properties of matters; Heat, Waves, Optics/
Light, Electricity, Magnetism, Semiconductors
• Chemistry: Nature of matter, Structure of Atom, General Concepts, Elements,
Acids/Bases/Salts, Metals/Non-metals, Electrochemistry, Minerals
• Biology: Cell Biology and Genetics, Human blood, Human physiology, Respiration,
Digestion, Excretion, Circulation, Skeleton, Sense organs, Reproduction, Plant
Kingdom, Diseases, Logies in science.
## Technology and Its Application GK-413–426
Biotech and Medical Innovations, Innovations in Physics–Chemistry-Biology,
Technology, Space science, Defence, Infrastructure, Agriculture, Education, Transport,
Banking, Business.
## Information Technology & Computer GK-427–434
 IT-BPM Industry, Digital Literacy, Digital India, Supercomputing, IT
Trends, Net Neutrality, Biometric sensors, Mobile Trends, Google Pixel,
Reliance Jio, UPI, Common Terms
## Art and Culture GK-435–446
 rt forms, Indian Painters, Musics, Dances, Theaters and Tourist places, Handicrafts,
A
Festivals, Architecture.

## Sports GK-447–458
Trophies, Players in Games, National sports, Olympic Games
(Summer & Winter), Paralympics, Commonwealth, Asian Games,
Cricket World Cup, IPL, FIFA, Hockey, Tennis, etc.
## Healthcare GK-459–466
Infrastructure, Health programs, Major disease outbreaks recently

## Communication, Media & Transport GK-467–482

Post office, Telecommunication, Media–Print, Electronic and Social.
Transports-Landways (Roads and Railways), Waterways and Airways.

## Film Industry GK-483–488

• Indian film Industry
• World Film Industry

## Education & Career GK-489–502

10+2 and Graduation-Specialization and their scope (Infographics),
Most Wanted Careers (Infographics), Education System in India/MHRD,
CBSE, CISE, IB, NCERT, NIOS, AICTE, UPSC, SSC, IBPS, NEET, JEE , etc.

## English Language GK-503–516

Grammar, Idioms and Phrases, Word Formations/Substitutions,
Prefixes, Suffixes, Phobias, Logies.

## General Aptitude & Personality Development GK-517–524

## Quizzes GK-525–549
• National
• International
• Science
• Finance
CA-3
CA-4
CA-5
CA-6 EMERGING TRENDS IN 2016
EMERGING TRENDS IN 2016 CA-7
CA-8 EMERGING TRENDS IN 2016
CA-9
CA-10 CAUSES AND EFFECTS
CA-11
CA-12 GAME CHANGERS 2016
GAME CHANGERS 2016 CA-13
CA-14 GAME CHANGERS 2016
CA-15
CA-16 GLOBAL ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
GLOBAL ECONOMIC OUTLOOK CA-17
CA-18 GLOBAL ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
GLOBAL ECONOMIC OUTLOOK CA-19
CA-20 GLOBAL ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
GLOBAL ECONOMIC OUTLOOK CA-21
CA-22 GLOBAL ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
CA-25
CA-26 PARADOXES OF INDIA
CA-27
CA-28 QUOTE – UNQUOTE
 CA-29

Mysteries Unresolved

Disappearance of Indian Air Force AN-32 aircraft

O n July 22, 2016, the ill-fated aircraft of the IAF had gone missing over Bay of Bengal.
The aircraft carried 29 personnel on board, including four officers. As per the claims of
Indian Air Force, aircraft was in touch till about 9.30 am post which it lost the contact. The
ETA (expected time of arrival) of the flight was 11.30 am. The plain was on its way to Port
Blair from Chennai. The plane got disappeared soon after taking off from Tambaram air
base. Despite the involvement of multiple aircraft and ships of the IAF in search operation,
no clue of the lost aircraft was found. Many Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guards braved
high winds and choppy monsoon seas while scouring the waters in the last known location
of the aircraft (150 nautical miles east of Chennai). Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was
personally monitoring the situation. But all the efforts brought no result. The search and
rescue teams failed to obtain any leads.

Subhash Chandra Bose’s Death

T he cause of Subhash Chandra Bose’s death remains shrouded with mystery till date.
There have been various theories about the cause of his death, yet there has so far been
no confirmation to any of these theories. Official records state that Netaji died in a plane
crash in 1945.
Some photos taken during the Tashkent Declaration of 1966 indicate
a man resembled Bose. The person was the part of the Indian entourage
that accompanied the then Prime Minister of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri.
London based Sidhartha Satbhai commissioned Neil Millar, a former
veteran of the Royal Signals Regiment of the British Army, conducted
image analysis on video and photographic material. The footage pertains
to an individual referred to as ‘The Tashkent Man’. Through modern
scientific and facial analysis, the investigation points to the possibility
that the bespectacled man could be Netaji. If Netaji was present in the
Tashkent Declaration in 1966, he could not have died in the plane crash
on August 18, 1945.There is another belief that he returned to India and lived as a sadhu.
Nobody knows the truth.
There are many questions which are still lying unanswered in the minds of Indians.
Did Bose actually die in a plane crash in Taipei? Is it true that Bose returned to India and
lived as a wandering monk? Why did Indian government keep the files relating to his death
secret for 70 years? The Mystery underlines various controversies and surmises if the Bose
mystery is an International conspiracy of silence or if Indian government already knows
the answers?

Cyrus Mistry’s ouster from TATA

T here were no substantial reasons given for the ouster of leadership of Cyrus Mistry
who had been brought in with much fanfare. Mistry was appointed in December 2012
and his removal in less than four years has sent shockwaves across the business world.
Adding to that, there is no clarity as of now why this drastic decision was taken. Despite
 CA-30 MYSTERIES UNRESOLVED
accusations and public letters by Cyrus Mistry, the matter is still not clear. It is believed
that Tata Sons was unhappy with Mistry’s approach of shedding non-profit businesses. This
also includes the conglomerate’s steel business in Europe.
As speculations surround the media about why the Tata’s decided to go in for this
drastic step. Certain theories are doing the rounds. Though, Tata might be India’s most
recognised brand name but its financial performance has not been the best during Mistry’s
four-year chairmanship.
Speculation has it that Ratan Tata and Cyrus Mistry relations became stiff pertaining
to their different approaches. The mystery still remains. Nobody has been able to find the
concrete reason behind Cyrus Mistry’s ouster from TATA Sons.

The Lost City of Atlantis

A tlantis was a utopian city wiped out in a single night due to an unearthly cataclysm.
Atlantis is the only famous mythical lost cities. The first written source for the myth
of Atlantis came from the Athenian philosopher Plato (427- 437) BC. He explained that
the people of Atlantis lived in a prosperous island beyond the Pillars of Hercules. So, it is
assumed that Atlantis was located somewhere between Europe and America. That puts it
somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. It is mostly doubted if an advanced civilization like the
one described by Plato existed.
It is believed by many that the story is a myth. It was on purpose created by Plato in
order to illustrate his theories about politics. In contrast, many insist that it is very well
based on the historical disaster. In short, the idea of a city obliterated overnight is so
powerful it seems to show up everywhere. Despite many under sea discoveries matching
with the concept of Atlantis, people are still not able to reach on the decisive conclusion so
as to consider it a fact. Mystery of Atlantis still exists as a myth.

NASA’s Moon Landing

W orld remembers the historic event when Neil

Armstrong set his foot on the moon. It’s now been
nearly four decades since Neil Armstrong made this
move for the mankind. But there exist some doubters
who believe that US government faked the lunar landings
with Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. They acted out their
mission on a secret film set that is located either high in
the Hollywood Hills or deep within Area 51.
US government did this in desperation to beat the Russians in the space race. With
the photos and videos of the Apollo missions only available through NASA, there’s no
independent verification that the lunar landings were a reality or a hoax. These accusations
are based on the Film of Aldrin planting a waving American flag on the moon. Many critics
say that his very act proves that he was not in space. According to them, movement of flag
clearly shows the presence of wind. It is not possible for a flag to flutter vacuum. NASA
responds to this by saying that movement of flag was caused by Aldrin who was twisting
the flagpole to get the moon soil. Theorists have even suggested that filmmaker Stanley
Kubrick may have helped NASA fake the first lunar landing, given that his 1968 film 2001: A
Space Odessey proves that the technology existed back then to artificially create a space like
set. Three astronauts (Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee) who died in
a fire while testing equipment for the first moon mission is also being seen as executed by
the U.S. government because they feared about the disclosure of truth.
MYSTERIES UNRESOLVED CA-31

Mysteries Resolved

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17

M alaysia Airlines Flight 17, a scheduled international

passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur,
was shot down on the unfortunate day of July 17, 2014.
The incident resulted in killing of all 283 passengers and
15 crew on board. Boeing 777-200ER airliner lost contact
for about 50 km (31 mi) from the Ukraine–Russia border.
It crashed near Torez in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, 40 km
(25 mi) from the border.
The airlines crash occurred in the warzone
in Donbass. This area is controlled by the  Donbass People’s Militia.  The crash is the
deadliest airliner shutdown. It was Malaysia Airlines’ second aircraft loss during 2014.
In October 2015, it was concluded by the Dutch Safety Board (DSB) that the airliner
was downed by a Buk surface-to-air missile. It was launched from pro-Russian separatist-
controlled territory in Ukraine.
In September 2016, the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT) confirmed the same.
They said that the Buk missile system had been transported from Russia on the day of
the crash. It was fired from a field in a rebel controlled area and after the use to shoot
down MH17, Buk was returned to Russia. The JIT had established the identities of around
100 people who were linked or involved to the transporting of the Buk. But they also said
that their evidence “must stand before a court”. Ukraine and US intelligence, in 2014, had
also said that Russia had supplied the Buk missile to pro-Russian insurgents, who had
mistakenly shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.

Vincent Van Gogh paintings

O n September 30, two stolen Vincent Van Gogh paintings worth millions of euros have
been recovered in an Italian country house belonging to an alleged mafia drug smuggler.
Italian investigators displayed the recovered artworks - a seascape at
Scheveningen and Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen.
Each painting is worth an estimated 50 million Euros ($56 million).The
paintings of combined value of $100 million, were stolen from the Van
Gogh museum on December 7, 2002.
Prosecutors have informed that the paintings were found wrapped
in a cloth inside a safe in a country house south of Naples. The house
belonged to Raffaele Imperiale, a 41-year-old businessman who is accused of running an
international cocaine trafficking ring together with high-ranking mobsters.
After a heist, the paintings vanished in 2002. The thieves used a ladder to climb onto
the Van Gogh Museum’s roof and break into the building. They escaped by sliding down a
rope in a robbery. Two men involved in the robbery were later caught and convicted, but
the paintings were not recovered.
Colangelo informed that the artworks were found “a few days ago”, and Italian and
Dutch experts were called in to authenticate the stolen works.
CA-32 GAME CHANGER 2016
GAME CHANGER 2016 CA-33
CA-34 GAME CHANGER 2016
GAME CHANGER 2016 CA-35
CA-36 GAME CHANGER 2016
GAME CHANGER 2016 CA-37
CA-38 DEMONETIZATION
DEMONETIZATION CA-39
 CA-40 GST 2016
GST 2016
GST 2016 CA-41
 CA-42

BOOKS AND AUTHORS 2016

The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad– Twinkle Khanna
Driven: The Virat Kohli Story–Vijay Lokapally
Democrats and Dissenters–Ramachandra Guha
One Indian girl–Chetan Bhagat
Six Machine (I Don’t Like Cricket I Love It)–Chris Gayle
His Bloody Project–Graeme Macrae Brunet
AB The autobiography–AB De Villiers
Citizen and Society–Hamid Ansari
The Ocean of Churn: How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History–Sanjeev Sanyal
R D Burmania: Panchamemoirs–Chaitanya Padukone
India Rising: Fresh Hope, New Fears–Ravi Velloor

The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable–Amitav Ghosh

Courage & Commitment–Margaret Alva

India vs Pakistan: Why Can’t we just be Friends?–Husain Haqqani

Chaos and Caliphate: Jihadis and the West in the Struggle for the Middle East–Patrick Cockburn

A Call to Mercy: Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve–Mother Teresa

The Unseen Indira Gandhi–Dr KP Mathur
A Life in Diplomacy–Maharajakrishna Rasgotra
Blood on my Hands: Confessions of Staged Encounters–Kishalay Bhattacharjee
The Making of India: The Untold Story of British Enterprises–Kartar Lalvani
A State in Denial–BG Verghese
The Kiss of Life–Emraan Hashmi
Anything But Khamosh: The Shatrughan Sinha Biography–Bharathi S Pradhan
Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography–Pramod Kapoor
Fixed! Cash and Corruption in Cricket–Journalist Shantanu Guha Ray
“Who was Shivaji?”–Govind Pansare
A Kingdom for His Love–Vani Mahesh, Shinie Antony
Nathuram Godse: The Story of an Assassin–Anup Ashok Sardesai
The Turbulent Years, Volume II–President Pranab Mukherjee
The Z Factor–Subhash Chandra
Jawaharlal Nehru and The Indian Polity in Perspective–Hamid Ansari
Maru Bharat Saru Bharat–Jain Acharya Maharaj

POPULAR TERMS
Augmented Reality: Augmented reality
(AR) is a live direct or indirect view of a
physical, real-world environment whose
elements are augmented (or supplemented)
by computer-generated sensory input such
as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. It is
also known as the computer term, Kudzi 3.0.
It is related to a more general concept called
mediated reality, in which a view of reality
is modified (possibly even diminished
rather than augmented) by a computer.
Benami properties: Benami essentially
means property without a name. In this
kind of transaction the person who pays for
the property does not buy it under his/her
own name. The person on whose name the
property has been purchased is called the
benamdar and the property so purchased
is called the benami property. The person
who finances the deal is the real owner.
Black Friday: Black Friday is the day
following Thanksgiving Day in the United
States (the fourth Thursday of November).
Since 1952, it has been regarded as the
beginning of the Christmas shopping season
in the U.S., and most major retailers open very
early (and more recently during overnight
hours) and offer promotional sales.
COP22: COP 22 (Conference of the Parties)
was held in Marrakech, Morocco, on
7–18 November 2016. Main issues: water
scarcity, water cleanliness, and water-
related sustainability, a major problem
in the developing world, including many
African states.
China’s Singles Day: Singles’ Day or
Guanggun Jie is an entertaining festival
widespread among young Chinese people,
to celebrate the fact that they are proud
of being single. The date, November 11th
(11/11), is chosen because the number “1”
resembles an individual that is alone.
Crony-Capitalism: Crony capitalism
is a term describing an economy in which
success in business depends on close
CA-43
relationships between business people and
government officials. It may be exhibited by
favoritism in the distribution of legal permits,
government grants, special tax breaks, or
other forms of state interventionism.
CIVETS: An acronym given to the
countries Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam,
Egypt, Turkey and South Africa, which
are predicted by some to be among the
next emerging markets to quickly rise in
economic prominence over the coming
decades.
Democratic socialism: It is a political
ideology that advocates political democracy
alongside social ownership of the means
of production, often with an emphasis on
democratic management of enterprises
within a socialist economic system.
Decacorn: A decacorn is a word used for
companies valued over $10 billion.
EAGLES: Emerging and growth-leading
economies of Korea, Indonesia, Mexico,
Turkey, Egypt and Taiwan along with the
BRIC countries Brazil, Russia, India and
China. BBVA expected these countries
to generate 50% of the global economic
growth through 2020, whereas it expected
the G7 countries of France, Germany, the
United States, Canada, Italy, Japan and the
United Kingdom to generate just 14%.
Extracorporeal membrane oxyge-
nation (ECMO): It is an extracorporeal
technique of providing both cardiac and
respiratory support to persons whose heart
and lungs are unable to provide an adequate
amount of gas exchange to sustain life.
Frontier market: A frontier market is
a type of developing country which is
more developed than the least developing
countries, but too small to be generally
considered an emerging market.
Geneva III (Geneva peace talks on
Syria): The Geneva peace talks on Syria,
also known as Geneva III, are intended
 CA-44
peace negotiations between the Syrian
government and opposition in Geneva
under the auspices of the UN.
Hectocorn: A Hectocorn is the appropriate
term for such a companies valued over
$100 billion.
Liquid biopsy: A medical test in which
blood cells are taken from the body and
examined to find out if they are healthy.
MINTs: An acronym coined by the major
investment firm Fidelity in 2011 for a group
of four countries—Mexico, Indonesia,
Nigeria and Turkey—that are expected
to show strong growth and provide high
returns for investors over the coming
decade. The MINTs have been grouped
together because of their large populations,
favorable demographics and emerging
economies. The MINTs have smaller
economies than the BRICs.
Mercalli intensity scale: The Mercalli
intensity scale is a seismic scale used for
measuring the intensity of an earthquake. It
measures the effects of an earthquake.
Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB): A
zero-energy building, also known as a zero
net energy (ZNE) building, net-zero energy
building (NZEB), or net zero building, is a
building with zero net energy consumption,
meaning the total amount of energy used by
the building on an annual basis is roughly
equal to the amount of renewable energy
created on the site, or in other definitions
by renewable energy sources elsewhere.
Populism: It is a political doctrine that
stems from a viewpoint of struggle between
the populace and ruling faction. Populism is
most common in democratic nations.
Political radicalism: The term denotes
political principles focused on altering
social structures through revolutionary
means and changing value systems in
fundamental ways.
Quantitative Easing: Quantitative easing
(QE) is a monetary policy used by central
banks to stimulate the economy. It is usually
Popular Terms
used when standard monetary policy has
become ineffective. Quantitative easing is
considered when short-term interest rates
are at or approaching zero, and does not
involve the printing of new bank notes.
Servergate: The term refers to the
controversy surrounding Hillary Clinton’s
private server. The term comes from the
combination of “server” and “watergate”,
which was the political controversy that led
to President Richard Nixon’s resignation.
TIMP: TIMP’ stands for ‘Turkey, Indonesia,
Mexico and Philippines.’ Similar to BRIC
(Brazil, Russia, India and China), the
acronym was coined by an investor/
economist to group fast-growing emerging
market economies in similar states of
economic development.
Trans Pacific Partnership: The Trans-
Pacific Partnership (TPP) or Trans Pacific
Partnership Agreement (TPPA) is a trade
agreement among twelve of the Pacific Rim
countries—notably not including China.
Thanksgiving Day: Thanksgiving Day is
a national holiday celebrated in Canada, in
the United States, in some of the Caribbean
islands and in Liberia. It was originally
celebrated as a day of giving thanks for
the blessing of the harvest and of the
preceding year. Similarly named festival
holidays occur in Germany and Japan.
Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second
Monday of October in Canada and on the
fourth Thursday of November in the United
States, and around the same part of the year
in other places. Although Thanksgiving has
historical roots in religious and cultural
traditions, it has long been celebrated as a
secular holiday as well.
Unicorn: A unicorn is a start-up company
valued at over $1 billion. According to
VentureBeat, there were 229 unicorns
as of January 2016. The largest unicorns
included Uber, Xiaomi, Airbnb, Palantir,
Snapchat, Dropbox and Pinterest.
 CA-45

IMPORTANT APPOINTMENTS 2016

JANUARY
Amitabh Kant appointed CEO of NITI (National Institution for
Jan 1, 2016
Transforming India) Aayog.
Jan 4, 2016 RK Mathur sworn in as 8th Chief Information Commissioner (CIC).
Jan 25, 2016 K Durga Prasad appointed as DG of CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force).
FEBRUARY
Feb 2, 2016 Archana Ramasundram becomes 1st woman DG of Sashastra Seema Bal.
DJ Pandian appointed AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank) Vice-
Feb 3, 2016
President.
Ashok Chawla appointed as new Chairman of TERI (The Energy and
Feb 13, 2016
Resources Institute).
Feb 23, 2016 KN Vyas appointed as Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
Feb 25, 2016 Rajendra Singh appointed as DG of Coast Guard.
Former CJI HL Dattu takes over as Chairman of NHRC (National Human
Feb 29, 2016
Rights Commission).
MARCH
Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain appointed as Chief of Staff of Eastern Naval
Mar 2, 2016
Command.
Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan appointed as Chairman of 21st Law
Mar 11, 2016
Commission of India.
Mar 12, 2016 Lt Gen N P S Hira appointed Deputy Chief of Army.
Mar 15, 2016 Htin Kyaw elected as first civilian President of Myanmar.
Justice Permod Kohli appointed as Chairman of Central Administrative
Mar 23, 2016
Tribunal.
APRIL
CP Gurnani appointed as Chairman of NASSCOM (National Association of
April 7, 2016
Software and Services Companies).
MAY
Bhupendra Kainthola takes charge as FTII (Film and Television Institute
May 3, 2016
of India) Director.
May 31, 2016 Admiral Sunil Lanba takes charge as Navy chief.
JUNE
June 3, 2016 Navin Agarwal appointed as DG of NADA (National Anti Doping Agency).
Peter Thomson elected as President of 71st session of United Nations
June 15, 2016
General Assembly.
Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway appointed as UN Women Goodwill
June 15, 2016
Ambassador.
 CA-46 Important Appointments 2016
June 22, 2016 Ken Miyauchi appointed as President and COO of SoftBank Group.
June 23, 2016 BCCI appoints Anil Kumble as the head coach of Indian Cricket Team.
Sujoy Bose appointed as first CEO of NIIF (National Investment and
June 27, 2016
Infrastructure Fund).
June 28, 2016 NS Vishwanathan appointed as deputy governor of RBI.
JULY
July 4, 2016 Sudarshan Sen appointed Executive Director of RBI.
July 11, 2016 D Rajkumar appointed as CMD of BPCL (Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd).
July 13, 2016 Theresa May appointed as PM of the United Kingdom.
July 14, 2016 Rakesh Kumar Chaturvedi appointed as Chairman of CBSE.
July 19, 2016 Guruprasad Mohapatra appointed as Chairman of Airports Authority of India.
Ajay Bhushan Pandey appointed as CEO of UIDAI (Unique Identification
July 21, 2016
Authority of India).
AUGUST
Aug 1, 2016 Rani Singh Nair appointed as Chairman of CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes).

SEPTEMBER
Sep 4, 2016 Urjit Patel assumes charge as 24th Governor of Reserve Bank of India.
Sep 19, 2016 Alka Sirohi appointed UPSC chairman.

Sep 28, 2016 World Bank reappoints Jim Yong Kim for second term as President.

OCTOBER
Oct 3, 2016 S Sivakumar appointed as full-time member of 21st Law Commission of India.

Oct 6, 2016 Sushil Chandra appointed CBDT Chairman.

Oct 14, 2016 Portugal’s Antonio Guterres appointed UN Secretary-General.

Amandeep Singh Gill appointed as India’s Ambassador to UN Conference
Oct 18, 2016
on Disarmament, Geneva.
Vice Admiral SV Bhokare assumes office as the Commandant of Indian
Oct 21, 2016
Naval Academy.
Oct 27, 2016 Karnal Singh appointed as Director of Enforcement Directorate.

NOVEMBER
Nov. 7, 2016 M Rajeshwar Rao new RBI Executive Director.
Nov. 24, 2016 Yudhvir Singh Malik appointed as new Chairman of NHA.
DECEMBER
Senior AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam appointed as the new AIADMK
Dec 5, 2016
chief and the new Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.
 CA-47

AWARDS & HONOURS 2016

Gallantry Awards
President Pranab Mukherjee has conferred the country’s highest peacetime gallantry
award Ashok Chakra to Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami posthumously.
On the eve of 67th Republic Day celebrations President has approved 365 Gallantry
awards and other Defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel and
others. It includes one Ashoka Chakra, 4 Kirti Chakras and 11 Shaurya
Chakras.
Ashok Chakra: Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami (Posthumous). He
belonged to 9 PARA (Special Force) and laid down his life while fighting
LeT militants in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Kirti Chakra: Subedar Mahendra Singh of 9 PARA (Special Force).
Sepoy Jagdish Chand (Posthumous) of 546 DSC Platoon.
Shaurya Chakra: Colonel Santosh Mahadik (Posthumous) of 41
Rashtriya Rifle (PARA). Major Praphul Kumar Bhardwaj of 12 PARA
(Special Force). Major Sandip Yadav of 55 Rashtriya Rifle (Armed). Major
Anurag Kumar of 9 PARA (Special Force). Lieutenant Harjinder Singh of
3 KUMAON. Naik Satish Kumar (Posthumous) of 21 Rashtriya Rifle
(Guards). Naik Kheem Singh Mehra of 21 KUMAON. Sepoy Dharma Ram
(Posthumous) of 1 Rashtriya Rifle(MAHAR).

73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards

The 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony was organized at Beverly Hills,
California, United States (US) on January 10, 2016. Golden Globe Awards are the annual
awards that honour the best in Motion Pictures and Television for the previous year.
In this edition of awards, The Revenant won the maximum 3 awards followed by The
Martian and Steve Jobs winning 2 awards each.
The winners of various awards are as follows:
Best Motion Picture Drama: The Revenant.
Best Motion Picture Musical/Comedy: The Martian.
Best Director in Motion Picture-Drama: Alejandro Inarritu
for The Revenant.
Best Actor in Motion Picture-Drama: Leonardo DiCaprio for
The Revenant.
Best Actress in Motion Picture-Drama: Brie Larson for Room.
Best Actor in Motion Picture or Musical or Comedy: Matt Damon for The Martian.
Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: Jennifer Lawrence for Joy.
Best Actor in a Supporting role in Motion Picture: Sylvester Stallone for Creed.
Best Actress in a Supporting role in Motion Picture: Kate Winslet for Steve Jobs.
Best Original Score Motion Picture: Ennio Morricone for The Hateful Eight.
Best Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul (Hungary).
 CA-48 AWARDS & HONOURS 2016

61st Britannia Filmfare Awards

The grand Annual 61st Britannia Filmfare Awards event was organized in Mumbai,
Maharashtra on 7th February 2016. Bajirao Mastani with 8 awards was the film wining
highest number of awards.
Awards in various categories are
Best Actor: Ranveer Singh (Bajirao Mastani).
Best Actress: Deepika Padukone (Piku).
Best Film: Bajirao Mastani.
Best Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Bajirao Mastani).
Lifetime Achievement: Moushumi Chatterjee.
Best Debut Director: Neeraj Ghaywan (Massan).
Best Debutant (Male): Sooraj Pancholi (Hero).
Best Debutant (Female): Bhumi Pednekar (Dum Laga Ke Haisha).
Critics Award for Best Film: Piku
Critics Award for Best Actor (Male): Amitabh Bachchan (Piku).
Best Actor Female Critics Choice (Female): Kangana Ranaut (Tanu Weds Manu Returns).
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female): Priyanka Chopra (Bajirao Mastani)
Best Story: V Vijayendra Prasad (Bajrangi Bhaijaan).
Best Singer (male): Arijit Singh (Sooraj dooba hai from ‘Roy’).
Best Singer (female): Shreya Ghoshal (Deewani mastani from ‘Bajirao Mastani’).
Best VFX: Prana Studios (Bombay Velvet).
Best Dialogue: Anupam Roy (Piku).
Best Action: Sham Kaushal (Bajirao Mastani).
Best Cinematography: Manu Anand (Dum Laga Ke Haisha).
Best Choreography: Birju Maharaj (Bajirao Mastani).
Best Edit: Talvar.
Best Production Design: Sujit Sawant, Saloni and Sriram Iyenger (Bajirao Mastani).
Best Costume Designer: Anju Modi and Maxima (Bajirao Mastani).

Padma Vibhushan 2016

S. N Name Field
1. Ms. Yamini Krishnamurthi Art- Classical dance
2. Shri Rajinikanth Art-Cinema
3. Smt. Girija Devi Art-Classical Vocal
4. Shri Ramoji Rao Literature & Education-Journalism
5. Dr. Viswanathan Shanta Medicine- Oncology
6. Shri Shri Ravi Shankar Spiritualism
7. Shri Jagmohan Public Affairs
8. Dr.Vasudev Kalkunte Aatre Science & Engineering
9. Shri Avinash Dixit (Foreigner) Literature & Education
10. Late Shri Dhiru Bhai Ambani (Posthumous) Trade & Industry
AWARDS & HONOURS 2016 CA-49

Padma Bhushan 2016

11. Shri Anupam Kher Art-Cinema
12. Shri Udit Narayan Jha Art-Playback Singing
13. Shri Ram V. Sutar Art-Sculpture
14. Shri Heisnam Kanhailal Art-Theatre
15. Shri Vinod Rai Civil Service
16. Dr. Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad Literature & Education
17. Prof. N. S. Ramanuja Tatacharya Literature & Education
18. Dr. Barjinder Singh Hamdard Literature & Education - Journalism
19. Prof. D. Nageshwar Reddy Medicine-Gastroenterology
20. Swami Tejomayananda Spiritualism
21. Shri Hafeez Contractor Architecture
22. Shri Ravindra Chandra Bhargava Public Affairs
23. Dr.Venkata Rama Rao Alla Science & Engineering
24. Ms. Saina Nehwal Sports-Badminton
25. Ms. Sania Mirza Sports-Tennis
26. Ms. Indu Jain Trade & Industry
27. Late Swami Dayanand Sarawasati Spiritualism
(Posthumous)
28. Shri Robert Blackwill (Foreigner) Public Affairs
29. Shri Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry (NRI/PIO) Trade & Industry

Padma Shri 2016

S. N. Name Field
30. Smt. Prathibha Prahlad Art- Classical Dance
31. Shri Bhikhudan Gadhvi Art- Folk Music
32. Shri Sribhas Chandra Supakar Art- Textile Designing
33. Shri Ajay Devgn Art-Cinema
34. Ms. Priyanka Chopra Art-Cinema
35. Pt. Tulsidas Borkar Art-Classical Music
36. Dr. Soma Ghosh Art-Classical Vocal
37. Shri Nila Madhab Panda Art-Film Direction and Production
38. Shri S.S. Rajamouli Art-Film Direction and Production
39. Shri Madhur Bhandarkar Art-Film Direction and Production
40. Prof. M. Venkatesh Kumar Art-Folk Artist
 CA-50 AWARDS & HONOURS 2016

41. Ms. Gulabi Sapera Art-Folk Dance

42. Smt. Mamta Chandrakar Art-Folk Music
43. Ms. Malini Awasthi Art-Folk Music
44. Shri Jai Prakash Lekhiwal Art-Miniature Painting
45. Shri K. Laxma Goud Art-Painting
46. Shri Bhalchandra Dattatray Mondhe Art-Photography
47. Shri Naresh Chander Lal Art-Theatre & Cinema
48. Shri Dhirendra Nath Bezbaruah Literature & Education
49. Shri Prahlad Chandra Tasa Literature & Education
50. Dr.Ravindra Nagar Literature & Education
51. Shri Dahyabhai Shastri Literature & Education
52. Dr.Santeshivara Bhyrappa Literature & Education
53. Shri Haldar Nag Literature & Education
54. Shri Kameshwaram Brahma Literature & Education -Journalism
55. Prof. Pushpesh Pant Literature & Education-Journalism
56. Shri Jawaharlal Kaul Literature & Education-Journalism
57. Shri Ashok Malik Literature &Education
58. Dr.Mannam Gopi Chand Medicine-Cardio Thoracic Surgery
59. Prof. Ravi Kant Medicine-Surgery
60. Prof. Ram Harsh Singh Medicine- Ayurveda
61. Prof. Shiv Narain Kureel Medicine- Paediatric Surgery
62. Dr.Sabya Sachi Sarkar Medicine –Radiology
63. Dr. Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale Medicine-Cardiac Surgery
64. Prof. T.K. Lahiri Medicine-Cardio Thoracic Surgery
65. Dr. Praveen Chandra Medicine-Cardiology
66. Prof. (Dr) Daljeet Singh Gambhir Medicine-Cardiology
67. Dr.Chandrasekar Shesadri Thoguluva Medicine-Gastroenterology
68. Dr. (Mrs.) Anil Kumari Malhotra Medicine-Homeopathy
69. Prof. M.V. Padma Srivastava Medicine-Neurology
70. Dr. Sudhir V. Shah Medicine-Neurology
71. Dr. M. M. Joshi Medicine-Ophthalmology
72. Prof. (Dr) John Ebnezar Medicine-Orthopaedic Surgery
73. Dr. Nayudamma Yarlagadda Medicine-Paediatric Surgery
74. Shri Simon Oraon Environment Conservation
75. Shri Imitiaz Qureshi Culinary
AWARDS & HONOURS 2016 CA-51

76. Shri Piyush Pandey Advertising & Communication

77. Shri Subhash Palekar Farming
78. Shri Ravinder Kumar Sinha Wildlife Conservation
79. Dr. H.R. Nagendra Yoga
80. Shri M. C. Mehta Public Affairs
81. Shri M. N. Krishna Mani Public Affairs
82. Shri Ujjwal Nikam Public Affairs
83. Shri Tokheho Sema Public Affairs
84. Dr. Satish Kumar Science & Engineering
85. Dr.Mylswamy Annadurai Science & Engineering
86. Prof. Dipankar Chatterji Science & Engineering
87. Prof.(Dr.) Ganapati Dadasaheb Yadav Science & Engineering
88. Smt. (Prof.) Veena Tandon Science & Engineering
89. Shri Onkar Nath Srivastava Science and Engineering
90. Ms. Sunita Krishnan Social Work
91. Shri Ajoy Kumar Dutta Social Work
92. Shri M. Pandit Dasa Social Work
93. Shri P. P. Gopinathan Nair Social Work
94. Smt. Madeleine Herman de Blic Social Work
95. Shri Srinivasan Damal Kandalai Social work
96. Shri Sudhakar Olwe Social Work
97. Dr. T.V. Narayana Social Work
98. Shri Arunachalam Murugantham Social Work
99. Ms. Deepika Kumari Sports-Archery
100. Shri Sushil Doshi Sports-commentary
101. Shri Mahesh Sharma Trade & Industry
102. Shri Saurabh Srivastava Trade & Industry
103. Sh Dilip Sanghvi Trade & Industry
104. Dr. Keki Hormusji Gharda Trade & Industry
105. Late Shri Prakash Chand Surana (Posthumous) Art -Classical Music
106. Late Shri Saeed Jaffrey (NRI/PIO/Posthumous) Art-Cinema
107. Shri Michael Postel (Foreigner) Art-Archaeology
108. Shri Salman Amin Sal Khan(NRI/PIO) Literature & Education
109. Smt. Hui Lan Zhang (Foreigner) Yoga
110. Shri Predrag K. Nikic (Foreigner) Yoga
111. Dr.Sundar Aditya Menon (NRI/PIO) Social Work
112. Shri Ajaypal Singh Banga (NRI/PIO) Trade & Industry
 CA-52 AWARDS & HONOURS 2016

66th Berlin International Film Festival 2016

66th edition of Berlin International Film Festival was held in Berlin, Germany from 11
February to 21 February 2016. American actress Meryl Streep was the President of the Jury.
Italian documentary film Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea) directed by Gianfranco Rosi was
awarded prestigious Golden Bear, the top prize of the festival.
Other Prizes
Honorary Golden Bear: Michael Ballhaus.
Silver Bear for Best director: Mia Hansen-Løve (France) for Things to Come.
Silver Bear for Best Actress: Trine Dyrholm (Denmark) for The Commune.
Silver Bear for Best Actor: Majd Mastoura (Tunisia) for Hedi.
Silver Bear for Best Script: Tomasz Wasilewski for United States of Love.
Jury Grand Prix (Silver Bear): Death in Sarajevo by Danis Tanović.
Alfred Bauer Prize (Silver Bear): A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery by Lav Diaz.
Crystal Bear or the best short film: El inicio de Fabrizio for Argentinian film Fabrizio’s
Initiation.

58th Grammy Awards 2016

T he 58th Annual Grammy Awards were announced on December 7, 2015 by the

Recording Academy announced at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California (USA).
The ceremony has recognized the best recordings, compositions and artists in the
eligibility year, which was from October 2014, to September 2015. The 2016 Award
ceremony was held on February 15, 2016 at Staples center in Los Angeles.
List of Top Grammy Awards Winners
Category Album Artist
Record of the Year Uptown Funk Mark Ronson featuring Bruno
Mars
Album of the Year 1989 Taylor Swift
Song of the Year Thinking Out Loud Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge
Best New Artist Meghan Trainor
Best Pop Solo Thinking Out Loud Ed Sheeran
Performance
Best Pop Duo/Group Uptown Funk Mark Ronson featuring Bruno
Performance Mars
Best Traditional Pop The Silver Lining: The Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap
Vocal Album Songs Of Jerome Kern
Best Pop Vocal Album 1989 Taylor Swift
Best Dance Recording Where Are Ü Now Skrillex and Diplo with Justin
Bieber
Best Dance/Electronic Skrillex and Diplo Skrillex and Diplo
Album Present Jack
AWARDS & HONOURS 2016 CA-53

69th BAFTA Awards 2016

The 69th British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) held on 14 February
2016 at the Royal Opera House in London (U.K). This year the BAFTA awards were
conferred for the outstanding performances in films and documentaries screened at
British Cinemas in 2015.
69th different awards are given to-
Best Film: The Revenant.
Outstanding British Film: Brooklyn.
Best Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant).
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant).
Best Actress: Brie Larson (Room).
Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies).
Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs).
Best Original Screenplay: Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer
(Spotlight).
Best Adapted Screenplay: Adam McKay and Charles
Randolph (The Big Short).
Best Editing: Margaret Sixel (Mad Max: Fury Road).
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant).
Best Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road.
Best Costume Design: Jenny Beavan (Mad Max: Fury Road).
Best Original Music: Ennio Morricone (The Hateful Eight).
Best Makeup and Hair: Damian Martin and Lesley Vanderwalt (Mad Max: Fury Road).
Best Sound: The Revenant.
Best Visual Effects: Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Best Film Not in the English Language: Wild Tales (Argentina).
Best Animated Film: Inside Out.
Best Documentary: Amy.
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer: Naji Abu Nowar
(Writer/Director) and Rupert Lloyd (Producer) – Theeb.
Best British Short Film: Edmond.
The EE Rising Star Award: John Boyega.
Most awards: The Revenant (5 wins).
Most nominations: Bridge of Spies and Carol (9 nominations each).

Vyas Samman Award 2015

Hindi scholar and writer Sunita Jain was conferred with the prestigious 25th Vyas
Samman 2015. She was presented with the award by West Bengal Governor K N
Tripathi. She was bestowed with this prestigious literary award for her poetry collection
Kshama (published in 2008). Through her poetry collection, she portrays the fine
emotions between poet Tulsidas and his wife Ratnavalli. Using very fine language in the
poetry, she has managed to aptly convey the sentiment of forgiveness between Tulsidas
and his wife.
 CA-54 AWARDS & HONOURS 2016

Oscar Awards 2016: 88th Academy Awards

The 88th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences (AMPAS) was held on February 28, 2016 at the Dolby Theatre in Holly-
wood, Los Angeles. The Academy Awards (commonly referred as Oscars) were present-
ed in twenty four categories. They are :
Best Picture: Spotlight
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant).
Best Actress: Brie Larson (Room).
Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies).
Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl).
Best Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant).
Best Original Screenplay: Tom McCarthy (Spotlight).
Best Adapted Screenplay: Adam McKay (The Big Short).
Best Original Song: Writing’s on the Wall (Spectre).
Best Original Score: The Hateful Eight (Ennio Morricone).
Best Production Design: Colin Gibson and Lisa Thompson (Mad Max: Fury Road).
Best Editing: Margaret Sixel (Mad Max: Fury Road).
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant).
Best Sound Editing: Mark A. Mangini and David White (Mad Max: Fury Road).
Best Sound Mixing: Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo (Mad Max: Fury Road).
Best Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul (Hungary).
Best Documentary Feature: Amy.
Best Documentary Short Subject: A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness.
Best Live Action Short Film: Stuttered.
Best Visual Effects: Mark Williams Ardington, Sara Bennett, Paul Norris and Andrew
Whitehurst (Ex Machina).
Best Animated Feature Film: Inside Out.
Best Animated Short Film: Bear Story.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka (Mad Max: Fury Road).
Best Costume Design: Jenny Beavan (Mad Max: Fury Road).
Most awards: Mad Max: Fury Road (6 Awards) followed by The Revenant (3) and
Spotlight (2).
Most nominations in 88th Academy Awards: The Revenant (12), Mad Max: Fury
Road (10) and The Martian (7).

Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2015

Veteran Film Actor and Director Manoj Kumar has been selected for the prestigious
47th Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2015. He was unanimously selected by a
five member jury consisted of Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Salim Khan, Nitin Mukesh
and Anup Jalota. This award was given by the president Pranab Mukherjee at the 63rd
National Film Awards on 3rd May 2016 in New Delhi.
AWARDS & HONOURS 2016 CA-55

10th Asian Film Award 2016

The Asian Film Awards are presented annually by the Hong Kong International Film
Festival Society to recognize Asian film professionals. The 10th edition of Asian
film Awards, one of the Asia’s leading film awards was held on 17th March 2016 in
the Venetian Casino and Hotel in Macau, China. The Assassin has bagged 8 awards in
different categories in the 2016 Asian film Awards. It is a 2015 martial arts film based on
story of highly trained female assassin and is directed by Taiwanese
director Hou Hsiao-Hsien.
List of winners
Best Film: The Assassin.
Best Director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien (The Assassin) from Taiwan.
Best Actor: Lee Byung-hun (The Inside Men).
Best Actress: Shu Qi (The Assassin).
Best Newcomer: Jessie Li (Port of Call).
Best Supporting Actor: Tadanobu Asano (Journey to the Shore).
Best Supporting Actress: Zhou Yun (The Assassin)
Best Screenplay: Jia Zhangke (Mountains May Depart).
Best Cinematography: Mark Lee Ping-bing (The Assassin)
Best Production Design: Hwarng Wern-ying (The Assassin).
Best Original Music: Lim Giong (The Assassin).
Best Editing: Chu Ka-yat, William Chang Suk-ping, Liao Ching-sung, Wong Hoi, Philip
Yung (Port of Call).
Best Visual Effects: Prasad Sutar (Bajirao Mastani).
Best Costume Design: Lee Ji-yeon and Shim Hyun-seob (The Throne).
Best Sound: Tu Duu-chih, Chu Shih-yi and Wu Shu-yao (The Assassin).
Lifetime Achievement Award: Yuen Wo-ping and Kirin Kiki

Abel Prize 2016

British mathematician Andrew Wiles (62) was named as the winner of the prestigious
2016 Abel Prize.
He was selected by the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters for solving a
centuries old hypothesis (equation), Fermat’s Last Theorem.

Man Booker International Prize 2016

South Korean author, Han Kang, has won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize for
her novel ‘The Vegetarian’. With this Han becomes the first South Korean to win this
prestigious literary prize. The writer and her British translator Deborah Smith shared
the 72,000 dollars prize money.
Han’s novel ‘The Vegetarian’ tells a story of a wife (Yeong-hye lead character) who
decides to become a vegetarian. The decision provokes cruelty from her husband, and
from her father, and obsession from her sister’s husband, as the woman, she dreams
obsessively about becoming a tree.
 CA-56 AWARDS & HONOURS 2016

63rd National Film Awards 2015

The 63rd National Film Awards for year 2015 were announced on 28 March 2016. Baa-
hubali: The Beginning (Tamil, Telugu) directed by S. S. Rajamouli was selected as the
Best feature film. Bajrangi Bhaijaan (Hindi) directed by Kabir Khan was selected as the
Best Popular film providing wholesome entertainment.
The 63rd National Film Awards in the various categories are as follows
Best Actor: Amitabh Bachchan (Piku).
Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut (Tanu Weds Manu Returns).
Best Direction: Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Bajirao Mastani).
Best Film on Social Issues: Niranayakam (Malayalam) directed by V. K. Prakash.
Best Supporting Actor: Samuthirakani for the film Visaranai (Tamil).
Best Supporting Actress: Tanvi Azmi for the film Bajirao Mastani (Hindi).
Best Children’s Film: Duronto (Hindi) directed by Soumnedra Padhi.
Best Child Artist: Gaurav Menon for the film Ben (Malayalam).
Special Jury Award: Margarita with a Straw (Hindi) directed by Kalki Koechlin.
Best Cinematography: Remo D’Souza for the film Bajirao Mastani (Hindi).
Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director: Neeraj Ghaywan for the film
Masaan (Hindi).
Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration: Nanak Shah Fakir
(Punjabi) directed by Sartaj Singh Pannu.

Saraswati Samman 2015

Dogri Poetess and novelist Padma Sachdev (76) has been chosen for the prestigious
Saraswati Samman for the year 2015. She has been chosen for her autobiography ‘Chitt-
Chete’ written in Dogri language and published in 2007.

Pen Pinter Prize 2016

Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist Margaret
Atwood was chosen for the prestigious 2016 Pen Pinter Prize. She will formerly receive
the award at a public event scheduled to be held on 13 October 2016 at the British
Library.

51st Jnanpith Award 2016

President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the 51st Jnanpith Award on renowned Gujarati
writer and litterateur Dr. Raghuveer Chaudhari on July 11, 2016 at a function in New
Delhi. He was awarded with the India’s highest literary honour carrying a cash prize, a
citation plaque and a bronze replica of Goddess Saraswati for the year 2015.
Mr. Chaudhary is the fourth Gujarati litterateur to bag this prestigious award after Uma
Shankar Joshi (1967), Pannalal Patel (1985) and Rajendra Shah (2001)
AWARDS & HONOURS 2016 CA-57

Pulitzer Prize 2016

The Pulitzer prizes are given for achievements in newspaper, magazines and online
journalism, literature, etc. in the U.S.A. It is administered by Columbia University in New
York. The Sympathizer, a debut novel of Vietnamese American professor Viet Thanh
Nguyen has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. While, Associated Press has won two
prestigious Pulitzer prize in Public Service for coverage for an investigation of severe
labour abuses tied to the supply of seafood to American supermarkets and restaurants.
List of 2016 Pulitzer Prize Winners
Books, Drama and Music
Fiction: The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen.
Drama: Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
History: Custer’s Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America by T.J. Stiles.
Biography: Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan,.
Poetry: Ozone Journal by Peter Balakian. Music: In for a Penny, In for a Pound by Henry
Threadgill.
Journalism
Public Service: Associated Press.
Breaking News Reporting: Los Angeles Times Staff.
Investigative Reporting: Leonora LaPeter Anton and Anthony Cormier of the Tampa
Bay Times and Michael Braga of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
National Reporting: The Washington Post Staff.
International Reporting: Alissa J. Rubin of The New York Times.

Man Booker Prize 2016

Paul Beatty (54) has won the 2016 Man Booker Prize. With this he became the first US au-
thor to win this prestigious literary award. He was bestowed with this award for his racial
satirical novel ‘The Sellout’ at a ceremony held in London’s Guildhall. His novel tells the story
of a young black man who tries to reinstate slavery and racial segregation in a suburb of Los
Angeles. It is given for fiction by Man Group focussed on literacy and education.

Nobel Prize 2016

Peace: The current President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, was awarded Nobel
Peace Prize for his resolute efforts to bring the country’s more than 50-year-long civil
war to an end, a war that took away the lives of at least 2,20,000 Colombians and dis-
placed nearly six million people.
Physics: British trio of physicists David Thouless, F Duncan M Haldane and Michael
Kosterlitz have won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Economics: Two economists Oliver Hart and Bengt Holmstrom have won the 2016 No-
bel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
Chemistry: Trio of Jean-Pierre Sauvage, J Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L Feringa have
won the prestigious 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Literature: American singer-songwriter, artist and writer Bob Dylan (75) has won the
2016 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is the first American to win the prize since novelist
Toni Morrison in 1993.
Medicine: Yoshinori Ohsumi (71) of Japan has won the 2016 Nobel Prize for physiology
or Medicine for his pioneering work on autophagy.
 CA-58 AWARDS & HONOURS 2016

Ramon Magsaysay Award 2016

Two Indians, social activist Bezwada Wilson and musician TM Krishna, have won the
prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award 2016. They are among the total six awardees se-
lected for the 2016 Ramon Magsaysay Award, often regarded as Asia’s Nobel Prize.
The 6 Awardees are:
Bezwada Wilson (India): He has been recognized for asserting the inalienable right
to a life of human dignity. He is the National Convener of the Safai Karmachari Andolan
(SKA). He has done remarkable work in liberating scores of people engaged in manual
scavenging across the country.
Thodur Madabusi Krishna (India): He has been recognized for ensuring social inclu-
siveness in culture. He is a Carnatic music vocalist.
Conchita Carpio Morales (Philippines): She has been recognized for restoring faith
in the rule of law.
Dompet Dhuafa (Indonesia): She has been recognized for expanding the transforma-
tive impact of zakat.
Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (Japan): The organisation has been recog-
nized for building a world of genuine solidarity.
Vientiane Rescue (Laos): The organisation has been recognized for volunteering to
save lives at risk.

National Sports Awards 2016

The Union Government bestows National Sports Awards every year to recognize and
reward excellence in sports in India.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
Recipients are: PV Sindhu (Badminton), Sakshi Malik (Wrestling), Dipa Karmakar
(Gymnastics) and Jitu Rai (Shooting). 2016
Dronacharya Award
Recipients are: Nagapuri Ramesh (Athletics), Sagar Mal Dhayal (Boxing), Raj Kumar
Sharma (Cricket), Bishweshwar Nandi (Gymnastics), S. Pradeep Kumar (Swimming)
and Mahabir Singh (Wrestling) 2016
Arjuna Award
Recipients are: Rajat Chauhan (Archery), Lalita Babar (Athletics), Sourav Kothari
(Billiards & Snooker), Shiva Thapa (Boxing), Ajinkya Rahane (Cricket), Subrata Paul
(Football), Rani (Hockey), Raghunath V.R. (Hockey), Gurpreet Singh (Shooting), Apurvi
Chandela (Shooting), Soumyajit Ghosh (Table Tennis), Vinesh (Wrestling), Amit Kumar
(Wrestling), Sandeep Singh Mann (Para-Athletics) and Virender Singh (Wrestling).
2016 Dhyan Chand Award
Recipients are: Satti Geetha (Athletics), Sylvanus Dung Dung (Hockey) and Rajendra
Pralhad Shelke (Rowing). 2015-16
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy
Recipient: Punjabi University, Patiala.
 CA-59

OBITUARY IN 2016
Jan 7, 2016 Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Former-Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister.
Jan 10, 2016 David Bowie–Legendary artist.
Jan 19, 2016 Ravindra Kalia–Noted Hindi writer.
Jan 21, 2016 Mrinalini Sarabhai–Legendary dancer.
Jan 25, 2016 Kalpana Ranjani–Noted Malayalam film actress.
Feb 2, 2016 S S Tarapore–Former RBI Deputy Governor.
Feb 2, 2016 Intizar Hussain–Veteran Urdu writer.
Feb 9, 2016 Sushil Koirala–Former Nepal Prime Minister.
Feb 18, 2016 Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan–Veteran singer of Gwalior Gharana.
Feb 19, 2016 Bhubaneswari Mishra–Renowned singer.
Mar 4, 2016 Purno Agitok Sangma–Former Lok Sabha Speaker.
Mar 5, 2016 Ray Tomlinson–inventor of E-mail.
Mar 16, 2016 Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain–Famous Shehnai exponent.
Mar 26, 2016 Jim Harrison–Renowned American author.
Apr 5, 2016 Barbara Turner–Hollywood actress and screenwriter.
Apr 14, 2016 Satyanand Munjal–Hero Group co-founder.
Apr 21, 2016 Prince Rogers Nelson–Music legend.
Apr 27, 2016 V T Thomas–Kerala cartoonist.
May 11, 2016 Tony Cozier–Renowned commentator.
May 27, 2016 RG Jadhav – Noted Marathi writer.
Jun 3, 2016 Muhammad Ali–American Boxer.
Jun 12, 2016 Achyut Lahkar–Noted Playwright and Actor.
Jun 22, 2016 Amjad Sabri–a famed Pakistani Qawwal.
Jun 29, 2016 KG Subramanyan–Renowned painter.
Jul 1, 2016 Ramchandra Chintaman Dhere–Eminent Marathi literary scholar.
Jul 20, 2016 Mohammed Shahid – Indian Hockey legend.
Jul 28, 2016 Mahasweta Devi–Writer and social activist.
Jul 28, 2016 Pandit Lacchu Maharaj–Veteran tabla maestro.
Aug 14, 2016 Na Muthukumar–Tamil Lyricist.
Aug 8, 2016 Mahim Bora–Eminent Assamese litterateur.
Aug 9, 2016 Kalikho Pul–Former Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh.
Aug 22, 2016 Sellapan Ramanathan–Singapore’s longest serving president.
Sep 2, 2016 Islam Karimov–President of Uzbekistan.
Sep 5, 2016 Lindsay Tuckett–World’s oldest cricketer.
Sep 24, 2016 Reoti Saran Sharma–Hindi and Urdu writer.
Sep 27, 2016 Syed Shamsul Haq–Renowned Bangla writer.
Sep 28, 2016 Shimon Peres–Former Israeli Prime Minister.
Oct 13, 2016 Bhumibol Adulyadej–King of Thailand.
Nov 22, 2016 M. Balamuralikrishna–Indian Carnatic musician and composer
Nov 25, 2016 Fidel Castro - Cuban Politician, Prime Minister.
Nov 25, 2016 Dilip Padgaonkar–Journalist, Editor in Chief.
Dec 5, 2016 Jayalalithaa Jayaraman- Indian actor and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
CA-60

MODI’S VISITS TO NATIONS

Place Belgium
Date 30 March 2016
Purpose Bilateral meeting that focus on further enhancing the economic
partnership.
Highlights w Restart and expedite talks on a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and
an extradition treaty to fight terrorism.
w Invited the Belgian government and companies to take part in
India’s ambitious projects, including Digital India, Start Up India
and Skill India.
w Amending protocol that makes the Double Taxation Avoidance
Agreement (DTAA) more comprehensive and contemporary.
1 w Technical activation of an optical infrared telescope in Devasthal in
India, jointly developed by ARIES (Aryabhatta Research Institute of
Observational Sciences) of India and the Belgian company AMOS
(Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems).
w MoU between the Department of Biotechnology of India and the
Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO) for cooperation in the field
of Biotechnology.
w E-Tourist visa facility extended by India to Belgian nationals to
promote tourism.

Place Brussels
Date 30 March 2016.
Purpose 13th EU-India Summit
Agreements w “EU-India Agenda for Action 2020” as a common roadmap to jointly guide
and strengthen the India-EU Strategic Partnership in the next five years.
w Establish and implement an Indo-European Water Partnership (IEWP).
w Referring to the ‘100 Smart cities’ flagship programme and EU urban
policy development experience, enhance EU-India cooperation on
Urban Development.
w Consolidate the good cooperation on fusion energy research, in
particular on JET(Joint European Torus), under the Euratom-India
Fusion Cooperation Agreement; as well in ITER (International
Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor).
2 w Finalise and start implementing the EURATOM-India agreement for
research and development cooperation in the field of the peaceful
uses of nuclear energy.
w Create synergies between the “Digital India” initiative and the EU’s
“Digital Single Market”.
w Strengthen dialogue and cooperation on education including
through India’s GIAN programme and EU’s Erasmus+ programme.
w Merge the EU-India Security Dialogue and Foreign Policy
Consultations into “Foreign Policy and Security Consultations”.
w Decided to establish a Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility
(CAMM) between India and the EU and the participating EU
Member States.
MODI’S VISITS TO NATIONS CA-61

Place Washington (United States )

Date 31 March - 1 April 2016
Purpose Nuclear Security Summit
Highlights w Announced several key initiatives taken by his government in the
area of nuclear security and non-proliferation, including countering
nuclear smuggling and deployment of technology to deter nuclear
terrorism.
w India will host a meeting of Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear
3 Terrorism in 2017.
w India will support IAEA’s central role in nuclear security by a
further contribution of US$ 1 million to the nuclear security fund. A
workshop with IAEA experts on International Physical Protection
Assessment Service (IPPAS) will also be held in India.

Place Riyadh (Saudi Arabia.)

Date 2 and 3 April
Purpose Deepening the bilateral relations and strengthening business ties.
Agreements w Agreement on Labour Co-operation between the Ministry of Labour
of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Ministry of External Affairs of
the Republic of India for Recruitment of General Category Workers.
w Technical Cooperation Program between the Bureau of Indian
Standards (BIS) and the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality
Organization (SASO).
w Executive Program for Cooperation in the Field of Handicrafts
between the Export Promotion Council for Handicraft (EPCH)
4 in the Republic of India and Saudi Commission for Tourism and
National Heritage.
w MoU between Financial Intelligence Unit - India and the Financial
Intelligence Unit-Saudi Arabia concerning Cooperation in the
Exchange of Intelligence related to Money Laundering, Terrorism
Financing and Related Crimes
w Framework for Investment Promotion Cooperation between Invest
India and the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA).
Highlights w Attended a business event in Riyadh.
w Visited the Masmak Fortress.
w Reached out to the workers at L&T Residential Complex.
w Visited the TCS All Women IT & ITES Center in Riyadh.
w Shri Narendra Modi was conferred Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian
honour, the King Abdulaziz Sash.
CA-62 MODI’S VISITS TO NATIONS

Place Tehran ( Iran)

Date 22-23 May 2016
Purpose Focus mainly on connectivity and infrastructure, energy partnership with
Iran, boosting bilateral trade, promoting regular consultations on peace
and stability particularly in our region and extended neighbourhood, and
encouraging people-to-people contacts and relations between the two countries.
Agreements w India-Iran Cultural Exchange Programme.
w MoU between the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India and
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of Iran on Policy Dialogue
between Governments and Interaction between Think Tanks.
w MoU between Foreign Service Institute, MEA and the School of
International Relations, Iran’s MoFA to enhance cooperation between the
two parties for training of diplomats and exchange of eminent speakers.
w Implementation Protocol between Department of Science and
Technology, Ministry of S&T and Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research
and Technology on Cooperation in the Fields of Science and Technology.
w MoU between Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Islamic
Culture and Relations Organizations of the IR Iran.
w Bilateral contract on Chabahar Port for port development and
operations between IPGPL [India Ports Global Private Limited] and
Arya Banader of Iran.
5 w MoU between EXIM Bank and Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization
[PMO] for the purpose of credit of US$ 150 million for Chabahar port.
w MoU between ECGC [Export Credit Guarantee Corporation] Limited of
India and the Export Guarantee Fund of Iran (EGFI) for supporting and
encouraging foreign trade and foreign investment between India and Iran.
w MoU between National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) and
the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation
Organization (IMIDRO) to jointly explore the possibility of manufacturing
aluminium metal by setting up of a smelter on joint venture basis in Iran
and/or entering into tolling arrangements with smelters in Iran or any
other form of business collaboration including sale of alumina etc.
w MoU between IRCON and Construction, Development of Transport
and Infrastructure Company (CDTIC) of Iran to provide requisite
services for the construction of Chabahar-Zahedan railway line
which forms part of transit and transportation corridor in trilateral
agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan.
w MoU for cooperation between the National Archives of India and the
National Library and Archives Organisation of the Islamic Republic
of Iran for facilitation of exchange of information and knowledge in
the field of archival matters through exchange of manuals, guidelines,
rules, publications and other special literature on archival topics.
Highlights w Inaugurated an international conference titled ‘India-Iran: Two
Great Civilizations - Retrospect and Prospect’ in Tehran which
was organized by ICCR with Academy of Persian Language and
Literature and other Iranian partners.
w The Prime Minister also released a rare Persian manuscript brought
out by ICCR at the event.
MODI’S VISITS TO NATIONS CA-63

Place Herat (Afghanistan)

Date 04 June 2016
Purpose Inaugration of Salma Dam
Highlights w Jointly inaugurated the Afghan-India Friendship Dam, earlier
known as Salma Dam, with President of Afghanistan Dr. Ashraf
Ghani in Herat province in Western Afghanistan.
6 w Discuss situation in Afghanistan and how the two countries can
cooperate further for promoting peace and stability in that country.

Place Doha (Qatar)

Date June 04-05, 2016
Purpose Broaden and deepen bilateral engagement in diverse fields of mutual
interest.
Agreements w MoU between National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF),
Ministry of Finance, Government of India and Qatar Investment
Authority (QIA) for facilitating participation of Qatari institutional
investors in Infrastructure projects in India under NIIF.
w Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs
Matters between the Government of Republic of India and
Government of the State of Qatar.
w MoU between Financial Intelligence Unit – India (FIU-IND) and the
Qatar Financial Information Unit (QFIU) concerning cooperation
in the exchange of intelligence related to money laundering,
7 terrorism-financing and related crimes.
w MoU between the Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship, the Government of Republic of India and the
National Qualifications Authority/Supreme Education Council,
Government of the State of Qatar for Cooperation in Skill
Development and Recognition of Qualifications.
w MoU on cooperation in Tourism between the Government of the
Republic of India and Government of the State of Qatar.
w The First Executive Programme for MoU in the field of Youth
and Sports between the Government of Republic of India and
Government of the State of Qatar.

Place
Date
Geneva (Switzerland)
06 June 2016
8
Purpose Strengthen the bilateral relations of two countries.
Highlights w Raised the black money issue with Swiss Government .
w Support for Indian claim to NSG membership.
CA-64 MODI’S VISITS TO NATIONS

Place Washington ( United States)

Date 6-8 June 2016
Purpose Deepening strategic partnership between the United States and India.
Agreements w Arrangement between the Multi-Agency Centre/Intelligence
Bureau of the Government of India and the Terrorist Screening
Center of the Government of the United States of America for the
exchange of Terrorist Screening Information.
w MoU between the Government of India and the Government of
the United States of America to enhance cooperation on Energy
Security, Clean Energy and Climate Change.
w MoU between the two Governments to enhance co-operation on
Wildlife Conservation and Combating Wildlife Trafficking.
w MoU between Consular, Passport and Visa Division of the Ministry
9 of External Affairs, Government of India and US Customs and
Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security of the United
States for the Development of an International Expedited Traveler
Initiative (the Global Entry Programme).
w Technical Arrangement between the Indian Navy and the United
States Navy concerning Unclassified Maritime Information Sharing.
w MoU between the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas,
Government of India and the Department of Energy of the United
States of America for Cooperation in Gas Hydrates.
w Information Exchange Annex (IEA) between the Ministry of
Defence, Government of India and the Department of Defense of
the United States of America to the Master Information Exchange
Agreement concerning Aircraft Carrier Technologies.
Highlights Prime Minister’s speech at the US Congress.

Place Mexico 10
Date 09 June 2016
Purpose To enhance bilateral relations between both the countries.
Highlights w Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto announced his country’s
support to India’s membership for the elite NSG.
w Talks in a range of areas including trade and investment, information
technology, energy and space.
w Welcomed the opportunities offered by the convergence between
the National Digital Strategy of Mexico and the Digital India
Initiative, which share common objectives.
w Welcomed collaboration in space science, earth observation,
climate and environmental studies.
MODI’S VISITS TO NATIONS CA-65

Place Tashkent ( Uzbekistan)

Date 23-24 June 2016
Purpose Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit .
Highlights w To seek China’s support for India’s membership at the Nuclear
Suppliers Group (NSG) that controls access to sensitive nuclear
technology.
11 w India’s entry into SCO as a full member will provide it an opportunity
to have extended cooperation with member countries in areas of
defence, security and counter-terrorism.

Place Mozambique 12
Date 7 July, 2016
Purpose To strengthen India’s ties with Mozambique
Highlights w India and Mozambique have signed three Memoranda of Understanding
(MoU) in areas of drug trafficking, pulse trading and sports.

Place Africa
Date 8-9 July, 2016
Purpose Agenda was to boost economic ties with South Africa
Highlights India and South Africa have signed Memorandum of Understandings
(MoUs) and agreements in four areas of bilateral co-operation.
Signed agreements:
w MoU on Tourism.


13 w MoU on Grassroot innovation (Science and Technology)
w MoU on Information and Communication technology (ICT).
w Both countries also signed Programme of Cooperation in Arts and
Culture

Place Tanzania
Date 10 July 2016
Purpose Agenda was to improve India-Tanzania relations and held talks with
the President
Highlights India and Tanzania have signed five agreements to accelerate bilateral
ties between both nations.
Signed Agreements are:
w MoU for Establishment of Vocational Training Centre at Zanzibar
w MoU on Visa waiver agreement for Diplomatic/Official passport
holders
w MoU on Cooperation in the field of water resource management
14 and development
w Line of Credit (LoC) of US 92 million dollars for rehabilitation and
improvement of water supply system in Zanzibar
w Agreement on Joint Action Plan (JAP) between National Small
Industries Corporation (NSIC) of India and Small Industries
Development Organization (SIDO) of Tanzania.
CA-66 MODI’S VISITS TO NATIONS

Place Kenya
Date 11 July, 2016
Purpose To deepen and expand cooperation in a wide range of areas between
India and Kenya.
Highlights India and Kenya have signed seven agreements:
w MoU on Defence Cooperation.
w MoU in the field of Space Technology partnership.
w Revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA).
w Bilateral agreement on exemption of Visa for holders of Diplomatic passports
w MoU on Cooperation in the field of National Housing Policy
Development and Management.
w MoU on Cooperation in the field of expertise sharing, standardisation
15 and mutual trade between Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and
Bureau of Kenya Standards (BKS).
w Line of Credit (LoC) Agreement for US $29.95 million to Kenyan
Government for upgradation of Rift Valley Textiles Factory
(RIVATEX East Africa Limited) in Kenya.
w LoC Agreement for US $15 million (first tranche of $30 million) to
Kenya’s IDB Capital Limited for development of small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) in Kenya.

Place Vietnam
Date September 3, 2016
Purpose To make agreements in different areas of cooperation to boost bilateral
relations.
Highlights India and Vietnam have signed 12 agreements in different areas of
cooperation like:
w Exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, double
taxation avoidance, co-operation on UN peacekeeping operation.
16 w Health, cyber security, advanced IT training, sharing of shipping
information between the Navies of the two countries and mutual
recognition of standards.

Place China
Date 4-5 September, 2016
Purpose To attend the 2016 Group of Twenty (G20) Summit held in Hangzhou,
China from 4th to 5th September 2016 in order to discuss efforts to
reform global economic governance.
Highlights Key Highlights of 2016 G20 Summit:
w G-20 leaders have pledged to continue to work for a globally fair
and modern international tax system, foster growth and refrain
from competitive devaluation of currencies.
w They will continue the work on addressing cross-border financial
flows derived from illicit activities, including deliberate trade
17 mis-invoicing, which hampers the mobilisation of domestic
resources for development.
w They vowed to go ahead on the ongoing co-operation on Base
Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), exchange of tax information,
tax capacity-building of developing countries and tax policies to
MODI’S VISITS TO NATIONS CA-67

promote growth and tax certainty.

w They also vowed to use all policy tools to achieve the goal of strong,
sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth.
w They agreed at the summit that refugees are a global issue and the
burden must be shared. They called for strengthening humanitarian
assistance for refugees.
w The 2017 G20 summit will be held in Hamburg, Germany from 7-8
July 2017.

Place Vientiane, Laos

Date 7–8 September, 2016
Purpose Prime Minister Narendra Modi had represented India at the 14th
ASEAN-India summit.
Highlights ASEAN-India adopted a document aiming at politically cohesive,
economically integrated, socially responsible and people oriented
people centered ASEAN-India Community.
w The document recognizes the vital importance of the planned
review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods (AITIG) Agreement.
w It seeks to ensure that the agreement is trade-facilitative and
18 remains relevant to the current global trading practices.
w The document also emphasizes the importance of maintaining
peace, security and stability, unimpeded commerce, freedom of
navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea.
w Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep concern over the
rising export of terror in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

Place Japan
Date 10-12 November, 2016
Purpose Bilateral meeting that focus on further enhancing the economic
partnership.
Highlights w Deal has been signed by which Japan can export nuclear technology
to India giving it an edge over its neighbours so far as the use of civil
nuclear energy is concerned.
w This deal makes India the first non-NPT signatory to ink a nuclear
pact with Japan. Japan’s ‘friendliness’ towards India was tested in
1991, after it bailed India out of its balance of payments crisis.
w The India-Japan civil nuclear deal will be watched closely by China as
Beijing shares territorial concerns with both New Delhi and Tokyo.
This deal has come at a time when China is increasingly looking
to expand its footprint in the South China Sea. The perception of
19 US President Donald Trump regarding his South Asia policy is also
likely to keep China on its toes.
w India aims to ramp up nuclear capacity ten-fold by 2032 and is in
negotiations with Westinghouse Electric, owned by Japan’s Toshiba.
w India plans to build six nuclear plants in the south. The nuclear deal
takes India a step further in this direction.
w PM Modi’s visit to japan wasn’t about the nuclear deal alone. The
Indian PM, accompanied by Shinzo Abe, travelled to Kobe by the
Shinkansen bullet train. The same technology will be deployed for
the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Railway.
 CA-68
In Indian Universities, Politics and
Education go Hand in Hand
P
olitics is a very significant aspect of
educational institutions. Its purpose
is to produce better leaders who
could carry the legacy of such leaders who
have dedicated their lives to the cause
of the people of the country. It is both a
study to acquire skill to understand the
administration of power and to manage
public affairs. It is an integral part of the
functioning of public education. It is not just
about electing student representatives but it
is an integral part of our system for shaping
young minds in order to build a better
future. The introduction of student council
elections has resulted in a healthy student
voice with the effective participation of
the young people. The youth today is more
informed, more conscious of the society and
hence there are varied perspectives and
political interests that prevail in a campus.
In any democracy, campus politics,
political parties and student organizations
are given a significant importance. The
students acquiring knowledge in the campus
become aware of the social and political
scenario in the country and are able to make
better decisions with regard to the interests
of the people of their country. That is what
democracy is. In many democratic nations,
the age of franchise has been lowered to
provide students an opportunity to choose
n Gurleen Garelli
the representatives of people who could
work in the interests of the people. The
functioning of the democratic system can
be better understood by means of politics
in the campus. It gives a clear picture of the
execution of the governing institutions of
the country and gives it a better direction if
they remain in contact with the day to day
changing scenario of the country’s politics.
The youth make up a great proportion
of the voting population and the choices
that they make would directly affect the
citizens of their country. Therefore it is
imminent that they should be aware of
the political scenario of their country.
Politics in the campus helps them enhance
their understanding of the government
and the democratic processes that form
the core of the institutions that prevail in
any social system. Lesser participation
in politics and abstinence from it would
amount to misrepresentation at both local
as well as national level. It provides them
a fundamental opportunity to devise the
course of politics in their country. The
ignorance in being able to kindle the spirit
of knowledge about the concerns for society
and the political system that governs it
would pave way to the rise of undemocratic
principles that read a country on the path
to tyranny.
In a country like India which is
considered to be the largest democracy of
the world, student politics is more relevant.
Since independence, India has witnessed
the genesis of varied political ideologies
and affiliations which play a major role in
determining the national mood towards
the making and execution of policies. Also,
it is significant in the sense that it provides
a suitable platform in order to draw the
government’s attention towards specific
student’s issues such as student welfare at
large, admission policies, academic freedom
IN INDIAN UNIVERSITIES, POLITICS AND EDUCATION GO HAND IN HAND
in particular. There is another dimension to
the student politics in India. It has become
a good launching pad for new leaders in
the political arena to prove their mettle
through their leadership in the educational
campuses. While the role of student unions
in the struggle for independence must be
recognised as raising awareness against
the repression of the British government,
it must be noted that after 70 years of
independence, education institutions
needed it evermore to ensure the welfare
of the students and not be rendered as
pawns whose sole objective is to propagate
their self-interests in the name of student
welfare.
While student politics in India cannot
be seen as undesirable, it has nevertheless
lead to certain undesirable consequences.
In today’s times, the student politics in
educational campuses in India have also
been characterised by the ills that have
plagued the politics in the country. Frequent
display of money-muscle power, boycott of
classes, roadblocks, manipulation of voters
and violence has become a commonplace
phenomenon during the student council
elections in the educational institutions.
There has been a recent spurt in incidences
of violence, strikes, protest movements in
our educational institutions like Jawaharlal
Nehru University, Film and Television
Institute Of India, Hyderabad University
etc. albeit for different reasons. Sedition
charges on students who allegedly shouted
anti-India slogans in JNU. In HCU, the Centre
was accused of forcing the administration’s
hand in suspending five students, one
of whom, Rohith Vemula, eventually
committed suicide. Vemula was a Dalit PhD
scholar and a member of the Ambedkar
Students Association at HCU. There were
agitations and protests by students for
appointing Gajendra Chauhan as chairman
of FTII. His appointed was controversial
on the pretext of being seen as a way to
saffronize the institute.
It is sad how various political parties
use educational campuses as place for
propaganda of their ideologies and garner
a voting base by establishing a strong
hold in the campuses. The issue is not the
association of students with various political
parties. If one observes, student politics
CA-69
is highly desirable in a democracy but it
demands an educated and highly aware
youth in order to effectively participate and
reform our system. This should be integral
to student politics in the campuses. But
the infestation of student politics with the
malice of the larger political system in our
country has resulted in the prevalence of
corruption in the system at large.
As a result the common students
are subjected to violence and fear in the
campus and it also affects the quality of
education which suffers on account of the
disruption of education at the hands of
the various political bodies which resort
to undemocratic methods in order to
fulfil their own self-interests. Most of the
student bodies are units of larger political
parties today and hence are more focussed
on becoming the mouthpieces of their
parent political parties and as a result
are more embroiled in the conflicts of the
mainstream political parties which is taking
a toll on the academic standards of the
educational institutions.
A student cannot be indifferent to
the political and social scenario of the
country, so to suggest that they should
be completely away from politics is not
appropriate. One should rather try and
inculcate the values of selfless devotion
towards one’s country and the ability to
fight against any value that questions the
democratic spirit of one’s country. Politics is
nourished and nurtured in the educational
institutions. Therefore to oppose principles
which uphold their academic and social life
is not inappropriate. After all, it is a matter
of determining the future of the country’s
political scenario and also, it is relevant to
maintain the integrity of the institutions
that produce them. Therefore the only
way to ensure the possibility of building
a better efficacy in terms of politics in the
educational campuses is to quash the forces
which undermine the academic freedom
and knowledge. Regardless of how genuine
or not-so-genuine the reason of recent
controversies is, the situation raises some
very important topic of discussion. We need
to draw a line how much politicisation is
desirable in academia.
 CA-70

Employment - The Indian Demographic

Dividend may Lead to its Fallout
n Shruti Suman

F
or a nation like ours, a demographic nation. For this dynamic to sustain long,
dividend is an once-in-a-lifetime our working age population needs to earn
opportunity and can lead to making or more than their parents and for this they
marring of its citizens’ present and future. must be in jobs more productive than
Land, labour, capital and time are needed agriculture. Even if they are in agriculture,
to be leveraged for creating surplus and it also needs to be enhanced and more
well-being as per economics and each one productive to bear the fruits for the
has different relative value and productivity surpassing population. Furthermore, all
level, which need to be combined for the such jobs require additional skills and
forces to multiply. But, we have placed higher educational levels which lack in our
consistent faith in India’s demographic population apparently. This can be a reason
dividend over the past few years, expecting why India’s potential dividend might risk
it to lead us to economic superdom. becoming a liability.
India’s demographic dividend has been
YOUNG INDIA much in talks recently. Its working age
population (15-59) years largely consists
The country accounts for a of youth aged between 15-34 years and
ifth of the world’s youth will aid the economy to grow quicker as
400 compared to other countries, including
355.3
Population aged China. With 100 crores employable people
350
278.6 10-24 (in million) by 2050, it gives a tough stand to USA with
300
27 crores employable people and Europe
250 World with 45 crores.
200 1,797 Less than 20% of our workforce at
million
150 present is formally or non-formally skilled
100 and rest stands unskilled. Out of the
50
50.9 23.3 unskilled population, majority is counted
14.6
0 to be employed but the fact is that more
India China Brazil Russia SA than half of them are incorrectly counted as
employed in agriculture!
On one hand where the share of the While the service sector has about
working-age population is rising, the 50% as job to GDP ratio, the non-service
dependents (under the age of 15 and industries have around 70% of the same.
over 60) are falling and this facilitates The service sector and the industry do not
the workers to save and invest and also have more scope of contribution to the GDP
increases the savings share in GDP. This and to job creation and is generally over
further enhances the growth rate of our represented in its share to GDP.
Demographic Dividend of India from 1961 to 2011
Age Group 1961 2001 2011 Difference in percentage points
14 yrs 41% 35.3% Decrease by 5.7%
15-59 yrs 53.3% 56.9% Rise by 3.6%
Above 60 yrs 5.6% 7.4% Rise by 1.8%
EMPLOYMENT - THE INDIAN DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND MAY LEAD ...
Out of over 470 million of our
workforce, just over half is either illiterate
or has not completed primary education.
As per the National Sample Survey
Report, the share of workforce that has
any vocational/formal/informal training
is merely 10%. There is also an estimate
that this demographic dividend will last
only another 25 years or so.
India’s Labour Force as per Indian
Labour Report
653 mn
526 mn
472 mn
2006 2011 2031
As per the Indian Labour Report, by 2025,
300 million youth would enter the labour
force and in the next three years, 25% of
the world’s workers would be Indians.
Also, the growth rate of the labour force
will continue to be higher than that of the
population until 2021.
The tragedy which we as a ‘nation
in making’ face is that in spite of all the
promises made by the previous Prime
Minister, for launching of missions on
vocational education and skill development
through ITIs and polytechnics; the only
thing that materialised was the creation of
the National Skill Development Corporation
(NSDC)—a private-public partnership in
2010; which went on to train over a million
people by raising hundreds of private
vocational training providers.
In 2013, the number of ITIs have
increased from 2000 to 10,000; but this has
hampered the quality of professionalism
to a great extent. The capacity of the total
CA-71
private and public institutions does not
exceed 5 million/annum, so the estimated
reasonable target of 200 million to be
trained implies that we need to train 20
million each year till 2022. To achieve this
target, a paradigm shift is required from the
government-driven approach to a private
sector-driven one.
Loopholes
ŠŠ No industry participation
ŠŠ Little practical training
ŠŠ Poorly qualified instructors for decades
ensured that only 3% of students
from senior secondary level were in
vocational education.
ŠŠ Weakly motivated, poorly paid and
frequently absent teachers.
ŠŠ Problem of infrastructure in education.
ŠŠ Poor planning and long-term
inadequate spending.
ŠŠ Furthermore, it’s only in 2035, that
the percentage of the 15-59 age group
reaches its peak (64.6%) and tapers
off gradually over the next 15 years to
61.6% in 2050.
ŠŠ Thus, one thing is sure that the promise
of demographic dividend won’t last long
in any case, beyond 2050.
ŠŠ Also, it is a mere presumption that
sufficient capital will flow in the
economy by skilling people in order to
create more jobs. The argument is that
even if the capital flows, the absorptive
capacity within a time frame remains
a challenge. The enrolment for skilling
will happen only in case of a line of sight
of jobs.
 CA-72 EMPLOYMENT - THE INDIAN DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND MAY LEAD ...
How can our demographic dividend
become our strength?
In order to gain strength from our
demographic dividend, we need to focus on:
Infrastructure creation
By large-scale and sustained long-term
investment in infrastructure and energy, the
capital and labour surplus will be absorbed
relatively.
Deployment into infrastructure, energy
and water management through large
capital will flow into the service industry in
a sustained manner.
Manufacturing sector
By becoming a global-scale manufacturing
hub, India can earn large and sustained surplus
which will further help in capital build up for
deployment in manufacturing and infrastructure.
Sustenance of agricultural jobs
Through large-scale re-generation of
arable land, world-class water harvesting and
irrigation and crop productivity, jobs can be
created and sustained in agricultural sector.
Science and Technology
Inventions and innovations driven by
science and technology will help reach
global markets with apt pricing power.
Peace
By sustaining long periods of relative
internal and external peace, the scarce
resources of capital and time will be saved.
We need to know that capital, land
and labour come together to create value
when it happens. In this regard, the
government’s initiative through “Make
in India” will only create the number
of jobs that stands nowhere close to 1
million per month. More and more youth
if educated, will want to stay away from
agriculture, so non-agricultural jobs must
be created. With a rising share of those
educated at least up to the secondary level,
being girls, appropriate non-agriculture
jobs such as in garment manufacturing or
modern services are required to be created.
Absorption of the unskilled population who
leave agriculture and migrate, is needed,
thence through investment in rural and
urban infrastructure, housing and rural
public works, they can be absorbed in
construction.
Focusing on skilling disproportionately
is not a clever move and remains an un-
resourceful approach to job creation and
poverty alleviation. If the labour is not
leveraged and deployed, it will be a dead
weight. So, we need to set our priorities
right in order to gain another 50 years
of sustained growth; without which our
demographic dividend will turn into a
burden; whether we skill our people or not.
Good governance further helps in resolving
conflict between social equity and economic
development.
 CA-73

TOP 20 RICH PEOPLE IN INDIA-2016

Rank Name Net worth Origin of Wealth

Petrochemicals, Oil & Gas : Reliance

1. $22.7 B
Industries LTD
Mukesh Ambani

Pharmaceuticals : Sun
2. $16.9 B
Pharmaceuticals
Dilip Shanghvi

Oil and gas, Banking and Finance,

3. $15.2 B IT, Real Estate, Hinduja Group of
Industries
Hinduja family

4. $15 B Software Services : Wipro LTD

Azim Premji

Construction : Shapoorji Pallonji

5. $13.9 B
Group
Pallonji Mistry

6. $12.5 B Steel : Arcelor Mittal

Lakshmi Mittal

Oil, Vanaspati and Bakery Fats, Real

7. $12.4 B
Estate, Godrej Group.
Parmeshwar Godrej

Software Services : HCL and Shiv

8. $11.4 B
Nadar Foundation.
Shiv Nadar

9. $8.8 B Commodities : Aditya Birla Group

Kumar Birla

Paediatric Vaccines : Poonawalla

10. $8.6 B
Group
Cyrus Poonawalla
CA-74 TOP 20

11. $8.3 B Banking : Kotak Mahindra Bank

Uday Kotak

Insurance, Real Estate, Malls, Agro-

12. $6.6 B
Best,Telecom : Bharti Enterprises
Sunil Mittal

Commodities, Infrastructure : Adani

13. $6.3 B
Group
Gautam Adani

14. $5.9 B Cement : Shree Cements

Benu Gopal Bangur

15. $5.85 B Consumer Goods : Dabur Industries

Anand Burman

Energy, Metal & Mining.

16. $5.8 B Infrastructure: Essar Global Fund
Limited
Shashi & Ravi Ruia

17. $5.7 B Motorcycles : Bajaj Group

Rahul Bajaj

18. $5.6 B Media: Cinema Essel Group

Subhash Chandra

19. $5.3 B Steel : Jindal Steel & Power Limited

Savitri Jindal

20. $5.1 B Pharmaceuticals : Lupin Limited

Desh Bandhu Gupta
Source: http://www.forbes.com/india-billionaires/list/
TOP 20 CA-75

TOP 20 RICH PEOPLE IN WORLD-2016

Net Country of
Rank Name Source
worth Citizenship

1. $75 B Microsoft United States

Bill Gates

2. $67 B Zara Spain

Amancio Ortega

3. $60.8 B Berkshire Hathaway United States

Warren Buffett

4. $50 B Grupo Carso Mexico

Carlos Slim Helu

5. $45.2 B Amazon.com United States

Jeff Bezos

6. $44.6 B Facebook United States

Mark Zuckerberg

7. $43.6 B Oracle United States

Larry Ellison

8. $40 B Bloomberg LP United States

Michael Bloomberg

9. $39.6 B Koch Industries United States

Charles Koch
 CA-76 TOP 20

Manufacturing, Trading
10. $39.6 B Investment: Koch United States
Industries
David Koch

11. $36.1 B L’Oreal France

Liliane Bettencourt

12. $35.2 B Google United States

Larry Page

13. $34.4 B Google United States

Sergey Brin

14. $34 B LVMH France

Bernard Arnault

15. $33.6 B Wal-Mart United States

Jim Walton

16. $32.3 B Wal-Mart United States

Alice Walton

17. $31.9 B Wal-Mart United States

S. Robson Walton

Movie, Theater operator,

18. $28.7 B Real Estate: China
Wang Jianlin Dalian Wanda Group

19. $27.8 B Beer Brazil

Jorge Paulo
Lemann
Retail, Infrastructure,
Energy, &
20. $27.1 B Hong Kong
Telecommunication: CK
Li Ka-shing Hutchison Holdings
Source: http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/list/
TOP 20 CA-77

TOP 20 UNIVERSITIES OF INDIA

Weighted
Rank Name Est. City
Score
Indian Institute of Science,
1 1909 Bengaluru 91.81
Bangalore
Institute of Chemical Technology,
2 1933 Mumbai 87.58
Mumbai
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
3 1969 New Delhi 86.46
New Delhi

4 University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 1974 Hyderabad 85.45

5 Tezpur University, Tezpur 1994 Tezpur 84.31

6 University of Delhi, Delhi 1922 Delhi 83.19

7 Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 1916 Varanasi 81.22

Indian Institute of Space Science and Thiruvanan-

8 2007 78.83
Technology, Thiruvananthapuram thapuram

Birla Institute of Technology &

9 1964 Pilani 76.85
Science, Pilani
10 Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 1920 Aligarh 76.62

11 Visva Bharati, Kolkata 1922 Kolkata 76.11

12 Panjab University, Chandigarh 1882 Chandigarh 76.07

13 Pondicherry University, Puducherry 1985 Puducherry 74.44

14 Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 1982 Coimbatore 74.32

North Eastern Hill University,
15 1973 Shillong 72.42
Shillong
King Georges Medical University,
16 1905 Lucknow 72.24
Lucknow
Homi Bhabha National Institute,
17 2005 Mumbai 72.09
Mumbai
18 Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 1989 New Delhi 71.46
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham,
19 2003 Coimbatore 71.03
Coimbatore
20 Goa University, Goa 1985 Goa 69.90
 CA-78 TOP 20

TOP 20 UNIVERSITIES OF THE WORLD

Rank Name City

1 University of Oxford United Kingdom

2 California Institute of Technology United States

3 Stanford University United States

4 University of Cambridge United Kingdom

Massachusetts Institute of
5 United States
Technology (MIT)

6 Harvard University United States

7 Princeton University United States

8 Imperial College London United Kingdom

ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal
9 Switzerland
Institute of Technology Zurich
10 University of California, Berkeley United States

11 University of Chicago United States

12 Yale University United States

United States
13 University of Pennsylvania

University of California, Los

14 United States
Angeles
15 University College London United Kingdom
16 Columbia University United States

17 Johns Hopkins University United States

18 Duke University United States

19 Cornell University United States

20 Northwestern University United States

TOP 20 CA-79

TOP 20 INDUSTRIES OF INDIA @GROWTH%

Sl. Industry Sector Business House CAGR (%)

1. Healthcare The Apollo Hospitals 23

2. Biotechnology Biocon 20

BPCL (Bharat Petroleum Corporation

3. Oil and Gas 16.89
Limited)

4. Education Educomp 16

5. Pharmaceutical Sun Pharma 15

6. Media and Entertainment Zee Entertainment 14.3

7. Research & Development Tata Motors 14

8. Agriculture DuPont India 13.8

9. Infrastructure Larsen & Toubro 13.1

10. Retail Reliance Retail Ltd. 13

11. Consumer Market Hindustan Unilever 13

12. Insurance LIC / ICICI Prudential 12 – 15

13. Real Estate DLF 11.2

HDFC (Housing Development Finance

14. Bank 11.14
Corporation)

15. Manufacturing Aditya Birla Group 11.1

16. Food Processing Nestle India 11

17. Aviation Indigo Airlines 10.5

18. ITES TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) 9.5

19. Automobiles The Escorts Group 9.4

20. Cement ACC Cement House 6.7

 CA-80 TOP 20

TOP 20 COMPANIES OF INDIA/WORLD @TURNOVER

Employee Turnover
Sl. Company /Country CEO’s Name Industry
Strength (US$)bln.
1. Walmart/USA C. Mcmillon Retail 2,20,000 482

2. Sinopec Group/China Fu Chengyu Oil and Gas 3,58,571 455

3. China National Petro- Wang Y. Oil and Gas 1,636,532 428

leum Corporation/
China

4. Saudi Aramco/Saudi Amin Nasser Oil and Gas 60,000 338

5. State Grid/China Liu Zhenya Power 1,564,000 333

6. Samsung/South Korea Dr. Oh – Hyun Conglomerate 4,89,000 305

Kwon

7. Royal Dutch Shell/Lon- Ben Van Beurden Oil and Gas 94,000 273
don

8. Vitol/Europe Ian Taylor Commodities 5,441 270

9. Exxon Mobil/USA Rex Tillerson Oil and Gas 75,300 268

10. Kuwait Petroleum/ Nizar Adsani Oil and Gas 45,000 252
Kuwait

11. Volkswagen/Germany Matthias Uller Automotive 5,72,800 245

12. Apple/USA Tim Cook Consumer 1,15,000 234

Electronics

13. Toyota/Japan Akio Toyoda Automotive 3,44,109 227

14. BP/UK Bob Dudley Oil and Gas 83,900 223

15. Glencore/Europe Ivan Glasenberg Commodities 1,81,000 221

16. Total/Europe Patrick Pouyanne Oil and Gas 1,00,307 212

17. Berkshire Hathaway/ Warren Buffet Conglomerate 3,16,000 211

USA

18. McKesson/USA John Hammer- Pharmaceuti- 32,000 179

gren cals

19. China Railway/China Sheng Guangzu Transport 2,045,600 163

20. Philips 66/USA Greg Garland Oil and Gas 13,500 161
TOP 20 CA-81

TOP 20 SPORTS PERSONALITIES OF INDIA

Sl. Name Sport Awards / Titles / Honours

1. Sachin Tendulkar Cricket Bharat Ratna

2. Milkha Singh Athletics The ‘Flying Sikh’

3. Vishwanathan Anand Chess Padma Vibhushan

4. Leander Paes Tennis Padma Bhushan

5. Balbir Singh Sr. Hockey Olympic Record – Most Goals

6. Kapil Dev Cricket Arjuna Award

7. Pullela Gopichand Badminton Padma Bhushan

8. Prakash Padukone Badminton Arjuna Award

9. Sania Mirza Tennis Padma Bhushan

10. Saina Nehwal Badminton Padma Bhushan

11. Baichung Bhutia Football Padma Shri

Dhyan Chand Award was started to

12. Dhyan Chand Hockey
felicitate him

13. Sushil Kumar Wrestling Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

14. Sourav Ganguly Cricket Arjuna Award

Mahendra Singh
15. Cricket Padma Shri
Dhoni

16. Jeev Milkha Singh Golf Padma Shri

17. PV. Sindhu Badminton Silver in Olympic 2016

18. Abhinav Bindra Air Rifle Shooting Padma Bhushan

19. Sakshi Malik Wrestling Silver in Olympic 2016

20. Dipa Karmakar Gymnastics Arjuna Award

 CA-82
GST: A Powerful Source to Curb Black
Money and Corruption in India
I
ndia is notorious for its complex tax
system. Presently, the Constitution
empowers Central Government to levy
excise duty on manufacturing and service
tax on the supply of services. It empowers
the State Governments to levy sales tax or
value added tax (VAT) on the sale of goods.
This division of fiscal powers has given
birth to a complex multiplicity of indirect
taxes in the country. In this complex system,
it becomes impossible for government to
navigate through various direct and indirect
taxes for new businesses and startups.
In current indirect tax structure,
there is cascading of taxes due to ‘tax on
tax’. At manufacturing stage, no credit of
excise duty and service tax paid is made
available to the traders while paying the
State level sales tax or VAT, and vice versa.
Furthermore, no credit of State taxes paid
in one State can be availed in any of the
other States. Hence, this leads to artificial
inflation of taxes to the extent of tax on tax.
Constant changes to taxes like Service Tax
make things even worst. Now, things are set
to change with new Goods and service tax
regulation – called GST bill.
What is GST?
The GST (Goods and Services Tax)
is a comprehensive tax system levied on
goods and services at national level. This
n Gurleen Garelli
system is based on collecting taxes at the
consumption-level. At this level, consumers
buy the goods and services from a retailer
or a service provider. It is one single tax
system that will replace all different kinds
of indirect taxes.
What will the GST do?
Right now taxes are managed differently
by the Centre and State Governments. There
are taxes like, customs duties, central excise
duty and service tax at the central level, and
VAT (value-added tax), luxury tax, lottery
taxes or entertainment tax at the state level
on the same commodity or service. This
results in making the goods and services
costlier. With GST, the tax base will be
comprehensive. That means all goods and
services will be taxable, with minimum
exemptions.
GST: The Game Changer
GST will be a revolutionary reform
for the Indian economy. By creating a
common Indian market, GST will reduce
the cascading effect of tax on the cost of
goods and services. Since GST collects taxes
only at the purchase level, it may reduce
the overall cost of goods manufacturing
or running the business. Along with tax
compliance, it will impact the tax structure,
tax computation, tax payment, credit
utilization and reporting. It may result in a
complete overhaul of the current indirect
tax system. Accounting to all the above
mentioned factors attached to GST, it will
result in reducing corruption and inflow of
black money that exists in the current tax
system.
Existence of black money in the
current tax system
There are certain means through
which black money is generated in present
GST: A POWERFUL SOURCE TO CURB BLACK MONEY AND CORRUPTION ...
tax system. For instance, VAT, excise, and
service tax are not reported to the tax
department. As a result, incomes through
such transactions go unrecorded in the
income book. It benefits tax defaulters by
conveniently avoiding paying direct as well
as indirect taxes.
Sometimes, to save taxes illicitly,
both traders and customers indulge in
transactions through kaccha and pakka
bills. Such bills are written on a plain
piece of paper and are never accounted
for. Currently, VAT charges on goods
are somewhere between 5% and 20%,
depending on the type of the product and
in conformity with state law. However, the
Government misses out on such incomes.
Considering mutual benefits, traders aim
at increasing their margin by skipping the
tax net and customers go for lowering
their product cost.
How unaccounted transactions
affect the business ecosystem
Entrepreneurs lower product costs
through unaccounted transactions.
Indulgence of entrepreneurs in illegitimate
activities gives birth to poor quality of
goods. This unhealthy practice impacts
the entire business ecosystem. Currently,
the tax rates on commodities vary from
one state to another. Traders are bound
to pay central sales tax on buying goods
from another state. Owing to the system
of different tax levels across states, people
give in to various illegal means in order to
avoid paying taxes.
How would it account for black
money?
A well implemented Goods and Services
Tax (GST) system is aimed to deliver a well
established IT-enabled system. A system
that is capable of connecting with multiple
administrative databases such as imports,
exports, RBI, banks and income tax, just at
the click of a button. In GST system, every
penny in transaction is accounted from the
source till the last stage of consumption.
CA-83
The GST system holds that every
supply of goods and services is to be taxed
at the source of origination and at every
stage of further supply. It will enable
every registered reseller or user to claim
full credit of taxes paid on earlier stages,
provided the same is used for further
sale or used in manufacturing of goods or
provision of service.
In GST, the dual monitoring involving
the Centre and the states will also curb
income tax evasions. So, just in case, any set
of tax authorities overlook evasion, there
is the possibility that the other authority
would readily detect it.
Under GST, usage of PAN and Aadhar
will be more frequent. It will be required to
file GST returns. This will assist the income
tax department to track transactions. There
can be intense data mapping for audit by
the revenue authorities.
E-filings would bring an end to
back dating of any document furnishing
incomplete details. This will also curb
changing documents or information at
a later stage, bypassing the prescribed
procedure under law. With limited avenues
to circumvent laws, there would be meager
chances to engage in corrupt practices.
Real estate sector generates maximum
amount of black money. The uniform tax
structure will improve tax compliance by
local builders, investors, property dealers
and occupiers. The mandatory paper
trail created under GST will improve tax
compliance to a great extent.
GST strikes at the root of transactions
where black money gets generated. Under
GST, it is mandatory to get registered where
threshold limit of `10 lacs is crossed. The
system automatically generates purchase
register for the buyer and allows tax credit
to the purchaser, only after the seller
uploads details of the organisation’s sales
 CA-84 GST: A POWERFUL SOURCE TO CURB BLACK MONEY AND CORRUPTION ...
to another buyer who is registered. This
linking continues to the consumer who is
the last link in the supply chain. If a vendor
fails to upload his/her sales, the buyer
would lose the tax credit. Hence, the system
dissuades the buyer to buy from a vendor
who does not declare his/her sales. GST
drives the tax evader out of business.
In this way GST is not just a fiscal
reform. It is the beginning of a new era.
The era where corruption will gradually
subside and the common man will
retain his right for equality and justice.
GST would create a self policing system
with uniformity in the tax system across
different states which would eliminate
instances of tax arbitrage. Contrary to
the present tax system, GST’s objective of
simplifying the procedure and bringing
in transparency to the tax structure will
curb every scope of black money and
corruption in India.

How will GST benefit consumer?

Present tax collection system. GST Collection system.

Example Example
Stage 1: Stage 1:
In the process of creating jeans, the Under GST, Manufacturer can set off this tax
manufacturer buys raw materials for (`13) against the tax he has already paid on
`100 & adds value to the materials raw material/inputs (`10). Therefore, the
he started out with. Let us take this effective GST on the manufacturer will be only `3
value or/margin/profit added by (13 – 10). He will sell good to wholesaler for
him to be `30. The gross value of his `133 (100 + 30 + 3).
good would, be `130 (100 + 30).
Stage 2:
At a tax rate of 10%, the tax on
Wholesaler adds margin of `20 on good. Its value
output will be `13. Here good sold to
= `153(133 + 20)
wholesaler for `143 (130+13).
Under GST, he can set off the tax on his output
Stage 2: (`15.30) against the tax on his purchased
The wholesaler purchases it for `143, good from the manufacturer (`13). Thus, the
and adds on value (his ‘margin’) of, effective GST incidence on the wholesaler is only
say, `20. The gross value of jeans he `2.30 (15.30 – 13). He will set it to retailer for
sells would then be `163 (`143 + 20) `155.30(153 + 2.30)
A 10% tax on this amount will be
Stage 3:
`16.3.
Retailer adds margin of `10 on good. Its value =
He will sell it to retailer for `179.30.
`165.3(155.3 + 10) Tax 10% = 16.53
(163 + 16.3).
But by setting off this tax (`16.53) against the tax
Stage 3: on his purchase from the wholesaler (`15.30), the
To retailer purchase price of `179.30, retailer brings down the effective GST incidence on
he adds margin, of `10. The gross himself to `1.23 (16.53 –15.30). Here good total
value of jeans goes up to `189.30 value = 165.30 + 1.23 = 166.53. i.e consumer buys
(` 179.3 + 10). The tax on this, at it for `166.53.
10%, will be `18.93. So, the total GST on the entire value chain from
He will sell it to consumer for the raw material/input suppliers through the
`208.23 (189.3 + 18.93). manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer is, ` 10 +
3 +2.30 + 1.23, or `16.53.
Result : In current Tax system Consumer buys good for `208.23 while in GST for `166.53
only.
Thus, Consumer saves `41.70(208.23–166.53)
 CA-85

Globalization v/s Protectionism: Is it a

Right Choice to Shut Global Gates to Trade?

n Gurleen Garelli

T
oday the entire world is
divided on the grounds
of globalization and
Protectionism. People across the globe
are of two minds about globalization.
In principle, most of the people
believe it holds great opportunities for
the development of their country but
in practice, many citizens of advanced
economies are not so sure if it is good
for them personally.
Globalization is the free
transposition of tradable products
(goods and services) ideas, ideals,
culture and people across the world,
in seamless and integrated manner.
Globalization can be termed as the
result of opening up to the global India successfully leveraged the power
economy and the increase in trade between of IT and communications to plunge the
nations. Countries liberalize their import intermediate stage of manufacturing power.
protocols and welcome foreign investment It is required for economies to become
into sectors that are the pillars of its absolute powerhouses.
economy. Under globalization, Countries Recent time has witnessed the growth
liberalize their visa rules to permit the free of phenomena that stands as a contrast to
flow of people from country to country.
the concept of globalization. Protectionism
Moreover, globalization results opening
is the economic policy of constraining trade
up the unproductive sectors to investment
between countries by using methods such
and the productive sectors to export related
as restrictive quotas, tariffs on imported
activities. Hence, it is a win-win situation for
goods and various government regulations.
the interest of economies of the world. This
Protectionist policies predominantly, protect
results in an increasing communion and
the producers, jobs, businesses and working
integration of the economies of the world.
class of the import-competing sector in
Globalization accounts for the flattening a country from foreign competitors. This
of the World. With the advent of information skepticism exists prominently among
technology and seamless communications, Americans, Japanese and some Europeans.
any country in the world that has a pool of This school of thought poses serious domestic
educated workers can seamlessly emerge political challenges for the transatlantic and
in globalization pattern. Countries like the transpacific trade deals.
 CA-86 GLOBALIZATION V/S PROTECTIONISM: IS IT A RIGHT CHOICE TO SHUT GLOBAL ...
Countries use a variety of ways and
methods to protect their trade. One such
way is to enact tariffs, which tax imports.
Second way is the government subsidizes
local industries with tax credits or even
direct payments. Third method is by
imposing quotas on imported goods. Fourth
type of trade protectionism is a deliberated
attempt by a country to lower its currency
value and eventually making its exports
cheaper and more competitive. This can
be done through a fixed exchange rate, like
China’s yuan, or by creating enough national
debt that it has the same effect, like the U.S.
dollar decline. Fifth is restricting the entry
of migrant and curbing their opportunities
to do business, hence raising chances of
more employability to the local residents
Recently, protectionist rhetoric is
gaining traction amongst the voting
population, majorly in Europe with Brexit
and in the US with US Presidential Elections.
For many decades, it was uncommon to
witness such instances where electorate
turned to the extreme left and right.
Victory of Donald Trump in US presidential
elections resound the fact that citizens
of US are bent towards protectionism
and are highly skeptical about opening
gates to Globalisation. Though his victory
has sent shock waves for the World and
for industries like airlines, cars and IT
outsourcing that rely on open trade. His
victory is being received as a serious threat
to Globalization.
In the long run, trade protectionism
weakens the industry. Without competition,
companies won’t innovate and improve
their products or services. Eventually,
consumers will pay more for a lower quality
product than they would get from foreign
competitors. In America and Britain,
inward-looking protectionist policies have
attracted growing support. With that, an
era of globalization may be drawing to a
close or to the shift that happened at the
start of the 20th century. At that time, World
War I gave push back to open trade, and
protectionist policies ushered in, during the
Great Depression of the 1930s.
US Presidential candidates won votes
with promises of enlightening the spirit
of protectionism and deporting migrants
from the states. Such an approach fits well
in the populist rhetoric of Donald Trump.
He focused on the unjust advantages
accrued to other countries, moving towards
impairment of domestic labour market.
Rising levels of disaffection can be seen as
the common denominator behind the rising
political risks in the World. United States
Republican Party presidential candidate
Donald Trump has attacked the proposals
for trade and investment liberalisation in
the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) signed
by 12 states. He is also against negotiations
between the US and European Union for
the Transatlantic Trade and Investment
Partnership (TTIP). It can be stated that
European anti-immigration rhetoric and
Republican candidate Donald Trump’s
success stem from a disaffected population
looking for change.
Apart from Britain and US, even
Singapore has shown resentment for
new immigrants and foreign workers.
Singapore has benefited to the core
from open markets, a country known
as an immigrant society, having ageing
population with a declining birth rate.
Immigrants are still seen as elements
causing overcrowding, competing for jobs
and reducing opportunities for locals. This
has forced a cutback in the employment of
foreigners and the setting of more modest
targets for GDP growth. Surprisingly, an
economy which has benefited from market-
opening measures and whose trade is three
times its GDP, witnessed the opposition
Singapore Democratic Party rejecting the
TPP at campaign rallies during the general
election. The opposition was also seen
GLOBALIZATION V/S PROTECTIONISM: IS IT A RIGHT CHOICE TO SHUT GLOBAL ...
criticizing free-trade agreements, such
as the India-Singapore Comprehensive
Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA),
for leading to an inflow of foreign workers.
Another instance of growing spirit of
protectionism is objections faced by CETA
from the French-speaking Belgians in
Wallonia. Recently, the European Union and
Canada signed a free trade agreement with
the objective to generate jobs and growth.
It is a step that would enable a provisional
implementation with the removal of most
import duties.
It is understandable that it is an issue of
huge concern for countries where citizens
CA-87
lose jobs as a result of manufacturing jobs
overseas. But the answer is not to halt
globalization and adopt protectionism. The
solution is to create new jobs and introduce
training programs that qualify workers for
those jobs. There is a need to adjust rather
than resist. Countries will not benefit if an
extended number of opinion leaders and elected
officials use partial views of inequality and try
to lead country into a future of slower growth,
higher unemployment and zone of isolation.
Instead, All country leaders should focus on
how the nation can use the rapidly expanding
economy to support citizens who have suffered
from globalization to get the education, training
and opportunities in new industries.
The specter of protectionism and global
trade wars is terrifying and must be taken
seriously. Protectionism is a poor economic
policy, and that it would have the effect of
weakening global growth, paradoxically
affecting all those common people who are
favouring it. Shutting global gates to trade is
no solution. The world just cannot stomach
a dark age of protectionism. Countries
need to benefit rather than suffer from
globalization.
 CA-88
NATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
JANUARY
1 January: India and Pakistan exchanged
st
the list of their nuclear installations under
a bilateral agreement that bars them from
attacking each other’s atomic facilities.
2nd January: President Pranab Mukherjee
gave nod to the Arbitration and Conciliation
(Amendment) Act; the Scheduled Castes
and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of
Atrocities) Amendment Act; the Commercial
Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial
Appellate Division of High Courts Act; The
Atomic Energy (Amendment) Act; and the
Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Act, 2015.
4 th January: Former defence secretary
R.K. Mathur sworn in as the eighth Chief
Information Commissioner (CIC) by
President Pranab Mukherjee at a ceremony
at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi.
4th January: Sarosh Homi Kapadia, the 38th
Chief Justice of India, passes away in Mumbai.
6th January: Union Cabinet approves the
closure of the iconic HMT Watches and
offered a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS)
to its employees as per the 2007 pay scales.
7th January: Chief Minister of Jammu and
Kashmir Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed
away of multiple organ failure in New Delhi.
8th January: President Pranab Mukherjee
g ive s h i s a s s e n t t o t h e S u g a r C e s s
(Amendment) Bill, 2015.
9th January: Jammu and Kashmir Governor
N.N. Vohra imposed Governor’s Rule in the
State as efforts to persuade PDP president
Mehbooba Mufti to take oath as Chief
Minister failed.
11 th January: Former Gujarat cadre IAS
officer Devender Kumar Sikri takes oath as
the Chairman of Competition Commission
of India.
12th January: Kerala declared as the country’s
first state to achieve cent percent primary
education.
15th January: The Juvenile Justice (Care and
Protection of Children) Act, 2015 has come
into force and repeals the Juvenile Justice
(Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.
15th January: State Bank of India (SBI) has
launched dedicated specialized branch for
start-ups called ‘SBI InCube’ in Bengaluru,
Karnataka.
16 th January: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi launches the ambitious ‘Startup
India’ campaign to improve the situation of
entrepreneurship.
16th January: The DSC Prize for South Asian
Literature 2016 has been conferred upon
Anuradha Roy for her novel ‘Sleeping on
Jupiter’ at the Fairway Galle Literary Festival
in Sri Lanka.
17 th January: NASA/NOAA/European
Jason-3 successfully launches SpaceX Falcon
9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base,
California (USA).
19th January: Ministry of Shipping launches
‘Project Green Ports’ which will help in
making the Major Ports across India cleaner
and greener.
20th January: Bihar Government approves 35%
reservation for women in government jobs in the
state including reserved and unreserved category.
20 th January: Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) launches PSLV-C31
rocket successfully, carrying 5th satellite (out
of 7) of India Regional Navigation Satellite
System (IRNSS), the IRNSS-1E from Satish
Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota,
near Chennai.
20th January: ‘Nai Manzil’ Scheme launched
in Jammu and Kashmir.
21st January: Andhra Pradesh Government
launches Giriputrika Kalyana Pathakam
Scheme to support the tribal women in their
quest for livelihood.
22nd January: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
flags off a new train, Mahanama Express,
connecting Varanasi to the national capital
through Lucknow.
26th January: International Customs Day
was celebrated by the custom organizations.
26 th January: India celebrates its 67th
Republic Day amidst tight security in
view of the terror attacks in Paris and at
the Pathankot air base. French President
Francois Hollande was the chief guest at the
Republic Day parade.
26th January: The Scheduled Castes and the
Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities)
Amendment Act, 2015 comes into force.
NATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
29 th January: J.S. Deepak appointed
as the Secretary of the Department of
Telecommunications. He will replace Rakesh
Garg, who has been moved to Minority
Affairs Ministry, almost ten months ahead
of his retirement.
FEBRUARY
1 st February: Indian filmmaker Kanu
Behl directorial “Titli” won the Best First
Foreign Film Award conferred by the French
Syndicate of Cinema Critics 2016 (FSCC). The
awards were held on 1st February in Paris.
2nd February: Former RBI Deputy Governor
S S Tarapore passes away.
4 th February: World Cancer Day was
observed to increase awareness of cancer
and to support its prevention, detection,
and treatment.
4th February: State Bank of India has joined
hands with travel company Thomas Cook
India as it launched a recurring deposit
product for holiday savings.
5th February: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
inaugurated the 2016 South Asian Games
in Guwahati. The event is scheduled to take
place from 5th February to 16th February
2016 in Guwahati and Shillong.
8th February: Gujarat state government to
set up India’s first-ever aviation park with
facilities including an airstrip, training
school, helipad and space for setting up
small manufacturing units, among others to
strengthen the aviation sector.
8th February: Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister
of State for Culture and Tourism and Civil
Aviation launched the “24×7 Toll Free Tourist
Infoline in 12 International Languages.
8 th February: The Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (TRAI) barred telecom
service providers from charging differential
rates for data services, effectively prohibiting
Facebook’s Free Basics and Airtel Zero
platform by Airtel in their current form.
9 th February: Chhattisgarh government
launched ‘Udyam Aakansha’ Scheme for
promoting micro, small and medium
enterprises in the state.
10th February: National Deworming Day
observed, a groundbreaking initiative
focused on reducing the threat of parasitic
worm infections.
11th February: Health Ministry launched the
National Framework for Malaria Elimination
CA-89
(NFME) in order to eradicate mosquito-
borne diseases from India.
11th February: Karnataka bagged the gold
prize for its Mobile One service at the World
Government Summit in Dubai.
13th February: World Radio Day observed.
The day was proclaimed on 3rd November
2011 by UNESCO’s 36th General Conference
after originally proposed by the Kingdom
of Spain.
14th February: West Indies wins the ICC
Under-19 Cricket World Cup for the first
time with five-wicket victory over three-time
winner India in the final in Mirpur.
17th February: Nitin Gadkari, Minister of
Shipping, Road Transport and Highways
launches the Website for Maritime India
Summit 2016 www.maritimeinvest.in at the
Ports and Shipping seminar at Make in India
(MII) Summit.
17 th February: Minister of State of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change,
Prakash Javadekar launches the Environment
Information System (ENVIS) portal at the
inauguration of the national interaction-
cum-evaluation workshop for ENVIS system.
21 st February: Jaypee Punjab Warriors
clinched the 2016 edition of the Coal India
Hockey India League after beating the
Kalinga Lancers 6-1 in the final at the Astro
Turf Stadium in Ranchi.
22nd February: Malayalam film ‘Ottal’ has
been named the best children’s film at
the Berlin International Film Festival and
honoured with the Crystal Bear award in the
‘Generation KPlus’ section.
23rd February: India’s leading private lender
Yes Bank has received the inaugural Green
Bond Pioneer Award.
24th February: The Union Cabinet chaired
by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has given its approval for establishment
of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Self
Employment and Talent Utilisation (SETU) in
NITI Aayog with appropriate manpower.
26th February: Dr Avinash Chander, Former
Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister and
ex-DRDO chief, received the prestigious
Astronautical Society of India’s Aryabhata
Award.
28th February: Former CAG Vinod Rai appointed
first Chairman of the Banks Board Bureau.
 CA-90 NATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
MARCH
1 st March: Raisina Dialogue’s inaugural
session held in New Delhi.
3rd March: The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery
of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and
Services) Bill, 2016 was introduced by Minister
of Finance, Mr. Arun Jaitley, in Lok Sabha.
4th March: Prime Minister, Narendra Modi,
launched “Setu Bharatam” – an ambitious
programme with an investment of 50,000
crore to build bridges for safe and seamless
travel on National Highways.
4th March: India’s pioneering film archivist
and film scholar P.K. Nair, the founder
and former director of the National Film
Archive of India (NFAI), passed away due to
prolonged illness.
5th March: Mahindra & Mahindra Chairman
and Managing Director Anand Mahindra has
been conferred with Chevalier de la Legion
d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour).
7th March: Air India flew the “world’s longest”
all-women operated and supported flight from
the national capital to San Francisco.
7th March: Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Minister
of Women and Child Development launched
“Mahila e-Haat”, an online marketing
platform for women in New Delhi.
9th March: Rajya Sabha passes the National
Waterways Bill 2015.
9 th March: Lok Sabha passes the Enemy
Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill,
2016.
10th March: Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan, a
former judge of the Supreme Court appointed
Chairman of the 21st Law Commission.
10th March: ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle successfully launched the 1425 kg
IRNSS-1F, the sixth satellite in the Indian
Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)
from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR,
Sriharikota.
11th March: Minister of Railways Suresh
Prabhakar Prabhu launched the “Clean My
Coach” Service that allows travellers to get their
compartments cleaned by sending an SMS or by
using an app or a designated website.
12th March: Chief of the Army’s Northern
Command, Lt Gen N P S Hira has been
appointed as Deputy Chief of Army Staff and
would assume office on March 14.
12th March: Kerala Tourism’s new campaign
based on responsible tourism has bagged
the prestigious ‘Golden City Gate Award’ at
the world’s leading travel trade show ITB
in Berlin.
14th March: The Strategic Forces Command
of the Services launched an Agni-I missile
from the Wheeler Island of the Odisha coast.
It is a strategic missile that carries a nuclear
warhead.
15th March: Lok Sabha approves the Real
Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill,
2016 that seeks to create a set of rights and
obligations for both the consumers and
developers.
16th March: Renowned Shehnai specialist
Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan passed
away following prolonged illness. He was
77 years old.
19 th March: Union Urban Development
Minister M Venkaiah Naidu was conferred
the Skoch Lifetime Achievement Award.
21st March: Union Minister of Health and
Family Welfare launched Bedaquiline – new
anti-TB drug for Drug Resistant TB as part of
the RNTCP (Revised National Tuberculosis
Control Program) on the eve of ‘World TB
Day’.
23 rd March: Union Cabinet gives its ex-
post facto approval for a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between India and
the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to mobilise
up to $75 billion long-term investment in
the National Investment and Infrastructure
Fund (NIIF).
26th March: Health Ministry launches the
country’s first, indigenous rotavirus vaccine
to combat diarrhoeal deaths.
29th March: The Haryana Assembly passes
the Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation
in Services and Admission in Educational
Institutions) Bill, 2016 to provide reservation
for Jats and four other communities in
government jobs and education.
30th March: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and his Belgian counterpart Charles Michel
remotely launched Asia’s biggest optical
telescope, the Aryabhatta Research Institute of
Observational Sciences (Aries) that’s located in
India and built with Belgian assistance.
APRIL
2nd April: A UNIDO report ranks India sixth
among the world’s 10 largest manufacturing
countries, up by three positions.
NATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
3rd April: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
conferred the Arabian country’s highest
civilian honour — the King Abdulaziz Sash.
4th April: Mehbooba Mufti, president of the
Peoples Democratic Party, takes oath as the
first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and
Kashmir.
4th April: India and Saudi Arabia sign five
agreements, including a key pact on terror
financing and money laundering.
5 th April: April 5th was observed as the
National Maritime day across India.
5 th April: The much-awaited Gatiman
Express which will cover the distance from
Agra to Nizamuddin station in 90 to 100
minutes flagged off.
5th April: The ‘Start Up India’ initiative for
SC/ST, women was launched by PM Narendra
Modi. The initiative is aimed at boosting
entrepreneurship in India.
7th April: April 7th was celebrated as the
World Health Day, a global health awareness
day.
7 th April: The Rajasthan Urban Land
(Certification of Titles) Bills 2016 was passed
by the state assembly of Rajasthan.
7 th April: Veteran journalist and author
Yogendra Bali passed away in New Delhi.
He was 86.
8 th April: Rajasthan government passes
the Rajasthan Urban Land (Certification of
Titles) Bills 2016 in the state assembly.
9th April: Union Government gives its nod for
setting up India’s first personal rapid transit
(PRT) network for Gurgaon, Haryana.
10th April: Priyadarshini Chatterjee announced
as the winner of FBB Femina Miss India
World.
11th April: General JJ Singh, former Chief
of Army Staff of India conferred the highest
French civilian distinction, ‘Officier de
l’Ordre national de la Légion d’Honneur’
(Officer of the Legion of Honour).
12th April: Jammu-born poet and novelist
Padma Sachdev chosen for the prestigious
Saraswati Samman for the year 2015 for her
autobiography in Dogri language.
13 th April: The Maharashtra Assembly
passes the Prohibition of Social Boycott Bill.
13th April: An Implementation Agreement
for Ganga Rejuvenation under the Namami
Gange Programme was signed between
the Ministry of Water Resources, River
CA-91
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and
German International Cooperation (GIZ) of
Germany.
13th April: Chess legend Viswanathan Anand
honoured with the Hridaynath Mangeshkar
Award. Maharashtra Governor C. Vidyasagar
Rao presented the award in Mumbai.
14th April: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
launches the “Gramoday se Bharat Uday”
Abhiyan in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.
14th April: PM Narendra Modi inaugurates
the Maritime India Summit to be held at the
Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre
in Goregaon from April 14 to 16.
15th April: The ‘Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas
Yojana’ for widows was launched on the 125th
birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar.
16 th April: Google extends free internet
service through WiFi to 10 railway stations
as part of its tie up with Railtel, the internet
provider arm of Indian Railways.
17 th April: Delhi Government launches
second phase of odd-even car rationing
scheme to check pollution in the national
capital.
18th April: Maharashtra government makes
it mandatory to have a ‘track and trace’
mechanism, and hologram on liquor bottles
to ensure the stuff inside is genuine.
18th April: The Government releases a ` 200
commemorative coin and a `10 circulation
coin on the occasion of the Martyrdom day
of Tatya Tope, one of the outstanding Indian
leaders of the 1857 revolt against the British.
19th April: The 2016 Laureus World Sports
Awards in Berlin with Novak Djokovic
winning the World Sportsman of the Year
Award while Serena Williams wins the
Female Sportsperson of the Year Award.
20th April: The Government merges Rajiv
Gandhi Khel Abhiyan (RGKA), launched by
the previous UPA government, with the Khelo
India programme for development of sports.
20 th April: The Government gives its
approval for signing the Paris Agreement
adopted at the 21st Conference of Parties
held in Paris in December 2015.
20th April: India and Mauritius ink a MoU to
promote cooperation in traditional medicine
and homeopathy.
21st April: Scientists at the Vikram Sarabhai
Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, India’s
premier rocket lab manufacture the world’s
 CA-92 NATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
lightest material called silica aerogel or
‘blue air.’
21st April: India ranks at the 133rd position
on the 2016 World Press Freedom Index,
which assessed how much freedom the
media holds in 180 countries.
22nd April: The Government sets up a panel
to prepare a blueprint for doubling farmers’
income by 2022.
22 nd April: The Government approves
operationalisation of new Indian Institute
of Science Education and Research (IISER)
at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.
22nd April: 22nd April is celebrated every
year as the Earth day.
25 th April: The Eleventh Indo-Mongolia
joint training Exercise, ‘Nomadic Elephant -
2016’ starts to promote military associations
between India and Mongolia.
25th April: World Malaria Day (WMD) is an
international observance commemorated
every year on 25 April.
27th April: Government decides no mobile
phone can be sold in the country without an
in-built panic button and global positioning
system (GPS) from January 1, 2017, and
January 1, 2018, respectively.
28th April: PSLV-C33, ISRO’s Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle launched the 1425 kg
IRNSS-1G, the seventh satellite in the Indian
Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)
from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR,
Sriharikota.
28th April: The World Day for Safety and
Health at Work is an annual international
campaign held on 28 April and has been
observed by the International Labour
Organization (ILO) since 2003.
29th April: India and Papua New Guinea sign
four agreements in the areas of healthcare
and information technology.
MAY
1st May: Indian shooters bag three gold and a
bronze medal on the opening day of the ISSF
Junior World Cup.
1st May: International Workers’ Day, also
known as Labour Day celebrated.
1 st May: The National LED programme
- Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All
(UJALA) launched in Madhya Pradesh by
Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj
Singh Chouhan.
1st May: The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
launched at Ballia by PM Modi.
1 st May: India and New Zealand sign air
services agreement opening the door for
direct flights between the two countries
which will boost tourism and trade sectors.
1 st May: Mongolia conferred its highest
civilian award “North Star” on two noted
Indian scholars-Lokesh Chandra and
Mansura Haider for their contribution to
Mongolian studies.
2nd May: Gujarat Government to provide 10
% reservation to economically backward of
higher castes.
2 nd May: The Underground Metro Route
f ro m C u b b o n Pa r k- M a g a d i Ro a d i n
Bengaluru flagged off by Union Minister
for Parliamentry Affairs Venkaiah Naidu,
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, Union Minister
Ananth Kumar.
3 rd M ay: Worl d P res s Freed om Day
proclaimed by the UN General Assembly
in December 1993, following the
recommendation of UNESCO’s General
Conference.
3rd May: Three Indians among fifty scientists
elected as Fellows of The Royal Society, a
premier scientific academy of the U.K. and
the Commonwealth.
4th May: Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Project
wins the prestigious World Summit on the
Information Society (WSIS) 2016 prize in
the e-Agriculture category.
5th May: ICICI Bank signs a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) to establish a strategic
partnership with the New Development
Bank (NDB).
6 th May: Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL),
launches Shourya, the fifth of a series of six
Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), designed in-
house and being built by GSL, for the Indian
Coast Guard (ICG).
6th May: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket placed
Sky Perfect JSat’s JCSat-14 commercial
telecommunications satellite into transfer
orbit, with the rocket’s first stage landing
gracefully on a drone ship in the Atlantic
Ocean.
7 th May: Railways launches the Bharat
Darshan Tourist train for pilgrims to visit
Shirdi, Tirupati, Jagannath Puri, Gangasagar,
Baidyanath Dham and Jyotirlingams among
others.
NATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
8th May: India ranks ninth in crony-capitalism
with crony sector wealth accounting for 3.4
per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP),
according to a new study by The Economist.
10th May: India and Mauritius sign a protocol
to amend taxation methods for the avoidance
of double taxation and the prevention of
fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income
and capital gains.
10th May: The World Migratory Bird Day 2016
celebrated with the theme “Stop the Illegal
Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds”.
11 th May: Rajya Sabha passes the major
economic reform Bill i.e. ‘Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Code, 2016.’
12th May: The Government gives its approval
for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) between Securities and Exchange
Board of India (SEBI) and Financial Services
Regulatory Authority (FSRA), Abu Dhabi for
mutual co-operation and technical assistance
between the two regulators.
12th May: ICICI Bank announces the launch of
contactless business credit card in association
with Jet Airways for small and mid-sized
enterprises (SMEs) and their employees.
13th May: The National Intellectual Property
Rights (IPR) Policy approved laying the
future roadmap for intellectual property
in India.
13th May: The World Bank Board approves a
$625 million loan to support the Government
of India’s program to generate electricity
from widespread installation of rooftop solar
photo-voltaic (PV).
13th May: Former ISRO Chairman Prof UR
Rao becomes the first Indian to be given the
‘Hall of Fame’ award by the International
Astronautical Federation (IAF).
14th May: ‘Simhastha Declaration’ released
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena at
Ninora village in Ujjain.
14th May: The Air Forces of India and the U.S.
concluded their four-week “Red Flag” aerial
combat exercises at Alaska in the U.S.
16th May: India successfully test-fires its
indigenously developed Advanced Air
Defence (AAD) supersonic interceptor
missile from Abdul Kalam Island launch
complex in Balasore.
16th May: India and the US hold their first
Maritime Security Dialogue focussing on
CA-93
boosting cooperation in the challenging
sector with Washington rebalancing its
military assets to Asia Pacific.
17th May: Union Minister of Road Transport
& Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari
launches ePACE, INFRACON and an updated
version of INAMPRO, three innovative IT
initiatives of the Ministry of Road Transport
& Highways, developed in-house by NHIDCL(
National Highways and Infrastructure
Development Corporation Ltd.).
17 th May: Rakesh K Jain, a 65-year-old
Indian American scientist is set to receive
the prestigious ‘National Medal of Science’
award from US President Barack Obama.
17 th May: The Income Tax department
launches a special electronic grievance
redressal system called ‘e-nivaran’ to fast
track taxpayer grievances and ensures early
resolution of their complaints.
18th May: A solar power plant spread over 42
acres on the Dera Baba Jaimal Singh (Radha
Soami Sect) premises inaugurated, which the
Government claimed is the world’s largest
single rooftop facility.
20th May: The indigenously developed fecal
incontinence management system ‘Qora’
launched.
20th May: The US House of Representatives
gives its nod to a bipartisan legislation to
improve defence ties with India.
21th May: India’s idea of putting a red line on
antibiotic packages to curb their over-the-
counter sale is now being cited as a model
that can be used globally to counter the rising
threat of superbugs.
22nd May: International Day for Biological
Diversity 2016 observed across the world.
23 rd May: ISRO launches RLV-TD from
Sriharikota, first step towards reusable space
shuttle made in India.
26 th May: The Government approves es-
tablishment of a National Investment and
Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) in Odisha.
29th May: Indian Air Force successfully test
fires an advanced version of BrahMos land-
attack supersonic cruise missile system in
the western sector of Rajasthan.
30 th May: Trinamool Congress Mamata
Banerjee sworn in as chief minister of West
Bengal for the second consecutive term.
31st May: Scientists discover a new property
of Light based on Angular Momentum.
 CA-94 NATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
JUNE
2 June: V.O. Chidambaranar Port bags
nd
National Award for Excellence in Cost
Management for the year 2015 from The
Institute of Cost Accountants of India under
the category of Public Service Sector- Small.
3 rd June: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali
passed away at a hospital in the US city of
Phoenix, Arizona.
4 th June: Haryana Government launches
Asia’s first Gyps Vulture Reintroduction
Programme.
4 th June: The International Day of Innocent
Children Victims of Aggression is commemorated
across the world on 4 June every year.
4th June: India, Singapore agree to enhance
scale of military interaction of existing
bilateral military interaction, at a time
when freedom of navigation in international
waterways has emerged as a major concern.
4th June: India ranks 70th on 2015 Good
Country Index; Sweden voted as the best
country in the world when it comes to serving
the interests of its people and contributing to
the common good of humanity.
5 th June: Indian-origin professor Lord
Kumar Bhattacharyya awarded Regius
Professorship by Queen Elizabeth II for his
outstanding contribution in manufacturing.
5th June: World Environment Day is celebrated
annually on June 5 to educate global awareness
to take positive environmental action to protect
nature and the planet Earth.
6th June: Himachal Pradesh becomes the
first state in the country to have a State Data
Centre (SDC), designed using green data
centre concept, to offer 101 people-oriented
service online through an integrated data
base.
6th June: Axis Bank launches India’s first
certified green bond at London Stock
Exchange after it launched India’s first
internationally-listed certified green bond
to finance climate change solutions around
the world.
7th June: India signs a $120 million loan
agreement with the Asian Development Bank
to modernize irrigation and improve water
management in Odisha.
7 th June: Thailand becomes first Asian
country to eliminate mother to child HIV
and syphilis.
8 th June: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
addresses the joint session of the US
Congress.
8 th June: India becomes third largest oil
consumer surpassing Japan with demand of
4.1 million barrels a day (bpd).
8th June: The World Oceans Day is observed
globally on 8th June every year.
9 th June: The government decides to
introduce International Yoga Award Scheme
with a view to promote yoga starting from
2017.
10th June: SBI and Spain’s Caixa Bank ink
pact to provide loans to Indo-Spanish joint
ventures and local enterprises.
11th June: SEBI issues stricter KYC, disclosure
norms for P-Notes.
12 th June: Indian Diabetes specialist
Shashank S Shah wins Vivian Fonseca
Scholar Award 2016.
12 th June: The World Day against Child
Labour is observed every year on June 12.
14 th June: RBI introduces a ‘Scheme for
Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets’
14th June: SBI and Master card Partners
with Centrum for distribution of its prepaid
forex card. This partnership will aid the
distribution strength of the Bank for its
multicurrency prepaid card and will largely
target the corporate customers of the bank.
14 th June: World Blood Donor Day is
observed every year on June 14.
14th June: Ministry of Railways signs a JV
Agreement with Government of Odisha for
formation of Joint Venture Company for
development of Railway Infrastructure in
the State.
15 th June: The Union Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy (MNRE) launches
a scheme for setting up of 1000 Mega
Watt (MW) Wind Power Project connected
to transmission network of Central
Transmission Utility (CTU).
15th June: The Government gives its approval
for the Civil Aviation Policy. This is the first
time since Independence that an integrated
Civil Aviation Policy has been brought out.
15th June: The Memorandum of Understanding
between Department of Space / Indian Space
Research Organization (DOS/ISRO) and
Canadian Space Agency (CSA) on cooperation
in the field of outer space.
NATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
15th June: Andhra Pradesh becomes the first
state to start Internet-based phone service
and it can issue phone numbers starting with
the ‘797’ series from August this year.
16 th June: A mobile app to help senior
citizens in distress launched by HelpAge
India in connection with World Elder Abuse
Awareness Day.
16 th June: VIDYANJALI- A new initiative
launched to involve volunteers into the co-
scholastic activities of schools.
17th June: Cochin Shipyard (CSL) delivers
Fast Patrol Vessel “ICGS” to Indian Coast
Guard 95 days ahead of the contractual
schedule.
19 th June: The Government to promote
Cargo transport through Coastal Shipping
and Inland Waterways. A National workshop
on ‘Promotion of Modal Shift of Cargo to
Coastal Shipping and Inland Waterways’
organised.
20th June: Each year 20th June is observed
internationally as World Refugee Day to
raise awareness of the situation of refugees
throughout the world.
21st June: Second International Yoga Day
is being hosted at the Capitol Complex in
Chandigarh, designed by French architect Le
Corbusier with the participation of PM Modi.
22 nd June: The Drugs and Cosmetics
(Amendment) Bill, 2013 is to be withdrawn.
Several recommendations are to be made
in the Bill by the Standing Committee of
Parliament after being examined thoroughly.
22nd June: A Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) between India and Steinbeis GmbH
Co. KG for Technologietransfer, Germany
approved on technology resourcing in
manufacturing, including sub-sectors of
Capital Goods.
22nd June: The Southern Naval Command
celebrates the World Hydrographic Day
by following a theme which emphasizes
on managing the sea and waterways in an
efficient way.
23rd June: Indian cricket board appoints
former skipper and spin legend Anil Kumble
as the national coach for a term of one-year,
thereby ending the 16-year tradition of
giving foreigners the role.
23rd June: A Pilot Programme in the country
to run two wheelers on Compressed Natural
Gas (CNG) is launched to curtail rising air
pollution in Indian cities.
CA-95
24th June: G.D. Birla Award for Prof. Sanjay
Mittal from the Department of Aerospace
Engineering, IIT Kanpur for Scientific
Research for 2015.
25th June: Social entrepreneur Zubaida Bai
bags UN honour for Corporate Sustainability
Initiative among 10 “Champions and
Pioneers.”
26 th June: Argentina’s skipper and ace
footballer Lionel Messi announces his
retirement from international duty after
missing a penalty shootout as Argentina lost
a fourth major final in nine years.
26th June: India, Nepal consent to use global
navigation satellite system for border pillars.
Over 8,000 pillars decided to be linked along
the India-Nepal border to a global navigation
satellite system.
27th June: India joins the Missile Technology
Control Regime (MTCR) as a full member,
after it failed to get NSG membership due to
stiff opposition from China and a few other
countries.
28th June: NS Vishwanathan appointed as the
new deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) by the Appointments Committee
of the Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi.
29th June: Supreme Court sends an appeal
seeking quashing of a penal provision that
criminalises consensual sexual acts between
adults of the same sex before the Chief Justice
of India to choose whether a Constitution
Bench should hear the appeal.
29 th June: The govt considers Model
Shops and Establishments (Regulation of
Employment and Conditions of Service)
Bill, 2016.
29th June: Indigenously-built heavyweight
anti-submarine torpedo Varunastra success-
fully inducted in the Indian Navy.
29th June: NS Vishwanathan appointed as
deputy governor of the RBI. He will have a
term of three years and will succeed Harun
R Khan.
JULY
1st July: Two indigenously developed Tejas
Light Combat Aircraft are set to join the
Indian Air Force as part of the first squadron.
2nd July: The International Driving Permit
(IDP) issued by the State transport
department has almost become an invalid
document as some countries, including the
United States, are yet to include Telangana
 CA-96 NATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
in the list of Indian States in their official
database.
3rd July: The Ministry of Environment and
Forests said the Adani Port and SEZ Ltd
(APSEZ), may have to pay a fine far greater
than what was fixed by the UPA government
in 2012, for the environmental damage
caused by the construction of its port project
in Mundra, Gujarat.
4 th July: Supreme Court asked the NDA
government to investigate the “barriers”
preventing disabled persons from entering
government service, especially into the
higher ranks, as it’s state’s obligation to
provide them at least 3% reservation in
public sector jobs.
4 th July: India’s first insurance policy
covering public liability to an atomic power
plant operator has been issued to Nuclear
Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL). The
total premium came around ` 100 crore for
a risk cover of ` 1,500 crore.
5th July: The Kerala Government Cabinet
clearing The Legislative Assembly (Removal
of Disqualifications) Amendment Bill.
5 th July: Union HRD Ministry launches
Prashikshak, an online teacher education
portal
6 th July: The Supreme Court held the
railway administration liable for the tragic
deaths of 19 youths who fatally hit a foot-
over bridge while travelling on the roof
of an express train, which failed to stop even
after the incident.
8th July: Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan
Singh launched an online portal designed
to monitor functioning of Krishi Vigyan
Kendra’s (KVKs) also known as farm-science
centres.
9 th July: Captain Radhika Menon, first
woman captain of the Indian Merchant
Navy will receive International Maritime
Organisation (IMO) Award for Exceptional
Bravery at Sea.
10th July: Meghalaya Governor V.Shanmuga-
nathan launched the Pradhan Mantri Surak-
shit Matritva Abhiyan(PMSMA) in the East
KhasiHills District.
11 th July: President Pranab Mukherjee
conferred the 51st Jnanpith Award on
renowned Gujarati writer and litterateur
Dr. Raghuveer Chaudhari at a function in
New Delhi.
12th July: The urban development ministry
has approved an assistance of ` 658 crore
for five major infrastructure projects aimed
at unclogging key stretches in Delhi.
13th July: SC quashes Arunachal Pradesh
Governor’s order, restores Nabam Tuki govt.
to power.
14th July:  Operation Sankat Mochan: 143
Indians evacuated from South Sudan. It
is the first big evacuation effort in a year
after Operation Rahat evacuated hundreds
of citizens of India and other countries in
July 2015.
14th July:  Centre clears deck for IIMC to
become a deemed media university.
14 th July: India’s Defense Research and
Development Organization (DRDO) success-
fully conducted proof firing tests of a new
towed gun currently being developed for
the Indian Army.
16 th July: The Union Home Ministry has
decided to disband the Special Task Force on
womens safety in Delhi, a move which Delhi
Commission for Women (DCW) termed as
“highly retrograde” and “anti-women”.
16th July: Lifeline Express, touted to be the
world’s first hospital-train, started in 1991
to provide medical aid and relief to far-flung
and inaccessible areas, completed 25 years
of its operation.
17th July: K. Keshavulu, director, Telangana
State Seed Certification Agency, Hyderabad,
has been elected as the member of the
executive committee of the International
Seed Testing Association (ISTA) for a three-
year term (2016– 2019). 
18 th July: Khangchendzonga National
Park (KNP) in Sikkim has been named a
world heritage site by the World Heritage
Committee (WHC) of UNESCO.
18 th July: The Union Cabinet under the
Chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi approved The Transgender Persons
(Protection of Rights) Bill 2016.
19 th July: Multiple life term will run
concurrently, not consecutively pronounced
SC. Like any human being, a convict too has
only one life and cannot serve consecutive
sentences of life imprisonment.
20th July: The Supreme Court has dragged
the moribund Board of Control for Cricket in
India kicking and screaming into the 21st
century.
NATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
20 th July: An Indian Air Force AN-32
transport plane went missing with 29 people
on board.  enable a uniform Goods and Services Tax
21st July: The merits of India’s candidature
have been recognised by a majority of the
NSG members, including in formal bilateral
Joint Statements, minister of state for
external affairs VK Singh said in Rajya Sabha.
22nd July: The ‘Solar Power Tree’, a unique
concept to generate electricity by harnessing
the solar energy, has been launched by the
Union Ministry of Science and Technology.
24 th July: The West Bengal Government
honoured singer and music director Bapi
Lahiri with this prestigious award, on the
36th death anniversary of Uttam Kumar.
25 th July: The Institutes of Technology
(Amendment) Bill was passed in the Lok
Sabha.
26th July: The reputed Scimago Institutions
Rankings Report ranked the Council of
Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR, India)
as the 12th best government institution, on a
global index, comprising of 746 institutions.
27th July: Under the aegis of the Pradhan
Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY),
The Union Cabinet has sanctioned the
establishment of a All India Institute of
Medical Sciences at Bhatinda in Punjab.
28th July: A defence deal has been signed
between the US and India to purchase four
additional P -8I aircrafts, renowned for
anti – submarine warfare, anti – surface
warfare, long – range marine surveillance
and reconnaissance.
28th July: Father of Hybrid Sorghum in India,
Dr. Neelamraju Ganga Prasad Rao, aged 89,
passed away in Telangana, Hyderabad.
29th July: International Tiger Day celebrated.
29th July: In Jhajjar, the Haryana Government
has launched an insurance cover scheme
for cattle breeders in the state, under the
nomenclature, Pashudhan Bima Yojana.
30th July: A 114 – km long eco – friendly
rail corridor launched in Rameswaram –
Manamadurai stretch in Tamil Nadu.
AUGUST
2 nd August: Supreme Court directed the
Odisha government to pay additional
compensation to victims of the 2008 anti-
Christian violence in Kandhamal.
CA-97
3rd August: The Constitution Amendment
Bill (122nd) passed by the Rajya Sabha to
(GST) regime throughout India.
6 th August: The Supreme Court directed
the Central Government for amending the
Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and
the Indian Penal Code to incorporate penal
provisions making adulteration of milk
with chemicals - adversely affecting the
health of the people - punishable with life
imprisonment.
7th August: Vijay Rupani, sworn in as the
16th Chief Minister of Gujarat. 
7th August: Kerala Congress (M) [KC(M)]
has decided to sever its ties with the United
Democratic Front (UDF) for all practical
purposes and will form a separate block in
the Assembly.
8th August: Eleven years after the GST was
first proposed by former Finance Minister
P. Chidambaram, in 2005, Parliament on 8th
August 2016 passed the Bill.
8th August: Dr. Dhrubajyoti Ghosh, the first
Indian environmental activist to receive the
Luc Hoffman award.
10th August: Russian President Vladimir
Putin, PM Narendra Modi, and CM Jayalalithaa
through a video conference dedicated the
first unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power
Project (KKNPP) to the nation on 10th August
after 28 years of Russia and India signed the
agreement to set up the plant. The 1,000-
MWe KNPP-1 is the largest single unit of
electrical power in India.
11 th August: The Karnataka State Road
Transport Corporation will introduce an air-
conditioned sleeper (Carona) bus between
Kukke Subrahmanya and Bengaluru August
17, 2016.
11th August: The Gujarat Land Acquisition
Bill 2016, that dilutes the Centre’s stringent
provisions of the Land Acquisition Act 2013,
has been given approval by the President and
will take effect on Independence Day. 
12th August: The Assam Assembly unani-
mously passed the Constitution Amendment
Bill on GST on Friday, becoming the first State
to ratify the crucial tax reform legislation.
13th August: Pramukh Swami, the 95-year-
old founder of Akshardham temples and a
saint of the Swaminarayan sect, passed away
after prolonged illness at the Sarangpur
temple.
 CA-98 NATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
15th August: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
launched a sharp attack on Pakistan for its
support to terrorism and thanked the people
of Balochistan, Gilgit and Pakistan-occupied
Kashmir (PoK) for their recent messages of
support.
18th August: P.V. Sindhu into the final of the
women’s singles with a 21-19, 21-10 win
over Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara on 18th August.
Sindhu will meet Carolina Marin of Spain on
19th August for gold medal match.
18th August: Sakshi had earned a bronze after
losing to Valeriia Koblova Zholobova. It was
the first medal for an Indian woman wrestler
at the Olympics, and the fourth overall after
Karnam Malleswari (weightlifting, Sydney
2000), Saina Nehwal (badminton) and M.C.
Mary Kom (boxing), both in London 2012. 
19 th August: Rising silicosis deaths in
North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal  silver medallist P. V. Sindhu as its brand
a concern. 189 silica dust affected workers
have been identified in Minakhan so far
and 20 of them (excluding Paik) died due
to silicosis.
20th August: The Appointments Committee
of the Cabinet (ACC) announced the
appointment of Reserve Bank of India Deputy
Governor Urijit Patel, a macro-economist as
successor to Governor Raghuram Rajan.
21st August: A Curative Bench, led by Chief
Justice of India T.S. Thakur, has upheld
a 2014 Supreme Court verdict that men
cannot be “automatically” arrested on dowry
harassment complaints filed by their wives.
25th August: On the decision of the NITI
Aayog to scrap the MCI and replace it
with the National Medical Commission, Dr.
Jayshree Mehta, president of the Medical
Council of India termed it the “remedy more
dangerous than the disease.”  Complex, New Delhi.
26 th August: “Women be permitted to
enter the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali
Dargah at par with men”, ruled the Bombay
High Court in a landmark verdict allowing
the entry of women up to the mazar in the
revered Sufi dargah in south central Mumbai.
27th August: The Madras High Court has
decided to digitise around 20 crore pages
of case bundles as well as administrative
files and store them digitally for easy access.
An experienced private company has been
engaged to scan all the documents.
28th August: India on 28th August became
only the fourth nation to flight-test a
scramjet engine, a technology that scientists
claim could change the way space travel is
undertaken from the Satish Dhawan Space
Centre, Sriharikota.
29 th August: India, Myanmar to build
bridges, sign pact for 69 bridges, including
approach roads in the Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa
section of the Trilateral Highway, which will
establish better connectivity between India
and Southeast Asia.
29 th August: The West Bengal Assembly
passed a resolution changing the name of
the State to Bengal in English and Bangla
in Bengali. Despite the Trinamool Congress
government’s efforts to forge a consensus on
the resolution, the Congress, the Left Front,
and the BJP did not support the resolution. 
30 th August: The Central Reserve Police
Force (CRPF) has decided to appoint Olympic
ambassador.
31st August: The Supreme Court quashed
the CPI (M)-led West Bengal government’s
acquisition of 997 acres of agricultural land
for industry captain Tata Motors’ Nano plant
in Singur.
SEPTEMBER
1st September: Railway launched an
insurance scheme at a premium of `1
for passengers travelling on e-ticket. The
insurance cover will be up to `10 lakh.
1st September: Chairman of Reliance
Industries Limited, Mukesh Ambani
formally launched company’s telecom
service Reliance Jio.
2nd September: The first BRICS Film
Festival started at the Sirifort Auditorium
2nd September: The Guinness World
Records has officially designated Assam’s
Majuli as the largest river island in the
world. It is situated on the Brahmaputra
River.
3rd September : The Election Commission
of India (ECI) has granted national party
status to All India Trinamool Congress
(TMC) Party led by West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee.
4th September: Nobel laureate Mother
Teresa formally declared as a saint of the
Roman Catholic Church by Pope Francis at
Vatican City.
NATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
5th September: India celebrates Teachers’
Day on the birth anniversary of the country’s
second President Dr RadhaKrishnan.
5th September: Urjit Patel has taken the
charge as the 24th Governor of Reserve Bank
of India, succeeding Raghuram Rajan.
6th September: The Union Health Ministry
has recently launched the “Leprosy Case
Detection Campaign (LCDC)” to eradicate
leprosy from the country.
9th September: Union Government opens
the nomination process to general public.
Now all citizens can recommend any
achiever for the prestigious Padma Awards.
10th September: The Union Government
has launched Urja Mitra Helpline through
which customers can get information on
power outages from distribution companies
by dialing 14401.
11th September: The first BRICS Wellness
Workshop has begun in Bengaluru, Karnataka
from September 10, 2016. National Fair
on comprehensive Indian Medicine system
(AROGYA) was also inaugurated.
12th September: Arunachal Pradesh
Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa removed
from post.
12th September: Deepa Malik became the
first Indian woman Paralympic medallist
when she won silver medal at the 2016 Rio
Games in the women’s shot put event.
13th September: The Union Cabinet has
given its approval for signing of the Bilateral
Technical Arrangement (BTA) between
India and Switzerland on the identification
and return of Indian and Swiss Nationals
and its implementation.
14th September: Reliance Communications
announced that it will merge its wireless
telecom businesses with Aircel, which
will create India’s third biggest telecom
operator in terms of subscriber base.
14th September: India’s Devendra Jhajharia
creates a new world record in the javelin
throw F46 event at the Rio Paralympics.
He won the Gold medal with 63.97 metres
throw.
14th September: India Blue team wins the
Duleep Trophy after defeating India Red by
355 runs.
16th September: Vice President Hamid
Ansari has reached Venezuela to attend the
17th NAM Summit.
CA-99
17th September: Indian Navy’s indigenously
built warship ‘Mormugao’ launched in Mumbai.
18th September: Seventeen soldiers killed
in a terror attack at an army base in Jammu
and Kashmir’s Uri near the Line of Control.
All four terrorists were killed during the
attack.
18th September: Spain defeated India 5-0
in the Davis Cup World Group Play-off to
enter the World Group.
19th September: Union Human Resource
Development Minister, Prakash Javadekar
launched PARAMISHAN supercomputing
facility at IIT Guwahati.
20th September: India successfully test
fired long range surface-to-air Barak-8
missile, jointly developed with Israel from
Chandipur near Balasore, Odisha.
21st September: The 7, Race Course Road
where Prime Minister of India lives in Delhi
has been renamed as ‘Lok Kalyan Marg’.
22nd September: Tamil film Visaranai
will be India’s official entry in the Foreign
Language Film category at the Oscars in
2017.
22nd September: India played 500th Test
match in Kanpur against New Zealand.
25th September: Indian spinner
Ravichandran Ashwin becomes the second
fastest bowler to claim 200 Test wickets.
Ashwin achieved the milestone in his 37th
Test match.
26th September: Indian Space Research
Organization (ISRO) successfully launched
eight satellites in two different orbits in
a single mission from the Satish Dhawan
Space Centre, Sriharikotta.
27th September: Gujarat’s World heritage
site ‘Rani ki Vav’ acknowledged as the
cleanest monument in country under
Sawachh Bharat Abhiyan.
28th September: Indira Gandhi Interna-
tional Airport (IGIA) becomes the first
airport in the Asia Pacific region to achieve
carbon neutral status.
28th September: World’s largest solar
power plant opens in Kamuthi, Tamil Nadu.
This project has been commissioned by
Adani Power.
 CA-100
29th September: India carried out surgical
strikes across the Line of Control in Pakistan
Occupied Kashmir and kills 38 terrorists
OCTOBER
1st October: The 2016 Indian Super
league starts with an opening ceremony in
Guwahati, Assam.
1st October: 3 Star Club Nepal beat East
Bengal Club, Kolkata 2-1 in the final to win
the 64th Bharat Ratna Gopinath Bordoloi
Trophy Football Tournament.
2nd October: International Day of Non
Violence observed across the world to mark
the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.
4th October: The Reserve Bank of India cut
its repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.25%
from 6.5% which is lowest in last 6 years.
5th October: The Union Cabinet on 5
October 2016 approved the signing of
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
between India and the African Asian Rural
Development Organization (AARDO) for
capacity building programmes in the field
of rural development.
6th October: Manipur-based theatre
legend Heisnam Kanhailal passed away on
6 October 2016 following a brief illness in
Imphal. He was 75.
6th October: Delhi International Airport
Limited (DIAL) announced on 6 October
2016 that the Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi
International Airport (IGIA) achieved
Platinum rating from Indian Green Building
Council (IGBC).
8th October: The 84th Indian Air Force Day
observed across India.
8th October: Lieutenant Governor Najeeb
Jung dissolves Delhi Waqf Board
10th October: Virat Kohli becomes first
Indian captain to score two double
centuries.
10th October: Indian shooter Jitu Rai
awarded with the ‘Champion of Champions’
title for pistol shooting in 2016 by the
International Shooting Sport Federation
(ISSF).
11th October: Philanthropist and
businesswoman Adi Godrej died at the age
of 70 in Mumbai.
13th October: The Union Cabinet approved
the establishment of Indian Institute of
NATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
Management (IIM) at Jammu. The institute
will a temporary campus at Old Government
College of Engineering and Technology
from academic year 2016-17.
13th October: Global Hunger Index 2016
released: India ranked at 97th position
13th October: Renu Pall appointed as
Ambassador of India to Austria.
15th October: 8th BRICS Summit started in
Goa.
15th October: India and Russia signed
16 agreements including ` 39,000 crore
defence deal to procure most advanced anti-
aircraft defence system the S-400 Triumph.
18th October: Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal
has been appointed as a member of the
International Olympic Committee’s (IOC)
Athletes’ Commission.
18th October: Ashok Leyland Ltd built and
unveiled India’s first all electric bus.
21st October: Bengaluru FC became the
first Indian football club to reach the final of
AFC Cup. Bengaluru FC defeated defending
champions Johor Darul Ta’zim 3-1 in the
second leg of the semi-final in Bangalore.
22nd October: India beat Iran 38-29 in the
final to win the Kabaddi World Cup 2016.
24th October: Ratan Tata appointed as the
Chairman of Tata Sons for four months after
removal of Cyrus Mistry from the post.
25th October: Union Government raised
the salary of President from the current
` 1.5 lakh to ` 5 lakh in a month. The Vice
President’s salary will increase to ` 3.5
lakh a month from the existing ` 1.10 lakh
a month.
26th October: Virat Kohli became the
fastest batsman to reach 7,500 ODI runs. He
achieves this milestone in just 167 innings.
30th October: India defeated Pakistan 3-2
in the final of the Asian Champions Trophy
Hockey tournament to win the title for
second time.
31st October: Rashtriya Ekta Diwas
Celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
NOVEMBER
2nd November: Kerala declared as the third
Open Defecation Free (ODF) state in India.
3nd November: The Government has
NATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
finalised the Goods and Services Tax (GST)
rates with a low of 6, followed by 12, 18 and
a high of 26 per cent.
3nd November: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi presented the Ramnath Goenka Awards
for Excellence in Journalism in New Delhi.
3nd November: Sarabjit Singh Marwah
became the first Sikh to be appointed to the
Senate of Canada.
5th November: The Indian women’s hockey
team defeated China 2-1 in the final of
Women’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey
tournament to win the title.
5th November: Indian lawyer Aniruddha
Rajput elected among the 34 individuals by
the General Assembly as members of the
International Law Commission.
6th November: Bengaluru FC defeated by
Iraq’s Air Force Club in the final of the AFC
Cup by 1-0 in Doha.
7th November: British Prime Minister Theresa
May arrived India on a three-day visit.
8th November: Demonetisation of `500
and `1000 banknotes by the Government
of India.
8th November: Delhi’s wicket keeper-
batsman Rishabh Pant creates record of the
fastest ever hundred by an Indian in a first-
class game by hitting a 48 ball ton against
Jharkhand in a Ranji Trophy match.
9th November: Pramila Jayapal became the
first Indian-American woman to be elected
to the U.S. House of Representative.
9th November: California’s Attorney
General Kamala Harris became the first
India American to win the U.S. Senate seat
from the state.
10th November: The Union Ministry of
Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
has launched of Pradhan Mantri Yuva
Yojana (PMYY) to scale up an ecosystem of
entrepreneurship for youngsters.
10th November: The Union Ministry of
Human Resource Development (HRD)
launched Smart India Hackathon 2017. It is
the world’s largest digital national building
initiative.
11th November: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo
Abe signed the civil nuclear agreement in
Tokyo.
11th November: The Supreme Court has
scrapped Punjab Termination of Water
CA-101
Agreements Act, 2004 which unilaterally
allows Punjab to stop sharing Ravi, Beas
waters with other States
12th November: India’s first banking
robot, Lakshmi was launched by the
Kumbakonam-based City Union Bank
(CUB) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Lakshmi will
be first on-site huamanoid (robot) in India.
14th November: The World Diabetes Day
observed across the world.
14th November: Children’s Day is
celebrated on the 127th birthday of India’s
first Prime Minister Jawahar lal Nehru.
15th November: The Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) has formed Special Task Force
to speed up the process of recalibration
of automated teller machines (ATM) to
dispense the new denomination notes.
15th November: International Master
Padmini Rout has won the 2016 National
Women Premier Chess Championship.
17th November: The Supreme Court
dismissed a plea filed by Tamil Nadu to
review a 2014 apex court judgment banning
Jallikattu.
18th November: The Indian Navy formally
inducted four types of indigenously
developed sonars that will boost its
underwater surveillance capability.
18th November: Iran surpassed Saudi
Arabia to become India’s top crude oil
supplier.
23th November: Veteran Carnatic Music
exponent M Balamuralikrishna passes away
24th November: Yudhvir Singh Malik
appointed as new Chairman of NHAI.
26th November: Union Government
constitutes Amitabh Kant Committee to
push cashless transactions.
26th November: Veteran Journalist Dileep
Padgaonkan passes away.
29th November: Union Government Introduces
Taxation Laws. (Second Amendment) Bill, 2016.
DECEMBER
5 December: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
nd
and AIADMK Chief Jayalalithaa Jayaraman
passes away after suffering from a cardiac
arrest at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai.
 CA-102
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
JANUARY
2nd January: Grammy-winning singer
Natalie Cole passed away.
4th January: Saudi Arabia severed
diplomatic ties with Iran.
5th January: Real Madrid appointed former
France footballer Zinedine Zidane as the
coach of its Football team.
6th January: North Korea claims that it had
successfully tested a hydrogen bomb for the
first time.
6th January: Sri Lanka, Pakistan signed 8
MoUs to enhance bilateral cooperation.
7th January: California declared state of
emergency in Los Angeles after methane
gas leak.
7th January: Pierre Boulez, French
conductor and composer, died.
8th January: In order to protect children, Kenya
published new broadcast regulations that
place strict limits on sexual content. The
regulations also ban preachers from soliciting
money from audiences in exchange of
blessings and prayers on air.
8th January: Miguel Tabuena wins Hilton Asian
Tour Golfer of the Month.
9th January: South Korea’s Parliament
adopts a resolution denouncing DPRK’s
fourth nuclear test.
9th January: India’s Sania Mirza and her
Swiss partner Martina Hingis wins the
Brisbane International Tennis Tournament
after defeating German pair of Angelique
Kerber and Andrea Petkovic by 7-5, 6-1.
11th January: Legendary British singer
and songwriter David Bowie died at the
age of 69.
11th January: 73rd Golden Globe Awards:
Leonardo DiCaprio wins best actor in a
drama, while The Revenant wins the Best
motion picture, drama. Brie Larson wins
Best performance by an actress in a motion
picture, drama for the movie Room.
12th January: The US Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) notified
revised petition fees for H-1B and L-1 visas.
12th January: Barcelona forward Lionel
Messi wins the Ballon d’Or award for the
world’s best player for the fifth time.
13th January : US, Jordan sign Joint Action
Plan on cooperation to counter Nuclear
Smuggling
14th January: India’s Sania Mirza and
Swiss Martina Hingis have created a world
record with 29 successive victories as
they advanced to the final of the Sydney
International.
15th January: Actor Alan Rickman, known
for films including Harry Potter, Die Hard
and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, died of
cancer in London, England. He was 69.
15th January: The World Health Organisation
(WHO) declared West Africa free from Ebola
outbreak.
16th January: Tsai Ing-wen elected as the
first women President of Taiwan.
17th January: Jet Airways and Bangkok Airways
entered into Frequent Flyer Partnership.
18th January : West Indies batsman Chris Gayle
equals the record of Yuvraj Singh after scoring
fastest fify in 12 balls in Big Bash Twenty20.
19th January : French President Francois
Hollande declared economic emergency.
21th January: Union Cabinet approved
MoU between India & UK on cooperation in
governance reforms.
22nd January: Moldovan parliament appointed
Pavel Filip as Prime Minister of Moldova.
22nd January : 2016 NTI Nuclear Security
Index released.
23rd January: Japan lifted nuclear sanctions
from Iran.
24th January: UNESCAP released World
Economic Situation and Prospects 2016 report.
24th January: French President Francois
Hollande arrived in India for a three-day
official visit.
25th January : India and France sign a deal
of `60,000 crore agreement to purchase 36
Rafale fighter jets from France.
26th January : The United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF) launched a 2.8 billion US
dollar appeal to reach 43 million children in
humanitarian emergencies worldwide.
28th January : Australian batsman David
Warner wins the prestigious Allan Border
Medal and best Test Player of the Year
Award for Australia.
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
28th January : A team of astronomers of UK,
USA and Australia discovered the widest
planet system so far comprising of lonely
planet named 2MASS J2126 in a huge orbit
around its star TYC 9486-927-1.
28th January : French Army becomes the
first foreign army to participate in India’s
Republic Day parade.
30th January: Angelique Kerber of Germany
defeated Serena Williams by 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to
win the 2016 Australian Open Women’s final.
30th January: Leslie Berland appointed as
Chief Marketing Officer of Twitter Inc
31st January: Novak Djokovic beats Andy.
Murray by 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 to win the sixth
Australian Open title at Melbourne Park.
FEBRUARY
2nd February: WHO issues preventive
measures against Zika virus for South-East
Asian countries.
4th February: World Cancer Day (WCD)
observed with the theme ‘We can. I can’.
7th February: The ICC suspended Pakistan
leg spinner Yasir Shah for three months
after tested positive for banned substance.
11th February: The North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) and European Union
(EU) have signed an agreement to improve
Cooperation in Cyber Defence to counter
modern forms of hybrid warfare.
12th February: Physicists at LIGO
announced that gravitational waves have
been detected which will help to understand
how the Universe is shaped by mass.
13th February: Scientist for the first time have
discovered Gravitational Waves (GW) that were
hypothesised by Albert Einstein in 1916.
13th February: The Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) has banned Pakistani
umpire Asad Rauf for five years after its
disciplinary committee found him guilty of
corrupt practices.
14th February: West Indies wins the
Under-19 ICC Cricket World Cup after
defeating India in the final by 5 wickets in the
Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.
16th February: The 58th Grammy Awards
were given to the winners. 1989 by Taylor
Swift selected as the Album of the Year.
19th February: Google’s Project Loon
began its operations in Sri Lanka after first
helium-filled balloon landed in Pupuressa
area in Gampola town.
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19th February: Japan successfully launches
ASTRO-H space observation satellite to probe
mysterious black holes. The satellite was
launched by H2A rocket after it had successfully
lifted off at the Tanegashima Space Centre.
20th February: Christine Lagarde (60) from
France has been appointed as the Managing
Director (MD) of the international Monetary
Fund for a second five-year term.
24th February: The Parliament of Pakistan
becomes the first Parliament in world to
run fully on solar power.
27th February: Gianni Infantino was elected as
the President of FIFA (Fédération Internationale
de Football Association) in Zurich.
29th February: Stan Wawrinka of Switzer-
land wins the 2016 Dubai ATP Tennis title
in the men’s singles category.
MARCH
2 March: Microsoft’s co-founder Bill Gates
nd
continued as the world’s richest person in
the Forbes’ annual ranking of billionaires
with a net worth of $75 billion.
3rd March: World’s costliest train station
Oculus is opens for the residents of New York
City. The station is built on the same location
where the New York twin tower was situated.
6th March: The inventor of E-mail and the @
symbol Raymond Samuel Tomlinson passed
away in Washington at the age of 74.
8th March: International Women’s Day
celebrated across the world.
8th March: Five times Grand Slam champion
Maria Sharapova provisionally suspended
after she admits that she tested positive for
banned drug during Australian Open.
13th March: China’s Lin Dan wins the All
England badminton title after defeating
Tian Houwei.
16th March: Madame Tussauds announces
that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s wax
figures will be shown at Madame Tussauds
museum in London, Singapore, Hong Kong
and Bangkok from the month of April.
18th March: British mathematician Sir
Andrew Wiles named as the winner of the
2016 Abel Prize by the Norwegian Academy
of Sciences and Letters in Oslo.
20th March: For the first time in Pakistan,
Sindh province has declared a public
holiday on the occasion of Holi.
 CA-104
22nd March: World Water Day (WWD)
observed globally.
22nd March: At least 34 killed in suicide
terror attacks at the airport and metro
station in Brussels.
25th March: Australian all-rounder Shane
Watson (34) declared his retirement from
all forms of International Cricket after the
end of his team’s campaign in the ongoing
ICC World Twenty20.
29th March: Russian grandmaster Sergey
Karjakin has wins the prestigious FIDE
World Chess Candidates Tournament held
in Moscow.
29th March: The Asian Development Bank
(ADB) and the Unites States Agency for
International Development (USAID) have
signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) for development of solar parks in
India.
30th March: Htin Kyaw (69) sworn in as
the first elected civilian (non-military)
President of Myanmar after 53 years of
military rule. Myanmar’s Army was in
power since 1962 coup.
31st March: Faustin Archange Touadera
(58) took the oath of office as the new
President of Central African Republic (CAR).
APRIL
1 April: Vietnam’s National Assembly
st
(NA) has elected Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan as
the country`s first female house speaker.
3rd April: West Indies defeat England by
four wickets to win their second T20 world
cup in Kolkata.
3rd April: West Indies defeat Australia by
eight wickets to win their maiden title at the
ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in Kolkata.
4th April: World Number One tennis player
Novak Djokovic of Serbia wins the 2016
Miami Open Title in the men’s singles
category.
5th April: Tran Dai Quang sworn in as the
ninth President of Vietnam after he was
elected by country’s National Assembly. He
succeeds Truong Tan Sang and shall have
term of five years.
7th April: Iceland ruling coalition govern-
ment has named Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson
(53) as the new Prime Minister after
igmundur Gunnlaugsson stepped down .
7th April: Nguyen Xuan Phuc elected as the
new Prime Minister of Vietnam.
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
8th April: Hashim Thaci sworn in as the
President of Kosovo after he was elected by
the parliament in March 2016. He succeeds
Atifete Jahjaga.
10th April: The Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge, Prince William and Kate
Middleton arrive in India.
11th April: Lee Chong Wei wins the
Malaysia Open 2016 men’s singles title after
defeating China’s Chen Long.
11th April: Ukrainian Prime Minister
Arseniy Yatsenyuk announces his
resignation in the wake of a month-long
political crisis.
12th April: Danny Willett (28) from England
wins the prestigious 2016 US Masters Golf
tournament.
14th April: The Republic of Nauru, a tiny
South Pacific island nation in Pacific
Ocean becomes the 189th member of the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and
World Bank, i.e. Bretton-Woods institutions.
15th April: Real Madrid, Manchester City,
Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich reach
the semifinals of Champions League.
18th April: Australia wins the 25th Sultan
Azlan Shah Cup after defeating India by 4¬0
in the final held in Malaysia.
21st April: The Sympathizer, a debut novel
of Vietnamese American professor Viet
Thanh Nguyen has won the Pulitzer Prize
for fiction.
22nd April: Earth Day celebrated across the
globe with the theme “Trees for the Earth.
Let’s get planting.”
22nd April: Famous musician Prince passed
away at his home in Minnesota at the age of
57.
25th April: Ace tennis player Rafael Nadal
from Spain wins the 2016 Barcelona Open
title of Tennis.
25th April: World Health Organization
declares Europe as the first Malaria free
zone. Europe had become the first region to
report zero cases of malaria in 2015.
27th April: The Tibetan government-in-
exile re-elects Lobsang Sangey (48) as the
Prime Minister for a second consecutive
term.
29th April: Pakistani women’s rights activist
from Swat valley Tabassum Adnan wins the
prestigious 2016 Nelson Mandela Graça
Machel Innovation Award.
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
MAY
1st May: Egyptian professional squash
player Nour El Sherbini (20) becomes the
youngest ever Women’s squash World
champion.
3rd May: Leicester City wins the English
Premier League for the first time in the
club’s 132 year history.
4th May: Ace snooker player Mark Selby (World
No. 1) from England wins the 2016 World
Championship title of Snooker.
4th May: Australian entrepreneur and
computer scientist Craig Wright publicly
identifies himself as the creator of virtual
currency Bitcoin.
6th May: Britain’s Labour Party candidate
Sadiq Khan becomes London’s first Muslim
mayor after elected by voting.
7th May: Taoiseach Enda Kenny re-elected
as Prime Minister of Ireland.
8th May: Scientists detect atomic oxygen in
the atmosphere of Mars for the first time
since the last observation 40 years ago. It
was detected using an instrument onboard
the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared
Astronomy (SOFIA).
14th May: FIFA (Federation of International
Football Association) appoint Senegalese
UN diplomat Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura
as its first female Secretary General (SG).
15th May: Max Verstappen becomes the
youngest driver in F1 history to win a grand
prix after winning the Spanish Grand Prix at
the age of 18.
16th May: China successfully launches
Yaogan-30 remote-sensing satellite into
sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) using the
Long March-2D rocket.
16th May: Andy Murray (World No.3) from
Britain wins the 2016 Italian Open title of
Tennis in the men’s singles category. It was
Murray’s first Italian Open title.
17th May: South Korean writer Han Kang
wins 2016 Man Booker International Prize
for the novel ‘The Vegetarian’.
20th May: Tsai Ing-wen sworn in as first
female president of Taiwan.
21st May: United Nations (UN) Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon appoints Mary
Robinson and Macharia Kamau as UN’s
Special Envoys for El Nino and Climate.
23rd May: FC Barcelona defeat Sevilla by 2-0
in the final to win 28th Copa Del Rey Title.
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26th May: Jose Mourinho appointed as the
manager of Manchester United. He will
replace Louis van Gaal.
26th May: Bioengineer Frances Arnold from
United States (US) wins the prestigious
2016 Millennium Technology Prize.
27th May: China has signed two agreements
with Sudan, its close ally in Africa to build
600-megawatt (MW) atomic reactor. It was
the first of its kind project to be built by
China in African country.
29th May: Real Madrid wins the Champions
Trophy for 11th time with a 53 penalties
victory over Atletico Madrid, after a 11
draw in the Champions League.
30th May: The National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) successfully
deployed the first experimental inflatable
room attached to the International Space
Station (ISS).
JUNE
1st
June: The world’s longest and
deepest rail tunnel has officially opened
in Switzerland. It is a 57km (35-mile)
twinbore Gotthard base tunnel will provide
a high-speed rail link under the Swiss Alps
between northern and southern Europe.
3rd June: An international team of
astrophysicists have discovered an unusual
astronomical object — an Einstein ring.
This phenomenon was predicted by
Einstein’s theory of General Relativity and
has been given its own name “The Canarias
Einstein ring”.
4th June: All time boxing great Muhammad
Ali passed away at the age of 74 in an
Arizona hospital.
4th June: Garbine Muguruza wins the
French Open for the first time by defeating
Serena Williams.
5th June: Novak Djokovic wins the French
Open Men’s Single after defeating Andy
Murray.
5th June: The French pair of Caroline Garcia
and Kristina Mladenovic wins the French
Open women’s doubles title after defeating
Russian pair of Ekaterina Makarova and
Elena Vesnina.
5th June: Malaysian shuttler Lee Chong
Wei and Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying win
the men’s singles and women’s singles
titles respectively in the Indonesia Open
Superseries.
 CA-106
9th June: Russia honour UN Secretary-
General Ban Ki-Moon with Order of
Friendship Award.
11th June: Legendary Canadian ice hockey
player Gordie Howe passed away at Toledo,
US. He was 88.
13th June: China successfully launches a
23rd BeiDou Navigation Satellite to support
its global navigation and positioning
network.
14th June: The Islamic State (IS) terrorist
group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has
been killed in an air raid in Syria by the US
led coalition.
14th June: Mercedes racing driver Lewis
Hamilton of Britain win the Formula 1
Canada Grand Prix title.
15th June: Peter Thomson of Fiji elected as
the President of the of the next session of the
UN General Assembly, which will choose the
successor to Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
17th June: Indian-origin diplomat Kamala
Shirin Lakhdhir nominated as the next
American Ambassador to Malaysia by US
President Barack Obama.
21st June: Second International Yoga Day
celebrated across the World.
21st June: Virginia Raggi elected as Rome’s
first female mayor.
21st June: China’s Sunway TaihuLight
supercomputer is the world’s most
powerful supercomputer system.
24th June: British Prime Minister David
Cameron announced that he will resign in
October, 2016 after Britons voted to leave
the European Union.
26th June: International Day Against Drug
Abuse and Illicit Trafficking observed globally.
27th June: Defending champion Chile
wins the 2016 Copa America Football
tournament by defeating Argentina in a
penalty shootout.
27th June: Argentina football star Lionel
Messi announces his retirement from
international football.
30th June: Rodrigo Duterte was sworn in
as the 16th President of Philippines. He will
have tenure of six years.
JULY
1 July: Argentina women’s team wins the
st
2016 Champions Trophy title of Hockey by
defeating Netherlands in the final match
played at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis
Centre in London, UK.
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
2nd July: World’s largest international
maritime exercise named RIMPAC (Rim of
the Pacific) 2016 began in Pacific Ocean at
Hawaii, United States.
4th July: NASA’s Juno spacecraft has
successfully entered into the orbit of Jupiter
and started orbiting solar system’s most
massive planet.
4th July: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton
from Great Britain wins the 2016 Austrian
Grand Prix title of Formula One. It was his
third title of the 2016 season after Monaco
Grand Prix (May 2016) and Canadian Grand
Prix (June 2016).
7th July: China inducted its largest
indigenously-built transport aircraft named
as Y-20, marking a crucial step in its Air
Force history for improving its strategic
power projection capability.
9th July: Serena Williams defeated
Angelique Kerber in the women’s singles
final to win her 22nd Grand Slam singles
title. She equals the records of Steffi Graf for
winning highest numbers of Grand Slams.
10th July: Andy Murray wins the 2016
Wimbledon men’s single title after defeating
Milos Raonic in the final.
11th July: Portugal wins the UEFA Euro
2016 after defeating host nation France by
(1­-0) in the final.
12th July: In a ruling by the five­ member
panel at The Hague rejected China’s claim
over the waters of South China Sea.
13th July: Theresa May becomes the second
woman Prime Minister of Britain after
Margaret Thatcher.
14th July: 84 people killed and more than
100 others are injured in Nice city in
France when a truck rammed into a crowd
celebrating Bastille Day.
16th July: The United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO), the UN cultural agency added
nine new sites on its World Heritage List.
Decision in this regard was taken at the 40th
session of The World Heritage Committee
meeting in Istanbul, Turkey.
19th July: Malcolm Turnbull sworn in as
the Prime Minister of Australia for another
term.
20th July: Researchers from Laval University
based in Quebec City, Canada going to
conduct the world’s first Zika vaccine test
on humans. They are first international
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016 CA-107

researchers team in the world to complete 11th August: Legendary Pakistan Test
all of the steps in the regulatory process for
batsman Hanif Mohammad passes away at
the test. a Karachi hospital at the age of 81.
22nd July: Social networking giant Facebook’s14th August: Michael Phelps ends his
Internet drone named ‘Aquila’ passes its career with a total of 23 gold medals in the
first full-scale test. This was the first time
Olympic Games. He has clinched a total of
using the full-scale drone. The flight test was
28 Olympic medals which makes him one of
undertaken in Yuma, Arizona (US) the greatest Olympian of all times.
24th July: Nepal’s Prime Minister K P Oli 15th August: Jamaican Usain Bolt wins the
resigned ahead of a no­confidence vote. men’s 100m race in Rio Olympics with 9.81
25th July: Verizon Communications, an seconds. Bolt is the first athlete to win the
American telecom company buys Yahoo’s 100m gold at three straight Olympics.
core business for $4.83 billion in an all­cash
15th August: Andy Murray becomes the first
deal. Yahoo will be a part of AOL. player to win two Olympic tennis singles gold
27th July: The World Health Organisation medals after defeating Juan Martin del Potro.
(WHO) officially declares Brazil free of 16th August: China launches the world’s
measles, after no case of the disease was first quantum satellite named Quantum
registered in the year 2015. Experiments at Space Scaler (QUESS) satellite.
28th July: The European Union (EU’s) 17th August: China and ten member
executive has appointed Michel Barnier, countries of Association of Southeast
as its Chief Negotiator for the United Asian Nations (ASEAN) agree to form a
Kingdom’s exit from the bloc.
framework for a code of conduct to ease
31st July: Skydiver Luke Aikins makes tension in disputed South China Sea.
history by becoming the first person to
17th August: The first South Asian
jump 25,000 feet without a parachute. He
completed the stunt landing almost in the Association for Regional Cooperation
middle of a 100ft by 100ft net. (SAARC) Youth Parliamentarians Conference
on `Peace and Harmony for Development’
AUGUST was held in Islamabad, Pakistan.
18th August: The world’s largest (longest)
1st August: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton aircraft the Airlander 10 has embarked its
from Great Britain has won the 2016 maiden flight at an airfield in Cardington in
German Grand Prix title of Formula One. central England. It is a hybrid airship made
2nd August: Novak Djokovic (World No. by Hybrid Air Vehicles in United Kingdom.
1) of Serbia wins the 2016 ATP Toronto 19th August: Barcelona beats Sevilla by 3-­0
Masters also known as the Rogers club title to win the Spanish Super Cup.
in the men’s single category.
20th August: Usain Bolt wins the third
4th August: Communist Party of Nepal­
gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics in 100m,
Maoist Chairperson (CPN­ MC) Pushpa
Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ elected the 39 th 200m and 4x100m men’s relay titles. He
Prime Minister of Nepal. completed this achievement for a three
consecutive Olympic events.
5 August: Rio Olympics 2016 starts with
th

than 11,000 athletes from 206 countries 21 August: Indo-­Canadian Sikh MP Bardish
st

taking part in this mega event. Chagger becomes the first woman in Canada
6th August: American shooter Virginia to hold the post of Leader of the government
Thrasher wins the first gold medal of 2016 in Canada’s House of Commons.
Rio Games. 22nd August: The world’s highest and
9th August: American swimmer Katie longest glass-bottomed bridge was opened
Ledecky set a new world record to fetch to visitors in central China. The bridge
gold in the women’s 400 metres freestyle at connects two mountain cliffs known as the
the Rio Olympics. Avatar Mountains in Zhangjiajie, Hunan
10th August: American swimmer Michael province.
Phelps wins his first gold medal in the 24th August: The 2016 Summer Olympics
4 × 100 m freestyle relay in Rio Olympics, concluded with a ceremony held at the
his 19th Olympic gold medal overall. Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
 CA-108
24th August: United State tops the medal
table in the 2016 Rio Olympic with a total of
121 medals. Next two positions are held by
Great Britain and China respectively.
27th August: Scientists in Japan studying
earthquakes for the first time have detected
a rare deep-Earth tremor, known as an S
(secondary) wave microseism. Microseisms
are very faint tremors.
29th August: NASA’s solar-powered Juno
spacecraft successfully executes its first
flyby of Jupiter.
29th August: Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg
from Germany has won the 2016 Belgian
Grand Prix of Formula One.
SEPTEMBER
1st September: Michel Temer sworn in as
the President of Brazil after the removal of
Dilma Rousseff from the office through the
Senators’ voting.
3rd September: Canada’s British Columbia
province has become the first foreign
government to issue of masala bonds, a
rupee-denominated bond. It had issued
` 500 crore rupee denominated overseas
bonds (masala bond) on the London Stock
Exchange (LSE)
4th September: Leaders from 20 major
economic countries take part in the G20
summit in Chinese city of Hanghzou.
4th September: Nobel laureate Mother Teresa
formally declared as a saint of the Roman
Catholic Church by Pope Francis at Vatican City.
6th September: World’s first face transplant
done on Isabelle Dinoire in French.
8th September: 2016 Paralympic Games
begins at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
8th September: The United States (US)
and China have ratified the 2015 Paris
agreement on Climate Change to cut global
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
9th September: The 28th and 29th
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) Summit was held in Vientiane,
Laos from 6th to 8th September 2016.
11th September: Angelique Kerber of
Germany defeats Karolina Pliskova to win
the US Open Women championship.
12th September: Stan Wawrinka (World
No. 3) from Switzerland wins the 2016 US
Open men’s singles title. This is Wawrinka’s
maiden US Open title and his third major title.
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
14th September: Army Green has won the 2016
Durand Cup Football Title by defeating Neroca
FC. It was the 128th edition of the Durand Cup.
16th September: The International Day for
the Preservation of the Ozone Layer observed
for the preservation of the Ozone Layer.
17th September: Writer Meghna Pant wins
the Fellows of Nature (FON) South Asia
Short Story Award in Nature writing.
19th September: China and Russia have
carried out joint naval exercises dubbed
as Joint Sea-2016 in the resource-rich
South China Sea (SCS) off China’s southern
Guangdong province.
25th September: The world’s largest radio
telescope began operating in mountainous
region of Guizhou in China. The Five hundred
metre Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope
will search for signs of intelligent life in space.
25th September: The Olympic Council of
Asia (OCA) formally announced that the
Japan’s Aichi prefecture and its capital city
Nagoya will be the co­hosts of the 2026
Asian Games.
28th September: Jim Yong Kim has been re-
appointed as President of World Bank for a
second five-year term beginning 1 July 2017.
28th September: The Colombian Government
and left-wing FARC (Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia) rebels have signed a
historic agreement that formally brings an
end to 52 years of civil war.
29th September: The world’s first three-
parent baby was born in Mexico to a Jordanian
couple with the help of a controversial new
fertility technique that incorporates DNA
from three people in the embryo.
OCTOBER
1st October: The European Union (EU)
ministers have approved the ratification of
Paris Agreement (on Climate Change). This
decision brings the Paris Agreement closer
to entering into force.
2nd October: Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to be
the next chief guest at India’s Republic Day
parade of 2017.
2nd October: International Day of Non­ -
Violence observed across the world to mark
the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.
3nd October: Yoshinori Ohsumi of Japan
wins the 2016 Nobel Prize for physiology or
medicine for work on cell ‘recycling’.
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS DIARY 2016
4th October: British scientist David Thouless,
Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz win
the 2016 Nobel Prize for Physics for studies of
unusual states of matter.
5th October: Jean­Pierre Sauvage, Bernard
Feringa and Sir Fraser Stoddart win Nobel
Prize in chemistry for the development of
nano machines, made of moving molecules.
7th October: Colombian President Juan
Manuel Santos has been awarded with the
2016 Nobel Peace Prize.
8th October: The United States lifts sanctions
against Myanmar after two decades.
10th October: British Oliver Hart and Bengt
Holmstrom form Finland wins Nobel in
Economics for work on contracts.
13th October: American music legend and
song writer Bob Dylan wins the Nobel
Literature Prize. He is the first songwriter
to win the prestigious award.
13th October: King of Thailand Bhumibol
Adulyadej passed away at the age of 88 in
Bangkok.
14th October: The United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA) formally electe Antonio
Guterres (67) as the new Secretary-General
of the United Nations.
20th October: Noted British statistician
Sir David Cox (92) awarded inaugural
International Prize in Statistics.
20th October: The World Bank has pledges 2
billion US dollars aid package to Bangladesh
to tackle climate change over the next three
years. The aid package is part of the World
Bank’s fund for the poorest countries.
23rd October: The first woman to conquer
Mount Everest Junko Tabei of Japan has
passed away at the age of 77.
26th October: Paul Beatty becomes the first
American writer to win the Man Booker
prize for his novel “’The Sellout”.
28th October: Two Yazidi women Nadia
Murad Basee and Lamiya Aji Bashar
selected for European Union’s prestigious
Sakharov Prize for Human Rights for year
2016.
31st October: The Ross Sea of the Southern
Ocean in Antarctica is declared as world’s
largest Marine Protected Area (MPA).
NOVEMBER
5th November: Latvia becomes the first
country in the Baltic Sea area to sign a
Memorandum of Understanding to link up
CA-109
with China’s One Belt and One Road (OBOR)
Initiative.
6th November: Bengaluru FC defeated by
Iraq’s Air Force Club in the final of the AFC
Cup by (1-­0) in Doha.
8th November: World’s first hydrogen-
powered and zero-emission passenger train
named Coradia iLint unveiled in Germany.
9th November: Republican Party candidate
Donald Trump has been elected as the 45th
president of USA.
11th November: China successfully launches
experimental X-ray pulsar navigation
satellite XPNAV-1. It is world’s first pulsar
navigation satellite or spacecraft.
14th November: Pakistan Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif inaugurates the operational
activities of the revamped strategic Gwadar
port in the south-western Balochistan
Province.
15th November: Facebook’s Connectivity
Lab has set a world record transmitting at
nearly 20 Gbps for 13.2 kilometers using
Milli Meter Wave (MMW) technology.
16th November: The International Day
for Tolerance is observed globally to
generate public awareness of the dangers of
intolerance.
17th November: China’s ‘Sunway Taihulight’
has won the fastest supercomputer title
in the recently released 48th edition of
Top500 list of supercomputers.
17th November: Russia officially withdraws
from International Criminal Court (ICC)
after President Vladimir Putin signed an
executive order in this regard.
22th November: Thai Princess Maha Chakri
Sirindhorn conferred with the first ‘World
Sanskrit Award’ for her contribution
towards promotion of the language.
24th November: China successfully
launches fourth data satellite Tialnian I-04.
26th November: Cuba’s Former President
Fidel Castro Passes away.
28th November: Lt. Gen. Qamar Bajwa
appointed as Pakistan Army Chief.
DECEMBER
1 December: Scientists in Israel have
st
created the first ‘water-wave laser’ that
emits a beam through the interaction of
light and water waves.
CA-110

UNION BUDGET 2016

UNION BUDGET 2016
Finance minister Arun Jaitley presented the
Union Budget 2016-17 in the Lok Sabha on
29th February 2016. Here are some of the
highlights of the budget:
• Amidst global headwinds, the Indian
economy has held its own
• Infaltion has come down even though
there was a fall in monsoons
• Foreign exchange reserves are at highest
ever level
• CPI inflation has declined to 5.4%
• The growth of GDP has accelerated to
7.6%
• Government has to prioritize
expenditure. Focus on the rural and
social sectors, infrastructure and
recapitalization of bank
• Recapitalization of banks will be done
during next financial year
• Nominal premium and highest ever
compensation in case of crop loss under
the PM Fasal Bima Yojana
• Aim to double the income of farmers
in five years. ` 35,984 crores total
allocation for farmers’ welfare
• Farm, rural sector, infra, social sector to
have more government expenditure
• Dedicated irrigation fund worth `
20,000 crore to be set up under NABARD
• A unified agriculture market e-platform
will be dedicated to the nation on the
birthday of Dr. BR Ambedkar
• 5 lakh acres to be brought under organic
farming over three years
• 65 eligible habitats to be connected
via 2.23 lakh km of road. Current
construction pace is 100 km per day
• Government is launching a new
initiative to provide cooking gas to BPL
families with state support
• Will enact a law to confer benefits on
deserving sections on aadhar platform.
• Govt to provide incentive for deepwater
gas exploration
• Work for passage of insolvency
and bankruptcy laws, to undertake
significant reforms
• Allocation of Pradhanmatri Gram Sadak
Yojna to be increased to ` 19,000 crore
• ` 38,500 crores allocated to MNREGA
CA-111
• ` 5,500 crores allocated to PM Fasal
Bima Yojana
• 300 rurban clusters to be set up under
Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban
Mission
• 100% rural electrification to be
achieved by 1st May, 2018
• ` 87,765 crores for rural development
as a whole have been allocated in the
budget
• 6 crore additional households to be
covered under digital literacy scheme in
next 3 years
• Appreciation for 75 lakh middle class
and lower middle class for willingly
giving up LPG subsidy
• New restructured scheme to increase
the governance capabilities of PRIs to
be launched: Rashtriya Gram Swaraj
Abhiyan
• ` 9,000 crores allocated to Swaccha
Bharat Abhiyaan
• Allocation of ` 35,984 crore for farm
sector
• Govt to set apart ` 412 crore to
encourage organic farming
• ` 2.87 lakh crore to be given grant-in-aid
for gram panchayats and municipalities;
it is quantum jump of 228%
• Stand Up India scheme allocated
` 500 crore for SC, ST and women
entrepreneurs
• 2 projects under Stand Up India to be
promoted per bank branch per category
• 62 new Navodaya Vidyalayas will be
opened in the next 2 years
• National Skill Development Mission has
imparted training to 76 lakh youth.
• 1,500 multi skill training institutes to be
set up
• Objective to skill 1 crore youth in the
next 3 years under the PM Kaushal
Vikas Yojana
• Health insurance of upto ` 1 lakh per
family.
• 300 generic drug stores to be opened
under PM Jan Aushadi Yojana
• 85% of stalled road projects back on
track
• ` 97,000 crore allocated to road sector
including PMGSY
• Total outlay for infrastructure `
2,21,246 crores in 2016/17
 CA-112
• Target of 10,000 km of national highway
and upgradation of 50,000 km of state
highways in 2016/17
• ` 1,000 crore for higher education
financing
• Govt drawing a comprehensive plan to
exploit nuclear energy to be implemented
in the next 15-20 years
• 100% FDI to be allowed through FIPB
route in Food Products Produced and
Marketed in India
• New Financial Data Management Centre
to facilitate integrated data analysis
• Department of Disinvestment to be
renamed as Department of Investment
and Public Asset Management
• RBI Act to be amended to give statutory
backing for monetary policy
• Amount sanctioned under PM Mudra
Yojana has reached ` 1 lakh crore to
cover 2.5 crore borrowers by Feb, 2016
• 25,000 crore for recapitalization of
public sector banks
• DBT on pilot basis in fertilizers to be
introduced in some districts
• A bill on targeted delivery of financial
services using Aadhar to be introduced
• FDI Policy: Changes proposed in
areas - Insurance & Pension, Asset
Reconstruction Companies, Stock
Exchange
• More number of benches of Security
Appellate Tribunal to be introduced by
amending SEBI Act to reduce pendency
• Fiscal deficit for FY 2016-’17 targeted at
3.5%
• Tax proposals to provide relief to small
taxpayers through rebates
• Ceiling of tax rebate for tax payers with
up to ` 5 lakh annual income to be
raised to ` 5,000 from ` 2,000
• Relief of ` 3,000 per year to taxpayers
with income below ` 5 lakh per year, 1
crore tax payers to benefit
• Deduction for rent payers raised from
` 20,000 to ` 60,000 to benefit those
living in rented houses
• Consolidation roadmap for public sector
banks next year
UNION BUDGET 2016
• Suitable changes to be made in customs
and excise duty rates to improve
competitiveness and boost Make in
India
• Incentives for new manufacturing
companies and smaller enterprise
companies
• Service Tax Exemption for services
under the Deen Dayal Gram Jyoti Yojana
• HRA deduction up from 24,000 to
60,000 per annum
• 100% deduction for profits of
undertakings from housing projects in
cities during Jun’16 - Mar’19
• Krishi Kalyan cess to be imposed on all
taxable services for agricultural sector
• 15% surcharge on income tax for those
with incomes exceeding 1 crore per
annum
• Clean energy cess increased from `
200/ton to 400/ton on coal, lignite and
peat
• Limited period compliance window
for taxpayers to declare undisclosed
income. Declarations to have immunity
from prosecutions
• Govt to introduce bill to amend
Companies Act for ease of doing
business; to enable registration of
companies in a day
• Clean Energy Cess to renamed as Clean
Environment Cess
• Limited tax compliance window: 45%
including surcharge and penalties and
immunity from prosecution
• Levy of heavy penalty for non payment
of tax has led to high litigation. Proposal
to modify scheme for penalties
• To reduce multiplicity of taxes and
cascading - 13 taxes with collection less
than ` 50 crore a year abolished
• Income tax department will expand
e-sahyog to assist small taxpayers
• Govt will pay interest rate of 9% over
6% if delay is more than 90 days
• Net revenue gain of ` 19,610 crores due
to surplus from indirect taxes
• 14 crore farmers to be brought under
soil health card scheme by March, 2017
RAILWAY BUDGET 2016
RAILWAY BUDGET 2016
Railway Budget 2016 was presented on
February 25, 2016 by Suresh Prabhu, the
Railway Minister of India. Here are the
highlights of the rail budget 2016:
• No hike in passenger fares.
• Swacch Bharat: 17000 biotoilets and
additional toilets in 475 stations before
the close of this financial year.
• Wifi at 100 stations this year and 400
stations next year.
• 33% reservation to women in reserved
quota in Railways to be introduced.
• Deen Dayal coaches for long distance
trains for unreserved passengers. These
coaches will include potable water
and higher number of mobile charging
points.
• Janani Sewa: Children’s menu, baby
foods, baby boards to be made available
for travelling mothers.
• Overnight double-decker train Uday
Express to be introduced on busiest
routes, carrying capacity to be 40%
more.
• Porters not to be called “coolies” but be
called “sahayaks” now; will be trained in
soft skills.
• Railways to increase lower berth quota
for senior citizens by 50%.
• Ajmer, Amritsar, Gaya, Mathura,
Nanded, Nashik, Puri, Tirupati, Varanasi,
Nagapattinam and other pilgrim stations
to be beautified.
• Bar-coded tickets to be introduced at
select stations on pilot basis to tackle
nuisance of ticketless travel.
• Two elevated suburban railway corridors
– Churchgate-Virar and CST-Panvel to be
constructed in Mumbai; Ring railway
covering 21 stations to be revived with
state participation.
• GPS-based digital display in coaches for
showing upcoming stations.
• North-East India, especially Mizoram
and Manipur, to be connected through
broad gauge soon.
CA-113
• 1,600 km of electrification this year and
2,000 km proposed for the next year.
• Introduced 1,780 Automatic Ticket
Vending Machines, mobile apps
& GoIndia smartcard for cashless
purchase of UTS and PRS tickets,
enhanced capacity of e-ticketing system
from 2,000 tickets per minute to 7,200
tickets per minute and to support
1,20,000 concurrent users as against
only 40,000 earlier.
• Propose to invite FM Radio stations for
providing train-borne entertainment;
extend ‘Rail Bandhu’ to all reserved
classes of travelers and in all regional
languages.
• Security through helplines & CCTVs;
Safety - 350 manned level crossings
closed, eliminated 1,000 unmanned
level crossings, 820 ROB/RUB
completed in the current year and work
going on in 1,350 of them.
• SMART (Specially Modified Aesthetic
Refreshing Travel) Coaches are
redesigned coaches with redesigned
bio-vaccum toilets, vending machines,
advertising boards, PA system, dustbins,
ergonomic seating.
• Clean my Coach: Passengers will be
able to demand cleaning of a toilet via
SMS. The audit will be done by third
party and action to be taken based on
passenger feedback.
• Tejas: It will showcase the future of train
travel in India with operating speeds of
130 kmph.
• Rail Mitra Sewa: Expanding Sarathi Seva
in Konkan Railway to help the old and
disabled passengers, strengthening
the existing services for enabling
passengers to book battery operated
cars, porter services, etc. on a paid basis
in addition to the existing pick up and
drop, and wheel chair services.
 CA-114
Are Fundamental Rights Above Religion?
D
uring our freedom struggle, the
freedom fighters had realized the
importance of rights and demanded
that the British rulers should respect the
rights of the people. The Motilal Nehru
Committee had demanded a Bill of Rights
in 1928. Hence, when India became
Independent, and the constitution was
being prepared, it was very obvious
to include rights in the constitutions.
The constitution listed the rights that
would be specially protected and called
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS.
The word “Fundamental” suggests
that these rights are so important that the
constitution has separately listed them and
made special provisions for their protection.
The constitution itself ensures that they are
not collated by the government. These are
contained in the PART III of the constitution
and include as follows:
Fundamental Rights – Rights to
Equality, Right to Freedom, Right against
Exploitation, Right to freedom of Religion,
Cultural and Educational Rights and Right
to constitutaional Remedies. Recent
discussions and debates have come up
with a major question – ARE THESE
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS ABOVE RELIGION ?
This question sparks off the very nature
of secularism in India. Many cases have
been fought and a lot has been written on
n Asha Prasad
this burning topic. Constitution declares
that every citizen has the right to live
with freedom and dignity in any part of
the country. Yet in reality many forms of
exclusion and discrimination continue to
persist. Nearly 4000 Sikhs were massacred
in Delhi and other parts of the country
in 1984, Several thousands of Kashmiri
Pandits have been forced to leave their
homes in Kashmir valley and have not
been able to return home for more than
2 decades. Nearly 2000 muslims were
massacred in Gujarat in 2002. These are
all examples of discrimination in one form
or other. Members of one community are
targeted and victimised on account of their
religious identity. Basic freedom of these
citizens is denied. These incidents are
instances of religious persecution.
When we take our discussion further
we find many such cases which show a
direct confrontation of fundamental Rights
with religion. Supreme Court in 2015
stated that Right of Religion is not above
public moratity. Confirming the sacking
of a government servant for bigamy, the
supreme Court ruled that the Fundamental
Right to Religion did not include practices
which ran counter to public order, health
and morality. A petition had been filed
by Khurcheed Ahmed Khan against Uttar
Pradesh government’s decision to remove
him from services as
Irrigation Supervisor
for contracting a
second marriage when
his first marriage was
still in existence. Mr.
Khan challenged the
constitutionality of
the provision in the
1956 rules and argued
that it violated his
ARE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS ABOVE RELIGION?
right to freely practise his religion. But the
judge (Justice A. K. Goel) dismissed his
challenge quoting that “a practice did not
acquire a sanction of religion because it
was permited. What was protected under
Article 25 was the religious faith and not the
practice which may seen counter to public
oder, health or morality. Polygamy was not
an integral part of religion and monogamy
was a reform within the power of the state
under Article 25. Sharp distinction must
be drawn between religious faith and
belief and religious practices. What state
protects is religious faith and belief. If the
religious practices run counter to public
order, morality or health or a policy of social
welfare upon which the state has embarked
then the religious practice must give way
before the good of the people of the state as
a whole.
The Indian Constitution guarantees
special protection for the several religious
and cultural minorities in India. But it is
seen that discriminatory practices exit
against these communities. Dalits or the
untouchables cannot enter the temples
of India (Though the Fundamental Rights
prohibit such discrimination). Even women
were not allowed to enter certain shrines
and temples (Sham temple in Maharashtra
or the Haji Ali in Mumbai). Muslim personal
Law provides that muslim men can have
up to 4 wives and even enjoy the right to
divorce their wife by way “ Triple Talaq”.
In such case, the court holds the view that
CA-115
these personal laws are based on original
religious texts and hence are not subject
to any kind of judicial review. Article 13 of
the Indian constitution states that any law
that violates a fundamental right is void.
The Bombay High Court (State of Bombay
v/s Narasu Appa Mali, 1952) distinguished
personal Laws from custom and need that
Article 13 would not cover personal Laws in
their unadulterated form.
This provision of the personal law was
void due to which Hindus and Muslims
were equally placed. The Bombay High
Court thereby rejected the argument on
the ground that Muslim personal Laws
could not be subjected to Fundamental
Rights. If it is done so, then this would imply
automatic validation of practices such as
untouchability, thereby not explaining the
introduction of Article 17 which abolishes
untouchability.
In the early 1970’s, the shah Bano case
had invoked the criminal Law for interim
maintenance which made no distinction
on ground of religion. The Personal Law
had to bend to give way to the statutory
Right meant for women unable to make
a living. Sayara Bano Case aims higher. It
has questioned the constitutional validity
of the discriminatory practices sanctioned
under the Muslim Personal Law. The
supreme Court is set to examine triple
talaq, polygamy, and other discriminatory
practices against women.
When the constitution was drafted,
the Indian society was in total chaos and
confusion. India was partitioned and
communal riots were rampant. In such
a situation, it was the utmost duty of the
constitution makers to draft such policies
so that the discrimination between the
different communities could be eliminated.
Article 44 tried to minimize discrimination
arising from personal laws. Article 25
ensured that religious freedoms were
subject to fundamental rights such as right
to equality.
 CA-116

Make Reservation Quota Objective

and Practical to Uplift Real Backwards
n Puneet Kapoor
“If you give education to those strata of Indian Society which have a vested
interest in maintaining the Caste System for the advantages it gives them, then
the Caste System will be strengthened. On the other hand, if you give education
to the lowest strata of Indian Society which are interested in blowing up the
Caste System, the Caste System will be blown up.”

R
eservation is indelibly branded
as a welfare programme giving
handouts to a set of caste-marked
“beneficiaries” and those who receive
this benefit - the “reserved category” - are
deviant exceptions who fall outside the
normal or ‘general category’ of caste-less
citizens which constitutes the nation. It is
this caste-less nation that gives reservation
to certain castes to compensate for the
“historical wrongs” done to them in the
distant past, and to help them overcome
their backwardness. The idea of reservation
as a public promise of social inclusion
was focused on sources of power and
social status within the purview of the
state, such as the legislature, government
jobs and higher education. Whatever its
original good intentions, today reservation
has outlived its usefulness, it is a welfare
programme gone rogue, perpetuating
casteism and strangling merit.
The reservation system finds its origin
in the age-old caste system of India, which
at its birth was meant to divide people on
the basis of their occupation like teaching
and preaching (Brahmins), kingship and
war (Kshatriya) and lastly business (vaish)
etc; but soon it became an instrument to
divide the society on caste-basis, creating
various walls between different sections
of the society. After independence, the
reservation policy became more explicit
and clear as the Constitution of India listed
some groups as Scheduled Castes (SC),
Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward
Classes (OBC). The framers of the
Constitution believed that, due to the caste
system, SCs, STs and OBCs were historically
oppressed and denied respect and equal
opportunity in Indian society and were
thus under-represented in nation-building
activities.
Objectives of Reservation:
ŒŒ Uplift lower strata of society
ŒŒ Ensure proper political representation
of minority groups
ŒŒ Ensure that minorities are not
discriminated in job selections and
promotion
The reservation system aims to uplift
the lower sections of society which, through
the ages, have been exploited and deprived of
rights and basic amenities. By providing these
minorities reservation in government jobs
and colleges, they are supposed to become a
part of mainstream society and it is expected
that people will start accepting them. But
recent events and today’s political scenario
have raised a big question on the existing
reservation system in India.
The reservation system that we see
today provides roughly 15% of the seats for
Scheduled Castes (SCs), 7.5% for Scheduled
Tribes (STs) and 27% for Other Backward
Classes (OBCs). This leaves just about 50%
of seats for the ‘general’ category which can
also be occupied by the minorities. Due to the
relatively small number of seats for minorities,
MAKE RESERVATION QUOTA OBJECTIVE AND PRACTICAL TO UPLIFT ... CA-117

the cut-off percentages for their seats are tried to cross this limit. Two of Indian states
lower than the general category. However, (Tamil Nadu & Rajasthan) have already
reservation continues to be a controversial crossed this limit. In August 1999, the
social and political issue and has resulted in Supreme Court ruled that for admissions
many protracted legal disputes and multitude at the super-specialty level in medicine and
of legal interpretations. engineering faculties, no special provisions
The statistics related to reservation are: like reservations for SCs, STs and BCs were
permissible. Even among the quota for
Population
reservations, there are also sub-quotas.
For example, in Andhra Pradesh, 15% of
8.2%
ST the seats in each course of study reserved
16.2% for Scheduled Castes are in turn allotted,
SC in proportion to their population, to four
75.6%
Rest categories of SCs classified as A, B, C and
D. Similarly, 25% of the seats reserved for
Backward Classes are allocated to four
categories of BCs – labeled as A, B, C and D.
Besides caste based reservations,
Fig: Population of India split up by caste there are also varieties of reservation
Reservation Split and quota system, for example, Non-
resident Indians (5%), Women (30%),
7.5% Physically handicapped, Migrants from
ST J & K, NCC Quota, Sports Quota, Anglo-Indian
15% Community, Children of Political Sufferers,
SC 50.5% Children of Defence personnel, Children of Ex
General servicemen, Government of India Nominees etc.
27%
OBC In the 21st century, it is quite
debatable if the caste of a person even
forms a reasonable basis for reservation in
government jobs and colleges. Many people
Fig: Reservation percentage split by caste
of lower castes have stepped up the social
Supreme Court of India has already ladder and are now on an equal footing
made it clear that no state should pass the with the ‘general’ population. On the other
50% barrier in reservation and in past it hand, many upper castes are still suffering
reminded state to follow its guidelines. from poverty and illiteracy. However, the
Despite warning from apex court many caste-based reservation cannot be claimed
times different state governments have to be completely irrelevant as the time in
 CA-118 MAKE RESERVATION QUOTA OBJECTIVE AND PRACTICAL TO UPLIFT ...
which it was created India had many
discriminatory laws and rules made
by religious heads on various levels.
But the country needs a better basis
of reservation which includes the
poor and the backward groups and
excludes the rich and the dominating
sections among all castes.
Though “lower strata” term is
relative, the reservation system has
not changed anything drastically
when comparison of poverty rates and
income of the bottom 20% of society is
relatively the same compared over the
last 40 years and this is more evident in
rural areas. The reservation benefits are
cornered by the creamy layer in SC and ST.
One view is that since the objective of
reservation has not been achieved, it should
be continued for a few more decades. The
other view is that it is time to phase out
reservations slowly. This can be done either
by removing the creamy layers or by letting
the reservation percentages taper off to a
vanishing point.
General contention is that theoretically,
it is inadmissible and practically difficult to
scrap the policy of reservation. However,
the policy of reservation has to be scientific
and rational. In the given economic and
political structure, caste (or birth or family)
should not determine one’s life chances. It
is assumed that SCs (and for that matter STs
and OBCs also) represent a homogeneous
group but actually they are a heterogeneous
group.
Therefore it may be suggested that:
1. Not caste but income should be given
importance in determining backward­ness.
2. The concept of creamy layer should be
applied to SCs and STs also.
3. Reservation should be restricted only to
the first generation beneficiaries. The
candidates whose parents have already
availed reservation facilities in securing
a job should not be given the facility
again.
4. Concession of scholarship may be
provided to SC, ST and OBC students
securing more than the specified
percentage of marks (say, 48%) in high
school and graduate courses for getting
quality education in good in­stitutions.
All these measures will benefit those
who really deserve help.
True purpose of reservation should not
be removal of poverty or unemployment
but removal of imbalance in governance and
administration and removal of inequality.
It’s high time that the mirage of poverty
as ‘criterion’ for reservation must be
abolished. Governments should sincerely
and holistically undertake and efficiently
implement practical measures such as
scholarships (based on merit not caste)
and thus harmoniously contribute to the
creation of the ambience facilitating the
optimal development of India.

BILLS AND ACTS 2016
Maternity Benefits (Amendment)
Bill, 2016
• Rajya Sabha has passed this bill on
August 11, 2016 which aims to raise
maternity leave for women from 12 to
26 weeks.
• The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961,
protects the employment of women
during the time of maternity and entitles
them of a full paid absence from work to
take care for the child. The amendment
bill seeks to increase maternity leave
to 26 weeks in all establishments,
including private sector.
• The act is applicable to all
establishments employing 10 or more
persons. The bill also provides 12 weeks
leave for commissioning and adopting
mothers and makes it compulsory to
provide crèche facility for establishment
where the number of workers is 50 and
above. Adopting mother is the woman
who legally adopts a child below 3
months of age. A commissioning mother
is a biological mother who uses her
egg to create an embryo implanted in
another woman.
• There is already a provision of 26-week
or 6-month maternity leave for the
government employees, most private
sector firms offer maximum three
months of such leave. The bill may also
have an enabling provisions to allow
working mothers to exercise work-
from-home option.
Central Agricultural University
(Amendment) Bill, 2016
• Lok Sabha passed a bill on August
9, 2016 and Rajya Sabha on August
11, 2016 to include Nagaland under
the jurisdiction of Imphal Central
Agriculture University (CAU) to help
the north-eastern state achieve higher
growth in animal husbandry sector.
• The Bill proposes to amend the Central
Agricultural University Act, 1992.
• The Act provides for the establishment of
a University in the north eastern region
for the development of agriculture.
CA-119
The Constitution (122nd
Amendment) (GST) Bill, 2014
• Rajya Sabha gave its approval on August
3, 2016 and Lok Sabha on August 8, 2016
for the crucial 122nd Constitutional
Amendment to turn the bill into law. The
Lok Sabha had already passed the key
provisions of the bill on May 06, 2015. 
• The Bill amends the Constitution to
introduce the goods and services tax
(GST).
• Parliament and state legislatures will
have concurrent powers to make laws
on GST. Only the Centre may levy an
integrated GST (IGST) on the interstate
supply of goods and services, and
imports.
• Alcohol for human consumption has
been exempted from the purview of
GST. GST will apply to five petroleum
products at a later date.
• The GST Council will recommend rates
of tax, period of levy of additional tax,
principles of supply, special provisions
to certain states, etc. The GST Council
will consist of the Union Finance
Minister, Union Minister of State for
Revenue, and state Finance Ministers.
• The Bill empowers the Centre to impose
an additional tax of up to 1%, on the
inter-state supply of goods for two years
or more. This tax will accrue to states
from where the supply originates.
• Parliament may, by law, provide
compensation to states for any loss of
revenue from the introduction of GST,
up to a five year period.
• India’s 29 states currently levy their
own sales taxes, dividing the Indian
market. GST aims to provide a uniform
tax structure across the country.
Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill,
2016
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime
Minister Narendra Modi has given its
approval on August 03, 2016 for Motor
Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2016.
 CA-120
• The fine for driving without license goes
up ten times to ` 5,000 while penalty for
drunken driving increases fivefold to `
10,000.
• The significant provisions include increase
in compensation for Hit & Run cases
from ` 25000 to ` 2 lakhs. It also has
provision for payment of compensation
up to ` 10 lakh in road accidents
fatalities.
• For offences by juveniles, the guardian/
owner shall be deemed to be
responsible. They will have to pay a
fine of ` 25,000 apart from three-year
imprisonment. The juvenile will be
tried under the Juvenile Justice Act and
registration of his or her motor vehicle
will be cancelled.
• In the area of road safety, bill proposes to
raise penalties to act as restraint against
traffic violations. Stricter provisions are
being proposed in respect of offences
like juvenile driving, drunken driving,
driving without license, dangerous
driving, over-speeding, overloading, etc.
Stricter provisions for helmets have
been introduced along with provisions
for electronic detection of violations.
• To bring agreement of the registration
and licensing process, it is proposed
to create National Register for Driving
Licence and National Register for
Vehicle registration through “Vahan”
& “Sarathi” platforms. This will assist
uniformity of the process across the
country.
Benami Transaction Bill 2016
• The Benami Transactions (Prohibition)
Amendment Bill, 2016 was passed by
the Rajya Sabha. It was already passed
by Lok Sabha in the last week of July
2016.
• The bill has provision for confiscating
‘benami’ (proxy) assets.
• The bill seeks to establish adjudicating
authorities and an appellate tribunal to
deal with benami transactions as also
specify penalty for entering into benami
transactions.
• The bill is part of measures planned by
the Government to tackle the problem
of black money.
Bills and Acts 2016
• A transaction is considered as benami
(meaning nameless) where a property
is transferred to or is held by a person
and the consideration for such property
has been provided or paid by another
person.
• People keeping ‘benami’ properties to
evade taxes will get up to seven years
rigorous imprisonment and fine, as
per a new law aimed at checking black
money in real estate sector.
Institutes of Technology
(Amendment) Bill, 2016
• The Institutes of Technology (Amendment)
Bill, 2016 was introduced in Lok Sabha
on July 19, 2016.
• The Bill seeks to amend the Institutes
of Technology Act, 1961, which declares
certain Institutes of Technology as
institutions of national importance.
• The Bill also seeks to add six new
Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in
Tirupati, Palakkad, Goa, Dharwar, Bhilai,
and Jammu.
• It seeks to bring the Indian School of
Mines, Dhanbad within the ambit of
the Act. All these institutions will be
declared as institutions of national
importance.
• The Bill provides for the incorporation
of IIT (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad.
It states that until the statutes in
relation to IIT (Indian School of Mines),
Dhanbad are made under the Act, the
statutes applicable to IIT Roorkee will
apply to it.
Indian Medical Council
(Amendment Bill), 2016
• The Indian Medical Council (Amendment)
Bill, 2016 was introduced by Minister
of Health and Family Welfare, Mr. Jagat
Prakash Nadda in Lok Sabha on July 19,
2016.
• The Bill seeks to amend the Indian
Medical Council Act, 1956.
• The MCI regulates: (i) standards of
medical education, (ii) permission to
start colleges, courses or increase the
number of seats, (iv) registration of
doctors, (v) standards of professional
conduct of medical practitioners, among
others.
Bills and Acts 2016 CA-121
• The provisions of the bill will come into
force from May 24, 2016.
• The Bill seeks to introduce a uniform
entrance examination for all medical
educational institutions.
• This would be applicable at the
undergraduate and the post-graduate
level.
• The Bill has the provision in case a state
has not opted for the uniform entrance
examination, then the examination will
not be applicable at the undergraduate
level for the academic year 2016-17.
• This provision will apply to state
government seats in government and
private medical colleges.
NIT, Science Education & Research
(Amendment) Bill, 2016
• The National Institutes of Technology
(NIT), Science Education and Research
(Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed by
the Parliament on August 2, 2016.
• The bill was first passed in Lok Sabha
in July 2016. Now the bill will go for
presidential assent as per Article 111 of
Constitution.
• The Bill seeks to establish the National
Institute of Technology (NIT), Andhra
Pradesh as an institute of national
importance.
• The NIT, Andhra Pradesh will be
established under the National
Institutes of Technology, Science
Education and Research (NITSER) Act,
2007.
• The NIT will be deemed as an institute
of national importance status as on
August 20, 2015, the day on which
the Union government approved its
establishment.
Compensatory Afforestation Fund
Bill, 2016
• The Compensatory Afforestation Fund
Bill, 2016 was passed on July 29 by the
Parliament after it was approved by the
Rajya Sabha.
• The bill provides for establishment
of funds under the public accounts
of the Centre and State levels for
compensatory afforestation.
• It establishes National Compensatory
Afforestation Fund (NCAF) under the
Public Account of India, and a State
Compensatory Afforestation Fund
under the Public Account of each state.
• The payments into the funds include
compensatory afforestation, net present
value of forest (NPV), and any project
specific payments.
• The NCAF will get 10% of funds
collected and the remaining 90% will go
to respective State Fund.
• The collected funds will be utilised
for afforestation, regeneration of
forest ecosystem, wild life protection
and forest related infrastructure
development.
• It establishes National and State
Compensatory Afforestation Fund
Management and Planning Authorities
to manage the funds.
• The determination of NPV will be
delegated to an expert committee
constituted by the Central Government.
Lokpal and Lokayukta (Amendment)
Bill, 2016
• The Lokpal and Lokayukta (Amendment)
Bill, 2016 was passed by the Lok Sabha
on July 27, 2016.
• The bill seeks to amend the Lokpal and
Lokayukta Act, 2013 which provides
Lokpal (at Centre) and Lokayukta (at
States) statutory backing to inquire into
allegations of corruption against certain
public functionaries and for related
matters.
Key Provisions
• The bill enables the leader of the single
largest opposition party in the Lok
Sabha in the absence of a recognised
Leader of Opposition to be a member
of the selection committee that would
select the ombudsman.
• It amends section 44 of parent Act that
deals with provision of furnishing of
details of assets and liabilities of public
servants within 30 days of joining the
government service.
• The amendment has removed the period
of 30 days. Now the public servants will
make declaration of their assets and
 CA-122
liabilities in the form and manner as
prescribed by government.
• It gives extension of the time given
to public servants and trustees and
board members of Non-Governmental
Organisations (NGOs) to declare their
assets and those of their spouses.
• In this case public servants and trustees
and board members of NGOs must be
receiving government funds of more
than ` 1 crore or foreign funding of
more than ` 10 lakh.
Child Labour (Prohibition and
Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2016
• Lok Sabha has passed the Child
Labour (Prohibition and Regulation)
Amendment Bill, 2016, despite
opposition by several MPs.
• The Bill, passed by the Rajya Sabha on
July 19, 2016.
• The Bill seeks to improve the Child
Labour (Prohibition and Regulation)
Act, 1986, which prohibits the
employment of children below 14
years in 83 hazardous occupations and
processes. The amendment extends
this ban on employment of children
under 14 across all sectors, prohibits
the employment of adolescents aged
14-18 years in risky occupations and
introduces more severe jail term and
fines for offenders: a jail term of six
months to two years and a fine of `
20,000 to ` 50,000.
• The opposition by members was mainly
to the fact that children under 14
years will be allowed to work in family
businesses, outside of school hours and
during holidays, and in entertainment
and sports. MPs objected to the
definition of family which includes not
only parents and siblings but also the
siblings of either parent.
• The Bill brings down the list of hazardous
occupations from the earlier 83 to just
three: mining, inflammable substances,
and hazardous processes under the
Factories Act. Read together, with the
family enterprises clause, critics say,
children can be made to work in carpet,
zari and bidi units, mica or diamond
cutting, scavenging, brick kilns,
slaughterhouses, handling e-waste or as
domestic help. Several MPs objected to the
Bills and Acts 2016
clause that also gives the Centre the right
to add to the list of non-hazardous work.
Transgender Persons (Protection of
Rights) Bill, 2016
• The Transgender Persons (Protection
of Rights) Bill, 2016 was approved by
the Union Cabinet on July 21 to protect
transgenders from discrimination. Through
this Bill the Union Government has evolved a
holistic mechanism for the social, economic
and educational empowerment of
marginalized transgenders community.
Key Facts
• The Bill will benefit a large number
of transgender persons, mitigate the
stigma, discrimination and abuse
against them and also bring them into
the mainstream of society.
• It will lead to greater inclusiveness
and will make the transgender persons
productive members of the society.
• The Bill will make all the stakeholders
responsive and accountable for
upholding the principles underlying the
Bill.
• It will bring greater accountability on
the part of the Union Government and
State Governments/UT administrations
for issues concerning Transgender
persons.
• Background Transgender community
is among one of the most marginalized
communities in the country because
they don’t fit into the stereotypical
categories of gender of ‘men’ or ‘women’.
• They face problems ranging from social
exclusion, ostracism and discrimination,
as well as verbal, physical and sexual
abuse.
• They also lack of access to education and
employment opportunities, ending up
into organised groups, forced begging
or demanding money.
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code
Bill, 2016
• Rajya Sabha passed the major economic
reform Bill moved by the Government
i.e. ‘Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code,
2016’ on 11th May 2016.
• The Lok Sabha had earlier passed the
Bill on 5th May, 2016.
Bills and Acts 2016 CA-123
• The objective of the new law is to
promote entrepreneurship, availability
of credit, and balance the interests
of all stakeholders by consolidating
and amending the laws relating
to reorganization and insolvency
resolution of corporate persons,
partnership firms and individuals
in a time bound manner and for
maximization of value of assets of
such persons and matters connected
therewith or incidental thereto.
• The essential idea of the new law is
that when a firm defaults on its debt,
control shifts from the shareholders/
promoters to a Committee of Creditors,
who have 180 days in which to evaluate
proposals from various players about
resuscitating the company or taking it
into liquidation.
• The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code is
a comprehensive and systemic reform,
which will give a quantum leap to the
functioning of the credit market.
Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2016
The Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2016 was passed
by the Lok Sabha on May 10 2016 to
widen ambit of law dealing with this anti-
hijacking crime. The Bill was first passed
in the Rajya Sabha. Now the Bill will go for
Presidential assent as per Article 111 of
Indian Constitution.
Key provisions of the Bill
• The Bill defines hijacking as seizing
control of an aircraft in service,
unlawfully and intentionally, by
coercion, technological means or by
exercising force or any other form of
intimidation.
• It covers several acts within the
definition of hijacking.
• It includes (i) attempt and abetment
of hijacking (ii) organizing or directing
others to commit hijacking and (iii)
making a credible threat to commit
hijacking.
• The Bill provides for the death penalty
for hijackers even if ground airport
personnel and handling staff are killed
during such acts.
• Under it, hijacking and the related
offences shall be extraditable which
means that for such offences, one
country may transfer the accused to
another country’s legal jurisdiction.
• The Bill will not allow refusing the
request for extradition on the ground
that hijacking is a political offence or is
connected to a political offence.
• The current law, The Anti-Hijacking Act,
1982 which was last amended in 1994,
will be repealed after passage of this
new Bill.
• The Bill has been framed in line with
the International convention including
Beijing Protocol, 2010.
• It was introduced for more vigilant for
the safety and security of passengers in
case of hijacking.
• It will help to overcome drawbacks of
the existing crisis management system
in dealing with cases of hijacking.
Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill,
2016
• Parliament passed the Mines and
Minerals (Development and Regulation)
Amendment Bill 2016. The Bill amends
the Mines and Minerals (Development
and Regulation) Act, 1957.
• The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on
16th March 2016 and in the Rajya Sabha
on 2nd May 2016.
• The Bill allows for the transfer of mining
leases which have been granted through
procedures other than auction, and
where the minerals are used for captive
purpose.
• The Bill adds a definition of leased
area, as the area within which mining
operations can be undertaken. This will
also include the non-mineralised area
required for the activities defined under
mine in the Mines Act, 1952.
• The Mines and Minerals (Development
and Regulation) Act, 1957 regulates the
mining sector in India and specifies the
requirement for obtaining and granting
leases for mining operations.
Real Estate (Regulation and
Development) Act, 2016
• Rajya Sabha passed the Real Estate
(Regulation and Development) Bill,
 CA-124
2016 which aims to guard the interests
of numerous aspiring house buyers
alongside enhancing the credibility of
construction industry by promoting
transparency, accountability and
efficiency in execution of projects.
• The Bill seeks to set up an effective
regulatory mechanism for orderly
growth of the sector which is the
second largest seasonal employer after
agriculture.
• It provides that 70% of sale proceeds
will have to be kept aside by the
developer in an escrow account which
is a financial instrument held by a third
party on behalf of the other two parties
in a transaction.
• The Bill will set up state-level real estate
regulatory authorities and appellate
tribunals to monitor transactions
relating to both residential and
commercial projects and their timely
completion and handover. It will also
look after complaints at both appellate
tribunals and regulatory authorities
within 60 days ensuring timely
resolution of disputes.
• The Real Estate Bill enables the people
meet their genuine aspirations of owning
a house including those of urban poor
by giving a fillip to affordable housing
initiative under which the Government
intends to enable construction of 2 crore
by the year 2022 under Prime Minister’s
Awas Yojana (Urban).
Industries (Development and
Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015
• The Industries (Development and
Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015 was
passed by the Parliament on April 29,
2016. The Bill amends the Industries
(Development and Regulation) Act,
1951. It was first was passed in Lok
Sabha in December 2015 and later in
Rajya Sabha in April 2016. Now it will
go for Presidential assent as per Article
111 of the Indian Constitution.
Key facts
• The bill seeks to bring industries
engaged in the manufacture of potable
alcohol under the exclusive control of
States in all respects.
Bills and Acts 2016
• The bill amends 1st schedule of the
parent Act to bring required changes
for regulating industries manufacturing
potable alcohol. However, Union
Government will continue to be
responsible for formulating policy and
regulating foreign collaboration for all
products of fermentation industries,
including industrial and potable alcohol.
Industries (Development and
Regulation) Act, 1951
• It provides for development and
regulation of certain industries including
telecommunications, transportation,
metallurgical, fermentation (which
includes production of alcohol) among
others.
• The 1st schedule of the Act includes all
industries that are regulated under the
Act Background In the Bihar Distillery
versus Union of India case (1997),
Supreme Court had demarcated the
regulation of production of alcohol
between Centre and states.
• The apex court had ruled that Union
Government should regulate the
production of alcohol for industrial
use and states should regulate the
production of alcohol for potable
purpose (domestic consumption).
• It also had held that where the removal
or clearance is for industrial purposes,
the levy of excise duty and all other
control should be with the Union
Government. The Bill conforms to the
Supreme Court’s decision.
Constitution (Scheduled Castes)
Order (Amendment) Bill, 2016
• Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order
(Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed by
the Parliament on April 28 to include
certain communities in the list of
Scheduled Castes (SC) from 4 states.
The bill seeks to amend Constitution
(Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 to
include certain communities from
Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala and
West Bengal in the list. It also has
provisions for exclusion of certain
communities from Odisha and removal
of area restriction in respect of certain
communities.
Bills and Acts 2016 CA-125
Key facts
• In Chhattisgarh, it includes Sais, Sahis,
Sarathi, Soot-Sarathi, Thanwar communities
in the list.
• In Haryana, the bill seeks the inclusion
of (i) Aheria, Aheri, Hari, Heri, Thori,
Turi and (ii) Rai Sikh communities in
the list.
• In Kerala, it includes Peruvannan
community in the list and Modification
in the area of specification of Malayan
community.
• In West Bengal, the bill seeks the
removal of area restriction of Chain
community.
• In Odisha, exclusion of Bariki and
Kummari communities in the list.
• Article 341 empowers Parliament to
include or exclude castes from the list
of Scheduled Castes in the notification.
It also empowers the President to
specify castes which will be deemed as
Scheduled Castes through a notification.
Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill,
2016
• The Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment)
Bill, 2016 which was introduced in
Rajya Sabha on March 15, 2016 by the
Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Rajnath
Singh. The bill was passed by the House
on March 16, 2016. It seeks to amend
the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925.
• The bill introduced in Rajya Sabha
envisages amending 91-year-old Sikh
Gurdwaras Act to exclude Sehajdhari
Sikhs from voting in elections to Sikh
religious bodies.
• The bill proposes to remove the
exemption given to Sehajdhari Sikhs in
1944 to vote in the elections to select
the members of the board and the
committees constituted under the act.
Social Boycott (Prevention,
Prohibition & Redressal) Bill 2016
• The Maharashtra Prohibition of People
from Social Boycott (Prevention,
Prohibition and Redressal) Bill, 2016
was unanimously passed by the
Maharashtra legislature on April 14 to
end the menace social boycott practised
by extra-judicial institutions like caste
and community panchayats. With this
Maharashtra became first state in the
country to adopt a comprehensive
law to root out oppression carried
out by parallel justice delivery system
(kangaroo court) in the name of age-old
traditions, caste and religion.
Key Features of the Bill
• The Bill terms social boycott as a crime
and says anybody indulging in it would
face imprisonment maximum up to
three years and a fine of 1 lakh rupees
or both.
• The bill disallows social boycott of
any individual or groups by caste
panchayats or groups of individuals or
gavki or by its members or by social or
economically influential persons.
• Persons involved in practice of social
boycott for reasons like rituals of
worship, inter-caste marriage, any
connection to lifestyle, dress or vocation
will face stringent punishment.
• The offence registered under the act will
be congnizable and bailable. It will be
tried by a judicial magistrate of the first
class.
• The victim of social boycott or any
member of the victim’s family can file a
complaint either to police or directly to
the magistrate.
• The bill has indicated speedy trial
within six months of filing chargesheet
in such cases in order to ensure time-
bound results.
• Government will recruit social
boycott prohibition officers to ensure
monitoring and to detect offences and
assist the magistrate and police officers
in tackling such cases.
• In recent times, Maharashtra had
witnessed an increasing number of
incidents of social boycott and violence
at the behest of caste panchayats.
However, existing laws were found to
be inadequate in dealing with such
practices. For years, number of activists
and academicians in the state were
demanding stringent law to root out
menace of social boycott from the state.
Jat Reservation Bill
The Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation
in services and admission in educational
institutions) Bill, 2016 was unanimously
 CA-126
passed by the Haryana Legislative Assembly
in May 2016.
Key Provisions of the bill
• It seeks to provide reservation in
services and admission in educational
institutions to persons belonging to
backward classes including Jats and five
other castes.
• The backward classes have been divided
into three blocks as Block A, Block B
and Block C. Jats, Jat Sikhs, Ror, Bishnoi,
Tyagi and Mulla/Muslim Jat have been
included in the Block C.
• It provides to give 10% reservation
to these castes for class III and class
IV posts and 6% in class 1 and class 2
posts.
• These castes will be given 10%
reservation for admission in educational
institutions. State Legislative Assembly
also passed Haryana Backward Classes
Commission Bill, 2016 for institution
of a permanent Backward Classes
Commission.
Aadhaar Act, 2016
The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of
Financial and other Subsidies, benefits and
services) Act, 2016 has been notified by the
Union Government on March 28. The Act
will provide statutory backing for transfer
of subsidies and benefits to eligible people
having Aadhaar (UID) number.
Key facts
• The act seeks to provide efficient,
transparent and targeted delivery of
subsidies, benefits and services to
individuals residing in India by assigning
them unique identity numbers (UID) or
Aadhaar number.
• It will be used for all benefit that will be
linked to consolidated fund of India or
the expenditure incurred from it.
• Both Central and state governments can
use Aadhaar for disbursal for benefits
and subsidies. However the Aadhaar
number cannot be used as a proof of
citizenship or domicile.
• The Act gives statutory for establishment
of the Unique Identification Authority of
India consisting of a Chairperson (part
time or full time) and two Members
(part time).
Bills and Acts 2016
• Those individuals not having Aadhaar
number shall be offered alternate
and viable means of identification for
delivery of the subsidies, benefits or
service.
Enemy Property (Amendment and
Validation) Bill, 2016
• Lok Sabha passed the Enemy Property
(Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016
on 9th March 2016.
• The Bill seeks to amend the Enemy
Property Act, 1968 and the Public
Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised
Occupants) Act, 1971.
• The Enemy Property Act 1968 was
enacted to take over the properties
owned by people who left for Pakistan
or China when India was at war with
the two countries. Such properties were
vested in the Mumbai-headquartered
Custodian of Enemy Properties (CEP).
• Approximately 16,000 properties
across the country have either been or
are being taken over by the CEP under
the 1968 Act. Of these, the process to
take over 9,400 properties –estimated
to be worth ` 1 lakh crore, or ` 1,000
billion – has been completed.
• The amendments states that once
an enemy property is vested in the
Custodian, it shall continue to be vested
in it as enemy property irrespective of
whether the enemy, enemy subject or
enemy firm has ceased to be an enemy
due to reasons such as death.
• The new Bill ensures that the law of
succession does not apply to enemy
property; that there cannot be transfer
of any property vested in the Custodian
by an enemy or enemy subject or enemy
firm and that the Custodian shall
preserve the enemy property till it is
disposed of in accordance with the Act.
Carriage by Air amendment Bill,
2015
• The bill which will enhance compensation
for air travellers in case of death, injury,
loss of baggage and even inordinate delay
in flights was passed by the Rajya Sabha
on 2nd March 2016.
• The Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill,
2015 was introduced in Lok Sabha on
Bills and Acts 2016 CA-127
7th August 2015 by the Minister of Civil
Aviation, Mr. P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju.
• The Bill amends the Carriage by Air
Act, 1972. The Act regulates carriage
by air and gives effect to the Warsaw
Convention, 1929, the Warsaw
Convention as amended by the Hague
Protocol, 1955, and the Montreal
Convention, 1999.  scavenging, dedicating an SC/ST woman
• Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi
Raju remarked that the bill would bring
legislative character to international
character with respect to compensation
for air passengers.
Election Laws (Amendment) Bill,
2016
• The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill,
2016, introduced by Law Minister DV
Sadananda Gowda, seeks to amend
Section 11 of the Delimitation Act, 2002
and Section 9 of the Representation of
the People Act, 1950.
• The bill seeks to amend two electoral
laws to allow a limited delimitation
exercise in West Bengal for granting
voting rights to people who became
Indian citizens following the exchange
of enclaves with Bangladesh.
• With the term of the 294-member West
Bengal Assembly ending on 29th May
and elections to be held ahead of that,
there is need for early passage of the bill
and the Government is hopeful that it
would be passed by both the houses in
the next two days without discussion.
Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of
Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2015
• The amended law for prevention of
atrocities against the Scheduled Castes
and the Scheduled Tribes was enforced
from January 26, 2016 after the Central
Government’s approval.
• The SC/ST Bill was unanimously passed
by the Rajya Sabha on December 21,
2015 without a debate, and had been
awaiting a formal notification. The Lok
Sabha had passed the bill on 4thAugust,
2015.
• After the enforcement, there will be
stricter prosecution for new offences
of atrocities, such as tonsuring of head,
moustache, or similar acts, which are
derogatory to the dignity of members of
the SC/ST community, garlanding with
chappals, denying access to irrigation
facilities or forest rights, dispose or
carry human or animal carcasses, or to
dig graves, using or permitting manual
as devadasi, abusing in caste name,
perpetrating witchcraft atrocities,
imposing social or economic boycott,
preventing SC/ST candidates from filing
of nomination to contest elections,
hurting an SC/ST woman by removing
her garments, forcing a member of
these communities to leave house,
village or residence, defiling objects
sacred to members of SC/ST, touching
or using words, acts or gestures of a
sexual nature against members of the
community.
The Juvenile Justice (Care and
Protection of Children) Act, 2015
• The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection
of Children) Act, 2015 has come into
force from January 15, 2016 and repeals
the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection
of Children) Act, 2000.
• The Bill was passed by Lok Sabha on
7th May, 2015 and Rajya Sabha on
22nd December, 2015 and received
Presidential assent on 31st December,
2015.
• Under Section 15, special provisions
have been made to tackle child offenders
committing heinous offences in the age
group of 16-18 years.
President assent to the Sugar Cess
(Amendment) Bill, 2015
• President Pranab Mukherjee gave his
assent to the Sugar Cess (Amendment)
Bill, 2015 on 8th January, 2016.
• This will raise the ceiling of the impost
from ` 25 to ` 200 per quintal, a measure
that will help sugarcane growers and
cash starved mills.
• The Sugar Cess (Amendment) Bill,
2015 was introduced in the Lok Sabha
by Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, Minister of
 CA-128
Consumer Affairs, Food and Public
Distribution on December 11, 2015. The
Bill proposes to amend the Sugar Cess
Act, 1982.
Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016  governments.
• Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime
Minister Narendra Modi gave its
approval for introduction of the
“Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016” on
24th August.  suitable legislation.
• The Bill will regulate surrogacy in India
by establishing National Surrogacy
Board at the Central level and State
Surrogacy Boards and Appropriate
Authorities in the State and Union
Territories. The legislation will ensure
effective regulation of surrogacy,
prohibit commercial surrogacy and
allow ethical surrogacy to the needy
infertile couples.  powers of the High Courts in respect of
• All infertile Indian married couple
who want to avail ethical surrogacy
will be benefited. Further the rights of
surrogate mother and children born out
of surrogacy will be protected. The Bill
shall apply to whole of India, except the
state of Jammu and Kashmir.  This legislative proposal will also fulfil a
• The major benefits of the Act
would be that it will regulate the
surrogacy services in the country.
While commercial surrogacy will be
prohibited including sale and purchase
of human embryo and gametes, ethical
surrogacy to the needy infertile couples
will be allowed on fulfillment of certain
conditions and for specific purposes.
As such, it will control the unethical
practices in surrogacy, prevent
commercialization of surrogacy and
will prohibit potential exploitation of
surrogate mothers and children born
through surrogacy.  thus extending upto territorial waters.
• No permanent structure is proposed
to be created in the Draft Bill. Neither
there are proposals for creating new
posts. The proposed legislation, while
covering an important area is framed in
such a manner that it ensures effective
regulation but does not add much
vertically to the current regulatory
structure already in place at the Central
as well as states. Accordingly, there will
Bills and Acts 2016
not be any financial implications except
for the meetings of the National and
State surrogacy Boards and Appropriate
Authorities which will be met out of
the regular budget of Central and State
 
• The 228th report of the Law Commission
of India has also recommended for
prohibiting commercial surrogacy and
allowing ethical altruistic surrogacy to
the needy Indian citizens by enacting a
Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement
of Maritime Claims) Bill, 2016
The Union Cabinet has given its approval
to enact Admiralty (Jurisdiction and
Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill 2016.
The proposal to enact to this bill was
forwarded by Union Ministry of Shipping
to repeal five archaic admiralty statutes.
Admiralty jurisdiction is related to the
claims associated with transport by sea and
navigable waterways.
The Bill consolidates the existing
laws relating to admiralty proceedings on
maritime claims, admiralty jurisdiction of
courts, arrest of vessels and related issues.
long-standing demand of the maritime
legal fraternity. It also repeals five obsolete
British statues on admiralty jurisdiction in
civil matters. They are (i) Admiralty Court
Act, 1840 (ii) Admiralty Court Act, 1861,
(iii) Colonial Courts of Admiralty Act, 1890,
(iv) Colonial Courts of Admiralty (India)
Act, 1891, and (v) Provisions of the Letters
Patent, 1865,
Salient Features of Admirability
Bill, 2016
• Confers admiralty jurisdiction on High
Courts located in coastal states of India,
• The jurisdiction will be extendable by
the Union Government notification
upto exclusive economic zone (EEZ)
or any other maritime zone or islands
constituting part of India.
• It applies to every vessel irrespective of
place of domicile or residence of owner.
It does not apply to naval auxiliary,
warships and vessels used for non-
commercial purposes. Inland vessels
Bills and Acts 2016 CA-129
and vessels under construction are
excluded from its application. But it
empowers Union Government to make
it applicable to these vessels also by a
notification.
• It lists the jurisdiction for adjudicating
on a set of maritime claims. A vessel can
be arrested in certain circumstances
in order to ensure security against a
maritime claim.
HIV and AIDS (Prevention and
Control) Bill, 2014
The Union Cabinet has given its approval to
introduce amendments to the HIV and AIDS
(Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014.
• Prevent and control the spread of HIV
and AIDS. It prohibits discrimination
against persons with HIV and AIDS. No
person will be compelled to disclose
his HIV status except with his informed
consent, and if required by a court order
establishments keeping records of
information of PLHIV must adopt data
protection measures.
• Obligations on establishments to
safeguard rights of persons living
with HIV arid create mechanisms for
redressing complaints. Lists various
grounds on which discrimination
against HIV-positive persons and those
living with them is prohibited.
• These include the denial, discontinuation,
termination or unfair treatment with
regard to employment, educational
establishments, health care services,
renting property etc. Prohibits,
requirement for HIV testing as a pre-
requisite for obtaining employment or
accessing health care or education.
• Prohibits any individual from publishing
information or advocating feelings of
hatred against HIV positive persons and
PLHIV.
National Water Framework Bill,
2016
The Central Government has brought final
draft of the National Water Framework
Bill, 2016 to provide uniform national legal
framework to manage water in a better and
efficient way. The comprehensive draft Bill
proposes model law for all states. However,
water being a State subject under VII
Schedule of Constitution the law will be not
binding on States for adoption.
Key Features of Bill
• Every person has a right to sufficient
quantity of safe water for life within
easy reach of the household regardless
of his/her socio-economic factors.
• All basin states have equitable rights
over the use of river water provided such
use does not violate the right to water
for life of any person in the river basin.
States must recognise the principle that
the rivers are public trustees and not
owned by the basin-States.
• All the basin States are equal in rights
and status, and there is no hierarchy
of rights among them. Here equality of
rights means not equal but equitable
shares in river waters. Managing
water at river basin-level and right
measurement of State’s contribution to
river system in order to resolve conflicts.
• Establishing River Basin Authority
(RBA) for each inter-State basin to
ensure optimum and sustainable
development of rivers and valleys.
Establishing institutional arrangements
to deal with inter-state water disputes
in order to “obviate” disputes through
negotiations, mediation or conciliation.
• Proposes other mechanisms such as
National water quality and footprint
standards, Integrated river basin
development and management plan and
graded pricing system.
Merchant Shipping Bill, 2016
Union Cabinet approved the introduction
of Merchant Shipping Bill, 2016 in the
Parliament. Simultaneously, the Cabinet
also approved repealing of the Merchant
Shipping Act, 1958 and the Coasting Vessels
Act, 1838.
The Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 has been
amended 17 times between 1966 and 2014
resulting in an increase in the number
of sections to more than 560 sections.
However, these provisions have been
shortened to 280 sections in the Bill.
 CA-130
Salient Features
• It allows substantially-owned vessels
and vessels on Bare Boat-cum-Demise
(BBCD) to be registered as Indian flag
vessels.
• It recognises Indian controlled tonnage
as a separate category.
• It provides for issuing the licences to
Indian flag vessels for coastal operation
and for port clearance by the Customs
authorities.
• It calls for making separate rules for
coastal vessels to develop and promote
coastal shipping.
• It introduces welfare measures for
seafarers by providing them with
the wages till they are released from
hostage captivity of pirates and reach
back home safely.
• It directs owners of vessels to take
insurance of crew engaged on vessels
including fishing, sailing, etc. This
applies for the vessels whose net
tonnage is less than 15 tons.
• It says that the requirement of signing
of articles of agreement by the crew will
no longer be necessary.
• It calls for registration of few residuary
category of vessels not covered under
any statute and makes provisions for
security-related aspects.
• It adds provisions relating to seven
different conventions- Intervention
Convention 1969, Search and
Rescue Convention 1979, Protocol
for Prevention of Pollution from
Ships Annex VI to Marine Pollution
Convention, Convention for Control
and Management of Ships Ballast Water
and Sediments 2004, Nairobi Wreck
Removal Convention 2007, Salvage
Convention 1989 and International
Convention for Bunker Oil Pollution
Damage, 2001.
• It also provides for survey, inspection
and certification of vessels to enable
simplified regime for convenience of
Indian shipping industry.
Bills and Acts 2016
Taxation Laws (Second Amendment)
Bill, 2016
The Union Government has introduced the
Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Bill,
2016 in the Parliament. The bill amends
existing tax laws to impose a higher rate of
tax and penalty in respect of undisclosed
incomes. It proposes, Taxation and
Investment Regime for Pradhan Mantri
Garib Kalyan Yojana, 2016 (PMGKY), an
anti-poverty scheme. It seeks to attract
more people to disclose their unaccounted
cash and also to put in a framework in place
to use that for the welfare of the people
especially in the rural areas. It also ensures
that tax defaulting assessees and black
money holders are subjected to tax at a
higher rate and stringent penalty provision
Key features of Bill
• Mandatory for black money declarants
to deposit 25% of amount disclosed in
Pradhan Mantri Garibi Kalyan Yojana
(PMGKY) 2016 for a 4 year lock-in
period without interest.
• Those who choose to declare their
ill-gotten wealth stashed till now in
banned `1,000 and Rs. 500 currency
notes under the PMGKY scheme will
have to pay a tax at the rate of 30% of
the undisclosed income.
• Additionally, 10% penalty will be
levied on the undisclosed income and
PMGK Cess (Surcharge) at the rate of
33% of tax (33% of 30%).
• Further, the declarants will have
to deposit 25% of the undisclosed
income in a scheme to be notified by
the government in consultation with
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• The money from PMGK will be used for
projects in irrigation, infrastructure,
primary education, primary health,
housing, toilets and livelihood so that
there is justice and equality.
• For those who continue to hold onto
undisclosed cash and are caught they
will be levied with flat 60% tax plus a
surcharge of 25% of tax (15%), which
will amount a levy of 75%.
• Besides, if the assessing officer can
charge a 10% penalty in addition to
the 75% tax.

POLICIES AND SCHEMES 2016
Pashudhan Bima Yojana
Haryana Government launched the
Pashudhan Bima Yojana in Jhajjar on 29th
July. The Yojna was launched by the state’s
Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister,
O P Dhankar. The Yojana was started in
accordance to the recommendations made
in Swaminathan Report. Animal Husbandry
and Dairying Department has set a target
to cover one lakh cattle under Pashudhan
Bima Yojana.
Key Facts
• Pashudhan Bima Yojana will provide
insurance cover to cattle breeders in
the state at different premium rates for
different animals.
• Insurance cover will be provided at a
premium of ` 100 for cows, buffaloes,
bulls, camels and at ` 25 for sheep, goat
and pig for a period of three years.
• Under it, the insurance companies
would give compensation in case of
death of animal (cattle). The scheme is
free of cost for cattle breeders from the
scheduled castes.
• The state Animal Husbandry and
Dairying Department has set a target to
cover one lakh cattle under Pashudhan
Bima Yojana.
Sewage & Waste Water Policy in
Rajasthan
Rajasthan has become the first state to give
go-ahead to the sewage and waste water
policy, in the country. The state cabinet
meeting chaired by the Chief Minister
Vasundhara Raje in Jaipur approved the
first-of-its-kind policy.
Key Facts
• Under this policy, all district
headquarters, heritage cities, and cities
in the state which have more than one
lakh population will be included.
• Waste water treated under it will be
used in irrigation and agricultural work.
The requirement of next 30 years will
be covered in this poilcy.
CA-131
• It will be compulsory for every house in
the state to connect with sewage system
in those cities which have 100% sewage
system in next five years.
KVK Portal
The Union Minister of Agriculture and
Farmers Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh
formally launched Krishi Vigyan Kendra
(KVK) portal (http://kvk.icar.gov.in) on 8th
July in New Delhi.
Features of the Portal
• The portal provides provisions for
online monitoring of KVKs which will
include reporting of major events on
regular basis and submission of monthly
reports online.
• The portal will also provide information
on different services being provided by
different KVKs.
• Weather and Market related
informations can also be accessed by
the farmers and others.
• The forthcoming programmes will also
be available on the website which will
benefit farmers and youth in joining
different training programmes being
organized by KVKs.
• Question and answer facility will also be
available for the farmers.
• Agriculture related information of the
districts will also be available on the
portal.
• The farmers and the Agricultural
Officers may register themselves and
seek different informations related to
KVKs.
‘Namami Gange’ programme
Union Minister Uma Bharti on 7th July
launched 43 projects worth ` 250 crore
under Namami Gange programme in
Uttarakhand. The Government has lined up
1,000 projects in different states including
Delhi, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Jharkhand and West Bengal as part of the
National Mission for Clean Ganga. Bharati
 CA-132
said the second phase of the project will
begin by October 2018.
Key Facts
• The Namami Gange Programme aims at
cleaning the holy river and ensuring its
unfettered flow. Union Government has
allocated ` 20,000 crore budget for it.
• Under it, projects such as modernization
and redevelopment of ghats, crematoriums
and other development activities will be
undertaken.
• Besides it will also undertake project for
development of sewage infrastructure and
treatment, tree plantation, afforestation,
pilot drain project, interceptor drain
project, trash skimmers and conservation
of biodiversity.
• The projects were launched simultaneously
in five basin states of the river Ganga
viz. Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Jharkhand and West Bengal. Besides,
projects were also launched in Delhi and
Haryana through which Ganga’s largest
tributary Yamuna passes.
• In Uttar Pradesh alone total 112 projects
were launched through this ambitious
scheme. 47 projects were inaugurated
at various locations in Uttrakhand. 20
projects were inaugurated at various
locations in West Bengal. 26 projects
were inaugurated in Bihar.
National Apprenticeship Promotion
Scheme
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime
Minister Narendra Modi approved a
National Apprenticeship Promotion
Scheme on 5th July. The Scheme has an
outlay of ` 10,000 crore with a target of 50
lakh apprentices to be trained by 2019-20.
Features of the scheme
• The Scheme would be implemented
by Director General of Training (DGT)
under Ministry of Skill Development
and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). It
provides for incentivizing employers
to engage apprentices. 25% of the total
stipend payable to an apprentice would
be shared with employers directly by
Government of India. It is for the first
time a scheme has been designed to
POLICIES AND SCHEMES 2016
offer financial incentives to employers
to engage apprentices. In addition, it
also supports basic training, which is an
essential component of apprenticeship
training. 50% of the total expenditure
incurred on providing basic training
would be supported by Government of
India.
• The Scheme will catalyze the entire
apprenticeship ecosystem in the country
and it will offer a win-win situation
for all stakeholders. It is expected to
become one of the most powerful skill-
delivery vehicle in the country.
• The National Policy of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship,
2015 launched by the Prime Minister
focuses on apprenticeship as one of
the key components for creating skilled
manpower in India. The present scheme
also aims to achieve the objective as
stated in the National Policy, 2015. The
policy proposes to work pro-actively
with the industry including MSME to
facilitate ten fold increase opportunities
in the country by 2020.
Interest Subvention Scheme
Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi approved the Interest
Subvention Scheme for farmers for the
year 2016-17 on 5th July. The Government
has earmarked a sum of ` 18,276 Crore for
this purpose. This will help farmers getting
short term crop loan payable within one
year up to ` 3 lakhs at only 4% per annum.
Salient features
• The Central Government will provide
interest subvention of 5% per annum
to all farmers for short term crop loan
upto one year for loan upto ` 3 lakhs
borrowed by them during the year
2016-17. Farmers will thus have to
effectively pay only 4% as interest. In
case farmers do not repay the short
term crop loan in time they would be
eligible for interest subvention of 2% as
against 5% available above.
• The Central Government will give
approximately ` 18,276 crores as interest
subvention for 2016-17.
POLICIES AND SCHEMES 2016
• In order to give relief to small and
marginal farmers who would have
to borrow at 9% for the post harvest
storage of their produce, the Central
Government has approved an interest
subvention of 2% i.e an effective interest
rate of 7% for loans upto 6 months.
• To provide relief to the farmers affected
by Natural Calamities, the interest
subvention of 2% will be provided
to Banks for the first year on the
restructured amount.
National Green Highways Mission
Union Minister of Road Transport &
Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari
launched the initial plantation drive on
1,500 km of National Highways at a cost of
about ` 300 crore under the National Green
Highways Mission in New Delhi on 1st July.
Key features
• NGHM was launched under the Green
Highways Policy, 2015 to provide
a holistic vision of developing eco-
friendly and green National Highways.
• The mission aims to provide a green
canopy along 100,000 km of highways
and create jobs for 1 million youth.
• It has been initiated to engage
corporates, Public Sector units,
Government organizations and other
institutions for developing green
corridor along National Highways
through plantation and allied activity
on median, avenue and other available
nearby land patches .
• The funds for the mission will be met by
Green Fund corpus which is 1% of the
total project cost set aside for plantation
purposes. The afforestation across
National Highways is expected to help
in sequestering approximately 12 lakh
metric ton carbon annually.
• It will also generate jobs and can be a
game-changer for agriculture and rural
economy. In future, the mission will
be linked with the Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee
(MNREG) scheme.
Ramayana Circuit & Krishna Circuit
under Swadesh Darshan Scheme
The “1st Meeting of National Committee on
CA-133
Ramayan Circuit and National Committee
on Krishna Circuit” under Swadesh Darshan
Scheme of Ministry of Tourism held under
the chairmanship of the Minister of Tourism
& Culture Dr. Mahesh Sharma on 14th June.
Key facts
• Under Ramayana Circuit, 11 destinations
spread across 6 states have been
proposed. The destinations covered are:
Ayodhya, Nandigram, Shringhverpur &
Chitrakoot (Uttar Pradesh); Sitamarhi,
Buxar & Darbhanga (Bihar); Jagdalpur
(Chattisgarh); Bhadrachalam (Telangana);
Hampi (Karnataka); and Rameshwaram
(Tamil Nadu). Expert committee suggested
to include Chitrakoot (Madhya Pradesh),
Nashik & Nagpur (Maharashtra) and
Mahendragiri (Odisha) in the proposed
circuit.
• Under Krishna circuit, 12 destinations
spread across 5 states have been
proposed. The destinations covered
are: Dwarka (Gujarat); Nathdwara,
Jaipur & Sikar (Rajasthan); Kurukshetra
(Haryana), Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul,
Barsana, Nandgaon & Govardhan
(Uttar Pradesh); Puri (Odisha). The
destinations were approved by the
expert committee.
• Further, projects worth more than
Three Hundred Crores Rupees were
approved in-principle in Uttar Pradesh
under both the circuits.
• The Ministry of Tourism has launched
the Swadesh Darshan Scheme in 2014-
15 with an aim to develop theme
based tourist circuits in the country
on the principles of high tourist value,
competitiveness and sustainability in
an integrated manner by synergizing
efforts to focus on needs and concerns
of all stakeholders to enrich tourist
experience and enhance employment
opportunities.
• Under the Swadesh Darshan scheme,
thirteen thematic circuits have been
identified, for development namely:
North-East India Circuit, Buddhist
Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Coastal
Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit,
Tribal Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife
Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit,
Ramayana Circuit and Heritage Circuit.
 CA-134
Chandranna Bima Yojana
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu
Naidu has launched Chandranna Bima
Yojana in Vijayawada on 1st May. The Yojana
launched on the occasion of May Day is an
insurance scheme for the working class
people.
Salient features of the scheme
• All unorganised workers in the State
in the age group of 18 to 70 years are
eligible to be registered as unorganised
workers and enrolled as beneficiaries of
the Chandranna Bima Scheme.
• All unorganised workers will be
registered under the Unorganised
Workers Social Security Act, 2008
and enrolled as beneficiaries under
Chandranna Bima Scheme.
• SERP shall facilitate registration
of unorganised workers and their
enrollment in the Chandranna Bima
Scheme, data entry, maintenance of data
base, hard copies of signed applications
and other connected matters.
• Assistant Labour Officer of the Labour
Department shall be the Registering
Authority.
• The registered unorganised workers
will be enrolled as members under State
Accident Death and Disability Scheme
and under Aam Admi Bima Yojana
(AABY) and will also be covered under
the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima
Yojana (PMSBY).
UJALA Scheme
The National LED programme – Unnat
Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA)
was launched by the Union Government on
May 1. The scheme was launched by Union
Minister for State (IC) for Power, Coal and
Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal in Bhopal,
Madhya Pradesh.
Key facts
• The UJALA scheme is being implemented
by Energy Efficiency Services Limited
(EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under
the Union Ministry of Power.
• It is LED based Domestic Efficient
Lighting Programme (DELP).
POLICIES AND SCHEMES 2016
• Under the scheme, 3 crore LED Bulbs
will be distributed in Madhya Pradesh
in the next 6 months.
• People of Madhya Pradesh will get
subsidised 9W energy efficient LED
bulbs by paying just 85 rupees per LED
bulb.
• The scheme will help reduce electricity
bills of consumers, contribute to the
energy security of India and also help in
environment protection.
• It will help in saving energy around 24
crore units every year.
Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana
The Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana for
widows was launched on 14 April by the
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das.
The objective of the scheme is to create
equality and harmony in society, ensuring
all round development.
Highlights of the Yojana
• The programme is with a budget
allocation of 80 crore rupees and a
target of 11000 units (houses) for
widows was set in 2016-17 financial
year.
• An amount of 75000 rupees would be
granted to build a house in districts in
hilly terrains and 70000 rupees in plains
and the amount would be distributed
among the beneficiaries in three
instalments in their bank accounts.
• The widows would also get pension.
Adarsh Vidyalaya Project
Adarsh Vidyalaya (AV) project was
launched by the Odisha Government on
April 7 to provide modern schools facilities
on the lines of Kendriya Vidyalayas in the
underdeveloped rural areas of the state.
It was launched by Odisha Chief Minister
Naveen Patnaik at Sasan Ambagaon village
in his home constituency Hinjli in Ganjam
district.
Key features
• Schools under AV project will provide
free education to students of the classes
from VI to XII along with free uniforms
and other study materials.
POLICIES AND SCHEMES 2016
• These schools will be affiliated under the
Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE) and shall have hostel facility in
future.
• Under this project, one Adarsh Vidyalaya
will be set up in each of the 314 revenue
blocks of the state.
• They will be managed by the Odisha
Adarsh Vidyalaya Sangathan (AVS)
and will be formed on the lines of the
Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS).
• In these schools, English will be the first
language and Odia will be the second
language as medium of instruction.
• The project will be implemented in
phases and in the first phase 100 such
schools will start functioning on 5 April
2016.
• The teacher-pupil ratio of these schools
will be 1:25 and classroom-student ratio
of 1:40. 50 per cent of total seats will be
reserved for the girls and scheduled
categories.
One Rank One Pension Scheme
One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme was
given ex-post facto approval on 7 April by
the Union Cabinet for implementation of
retrospectively with effect from 1st July,
2014. Decision in this regard was taken by
Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. OROP
will provide ex-servicemen of the same rank
and same length of service uniform pension
regardless of date of retirement.
Key facts
• The benefits of OROP will be given
with effect from 1st of July 2014 and it
will benefit ex-servicemen of all three
services- Army, Navy and Air Force.
• The benefits will also be extended
to family pensioners including war
widows and disabled pensioners.
• All arrears will be paid in four half-
yearly instalments. However all widows,
family pensioners including those in
receipt of Gallantry award will be paid
arrears in one instalment.
• Pension will be re-fixed every five years
and future enhancements in rates of
pension would be automatically passed
to the past pensioners.
CA-135
• Armed forces personnel who retire
voluntarily would be not covered
under OROP scheme. However, it will
be applicable to personnel who have
already retired prematurely.
Stand up India scheme for SC/ST &
Women
The Stand-up India scheme was launched
on April 6 by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi to provide credit to Scheduled
Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and
women borrowers in the non-farm sector.
The scheme is intended to promote
entrepreneurship among SC/ST and women
and further gives a push to government’s
financial inclusion programme.
Main features of the scheme
• Composite loan between 10 lakh
rupees and up to 1 crore rupees will be
provided to SC/ST and women and also
inclusive of working capital component
for setting up any new enterprise.
• Debit Card (RuPay) for withdrawal
of working capital: Credit history of
borrower to be developed of these
under-banked sections of society.
• Refinance window through Small
Industries Development Bank of India
(SIDBI) with an initial amount of 10,000
crore rupees.
• Creation of a corpus of 5,000 crore
rupees for credit guarantee through
National Credit Guarantee Trustee
Company (NCGTC).
• Handholding support for borrowers
with comprehensive support for pre
loan training needs, facilitating loan,
factoring, marketing, etc.
• Web Portal for online registration and
support services will be provided.
• Under the scheme, 1.25 lakh bank
branches will provide loans up to 1
crore rupees to SC/ST and women
entrepreneurs. Thus it will help in
creating 2.5 lakh entrepreneurs
throughout the country.
Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin
The implementation of the rural housing
scheme of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-
 CA-136
Gramin was given approval by the Union
Cabinet on March 25. Under the scheme,
financial assistance will be provided
for construction of pucca houses to
all houseless and households living in
dilapidated houses.
Key facts
• The expenditure involved in implementing
the project is ` 81975 crore in a span of
3 years from 2016-17 to 2018-19.
• Under the scheme, it is proposed
to provide assistance to one crore
households for construction of pucca
house.
• It will be implemented in rural areas
throughout the country except in Delhi
and Chandigarh.
• The beneficiaries will be identified
using Socio Economic and Caste Census
(SECC)-2011 data ensuring total
transparency and objectivity.
• The cost of houses would be shared
between Centre and States Governments
in the ratio 60:40 in plain areas and
90:10 for North Eastern and hilly states.
• Under this scheme, annual list of
beneficiaries will be identified from the
total list through participatory process
by the Gram Sabha.
• Funds will be transferred electronically
directly to the account of the beneficiary.
• He will be able to track the progress
of his payments through the app.
Inspection will be done through a
mobile app.
• Locally appropriate house designs,
will be mainly practised to address the
natural calamities.
• The beneficiary is entitled to 90 days of
unskilled labour from MGNREGA. This
will be ensured through a server linkage
between PMAY and MGNREGA.
• The additional requirement of building
materials, bricks using cement
stabilised earth or fly ash will be taken
up under MGNREGA.
• National Technical Support Agency
will be established to provide
technical support to the Centre and
States to ensure their quality of
construction of the houses.
POLICIES AND SCHEMES 2016
Mukhyamantri Santwana Harish
Yojana
Mukhyamantri Santwana Harish Yojana
was launched on March 8 by the Karnataka
Government to provide free treatment
to road accident victims for the first 48
hours in the nearest government or private
hospital.
The scheme is named after Harish Nanjappa,
who donated his eyes moments before his
death in a road accident in February 2016.
Highlights of the scheme
• The scheme will provide assistance to
victims of road accidents across the
state irrespective of their financial
status or nationality.
• Immediate medical relief will be
provided to victims during the Golden
Hour with financial aid up to 25000
during the first 48 hours of treatment.
• The victims will receive medical care for
first 48 hours and get treatment at any
hospital. All hospitals will be directed
not to reject accident victims.
• A software covering hospital registration,
patient registration, claims submission
and packages will be installed for the
proper implementation of the scheme.
• Emergency toll free helplines will also
be set up to help accident victims.
Swachh Himachal Padhai bhi, Safai bhi
‘Swachh Himachal – Padhai bhi, Safai bhi’
campaign was launched by Himachal
Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) on
February 20 in Dharamsala. With this
unique campaign, HPCA became the first
cricket association in the country to work
towards Swatch Bharat Abhiyan initiated by
the Union Government.
Key facts
• The campaign aims at involving youth to
promote good health and sanitation in
urban and rural areas in the Himalayan
state.
• Its objective is to showcase Himachal’s
beauty as India’s cleanest and greenest
state.
POLICIES AND SCHEMES 2016
• Under the scheme, the game of cricket
will be linked with Swatch Bharat
Abhiyan and youth will be termed as
Swatch Captain and teachers as Swatch
Coach. They will start cleanliness
drive with the help of students from
universities, educational institutes and
then in their local neighbourhood.
Udyam Aakansha scheme
Chhattisgarh Government has launched
‘Udyam Aakansha’ Scheme for promoting
micro, small and medium enterprises in the
state on February 9.
Highlights of the scheme
• The scheme would facilitate free online
registration and self-certification to the
investors interested in investment on
micro, small and medium enterprises
and service businesses.
• The investors can enrol themselves
online through website of the Industries
department which will be based on self-
certification process.
• For the online registration, investors
need not submit any documents nor
have to pay any fee.
• Chhattisgarh is among some leading
states where this scheme has been
initiated.
• Keeping in view the objective of
promoting the ease of doing business,
the process of registration and self-
certification for entrepreneurs has been
simplified.
National Capital Goods Policy 2016
National Capital Goods Policy 2016 was
unveiled by Union Ministry of Heavy
Industries on 15 February 2016. The policy,
with the theme Building India of Tomorrow,
seeks to achieve the vision of Make in
India initiative and establishes India as a
global manufacturing hub by unlocking the
potential for capital goods sector.
Main Features
• Vision: To increase the share of capital
goods contribution from present 12 to
20% of total manufacturing activity by
2025.
• Mission: To become one of the top
capital goods producing nations of the
CA-137
world by raising the total production to
over twice the current level.
• To raise exports to a significant level
of at least 40% of total production and
thus gain 2.5% share in global exports
of capital goods.
• To improve technology depth in Indian
capital goods from the current basic and
intermediate levels to advanced levels.
• Objectives: Increase total production
to achieve total production in excess of
5 lakh crore rupees by 2025 from the
current 2.2 lakh crore rupees.
• To increase domestic employment
from the current 15 lakhs to at least 50
lakhs by 2025 thus providing additional
employment to over 35 lakhs people.
• To increase the share of domestic
production in India’s capital goods
demand from 56% to 80% by 2025
and in the process improve domestic
capacity utilization to 80-90%.
• To improve skill availability by training
50 lakhs people by 2025.
• To improve ‘technology depth’ in
capital goods sub-sectors by increasing
research intensity in India from 0.9% to
at least 2.8% of GDP.
Bihar joins UDAY Scheme
• Bihar has become the sixth state to
join Union Government’s UDAY (Ujwal
Discom Assurance Yojana) Scheme for
financial restructuring of debt of power
distribution companies.
• Other 5 states are Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat to
become part of the scheme.
• A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) was signed between Bihar
government, State Power Distribution
companies (DISCOMs) and Union Power
ministry.
• Under the scheme, Bihar government
would take over 75% or 2,332 crore
rupees of the state DISCOM’s total debt
of 3,110 crore rupees as of September
2015.
• The balance 778 crore rupees outstanding
debt will be re-priced or issued as state
 CA-138
guaranteed DISCOM bonds at coupon
rates of around 3%.
• The debt restructuring of state
DISCOMs will lead to annual saving
in interest cost to the tune of around
` 117 crore.
• The financial restructuring of debt under
this scheme will help Bihar to speedily
provide power to around 160.60 lakh
households in 1,152 villages that are
still without electricity.
Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan
Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan was
introduced by the Union Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley on 29 February 2016 in the
Union Budget for 2016-17. The scheme
is aimed at energising rural India and
transforming lives of rural population.
Key Features of the scheme
• The scheme seeks to develop
governance capabilities of Panchayat
Raj Institutions (PRIs) to deliver on the
Sustainable Development Goals.
• Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan has
been proposed with allocation of ` 655
crore.
• The scheme will help Panchayat
Raj Institutions deliver Sustainable
Development Goals.
• It will cover 52,000 village panchayats.
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen
Kaushalya Yojana
Under the Yojana, the Union Ministry of Rural
Development will launch skill development
training centres on a large scale to address
the problem of unemployment particularly
in rural India.
Main Highlights of the Rural Scheme
• The Yojana aims at training 10 lakh (1
million) rural youths for jobs in three
years, that is, by 2017.
• The minimum age for entry under the
Yojana is 15 years compared to 18 years
under the Aajeevika Skills Programme.
• Skill development training centres
to be launched so as to address the
unemployment problem in the rural
area.
POLICIES AND SCHEMES 2016
• The skills imparted under the Yojana
will now be benchmarked against
international standards and will
complement the Prime Minister’s Make
In India campaign.
• The Kaushalya Yojana will also address
the need for imparting training to the
differently-able persons and chip in
private players including international
players to impart the skills to the rural
youths.
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya
Yojana for urban areas
It extends the coverage to all the 4041
statutory cities and towns, there by covering
almost the entire urban population.
Currently, all the urban poverty alleviating
programmes covered only 790 towns and
cities.
Main Highlights of the Urban Scheme
The scheme will focus on
• Imparting skills with an expenditure of
15000 rupees to 18000 rupees on each
urban poor.
• Promotion of self-employment through
setting up individual micro-enterprises
and group enterprises with interest
subsidy for individual projects costing
2 lakhs rupees and 10 lakhs rupees for
group enterprises.
• Training urban poor to meet the
huge demand from urban citizens
by imparting market oriented skills
through City Livelihood Centres.
• Enabling urban poor form Self-Help
Groups for meeting financial and social
needs with a support of 10000 rupees to
each group.
National Dialysis Services
Programme
With an aim to help poor patients suffering
from renal (kidney) disease, who require
regular dialysis, the government has started
a ‘National Dialysis Services Programme’.
Highlights of the scheme
• The scheme will provide health cover
up-to ` 1 lakh per family.
POLICIES AND SCHEMES 2016
• For senior citizens of the age 60 years
and above belonging to this category,
an additional top-up package up to
` 30,000 will be provided.
• About 2.2 lakh new patients of end
stage renal disease get added every year
resulting in additional demand for 3.4
crore dialysis sessions.
• With approximately 4,950 dialysis
centres in India, largely in the private
sector and concentrated in the major
towns, the demand is only half met.
• Every dialysis session costs about
` 2,000 - an annual expenditure of more
than ` 3 lakh. Besides, most families
have to undertake frequent trips, often
over long distances, to access dialysis
services, incurring heavy travel costs
and loss of wages.
• Finance Minister has also proposed
to exempt certain parts of dialysis
equipment from basic customs duty,
excise/CVD and SAD to further reduce
the cost.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
On May 1, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala
Yojana (PMUY) was launched. The scheme
will benefit the poor, especially the women.
The scheme aims to provide cooking gas
connections to five crore below-poverty-
line beneficiaries over the next three years.
Salient features of the scheme
• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
(CCEA) approved 8000 crore rupees for
the next 3 years starting from financial
year 2016-17.
• PM Ujjwala Yojana will provide 5 crore
LPG connections to BPL Families.
• A budgetary provision of the scheme is
2000 crore rupees.
• 5 crore LPG connections will be
provided to BPL families with a support
of 1600 rupees.
• Connections will be given in the name of
women beneficiaries.
• Identification of BPL families will
be made in consultation with State
Governments and Union territories.
CA-139
• EMI Facility for meeting the cost of
Stove and Refill cost.
Pradhan Mantri Yuva Yojana
The Union Ministry of Skill Development
and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) launched
the Pradhan Mantri YUVA Yojana to boost
up an ecosystem of entrepreneurship for
young people.
Highlights of the Yojana
• The scheme was launched for the time
period of over five years (2016-17 to
2020-21) with a project cost of 499.94
crore rupees.
• It will offer entrepreneurship education
and training to around 7 lakh students
in 5 years through 3050 Institutes.
• It will also offer easy access to
information and mentor network, credit
and advocacy to build a way-out for the
youngsters.
• The institutes under the Yojana include
2200 Institutes of Higher Learning
(colleges, universities, and premier
institutes), 300 schools, 500 ITIs and
50 Entrepreneurship Development
Centres.
• These institutes will carry out the
training through Massive Open Online
Courses (MOOCs).
Other Launches
• The Ministry also unveiled the
guidelines for State Engagement under
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana
2.0 (2016-2020). It allocated around
3000 crore rupees for the States to
achieve its target of training 10 million
people in over 4 years.
• It also launched the Lab Guidelines
towards standardisation of lab
equipment across skill development
training centres in India.
• MSDE announced the institutionalisation
of National Entrepreneurship awards
for first generation achievers below
30 years for the very first time. The
Entrepreneurship Awards will be given
on 16 January 2017.
 CA-140
Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva
Abhiyan
The scheme aims at providing pregnant
women ante-natal services and required
treatment for free at government health
centres and hospitals on 9th of every month.
The scheme had also found its mention in
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly
radio address Mann Ki Baat in June 2016.
Salient Features
• To provide healthy life to pregnant
women
• To lower the maternity mortality rate
• To make pregnant women aware of
their health issues and diseases
• To ensure safe delivery and healthy life
of the baby
POLICIES AND SCHEMES 2016
• The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva
Abhiyan is applicable for all pregnant
women. It will provide medical checkups
completely free to pregnant women.
• The checkups will take place at the
medical centres, government and
private hospitals and private clinics
across the country.
• These free of cost tests will include
blood pressure, sugar level, weight,
haemoglobin test, blood test and
screening.
• Women will be marked differently using
coloured stickers based on their health
problems so that doctors can easily
detect the problem.

Automation & Robotics: A way to
Freedom or Slavery?
W
hether robotics or automation
is a blessing or a curse to
humanity has been a topic
of huge debate over the past couple or
even more decades. In order to be able to
solve this puzzle, it is important that we
understand robotics as well as its basis;
henceforth we would be using the terms
automation and robotics synonymously.
The basis of automation is convenience; for
instance, I have to talk to somebody who is
in a different city or country or continent;
I pick up the phone, or use video calling and
have the necessary conversation - how very
convenient. Automation, simply defined,
is the application of control systems to
operate equipment or software with no or
minimal human intervention.
Given that automation began with
the intent of freeing up people from basic
chores which combinedly took up a lot of
manhours, let us begin with looking at the
pros of automation:
To start with, the major benefit of
having automated systems is that it frees
us up from spending a lot of time at a lot of
our daily chores: want your clothes washed,
just put them in the washing machine and it
will do everything from rinsing to washing
to drying them; feeling hungry, just put
a couple of slices in the toaster and your
snack is ready; want your house clean,
just switch on the vacuum cleaner and in
less than an hour, you have every nook
and corner of your abode sparkling clean;
these are the most basic benefits of having
automated systems.
Having automated systems also brings
consistency to the tasks undertaken, be
it the basic chores mentioned above, or
major industrial usage; without automated
systems and robots, would it have been
possible to have such a large scale
CA-141
n Gurleen Garelli
production of anything from a packet of
chips to a luxury sedan - no; the precision
and consistency of robots is impossible to
achieve through human labour; it would be
both monotonous and taxing to the human
brain.
Also, having automated systems means
being able to undertake dangerous tasks
like mining, tunnelling, lifting etc. without
having to be physically involved. Tasks like
building huge structures and mining out
resources, which once claimed many lives,
are now performed with ease, precision,
and minimal risk. Had it not been for
robotics, it would never have been possible
to make the progress we have made in the
field of structural engineering, or discover
and draw on the natural resources that we
presently have.
Another advantage of having robotic
systems is being able to achieve more in
lesser time, without losing out on precision.
This has proved advantageous in the fields
of automobiles, structural engineering, and
even art; the last two, hugely benefiting
from automated concepts like 3D printing,
precision cutting laser systems, etc. which
have allowed designers and artists, the
freedom to imagine and fulfil way beyond
what they ever could have.
Automated systems like huge wind
turbines and ducts have allowed us to
recreate various weather phenomena
like hurricanes, cyclones, and tornadoes,
helping understand all of these better and
 CA-142 AUTOMATION & ROBOTICS: A WAY TO FREEDOM OR SLAVERY?
also deal with them with minimal loss of life
and property.
Having automated systems like
satellites and rovers have allowed us in
monitoring and managing everything
from communication to travel to weather
changes well in time, besides allowing us
access and knowledge about areas and
planets that we would otherwise have
never been able to reach.
Automated systems have also helped
us store and use data and statistics better
so that all known scenarios are accounted
for when making decisions; this would
otherwise have been impossible given the
limited control we have of our subconscious.
These systems have also made us
become more organized by helping us
maintain schedules and appointments
with ease and precision, and that per our
individual preferences.
Despite all of the mentioned advantages,
there are also various drawbacks to
having robotic systems (no mention any
apocalyptic scenario where in skynet takes
over the world):
The first and major downside of having
automated systems is becoming overly
dependent on them; given that these
systems are now used in almost every
aspect of our daily routine, not having them
even for a few hours seems to cause panic.
Having all of these automated systems
like escalators, washing machines, vacuum
cleaners, etc... means the body does not
get basic exercises like walking, washing
clothes, climbing stairs, etc... which adds
up overtime, making us lethargic and is the
cause of many physical ailments like obesity
and psychological ones like depression.
To avoid any sort of discrepancy in the
functioning of these systems, it is imperative
that these be maintained well and updated
as and when required, which many a time
results in a major dent in our pockets.
Having way too many automated
systems also means not so much work
for handcrafting artisans and physically
driven labourers. These systems have
gradually begun to eat into the employment
of skilled labour as well, as these systems
hold advantages like precision, pace,
and perseverance, to levels which would
manually be impossible to achieve.
Another shortcoming of automated
systems is that these are pro-data and
mechanical; these systems consider only
those data that have been fed into them,
either as part of the program that runs them,
or the data input provided to them. It would
thus be disastrous to trust or use them for
decision making with regard to critical or
sensitive situations.
An extremely major disadvantage of
these systems is the threat of hacking, which
could lead to loss of critical information
or resources, and even disaster (in case
these systems are associated with largely
destructive weapon arsenal).
Going back to our introductory example
of using phones or video calls to converse
with people based in a different city,
country, or continent: though that would be
a boon, using the same phone to converse
with somebody in the same room as you
or the next room would be moronic. Thus,
just like every tool developed by humans,
robotic or automated systems too have
their positives and negatives, and it is up to
us users to use them sensibly.
To quote, in the end, one of the greatest
minds of the millenium, Albert Einstein: “I
fear the day that technology will surpass
our human interaction. The world will
have a generation of idiots.” It is thus in
our hands, whether to use technology
as a tool or be a tool in the hands of
technology.

Is Digital India Campaign in India, a Country that
Ranks 97 in the Global Hunger Index, just a Fantasy?
O
n 1 July 2015, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi outlined his vision for a Digital
India, “where high-speed digital highways
unite the nation; 1.2 billion connected Indians
drive innovation; technology ensures the
citizen-government interface is incorruptible.”
The campaign has been launched with
the aim of creating a digitally empowered
society and knowledge economy and
bringing good governance to citizens
through synchronized and co-ordinated
engagement of the entire government. It
comprises three components: creation of
a digital infrastructure, delivering services
digitally, and digital literacy. Bharat
Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), the
custodian of Digital India, is creating basic
infrastructure for the same through its
National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN)
project, which was launched in 2011 to
provide broadband and mobile connectivity
to all 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats of India.
If all these plans are implemented to
even a certain level of efficiency, India will
GLOBAL HUNGER INDEX
Rank 1992 2000
Argentina (1st) 5.8 5.3
Iran (23rd) 17.5 13.7
China (29th) 26.4 15.9
Nigeria (84th) 49.5 40.9
Bangladesh (90th) 52.4 38.5
India (97th) 46.4 38.2
Note: Score ranges from 0 (no hunger) to 100 (the worst):
16 countries are ranked 1 on the index
Source: Global Hunger index, IFPRI
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n Mahima Kohli
witness a huge transformation in the way
its government and people interact and
function. Digitalisation is a crucial step to
bring in transparency, better governance,
and to reduce corruption and red tape
in the country. But with every grand
vision, there are hidden complications
and consequences, and Digital India is no
exception. In a country that ranks 97th
out of 118 countries on the 2016 Global
Hunger Index (GHI), the idea of spending
Rs 1.13 lakh crore (roughly $17 billion) on
digitalising the entire nation does feel more
like a fantasy than a prudent plan.
India’s dismal performance on
the Global Hunger Index
The Global Hunger Index (GHI),
developed by the International Food Policy
Research Institute (IFPRI), describes the
state of countries’ hunger situation. India’s
score on the GHI scale has consistently
been dismal, with the country being rated
with ‘serious’ hunger levels in the latest
(score on index)
2008 2016
<5 <5
8.8 6.7
11.5 7.7
33.6 25.5
32.4 27.1
36 28.5
 CA-144 IS DIGITAL INDIA CAMPAIGN IN INDIA, A COUNTRY THAT RANKS 97 ....
report. In 2015, India ranked 80th out of
104 countries, much behind Sri Lanka,
Nepal and Bangladesh, and only better than
North Korea, Pakistan, Timor-Leste and
Afghanistan in the whole of Asia. Its rank is
also the lowest among all BRICS nations.
In 2013, India’s position was rated
as “alarming”, but it has shown some
improvement over the years. In 2016,
India’s GHI score was 28.5 which was
improved from 36 in 2008. India is slated to
become the world’s most populous nation
in another six years, and it is crucial to
meet this milestone with reassurance that
the expected 1.4 billion Indians will have
enough nutritious food to lead healthy,
successful lives.
Obstacles in India’s march towards
a digitalised economy
The conjecture underlying the Digital
India campaign seems to be that 71% of
rural India owns mobile phones. But the
fact that 75% of rural India also survives on
Rs. 33 a day complicates matters. Moreover,
the World Economic Forum places India
at No. 91 in readiness to transform into
a digitalised economy. Indeed, internet
penetration as a percentage of the total
population in India is a mere 19%, with
total mobile internet users being even
lesser at 16%. In addition to that, out of
the 10% Indians who speak English, only
2% reside in rural areas, the rest being
dependent on vernacular languages. But as
of now, email addresses on the internet can
only be created in the English language. So,
to effectively connect the rural population
with Digital India, the government is trying
to compel email services providers like
Gmail and Rediff to provide email addresses
in regional languages. Meanwhile, an Indian
company, Data Xgen Technologies Pvt.
Ltd., has recently launched the world’s
first free linguistic email address under
the name ‘DATAMAIL’, which provides
email addresses in 8 Indian languages, in
addition to English, Arabic, Russian, and
Chinese. This is undoubtedly a positive step
towards driving a larger share of the rural
population towards digital literacy.
Positive potential of Digital India
for the government and the poor
In many ways, Digital India shows
great potential for improving the
efficiency of governmental functioning and
implementation of schemes for the poor.
The NIC is working on a master database,
called Servam, on which everything
from educational certificates and health
records to land documents will be stored.
On this server, data from the National
Population Register (NPR), which contains
information on a person’s name, father’s
name, occupation and marital status, will
be combined with the Socio Economic
and Caste Census (SECC) list that provides
information on households, such as income
levels and total land holdings. Servam
will thus make it much easier to identify
beneficiaries and transfer money directly
into their bank accounts under the DBT
scheme, helping to prevent corruption and
duplication in payments. Using Aadhaar
numbers and latest technology, it’ll also
make identification of bogus ration cards
easier.
Until now, every ministry and state
largely handled its own digital affairs,
creating considerable disparity in the
levels of progress in the implementation
of programs in different regions and
departments. Centralisation of databases is
expected to streamline and transform the
digital landscape within the government.
IS DIGITAL INDIA CAMPAIGN IN INDIA, A COUNTRY THAT RANKS 97 ....
The government has also recently
launched a video conferencing platform
called Pragati, which is revolutionising
government meetings through its 400 video
conferencing studios that conduct 28,000
video conferencing calls every month. This
saves unprecedented amounts of money,
time and effort that go into organising
official tours, meetings, etc. Of course, in
the end, the labour required to lay down
optical fibres and other infrastructure for
the campaign will generate employment,
especially in rural areas, encouraging
rural youth and labour to avoid distress
migration and find work near home.
Long way to go to make Digital
India truly successful
There are many issues underlying
the implementation of Digital India that
need deeper pondering and planning. The
foremost is of fiscal prudence. It is still
unclear how much the campaign is actually
going to cost, though the government has
announced a budget of Rs 1.13 lakh crore.
Given India’s growing fiscal deficit year
after year, the government must exercise
judiciousness in its financial allocation
to grand schemes of digitalisation while
CA-145
its population suffers from immediate
economic troubles. Digitalising will also
give rise to unparalleled amounts of
e-waste. Digital India campaign must
include a plan to limit e-waste generation
and its careful disposal, because e-waste
includes many toxic substances that are
hazardous to the environment and human
health if not handled in an environmentally
sound manner. Another potentially
catastrophic event could occur if Servam
were to be hacked, because governmental
data is a goldmine for national and
international hackers with invariably
malicious intent. Appropriate and state-of-
the-art technological innovations must be
employed, therefore, to make the servers
impenetrable for the sake of the country’s
strategic, economic and technological
security.
Notwithstanding the sorry state of
India’s fight against poverty and hunger,
the idea of Digital India is futuristic and
certainly holds merit. While India is making
slow progress on both socio-economic and
technological fronts, there are significant
challenges ahead that need careful handling
and prioritising by the government to
make India a digital power with a well-fed
population.
 CA-146
PEOPLE
2016
NATIONAL
Anuradha Roy
Indian writer Anuradha Roy has won
the prestigious $50,000 DSC Prize for
South Asian Literature 2016 for her novel
‘Sleeping on Jupiter’. This year’s DSC Prize
Festival was held in Sri Lanka on 16th
January. Her novel Sleeping on Jupiter deals
with the subject of violence against women
with story revolving around girl named
Nomi and is set in Jarmuli, a city of temples.
Anuradha Roy is novelist, journalist and
editor. Her first novel ‘An Atlas of Impossible
Longing’ has been translated into 15 languages
across the world. Till date she has authored
three novels viz. An Atlas of Impossible Longing
(2008), The Folded Earth (2011) and Sleeping
on Jupiter (2015).
The DSC Price for PV Sindhu
India’s ace shuttler Pusarla
Venkata Sindhu won the
silver medal in women’s
singles badminton event at
2016 Rio Olympics. In the final match of
women’s singles badminton event, Sindhu
lost to Spain’s Carolina Marín (World No.1) by
21-19, 12-21, 15-21 score. Earlier in her
quarterfinal match, she had defeated Japan’s
Wang Yihan (World No.2) by 22-20, 21-19
score. She also won china open on 19
November, 2016.
PV Sindhu was Born on 5 July 1995 in
Hyderabad, Telangana. She had received
international attention after getting listed
into the Top 20 list of Badminton World
PEOPLE 2016
Federation rankings in 2012. In 2013, she
created history by becoming first Indian
women’s singles badminton player to
win a bronze medal at the 2013 World
Championships. She was awarded with
Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian
honor in March 2015.
Rekha
Bollywood actress Rekha was honoured
with the third Yash Chopra Memorial Award
on 26th January 2016. The Maharashtra
Governor C Vidyasagar Rao presented the
award to the actress in recognition of her
talent and contribution to the film industry.
Bhanurekha Ganesan was born on 10
October, 1954 in Chennai, better known
by her stage name Rekha, is a well known
film actress. Noted for her versatility and
acknowledged as one of the finest actresses
in Hindi cinema. Rekha started her career
in 1966 as a child actress in the Telugu film
Rangula Ratnam. She is an alumnus of the
popular Church Park Convent in Chennai.
She considers Telugu to be her mother
tongue. She also speaks Hindi, Tamil and
English fluently.
Aurobindo Mukherjee
Veteran film director Aurobindo Mukherjee
passed away on 11th February, 2016 at his
residence in Kolkata.
A. Mukherjee was the maker of cult Bengali
classics like ‘Mouchak, ‘Agniswar” and
‘Nishipadma’, all of them starred matinee
idol Uttam Kumar in the early 1970s. He
was younger brother of famous novelist
Balaichand Mukhopadhyay who is popularly
PEOPLE 2016
known as Bonophool. He had joined
Tollywood in 1950s. Mukherjee is also
credited to have introduced a young Jaya
Bhaduri to movies in ‘Dhanyee Meye’ in 1971.
Lance Naik Hanamanthappa
Siachen braveheart Lance Naik Hanaman-
thappa Koppad passed away on 11th
February, 2016 three days after he was
miraculously rescued from beneath 35 feet
of snow after an avalanche hit his post in
Siachen Glacier at the height of 19,600 feet.
Koppad was the lone survivor among 10
soldiers buried by the avalanche in Siachen
on 3rd February. He was flown to Delhi in
an IAF aircraft and was admitted to R&R
Hospital. He had slipped into a deeper state
of coma after his pneumonia worsened
and his kidneys became non-functional.
He belonged to the 19th Battalion of Madras
Regiment and is survived by his wife
Mahadevi Ashok Bilebal and two-year-old
daughter Netra Koppad.
Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan
Renowned Hindustani classical vocalist
Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan passed away on
February 18, 2016. He was 107. He was
a highly acclaimed Hindustani classical
singer of Gwalior Gharana who had created
around 2,000 compositions and was
also a prolific writer and poet under the
pseudonym Rasan Piya.
Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan was Born in Uttar
Pradesh in 1908 in a family of musicians. He
was a descendant (16th generation) of Tansen,
a classical music composer in the court of the
Mughal Emperor Akbar. He had received his
initial training from his father Chhote Yusuf
Khan and uncle Bade Yusuf Khan and also
from other elders of their family.
Alok Kumar Verma
Senior IPS officer Alok Kumar Verma (58)
took charge as the new Commissioner
of Delhi Police on 29th February, 2016.
He succeeded B S Bassi who had been at
conflict with the AAP government on a
range of issues in the last one year.
He has assumed charge of Delhi Police
during the ongoing criticism over handling
of the JNU row. Verma is a 1979 batch IPS
officer of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-
Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre
and was previously serving as the Director
General of Tihar jail. He became the 20th
police commissioner of the Delhi police
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force which has strength of over 80,000
personnel.
Pandit Ram Narayan
Padma Vibhushan Pandit Ram Narayan
has been chosen for the prestigious Bharat
Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Classical Music
Award for 2015-2016 in sarangi.
The eight-member panel of jury which
unanimously recommended Pandit Ram
Narayan for the prestigious award comprised
of industry experts such as Pandit Suresh
Talwalkar, musicologist Nath Naralkar and
others. He recorded solo albums and toured
America and Europe in the 1960s. Narayan
also taught Indian and foreign students. He
was awarded India’s second highest civilian
honour, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2005.
P K Nair
Renowned film archivist and film scholar
P.K. Nair, who had won the epithet ‘celluloid
man’ for his impeccable body of work as
the founder of the National Film Archive
of India (NFAI) passed away on 4th March
2016 at Sahyadri Nursing Home in Pune.
He started working with the NFAI in 1965
as assistant curator and later became its
director in 1982.
He retired in April 1991 and is said to have
collected over 12,000 films, of which 8,000
were Indian. These include the works of
legendary filmmakers such as Satyajit Ray,
Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, V Shantaram, Raj
Kapoor and Guru Dutt. Nair was awarded
the Satyajit Ray Memorial Award in 2008.
‘Celluloid Man’, a documentary on Nair
was made by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur
had won two National Awards at the 60th
National Film Awards, including Best
Biographical Film and Best Editing. The
film was released in India on 3 May, 2013
to coincide with the centenary of Indian
cinema.
Ritu Beri
Noted designer Ritu Beri has been appointed
advisor to the Khadi and Village Industries
Commission (KVIC) on 15 June, 2016 for
promotion of khadi in India and across the
world. The Commission appointed the star
fashion designer for a period of one year
during which she will advise on ways to
promote khadi.
In her 25 year stint in the fashion industry
Beri has designed clothes for international
and national celebrities including Bill
 CA-148
Clinton, Prince Charles, Nicole Kidman and
Ivana Trump.
P. Susheela
Renowned playback singer P. Susheela
Mohan entered the Guinness Book of
World Records and Asia Book of Records
for singing most number of songs in Indian
languages. Susheela has over 30,000 songs
to her credit which include solo, duet and
chorus backed songs in over six Indian
languages.
Guinness Book of Records credited her for
singing 17,695 songs (solo, duet and chorus
backed songs) in twelve Indian languages,
Asia Book of Records has recognised her
for singing close to 17,330 songs. She made
her singing debut in 1952 Tamil film “Petra
Thai”, and went on to give classics such as
“Missamma”, “Savaale Samaali”, “Siri Siri
Muvva” and “Meghasandesham”. She has
been conferred with various awards and
honours which include five National Awards
and the Padma Bhushan honour in 2008.
Lt Gen N P S Hira
Lt Gen N P S Hira, Chief of the Army’s
Northern Command has been appointed as
the Deputy Chief of Army Staff. He assumed
office on 14th March. 2016
He commanded his Battalion in Assam
(Op. Rhino) during the high violence period.
The unit bagged 32 gallantry awards and
COAS (Chief of Army staff) citation under
his command. Hira also commanded 12
Infantry Brigade which was deployed on the
Line of Control in Uri sector. The Brigade
earned an Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra,
Shaurya Chakra and many more gallantry
awards during his command.
He also commanded the 10 Infantry
Division in Jammu and Kashmir on the Line
of Control with distinction for which he was
awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.
Padma Sachdev
Jammu-born poet and novelist Padma
Sachdev has been chosen for the prestigious
Saraswati Samman for the year 2015 for
her autobiography in Dogri language. Her
autobiography ‘Chitt-Chete’, published in
2007, was selected from 22 works in as
many languages published between the
years 2005-2014.
Sachdev has published her several poetry
collection including Meri Kavita Mere Geet
(My Poems, My Songs) that has won the
PEOPLE 2016
Sahitya Akademi Award in 1971. She has
also received the Padma Shri, the Indian
fourth highest civilian award in 2001.
The Kabir Samman for poetry for the year
2007-08 was also awarded to her by the
Government of Madhya Pradesh.
Deepak Mishra
Deepak Mishra, IPS has been apponted as
Additional Director General of CRPF from
the date of assumption of charge of the
post and upto 30.11.2018 (i.e. date of his
retirement on superannuation) or until
further orders.
Mishra is IPS officer of the 1984 batch of
the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and
Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre.
Rahul Johri
BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India)
has appointed media professional Rahul
Johri as its first chief executive officer
(CEO). After spending two decades in the
media industry, Johri will assume his new
role on 1st June 2016. Johri will be based at
the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai and will
report directly to the Honorary Secretary,
Anurag Thakur.
Johri was the Asia Pacific’s executive vice-
president and general manager for South
Asia with Discovery Networks where he
had been working for 15 years.
Dipa Karmakar
The 23 year Tripura girl, Dipa
Karmakar created history by
becoming the first Indian
woman gymnast to qualify for
Olympics as she booked a berth
for the Rio Games after a strong performance at
the final qualifying and test event. She
garnered a total score of 52.698 points in the
Olympics qualifying event to book a berth for
artistic gymnastics in Rio Games.
Dipa had created history by becoming the
first Indian woman gymnast to win a medal
- a bronze, in the Commonwealth Games in
Glasgow in 2014. She then became the first
Indian woman gymnast to feature in the
finals of World Championships.
MC Mary Kom
Indian woman boxer MC Mary Kom added
another honour to her list of accolades
as she was named one of the eight
ambassadors for the upcoming World
Championships by the International Boxing
Association (AIBA).
PEOPLE 2016
Originally known as Mangte Chungneijang,
Mary Kom was born on 1 March, 1983, in
Churachandpur district of Manipur. She is
nicknamed Magnificent Mary and is 5 time
World Amateur Boxing Champion. She is
the only woman boxer to have won a medal
in each one of the six world championships.
Mary Kom had won a bronze medal in 2012
London Olympics in the flyweight (51 kg)
category and was only Indian woman boxer
to qualify for this category.
Sunil Lanba
The Government has appointed Vice
Admiral Sunil Lanba, presently Flag Officer
Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) Western
Naval Command as the next Chief of the
Naval Staff with effect from May 31, 2016.
The present Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral
RK Dhowan will superannuate from service
on May 31, 2016. Vice Admiral Lanba’s
Sea Command includes commanding the
minesweeper INS Kakinada, frigate INS
Himgiri and Executive Officer of INS Viraat,
the aircraft carrier. Before taking over as
FOC-in-C, Western Naval Command, he was
FOC-in-C, Southern Naval Command, Vice
Chief of the Naval Staff and Commandant,
National Defence College. Lanba is a
qualified specialist in navigation and
direction course. He attended the course at
the Royal College of Defence Studies, UK. He
is a recipient of Param Vishist Seva Medal
and Ati Vishist Seva Medal.
Raghuveer Chaudhari
President Pranab Mukherjee
conferred the 51st Jnanpith
Award on renowned Gujarati
writer and litterateur Dr.
Raghuveer Chaudhari on July 11, 2016 at a
function in New Delhi. He was awarded
with the India’s highest literary honour
carrying a cash prize, a citation plaque and
a bronze replica of Goddess Saraswati for
the year 2015. Chaudhari’s literary work
has been influenced by works of Gowardhan
Ram Tripathi, Kaka Kalelkar and Suresh
Joshi. He has authored more than 80 books
and some of his notable novels include
Amrita, Venu Vatsala, Uparvas, Purvarang
and Laagni Samjyaa Vinaa Chuuta Padvanu.
He also had worked as a columnist for
numerous newspapers such as Sandesh,
Janmabhumi, Nirikshaka and Divya Bhaskar.
CA-149
Bezwada Wilson & TM Krishna
Two Indians TM
Krishna and
Bezwada Wilson
have received the
prestigious Ramon
Magsaysay prize
for the year 2016. They were among six
persons/organisations who received the
prestigious award, often regarded as Asia’s
Nobel Prize. Bezwada Wilson is the
National Convener of the Safai Karmachari
Andolan (SKA). He was awarded for
asserting the inalienable right to a life of
human dignity. He has done remarkable
work in liberating scores of people engaged
in manual scavenging across the country.
Thodur Madabusi Krishna is a Carnatic
music vocalist. He was bestowed with this
award ensuring social inclusiveness in
culture.
Mariyappan Thangavelu
Mariyappan Thangavelu has won India’s
first gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics
in Brazil. He won the gold medal in the
Men’s High Jump T-42 event with jump of
1.89 metres. With this, Thangavelu became
the first Indian high-jumper to win gold at
the Paralympics. This was India’s overall
third gold at the Paralympics and the first
after 12 years. In addition, India’s Varun
Singh Bhati won the bronze medal in same
event with the jump of 1.86 metres to finish
third. Sam Grewe of United States won
the silver medal. India had won its first
ever Paralympics Gold medal in the 1972
Heidelberg Games. It was won by Swimmer
Murlikant Petkar.
Devendra Jhajharia
Devendra Jhajharia (36) has won gold medal
in the men’s javelin throw, F46 event held
at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. With this, he
becomes only the second gold medallist at
the Paralympics for India. He won the gold
medal with world-record throw of 63.97
metres. Devendra Jhajharia’s left hand
amputated after he had met with accident
in his childhood. He was awarded the
Arjuna award in 2004 and the Padma Shri
in 2012, becoming the first Paralympian to
receive the honour. He last participated in
the Paralympics 12 years ago i.e. in 2004,
however the F46 event did not feature in the
2008 and the 2012 editions of Paralympics.
 CA-150
Ajinkya Rahane & Rohit Sharma
Cricketers Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit
Sharma were conferred with the Arjuna
Award for their contributions to sport of
cricket. The award was bestowed upon them
by Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel in New
Delhi. Sharma was bestowed with the award
for the year 2015 and Rahane for the year
2016. Earlier, both were not able to receive
awards from the President Pranab Mukherjee
as they were participating in international
tournaments. Ajinkya Madhukar Rahane is an
international cricketer who represents India
and is the vice captain in the Test format of
the game. Rohit Gurunath Sharma is an Indian
cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and
an occasional right-arm off break bowler who
plays for Mumbai in domestic cricket. He is
the captain of the Mumbai Indians in the
Indian Premier League.
Alka Sirohi
IAS officer Alka Sirohi has been appointed as
chairman of Union Public Service Commission
(UPSC) with effect from September 21, 2016
as per Article 316 of Constitution. She will
replace Deepak Gupta who demits office on
20th September, 2016. She will be in office till
completion of her term as member on January
3, 2017. She is a retired IAS officer of Madhya
Pradesh cadre. Prior to this appointment
she was member of the UPSC. Before joining
the UPSC as a member in January 2012, she
was Secretary, Department of Personnel and
Training (DoPT).
Rohith Vemula
Rohith Vemula was a 26-year-old PhD
scholar at the Hyderabad University, who
committed suicide on 17 January, 2016,
after he and four other students were
suspended from the college hostel following
a disciplinary action initiated by the
University administration on the complaint
of a ABVP student leader lodged in August
2015. The ABVP student had alleged that
Vemula and other members of the the
Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) had
roughed him up and demanded an apology
for posting an ‘angry’ Facebook post, after
the ASA protested against the hanging of
Yakub Memon. After the ABVP leader’s
complaint, the University’s proctorial board
launched an enquiry into the matter and
recommended strict action against Vemula
and others.
PEOPLE 2016
Zakir Naik
Zakir Naik has been
under the scanner of
Indian law enforcement
authorities ever since
Bangladesh asked for an
investigation into his
speeches and his writing, following a claim
that a terrorist involved in the recent terror
attack in Dhaka was his follower who was
inspired by his speeches. Mr. Naik’s
speeches are aired on ‘Peace TV’ from
Dubai, run by his Mumbai-based Islamic
Research Foundation. Britain and Canada
have banned Mr. Naik from visiting their
countries several years ago while Malaysia
banned his lectures fearing that they could
instigate inter-racial tensions. Born on 18
October 1965 in Mumbai, Dr. Naik attended
the Kishinchand Chellaram College in
Churchgate, and later studied medicine at
Topiwala National Medical College, and BYL
Nair Charitable Hospital.
Arnab Goswami
Arnab Goswami left the ‘Times
Now’ channel on 1st November,
2016 following differences with
its owners, the Jains - Sameer,
Vineet Kumar and Raj - of Bennett Coleman & Co,
Ltd. He is one of the most popular TV journalists
in India. He is the news anchor and chief
editor of the Indian news channel ‘Times
Now’. The program ‘News Hour’ a live
debate hosted by Arnab at 9 pm during
weekdays, is the most watched news
program in India. He also anchors a special
TV program ‘Frankly Speaking with Arnab’.
Subrata Roy
Subrata Roy was released on parole in May
2016 to attend the last rites of his deceased
mother. The court kept extending his parole
on the condition of depositing money with
the SEBI towards refunding investors.
On 26 February, 2014, the Supreme Court
of India ordered the arrest of Subrata Roy,
chairman and founder of Sahara India
Pariwar, for failing to appear in court
in connection with the `24,000 crore
deposits his company failed to refund to
its investors as per a Supreme Court order,
after a legal dispute with the Indian market
PEOPLE 2016
regulator SEBI. He was eventually arrested
on 28 February, 2014 by Uttar Pradesh
police on a Supreme Court warrant. After
spending over two years in jail, Roy was
released on parole when his mother died
in May 2016. His parole, as well as that of
directors Ashok Roy Choudhary and Ravi S
Dubey, was subsequently extended on the
condition that they should deposit money
for refunding investors at regular intervals.
Yudhvir Singh Malik
The Union Government has appointed
Yudhvir Singh Malik as the Chairman of
National Highways Authority of India
(NHAI). Prior to this appointment he was
posted as special secretary in NITI Aayog.
Prior to joining NITI Aayg, he was CEO of
FSSAI from October 2014 to September
2015. His tenure marked with Maggi noodle
ban issue which had brought food regulator
into limelight.
Ravichandran Ashwin
As per ICC ranking India’s
off-spinner Ravichandran
Ashwin has ended 2015 as
the number one Test bowler
and all-rounder. Bishan Bedi,
an ICC Hall of Famer, is the only India bowler
to ever top the Test bowling table, while
Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, Kapil Dev and Anil
Kumble peaked at number-two during their
careers. Ashwin was born on 17 September,
1986 in a Tamil family. He lives in West
Mambalam, Chennai. He did his schooling
from Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan and St.
Bede’s. He attended SSN College of
Engineering and graduated with a BTech in
Information Technology. His father
Ravichandran played cricket at the club
level as a fast bowler.
Sanjay Subramanian
Veteran South Indian classical vocalists
Sanjay Subrahmanyam has been conferred
with the 2015 Sangita Kalanidhi award
on 2nd January. It was presented by
the mathematician Manjul Bhargava at
89th annual conference of the Madras
Music Academy in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
This honour is considered one of the
highest awards in Carnatic music. Sanjay
Subrahmanyan was born on 21 January,
1968 in Chennai to S. Sankaran and Aruna
Sankaran who learned music from Rukmini
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Rajagopalan, Rajaram Iyer, Maruthuvakudi
Rajagopala Iyer and Mayavaram Saraswati.
His father S. Sankaran, popularly known
as Burma Sankaran, was a member of the
drama troupe led by Cho Ramaswamy.
Gurdeep Singh
Gurdeep Singh was appointed as the
Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of
NTPC Ltd. on 28 January, 2016. Singh will
be the first person to be appointed to the
top job at a Maharatna company through
a search committee route. Gurdeep Singh
is a Mechanical Engineer. He has over
28 years of experience in power sector.
He has worked at various levels both in
Indian and Multi-national Companies in
the power sector. He started his career
with NTPC Limited and has worked at
various levels both in Indian and Multi-
national Companies namely Powergen,
CLP, IDFC, CESC and AES. He has worked
in different areas of Power Sector ranging
from business development, projects and
operations. Prior to joining NTPC, Shri
Singh was Managing Director, Gujarat State
Electricity Corporation Limited.
K Durga Prasad
K Durga Prasad was appointed as the
Director General (DG) of the Central
Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 2nd February,
2016. Prasad, an IPS officer of 1981 batch
from Andhra Pradesh cadre. Earlier,
Prasad served as the director of the Special
Protection Group (SPG). SPG provides
security to the Prime Minister, former
Prime Ministers and their family members.
CRPF is the largest Central Armed Police
Forces in India. At present, CRPF is the
world’s largest paramilitary force with 228
battalions and over three lakh personnel.
Sudhir Tailang
Cartoonist Sudhir Tailang died on 6
February, 2016 due to brain tumor
in Gurgaon. He was 55. Tailang, who
chronicled contemporary Indian politics
with humour, was awarded Padma Shri in
2004. Recently, he also launched a book of
cartoons titled ‘No, Prime Minister’, with a
set of cartoons on former Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh.
Born in Bikaner on 26 February, 1960,
Tailang came out with his first cartoon in
1970 but started his carrier as a cartoonist
 CA-152
with the ‘Illustrated Weekly’ of India in
Mumbai in 1982. Later, he worked with
many newspapers like Navbharat Times,
Times of India, Hindustan Times and the
Indian Express. His last assignment was
with the Asian Age.
Rajendra K Pachauri
Former Director General of The Energy
and Resources Institute (TERI) Rajendra
Kumar Pachauri on 8 February, 2016 was
appointed as the Executive Vice-Chairman
of the organisation with the immediate
effect. The post of Executive Vice Chairman
has been recently created and Pachauri will
be the first to hold the post.
R.K Pachauri was born in Nainital. He
was educated at La Martiniere College
in Lucknow and at the Indian Railways
Institute of Mechanical and Electrical
Engineering in Jamalpur, Bihar. He belongs
to the Special Class Railway Apprentices,
1958 Batch, an elite scheme which heralded
the beginning of mechanical engineering
education in India. He began his career
with the Indian Railways at the Diesel
Locomotive Works in Varanasi. He joined
North Carolina State University in Raleigh,
United States, where he obtained an MS in
Industrial Engineering in 1972, and a PhD
with co-majors in Industrial Engineering and
Economics in 1974. His doctoral thesis was
titled, A dynamic model for forecasting of
electrical energy demand in a specific region
located in North and South Carolina. He lives in
Golf Links, New Delhi. He is a strict vegetarian,
largely because of “the environmental and
climate change implications.”
KN Vyas
Distinguished Scientist KN Vyas on 23
February, 2016 took charge as Director of
the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
He joined Fuel Design and Development
Section of Reactor Engineering Division
of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre after
getting graduated from the BARC Training
School. He had a vast experience of 36 years
in design and analysis of nuclear reactor
fuels. He has worked extensively in thermal
hydraulics and stress analysis of critical
reactor core components. He has also
participated in design and analysis of the
Test Blanket Module planned to be installed
in ITER, France. He was conferred many
awards, some of which are Indian Nuclear
Society Outstanding Service Award 2011,
PEOPLE 2016
Homi Bhabha Science and Technology
Award 2006, DAE Awards in the years 2007,
2008, 2012 and 2013. He is also a Fellow of
the Indian National Academy of Engineers.
Haldar Nag
Haldhar Nag, the 66-year-old poet in Kosli
language, was in news in the last week
of March 2016. He came in news after
President Pranab Mukherjee on 28 March,
2016 conferred Padma Shri 2016 on him
at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. He
was bestowed with third highest civilian
honour for his contribution in Literature &
Education section. In Odisha, he is known
as Lok Kabi Ratna and has penned down
20 epics and several poems. He remembers
all his creations and can recite them at any
point of time. He wrote his first poem ‘Dhodo
Bargachh’ (The Old Banyan Tree) in 1990,
which was published in a local magazine.
He wrote it while selling stationeries and
eatables for school students from a small
shop owned by him.
Born in a poor family of Ghens in Bargarh
district of Odisha in 1950, Nag could
attend school only up to Class-III. Five
scholars have based their PhD research on
his works. He draws his themes from the
rustic surroundings and mostly writes on
nature, society, religion and mythology. He
also takes up the cause of the oppressed
and social reforms through his writings.
Besides, Sambalpur University is coming
up with a compilation of his writings, titled
Haldhar Granthabali-2. This compilation
will be a part of the university’s syllabus.
Manoj Kumar
Veteran Film Actor and Director Manoj
Kumar was conferred with the 47th
Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2015.
Kumar was born in
Abbottabad, a town in the
North-West Frontier Province
(now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa),
Pakistan, then part of pre-
partition India. His original
name was Harikishan Giri Goswami. When he
was 10, his family had to migrate from
Jandhyala Sher Khan to Delhi due to the
Partition. His family lived as refugees in Vijay
Nagar, Kingsway Camp and later moved to Old
Rajendra Nagar area of New Delhi. After
graduating from Hindu College, University of
Delhi, he decided to enter the film industry.
PEOPLE 2016
Dinesh Sharma
India’s Dinesh Sharma has been elected
to the board of directors of the China-
sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank (AIIB). He has been elected to the
12-member board through a secret ballot.
This is the first board of directors of AIIB
in which 57 nations are founding members
including India.
Presently, Dinesh Sharma is serving as
Additional Secretary of Union Ministry of
Finance.
Pankaj Patel
Pankaj Patel was
elected as the President
of Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (FICCI)
for the year 2017. He
will take over after incumbent Ambuja
Neotia. Group Chairman Harshavardhan
Neotia completes his term in December
2016. At present Pankaj Patel is Chief
Managing Director of Zydus Cadila. He is
actively involved in various educational
institutions and is on advisory committees
and academic councils of several
educational institutions such as IISER
(Kolkata), IIM Ahmedabad etc. He is also the
Vice President, Executive Chairman and
Trustee of the Gujarat Cancer Society and
Chairman of the Gujarat Cancer and
Research Institute, one of the largest of its
kind regional Cancer Centre in India.
Devender Kumar Sikri
Devender Kumar Sikri was appointed as
Chairman of fair-trade regulator Competition
Commission of India (CCI) on 7 January 2016.
He succeeds Ashok Chawla, whose tenure as
the Chairman of CCI ended on 7 January 2016
itself. Devender Kumar Sikri is a former IAS
officer of Gujarat cadre. He has held various
positions in his cadre state Gujarat as well
as in Centre. He was superannuated as
Secretary, Department of Justice in July 2013.
He had also served as Secretary in the Union
Ministry of Women and Child Development,
and Registrar General of Census (RGC). The
CCI was established to eliminate practices
that adversely affect competition in different
industries and protect interests of consumers
CA-153
and ensure freedom of trade. It is statutory
body established under The Competition
Act of 2002. It was established in 2003 and
became fully functional in 2009.
Urjit R Patel
Union Government
appointed Dr. Urjit R Patel
as the 24th governor of
Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
on 20 August, 2016. He will
be having tenure of three years with effect
from 4 September, 2016. He will succeed the
present RBI Governor Dr. Raghuram Rajan,
the former International Monetary Fund chief
economist. At present, Dr Patel is the Deputy
Governor of RBI and is holding this assignment
since 2013. With this appointment, he also
becomes the eight Deputy Governor to be
elevated as the Governor at RBI. Patel
obtained his Bachelor’s in Economics from
the London School of Economics, M. Phil.
degree from Oxford University in 1986. He
received his doctorate in Economics from
Yale University in 1990. He was at IMF India
desk during the 1991–94 transition period.
He was posted to IMF country mission in
India 1992–95. He has also been a non-
resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings
Institution since 2009. Mahudha in Kheda
district of Gujarat is his ancestral village.
Patel is unmarried.
Binny Bansal
India’s biggest
e-commerce company,
Flipkart, announced
the promotion of current
Chief Operating Officer
Binny Bansal to the
post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on 11
January, 2016. On the other hand, Sachin
Bansal, who has been the CEO since
inception, will now take on the newly-
created role of Executive Chairman. Binny
Bansal is from the capital of Punjab and
Haryana State, Chandigarh and was brought
up there as well. He studied at St. Anne’s in
Chandigarh and later went to the Indian
Institute of Technology at Delhi (IIT-Delhi).
Binny Bansal, along with this business
partner, was named as the 86th richest
person in India by Forbes India Rish List,
with a total net worth of more than $1.3
billion.
 CA-154
Atulesh Jindal
Senior revenue service officer Atulesh Jindal
was appointed chairman of Central Board
of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 21 January, 2016.
Jindal will succeed A K Jain, who completes
his term at the end of January 2016. The
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
has approved the appointment of Jindal as
chairman of the apex policy-making body
of the income tax department. Jindal is a
1978 batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS)
officer. He is currently working as member
(revenue) in the CBDT. He will have a tenure
of six-months until he retires in July 2016.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes is a
statutory authority functioning under the
Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963.
Aruna Sethi
Aruna Sethi, the Principal Adviser (Cost)
took over charge as the head of Indian Cost
Accounts Service (ICoAS) on 1 February
2016. With this appointment, she became
the first woman to occupy the post. Prior to
the present elevation, Aruna, a 1985 batch
ICoAS officer, held important portfolios in
Government of India including Ministry of
Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Corporate
Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Department
of Expenditure, Ministry of Commerce and
Industry, Ministry of Defence etc.
Amit Mitra
The Finance Minister of West Bengal Amit
Mitra was named the chairman of the
Empowered Committee of State Finance
Ministers on Goods and Services Tax (GST)
on 19 February, 2016. He will be the second
chairman of the panel, tasked with framing
rules for roll out of the GST regime, which
will subsume all indirect taxes and create
one national market, from West Bengal.
Amit Mitra is an Indian economist and
politician representing All India Trinamool
Congress and the current Finance, Commerce
& Industries Minister of the Indian state
of West Bengal. He is the incumbent MLA
in the West Bengal state assembly from
the Khardaha state assembly constituency.
Previously he served as the Secretary General
of the Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Son of Hari Mitra, a former Deputy Speaker
of the West Bengal legislative assembly
and Bela Mitra, his maternal grandfather
PEOPLE 2016
was Suresh Chandra Bose, elder brother of
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Both Suresh
Chandra Bose and Haridas Mitra were part
of the secret service team of Azad Hind Fauj.
Satyanand Munjal
Satyanand Munjal, co-founder of Hero
Cycles group, died a natural death on 14th
April, 2016 at the age of 99 in his residence
in Model Town, Ludhiana. Munjal was
popularly known as ‘mahatma’ for being
devoted to several social causes related to
the Arya Samaj.
Apart from building a business empire, his
philanthropic acts such as Bahadur Chand
Munjal (BCM) Arya schools, Hero DMC
Heart Institute, Dayanand Medical College
and Hospital (DMCH) remain his most
notable works. He undertook several new
initiatives by keeping a regular track of the
functioning of these institutions. Munjal
also propagated teachings of the Arya
Samaj extensively.
Sushil Chandra
The Union Government has appointed
senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer
Sushil Chandra as the Chairman of the
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). Sushil
Chandra is IRS officer of 1980 batch. Prior to
this appointment he was serving as member
of CBDT. He will succeed Rani Singh Nair,
who will retire on October 31, 2016.
Aditya Puri
Aditya Puri has been ranked 36th among
50 global corporate heads by Fortune
Magazine in its annual ‘Business person
of the Year’ compilation. Aditya Puri is the
Managing Director of HDFC Bank, India’s
largest private sector bank. He assumed
this position in September 1994, making
him the longest-serving head of any bank in
the country. He has worked in the banking
sector for 40 years, in India and other
countries, and became CEO of Citibank,
Malaysia in 1992. In September 1994 he
returned to India as Managing Director
of HDFC Bank. He presided over HDFC’s
acquisitions of Times Bank Limited in 2000
and of Centurion Bank of Punjab in 2008.
Abidali Neemuchwala
IT giant Wipro, India’s third largest IT
services exporter, on 4 January, 2016
appointed current Chief Operating Officer
PEOPLE 2016
(COO) Abid Ali Neemuchwala as the Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) and member of
the board. Neemuchwala gets his surname
from Neemuch, a small town in Madhya
Pradesh. He grew up in Delhi and Mumbai.
He enjoys travelling, Indian music, reading
fiction, and playing golf. He is married, has
three children. Neemuchwala had joined
Wipro as COO in April 2015. Prior to Wipro,
he held a long tenure of over 23 years with
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). In TCS, he
headed the business process services unit
of India’s biggest outsourcer. He obtained
an engineering degree in electronics and
communication from NIT, Raipur and holds
a master’s degree in industrial management
from IIT Mumbai.
NS Vishwanathan
NS Vishwanathan has been appointed as
the new deputy governor of the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) by the Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet which was
chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra
Modi. Vishwanathan succeeded HR Khan, on
July 3rd, 2016. He was appointed executive
director in April 2014 and is currently
looking after oversees banking and non-
banking regulation departments. He has
also served as the Principal Chief General
Manager in the Department of non-banking
supervision. He was also positioned as
Director of Punjab National Bank from
September 6, 2012 to May 31, 2013.
Vishwanathan also worked as the Nominee
Director at Dena Bank and was also Chief
General Manager of Vigilance at IFCI.
Parmeshwar Godrej
Parmeshwar Godrej, 70, known as the
dynamic face of the Godrej clan, breathed
her last at Mumbai on Oct 11, 2016. She is
survived by her husband and Godrej Group
chairman Adi Godrej, daughters Tanya
Dubash and Nisa Godrej, and son Pirojsha
Godrej.
Godrej was frequently described as one
of India’s premier socialites and power
brokers. She was known for her work
combating AIDS in India through the Heroes
Project, an initiative she launched in 2004
with Hollywood actor Richard Gere and
support from the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative.
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Vijay Mallya
Business tycoon and Rajya
Sabha member, Vijay Mallya, is
in trouble for his escape from
the country right around the
time he is wanted by the Enforcement
Directorate for money laundering.
Mallya, known for his extravagant lifestyle
and Kingfisher brand of liquor, is in debt
with 17 public sector banks for an estimated
amount of `9,091 crore, who have moved
the Debt Recovery Tribunal against him.
Upon the banks’ plea, the Supreme Court
has issued a notice to Mallya seeking the
disclosure of his assets and seizure of his
passport. Earlier the liquor baron had made
a quiet exit to London via Delhi on March 2.
Now, Mallya is being chased by almost every
institution in the country for `9,000 crore
that he owes to the lenders.
Cyrus Mistry
The board of India’s largest
conglomerate Tata Sons Ltd
has removed Cyrus Pallonji
Mistry (48) as Chairman.
However he will remain a director of the
individual companies. The board has
replaced him with his predecessor Ratan
Tata as interim chairman for four months.
Mistry had shortest tenure as Chairman so
far at the group. Mistry had replaced Ratan
Tata as chairman in December 2012. He
was only the sixth group Chairman in nearly
15 decades and the first from outside the
Tata family to be appointed to top most post
of Tata group.
Ashok Chawla
Former Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla
has been appointed as the new Chancellor of
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
University. The decision of his appointment was
taken in the governing council meeting of TERI.
Ashok Chawla is former Union Finance
Secretary. He is former Chairman of the
Competition Commission of India (CCI).
He was IAS officer of 1973 batch of Gujarat
cadre. He is currently serving as the
Chairman of TERI since February 2016.
 CA-156
HL Dattu
Former CJI Handyala Lakshmi
narayanaswamy Dattu was
appointed as the next
Chairperson of the National
Human Rights Commission
on 23rd February. Dattu was
selected by a committee headed by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi with the committee
consisting of Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra
Mahajan, Union Home Minister Rajnath
Singh, Rajya Sabha deputy chairman P J
Kurien and Rajya Sabha Opposition leader
Ghulam Nabi Azad.
He served as the Chief Justice of India from
September 28, 2014 to December 2, 2015.
Dattu enrolled as an advocate in 1975 and
began practising in Bangalore and dealing
with all types of matters including civil,
criminal, tax and Constitutional cases.
Vinod Rai
Former Comptroller & Auditor General of
India Vinod Rai has been appointed as the
first chairman of Banks Board Bureau on
February 28, 2016, which will advice the
government in appointing heads of public
sector banks and also on banking reforms.
Rai served as the Comptroller and Auditor
General between January 2008 and May
2013, during which a number of CAG reports
led to revelation of various scams including
the telecom and coal sector scams.
Arvind Kejriwal
Arvind Kejriwal has been
named among World’s 50
Greatest Leaders by
Fortune Magazine. Fortune
Magazine released its third
annual list of the World’s Greatest Leaders
on 24th March, 2016. The list of 50 CEOs,
heads of state, activists and other leaders
consisted of nearly half women with 23 this
year, compared with 15 in 2015 and 19 in
2014.
Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi chief minister
Arvind Kejriwal ranked 42nd on the list and is
the sole leader from India. The AAP supremo
was lauded for his odd-even pilot project to
PEOPLE 2016
curb pollution in New Delhi. Kejriwal was the
only Indian leader to feature in the list.
Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
was named among the 30 most
influential people on the
Internet by the TIME magazine.
The magazine described him as
an “Internet star” who used
social media to “conduct diplomacy”.
He is the 14th and current Prime Minister
of India, in office since 26 May 2014. Modi, a
leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was
the Chief Minister of the western Indian state
of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014, and is currently
a Member of the Parliament from Varanasi.
Donald Trump was declared as the Time’s
person of the year 2016, beating Modi in the
final race.
Mehbooba Mufti
Mehbooba Mufti, president of the Peoples
Democratic Party, took the oath as the
first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and
Kashmir on 4th April. Alongside Mehbooba,
22 other ministers were sworn-in by
Governor N N Vohra, bringing to an end the
three-month President’s Rule in the state.
BJP’s Dr Nirmal Singh, who was Deputy
CM in late Mufti Mohammed Sayeed’s
government, will continue in that position.
Mehbooba is India’s second Muslim woman
chief minister after Syeda Anwara Taimur
of Assam. Mehbooba Mufti is the president
of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP).
Mamata Banerjee
Trinamool Congress Mamata
Banerjee sworn in as the chief
minister of West Bengal for
the second consecutive term
on 27th May, 2016. Mamata
Banerjee was administered oath of office
and secrecy by state Governor Keshri Nath
Tripathi. First Chief Minister role taken by
Mamata Banerjee in 2011 when she led an
alliance of Trinamool Congress, Congress
Socialist Unity Centre of India – Communist
against Left Front Rule. Second time
consecutive won in 2016 election by Mamata
Banerjee lead the Trinamool Congress with
211 out 294 seats which is two thirds majority
mark.
PEOPLE 2016 CA-157

Iron Sharmila

Iron Sharmila’s ends her protest against the Armed Forces. The 44 year old Irom Chanu
Sharmila had been fasting since last 16 years, protesting against the anarchy spread in
Manipur due to the Armed Forces. Sharmila, hailing from Manipur, had demanded repeal
of the Armed Forces since 2000. The lion – hearted lady’s appeal have been heard and she
would break her fast on the morning of 9th August, before a judicial magistrate, following
which she would be released from the judicial custody. To ensure that the iconic rights
activist is alive, she was forcibly fed through a nasal tube since 2000.

Jayalalithaa Jayaraman
Jaylalithaa’s life in politics is well documented. Her steady
growth from a party secretary to a member of Rajya Sabha to
the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu is a long saga of adventure,
struggle and success. Whatever one might judge her and her
politics, it is impossible to disassociate Jayalalithaa’s name
from the politics of modern India.
Once a classical dancer, later a popular actress, she became
the face of the state’s politics in the 21st century. Jayalalithaa
revered as ‘Amma’ by lakhs of her loyalists has had one of the
most interesting expeditions any modern politicians have had. However the great saga
of the Iron lady came to end as Amma is no more. Jayalalithaa who suffered a cardiac
arrest passed away on 5 December 2016. She was 68.
Jayalalitha was born in Mysore on 24 February 1948. She hails from a Tamil Iyengar
family. Her father Jayaram, a lawyer by profession, passed away when she was just two
years old. She completed her schooling from Bishop Cotton Girls’ High School, Chennai,
and Sacred Heart Matriculation School in 1964. However, she took up films shortly
after that. Her career saw her working in films of different languages, including English,
Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu.
In 1982, Jayalalitha became a member of the AIADMK, a party founded by M.G.
Ramachandran. It marked her entry into politics. In 1984, Jayalalitha came to the
forefront during the elections to the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assembly in Tamil
Nadu in December 1984.
On 24 June 1991, she became the youngest ever and the second female Chief Minister of
Tamil Nadu. She held the position till 12 May 1996. The 1998 general election of the Lok
Sabha saw the AIADMK and its alliance securing 30 out of 40 seats. In February 2002,
she was elected from the constituency of Andipatti. She remained the Chief Minister of
Tamil Nadu from 2 March 2002 to 12 May 2006.
Again in the 2011 Legislative Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK and its
allies bounced back, winning 203 seats out of 234, with the AIADMK securing 150 seats
on its own.
Jayalalitha had to step down from her post of the Chief Minister in September 2014
when a trial court in Karnataka held her guilty in an 18-year-old disproportionate
assets (amounting to ` 66.65 crore) and corruption case. The court had sentenced her
to a four-year jail term with a fine of ` 100 crore, but she challenged this verdict in
Karnataka High Court. On 11 May 2015, the Karnataka High Court acquitted Jayalalitha
in the Disproportionate Assets case.
J. Jayalalitha was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for a record-equaling
fifth time on 23 May 2015. Again she took oath as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for a
record sixth time on 23 May 2016. No one can deny the fact that she worked tirelessly
for her party. She has passed away at a lesser age, but her legacy will stay forever.
 CA-158 PEOPLE 2016

O Panneerselvam
AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam, 65, was sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
following the death of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. He was administered the oath of
office and secrecy by Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao at a solemn ceremony held in the
Raj Bhavan, Chennai on 6th Dec 2016. This is for the third time he has sworn in as Chief
Minister of Tamil Nadu.
Panneerselvam was born on January 14, 1951 in Periyakulam, Tamil Nadu. He started
his political career as chairman of Periyakulam Municipality (1996 to 2001). Previously
in Jayalalithaa’s government he had served as Minister of Revenue Department (March
2002 to December 2002), Minister for Public Works (December 2002 to May 2006) and
Finance Minister (May 2011 to September 2014).
Earlier he had served CM for two brief periods from 2001-02 and 2014-15 after
Jayalalithaa was unseated from the post by the courts on various grounds. Panneerselvam
has been a trusted aide of AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa. After her death, he was elected
the leader of the Legislature Party. He will have remaining four years term of the
Jayalalithaa Government.

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed tutor there on a temporary basis. He joined

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti
Mohammad Sayeed passed away on 7
January, 2016 at the AIIMS hospital in
New Delhi. He was 79. Sayeed founded the
Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP). Born on 12 January, 1936, the
leader had been a member of the Indian
National Congress party until 1987. In
1987, he quit the Congress party to join V.
P. Singh’s Jan Morcha. He became the first
Muslim Minister for Home Affairs in the
Union Cabinet of India in 1989. He rejoined
the Congress under P V Narasimha Rao.
However, Sayeed left the Congress in 1999
along with daughter Mehbooba Mufti to
form his own party, Jammu and Kashmir
People’s Democratic Party.
Kalikho Pul
Kalikho Pul was sworn in as the ninth
Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh on 19
February, 2016. Pul was sworn in as the
CM with the support of 18 rebel Congress
MLAs, and two Independents and 11 BJP
MLAs who gave outside support. Pul was
born on 20 July, 1969 in the Walla village of
Hawai, Anjaw district and belonged to the
Kaman Mishmi ethnic group.
Pul was 13 months old when his mother
Koranlu died in 1967. His father Tailum
died when he was around six years old
after which he lived with his aunt’s family
and helped support the family by collecting
firewood. He left school and when he was
10 years old to join a carpentry course at
the Hawai Craft Centre. He also worked as a
a night school and one day in a function
held at the school he delivered a welcome
speech and sang a patriotic song in Hindi
where education minister Khapriso Krong
and Lohit Deputy Commissioner D S Negi
were present. Upon Negi’s insistence the
school officials had Pul admitted to a day
boarding school. While still studying, Pul
took up the job of watchman at the Circle
Office. Pul later earned a living by opening
a paanshop, making bamboo fences and
thatched houses, and building concrete
structures. He graduated in economics and
also studied law.
PA Sangma
Former Lok Sabha Speaker
Purno Agitok Sangma died on
4 March, 2016. He was 68
years old. He is survived by
daughter Agatha Sangma,
former Minister of State in
the UPA-led Government and Conrad
Sangma, the Leader of the Opposition in the
Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.
P. A. Sangma was born on 1st September,
1947 in village Chapathi in West Garo Hills,
Meghalaya to Dipchon Ch. Marak and Smt.
Chimri A. Sangma.
He did his graduation in B.A. (Hons.) from
St. Anthony’s College, Shillong.
Rakesh Kumar Chaturvedi
Rakesh Kumar Chaturvedi was appointed as
new Chairman of CBSE on July 14, 2016 and
Vijay Kumar Dev the new Deputy Election
PEOPLE 2016
Commissioner as a bureaucratic reshuffle
of 19 Additional Secretaries and 29 Joint
Secretaries was carried out. Chaturvedi, a
1987 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh,
has been appointed for a period of five years.
K B Hanumantharayappa
On 8th August, 2016, K B Hanumantharayappa
was inducted as the Chairman of the Central
Silk Board, Union Ministry of Textiles, for
tenure of three years. Hanumantharayappa is
the 25th Chairman of the Central Silk Board.
Hailing from a traditional silk – weaving family
INTERNATIONAL
David Warner
Australia’s opening batsman David Warner
has won the Allan Border Medal and also
the Test Player of the Year on 27th January.
He became the 11th player to receive the
Allan Border Medal for 2016, Australian
cricket’s greatest individual honour.
David Andrew Warner, born on 27 October
1986 is an Australian cricketer and the vice
captain of the team in all 3 formats of the
game. An explosive left-handed opening
batsman, Warner is the first Australian
cricketer in 132 years to be selected for
a national team in any format without
experience in first-class cricket. He currently
plays for New South Wales, the Sunrisers
Hyderabad and the Sydney Thunder. He
became vice-captain of Australia across Test
and ODI formats of the game, in August 2015.
Angelique Kerber
Germany’s Angelique Kerber won her first
Grand Slam title at the Australian Open
on 30th January. She won against world
no. 1 serena williams. The seventh seeded
Kerber won the thrilling final by 6-4 3-6 6-4
at Melbourne Park. This made her the first
German to win a major singles title since
Steffi Graf at the 1999 French Open.
Angelique Kerber is a German professional
tennis player who is currently ranked world
No.1 in women’s singles tennis by the
Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). Having
made her professional debut in 2003,
Kerber rose to prominence upon reaching
the semifinals of the 2011 US Open, at which
time she was ranked no. 92 in the world.
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in Karnataka, besides being a sericulturist
and a weaver, Hanumantharayappa is also
a senior political persona from the BJP. He
is born and brought up in Doddaballapura
Karnataka.
Jagdish Singh Khehar
Present Chief Justice of India, T.S. Thakur has
recommended the name of Justice JS Khehar
to be the next Chief Justice Khehar is the
senior most judge of the Supreme Court. He
will be sworn in as CJI on January 4, 2017. He
will be 44th CJI.
Novak Djokovic
World number one and
defending champion Novak
Djokovic won the 2016 Australian
Open. Djokovic defeated Andy
Murray 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 in the final.
With this win Djokovic clinched his sixth
Australian Open title and 11th Grand Slam
trophy which puts him 5th at the all-time
leading Grand Slam title winners.
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional
tennis player who is currently ranked
world No. 2 in men’s singles tennis by the
Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
He is considered one of the greatest tennis
players of all time.
Geetakshi Arora
Geetakshi Arora, a post graduate student
of the South Asia Institute at the School of
Oriental and African Studies, University of
London has won the first Noor Inayat Khan
Prize for 2016. She won the prize which
consists of £1,000 and a certificate for her
dissertation on “Goddess Myths in Graphic
Novels: Reimagining Indian Feminity”.
Noor Inayat Khan worked as a secret agent
during the Second World War and was sent
to Nazi-occupied Paris in 1943 where she
worked as a wireless operative sending
intelligence reports to the Allies. She was
betrayed, arrested and killed in Dachau
Concentration Camp at the age of 30. She
was a descendant of Tipu Sultan.
Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust has
inaugurated the Noor Inayat Khan Prize in
memory of the second world war heroine.
Shrabani Basu is the founder and chair of
the trust. The prize consists of 1000 pounds
and a certificate.
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Mother Teresa
The Vatican announced on 15th
March that Pope Francis will
declare Mother Teresa of
Kolkata a saint on 4 September,
2016 one day before the 19th
anniversary of her death.The Pope cleared
the way for Mother Teresa’s canonization
last December, after deciding that the 2008
healing of a Brazilian man with a brain
infection and kidney disease had been due
to her intercession.
St. John Paul II beatified Mother Teresa
in 2003, after recognizing as miraculous
the healing of an Indian woman whose
caregivers had prayed to the late missionary.
Affectionately known as the “saint of the
gutter” for her unconditional love for the
poor, abandoned and marginalized, Mother
Teresa earned several international honours,
including the “Nobel Peace Prize” in 1979.
She had founded the Missionaries of Charity,
a religious order dedicated to care of the
“poorest of the poor,” in Kolkata, in 1950.
Andrew Wiles
British mathematician Sir Andrew Wiles
has won 2016’s Abel prize which is widely
regarded as the Nobel for mathematics.
Wiles won the Abel Prize from the
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
for providing a proof for Fermat’s Last
Theorem.
His work and life are also described in
great detail in Simon Singh’s popular book
Fermat’s Last Theorem. Wiles became
hooked on Fermat’s Last Theorem as a ten-
year-old when he read about it in a book
called “The Last Problem” by ET Bell at his
local library in Cambridge.
Ashley Judd
Hollywood actress and activist Ashley Judd
was appointed as the goodwill ambassador
for the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) on
15th November. Judd was commended
by the UNFPA for her strong dedication
to social justice and passionate advocacy
of the right of every girl and boy to enter
adulthood safely and empowered.
Ashley Judd is an American actress and
political activist. She grew up in a family of
successful performing artists as the daughter
of country music singer Naomi Judd and the
sister of Wynonna Judd. While she is best
known for an ongoing acting career spanning
PEOPLE 2016
more than two decades, she has increasingly
become involved in global humanitarian
efforts and political activism.
Prince
Legendary American musician Prince passed
away on 21st April, 2016 in Chanhassen,
Minnesota, US after suffering from flu-like
symptoms for over two weeks. He was
57. Prince sold tens of millions of albums
worldwide in a career that spanned several
decades.
The artist rose to superstar status with
the release of his landmark album “Purple
Rain.” That album sold millions of copies
and spent 24 consecutive weeks at the
top of the Billboard 200, in part because
of songs “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go
Crazy.”In 2004, Prince was inducted into the
Rock and Roll of Fame, which hailed him as
a musical and social trailblazer.
Muhammad Ali
The former world heavyweight
champion Muhammad Ali died
on 3rd June, 2016, in the US
city of Phoenix.
He was former three times
world heavyweight champion
(1964, 1974 and 1978) who had record-
setting boxing career, which had made him
one of the best-known figures of the 20th
century. He was also known globally for his
civil rights activism. Muhammad Ali was
born as Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. on January
17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, US. He had
started his boxing career at young age of 12
years.
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood, Canadian author has won
2016 Pen Pinter Prize for her contribution
towards political activism, speeches and act
against violation of Human Rights.
PEN Printer prize and Pinter International
writer of Courage Award was establised by
English PEN in the year 2009.
Lionel Messi
Argentina’s skipper and ace
footballer Lionel Messi
announced his retirement
from international duty after
missing in a penalty shootout
as Argentina lost a fourth
major final in nine years. Messi is a five-time
FIFA player of the year, winner of four
PEOPLE 2016
Champions League titles and eight Spanish La
Liga crowns with Barcelona. Messi holds the
records for most goals scored in La Liga, a La
Liga season (50), a calendar year (91), a single
season (73), a Champions League match (5),
and most Champions League seasons (5).
Yoshinori Ohsumi
Yoshinori Ohsumi (71) of Japan has won
the 2016 Nobel Prize for physiology or
Medicine for his pioneering work on
autophagy. With this he becomes the 23rd
Japanese national to win a Nobel prize
and overall the sixth Japanese medicine
Nobel laureate. Mr. Ohsumi had received a
PhD from the University of Tokyo in 1974.
Currently, he is a professor at the Tokyo
Institute of Technology (TIT).
David Thouless, F Duncan M Haldane
and Michael Kosterlitz
British trio of physicists David Thouless, F
Duncan M Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz
have won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics
for their work on exotic states of matter.
They will share the 8 million Swedish
kronor prize. David J Thouless is Emeritus
Professor at the University of Washington,
Seattle, US. Duncan M. Haldane is the Eugene
Higgins Professor of Physics at Princeton
University, US. J Michael Kosterlitz is the
Harrison E. Farnsworth Professor of Physics
at Brown University, US.
Jean-Pierre Sauvage, J Fraser Stoddart
and Bernard L Feringa
Trio of Jean-Pierre Sauvage, J Fraser
Stoddart and Bernard L Feringa have
won the prestigious 2016 Nobel Prize
in Chemistry for developing molecular
machines. Royal Swedish Academy of
Sciences has chosen them for this award
for their individual efforts in developing
molecular machines. These three laureates
will share the 8 million Swedish kronor
(around $933,000) prize equally.
Juan Manuel Santos
The 2016 Nobel Peace Prize has been
awarded to Colombian President Juan Manuel
Santos. He was selected for the prestigious
award by the Norwegian Nobel Committee
for his resolute efforts to bring the more than
50-year-long civil war of Colombia to an end.
He is second Colombian to win Nobel Prize
after writer Gabriel Gracia Marquez who had
won the literature Prize in 1982. Santos is also
second Latin American to receive Nobel Peace
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Prize after Guatemala’s Rigoberta Menchu
had won it in 1992. He was born on 10 August,
1951 in Bogota, capital city of Colombia. He
was elected Colombian President for first
time in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014.
Earlier he had served as defence minister
from 2006 until 2009.
Bob Dylan
American singer-song writer,
artist and writer Bob Dylan (75)
has won the 2016 Nobel Prize in
Literature for “having created
new peotic expressions with the
great American song tradition”. He is the first
American to win the prize since novelist Toni
Morrison in 1993. He was born as Robert Allen
Zimmerman on May 24, 1941 in Duluth,
Minnesota. His debut album was ‘Bob Dylan’
released in 1962. He had adopted the name
Dylan after the poet Dylan Thomas. He is one of
the best-selling artists (musician) of all time and
has sold more than 100 million records. He has
58 singles, 37 studio albums, 11 live albums and
6 collaborations to his name. Besides, his lyrics
have incorporated various political, social,
philosophical and literary influences.
Paul Beatty
Paul Beatty (54) has won the 2016 Man Booker
Prize. With this he becomes the first US author
to win this prestigious literary award for his
social satire “The sellout”. He was born in Los
Angeles in 1962. He had received an MFA in
creative writing from Brooklyn College and an
MA in psychology from Boston University. His
novels are The White Boy Shuffle (1996), Tuff
(2000), Slumberland (2008) and The Sellout
(2015). In 2016, he was bestowed with the
National Book Critics Circle Award (Fiction)
for his novel ‘The Sellout’.
Kate Atkinson
British writer Kate
Atkinson on 4 January,
2016 won the novel-of-
the-year prize at Britain’s
Costa Book Awards 2015
for the second time in
three years. She fetched the award for (A
God in Ruins) a story of war and its
aftermath. With this, Atkinson became the
first author to receive the Costa novel prize
three times: for ‘A God in Ruins’ in 2016,
‘Life After Life’ in 2013 and ‘Behind the
Scenes at the Museum’ in 1995.
Kate Atkinson was born in 1951 in York,
England. She studied English literature at
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the University of Dundee and obtained her
master’s degree in 1974. She subsequently
studied for a doctorate in American literature,
entitled ‘The post-modern American short
story in its historical context’. Her first novel,
‘Behind the Scenes at the Museum’, won the
1995 Whitbread Book of the Yearahead of
Salman Rushdie’s ‘The Moor’s Last Sigh’.
Alan Rickman
Actor Alan Rickman, known for films
including ‘Harry Potter’, ‘Die Hard’ and ‘Robin
Hood’: Prince of Thieves, died of cancer on
14 January, 2016 in London, England. He was
69. One of the best-loved and most warmly
admired British actors of the past three
decades, Rickman gained wider notice for his
film performances as Hans Gruber in Die Hard
and Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film
series. Rickman was born in West London, to
a working-class family, the son of Margaret
Doreen Rose (née Bartlett), a housewife, and
Bernard William Rickman. Rickman’s father
was a factory worker, house painter and
decorator, and former WWII aircraft fitter.
His ancestry was English, Irish and Welsh;
his father was Catholic and his mother a
Methodist. Rickman’s family also included
brothers David and Michael, and sister Sheila.
When he was eight years old, Rickman’s
father died of lung cancer, leaving his mother
to raise him and his three siblings mostly
alone. He played romantic leads like Colonel
Brandon in Sense and Sensibility and Jamie in
Truly, Madly, Deeply. However, he often was
praised for playing roles of numerous villains
in Hollywood big-budget films, like German
terrorist Hans Gruber in Die Hard and the
Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince
of Thieves. In 1995, he earned a Golden
Globe Award, an Emmy Award and a Screen
Actors Guild Award for his portrayal of the
title character in Rasputin: Dark Servant of
Destiny. He won a BAFTA Award for his role
in Robin Hood.
Marvin Minsky
Marvin Minsky, the pioneer of
artificial intelligence, died on 24
January 2016. The mathematician
and the scientist died at the age of
88. Minsky, a professor emeritus at the MIT
Media Lab, helped in work that helped
inspired the creation of the personal computer
and the Internet.
Marvin Lee Minsky was born in New York
City, to an eye surgeon father, Henry, and
PEOPLE 2016
to a mother, Fannie, who was an activist
of Zionist affairs. His family was Jewish.
He attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston
School and the Bronx High School of
Science. He later attended Phillips Academy
in Andover, Massachusetts. He then served
in the US Navy from 1944 to 1945.
Intizar Husain
Veteran Urdu fiction writer and poet Intizar
Hussain died on 2 February, 2016 in Lahore.
He was 92. He was born on 7 December 1923
in India; he migrated to the newly formed
Pakistan in 1947. He was among the 10
finalists for the Man Booker International
Prize for fiction in 2013. He was the first
Pakistan national and the first Urdu writer
ever to be nominated for the international
award. He was conferred upon the Officer of
the Order of Arts and Letters by the French
Ambassador to Pakistan Philppe Thiebaud in
September 2014. His acclaimed novel Basti
was published in 1979 and later translated
into English. He also addressed the history
of Pakistan and the subcontinent. He was
a regular literary columnist for Pakistan’s
leading English-language daily Dawn.
H Deep Saini
Renowned Indian scholar and plant physiologist
H Deep Saini on 9 March, 2016 was appointed as
the Vice Chancellor of the prestigious University
of Canberra. Currently the Vice-President of
the University of Toronto and Principal of the
University of Toronto Mississauga campus in
Canada he will succeed Vice Chancellor Stephen
Parker in September 2016.
Hargurdeep Saini, also known as Deep Saini,
is a notable scientist and plant physiologist.
He has previously served as the dean of the
Faculty of Environment at the University of
Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. An alumnus
of Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana,
and later the University of Adelaide, Australia,
he joined many Indian-origin educationists
holding high positions in Canadian universities.
He began his academic career in Canada in 1982
when he joined the University of Alberta as a
post-doctoral fellow. He is currently a member
of the NSERC’s Biological Systems and
Functions grant selection panel, the Associate
Editor of the Canadian Journal of Botany.
Merrick Garland
President Barack nominated appeals court
judge Merrick Garland to be the next US
Supreme Court Justice on 16 March 2016.
PEOPLE 2016
63-year-old Garland will be 113th Supreme
Court justice of the US.
Garland, who is the Chief Judge on the US
Court of Appeals in D.C. Circuit, will succeed
Justice Antonin Scalia who died on 13
February 2016. Justice Garland is viewed as
a moderate and has won praise from senior
Republican figures. The appointment has to
be ratified by the Senate, but its Republican
majority has vowed to block a vote on any
Supreme Court nominee from Obama.
Ray Tomlinson
American programmer Ray Tomlinson who
has been credited with the invention of
email system and the man who popularised
the @ symbol for addresses passed away on
5th March, 2016.
He implemented the first email program
on the ARPANET system, the precursor to
the Internet, in 1971. He popularised the
use of the @ sign to separate the user name
from the name of their machine, a scheme
which has been used in email addresses
ever since.Tomlinson was inducted into the
Internet Hall of Fame in 2012.
Jim Yong Kim
Jim Yong Kim has been re-appointed as
President of World Bank for a second five-
year term beginning 1 July, 2017. He was
unanimously chosen by the Executive Directors
of the World Bank. He was the only candidate
in a process. Jim Yong Kim is a South Korean-
American physician and anthropologist. He
is the 12th President of the World Bank and
for first time was appointed in 2012. He was
a global health leader and was formerly the
Chair of Department of Global Health and Social
Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Leslie Berland
Leslie Berland was appointed
as the Chief Marketing Officer
(CMO) of Twitter Inc, an
online social networking site
on 26 January, 2016. Before
Berland’s appointment, the
marketing operations was overseen by the
Twitter’s CFO Anthony Noto. Prior to this
appointment, she was working at American
Express (AmEx) as an executive vice-president
of global advertising, marketing and digital
partnerships.
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Saroj Kumar Jha
An Indian national Saroj Kumar Jha was
in news as he was appointed as the Senior
Director for the Fragility, Conflict and Violence
Group at the World Bank on 1 February,
2016. He was appointed to provide strategic
leadership to address the challenge of
fragility, conflict and violence, working across
the Bank Group and in close collaboration
with partners. The WB President Jim Young
Kim assigned him the new role. Earlier to
this, he was the World Bank Regional Director
for Central Asia based in Almaty, Kazakhstan
since February 2012. He also worked as the
World Bank’s Global Manager for Disaster
Risk Management Practice.
DJ Pandian
Former chief secretary of Gujarat DJ Pandian
was appointed vice-president and chief
investment officer of the newly-created Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) on 3rd
February, 2016.
His appointment as vice-president and
chief investment officer was approved by
AIIB. The retired 1981-batch IAS officer of
Gujarat cadre had worked on deputation
with the World Bank in Washington. He
was also the MD of Gujarat State Petroleum
Corporation (GSPC).
Davinder Singh
Indian-origin lawyer Davinder Singh in the
second week of February 2016 was appointed
as a vice-chair of the International Chamber
of Commerce’s Commission on Corporate
Responsibility and Anti-corruption. With
this appointment, Davinder Singh, a citizen
of Singapore, became one of three vice-chairs
of the commission. Other two vice-chairs are
François Vincke of Belgium and Iohann Le
Frapper of France.
He has graduated from the National University
of Singapore, and was admitted to the
Singapore Bar in 1983. He litigated cases in the
Singapore Courts in almost every area of the
law, including landmark cases. He also has
an active international arbitration practice
involving complex commercial disputes and
multiple jurisdictions.
Christine Lagarde
Christine Lagarde, who steered the IMF
through some troubled times including
the Eupropean financial crisis, has been re-
appointed as its Managing Director for a
second five-year term after an uncontested
 CA-164
election on Feb 2016. Ms. Lagarde for first
time was appointed MD in 2011 after IMF
Board had initiated selection process on
merit-based and transparent process. She
was first woman to head the top post of IMF
since its inception in 1944.
Lagarde was born in Paris, France, into a family
of academics. Her father, Robert Lallouette, was
a Professor of English; her mother, Nicole, was
a Latin, Greek and French literature teacher.
Lagarde and her three brothers, all younger,
spent their childhood in Le Havre where she
attended the Lycée François 1er and Lycée
Claude Monet. As a teenager, Lagarde was a
member of the French national synchronised
swimming team. After her baccalauréat in
1973, she went on an American Field Service
scholarship to the Holton-Arms School for girls
in Bethesda, Maryland.
Gianni Infantino
Gianni Infantino has been elected as the
President of FIFA for the remainder of the
current term of office (until 2019) by the
Extraordinary FIFA Congress held in Zurich. He
was elected as the ninth FIFA President after the
second ballot with 115 of 207 total votes.
Gianni Infantino was born on 23 March,
1970 in Brig, Canton of Valais, Switzerland
and holds Swiss and Italian nationality.
Prior to becoming FIFA President, he
was General Secretary of UEFA (Union
of European Football Associations) since
2009 and was associtated with it for past
15 years.
Sushil Koirala
Sushil Koirala, former Prime
Minister of Nepal passed
away on 9 February, 2016.
He was suffering from
Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
and succumbed to the disease.
He served as the Prime Minister of Nepal
from 11th February, 2014 to 10th October,
2015 and was the President of the Nepali
Congress party from 2010 until his death.
Koirala played a key role in the adoption of
Nepal’s new constitution in September 2015.
Htin Kyaw
Htin Kyaw was sworn in as the president
of Myanmar at a ceremony in the capital
Naypyidaw on 30th March, 2016. Kyaw is the
PEOPLE 2016
first civilian leader after more than 50 years
of military rule.
He is a close aide of Aung San Suu Kyi, whose
National League for Democracy (NLD) party
achieved victory in the historic elections in
November 2015. Kyaw won with 360 of the
652 votes cast in the two houses of parliament
and dedicated the victory to Aung San Suu Kyi
who was barred from the post by a clause in
the military-drafted Constitution that forbids
people with foreign relatives from holding the
office.
Sushila Karki
Sushila Karki became the first female acting
Chief Justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court
ending the male domination of top posts in
the judiciary. In September 2015, a specially
elected Constituent Assembly approved the
first post-monarchical constitution, which
gave women the right to “proportional
inclusion” in all government organs.
63-year-old Sushila Karki, the senior-
most judge in Nepal’s Supreme Court, has
done her Masters in Political Science from
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
The crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be
the chief guest for the 68th Republic Day
celebrations on 26 January, 2017. In this
regard, announcement was made by Union
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New
Delhi after the crown prince accepted
invitation. This is the first time that a
leader of the United Arab Emirates would
be honored with the invitation of being the
chief guest at India’s Republic Day parade.
Kersti Kaljulaid
The parliament of Estonia has elected Kersti
Kaljulaid (46) as the President of the Baltic
country. With this, she became Estonia’s first
female president. She had won vote 81-0,
with 20 members absent in the parliamentary
voting. Kersti Kaljulaid is trained biologist
specialising in genetics and also holds an
MBA from University of Tartu. In the late
1990s she had worked as investment banker
at Hansapank that was later taken over by
Swedbank. In 1999, she had joined the office
of then Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar as
an economic policy adviser.
Pramila Jayapal
Pramila Jayapal, the frontrunner for the
State of Washington’s 7th Congressional
PEOPLE 2016
District seat, could become the first Indian-
origin woman to sit in the U.S. Congress.
She is an Indian-American activist and
politician from the state of Washington.
As a member of the Democratic Party,
she has represented the 37th legislative
district in the Washington State Senate
since 2015. She founded Hate Free Zone,
which later became OneAmerica, a group
organising and advocating for many diverse
communities of colour.
Kamala Harris
California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris
(51) created history by becoming the first
India-American to win the US Senate (upper
chamber) seat from the state. She defeated
fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez from her
own party. She will replace Barbara Boxer
who had announced her retirement in 2014
after serving more than two decades in
the Senate. Kamala Harris is an American
politician, lawyer and member of the
Democratic Party. She is the daughter of
an Indian-American mother Dr. Shyamala
Gopalan Harris and a Jamaican-American
father Donald Harris.
Dilma Rousseff
Brazilian incumbent President Dilma
Rousseff was re-elected for her second
four-year term on 26 October, 2014.
She belongs to the center-left Workers’
Party and her second term will finish in
December 2018. Rousseff who is 66 years
old first became President in 2010, thus
becoming the first woman President of
Brazil. She is popular among the poor in
Brazil because of her government’s welfare
policies. Dilma Rousseff (66) after being
elected as a President in 2010 became the
first female President of Brazil. Prior to her
appointment as President, she was chief
of staff to former President Lula da Silva,
since 2005. She served as the Minister of
Energy under former President Lula da
Silva. Her political spine developed as a
Marxist militant who opposed the 1964-
1985 dictatorship.
Donald Trump
Real estate mogul-turned
politician and Republican
Party candidate Donald
Trump (70) was elected as
45th President of United
States of America (USA) on
8th November, 2016. Donald Trump was
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born as Donald John Trump on June 14,
1946 in New York City, United States. He is
the chairman and president of Trump
Organisation, a principal holding company for
his real estate ventures and other business
interests. He had joined his father’s company
in 1968 after graduating in economics from
University of Pennsylvania. In 1971, he took
control of company and renamed it Trump
Organisation. As of 2016, Forbes Magazine
had listed him as the 324th wealthiest person
in the world and 156th in the US.
Fidel Castro
Cuba’s former president and leader of the
Communist revolution Fidel Castro passed
away due to old age on 25 November, 2016.
He was 90. He was commander in chief of
the 1959 Cuban revolution 1959 and had
successfully built a communist state on the
doorstep of the United States during Cold
War. He had ruled Cuba as a one-party state
for almost half a century (from 1976 to 2008)
before handing over the powers to his brother
Raul Castro in 2008 due to ill health. He was
born as Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz on August
13, 1926 in Birán, Holguin Province, Cuba.
In 1953, he was imprisoned after leading an
unsuccessful rising against Batista’s regime.
However was released in 1955 from prison
under an amnesty deal.
Qamar Javed Bajwa
Lt. Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa was appointed
Pakistan’s new army chief (or Chief of
Army Staff, COAS) on 10th December, 2016.
He will succeed Gen. Raheel Sharif who
has formally retired from service. He was
elevated to the rank of four-star general
by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Gen.
Bajwa has extensive experience of handling
affairs in Pakistan-ocupied Kashmir and
the northern areas of Pakistan. He belongs
to infantry’s Baloch Regiment. He has
commanded the 10 Corps, Pakistani army’s
largest corp responsible for the area along
the Line of Control (LoC). He has also served
with a UN mission in Congo as a brigade
commander alongside former Indian army
chief Gen Bikram Singh.
Harinder Sidhu
Indian-origin Harinder Sidhu has been
appointed as Australian High Commissioner
to India. She replaces outgoing High
Commissioner Patrick Suckling. She is
second envoy from Australia with Indian
roots after Peter Varghese who had
 CA-166
ancestral roots to southern Indian state
of Kerala. Harinder Sidhu’s was born in
Singapore and later migrated to Australia.
Her family hailed from Punjab. She holds a
Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Laws
degrees from the University of Sydney. Prior
to this appointment, she was serving as s
senior career officer with the Department
of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She was also
serving as First Assistant Secretary of the
Multilateral Policy Division. Previously, she
had served overseas in Moscow (Russia) and
Damascus (Syria). In her previous roles she
also had served as First Assistant Secretary in
the Department of Climate Change. She also
had served as Assistant Director-General in
the Office of National Assessments and Senior
Adviser in the Department of the Prime
Minister and Cabinet.
Tsai Ing-wen
Tsai Ing-wen was sworn-in as
the President of Taiwan on 20
May, 2016. With this, she
became the first woman to
hold the post in Taiwan. Tsai
was born in Zhongshan
District, Taipei, Taiwan, on 31
August 1956, the youngest of 11 children of
her father. Her given name, Ing-wen, could
be translated as “heroic literature” or
“English language”. During her middle school
period, she studied in Taipei Municipal
Zhongshan Girls High School. She studied law
at the behest of her father. After graduating at
the College of Law, National Taiwan University,
in 1978, Tsai obtained a Master of Laws at
Cornell University Law School in 1980 and
then a Ph.D. in law at the London School of
Economics (1984). Upon her return to
Taiwan, she taught law at the School of Law of
Soochow University and National Chengchi
University, both in Taipei. She was also
appointed to the Fair Trade Commission and
the Copyright Commission. She served as
consultant for the Mainland Affairs Council
and the National Security Council. She also led
the drafting team on the Statute Governing
Relations with Hong Kong and Macau.
Boutros Boutros-Ghali
The former United Nations Secretary-General
Boutros Boutros-Ghali passed away on 16
February, 2016 in Cairo, Egypt. He was 93.
Boutros-Ghali served as UN Chief from January
1992 to December 1996 and became the first
secretary general to be deprived of a second
term as he struggled to impose the UN’s writ
PEOPLE 2016
in a post-cold war world. He was the first
African to hold the position. He helped secure
peace deals between Israel and Egypt.
Born on 14 November 1922 in Cairo, Egypt,
Boutros Boutros-Ghali was an Egyptian
politician and diplomat who was the sixth
Secretary-General of the UN. An academic
and former Vice Foreign Minister of Egypt,
he oversaw the UN at a time when it dealt
with several world crises, including the
break-up of Yugoslavia and the Rwandan
Genocide. In 1992, he submitted An Agenda
for Peace, a suggestion for how the UN
could respond to violent conflict. However,
he was criticised for the UN’s failure to act
during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, which
officially left over one million people dead,
and he appeared unable to muster support
in the UN for intervention in the continuing
Angolan Civil War.
Faustin Archange Touadera
Faustin Archange Touadera has won the
2016 Presidential election of Central African
Republic (CAR) held on 14 February, 2016.
Born 21 April 1957, Faustin-Archange Touadéra
is a Central African politician and academic who
served as Prime Minister of the Central African
Republic from January 2008 to January 2013.
He received his secondary education at the
Barthelemy Boganda College in Bangui before
attending the University of Bangui and the
University of Abidjan. He earned a mathematics
doctorate in 1986, supervised by Daniel
Gourdin at the Lille University of Science and
Technology in France and another doctorate,
also in mathematics, which was supervised by
Marcel Dossa at the University of Yaoundé I in
Cameroon in 2004.
Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson
Iceland ruling coalition on 6 April 2016
named Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson as the
Prime Minister of the country. The coalition
also decided to hold elections in the
autumn. Johannsson, 53, is Agriculture and
Fisheries Minister and deputy leader of the
Progressive Party (PP).
Earlier, the polls were scheduled to take
place in the spring of 2017. He will succeed
Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson who resigned
on 5 April 2016 after his name was
leaked in the Panama Papers. The leaked
documents from a Panamanian law firm,
Mossack Fonseca, showed Gunnlaugsson
owned an offshore firm with his wife that
held millions of dollars in debt from failed
celandic banks.
EVENTS 2016
EVENTS
2016
NATIONAL
103rd Indian Science Congress
Place: Mysuru, Karnataka
Agenda/Issue: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi inaugurated the 103rd edition of
the Indian Science Congress (ISC) on
January 3, 2016 in Mysuru, Karnataka. The
theme of this edition of the Congress was
“Science and Technology for Indigenous
Development in India.”
Target/Application: During the inaugural
speech Prime Minister gave a new mantra
and target five Es – “Economy, Environment,
Energy, Empathy and Equity”. The Congress
aims to bring together eminent scientists,
research scholars to popularize science and
foster a scientific temperament. This was
a 5 day event which ended on 7 January,
2016 that witnessed deliberations and
presentation of papers by the scientific
fraternity from across the globe. Many
scientists from different universities and
research delivered plenary talks at the
congress on subjects like Space Science,
Nano Science, Technology & Applications
for the Swachh Bharat Mission and Diseases
and drug development.This will help to
integrate and fuse various application of
sciences into the governmental schemes
and policies.
24th World Book Fair
Place: New Delhi
Agenda/Issue: The 24th edition of New
Delhi World Book Fair held at Pragati Maidan
in New Delhi from January 7-9. This year the
theme of fair was “Vivid Bharat – Diverse
India” based on Cultural Heritage of India.
CA-167
Target/Application: The message of India-
China partnership for the New Delhi Book
Fair 2016 was “Renaissance of Civilizations-
Understanding through exchanges“. Over
1,000 titles in major Indian languages
from ancient to contemporary times
were displayed with the intention to help
promoting culture and languages.
Padma Awards
Place: New Delhi
Agenda/Issue: President of India announced
the names of recipients of year 2016 Padma
awards and approved conferment of 112
Padma Awards on 26 January, 2016.
Target/Application: The Padma awards
are conferred by the President of India at
the Rashtrapati Bhawan around March/
April every year. Padma Awards, the
country’s highest civilian awards, are
conferred in three Categories viz. Padma
Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma
Shri. This year’s list comprises 10 Padma
Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan and 83 Padma
Shri Awardees. The Awards were given in
various disciplines: art, social work, public
affairs, science and engineering, trade and
industry, medicine, literature and education,
sports, civil service which will inspire other
luminary to excel in these fields.
Giriputrika Kalyana Pathakam Scheme
Launched
Place: Andhra Pradesh
Agenda/Issue: Andhra Pradesh Government
has launched Giriputrika Kalyana Pathakam
Scheme to support the tribal women in their
quest for livelihood on 22 January, 2016. The
scheme seeks to reduce rampant infant mortality
and child marriages among tribal people.
 CA-168
Target/Application: The scheme will
provide a onetime financial assistance
of ` 50,000 to each tribal woman who
gets married. The amount will be directly
disbursed to the bank accounts of the
beneficiary through District Tribal Welfare
Office. To avail the benefits of this scheme,
each beneficiary would have to fulfil some
mandatory conditions.
BSNL 4G Service Launched
Place: Chandigarh
Agenda/Issue: Bharat Sanchar Nigam
Limited (BSNL) has started 4G services
at Chandigarh in Punjab circle promising
a speed of up to 100 Mbps on Jan 13, 2016.
With this launch, BSNL became fifth
telecom service provider in India to launch
4G service after Airtel (1st), Aircel (2nd),
Vodafone (3rd) and Reliance Jio (4th).
Target/Application: Now, customers will
be able to download large files upto 1 GB
within few seconds which at present takes
hours on current 2G/3G networks. BSNL
will also provide 4G services to government
agencies for video camera surveillance,
traffic management solutions and home-
land security service in India.
India’s First Aviation Park Launched
Place: Gujarat
Agenda/Issue: District to strengthen the
aviation sector, Gujarat is going to have a
aviation park, on 10th Feb, 2016.
It is an integrated aviation park that aims to
provide a single platform for manufacturing
activities and human resources related to
the aviation sector.
Target/Application: The first phase of
the park is scheduled to get operational by
the end of fiscal year 2016-2017. Gujarat
State Aviation Infrastructure Company
Ltd (GUJSAIL) is planning to develop this
park on Public Private Partnership (PPP)
model.This aviation park will have slew
of facilities including an airstrip, helipad,
training school and space for setting up
small manufacturing units among others.
It has immense potential to create direct
and indirect employment for highly-skilled
resources in the area of aerospace and avionics.
Udyam Aakansha Scheme Launched
Place: Chhattisgarh
Agenda/Issue: The Chhattisgarh government
has launched Udyam Aakansha Scheme
for promoting micro, small and medium
EVENTS 2016
enterprises in the state on Feb 9, 2016.
The scheme would facilitate free online
registration and self-certification to the
investors interested in investment on
micro, small and medium enterprises and
service businesses.
Target/Application: CM Raman Singh had
issued directives to simplify the process
of registration and self-certification for
entrepreneurs so that they could take its
advantage. The scheme would facilitate free
online registration and self certification to
the investors interested in investment on
micro, small and medium enterprises and
service businesses. The investors can enroll
themselves online through website of the
Industries department which will be based
on self certification process.
ENVIS Portal Launched
Agenda/Issue: A new Environment
Information System (ENVIS) portal and
mobile application is launched on 17
February, 2016. It is a central sector Scheme
of the MOEFCC implemented since 1982.
Target/Application: The portal http://
envis.nic.in runs parallel with the Digital
India Objective, which works on improving
the digital literacy in the environment
sector and deliver services digitally all
over the country. The purpose of the
scheme is to integrate country-wide
efforts in environmental information
collection, storage, collation, retrieval and
dissemination.
2016 Hockey India League
Place: Ranchi.
Agenda/Issue: Jaypee Punjab Warriors
clinched the 2016 edition of the Hockey
India League after beating the Kalinga
Lancers on 21 February, 2016. In the final
match played at the Birsa Munda Hockey
Stadium in Ranchi, they defeated Kalinga
Lancers by 6-1 goals.
Target/Application: Hockey India League
(HIL) is a professional field hockey league
in India organized by Hockey India, the
governing body for the sport in India.
The league was established in 2013 and
is sanctioned by International Hockey
Federation (FIH). Currently, there are six
franchisee based teams having players from
India and around the world. 2015 edition of
the league was won by Ranchi Rays.
Rupinder Pal Singh (Delhi Waveriders) was
EVENTS 2016
Player of the Tournament. Mark Knowles
(Punjab Warriors) was Man of the Match.
Armaan Qureshi (Punjab Warriors) was
Goal of the Match. Armaan Qureshi was .
emerging Player of the Match.
Ranji Trophy 2016
Place: Pune
Agenda/Issue: Mumbai won the Ranji
Trophy for a record 41st time over Saurashtra
on 26 February, 2016. With this victory,
Mumbai clinched Ranji title for record 41st
time (10 of them being won with innings
wins) after playing in record 45 finals.
Target/Application: Shreyas Iyer was
the highest run scorer of the series with
1321 runs. Shahbaz Nadeem with 51
wickets was the highest wicket taker of the
competition. Ranji Trophy is a domestic
first-class cricket championship played in
India between teams representing regional
cricket associations. The trophy is named
after England and Sussex cricketer Kumar
Shri Ranjitsinhji and was first played in
1934. At present, the championship is
played between 27 teams which include 21
states (of 29 Indian states) and Delhi (UT).
The format of Ranji Trophy is Round-robin.
Kerala First Digital State Declaration
Place: Kerala
Agenda/Issue: The President declared
Kerala as the first digital state in the
country on 27 September, 2016. It was
announced by President after launching a
digital empowerment campaign of state at
a function to be held in Kozhikkode. The
campaign aims at bridging the digital divide
by 2020.
Target/Application: The President lauded
Kerala’s progress in becoming digitally
enabled, after the launching of the pilot
Akshaya e-literacy project in Malappuram
district in 2002. Kerala was able to achieve
this feat due to the combined efforts
of the government and various social
organizations in the state. Kerala has
successfully linked all villages in the state
with broadband connectivity under the
National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN)
project. It is first state in country to do so.
The broadband connectivity has helped
to provide high-speed internet in all gram
panchayats and remote areas of the state.
CA-169
Setu Bharatam Project Launched
Agenda/Issue: PM Narendra Modi
launched the ` 50,000 crore ‘Setu Bharatam’
project to make all national highways free
of railway crossings by 2019 on 4 March,
2016. This project will be implemented by
the Union Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways.
Target/Application: The project aims
to make all national highways free from
railway level crossing by 2019 to ensure
road safety. Union Ministry of Road
Transport and Highways already has
launched an Indian Bridge Management
System to map 1,50,000 bridges across the
country. So far inventory of 50,000 bridges
has been prepared under it and the first
cycle of condition survey will be completed
by June 2016.
IRNSS-1F Satellite Launched
Place: Sriharikota.
Agenda/Issue: Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched
India’s sixth navigation Indian Regional
Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS)
1F satellite on 10th March, 2016. It was
launched by ISRO’s workhorse satellite
launch vehicle, PSLV-C32 rocket from Satish
Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR), Sriharikota
in Andhra Pradesh. It was PLSV’s 34th mission.
Target/Application: The IRNSS will
provide accurate position information
service to users in India and the region
extending up to 1,500 km from the border.
IRNSS 1F satellite is part of the space
segment satellites of the IRNSS system that
has total constellation of seven satellites. It
has a 12 year mission life.
It will be located in the Geosynchronous
transfer orbit (GTO) in the space with a
20,657 km apogee (farthest point to Earth)
and 284 km perigee (nearest point to Earth).
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Launched
Agenda/Issue: The Union Government
launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
(PMUY) for providing free of cost LPG
(cooking gas) connections to women from
BPL Households on 1st May, 2016.
It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi with the tagline-Swachh Indhan,
Behtar Jeevan.
Target/Application: A sum of ` 8000 crore
has been sanctioned for providing five crore
 CA-170
LPG connections to BPL households. Under
PMUY, each of the beneficiaries will receive
monetary support of about 1,600 rupees to
get a connection of cooking gas. It includes
administrative cost, pressure regulator
booklet and safety hose. The scheme seeks
to empower women and protect their
health by shifting them from traditional
cooking based on unclean cooking fuels or
on fossil fuels to clean cooking gas.
2016 Asia Cup T20 Trophy
Place: Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium,
Dhaka.
Agenda/Issue: India clinched their sixth
Asia Cup title on 6th March at the 2016
edition of the Asia Cup tournament held in
Bangladesh on 6 March, 2016.
Target/Application: India won all of its
matches played in Asia Cup 2016 beating
Bangladesh twice, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and
UAE once. The continental title was held in
Bangladesh from 24 February to 6 March
2016. It was the 13th edition of the Asia Cup.
It was the fifth to be held in Bangladesh and
the first to be played using the T20 format.
3rd Season of Pro Kabaddi League
Place: New Delhi
Agenda/Issue: Patna Pirates won their
maiden Pro Kabaddi League title after
defeating U Mumba 31-28 on 6th March,
2016.
Target/Application: Patna Pirates had a
splendid run during the third season of the
Pro Kabaddi League. Rohit Kumar of Patna
Pirates was awarded Best Raider and Mohit
Chillar of U Mumba the Best Defender of the
Match.
70th Santosh Trophy
Place: SEC Railway Stadium, in Nagpur
Agenda/Issue: Services retained the Santosh
Trophy National Football Championships
title after beating hosts Maharashtra 2-1 in
the final on 14th March, 2016.
Target/Application: National camper Arjun
Tudu scored twice in the space of 11 minutes
(26th and 37th) to help Services clinch
their fifth title overall. Santosh Trophy is an
annual Indian football tournament played
in India and was founded in 1941. The
Trophy is named after the late Maharaja Sir
Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhary of Santosh.
EVENTS 2016
Indian Coast Guard Ship Arnvesh
Place: Visakhapatnam
Agenda/Issue: ICGS Arnvesh, the fast patrol
vessel (FPV) of the Indian Coast Guard was
commissioned at Visakhapatnam, Andhra
Pradesh on 21 March, 2016. The ship is
primarily intended to undertake coastal
patrol, surveillance at sea, anti-smuggling,
anti-piracy operations and search and
rescue operations.
Target/Application: It is propelled by
triple Rolls Royce Kamewa water jets and
can achieve a maximum speed of 33 knots,
and carry a crew of five officers and 34 men.
The vessel is fitted with the state-of-the-art
navigational and communication equipment
including night vision capabilities. Its main
armament comprise 40/60 Bofors guns.
2016 Hockey India Annual Awards
Agenda/Issue: At the Hockey India second
annual awards, Indian hockey team’s
goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and Deepika of
the women hockey team won the Dhruv
Batra Player of the Year award for men and
women, respectively on 28 March, 2016.
Target/Application: Asunta Lakra
Upcoming Player of the Year Award (Women
under 21) was presented to Preeti Dubey,
and the Jugraj Singh Upcoming Player of the
Year Award (Men - under 21) was presented
to Harjeet Singh.
63rd National Film Awards 2015
Agenda/Issue: The 63rd National Film
Awards 2015 were announced on 28th
March, 2016. Awards were given in three
categories; Feature Films, Non Feature
Films and Best Writing on Cinema.
Target/Application: Best Feature Film:
Baahubali
Best Debut Film of A Director: Masaan
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome
Entertainment: Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Asia’s Largest Optical Telescope ARIES
Place: Nainital
Agenda/Issue: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and his Belgian counterpart Charles
Michel remotely launched Asia’s biggest
telescope, the Aryabhatta Research
Institute of Observational Sciences (Aries),
built with Belgian assistance in Nainital
District, Uttrakahnd on 30 March, 2016.
Target/Application: Aries, the largest
optical telescope of its kind in Asia, is a
EVENTS 2016
product of Indo-Belgian collaboration. It
will be used to study star structures and
magnetic field structures of stars. It has
been located at a height of 2,500 metres at
Devasthal in Nainital district. The site was
chosen for getting a clear view of the sky.
The ARIES optical telescope has mirror of
3.6 m diameter. The telescope facility has
been incorporated with high end technology
which enables it to be operated with the
help of remote control from anywhere in
the world.
White Tiger Safari Opened in Madhya
Pradesh
Place: Mukundpur, Madhya Pradesh
Agenda/Issue: Madhya Pradesh Chief
Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated
the World’s maiden ‘White Tiger Safari’ at
Mukundpur in Satna district on 3rd April,
2016. The first of its kind safari is situated
adjacent to the Mukundpur Zoological Park.
It is spread over an area of 25 hectares and
has been built at the cost of 50 crore rupees.
Target/Application: The sanctuary at
Mukundpur, 20km from Rewa, is currently
home to only one white tiger, Vindhya. The
safari houses three white tigers, including
two females named Vindhya and Radha and
one male named Raghu.
Gatiman Express Flagged Off
Place: New Delhi
Agenda/Issue: Railway Minister Suresh
Prabhu flagged off the much-awaited
Gatiman Express on 5th April, 2016
which will cover the distance from Agra to
Nizamuddin station in 90 to 100 minutes.
Target/Application: The Nizamuddin-
Agra Gatiman Express is the first semi-high
speed service in railways, which will run
at a speed of 160 kilometer per hour. It
covers the 200 km distance between two
destinations in one hours and 40 minute
(100 minutes). The train will run six days
a week except Friday in both directions.
It has high-power emergency braking
system, automatic fire alarm, GPS—based
passenger information system and sliding
doors in the coaches.
Stand up India Scheme Launched for
SC/ST, Women
Agenda/Issue: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi launched the ‘Start Up India’ initiative
CA-171
aimed at providing credit to Scheduled
Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and
women borrowers in the non-farm sector
on 5th April, 2016. The scheme is intended
to promote entrepreneurship among
SC/ST and women and further give a
push to government’s financial inclusion
programme.
Target/Application: A Web Portal for
online registration and support services
will be provided. Under the scheme, 1.25
lakh bank branches will provide loans up
to 1 crore rupees to SC/ST and women
entrepreneurs. Thus it will help in creating
2.5 lakh entrepreneurs throughout the
country.
2016 Asian Nations Cup Chess
Tournament
Agenda/Issue: Indian men won the Asian
Nations Cup Chess tournament with a 3-1
victory over Vietnam in the final round
by 3-1 score played in Abu Dhabi on 6th
April, 2016. In the final round match,
Indian Grandmasters S P Sethuraman and
K Sasikiran won the 2nd and 4th boards
while, B Adhiban and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi
drew their respective matches.
Target/Application: This was the third
time that Indian men won the event. They
won at Esfahan, Iran in 2005 and Kolkata in
2009.
World Health Day
Agenda/Issue: April 7th was celebrated
as the World Health Day a global health
awareness day.
This year’s focus was-scale up prevention,
strength care, enhance surveillance.
3rd Asia Ministerial Conference on
Tiger Conservation
Place: New Delhi.
Agenda/Issue: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi inaugurate the 3rd Asia Ministerial
Conference on Tiger Conservation which
took place in New Delhi from April 12-14,
2016.
Target/Application: The conference
is being co-organized by Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change,
National Tiger Conservation Authority,
Global Tiger Forum, Global Tiger Initiative
Council, Wildlife Institute of India, WWF
and Wildlife Conservation Trust.
 CA-172
Twitter Seva Launched By Union
Government For Start-Ups
Agenda/Issue: The Union Government
has launched a “Twitter Seva” to address
issues and grievances of startups, exporters
and importers, and other stakeholders
on 22nd April, 2016. In this regard, an
institutionalised mechanism with a special
Twitter cell has been created in the Ministry
of Commerces Industry.
Target/Application: Queries on matters
relating to Department of Commerce
and Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion (DIPP) will be answered through
this service. It will also address queries
regarding the Directorate General of Foreign
Trade (DGFT), , SEZs, Directorate General of
supplies and Disposals, tea, rubber, coffee,
spices, Agricultural and Processed Food
Products Export Development Authority
(APEDA).
World Earth Day
Agenda/Issue: 22nd April is every
year celebrated as the Earth day all over
the world to demonstrate support for
environmental protection.
Target/Application: Earth year 2016’s
theme is ‘Trees for the Earth.’
2016 Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey
Tournament
Place: Ipoh, Malaysia
Agenda/Issue: Australia dashed India’s
hopes to clinch their ninth Sultan Azlan
Shah Hockey title with a thumping 4-0
win on 16 April, 2016. India settled at the
second position and was followed by New
Zealand (defending champion) at the third
position. This was the second time India
had finished with the silver medal in seven
final appearances.
Target/Application: Earlier, Australia
had won the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey
Tournament in 1983, 1996, 2004, 2005,
2007, 2011, 2013 and 2014. They also
hold record of most titles win of this
tournament. The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is
an annual international men’s field hockey
tournament held in Malaysia. It began in
1983 as a biennial contest. The tournament
became an annual event after 1998.
EVENTS 2016
6th Heart of Asia Conference
Place: New Delhi
Agenda/Issue: The 6th Heart of Asia (HoA)
- Istanbul Ministerial Process was held
in New Delhi on 26 April, 2016 with the
objective of bringing peace and stability to
Afghanistan. The conference was attended
by officials of a number of countries and is
likely to deliberate on a host of issues like
combating challenge of extremism and
terrorism.
Target/Application: The main objective
of the conference is to bring peace and
stability to Afghanistan and speeding up its
reconstruction with a focus on enhancing
investment and connectivity to the country.
HoA conference is a part of the Istanbul
Process established in 2011 which provides
a platform to discuss an agenda of regional
cooperation with Afghanistan at its centre.
The 14 member countries of HoA engage in
result-oriented cooperation for a peaceful
and stable Afghanistan and, by extension,
a secure and prosperous region as a whole.
The 14 participating countries are Russia,
China, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, UAE,
Azerbaijan and Turkey.
World Intellectual Property Day
Agenda/Issue: World Intellectual Property
Day is annually celebrated on 26th April to
highlight importance of intellectual property
rights (patents, trademarks, industrial
designs, copyright) in encouraging innovation
and creativity.
Target/Application: It is celebrated to
raise awareness of how patents, copyright,
trademarks and designs impact on daily
life and to celebrate creativity, and the
contribution made by creators and
innovators to the development of societies
across the globe.
Asia’s First Rice Technology Park in
Gangavati
Place: Karnataka
Agenda/Issue: Karnataka Government has
decided to set up Asia’s first Rice Technology
Park in Gangavati in Koppal district on
9th May, 2016. Apart from it the state
government has decided to set upa Maize
Technology Park at Ranebennur in Haveri
district. Both parks will be established on
EVENTS 2016
the public-private participation model as a
one-stop solution to all problems of rice and
maize growers.
Target/Application: These parks would
pave the way for opening new avenues for
rice and maize growers to add value to their
produce and get better returns and also
enhance quality of the produce.
SAIEVAC Ministerial Meeting
Place: New Delhi
Agenda/Issue: The fourth edition South
Asia Initiative to End Violence Against
Children (SAIEVAC) Ministerial Meeting
took place in New Delhi from 9-11 May,
2016. The meeting assessed progress and
developments of the past decade of regional
effort of SAIEVAC and identify priorities for
SAIEVAC for the next five years.
Target/Application: SAIEVAC is apex body
of the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) nations created to
bring governments of the region into active
engagement for child protection against
violence. It will set strategies and agree on
commitments to ensure the security and
protection of the children of the region.
Air Defence Interceptor Missile, Ashwin
Place: Abdul Kalam Island, Balasore.
Agenda/Issue: Indigenous Advanced Air
Defence interceptor missile, Ashwin
successfully test fired on 16th May, 2016.
The test was the twelfth test of interceptor
missiles fired from a warship in the Bay of
Bengal. Of the 11 tests held earlier, 9 were
successful. The interceptor missile was
test fired from the complex of Abdul Kalam
Island (formerly known as Wheeler Island)
in Balasore district off Odisha coast.
Target/Application: Advanced Air Defence
(AAD) interceptor missile, Ashwin is
the advanced version of low altitude
supersonic ballistic interceptor missile.
It is indigenously developed by Defence
Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) and is capable of destroying any
incoming hostile ballistic missile. It is
capable of destroying any incoming hostile
ballistic missile is 7.5-meter long and weighs
around 1.2 tonnes. It has a diameter of less
than 0.5 meter. It is single-stage solid rocket
propelled guided missile. It is equipped with
a hi-tech computer, a navigation system and
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an electro-mechanical activator. The missile
also has its own mobile launcher, secure
data link for interception, independent
tracking and homing capabilities and
sophisticated radars.
Single Rooftop Solar Power Plant
Place: Amritsar
Agenda/Issue: World’s largest Single
Rooftop Solar Power Plant inaugurated
in Amritsar in Punjab on 18th May, 2016.
The plant has been set up with the cost
of 139 crore rupees and would generate
clean and green energy sufficient to power
approximately 8,000 homes. It will also
help in abating 4-lakh tonnes of carbon
dioxide (CO2) in the next 25 years.
Target/Application: The Rs 139-crore
solar energy plant here has become
country’s largest, with solar panels spread
over 82 acres on eight rooftops of sheds
and a capacity to generate 19.5 MW. The
clean power produced from this plant will
be purchased by the Punjab State Power
Corporation Limited (PSPCL). The first
phase (7.5 MW) of this project was launched
in September 2013 and was synchronised
with the grid in April 2014.
Green-concept Based State Data Centre
Agenda/Issue: Himachal Pradesh became
the first state in the country to have a State
Data Centre (SDC), designed using green
data centre concept on 5th June, 2016.
The SDC will offer 101 people-oriented
services online through an integrated data
base. It would integrate the websites of
various departments and all services can be
accessed through the integrated data base.
Target/Application: It is a major green
initiative as all services would be provided
online and paperless governance will
become a reality. It is first SDC in the
country which has been designed using
green data centre concept to minimise
power requirement and increase power
utilisation efficiency.
World Environment Day
Agenda/Issue: World Environment Day
was celebrated on June 5 to educate global
awareness to tiger-express take positive
environmental action to protect nature and
the planet Earth. The Theme for 2016 is ‘Go
Wild for Life (Zero Tolerance for the Illegal
Wildlife Trade)’.
 CA-174
Target/Application: WED was established
by the United Nations General Assembly in
1972 to mark the opening of United Nations
Conference on the Human Environment
1972 which began in Stockholm.
World Oceans Day
Agenda/Issue: The World Oceans Day was
observed globally on 8th June every year
to raise global awareness about oceans
problems.
Target/Application: The day also seeks
to provide a unique opportunity to honour,
protect, and conserve the world’s oceans.
The theme for 2016 is “Healthy oceans,
healthy planet”.
Thailand Eliminated Mother to Child HIV
Place: Thailand
Agenda/Issue: WHO announced, Thailand
has become the first country in Asia to
eliminate mother-to-child transmission
of HIV and syphilis on 8th June, 2016.
Previously, Cuba was the only other country
and first country in the world to eliminate
mother-to-child transmission under the
WHO’s criteria back in July 2015.
Target/Application: Globally, 220,000
new cases of HIV were recorded in babies
in 2014 and syphilis caused some 200,000
stillbirths and neonatal deaths in 2012. The
chances of mother-to-child transmission
of HIV to their children during pregnancy
are 15-45% if they are untreated. The
risk of transmission of virus in the new
born can reduced with the medication of
antiretroviral medicines.
Teacher Education Portal Prashikshak
Launched
Place: New Delhi
Agenda/Issue: Union HRD Ministry
launches Prashikshak, an online teacher
education portal for District Institutes
of Education and Training (DIETs) on 30
June, 2016. It seeks to strengthen DIETs
and bring quality teachers into the school
education system.
Target/Application: It is an open online
platform for collecting and reporting
data from all DIETs which will help in
the establishment of a strong monitoring
mechanism. Prashikshak users will
comprise pre-service teacher educators,
EVENTS 2016
DIET faculty and principals, policy makers
at district, state and national level and the
general public.
NIVARAN Portal Launched
Agenda/Issue: The Indian Railways has
launched NIVARAN portal to address
different grievances on 1st July, 2016.
Target/Application: It is an online system
for redressal of service related grievance
of serving, and former railway employees.
The system’ will also provide employees of
Indian Railways facility for lodging appeal
to the higher authority in case the decision
is not found satisfactory. Highest controlling
authorities will also be able to monitor the
progress of grievance redressal by field
offices through this system.
Khangchendzonga National Park
Place: Istanbul ,Turkey.
Agenda/Issue: Khangchendzonga National
Park (KNP) in Sikkim has been named a
world heritage site by the World Heritage
Committee (WHC) of UNESCO on July 18,
2016. Khangchendzonga National Park
(KNP) was added in the mixed heritage site
category of the list i.e. it exhibits qualities of
both natural and cultural significance. With
this, it became the first ‘mixed’ heritage site
from India to make it to the list.
Target/Application: The park exhibits
one of the widest altitudinal ranges of any
protected area worldwide. It has a unique
diversity of lowlands, steep valleys and
snow-clad mountains and the world’s third
highest peak, Mt. Khangchendzonga.
PATA Awards
Place: Indonesia
Agenda/Issue: The reputation of Kerala
Tourism has increased after being conferred
with two gold gongs at the Pacific Asia Travel
Association Awards (PATA) on 21 July,
2016. Kerala Tourism won the awards in the
Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media and
E-Newsletter categories respectively.
Target/Application: Kerala had also
featured in the awardees’ list last year for
the Murizis Heritage Project. Pacific Asia
Travel Association (PATA) awards are
given by Pacific Asia Travel Association
and are sponsored by Macau Government
Tourism Office (MGTO). These awards are
presented every year in recognition of the
achievements of 25 separate organisations
and individuals.
EVENTS 2016
Kundakulam Nuclear Power Project
Place: Tamil Nadu
Agenda/Issue: On 11th August, 2016, Unit 1
of the Kundakulam Nuclear Power Project
(KNPP) became India’s single largest
nuclear generation unit with capacity
of 1000 megawatt (MW). The KKNPP is
located in Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu,
around 650 km from Chennai. It is built
under India-Russian Nuclear agreement of
1988.
Target/Application: This power project
has been designed to cater to the power
supply requirement in Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
KKNPP is India’s nuclear power plant to
use imported PWR technology. It has VVER
(Water-Water Energetic Reactor) type light
water reactors. The reactors are built by
the NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation
of India) and Russia’s Atomstroyexport
Company, a subsidiary of Rosatom.
The first Wi – fi Enabled Village Gumthala
Garhu
Place: Haryana
Agenda/Issue: Gumthala Garhu near
Pehowa in Kurukshetra district became the
first Wi – fi enabled village in Haryana on
3rd September, 2016.
Target/Application: This facility uses
bandwidth of 10 mbps through BSNL’s state
of the art network and since it is a hotspot,
multiple users can access the benefits
simultaneously.
Mission Bhagiratha
Place: Telangana
Agenda/Issue: The Mission Bhagiratha
project was launched by state Government
at Komatibanda Village, Gajwel in Medak
District of Telangana on 7th August, 2016.
Target/Application: The objective of the
mission includes providing 100 litres of
clean drinking water per person in the
villages and 150 litres per person in the
urban households. Under it safe drinking
water will be provided to about 25000
rural habitations and 67 urban habitations.
Apart from providing a sustainable and
permanent solution to the drinking water
woes, it also aims to rejuvenate more than
45000 water tanks.
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2016 Kabaddi World Cup
Place: Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Agenda/Issue: The 2016 Kabaddi World
Cup in Ahmedabad, Gujarat from 7 to 22,
October 2016.
Target/Application: The tournament featured
12 teams, namely United States of America,
England, Australia, Iran, Poland, Thailand,
Bangladesh, South Korea, Japan, Argentina
and Kenya. India on 22 October, 2016 won
the World Cup defeating Iran.
E-Library Sugamya Pustakalaya
Agenda/Issue: Sugamya Pustakalaya an
online library for persons with visual
disabilities has been launched on 24th
August, 2016.
Target/Application: The online library has
been created in collaboration with National
Institute of Visually Handicapped (NIVH),
member organizations of Daisy Forum of
India (DFI), Bookshare and powered by TCS
Access. Sugamya Pustakalaya is an online
library for Divyang and houses publications
across diverse subjects and languages and
multiple accessible formats.
National Institute of Visually Handicapped
(NIVH is a premier Institute in the field
of visual disability working under the
administrative control of the Union Ministry
of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Scramjet Engine Flight Tested
Place: Sriharikota
Agenda/Issue: The Advanced Technology
Vehicle (ATV), a sounding rocket carrying
advanced scramjet engines, was flight-tested
from Sathish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikotta
in Andhra Pradesh and has successfully met
all the intended parameters on 28th August,
2016.
Target/Application: The scramjet uses
hydrogen as fuel and oxygen from the
atmospheric air as the oxidiser. During
the test, Air Breathing Propulsion System
(ABPS) using hydrogen as fuel and oxygen
from the atmosphere air as the oxidiser,
was successfully tested. India has become
the fourth country to demonstrate the flight
testing of a scramjet engines. This mission
is a milestone for ISRO’s future space
transportation system.
 CA-176
Indira Gandhi International Airport
Place: Montreal, Canada.
Agenda/Issue: IGI became Asia-Pacific’s first
carbon neutral airport on 27th September,
2016. The announcement in this regard was
made by the Airports Council International
(ACI) during the Airport Carbon
Accreditation certificate presentation
ceremony to IGI in Montreal, Canada.
Target/Application: The IGI airport
is managed by private operator Delhi
International Airport Ltd (DIAL), a joint
venture between the Airports Authority of
India (AAI) and GMR Group-led consortium.
Indira Gandhi International Airport serves
as the primary civilian aviation hub for the
National Capital Region of Delhi, India.
India Wins Historic 500th Cricket Test
Place: Kanpur
Agenda/Issue: India has won the test
match against New Zealand by 197-runs in
their historic 500th cricket Test in Kanpur
on 26th September, 2016.
Target/Application: This victory was
India’s 88th on the home turf. It also gave
them a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series.
India, US Joint Military Training
Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2016
Place: Ranikhet, Uttarakhand
Agenda/Issue: India and United States
Joint Military Training Exercise Yudh
Abhyas 2016 concluded at the Chaubattia
Military Station in Ranikhet, Uttarakhand.
It was conducted from 14 to 27 September,
2016. The YudhAbhyas 2016 aimed at
strengthening and broadening the inter-
operability and cooperation between the
Indian and US armies.
Target/Application: The bilateral military
exercise was the 12th edition in the
YudhAbhyas series which started in the year
2004 under US Army Pacific Partnership
Program. The YudhAbhyas 2016 had
witnessed Field Training Exercises of
Brigade Headquarter based Command Post
Exercise.
India and Russia Joint Military Exercise
Indra 2016
Place: Vladivostok
Agenda/Issue: The eighth edition of joint
military exercise ‘Indra-2016’ between
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India and Russia has begun in Russian city
of Vladivostok on 23rd September, 2016.
Target/Application: The main focus of
this edition of bilateral military exercise is
on Counter-Terrorism Operations in semi
mountainous and jungle terrain under
United Nations Mandate.
Best Horticulture State Award
Place: Haryana
Agenda/Issue: Haryana has won ‘Best
Horticulture State’ award of the Indian
Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA)
on 9th September, 2016. The award was
bestowed upon the state for its concerted
efforts made to increase the income of the
farmers in horticulture.
Target/Application: At present, about 2.5
lakh hectares of land is under horticulture
in Haryana. The state government has
ambitious target to increase it up to 9 lakh
hectares. For this purpose, state government
has decided to set a Horticulture University
in the state. Government will set up biggest
Horticulture Mandi of the country at Ganaur
on the pattern of Shenzhen Mandi of China
and Rungis Mandi of France.
India’s First LIGO Laboratory to Come
up in Hingoli, Maharashtra
Place: Hingoli , Maharashtra
Agenda/Issue: India’s first LIGO (Laser
Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory)
laboratory will be set up in Aundh in Hingoli
district of Maharashtra. The proposal is
approved on 10th September, 2016.
Target/Application: It will be third such
laboratory in the world and first outside the
United States. The existing two laboratories
are located in Hanford, Washington and in
Livingston, Louisiana.
The LIGO-India laboratory will help to
bring considerable opportunities in cutting
edge cutting edge technology for Indian
industries.
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas
Agenda/Issue: Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is
observed on 31 October to commemorate
birth anniversary of Vallabhai Patel.
Target/Application: The idea of Rashtriya
Ekta Diwas was mooted by PM Narendra
Modi in October 2014 to mark the birth
anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
EVENTS 2016
Himachal Pradesh Declared India’s
Second Open Defecation Free State
Place: Himachal Pradesh
Agenda/Issue: Himachal Pradesh becomes
the second State in the country after Sikkim
to achieve the Open Defecation Free State
on 28th October, 2016.
Target/Application: Himachal Pradesh has
successfully achieved total rural sanitation
coverage of 100% in the state. Besides, all
12 districts in state were declared as well as
verified as ODF.
National Ayurveda Day
Agenda/Issue: The first National Ayurveda
Day was observed on 28 October on the
occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti.
Target/Application: Union Government
has decided to celebrate National Ayurveda
Day every year on the occasion of
Dhanwantari Jayanti. This day marks birth
date of Lord Dhanvantari, which occurs
before two days before Diwali on Dhanteras.
Judicial Committee on OROP Report
Place: New delhi
Agenda/Issue: The Union had appointed
one man judicial the committee under the
Chairmanship of retired Chief Justice of
Patna High Court L Narasimha Reddy in
December 2015. It submitted its report on
26th October, 2016.
Target/Application: The OROP scheme
aims to provide ex-servicemen of same
rank and same length of service uniform
pension regardless of date of retirement
provided that the ex-servicemen concerned
had retired from the same rank and they
had served for an equal number of years.
Under this scheme, pension will be re-
fixed every five years of ex-servicemen and
future enhancements in rates of pension
will be automatically passed to the past
pensioners.
India-Sri Lanka Joint Military Exercise
Mitra Shakti 2016
Place: Ambepussa, Sri Lanka.
Agenda/Issue: The fourth edition of the
India-Sri Lanka Joint Military Exercise
‘MITRA SHAKTI 2016’ began at Sinha
Regimental Centre in Ambepussa, Sri Lanka
on 24th October, 2016. Mitra Shakti series
of bilateral exercises is one of the major
bilateral defence cooperation initiatives
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between India and Sri Lanka since 2013. The
previous edition of the exercise between
both nations was successfully conducted in
September 2015 at Pune, Mahrashtra.
Target/Application: The main focus of this
edition of joint exercise is to enhance inter-
operability while carrying out Counter
Terrorism (CT) and Counter Insurgency
(CI) operations under the UN Mandate. This
bilateral military exercise will be conducted
in two stages in which both armies will
get familiar each other’s respective
methodology of such operations, arms and
equipment and the command and control
systems.
India, China Conduct Second Joint
Tactical Exercise
Place: Ladakh
Agenda/Issue: India and China have
conducted second joint military exercise
“Sino India Cooperation 2016” in Ladakh
region along the Line of Actual Control
(LAC) in Jammu and Kashmir on 20th
October, 2016.
Target/Application: The exercise compliments
Hand in Hand series of India-China joint
military exercises that aims to enhance
cooperation and maintain peace and
tranquility along border areas of both
countries.
Himansh, India’s Remote, High-altitude
Station Opened in Himalayas
Place: Spiti, Himachal Pradesh.
Agenda/Issue: A high altitude glaciological
research station in Himalaya called Himansh
began functioning in a remote region in Spiti,
Himachal Pradesh on 11th October, 2016.
Himansh station will provide much needed
fillip to the scientific research on Himalayan
glaciers and its hydrological contribution.
The research lab has been established by
the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean
Research (NCAOR) in Spiti Valley, one of the
most uninhabited parts of the country.
Target/Application: Researchers will
use this station as a base for undertaking
surveys that would digitize the glacier
motion and snow cover variations with
exceptional precision. The Himalayan
region has the largest concentration of
glaciers outside the polar caps. It is called
the “Water Tower of Asia”.
 CA-178
India’s first Social Boycott Bill Passed
in Maharashtra
Place: Maharashtra
Agenda/Issue: The Maharashtra Assembly
passed the Prohibition of Social Boycott
Bill, which seeks to crack down on extra-
judicial bodies on 13th April 2016. With
this Maharashtra became first state in the
country to adopt a comprehensive law to
root out oppression carried out by parallel
justice delivery system (kangaroo court) in
the name of age old traditions, caste and
religion.
Target/Application: Under this Act,
anyone found guilty of imposing any
social boycott on an individual or a group
of individuals can be imprisoned up to
three years and can be fined Rs1 lakh. It
disallows social boycott of any individual
or groups by caste panchayats or groups of
individuals or by its members or by social
or economically influential persons. The
offence registered under the act will be
congnizable and bailable. It will be tried by
a judicial magistrate of the first class.
New Advanced Towed Artillery Artillery
Gun System
Agenda/Issue: India’s Defense Research
and Development Organization (DRDO)
successfully conducted proof firing tests of
a new towed gun currently being developed
for the Indian Army on 15th July, 2016.
Target/Application: The new gun will
allegedly be capable of firing five rounds in
short duration with a maximum range of 40
kilometers, depending on the ammunition
type.
Super Computer PARAM-ISHAN
Place: IIT Guwahati
Agenda/Issue: PARAM ISHAN has been
jointly developed by IIT Guwahati and C
-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced
Computing). It has a peak computing power
of 250 Teraflops and three hundred tera
bites capacity.
Target/Application: PARAM ISHAN is the
fastest and most powerful computer in
North East, Eastern and Southern region of
India outside Bengaluru (Karnataka). It was
inaugurated on 20th September 2016. It will
help to augment the research initiatives and
also in creating an ecosystem for attracting
right talents to the field of research. It can
EVENTS 2016
be also used for Weather, climate modeling
and seismic data processing.
Advanced Guided Missile Destroyer
Mormugao launched
Place: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Agenda/Issue: Indian Navy’s indigenously
built most Advanced Guided Missile Stealth
Destroyer ‘Mormugao’ was launched in
Mumbai, Maharashtra on 17th September,
2016. It has been Christened ‘Mormugao’
after the Mormugao port of Goa, the home
State of Union Defence Minister Manohar
Parrikar.
Target/Application: The stealth vessel
was built by government-run Mazgaon
Dock Shipbuilders Ltd and belongs to
Visakhapatnam class of ships being
constructed under Project 15B. Mormugao
has a displacement of 7,300 tonne with
maximum speed of over 30 knots. It is
fitted also with the Barak-8 long-range
missiles. It is equipped with surface-to-
surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles and
anti-submarine rocket launchers. It is also
capable of carrying two anti-submarine
warfare helicopters.
Counter Terrorism Conference 2016
Place: Jaipur
Agenda/Issue: President Pranab Mukherjee
inaugurated the Counter-Terrorism Conference
on 2nd February, 2016. The conference
recognises that terrorism is undoubtedly
the single gravest threat that humanity is
facing today.
Target/Application: He strongly condemned
the recent terror attacks in the region and
he said the states who encourage and
support provide sanctuary to terrorists
should be identified and held accountable.
The conference recognised that strong
measures against such states must be taken.
The conference also expressed the need for
urgent measures to counter and prevent the
spread of terrorism, violent extremism and
radicalization. Countering terrorism can
be successful by shaping public opinion,
society building and growing a concerted
and integrated counter- terrorism policy.
Hydro-Electric Projects in Himachal
Pradesh
Place: Himachal Pradesh
Agenda/Issue: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi inaugurated three hydro-electric
projects (HEPs) with a generating capacity
EVENTS 2016
of 1,732 MW in Himachal Pradesh on 18th
October, 2016.
Target/Application: These three hydro-
electric projects are Koldam HEP: It is
4×200 MW capacity project executed by
National Thermal Power Corporation
(NTPC).Parbati HEP: It is Stage-III project
with a capacity of 530 MW of National
Hydropower Corporation (NHPC).
Rampur HEP: It is 412 MW capacity
project of Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN).
These three projects will collectively play
an important role in boosting the Hydro-
power sector of Himachal Pradesh.
Smart India Hackathon Launched
Agenda/Issue: The Union Ministry of
Human Resource Development (HRD) has
launched Smart India Hackathon 2017
on 10th November, 2016. It is the world’s
largest digital national building initiative.
Through this initiative, HRD Ministry is keen
to reach out to all technology institutions
in the country and challenge students to
offer innovative solutions to some of the
daunting problems faced by our nation.
Target/Application: The Hackathon aims
to find digital solutions by harnessing
creativity and technical expertise of over
30 lakh students from technology institutes
in remotest parts of India. Besides, it seeks
to spark several institute-level hackathons
countrywide and help build a funnel for
‘Startup India, Standup India’ campaign.
The initiative will help to institutionalize
a model for harnessing the creativity and
skills of youth for nation-building.
India Overtakes Thailand As World’s
Largest Rice Exporter
Agenda/Issue: India has gone past
Thailand as the world’s largest rice
exporter in 2015 by exporting 10.23 million
tonnes as per Thai rice exporters report
on January 28, 2016. It was announced by
Charoen Laodhammatas who is a Chairman
of Bangkok based Thai Rice Exporters
Association
Target/Application: Thailand ranked second
on the list of the world’s largest rice
exporting countries which has exported 9.8
million tonnes of rice to the world market
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in year 2015 compared to 10.9 million
tonnes in year 2014. Vietnam was ranked
third largest rice exporter with 6.4 million
tonnes. China has remained the number one
importer country of rice in the year 2015.
Incredible India Tourism Investors
Summit 2016
Agenda/Issue: Incredible India Tourism
Investors Summit (IITIS) 2016 began in New
Delhi on 21st September, 2016. It was a three
day summit that has been organized by the
Union Ministry of Tourism in association with
Tourism Finance Corporation of India (TFCI)
and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
Target/Application: The summit was
focused on Investment Opportunities in
various sectors in India which includes
Road, Highways, Oil and Gas, Urban
Infrastructure, Railways and many more.
IITIS will provide a common platform for
domestic and international investors to
meet project owners from across Indian
states and the private sector. It will host
presentations of investible properties,
session on why invest in India, Micro of
Small and Micro Enterprises (MSME) in
tourism sector.
Agartala-Akhaura Rail Link
Agenda/Issue: Government has
sanctioned `580 crore for Agartala-
Akhaura railway link Project to connect
Kolkata (West Bengal) with Tripura via
Bangladesh on 9th February, 2016.
It is 15 km long strategic railway route that
would connect the Indian Railways with the
Bangladesh Railways.
Target/Application: The 1,650-km expanse
between Agartala and Kolkata will be
reduced to only 550 km once the new rail
track is linked through Bangladesh. The
work on this project is expected to complete
by 2017. This project will play important
role in India’s ‘Act East’ Policy and is
expected to improve connectivity and boost
trade between the two countries. It will also
reduce the current 1700 km road distance
between Kolkata to Agartala via narrow
Chicken Neck Siliguri corridor to just 350
km by railway.
Yes Bank Wins Green Bond Award
Place: London Stock Exchange
Agenda/Issue: India’s leading private
lender Yes Bank has won the prestigious
 CA-180
Green Bond Pioneer Award for being the
‘Pioneers in Emerging Markets-India’ at a
ceremony held in London, United Kingdom
on 25th February, 2016.
Target/Application: Yes Bank was recognised
for its pioneering efforts in the Green Bonds
market; including the highly successful
issuance of India’s first ever Green Infrastructure
Bonds. The Green Bond Pioneer Awards for
‘Pioneers in Emerging Markets-India’ were
organised by Climate Bonds Initiative
(CBI). This award was launched to increase
awareness on green bonds in the global
investor and corporate community and also
to acknowledge global leadership in the
sector.
Kerala Tourism’s Muziris Heritage Project
Place: Kodungalloor, Kerala
Agenda/Issue: Presidant Pranab Mukherjee
inaugurated the first phase of the Muziris
Heritage Project at the International
Research and Convention Centre at
Trissur in Kerala on 27th February, 2016.
The project is Kerala Government’s first
green Project and India’s largest heritage
conservation project. President also
launched the website of the MHP.
Target/Application: The Government of
Kerala has initiated the Muziris Heritage
Project to restore the historical and
cultural significance of the legendary port
of Muziris. Muziris was an ancient seaport
and urban centre which dates from at least
the 1st century BC and located at the mouth
of the Periyar River in Kerala. It was a key
centre for trade and hub of the spice route
in ancient times between southern India on
one side and Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks
and Roman Empire on the other side.
Defence Expo 2016
Place: Goa
Agenda/Issue: During the ninth edition
of Defence Expo India-2016 Defence
Procurement Policy was unveiled on 28th
March, 2016. This is for the first time, the
Expo is being held outside the national
capital New Delhi. Defence Expo 2016 is
the 9th edition of the series of biennial
land, naval and internal homeland security
systems exhibitions.
Target/Application: A total of 204 official
delegations from 44 countries and around
750 non-official business delegations are
EVENTS 2016
attending the show. It is India’s biggest
ever land, naval and homeland security
exhibition Defence Expo.
The Expo will see participation of 1,053
companies from 47 countries including
major defence production countries like
Russia, US, Germany, Italy, Japan and Israel.
They will display their warfare in their
stalls to each other and demonstrate the
capabilities of their defence equipment.
It will also see participation of the major
public and private sector companies in
India including Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO).
Maritime India Summit 2016
Place: Goregaon
Agenda/Issue: Maritime India Summit-2016
was inaugurated at the Bombay Convention
and Exhibition Centre in Goregaon, Mumbai,
Maharashtra on 14th April, 2016.
Target/Application: The first Maritime
India Summit in Mumbai played a key
role in highlighting the role of port led
development for faster and sustainable
economic growth. The main focus of summit
is to give impetus to Make In India and
blue economy. South Korea is the partner
country for the summit.
India Placed at the Top in FDI Destination
In 2015
Agenda/Issue: India has replaced China as a
top destination for foreign direct investment
by attracting $63 billion worth FDI projects
announced in 2015 as per Financial Times
Report on 22nd April, 2016.
Target/Application: The Make in India
campaign and the resultant boost in FDI has
resulted in a whopping increase in FDI job
creation from 1.16 lakh new jobs in 2013 to
2.25 lakh in 2015.
Target/Application: According to the
2016 World Press Freedom Index report
Europe still has the freest media, followed
distantly by Africa, Americas, Asia and
Eastern Europe/Central Asia.
Offshore Patrol Vessel IGCS Shourya
Launched
Place: Panaji, Goa,
Agenda/Issue: Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL)
has launched Indian Coast Guard Ship
(ICGS) Shaurya at Panaji on 7th May, 2016.
ICGS Shaurya is fifth of a series of six
EVENTS 2016
Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) designed in-
house and built by GSL.
Target/Application: This 105-metre new
generation OPV is powered by twin diesel
engines and is fitted with state-of-the-art
navigation and communication equipment.
ICGS Shaurya will be commissioned into
service in 2017. It will be deployed for
search and rescue operations, pollution
control and external firefighting. It will also
be deployed for monitoring sea lanes of
communication and ocean surveillance.
Crony-Capitalism Index
Agenda/Issue: India is ranked ninth in
2015 Crony-Capitalism Index with crony
sector wealth accounting for 3.4 per cent
of the gross domestic product (GDP). The
index was based on new study by ‘The
Economist’ which had used data from a
list of the world’s billionaires and their
worth published by Forbes on 6th May,
2016. The crony-capitalism index aims
to indicate whether the livelihood of the
people from certain country or city with
a capitalist economy are easily affected by
crony capitalism. It is not an internationally
recognized index due to its limitations.
In this study each individual is labelled as
crony or not based on the source of their
wealth.
Target/Application: In India, the non-
crony sector wealth amounts to 8.3 per
cent of the GDP, as per the latest crony-
capitalism index. In 2014 ranking India
stood at the ninth place. Top countries in
the list are Russia (1st), Malaysia (2nd),
Philippines (3rd) and Singapore (4th). Top
ranking in the list indicates countries are
engaged more in crony capitalism. Russia
ranks worst in the index. The country’s crony
sectors amounts to 18 per cent of its GDP.
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill,
2016
Place: New Delhi
Agenda/Issue: The Parliament has passed
the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill,
2016 on 11th May, 2016. The code seeks to
ensure time-bound settlement of insolvency,
faster turnaround of businesses and create a
unified data base of serial defaulters.
Target/Application: The Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Code is a comprehensive and
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systemic reform, which will give a quantum
leap to the functioning of the credit
market. The Code will consolidate and
amend existing laws related to insolvency
resolution and reorganization of corporate
persons, partnership firms and individuals
in a time bound manner. It provides for
setting up Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board
of India (IBBI) to regulate professionals,
agencies and information utilities (IUs)
engaged in resolution of insolvencies of
companies.
As per the code, in case of insolvency
the interest of the workers must be fully
protected and they should be given dues for
24 months. The code seeks to give a push
to the ease of doing business in the country.
Country’s 1st Contactless Credit Card
Agenda/Issue: India’s largest private
sector bank ICICI Bank has launched
country’s first contactless business credit
card in association with Jet Airways for
small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) on
27th January, 2016.
The card has been christened as the ‘Jet
Airways ICICI Bank Business Advantage
Card’.
Target/Application: The card is powered
by ‘VISA payWave’ contactless technology.
The technology enables cardholder to
make payments by simply tapping card at
contactless enabled terminals in more than
48 countries including India. The card can
also be used by dipping or swiping at non-
contactless merchants.
Simhastha Declaration
Agenda/Issue: India and Sri Lanka
released ‘Simhastha Declaration’ at Ninora
village in Ujjain on 14th May, 2016. PM
Narendra Modi in his address appealed
saints to conduct Vichar Kumbh every year
with devotees and discuss social issues like
the need to educate the girl child or plant
trees.
Target/Application: Simhastha Declaration
has 51 sacred points for betterment of
mankind that will start new discourse not
only in India but around the world. It is
also a prescription on how a duty-centred
system that had been the origin of Indian
philosophy of life is relevant in today’s
India.
 CA-182
GST Constitutional Amendment Bill Passed
Place: New delhi
Agenda/Issue: Rajya Sabha has passed the
Constitution Amendment Bill to smoothen
the progress of of GST on 8th August, 2016.
Target/Application: The primary objective
of the GST is to get rid of unnecessary
taxation. GST is a uniform indirect tax levied
on goods and services across a country.
2016-17 Global Competitiveness Index
Agenda/Issue: India ranks 39th in 2016-
17 Global Competitiveness Index among the
138 countries. The index was released as
part of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF)
Global Competitiveness Report for 2016-17
on 27th September, 2016.
Target/Application: India’s overall
competitiveness has increased due
to improvements in institutions and
infrastructure along with recent reforms
such as opening the economy to foreign
investors and increasing transparency in
the financial system. Switzerland (1st),
Singapore (2nd), United States (3rd),
Netherlands (4th) and Germany (5th).
India Ranks 130th in 2017 Ease of
Doing Business Index
Agenda/Issue: India has been placed at
130th position among the 190 countries
in the recently released World Bank’s ease
of doing business index for the year 2017
published on 27th October.
Target/Application: The ease of doing
business index is annually released by
World Bank in its Ease of Doing Business
Report. It was introduced in 2004.
President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh
Place: Arunachal Pradesh
Agenda/Issue: President Pranab Mukherjee
imposed President’s Rule in Arunachal
Pradesh on 26th January, 2016. Under
Article 356 (1) of the Constitution after
state assembly failed to comply with
the provisions of Article 174 (sessions
of the state legislature, prorogation and
dissolution) of the Constitution. As per the
provisions of Article 174, the session of
state assembly was to be held six months
after the last sitting. But the state assembly
EVENTS 2016
failed to comply with this provision which
may lead to constitutional breakdown.
Target/Application: The political turning
point in Arunachal Pradesh began in
December 2015 after 21 out of 47 ruling
Congress legislators in the 60-member
house rebelled along with 11 BJP and 2
independent legislators and extended
support to Kalikho Pul to form new
government. Later on Kalikho Pul has
been sworn-in as the 9th Chief Minister
of Arunachal Pradesh after Governor JP
Rajkhowa used his discretionary powers to
appoint him.
India Celebrated its 67th Republic Day
Place: New Delhi
Agenda/Issue: India celebrated 67th
Republic Day on 26th January 2016 by
displaying its cultural diversity, economic
progress and military might on Rajpath,
New Delhi. French President Francois
Hollande was the chief guest at the Republic
Day parade. With this he beamce 5th highest
dignitary from France to be Chief Guest of
Indian Republic Day parade.
Target/Application: In this Republic Day
parade, women empowerment was seen as
women contingent of CRPF participated in
the parade. Apart from this, women officer’s
contingents of Indian Nay, Air Force and
Coast Guard also participated as 2nd in
command. For the first time in the history
of Republic Day parade foreign contingent
participated. It was 76-member contingent
35th Infantry Regiment of the French Army
led by Lt Col Paul Bury.
National Conference on Women Legislation
Place: New Delhi.
Agenda/Issue: The President inaugurated
the first Conference of Women Legislators
in New Delhi on 5th March, 2016. The
conference intends to hone the skills of
legislators to perform their legislative
and non-legislative roles with greater
effectiveness.
Target/Application: The theme of the
conference was ‘The Role of Women
Legislators in Nation Building” (Mahila
Janpratinidhi – Sashakt Bharat Ki Nirmata).
The two-day conference will provide
women legislators a platform to interact
with their counterparts from across the
country. It will also bring together women
EVENTS 2016
union ministers, chief ministers, MPs and
eminent women from the judiciary and the
bureaucracy.
National Waterways Bill
Agenda/Issue: Rajya Sabha passed the
National Waterways Bill 2015 on 9th March
2016 to clear decks for the conversion of
106 rivers and creeks across India into
transport waterways.
Target/Application: The bill will convert
111 rivers across the country into National
Waterways which would boost movement of
goods and passengers via rivers and reduce
the transportation costs substantially.
Inland waterways mainly comprise rivers,
lakes, canals, creeks and backwaters.
It extends about 14,500 km across the
country. However, potential of this mode of
transport has not been fully exploited so far.
Good Country Index
Agenda/Issue: India ranks 70th on 2015
Good Country Index in the list of 163 countries
published on 3rd June, 2016. Good Country
Index (GCI) is the biannual index founded by
Simon Anholt, a British government adviser
with an aim is to find ways of encouraging
countries to collaborate and co-operate more,
and compete less. The index seeks to measure
how countries contribute to the global good.
Target/Application: Sweden has been
voted as the best country in the world
when it comes to serving the interests of
its people and contributing to the common
good of humanity while India figured low at
70th position on a list of 163 nations.
Afghan-India Friendship Dam
Place: Herat
Agenda/Issue: PM Narendra Modi, Ashraf
Ghani inaugurates Afghan-India Friendship
Dam in Herat province in Western
INTERNATIONAL
International Customs Day
Agenda/Issue: The International
Customs Day (ICD) has been observed on
January 26 every year to recognize the
role of custom officials and agencies in
maintaining border security. The theme
of the celebration of the International
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Afghanistan on 4th June, 2016. India has a
strategic partnership with Afghanistan and
is implementing number of infrastructure
projects worth 2 billion dollars to help
rebuild the country’s infrastructure. As part
of India’s goodwill diplomacy it has been
supporting an Afghanistan-led, Afghanistan-
owned, broad-based and inclusive process
of peace and reconciliation.
Target/Application: The Afghan-India
Friendship Dam, earlier known as Salma
Dam, on the river Chist-e-Sharif in western
Herat neighbouring Iran, will irrigate
75,000 hectares of land and generate
42MW of power.
8th BRICS Summit Concludes in Goa
Place: Goa
Agenda/Issue: The eighth BRICS summit
was held in Goa from 15 to 16 October 2016.
The summit concluded with adaptation of
Goa Declaration. The two day summit was
attended by the Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping,
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazilian
President Michel Temer and South African
President Jacob Zuma. The theme for the
summit was “Building Responsive, Inclusive
and Collective Solutions”.
Target/Application: BRICS nations
condemned terrorism in all its forms and
stressed that there can be no justification
for such acts. International terrorism,
especially the Islamic State (IS) is an
unprecedented threat to international peace
and security. BRICS nations reaffirmed the
commitment to increase effectiveness of
the UN counter terrorism framework. First-
ever BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit
was also held on side-lines of 2016 BRICS
Summit. The ninth BRICS Summit will be
hosted by China in 2017.
customs day 2016 was “Digital Customs:
Progressive Engagement”.
Target/Application: The day was instituted
by the World Customs Organization (WCO)
to commemorate the day in 1953, Belgium.
It focuses on the working conditions and
challenges that customs officers face in
their jobs. The 2016 theme is “Digital
Customs – Progressive Engagement”.
 CA-184
The Largest Known Solar System
Discovered
Agenda/Issue: Scientists have discovered
the largest known solar system in the form
of gas giant located one trillion kilometres
away on 1st February. This solar system has
large planet known as 2MASS J2126-8140
that takes nearly a million years to orbit its
star.
Target/Application: The planet 2MASS
J2126-8140 has mass between 12 and 15
times of Jupiter and is located about 100
light-years away from Earth. Astronomers
by using lithium signature have estimated
the age of planet somewhere between 10
million and 45 million years old. The newly
discovered solar system is 140 times wider
than Pluto’s path around our Sun.
12th South Asian Games
Place: Guwahati
Agenda/Issue: Prime Minister inaugurated the
12th edition of South Asian Games (SAG) at the
Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium in Guwahati,
Assam on 5th February, 2016.
This event is being jointly hosted by
Guwahati and Meghalaya capital, Shillong
in which over 2,500 athletes from 8 SAARC
nations viz. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan
and the Maldives are participating in it.
Tikhor, a one-horned rhino that represents
endangered fauna of Assam found in
Kaziranga National Park was the mascot of
the event.
Target/Application: South Asian Games
is biennial multi-sport event held among
the athletes from 8 South Asian (SAARC)
countries. It is often hyped as the South
Asian version of Olympic Games. India has
ruled over this multi-sport event right from
the beginning and has bagged the most
number of medals – 1,728 which includes
900 Gold, 542 silver and 286 bronze.
World Cancer Day
Agenda/Issue: World Cancer Day (WCD)
was observed on 4 February across the
world to raise awareness of cancer and to
encourage its prevention, detection, and
treatment. The theme for year 2016 WCD
was “We can. I can”
Target/Application: The main aim of the
World Cancer Day is to significantly decrease
illness and death caused by cancer by 2020.
EVENTS 2016
The Union for International Cancer Control
(UICC) had founded the WCD in 2008 by
formally writing the goals of the World Cancer
Declaration. The primary goal of observing
the day is to reduce illness and death caused
by it by 2020. UICC is a Geneva based leading
international non-governmental organisation
(NGO) founded in 1933.
West Indies Wins ICC U-19 Cricket
World Cup 2016
Place: Mirpur
Agenda/Issue: West Indies won the ICC
Under-19 Cricket World Cup for the first
time over three-time winner India by five
wickets played at Mirpur (Bangladesh) on
14th February, 2016.
Target/Application: Acemen Ryan John
and Alzarri Joseph each took three wickets
as West Indies bowled out India for 145
after the West Indian captain chose to
field first on winning the toss. This was
the 11th edition of the tournament and
overall 17th edition of international U-19
cricketing teams participated. It was held in
Bangladesh. Indian side was captained by
Ishan Kishan.
66th Berlin International Film Festival
Place: Berlin, Germany.
Agenda/Issue: The 66th Berlin International
Film Festival was held in Berlin, Germany
from 11 February to 21 February 2016.
American actress Meryl Streep was the
President of the Jury.
Target/Application: The jury consisted
of American actress Meryl Streep as the
President of the Jury, Lars Eidinger, Nick
James, Brigitte Lacombe, Clive Owen Alba
Rohrwacher and Małgorzata Szumowska.
Other prizes include, Honorary Golden
Bear: Michael Ballhaus. Silver Bear for
best director: Mia Hansen-Løve (France)
for Things to Come. Silver Bear for Best
Actress: Trine Dyrholm (Denmark) for The
Commune. Silver Bear for Best Actor: Majd
Mastoura (Tunisia) for Hedi. Silver Bear for
Best Script: Tomasz Wasilewski for United
States of Love. Jury Grand Prix (Silver Bear):
Death in Sarajevo by Danis Tanović.
World Wildlife Day
Agenda/Issue: World Wildlife day was
observed across the world on 3rd March.
It is designated as World Wildlife Day
to celebrate and raise awareness of the
world’s wild fauna and flora.
EVENTS 2016
Target/Application: The theme for 2016
theme was “The future of wildlife is in our
hands”, with African and Asian elephants
being the main focus of global campaigns.
The date is the day of the adoption of the
Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES) in 1973, which plays an important
role in ensuring that international trade
does not threaten the species’ survival.
International Women’s Day
Agenda/Issue: International Women’s Day
was observed on 8th March to highlight the
achievements of women while calling for
greater equality. The 2016 theme is “Planet
50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender
Equality”.
Target/Application: It reflects acceleration
of the 2030 Agenda, building momentum
for the effective implementation of the new
Sustainable Development Goals.
International Women’s Day was first observed
as a popular event after 1977 after the United
Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has
proclaimed to observe March 8 as the UN Day
for Women’s Rights and World Peace.
World’s Longest all-women Flight
Agenda/Issue: Air India flew the “world’s
longest” all-women operated and supported
flight from New Delhi to San Francisco on
6th March, 2016. The flight was operated
as part of International Women’s Day
celebrations.
Target/Application: The flight travelled
a distance of around 14,500 kilometre in
close to 17 hours ahead of the International
Women’s Day celebrations on 8th March.
ExoMars 2016 Spacecraft
Agenda/Issue: An unmanned spacecraft
named ExoMars 2016 was successfully
launched jointly Europe and Russia to search
for biosignatures on Mars (or Martian life) in
past or present on 14th March, 2016.
The spacecraft was launched on a Proton-M
rocket operated by Russia’s Roscosmos
from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. ExoMars 2016
is the first of a two-phase of ExoMars
(Exobiology on Mars) program.
Target/Application: ExoMars program is
an astrobiology mission of European Space
Agency (ESA) and Russian Federal Space
Agency (Roscosmos). Its primary Goal is
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to address the question of whether life has
ever existed on Mars. Its sole purpose is to
search (trace) evidence of methane (CH4)
and other atmospheric gases that could be
signatures of active biological or geological
processes on Mars.
10th Asian Film Awards
Place: The Venetian Casino and Hotel in Macau.
Agenda/Issue: The 10th Asian Film Awards
ceremony was held at the Venetian Theatre
in The Venetian Casino and Hotel in Macau
China on 17th March, 2016. The Assassin
has bagged 8 awards in different categories
in the 2016 Asian film Awards. It is directed
by Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien.
Target/Application: The award show
is held annually by the Hong Kong
International Film Festival Society to
recognize the excellence of the film
professionals in the film industries of
Asian cinema. It was Inaugurated in 2007.
It is held in Hong Kong for last seven years
and the 8th moved to one of Asia’s fastest
growing entertainment hubs, Macau.
West Indies Clinch 2016 ICC World T-20
Place: Kolkata
Agenda/Issue: West Indies clinched
their second World T20 title after beating
England in the final by 4 wickets in the final
match played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on
27th March, 2016.
With this win, West Indies became the only
team to win the ICC World Twenty20 title
twice. Earlier it had won its first title in
2012 by defeating Sri Lanka.
Target/Application: West Indies became
the first team to win both the men’s and
women’s World Twenty20s. Player of the
match was Marlon Samuels (West Indies).
Player of the series was Virat Kohli (India).
Lee Chong Wei Wins 2016 Malaysian
Open
Agenda/Issue: Lee Chong Wei won his
11th Malaysia Open title by defeating world
number one Chen Long from China 10th
April 2016.
Target/Application: The title is Chong
Wei’s 11th Malaysia Open crown after
having won in 2004, 2005, 2006 and
consecutively from 2008-2014.
 CA-186
Indo-Mongolia joint exercise ‘Nomadic
Elephant’ 2016
Place: Mongolia.
Agenda/Issue: The 11th Indo-Mongolia
joint training Exercise, ‘Nomadic Elephant
- 2016’ has started on 25th April. It seeks
to promote military associations between
India and Mongolia. The first joint exercise
was held in 2004 and since then it is
annually held.
Target/Application: Aim of exercise is
to develop synergy and interoperability
between the two armies to fight in Counter
Insurgency and Counter Terrorism (CICT)
environment under the United Nation
mandate. In this edition, a platoon of the
Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army along
with a team of two observers is taking part
in the event.
World Refugee Day
Agenda/Issue: Each year 20th June is
observed internationally as World Refugee
Day. It is observed to raise awareness of the
situation of refugees throughout the world.
Target/Application: The observance of the
day seeks to draw attention to the plight of
refugees and also to celebrate their courage
and resilience and renew commitment to
solve refugee problems.
Global Human Capital Index
Agenda/Issue: India ranked 105th out of
130 countries on global human capital index
on the 2016 Human Capital Index (HCI),
which was released in the World Economic
Forum (WEF) report on 28th June, 2016.
The report was released by Geneva-WEF
in the Chinese city of Tianjin at its Annual
Meeting of New Champions which is also
known as `Summer Davos’ summit.
Target/Application: Finland, Norway and
Switzerland hold the top three positions,
utilising around 85 per cent of their human
capital. Japan leads when it comes to 55 year-
olds and over. India has got better rankings
HCI’s indicators such as quality of education
system (39th), staff training (46th) and ease
of finding skilled employees (45th).
2016 UEFA European Football
Championship
Place: Paris, France
Agenda/Issue: Portugal has won the 2016
UEFA European football championship
EVENTS 2016
(Euro Cup 2016) by defeating host France.
on 10th July, 2016. It was Portugal’s first
UEFA European Championship title.
Target/Application: With this victory,
Portugal has earned the right to compete at
the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup hosted
by Russia. Golden Boot: Antoine Griezmann
(France) – 6 goals, 2 assists. Silver Boot:
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 3 goals,
3 assists. Bronze Boot: Olivier Giroud
(France) – 3 goals, 2 assists. Young Player of
the Tournament: Renato Sanches (Portugal)
– aged 18.
Airlander 10: World’s Biggest Aircraft’s
First Flight
Place: Cardington, England.
Agenda/Issue: The first flight of Airlander
10 is a historic success and marks the
commencement of Airlander 10’s Flight
Test Programme at an airfield in Cardington
in central England on 17th August, 2016.
It is a hybrid airship made by Hybrid Air
Vehicles in United Kingdom.
Target/Application: Airlander 10 has
been widely hailed as an innovation that
will have a hugely positive impact on the
world by providing low carbon aviation and
brand new capabilities in the sky. It can fly
at up to 4,880 metres and reach speeds of
148 kilometres per hour. It can also carry a
10-tonne payload. It can stay airborne for
more than two weeks unmanned and up to
five days if manned.
World Risk Index 2016
Agenda/Issue: India ranks 77th on 2016
World Risk Index among the 171 countries.
The index was released as part of the
World Risk Report 2016 released by the
United Nations University Institute for
Environment (UNUIE) and Human Security
(UNU-EHS) and Bundnis Entwicklung
Hilft in cooperation with the University of
Stuttgart in Germany on 25th August, 2016.
Target/Application: The no.1 position on
the index has gone to the Island state of
Vanuatu, which displayed the greatest risk
in 2016.
First Russia-Pakistan Military Exercise
Druzhba-2016
Place: Pakistan
Agenda/Issue: The first military exercise
between Russia and Pakistan named
Druzhba-2016 (Friendship-2016) completed
EVENTS 2016
in Pakistan on 10th October, 2016. The
military exercise is taking place at the Army
High Altitude School in northern Pakistan’s
Rattu and at a special forces training centre
in Cherat.
Target/Application: The two week long
joint military drills aims at bolstering and
building military cooperation between the
two countries. It will involve experience
sharing and develop coordination in
carrying out practice combat tasks in a
mountainous environment, including
operations against illegal armed groups.
With this, Pakistani Army and Russian
Ground Forces (RGF) have come together
for the first time in military exercises
reflecting growing military ties between
two former Cold War rivals.
China-Russia Joint Naval Exercises
Place: Guangdong, China
Agenda/Issue: China, Russia conduct joint
naval exercises Joint Sea-2016 in South China
Sea of China’s southern Guangdong province
on 19th September, 2016. The eight-day naval
exercises (from September 13 to 19) were
held in a non-disputed area in SCS off China’s
southern Guangdong province.
Target/Application: The exercises follow a
spike in tensions after Permanent Court of
Arbitration in The Hague rejected China’s
claims in the SCS and slammed it for
causing environmental damage there. They
had carried out live-fire drills, sea crossing
and island landing operations, and island
defence and offence exercises among other.
International Day for the Preservation
of the Ozone Layer
Agenda/Issue: The International Day
for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is
observed every year on September 16 for
the preservation of the Ozone Layer
Target/Application: 2016 theme: “Ozone
and climate: Restored by a world united”.
It recognizes the collective efforts of the
parties to the Montreal Protocol and Vienna
Convention towards the restoration of the
ozone layer over the past three decades and
the global commitment to combat climate
change.
Antartica’s Ross Sea Declared as
World’s Largest Marine Protected Area
Place: Hobart, Australia.
Agenda/Issue: Antartica’s Ross Sea was
CA-187
declared as world’s largest Marine Protected
Area (MPA) to protect the Earth’s most
pristine marine ecosystem on 28th October,
2016. It was declared in Commission for
the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living
Resources (CCAMLR) meeting in Hobart,
Australia.
Target/Application: The Ross Sea is
one of the last intact marine ecosystems
in the world. It covers 1.6 million square
kilometers. Ross Sea in the Southern Ocean
is home to 38% of the world’s Adelie
penguins, 30% of world’s Antarctic petrels
and around 6% of world’s population of
Antarctic minke whales.
India on 133rd Position in 2016 World
Press Freedom Index
Agenda/Issue: India was placed at the
133rd position on the 2016 World Press
Freedom Index on 20th April, 2016.
Naval Exercise IBSAMAR 2016 between
India, South Africa, Brazil
Place: Goa
Agenda/Issue: The fifth edition of
IBSAMAR naval exercises between Brazil,
India and South Africa held in Goa on 19th
February, 2016. IBSAMAR is abbreviated as
India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime. This is
the for the first time the exercise is held in
India as all the previous editions were held
in South Africa since it began in 2006.
Target/Application: The primary aim of
the exercise is to increase interoperability
amongst the three navies, as well as develop
common understanding and procedures
for maritime security operations. The
thrust of the exercises will be on anti-
submarine warfare (ASW), air defence,
flying operations, surface firing, search and
rescue and tactical procedures. Indian navy
is represented by INS Mumbai– a missile
destroyer, INS Shalki– a Shisuhumar class
diesel electric submarine and INS trishul– a
stealth frigate.
Afghanistan’s Highest Civilian Honour
Agenda/Issue: PM Narendra Modi
conferred Afghanistan’s highest civilian
honour Amir Amanullah Khan Award on
5th June, 2016. The award was bestowed
upon him at the inaugural function of the
Afghan-India Friendship Dam (Salma Dam)
by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
 CA-188
Target/Application: It is the Highest
Civilian honour bestowed by Afghan
government to Afghan national as well as
foreigners in appreciation of their services.
Amanullah Khan. He was the ruler of the
Emirate of Afghanistan from 1919-1929. His
rule was marked by dramatic political and
social change. He was the first Afghan ruler
who attempted to modernize Afghanistan
on Western designs.
2016 Red Flag Aerial Combat Exercises
Place: Alaska, U.S.
Agenda/Issue: The multilateral Red Flag
Aerial combat exercises between US, NATO
and allied forces and India Air Force (IAF)
concluded in Alaska, US on 13th May, 2016.
Objective of IAF’s participation in this
inter-continental exercise was to showcase
its capability in undertaking integrated
air operations and gain also operational
lessons.
Target/Application: Exercise Red Flag is
an advanced aerial combat training exercise
hosted at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
Red Flag – Alaska is held at Eielson Air
Force Base, Alaska, being a successor to the
previous COPE THUNDER exercise series
in the Western Pacific and Alaska. The
exercise was conducted multiple simulated
scenario to provide realistic settings with
a Red Force, defending their airspace and
assets and a Blue Force acting as offensive
side. Red Force was constituted by US F-16
fighters, while the IAF planes along with
other USAF aircraft such as F-15, F-16 and
F-22 and US Navy F-18, constituted the Blue
Force.
RIMPAC 2016
Place: Hawaii, United States.
Agenda/Issue: World’s largest
international maritime exercise named
RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) 2016 began
in Pacific Ocean at Hawaii, United States
on 30th June, 2016. RIMPAC 2016 will see
participation of Navies from 26 countries.
This year it is the 25th edition of biennial
exercise in the series that began in 1971.
Target/Application: This year it is the 25th
edition of biennial exercise in the series that
began in 1971. “Capable, Adaptive, Partners”
was the theme of RIMPAC 2016. The
RIMPAC is the world’s largest international
maritime warfare exercise. It is held
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biennially during June and July of even-
numbered years from Honolulu, Hawaii. It
is hosted and administered by the United
States Navy’s Pacific Fleet (headquartered
at Pearl Harbur) in conjunction with the
Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, and Hawaii
National Guard forces under the control of
the Governor of Hawaii.
RIO Paralympics 2016
Agenda/Issue: The 2016 Summer
Paralympic Games began on 7th September
2016 and concluded on 18th September
2016. Deepa Malik has created history by
winning silver medal in Women’s shotput
at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. With this she
becomes first Indian woman to win a medal
at the Paralympics. It is India’s 3rd medal in
the ongoing Paralympics games at Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil.
Mariyappan Thangavelu has won India’s
first gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
He won the gold medal in the Men’s High
Jump T-42 event with jump of 1.89 metres.
Target/Application: India had won its
first ever Paralympics Gold medal in the
1972 Heidelberg Games. It was won by
Swimmer Murlikant Petkar. Besides, India
had claimed Gold and Bronze medals at
2004 Athens Paralympics. The Gold medal
was won by Javelin thrower Devendra
Jhajharia and the Bronze medal was won by
Rajinder Singh in powerlifting event. In the
last edition of Paralympics held in London
in 2012, India had won just a silver medal.
Gotthard Base Tunnel Operationalised
Agenda/Issue: The world’s longest and
deepest railway tunnel Gotthard Base
Tunnel was inaugurated in Switzerland on
1st June, 2016. The full service of twin-
bore tunnel will begin in December 2016.
The Gotthard Base Tunnel is 57-kilometer
long and connects northern and southern
Europe and also shortens travel time for
many rail routes. It has overtaken Japan’s
Seikan tunnel, which measures 53.9
kilometers, as the longest rail tunnel in the
world.
Target/Application: The twin-bore
Gotthard Base Tunnel is the first flat low-
level route through the Alps Mountain and
is situated 2.3 km deep under the Alps. It
was built in 17 years by 2,400 workers, at
a cost of over 12 billion dollars as a part of
EVENTS 2016
the AlpTransit project, also known as New
Railway Link through the Alps (NRLA).
The 2016 Global Citizen India Festival
Agenda/Issue: The 2016 Global Citizen
India festival has started at MMRDA
Grounds in Mumbai, Maharashtra on 19th
November, 2016 that will bring together
popular culture and public policy in one
of the largest gatherings for a social cause.
Global Citizen India is a social action
platform for a generation that wants to
solve the world’s biggest challenges.
Target/Application: The festival will
conclude a two-month long campaign in
support of the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals. It will mark the
beginning of a 15-year-long journey to
activate and mobilize young Indians to
ensure India leads the fight against extreme
poverty.
Summer Olympics 2016: Rio de Janeiro
The 31st Summer Olympic Games officially
began on 5 August, 2016 with inaugural
ceremony held at the Maracana Stadium
in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. The
Game was declared open by Brazil’s Acting
President Michel Temer in the presence
of International Olympic Committee chief
Thomas Bach and United Nations chief,
Ban-Ki Moon.  including a top Brazilian football team,
Nearly 11000 athletes, including a first-
ever refugee team, will took part in the
17-day extravaganza featuring 306 events
in 42 sport disciplines. The Refugee team
competed under the Olympic flag and has
members from South Sudan, Syria, Congo
and Ethiopia. With this, Rio de Janeiro
became South America’s first Olympic
host city, while the African continent is yet
to host the Olympic Games. Other major
geographic regions which have not hosted
the Olympics include the Middle East, the
Indian subcontinent, the Caribbean, and
Southeast Asia.
The United States topped the medal
table  for the fifth time in the past six
Summer Olympics, winning 46 gold
medals and 121 medals overall. Great
Britain  and  China  finished in second and
third respectively.
Indian bagged a total of two medals,
one silver and one bronze, in the games,
and stood at the 67th place in the medal
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tally. Badminton player P V Sindhu won
historic silver medal in women’s singles
badminton event. With this, she became
the first Indian woman to clinch a silver
medal in Olympics. Wrestler Sakshi
Malik secured a bronze in the 58 kg
category to become India’s first female
wrestler to win an Olympic medal. India
had qualified one artistic gymnast into
the Olympic competition for the first time
since 1964. Dipa Karmakar became the
first Indian female ever to book an Olympic
spot in the apparatus events and all-around
event at the Olympic Test Event. She
narrowly missed out in the bronze medal,
finishing 4th in the finals of the event with
a score of 15.066. Abhinav Bindra came
fourth in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle singles
event after losing a shootoff for the top 3 to
Serhiy Kulish, who finally won the silver.
At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Indian long
distance runner Lalita Babar scored a time
of 9:19.76 in her heat, qualifying to the final.
With this, she became the first Indian in 32
years to enter a final in any track event. At
the final, she finished 10th with a time of
9:22.74. The 2020 Summer Olympics will
be held in Tokyo, Japan.
Colombia Plane Crash
A chartered plane, carrying 77 people,
crashed on its approach to the city
of Medellin in Colombia late night on
November 28, 2016. The British Aerospace
146 short-haul plane, departed Santa
Cruz, Bolivia, carrying members of
the Chapecoense team from southern Brazil
to play in the final of the Copa Sudamericana,
against Medellin team Atletico Nacional
which was due to be played on November
30, 2016.
The plane was carrying 68 passengers and 
nine crew members. Among the passengers,
only six were reported to survive.
The plane was given priority to land but
did not reach the airport, according to
Alfredo Bocanegra, the head of Colombia’s
civil aviation authority. According to the
initial report the aircraft was suffering
electrical problems although investigators
were also looking into an account from
one of the survivors that the plane had
run out of fuel about five minutes from its
expected landing at Jose Maria Cordova
 CA-190
airport outside Medellin. Brazil’s president
Michel Tamer has declared three days of
national mourning, and offered support and
sympathy to the families of those killed.
World Robot Olympiad in India
Place: New Delhi
Agenda/Issue: India hosted the 13th
edition of the World Robot Olympiad on the
sidelines of trade fair in New Delhi on 25th
November. This is for first the time India
hosted World Robot Olympiad. It has been
organised by National Council of Science
Museums (NCSM), Ministry of Culture
in collaboration with the India STEM
Foundation (ISF).
Target/Application: The theme of the event
is ‘Rap the Scrap’ selected in line with Union
Government’s Swachh Bharat Mission. It
will see participation of over 2000 students
from 54 countries. Students in age group of
9 to 25 years will participate in this fair. It
is a global robotics competition that seeks
to bring together young minds from across
the world to develop their creativity and
problem solving skills through challenging
and educational robotics competition.
Alphabet Inc overtakes Apple
Agenda/Issue: On February 1, Alphabet
Inc. has replaced Apple Inc. to become
the world’s most valuable company in the
world. Alphabet has made a profit of $4.9
billion in the fourth quarter and was valued
at 548 billion dollars followed by Apple
which was valued 534 billion dollars.
Target/Application: Alphabet Inc came
in existence in October 2015, after search
engine giant Google had announced
Alphabet as its parent company. It was
formed as part of Google’s new organisational
structure. Apple had over taken, earlier
in 2012, Exxon Mobil to become the most
valuable company in the world and in 2015
Apple became the first company to reach a
market value of $700 billion.
First Silk Road Train Arrives in Tehran
Place: Tehran
Agenda/Issue: The first train to connect
China and Iran arrived in Tehran reviving
the ancient Silk Road on February 15. The
train had started its journey from China’s
EVENTS 2016
eastern Zhejiang province and it took
14 days to reach final destination. It had
covered around 9,500-kilometre distance
and passed through two Central Asian
countries Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
Target/Application: It marks the revival
of the ancient Silk Road and gives impetus
to China’s ambitious One Belt One Road
(OBOR) initiative part of revived Silk Road
diplomacy. This train’s journey was 30 days
shorter compared to time taken by sea
voyage from Shanghai to the Iranian port of
Bandar Abbas. It also will boost to bilateral
trade between both countries after they had
agreed to build economic ties worth up to
600 billion dollars within the next 10 years.
Nuclear Security Summit
Place: Washington
Agenda/Issue: The fourth Nuclear Security
Summit (NSS) took place in Washington,
D.C. from 31 March to 1 April, 2016 to
discuss issues pertaining to nuclear security.
In this edition of summit, heads of about
53 countries and representatives of five
international organisations including the
UNO, International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), European Union (EU), Interpol took
part.
Target/Application: It is a world summit,
aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism
around the globe. The first summit was
held in Washington, D.C., United States, on
April 12–13, 2010. The summit highlighted
achievements and commitments of several
countries towards safeguarding nuclear
devices and technologies and reducing the
threat of nuclear terrorism. This edition
of summit took stock of the measures to
safeguard nuclear materials and facilities
and also prevent non-state actors gaining
access to them.
Saudi Arabia’s Highest Civilian Honour
Conferred upon PM Narendra Modi
Place: Saudi Arabia
Agenda/Issue: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi was conferred Saudi Arabia’s highest
civilian honour, the King Abdulaziz Sash
on 3rd April. The prestigious award was
bestowed upon Indian Prime Minister by
incumbent Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin
Abdulaziz at the Royal Court.
Target/Application: The honour is
named after founder of the modern Saudi
EVENTS 2016
state, Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founder of
the modern Saudi state. The award is
bestowed upon citizens of Saudi Arabia and
foreigners for meritorious service to the
Saudi Kingdom.
India Placed at 44th Position in 2016
Global Connectivity Index
Place: Shenzhen, China.
Agenda/Issue: India ranked 44th with total
score of 30 among 50 different countries in
the 2016 Global Connectivity Index (GCI)
report compiled by Chinese telecom giant
Huawei on April 12. The index benchmarks
50 countries on the basis of its ICT
infrastructure including broadband, data
centers, cloud services, big data and IoT in
the scale ranging from 0 to 100. These 50
countries, account for 90 percent of global
GDP.
Target/Application: India with a GCI
score of 30 ranks low 44. However, India’s
flagship initiatives like ‘Digital India’ are
driving growth and improved broadband
penetration. Such initiative will enable last-
mile connectivity.
Nauru joins IMF as the 189th Member
Agenda/Issue: South Pacific island nation
Nauru has become the 189th member of
the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
and the World Bank on April 12. Its initial
subscription quota for IMF will be of SDR
(Special Drawing rights) 2 million or about
$2.81 million. It will be the second smallest
member of the Fund, after Tuvalu.
Target/Application: By joining the World
Bank, Nauru gains access to financial
support, technical support and special
expertise in dealing with Pacific area issues,
such as water and sanitation and disaster
risk management amid the threat of climate
change and rising sea levels. By joining the
IMF Nauru can benefit from the IMF’s crisis
lender’s advice on managing government
finances and monetary policy.
India becomes Third Largest Oil
Consumer
Agenda/Issue: India has surpassed Japan
to become the world’s third-largest oil
consumer on June 8. With demand of 4.1
million barrels a day (bpd), India is the
third-largest consumer behind the United
States (19.39 million bpd) and China (11.96
million bpd).
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Target/Application: India accounted for
4.5% of world oil consumption in 2015
and its oil demand galloped 8.1% in 2015.
Oil remained the world’s leading fuel,
accounting for 32.9% of global energy
consumption. Coal is the second-largest
fuel by market share (29.2%).
Gaofen – 3
Place: Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center,
Shanxi
Agenda/Issue: A high – resolution
Synthetic Aperture Radar Gaofen – 3 has
been launched by China on August 9 from
the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in
northern Shanxi Province on the back of a
Long March 4C rocket. It was 233rd flight
mission by a Long March carrier rocket.
Target/Application: The Gaofen – 3 is
China’s first low orbit remote sensing
satellite, with a lifespan of eight years. It
will provide high-definition remote sensing
data for its users over long periods of time.
It has 12 imaging modes that will provide
high-definition observation satellite is
capable of taking wide pictures of earth
and photographing detailed scenarios of
specific areas.
Micius, the World’s First Quantum Satellite
Place: Gobi Desert
Agenda/Issue: Micius, the world’s first
quantum satellite was launched on August 16 by
China, in a quest to harness the power of particle
physics. This satellite is dubbed as Quantum
Experiments at Space Scaler (QUESS) satellite.
It was launched on board of Long March-2D
rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre
in the remote northwestern province of Gansu.
Target/Application: The QUESS satellite
has been nicknamed as Micius after a 5th
century BC Chinese philosopher. It will
be located in sun-synchronous orbit at
an altitude of 500 km and will circle the
Earth once every 90 minutes. The satellite
will help China to establish hack-proof
communications system by transmitting
uncrackable keys from space to the ground.
This satellite will find application in
defence, military and finance.
Flipkart acquires Jabong
Agenda/Issue: Homegrown e-commerce
giant Flipkart acquired online fashion portal
Jabong through its fashion unit Myntra. It is
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said that Jabong on July 27 was acquired by
Flipkart in a cut-price deal that values the
online fashion store at 70 million dollars.
Target/Application: Jabong was founded
in 2012. It was owned by Global Fashion
Group (GFG). It offers more than 1,500
international high-street brands, sports
labels, Indian designer and ethnic labels
and over 150,000 styles from more than
1,000 sellers.
Verizon buy Yahoo
Agenda/Issue: One of the most important
companies of the first dot-com boom,
Yahoo, has reached the end of its life
as an independent company. Yahoo’s
board approved the sale of Yahoo’s core
business to Verizon in a deal valued at $4.8
billion on 25th July, 2016. The company’s
shareholders and regulators must still
approve the deal — the companies expect it
to close in early 2017.
Target/Application: After the Verizon
acquisition, signature Yahoo properties
like its search engine, email service, photo
sharing site Flickr, and blogging platform
Tumblr will presumably continue operating
Raisina Dialogue 2016
Place: New Delhi
Agenda/Issue: The first Raisina-Dialogue
2016, a flagship conference on Geopolitics
and Geo-economics began in New Delhi on
march 2. The three day conference is joint
initiative of Union Ministry of External
Affairs (MEA) and Observer Research
Foundation (ORF), an independent think
tank based in India.
Target/Application: The conference was
attended by around 120 speakers from over
40 countries and is government’s attempt
to compete with rival conferences around
the world that attract global players. It
will provide platform to explore prospects
and opportunities for Asian integration as
well as Asia’s Integration with the whole
world. The name of conference comes from
Raisina Hill which is the elevation in New
Delhi where presidential palace of India,
Rashtrapati Bhavan is located.
EVENTS 2016
2016 ASEAN Summit Held in Vientiane,
Laos
Place: Vientiane, Laos
Agenda/Issue: The 28th and 29th
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) Summit was held in Vientiane,
Laos from 6th to 8th September 2016.
The theme of the summit was “Turning
Vision into Reality for a Dynamic ASEAN
Community”.
Target/Application: The summit was
attended by the leaders of all 10-member
nations of ASEAN viz. Indonesia, Malaysia,
Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei
Darussalam, Lao PDR (host), Vietnam,
Myanmar and Cambodia. ASEAN-India adopted
a document aiming at politically cohesive,
economically integrated, socially responsible
and people oriented people centered ASEAN-
India Community. The document recognizes
the vital importance of the planned review
of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods (AITIG)
Agreement. It seeks to ensure that the
agreement is trade-facilitative and remains
relevant to the current global trading
practices.
United Nations Day
Agenda/Issue: The United Nations Day is
being observed globally on October 24.
Target/Application: It entered into force
on 24 October 1945 after it was ratified by
the original five permanent members of the
Security Council—China, France,Russia,
United Kingdom, and United States.
This year’s United Nations Day will high
light concrete actions people can take to
help achieve the sustainable Development
Goals.
Group of 7 (G-7)
Agenda/Issue: The Group of 7 (G-7)
countries’ foreign ministers have issued
Hiroshima Declaration on April 11 that calls
for a world without nuclear weapons. The
foreign ministers G-7 countries’ signed this
joint declaration after meeting in Japan’s
Hiroshima. G7 countries include Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK and US.
Target/Application: Hiroshima Declaration
reaffirms commitment of G-7 countries’
to seek a safer world for all and create the
conditions for a world without nuclear
weapons to promote international stability.
It calls for creating the conditions without
EVENTS 2016
nuclear weapons in a way that promotes
international stability. It has citied North
Korea’s repeated provocations as a key
challenge to achieve the goal of safer world
for all.
India, France ink deal for 36 Rafale
Fighter Jets
Agenda/Issue: India and France have
signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement
for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets on
September 23 at a cost of 7.87 billion Euros.
Target/Application: The defence deal
includes the aircraft in fly-away condition,
simulators, weapons, spares, maintenance,
and Performance Based Logistics support
for five years. The Rafale is a twin-
engine fighter, multi-role fighter aircraft
manufactured by French aviation company
Dassault. These aircrafts is capable of
carrying out all combat missions such as
interception, air defence, in-depth strikes,
ground support, reconnaissance, anti-ship
strikes and nuclear deterrence.
Procurement of 145 Ultra Light Howitzers
Guns from the US
Agenda/Issue : The Defence Acquisition
Council (DAC) has given its approval to
purchase 145 Ultra-Light Howitzers (ULH)
guns from the US on 1st December. The
procurement of ULH will be through the
Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route from
the US and it will cost around 750 million
dollars.
Target/Application: Ultra-Light Howitzers
(ULH) Guns is being manufactured by BAE
Systems’ Global Combat Systems division. It
is smaller and lighter. It weighs 4,100 kg and
can be easily transported by helicopters. It
has effective firing range of 24 km. It will be
deployed in high altitude areas in Arunachal
Pradesh and Ladakh, bordering China
under the Mountain Strike Corps (raised in
2013). Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)
is an apex body of Union Defence Ministry
for clearing defence procurement proposals
forwarded by the Indian Army, Navy and Air
Force.
COP22 Adopts Marrakech Action
Proclamation
Agenda/Issue: The COP22 was held
7-18 November in Marrakech, Morocco.
Nearly 200 nations attending the COP22
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to the UNFCC have adopted Marrakech
Action Proclamation for Our Climate and
Sustainable Development. The adaptation
of Marrakech Action Proclamation sends
out a strong signal to the world on climate
action and shift towards a new era of
implementation and action on climate
and sustainable development. India has
welcomed Marrakesh Action Proclamation
as most of its demands including the
issue of providing finance to developing
nations to tackle climate change has been
incorporated.
Target/Application: Countries affirmed
their commitment to full implementation
of the Paris Agreement which also reflects
respective capabilities in light of different
national circumstances of countries.
They proclamated that It is urgent duty of
countries to respond global warming which
is warming the climate at an alarming and
unprecedented rate. It is necessary for rapid
entry into force of the Paris Agreement with
its ambitious goals, its inclusive nature and
its reflection of equity and common but
differentiated responsibilities.
World Economic Forum
Agenda/Issue: The annual World Economic
Forum (WEF) meeting took place from
20 to 23 January in Swiss resort of Davos,
Switzerland with participation of political
leaders and business from around the
world. In this edition of WEF meeting, the
agenda includes the outlook of the global
economy and measures to fight terrorism.
Target/Application: Leaders from about
40 countries and more than 2,500 business
people attended the meeting. The 4-day
conference covered the discussions on
tumbling oil prices and China’s uncertain
economic prospects. It also discussed the
issue of growing terror threats in the wake
of the November 2015 terrorist attacks in
Paris (France) and influx of migrants and
refugees in Europe.
Talgo Train Trial Run
Agenda/Issue: Indian Railways has
conducted the first ever trial run for high-
speed Talgo trains of Spain on the 90-km
Bareilly-to-Moradabad stretch in Uttar
Pradesh on May 28.
Target/Application: The first phase of trial
run was conducted at speeds between 80
 CA-194
KMPH and 115 KMPH (km per hour) by a
joint team of the Railway Design Standards
Organisation (RDSO) and Spanish train
manufacturer Talgo. It consisted of nine-
coach Talgo train hauled by a 4500 HP
diesel engine. The train covered 90-km
distance in 1 hour 10 minutes. In the second
and third phase, Indian Railway’s is going
to conduct trail run on Mathura-Palwal
(Rajdhani) route and Mumbai-Delhi route
respectively to test the riding, safety and
stability of Talgo trains.
Colombia and FARC Rebels Deal
Agenda/Issue: Colombia has signed a
revised peace agreement with FARC rebel
groups on September 26 aimed at ending
half a century of war that has killed more
than 220,000 and internally displaced
millions. The agreement has been reached
less than two months after a plebiscite
narrowly rejected the original agreement.
The talks to reach the deal were taking place
in Havana (Cuba) for the past four years.
Target/Application: The new agreement
aims to satisfy all those objections made
by millions of Colombians who rejected the
original deal in the referendum. President
Juan Manuel Santos, was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize last month for his efforts to end
the war. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia (FARC), Colombia’s largest rebel
group was founded in 1964 as the armed
wing of the Communist Party.
2016 G-20 Summit
Agenda/Issue: The 2016 Group of Twenty
(G20) Summit was held in Hangzhou,
China from 4th to 5th September 2016 to
discuss efforts to reform global economic
governance. It was the eleventh meeting of
the G20. It was the first ever G20 summit
to be hosted in China and the second Asian
country after 2010 G20 Seoul summit was
hosted in South Korea. The theme of 2016
G20 Summit was “Toward an Innovative,
Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive
World Economy”.
Target/Application: G-20 leaders have
pledged to continue to work for a globally
fair and modern international tax system,
foster growth and refrain from competitive
devaluation of currencies. They will
continue the work on addressing cross-
border financial flows derived from illicit
EVENTS 2016
activities, including deliberate trade mis-
invoicing, which hampers the mobilisation
of domestic resources for development.
Postponement of 19th SAARC Summit
Agenda/Issue: Pakistan has postponed
the 19th South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit
on 15-16 November after India and four
other countries announced to boycott the
Summit. The summit was schedule to be
held on November 9th and 10th, 2016 in
Islamabad, capital city of Pakistan.
Target/Application: Pakistan’s decision
is a boost for India’s diplomatic efforts
to corner Pakistan over the terror attack
at Uri. It also comes a day after Pakistan
suffered humiliating Indian cross-border
raids (surgical strikes) on terrorist launch
pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Earlier India and three other countries
Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan in
a synchronized effort, had informed the
SAARC Secretariat that their leaders will
not attend the summit citing concerns over
cross-border terrorism in the region.
India and Japan Civil Nuclear
Cooperation Agreement
Agenda/Issue: India and Japan have
signed a bilateral Civil Nuclear Cooperation
Agreement on 11 November, 2016. With
this, India has become the first non-NPT
country with which Japan has signed a
Civil Nuclear Agreement. The civil nuclear
agreement between the two countries was
not realized so manly because India did
not fit into Japan’s ‘Hikaku San Gensoku’
or three non-nuclear principles. These
principles adopted in a resolution by
Japanese parliament provide that Japan
would neither possess nor manufacture
nuclear weapons, nor shall it permit their
introduction into Japanese territory.
Target/Application: The talks for
Civil Nuclear Agreement between the
two countries had started when a joint
statement in 2006 with joint statement
by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
However, the discussions took five years
to move to negotiation stage in 2010. The
cause of delay was political opposition
within Japan from anti-nuclear lobbies
and media. Till now, India has also signed
EVENTS 2016
civil nuclear deal with 10 other countries
viz. United States, Russia, South Korea,
Mongolia, France, Namibia, Argentina,
Canada, Kazakhstan, and Australia.
India joins the Hague Code of Conduct
Agenda/Issue: India has joined the Hague
Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile
Proliferation (HCoC), a global ballistic
missile proliferation regime on June 2.
India has joined the Code highlighting its
readiness to further strengthen global non-
proliferation objectives. However, India has
made it clear that it will not have any impact
on the national security as well as country’s
missile programmes.
Target/Application: Hague Code
of Conduct against Ballistic Missile
Proliferation (HCoC) is a voluntary, legally
non-binding international confidence
building and transparency measure
that seeks to prevent the proliferation
of ballistic missiles that are capable of
delivering weapons of mass destruction
(WMD). It was established on 25 November
2002 as a result of international efforts to
regulate access to ballistic missiles which
can potentially deliver WMDs
Heart of Asia Conference
Place: Amritsar
Agenda/Issue: The Heart of Asia-Istanbul
Process (HoA) was founded on November
2nd, 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey. The Heart
of Asia provides a platform for sincere
and results-oriented regional cooperation
by placing Afghanistan at its center, in
recognition of the fact that a secure and
stable Afghanistan is vital to the prosperity
of the Heart of Asia region.  The Sixth Ministerial Conference of the
This platform was established to address
the shared challenges and interests of
Afghanistan and its neighbours and regional
partners. The Heart of Asia is comprised of
14 participating countries, 17 supporting
countries, and 12 supporting regional and
international organizations.
The Sixth Heart of Asia Ministerial
Conference which began on 3rd Dec has
adopted the “Amritsar Declaration” with its
prime focus on terrorism. It stresses on all
the countries concerned to take an account
of the deteriorating situation and enhance
regional economic cooperation.
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PM Narendra Modi had picked Amritsar as
the venue in line with his policy of hosting
international conferences outside the
capital to open the world closer to other
cities of India. In addition, Amritsar was
the apt choice as it adds to the theme of
connectivity as the city has been on the
Grand Trunk Road which once connected
Sonargaon in Bangladesh to Peshawar in
Pakistan.
Target/Application: Three significant
issues which were discussed in the
conference are elimination of terrorism
and all its manifestations which include
dismantling of all terrorist safe havens
and disruption of all kinds of financial,
tactical and logistical support for
terrorist activities. The declaration also
enumerated the grave challenges posed
to the region emanate from terrorism,
violent forms of extremism, radicalization,
separatism and sectarianism. It mentioned
that together these pose a serious
threat to territorial integrity, economic
development, sovereignty, bilateral and
regional cooperation. The need for highly
effective de-radicalization and counter-
radicalization strategies was also felt.
Concerns were also felt over growing
violence in Afghanistan by groups like Al
Qaeda, LeT, JeM etc. The MoU between China
and Afghanistan on Jointly Building the Silk
Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century
Maritime Silk Road was also welcomed by
the declaration. Almost all the participating
and supporting countries along with
international organizations attended the
conference. Guest countries included
Austria, Bulgaria, Latvia and Uzbekistan.
Heart of Asia Process ended with the
adoption of the annual Miniseterial
Declaration, which sets the course for the
upcoming year of the Process. 
The Declaration reiterates the committment
of the participating countries, supporting
countries, and supporting regional and
international organizations to the Heart of
Asia Process. It also recognizes the central
role of this platform in enchancing regional
cooperation to address shared challenges
and to promote security, stability and
socioeconomic development in the Heart of
Asia region.  
 CA-196

Blood and Water cannot go together:

Indus Water Treaty as Handle to Deal with Pakistan

n Anjali Chahal

I
ndus water treaty was signed between
India and Pakistan on Sep 19, 1960
by Indian PM JawaharLal Nehru and
Pakistan president Ayub Khan to share
the waters of six rivers between both the
countries. The Indus agreement deals with
six rivers according to which the waters
of eastern rivers of Ravi, Satluj and Beas
are allocated to India and the waters of
western rivers- Indus, Jhelum and Chenab
are allocated to Pakistan.
The pact has survived three major
wars between both countries but is now
under threat of breakdown. It was one of
the most liberal pacts as India allows more
than four times of water to flow to Pakistan
as compared to the availability to India but
still there has been bickering over sharing
of water. India’s concerns has been that it
is a lower riparian state when it comes to
Himalayan rivers like the Bramaputra, the
water becoming centre point of Kashmir
issue, and that no punitive measures such
as turning off the Indus tap works to mend
Pakistan’s ways.
The recent tensions between both the
countries following a terrorist strike in
Kashmir where an army base was attacked
in the garrison town of Uri near the Line of
control and 18 Indian personnel
were killed. The questions has
been raised by some Indian
spokespersons to scrap the
treaty as a tactic to warn Pakistan
to stop using violent ideology
against India but there is another
school of thought which believes
that scrapping the treaty is not a
good diplomatic option to handle
Pakistan’s intentions.
PM Narender Modi made a
statement reviewing the treaty
that ‘Blood and water cannot
flow simultaneously’. A meeting was
held to weigh India’s options to hit back at
Pakistan in aftermath of Uri attack. Official
sources say India might use provisions
in Indus water treaty to turn the heat on
Pakistan. One of the measures taken by
the government has been that the Indus
commissioners will meet only in the
absence of terrorism which implies that if
the meetings don’t happen, any redressal
of grievance won’t happen at the first
stage and any dispute that arises won’t
be resolved. Modi’s government is also
reviewing the suspension of the Tulbul
project according to which India can control
the water of Jhelum that would disrupt
things for Pakistan.
But can India easily scrap the pact
without any grave repercussions for both
the countries? Pakistan’s dependence on the
Indus system cannot be overstated. About
65% of its geographical area, including
the entire Punjab province, is part of the
Indus basin. The country has the world’s
largest canal irrigation system, thanks to its
development of the basin, which accounts
for more than 90% of its irrigated area.
Turning the tap off can be detrimental
BLOOD AND WATER CANNOT GO TOGETHER: INDUS WATER TREATY ....
to India’s interests also in the
long run. There is already strong
discomfort in Pakistan with the
fact that India controls its rivers
despite the fact that India has
always obliged to the provisions
of the treaty. Any tinkering with
the treaty is likely to intensify
Pakistan based activities in Jammu
& Kashmir. Also it might affect the
other water sharing pacts with
India’s neighbouring countries.
Indus water treaty was mediated
by the World Bank and hence any action
taken by India can also be seen as violation
of International law by the World Bank.
Some officials are of the opinion that the
government is not revoking the treaty
immediately but India can try to use
provisions of the treaty to construct
hydro-power plants along three rivers that
flow into Pakistan without misusing the
provisions.
Even though Indian government should
take a tough stand against terrorism
propagated by Pakistan and should defend
its territories and citizens of the country
but sending threats of revoking the water
treaty might give a wrong message further
to Pakistan and inflate it’s terrorist and
violent activities. Since peace and stability
are dependent upon good neighbourly
relations and the only way forward is
through constructive dialogue. Pakistan
has always been suspicious that India
CA-197
can misuse it’s geographic advantage of
controlling water in an event of hostility
between the two nations and the recent
events have heightened the anxiety and
fears for Pakistan.
As has been predicted by various experts
that after the war on oil internationally,
this century might witness war on water
between countries sharing a hostile history,
the question arises whether India should
deal with the security and water issues
separately or whether it should go ahead
with sending a message to Pakistan as a
warning against its terrorist activities. The
key aspect of the treaty was setting up the
mechanisms to adjudicate future disputes
over the allocation of water through
structured negotiations, which has worked
very well till date. Both the countries need
to be restrained in the actions and consider
progressive diplomatic foreign policy over
disputed issues especially water sharing
because both the countries cannot afford to
wage a war with each other.
 CA-198
ISSUES
2016
NATIONAL
Increasing the Sugar Cess
Date: 8 January, 2016 Sex Ratio in Haryana
Place: New Delhi
Field: Agriculture
Issue: Sickening Sugar Production
Effects: Boost production
It was observed that the mill owners are
not paying the long standing dues of the
sugar cane farmers. An enhancement in
rate of cess been necessitated to meet
the increasing liabilities and finance
interventions to ensure timely payments of
cane dues to farmers. But the move would
not help the cane growers in any way as the
sugar mills, closed down for a long time,
have still not been reopened. Collection
of more funds by increasing the cess on
sugar would go against the interest of the
common man, who is already financially
overburdened. However the move may
serve a short term solution and country
needs to a macro-economic view on this as
more than 2.6 million people are directly
involved in the sugar industry. The principal
Act provides for the imposition of a cess as
an excise duty on the production of sugar.
The principal Act specifies the ceiling on the
cess at 25 rupees per quintal under the Act.
The Bill proposes to increase this ceiling to
200 rupees per quintal of sugar. The cess
was proposed to be increased in order to
ISSUES 2016
meet the government’s expenditure on
interventions to ensure payment of dues to
sugarcane farmers.
Date: 17 January, 2016
Place: Haryana
Problems: Female foeticide
As per the 2011 census women in Haryana,
continue to be subordinated, subjugated
and deprived, as evidenced in the extremely
low sex ratio, high level of anaemia among
women and children and prevalent violence
against women. The state has the dubious
distinction of ranking at the bottom of the
scale amongst the Indian States in respect
of sex ratio. Having a sex ratio of 861 in
2001, Haryana ranked 30th and is better
positioned only in respect to the Union
Territories of Andaman and Nicobar. The
demographic scenario is heavily loaded in
favour of males, with males constituting
53.73 per cent of the total population and
females constituting merely 46.27 per cent
of the total population. It is encouraging
that for the first time in 10 years, sex ratio
in Haryana has shown a mounting crossing
the 900 mark with 903 girls per 1,000
boys as compared to earlier 879 females
per 1,000 males. Different measures are
taken by the state government to save the
girl child and promote gender balance.
Only strict laws and educating people can
provide a solution to the issue.
ISSUES 2016 CA-199

Cauvery Water Dispute

Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are living in rivalry for 125-years. This rivalry over the water
of Cauvery river has raised its head again and again. Currently, this has been raging since
the order of the Supreme Court asking Karnataka to release 15,000 cusecs of water per
day to Tamil Nadu.
The dispute over sharing Cauvery water dates back to the British era. The dispute
between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over sharing Cauvery was close to a solution
when in 1924, the two sides, Mysore princely state and Madras Presidency, reached an
agreement.
Mysore was permitted to build a dam at Kannambadi village to trap 44.8 thousand
million cubic feet of water. The agreement was supposed to be valid for 50 years with a
review thereafter.
Core of the issue
Karnataka claims that the British-era agreement was not correct since it did not get
its due share of water. Whereas, Tamil Nadu believes that it needs the water to sustain
extensive farming that has resulted in increase because of Karnataka’s commitment to
provide sufficient water.
Karnataka wants to triple its water share from the river, that originates from Kodagu
and flows through Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala. This means there
Tamil Nadu’s portion will reduce.
Present agitation
The dispute escalated when monsoon failed, as there is lesser water to share. Adding
to the fire, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have received less rainfall during the monsoon.
Karnataka denies releasing water to TN for agriculture, saying it needs it for drinking
water purposes.

India Ranks 76 in Corruption government controlled institutions on

Date: 26 January, 2016
Place: Berlin
Field: Social Problem
Issue: Corruption
India is the 76 least corrupt nation out
of 175 countries, according to the 2015
Corruption Perceptions Index reported by
Transparency International. Corruption
Rank in India averaged 75.14 from 1995
until 2015, reaching an all time high of 95.00
in 2011 and a record low of 35.00 in 1995.
Corruption in India is an issue that adversely
affects its economy. A study conducted by
the Transparency International in 2005
shows that more than 62% of Indians had
a firsthand experience of paying bribes or
influence peddling to get jobs done in public
offices successfully. In a study conducted in
2008, Transparency International reports
that about 40% of Indians had firsthand
experience of paying bribes or using
contacts to get jobs done in public offices.
The causes of corruption in India include
excessive regulations, complicated tax and
licensing systems, numerous government
departments each with opaque bureaucracy
and discretionary powers, monopoly of
certain goods and services delivery, and
the lack of transparent laws and processes.
There is significant variation in the level
of corruption and in the government’s
efforts to reduce corruption across India.
Corruption is the main hindrance of growth.
Recently different majors like, digital India,
demonetization, etc. are taken by the
government to check the age old practice.
As per the recent index India shares its
rank along with six other countries: Brazil,
Burkina Faso, Thailand, Tunisia and Zambia.
China fared worse than India and Brazil at
rank 83 with a score of 37.
Controversial Anti-Terror Bill Withdrawn
Date: 27 January, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Administration
Issue: Terrorism
GUJCOC Bill, 2015 is a modified version
of the original 2003 Gujarat Control of
Organized Crime Bill. It still contains the
provisions that had led to its rejection
by Presidents in the past. The bill aims to
empower the law enforcing authorities
to intercept and record phone calls as
evidence. It also puts the onus of proving
 CA-200
the innocence on an accused. Clause 14 of
the Bill mentions that evidence collected
through interception of wire, electronic or
oral communication shall be admissible
as evidence against the accused in the
court. Background in 2004, the bill was
passed for first time and was returned
by then President APJ Abdul Kalam after
he had objected clause-14. He had asked
state government to remove the clause. In
2008, the bill was again passed after clause
14 was deleted as per recommendation
of President. However, then President
Pratibha Patil again rejected it and had
suggested to eliminate the provision related
ISSUES 2016
to confession made before a police officer
to be admitted in the court as evidence.
In 2009, the bill was again passed for
third time without making recommended
amendments and was sent for President’s
assent. It is still pending with the President
for assent.
Recently the controversial anti-terror
bill passed by the Gujarat assembly and
earlier rejected by two Presidents, has been
withdrawn by the Union Home Ministry, four
months after it had sent it for President’s
approval. Several provisions of the GCTOC
were not in conformity of Central law, the
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

JNU Controversy and its effect

What started as a protest by a group of students, against the ‘judicial killing of Afzal Guru’
across the JNU campus, in February; became a national uproar in the next following days.
Titled as “The Country Without a Post Office”, the event attended by representatives
from most of the JNU’s political outfits was organised to stand in solidarity with the
struggle of the Kashmiri people for their democratic right to self-determination and to
protest the judicial killing of Maqbool Bhatt and 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal
Guru who was hanged secretly in 2013.
This culminated into a scuffle between the ABVP and the Left organisations after the
slogans were shouted. What was intended to be a peaceful protest through poetry, art
and music in form of a cultural evening organised to question the Supreme Court’s
working, turned out to be an agitated event and a case of sedition with divisive anti-
national slogans.
A complaint by ABVP members led to the cancellation of the event, yet it happened and
urged the ABVP members to shout slogans such as ‘Ye Kashmir Hamara Hai, Saara Ka
Saara Hai”. Further, complaint got registered under IPC Sections 124-A (sedition), 120-B
(criminal conspiracy) and 34 (acts done by several persons with a common intention).
After the allegations of ‘anti-national’ sloganeering surfaced against Kanhaiya Kumar,
the JNU Students’ Union President, he was arrested on charges of sedition and was
ordered three days police custody. Mob wearing lawyer’s robes at the Patiala House
courts slapped and kicked supporters of Kanhaiya Kumar and the organiser of the event,
Umar Khalid along with other students involved in the event at the campus were charged
with sedition charges. Social media and other platforms entitled these aftereffects as
intolerance by the government and those who tried to suppress the voice of the students
and the protestors.
As per reports from various news portals, the JNU event had been organised to protest
the judicial killing of Afzal Guru and simultaneously, Supreme Court’s Judgement on
Appeal by Guru on August 5, 2005 says, “As criminal acts took place pursuant to the
conspiracy, the appellant, as a party to the conspiracy, shall be deemed to have abetted
the offence. In fact, he took active part in a series of steps taken to pursue the objective
of conspiracy.”
Everyone has the freedom of expression in a democracy but that freedom comes with
responsibility. The expression of disagreement on the Judicial Killing by few students
of JNU is still acceptable but what is not acceptable is the anti-national and destructive
slogans being shouted that will hurt the collective conscience of the nation and is
strongly condemnable act. Students who gave their time and energy to such protests
could better use their resources for raising voice on more important issues faced by over
a billion people across the Country.
Dissenting anti-national voices need to be suppressed effectively and hence was done
with immediate action from the centre.
ISSUES 2016
Gender Park at Kozhikode
Date: 25 January, 2016
Place: Kerala
Field: Social Justice
Issues: Gender Inequalities
Gender Park is an autonomous institution
promoted by the Department of Social
Justice, Government of Kerala State,
India, to resolve the gender inequity in
development. The Gender Institute would
focus on learning, research and capacity
development, as part of supporting the
efforts of the State and Central Government
which would cover issues pertaining to
all three genders as per the 2015 gender
and transgender policies of the State
government. The first Gender University
in the country seeks to link knowledge
creation to policy-making through a
multi-disciplinary research and learning
process. Such a park is the need of the
hour for women empowerment and overall
development of women.
The main objective of this Gender Park is to
inspire women to take part in developmental
and decision making process. The State
and Central governments will jointly
take efforts for this project to ensuring
an inclusive, discrimination free society.
This garden covers all issues pertaining
in earlier three genders and accordance
with the 2015 gender and transgender
policies of the state government. The
Gender Institute at the park will primarily
pay attention on learning, research and
capacity development. This project
seeks to carry the state civil society and
academia on a common platform together
in one platform to promote studies and
research on gender issues to address the
gender issues. This platform will create an
environment to share global knowledge and
experiences in reducing gender differences.
It also aims to create responsiveness of the
critical connections which to effectively
address gender related issues in national
development processes between gender
equality, economic growth and poverty
reduction. State Government has also
planning to launch ‘She Taxi’ under its
Gender Policy just for women. ‘Gender Taxi’
had been launched by State government
in 2016 which is owned and operated by
transgender under its Transgender Policy
(first such policy in the country).
CA-201
Project Sunrise Launched in NE States
Date: 5 February, 2016
Place: Manipur
Field: Health
Problems: HIV
North Eastern States like Manipur,
Nagaland and Mizoram account for highest
adult (15-49 years) HIV prevalence in the
country. National average for prevalence
of HIV/AIDS among drug addicts is 7.14%,
whereas in Manipur it is 12.9% and in
Mizoram it is 12%.
Project Sunrise is a five-year programme
aimed at complementing the ongoing
National AIDS Control Programme (NACP)
which is to primarily improve coverage,
quality and scale of HIV interventions
among People Who Inject Drugs (PWID)
in eight North East States. Activities of the
project are to be implemented through
the existing system in close co-ordination
with State AIDS Control Societies (SACS)
in the eight States. It will be implemented
in the North East in addition to the existing
projects of the National AIDS Control
Organization (NACO).
Facebook Loses Battle over Free
Internet Initiative
Date: 8 February, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Social Media
Internet.org was rechristened Free Basics in
September and it declared itself as an open
platform that will give Indian developers
the opportunity to make their services and
websites available free of cost to those who
cannot afford internet access. However, this
free access is limited to partner websites
and applications. It was launched two years
ago globally in partnership with Samsung,
Ericsson, MediaTek, Opera Software, Nokia
and Qualcomm. But the problem is that,
contrary to what it claims, it doesn’t offer
equal and unbiased access to all services.
Facebook is partnering with ISPs to provide
preferential and selective access to a set of
app developers and services.
Free Basics is a package of essential web
services that Facebook offers for free in
developing countries in partnership with
local telecoms companies. That package,
unsurprisingly, includes Facebook and
WhatsApp, and is promoted by local
firms not as a way of getting underserved
communities online, but as a way to get
Facebook for free.
 CA-202
But the telecommunications regulator
banned discriminatory tariffs for data
services on the basis of content, meaning
that Facebook and its local partner will no
longer be able to offer the social network
for free to Indian consumers as part of its
Free Basics product.
National Deworming Day
Date: 10 February, 2016
Place: India
Field: Health
National Deworming Day was observed on
10th February, a groundbreaking initiative
ISSUES 2016
focused on reducing the threat of parasitic
worm infections, a widespread health issue
affecting over 241 million children in India
alone. The day was observed in 11 states
and Union Territories including Assam,
Bihar, Chattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli,
and Haryana. The initiative will be aimed at
providing Albendazole tablets to children
(half tablet to 1-2 years children and one
full tablet for 2-19 years). Along with
Albendazole administration the children
were advised on change practices in terms
of cleanliness, hygiene, use of toilets,
wearing shoes/slippers, washing hands etc.
to reduce incidents of re-infection.

Haryana Jat Agitation

Date: 20 February, 2016
Place: Haryana
Field: Caste based Reservation
Issue: Jat Reservation
Effects: Violent Agitation
Haryana State had been carved out of Punjab in 1966. Among the 90 Assembly
constituencies in the state Jats comprise 27% of the electorate and dominate the
population of Haryana, being the leading caste. Haryana state, since had seen 10
Chief Ministers, out of which 7 were Jat leaders. Though the present CM Manohar Lal
Khattar represents the Punjabi community, the two strong opposition leaders are jats-
Bhupinder Singh Hooda of the Congress and Abhay Singh Chautala of the Indian national
Lok Dal. The Jat-Land basically consists of districts viz; Rothak, Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Panipat,
Sonipat and Hissar. Jats are an agricultural community in Haryana and seven other
states in North India, notably Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
The discontent germinated after the 1991 Gurnam Singh Commission report which
included Jats in the Backward Classes category along with seven other groups, and
after the Congress government under the stewardship of Bhajan Lal withdrew the
notification that had been issued for inclusion. There after two more state Backward
Classes Commissions excluded the Jats-in 1995 and 201. As a matter of interest
Bhupinder Singh Hooda rode to power in 2004, on the poll promise of ‘Reservation to
Jats’. In spite of his attempts to fulfill this promise, it didn’t happen in his duration as CM.
After an agitation, in April 2011, the government again set up the KC Gupta Commission
to re-examine this matter. In 2012, the Commission recommended the inclusion of Jats
and four other castes, viz; Jat Sikhs, Ror, Tyagi and Bhishnoi, in the category Special
Backward Classes (SBC).The Hooda government accepted the report and 10% quota
was granted ,but this was later set aside by the Supreme Court . On 17 March 2015,
the Supreme Court quashed the UPA Government’s decision to extend the OBC quota in
central government jobs to Jats, refusing to accept that Jats were a backward community.
As a fall out of this judgment the Haryana state proclamation for Jats reservation, along
with other 8 states was annulled by the Supreme Court.
Though Jats comprise of 27% of the Haryanvi population, according to the K C Gupta
commission, Jats only had 17.82% representation in Class 1 and 2 government jobs. In
the lower grades, however the Jat representation is about 45%. If we look at educational
institutions Jats representation is only 10.35%. The literacy rate among Jat men is about
45% and among women is about 30%. The community feels that they are wronged by
the previous centre and state governments by excluding them from the OBC list. The Jats
have rejected a government offer to include those with annual income of less than Rs 6
lakh under an Economically backward Persons (EBP) category with a 20% quota ,to be
shared with four other castes : Tyagis, Rors, Bishnois and Jat Sikhs.
ISSUES 2016 CA-203

Out of the 80 castes in Haryana, only 16 - Ahir, Arora, Khatri, Bhisnoi, Brahmin, Gossain,
Gujjar, Jat Sikh, kalal, Mahajan /Bhnia, Meo, Muslim, Rajput, Ror, Saini and Tyagi - do
not find mention in the lists of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes notified by the
Haryana Government. Naturally the most prominent and powerful caste in Haryana
accuse this decision as a treachery against them.
The recent Jat Reservation Agitation by Jat people of North India, especially in the state of
Haryana started on 12th February, and turned violent on 20th February. The protesters
were seeking inclusion of their caste in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category, which
would make them eligible for affirmative action benefits.
Besides Haryana, the protests also spread to the neighbouring states, such as Rajasthan.
The protests have caused a loss of approximately 340 billion (US$5.0 billion) in northern
India. The Northern Railways has suffered a loss of 2 billion (US$29 million) while more
than 10 lakh passengers have been affected. Jats, Jat Sikhs, Rors, Tyagis and Bishnois, are
seeking reservation under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. They had been
promised that the Economically Backward Category (EBC) quota will be increased from
10% to 20% by the state government. In addition to this they were also promised the
annual income ceiling from ` 2.5 lakh to ` 6 lakh to accommodate more people under
the category.

Aquifer Mapping drug which would be launched this year.

Date: 22 February, 2016
Place: Haryana
Field: Ground water
With the climate changes in the recent
years, the groundwater sources have
gone down to a critical level. To find out
the exact location of the Aquifer rocks a
new mapping technique is introduced.
The Aquifer mapping will help in
estimating the quantity and quality of
groundwater present inside the rock.
Mapping determines the exact location, its
size, amount of water that can be stored
and its recharge point. Aquifer Mapping
information is required to develop a strategy
of sustainable groundwater management.
The benefits of aquifer mapping
include- identifying zones for drilling
productive wells; understanding of aquifer
vulnerability; identification of streams
at risk for reduced base flows as a result
of heavy groundwater use; formulation
of effective aquifer management plans;
identification of areas for groundwater
development, rainwater harvesting and
groundwater recharge; information sharing
with stakeholders.
Fast Acting Anti-Rabies Drug
Date: 24 February, 2016
Place: Pune
Field: Health
India will be the first country in the world
to have developed a fast-acting anti-rabies
The drug, called Rabishield, will provide
immediate protection in severe dog-bite
cases by instantly deactivating the rabies
virus. The drug has been developed by
Pune-based Serum Institute of India
(SII) and US-based Mass Biologics of
the University of Massachusetts Medical
School. A ready antibody was required for
immediate protection because the present
vaccine generally takes 14 days to produce
antibodies.
Combat Drug Resistant TB
Date: 21 March, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Health
Bedaquiline Drug the new anti-TB drug
combat Drug Resistant TB as part of the
Revised National Tuberculosis Control
Program (RNTCP). It is a new class of
drug is a diarylquinoline that specifically
targets Mycobacterial ATP synthase, an
enzyme essential for supply of energy to
Mycobacterium tuberculosis and most
other mycobacteria. It will available at six
identified tertiary care centres across the
country. These sites have advanced facilities
for laboratory testing and intensive care
for patients. It will be given to multi-drug
resistant TB patients with resistance
to either all fluoroquinolone and/or all
second line injectables and extensive drug
resistant TB. Union Minister of Health and
Family Welfare on 21st March launched
Bedaquiline – new anti-TB drug for Drug
 CA-204
Resistant TB as part of the RNTCP (Revised
National Tuberculosis Control Program) on
the eve of ‘World TB Day’.
New Environment Standards for Gensets
is a Necessity
Date: 22 March, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Environment
Diesel exhaust contains more than 40 toxic
air contaminants, including many known or
suspected cancer-causing substances, such
as benzene, arsenic, and formaldehyde. It
also contains other harmful environmental
pollutants, including nitrogen oxide,
currently the single most important ozone-
depleting emission. Nitrogen oxide is
unregulated by the Montreal Protocol. In
relation to human health, it is estimated
that up to 70% of cancer risk attributable to
inhalation of toxic air pollutants. Exposure
to diesel exhaust has been linked to lung
cancer in occupational settings. Noise
from a genset can be a significant problem,
depending upon the location and how it
affects people in nearby locations. Noise
comes from four sources: the engine,
generator, cooling fan, and exhaust. Noise
from the engine and generator can be
reduced by providing baffles, a rigid sealed
enclosure, or a rigid sealed enclosure lined
with sound absorption material.
The address adverse health and environmental
effects of electricity generators a new
environment standards for Gensets working
on Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) / Natural Gas
(NG), Diesel with LPG / NG and Petrol with
LPG / NG operated in various cities / towns in
the country is released. The new standards for
Gensets seek to control air and noise pollution
emanating from the operation of Gensets.
These new standards were recommended by
the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
after consultations with industries and other
stakeholders. These standards will help control
the air and noise emission across different
category of Gensets and would be revisited in
4-5 years once air and noise emission quality
data and technological details pertaining to
Gensets are available.
Ban on Sale of Country-made and Spiced
Liquor
Date: 31 March, 2016
Place: Patna
Field: Health
Issue: Liquor consumption
ISSUES 2016
Drinking in public, drinking and driving,
creating nuisance after drinking are issues
of common interest, hence the government
should and must interfere. Critics argue
that absolute ban on drinking per se is
an overreach by the government. During
framing of the Constitution, the Article 47,
governing liquor ban, was included in the
Directives Principles of State Policy, but most
of the states eventually removed the ban
on liquor owing to loss in Excise revenue,
electoral loss, smuggling of liquor, deaths
due to spurious liquor, bootlegging and
loss of jobs. Going back on this is politically
convenient for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar’s decision is a welcome step. The
women folk of Bihar are happy with the ban.
The number of accidents and crimes will
come down. As if the crimes and accidents
across the world happen primarily because
of the drinking habits of the people.
According to the new ban law the person
indulging in manufacturing, trade, transportation,
sale and consumption of country-made
and spiced liquor across the state will
be punished for violating the stringent
provisions of the Bihar Excise (Amendment)
Act, 2016. Bihar joined a select list of states
practising complete or partial prohibition.
The states where alcohol prohibition is in
force are Gujarat, Nagaland, parts of Manipur
and Union territory of Lakshadweep. Kerala
has been implementing prohibition in a
phased manner since 2014.
10% Reservation to Economically
Backward of Higher Castes
Date: 30 April, 2016
Place: Gujarat
Field: Economic Reservation
The debate on reservations often brings
up the issue of poorer sections of society
from the General Category and what the
government is doing for their welfare. Here
are two central sector schemes, specifically
designed for the Economically Backward
Classes (EBCs). The extremely poor people
having annual income less than Rs.1.00 lakh
and who do not belong to any social category
such as SC/ST/OBC, have been categorized
as Economically Backward Classes (EBCs).
In this direction Gujarat government will
bring an ordinance to provide 10 per cent
ISSUES 2016 CA-205

reservation for economically backward
classes (EBC) among upper castes. Families
that earn less than Rs 6 lakh per year will
qualify for the quota. This new reservation
will not affect the present reservation
available to Scheduled Castes (SC) /
Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward
Classes (OBC). This decision will break
Supreme Court’s reservation limit of 50 per
cent as the State Government is even now
provides 50 per cent reservation to SC, ST
and OBC.

Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation

Date: 25 July, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Constitutional
Problems: Child Labour
India is sadly the home to the largest number of child labourers in the world. The census
found an increase in the number of child labourers from 11.28 million in 1991 to 12.59
million in 2001. In 2009–10 a nationwide survey found child labour prevalence had
reduced to 4.98 million children (or less than 2% of children in 5–14 age group). The
2011 national census of India found the total number of child labour, aged 5–14, to be
at 4.35 million, and the total child population to be 259.64 million in that age group.
The child labour problem is not unique to India; worldwide, about 217 million children
work, many full-time. Millions of children around the world are trapped in child labour,
depriving them of their childhood, their health and education, and condemning them
to a life of poverty and want. Of course, there is work that children do to help their
families in ways that are neither harmful nor exploitative. But many children are stuck
in unacceptable work for children – a serious violation of their rights.
Child Labour Act is amended laying a complete framework for the absolute prohibition
of employment of children below the age of 14 but allowing minors to work in family
enterprises. The original Child Labor Prohibition Act of 1986 banned employment of
children below 14 in only 18 hazardous industries. The Bill passed with drastically
cuts down on the number of industries that are considered hazardous for children,
from 83 to just 3, effectively knocking off zari work, bangle-making, garment industry,
leather and tanneries among others in the list. The amended Child Labour Act prohibits
the employment of children (below 14 years of age) in all occupations except in non-
hazardous family enterprises or the entertainment industry.
The government has made the amendments based on the premise that education and
work for children can go hand in hand, but this defeats the very purpose of protecting
children from exploitation. According to the statistics made available by CRY, only 33 out
of 100 children are completing Class 12. The amendments to the Child Labour Act make
the situation grimmer.

Channelization of the Forest Development
Corpus
Date: 25 July, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Constitutional
Problems: Deforestation
Massive deforestation in India has posed
a serious threat to our environment.
Despite several attempts no significant
improvement was marked. Lack of fund
and proper channelization of money for
this purpose is an important factor for not
achieving the desired goal.
Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill will
facilitate make available more than Rs.
6,000 crores per annum to the States/UTs
for conservation, protection, improvement
and expansion of forest and wildlife
resources of the country. Availability of
these amounts will not only help the States/
UTs and local communities to ensure better
management of their forest resources but
will also result in creation of more than 15
crores man-days of direct employment. A
major part of these amounts will be used
to restock and improve quality of degraded
forests, which constitutes more than 40% of
the total forest cover of the country.
This Bill establishes National Compensatory
Afforestation Fund (NCAF) under the Public
 CA-206 ISSUES 2016
Account of India, and a State Compensatory utilised for afforestation, regeneration of
Afforestation Fund under the Public Account forest ecosystem, wild life protection and
of each state. The collected funds will be forest related infrastructure development.

Complaints against SC, HC Judges may Go to Panel

Date: 1 August, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Judicial
A system is going to set up to deal with complaints against judges in the apex court and
in all 24 high courts in the country in spite of conflict from the Chief Justice of India
(CJI) and the Supreme Court collegiums. The terms for a secretariat have been included
in the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) for appointment of judges. Including retired
judges, the secretariat will be tasked with evaluating complaints against the judiciary
and recommending action. It will also screen candidates to be considered for selection
in the apex court and high courts. The CJI and the collegium have been resisting such
a mechanism as the higher judiciary believes it will impinge on their independence.
After striking down the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act last year, the SC
had asked the Government to frame the MoP incorporating five key factors, including a
mechanism to ensure transparency in appointments, a secretariat and a mechanism to
deal with complaints.

South India’s First Children’s Court
Date: 24 August, 2016
Place: Hyderabad
Field: Judiciary
South India’s first Children’s Court in
Hyderabad is going to dispose of children
related cases on a war-footing basis.
Telangana has become the third state after
Goa and Delhi to have a child friendly court
and sixth in the country with features
like separate waiting rooms for children
and a video camera trial for the accused,
mandated under the Protection of Children
from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act-2012.
POCSO stipulates child-friendly court
rooms be put in place across all states at the
earliest in the interest of children in need of
care.
Earlier due to lack of such courts the
children criminals had to face serious
violation of human rights.
Displaced People from PoK
Date: 28 August, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Home Affairs
Those people forced to leave their homes in
what now constitutes the Pakistan occupied
Kashmir (PoK) in 1947 after the tribal raids.
Subsequently, there were two more phases
of movement after the 1965 and 1971 wars
between India and Pakistan. While those
who migrated from the then West Pakistan
were given ‘refugee’ status and settled by
the Indian Government elsewhere in the
country, those who migrated from PoK
(mainly from Muzafarabad and Mirpur
areas) are yet to be settled and live
even today without ‘refugee’ status. The
government’s position has been that, since
they have migrated from PoK, which is
legally a part of India, they are technically
not qualified to be categorized under the
‘refugee’ bracket.
The Govt. has proposed a ` 2,000-crore
package for people displaced from PoK
living in India.
Bihar to Link Exams to Aadhaar Number
Date: 3 September, 2016
Place: Patna
Field: Education
To clean up the examination system, post
the toppers scam in the state, the Bihar
School Examination Board (BSEB) has
decided to begin a new process in a full-
fledged manner from next year by linking
Aadhaar card number of the students
with their examination forms to avoid
duplication. This new initiative is the first
to be implemented by any state board in
the country. The move will not only add to
greater transparency in the exam process
but also facilitate easy access to documents.
ISSUES 2016 CA-207

Commercial Surrogacy
The term generally refers to any surrogacy arrangement in which the surrogate mother
receives compensation for her services, beyond reimbursement of medical expenses.
The alternative to commercial surrogacy is altruistic surrogacy. In altruistic surrogacy,
a woman volunteers to carry a pregnancy for intended parents without any monetary
compensation in return.
PROS
• Commercial surrogacy allows women to be compensated fairly for their yearlong
commitment to intended parents.
• Commercial surrogacy is legally regulated to protect the rights of the surrogate as
well as the intended parents.
• Commercial surrogacy is an alternative for intended parents who do not want to
take favors from close friends or family members to make the sacrifices required
for altruistic surrogacy.
• In commercial surrogacy, contracts are thoroughly negotiated. Monetary
compensation to be received by the surrogate is determined ahead of time. This can
prevent disputes over reimbursements during and after the pregnancy.
• It influences harmony, since most of women pursue surrogacy because they want to
help build other families.
CONS
• Commercial surrogacy is more expensive than altruistic surrogacy.
• Some opponents of commercial surrogacy are of the opinion that it exploits
vulnerable women.
• Commercial surrogacy is illegal in some countries which forces some intended
parents to pursue international surrogacy. This may result in legal and ethical
complications.
Commercial surrogacy, carried out legally and ethically, can be a wonderful way for
people to come together to help hopeful parents.
Recently, in India, a bill to ban commercial surrogacy was introduced in the Lok Sabha.
The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016 was presented by Health Minister J P Nadda.
The bill is intended to focus on protecting women from exploitation and ensure the
rights of the child born through surrogacy. If it is approved, commercial surrogacy will
face a ban in India.
Under special circumstances, only infertile couples with medical letters will be allowed
to approach surrogate mothers. Even those that meet these criteria go through further
restrictions .Few of the required conditions are that the couple has to be Indian and the
woman must be aged between 23 to 50 and the man’s age must be between 26 and 55.
There is also a clause which states that the couple has to be married for at least 5 years.

Minimum Support Price of Gram is Commission for Agricultural Costs and

` 4,000 a Quintal
Date: 18 September, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Agriculture
Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a form
of market intervention by the Government
of India to insure agricultural producers
against any sharp fall in farm prices. The
minimum support prices are announced by
the Government of India at the beginning
of the sowing season for certain crops on
the basis of the recommendations of the
Prices (CACP). Recently in many parts of
India Green gram and black gram cultivated
on rain-fed tracts are now being harvested.
But, the farmers are disappointed over the
yield. Against the normal yield of 400 kg per
acre, this year’s yield is put at 50 to 150 kg.
To address the issue the Chief Economic
Advisor (CEA)-led panel asked the Centre
to immediately announce higher minimum
support price (MSP) of gram (chana) to for
Rs.4,000 a quintal rabi 2016 and Rs.6,000
a quintal for both urad and tur for kharif
season 2017.
 CA-208 ISSUES 2016

National Waterways Project Threatens Gangetic Dolphins

Date: 24 September, 2016
Place: Patna
Field: Ecological Conservation
The development of the Ganga is beneficial for India but it is the natural habitat of
dolphins. Due to construction of dams and barrages on the river for shipping their
numbers are rapidly decreasing. The Central Government plans further to develop
a 1600-km waterway between Allahabad and Haldia. The first phase of the project
spanning 1300 km, from Varanasi to Haldia is now under implementation. It envisages
to improve the navigability of the river as it passes through Northern India. However
this stretch is also home to the endangered dolphin. According to the scientists and
wildlife conservationists, the National Waterways (NW) project possesses serious
environmental threat to Gangetic river dolphins. The development NW1 in the River
Ganga is considered as single-largest threat to the survival of the species, whose
numbers are declining in most parts of their natural habitat. River dolphins are found
in Ganga and Brahmaputra and its tributaries. It has been declared endangered species
and is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. To tackle threat to
dolphins, Union Ministry of Environment and Forest Conservation in 2016 had launched
Endangered Species Recovery Plans for four species of global importance. During the
development of National Waterways, some measures will be listed such as safeguards,
mentioned issues like minimising dredging. Movement of cargo vessels will be
restricted through protected habitat areas through river, monitoring systems and sound
mufflers will be installated to reduce underwater noise. Nesting grounds, breeding and
spawning grounds of dolphins will be identified and development projects activity will
be minimised in those areas.

Aadhaar Card Must for LPG Subsidy
Date: 5 October, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Public Distribution
It has been observed that people who are
not eligible getting subsidy of LPG. In order
to curb this illegal practice the Supreme
Court has already directed in favour of
Adhar Link.
Now, the government has made Aadhaar
mandatory for availing cooking gas (LPG)
subsidies. Currently 12 cylinders of 14.2-
kg each are given at subsidised rates per
household in a year. The subsidy on every
cylinder is transfered in advance directly
into bank accounts of individuals, who
then buy the cooking fuel at market rates.
As LPG subsidy is an expenditure incurred
from Consolidated Fund of India therefore
the use of Aadhaar card is a mandatory
requirement for availing of the benefit.
T.N. Tops List of Endemic Flowering Plant
Date: 3 October, 2016
Place: Tamil Nadu
Field: Ecology
According to Botanical Survey of India
(BSI) almost one of every four species of
flowering plants found in India is endemic
to the country. Tamil Nadu garners the
highest number of species with 410. Tamil
Nadu is followed by Kerala with 357 and
Maharashtra with 278. Four different
varieties of roses, two herbs and two
climbers and 12 species of jasmines are
exclusively found in India. There are also
40 species of bamboos, which are endemic
to India. A total of 58 generea of flowering
plants have been found to be endemic to
India. The Botanical Survey was formally
instituted on 13 February 1890 under the
direction of Sir George King, who had been
superintendent of Royal Botanic Garden,
Calcutta since 1871. King was the first ex-
officio Director of BSI.
Whitener in Uttarakhand Banned
Date: 25 October, 2016
Place: Uttarakhand
Field: Judicial
Whitener is a new addiction among young
teenagers in India today. Sniffing shoe
whitener, or eraser white ink has caught
ISSUES 2016 CA-209

on among many kids in India today. This
substance is poured on a handkerchief or
into a bag and then inhaled. Doing this for
some time makes the sniffer dizzy, high and
disconnected. The chemical toluene is what
affects the sniffer as it has a hallucinatory
effect on the sniffer. What makes white
ink or WINK attractive to teenagers is
how cheap white ink is and the effect it
has on them. The Uttarakhand High Court
has ordered a complete ban on the sale of
whitener in the state. The decision came
following the death of a teenager (14-year-
old) in Bhowali town of Nainital district
after he sniffed an excess of whitener for
a kick. Besides, the court also ordered that
items such as Iodex and Feviquick should
not be sold to children below 18 years
of age in view of prevalent abuse of these
among teenagers.

BCCI- Lodha Committee

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body for
cricket in India. It was formed in1928 as a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu
Societies Registration Act. It is an organization of state cricket associations and the state
associations who select their representatives. They in turn elect the BCCI officials. Board
of Cricket Control in India has been working more like a private body with significant
opacity. It is country’s most powerful and richest sport body.
The 2013 IPL scandal motivated judicial effort to curb BCCI’s powers, reform it
structurally and operationally and introduce accountability.
Justice Lodha Committee
The Lodha committee, comprising former CJI Lodha and former Supreme Court judges
Ashok Bhan and R. Raveendran, was set up by the apex court to look into the BCCI’s
affairs with an objective to curb corruption and improve their workings. Justice
Lodha’s recommendations are in the form of BCCI’s constitutional amendments. The
recommendations are aimed at making reforms and altering the year old elite formation
of BCCI.
The key recommendations of the report are:
• BCCI should come under RTI.
• Cricket betting should be legalized.
• More than two consecutive terms for holding office positions should be stopped.
• Bar Ministers or Government servants from holding office positions in BCCI.
• One person shall hold one post.
• No proxy voting of individuals.
• Only the cricket bodies representing states to have full membership and voting
rights in BCCI.
• All India Universities, Railway Sports Promotion Board, etc. should be only associate
members without voting rights.
• Separate governing bodies to be appointed for IPL and BCCI.
The recommendations are aimed at bringing transparency in the administration of
cricket body. In response to these recommendations, BCCI filed an appeal in the SC
against the report.
Latest Development
Special Bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud
is hearing the Supreme Court-appointed former Chief Justice of India R.M. Lodha-led
committee’s recommendation to oust the entire opaque and cash-rich Board of Control
for Cricket in India (BCCI).This also includes its president and BJP MP Anurag Thakur.

SC Freezes BCCI’s Financial Transactions For a long time a tussel is going on between
Date: 21 October, 2016 BCCI and the Supreme Court. After Lalit
Place: New Delhi Modi’s corruption case a transparent board
Field: Legal was required.
 CA-210
Supreme Court on 21 October 2016 froze
all financial transactions between the BCCI
and state cricket associations. The apex
court directed the apex cricket body not
to disburse any funds, even for the match
purposes, till BCCI resolved to abide by
Justice RM Lodha panel recommendations.
The apex court also directed BCCI president
and Secretary to give undertaking on
affidavit, before the Lodha panel and apex
court by 3 December, 2016, stating how
much time they would need to implement
reforms. It directed the Lodha panel to ask
the auditors to scrutinise the high-value
contracts given by BCCI and also fix a ceiling
of high-value contracts involving media
rights. It asked the Lodha panel’s secretary
to send a copy of the apex court order to the
ICC chairman Shashank Manohar.
Boxing Federation of India Gets
Recognitition as National Sports
Federation for Boxing
Date: 28 October, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Sports
In this regard The Union Ministry of Youth
Affairs and Sports has recognized Boxing
Federation of India (BFI) as the National
Sports Federation (NSF) for Boxing. This
decision will give massive fillip to the
recently-formed BFI and also give a boost
to the sport of boxing which had suffered
due to absence of an NSF in the discipline
since 2012. AIBA, the International Body
for boxing had recognized these newly
elected office bearers of BFI. Considering
the election report and other documents
submitted by BFI, the Ministry of Youth
Affairs & Sports granted recognition as
NSF for Boxing. BFI will help Indian boxers
prepare for 2020 Olympics with more
national & international exposure, and
training.
Women could also be Prosecuted under
Domestic Violence Law
Date: 7 October, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Legal
It has been observed that not only men
but also women are hugely responsible of
domestic violence.
Taking note of the serious issue the Supreme
Court ruled that not only men, but women
can also be prosecuted under the Protection
of Women against Domestic Violence (DV)
ISSUES 2016
Act. The Apex court has struck down the
words “adult male” from the pertinent
provision in the DV Act to lay down that
a woman can also file a complaint against
another woman, accusing her of domestic
violence. Under Section 2(q) of the 2005
Act, a complaint can be made only against
an “adult male person”, thereby insulating
women from being accused of offences
mentioned under the law.
Minimum Wage for Farm Worker Rs 350
Per Day
Date: 1 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Agriculture
Farm workers in India were neglected for a
long time.
The states were free to fix wages for various
categories of workers as there was no
benchmark minimum wage across the
country. The Union Labour Ministry now
decided to fix the minimum wage at `350
per day for unskilled agricultural labour
in C-class towns in central sphere to be
effective from November 1, 2016. Currently,
agriculture workers in the central sphere
are paid as per the rates prescribed under
the national floor level minimum wage,
which is `160 per day.
Construction Near Uttarakhand Glaciers
Date: 8 November, 2016
Place: Nainital
Field: Environment and Ecology
The Himalayan state of Uttarakhand alone
has 968 glaciers spread across an area of
2,857 sq km. These glaciers are a source of
major rivers including the Ganga and the
Yamuna. In recent times these glaciers are
facing severe problem of rapid reduction in
snow cover due to climate change and the
melting of ice.
Taking note of the fact the Uttarakhand HC
imposed a blanket ban on any construction
within a radius of 2 km from major lakes
in Nainital. The HC also ordered a ban on
cutting of trees within a five km radius
of the lake and directed the Haridwar
district police chief to remove an illegally
constructed mosque in the district within
48 hours. All the municipal boards and
Nagar Panchayats have been ordered to
set up sewage treatment plants within 6
months. Plastic in any form within 20 km of
the glaciers and burning of fossil fuel within
10 km from the glaciers has also been
banned by the High Court Bench.
ISSUES 2016 CA-211

NDTV goes off air

As per the breach of the programme code that governs the content in news channels,
the leading Hindi news channel-NDTV was ordered to be taken off air for a day by the
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The imposition referred to a rule introduced
in June 2015 that concerned advisories to all news channels regarding coverage of anti-
terrorist operations.
The inter-ministerial panel comprising I&B ministry, mentioned the channel’s coverage
of the Pathankot terror attack in January in which seven soldiers and six armed fighters
were killed and held that the channel had revealed crucial and strategically sensitive
information while the IAF base was facing the terror attack.
The channel broadcast included Government’s offensive against terrorists, sensitive
operational details like the location of ammunition depot, the place where the terrorists
were holed up and the location of school and residential areas while the armed forces
were trying to kill the terrorists. Such crucial information holds the potential of
instigating considerable harm not just to the national security but also to the lives of
civilians and defence personnel. The earlier decision of panel was to take the channel off
for 30 days but later settled for imposing restrictions for a day.
This decision gained uproar as a direct violation of the freedom of the media and the
citizens, but the fact is that the Government has from time to time routinely asked the
entertainment TV channels to censor words it deems too offensive for local audiences.
Even in the India-administered Kashmir, a local newspaper-‘The Kashmir Reader’ has
been banned for more than a month on the pretext of its contents inciting violence.

Helicobacter Pullorum Bacterium in reintroduction of CBSE board examinations

Chicken
Date: 13 November, 2016
Place: Hyderabad
Field: Health
Chicken is widely used in India as a
nutritious food.
But a recent research in Hyderabad
have identified Helicobacter pullorum
bacterium in chicken that may be source
of transmission of the multidrug resistance
pathogen to humans. The pathogen was
found in broiler and free-range chickens
sold in the Indian Market, which besides
being untreatable, could also cause cancer
and gastrointestinal infections in humans.
It is being suspected that H. pullorum
is resistant wide range of antibiotics
such as fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins,
sulfonamides and macrolides.
CBSE Class X Board Exam to be
Re-introduced
Date: 14 November, 2016
Place: Rajasthan
Field: Education
The policy of no-detention upto Class
X is likely to be scrapped with the
for students. The Central Board of
Secondary Education (CBSE) Class X
examination was scrapped in 2010 and
replaced with the current Continuous and
Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) that
provides for tests and grading through
the year as a means to reduce pressure
on students. The State governments will
be given the authority to reintroduce
class V and VIII board examinations, a
proposal related to it will be tabled in the
Cabinet and then in Parliament. The main
focus of HRD Ministry is on improving the
quality of school education, specifically of
Government schools.
Government of India Impose 5 year Ban
on Zakir Naik’s NGO
Date: 15 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Broadcasting, Hate Speech
Zakir Naik has been under the scanner of
Indian law enforcement authorities ever
since Bangladesh asked for an investigation
into his speeches and his writing, following
a claim that a terrorist involved in the
recent terror attack in Dhaka was his
follower who was inspired by his speeches.
 CA-212
Mr. Naik’s speeches are aired on ‘Peace TV’,
run by his Mumbai-based Islamic Research
Foundation from Dubai. Britain and Canada
have banned Mr. Naik from visiting their
countries several years ago while Malaysia
banned his lectures fearing that they could
instigate inter-racial tensions.
The Government on November 15, 2016
decided to declare a 5 year ban on his
(NGO), Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).
The action is taken under the Unlawful
Activities Prevention Act for its alleged
terror activities. The NGO was allegedly
having suspected links with Peace TV, an
international Islamic channel, accused of
propagating terrorism despite delivering
many provocative speeches. Naik also
transferred IRF’s foreign funds to Peace TV
for making “objectionable” programmes
mostly which were Made in India, containing
alleged hate speeches of Naik. Maharashtra
Police has also registered criminal cases
against Naik for his alleged involvement in
brainwashing of youths and tempting them
into terror activities.
SC Refuses to Remove Ban on Jallikattu
Date: 16 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Judicial
Jallikattu is a bull taming sport played in
Tamil Nadu on Mattu Pongal day as a part
of Pongal celebrations i.e. harvest festival. It
is one of the oldest living ancient tradition
practiced in the modern era. Jallikattu has
been derived from the words ‘calli’ (coins)
and ‘kattu’ (tie), which means a bundle of
coins is tied to the bull’s horns. In Sangam
literature the sport is called as ‘Yeru
thazhuvuthal’ (means to embrace bulls). In
older times Jallikattu was popular amongst
warriors during the Tamil classical period.
Recently the Supreme Court has dismissed
a plea filed by Tamil Nadu to review a 2014
apex court judgment banning Jallikattu.
The apex court questioned the need to
“tame” a domestic animal like the bull and
further held that Jallikattu has nothing
to do with exercise of the fundamental
right of religious freedom. It also held that
Jallikattu runs counter to the concept of
welfare of the animal, which is the basic
foundation of the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals Act, 1960. However, the State
government countered that Jallikattu was
defined as an act of “taming” of bulls under
ISSUES 2016
the Tamil Nadu Regulation of Jallikattu Act,
2009 and it does not amount to cruelty.
This law was introduced to stop any kind
of torture and taming a bull is not torture.
What is issue? The Supreme Court had
banned Jallikattu in May 2014 and held
that bulls could not be used as performing
animals. It ordered to completely stop use
of bulls for Jallikattu events or bullock-
cart races across the country. The ban was
imposed by SC as it violated provisions
of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Act, 1960; fundamental duty Article 51A
(g): compassion towards animal; Article
21 (Right to Life), which prohibits any
disturbance to the environment, including
animals as it is considered essential for
human life. However, in January 2016, the
Union Government through notification
lifted this ban and allowed use of bulls for
Jallikattu events or bullock-cart races in
Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. But, the apex
court put on hold of the Union Government’s
notification.
Hindu Widow’s Adopted Kid can Claim
Only to Her Assets
Date: 17 November, 2016
Place: Delhi
Field: Judicial
As per the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance
Act, family members must get their share in
the ancestral property to which they were
entitled to before the child was adopted.
In this regard the Supreme Court on,
November 17, 2016, regulated that a child
who is adopted by a Hindu widow would
not have any rights on the property of the
woman’s expired husband and could only
lay claim over the property inherited by his
mother. The apex court held that with the
adoption of a child, the rights and interests
of other members of the family would not
be harmed.
Worst Train Accident in Six Years
Date: 21 November, 2016
Place: Kanpur Dehat
Field: Transport
In the recent times train accidents are
growing in numbers which has imposed
a question mark on the Indian Railways.
Compensations cannot solve the issue. A
co-ordinated action oriented approach is
needed to tackle the issue.
ISSUES 2016
The Indore-Patna Express train derailed
in Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar Pradesh
early morning about 3.10am on November
21, 2016. It is one of India’s worst train
accidents in six years with nearly 133 people
killed and more than 200 injured when 14
coaches of the express train derailed near
Pukhrayan, about 100 km from Kanpur.
In 2010, a passenger train crashed into a
freight train in Bengal, killing 146. S1, S2, S3
and S4 suffered severe damage while four
AC coaches were derailed too.
National Organic Farming Research
Institute
Date: 5 Febrary, 2016
Place: Gangtok, Sikkim
Field: Agriculture
There is scientific evidence that organic
agriculture differs from conventional
agriculture not only gradually but
fundamentally. Implementing organic
methods consequently seems to provide
a new quality in how the agro-ecosystem
works. Organic farming seems to improve
soil fertility in a way and to an extent which
cannot be achieved by conventional farming
even if the latter consistently respects
some ecological principles. Sikkim was
declared the country’s first wholly organic
state this year after it converted around
75,000 hectares of agricultural land into
sustainable cultivation.
Therefore the idea of setting up National
Organic Farming Research Institute
(NOFRI) for extending technological
support to organic farming in the country
at Gangtok, Sikkim is an encouraging
move. The organization will offer research
and technological support to organic
production system in the country in general
and north-eastern region in particular.
It will also give vocational and advanced
training to stakeholders for promotion of
organic farming in the country. Sikkim is the
only state in the country which has adopted
organic farming on a universal basis.
TRAI against Differential Pricing
Date: 8 February, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Telcom, Net neutrality
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI) on 8th February decided in favour
CA-213
of net neutrality from charging differential
rates for data services which will prohibit
Facebook’s Free Basics and Airtel Zero
platform by Airtel in their current form.
All service providers are barred from
offering or charging discriminatory tariffs
for data services on the basis of content.
US, Chile, Netherlands and Brazil have
adopted net neutrality which doesn’t allow
discrimination of the Internet content
or charge users differently based on the
content, site, or platform they consume.
Tarun Ramadorai Committee
Date: 4 August, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Finance
In India household finance has been seen
through the lens of financial inclusion,
which has come to mean access of low
income households to finance with an
accent on credit and savings products.
However, there is much more going on in
the field of household finance. The first
dimension is the intensive vs. extensive
margin. Do households really use the market
as much as they should, or as efficiently
as they could? A second dimension is the
range of products. This is related to the
kind of products that households use. These
range from credit (accessing loans through
informal sources instead of formal),
payments, insurance (relying on kinship
networks or savings instead of insurance
products in times of crisis), derivatives (risk
transfer), and investment (using real estate
or gold instead of financial products). In
each of these areas, we need to understand
what households are doing and why. A third
dimension is the income heterogeneity.
Most often, access to finance is seen as low
income households not being able to access
bank accounts, or formal credit. However,
access to finance issues also pervade
middle income and rich, rural and urban
households as well.
Poor people have intermittent incomes
and face high risk. They need sophisticated
finance, but are very often cut off from
it. Most wealth is with the rich, where
faulty financial decisions at the level of
the household, and failures of the financial
system, can give inefficient resource
allocation at the level of the country.
Research on household finance, should not
 CA-214
restrict itself to the problems of low-income
households. Household finance is a part of
finance as a field, not just a part of poverty
studies.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
constituted a committee to look at
various facets of household finance in
India. The Committee will be chaired by
Tarun Ramadorai, Professor of Financial
Economics, University of Oxford. The
Committee will assess the role of new
financial technologies and products.
Avinash Kant Committee for e – commerce
Date: 11 August, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Commerce
Recently the e-commerce and FDI is taking
a pivotal role in India. Therefore it was
necessary to review the pros and cons of
this sector.
In this direction Amitabh Kant will head
a committee to ease the policy regime for
the e-commerce players, including FDI
rules. Other members of the committee will
include representatives from four states,
including Maharashtra and Karnataka along
with delegates from the Union Commerce
Ministry and Department of Electronics
and IT. This committee will examine the
various grievances in the e-commerce
sector alongside making recommendations
for further policy liberalization.
India’s Economic Growth Slowed down
in First Quarter of Current Fiscal Year
Date: 1 September, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Economy
India’s economy grew at its slowest pace
in five quarters in the April-June period,
falling below expectations amid sluggish
investment and farm output. That dents the
prospects of hitting the 8 per cent mark for
the full financial year but the Government
is hopeful that a bountiful monsoon and
increased pay and pensions along with
various structural reforms could still take
growth closer to that figure.
Hower, India’s gross domestic product
(GDP) slowed to 7.1 per cent for the first
quarter of this fiscal, from 7.5% in the like
period of 2015-16, due to mainly lower
activity in farm, mining and construction
sectors. In terms of gross value added
(GVA) - considered a better measure of
ISSUES 2016
economic performance, as it excludes taxes
and subsidies - the growth was a bit higher
at 7.3 per cent, against 7.2 per cent in the
previous year.
UIDAI Bans Sharing of Aadhaar Details
Date: 13 September, 2016
Place: Hyderabad
Government of India now comprehends
the dangers of identity thefts and misusing
of data when it comes to Aadhaar cards.
In one of the strongest worded warnings
Government. has stopped public agencies
from any unauthorized usage of Aadhaar
card data, and have declared that consent
of the user is must before using the data
for any purpose. Violation of this rule can
attract heavy penalty as well as prison
term. Earlier, Government. had stopped
merchants from unauthorized collection of
Aadhaar data, and had issued warning for
the same.
UIDAI, the organization which issues and
maintains Aadhaar data has laid special
emphasis on the user’s consent before
using the data. And once the consent has
been issued, the external agency which
collects the data can only use the data for
the specific purpose for which consent has
been provided. Using Aadhaar card data
for identity theft is also punishable by law
now. This strict warning was long overdue,
especially in the wake of increasing Aadhaar
related fraud and identity thefts.
At a time when all railways tickets will have
compulsory Aadhaar authentication and
when people are going to use Aadhaar based
digital lockers, then such diktat on public
usage of data is indeed commendable.
In this regard Unique Identification
Authority of India (UIDAI) asked agencies
in possession of Aadhaar number of an
individual to not publish or post the
information publicly. The core biometric
information, collected by the Authority,
cannot be shared with anyone for any
reason. Any violation of the Aadhaar Act
will constitute an offence and is punishable
under the Act. The agencies that collect the
Aadhaar number will also have to specify
whether submission of the number or proof
of Aadhaar is mandatory or voluntary.
The regulations also provide for obtaining
consent of the Aadhaar number holder for
collection, storage and use of the same for
specified purposes.
ISSUES 2016 CA-215

India’s fight against black money

The Union Government has intensified its fight against black money since the day it
came to power and has thereby launched and cumulated several big and small measures
to create a coordinated strike against black money. It’s no more a new tale that the
black money generated in the country is stored mostly in India and a part of it is held in
overseas. Hence, the Government has made efforts on both fronts-domestic and foreign
stored black money.
The foundation laid by the Government as soon as it came in power in May 2014 is
quite evident through the measures it took in a methodical manner. In its first Cabinet
Meeting, the Government constituted a Supreme Court Monitored Special Investigation
Team (SIT) on Black Money; which was followed by the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Jan
Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) on August 28, 2014. Through his personal interest in the scheme,
Mr. Modi made it a mission to make it a success.
The Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax
Act, 2015 is to effectively deal with the issue of black money stashed away abroad.
Introduction of the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Bill, 2015 enables
confiscation of Benami property and provides for prosecution. The Black Money
(Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 came into
force on July 1, 2015, to specifically and more effectively deal with undisclosed income.
Further, the Government proactively made global efforts to combat tax evasion, black
money by joining the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement with USA. The
Government is also trying to automate information exchange with several countries,
including Switzerland, to clamp down on black money. The Income Declaration Scheme,
2016 was announced which enables citizens to declare their undisclosed income. The
Government also signed the revised tax treaty with Mauritius under which India will
impose capital gains tax on investments routed through the island nation in a bid to
curb tax evasion.
Considering the present scenario of Demonetization of the currency notes of `500 and
1000, it is another step to extinguish fake currency that has been generated till now in
the market. This scheme will be of immense help leading to a rise in transactions from
banks.
Rural villagers will be helped by opening of accounts in the remote areas. On the
contrary, if the bank accounts would not have been opened, it would have created
immense trouble for the villagers.
In order to rein in corruption, the Government linked aadhar card with all the social
welfare scheme payments, and other benefits from various schemes run by Government
of India. They include – Direct Benefits Transfer (DBTL), subsidies for commodity
products, MNREGA, various tribal welfare schemes, pensions, etc.
Meanwhile, the government came under increased attack from opposition parties for
scrapping these high-denomination notes. The Congress has been spearheading this
charge. However, going down in history, the UPA’s record on black money and corruption
has also been dismal. Around $213 billion of black money was stashed abroad during
UPA regime but no serious efforts were made to bring back the money. Some of the
more recent major scams during congress regime include chopper, coal block allocation,
railgate, 2G spectrum, commonwealth games, Satyam Computer Services, Adarsh
Housing society, cash-for-votes scandal, etc. the list is endless.
Now as an endorsement from the people of Maharashtra and Gujrat, the BJP swept the
local bodies elections in both states. Even in by-polls, BJP increased its tally from 3 to 5.
As PM Modi termed it as the ‘biggest crusade’, this demonetisation is not the end but the
beginning of a long, deep and constant battle against black money and corruption and
will benefit the poor and the common man.
 CA-216 ISSUES 2016

Bank Deposits Cross ` 100 lakh crore First Time

Date: 15 October, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Banking
It is a good sign that fixed deposits and recurring deposits are growing in Indian banks.
But the issue is that, the sudden rise is due to government’s declaration of certain tax
evacuation on voluntary declaration.
RBI recently declared that India’s banking system reported total deposits of ` 100 lakh
crore for the first time ever in September. Demand deposits crossing ` 10 lakh crore
and time deposits crossing the ` 90 lakh crore mark, the month saw the highest-ever
monthly rise of ` 5.32 lakh crore —more than the total deposits in the banking sector 20
years back. Although ` 100 lakh crore is a big milestone, historical data reveal deposit
growth slowed down considerably over the last five years. While banks’ deposits grew
at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.88% in the last five years, they had
grown at a CAGR of 19.9% in the previous five years.

TATA’s Mistry Controversy whistle as many might say on the accounts

Date: 25 October, 2016
Place: Mumbai
Field: Corporate
India’s largest conglomerate Tata Sons
Ltd has removed Cyrus Pallonji Mistry as
Chairman. However he will remain a director
of the individual companies. The board has
replaced him with his predecessor Ratan
Tata as interim chairman for four months.
Mistry had shortest tenure as Chairman so
far at the group. He had replaced Ratan Tata
as chairman in December 2012. He was
only the sixth group Chairman in nearly
15 decades and the first from outside the
Tata family to be appointed to top most
post of Tata group. Besides, the board also
named a five-member search committee
to choose a successor within four months.
It has given time of four months to choose
a successor. Cyrus Pallonji Mistry is son of
the billionaire Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry.
Prior to his appointment as chairman he
was deputy chairman of Tata Sons. He had
remained the director of Tata Sons since
2006. Billionaire Pallonji Mistry, along with
his sons, Shapoor Mistry and Cyrus Mistry
are owners of 18.5% stake in Tata group.
They are largest shareholders on individual
basis of group. He also had served as
chairman of Tata Motors, Tata Chemicals,
Tata Steel and Tata Global Beverages.
The matter has become controversial and
raises many questions. Did Cyrus Mistry
act in the interest of minority shareholders
of Tata group companies when he blew the
of Tata-led companies and spoke of a
$18-billion write-down? Does Tata Sons act
primarily in its own interests as a closely
held company or as a custodian of minority
shareholders of the companies it indirectly
controls and manages for most part?
It is worthwhile recalling that Ratan Tata
faced a controversy in the 1990s when
Tata Sons wanted group-led companies
to pay fees for the use of the Tata brand.
Shareholders were not exactly happy. Tata
Sons continues to get brand fees. Questions
are bound to be raised on what Tatas bring
to the table.
Banks to Report Frauds of ` 1 crore and
Above to CVC
Date: 1 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Banking
With several high-ticket alleged frauds
like Vijay Mallya loan default case coming
to fore, Central Vigilance Commission has
now made it mandatory for the public
sector banks to report to it all such matters
involving funds over ` one crore. The banks
have been asked to share their reports of
Fraud Monitoring and Reporting (FMR)
mechanism with the CVC in the suspected
fraud cases of ` one crore and above. Till
now this report was shared with the RBI
only. With this, the banks will have to report
the modus operandi of all the alleged frauds
to the CVC, which will share these details
with other banks to prevent such cases
being repeated. Besides, the Commission
ISSUES 2016 CA-217

also decided to call regular monthly
meetings of senior officials of Reserve Bank
of India (RBI), CBI and banks to monitor
probe in suspected bank frauds of 50 crore
rupees and above.
GST Council Approves 4 Tier Rate
Structure for GST
Date: 3 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Taxation
The introduction of GST has undergone
many troublesome phases. So many changes
has taken place in the original draft.
Recently GST Council approved a four-tier
GST tax structure of 5%, 12%, 18% and
28%, with lower rates for essential items
and the highest for luxury and de-merits
goods that would also attract an additional
cess. Goods and Services Tax is a proposed
system of indirect taxation in India merging
most of the existing taxes into single system
of taxation. The lowest rate of 5% would be
for common use items while there would be
two standard rates of 12% and 18% under
the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime
targeted to be rolled out from April 1, 2017.
The highest tax slab will be applicable to
items which are currently taxed at 30-
31% (excise duty plus VAT). As per the
rate structure agreed upon by the council,
a zero tax rate will apply to 50% of the
items present in the consumer price index
basket, including food grains such as rice
and wheat.

` 500 and ` 1000 Currency no Longer Legal Tender

Date: 8 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Economy
In order to eliminate black money and corruption from the country Prime Minister
Shri Narendra Modi addressed an unscheduled announcement to the nation on
November 8, 2016 that the ` 500 and ` 1000 currency notes currently in use will
no longer be legal tender from midnight 8th November, 2016. These notes will not
be accepted for any kind of transactions from midnight onwards. The aim behind
such move is to curb corruption, black money, money laundering, terrorism creating
an environment of panic. However one hundred, fifty, twenty, ten, five, two and
one rupee note will remain legal tender and will not be affected by the decision. On
recommendation of RBI, government of India has decided to issue ` 2000 notes and new
notes of five hundred for circulation.

Ishaat Hussain Replaces Cyrus Mistry
as Interim Chairman of TCS
Date: 9 November, 2016
Place: Mumbai
Field: IT services, IT consulting
TATA is passing through a turbulent time.
An internal conflict is going on between
Ratan Tata and Cyrus Mistry.
Tata Sons, the largest shareholder in Tata
Consultancy Services, with 73.26% stake,
has removed Cyrus Mistry as the chairman
of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and
nominated Mr. Ishaat Hussain as the
interim chairman of the IT major with
immediate effect. Mr. Hussain will remain
chairman until a new person is appointed in
his place. Mr. Mistry was replaced without
holding any board meeting. TCS did not
require to hold a board meeting to replace
Mistry as Chairman because Article 90
of the company’s Articles of Association
allows its majority shareholder to nominate
a chairman without board resolution. Tata
Sons which holds 28.01 % stake in IHCL
also decided to hold an extraordinary
general meeting for the removal of Cyrus
P Mistry as director from the board of the
Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), the
company which runs the Taj group of hotels.
Cyrus Mistry and Ratan Tata is having some
tussel regarding the management decisions.
 CA-218
2,071 Industrialists owe ` 3.89 lakh crore
to Banks
Date: 22 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Banking
It is hard to know that ` 3.89 lakh crore
loan pending on 2,071 industrialists. It is
estimated that each of the industrialist has
borrowed ` 50 crore or more. It is equally
ironical that the amounts have turned
into non-performing assets (NPAs), or
ISSUES 2016
bad loans. In terms of instructions of RBI,
every bank has to have its own recovery
policy, including the manner and procedure
of write-offs. Loans are written off after
appropriate provisions have been made to
take advantage of tax benefits and capital
optimization. In respect of technical write-
offs, RBI has permitted write-offs at the
head office level while recovery efforts are
still continued at the branch level. Therefore
it is clear that these loans are taken for tax
benefits.

Implementing Uniform Civil Code

Date: 4 July, 2016
Place: Delhi
Field: Constitutional
Uniform Civil Code is a proposal to have a generic set of governing laws for every citizen
without taking into consideration the religion. Article 44 of the Constitution says that
there should be a Uniform Civil Code. According to this article, “The State shall endeavour
to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India”. Since the
Directive Principles are only guidelines, it is not mandatory to use them.
Uniform Civil Code was one of the key issues debated during the writing of the
Constitution, with passionate arguments on both sides. However, unable to arrive at a
solution, a directive principle was struck regarding this in the constitution. But, several
members of the Constituent Assembly disagreed vehemently with the compromise and
argued that one of the factors that have kept India back from advancing to nationhood
has been the existence of personal laws based on religion which keep the nation divided
into watertight compartments in many aspects of life. Though, after independence,
few governments tried to have a UCC, religious conservative groups did not allow
governments to proceed ahead in this regard.
India needs a Uniform Civil Code for the following reasons: A secular republic needs a
common law for all citizens rather than differentiated rules based on religious practices.
Another reason why a uniform civil code is needed is gender justice. The rights of women
are usually limited under religious law, be it Hindu or Muslim. The practice of triple talaq
is a classic example. Many practices governed by religious tradition are at odds with
the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Indian Constitution. Courts have also often
said in their judgements that the government should move towards a uniform civil code
including the judgement in the Shah Bano case. India being a secular country guarantees
its minorities the right to follow their own religion, culture and customs under Article
29 and 30. But implementing a Uniform Code will hamper India’s secularism. What is
unfortunate is the demand for UCC has always been framed in the context of communal
politics. Many see it as majoritarianism under the garb of social reform. This is the first
time a government has asked the Law Commission, which has a crucial advisory role on
legal reform, to look into the politically controversial issue of a uniform civil code.
ISSUES 2016 CA-219

Electoral Reforms
Electoral reform is an amendment in electoral systems to enhance the channel through
which public desires are expressed in election results. Reforms include:
• Voting systems, citizen initiatives, referendums , recall elections,
• Vote-counting procedures
• Rules about political parties, typically changes to election laws
• Eligibility to vote
• Nomination rules and ballot access
• Electoral constituencies and election district borders
• Ballot design and voting equipment
• Election monitoring by candidates, political parties, etc.
• Safety of voters and election workers
• Measures against bribery and conflicts of interest
• Financing of candidates and referendum campaigns
• Factors affecting the rate of voter participation
• State funding to political parties
Major electoral reforms:
Election staff deemed to be on deputation: The election staff is now deemed to be on
deputation of Election Commission for the duration of elections. In this period, all such
staff personnel are under superintendence of the Election Commission. Towards this
purpose, the RoPA was amended in 1988 and a new section {Section 13CC} was included
in the same.
More proposers in Upper House Elections: Number of electors required to sign
as proposers in nomination papers for elections to Rajya Sabha and State Legislative
Councils has been increased to 10% of the electors of the constituency. Similarly, ten
such electors, whichever is less, are required to prevent impractical candidates.
RoPA amended to facilitate EVM: The Representation of the Peoples Act (RoPA) 1951,
was amended to facilitate use of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in elections.
ECI given teeth to tackle booth capturing: Section 58A has been inserted in the
Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951. This has been done by providing adjournment
of poll or countermanding of elections because of booth capturing. On such reports,
Election Commission may declare the poll at the particular polling station as void and
appoint a date for fresh poll or override election in that constituency.
Insult to national honor may lead to disqualification: Any offence of insulting the
Indian national flag or the Constitution of India or offence of preventing singing of
national anthem are impending insults to National Honour Act, 1971. This shall hereafter
lead disqualification for contesting elections to Parliament and state legislatures for a
period of six years.
Increase in security deposits and number of proposers: As a measure to check the
multiplicity of non-serious candidates, the security amount has been increased. In the
case of an election to the House of the People, the amount of security has been increased
from `500 to `10,000 for the general candidate and from `250 to `5,000 for a candidate
who is a member of a Scheduled caste or Scheduled Tribe. For elections to a State
Legislative Assembly, the general candidates will make a deposit of `5,000 and `2,500 if
they belong to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.
Number of Proposers increased for Presidential Elections:
Under the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections (Amendment) Ordinance, 1997,
the number of proposers and seconders for presidential candidates have been increased
to 50 each (as against the earlier 10), and the security deposit to ` 15,000 (earlier
deposit ` 2500).
 CA-220 ISSUES 2016

For the Vice-Presidential candidates the number of proposers and seconders is 20 and
amount of the security deposit has been increased `15,000. It is a must for proposers
and seconders to be members of the Electoral College comprising elected members from
the state assemblies and Parliament.
Restriction on contesting election from more than two constituencies: Under
eligibility conditions, a candidate is not allowed to contest election from more than two
parliamentary or assembly constituencies at General Election.
Provisions on Death of candidate: No election recalled on the death of a contesting
candidate. If the deceased candidate was from a recognized national or state party, the
party will be given an option to nominate another candidate within seven days of the
issue of a notice.
Taking arms to or near to Polling station is Cognizable Offense: carrying any kind
of arms as defined in Arms Act 1959 within the neighbourhood of a pooling station is
now a cognizable offence. It is punishable with imprisonment up to two years or with
fine or with both.
Holidays on Polling Day: All registered electors who are employed in any business,
trade industrial undertaking or any other establishment shall be entitled to a paid
holiday on the day of poll. The daily wagers will also receive their wages for that day.
Prohibition on sale of liquor: No liquor or intoxicants shall be sold, given or distributed
at any shop, eating place, hotel or any other place, whether public or private, within a
polling area during the period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for the conclusion
of poll.
Model Code of Conduct: The Code of Conduct lays down guidelines as to how political
parties and candidates should conduct themselves during elections. This includes:
From the time the elections are announced by the Commission, Ministers and other
authorities cannot announce any financial grant, promise construction of roads , lay
foundation stones of projects of schemes, , carry out any appointments in government
and public undertakings which may influence the voters in favour of the ruling party.
The Commission has been effectively using the MCC as a tool to ensure honest, free and
fair elections in India.

32 Years too old, for UPSC
Date: 29 July, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Issue: Change of civil service age is a major
long standing issue.
Recently UPSC-appointed Committee has
recommended to the Union Government
that the upper age-limit for appearing in
the examinations such as the IAS and IPS
be reduced to 26 years from the current
32 for general category students over the
next 5-7 years. Over the years, the age limit
for the general category has gone up from
24 years to 32 in the year 2014. However,
nothing has been mentioned about the
age criteria for SC/ST, for whom the upper
age limit is 37 years. The current upper-
limit for general, able-bodied candidates
is 32. The Committee recommended it be
reduced to 27 over five years after being
followed for two years. This suggestion was
made because thousands of students who
spend years preparing for the examination
might find their careers at stake, if suddenly
declared ineligible.
17000 Public Toilets In Delhi
Date: 29 July, 2016
Place: Delhi
Field: Sanitation
The Delhi Government is planning to make
the national capital open defecation free,
on account of which 17000 toilets will
be constructed at a cost of Rs. 150 crore.
Around 211 locations have been identified
for this purpose by the Delhi Urban Shelter
Improvement Board (DUSIB). A database of
toilets have been prepared in such localities
and the agency is about to start the
construction work. This initiative will also
educate slum dwellers not to defecate in the
open, regarding the problems associated
with the same.
ISSUES 2016 CA-221

Committee for Seventh Central Pay
Commission Issues
Date: 13 September, 2016
Place: New Delhi
The 7th Pay Commission report is
considered controversial by different
experts. It spans a big controversy that has
to do with the near monopoly currently
enjoyed by the IAS and how to end it,
once and for all. This controversy has
acquired increased urgency after the turf
war between the officers of the Indian
administrative and revenue services.
As per the 7th Pay Commission, IAS officers
get two extra increments at promotion
stages and it wanted to extend the same
to the IPS and the Indian Forest Service.
Other all-India Services and Central
Services (Group A) are not getting proper
representation either. The IAS officers
always had a two-year edge compared to
other services.
The solution that the 7th Pay Commission
panel unveiled said that all personnel who
have put in 17 years of service should
be given equal opportunity for Central
staff. The panel was overwhelmed by
the reactions of Group A Services, who
demanded that the services should have
equal opportunities to man the senior-most
posts and it should not be the preserve of a
small group.
In this regard a 22-member panel is
formed to look into the issue. The panel
will be headed by DoPT (Department of
Personnel and Training) secretary. From
the Government side, it will have Member
(Staff) Railway Board, secretaries of
Department of Telecommunications and
Department of Posts, Financial Adviser,
Defence Ministry, two joint secretaries
from DoPT and another Joint Secretary
(Personnel) in Finance Ministry as its
members. From the staff side a Deputy
Secretary of the DoPT will be Member-
Secretary of the panel which has 13 people.

Unrest in Kashmir
The 2016 unrest in Kashmir,is also being referred to as Burhan aftermath. A series of
violent protests in the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir started with
the killing of Burhan Wani. Burhan Wani was a militant commander of the Kashmir-
based Hizbul Mujahideen. He was killed by Indian security forces on 8 July 2016. His
killing triggered anti-Indian protests in all 10 districts of the Kashmir Valley. Protesters
spurned curfew with attacks on security forces and public properties.
With imposing curfew in all 10 districts of the valley, mobile services were suspended by
the Government. Kashmir valley remained under 53 days of consecutive curfew which
was lifted from all areas on 31 August. However, it was reimposed in some areas the next
day. In order to control the violence and repeated attacks on police, Jammu and Kashmir
Police and Indian paramilitary forces used pellet guns, rubber bullets, tear gas shells
and assault rifles. This resulting in deaths of more than 85 civilians, with over 13,000
civilians injured. Two security personnel died and over 4,000 personnel were injured
in the riots. Neighbouring country, Pakistan tried to take advantage of the situation and
tried to make the issue a butt of criticism across the World.Pakistan’s Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif expressed “shock” over the killing of Burhan Wani and other civilians
by the Indian security forces. He also said that it was “deplorable that excessive and
unlawful force was used against the civilians”. The Indian Government responded to
the strategic indulgence of Pakistan by saying that the Pakistan Government’s view on
Wani’s killing reflected its association with terrorism and strictly advised it to refrain
from interfering in the internal affairs of India.
When caste based reservation is a
Punjab Govt Includes Few Castes in
debatable issue in India recently the Punjab
Backward Classes List
Government has approved the inclusion of
Date: 26 September, 2016 Gosai/Goswami, Yadav/Aahir and Rabari
Place: Chandigarh Communities in the list of Backward Classes
Field: Caste Based Reservation of the state. The Cabinet also decided
 CA-222
to extend the Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat
Beema Yojna to provide health insurance to
40 lakh blue card holders, farmers, traders
and labourer families which was expiring
on October 31.
Henceforth the Cabinet gave its nod to
extend this policy from November 1, 2016
to October 31, 2017.
This decision may encourage other states to
take this type of decision.
AFSPA Extended to 3 Districts of
Arunachal Pradesh
Date: 10 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: National Security
Considering Naga underground factions’
increased indulgence in extortion and
inter-factional rivalry, the Union Ministry
of Home Affairs has extended Armed
Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in
three districts of Arunachal Pradesh. The
districts (Tirap, Changlang, and Longding)
have been specified as ‘disturbed areas’
INTERNATIONAL
End of Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
Date: 13 January, 2016
Place: Geneva
Field: Health
Issue: Disease
World Health Organization (WHO)
declared the end Ebola virus disease in
Liberia, stating that all known chains of
transmission have been stopped in West
Africa. Guinea was birthplace of deadliest
Ebola outbreak in history and was initially
centred on country’s remote south-eastern
region of Nzerekore in 2013. Later it had
spread to its neighbouring countries Liberia
and Sierra Leone and also seven other
countries. It has already claimed the lives of
more than 11,300 people and infected over
28,500, according to the reports by WHO.
The epidemic in West Africa has already
caused more than 20 thousand deaths.
World’s Most Expensive Train Station
Date: 27 February, 2016
Place: New York
Field: Transport
ISSUES 2016
under Section 3, AFSPA. The Parliament had
enacted AFSPA in 1958 to confer special
powers upon the armed forces in disturbed
areas declared under the Act. It provides
army officers and jawans legal immunity
for their actions in disturbed areas. Under
this act, a member of the Indian armed
forces cannot be prosecuted or tried in
any criminal or civil court for any act
committed by him or her while performing
duty in a disturbed area. Moreover, no court
or quasi-judicial body can question the
government’s decision to declare any area
disturbed. Presently, the AFSPA is in force
in Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland,
Manipur (except Imphal municipal area),
Arunachal Pradesh (in above 3 districts
plus a 20-km belt bordering Assam) and
Meghalaya (along 20-km area bordering
Assam). Earlier in August 2015, the Union
Government had signed a ‘framework
agreement’ with NSCN-IM to find a final
solution to the six-decade-old Naga issue.
The world’s most expensive train station
is going to be functional in New York. It is
ready for its grand opening. Constructed
at the cost of $4 billion, nearly twice
the original estimate, the World Trade
Center Transportation Hub is ready
for the thousands of PATH commuters
who will flow through the facility that
connects to 11 subway lines. Designed
by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava,
the centerpiece of the hub is the Oculus, a
cavernous hall that features white steel ribs
reaching to the structure’s apex to form
a skylight called the Wedge of Light. The
skylight will open 22 feet on a nice spring
day as well as in observance of 9/11. The
expansive space sits on a  heated, white
Italian marble flooring. Outside of the
heart of transportation hub, steel arches jut
from the center of the rib-like structure in
a design that appears to be a bird being
released from a child’s hands. Sized at 350
feet long, roughly the size of a soccer field,
the Oculus will have 75,000 square feet
of retail space. Once complete, the white-
winged building will also be used as an
event space, likely hosting fashion shows,
concerts or food tastings. The design of the
ISSUES 2016
most expensive train station is described
as a “message of love to the city” inspiring
optimism and exemplifying the tenacity to
rebuild after the devastating terror attacks
of 9/11. The WTC Transportation Hub
will see 250,000 people move through the
facility a day.
Maria Sharapova Suspended Failing
Drugs Test
Date: 8 March, 2016
Place: Los Angeles
Field: Sports
Issue: Drugs Abuse
Maria Sharapova has been temporarily
banned from tennis after she tested
positive at in a drug test ahead of the
Australian Open for a recently banned drug
that she has been taking for 10 years for
health reasons. She had been taking the
drug called meldonium under the name
of mildronate and was unaware of both
the different name and the fact it is on the
World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list
until she received a letter notifying her of
the positive test 10 days ago. According to
Tennis Anti-Doping Programme and Wada
guidelines Sharapova can face a ban up to
four years
India Ranks 118th on UN’s World
Happiness Index 2016
Date: 20 March, 2016
Place: New York
Issue: Social
People live happily in a society which stands
on equality. Discrimination, caste prejudice
and economic inequality made the people
of India unhappy.
Therefore India was ranked 118th in the list,
down one slot from last year on the index.
The report takes into account the GDP per
capita, life expectancy, social support and
freedom to make life choices as indicators of
happiness. Switzerland was ranked second
on the list, followed by Iceland (3), Norway
(4) and Finland (5). The report said that
India was among the group of 10 countries
witnessing the biggest happiness declines,
along with Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Egypt,
Yemen and Botswana. India comes below
Somalia (76), China (83), Pakistan (92), Iran
(105), Palestinian Territories (108) and
Bangladesh (110). The U.S. is ranked 13th,
coming behind Australia (9) and Israel (11).
CA-223
World Sparrow Day
Date: 20 March, 2016
Place: Mumbai
Field: Biodiversity conservation
Issue: Extinction
20th March was observed as the World
Sparrow Day to raise awareness across
the world about the house sparrow
(Passer domesticus) and other common
birds in the urban environments, and the
threats to their diminishing populations.
The international initiative was taken up
by the Nature Forever Society of India
in association with the Eco-Sys Action
Foundation (France) and numerous other
national and international organisations
across the world. The first World Sparrow
Day was celebrated in 2010. On 14th August
2012 the house sparrow was declared to
be the state bird of Delhi at the launch of
the Rise for the Sparrow Campaign by the
Nature Forever Society. This year’s theme
is ‘Rise for the SPARROW-Experience the
power of one.’ The theme has been inspired
by the hope that more and more of us will
celebrate the relationship between People
and Sparrows.
World Water Day
Date: 22 March, 2016
Place: New York [UN]
Field: Water conservation
Water scarcity affects every continent at
least one month out of every year. More
than 1.2 billion people lack access to clean
drinking water.
March 22nd was celebrated as World
Water Day to generate global awareness
among people on the importance of fresh
water and advocates for the sustainable
management of freshwater resources. The
theme of World Water Day 2016 is “Water
and Jobs,” a campaign coordinated by the
International Labour Organization (ILO)
on behalf of UN-Water. It will focus on how
enough quantity and quality of water can
change workers’ lives and livelihoods - and
even transform societies and economies.
International Day of Forests
Date: 21st March, 2016
Place: UN
Field: Conservation of Nature
Forests cover one third of the Earth’s land
mass, performing vital functions around the
world. Around 1.6 billion people - including
 CA-224
more than 2,000 indigenous cultures -
depend on forests for their livelihood.
In order to address the issue, 21st March
was observed as the International Day of
Forests to raise awareness about all types
of forests, and trees outside forests, for the
benefit of current and future generations.
The theme of the 2016 is “forests and
water”. The day was observed for the first
time on March 21, 2013 after the resolution
of the United Nations General Assembly on
November 28, 2012.
World Tuberculosis Day
Date: 20th March, 2016
Place: Geneva
Field: Health
Tuberculosis kills about 2 million people
each year. The breakdown in health services,
the spread of HIV/AIDS and the emergence
of multidrug-resistant TB are contributing
to the worsening impact of this disease.
In this direction, World Tuberculosis Day
was observed on 24th March to build
public awareness about the worldwide
epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) and efforts to
eradicate the disease. The theme for World
TB Day 2016 was Unite to End TB. The day
commemorates the astounding discovery of
the cause of tuberculosis, i.e. the TB bacillus
in 1882 by Dr Robert Koch which opened
the way towards diagnosing and curing TB.
Dengue Vaccination
Date: 4 April, 2016
Place: Philippines
Field: Health
Sanofi’s dengue vaccine is the first WHO
approved vaccination for dengue. It has been
proved effective against all four serotypes of
the disease. The vaccine can prevent more
than 80% of hospitalisations and up to
93% of severe dengue cases in the targeted
9-year and older, at-risk population.
With this approval world’s first public
dengue vaccination programme was
launched in Philippines. Several hundred
children aged 9-10 were administered the
injection. Dengue or haemorrhagic fever,
the world’s most common mosquito-borne
virus, infects an estimated 390 million
people in more than 120 countries each
year, killing more than 25,000, according to
the World Health Organization.
ISSUES 2016
Indo Germany Agreement on Ganga
Rejuvenation
Date: 13 April, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Environment & Ecology
Problems: Pollution
An Implementation Agreement for Ganga
Rejuvenation under the Namami Gange
Programme was signed in New Delhi
between the Ministry of Water Resources,
River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
and German International Cooperation
(GIZ) of Germany. For a long time the
pollution of Ganga has been imposing a
greater threat to marine eco-system and
human beings. This problem could not be
solved by the Government despite several
initiatives. ‘Namami Gange’ Programme, is a
flagship programme of Government of India
with a renewed impetus to decrease river
pollution and conserve the revered river
‘Ganga’.
22% Increase in Global Tiger Population
in 100 Years
Date: 12 April, 2016
Place: Gland, Switzerland
Field: Tiger Conservation
Across their range, tigers face unrelenting
pressures from poaching, retaliatory killings
and habitat loss. They are forced to compete
for space with dense and often growing
human populations. Despite countries
such as India, Nepal, Russia and Bhutan
registering a spike in tiger population, the
status of the animal remains endangered.
According to the WWF, hundred years ago
there were 100,000 wild tigers. By 2010,
there were as few as 3,200.
According to recent report of the WWF
and the Global Tiger Forum there has
been a 22% rise in the tiger population
across the world. The number of wild
tigers has increased to 3,890 an increase
of almost 22% which is an increase in the
number of the tigers for the first time in
100 years. India recorded an increase of
over 500 tigers during this six-year period
and continues to be home to the highest
number of wild cats. The increase in world
tiger population has been attributed to
multiple factors including increases in the
tiger populations in India, Russia, Nepal and
Bhutan, improved surveys and enhanced
protection.
ISSUES 2016 CA-225

Europe Becomes World’s First Region
to End Malaria: WHO
Date: 20 April, 2016
Place: Copenhagen
Field: Health
In the year 2015, there were 214 million
cases of the malaria across the world and it
had killed around 438,000 people, most of
them in sub-Saharan Africa.
WHO (World Health Organisation) has
declared that Europe has become the
world’s first region to wipe out malaria,
with zero cases reported last year. When a
country has zero locally acquired malaria
cases for at least three consecutive years, it
is eligible for official certification of malaria
elimination by the WHO.
World Day for Safety and Health at Work
Date: 28 April, 2016
Place: Globally
Field: Health
Every day, 6,300 people die as a result of
occupational accidents or work-related
diseases – more than 2.3 million deaths
per year. 317 million accidents occur on
the job annually; many of these resulting in
extended absences from work. The human
cost of this daily adversity is vast and the
economic burden of poor occupational
safety and health practices is estimated at
4 per cent of global Gross Domestic Product
each year.
To create awareness in this regard the
World Day for Safety and Health at Work is
an annual international campaign observed
on 28 April and has been observed by the
International Labour Organization (ILO)
since 2003. The annual World Day for
Safety and Health at Work promotes the
prevention of occupational accidents and
diseases globally. The theme for World
Day for Safety and Health at Work 2016 is
“Workplace Stress: a collective challenge”.
World Malaria Day
Date: 25 April, 2016
Place: Worldwide
Field: Health
World Malaria Day (WMD) is an international
observance commemorated every year on
25 April and recognizes global efforts to
control malaria. The day was established
in May 2007 by the 60th session of the
World Health Assembly. WMD is one of
eight official global public health campaigns
currently marked by the World Health
Organization (WHO), along with World
Health Day, World Blood Donor Day, World
Immunization Week, World Tuberculosis
Day, World No Tobacco Day, World Hepatitis
Day and World AIDS Day.

India 5th Largest Producer of e-waste in World

Date: 25 May, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Environment
Problems: e-Waste
In India, e-waste management assumes greater significance not only due to the
generation of its own e-waste but also because of the dumping of e-waste from
developed countries. e-waste generation in India is approximately 1,46,000 tonnes to
3.3 lakh tonnes a year and is expected to touch 4.7 lakh tones. The projected growth
for e-waste generation for India is about 34% per year. Of the total e-waste generated
in the country, western India accounts for the largest population at 35%, while the
southern, northern and eastern regions account for 30, 21 and 14%, respectively. The
top states in order of highest contribution to waste electrical and electronic equipment
(WEEE) include Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal,
Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. The city-wise ranking of the
largest WEEE generators is Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkatta, Ahmedabad,
Hyderabad, Pune, Surat and Nagpur.
The rising levels of e-waste generation in India have been a matter of concern in recent
years. With more than 100 crore mobile phones in circulation, nearly 34% up in e-waste
annually. India emerged as the fifth largest producer of e-waste in the world, but the
second largest mobile market with 1.03 billion subscribers as per the ASSOCHAM-
KPMG joint study.
 CA-226
World Migratory Bird Day
Date: 10 May, 2016
Place: Globally
Field: Biodiversity
Many bird species migrate in order to
survive. However, migration is a perilous
journey and involves a wide range of
threats. Only a small number of birds are
actually threatened by natural events. Sad
but true, human activities are the source for
most dangers migrating birds are exposed
to. And as diverse as people and their habits
in different countries are, so are threats the
birds face.
The loss of habitats due to pollution or
exploitation caused by encroachment for
settlement, agriculture, grazing etc. is the
main threat migrating birds face, as they are
dependent on finding suitable breeding and
wintering grounds as well as stopover sites
along their flyways where they can rest and
feed.
This year the World Migratory Bird Day
was celebrated on 10th May. The theme
for WMBD 2016 is “Stop the Illegal Killing,
Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds”.
World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD)
was initiated in 2006 and is an annual
awareness-raising campaign highlighting
the need for the conservation of migratory
birds and their habitats.
Zika Virus Clone
Date: 13 May, 2016
Place: Texas, USA
Field: Health
The rise in the spread of Zika virus has
been accompanied by an unprecedented
rise in the number of children being born
with unusually small heads—identified
as microcephaly. In addition, several
countries, including Brazil, reported a steep
increase in Guillain-Barré syndrome—a
neurological disorder that could lead
to paralysis and death. According WHO
Zika virus infection during pregnancy is a
cause of congenital brain abnormalities,
including microcephaly; and that Zika virus
is a trigger of Guillain-Barré syndrome. Zika
virus continues to spread geographically to
areas where mosquitoes are present that
can transmit the virus. Up to now there is
specific medication for this disease.
Recently scientists for the first time cloned
the Zika virus, a development that could
bring a desperately needed vaccine within
closer reach. The mosquito-borne virus-
ISSUES 2016
which can also be sexually transmitted-
has torn through Latin America in
recent months, bringing an increase in
microcephaly, a condition in which babies
are born with abnormally small heads and
underdeveloped brains. The U.S. National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
has created a trial vaccine for similar
viruses that can be used as a starting point
for a Zika vaccine, and the Jenner Institute
has conducted trials with mice and aims to
hold clinic trials by 2017.
World Wildlife Crime Report
Date: 24 May, 2016
Place: Vienna
Field: Wildlife
In more than 50 years of conservation, the
world has never seen wildlife crime on such
a scale. Illegal wildlife trade has exploded to
meet increasing demand for elephant ivory,
rhino horns, and tiger products, particularly
in Asia. Controlled by dangerous crime
syndicates, wildlife is trafficked much like
drugs or weapons. Wildlife criminals often
operate with impunity, making the trade
a low-risk/high-profit business. Today, it
is the fifth most profitable illicit trade in
the world, estimated at up to $10 billion
annually.
Recently launched World Wildlife Crime
Report highlights how the poaching and
illegal trade of thousands of different
species across the globe present real
environmental dangers. The report also
urges shared responsibility in tackling
this crime given how products made from
illicit flora and fauna such as fashion items,
furniture, food, and pets, may be hidden
in plain sight. The World Wildlife Crime
Report sheds light on seven specific areas
which best illustrate the scale of wildlife
and forest crime. They are seafood; pets,
zoos and breeding; food, medicine and
tonics; art, décor and jewellery; cosmetics
and perfume; fashion; and furniture.
39 Unreported Sources of SO2 Pollution
Date: 2 June, 2016
Place: USA
Field: Science
The unreported sources of toxic sulfur
dioxide emissions are clusters of coal-
burning power plants, smelters and oil and
gas operations in the Middle East, Mexico
and Russia that were found recently. The
emissions were two or three times higher
ISSUES 2016 CA-227

than those reported from known sources
in those regions. The unreported and
underreported sources accounted for about
12% of all human-made emissions of sulfur
dioxide. The discrepancy could have a large
impact on regional air quality.
The satellite-based data is the first to
provide regular annual information on
these volcanic emissions as they are located
on remote locations and not monitored.
Operation ‘Sankat Mochan’
Date: 13 July, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Foreign Affairs
There are over 550 Indians at Juba and
another 150 in areas where the oil wells
are located. South Sudan has been hit by
violence which has claimed hundreds of
lives till now. The conflict is because of
clashes between government troops and
forces loyal to Vice President Riek Machar.
Thousands of Indians are working in the
Gulf countries and they are in serious threat
due to growing militarism of ISIS.
In this regard Operation Sankat Mochan is
the first big evacuation effort in a year after
Operation Rahat that evacuated hundreds
of citizens of India and other countries in
July 2015.
‘Sankat Mochan’ will evacuate Indian
citizens stranded in South Sudan’s capital
Juba. Sankat Mochan in Hindi means
reliever from troubles. The operation is
being undertaken by Indian Air Force (IAF)
and will be headed by Union Minister of
State (MoS) for External Affairs General
(Retd.) VK Singh.
Antarctic Ozone Hole
Date: 1 July, 2016
Place: Australia
Field: Environment
The seasonal thinning of the ozone
layer of the earth’s atmosphere above
Antarctica, allowing abnormal amounts
of ultra-violet light to reach the earth’s
surface in those regions. The Antarctic
ozone hole is a dramatic thinning of ozone
in the stratosphere over Antarctica each
spring. This damage is not only due to the
availability of ozone-depleting substances
in the stratosphere, but also specific
meteorological conditions that facilitate the
destruction of ozone over Antarctica.
The ozone holes in 2000 and 2006 were
the largest on record, measuring around
29.8 and 29.6 million square kilometres
respectively more than three and a half
times the size of Australia, and at times
extended over populated areas.
For the first time it is found that the
thinning in the ozone layer above Antarctica
is starting to heal. The healing of ozone
layer was due to the long term phasing out
(banning) of ozone-destroying chemicals
(ODCs) such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
in Montreal Protocol 1987.

Pakistani Artists Controversy

The Uri attack on 18th September 2016, that happened to be the deadliest attack on
security forces in two decades, not just became the centre of unrest for the beautiful
valley of Kashmir, but also brought consistent turmoil and outrage in the country. The
matter escalated after the ultimatum from MNS stated all Pakistani artists to leave India
with immediate effect and stalling of their projects with Bollywood.
While on one side our army announced surgical strikes across the Line of Control in
POK, on the other side, filmmakers and artists from the tinsel town were repeatedly
forced by MNS and outrageous civilians to do away with all their connections with the
Pakistani artistes.
The centre of the controversy remained the much talked about Pakistani actor, Fawad
Khan who played a special role in Karan Johar’s Diwali release ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’.
Social media and other platforms got trolled over with comments by citizens who went
over emotional and carried away by the political voice of the MNS and went in favour
of banning all Pakistani artists and actors in Bollywood. The Bollywood actors like Om
Puri, Salman Khan and Karan Johar who supported the Pakistani actors working in the
industry also got immediate response in the form of anguish from the citizens.
While terrorism remains a scourge on the society, we all need to realize that nothing
can justify this terror act and boycotting Pakistani artistes is no solution to terrorism.
Instead the larger forces should come together and sort the situation through mutual
talks and a middle path rather than shooting arrow in the dark.
 CA-228
International Day against Nuclear Tests
Date: 29 August, 2016
Place: Globally
Field: Nuclear Tests
The International Day against Nuclear Tests
is observed on August 29. It was established
on December 2, 2009 at the 64th session of
the United Nations General Assembly by
the resolution 64/35, which was adopted
unanimously. The Day is meant to galvanize
the United Nations, Member States,
intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations and the media to inform,
educate and advocate the necessity of
banning nuclear weapon tests.
Toxic Air Pollution Particles in Human
Brain
Date: 6 September, 2016
Place: London
Field: Environmental Pollution
Scientists have for the first time discovered
tiny magnetic particles from air pollution
lodged in human brains – which could be
a possible cause of Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers at Lancaster University found
abundant magnetite nano particles in the
brain tissue from 37 individuals aged three
to 92-years-old who lived in Mexico City
and Manchester and this strongly magnetic
mineral is toxic and has been implicated in
the production of reactive oxygen species
(free radicals) in the human brain, which
are associated with neuro degenerative
diseases including Alzheimer’s disease. The
particles that found are strikingly similar
to the magnetite nano spheres that are
abundant in the airborne pollution found in
urban settings. These results indicate that
magnetite nano particles in the atmosphere
can enter the human brain, where they
might pose a risk to human health, including
conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.
The issue is crucial as air pollutants are
affecting the human brain that many cause
a serioius threat.
Nearly 50 million Children Uprooted
Worldwide – UNICEF
Date: 7 September, 2016
Place: UN, New York
Field: Migration
The United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) on 7 September 2016 released
the report titled Uprooted: The growing
ISSUES 2016
crisis for refugee and migrant children.
According to the report, nearly 50 million
children have been uprooted across the
globe and millions more migrating in the
hope of finding a better, safer life. Children
make over half of all the refugees who have
been displaced by wars and conflicts. These
children represent a growing proportion of
those who have sought refuge outside their
countries of birth. Last year, nearly 45 per
cent of all the child refugees came from
Syria and Afghanistan.
India Ranked 143rd Position in the
Latest Health Index
Date: 26 September, 2016
Place: UN
Field: Health
A new index developed to assess each
country’s achievement on a range of health
indicators ranks India at 143 in a list of 188
countries. This first global analysis to assess
countries on sustainable development goal
(SDG) health performance was launched at
a special event at the UN General Assembly.
India was placed just ahead of Pakistan
and Bangladesh which were ranked
149th and 151st respectively. India’s poor
performance on hygiene, air pollution and
mortality were among the factors that
placed it lower than countries like Bhutan,
Botswana, Syria and Sri Lanka.
9 Out of 10 People in World Breathing
Polluted Air – WHO
Date: 27 September, 2016
Place: Geneva
Field: Pollution
It is pathetic to know that more than 9 out
of 10 people worldwide live in areas with
excessive air pollution, contributing to
strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and other
problems, says WHO Report on Ambient Air
Pollution 2016. The new report says that 92
per cent of people live in areas where air
quality exceeds WHO limits, with southeast
Asia, eastern Mediterranean and western
Pacific regions hardest hit. Turkmenistan
has the highest rate of deaths per capita
due to ambient air pollution in the WHO’s
classification, followed by Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Egypt and China.
India alone accounting for over 75 per cent
of the casualties caused by cardiovascular
diseases and lung cancer.
ISSUES 2016
India Formally Joined the Paris Climate
Change Agreement
Date: 3 October, 2016
Place: UN
Field: Environment
The Paris Agreement calls on countries to
take actions post-2020 to combat climate
change and intensify their efforts needed
for a sustainable low carbon future. It
is meant to limit global warming “well
below” 2 degrees Celsius and as close to
1.5 degrees Celsius as possible to increase
economic ability to adapt to extreme
climate. India has decided to formally join
the Paris Climate Change Agreement. It is
been done by submitting its instrument
of ratification at UN headquarters in New
York on the birth anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhi. India accounts for about 4.5% of
global greenhouse gas emissions.
Highest Number of People Living Below
Poverty Line in India
Date: 4 October, 2016
Place: Washington DC
Field: Poverty
India has the world’s largest poor
population for the same reason why it
has the world’s second largest non-poor
population.
In the past 20 years, India has been quite
fast in bringing down the number of poor.
In 1981, nearly half were under the World
Bank’s poverty line. Now, the numbers are
less than 20%. That is significant. The only
other major country to pull off poverty this
drastically is China.
In 1981, about 400 million Indians were
above the World Bank defined poverty line.
Today, the number above that line is close
to 1 billion. In short, 600 million Indians got
above the poverty line somewhere in the
last generation.
As per World Bank’s recent report India
accounted for the largest number of people
living below international poverty line in
2013, with 30 per cent of its population
under the $1.90-a-day poverty measure.
Global Hunger Index, India Ranks 97/118
Date: 13 October, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Poverty
While India has improved its score on
various parameters over the past few years,
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two out of five children below five years of
age are stunted in India. Stunting measures
chronic malnutrition and affected children’s
height would be considerably below the
average for their age.
However, India ranked 97th out of 118
countries on the International Food Policy
Research Institute’s (IFPRI) Global Hunger
Index (GHI) in 2016. The Global Hunger
Index (GHI) is a multidimensional statistical
tool used to describe the state of countries’
hunger. The GHI measures progress and
failures in the global fight against hunger.
The GHI is updated once a year.
Cybersecurity Engagement Centre in
India
Date: 22 October, 2016
Place: US
Field: Cybersecurity
Cyber security condition in India is
detoriating day by day. As there is no
concrete and comprehensive agency to
monitor the issue the culprits easily carry
on their mission.
In this regard Microsoft has launched its
first full-scale Cybersecurity Engagement
Center (CSEC) in Delhi. It is first-of-its-kind
Cybersecurity Centre in India and overall
7th in the world including in Tokyo, Seoul,
Beijing, Singapore, Berlin and Washington
DC. The CSEC will bring together Microsoft
capabilities to foster deeper Cybersecurity
collaborations with public and private
sector organisations. It will offer services
such as cyber monitoring, threat detection
using machine learning based technology
and take evasive measures to combat cyber
threat.
India Ranks 87th on the WEF’s Global
Gender Gap Report 2016
Date: 26 October, 2016
Place: Geneva
Field: Gender Equality
India is among the 20 worst performing
countries on labour force participation
front and ranks low in terms of earned
incomes by women. Also in literacy rate and
sex ratio at birth, India scores low. India’s
labour participation rate fell to 29 per cent
in 2010 from 37 per cent in 2005. Many
explanations have been offered that give a
rosy picture than the likely reality.
 CA-230
In women’s education, there are hindrances
from primary school stage, the dropout
rates of girls is higher because of lack of
separate toilets for girls in most villages.
Girls’ safety concerns in travelling long
distances from home to schools are also a
consideration in withdrawing girls from
schools at puberty. Girls are taught to look
after siblings, cooking and to help around
the house because of the age old marriage
and child bearing role assigned to them.
Most businesses are male owned and there
are only a handful of women at the helm of
family businesses. Perhaps it is a cultural
issue also.
On the whole, India cannot hope to shine
if half the population is deprived, insecure,
and anaemic and has many barriers to entry
in paid jobs as compared to men. What the
Gender Gap Index shows is a reflection of
reality that no matter how rapidly India
grows, women’s status in society needs
faster improvement.
India was ranked low at 87th place globally
in terms of gender equality despite a jump
of 21 places from last year largely due
to progress on the education front while
Iceland has topped the chart.
China Unveiled J – 20 Stealth Jet Fighters
Date: 2 November, 2016
Place: Zhuhai, China
Field: Defence
The J-20 fighter is called Beijing’s answer to
the US F-22 stealth fighter and the F-35 that
would be soon bring into the action in the
Pacific by the United States and Japan. It is
a long-range, radar-avoiding stealth combat
aircraft, first flew in 2011 but had not
been shown to the public. The unmanned
systems would be another feature. India
being deeply concerned with this latest
development is acquiring fighter aircraft
with stealth features and this is why the
Rafale aircraft being acquired from France
which has special stealth features.
Freedom of the Press Declining
Date: 3 November, 2016
Place: Washington
Field: Freedom of Press
ISSUES 2016
According to the latest Freedom of the Press
report the number of countries showing a
decline in freedom for the year is 72, the
largest since the 10-years. Just 43 countries
made gains. Over the past 10 years, 105
countries have seen a net decline, and only
61 have experienced a net improvement.
Ratings for the Middle East and North Africa
region were the worst in the world in 2015,
followed closely by Eurasia. Over the last
decade, the most significant global reversals
have been in freedom of expression and the
rule of law. The report says, only 13 per
cent of the world’s population enjoys a free
press, which means places where coverage
of political news is robust, the safety of
journalists is guaranteed, state intrusion
in media affairs is minimal, and the press
is not subject to onerous legal or economic
pressures. In terms of stories related to
environment and land development, the
report highlighted the story of two Indian
journalists, namely Sandeep Kothari and
Jagendra Singh, who were killed.
The Global Climate 2011-2015: Hot and
Wild
Date: 8 November, 2016
Place: Geneva‎, Switzerland
Field: Environment, Health
The year 2015 made history, with exhausted
temperature records, intense heatwaves,
unusual rainfall, destructing drought and
unusual tropical cyclone activity, according
to the World Meteorological Organization.
That record-breaking trend has continued
in 2016. The record temperatures were
accompanied by rising sea levels and
decrease in Arctic sea-ice extent, continental
glaciers and northern hemisphere snow
cover. The average temperature in 2015 had
already reached the 1 degree-Celsius mark.
We just had the hottest five-year period
on record, with 2015 declaring the title of
hottest individual year announced by WMO.
The global average surface temperature in
2015 broke all previous records by a wide
marging, at about 0.76° Celsius above the
1961-1990 average because of a powerful
El Niño and human-caused global warming.
With 93% of excess heat stored in the
oceans, ocean heat content down to 2 000
meters also hit a new record.
ISSUES 2016
Australia Ratifies Paris Climate Change
Agreement
Date: 10 November, 2016
Place: Canberra, Australia
Field: Environment
Australia is on the track to beat 2020 target
and committed to meet 2030 targets under
the agreement.
In order to meet the goal Australia ratified
the Paris climate change agreement, on 10
November, 2016 to curb carbon emissions
and reduce the risk of dangerous climate
change. With the ratification, Australia
aims towards limiting global warming to
two degrees and set five-yearly targets for
cutting emissions and reduce 2005 levels
emissions by 26 to 28 per cent by 2030.
More than 100 nations representing 70 per
cent of the world’s emissions and three-
quarters of global GDP, have ratified the
deal. However, Donald Trump’s election
to the US presidency has put the global
action on climate change under threat
as he would withdraw America from the
Paris agreement, and stop spending on
UN climate change programs. The Paris
Agreement is an agreement within the
United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) that deals with
greenhouse gases emissions mitigation,
adaptation and finance starting in the year
2020. The agreement commits that no
country can back out until November 2020
at the earliest.
In 2015, 1.6 million Died Due to Pollution
in India, China : Greenpeace
Date: 2 December, 2016
Place: Delhi
Field: Environment Pollution
It is shocking to know that around 1.6
million people died in India and China in
2015 due to air pollution caused by fossil
fuel, particularly coal, according to recent
report of Greenpeace.
The use of fossil fuel particularly coal is the
main cause behind this tragedy. The report
outlines that out of the 10 countries with
the highest air pollution death rates, half
were middle-income counties including
India. Air pollution generally reduces as a
country’s GDP increase. But China and India
have particularly bad air pollution despite
recent economic growth is a major cause of
concern.
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Air pollution is among the top causes of
premature death worldwide, causing only
slightly fewer deaths than tobacco smoking.
In both China and India, indoor air pollution
deaths are falling and the rate is now lower
than the outdoor air pollution death rate.
Nikesh Arora’s Exit from SoftBank Group
Date: 21 June, 2016
Place: Tokyo
Field: Banking
Nikesh Arora’s unexpected departure from
SoftBank Group Corp. has raised eyebrows.
Earlier he had left Google Inc. and joined
SoftBank Group with a huge salary of $135
million. The main reason of his exit is that
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, who handpicked
the Silicon Valley deal maker to be his successor.
Nikesh Arora also faced a barrage of criticism
from investors over lackluster investments,
with some shareholders having mounted a
campaign to oust him, questioning his record
and suggesting his role as an adviser to
private-equity firm Silver Lake constituted a
conflict of interest. The exit is controversial as
Mr. Arora is considered as a highly talented
business brain internationally.
India Ranked 112th in World Economic
Freedom Index
Date: 17 September, 2016
Place: Washington DC
Field: Economic Freedom
The uneven spread of economic freedom
in India is a reminder to state-level
policymakers that there is much they too
can do to improve the welfare of their
citizens. Corruptions, black money along
with uneven growth are some of the major
hindrances of Indian economic freedom.
The recent Index shows India has fared
badly in all categories i.e. legal system and
property rights (86), sound money (130),
freedom to trade internationally (144)
and regulation (132) except the size of
the government (8) as per the Economic
Freedom Index. India has slipped by 10
positions to 112th. The Index of Economic
Freedom is an annual index and ranking
created by The Heritage Foundation and
The Wall Street Journal in 1995 to measure
the degree of economic freedom in the
world’s nations.
 CA-232 ISSUES 2016

Major Product Recall

A product recall is appeal to return a product. This is done in particular after the
discovery of product defects that might endanger the consumer safety or put the seller
at risk of legal action.
Product recall is an effort to control downfall of the corporate image and limit liability for
corporate negligence, which can result in significant legal costs. It is hard to determine
how firm can be releasing a product that could endanger customer’s life and lead to
unwanted publicity. Recalls are highly expensive.
Consumer protection laws have specific preconditions with the regard to product recalls.
Such requirements include the maker will have to bear the cost; conditions under which
a recall is compulsory, or penalties for failure to recall. The firm may also initiate a recall
voluntarily.
A product recall usually involves the following steps, which may differ according to local
laws:
• Maker or dealer notifies the authorities about their intention to recall a product. In
some cases the government can also request a recall of a product.
• The serial numbers or batch numbers, etc. to be recalled is specified.
• Product recall announcements are released on the respective government agency’s
website (if applicable).
• After a consumer group learns of recall, it notifies the public by various means.
• The consumer is advised to return the goods, regardless of condition, to the seller
to avail full refund.
• Conditions for possible consumer compensation depend on the specific laws
depending on consumer trade protection and the cause of recall.
Recent Recalls and bans of various products
1) Samsumg Note 7 recall: It is the biggest ever in the mobile phone industry. It
resulted in various cases of phone catching fire or battery blasts. It is a painful
lesson for Samsung to learn from and pay for. The recall is estimated to cost it $6.2
billion — in its quest to dominate yet another industry.
2) Samsung washing machines: Samsung had received 733 reports of washing
machines experiencing excessive vibrations or the tops detaching. There were nine
reports of related injuries, including a broken jaw and injured shoulder.
3) Hoverboards Recall: The Consumer Product Safety Commission lately announced
the recall of more than a half-million hoverboards. The battery-powered machines
had been the cause of at least 60 fires. The announcement affects 10 companies that
make or sell the products, including Razor and Swagway. These two loss bearers are
the leading manufacturers of hoverboards.
4) Takata,– The Japanese airbag manufacturer: This company is at the center of
the largest auto safety recall in history. They revised its estimates of a profit in the
latest fiscal year to a loss of $120 million . About 70 million vehicles are now being
recalled in the United States to fix Takata airbags. Takata airbags explode violently
when they deploy. Millions of vehicles have been recalled in other countries.
5) Volkswagen to Recall 8.5 Million Vehicles in Europe: Reacting to pressure from
German regulators, Volkswagen recalled its entire fleet of rigged diesel cars in
Europe. This happened owing to the carmaker company for its emissions cheating.
ISSUES 2016 CA-233

Oil War- Shale Revolution

Back in 2007 the world was predicting the US would only be able to supply oil for
another 20 years. Contrary to that, there’s no oil famine in US. The US has so much oil
that it is facing storage issues. This has sent the oil industry into its deepest downturn
since the 1990s with the oil price collapsing to around $46 a barrel.
The answer to this sudden turn of events is the US Shale Gas Boom. After Bush lifted
the ban on oil drilling, it triggered the shale gas revolution. Tremendous production of
oil and gas resulted from the use of advanced technology to enable horizontal drilling
and hydraulic fracking. The effect was so enormous that US domestic production
nearly doubled over the last several years. This pushed out oil imports and reduced its
dependence on OPEC. But the boom also brought in the issue of oil war between Saudi’s
OPEC and US’ shale gas drillers. For years, Saudi had been playing the oil game by cutting
or driving up oil exports to the US when they feel like . They did it with the purpose of
hurting the US economy in the process. Onset of shale gas cut OPEC’s market share in
half. Saudi Arabia needs that market share to have a competitive advantage over the US
and keep its dominance in the Middle East.
Saudi with the purpose to destroy the US shale gas operators altered its strategy in
favour of market share. Goal was to lower oil prices and force shale gas players out of
business at any cost. The mantra was- keep pumping and pumping, and the oil price
will tumble. A few years ago oil prices were at US$145 a barrel. Life was good for shale
gas operators. From 2011-2014, Oil price remained around $100 a barrel. After that,
the oil price tumbled to less than $35 a barrel, levels which were not seen since early
2009. More than 50 drilling companies filed for bankruptcy in Texas. OPEC was counting
on it. US operators suddenly found themselves caught in an unprofitable system. The
industry significantly decreased production and the number of completed oil wells fell
55% and gas wells dropped 37% in 2015 compared to the same time period a year
earlier. Additionally, energy efficient cars like Tesla penetrated the market with the hope
of displacing petrol cars. So, demand for fuel started to lag contributing to the recent oil
price weakness.
Contrarily, the shale oil industry not only survived but adapted and became robust. US
production actually increased despite the lower rig count. The shale guys have become
so efficient to produce much by spending less thus making it easier to make a profit
when oil prices are weak. US drilling technology with advanced pad drilling techniques
has smart drill bits with computer chips. This has resulted to have brought down costs
by 50%. The Saudi led oil war backfired in the sense that it not failed to crush the US
shale guys but inadvertently made them leaner.
Revolution has had little impact on Saudi Arabia, Iraq, or Kuwait, owing to crude quality.
Yet many US refineries are still geared towards the heavier and sour types of crude
imported from the Middle East. It can be said that Saudi Arabia’s market share in the US
appears to be relatively secure but not invulnerable.
Oil war – Shale revolution
In a latest development, oil shot up over 10 per cent after OPEC and Russia on 30th
November cut a deal to reduce output to drain a global supply glut . The OPEC agreed to
reduce its first oil output since 2008 after de-facto leader Saudi Arabia accepted “a big
hit” and dropped a demand that arch-rival Iran also slash output. The cut of 1.2 million
barrels per day (bpd) was at the upper end of expectations (0.7-1.2 million bpd).
After the announcements, the price for Brent crude futures, the international benchmark
for oil prices, shot up over 10 per cent from below $50 on 30th November to $51.92 per
barrel at 0256 GMT. It is expected that prices could recede as the OPEC and Russia cuts
would leave the field open for other producers, especially US shale drillers, to fill the gap.
 CA-234 ISSUES 2016

South China Sea and UNCLOS

The South China Sea covers an area of nearly four million square kilometres. Every year,
US$5 trillion passes through the Sea, making it one of the most important trade routes
in the world. South China Sea is a resource battleground with an estimated 11 billion
barrels of oil, 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 12% of the global fisheries catch.
The Philippines had sought rulings on issues including the source of the parties’ rights
and obligations in the South China Sea and the effect of UNCLOS on China’s claims to
historic rights within its claimed ‘nine-dash line.’ The International Arbitration Tribunal
is constituted under Annex VII to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the
Sea (UNCLOS). It issued its final Award in the compulsory arbitration instituted by
the Republic of the Philippines against the People’s Republic of China. The tribunal’s
decision was found in the Philippines’ favor. UNCLOS declares the Philippines’ right to
operate inside its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf without any
Chinese harassment.
China claims over more than 80% of the South China Sea. It provides Beijing with
enough room to continue on its present course in the region. Beijing refused to accept
the PCA(Permanent Court of Arbitration) ruling. It hardened its legal and diplomatic
positions, and yet refrained from undertaking offensive actions aimed at changing the
status quo. China has made an open declaration that will never halt its work on the
artificial islands.
On the other end, Wang also clarified that China does not appreciate outside interference
to “divide relations between China and ASEAN”. This remark is likely addressed to US
and Japan.

Global Trade Growth to be Just 1.7% in

2016: WTO
Date: 27 September, 2016
Place: Geneva
Field: International Trade
The World Trade Organization lowered
its global trade forecast, warning that
anti-globalisation rhetoric and Brexit
were pushing trade growth to its slowest
pace since the financial crisis. The WTO
announced that global trade was now
estimated to expand by just 1.7 percent
this year, compared to its earlier projection
of 2.8 percent. The new figure is also a
far cry from a projection a year ago that
trade would swell by 3.9 percent this
year. The contraction was driven (not
only) by slowing GDP and trade growth in
developing economies such as China and
Brazil but also in North America, which had
the strongest import growth of any region
in 2014-15, but has decelerated since then
was reported by WTO. With expected global
GDP growth of 2.2 per cent in 2016, this
year would mark the “slowest pace” of trade
and output growth since the financial crisis
of 2009.
Exchange of Nuclear Facilities List
between Indo-Pak
Date: 4th January, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Defense
Issues: Nuclear Threat
Effects: Reduce Tension
India and Pakistan exchanged the list of
their nuclear installations for the 25th
consecutive year under a bilateral agreement
that bars them from attacking each other’s
atomic facilities. It was exchanged through
diplomatic channels simultaneously at New
Delhi and Islamabad. Earlier a bilateral
agreement was signed between India and
Pakistan by the then Indian Prime Minister
Rajiv Gandhi and his Pakistani counterpart
Benazir Bhutto. It bars both nations from
carrying out any surprise attack or to assist
foreign power to attack on each other’s
nuclear installations and facilities. Under
it both countries inform each other about
their nuclear installations and facilities that
need to be covered under the Agreement on
ISSUES 2016 CA-235

1st January every year. The issues is important as the two neighbouring nations are always
in conflict and both are nuclear capable states.

Europe’s Refugee Crisis

Date: 9 February, 2016
Place: EU
Field: Human Rights
Huge number of refugees and migrants have been shifting to Europe, from many countries
like Syria, particularly since 2011. They see Europian Union (EU) as their asylum. With
more number of refugees coming in at a time when the natives don’t want any more, the
whole situation has developed into a crisis. This crisis is called European Refugee Crisis.
Between 2000 and 2015, around 30, 000 refugees have perished along these borders. This
figures stand as a witness that this crisis didn’t started only after ISIS emerged. The increasing
number of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in Europe is seen as a dangerous growing
trend among refugees. In 2014 alone around 24,000 unaccompanied minors applied for
asylum. Many of the children who arrive are at the age group of 15 to 17 with no formal
schooling adding more headaches to host countries.
Germany and the EU have been pushing for other EU members to work out a plan for
asylum seekers. Britain leads among countries which strictly rejects it. The Right-Wing PM
of Hungary has appealed to refugees not to try and cross into Hungary which has fenced
its borders with razor wire. Bulgaria, Czech, Slovakia and Poland all are reluctant in taking
of refugees making the situation grave. Germany is expected to give green signal to almost
1 million applicants for asylum. Initially Europe greeted immigrants with barbed wires,
tear gas and police brutality. Only after huge outcry across International media and from
human rights and progressive organisations within Europe, eased the curbs on refugees.
Europe is the most preferred destination for the people from this war conflicted regions
as its economically prosperous, socially secure and has friendly immigration laws. Mostly
it’s not because refugees are opportunists that they walk to EU but it’s due to dangerous
situation they and their families have to live. Endless wars, conflicts have ruined their
countries political, economic and social equilibrium.
Continuous dictatorship type regimes and Islamic fundamentalism made Middle East most volatile
and a disturbed place on the planet. Western powers in order to make their oil supply smooth and
to be part of Gulf Boom started in early 80’s always took a partial stand on these issues.
Another villain to already worsened situation was Shia-Sunni divide among people, society and
regimes which led to many conflicts. This reason has led many natives to flee as refugees in the
past from Palestine, during Iraq-Iran war, Iraq-Kuwait war etc.
Emergence of ISIS just sky rocketed the whole thing. Western powers in a way failed to
bring stable regimes to these lands. In recent months, Europe has been facing the most
severe refugee crisis since the World War-II.
The problem has take a drastic political issue as much of the contention regarding resettlement
quotas lies in the inability of EU member states to develop a central policy on asylum. Many EU
countries have yet to properly implement any standards set previously. But the migrant crisis
is reportedly worse than before — there are more people fleeing and the death toll is higher.
The USA President elect Mr. Donald Trump has recently taken a critical stand on the issue. He
favours to drive out the illegal migrants but this is not possible practically as the number is
huge and the magnitude of the problem includes many intricate issues. In the mean time some
major developments has taken place in different parts of Europe.
The Kenyan Government has decided to close Dadaab refugee camp which is often referred
to as the world’s largest refugee camp over the issue national security. The camp is home to
330000 refugees mostly from Somalia who have fled from the civil war in their country. The
agreement between the European Union (EU) and Turkey to tackle the migrant crisis has
formally come into effect. Under this agreement, migrants arriving in Greece will be sent back
to Turkey if their asylum claim is rejected. Republican-dominated US House of Representatives
has overwhelmingly voted to bar Syrian and Iraqi refugees from entering the United States over
the security concerns. The bill was overwhelmingly voted by 289 in favour to 137 opposed and
bill now needs to be passed by the Senate. It seeks to impose more stringent security provisions
on already robust screening of Iraqi and Syrian refugees entering US.
 CA-236
Nuclear Sanctions Lifted against Iran
Date: 16 January, 2016
Place: Washington, D.C.
Field: International Issues
Problems: Iran’s Nuclear Programme
Since Iran’s nuclear programme became
public in 2002, the UN, EU and several
individual countries imposed sanctions in
an attempt to prevent it from developing
military nuclear capability. Iran insisted
that its nuclear activities are exclusively
peaceful, but the world’s nuclear watchdog
was been unable to verify this. Iran and
world powers agreed an interim deal
in 2013 which saw it gain around $7bn
in sanctions relief in return for curbing
uranium enrichment and giving UN
inspectors better access to its facilities.
World powers also committed to facilitate
Iran’s access to $4.2bn in restricted funds.
Recently Iran reinstated from years of
economic isolation after world powers
lifted sanctions against the Islamic Republic
in return for Tehran complying with a deal
to curb its nuclear ambitions. Post the lifting
of the nuclear sanctions Tehran announced
the release of five Americans including
Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian
as part of a prisoner swap with the United
States. US formally lifted banking, steel,
shipping and other sanctions on Iran which
is a major oil producer and was virtually
shut out of international markets for the
past five years. The removing of sanctions
and the prisoner swap will reduce the
hostility between Tehran and Washington.
India, Israel to Intensify Coordination to
Counter Terrorism
Date: 17 January, 2016
Place: Jerusalem
Field: Foreign Relations
Terrorism is a global challenge. India is
facing the challenge of terrorism for a
longtime.
Recently India and Israel agreed to intensify
coordination to deal with the menace of
terrorism. Both the nations have agreed on
to continue on the exchange of information.
Israeli President Rivlin pushed for a boost
in bilateral economic ties and announced
ISSUES 2016
the two partners should quickly finalise the
Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
The coordination will boost India’s moral.
Canada, US, Mexico ink MoU to Cooperate
on Climate Change
Date: 13 February, 2016
Place: Canada
Field: Environment
Issue: Climate change
During North American Leaders Summit,
Canada, US and Mexico vowed to get half of
their energy from clean resources by 2025.
This benchmark would be impossible for all
three countries to reach separately, but they
can reach them together. Currently, Canada
has already passed the benchmark, so they
will be balancing out the US and Mexico’s
deficits. 59 percent of Canadian emissions
come from hydropower, and 16 percent
come from nuclear power. Right now, about
20 percent of US power comes from nuclear
power plants (which are considered clean),
while another 13 come from hydroelectric
and other renewable energy resources.
In Mexico, only 22 percent of the power
comes from sources other than fossil fuels.
Together, the three countries get 37 percent
of their energy from clean energy sources.
As per the MoU the three countries will
work together and share information in
key areas like low-carbon electricity, clean
energy technologies, energy efficiency,
carbon capture, use and storage, climate
change adaptation, and reducing emissions
from the oil and gas sector. They will work
toward increased electric power grid
efficiency, use of green technology and the
commitment to create common regulations
to control CO2 emissions.
Sindh becomes First Pakistan Province
to Adopt Hindu Marriage Bill
Date: 16 February, 2016
Place: Islamabad
Field: Polity
Issue: Minority Right
The minority Hindu community in Sindh
province of Pakistan is always neglected.
They are not recognised and live without
any legal security.
ISSUES 2016
However recently Pakistan’s Sindh Assembly
has passed the Hindu Marriage Bill making
the province the first in the country to allow
the minority community to register their
marriages, amid calls from a leading Hindu
group to remove a controversial clause
in the landmark bill. The bill was passed
after several conditions for recognising
marriages which include the bride and
groom to be 18 years or older, parties to
the marriage should to give consent, and
two witnesses must be present at the time
of the marriage. Any person who fails to
get his marriage registered will be liable to
pay a fine of Rs1000. Hindus are Pakistan’s
second largest religious minority, with an
estimated population of 3.3 million.
World without Nuclear Weapons:
G7 Stand
Date: 11 April, 2016
Place: Hiroshima, Japan
Field: Nuclear Disarmament
A blind contest of nuclear weapons
development is a major threat to humanity.
Recently the G7 has expressed its concern
in this direction.
The G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is an
important meeting for foreign ministers to
hold discussions on international affairs of
the time, which later becomes the base for
discussions by the G7 Summit. The 2016
G7 Foreign Ministers’ Summit held from
10 to 11 April 2016 in Hiroshima was the
first of ten related ministerial meetings held
leading up to the G-7 summit scheduled for
May 26 and 27 in the Ise-Shima region in
Mie Prefecture. The member countries of
the G-7 group are Japan, the United States,
the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy
and Canada, along with the President of
the European Council and the President of
the European Commission. This time the
foreign ministers of the Group of Seven,
or G7, countries have called for a “world
without nuclear weapons” in what was
called the “Hiroshima Declaration”.
The declaration calls for creating the
conditions without nuclear weapons in a
way that promotes international stability.
CA-237
India Abstains on Vote for LGBT Rights
at U.N.
Date: 2 July, 2016
Place: UN
Field: Human Rights
LGBT people in India face certain legal and
social difficulties not experienced by non-
LGBT persons. Sexual activity between people
of the same gender is illegal, and same-sex
couples cannot legally marry or obtain a
civil partnership. India does, however, legally
recognize Hijras as a third gender, separate
from men or women. As the world’s oldest
democracy legalises gay marriage nationwide,
it is time for the world’s largest democracy to
perform some much needed introspection -
are we, as a people, society, and country ready
to legalise gay marriage?
In this regard India avoided taking a position
on the need to end discrimination based
on sexual orientation at the Human Rights
Council of the UN, as the Supreme Court is
yet to “pronounce” on the issue of rights of
LGBT persons. The issue of LGBT rights in
India is a matter being considered by the
Supreme Court under a batch of curative
petitions filed by various institutions and
organisations. The Supreme Court is yet
to pronounce on this issue. India has been
cited by several human rights reports as
one of the countries where the rights of
LGBT persons are yet to be secure.
China Contradicts NPT Consensus
Date: 1 August, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Nuclear Treaty
China’s 2013 deal for the Chasma-3 reactor
in Pakistan contradicts the consensus
document of the 2010 NPT Review
Conference, which reaffirms that new
supply arrangements for the transfer
of nuclear materials and technology
should require that the recipient accept
International Atomic Energy Agency full-
scope safeguards and international legally-
binding commitments not to acquire
nuclear weapons. It is believed that in
aiding Pakistan with its nuclear energy
programme, China has chosen to override
NSG guidelines and shown no regard for the
reservations expressed by its members who
control international nuclear commerce.
 CA-238 ISSUES 2016

Surgical Strikes on Terror Launch Pads across LoC

Date: 18 September, 2016
Place: Uri
Field: Defense
Terrorists from Pakistan are regularly entering to India and attacking defence bases
like Pathankot and Uri. In order to curb down this attempt a surgical strike was much
needed.
A surgical strike is essentially a swift and targeted attack on specific target that aims to
neutralise enemies while ensuring minimum collateral damage to the surrounding areas
and civilians. Neutralisation of targets with surgical strikes also prevents escalation to a
full blown war. These are part of India’s Cold Start doctrine and have proved effective in
foiling a new infiltration bid by terrorists groups across the LoC who were ready to attack
several locations in Jammu and Kashmir and other Metro cities in India. The operation
in which paratroopers from Special Forces were involved began on 28 September, 2016
around 12.30 am. The commandos were airdropped at the LoC from where they crossed
over the Pakistani side. They entered about three kilometers to conduct the surgical
strikes in Bhimber, Hotspring, Kel & Lipa sectors, on Pakistans side of LoC. Seven terror
launch pads were destroyed in which about 38 terrorists and 2 Pakistani soldiers were
killed. The best part of the operation was that no Indian casualties were reported. The
strikes were India’s first direct military response to the attack on the Uri army base
earlier this month that killed 18 Indian soldiers and was blamed on Pakistan-based
militants.
The cross-border action came days after New Delhi reviewed its 56-year-old Indus
Waters Treaty with Pakistan and pulled out of the regional SAARC Summit in Islamabad
as part of a wider diplomatic offensive to isolate its nettlesome neighbour.

India Boycotts SAARC Summit in
Islamabad
Date: 28 September, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: International Co-operation
Stepping up its diplomatic offensive to
isolate Pakistan globally following the Uri
terror attack, India has taken its stand not
to take part in the upcoming South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) summit in Islamabad in November.
This decision was taken in view of the
continuous cross border terrorism by
Pakistan which has created environment
which is not conducive to successful
holding of Summit. India’s reservations
over summit are; increasing cross-border
terrorist attacks in the region and growing
interference in internal affairs of member
states by Pakistan.
India Decides to Suspend Talks on
Indus Waters Treaty
Date: 26 September, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Political Decision
The Indian Govt. decided to suspend all
talks on India-Pakistan Indus Waters Treaty
in the wake of the Uri attack.
The treaty deals with sharing of water of six
rivers — Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab
and Jhelum between the two countries.
It was signed by then Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru and President of Pakistan
Ayub Khan in Karachi on September 19,
1960. As per treaty, control over three
eastern rivers —Ravi, Beas and Sutlej was
given to India. While control over three
western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab
was given to Pakistan. It allows India to
use only 20% of the water of Indus river,
which flows through it first, for irrigation,
power generation and transport. Most
disagreements and disputes have been
settled via legal procedures, provided for
within the framework of the treaty. The
treaty has survived India-Pakistan wars of
1965, 1971 and the 1999 Kargil standoff
besides Kashmir insurgency since 1990. It
is most successful water treaty in world.
The stand is a strong diplomatic move in
response to terrorism.
ISSUES 2016
Bangladesh Hangs Islamist Mir Quasem
Ali for 1971 War Crimes
Date: 4 September, 2016
Place: Dhaka
Field: Terrorism
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali
was executed after deciding not to seek
presidential clemency, the last option for
a death row convict to avoid the gallows.
Ali, a financial backer of the Jamaat and
a business tycoon, was hanged at around
10:30 pm (Bangladesh time) at the high
security Kashimpur jail in Gazipur district
near Dhaka. Quasem, who had led the
ruthless Al-Badr militia — that supported
Pakistan Army in the port city of Chittagong
during nation’s Liberation War in 1971 —
became the sixth individual to go to gallows
for ‘crimes against humanity’, over four
decades after Bangladesh emerged as an
independent country through a war against
Pakistan .
India Took US Renewable Energy
Dispute to WTO
Date: 12 September, 2016
Place: Geneva
India has complained to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) about support given
to the renewable energy industry in United
States. The complaint alleges these 8 states
in US have prop up their renewable sector
with illegal subsidies and domestic content
requirements, an obligation to buy local
goods rather than imports. These 8 US
states are Washington, Montana, California,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware,
Michigan and Minnesota. By filing the
complaint, India has triggered a 60-day
window for US to settle the dispute, after
which India could ask the WTO to adjudicate.
Earlier in 2013, India had filed questions at
the WTO about suspected subsidies in solar
programmes in four US states—Delaware,
Minnesota, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Colombian Marxist Rebels FARC Sign
Peace Deal
Date:26 September, 2016
Place: Colombia
Field: International Relations
Colombia’s center-right government and
the Marxist FARC rebel group signed a
peace deal to end a half-century war that
killed a quarter of a million people. The end
CA-239
of Latin America’s longest-running war will
turn the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia) guerrillas into a political party
fighting at the ballot box instead of the
battlefield they have occupied since 1964.
Afghanistan Signs Peace Deal With
Hard-Line Militant Group Hezb-e-Islami
Date: 22 September, 2016
Place: Kabul
Field: Terrorism
Afghanistan on 22 Sept, 2016 signed a
peace agreement with one of the country’s
largest militant groups Hezb-e-Islami led
by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. This agreement
paves the way for Hekmatyar to make a
political comeback. As per the agreement,
Hekmatyar will be granted amnesty for his
offences and the prisoners of Hezb-e-Islami
will be released by the government. The
deal also includes provisions for his security
at government expense. The deal marks a
symbolic victory for President Ashraf Ghani,
who has struggled to revive peace talks
with the more powerful Taliban. Widely
known as butcher of Kabul, Hekmatyar was
a prominent anti-Soviet commander in the
1980s. He is accused of killing thousands in
the Kabul during the 1992-93 Civil War. His
forces also carried out attacks against the
US and Afghan forces since 2001.
UN Adopts SDG 2030: Beginning of a
New Era
Date: 25 September, 2016
Place: UN
Field: Human Resource Development
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
officially known as Transforming our
world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development is a set of seventeen aspirational
Global Goals with 169 targets between
them. Spearheaded by the United Nations,
through a deliberative process involving
its 193 Member States, as well as global
civil society, the goals are contained in
paragraph 54 United Nations Resolution.
At the United Nations Sustainable Development
Summit on 25 September 2015, world
leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development, which includes
a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) to end poverty, fight inequality and
injustice, and tackle climate change by
2030.
 CA-240
Pakistan Postponed SAARC Summit
Date: 1 October, 2016
Place: Islamabad
Field: International Relation
Pakistan decided to postpone the SAARC
meet in the wake of five South Asian
countries, including India, expressing their
inability to participate in the summit. India,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Sri
Lanka had already pulled out of the SAARC
summit indirectly blaming Pakistan for
creating an environment which is not right
for the successful holding of the meet. India
was the first country to opt out of the SAARC
summit. In the wake of September 18
terrorist attack in Uri town of Jammu and
Kahsmir, India decided not to participate in
the Summit. SAARC member states include
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,
Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Indo-Pak Border would be Sealed by
2018
Date: 7 October, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Security
Amid the deteriorating relations between
India and Pakistan following the Uri cross
border terror attack and rising infiltration
bids, India has decided to seal the India-
Pakistan border by December, 2018. The
Central government has formulated time-
bound action plan to completely seal the
entire stretch of 3,323-km-long border
between the two countries. Border between
both countries was created based upon
the Radcliffe line in 1947. 4 states share
this international border with Pakistan. Of
this 1,225 km falls in Jammu and Kashmir
(including Line of Control), 1,037 km in
Rajasthan, 553 km in Punjab and 508 km in
Gujarat.
An Israel type highly secured fencing may
come up along the Indo-Pak border to
check infiltration from across the border
as the govt. is exploring the possibility of
installing such a barrier in the sensitive
frontiers of Punjab & Jammu.
Economic Sanctions on Myanmar Lifted
Date: 7 October, 2016
Place: US
Field: International Relations
Burma has not traditionally been a top
foreign policy concern for Washington,
ISSUES 2016
although it does have some limited effect on
U.S. economic and strategic interests as well
as on counternarcotics policy. Washington
isolated Burma since the State Law and
Order Restoration Council came to power
in 1988, and especially since it refused
to transfer power in 1990 to the National
League for Democracy, which had defeated
the SLORC in an open election. Burma’s
ruling junta officially abolished the SLORC
in November 1997, only to replace it with
the equally repressive State Peace and
Development Council.
The United States has refused, among
other things, to recognize the government’s
change of the country’s name to Myanmar,
but it has maintained limited diplomatic and
economic ties as well as counternarcotics
cooperation with Rangoon.
Since 1990 the U.S. policy of isolating
Burma has been rejected by America’s
trade partners in Asia, who happen also
to be Burma’s major trade partners, but it
has received some symbolic backing from
Washington’s Western allies.
Recently U.S. has lifted sanctions against
Myanmar that have been in place for nearly
two decades. The decision was taken after
Obama’s announcement that the US was
ready to lift sanctions on the Asian country
during Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San
Suu Kyi’s visit to Washington in September
2016.
Kyrgyzstan Govt. Resigned
Date: 24 October, 2016
Place: Sputnik, Kyrgyzstan
Field: International Politics
The government of Kyrgyzstan resigned
after Almazbek Atambayev’s party quit
the ruling majority coalition. The Social
Democratic party, which has the largest
faction in parliament, broke up with its
allies over their refusal to back proposed
constitutional reforms. The proposed
amendments raised concerns among the
opponents, who claimed Atambayev would
go on to take the role of the prime minister
after his presidential term ends next year.
Gambia Quits International Criminal Court
Date: 27 October, 2016
Place: Dakar, Africa
Field: International Dispute
The ICC, set up in 2002, is often accused of
bias against Africa and has also struggled
ISSUES 2016
with a lack of cooperation, including from
the US, which signed the court’s treaty but
has never ratified it.
Therefore Gambia withdrew from the
International Criminal Court, the third
African country to declare its departure.
The announcement came after similar
decisions this month by South Africa and
Burundi.
India is Non-committal on Market
Economy Status for China
Date: 17 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Business
The main reason India is reluctant to grant
MES to China is that it will severely curb
India’s ability to impose anti-dumping
duties on “unfairly priced” Chinese imports.
It will have negative impact on India’s
manufacturers in chemicals, steel, electrical
and electronics sectors as they will be
severely hurt by unfairly low-priced
imports from China.
India is not inclined to automatically grant
the coveted ‘Market Economy Status’ (MES)
to China under World Trade Organisation
(WTO) norms in December 2016. Under
WTO norms, once a country gets MES
status, exports from it are to be accepted at
the production costs and selling price as the
benchmark. Prior to this status, a country
is considered as a Non Market Economy
(NME).
Gwadar Port in Pakistan
Date: 14 November, 2016
Place: Pakistan
Field: China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
Gwadar port is an extension of China’s “One
Belt, One Road” initiative and encompasses
a series of infrastructure, power and
transport upgrades that Islamabad hopes
will kick start its long-underperforming
economy. The Belt and Road or One Belt,
One Road is a development strategy and
framework, proposed by Chinese paramount
leader Xi Jinping. Gwadar port is located
strategically at the head of the Arabian Sea.
With the development of Gwadar China
would be in a position to keep a close eye
CA-241
on the Persian gulf through which majority
of the crude supplies enter the energy
markets of Europe, America and Asia. With
the development of the Economic corridor
through the Karakoram pass China would
have access to the seas even for the land
locked Xinjiang, Tibet which would provide
tremendous economic momentums. It
would also provide a gateway to the energy
rich caspian region and the markets of
the central Asian republics. Strategically
it would provide China to encircle India
and provide a foothold to play a role in
the affairs of the New Delhi, which sees
the port as part of the Chinese ‘String of
Pearls’ aimed at encircling India, worries
that Chinese warships could soon dock at
Gwadar, and allow Beijing to have presence
in the Persian Gulf through which a majority
of the world’s shipping enters the energy
markets of Europe, Americas and Asia. But
at the moment, we can only wait and watch.
Israel Names First Ambassador to
Turkey since 2010
Date: 15 November, 2016
Place: Jerusalem
Field: International Relation
Relations between Israel and Turkey took a
downturn during the term of Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan as Turkish Prime Minister. Though
Erdoğan had paid an official visit to Israel in
2005 and initially had maintained business-
as-usual relations, his perceived anti-Israeli
rhetoric is considered to have symbolized
an intentional shift of Turkish interests
in the Middle East and realignment from
secular Israeli-oriented to Islamist pro-
Arab stance of Turkish Republic.
However, in December 2015, Turkey and
Israel began to negotiate on restoring
diplomatic relations by holding a secret
meeting, in the aftermath of the 2015
Russian Sukhoi Su-24 shootdown by Turkey
the previous month, and the subsequent
crisis with Russia and the increasing
isolation of Turkey. The two countries
reached an agreement on 27 June 2016 to
start the process of normalization of ties.
In a recent development Israel nominated
a new ambassador to Turkey, its first since
the two countries normalised ties after
the 2010 crisis triggered by Israel’s deadly
storming of a Gaza-bound ship.
 CA-242 ISSUES 2016

India’s NSG Bid covering UN Security Council and MTCR

NSG or Nuclear Suppliers Group is a treaty signed among 48 nuclear supplying countries
to ensure nuclear trade for peaceful purposes and non-proliferation in the wake of India’s
nuclear test in 1974 at Pokhran. The treaty laid norms for exporting and importing of
nuclear materials and technology. It also prevents proliferation by banning the sale of few
materials used for weapon making. The recent meet of NSG members on 11th November
dashed the hopes of India’s membership and this will continue to be considered next year.
Why does India seek its membership?
• India wants to become a player in the international arena where nuclear commerce
norms are laid.
• It will be able to build nuclear reactors and will have access to nuclear materials to
fulfil its energy needs.
• Through membership, India will access better international market for export as
well as for import of nuclear related materials.
• Will replace the indigenous technology being used at present for all nuclear based
programmes by the sophisticated foreign technologies. Being the third (India-6%,
USA-15%, China-24%) largest emitter of greenhouse gases, India can use nuclear
power to cut its emissions and reduce air pollution from coal-fired power plants.
• India by being a member, can sell its indigenous technology and give the ‘Make in
India’ a facelift thereby.
Since 2008, India has been attempting to get into the NSG. While US, Switzerland, Japan,
France, Germany, Russia, UK and Mexico have been backing India’s membership of NSG,
it is being opposed by China, New Zealand, Turkey, Israel, South Africa and Pakistan
on the pretext that a country non-signatory of NPT and CTBT should not be given the
membership of NSG.
China has been arguing that if India is granted a seat in NSG, then all other South Asian
countries which are non-signatory of NPT, like Pakistan should also be granted a seat.
Pakistan opposes India’s entry because it doesn’t want India to possess high end
technologies in the nuclear field and also fears that after becoming a member, India
would prevent and down vote its membership as China is currently doing.
This fact needs consideration that by accepting this application, the NSG can face problems
on the processing of applications from Pakistan and Israel, two non-signatories of NPT.
Further, India’s claim to permanent membership to UNSC, needs it to focus single-
mindedly on economic growth with concomitant military might. As is evident, all current
P5 members of the UNSC, barring Russia, are bigger than India economically. On the
other hand, three big global players-Germany, Japan and Brazil; with bigger economies
than India have better claim than India to be permanent members.
On 27th June, 2016 India joined the 34-nation MTCR, Missile Technology Control Regime
as a full member and this came three days after it failed to get the NSG membership due
to China’s stiff opposition. Through MTCR-membership, India would have a way to buy
high-end missile technology and its aspiration to buy state-of-the-art surveillance drones
like U.S. Predator will be more realistic! MTCR aims at restricting the proliferation of
missiles, rocket systems, unmanned air vehicles and related technology for the systems
that can carry a 500 kg payload for 300 kms distance.

Russia Withdraws from International
Criminal Court
Date: 15 November, 2016
Place: Russia
Field: International Dispute
Russia has officially withdrawn from
International Criminal Court (ICC) after
President Vladimir Putin signed an executive
order in this regard. The executive order
mentioned that Russia is pulling out of the 2002
Rome Statute, which establishes the ICC’s status
and powers. However, Russia had never ratified
the statue meaning it was never member
subject to its jurisdiction. Russia was against
by ICC’s declaration that It’s 2014 annexation
of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula was an armed
conflict. Russia is also under international
pressure over its campaign of air strikes in Syria
over the issue of bombing civilians and civilian
ISSUES 2016 CA-243

targets. Russia has denied those allegations.
Besides, ICC is also examining allegations of
war crimes committed by Russian and Georgian
forces during a brief 2008 war. ICC based in
Hague, Netherlands is an intergovernmental
organization and international tribunal. It has
the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the
international crimes of genocide, crimes against
humanity and war crimes. It was established
by the Rome Statute which was adopted in
July 1998 end entered into force in July 2002.
ICC is seen as a successor to Nuremburg
trials after World War II and ad-hoc UN war
crimes tribunals for the former Yugoslavia
and Rwanda. The multilateral treaty of Rome
Statute serves as the ICC’s foundational and
governing document. Currently, there are 124
states which are party to Rome Statute and
therefore members of the ICC (India and China
are not its members).

Italian Constitutional Referendum -2016

Date: 23 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Political Development
The Constitution of Italy provides for only two kinds of legally binding referendums, a
popular referendum, which can only be called in order to decide on whether to abrogate
(i.e., abolish) totally or partially an existing law; a constitutional referendum, which
can only be called in order to decide on whether to approve a constitutional law or
amendment.
A constitutional referendum was held in Italy on Sunday 4 December, 2016. Voters
were asked whether they approve of amending the Italian Constitution to reform the
appointment and powers of the Parliament of Italy, as well as the partition of powers of
State, Regions, and administrative entities.
Italy has been besieged by political instability since becoming a republic in 1946. Over
that 70 year period the country has had 63 governments. Adding to the instability is the
‘perfectly bicameral’ nature of the parliament whereby any legislation is only passed
when both houses, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic, agree
on exactly the same text. Legislation is often bogged down as it goes backwards and
forwards between houses in a process called navetta parlamentare (parliamentary
shuttle).
Italy along with France is one of the Eurozone’s serial non-reformers. Constant changes
in government have not been a recipe for sound growth-enhancing policy development
over the years. It’s no coincidence that Italy is one of the poorest performing of the
world’s major developed economies. Since the Great Recession GDP growth has
averaged 0.1% per annum, the unemployment rate is 11.5%, the public debt to GDP
ratio is 133% and its banking sector is weighed down by bad debts.
On December 4 the country vote in the proposed referendum the most significant
political reform since the republic was formed. It was a condition if the referendum is
passed the Senate will be reduced in influence and size with representation made up
by local government (Regions and Municipalities). Its main focus will become the co-
ordination of legislation between central and local government.
Proponents of a “Yes” vote argue this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for stronger
government, and with that, greater likelihood of much needed economic reform. Critics
argue future governments will have too much power.
A strong economic union requires its constituent parts to be strong. Anti-establishment
and anti-Europe political groups in Italy, such as the Five Star Movement led by Beppe
Grillo would be the primary beneficiaries of further political turmoil in Italy. And
remember this comes less than a year before critical elections in France April/May 2017
and Germany no later than October 22nd 2017.
The Referrendum was held on the 4th Dec, 2016 and Matteo Renzi was defeated
marking a major victory for anti-establishment and rightwing parties. The Eurozone
is now trapped in a political chaos with the resignation of the Italian Prime Minister
Matteo Ranzi.
 CA-244

Carbon Sinks: Protection shields against

Global Warming
n Anjali Chahal

I
n the current situation of alarming rise
in the level of pollution, it is important
to take significant steps to save our
environment from getting exploited
terribly. Considering rising pollution as
one of the life threatening issues in the
world today, experts are of the opinion that
there is a need to introduce some tools to
take control of the present situation. One of
these tools is carbon sequestration. It is the
accumulation of carbon in terrestrial bodies
as opposed to atmospheric forms. Basically,
carbon is stored in sinks that range from the planet would rapidly overheat. To deal with
world’s oceans and forests to agricultural this, there is a natural counter system called
soils. The humans dealing with these Natural carbon sinks.
storage sites are equally proportionate to Nature provided trees, the oceans, earth
global temperatures to a great extent. and the animals themselves as carbon sinks.
A carbon sink is anything that absorbs All organic life on this planet is carbon base.
more carbon than it releases as carbon Grasslands, agricultural lands, northern,
dioxide. It is being seen as a mechanism boreal forests, tropical rainforests, peat
for tackling climate change and global bogs, freshwater lakes, wetlands, coastal
warming. It accumulates and stores some ecosystems such as seagrass beds, kelp
carbon-containing chemical compound for forests, salt marshes and swamps and
an indefinite period. Carbon sinks are playing coral reefs also play role of natural carbon
significant role for our environment. Basically, sinks. Green plants play a significant role in
carbon sinks are holding tanks for carbon or
controlling carbon dioxide levels, because of
carbon compounds, like carbon dioxide. The
the process of photosynthesis. The process
process by which carbon sinks remove carbon
occurs in the cells of microscopic organisms
dioxide from the atmosphere is known as
and within the leaves of a plant. The process
carbon sequestration.
needs sunlight to change carbon dioxide
There are two types of carbon
and water into a carbon sugar. It is believed
sequestration. One is natural and the other
that half of all carbon that is extracted from
is artificial. Natural carbon sequestration
the atmosphere is through photosynthesis.
is a cycle that’s been happening on this
planet for billions of years. It is simply the The problem is that we’ve removed
process by which nature achieves a balance countless trees from this planet and it is
of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere going to take a lot of time before the millions
suitable for sustaining life. Animals and of trees planted in the last couple of years
plants exhale carbon dioxide as a byproduct mature enough to provide sequestration
of respiration, forest fires belch carbon benefits. The challenge on the part of
dioxide, volcanic eruptions and magma human being is that instead of rapidly
also pump carbon dioxide into the air. discontinuing the activities responsible for
With huge amount of carbon dioxide in heating our planet; researchers are looking
the atmosphere, there needed to be a way for alternate ways continue lifestyles. One
of removing it otherwise the surface of the such alternative is artificial carbon sinks.
CARBON SINKS: PROTECTION SHIELDS AGAINST GLOBAL WARMING
Artificial carbon sinks are landfills,
carbon capture and storage processes.
Manmade carbon sinks can be created by
existing underground formations, or even
the oceans, to store carbon dioxide.  Artificial
carbon sequestration is a good example of
man-made carbon sinks. Artificial carbon
sequestration refers to various processes
through which carbon emissions are
captured and then buried. There are several
methods proposed to do so. One proposed
method is ocean sequestration. In this
method, carbon dioxide is injected deep
into the ocean, forming lakes of carbon
dioxide. Another method is geological
sequestration where the carbon dioxide
is pumped into underground chambers
like old oil reservoirs and coal seams that
are unable to be mined. Another method
is Mineral sequestration. In this method,
carbon dioxide is injected into areas rich in
Magnesium or Calcium. As per researchers,
Carbon dioxide will react with the elements
and combine to form calcium carbonate and
magnesium carbonate. Apart from that, a
lot of research is going on in areas like, a)
Capturing and storing carbon dioxide by
injection into the underground empty rock
formations that used to hold fossil fuels,
like depleted oil reservoirs. b) Replication
of natural process of mineral carbonation.
c) Fertilizing the surface of southern
oceans with iron to stimulate the growth of
microorganisms. d) Manufacturing artificial
trees complete with leaves treated with
chemical compounds.
Humans are responsible for a lot of
greenhouse gases, disturbed global carbon
cycle. In 2007, oil, coal, and gas combustion
introduced 8.5 billion tonnes of carbon to
the carbon cycle. Until then, this carbon was
stored underground for million of years,
and away from the atmosphere. To strike a
balance in nature, reforestation or planning
new forests has been the suggestion made
by several experts and international bodies.
Carbon sinks is a popular strategy for the
nations with large forests interests such as
Canada, United States, and Latin American
nations and some Asian countries such as
Indonesia.
CA-245
The major issue that has engulfed
the world is that human activities burn
fossil fuels like coal and oil are inducing
huge levels of carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere. The intensity is much faster
to be removed by natural processes. This
poses a serious problem because as the
concentration of carbon dioxide builds up
in the atmosphere, it traps more of the sun’s
heat which is one of the reasons of shooting
up of the average global temperatures over
the last few decades.
Man sometimes interferes with carbon
sinks in a positive way. Efforts are underway
to rejuvenate natural sinks degraded
over time. These include reforestation,
improved soil conservation, creating new
forests, forest conservation etc. The Paris
agreement 2015 on climate change was
a landmark. It focused on the use of land-
based sinks such as forests at the heart of
the global blueprint for uprooting global
warming.
India is working towards making a
positive change. The Intended Nationally
Determined Contributions (INDC) of India
has been submitted to the United Nations.
It is being discussed at the climate meet in
Paris. It proposes the creation of additional
carbon sink of 2.5 billion to 3 billion tonnes
of carbon dioxide.
Since, a lot of efforts are being made
to control alarming situation of global
warming.  Researchers warn that  if the
ocean and forest sinks are not able to keep
pace with rising greenhouse gas emissions,
then the extra carbon in the atmosphere
could increase warming from the range of 5
to 30% more than current rate.
Each day, with more carbon pouring
into the atmosphere, it is becoming
increasingly difficult for the natural sinks to
drain it away. With more carbon emissions
going in than being used, balancing the
carbon budget looks like tougher than
ever. It stands as a warning to entire human
race to fight the battle against global
warming which certainly aims at perishing
the existence of Earth and mankind at large.
 CA-246
IDEAS
2016
NATIONAL
Smart Cities
Date: 28 January, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: 1st phase of 20 Cities
The core idea behind the Smart Cities is
to promote cities that will provide core
infrastructure and give a decent quality of
life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable
environment and application of IT enabled
smart solutions. It will improve governance
and public services and make the city
smart through area-based development.
It aims holistic development and will
fulfill the aspirations and needs of the
citizens of urban areas. It ideally aims
to develop all elements contained in the
institutional, physical, social and economic
infrastructure. This can be a long-term goal
and cities can work towards such holistic
development, incrementally, by adding
on layers of ‘smartness’.
Out of 98 shortlisted of the first phase,
20 cities are selected through the Smart
City Challenge competition in which Rs
1.52 crore citizens from 97 cities and
towns participated. PM Modi launched
execution of work on 20 Smart Cities on
25th June, 2016. A total investment of Rs.
50,802 crores over five years is proposed
with Public-Private-Partnership. The
chosen cities will be equipped with basic
infrastructure, efficient urban mobility
and public transport, IT connectivity and
e-governance mechanisms. The cities are-
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--Bhubaneswar, Pune, Jaipur, Surat, Kochi,
Ahmedabad, Jabalpur, Visakhapatnam,
Sholapur, Davangere, Indore, New Delhi
(New Delhi municipal council area),
Coimbatore, Kakinada, Belagavi, Udaipur,
Guwahati, Chennai, Ludhiana and Bhopal.
Doppler Radar
Date: 28 February, 2016
Place: Gopalpur, Odisha
Field: Weather forecasting
Problems: Cyclones
Effects: Advance warning
The Doppler effect or the Doppler shift is
the change in frequency or wavelength of
a wave or other periodic event for
an observer moving relative to its source.
A Doppler radar is a specialized radar that
uses this effect to produce velocity
data about objects at a distance. It does
this by bouncing a microwave signal
off a desired target and analyzing how
the object’s motion has altered the
frequency of the returned signal. This
variation gives direct and highly accurate
measurements of the radial component
of a target’s velocity relative to the radar.
Doppler radars are used in aviation,
sounding satellites, meteorology, radar
guns, radiology and healthcare and risk
assessment etc.
Doppler radar to boost the weather
forecasting system in the cyclone prone
eastern coast will be commissioned in
Gopalpur in Odisha. It will be the sixth
such radar on the country’s east coast.
The others are located in Chennai,
IDEAS 2016
Kolkata, Machilipatnam, Visakhapatnam
and Paradip. These observational tools
will monitor and predict severe weather
events such as thunder storms, hailstorms,
cyclones and tornados within a radius of
300 km. It not only gives information about
precipitation but also about wind velocity.
HPV Vaccine Programme in Schools
Date: 29 February, 2016
Place: Delhi
Field: Health
Delhi is going to be the first state in the
country to launch the Human Papillomavirus
(HPV) vaccine as a public health
programme for school children. The HPV
vaccine protects people against the group
of 150-odd HPVs, some of which can cause
cervical cancer. Human papillomavirus
is a DNA virus from the papillomavirus
family that is capable of infecting humans.
Like all papillomaviruses, HPVs establish
productive infections only in keratinocytes
of the skin or mucous membranes.
Project Mausam
Date: 10 March, 2016
Place: Delhi
Field: Marine Research
Project Mausam aims to explore the multi-
faceted Indian Ocean ‘world’ – collating
archaeological and historical research in
order to document the diversity of cultural,
commercial and religious interactions in
the Indian Ocean – extending from East
Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian
Subcontinent and Sri Lanka to the Southeast
Asian archipelago. It also aims to promote
research on themes related to the study
of Maritime Routes through international
scientific seminars and meeting and by
adopting a multidisciplinary approach.
Project ‘Mausam’ aims to understand how
the knowledge and manipulation of the
monsoon winds has shaped interactions
across the Indian Ocean and led to the
spread of shared knowledge systems,
traditions, technologies and ideas along
maritime routes. These exchanges were
facilitated by different coastal centres
and their surrounding environs in their
respective chronological and spatial
contexts, and simultaneously had an effect
on them. At the macro level, it aims to re-
connect and re-establish communications
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between countries of the Indian Ocean
world, which would lead to an enhanced
understanding of cultural values and
concerns and at the micro level, the focus is
on understanding national cultures in their
regional maritime milieu.
Clean My Coach Service
Date: 11 March, 2016
Place: Ahmadabad
Field: Transport
“Clean My Coach” Service will allow
travellers to get their compartments
cleaned by sending an SMS or by using
an app or a designated website. For
any cleaning requirement in the coach,
passenger will have to send an SMS on a
mobile number 58888 or the passenger
can also use android app ‘Cleanmycoach
Indian Railways’ or webpage ‘cleanmycoach.
com’ for logging the request. A confirmation
message is sent by the server to the mobile
number of On Board House Keeping (OBHS)
staff travelling on the same train along with
the details of the passengers such as coach
number, berth number. OBHS staff contacts
the passengers, carries out the cleaning
work as per demand. If the passenger is
satisfied, he discloses the code received
during acknowledgement and OBHS staff
in turn sends the same code through SMS
and the complaint is then treated as closed.
If the passenger is not satisfied, he doesn’t
disclose the code and the complaint is
treated as not closed.
112 the Single Emergency Number
Date: 28 March, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Telecom
The number 112 is the new single
emergency number for India. This all-in-
one emergency number is going to change
the lives in India. This is similar to 911 of
United States and 999 of United Kingdom.
With this, Indian citizens in distress
can just dial the single-number 112 for
all emergency services such as police,
ambulance and the fire department. It will
direct the call to concerned departments
immediately for help.
The idea of using single emergency number
is well rolled out and it could solve the
issues of the people who are facing trouble
with present services.
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Injectable Contraceptive
Date: 29 March, 2016
Place: Chandigarh
Field: Health & Family Planning
Haryana became the first state in India to
launch injectable contraceptives as a family
planning measure across all government
healthcare facilities. Chief Minister
Manohar Lal Khattar launched it as a part of
the Haryana government’s Project Salamati.
The project aims to maintain healthy gap
between the births of children by using
injectable contraceptive.
Green Technology for Water Purification
Date: 3 April, 2016
Place: Guwahati, Assam
Field: Technology
An eco-friendly nanotechnology for water-
softening applications that could be
used in civic water treatment plants for
generating potable water is going to be a
reality. A biopolymer will be designed using
a naturally occurring substance, called
chitosan (obtained from the hard outer
skeleton of shellfish, including crab, lobster,
and shrimp) as a backbone for the carbon
nanoparticles to sit on. This eco-friendly
biodegradable biopolymer can be used in
civic water treatment plants for generating
potable water. It will reduce dependency on
conventional water-softening techniques
that uses synthetic resins as they do
not have very effective water-softening
methods and produced very crude treated
water. This innovation will help millions of
poor people in India in preventing water-
borne diseases.
Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan
Date: 14 April, 2016
Place: Mhow, Madhya Pradesh
Field: Rural Development
Gramoday Se Bharat Uday aims to generate
nation-wide efforts to increase social
harmony across villages, strengthen
Panchayati Raj, promote rural development,
and foster farmers’ progress.
The Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan
aims to effectively bring the villages and
Panchayat’s closer through the use of digital
media and mobile applications. The mobile
app named ‘Gramoday’ is available for
public usage. They can be downloaded from
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the website www.gramoday.nic.in or from the
Google Play Store. The link is https://play.
google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.
panchayatdivas.
The aim of the implementation of this
scheme is to integrate India, bring about
social harmony, awareness among citizens.
Miracle Gel
Date: 18 April, 2016
Place: Trivandrum, Kerala
Field: Science & Tech
SILICA AEROGEL OR ‘BLUE AIR’ has
excellent thermal resistance and if used as
filler in soldiers’ uniforms it can possibly
help save many lives at the Siachen glacier.
Silica aerogel is basically solid foam
consisting of over 95% air and has the
lowest bulk density of any known solid. The
material is likely to be used on India’s moon
rover in Chandryaan-2 mission. Scientists
hope that this material can be incorporated
diligently into rocket engines.
Free Wi-Fi to Railway Stations to help
Travellors
Date: 15 April, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Science & Tech
Google has extended free internet service
through WiFi to 10 railway stations as
part of its tie up with Railtel, the internet
provider arm of Indian Railways. After
the first launch at Mumbai Central last
year, the high speed wireless broadband
service now covers stations in Pune,
Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal, Ranchi, Raipur,
Vijayawada, Kacheguda (Hyderabad),
Ernakulum (Kochi) and Vishakhapatnam,
providing internet to over 1.5 million
people. This service will provide travelers
passing through these stations to easily
stream a high definition video, research
their destination, download a book or a new
game for their journey.
Delhi as Future-Ready City
Date: 15 April, 2016
Place: Delhi
Field: Urban Development
Delhi has been recognised as one of the 50
future-ready cities around the world that
are embracing technology to adapt and
thrive in an ever-changing and globalised
IDEAS 2016 CA-249

future. Delhi is ranked 44th on the list
which is topped by San Jose, followed by
San Francisco. The ‘Future-Ready Economies
Model’ scores large, high-growth global
metropolitan areas based on attributes that
enable people and organisations to access
new tools and ideas that deliver better
connectivity, better economic performance
and a greater ability to attract talent. The
cities positioned in the list were evaluated
along three dimensions — human capital,
infrastructure and commerce.
Hologram Technique to check Liquor’s
Purity
Date: 18 April, 2016
Place: Mumbai
Field: Science & Tech
Holograms are a bit like photographs that
never die. They’re sort of “photographic
ghosts”: they look like three-dimensional
photos that have somehow got trapped
inside glass, plastic, or metal. When you tilt
a credit-card hologram, you see an image
of something like a bird moving “inside”
the card. How does it get there and what
makes it seem to move? What makes it
different from an ordinary photograph? A
hologram is a cross between what happens
when you take a photograph and what
happens when you look at something for
real. Like a photograph, a hologram is a
permanent record of the light reflected off
an object. But a hologram also looks real
and three-dimensional and moves as you
look around it, just like a real object. That
happens because of the unique way in
which holograms are made.
The Government of Maharashtra has
decided to paste “polyester base track
and trace” hologram, to be supported by a
mobile app, which will help consumers find
out whether the liquor is fake or genuine. To
root out the menace of spurious liquor, the
state Excise department proposed to make
it mandatory for all liquor bottles to carry
a hologram and barcode with embedded
covert and overt features.

India’s Longest Bridge

Date: 24 June, 2016
Place: Manila, Philippines
Field: International Co-operation
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 24 June 2016 approved 500 million US dollars
loan to build a road bridge across the river Ganga near Patna in Bihar.The 9.8 kilometer
long bridge will be India’s longest river bridge. It will provide vital transport links
between the northern and southern parts of Bihar and with neighbouring Nepal. It will
help in the transportation services between living areas to job location and other areas
and help middle sector people to commute to the state capital Patna and other southern
parts. ADB loan of $500 million and $900,000 has been accorded to improve bridge
operational activities and management. State government will provide reinforcement
which is equivalent to $215 million. The project is expected to be completed by
December, 2020. The height and length of the bridge has been designed to minimize
impacts on the river itself and to withstand climate related disasters.

Panic Button, GPS in Mobile to provide safety to women in distress

Date: 28 April, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Science & Tech
Panic button will be mandatory for all
mobile phones to be sold in India from
January 1, 2017, onwards to enable users
make emergency calls easily. Besides,
in-built GPS navigation system would
be mandatory for all phones a year later
with effect from January 1, 2017. In order
situation, it is important to enable them
to send out distress signal to a family
member or the police authorities so
that they can be rescued. Department
of Telecommunications has released
notification on 22nd April, 2016 under
section 10 of the Indian Wireless Telegraph
Act 1933. Under these rules, w.e.f. 1.1.2017,
all future phones will have the facility of
panic button configured to the numeric key
5 or 9 and all smart phones will have the
 CA-250
panic button configured to three times short
pressing of the on-off button.
Caste Certificates on App
Date: 29 April, 2016
Place: Mumbai
Field: Science & Tech
Maharashtra has launched a web-based
application Adi Praman app which will enable
the tribal populace of the state to get the caste
validity certificates online. It would help
them avail of government services on time.
Maharashtra is the first state to provide caste
validity certificates online. The application
would help the government achieve the
goal of inclusion as envisioned under the
Digital India programme. The availability
of caste validity certificates online would
especially help the youths who are seeking
jobs and also the candidates who are filing
nomination papers for elections.
Cheap Water Treatment Device
Date: 18 July, 2016
Place: Chennai
Field: Water Treatment
Solar powered water treatment system is
an inexpensive, water treatment system for
rural Indian villages, which lack affordable
potable water and electricity. It has been
designed, built and tested and the next step
is to implement. In many parts of rural India
people drink contaminated water and they
don’t have any means.
Skill J&K Youth
Date: 26 July, 2016
Place: Srinagar
Field: Skill Development
The youth of J&K are misguided and forced
to take anti-national stands. Among so many
reasons massive unemployment is a major
cause. In this regard the govt’s initiative to
skill the youth and bring them back to the
main stream is a unique and praiseworthy
idea.
Nearly 1600 crores of rupees have been
approved by the Jammu and Kashmir Govt
under the skill development initiative
called the ‘Himayat’ programme. This will
facilitate training and placement to 1 lakh
J&K youth over a span of 5 years. This project
involves job–oriented trainings via three,
six and nine – month courses, interaction
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with industry – based professionals and
an option for foreign placements. In Urdu,
‘Himayat’ means support.
New Tiger Cell
Date: 31 July, 2016
Place: Delhi
Field: Wildlife
Tiger conservation is a major concern as
the big cats are on the verge of extinction.
In order to protect the tigers in India, the
Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is all set
to house India’s first repository on tigers,
under its new Tiger Cell. The repository
will consist of huge database on tiger
conservation including demographical
representation, which has been developed
by a conjoint effort with the National
Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
The NTCA and the WII have decided to
host the first tiger cell in the WII campus in
Dehradun. WII’s research facility includes
Remote Sensing, Forensics and Geographic
Information System (GIS). It has contributed
in studying and protecting wildlife in India
and also has popularized wildlife studies.
Educational Institution Open to Public
Scrutiny
Date: 5 August, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Education
The general public will now have a say
in the government rankings awarded to
educational institutions this year in an effort
to guarantee greater transparency and check
inaccurate data furnished by universities
and colleges. The Government is now set
to direct all participating institutions to
publish important data, including number
of teachers, infrastructure and students
etc. on their website. The general public
and other stakeholders will then be asked
to inspect the data and propose their
feedback to the National Accreditation
Bureau under the HRD ministry in case
of any disagreement. For 2017, colleges
across the country will also be ranked and
the government will award an ordinary
overall rank to the institution irrespective
of specialization or branch.
This move will help the students to select
their desired institution without any doubt.
IDEAS 2016
Merger of Power DISCOMS
Date: 5 August, 2016
Place: Haryana
Field: Power
Underperformance of discoms is a
particularly disturbing issue, made worse
by the bureaucratic structure of power
institutions and low discom realizations.
Several possible reasons are given for the
underperformance of the sector prominent
among which are: political interference
and structure of institutions particularly
lack of unbundling. Also, lack of corporate
governance, power theft, and inability
of distribution companies to collect
revenues are cited as principal culprits.
To solve this problem an innovative idea
of merging discoms has been rolled on. It
will help maintaining the optimum level
of service transmission, sub transmission
and distribution, infra structure requires
coordinated growth. For the even growth
of power sector, there needs to be
uniformity in procurement, man power
planning and monitoring of commercial
interests.  Moreover, difficulties arise in
number of cases as two Discoms follow
different policies sometimes and create
administrative problems. To improve the
working of power sector it has been found
that a single entity will be more efficient
organization in tune with the present day
requirements. Everyone agrees that a single
distribution entity will be a more efficient
organisation for handling the complex issue
of distribution of power.
e–bidding Portals
Date: 18 August, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Power
‘TARANG’ (Transmission App for Real
Time Monitoring & Growth) Mobile App
& Web Portal will be introduced in the
electronic platform. The idea is to enhance
ease, accountability and transparency. It
would also boost confidence of investors
in power transmission sector. Better price
discovery shall ultimately benefit the
power consumers in India. TARANG is a
powerful monitoring tool that will track
upcoming transmission projects and monitor
the progress of Inter-State & Intra-State
transmission systems in the country,
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being developed through Regulated
tariff mechanism as well as Tariff Based
Competitive Bidding (TBCB) route. Energy
Corridors, an important component of
our renewable energy mission, would also
be monitored through TARANG. Apart
from Tarang, ‘e-Trans’ web platform for
e-bidding and e-reverse auction for TBCB in
transmission projects is a novel idea. Till
date, transmission sector providers have
been participating in transmission bids
through manual mode. With e-Trans, the
interface will be electronic. The Portal will
provide a common e-bidding platform
with e-reverse auction facility to facilitate
nation-wide power procurement through
a wider network so as to bring uniformity
and transparency in the process of power
procurement. The introduction of e-Bidding
and e-reverse auction process for medium
term (1-5 years), the time span of the
complete bidding process and the cost of
procurement of power is expected to be
reduced substantially, thereby significantly
benefiting the ultimate consumers.
Folk – encyclopedia
Date: 18th August, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Human Resources
The folk traditions culture and literature is
going to be forgotten shortly. It is a source of
rich cultural heritage.
In this direction the Indian Council of
Historical Research (ICHR) is planning to
compile anecdotes and legends relating
to villages and towns across India into an
encyclopedia. This initiative is aimed at
acquainting people better with the oral
and folk traditions. The initiative will help
historians and researchers in a great way to
understand and enlarge folk literature and
cultural traditions.
Criminal Tracking Network System
Date: 19 August, 2016
Place: Mumbai
Field: Law & order
Criminal activities are growing alarmingly
in India and we don’t have modern
technological infrastructures to nab
the culprit. In many incidents they
are not traced and go scot free. In this
direction the Crime and Criminal Tracking
 CA-252
Network & Systems (CCTNS) will create a
comprehensive and integrated system for
enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness
of policing through adopting of principle of
e-Governance and creation of a nationwide
networking infrastructure for evolution
of IT-enabled state-of-the-art tracking
system around ‘Investigation of crime and
detection of criminals’.
The objectives of the Scheme are to make
the Police functioning citizen-friendly
and more transparent by automating
the functioning of Police Stations. It will
improve delivery of citizen-centric services
through effective usage of ICT. They are
providing the Investigating Officers of the
Civil Police with tools, technology and
information to facilitate investigation of
crime and detection of criminals, Improve
Police functioning in various other areas
such as Law and Order, traffic Management
etc. Facilitate Interaction and sharing
of Information among Police Stations,
Districts, State/UT headquarters and other
Police Agencies. Assist senior Police Officers
in better management of Police Force, keep
track of the progress of Cases, including
in Courts, Reduce manual and redundant
Records keeping.
This technology is aimed at linking all the
police stations in the state for sharing crime
– related information in their respective
jurisdictions. The services of the cyber labs,
will be linked by secure high-speed fibre
optic cable network and will give rise to a
digital police force. It will be available to
address cyber security concerns of private
organisations and banks among others.
POCSO e-box
Date: 26 August, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Child Development
An online complaint box for reporting
child sexual abuse, the POCSO e-Box is
a much needed initiative to address the
grave situation. Protection of Children from
Sexual Offences (POCSO), e-Box, is an online
complaint management system for easy
and direct reporting of sexual offences
against children and timely action against
the offenders under the POCSO Act, 2012.
The e-Box is incorporated prominently in
the home page of National Commission for
Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) website
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http://ncpcr.gov.in/ where a user has to
simply push a button named POSCO e-Box.
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences
Act (POCSO Act) 2012 was formulated in order
to effectively address sexual abuse and sexual
exploitation of children. Which is growing
rampantly in India.
Re-naming of Gurgaon
Date: 27 September, 2016
Place: Haryana
Field: Cultural
The name of Gurgaon is going to be changed
as ‘Gurugram’. As a result, now both the
city as well as the district of Gurgaon
would be known as Gurugram. Haryana
is a historic land of the Bhagwat Gita and
Gurgaon had been a centre of learning. It
had been known as Gurugram since the
times of Guru Dronacharya. It was a great
center of education. After India attained
independence, Gurgaon fell under the
Indian state of Punjab. In 1966, the city
came under the administration of Haryana
with the creation of the new state. The city’s
economic growth story started when the
leading Indian automobile manufacturer
Maruti Suzuki India Limited established
a manufacturing plant in Gurgaon in
the 1970s. Spread over an area of 732
kilometre squares, Gurgaon currently has
a population of 1.7 million people. It is also
a part of the National Capital Region (NCR)
of India.
The idea is conceived to respect the cultural
values of India. For sometime the decision
will create some chaos as the old name is
internationally popularised.
Varistha Pension Bima Yojana
Date: 28 September, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Social Welfare
The idea of Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana
(VPBY) will benefit the vulnerable section
of society with limited resources as it will
provide monthly pension ranging from
` 500/ to ` 5,000/ per month to senior
citizens of the country.
This initiative is taken for the welfare and
well-being of the senior citizens of the
country, which is especially important
in the light of the increasing longevity in
India, which has gone up substantially. The
IDEAS 2016
subscription to the scheme is likely to create
a corpus of more than ` 10,000 crore, and
would thus also be a significant source of
resource mobilization for the development
of the country. Under this initiative the
senior citizens would get pension on fixed
basis either on yearly or monthly basis
which will provide social security to senior
citizens. LIC of India has been given the sole
privilege to operate this scheme.
Preterm Birth
Date: 6 September, 2016
Place: Mumbai
Field: Health
Every year, an estimated 15 million babies
are born preterm (before 37 completed
weeks of gestation), and this number is
rising. Preterm birth complications are
the leading cause of death among children
under 5 years of age, responsible for nearly
1 million deaths in 2015.
Three-quarters of them could be saved with
current, cost-effective interventions. Across
184 countries, the rate of preterm birth
ranges from 5% to 18% of babies born.
Indian researchers are on their way to
understand the mechanisms by which
preterm births (between 28 and 32 weeks
of gestation) occur. The researchers found
for the first time that gram-positive  Group
B Streptococcus (GBS) bacteria produce
small balloons called membrane vesicles,
which contain toxins that kill both foetal and
maternal cells and destroy the collagen that
binds the cells together.
The idea will save millions of life in the
world
LIVE on e-office
Date: 7 September, 2016
Place: Shilong
Field: Science & Tech
Live on e-office aims to improve
productivity, quality, resource management,
turnaround time and increase transparency
by replacing the old manual process with an
electronic file system.
North Eastern Region has gone live on
e-office. This platform would not only digitize
the entire office correspondence and file
noting but also ensure an audit trail of all
entries and correspondence, thus providing
an unprecedented level of accountability.
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The idea is to accelerate the pace of socio-
economic development of the region so that
it may enjoy growth parity with the rest of
the country.
Digital Locker
Date: 8 September, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Transport
The idea of integration of DigiLocker with
Driving Licenses (DL) & Vehicle Registration
Certificates (VRC) will hugely benefit people.
Now, people will no longer need to carry
around physical copies of their Driving
Licences and RCs. Using DigiLocker mobile
app, they can instead access digital copies of
the same on their mobile phones. Besides,
DLs and VRC documents will be now issued
directly to the DigiLockers of individuals
in digital formats. These digital copies
also can be shared with other government
departments as identity and address proof.
They can also be used for on the spot
verification through the citizen’s mobile,
by various law enforcement authorities like
the Traffic Police. Besides, it will also result
in assured authenticity of such documents
and reduction of administrative overhead.
All-women PCR Vans
Date: 11 September, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Women Empowerment
All – women PCR (Police Control Room)
Van is going to be introduced by Delhi
Police commissioner in five primary areas –
Vigyan Bhawan, Jesus & Mary College, Khan
Market Metro Station, American Centre at
Kasturba Gandhi Marg, and Moti Lal Nehru
Marg. PCR Vans consist of one woman
driver, one woman constable and another
will carry an MP-5 gun. Currently, there
are 20 women police personnel who have
been trained for this type of job. This idea
will bring transparency while dealing with
women criminals and it will boost women
empowerment.
Toll Free Helpline Number ‘1924’
Date: 13 September, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Post & Tel
A new toll free number ‘1924’ to register
postal complaints is a unique idea. Initially,
 CA-254
the service will be operational for 12 hours
on working days between 0800 hrs to 2000
hrs. The service will address complaints
within 24 hours unless they are related
to policy matters. It will be available in
three languages viz. Hindi, English and
Malayalam. In future, the service will
start services in all scheduled languages.
The complaints received on the toll free
number will be registered in Computerised
Customer Care (CCC) Centre portal by the
operators at the Dak Bhawan. Besides,
while registering the complaint 11 digits
ticket number would be provided to the
complainants. If the complaint is already
registered, the operators will provide the
status of complaint as viewed in CCC portal.
Free Bus Rides for Girl Students
Date: 12 September, 2016
Place: Haryana
Field: Education
Free bus rides for girl students in the
state of Haryana have been introduced.
The Haryana transport minister has given
a strict message to the bus drivers and
conductors, who misbehave with the girl
students and do not allow them to board
the vehicle. Haryana roadways bus drivers
or conductors also got strict message to
behave with girls in good manner. Free
travel facility also given to the girl students
of Haryana in roadway buses for to and fro
journey to school.
App ‘VISIT’ Telemedicine app
Date: 13 September, 2016
Place: Hyderabad
Field: Science & Tech
VISIT is an on-demand healthcare service
provider, partnered with Spice Digital to
launch a doctor on call service on BSNL
network and plans to tie-up with other telecom
players to go national. Telemedicine was the
use of telecommunication and information
technology to provide clinical health care
from a distance. It helps eliminate distance
barriers and can improve access to medical
services that would often not be consistently
available in distant rural communities. It is
also used to save lives in critical care and
emergency situations.The service, called ‘JIYO
Behtar Expert Talk Health Line’, had already
been made live in North Zone with state-run
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BSNL as the first telecom partner. VISIT
is a platform that connects patients with
practitioners anytime, anywhere through
smartphone or computer.
LED Street Lights
Date: 26 Sept, 2016
Place: Jaipur, Rajasthan
Field: Power
Rajasthan is going to be the first state to
adopt Centre’s Street Lighting National
Programme (SLNP) in all its urban local
bodies (ULB). Almost 5 lakh conventional
street lights will be replaced with LED
street lights across the state. The entire
street light project will be funded by Energy
Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) at no cost
to the state. EESL, a Public Energy Services
Company under the administration of
Ministry of Power, Government of India
(GoI), is the implementing agency for SLNP.
This move will reduce 225 tonnes of CO2
per day. EESL procurements conform to
BIS specification & carry a 7 year warranty
against technical defect.
Monorail
Date: 30 September, 2016
Place: Kolkata
Field: Transport
A monorail runs a single track. It is
beneficial in medium capacity metros.
As West Bengal is facing exreme problem in
transportation in the congested areas it has
decided to introduce the system.
The 14-kilometre-long monorail route
would connect Budge Budge to Ruby via
Taratala, New Alipore and Prince Anwar
Shah Road and would come up at a cost of
4216 crore rupees. There would not be any
problem over land acquisition as minimum
land would be required to construct
pillars and elevated tracks would be laid
connecting them.
EPFO Investment in ETF from 5 to 10
percent
Date: 30 September, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Employees Provident Fund
Government will raise the Employees
Provident Fund (EPF) investment in
Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) from existing
5 per cent to 10 per cent. In the last one year,
IDEAS 2016
the Employees Provident Fund Organisation
(EPFO) has invested 6577 crore rupees.
The investment has yielded a good return
of 13.24%. The past performance of the
last six months from April, 2016 to August,
2016 also showed gradual appreciation in
the returns from 0.37% in March 2016 to
13.24% in August 2016. 5% EPF has been
invested in NIFTY 50 and SENSEX.
This move will greatly help the employees.
Majuli River Island
Date: 1 September, 2016
Place: Assam
Assam’s Majuli is to be declared as the largest
river island in the world by the Guinness
World Records. The island is located in the
Brahmaputra River. Majuli had a total area
of 1250 square kilometres at the beginning
of the 20th century. However, it had lost one
third of its area due to erosion. The island is
formed by River Brahmaputra in the south
and the Kherkutia Xuti, a branch of the
Brahmaputra, joined by the Subansiri River
in the north. It was formed due to course
changes by the river Brahmaputra and its
tributaries, mainly the Lohit.  It is the abode
of the Assamese neo-Vaisnavite culture.
India’s First Dengue Vaccine
Date: 24 September, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Health
This will be for the first time a vaccine
developed entirely in India for a vector-
borne disease that has been advanced for
clinical development in the country. The C.
pareira plant may serve as a basic source
for the development of an inexpensive
herbal formulation against dengue.
Sun Pharma has signed deal with
International Centre for Genetic
Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB)
for clinical development Cissampelos
pariera (Cipa), India’s first vaccine (drug)
for the treatment of dengue. ICGEB had
explored Indian traditional medicine,
Ayurveda, to identify plants that could be
a source of dengue inhibitory activity. In
its research it was found that an alcoholic
extract prepared from Cissampelos pareira
Linn from C. pareira plant inhibits the
replication of dengue viruses in living
cells in culture. Besides, alcoholic extract
CA-255
showed antipyretic and anti-inflammatory
effects and protected mice against dengue
infection. India is dengue-endemic resource-
poor country representing 50% of the
global population estimated to be at risk of
dengue virus.
Portal for Paddy Procurement
Date: 1 October, 2016
Place: Karnal
Field: Agriculture
In the upcoming procurement season
Haryana will launch its e-kharid portal
for procurement of paddy. In this regard a
mobile application would also be launched
at the same function which would provide
all necessary information to farmers,
arthiyas and traders. Arthiyas who were
unable to operate computer, their work
would be completed by the concerned
Secretary, Market Committee. While 31
mandis of the state have already been
linked with National Agriculture Market,
five more mandis would soon be linked and
business of `120 crore has so far been done.
India’s First Medipark in TN
Date: 5 October, 2016
Place: Tamil Nadu
Field: Health
Medipark is a novel and innovative initiative
in providing infrastructure support for the
promotion of medical equipment.
HLL Lifecare to sub-lease 330.10 acres
of land at Chengalpattu, located in the
outskirts of Chennai, to set up a medical
device manufacturing park (Medipark).
The Medipark project will be the first
manufacturing cluster in the medical
technology sector in the country, envisaged
to boost the local manufacturing of hi-
end products at a significantly lower
cost, resulting in affordable healthcare
delivery, particular in diagnostic
services to a large section of people.
The proposed Medipark would contribute
to the development of medical devices and
technology sector and allied disciplines in
the country, which was still at a beginning
stage besides generating employment and
give a boost to the government’s “Make in
India” campaign.
 CA-256
Gyan Darshan
Date: 9 October, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Education
Four DD education channels went off air
due to pending fees in the year 2014. Gyan
Darshan I & II, GD-3 and GD-4 - reaching
out to lakhs of children in the country, went
blank after an uninterrupted run for nearly
14 years.
Considering the importance of the programmes.
Doordarshan and Indira Gandhi National
Open University (IGNOU) will enter into an
agreement for transmission of four Gyan
Darshan educational channels. IGNOU now
needs to apply for a fresh license to start
the uplinking of its channels for GSAT-
10 satellite, as under the Uplinking and
Downlinking Guidelines of the I&B Ministry,
it is not eligible for the grant of a license.
The idea will help millions of students in
India. It will educate and enlarge the vision
of digital learning.
Satellite-based Illegal Mining Detection
System
Date: 15 October, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Mining
To make mineral administration more
responsive in curbing instances of illegal
mining activity through public participation
and remote sensing detection technology
the mines ministry will launch a satellite-
based illegal mining detection system, which
will receive tip-offs in the form of pictures
taken from a mobile phone, automatically
generate complaints to state authorities
and publish the outcome of a probe in a
mobile application. Mining Surveillance
System (MSS) is a pan-India surveillance
network using latest satellite technology,
to check illegal mining. The technology
will ensure sustainable utilisation of the
country’s mineral resources.  MSS will
trigger an alarm whenever there is an
instance of illegal mining outside permitted
areas. Karnataka, which saw large instances
of illegal mining in the past, stands to gain
tremendously from this technology.
Indigenous Drones
Date: 17 October, 2016
Place: Kharagpur
Field: Science & Tech
IDEAS 2016
Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur is
developing drones using indigenous
hardware and software. Under the Aerial
Robotics Kharagpur (ARK) initiative, drones
are being developed, which would be
capable of autonomous flight, localisation
in GPS-denied environments, and tracking
and interacting with mobile ground robots
as well as other drones. The ARK initiative
goals to develop a versatile aerial robotics
framework, which might be simply used
to manage aerial autos and ultimately
transfer to a number of decentralised aerial
robotic swarms in an out of doors setting.
The ARK initiative intends to develop
drones using indigenous hardware and
software. These have various applications,
including tracking during search and rescue
operations.
India-made Electric Bus
Date: 17 October, 2016
Place: Chennai
Field: Transport
Ashok Leyland is going to launch the
first ever electric bus. It will be entirely
manufactured in India. It is named as
circuit. The bus with the maximum seating
capacity of 65 can run up to 120 kilometres
on a single charge under standard test
conditions. The Circuit series of buses
is another testament to leverage India’s
technological innovation to relevant and
best in class solutions for India and the
world.
This innovation will help reducing pollution
to a great extent in addition to saving fuels.
Air Treatment System in Delhi
Date: 27 October, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Environmental Pollution
The Delhi government is planning a three-
tier air treatment system to deal with
rising air pollution in city. It includes
setting up of wind purification units, mist
fountains and virtual chimney at five major
traffic intersections on trial basis. Delhi
government in collaboration with National
Environmental Engineering Research
Institute and IIT (Bombay) would set up the
entire system. The system includes setting
up of wind purification units, mist fountains
IDEAS 2016
and virtual chimney. Delhi Pollution Control
Committee (DPCC) data of last five years
showed that air quality in the national
capital has seen a gradual dip before
Diwali and it continues to deteriorate till
mid-December.
New Arhar Variety of Pigeon-pea
Date: 31 October, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Agriculture
Traditional pigeonpea varieties are all
long-duration types; they mature in about
300 days. They have very specific uses, and
sometimes you’ll find them growing as a
perennial plant around houses, fencing,
etc. As a perennial, it can survive 3–4 years
easily. And the plant is also grown as a
perennial if it’s the long-poded type grown
as a vegetable.
A new arhar (pigeon-pea) variety that
matures in 120 days, gives the same 20
quintal-per-hectare yields of normal 160-
180 day plants and is, moreover, amenable
to mechanical combine harvesting. The
average yield of existing pulses varieties in
the country is 9-10 quintals a hectare, but
the new variety developed by IIPR scientists
has the potential to give 20 quintals. Arhar
(tur) is mostly grown in Maharashtra,
Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, while it is
used almost in all parts of the country.
The development will greatly solve the
massive shortage of arhar and control the
soaring price.
HIMANSH the High Altitude Station
Date: 9 October, 2016
Place: Spiti, Himachal Pradesh
Field: Research
Himalayan region has the largest
concentration of glaciers outside the polar
caps, as this region is aptly called the
“Water Tower of Asia” is the source of the 10
major river systems that provide irrigation,
power and drinking water for over 700
million people live in India, Pakistan and
Bangladesh– nearly 10% of the world’s
population. Understanding the behaviour of
these glaciers and their contribution to the
sustainable supply of water for mankind and
agriculture is one of the grand challenges of
Indian scientific community. As part of the
CA-257
Indian Government’s initiatives to better
study and quantify the Himalayan glacier
responses towards the climate change, has
established a high altitude research station
in Himalaya called HIMANSH (literally
meaning, a slice of ice), situated above
13,500 ft (> 4000 m) at a remote region in
Spiti, Himachal Pradesh.
Clean Energy Equity Fund
Date: 2 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Energy
The Indian government and three state-run
firms will jointly set up an equity fund of up to
$2 billion for renewable energy companies
to help New Delhi meet its clean energy
goals. The fund is being created to support
Government’s ambitious target of adding
175 GW renewable energy generation
capacity by 2022. The Government will
launch the fund jointly with state-run
power entities namely, National Thermal
Power Corporation Limited (NTPC), Rural
Electrification Corporation (REC) and
Power Finance Corporation Limited (PFC).
The capital city is facing acute power
shortage. This fund aims to solve this
problem which is long-standing.
Online PM-Awas Yojana
Date: 2 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Housing
Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and
Common Services Centre e-Governance
Services signed Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) which will enable
online submission of applications under
PMAY (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana). It will
enable online submission of applications by
the urban poor for affordable houses under
PMAY from November 3, 2016 at a nominal
cost of ` 25/- per application. Pradhan
Mantri Awaas Yojana was launched in June
2015 to provide affordable housing to urban
poor. It is proposed to build 2 crore houses
for urban poor including economically
weaker sections and low income groups in
urban areas by the year 2022.
It is noted that so many needy and eligible
persons are not availing the benefit. This
initiation will bring transparency.
 CA-258
Yamuna Riverfront Project
Date: 2 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Culture & Tourism
The lifeblood of Delhi the Yamuna River
is getting polluted day by day. It is posing
a serious threat to the ecology. Keeping in
mind this grave threat the Delhi government
is going to launch the ` 200-crore Yamuna
riverfront project at the second annual
‘Yamuna Aarti’ event at the Dhai Pusta, in
Sonia Vihar. The objective of the project is to
beautify the riverfront in the next one-and-
a-half years. A ‘Nakshatra Vatika’ (garden as
per Vedic astrology) and a medicinal garden
will be constructed at Sonia Vihar.
Online Platform “Nyaaya”
Date: 5 November, 2016
Place: Bangalore
Field: IT
An online platform named ‘Nyaaya’ will
explain the country’s Central and state
laws in a user-friendly method, supported
by interactive guides and visualisations. It
will explain sexual harassment, domestic
violence, dowry and anti-corruption laws
among others. Currently available in
English, Nyaaya wants to launch its service
in India’s 22 official languages. Nyaaya is
made up of a team of three lawyers and
two engineers from across NLS Bangalore,
Symbiosis Law, IIT Kharagpur and Mumbai.
E-Court Software
Date: 4 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: RTI
A new E-Court software will be developed
for speedy disposal of Appeals/Complaints.
It will enable speedy disposal of Appeals/
Complaints by using digital technology.
The system would allow online filing of
appeals/complaints and case transfer
using latest technology. It would generate
a unique number which can be used by the
applicant for tracking the status of a case
filed with the Commission. Alerts will also
be produced to inform the applicant at the
stage of Registration, issue of facilitation
memo, scheduling of the case hearing and
also at the stage of decision uploading. The
system will provide an online search facility
which allows a user to search for Dak, File,
IDEAS 2016
Hearing Notice and Decision, etc. Right to
Information (RTI) Act is a powerful medium
of two-way communication between the
citizens and the government.
Corporation Bank’s Free Service to
Indian Army
Date: 8 November, 2016
Place: Mangaluru
Field: Defence
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
is going to be signed between the Indian
Army and Corporation Bank on the Defence
Salary Package. The MoU is adapted to
suit the requirements of serving soldiers,
pensioners and families and includes free /
concessional services including free drafts,
free cheque books, free funds transfers to
any bank in India through RTGS / NEFT,
free ATM cards, Unlimited transactions
on all ATMs including that of other Banks.
Some important attributes of the MoU
include Personal Accident Insurance Cover
of ` 5 and 10 lacs, Air Insurance Cover of
` 5 to 50 lacs and Term Life Insurance Cover
of ` 5 & 10 lacs. All the facilities are also
provided to the pensioners except Term Life
Insurance Cover.
LNG Fuelled Bus
Date: 8 November, 2016
Place: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Field: Environment
India’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-
driven bus is going to be launched in
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The LNG bus
is a joint effort of Petronet LNG Limited
(PLL), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and Tata
Motors Ltd. LNG is an environmentally
friendly fuel with less number of Nitrogen
and Sulphur atoms and particulate matters,
as compared to petrol and diesel. Carbon
emission is also lesser than Diesel. Hence
LNG powered transportation system will
help India meet its COP21 commitment.
Petronet LNG Limited is a joint venture
company promoted by the Gas Authority
of India Limited (GAIL), Oil and Natural
Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), Indian
Oil Corporation Limited (IOC) and Bharat
Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL).
Petronet LNG Limited has set up the
country’s first LNG receiving and re-
gasification terminal at Dahej, Gujarat, and
another terminal at Kochi.
IDEAS 2016 CA-259

Pradhan Mantri Yuva Yojana

Date: 9 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Entrepreneurship
The Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) on 9
November 2016 launched the Pradhan Mantri YUVA Yojana to boost up an ecosystem
of entrepreneurship for young people. Under the scheme, the Central Government will
arrange entrepreneurship education and training programs for youngsters for next 5
years. The scheme will run for five years from 2016-17 to 2020-21 with a project cost
of about 499.94 crore. Under this Yojana, more than 7 Lakh youngsters will be provided
entrepreneurship education and training through 3,050 institutes across India. The
government is expecting to motivate first generation entrepreneurs to improve and
excel in their entrepreneurial pursuits and inspire those who are part of the country’s
entrepreneurship ecosystem to excel even further through the scheme.
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill
Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE). The objective of this Skill Certification Scheme
is to enable a large number of Indian youth to take up industry-relevant skill training that
will help them in securing a better livelihood. Individuals with prior learning experience or
skills will also be assessed and certified under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Under
this Scheme, Training and Assessment fees are completely paid by the Government. The
institutes under the PMYY include 2,200 institutes of higher learning (colleges, universities,
and premier institutes), 500 ITIs, 300 schools and 50 entrepreneurship development
centres through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

Kahin Bhi-Kabhi Bhi Medical Facilities
Date: 14 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Health
Employees State Insurance Corporation
(ESIC) is going to launch ‘Kahin Bhi-Kabhi
Bhi’ medical facilities for its beneficiaries
of Delhi. Kahin Bhi means any dispensary/
Hospital and Kabhi Bhi means anytime.
With this initiative, all the networks of
dispensaries of Delhi have been made
accessible to insured persons and their
family members all the time. The initiative
aims at saving time of the beneficiaries as
well as minimizing the effort that he/she
makes to avail the services.
Mobile App CHIRAG
Date: 9 November, 2016
Place: Mumbai
Field: Human Rights
The App “Child Helpline for Information on
Rights and Address Grievances” (CHIRAG)
will be available for download on Google
Playstore while an IOS version would be
launched shortly. The app will provide
information regarding functioning of the
Child Rights Protection Commission while
spreading awareness about children’s
rights. People can also lodge complaints
about violation of child rights through the
app. Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have
recorded cases of child abuse. This idea is
path-breaking because with registering a
complaint on the app will immediately send
an email to the Maharashtra State Child
Rights Protection, which will direct it to
police or a child right charity.
Navy to Select Candidates Through
JEE (Main) Ranks
Date: 12 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Defence
Indian Navy is considering to select
candidates into the 10+2 B Tech cadet
scheme through JEE (Main) ranks, instead
of class 12th. Earlier, the candidates were
selected on the basis of their PCM (Physics,
Chemistry, Maths) percentage, scored in
their class 12 board examination.
The move can result in more candidates
taking JEE (Mains) examination in 2017,
to become eligible for the January 2018
courses offered by Indian Naval Academy
(INA). All this has become necessary
because the Navy needs a strong cadre of
officers with advanced technical expertise
to handle the sophisticated “platforms”.
 CA-260
First Cherry Blossom Festival
Date: 14 November, 2016
Place: Meghalaya
Field: Culture
Meghalaya is going to be the first state to
start India’s first Cherry Blossom Festival,
which is widely celebrated in Japan. The four-
day festival will also provide opportunities
to showcase the unique beauty of pink and
white cherry blossoms as well as Meghalaya’s
traditional arts, culture and cuisine to the
naturalists and tourists. The aim of the festival
is to attract tourists to this hill state in autumn
to witness cherry blossoms blooming at every
corner of the Shillong. This tourism project
was implemented by Manipur-based Institute
of Bioresources, Sustainable Development
(IBSD) and National Institute of Department
of Biotechnology. United Nations declared
2017 as the International Year of Sustainable
Tourism for Development.
Facebook Wireless Data Transfer World
Record
Date: 13 November, 2016
Place: Menlo Park, California, United States
Field: IT
IDEAS 2016
Facebook’s Connectivity Lab set a world
record transmitting at nearly 20 Gbps for
13.2 kilometers with MMW (Milli Meter
Wave) technology. This will be used as a
terrestrial backhaul network to support
access solutions such as Terragraph and
Project ARIES. Millimeter wave is the band
of radio spectrum between 30 Ghz and 300
Ghz. Researchers are testing 5G wireless
broadband technology on millimetre wave
spectrum.
INSV MHADEI with all-women Crew
Date: 9 November, 2016
Place: Panaji
Field: Defence
An all-women crew of the Indian Navy is
about to set off in the Indian Navy Sailing
Vessel Mhadei for the ‘Cape 2 Rio Yacht Race
2017’. The vessel will start from Goa to Cape
Town, South Africa by Rear Admiral Monty
Khanna, Commandant Naval War College
in a ceremony held at the Boat Pool of INS
Mandovi, Goa. The “Cape to Rio Race” (Cape
Town to Rio de Janeiro) which will start
from Cape Town on 26 Dec 16.

Mahrashtra Fly Ash Utilisation Policy

Date: 15 November, 2016
Place: Mumbai
Field: Environment & Ecology
Maharashtra on 15th Nov 2016 became the first Indian state to adopt the Fly Ash
utilisation policy. This will pave the way for prosperity by creating wealth from waste
and foster environment protection. As per the policy, 100% of the fly ash generated
from thermal power plants and biogas plants will be used for construction activities.
The fly ash will be utilised for making cement, wall panels, blocks, tiles, bricks and other
construction materials. The policy allows usage of fly ash within 300 km of the power
plant. It was earlier to be used within 100 km radius. Policy will create employment
opportunities in power plant areas. It will be helpful for low cost construction to
Housing for All Projects. Fly ash is a byproduct of coal combustion; it is composed of fine
particles that are driven out of the boiler with the flue gases. In modern coal fired power
plants, fly ash is captured through electrostatic precipitators or other particle filtration
equipment before the flue gases reach the chimneys. Fly ash includes substantial
amounts of silicon dioxide, aluminium oxide and calcium oxide. Fly ash can be rescued
as a substitute material for Portland cement and sand used in concrete production. It
can also be used for road construction. The high concentration of elements (K, Na, Zn,
Ca, Mg, & Fe) in fly ash increases the yield of many agricultural crops. It can also be used
as a substitute material for clay for cement clinkers production. This project will reduce.
heavy metals leaching from stored fly ash into groundwater and making which can put
the health of the surrounding populations in danger. Apart from causing air pollution, fly
ash can also contaminate water and soil systems.
IDEAS 2016 CA-261

Jhelum-Tawi Flood Recovery Project Women Commando Team In CRPF

Date: November 14, 2016
Place: J&K
Field: Construction
The World Bank funded mega US $250
million Jhelum-Tawi Flood Recovery
project which would give a massive push
to the reconstruction and rehabilitation
of infrastructure post 2014 floods in the
State. The loan assistance from the World
Bank would be shared by Centre and the
State Government in the ratio 90:10 and
it would be operative for five years ending
June 2020. Apart from fund flow the loan
assistance will also comprise of expertise
to handle such projects and the necessary
technological advancements as well. The
works to be done under the project include
construction of roads, bridges, hospitals
and other infrastructure projects.
Date: 14 November, 2016
Place: Jharkhand
Field: Defence, Women Empowerment
A team of women commandos are to
be inducted for the first time in Central
Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to counter
Naxal insurgency in Jharkhand. The 135
women belonging to the 232 battalion’s
Delta Company, included in the operation,
are currently undertaking operations under
the close supervision of CRPF’s 133 battalion
in Naxal-infested forests on the outer area
of Ranchi near Khoonti area. They have
been provided extensive training in CRPF
academies specially for countering Naxals.
The need to induct the women commando was
felt to tackle women Naxals, which required
training the women group to become equally
capable of neutralising Naxals.

Interlinking of rivers in India

Interlinking of Rivers is linking the rivers of the country by networks of canals and
reservoirs. In India, Interlinking of rivers was proposed for the first time during British
Colonial rule. The objective of the proposal was to reduce the transportation cost of raw
materials and finished products.
To study the interlinking of rivers, Union Government has established National Water
Development Agency (NWDA) under the Ministry of Water Resources. Many states have
proposed for interlinking of rivers with regard to scarcity of water and hence the Central
Government is working on a few projects. Interlinking of rivers will reduce poverty,
floods and allocate water to states equally.
India receives most of its rain from June to September. Most of the rain falls in northern
and eastern part of India. Comparatively, the amount of rainfall in southern and western
part is low. These states have shortage of water. Interlinking of rivers will help these
areas to have water throughout the year. Interlinking of rivers will be a practical solution
to meet problems of agricultural area lacking water, because the water can be stored
or water can be transferred from water surplus area to deficit. In order to avoid floods
in Ganga and Brahmaputra basin, the water from these areas should be diverted to
areas facing scarcity of water. This can be achieved by linking the rivers. Interlinking of
rivers holds importance from commercial perspective also. .Interlinking can be used as
inland waterways which will help in faster movement of goods from one place to other.
Interlinking would generate employment opportunities for people living close to river.
Other factors related to interlinking of rivers are: in the process of creating canals and
reservoirs, there will be mass deforestation which can have impact on rains and in turn
affect the whole cycle of life. Decrease in the amount of fresh water entering seas is a
serious threat to the marine life system, which can be a major ecological disaster. On
the whole, it can be said that Interlinking of rivers strikes as a good solution for scarcity
of water, but interlinking has to take place after detailed study and research, keeping in
view the environment and aquatic life.
 CA-262
DRDO’s drone Rustom-2
Date: 15 November, 2016
Place: Karnataka
Field: Defence
A medium-altitude long-endurance
unmanned aerial vehicle, Rustom-2 is
comparable to the American made Predator
drone and can fly for 24 hours at stretch.
It can conduct sustained surveillance and
can carry weapons along with surveillance
equipment. The application of drones
is manifold - including reconnaissance,
surveillance, intelligence gathering and
aerial combat missions. What makes them
indispensable is that they can conduct
these tasks at a fraction of the cost of a
manned aircraft and in case of a crash or
malfunction, costs no lives. The most recent
instance of drone usage by India had been
during the army’s surgical strikes on terror
launchpads across the Line of Control in
Jammu and Kashmir, where the drones have
monitored and filmed the proceedings.
For that operation, the military had to
rely on imported drones, which had long
endurance and a capacity to fly in high
altitudes. Rustom-2 will be able to carry
out such missions. The Rustom-2 has been
renamed Tapas 201. The Rustom-1, which
flew for the first time in 2009, had been
named after the late Rustom Damania, who
helped develop the aircraft that had been
used as a prototype.
World’s Salt-tolerant Plant Garden
Date: 19 November, 2016
Place: Vedaranyam, Tamil Nadu
Field: Agriculture
The world’s first Genetic Garden of
Halophytes (naturally occurring salt-
tolerant plants) is going to be established
at the coastal town of Vedaranyam in Tamil
Nadu. The first of its kind garden in the world
was inaugurated by Mauritius President
Ameenah Gurib Fakim through video-
conferencing. The garden has been set up
by M S Swaminathan Research Foundation
(MSSRF) founded by eminent agriculture
scientist Prof M S Swaminathan, father of
Indian Green Revolution. It will have over
1,600 species belonging to 550 genera and
117 families of Halophytes plants. Initially
it will comprise halophytes occurring along
the coasts of India including the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands.
IDEAS 2016
Amazon Go
Amazon is testing a grocery store in
downtown Seattle that lets customers walk
in, grab food from the shelves and walk
out again, without ever having to stand in
a checkout line. Customers can tap their
cellphones on a turnstile as they walk into
the store, which logs them into the store’s
network and connects to their Amazon
account through an app. The service is
called Amazon Go. It uses machine learning,
sensors and artificial intelligence to track
items customers pick up. These are then
added to the virtual cart on their app. If they
have picked up an item they later decide
they don’t want, putting it back on the shelf
removes it from their cart. The company
has named it “Just walk out technology.”
When the customer leaves, the app adds
up everything the customer has taken and
charges their Amazon account.
IDEAS
ECONOMIC
Credit Guarantee Fund for MUDRA
Loans
Date: 6 January 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Creation of a Credit Guarantee Fund
for MUDRA loans
Problems: Weakness of Micro-units
Effects: To reduce the credit risk to Banks/
NBFCs/MFIs/other financial intermediaries
A Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units
Development Refinance Agency (MUDRA)
loans is to be created to fund more than
` 100,000 crore worth of loans to micro
and small units in the first instance.
Credit Guarantee Fund for MUDRA Units
(CGFMU) will guarantee loans sanctioned
under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana with
the objective to reduce the credit risk
to Banks/NBFCs/MFIs/other financial
intermediaries, who are Member Lending
Institutions (MLIs). The MUDRA (SIDBI)
Bank will undertake refinance operations
and provide support services with focus on
portal management; data analysis etc. apart
from any other activity entrusted/ advised
by government. The idea will definitely
serve as a support unit to small financial
institutions.
IDEAS 2016
Stand Up India Scheme for Women
and SC/ST
Date: January 7, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Economic Empowerment
Problems: SC/ST Economic Backwardness
Effects: To promote entrepreneurship
among SC/ST and Women
Stand Up India Scheme aims to promote
entrepreneurship among SC/ST and
Women entrepreneurs. In India SC/ST
women are mostly neglected without
having any financial support. This move will
definitely boost their confidence and will
help them to stand on their own feet. This
Scheme aims to facilitate at least two such
projects per bank branch, on an average
one for each category of entrepreneur. It is
likely to prove beneficiary for at least 2.5
lakh borrowers. The Stand Up India Scheme
provides for: Refinance window through
Small Industries Development Bank of India
(SIDBI) with an initial amount of Rs. 10,000
crore and creation of a credit guarantees
mechanism through the National Credit
Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC).
It will provide handholding support for
borrowers both at the pre loan stage and
during operations.
SBI In Cube
Date: January 14, 2016
Place: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Field: Start-ups
Problems: Start-ups lacking specific
financial needs
SBI InCube branch is a specialised branch
to understand and address our banking
needs for setting up a start-up. It will
provide the best suitable solutions in
banking transactions and investments on
a robust technology platform for business
model.InCube branches will be a one-stop
shop for the financial service requirements
of start-ups in the country. SBI has opened
its first InCube branch in Bengaluru
keeping in mind that the city is the hub for
start-ups in the country. Apart from serving
a start-up’s financial services requirements,
SBI will also provide mentorship through
technology experts. SBI also launched a new
wealth management service called Exclusif.
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Hydrocarbon Vision 2030
Date: February 9, 2016
Place: Guwahati
Field: Oil & Gas production
The quest for an improved quality of
life necessitates all aspects of energy
security: exploration of resources, effective
exploitation of available resources,
intelligent balancing of imports, and
ensuring a sustainable energy strategy. For
India to succeed in its unrelenting pursuit
towards steady, high growth as well as
a strong desire for poverty eradication,
proper exploitation and utilisation of
hydrocarbon sources remains a key area.
This warrants thinking towards better
planning not only for the highest possible
domestic production of oil and gas, but
also integrating India’s hydrocarbon sector
with the Asian and, to a large extent, the
global energy economy. The Hydrocarbon
Vision 2030 for North East India document
aspires to catalyse growth in the region
by developing its hydrocarbon potential.
Under the guidance for development set
forth in this document, the North East
Region would embark on a journey to
growth and prosperity. The Vision can be
realised only through the combined effort
of all stakeholders and people of the North
East. The Vision aims at doubling Oil &
Gas production by 2030, making clean
fuels accessible, fast tracking projects,
generating employment opportunities and
promoting cooperation with neighbouring
countries. The Vision rests on five pillars:
People, Policy, Partnership, Projects and
Production. The states covered under
the plan are Assam, Arunachal Pradesh,
Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim,
Mizoram and Tripura.
Mahila E-HAAT
Date: March 7, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Marketing
Effects: For enabling SHGs to sell products
online
The Mahila e-Haat portal, http://mahilaehaat-
rmk.gov.in, is an online marketing platform. It
will provide access to markets to thousands
of women who make products. The initiative
dedicated to women entrepreneurs will
 CA-264
leverage technology for showcasing
products made/manufactured/sold by
women entrepreneurs. They can even
showcase those services being provided by
them which reflect creative potential e.g.
tailoring. The e-Haat is expected to result in
paradigm shift enabling women to exercise
control over their finances. The entire
business of e-Haat can be handled through
mobile phone. The product, along with
photograph description, cost and mobile
number/address of the participants will
be displayed on the e-Haat enabling direct
contact between sellers/service providers
and buyers.
Locomotives to Myanmar
Date: March 4, 2016
Place: Naypyitaw, Myanmar
Field: Transport
India will supply 18 Meter Gauge 1350 HP
Diesel Electric Locomotives to Myanmar
to augment locomotive fleet of Myanmar
Railways to meet increasing demand in the
rail transportation system. The locomotives
will be manufactured by Diesel Locomotive
Works, Varanasi with several modern
IDEAS 2016
features like microprocessor controls, fuel-
efficient engine and ergonomic cab design
etc. funded under an existing line of credit
extended to Myanmar by Government of
India.
This initiative will boost foreign trade and
neighbourhood co-operation.
India Post Payments Bank
Date: 2 June, 2016
Place: Delhi
Field: Banking
In India 154,000 Post offices will carry on
banking activities. Union Government has
given its approval for setting up the India
Post Payments Bank (IPPB) which will
be formed as a Public Limited Company
under the Department of Posts with 100%
Government of India (GOI) equity share. All
Indian Citizens and 40% of the Country’s
People in outside the country will be
benefitted with this implementation.
Its services will be available across the
country through 650 payment bank branches,
linked post offices and alternative channels
equiped with modern technology including
mobiles, ATMs and digital payments.

Unified Payments Interface (UPI)

Date: 25 August, 2016
Place: Mumbai
Field: Banking
UPI payment system allows money transfer between any two bank accounts by using
a smartphone. It allows a customer to pay directly from a bank account to different
merchants, both online and offline, without the hassle of typing credit card details, IFSC
code, or net banking/wallet passwords. It is safe as the customers only share a virtual
address and provide no other sensitive information. The per transaction limit is `1 lakh.
Through UPI the customer can download any bank’s UPI app on his smartphone, just
add the amount to be transferred, provide the beneficiary’s UPI handle and click send.
Money will be transferred through the IMPS railroad in real time. Payments can be made
between friends, to merchants and even to delivery boys instead of doing cash on delivery.
The flagship product of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) it will help India
to move towards a cashless economy. It is a set of standard Application Programming
Interface (APIs). It will provide uniform mobile payment system by leveraging digital
trends such as increasing smart phone adoption and deeper penetration of mobile data.
It will allow customers to send and receive money from their smartphones using virtual
payments address without entering bank account details.

Skava Commerce modular e-commerce platform that delivers

Date: 28 September, 2016
Place: Bengaluru
Field: Commerce & Economy
Skava Commerce, a modern, mobile-first and
engaging omni-channel experiences. Skava,
is a Silicon Valley based e-commerce startup.
The platform could help brick-and-mortar
retailers to quickly launch new offerings,
improve conversion rates of traffic coming
IDEAS 2016
from digital channels, amongst other
things, without making large investments.
The platform could and easily integrate
into existing technologies, while also
providing a future ready architecture that
would enable next generation shopping
experiences leveraging artificial intelligence
(AI), machine learning, natural language
processing and virtual reality (VR).
Robotics for Business Processes
Date: 9 September, 2016
Place: Mumbai
Field: IT
The country’s largest private lender ICICI
Bank is going to deploy ‘Software
Robotics’ in over 200 business processes
across various functions of the bank. This
move will enable the banks employees to
focus more on value-added functions. The
software robots will reduce the response
time to customers by up to 60%. ICICI Bank
is an Indian multinational banking and
financial services company headquartered
in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, with its
registered office in Vadodara.  Chanda
Kochhar is the managing director (MD) and
chief executive officer (CEO) of ICICI Bank.
More Banks in the Unified Payments
Interface (UPI)
Date: 3 November, 2016
Place: Mumbai
Field: Banking
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is a
system that powers multiple bank accounts
of participating banks, several banking
services features like fund transfer (P2P),
and merchant payments in a single
mobile application. Five new banks have
joined the Unified Payments Interface
(UPI) bandwagon, thereby taking the
total number of banks using UPI to 26. It
includes public sector lenders, State Bank of
India, Allahabad Bank and Bank of Baroda
and two private banks HDFC Bank and IDFC
Bank. The applications are currently live
only for the banks’ own customers and after
being tested till they will be made available
to the public through the android play store.
UPI was launched by National Payments
Corporation of India with Reserve Bank
of India. It is an architecture and a set
of standard app APIs by RBI to facilitate
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the next generation online immediate
payments. Transactions are made through
a virtual address, the VPA (Virtual Payment
Address), which is in the format [name]@
[bankname]. The upper limit per UPI
transaction is ` 1 Lakh.
India’s Most Attractive Brands
Date: 3 November, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Business
The Tata conglomerate slipped in ranking
on India’s most attractive brands index,
which has been topped by South Korean
consumer electronics maker LG. Tata, which
was at number 4 in 2015 and number 5 in
2014, is ranked at number 7 in India’s Most
Attractive Brands 2016 study, carried out
by Trust Research Advisory (TRA) and
based on primary research conducted on
close to 3,000 consumers across 16 cities.
This year, top three ranks were occupied by
LG, followed by Sony and Samsung Mobiles.
India based firms Bajaj, Tata and Maruti
Suzuki were ranked sixth, seven and eight
respectively. Airtel and Nokia took the ninth
and tenth spot respectively in the TRA’s
most attractive brands list. In the sub-
category of FMCG diversified, as per TRA,
Patanjali cracked Hindustan Unilever (HUL)
to be the most the attractive brand.
First Titanium Production
Date: 4 November, 2016
Place: Ganjam, Odisha
Field: Mining
India is going to start its test production of
titanium at Ganjam district of Odisha. The
project was established by Saraf Group. This
is first of its kind titanium plant and the only
one in the country. During the test run, one
of its four furnaces became functional. This
plant is expected to produce 36,000 tons of
titanium slag and 20,000 tons of pig iron per
year. The raw material of the plant ilmenite
would be procured from Odisha Sands
Complex (OSCOM), a unit of Indian Rare
Earths Limited (IREL) in Ganjam district
of Odisha as well as a private company
which has its unit in Srikakulam in Andhra
Pradesh. Earlier in August 2015, Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had
fully commissioned and started commercial
production at the first indigenous Titanium
 CA-266
Sponge Plant at Chavara in Kerala. This
plant had commercially started producing
Titanium Sponge exclusively for the space
programme and strategic areas especially
in aerospace and defence areas. With this
commissioning India became the seventh
country in the world producing Titanium
sponge commercially.
Startup Mentorship Circle
Date: 5 Nov, 2016
Place:Mumbai
Field: Economy & Employment
Mentorship circle aims at providing a
platform to Indian starups to showcase
their capabilities and partner with industry.
‘Startup It will circle’ to help in connecting
IDEAS 2016
start-ups with the global marketplace. ‘Startup
Mentorship Circle’ is truly a strong eco-system
for nurturing innovation and startups to drive
sustainable economic growth and generate
large scale employment opportunities. The
‘Startup Mentorship Circle’ will provide a
common platform for captains of India Inc
and startup entrepreneurs to share their
experiences and resources. Confederation of
Indian Industry aims at connecting startups
to the global marketplace and their think-
tanks to enable firms to scale up and succeed
in an exponential way. The industry body
will focus on startups which are past the
idea stage and have been in operation for 2-5
years; those that need support for the next
stage in order to scale up.

Living in cashless society

The objective of Demonetization is to emerge in cashless society. Removal of cash will
have many beneficial consequences, the most obvious being reduction in crime. Cash
is the fuel that powers criminal machinery. It would be great if government is able to
track all payments. This would lead to drastic reduction of crime. All criminals, weapon
salesmen, gambling syndicates, drug dealers, etc. conduct their business because of
cash. In the absence of cash, operating these criminal activities would be impossible.
Financial innovation has caused a gradual reduction in the amount of cash in circulation.
Post demonetization, common man has started to opt for cashless transactions. People
are getting aware of using automated payment transactions using apps, e-wallets, net
banking, etc. Today, less than 10% of the money supply exists in the form of cash and
bills. Major section of the money supply is in the form of digital currency. The cash that
exists today is only to grease the wheels of commerce. Many believe that a demand to
eliminate this balance 10% is simply absurd and bordering on infringement of privacy.
The Government also believes that a lot of other benefits will emerge as a result of
implementation of this policy. Foremost feature of all is Taxation. The Government
would be able to collect tax revenues as and when they are due. Because of the massive
tax evasion by the others, tax burden is heavy on the middle class .If a cashless society
comes into being, tax evasion would become very difficult. Hence, the tax burden on
the common man will be reduced. Second feature would be Convenience. A cashless
society is utterly comfortable. Transferring money would be easy and hassle free. It
waives off chances of threat or theft of money. Third feature would be Track on each
transaction: Government will be able to track each and every transaction belonging to
every individual. Thus Government will have the resources to check purchase and travel
plans of a person. The citizens are devoid of privacy. This factor makes people skeptical.
They believe that a cashless society might be a huge invasion on their privacy. Another
factor is Deposit Insurance. Due to cashless societies people will be forced to deposit
their money in banks. Presently, bank deposits are insured up to $100,000 per account.
In case of a cashless society, this limit will have to be increased since keeping money in
the bank would no longer be a choice.

Artificial Laxmi India’s First Banking Laxmi, India’s first banking robot is
Robot ready to make its debut soon, it is based
on the platform of ‘Artificial Intelligence
Date: 10 November, 2016
Interactive Technology’ which is really
Place: Chennai super fast and crisp to interact. The Robot
Field: Banking will be introduced by Chennai’s ‘City
IDEAS 2016
Union Bank’ very soon. Laxmi would be
equipped with many unique features
that will let people know their account
balance, interest rates on different loans,
processing fee and service charge on loans,
possible charges to be incurred on fixed
deposit closures and other banking related
queries. Laxmi has been programmed
to deliver public information via speech,
and other confidential information such
as account details and balance inquiries
will be entertained through a display
screen attached to it. If Laxmi is unable to
answer any of the customer’s query then
it would ask the customer to get in touch
with the branch manager, as it is basically
based on Artificial Intelligence, it gets
better by interacting with customers in
due course of time. Currently Laxmi has
been programmed to interact in English,
but in near future, it will also be capable of
interacting in Tamil.
` 525-crore Tyre Plant in Andhra Pradesh
Date: 9 November, 2016
Place: Sri City, Andhra Pradesh
Field: Industry & Manufacturing
Apollo tyres will start a manufacturing
facility at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh with
an investment of ` 525 crore. The plant
will have a capacity to roll out 5 lakh tyres
per month which can be extended up to 30
lakh in future. This will be the company’s
5th manufacturing plant in India. Currently
Apollo Tyres has two plants in Kerala and
one plant each in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
Apollo Tyres also has an international
manufacturing presence with a plant in the
Netherlands and another Greenfield facility
currently being set up in Hungary.
This plant will provide employment and
empower the state’s industrial sector.
First Small Finance Bank
Date: 11 November, 2016
Place: Jalandhar, Punjab
Field: Banking
India’s first small finance bank Capital Small
Finance Bank Ltd, is going to commence
with 10 branches in Jalandhar, Punjab. The
bank ceases to exist with effect from April
24, 2016. In the current fiscal, the bank
would consolidate in Punjab by adding 29
branches. The bank’s business is projected
CA-267
to increase four-fold.
The RBI had granted approval to 11 entities
for launching payments banks in August
2015. It had given approval to IDFC and
Bandhan to start universal banks last
year ceases to exist with effect from April
24, 2016. In the current fiscal, the bank
would consolidate in Punjab by adding 29
branches.
Small finance banks  are a type
of niche banks in India. Banks with a
small finance bank license can provide
basic banking service of acceptance
of deposits and lending. The aim behind
these to provide  financial inclusion to
sections of the economy not being served
by other banks, such as small business
units, small and marginal farmers, micro
and small industries and unorganised
sector entities. Such banks will initially be
restricted to holding a maximum balance of
` 1 lakh per individual customer. They will
be allowed to issue ATM/debit cards as also
other prepaid payment instruments, but
not the credit cards.
Islamic Banking in India
Date: November 21, 2016
Place: Delhi
Field: Banking
Islamic Banks work on the principles of an
interest free banking. Riba or interest under
Islamic Law basically means anything in
“excess” – the investor should not make
an “undue” profit from the hard work of
the other. But it is permitted to follow a
system of reasonable profit and return
from investment where the investor takes
a risk that is well calculated. Thus, Islamic
banks make available accounts which
provide profit or loss instead of interest
rates. The banks use this money collected
by them and invest in something that
is shariat compliant, that is not haraam and
does not involve high risks. Thus, businesses
involving alcohol, drugs, war weapons etc.
as well as all other high risk and speculative
activities are prohibited. Islamic Banking,
therefore, acts as an agent by collecting the
money on behalf of its customers, investing
them in shariat compliant projects and
sharing the profits or losses with them.
In India Islamic Banking was mooted
by Raghuram Rajan in his report on the
 CA-268
Financial Sector in the year 2008 where he
recommended that interest-free banking
techniques should be operated on a larger
scale so as to give access to those who are
unable to access banking services, including
those belong to economically disadvantaged
section of the society.
There are many advantages in introducing
an Islamic window in the banks. For
instance, majority of companies in the
Stock Exchange are shariat compliant (this
number is more than the shariat compliant
companies on the Stock Exchange in
Malaysia), thus this would result in
attracting huge funds in the domestic
market alone.
An Islamic Banking window will encourage
many from the Muslim community to
come forward and invest in projects
thereby mobilising huge amount of capital
which they may not be willing to put in
the banks. This also means that India will
be able to attract huge investments from
West Asia and from those who invest only
in shariat compliant projects.
However, the Indian banking laws will
have to be amended so as to incorporate
the provisions relating to Islamic banking.
For example, the Banking Regulation Act
requires payment of interest which is
against the principles of Islamic Banking.
The Act also specifies “banking” to mean
accepting deposits of money from public
for lending or investment, thus excluding
within its ambit the instruments of Islamic
banking that promote profit and loss.
RBI’s decision for opening of an Islamic
Banking window has received mixed
reactions from many especially in the light
of the recent Uniform Civil Code debate and
is likely to take a political angle instead of a
financial one.
Incentives To Digital Payment
The Central Government has decided on
a package of incentives and measures for
promotion of digital and cashless economy
in the country on 8 December 2016.
The incentives are:
1) A 0.75% discount on the sale price of
petrol and diesel to customers.
2) Expand digital payment infrastructure in
rural areas
Centre through NABARD will extend
financial support to eligible banks for
IDEAS 2016
deployment of two POS devices each
in one Lakh villages with population of
less than 10,000.
3) Rupay Kisan Cards
The Central Government through NABARD
will also support Rural Regional Banks
and Cooperative Banks to issue “Rupay
Kisan Cards” to 4.32 crore Kisan Credit
Card holders to enable them to make
digital transactions at POS machines/
Micro ATMs/ATMs.
4) Railway sops
The Railways will offer up to 0.5% off
on monthly and seasonal tickets from
January 1, 2017, for paying through
digital methods.
5) Free railway accidental insurance
cover of upto `10 lakh for free if you
book your train tickets online.
6) A 5% discount on catering,
accommodation, retiring rooms, etc,
offered by railways.
7) Discount or credit of up to 10% on the
premium of general insurance policies
and 8% on new life policies of LIC if
payments are made through digital means.
8) Transaction fee/ MDR charges
associated wtih payment through
digital means will not be passed
on to the customers, and all such
expenses will be borne by the Central
government departments and central
public sector undertakings.
9) Monthly rental of PoS terminals/ micro
ATMs/ mobile PoS shouldn’t be more than
`100 to incentivise small merchants’ move
to digital modes of payments.
10) No service tax on digital transaction
charges/ merchant discount rate
(MDR) for transactions up to `2,000
per transaction.
11) 10% discount if you use Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) cards/ fast tags to
pay toll on National Highways in 2016-17.
IDEAS
POLITICAL
Metrino Pod Taxi Project
Date: 8 April, 2016
Place: Gurgaon
Field: Transport
Metrino is a public transport system
using revolutionary design. The con-
struction, operation and maintenance costs
are many times less than current systems.
IDEAS 2016
It is the  only  profitable mass transport
solution. Technically the most advanced,
Metrino-PRT has the least interference
to daily functioning of the city during
construction. It is a solution which reduces
traffic congestion and automotive pollution
while raising the quality of urban life.
This state-of-the-art public transport will save
authorities millions of dollars in development
costs and annual infrastructure.
Pod taxis, a result of a project called the
Metrino -- a PRT system in which pods are
suspended from an overhead rail -- has
been under consideration for a while and
will finally debut in Gurgaon.
Recently the city is facing water logged and
traffic congestion in a massive scale.
Doubling farmers’ Income
Date: 22 April, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Agriculture
The idea of Doubling Farmers’ Income, has
at first instance, to translate into multiplying
their sales volume. The target to double
farmers’ income, will be best served by
empowering access to more consumption
points, markets. Such access is currently
restrained mainly due to physical limitations
of the logistics system. Policy direction to
ramp up physical connectivity from farm
to consumers and easing certain regulatory
restrictions are required. Greater access
to more markets hedges against selling
risks, and adds opportunity to produce
more. Farm-gates need to be empowered to
reach out to more consumers so that they
can scale up their sales and capture more
revenue by delivering all production to
markets. Considering the unpredictability
in agriculture due to market fluctuations,
and due to weather government is setting
up an electronic National Agriculture
Market and implementing a new crop
insurance scheme.
Water Metro Rail
Date: 24 July, 2016
Place: Kochi
Field: Transportation
The Kochi Water Metro project, for the
first time in India is an out of box idea.
This project intends to connect the islands
between the Kochi agglomeration areas
CA-269
and the city so that it facilitates water
commuting. The Metro Rail will connect
the Kochi backwaters with the main city.
This integrated water – transport concept
will involve jetties, roads and boat services,
thereby providing an impetus to the safety
and availability of urban water transport
network.
The Solar Power Tree
Date: 22 July, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Power
The ‘Solar Power Tree’, a unique concept to
generate electricity by harnessing the solar
energy. Some of the important features
of this project include a special vertical
configuration of solar cells, feasibility
in urban and rural areas, and a minimal
investment land wise, i.e. 5KW. Solar Tree
can be installed in 4 sq.ft. of land. This
technique harnesses 10% - 15% more
power compared to the conventional
photovoltaic cell. With a battery back - up
of 2 hours and water sprinklers for self –
cleaning, the solar tree is a niche discovery.
Single Budgets
Date: 27 September, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Political
A new idea is round the corner to stop the
practice of presenting separate budget
for General budget and Railway Budget
from next financial year (2017-18). The
decision will end the 92 year old colonial
legacy of presenting it separately. It will
also pave the way for Union Government
to walk the talk by cutting short populist
subsidies and push the structural reform.
The Indian Railway system is world’s
fourth-biggest rail system, which employs
around 1.3 million individuals and pays
the exchequer a net profit of around
40 billion rupees ($596.81 million) yearly. 
The presentation of separate Railway budget
started in the year 1924, and has continued
after independence as a convention rather
than under Constitutional provisions.
The presentation of a unified budget will
bring the affairs of the Railways to centre
stage and present a holistic picture of
the financial position of the Government.
The merger is also expected to reduce
 CA-270
the procedural requirements and instead
bring into focus, the aspects of delivery
and good governance. This merger will
also merge the Plan and the Non-Plan
classification in the Budget and Accounts.
It is on the line of recommendation given
by Rangrajan committee way back. With
these changes, the budget in coming years
will become more transparent, predictable
and a greater emphasis on expenditure and
less on revenue. This merger will deepen
the Centre-State relationship. However,
the Railways will continue to maintain its
distinct entity as a departmentally run
commercial undertaking as at present.
With the merger of Union Budget and Rail
Budget, all the losses, loans or dues of
Railways will become the responsibility
of Union. The Railway minister will be
independent of all the political pressure
to manage, make railway sustainable and
paying dividends. In such scenario, it seems
that Indian Railway will become more or
less like a postal department, where the
profits, losses and expenditure belong to
Central budget. It is expected that with all
the dues, expenditure, salaries, if accounted
under Union budget may shoot up the fiscal
deficit further.
Election Commission Facebook to
Register Young Voters
Date: 8 October, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Adult Suffrage
For the first time the Election Commission of
India (ECI) has collaborated with Facebook
to register young voters in 5 states, which
are going to polls in 2017. The purpose of
INTERNATIONAL
ASTRO-H Satellite to Study Black Holes
Date: 17 February, 2016
Place: Kagoshima, Japan
Field: Space Research
Japan’s ASTRO-H satellite is capable of
observing X-ray sources, like galaxy clusters
and neutron stars, more than 10 times
fainter than its predecessor, Suzaku, which
operated from 2005 to 2015.
IDEAS 2016
a voter registration drive is to encourage
youth to participate in the democratic
exercise. From October 6 to 9, Facebook
users in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa,
Manipur and Uttarakhand who are 18 years
and above will receive a reminder in their
News Feed to register to vote. By clicking
on the ‘Register Now’ button, people will
be directed to the National Voters’ Services
Portal which will guide them through the
registration process.
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas
Date: 31 October, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Culture
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day)
is observed across India on 31 October
to commemorate birth anniversary of
Independent India’s first Deputy Prime
Minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel. The theme
of the day for 2016 is “Integration of India”.
The idea of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas was
mooted by PM Narendra Modi in October
2014 to mark the birth anniversary of
country’s first Home Minister Sardar
Vallabh bhai Patel. Sardar Vallabh bhai
Pate is known as the Iron Man of India or
Bismarck of India. In India’s independence
struggle, he played a major role in organizing
peasants’ movements on Gandhian
principles in Bardoli and Kheda in Gujarat
and during the Quit India movement. His
biggest contribution to India was his role
in the integration of the over 500 princely
states with India during 1947-49. He is also
remembered as the Patron Saint of India’s
civil servants for establishing modern All-
India services.
ASTRO-H is equipped with four state of
the art instruments providing the highest
energy resolution ever achieved in the
E = 3-10 keV band and covering a wide
energy range, spanning four decades
from soft X-rays to gamma-rays. The
simultaneous broad bandpass coverage
and high sensitivity, coupled with the high
spectral resolution, will open an enormous
new discovery space for a wide variety of
objects. ASTRO-H is expected to provide
breakthrough results in scientific areas
IDEAS 2016 CA-271

as diverse as the large-scale structure of the regime, the physical conditions in sites of
Universe and its evolution, the behaviour cosmic-ray acceleration, and the distribution
of matter in the gravitational strong field of dark matter in galaxy clusters.

LIGO India Project

Date: 17 February, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Science
Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO-India project) is intended
for research on gravitational waves. This project is important because recently for
the first time detection of gravitational waves had opened up of a new window on the
universe and some greatest mysteries. LIGO-India project will establish a state-of-the-
art Gravitational Wave Observatory in India in collaboration with the US based LIGO
Laboratory run by Caltech and MIT. The project will help Indian scientists and engineers
to take global leadership in this new astronomical frontier by doing research into the
realm of gravitational wave. It will also bring considerable opportunities in cutting
edge technology in India’s scientific industry as domestic players will engage in the
construction of 8 kilometre long beam tube at ultra-high vacuum of observatory on a
levelled terrain.
LIGO-India is a part of the IndIGO (Indian Initiative in Gravitational-wave Observations)
initiative and seeks to move one Advanced LIGO detector from Hanford to India. The
project will motivate Indian students and young scientists to explore newer frontiers
of knowledge, and will add further impetus to scientific research in the country. It is
envisaged as an international collaboration between the LIGO Laboratory and three lead
institutions in the IndIGO consortium. The three lead institutions are - Institute of Plasma
Research (IPR) Gandhinagar, Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
(IUCAA), Pune and Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore.

Solar Power Parliament in Pakistan Field: Science & Tech

Date: 22 February, 2016
Place: Islamabad
Field: Solar energy
Pakistan parliament has become the first in
the world to completely run on solar power.
The venture was supported by China with
US $ 55 million funding. Israel’s parliament,
the Knesset, generates 10% of its electricity
from solar power.
NASA want to Explore Mars with
Indian Astronauts
NASA eying for the next mission to Mars for
the next decade, which is 2020- 2030. US
delegations invited ISRO to take part in the
meeting to be held in Washington to plan
for 5-6 mission to Mars. ISRO’s capabilities
at undertaking low cost, high value inter
planetary mission has opened the eyes on
India’s stand in the sector.
World’s Smallest Light Powered Engine
Date: 30 April, 2016
Place: University of Cambridge
The world’s tiniest engine -just a few
billionths of a metre in size -which is
powered by light and may help develop
nano-machines that can navigate in water,
sense the environment around them, or
even enter living cells to fight diseases.
The prototype device is made of tiny
charged particles of gold, bound together
with temperature-responsive polymers in
the form of a gel.Jeremy Baumberg from
the University of Cambridge, who led the
research, named the devices ‘ANTs’, or
Actuating Nano-transducers.
First Graphene Electronic Paper
Date: April 28, 2016
Place: China
Field: Science & Tech
World’s first graphene electronic paper
will catapult the material to a new level.
The new material has been heralded as “the
world’s first graphene electronic paper,” by
Chen Yu, general manager of Guangzhou
OED Technologies, which developed it in
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partnership with a company in Chongqing
Province. Graphene is the world’s strongest
and lightest known material; a single layer
of graphene is only 0.335 nanometers thick,
and it can conduct heat and electricity.
Graphene-based e-papers can be easily
produced cost-effectively given that it is
derived from carbon. Traditional e-papers,
on the other hand, use indium metal for
their display, which is very expensive and
rare to source.
Holographic Flexible Phone
Date: 11 May, 2016
Place: Canada
Field: Science & Tech
The HoloFlex World’s first holographic
flexible smartphone lets users to interact
with 3D (Three dimensional) videos and
images without using any headgear or
glasses. Holography is a photographic
recording of a light field and not an image
formed by a lens. It is used to display a fully
3D image of the holographed subject, which
IDEAS 2016
is seen without the aid of intermediate
optics or special glasses. It should be noted
that the hologram itself is not an image and
usually is unintelligible when viewed under
diffuse ambient light.
First Robot Lawyer ‘ROSS’
Date: 15 May, 2016
Place: Washington DC
Field: Science & Tech
A  robot lawyer  is an  artificial
intelligence lawyer. It is a computer based
machine. A robot lawyer named ROSS has
been employed by a law firm in the US,
which will use the robot to assist its various
teams in legal research. ROSS is an A.I.
lawyer that helps human lawyers research
faster and focus on advising clients.
With the support of cognitive computing
and natural language processing capabilities,
lawyers can ask ROSS their research question
and the robot reads through the law, gathers
evidence, draws inferences and returns highly
relevant, evidence-based answers.

Bullet Train from Japan

Date: May 15, 2016
Place: Tokyo
Field: Railways
New Delhi’s first HSR (High Speed Rail) project of 505 km between Mumbai and
Ahmedabad would operate with a Japanese HSR system at a top speed of 320 km/h.
Such characteristics would likely be passenger-only services, because mixing freight
trains with passenger lines would lower the operating speed due to greater friction on
the tracks, potentially affecting the stability of the HSR train. The length of this line is
in the optimal range, between 200 to 1000 km, in terms of competition with aviation
and automobiles. About half of the expenditure will be met with the help of a Japanese
loan. Compared to Thailand’s two to four or perhaps more HSR lines in the following
decade, and China’s massive HSR projects, India’s modest plans likely reflect financial,
technological and political concerns. A major investment in several HSR projects carries
considerable financial risk. Although the Indian middle class is expanding, the price
of an HSR ticket may not be affordable or attractive for many passengers. Moreover,
airlines – particularly budget carriers – can still compete in the 200-1000 km range. A
HSR line between two commercial centers with strong business passenger volume is
a relatively safe choice to deliver the financial results that will encourage subsequent
projects. Japanese HSR system in India is a milestone for both sides. Compared to deals
in Taiwan, the U.K. and Thailand, this one in South Asia returns Japan’s railway industry
to a continental context for the first time since 1945. If Tokyo can continue to develop
its railway diplomacy in India or other continental states, more geopolitical significance
is likely to occur. Indian Railways has formed a new Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to
implement the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Bullet Train project. The entity has
been named the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC) Limited. The high speed
bullet Train project aims to introduce trains running at operating speeds over 320
kilometers per hour and maximum speed of 350kmph.
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Rare Einstein Ring
Date: 30 May, 2016
Place: London
Field: Science
One of the most symmetrical Einstein
rings—a rare astronomical phenomenon—
created by a galaxy located 10,000 million
light years away that is hidden behind a
more massive galaxy has been detected.
Einstein rings, predicted by Einstein’s
theory of General Relativity, are quite
rare but scientifically interesting. The one
discovered by Instituto de Astrofisica de
Canarias (IAC) and the University of La
Laguna (ULL) in Canary Islands is named
the “The Canarias Einstein ring”.
Bionic Leaf
Date: 5 June, 2016
Place: Harvard University
Field: Science
Bionic leaf is a newly developed artificial
leaf that creates oxygen and hydrogen in
converting solar energy into liquid fuel.
This new energy approach uses the bacteria
Ralstonia eutropha to convert sunlight into
fuel imitating the process of photosynthesis.
A unique “bionic leaf“ that uses solar energy
to split water molecules into oxygen and
hydrogen, and hydrogen-eating bacteria
to produce liquid fuels from CO2. Dubbed
“bionic leaf 2.0,” the new system can convert
solar energy to biomass with 10% efficiency
- a number far higher than the 1% seen in
the fastest growing plants. It will be useful to
provide power from Cars to Mobile Phones,
alternative to fossil, electric cars could use
these cells to power the engine.
CO2 can be turned into Stone
Date: 10 June, 2016
Place: Iceland
Field: Science
A technique has been developed to capture
and store the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide
(CO2) in deep underground by turning it
into rock. The technique will provide a
safer, faster way to sequester CO2 and limit
global warming. And it was identified as
a potentially significant way to combat
climate change. This method of the speedy
carbonation could be a viable way to store
CO2 underground permanently and without
risk of leakage. The unique project promises
a cheaper and more secure way of burying
CO2 from fossil fuel burning underground,
where it cannot warm the planet. Such
carbon capture and storage (CCS) is thought
to be essential to halting global warming, but
existing projects store the CO2 as a gas and
concerns about costs and potential leakage
have halted some plans.

Solar Impulse 2
Date: 26 July, 2016
Place: Abu Dhabi
Field: Aviation
Solar Impulse 2, the first airplane powered by renewable energy has completed the first
round world trip. The solar-powered airplane finally arrived at Al-Bateen Executive
Airport located in Abu Dhabi, where it had started its journey 505 days ago. This
airplane is extra sensitive to weather patterns and it depends on the sun for power
and also its tiny weight makes it difficult to fly through heavy cloud cover or rain. The
flight covered a remarkable 42,000-kilometre journey across four continents, two
oceans and three seas. Solar Impulse is a Swiss long-range experimental solar-powered
aircraft project, and also the name of the project’s two operational aircraft. The privately
financed project is led by Swiss engineer and businessman André Borschbergand Swiss
psychiatrist and aeronaut Bertrand Piccard, who co-piloted Breitling Orbiter 3, the first
balloon to circle the world non-stop. The Solar Impulse project’s goals were to make
the first circumnavigation of the Earth by a piloted fixed-wing aircraft using only solar
power and to bring attention to clean technologies.
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Longest Single Cave, Double Track
Tunnel
Date: 9 July, 2016
Place: Beijing
Field: Transport
Constructing Asia’s longest 16-km single
tunnel that has double tracks for high-
speed trains in northwest Shaanxi province
of China is a unique idea. The tunnel cuts
through the Qinling Mountains. It is part of
a high-speed rail line that links Xi’an, the
provincial capital and Chengdu in China’s
southwest Sichuan province. The 643-km
long line has a running speed of 250 km per
hour, will slash the travel time between the
two cities from 16 hours to just three hours.
BRICS Women Forum
Date: 20 August, 2016
Place: Jaipur
Field: International Affairs
BRICS is the grouping of Brazil, Russia,
India, China and South Africa. A total of
43 delegates from member countries are
participating in the meeting. The meeting
will see the participation of 5 women
parliamentarians from Brazil, 3 from Russia,
28 from India, 2 from China and 4 from South
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Africa. The first session of the meeting will
be on the theme of ‘Achieving SDGs- Role
of Women Parliamentarians in involving
Citizens’. The second session will be based
on theme “Containing Climate Change –
Imperatives of Global Cooperation’.
This idea will encourage sustainable
development goals. This will request the
international financial organisations to help
the least developed countries to help easier
access to new technologies and finance to
fight against climate change.
World Humanitarian Day
Date: 19 August, 2016
Place: Globally
Field: Human Rights
World Humanitarian Day is celebrated
worldwide on the 19th August. The UN and
its partners have called for global solidarity
with more than 130 million people
around the world who need humanitarian
assistance to survive. Under the theme of
‘One Humanity’, World Humanitarian Day
will highlight the world coming together
in Istanbul earlier this year, to support
people affected by crisis and ensure that
aid workers can safely and more effectively
deliver to those in need.

Pokémon Go
Date: 11 July, 2016
Place: San Francisco, California, U.S.
Field: Technology
The world of technology is in a desperate mood to make them real having a physical
existence with all similar features like the world around us. In this line researchers and
engineers are pulling graphics out of your television screen or computer display and
integrating them into real-world environments. This new technology, called augmented
reality, blurs the line between what’s real and what’s computer-generated by enhancing
what we see, hear, feel and smell.
Niantic Inc., the American software development company’s Pokémon Go, is an
augmented reality mobile game that has brought out a revolution. It has become a global
phenomenon since it launched in Australia. The game requires players to explore the
real world to find Pokémon, collect items at Pokéstops and conquer gyms, and a lot of
work has gone into the game’s mapping. Pokémon may be a game for teens but it has
changed societal expectations of what information is presented and how it is accessed.
Pokémon GO is an interactive, mobile game that uses your phone’s GPS data and clock to
show Pokémon hidden near your current, physical location. Pokémon GO has became a
global phenomenon and was one of the most used and profitable mobile apps in 2016,
having been downloaded more than 500 million times worldwide. It was credited with
popularizing location-based and augmented reality technology, promoting physical
activity, and helping local businesses grow via foot traffic.
IDEAS 2016
Launching of Multisatellites
Date: 26 September, 2016
Place:  Sriharikotta
Field: Space
Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO) plans to launch eight satellites in
two different orbits in a single mission.
These satellites will be launched with the
PSLV C35 from the first launch pad of the
Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikotta.
It will be PSLV’s longest and most complex
mission. It is also for the first time PSLV
will successfully placed satellites in two
different orbits in single mission. Among
the eight satellites three satellites are
from India, three from Algeria and one
each from Canada and United States.
It is the longest and most complex mission
because most countries launch satellites in
a single orbit and even if multiple satellites
are injected in a sequence in the same orbit.
This is going to be a challenging two-in-one
mission that puts India in a unique league
of nations having the capability to achieve
two different orbits in a single mission.
This successful mission will enhance
marketability and versatility of PSLV, ISRO’s
workhorse and also increase its unique
position global satellite launch services market.
World’s Largest Radio Telescope
Date: 26 September, 2016
Place: China
Field: Science & Tech
World’s largest radio telescope nicknamed
Tianyan (Heavenly Eye” or “The Eye of
Heaven) or the five-hundred-metre aperture
spherical radio telescope (FAST) is going to
be built in China. Radio telescopes are used
to study naturally occurring radio light
from stars, galaxies, black holes, and other
astronomical objects. These are also used to
send out radio signals and bounce them off
objects like asteroids and the other planets
in our Solar System. These signals are
detected by the telescope when they return
to Earth, and used to create images. These
specially-designed telescopes observe the
longest wavelengths of light, ranging from
1 millimeter to over 10 meters long.
Sanskrit in United Nation’s Charter
Date: 7 September, 2016
Place: San Francisco
Field: Art & Culture
United Nations, will include the most ancient
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and traditional language of India, Sanskrit
into its charter. A charter binds the assembly
of nations. The charter being translated into
the Sanskrit language is the first of its kind
attempt to make it to such an important
international document. National Mission
for Manuscripts in India promoted the
translation work.
The move will widen the scope of sanskrit
the vedic language in the world.
World’s Longest Bullet Train Network
Date: 11 September, 2016
Place: China
Field: Transport
World’s longest bullet train network length
of 2000 kms is going to be established in
China. The line has 9 stations and trains
run at a speed of up to 300 kph. China is
conducting feasibility study to build the
bullet train track between Chennai and New
Delhi.
UK Surgeons Use Robot to Operate
Inside Eye
Date: 11 September, 2016
Place: UK
Field: Health
The Surgeons at John Radcliffe Hospital
in the UK used Robot to remove a
membrane  and restore sight  for the first
time. The Preceyes surgical robot was
developed by a Dutch company, a spin-out
of Eindhoven University of Technology
in the Netherlands. The surgeon uses
a joystick and touch-screen to guide a thin
needle into the eye, while monitoring its
progress through a microscope.
In future the robotic surgeries will benefit
patients in a great way. In many cases
mannual or computerised operations prove
defective.
World’s Largest Shiplift
Date: September 18, 2016
Place: Beijing
Field: Transport
World’s largest permanent shiplift designed
by Chinese and German engineers on
China’s Three Gorges Dam is ready. It is the
largest and most sophisticated shiplift in
the world. The world’s biggest water project
is located in central China’s Hubei province.
The  maximum displacement of dam about
3,000 tonnes to traverse the dam and the
 CA-276
water-level behind the dam is up to 113
meters higher than the downstream river.
Construction of the shiplift began in 1994.
Due to technical difficulties, the project was
put on hold in 1995.
This move will help cargos with heavy load
in a very short time as shiplift is a long and
lengthy process.
Robot for Security
Date: 26 September, 2016
Place: Beijing
Field: Security
China for the first time is going to deploy
a robot to maintain security at one of its
busiest airports in Guangdong Province.
The Anbot, a security robot hired for its first
job at the Shenzhen airport where it was
making round-the-clock patrols through
the departure hall in Terminal 3, state-run.
The robot’s face has a digital display and
a  high-definition camera  to take pictures
of travellers at one of the country’s busiest
airports for analysis. The primary function
would be facial recognition. “AnBot”, or
“Shenzhen Xiaoan” in Chinese, can work
around-the-clock and react to emergencies
with an electric riot fork. The intelligent
guard is 1.5 meters tall and weighs about 75
kg. With four digital cameras; the security
robot is capable of autonomous patrols,
intelligent monitoring and auto recharging.
It could answer passenger’s questions
about flight information and communicate
with people in different contexts. The use
of intelligent security robots will ease
pressure on airport police in their daily
patrols and save human resources.
Youngest Commercial Airline Captain
Date: 27 September, 2016
Place: UK
Field: Aviation
A 26-year-old woman Kate McWilliams
from UK will be the world’s youngest ever
commercial airline captain of easyjet. She
first became interested in planes after
attending an air show at age four. She has
become the world’s youngest commercial
airline captain with 19-year-old co-pilot
Elsworth also one of the country’s youngest
co-pilots.
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2026 Asian Games
Date: 27 September, 2016
Place: Nagoya, Japan
Field: Sports
Japan’s Aichi prefecture and its capital city
Nagoya were confirmed as co-hosts of the
2026 Asian Games. The Olympic Council
of Asia (OCA) formally endorsed the bid.
Held every four years, the 2018 Asian
Games have already been awarded to the
Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang
while the 2022 edition will be held in the
Chinese city of Hangzhou. Tokyo is also
hosting the next Olympic games in 2020
while Japan will stage the Rugby World Cup
in 2019, the Asian Winter Games in 2017
and the world swimming championships in
2021.
World’s Robotic Surgeon with Sense
of Touch
Date: 3 October, 2016
Place: Australia
Field: Health
From the manufacturing industry to
medicine, robotics has today advanced
by leaps and bounds. While the sense
of touch might not be as significant in
other fields, it plays a key role when it
comes to the health sector. Giving a sense
of touch to a machine is what a team of
researchers hope will pave way for a major
breakthrough in the robotic surgery. In
this context The HeroSurg robot is a major
breakthrough. HeroSurg’s addition of the
sense of touch, provided through technology
known as haptic feedback, would lead to
better patient outcomes. HeroSurg would
assist surgeons to perform demanding
surgical procedures with comfort, accuracy
and safety by providing real-time collision
avoidance for medical instruments, and
stereo-endoscopic vision.
Longest-ever Manned Space Mission
Date: 20 October, 2016
Place: Beijing
Field: Space
China is launching its longest manned
space mission by sending two astronauts
into orbit to spend a month aboard a space
laboratory that is part of a broader plan to
have a permanent manned space station in
service around 2022. Shenzhou-11, China’s
sixth manned spacecraft, will dock with
IDEAS 2016
space lab Tiangong-2, marking a step closer
to its space station ambitions. This mission
is first of its kind in the world. It will explore
many mystries about the space.
Diwali in UN
Date: 30 Oct, 2016
Place: UN, New York
Field: Culture
It is for the first time that the Indian festival
of lights is celebrated at the world body
after the UN General Assembly adopted
a resolution in December, 2014 that
acknowledged the significance of Diwali.
Noting that the festival is observed in many
UN member states, the resolution had called
on UN bodies to avoid holding meetings
on Diwali, declaring it a no-meeting day.
From 2016 onwards, Diwali was made an
optional holiday for the UN. Earlier in June,
the UN building was lit up on the occasion
of the International Yoga Day.
It is clearly evident that India’s importance
is felt in the highest world-body.
Kochi FIFA U-17 World Cup
Date: 19 Oct, 2016
Place: Zürich, Switzerland
Field: Sports
Kochi is going to be the venue for hosting
the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. The
tournament will be hosted in the Jawaharlal
Nehru Stadium of the city. The event
also became the first FIFA event to be
held in the subcontinent. Till date, India
has successfully hosted a wide range of
sporting events like from the Asian Games
to the Commonwealth Games and world
championships in sports like cricket and
field hockey.
Russia Invites India on Fast-neutron
Reactor Project
Date: 2 Nov, 2016
Place: Mumbai
Field: Atomic Energy
Russia’s state atomic energy corporation
Rosatom has invited India to join in
developing next-generation nuclear reactors
and to participate in its fast-reactor
research project. A fast neutron reactor
is a type in which nuclear fission chain
reaction is sustained by fast neutrons.
The multipurpose fast research reactor
project, also known as MBIR, is coming
up at the International Research Center
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in Dimitrovgrad, located in the Ulyanovsk
region. The main purpose of this project is
to conduct a large number of reactor studies
of Generation 4 nuclear systems, including
the fast neutron reactor with closed
fuel cycle, as well as small and medium
power thermal neutron reactors. The new
technological platform is being created for
nuclear energy, which will be based on the
closed fuel cycle with fast neutron reactors.
This closed fuel cycle involves recycling
the nuclear waste as new fuel. This idea
establishes that, India is now recognised as
a nuclear super power.
Coradia iLint
Date: 3 Nov, 2016
Place: Germany
Field: Environment
World’s first hydrogen-powered and zero-
emission passenger train is Germany’s
Coradia iLint. It is powered by a hydrogen
fuel tank on its roof. The fuel cell is supplied
with hydrogen and oxygen from the air,
which it converts into electric power. The
system is backed up by lithium batteries.
These batteries store the excess power in
order to later supply the train when needed.
The train is totally carbon-free, making it a
much more sustainable alternative to the
4000 diesel trains currently in circulation in
Germany. It has enough onboard hydrogen
storage to power an 800 kilometre journey,
with speeds topping out at 87 miles per
hour.
World’s First Light-seeking Synthetic
Nanorobot
Date: 8 Nov, 2016
Place: The University of Hong Kong
Field: Health
World’s first light-seeking synthetic nanorobot
with size comparable to a blood cell, has
the potential to be injected into patients’
bodies, helping surgeons to remove tumors
and enabling more precise engineering
of targeted medications. Light is a more
effective option to communicate between
microscopic world and macroscopic world.
We can conceive that more complicated
instructions can be sent to nanorobots
which provide scientists with a new tool
to further develop more functions into
nanorobot and get us one step closer to
daily life applications.
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Kashmiri Girl Wins Under- eight World
Kick Boxing Championship
Date: 11 Nov, 2016
Place: Italy
Field: Sports
Eight-year-old Kashmiri girl, Tajamul
Islam, created history by winning a Gold
Medal for India in The World Kick Boxing
Championship of Under-Eight Players.
She defeated her rival from U.S. to win the
Championship. The five days Championship,
was held in Italy in which 90 countries
participited. She won six games in the
event. She is the first such player to win the
championship from the volatile Kashmir
valley. This will help other youths to come
to the Indian mainstream and develop
patriotism in the disturbed velley.
First Brain Implantation
Date: 14 Nov, 2016
Place: Netherlands
Field: Health
Doctors of Netherlands have performed
the first-ever brain implant on a 58-year-
old woman paralysed by disease named
Lou Gehrig’s. The implantation has enabled
her to communicate in day-to-day life with
the help of a speech computer. The disease
Lou Gehrig’s caused nerve degeneration
that had left her with control only over her
eyes. The implant enabled her to control the
computer using brain signals, and spell out
messages speaking two letters per minute.
With this innovative idea a remarkable
change will take place in medical science.
Now the people whose heart beats even if
the brain is dead can survive.
Best Airline in the World
Date: 15 Nov, 2016
Place: New Zealand
Field: Aviation
Air New Zealand has been awarded the
best airline in the world for the fourth
consecutive year in the global rankings
according to AirlineRatings.com’s Airline
Excellence Awards.
AirlineRatings.com rates airlines on a
variety of categories that include best class
cabins, catering and lounge options, and
crew quality. To determine the airline of
the year, AirlineRatings.com identified four
international industry and government
IDEAS 2016
audits and criteria, including the fleet age,
passenger review ratings, profitability,
investment rating, and key product
offerings. The Air New Zealand also won
the best premium economy category for
third time. Australian airline Qantas backed
the second prize.
Longest Secure Telecommunications
Network
Date: 20 Nov, 2016
Place: China
Field: IT
China to launch a 712-km quantum
communication line. This quantum
communication line is the world’s longest
secure telecommunications network,
with ultra-high security which makes it
impossible to tap, intercept or crack the
information transmitted through them.
The new quantum communication line will
connect Hefei, capital of Anhui province, to
Shanghai, the China’s financial hub. It is part
of a 2,000-km quantum communication line
connecting Beijing and Shanghai which is
expected to be completed at the end of this
year. The 712-km line has 11 stations and it
took three years of construction.
GOES-R
Date: 20 Nov, 2016
Place: Washington DC
Field: Science & Tech
GOES-R is the next generation of
geosynchronous environmental satellite.
It is expected to provide atmospheric
and surface measurements of the Earth’s
Western Hemisphere for weather
forecasting, severe storm tracking, space
weather monitoring and meteorological
research. It marks a technological advance
in geostationary observations. Compared
to the current GOES system, the advanced
instruments and data processing provides,
three times more spectral information, four
times greater spatial resolution, five times
faster coverage, real-time mapping of total
lightning activity, increased thunderstorm
and tornado warning lead time, improved
hurricane track and intensity forecasts,
improved monitoring of solar x-ray flux,
improved monitoring of solar flares and
coronal mass ejections and improved
geomagnetic storm forecasting.
IDEAS 2016 CA-279

October 2014, in Visakhapatnam. A huge

IDEAS

ECONOMIC amount of money was required for the

Reconstructing Visakhapatnam’s IGZP
Date: Jan 17, 2016
Field: Wild life Conservation
Place: Visakhapatnam
The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP),
was devastated during cyclone Hudhud in
reconstruction work. It is the very first
time in the history of the World Bank that
it is directly involved in helping a zoo. It
has sanctioned $ 20 million for IGZP. The
decision is a new addition in the portfolio of
the bank as part of its ever-expanding work
on urban regeneration.

Chabahar Port
The Chabahar port is located in south-eastern Iran in the Gulf of Oman. It is the only
Iranian port with direct access to the ocean. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to
Iran has led to the much-awaited signing of the pact for India to develop the strategic
Chabahar port.
The port was partially built by India in 1990s. The pact to build the Chabahar port was
first initiated during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government in 2003, but the deal couldn’t
get through the subsequent years.
After several rounds of negotiations between India’s consortium of JNPT, Kandla Port
Authority and Iranian authorities, the contract was finally deemed ready to be signed.
Developing the port is understood to be a major breakthrough for India’s trade with
West Asia. Following agreements have been established as per the pact:
a) India will develop and operate the Chabahar port. India Ports Global will invest $85
million in developing two container berths with a length of 640 metres and three
multi-cargo berths.
b) The signed contract will last for 10 years and is extendable. First two years of the
contract are to be observed as grace period. It means India doesn’t have to guarantee
any cargo for the port. Phase one of the port construction will take 18 months to
complete.
c) India will facilitate 30,000 TEUs (Twenty Foot Equivalent) of cargo at the port in
third year. By the tenth year, quantum will rise to 2,50,000 TEUs.
d) IRCON International will set up a railway line at Chabahar in order to move goods
right up to Afghanistan. The rail link of 500-km between Chabahar and Zahedan
will link Delhi to the rest of Iran’s railway network.
e) Free trade zone where a total investment of `1 lakh crore is envisaged is also a part
of the agreement.
f) India will also supply $400 million of steel rails to Tehran.
How India gains?
• Presently, Pakistan does not allow India to transport through its territory to
Afghanistan. The port will make way for India to bypass Pakistan and transport
goods to Afghanistan using a sea-land route.
• This will also give momentum to the International North-South Transport Corridor.
Iran is the key gateway in this project. The route primarily involves moving freight
from India, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia.
• The corridor would increase trade connectivity between major cities such as
Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, Baku etc.
• It would counter Chinese presence in the Arabian sea through the support of
Pakistan in developing Gwadar port.
• Port can also be used to station security vessels for merchant ships off the African
coast, apart from giving the country a foothold in the western Arabian Sea. It is
important as many of its energy imports pass through the route.
 CA-280
First e-commerce Satellite
Date: 23 Sept, 2016
Place: Beijing
Field: Commerce
China’s online marketing giant Alibaba
planned to launch the world’s first
e-commerce satellite next year to provide
people with the best vegetables after
analyzing agricultural cultivation and
harvesting data. The satellite was scheduled
to be launched in 2017. Juhuasuan.com
announced plans to launch the satellite in
cooperation with the China Academy of
Launch Vehicle Technology and the China
Space Museum. One example of benefit
to consumers would be that the best and
freshest vegetables would be available to
consumers after cultivation and harvesting
data was analyzed by the satellite.
SBI’s First Domestic Bank in Yangon
Date: 4 Oct, 2016
Place: Naypyidaw, Myanmar
Field: Banking
SBI is going to open its branch in
Myammar. The branch will be opened
in Yangon, the capital city of Myanmar.
The Yangon branch is the 54th foreign
branch of the SBI. This branch will extend
the global presence of SBI in 37 countries
through 198 offices.
This idea will improve economic co-operation
and foreign relations between the countries.
India in Top 3 country’s Start-ups
Date: 7 Nov, 2016
Place: Bengaluru
Field: Entrepreneurial Venture & Business
With the total venture investment in start-
ups in 10 years is estimated at `1,11,700
crore, India has emerged as one of the
top three global countries in terms of the
number of start-ups founded. According
to the NASCOM report, Indian technology
start-ups landscape has seen a tremendous
growth in the emergence of innovative start-
ups and creative entrepreneurs. In terms of
providing a conducive ecosystem for the
start-ups to thrive, India has moved up to
third position and has emerged the fastest
growing base of start-ups worldwide. A
IDEAS 2016
startup company is an entrepreneurial
venture which is typically a newly emerged,
fast-growing business that aims to meet a
marketplace need by developing or offering
an innovative product, process or service.
India in Global Business Optimism
Index
Date: 5 Nov, 2016
Place: London, United Kingdom
Field: Business
India improved its ranking by one spot in
a global index of business optimism, with
policy reforms and Goods and Services Tax
(GST) expected to become a reality soon.
According to the latest Grant Thornton
International Business Report, India was
ranked second on the optimism index
during the third quarter (July-September
2016). Indonesia took the top spot, with
the Philippines coming in third. India was
ranked third during the April-June period
after being on top for two consecutive
quarters. The improvement in the optimism
ranking in the recent past clearly reflects
that the reform agenda of the government
and its efforts on improving the climate
for doing business are having an impact.
Grant Thornton is a leading business
adviser that helps dynamic organisations
to unlock their potential for growth. Their
brand is respected globally, as one of the
major global accounting organisations
recognised by capital markets, regulators
and international standards setting bodies.
However, the recent demonitisation may
affect the entire business sector of India.
Molinari Rail Manufacturing Unit In
India
Date: 12 Nov, 2016
Place: New Delhi
Field: Transport
Molinari Rail AG has entered into a
strategic pact to design, manufacture and
deliver the auxiliary power units (APUs)
for 1,000 diesel locomotives to be built
in India for Indian Railways. According to
the agreement Swiss Major, Molinari Rail
will set up a manufacturing and assembly
centre for auxiliary power units for diesel
locomotives in India by 2017. The idea
will provide employment and skill to the
Indian Youths.
IDEAS 2016
First National Digital Currency
Date: 18 Nov, 2016
Place: Stockholm
Field: Monetary
World’s oldest central bank, Central Bank of
Sweden is taking step to launch a national
digital currency e-krona to solve the
problem of a dramatic drop in the domestic
use of cash. The digital currency may be
introduced within two years. Sweden
becomes the first major country to give
consumers direct access to virtual money
issued by a central bank.
However, the embrace of electronic payments
has alarmed consumer organizations and
critics who warn of a rising threat to privacy
and increased vulnerability to sophisticated
Internet crimes. Last year, the number of
electronic fraud cases surged to 140,000,
more than double the amount a decade ago,
according to Sweden’s Ministry of Justice.
Peru to Host 2016 APEC Summit
Date: 11 Nov, 2016
Place: Lima, Peru
Field: Economy
The 2016 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) Forum’s Leaders Summit will
be held in Lima, Peru. The theme of the
summit is “Quality Growth and Human
Development” and the official logo is the
architecture of the ancient city of Caral. It
will be the second time Peru hosting the
APEC Summit, previously it had hosted the
event in 2008. The 2016 summit will gather
leaders from the world’s 21 most important
member economies, as well as over 1,500
investors and entrepreneurs. Four priority
areas were laid out as topics to be discussed.
These are Human Capital Development,
Regional Food Market, Upgrading SMEs and
Regional Economic Integration Agenda.
IDEAS
POLITICAL
Indo – Bangladesh MoU for Petroleum
Goods
Date: 20th August, 2016
Place: Dhaka
Field: International Relations
There is only a narrow land corridor to
the northeastern region through Assam
CA-281
and West Bengal that passes through hilly
terrain with steep gradients and multiple
hairpin bends, making transportation,
especially of loaded trucks, very difficult.
This idea will facilitate India to carry
petroleum goods (Motor Spirit, High Speed
Diesel, Superior Kerosene Oil and LPG)
from Assam to Tripura through Bangladesh
to make a buffer stock in the northeastern
state.
This new route via Bangladesh would
save time and costs in carrying petroleum
products from Assam to Tripura as the
existing over 400 km of mountainous route
required more than 10 hours to carry these
essential items. Besides, the condition
of national highways in Meghalaya and
southern Assam is horrifying. This move
not only paves the way for future logistic
management but also exemplifies its
commitment to be the energy accessibility
of India in true sense.
India Pledgeds USD 10.95 mn to UN
for 2017
Date: Nov 11, 2016
Place: UN
Field: International Affairs
India has pledged to contribute about USD
10.95 million to the United Nation (UN)
for the year 2017 for the development
activities across several UN bodies. The
USD 10.95 million pledge contribution
by India included contribution of USD
4.5 million for the UN Development
Programme (UNDP), USD 1.92 million
for the World Food Programme, USD
1.25 million for the UN Relief and Works
Agency for Near East (UNRWA) and a
million dollars towards UN Women. India
also pledged to contribute resources to UN
Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Population
Fund (UNFPA), the world body’s Central
Emergency Response Fund (CERF),
Commission on Human Settlements
Programme (HABITAT), Environment
Programme (UNEP), Office on Drugs and
Crime (UNODC) and towards the Voluntary
Fund for Technical Co-operation.
 CA-282 IDEAS 2016

Tackling illegal immigration led Trump’s victory

The promise of tackling with the issue of illegal immigration in US worked as the major
ground for trump to win the presidential elections. Having won, Donald Trump has
released an informal plan outlining his ideas to tackle the issue. Trump has declared US
would deport all 11 million unauthorized immigrants.
He has been candid about building a border wall with Mexico, as he has repeatedly
promised. He is likely to increase spending on immigration law enforcement. There is a
possibility for him to make it harder for unauthorized immigrants to get jobs and send
money back home, and end birthright citizenship.
He is likely to increase the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in
the interior of the US, and provide them with immense powers to track down and deport
unauthorized immigrants.
His plan is closer to the strategy of self-deportation. It means erecting enough obstacles to living
and working in the US for illegal residents that unauthorized immigrants will themselves leave.
He also plans to ban birthright citizenship. This can be done presumably by altering the 14th
Amendment or getting the Supreme Court to overturn its 1898 decision. If Trump succeeds to
do so, then the US-born children of unauthorized immigrants wouldn’t be considered citizens.
Trump lays out several means through which he will build the wall. He would make
Mexican people rather than the Mexican government pay for the wall . He would do so
by increasing fees on a visa created by NAFTA for Mexican workers, increase fees for
“border crossing cards” for Mexicans who cross into the US on a regular basis for work
and increase fees to cross the border legally at ports of entry.

Alienated Pakistan
Today Pakistan is seen alienated owing to terrorist training camps and habilitating wanted
terrorists in its territory. Pakistan failed to obtain membership of UN Human Rights Council.
Recently Pakistan tried to tarnish the image of India misusing the platform of UN. As a
result of that India hit out at Pakistan. Notwithstanding, India’s rebuke, Pakistan urged UN
to investigate is extra-judicial killing of Burhan Wani. While India slammed Pakistan for
interfering in its internal affairs, Islamabad faced similar criticism from the US.
Pakistan’s relations with Kabul too have touched a new low. Recently, Afghanistan’s National
Directorate of Security (NDS) ex-chief, released documents that explicitly exposed Pakistan’s
ISI’s (Inter State Intelligence) collusion with Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network.
Pakistan’s role as state sponsor of terrorism is under scanner with Bangladesh
government alleging ISI’s role in Dhaka attacks. Affirming straight allegation at Pakistan
and ruling out the involvement of ISIS, political advisor to Sheikh Hasina said that ISI’s
connection with Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen is clear and well known.
For past five decades, Pakistan, with its whole vigour, has been posing a severe challenge
to India using its doctrine of bleeding India with thousand cuts. India has been victim
of Pakistan’s terrorist training program. Despite evidences, India so far failed to muster
enough support to alienate and suffocate Pakistan. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran
visibly distraught with Pakistan, India has now been able to leverage enough support to
challenge the terror training patronized by Pakistan.
Pakistan’s recent alienation has come out clear on the global platform with the 19th
SAARC summit. It is a diplomatic conference originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan
on 15 & 16 November 2016.
After the Uri terrorist attack, India’s diplomatic tensions with Pakistan rose to significant
level. India announced boycott of the 19th SAARC summit, alleging Pakistan’s involvement
in the Uri attacks. Following that Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka also opted
out of the summit, resulting in an indefinite postponement of the summit. Today, Pakistan is
an alienated country.
IDEAS 2016 CA-283

India’s Strong Neighbourhood Policy

When Modi govt came to power, India caught the attention of countries around the
world. Under unparalleled support of Indian public, Prime Mininster Narendra Modi
took oath in the swearing-in-ceremony. On this occasion all the heads of SAARC nations
attended the event.
This first big move by the Modi Government was hailed by diplomats, establishments,
academia and media as an impactful effort to improve ties with India’s immediate
neighbours.
Current relations with the neighbouring countries:
Nepal:
Recently, the Government of Nepal took stark steps of cancelling the visit of the country’s
President Bidhya Devi Bhandari to India and recalling its ambassador in New Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also cancelled his visit to Lumbini around the same time.
These political developments reflect tensed relationship currently shared between India
and Nepal.
One of the major reasons that are being stated for India’s growing unpopularity in
Nepal is its increased interference in the domestic affairs of Nepal. The interference
is either citing security implications or country’s unfriendly strategic choices. India
was unwelcoming regarding the Constitution passed by the Nepalese Constituent
Assembly in September 2015. A substantive political argument was thwarted by its poor
diplomatic style.
The problematic part was twofold: the manner in which New Delhi publicly expressed
its displeasure with Nepal’s sovereign act of Constitution-drafting; and the manner in
which India allegedly abetted the Madhesi blockade of essential supplies to Nepal. In
response to the blockade, Kathmandu complained to the United Nations highlighting
humanitarian reasons. Another reason affecting the relations between two countries is
that New Delhi is widely reported to have played a role in attempting to topple the K.P.
Oli regime in Kathmandu.
Sri Lanka
Relations between the two countries have also matured and diversified with the passage
of time, encompassing all areas of contemporary relevance. The shared cultural and
civilization heritage of the two countries provide the base to build a multi-faceted
partnership. In recent years, the relationship is embarked upon growing trade and
investment, cooperation in the fields of development, defence, education, culture and
issues of international interest. New Delhi had proactively promoted the affiltiation led
by Maithripala Sirisena. Second issue is Arrest of Indian fishermen on the Sri Lankan
side of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in the Palk Straits and the Gulf
of Mannar by Sri Lankan authorities has also been a long-standing problem. The nearly
30years long armed conflict between Sri Lankan forces and the LTTE came to an end in
May 2009. During the course of the conflict, India supported the right of the Government
of Sri Lanka to act against terrorist forces. Today, the India-Sri Lanka relationship is
strong based on rich legacy of strong economic and development partnerships.
Maldives
Maldives is a traditional ally of India. It has also been resenting the Indian reactions
to its domestic political developments. Being highly critical of how the pro-India
former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed was jailed by the current regime under
terrorism charges, India stated concern at recent developments in the Maldives,
 CA-284 IDEAS 2016
including the arrest and manhandling of former President. The Maldivian government
responded that it will not appreciate if India intervenes in domestic politics of Maldives.
Maldives has recently strengthened its engagement with China. China has gladly been
offering economic and infrastructural assistance to Maldives. New Delhi has since then
been silent about Maldives’s domestic affairs, and countries signed a number of bilateral
agreements during Mr. Yameen’s visit to New Delhi lately.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh has been a key ally for India from long time. Along with being members of
SAARC, the Commonwealth, , BIMSTEC, IORARC and established diplomatic relations,
there are a lot more commons between the countries like shared history, culture and
language.
Ministry of External Affairs claims that Bangladesh is an important trading partner for
India. Two-way trade in the financial year 2012-13 was $5.34 billion. Out of this worth,
India’s exports to Bangladesh accounted for $4.776 billion and imports were $0.564
million with duty free access from India to Bangladesh. Indian companies such as Airtel
and Marico have invested in Bangladesh and Bangladesh has started importing 500 MW
of power from India since 2013.
Afghanistan
It is not deniable that India is interested in seeing see Afghanistan move towards greater
peace and prosperity. India has invested in institution and infrastructure building in
Afghanistan to a great extent . For India, Afghanistan has immense strategic potential.
India’s engagement has remained limited to infrastructural development. Lately, India
has signalled a small shift in its policy by delivering M-25 attack helicopters to Kabul. But
it remains cautious about making bolder propositions on security and is wary of being
stuck into a never-ending war. But it does not deter India from playing a bigger role in
a country whose stability is vital for its regional goals and whose people traditionally
count India as a well-meaning friend. The Chabahar agreement has brought together
India, Afghanistan and Iran.
Afghanistan, mounting an offensive on Pakistan, has been offering India, options
to the Indus Waters Treaty. India has also announced a billion dollar-aid for future
development assistance, which brings the total up to over $2 billion. It has been warmly
appreciated by the people of Afghanistan. Overall, India is reportedly Afghanistan’s
fifth largest donor making it largest donor in the region. Afghanistan has backed India’s
cross-border surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistani territory by saying “it is
time to take bold action”.
Pakistan
Relations between India and Pakistan, since partition, have been fragile and gone
through a lot of hatred due to their unsettled differences. Among all the reasons of
differences, major one has always been Kashmir issue. Recent announcement of surgical
strikes by the Indian government has assuaged domestic Indian anger at Pakistan-
based terrorism and send a clear signal to Pakistan. India’s surgical strikes represent a
turnaround in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Pakistan policy. Contrary to his
initial policy of making peace with the country, Modi also raised Pakistani human rights
abuses in Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in his annual Independence Day
speech on Aug. 15. India’s diplomatic efforts, over the years seem to have helped put
pressure on Pakistan. U.S. response to the latest conflict has also been supportive of
India. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab states broke from past stance and condemned
the Uri attacks. Countries like Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh joined India in
boycotting the summit of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC),
in Pakistan.

COMING UP 2017
International Year of Sustainable
Tourism for Development 2017: The
United Nations General Assembly approved
2017 to be the International Year of
Sustainable Tourism for Development.
INS Viraat to be decommissioned: INS
Viraat, world’s oldest aircraft carrier, formal
decommissioning is scheduled for January
2017.
Portugal PM Antonio Costa to be the
chief guest: The Indian-origin Portugal
Prime Minister, Antonio Costa will be the
chief guest at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas (PBD) Convention to be held from
January 7 to 9, 2017 in Bengaluru.
2017 Australian Open Grand Slam: The
2017 Australian Open, the 105th edition
of the Australian Open, is to take place at
Melbourne Park on 16-29 January 2017.
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to be
the chief guest: Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be
the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade
on 26 January 2017.
IPL 2017: The 2017 edition of IPL will take
place from 5 April to 21 May 2017 in India.
World Team Chess Championship 2017:
World Team Chess Championship 2017 to
take place in Russia from May 15–May 27.
ICC Champions Trophy 2017: ICC
Champions Trophy 2017 to be held across
three venues: The Oval, Edgbaston and Sophia
Gardens in England from June 1 to June 18.
PM Narendra Modi to attend the SCO
SUMMIT: PM Narendra Modi to attend
the SCO SUMMIT to be held in Astana,
Kazakhstan between June 7–8 2017.
The 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup:
The 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup is to be
played in England from 26 June to 23 July 2017.
French Open Grand Slam 2017: French
Open Grand Slam to be held in France from
June 28–11 June.
2017 Wimbledon Championships Grand
Slam: 2017 Wimbledon Championships
Grand Slam is scheduled to be held in July in
United Kingdom July 3–July 16.
PM Modi to visit G20 SUMMIT: PM
Modi scheduled to attend the 12th G20
CA-285
SUMMIT to be held in Hamburg, Germany
from July 7-July 8.
Presidential election 2017 India: A
Presidential election will be held before
25 July 2017, the day when incumbent
President Pranab Mukherjee’s term ends.
The total solar eclipse: This eclipse will
be the first total solar eclipse visible from the
United States on August 21 since the solar
eclipse of July 11, 1991 and the first visible
from the contiguous United States since 1979.
The Chess World Cup 2017: The Chess
World Cup 2017 is scheduled to be held in
Georgia from September 1 to September 25.
Spacecraft to the moon: TeamIndus, a
private aerospace starup company is planning
to send a spacecraft to the moon aboard an
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
rocket on December 28, 2017.
Goa Legislative Assembly election,
2017: The Goa Legislative Assembly
election, 2017 will be held in early 2017, to
elect the 40 members of the Goa Legislative
Assembly, as the term of current Legislative
Assembly ends on March 18, 2017.
Manipur Legislative Assembly election,
2017: The Manipur Legislative Assembly
election, 2017 will be held in early 2017 to
elect the 60 members as the term of current
Legislative Assembly ends on 18 March 2017.
Punjab Legislative Assembly elections
2017: The Punjab Legislative Assembly
elections are expected to be held in Punjab
in 2017, before the end of the current
tenure of the Punjab Legislative Assembly.
Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly
election: Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly
election will be held in 2017 for the 70 seats of
the Vidhan Sabha in the state.
UP Legislative Assembly Elections 2017:
The legislative assembly election will be held in
2017 for the 403 seats of the Vidhan Sabha in
Uttar Pradesh.
The Himachal Pradesh Legislative
Assembly election, 2017: The Himachal
Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, 2017
will be held in late 2017, to elect the 68
members of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative
Assembly, as the term of current Legislative
Assembly ends on 7 January 2018.
 CA-286
9th BRICS SUMMIT: PM Narendra Modi
schedule to attend the 9th BRICS SUMMIT
in 2017 to be held in China.
IBSA Summit: PM Narendra Modi
scheduled to attend the next IBSA Summit
to be held in 2017 in India.
Exoplanet to be launched: NASA plans to
launch the exoplanet-seeking TESS (Transiting
Exoplanet Survey Satellite) mission to survey
the brightest stars near the Earth.
‘Artificial’ chromosome: A UK team
of scientists is building an “artificial”
chromosome to be inserted into the world’s
first synthetic yeast scheduled to be
completed by the year 2017.
Cassini–Huygens to be destroyed: The
unmanned spacecraft sent to the planet
Saturn will be destroyed in 2017 by flying
into Saturn, since it is running out of fuel for
orbital corrections.
Chandrayaan-2: Chandrayaan-2 is India’s
second lunar exploration mission after
Chandrayaan-1 developed by the ISRO,
the mission is planned to be launched to
the Moon by a Geosynchronous Satellite
Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mk II) in 2017.
The first human head transplant:
In 2017, Italian neurosurgeon Sergio
Canavero will attempt to perform the first
human head transplant. Canavero’s patient
is Valery Spiridonov, a 30-year-old Russian
with Werdnig–Hoffmann disease (the most
severe type of spinal muscular atrophy).
COMING UP 2017
China establishes the largest
megacity in the world: China is going to
merge nine of its cities into one, creating
the largest metropolitan area on the planet.
This new megacity has a population of
42 million – over 7 million greater than
Tokyo, the previous record holder.
Merger of Railway Budget into the
General Budget 2017-18: The almost
century old practice of presenting a
separate Railway Budget ahead of the
General Budget is to be dispensed with
from the next financial year (2017-18) with
merging of the Railway Budget with the
General Budget.
India’s first private moon mission 2017:
TeamIndus, a Bengaluru-based private aerospace
company, will send a spacecraft to the moon
on December 28, 2017, aboard an Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) rocket.
The mission’s aim is to land this spacecraft on
the moon, have it travel at least 500 metres
and beam high- definition video, images and
data back to the earth.
The National Defence Authorisation Act
2017 proposed to be passed by the U.S
Congress: The House of Representatives
draft of the $602 billion National Defence
Authorization Act (NDAA) which sets
spending policy for the Department of
Defence, would shift $18 billion of wartime
Overseas Contingency Operations, or OCO,
funds to avoid automatic budget cuts to
military programs.

THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN 2017

1. After the notified 50 days period of demonetization, will the things get normal?
2. How would the world respond to Trump’s presidency? What does Trump’s
presidency mean for India?
3. Post-Brexit, in order to stabilise the economy, how does Theresa government set out
a blue print for UK?
4. UP Assembly Election – will it be fought on development or caste and religion?
5. After Jaylalithaa’s death, what could be the political equation in Tamil Nadu’s politics?
6. Which way the oil prices move with OPEC strategizing to cut oil production? Will
Trump come around to the idea?
7. With centre and states having deteriorating relations over demonetization, will the
GST find smooth passage?
8. With Jaylalithaa’s demise bringing the curtain down on an entire political era in Tamil
Nadu, will her death place a big question mark over the long-term survival of her party?
9. How far the Syria’s civil war crisis will go with more than 11 million people being
killed or forced to flee their homes as yet?
10. Against the backdrop of North Korea’s continuous nuclear tests, will the new
establishment in US make North Korea behave?
PANORAMA GK-1

POLITY
PANORAMA
Indian  u World
u 

Indian Panorama
NATIONAL SYMBOLS OF INDIA
National The national flag consists of a horizontal rectangular tricolour with
Flag saffron at the top, white in the middle and India green at the bottom.
The centre has a navy blue wheel with twenty-four spokes, known as
the Ashoka Chakra. The flag was designed by Pingali Venkayya.
National The national emblem is the Lion Capital of Asoka at Sarnath which
Emblem was adopted on 26th January 1950. The motto inscribed on the
emblem is in Devanagari script: “Satyameva jayate” which means
Truth Alone Triumphs.
National Jana Gana The anthem was composed by Rabindranath Tagore; adopted by the
Anthem Mana Constituent Assembly on 24th January 1950.
National Vande Vande Mataram was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. It was
Song Mataram adopted as the National song of India in 1950.
National Indian lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is the national flower. It is the
Flower representation of purity as it remains flawless despite growing in
mud and water.

National Mango (Mangifera indica) also known as the ‘King of Fruits’, is the
Fruit National Fruit of India.

National Ganga is the national river of India. It is also the longest river of the
River country.

National The Indian Banyan (Ficus bengalensis) is the national tree.

Tree

National Indian Peacock (Pavo cristatus) is the national bird of India.

Bird

National The Tiger (Panthera tigris) known as the Lord of the Jungle is the
Animal national animal of India.

National Saka calendar was introduced as the National calendar by the

Saka calendar
Calendar Calendar Committee in 1957.
 INDIAN STATES AND UNION TERRITORIES

INDIAN STATES & UNION TERRITORIES

India/State Capital Area Language Establish- Sex Literacy Pop. Festivals Dance Tribes
(Sq.Km) ment Year Ratio Average Density
/1000 % (Sq. Km)
INDIA New Delhi 3.3 No National 15-08-1947 940 73% 382 G.Jayanti, I.Day. & – –
Million Language R. Day
1. Andhra Hyderabad 160205 Telugu, 01-10-1953 992 67.7% 308 Sankranti, Ugadi Kuchipudi Andh, Bagata,
Pradesh Urdu Bhil, Konda
2. Arunachal Itanagar 83,743 English 20-02-1987 920/ 66.95% 17 Losar” or The Bardo Chham Abor, Aka,
Pradesh 1000 New Year Apatani
3. Assam Dispur 78,550 Assamese, 1st April – – 397 Bihu Ankia Naat Mikirs, Khasis,
(Assom) Bengali, 1912 (Onkeeya) Nagas, Boro
4. Bihar Patna 99,200 Bhojpuri, 1st April 916 63.4% 1,102 Chhath Bidesia Kajari Gonda, Mundas,
Maithili 1936 Gaur
5. Chhattisgarh Raipur 135,194 Chattisgarhi, 1-11-2000 991 71.04% 189 Bastar Dussere, Panthi, Rawat Agariya, Andh,
Hindi Bhoramdeo Nacha Baiga, Bhaina,
6. Goa Panaji 3,702 Konkani 30-05- 1987 968 88.70% 394 per Ganesh Chaturthi Dekhnni, Dhodia, Dubla
sq km. Fugdi (Halpati),
7. Gujarat Gandhinagar 196,204 Gujarati 01-05-1960 918 79.31% 310 Makar Sankranti Rass-garba Bhils, Barda,
Bavacha
8. Haryana Chandigarh 44,212 Punjabi, 01-11-1966 877 76.64% 573 Haryali Teej, Lohri, Saang, Dhamal Meo, Ror
Haryanvi
9. Himachal Shimla 55,673 Pahari, 25-01-1971 974 83.78% 123 Kullu, Shoolini Losar Shona Bhot, Bodh,
Pradesh Kangri Chuksam Gaddi, Gujjar
10. J & K Srinagar 222,236 Kashmiri, 26-10-1947 883 66.7% 56 Hemis, Urs Dumhal, Rouff Balti, Beda, Bot,
Urdu Boto
11. Jharkhand Ranchi 79,714 Santhali, 15-11-2000 947 67.6% 414 Jhumar, Paika, Karam, Vat Asur, Agaria,
Mundari, Ho Chau, Agni savitri Baiga, Banjara
12. Karnataka Bengaluru 191,791 Kannada 01-11-1956 968 75.60% 320 Mysore Dasara, Bharatanatyam, Adiyan, Barda,
Ugadi Bolak-aat Bavacha, Bhil
13. Kerala Thiruvanantha- 38,863 Malayalam, 01-07-1949 1,084 93.91% 860 Onam Kathakali Adiyan, Arandan
puram English
14. Madhya Bhopal 308,245 Hindi 01-11-1956 930 70.60% 236 Shivratri, Badhai, Rai, Bhil, Bhunjia,
Pradesh Bahgoriya Saira Biar, Binjhwar
15. Maharashtra Mumbai 307,713 Marathi 01-05-1960 929 82.9% 370 Vijayadashami or Lavani, Koli Andh, Baiga,
Dasara Barda
16. Manipur Imphal 22,327 Meeteilon 21-01-1972 987 79.21% 120 Lui-ngai-ni Manipuri Aimol, Anal,
Ningol Chakouba, Angami
Yaoshang
17. Meghalaya Shillong 22,429 Khasi,Garo 21-01-1972 986 75.84% 130 Nongkrem, Nongkrem` Chakma, Dimasa,
Wangala Garo
18. Mizoram Aizawl 21,087 Mizo 20-02-1987 975 91.58% 52 Chapchar Kut, Cheraw, Chakma, Dimasa,
Thalfavang Kut, Khuallam Garo
19. Nagaland Kohima 16,579 English 01-12-1963 931 80.11% 119 Hornbill, Sekrenyi Zeliang Naga, Kuki, Mikir,
Garo
20. Odisha Bhubaneshwar 155,820 Odia, Eng- 01-04-1936 978 73.45% 270 Ganesh Chaturthi Odissi Agata, Bathudi,
lish Birhor
21. Punjab Chandigarh 50,362 Punjabi 15-08-1947 893 76.68% 550 Bandi Chhor, Bhangra, –
Vaisakhi, Lohri Giddha
22. Rajasthan Jaipur 342,239 Hindi, 01-11-1956 926 67.68% 201 Gangaur, Teej, Ghoomar –
Rajasthani Gogaji
23. Sikkim Gangtok 7,096 Nepali, 16-5-1975 889 82.2% 86 Maghe, Losar Singhi Chham Bhutia, Lepcha,
Bhutia Limboo
24. Tamil Nadu Chennai 130,058 Tamil 26-01-1950 995 80.33 % 550 Pongal Bharata- Adiyan,
natyam Aranadan,
25. Telangana Hyderabad 114,840 Telugu, 02-06-2014 – 66.50% 310 Ugadi Kuchipudi Andh, Konda
Urdu
26. Tripura Agartala 10,491.69 Bengali , 21-01-1972 961 94.65% 350 – Goria, Jhum Bhil, Bhutia,
Kokborok Chaimal
27. Uttarakhand Dehradun 53,483 Garhwali, 9-11-2000 963 79.63% 189 Kandali, Ramman Langvir Nritya Bhotia, Buksa,
Kumaoni Jaunsari, Raji
28. Uttar Pradesh Lucknow 243,286 Hindi, Urdu 01-04-1937 908 69.7% 820 Makar Sankranti, Kathak Bhotia, Buksa,
Chhath Tharu, Baiga
29. West Bengal Kolkata 88,752 Bengali and 15-08-1947 947 77.08% 1,000 Durga Puja, Kali Chau dance Asur, Baiga,

Union
English Puja Bedia, Chero

Territory
1. Andaman and Port Blair 8,073 English, 01-11-1956 878 86.27% 46 – – Andamanese,
Nicobar Islands Hindi Chariar, Chari
2. Chandigarh Chandigarh 114 Punjabi 01-11-1966 818 81.9% 9,300/ Lohri Bhangra –
3. Dadra and Silvassa 102 English, 11-08-1961 775 77.65% 698 Pongal Tarpa, Warlis, dublas
Nagar Haveli Gujarati Bhavada
4. Daman and Daman 102 Gujarati, 30-05-1987 618 87.07% 2169 Garba Mando, Vira Dhodia, Dubla
Diu Marathi (Halpati)
5. Lakshadweep Kavaratti 32 English, 01-11-1956 946 92.28% 2013 Eid-Ul-Fitr, Lava, Kolkali Koya, Malmi
Malayalam Muharram
6. NCT of Delhi New Delhi 1,484.0 Hindi 01-02-1992 866 86.34% 11,297 Diwali, Eid ul-Fitr – –

7. Puducherry Pondicherry 492 Malayalam, 07-01-1963 1,038 86.34% 2,500 Pongal Garadi Grulas, Villi
Tamil
PANORAMA GK-5

State Animals and Birds

State Animal Birds
Andhra Pradesh Blackback (Antilope cervicapra) Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis)
Arunachal Pradesh Gayal (Bos frontalis) Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis)
Asom (Assam) One-horned rhino (Rhinoceros White-winged wood duck (Cairina
unicornis) scutulata)
Bihar Gaur (Bos gaurue) House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Chhattisgarh Wild buffalo (Bubalis arnee) Bastar Hill myna (Gracula religiosa)
Goa Gaur (Bos gaurus) Black-crested bulbul (Pycnonotus
gularis)
Gujarat Asiatic lison (Panthera leo Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus
persica) roseus)
Haryana Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) Black Francolin (Francolinus
francolinus)
Himachal Pradesh Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia or Jujurana Western Irogapa (Trogopan
Panthna uncia) melanocephalus)
Jammu and Kashmir Kashmir Stag (Cervus elaphus Black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis)
hanglin)
Jharkhand Indian Elephant (Elephas Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopacea)
maximus indicus)
Karnataka Indian Elephant (Elephas Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis)
maximus indicus)
Kerala Indian Elephant (Elephas Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis)
maximus indicus)
Madhya Pradesh Barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii) Asian Paradise Flycatcher
(Trepsiphone paradisi)
Maharashtra Indian Giant Squirrel (Ratufa Yellow footed green pigeon (Treron
indica) phoenicoptera)
Manipur Sangai (Cervus eldi) Mrs. Humes Pheasant (Syrmaticus
humiae)
Meghalaya Clouded Leopard (Neofelis Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa)
nebulosa)
Mizoram Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock Mrs. Humes pheasant (Syrmaticus
hoolock) humaie)
Nagaland Gaur (Bos gaurus) Blyth’s Tragopan (Tragopan blythii)
Odisha Sambar (Rusa unicolor) Indian Roller (Coracias
benghalensis)
Punjab Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) Northern Goshawk (Accipiter
gentilis)
Rajasthan Chinkara (Gazella bennettii) Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis
nigps)
Sikkim Red panda (Ailurus fulgens) Blood pheasant (Ithaginis
cruentus)
Tamil Nadu Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiritragus Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps
hylocrius) indica)

India’s name is derived from “Indus River”.

 GK-6 PANORAMA
Telangana Chital (Zinka) Pala Pitta (Coracias benghalensis)
Tripura Phayre’s Langur (Trachypithecus Green Imperial Pigeon (Dacula
phayrel) genea)
Uttarakhand Musk deer (Moschus cupreus) Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus
impejanus)
Uttar Pradesh Swamp Deer (Rucervus Sarus Crane (Grus antigone)
duvaucelii)
West Bengal Fishing cat (Prionailurus White-breasted Kingfisher
viverrinus) (Halcyon smyrnensis)
Lakshadweep House Sparrow (Passer
Domesticus)
National Capital House Sparrow (Passer
Territory of Delhi domesticus)
Puducherry Squirrel Sciuridae ratufinae Asian Koel (Eudynamys
scolopaceus)

Four Ends of India Foundation day of States

Easternmost point of India is known as 1st January Nagaland Day
Kibithu; situated on right bank of river Lohit 21st January Manipur, Meghalaya and
separating India from China-Tibet region. It is Tripura Day
a small village at the altitude of 3,350 metre
in Arunachal Pradesh. Westernmost point 6th February Jammu and Kashmir Day
is situated in Kuch area of Gujarat called as 20th Mizoram and Arunachal
Ghuar Mota. The region is famous for its harsh February Pradesh day
climate with 45°C in summer and 20°C in 11th March Andman and Nicobar Islands
winter. During monsoon season this region Day
looks like a tortoise surrounded by sea water. 22nd March Bihar Day (Bihar Diwas)
Northernmost point of India has been in
30th March Rajasthan Day
controversies ever since India’s independence.
The Siachen Glacier in the state of J&K is the 1st April Utkal (Odisha) Day
northern boundary of India according to the 14th April Tamil Nadu Day
official division of India during the time of 15th April Himachal Pradesh Day
independence. The Southernmost point of 1st May Gujarat and Maharashtra Day
the mainland of India is Kanyakumari District
in the state of Tamil Nadu. Kannyakumari, 16th May Sikkim Day
formerly was known as Cape Comorin. It is 1st November Chattisgarh
the second largest and urbanized of Tamil 9th November Uttaranchal (Now
Nadu. Indira Point is a village in the Nicobar Uttarakhand) Day
district of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 15th Jharkhand Day (Jharkhand
India. It is located in the Great Nicobar tehsil. November Diwas)
It is the location of the southernmost point
of India’s territory. 2nd June (2014) Telangana Day

AWARDS AND HONOURS

Gallantry Awards Vir Chakra: The third highest Gallantry Award
Param Vir Chakra: The highest Gallantry Ashok Chakra: The highest peacetime
Award Gallantry award
Mahavir Chakra: The second highest Kirti Chakra: For conspicuous Gallantry
Gallantry Award Shaurya Chakra: For an act of Gallantry
India’s coastline measures 7,517 kms in length.
PANORAMA GK-7
Bharat Ratna
The highest civilian award of India.
• The first three recipients of Bharat Ratna:
C. Rajagopalchari, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
and DR. C.V.Raman (1954)
Padma Awards
• Padma Vibhushan : The second highest
civilian award given for exceptional and
distinguished service.
• Padma Bhushan : The third highest
civilian award given for distinguished
service of a high order.
• Padma Shri : The fourth highest civilian
award given for distinguished service.
Bharatiya Jnanpith Award
• Instituted in 22 May, 1961, carries a cash
prize of ` 5 lakh, a citation and a bronze
replica of Vagdevi (Saraswati).
• This award is given for the best literary
writing by an Indian citizen in a language
listed in eight schedule of the Indian
Constitution.
Gandhi Peace Prize
• Established in 2 October, 1994. It carries
a cash prize of ` 1 crore.
IMPORTANT BOOKS AND AUTHORS
Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences
with Pramukh Swamiji: Abdul Kalam
Unbelievable – Delhi to Islamabad: Prof
Bhim Singh
Two Years Eight Months and Twenty
Eight Nights: Salman Rushdie
Globalisation, Democratization and
Distributive Justice: Professor Mool Chand
Sharma
Making India Awesome: Chetan Bhagat
Flood of fire: Amitav Ghosh
Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: Khurshid M Kasuri
The Red Sari: Javier Moro
Sourav Ganguly: Cricket, Captaincy and
Controversy: Saptarshi Sarkar
China – Confucius in the Shadows:
Poonam Surie
Mrs Funnybones: Twinkle Khanna
R.D. Burman: The Prince of Music:
Khagesh Dev Burman
Beyond Doubt: A Dossier on Gandhi’s
Assassination: Teesta Setalvad
Benazir Bhutto: A Multidimensional
Portrait: Dr Anna Suvorova
Modi - Incredible emergence of a star:
Tarun Vijay
Amar Sonar Bangla, the national anthem of Bangladesh was written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905.
Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace,
Disarmament and Development
• Instituted in 1985, this prestigious award
is regarded as ‘Nobel’ and over the years
it has been awarded to those persons
who have done outstanding work for
international peace, disarmament and
development.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award
• It is India’s highest award in cinema.
• It is presented annually at the National
Film Awards ceremony by the
Directorate of film festival.
Borlaug Award
• Instituted in 1973, carries a cash prize of
` 1 lakh.
• Instituted to honour outstanding
agricultural scientists.
Sahitya Akademi Award
• Awarded for outstanding literary work
and carries a cash prize of ` 1 lakh.
• Sahitya Academi gives 22 awards for
literary works in the languages which
has recognized works.
The Accidental Prime Minister – The
making and unmaking of Manmohan
Singh: Sanjaya Baru
Hard Choices (Autobiography): Hillary
Rodham Clinton
I am Malala (Autobiography): Malala
Yousafzai
And Then One Day: Naseerudin Shah
Playing It My Way: Sachin Tendulkar
The Narrow Road To the Deep North:
Richard Flangan
Go Set a Watchman: Harper Lee
Super Economies: Raghav Bahl
Family Life: Akhil Sharma
Lucknow Boy: A Memoir: Late Vinod Mehta
A Brief History of Seven Killings: Marlon
James
Beyond 2020: A Vision for Tomorrow’s
India: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and Y. S. Rajan
Leading: Alex Ferguson With Michael
Moritz
The Outsider: Frederick Forsyth
The Courage to Act – A Memoir of a Crisis
and Its Aftermath: Ben S. Bernanke
 GK-8 PANORAMA
Ruled or Misruled: Story and Destiny of
Bihar: Santosh Singh
Hungry Bengal: War, Famine, Riots and
the End of Empire: Janam Mukherjee
To the Brink and Back: India’s 1991
Story: Jairam Ramesh
The Pakistan Paradox: Christrophe
Jaffrelot
Crusader or Conspirator: P.C. Parakh
Born Again On the Mountain: Arunima
Sinha
The China Model: Daniel A bell
Scion of Ikshvaku: Amish Tripathi
Purity: Jonathan Franzen
God Help the Child: Toni Morrison
Love + Hate: Stories and Essays: Hanif
Kureishi
The Heart Goes Last: Margaret Atwood
Deep South: Paul Theroux
The Country of First Boys: Amartya Sen
A Strangeness in My Mind: Orhan Pamuk
Autumn of the Matriarch: Indira Gandhi’s
Final Term in Office: Diego Maiorano
Gods of Corruption: Promilla Shankar
Restart: The Last Chance for the Indian
Economy: Mihir S. Sharma
The Tears of the Rajas: Ferdinand Mount
The Z factor - My journey as the wrong
man at the Right Time : Subhash Chandra
Nathuram Godse - The Story of an
Assassin : Anup Ashok Sardesai
The turbulent year - 1980-1996 (Volume
II) : Pranab Mukherjee.
Jawaharlal Nehru and The Indian Polity is
Perspective : Prof (Dr) P.J. Alexander
The Kiss of life - How a superhero and
my son defeated cancer : Emraan Hashmi

INDIA’S POLITICAL JOURNEY 70 YEARS

Date/ Period Events
1946 The Constituent assembly elected in 1946 served as the Parliament
15 Aug. 1947 • India became independent
• Jawaharlal Nehru becomes the 1st P. M. of Independent India
30 Jan. 1948 • Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead by Nathuram Godse
• India sends troops and took over the State of Hyderabad 
• Sheikh Abdulla became the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Pakistan adopted Guerrilla War in J & K but India recaptured Dras, Kargil and
Poonch.
26 Nov. 1949 Constitution of India was adopted with a Preamble, 395 Articles & 8 Schedules.
26 Jan. 1950 • Constitution of India was enforced & India was declared a Republic State
• Rajendra Prasad, 1st President of India
• Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel died on 15 Dec. 1950.
1951 • India’s first general/Lok Sabha election ( 25 Oct. 1951 to 21 Feb. 1952) &
Indian National Congress won with full majority (75%)
1953 • Sheikh Abdulla was dismissed, arrested and Ghulam Mohammed became the
Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
1954 • French finally gave up its territory Pondicherry to India.
1956 Death of B. R. Ambedkar on 6 Dec. 1956
1957 • Second general elections held in India & Congress won  371 seats
1959 • Mrs. Indira Gandhi was elected the president of Indian National Congress.
1960 • The states of Gujarat and Maharashtra came into being on May 1, 1960 &
Bombay got allocated to Maharashtra.
1961 • Indian troops liberated Goa from Portuguese colony by Operation Vijay
1962 • Congress retained its majority in the general elections (361 seats out of 494).
1964 • Jawahar Lal Nehru passed away. Gulzarilal Nanda was sworn in as acting prime
minister.
• Congress Working Committee finalized on Lal Bahadur Shastri as Nehru’s
successor. (Other contenders were Tamilian K. Kamraj & Morarji Desai)
1965 • Pakistan invaded India over a salt marsh in Kachchh desert forcing Indians to
withdraw some 40 miles.
Posthumously, Neerja Bhanot became the youngest recipient of the Ashok Chakra Award.
PANORAMA GK-9

1966 • L.B. Shastri & Pakistani President Ayub Khan met in Taskent along with the
Soviet Union P.M. Kosygin, and signed “Taskent Agrement”.
• Lal Bahadur Shashtri dies in sleep, of cardiac arrest.
• Gulzarilal Nanda was (once again) sworn in as acting prime minister.
• Indira Gandhi became PM on Congress president Kamraj endorsement for
which Morarji Desai was interested.
• Punjab and Haryana divided into separate states.
1967 • 4th general elections held in February & INC got 283 seats.
1969 14 banks were nationalized which was opposed by then Finance Minister Morarji
Desai
1971 • The Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 over Bangladesh liberation. Pakistani troops
surrendered & Provisional Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
came into being.
• 5th general elections of India was held 14 months before scheduled time and
Congress returned with 362 seats out of 520
1975 • On 26th June 1975 national emergency was declared.
• Opposition leaders, including, Jayprakash Narayan, Morarji Desai, were sent to
jail. Sanjay Gandhi became leading political executive overshading Indira Gandhi
1977 • Mrs. Gandhi dissolved Lok Sabha and general elections were held.
• The Congress lost around 200 seats. Both Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi lost.
• Janata Party came with majority & Morarji Desai became PM of India.
1979 • Morarji Desai resigned after Janata Party splits into three parts: headed by
Morarji Desai, Jagjivan Ram and Charan Singh.
• Charan Singh was sworn as Prime Minster, but a month later Indira’s Congress
(I) withdrew support, which forced a mid-term election.
1980 General elections of India was held & INC won 353 seats as a result Mrs.I. Gandhi
became PM. Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane accident.
1984 • Indira Gandhi shot dead by two of her Sikh personal bodyguards.
• Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister of India.
• 8th general elections of India was held & INC won 404 seats.
1989 General elections of India was held & INC won 197 seats. The Janata Dal led by V
P Singh secured 143 seats, BJP 85 & Left Parties 45 seats. V.P. Singh became PM
with support of BJP & Left parties.
1991 • Rajiv Gandhi assassinated by suicide bomber sympathetic to Sri Lanka's Tamil
Tigers(LTTE).
• 10th General elections were held. INC+ got 244, BJP+ 120 & NF got 69 seats. P.V.
Narasimha Rao became PM with the support of Left parties.
1992 Babri Mosque in Ayodhya was demolished, triggering widespread Hindu-Muslim
violence.
1996 • General elections were held. UF 192(Janata Dal+) won 192, BJP 187, & INC 140
seats.
• AB Vajpayee became PM only for 13 days followed by H.D. Deve Gowda & IK
Gujral (Janata Dal). The 11th Lok Sabha produced three Prime Ministers in two
years.
1999 General elections were held. NDA(BJP+) won 254(182+), INC+ 144 & UF 64 seats.
AB Vajpayee became PM.
1999 Kargil war between India & Pakistan. India came as victorious.
2004 General elections were held. UPA got 218, NDA 181 seats & Manmohan Singh
became PM of India.
2009 General elections were held. UPA got 262, NDA 159 seats & Manmohan Singh
became PM of India.
2014 General elections were held. BJP got 282, INC 44. Narendra Modi became PM of
India.
2016 India got entry into Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) group.
INDIA'S ECONOMIC JOURNEY 70 YEARS
GK-10
PANORAMA
PANORAMA GK-11

INDIA’S AGRICULTURAL JOURNEY 70 YEARS

Year Developments/Events
1947 • India gains independence
• Agricultural productivity - 50 million tonnes
• Subsistence farming practised
• 80% of population dependent on Agriculture
EFFORT: Establishment of Agricultural Engineering Division at TART.
1949 • River Valley Project-Damodar Valley Corporation established in 1949 to tackle soil and
water conservation in Bihar and Bengal.
1951 1st 5 Year Plan:
• Abolition of Intermediaries / Zamindari System
• Giving Land titles to actual Tillers
• Community Develo pment Programmes introduced.
• Decentralised Planning
• Intensive Area Development Programme Initiated.
Bhoodan Movement launched by Vinoba Bhave
• Land Rights renounced
• 11.9 lakh acres of land distributed.
1954 • ICAR carried out state wise survey of the existing tools and implements used by farmers.
1956 2nd 5 Year Plan:
• Concern for vast rainfed Agriculture feet
• Soil conservation as an important programme.
• Irrigation Development for rainfed areas.
• Training and Development/Extension work for the Agricultural Technology through
Community Development.
1957 • GRAMDAN launched
• Private ownership of land eliminated
1959 • Indian National Congress in Nagpur Resolution resolved that Agrarian Legislation to
lower restriction on the size of land holdings.
1961 3rd Five Year Plan:
• Cultivable waste land brought under cultivation
• Area development as an approach for selected districts
• Integrated land policy adopted
• Soil survey taken up
1964 Incentive Price Policy adopted:
• Agricultural Price Commission set up to fix agricultural prices/support prices of the crops.
1965 Food Corporation of India launched
1966 Green Revolution Introduced:
• The HYV programme started.
• Modern farm technique initiated which replaced manpower
• Irrigation facilities improved.
Results:
• 12.6 times increase in crop production
• 4.84 times increase in wheat output from 1966-67.
• 1.78 times increase in production from 1966-67.
• Success mostly marked in wheat and rice.
• Limited only to Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh.
1969 • Irrigation and soil conservation in dry land regions and technological change
introduced.
• Second phase of land reform and land ceiling acts introduced.
 GK-12 PANORAMA
1974 • Drought prone area marked and got attention.
• Desert area development programme launched
• New impetus to dry farming.
1977 Food-For-Work Introduced.
1980 Under utilisation of land resources:
• Land and water management programme under drought prone area in selected area
undertaken.
1982 National Bank for Agriculture & Rural development (NABARD) established.
1992 8th 5 Year plan :
• Period of liberalization and globalisation
• Growth and Diversification of agriculture to achieve self-sufficiency in food.
• Generation of food surplus for exports
• Food grain production increased from 168.4 million tonnes (1966-67) to 199 million
tonnes in (1991-92).
1997 • Land degradation increased significantly
• Brought underutilized land under cultivation
• Maintenance of village commons
• Decentralised land management system
• Panchayati Raj to manage the village lands.
9th 5 Year plan:
• Doubling food production
• Increase in employment and income
• Supplementary/sustained employment and creation of Rural infrastructure through
poverty Alleviation Schemes.
• Distribution of food grains to the people below poverty line.
• Introduction of TARGETED PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (TPDS) to “poor in all areas”.
1998 • KISAN CREDIT CARD (KCC) introduced.
• Introduction of ANTYODAYA ANNA YOJANA (AAY)
2000 • 1 crore of the poorest BPL families identified.
• 25 Kg of food grains available at ` 2 per kg for wheat and ` 3 per kg for rice.
Introduction of ANNAPURANA SCHEME
• Targeted group – Indigent senior citizens
• Provision of 10 kg of grains free.
2004 NATIONAL FOOD FOR WORK launched
• 150 most backward districts provided wage employment.
• 100% centrally sponsored scheme
2005 About 221 farmers committed suicide in Maharashtra
2010 India largest producer of –
Many fresh fruits, vegetables, milk, major spices, jute, millets, castor oil.
India 2nd largest producer of wheat and rice.
2011 • Major reforms in organised retails
• Includes logistics and details of agricultural produce.
• Though this reform was placed on hold.
2012 • Subsidised electricity for pumping due to drop of 90% monsoon rains.
• Production from horticulture exceeded grain output.
2016 • National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to carry out 42 dairy projects with the
financial outlay of 221 crores.
• 585 major wholesale agricultural markets electronically linked creating National
Agriculture Market (NAM)
• 5 year road map drawn to increase pulse production
• PRADHAN MANTRI FASAL BIMA YOJANA and BHARTIYA KRISHI BIMA YOJANA
introduced to insure crops.
• 75000 crores invested on Energy Efficient Irrigation Scheme.
PANORAMA GK-13

INDIA’S SCIENTIFIC JOURNEY 70 YEARS

Year Developments/Discoveries
1947 • PM Jawahar Lal Nehru initiated reforms to promote higher education, science and
technology in India.
• Radio Broadcasting was renamed as ALL INDIA RADIO.
• Electric generation capacity in India – 1362 MW.
1948 • Atomic energy act was passed.
• Defence Organization was set up.
1950 Rural electrification provided to 3016 villages
1951 Indian Institute of Technology (IIT'S) was incorporated on 8th August 1951 at
Kharagpur in West Bengal by Minister of Education Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad.
1954 Hindustan Steel Pvt. Limited formed.
1956 AIIMS founded in New Delhi.
1957 All India Radio renamed as AKASH VANI.
1958 Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) formed.
1959 Limited Duration of Television Programming began.
Late IIT'S in Bombay (1958), Madras (1959), Kanpur (1959) and Delhi (1961) opened.
1950's
Early • Close ties with Soviet Union enabled the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
1960's to develop Indian Space Program.
1962 • Indian National for Space Research set up by Department of Atomic Energy.
• Work starts on Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Stations (TERLS)
1963 • First Sounding Rocket launched from TERLS on Nov. 21, 1963.
1965 • Complete Broadcasting of Television followed
• Space Science and Technology Centre set up in Thumba
• Green Revolution began under M.S. Swaminathan
1968 Experimental Satellite Communication Earth Station set up in Ahmedabad.
1970 • Indian Medical Centre Council Act passed to Standardize Ayurvedic teaching
institution
• White Revolution / Operation Flood was introduced which made India the largest
producer of milk.
1971 • Electronic Commission was set up by Mrs. Indira Gandhi.
• Satish Dhawan Space Centre was set up in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
1972 • Department of Space established. ISRO brought under it.
1973 • Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) incorporated with an authorized capital of
` 2000 crore.
1975 • First Indian Satellite ARYA BHATTA launched
1979 • BHASKARA I, an Earth experimental satellite launched.
1981 • Indian Antarctic Programme started when the 1st Indian expedition was flagged off
for Antarctica from Goa.
• Since then more missions sent each year to India’s base DAKSHIN GANGOTRI.
• Commission on additional sources of energy set up and hence department of non-
conventional energy source set up.
 GK-14 PANORAMA
1983 • INSAT commissioned in 1983. Largest Domestic Communication in ASIA - PACIFIC.
• Active Satellite of this series include INSAT-2E, INSAT-3A, INSAT-3B, INSAT-3C, INSAT-
3E, KALPANA-I, G-SAT 2, EDUSAT, INSAT-4A.
• APOLLO hospitals opened its 1st facility. 1st hospital to be registered as Public Company.
1984 • 1st Indian Cosmonaut RAKESH SHARMA spends 8 days in Russian Space Station
Salyut 7.
• Kolkata Metro started.
1985 • Immunisation Program consisting in massive vaccination for 9 diseases- T.B,
Diptheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, Measles, Hepatitis B, Diarhhoea, Japanese
Encephalitis, Pneumonia.
1986 • A separate department of BIOTECHNOLOGY created to develop Indian Agriculture.
1991 • A new permanent Antarctic base MAITRI was founded.
• Indian Economy went through major economic reforms leading India to a new era of
globalisation and International Economic Integration.
1995 • AYUSH created to develop research work in Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and
Homeopathy.
• Pulse polio Programme started.
1997 • TRAI was established
1999 • Cellular Services started in India.
2001 'Tejas' - advanced light weight supersonic fighter aircraft introduced.
BRAHMOS - introduced into Defense System (World’s fastest cruise missile) developed
by India & Russia.
2002 • India and European Union agreed to Bilateral cooperation in the field of science and
technology.
• Delhi metro started.
2003 • Super computer PARAM PADMA was launched which had the computational capacity
of 1 texaflop.
2004 • Electricity generation capacity increased to 11350 MW
2005 • National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) launched
2008 • The Moon impact probe was released from CHANDRAYAN 1 at the height of 100 Km.
2013 MARS ORBITER MISSION (MOM) also called as MANGALYAN launched by ISRO making
it the 4th Space Agency to reach Mars and the 1st Nation to reach the Mars orbit in first
attempt.
• Rural Electrification – 593732 villages
2014 TB - Mission 2020 is launched by Govt. of India to eradicate TB by 2020.
2016 • India's first indigenous Sonar Dome was flagged off by the defence Ministry on March
30.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS:
• ISRO's PSLV- C35 successfully placed 8 different satellites in a single rocket mission
including SCAT-SAT-1 for weather Related Studies.
• IIT Kharagpur and NHAI have signed MOU to develop technology to construct
maintenance free highways in India.
• INTERTEC group has launched an agriculture technology laboratory in Hyderabad to
perform DNA analysis for agribiotech, plant seed breeding and plant seed production
industries.
• Indian Institute of Science has discovered a natural cure for cancer in Quercetein and
plant Vernonia condensata.
• About 6500 e-choupals are covering 1 lakh villages.
PANORAMA GK-15

INDIA’S DEMOGRAPHIC JOURNEY 70 YEARS

Parameters Course of Journey
Population • 1947 – Population of India was 340 million
• Between 1947 – 1981, population doubled.
• By 2001 – it surpassed 1 billion
• 2011 – Population was 1210 million
• India's population increasing at the rate of 16 million per year
• India has 17% of world's population.
• Highest populated state : Uttar Pradesh.
• Lowest populated State – Sikkim
• Highest populated Union Territory – Delhi
• Lowest populated UT – Lakshadweep
• Average Density of population in India – 382 person/sq km.
2011–Population in Rural Areas – 68.84 %
• Population in Urban Areas – 31.16%
• 18.62% of country's population in Uttar Pradesh.
Fertility rate • Total Fertility Rate in 1966-71 : 5.78 %
TFR in 1971-76 : 5.37%
TFR in 1976-81 : 4.65%
TFR in Kerala : 2.1%
TFR in Tamil Nadu : 1.8%
2001 : Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan accounted for 45%
of the total population.
Birth and 1951-1961 : Death Rate - 24 /1000
Death Rate : Birth Rate - 42 /1000
1971-1981 : Death Rate - 15/1000
Birth Rate - 38 /1000
1996-2001 : Death Rate – 9/1000
Birth Rate - 24/1000
Population 1952 – National family Programme launched.
policy in Features:
India • To slow down population growth rate through Birth Control Measures
• To Improve public Health Standards
• To Increase Public Awareness about public health Issues.
1975-1976 – Period of National Emergency
• Introduced coercive programme of mass sterilization.
1978 – National family welfare Programme launched.
2010 – National Socio-demographic Goals launched :
• Free Compulsory Education upto age of 14
• Reduce IMR to below 30/1000 live birth.
• Delayed marriages for girls
• 100% registration of birth, death, marriage and Pregnancy.
Literacy 1951 – Literacy Rate in India – 18.3%
1991 – Increased to 52.2%
2001 – Literacy Rate – 65.4%
2011 – Literacy Rate – 74.04%
• Male Literacy Rate – 82.14%
• Female Literacy Rate – 65. 46%
• State with Universal Literacy – KERALA (93.7)
• Least Literate State – BIHAR (63.82%)
• State with Lowest female literacy Rate – HARYANA
• RIGHT TO EDUCATION (Article 21A) has been made fundamental Right in
India via 86th Constitution Amendment Act.
 GK-16 PANORAMA
Religion • Share of Hindu Population in India – 80%
• India has world's 3rd most biggest Muslim population (While Pakistan–second
& Indonesia–first)
• Concentration of Muslim population in India in LAKSHADWEEP and JAMMU &
KASHMIR.
• Concentration of Christian population –
MEGHALAYA, MIZORAM, NAGALAND.
• Concentration of Sikh population – PUNJAB
Declining 1951 – 946 F / 1000 M
Sex Ratio 1971 – 930 F / 1000 M
1981 – 934 F / 1000 M
1991 – 925 F / 1000 M
2001 – 933 F / 1000 M
2011 – 940 F / 1000 M
• Lowest Child Sex Ratio – PUNJAB (793)
• Lowest female Sex Ratio – HARYANA (877)
• Highest female Sex Ratio – KERALA (1084)
• States with declining Sex Ratio – HARYANA, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, GUJARAT
and HIMACHAL PRADESH.
Efforts taken: PRE–NATAL DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUE (Regulation and
prevention of misuse) ACT passed in 1996.
Age • INDIA has a very young population.
Structure * UNDER 15 AGE GROUP
1971 – 42% of total population
2001 – 35% of total population
2011 – 29.7% of total population
* 15 – 60 AGE GROUP
1971 – 53% of total population
2001 – 59% of total population
2011 – 64.9% of total population
60 + AGE GROUP
1971 – 5% of total population
2001 – 7% of total population
2011 – 5.5% of total population
• State with high proportion in younger age group – UTTAR PRADESH
• 1/3rd of India's population below 15 yrs of age in 2000.
Life 1951 – Males (32.45 yrs) Female (31.66 yrs)
Expectancy 1971 – Males (46.40 yrs) Female (44.70 yrs)
1991 – Males (59.70 yrs) Female (60.50 yrs)
2001 – Males (63.90 yrs) Female (66.90 yrs)
2011 – Average life expectancy – 65.48 yrs
Rural 1951 – Rural Population : 299 million
Urban Urban Population: 62 million
Preferences 1981 – Rural Population : 524 million
Urban Population: 159 million
2001 – Rural Population : 743 million
Urban Population: 286 million
INDIA'S DEMOGRAPHIC ACHIEVEMENT
• Reduced CRUDE BIRTH RATE from 40.8 (1951) to 24.1 (2004)
• Reduced IMR from 146/1000 live birth (1951) to 58/1000 live birth (2004)
• Reduced Crude death rate from 25 (1951) to 7.5 (2004)
• Added 25 yrs to life expectancy from 37 yrs to 62 yrs.
• Halved the TFR from 6.0 (1951) to 3.0 (2004)
• Quadrupled the couple protection rate from 10.4% (1971) to 44% (1999).
PANORAMA GK-17
INDIA’S SOCIAL/CULTURAL JOURNEY 70 YEARS
National Consolidation
1947
• India got independence and partitioned
• India adopted a socialist democratic path.
1950
• India adopted a new constitution which
guaranteed fundamental rights to the
citizens of India ensuring equality, freedom
and justice.
1955
• States of India reorganised on the
recommendations made by state
reorganisation commission.
• This was done on linguistic basis.
1967-70
• Privy purses were abolished along with the
compensation paid to the Rajas.
• Zamindari System was abolished
Education
1947
• Literacy Rate – 12.2%
1950’s–60’s
• Government established several industrial
training institutes, polytechnics, engineering
colleges, medical and dental colleges. Many
management institutes (IIM'S) were also set
up.
1968
• Government implemented the recommend-
ation of 'KOTHARI COMMISSION' under
National Policy on Education which
emphasised on universal primary education.
1978
• The National Adult Education Programme
started which is a part of Primary Education.
1988
• NATIONAL LITERACY MISSION started to
enhance adult literacy.
1986
'NATIONAL POLICY ON EDUCATION' announced
by the government which focussed on:
• Universalization of Primary Education
• Vocalisation of Secondary Education
• Specialisation of Higher Education
1995
• MIDDAY MEAL PROGRAMME implemented
to attract children to schools especially in
rural areas.
In 2000’s
• Adult literacy rate in 2001 was 61% which
increased to 69% in 2011.
• Online education being introduced. Now
easier to opt for many online degrees/
courses from various universities.
• Distant Education became popular
• The right of children to free and compulsory
education was imposed (2009)
• According to the district information system
for education in India only 51.5% have
boundary walls, 16.6% have computers,
2.39% have electricity.
• According to the Annual Statics of
Education, the average attendance rate of
students in the rural states is about 75%.
• SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN launched to
provide education for the children from
6-14 years (2001)
• No. of Primary Schools increased from 2.10
lakhs (1950-51) to 6.40 lakhs (2001-02)
11.9 lakh in 2013-14.
• No. of Universities increased from 27 (1950-
51) to 254 (2000-01) to 712 in 2013-14.
• 88th amendment of the constitution made
Education a FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT for all
children aged 6-14.
2011
Literacy Rate of 7 to 14 years increased to
74.04% from 65% in 2001.
Sanitation
1986
• Government of India started the Central
Sanitation Programme (CRSP) to improve
the basic sanitation amenities of rural areas.
1999
• TOTAL SANITATION CAMPAIGN (TSC) was
launched
• Programmes such as Individual Houses
Latrines, School Sanitation and Hygiene
Education, Community Sanitary Complex,
Anganwadi Toilets were introduced.
2006
• Around 4,50,000 deaths were linked to
diarrhoea alone of which 88% were death
of children below 5.
2008
• According to UNICEF, only 90% of Indian
population is able to utilize proper
sanitation facilities.
 GK-18 PANORAMA
2010
• Water and Sanitation programme study the
economic impacts of inadequate sanitation
in India which has caused considerable
economic losses equivalent to 6.4% of
India's GDP in 2006.
2014
• SWACHH BHARAT ABHIYAN launched by
PM Narendra Modi.
Women
1954
• Vibhla Farooqui and her female colleagues
in the Communist Party of India organised
a national conference to address women
issues. They founded the NATIONAL
FEDERATION OF INDIAN WOMEN (NFIW)
focus attention on women's struggle for
equal rights and responsibilities in all
spheres of life.
1955
The HINDU MARRIAGE ACT of 1955 was
passed to provide equal rights to women to
obtain divorce and maintenance.
1956
• The "Hindu Adoption and maintenance Act"
was passed. Through this act, a woman can
adopt a boy or a girl as her son or daughter.
• The "Hindu Minority and Guardianship
Act" of 1956 entitled a woman to act as the
natural guardian of her minor children.
• The HINDU SUCCESSION ACT, 1956 was
passed in which a woman got equal rights
in the inheritance of family property
1961
• The DOWRY PROHIBITION ACT of 1961
in which dowry was made a punishable
offence.
1974
• According to the report of the committee
on status of women in India, the number
of female employees in all sector was
continuously rising.
• According to the World Bank Report, 94%
of total employment in dairy production
constitutes women.
• CHIPKO MOVEMENT, which got its name
from the action of woman who hugged trees
in order to prevent them from being cut by
timber contractors.
1976
• The EQUAL REMUNERATION ACT was
passed.
1986
• SHAH BANO CASE – The Supreme Court
ruled that Shah Bano (Muslim Elderly) was
eligible for maintenance money though
the decision was opposed by Muslim
fundamentalists. The Union Government
subsequently passed the MUSLIM
WOMEN'S (PROTECTION OF RIGHTS UPON
DIVORCE) ACT.
1989
• Panchayati Raj Bill was introduced which
instituted 1/3rd of the seats in the panchayat
to be reserved for women.
2006
Kiran Majumdar Shaw (founder of BIOCON)
was rated as the world's richest woman.
Kalita D. Gupta (ran ICICI Bank) and Kalpana
Moparia (CEO, JP MORGAN) listed as most
powerful women (Forbes).
PRESENT SCENARIO:
• From 5.4 million girls enrolled at the primary
level in 1950-51 to 61.1 million girls in 2004-
05 and 94.8 million in 2013-14.
• Dropout rates of girls have fallen by 16.5%
between the year 2000 and 2005.
• India has largest population of working
women in the world.
• Women such as Arundhati Roy, Anita Desai,
Jhumpa Lahiri, Shabana Azmi, Pratibha
Patil, Mrs. Indira Gandhi have asserted
themselves in this male-dominated realm.
Domestic Violence
2005
• According to National Family and Health
Survey in 2005, total lifetime prevalence of
domestic violence was 33.5% and 8.5% for
sexual violence among aged 15-49.
• The DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACT of 2005
legally defines domestic violence and the
prosecution guidelines of those cases that
are reported to the police.
2012
• National Crime Records Bureau states the
reported Crime rate of 46/100,000, rape
rate of 2/100,000 and dowry homicide rate
of 0.7/100,000.
RAPE IN INDIA
• According to the National Crime Records
Bureau 2013, 24,923 rape cases were
reported in 2012 which increased to 34,651
in 2015.
PANORAMA GK-19
2012
• New Delhi has the highest number of rape
reports among Indian cities.
• Jabalpur has the highest per capita rape rate
reports.
DOWRY DEATHS
• India reports the highest total number of
dowry deaths with 8391 deaths reported in
2010 which increased to 18,233 in 2012.
• Dowry death is considered as one of the
many categories of violence against women
in India along with rape, acid throwing, eve-
teasing and bride- burning.
Family • Joint family system has been the
Structure major feature of Indian tradition.
and Oldest male member is the head
Marriage of the family system.
• With Urbanisation and deve-
lopment in the economic system,
the joint family system has
paved way for the nuclear family
system.
• In India, majority of marriages
are planned by parents and family
members - But now inter- caste
and inter-religion marriages are
also becoming popular.
• The average age for marriage for
women in India is now 21 years
according to the 2011 census of
India.
• In 2009, 7% of the women got
married before the age of 18.
• Since 1956, males and females are
treated as equal in the matter of
inheritance without a legal will.
• Divorce is very low-About 1%.
Urban divorce rates are much
higher.
• Live-in-relationships are becoming
common nowadays.
Health • Life expectancy increased from 37
years in 1951 to 65 years in 2011.
• Malnutrition in children under 5
years came down to 44% in 2006
from 67% in 1971.
• Number of Tuberculosis cases got
reduced to 185/100,000 in 2009.
• Birth Rate has fallen from
39.9/1000 in 1950-51 to 25.8 in
2000-01 and 21% in 2013.
• Death Rate has fallen from
27.4/1000 in 1950-51 to 8.5 in
2000-01 to 7.4% in 2011.
• No. of medical colleges gone up
to 165 in 1998-99 as against 28
in 1950-51 and to 462 in 2016.
• There was no community centre
in 1951 but in 1999 there were
2913 community centres.
• In 1999, there were 17 doctors
for every 1 lakh population as
against 5.2 doctors in 1951. But
in 2016 India has one doctor per
1700 population.
• The cases of HIV infected people
are also witnessing a declining
trend.
The Flipside of Development
Poverty In 2011, The World Bank
estimated 23.6% of India's
population lived below $ 1.25 per
day on purchasing power parity.
Corruption In 2005, a study done by
Transparency International in
India found that more than 50%
people has first hand experience of
paying bribe on getting a job done
in public office.
• In 2015, a revelation of tax
evasion (PANAMA PAPER
LEAKS) case involving some
high profile celebrities and
businessmen has added spark to
the corruption charges.
Terrorism • Regions of terrorist activities in
India are Jammu and Kashmir,
central India and the north-east
states.
• Punjab insurgency led to militant
activities in Punjab and Delhi
• Today the country faces worst
phase of Naxalite Maoist Insurgency
especially in Chattisgarh, eastern
India and Andhra Pradesh.
Caste- • 1979 : Mandal Commission was
Related established to identify the socially
Violence and educationally backward
communities and to consider the
question of seat reservation and
quotas for people to redress caste
discrimination.
• 1989 : Massive protests were
held in the country when V.P.
Singh govt. tried to implement
the recommendation of Mandal
Commission.
 GK-20 PANORAMA

SPACE SCIENCE
Space mission 1975-2016 INSAT-2C 7-Dec-95 Ariane-44L
Satellite Launch Launch Vehicle H10-3
Date IRS-1C 29-Dec-95 Molniya
Aryabhata 19-Apr-75 u-11 IRS-P3 21-Mar-96 PSLV-D3
Interkosmos INSAT-2D 4-Jun-97 Ariane-44L
Bhaskara-I 7-Jun-79 C-1 Interkosmos H10-3
Rohini 10-Aug-79 SLV-3 IRS-1D 29-Sep-97 PSLV-C1
Technology
INSAT-2E 3-Apr-99 Ariane-42P
Payload
H10-3
Rohini RS-1 18-Jul-80 SLV-3
Oceansat-1 26-May-99 PSLV-C2
Rohini RS-D1 31-May-81 SLV-3 (IRS-P4)
Ariane 19-Jun-81 Ariane-1 (V-3) INSAT-3B 22-Mar-00 Ariane-5G
Passenger
Payload GSAT-1 18-Apr-01 GSLV-D1
Experiment Technology 22-Oct-01 PSLV-C3
Bhaskara -II 20-Nov-81 C-1 Intercosmos Experiment
Satellite (TES)
INSAT-1A 10-Apr-82 Delta 3910
PAM-D INSAT-3C 24-Jan-02 Ariane-42L
H10-3
Rohini RS-D2 17-Apr-83 SLV-3
Kalpana-1 12-Sep-02 PSLV-C4
INSAT-1B 30-Aug-83 Shuttle [PAM-D]
(METSAT)
Stretched 24-Mar-87 ASLV
Rohini INSAT-3A 10-Apr-03 Ariane-5G
Satellite Series GSAT-2 8-May-03 GSLV-D2
(SROSS-1) INSAT-3E 28-Sep-03 Ariane-5G
IRS-1A 17-Mar-88 Vostok
RESOURCE- 17-Oct-03 PSLV-C5
Stretched 13-Jul-88 ASLV SAT-1 (IRS-P6)
Rohini
EDUSAT 20-Oct-04 GSLV-F01
Satellite Series
(SROSS-2) HAMSAT 5-May-05 PSLV-C6
INSAT-1C 21-Jul-88 Ariane-3 CARTOSAT-1 5-May-05 PSLV-C6
INSAT-1D 12-Jun-90 Delta 4925 INSAT-4A 22-Dec-05 Ariane-5GS
IRS-1B 29-Aug-91 Vostok INSAT-4C 10-Jul-06 GSLV-F02
INSAT-2DT 26-Feb-92 Ariane-44L H10 CARTOSAT-2 10-Jan-07 PSLV-C7
Stretched 20-May-92 ASLV Space Capsule 10-Jan-07 PSLV-C7
Rohini Recovery
Satellite Series Experiment
(SROSS-C) (SRE-1)
INSAT-2A 10-Jul-92 Ariane-44L H10 INSAT-4B 12-Mar-07 Ariane-5ECA
INSAT-2B 23-Jul-93 Ariane-44L INSAT-4CR 2-Sep-07 GSLV-F04
H10+
CARTOSAT-2A 28-Apr-08 PSLV-C9
IRS-1E 20-Sep-93 PSLV-D1
IMS-1 (Third 28-Apr-08 PSLV-C9
Stretched 4-May-94 ASLV
World Satellite
Rohini – TWsat)
Satellite Series
(SROSS-C2) Chandrayaan-1 22-Oct-08 PSLV-C11
IRS-P2 15-Oct-94 PSLV-D2 RISAT-2 20-Apr-09 PSLV-C12

Astronauts comes form the Greek word “Astron” which means stars and “nautes” means sailor.
PANORAMA GK-21

ANUSAT 20-Apr-09 PSLV-C12 Space Centres and Units

Oceansat-2 23-Sep-09 PSLV-C14 •• Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) -
(IRS-P4) Thumba (Thiruvananthapuram)
GSAT-4 15-Apr-10 GSLV-D3 •• ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) - Bengaluru
CARTOSAT-2B 12-Jul-10 PSLV-C15 •• SHAR Centre - Shriharikota (Andhra
StudSat 12-Jul-10 PSLV-C15 Pradesh)
GSAT-5P / 25-Dec-10 GSLV-F06 •• Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre
INSAT-4D (LPSC) - Bengaluru
RESOURC- 20-Apr-11 PSLV-C16 •• Space Application Centre - Ahmedabad
ESAT-2 •• Developmental and Educational
Youthsat 20-Apr-11 PSLV-C16 Communication - Ahmedabad unit (DECU)
GSAT-8 / 21-May-11 Ariane-5 VA-202 •• ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command
INSAT-4G Network (ISTRAC) - Bengaluru
GSAT-12 15-Jul-11 PSLV-C17 •• National Remote Sensing Agency
Megha- 12-Oct-11 PSLV-C18
(NRSA) - Hyderabad
Tropiques •• Master Control Facility (MCF) - Hassan
Jugnu 12-Oct-11 PSLV-C18 (Karnataka)
RISAT-1 26-Apr-12 PSLV-C19 •• The Antrix Corporation Limited -
Bengaluru
SRMSAT 26-Apr-12 PSLV-C18
•• North Eastern-Space Applications
GSAT-10 29-Sep-12 Ariane-5 VA-209 Centre (NE-SAC) - Shillong
SARAL 25-Feb-13 PSLV-C20 •• Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) -
IRNSS-1A 1-Jul-13 PSLV-C22 Ahmedabad
INSAT-3D 26-Jul-13 Ariane-5
Indian Remote Sensing (IRS)
GSAT-7 30-Aug-13 Ariane-5
Satellite System
Mars Orbiter 5-Nov-13 PSLV-C25
Mission (MOM) The Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite
GSAT-14 5-Jan-14 GSLV-D5 system is one of the largest constellations
IRNSS-1B 4-Apr-14 PSLV-C24 of remote sensing satellites in operation
in the world today. The IRS programme
IRNSS-1C 10-Nov-14 PSLV-C26
commissioned with the launch of IRS-1A
GSAT-16 7-Dec-14 Ariane-5 in 1988 presently includes eleven satellites
IRNSS-1D 28-Mar-15 PSLV-C27 that continue to provide imageries in a
GSAT-6 27-Aug-15 GSLV-D6
variety of spatial resolutions ranging from
better than one metre upto 500 metres.
Astrosat 28-Sep-15 PSLV-C30
GSAT-15 11-Nov-15 Ariane 5 VA-227 Indian Regional Navigation Satellite
IRNSS-1E 20-Jan-16 PSLV-C31 System
IRNSS-1F 10-Mar-16 PSLV-C32 The new of Navigation Satellite system
IRNSS-1G 28-Apr-16 PSLV-C33 was launched in 2013 aimed at providing
accurate real time positioning and timing
Corbo Set-2C 22-Jun-16 PSLV-C34
services over India and its surroundings
Insat 3DR 8-Sep-16 GSLV-F05 upto a range of 1500 km. The fully deployed
SCATSAT-1 26-Sep-16 PSLV-C35 system consists of 3 satellites in GEO
orbit and 4 satellites in GSO orbits placed
GSAT-18 5-Oct-16 Ariane 5 ECA approximately at an altitude of 36000 km.
VA-231
The constellation has total 7 satellites.
In September 2009, India’s Chandrayaan-1 detected water on the moon for the first time.
 GK-22 PANORAMA
Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) is a
space probe, launched on 24 September,
2014. The mission focuses on developing
the technologies for designing, planning,
management and operations of an
interplanetary mission. The probe carries
five instruments for gathering knowledge
about Mars. The space craft is now jointly
monitored by ISRO Telemetry, Tracking
and Command Network (ISTRAC) in
Bangalore, and Indian Deep Space
Network antennae at Byalalu.
GLOBAL SPACE PROBES
•• Venus :
Venera 1 – USSR Venus flyby, Feb 12,
1961; Now in a solar orbit.
Mariner 2 – USA Venus flyby, Aug 27,
1962; Now in a solar orbit.
Magellan – USA Venus orbiter, May 4,
1989 – 1994
•• Mars :
Mariner 3 – USA Mars flyby, Nov. 5, 1964.
Viking 1 – USA Mars orbiter/Lander,
Aug 20,1975.
Phobas 1 – USSR Mars orbiter/Lander,
July 7, 1988.
Mars Odyssey – USA Mars orbiter, Apr.
7, 2001
Spirit (MER-A) – USA Mars Rover, June
10, 2003
Opportunity (MER-B) – USA Mars
Rover, July 7, 2003.
Mars Phoenix Lander – USA Mars
Lander, Aug. 4, 2007.
•• Jupiter :
Galileo – USA and Europe probe, Oct.
18, 1989.
Hubble space Telescope – USA and
Europe, Apr. 25, 1990.
New Horizons – USA Kuiper belt flyby,
Jan. 19, 2006.
•• Moon :
Pioneer O – USA Lunar orbiter, Aug. 17,
1958.
Apollo 17 – USA manned lunar lander,
Dec. 7, 1972
Chang’e – 1 – China’s lunar orbiter, Oct
24, 2007.
Chandrayaan 1 – India PSLV – C 11, Oct
22, 2008. India’s first moon mission and
the cheapest moon mission in the world.

DEFENCE AND SECURITY

The Republic of India has world’s 3rd largest Number of Commands
military force and has the world’s largest
volunteer army. It consists of three services: Command Headquarter
the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air 1. Western Command Chandimandir
Force.
The President of India is the Supreme 2. Eastern Command Calcutta
Commander of the Armed Force. However, the 3. Northern Command Udhampur
Cabinet is responsible for National Defence.
The Administrative control of armed forces is 4. Southern Command Pune
exercised by the Ministry of Defence, which 5. Central Command Lucknow
constitutes the following.
6. Training Command
(a) Department of Defence Mhow
(added in 1991)
(b) Department of Defence Production and
Supplies 7. South Western Command
Jaipur
(c) Department of Defence Research and (added in 2005)
Development (DDRD).
Army Air Force
Headed by Chief of the Army Staff Headed by Chief of the Air Staff
Headquarters New Delhi Headquarters – New Delhi
Indian Army has never been involved in a military coup.
PANORAMA GK-23

Number of Command INS Shahkul INS Delhi INS Prahar

Command Headquarter INS Shalki INS Mysore INS
1. Western Air Delhi Prashant
Command INS INS INS Nashak
2. South-Western Air Gandhinagar Sindhushastra Brahamputra INS Vipul
Command INS Ghariyal
3. Central Air Allahabad INS Kulish
Command INS Satpura
INS Talwar
4. Eastern Air Shillong
INS Tillanchang
Command
5. Southern Air Thiruvanathapuram
Command
Location of Defence Establishments
In addition to the above main command, there Army
are two support commands, or functional • Indian Military – Dehradun
commands, namely:
Academy
1. Training Command – Bangalore
2. Maintenance Command – Nagpur • The College of – Kirkee
The aircraft fleet consists of fighter- Military Engineering (Pune)
bombers, air-superiority fighters, • The School of Signals – Mhow
interceptors, transport, and logistic • The Infantry School – Mhow
aircraft and helicopters. • The Corps of Military – Faizabad
Police Centre and
Navy School
Headed by Chief of Naval Staff • The Army Education – Pachmarhi
Headquarters New Delhi Corps and Training
Number of Commands College
Command Headquarter Navy
1. Western Naval Mumbai • Indian Naval Academy – Kochi
Command
• Naval Air Station Garuda – Kochi
2. Eastern Naval Visakhapatnam • INS Agrani (Petty – Coimbatore
Command Operational command
Officer’s School)
3. Southern Naval Kochi used for training • Naval Gunnery School – Kochi
Command
• Torpedo Anti-Submarine – Kochi
Each command is commanded by a flag School
officer commanding- in-chief. • Navigation Direction – Mormugao
The Indian Navy is a well-balanced three- School
dimensional force consisting of sophisticated
missile-capable warships, aircraft carriers, Air Force
minesweepers, advanced submarines, and • Pilot Training – Allahabad
the latest aircraft in its inventory. At present, Establishment
the Navy has two major Naval bases at • Jet Training and – Hyderabad
Mumbai and Visakhapatnam. Goa and Transport Training
Arkonnam are the major Naval air bases. Wings, Air Force
IMPORTANT SUBMARINES/ MISSILE Station
BOATS/WARSHIPS • The Air Force – Jalahalli
Technical Training
Submarines Warships Missile College
Boats • Paratroopers Training – Agra
INS Chakra INS Savitri INS Vibhuti School
India’s first rocket was brought on cycle and a satellite on a bullock cart.
 GK-24 PANORAMA
Inter-services Institutes The DRDO major achievements towards
• National Defence – Khadakvasla indigenous development of defence
Academy weapons and systems are (i) development
• National Defence – New Delhi leading to production of surface-to-surface
College missile, Prithvi; (ii) state-of-the-art MBT,
• Defence Services – Wellington Arjun; (iii) flight simulators for aircraft;
Staff College (iv) pilotless target aircraft, Lakshya; (v)
• School of Land/Air – Secunderabad parallel super-computer; and (vi) the
Warfare submarine sonar and weapon control
• Rashtriya Indian – Dehradun system, Panchendriya.
Military College
• Armed Forces – Pune ISRO
Medical College
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
DRDO is the parent agency of Indian space agencies
Defence Research & Development which was established on 15th August 1969.
Organization (DRDO) was established The headquarter of this organisation is at
in 1958 by amalgamating Defence Bangalore and it was founded by Vikram
Science Organization and some of the Sarabhai with a vision to harness space
Technical Development Institutions. It technology for national development. The
functions under the control of Scientific first satellite made by ISRO was Aryabhata
Adviser to Defence Minister who is also and it was launched by Russia on 19th April
secretary, Defence R&D. DRDO formulates
1975. Thereafter it has developed numerous
and executes programmes of scientific
satellites and spacecrafts for serving different
research, design and development leading
to induction of state-of-the-art weapons, technology such as communication Earth’s
platforms, and other equipment required observation, navigation, climatic observations
by the Armed Forces. etc.
RANKS OF INDIAN ARMY, NAVY & AIR FORCE
Indian Army Indian Navy Indian Air Force
Field Marshal Admiral of the Fleet Marshal of the Air Force
General Admiral Air Chief Marshal
Lieutenant General Vice Admiral Air Marshal
Major General Rear Admiral Air Vice Marshal
Brigadier Commodore Air Commodore
Colonel Captain Group Captain
Lieutenant Colonel Commander Wing Commander
Major Lieutenant Commander Squadron Leader
Captain Lieutenant Flight Lieutenant
Lieutenant Sub-Lieutenant Flying Officer
Indian Costal Guard (ICG) The Coast Guard works in close cooperation
with the Indian Navy, the Department of
Indian Costal Guard (ICG) protects India’s
Fisheries, the Department of Revenue
maritime interests and enforces maritime
(Customs) and the Central and State police
law, with jurisdiction over the territorial
forces.
waters of India, including its contiguous zone There are five coastal regions: Western
and exclusive economic zone. The Indian Region (W) Mumbai; Eastern Region (E)
Coast Guard was formally established on 18 Chennai; North Eastern Region (NE) Kolkata;
August 1978 by the Coast Guard Act, 1978. North Western Region (NW) Gandhinagar.
Agni and Prithvi are one of the best missile series in the world.
PANORAMA GK-25
Paramilitary Forces
Railway Protection Force (RPF) (1861)–
Mission :
•• Protect and safeguard railway passengers,
passenger area and railway property.
•• Ensure the safety, security and boost the
confidence of the traveling public in the
Indian Railways.
Central Reserve Railway Protection Force
(CRPF) (1949) – Mission:
•• Crowd control
•• Riot control
•• Counter Millitancy/Insurgency operations.
•• Dealing with Left Wing Extremism
•• Overall co-ordination of large scale
security arrangement specially with
regard to elections in disturbed areas.
•• Protection of VIPs and vital installations.
•• Checking environmental degradation and
protection of local Flora and Fauna
•• Fighting aggression during war time
•• Participating in UN Peace Keeping Mission
•• Rescue and Relief operations at the time
of Natural Calamity.
Border Security Force (BSF) (1965) –
Mission
•• Promote a sense of security among the
people living in the border areas.
•• Prevent trans border crimes, unauthorized
entry into or exit from the territory of
India.
•• Prevent smuggling and any other illegal
activity.
•• Holding ground in less threatened sectors
so long as the main attack does not
develop in a particular sector and it is
felt that the local situation is within the
capability of BSF to deal with.
•• Protection of vital installations particular
air-fields against enemy commandoes/
para troopers or raids.
•• Providing extension to the flanks of main
defence line by the holding of strong
points in conjunction with other units.
•• Limited Aggressive action against para
military or irregular forces of the enemy
within the overall plan of the Armed
Forces.
Assam rifles is the oldest paramilitary force in India.
•• Acting as guides in an area of responsibility
where routes are known.
•• Guarding of prisoners of war camps.
•• Assistance in control of refugees.
•• Anti-infiltration duties in specified area.
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)
(1969)– Mission :
•• Providing total security solutions.
•• Exposure to varied security environments
ranging from highly disturbed areas in
J&K, North East and Andhra Pradesh to
mafia infested coal fields of Jharkhand
and West Bengal.
•• Rich experience in security and protection
of highly sensitive establishments,
Airports and Centres of economic growth.
•• Protection of heritage monuments like
Taj Mahal.
•• Only Force to have a full-fledged Fire Wing
comprising highly trained personnel.
•• Extensive use of latest security gadgets.
•• Excellent training infrastructure.
Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) (1969) –
Mission:
•• To promote sense of security among the
people living in the border area.
•• To prevent trans-border crimes and
unauthorized entries into or exit from
the territory of India.
•• To prevent smuggling and other illegal
activities.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) (1962)–
Mission :
•• Vigil on the northern borders, detection
and prevention of border violations, and
promotion of the sense of security among
the local populace.
•• Check illegal immigration, trans-border
smuggling and crimes.
•• Security to sensitive installations, banks
and protected persons.
•• Restore and preserve order in any area
in the event of disturbance.
Special Security Forces
Anti Terrorist Squad (1990)
•• A unit of government of Maharashtra
to tackle menace and terrorism in
collaboration with RAW and IB.
 GK-26 PANORAMA
•• Aims at tracking and neutralizing
activities of terror-groups, mafia and
other organized crime syndicates,
and detecting rackets of counterfeit
currency notes and smuggling of
narcotic substances.
Intelligence Bureau(IB) 1887
•• A unit of India’s internal intelligence
agency
•• Tasked with intelligence collection
in border areas along with domestic
intelligence responsibilities
Assam Rifles (1853)
•• A unit of paramilitary forces
•• Aims at combating counter insurgency,
civil unrest, terrorism, special weapons
operations.
Garud Commando Force (2004)
•• A special unit of the Indian Air Force
•• Garuds perform both war and peace
time duties such as rescuing downed
airmen and other forces from behind
enemy lines, suppression of enemy of
air defense, provide support to other
air operations,protecting the air bases
and other vital infrastructure, counter
terrorism, anti-hijacking, hostage
rescue, aid during natural calamities
and military tasks in the interest of the
nation.
Ghatak Force
•• A special unit of the an infantry battalion
in the Indian Army.
•• Performs task such as special
reconnaissance, raids on enemy artillery
positions, airfields, supply dumps and
tactical headquarters.
Rapid Action Force (1991)
•• A specialized wing of the Indian CRPF
(Central Reserve Police Force).
•• They are trained to deal with riots, riot
like situations, crowd control, rescue and
relief operations, and related unrest.
National security Guard (1984)
•• It is a Federal Contingency Deployment
Force under the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA).
Lal Bahadur Shastri was the first Prime Minister of India to die overseas.
•• Aimed at performing counter hijacking
tasks on land, sea, and air, bomb disposal
(search, detection and neutralization
of IEDs), Post Blast Investigation and
hostage rescue
National Investigation Agency (NIA)
2009
•• A federal agency established by the Indian
Government.
•• It aims at creating prevention for existing
and potential terrorist groups/individuals
alongside developing a storehouse of all
terrorist related information.
Marcos (1907)
•• A special force unit of Indian Navy. It is
created to conduct special operations
such as amphibious warfare, counter-
terrorism, direct action, special
reconnaissance, unconventional warfare,
hostage rescue, personnel recovery,
combat search and rescue, asymmetric
warfare, foreign internal defense, counter
proliferation.
RAW
•• Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)
established in 1968.
•• It’s a primary foreign intelligence agency
of India.
•• Aims at monitoring political, military,
economic and scientific developments
in countries which have direct bearing
on India’s national security and the
formulation of its foreign policy,coveting
operations to safe guard India’s National
interests, moulding international public
opinion with the help of the strong and
vibrant Indian diaspora, performing Anti
Terror Operations and neutralizing terror
elements posing a threat to India.
COBRA
•• Commando Battalion for Resolute
Action (COBRA) established in 2008.
•• It’s a specialized unit of the CRPF created
to counter the Naxalite problem in India.
•• They are specially trained in guerilla
warfare to tackle the notorious naxalite
groups in the country. They also master
the techniques of camouflage, jungle
warfare, parachute jumps, precision
strikes and ambushes.
PANORAMA GK-27

INDIA’S MISSILE SYSTEM : AT A GLANCE

S.
Missile Feature Range
No.
1 Astra Missile Beyond Visual range air-to-air Missile A range of over 80 km in
head on mode and 20 km
in tail-chase mode.
2 Shourya Missile Canisterised Surface-to-surface missile 600 km
3 Sagarika Missile Submarine-to-Surface Missile More than 700 km
(K-15)
4 Akash Missile Medium range Surface-to-Air Missile 25 km
5 Nag Missile Third Generation-fire and forget-anti-tank 4 to 6 km
guided missile
6 Nirbhay Missile Long range subsonic cruise missile 1000 km
7 Dhanush Missile The Ship-based Surface-to-surface ballistic 300 to 350 km
missile
8 Brahmos Missile Supersonic cruise missile (can be launched 290 km
(Joint Indo-Russia from ships, submarines, aricrafts and land)
Venture)
9 (a) Prithvi-I (Army A single stage liquid-fuelled surface-to- 150 km
version) surface missile.
(b) Prithivi-II (Air A single stage liquid-fuelled surface-to- 250 km
force version) surface missile.
(c) Prithvi-III A two-stage surface-to-surface missile 350 km
(Naval Version) (first stage is solid fuelled and second stage
is liquid fuelled).
10 (a) Agni-I Short range ballistic missile 700-800 km
(b) Agni-II Medium range ballistic missile 2500 km
(c) Agni-III Intermediate range ballistic missile 3500 km
(d) Agni-IV Intermediate 4000 km
(e) Agni-V Range ballistic missile 5500-5800 km
(f) Agni-VI (tested) Under development 6000-8000 km

TANKS IN INDIA
Quantity
Type Origin Description
(Est.)
The Indian Army ordered 124 'Arjun' Mk1 MBTs in 2000 and
placed another order for additional 124 'Arjun' Mk1 MBTs and
Arjun
248 India 124 'Arjun' Mk2 MBTs in 2010, after Arjun tank had conclusively
MBT
outperformed the T-90. Indian Army is set to acquire 124 Arjun
Mk2 tanks as a follow-on order, according to the Defence Minister.
Procured in three separate orders. Two batches (310 tanks
and knockdown kits in 2000 and a further 300 in 2006) were
T-90 1,050 Russia purchased from Russia. A further 1000 were to be produced
locally by 2020. Of those, the first batch of 10 were delivered in
August 2009.
Soviet Upgraded to advanced Ajeya Mk1 and MK2 standard mainly
T-72 2,414 Union, based on Polish PT-91 Twardy Tank features developed by
Poland DRDO
Brahmos-II fastest hypersonic missile in the world.
 GK-28 PANORAMA
INDIAN SEA-BASED NUCLEAR-ARMED BALLISTIC MISSILES
Name Type Maximum range (km) Status
Dhanush Short-range 350 Developed, but not deployed
Sagarika (K-15) SLBM 700 Awaiting deployment on INS 
K-4 SLBM3 500 Tested 

NUCLEAR-POWERED SUBMARINES
Class Type Boats Displacement Note
Chakra  Attack submarine INS Chakra 12,770 tonnes Under a 10 year lease from
(Akula II)- (SSN) (S71) Russia since 2012.
class
Arihant-class Ballistic Missile sub INS Arihant 6,000 tonnes, Undergoing sea trials.
marine (SSBN) (S73) surfaced

AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
Class Type Ships Displacement Description
Centaur Aircraft INS Viraat (R22) 28,700 tonnes STOVL carrier. Scheduled to be
-class carrier decommissioned by 2018 and
replaced by INS Vikrant
Modified Aircraft INS Vikramaditya 45,400 tonnes STOBAR carrier.
Kiev-class carrier (R33)

REPLENISHMENT SHIPS
Class Type Ships Origin Displacement
Deepak-class Replenishment oiler INS Italy 27,500 tonnes
Deepak (A50)
INS Shakti (A57)
Jyoti-class Replenishment oiler INS Jyoti (A58) Russia 35,900 tonnes

Aditya-class Replenishment oiler & INS Aditya (A59)  India 24,612 tonnes
Repair ship

RESEARCH AND SURVEY VESSELS

Class Type Ships Displacement
Sagardhwani Research INS Sagardhwani (A74) 2,050 tonnes
vessel
Sandhayak-class Survey INS Nirupak (J14) INS 1,800 tonnes
vessel Investigator
(J15) INS Jamuna
(J16)INS Sutlej
(J17) INS Sandhayak
(J18) INS Nirdeshak
(J19) INS Darshak
(J20) INS Sarvekshak  (J22)
Makar-class Survey INS Makar (J31) 500 tonnes
vessel

Science Day in Switzerland (26th May) is dedicated to APJ Abdul Kalam.

PANORAMA GK-29
GK-30 PANORAMA
PANORAMA GK-31
ATOMIC & NUCLEAR SCIENCE
ATOMIC RESEARCH
India’s atomic research programme is
committed to peaceful uses only, for example,
atomic power, generation of electricity,
development of agriculture and industry,
medical science application, etc.
India’s journey to atomic energy research
started with establishment of the Atomic
Energy Commission on 10 August 1948 under
the chairmanship of Dr. Homi J. Bhabha.
Subsequently, DAE was established in 1956
with the following mandate:
(a) To generate safe, economic electrical
power from nuclear energy.
(b) To build research reactors and to utilize
the radioisotopes produced in these
reactors for applications in the field of
agriculture and medicine.
(c) To develop advanced technology in areas
such as accelerators, lasers, biochemistry,
information technology, and materials
including development of non-nuclear
and strategic materials like titanium.
First Nuclear Implosion
Carried out on 18 May 1974 at Pokhran
to Rajasthan (Thar) desert. The main
objective was use of atomic energy for
peaceful purposes, that is, digging canals,
reservoirs, oil explorations as well as
to study rock dynamics. This successful
implosion made India the sixth nuclear
nation in the world.
BARC
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)
Established in 1957, it is located at
POWER STATION IN INDIA
Power station Operator Establishment
Tarapur Atomic Power Station NPCIL
Rajasthan Atomic Power Station NPCIL
Kakrapar Atomic Power Station NPCIL
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant NPCIL
Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant NPCIL
Madras Atomic Power Station NPCIL
Narora Atomic Power Station NPCIL
Gorakhpur Atomic Power Station NPCIL
The Indian army controls the highest battle field Siachen.
Trombay (Maharashtra), and is India’s
largest atomic research centre, for R&D.
BARC’s atomic reactors Aspara, India’s
atomic reactor was commissioned on 4 August
1956. One megawatt swimming pool type
reactor produces radio isotopes. It is also
the first atomic reactor in Asia.
Cirus (Canada India Reactor) Built in 1960,
it is a 40 MW reactor.
Zerlina (Zero Energy Reactor for Lattice
Investigation and New Assemblies)
Commissioned on 4 January 1961, used for
studies of uranium heavy water lattice.
Dhruva Commissioned on 15 August
1984, this 100 MW reactor is a completely
indigenous nuclear reactor with most
advanced laboratories in the world.
Purnima I (Plutonium Reactor for Neutronic
Investigation in Multiplying Assemblies)
commissioned on 22 May 1972, a plutonium
fuelled reactor, modified as Purnima-II that
used uranium as fuel and it is being further
modified as Purnima-III.
Kamini India’s first fast breeder neutron
reactor, it has been set up at Kalpakkam.
Nuclear power plants
Nuclear power is the fourth-largest
source of electricity in India after thermal,
hydroelectric and renewable sources of
electricity. India has 21 nuclear reactors
in operation in 7 nuclear power plants,
having an installed capacity of 5308 MW
and producing a total of 30,292.91 GWh of
electricity while seven other reactors are
under construction and are expected to
generate an additional 6,100 MW.
Location State
Date
1969 Tarapur Maharashtra
1973 Rawatbhata Rajasthan
1993 Kakrapar Gujarat
2013 Kudankulam Tamil Nadu
2000 Kaiga Karnataka
1984 Kalpakkam Tamil Nadu
1991 Narora Uttar Pradesh
Fatehabad Haryana
 GK-32 PANORAMA
Talcher Super Thermal Power Sta- NTPC 1995 Kaniha Odisha
tion
Sipat Thermal Power Plant NTPC 2008 Sipat Chhattisgarh
Vindhyachal Super Thermal Power NTPC 2013 Singrauli Madhya
Station Pradesh
Mundra Ultra Mega Power Project Tata Power 2009 Mundra Gujarat
Korba Super Thermal Power Plant NTPC 1983 Jamani Palli Chhattisgarh
Bhusawal Thermal Power Station MA- 1968 Deepnagar Maharashtra
HAGENCO
Satpura Thermal Power Station MPPGCL 1967 Sarni Madhya
Pradesh
Sterlite Jharsuguda Power Station Vedanta 2006 Jharsuguda Odisha
Durgapur Thermal Power Station DVC 1996 Durgapur West Bengal

FIRST IN MALE
First Governor of Bengal Lord Clive(1757-60)
Last Governor of Bengal Warren Hastings(1772-74)
The first British Governor General of Bengal Lord Warren Hasting(1774-1885)
The first British Governor General of India Lord William Bentinck(1833-1835)
The first British Viceroy of India Lord Canning(1856-62)
The first Governor General of free India Lord Mountbatten(1947-1948)
The first and the last Indian to be Governor General C. Rajgopalachari(1948-1950)
of free India
The first President of Indian Republic Dr. Rajendra Prasad
The first Prime Minister of free India Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru
The first Indian to win Nobel Prize Rabindranath Tagore
The first President of Indian National Congress W.C. Banerjee
The first Muslim President of Indian National Badruddin Tayyabji
Congress
The first Muslim President of India Dr. Zakir Hussain
The first man who introduced printing press in James Hicky
India
The first Indian to join the I.C.S Satyendra Nath Tagore
India’s first man in Space Rakesh Sharma
The first Prime Minister of India who resigned Morarji Desai
without completing the full term
The first Indian Commander-in-Chief of India General Cariappa
The first Chief of Army Staff Gen. Maharaj Rajendra Singhji
The first Indian Member of the Viceroy’s Executive S.P.Sinha
Council
The first President of India who died while in office Dr. Zakir Hussain
The first Prime Minister of India who did not face Charan Singh
the Parliament
The first Field Marshal of India S.H.F. Manekshaw
The first Indian to get Nobel Prize in Physics C.V.Raman

India has the largest non-ceremonial horse mounted cavalry unit remaining the world.
PANORAMA GK-33

The first Indian to receive Bharat Ratna award Dr. Radhakrishnan

The first Indian to cross English Channel Mihir Sen
The first Person to receive Jnanpith award Sri Shankar Kurup
The first Speaker of the Lok Sabha Ganesh Vasudeva Mavalankar
The first Vice-President of India Dr. Radhakrishnan
The first Education Minister Abdul Kalam Azad
The first Home Minister of India Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel
The first Indian Air Chief Marshal S. Mukherjee
The first Indian Naval Chief Vice Admiral R.D. Katari
The first Judge of International Court of Justice Dr. Nagendra Singh
The first person to reach Mt. Everest without oxygen Sherpa Anga Dorjee
The first person to get Param Vir Chakra Major Somnath Sharma
The first Chief Election Commissioner Sukumar Sen
The first person to receive Magsaysay Award Acharya Vinoba Bhave
The first person of Indian origin to receive Nobel Hargovind Khurana
Prize in Medicine
The first Chinese traveller to visit India Fa-hein
The first person to receive Stalin Prize Saifuddin Kitchlu
The first person to resign from the Central Cabinet Shyama Prasad Mukherjee
The first person to receive Nobel Prize in Economics Amartya Sen
The first Chief Justice of Supreme Court Justice Hirala J. Kania
The first Indian Pilot J.R.D. Tata (1929)
FIRST IN FEMALE
The first lady to become Miss World Rita Faria
The first woman judge in Supreme Court Mrs. Meera Sahib Fatima Bibi
The first woman Ambassador Miss C.B. Muthamma
The first woman Governor of a state in free India Mrs Sarojini Naidu
The first woman Speaker of a State Assembly Shanno Devi
The first woman Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi
The first woman Minister in a Government Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
The first woman to climb Mount Everest Bachhendri Pal
The first woman to climb Mount Everest twice Santosh Yadav
The first woman President of Indian National Congress
Mrs Annie Besant
The first woman pilot in Indian Air Force Harita Kaur Dayal
The first woman Graduates Kadambini Ganguly and Chandramukhi
Basu, 1883
The first woman Airline Pilot Durga Banerjee
The first woman Honours Graduate Kamini Roy, 1886
The first woman Olympic medal Winner Karnam Malleswari, 2000
The first woman Asian Games Gold Medal Winner Kamlijit Sandhu
The first woman Lawyer Cornelia Sorabjee
The first woman President of United Nations General Mrs Vijaya Laxmi Pandit
Assembly

Nuclear research in India first began at the Institute of Fundamental Research (IFR) form 1944 onwards.
 GK-34 PANORAMA
The first woman Chief Minister of an Indian State Mrs Sucheta Kripalani
The first woman Chairman of Union Public Service Roze Millian Bethew
Commission
The first woman Director General of Police Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya
The first woman Judge Anna Chandy (She became judge in a
district court in 1937)
The first woman Chief Justice of High Court Mrs Leela Seth (Himachal Pradesh High
Court)
The first woman Judge in Supreme Court of India Kumari Justice M. Fathima Beevi
The first woman Lieutenant General Puneeta Arora
The first woman Air Vice Marshal P. Bandopadhyaya
The first woman chairperson of Indian Airlines Sushma Chawla
The first woman IPS officer Mrs. Kiran Bedi
The first and last Muslim woman ruler of India Razia Sultan
The first woman to receive Ashoka Chakra Neerja Bhanot
The first woman to receive Jnanpith Award Ashapurna Devi
The first woman to cross English Channel Aarti Saha
The first woman to receive Nobel Prize Mother Teresa
The first woman to receive Bharat Ratna Mrs Indira Gandhi
The first woman to receive Jnanpith Award Ashapurna Devi
FIRST IN OTHERS
First Wax statue of a Living Indian Mahatma Gandhi at Madame Tussaud’s in 1939
First Exclusive internet magazine Bharat Samachar
First Miss India to participate in Miss Universe Indrani Rehman
First Judge in International Court of Justice Dr. Nagender Singh
First Graduate in Medicine Soorjo Coomar Goodeve Chukerbutty
India’s First University Nalanda University
India’s First Open University Andhra Pradesh Open University
India’s First Lok Sabha Member to be elected P.V.Narasimha Rao
with a record maximum number of votes
First Indian to reach Antarctica Lt. Ram Charan
First Test tube baby of India Indira (Baby Harsha)
First Post Office opened in India Kolkata(1727)

SUPERLATIVES Hydel Project in Kinnaur district of

Structures Himachal Pradesh.
•• Highest Mountain Peak- Kanchenjunga
•• Highest Tower ( Minaret ) – Qutub Minar
•• Highest Road- Road at Khardungla in
•• Higher Gateway – Buland Darwaza at the Leh-Manali Sector
Fatehpur Sikri near Agra. Built by Akbar •• Highest Waterfall- Jog Waterfall,
(53.5 m /175 ft High) Karnataka
•• Highest Dam – Bhakra Dam •• Largest Residence – Antilia Bhawan
built by Mukesh Ambani
•• Highest Bridge – Chenab Bridge
•• Largest Cinema Hall – Prasad Max,
•• Highest Airport- Leh Air Port in Ladakh Hyderabad
(3256 m/ 16080 ft high) •• Largest Museum – National Museum Delhi
•• Highest Hydel Power Station- Rongtong •• Largest River Barrage – Farakka Barrage
Takshila is said to be the first ever university in the world; it started around 700 BC.
PANORAMA GK-35

•• Biggest Auditorium (Mumbai) – Sri •• Tallest Light House – Jakhau, light hour,
Shanmukhanand Hall Gujarat
•• Largest zoo – Arignar Anna Zoological •• Tallest Statues – Statue of Jain Saint
Park Gomateswara at Sravanabelagola in
•• Largest Cave Temple – Ellora Karnataka
•• Largest Gurudwara – Golden Temple, •• Tallest Chimber – Hanuman Swami
Amritsar
statue with 135ft. tall.
•• Largest Mosque – Jama Masjid, Delhi
(built by Shah Jahan in 1644-58) •• Oldest Church- St. Thomas Church at
•• Largest Man-made Lake – Govind Sagar Palayar in Trichur district in Kerala
(Bhakra) built in 52 AD.
•• Largest Dome – Gol Gumbaz •• Oldest Monastery- Buddhist Monastery,
(Karnataka) (situated at an altitude of 3,048 m
•• Largest Cantilever Bridge – Howrah /10,000 ft) at Tawang in Arunachal
Bridge Pradesh.
•• Longest Railway Tunnel- Pir Panjal •• Largest mall- Lulu Mall Kochi
Railway Tunnel (11 km) •• Most Populous City- Mumbai
•• Longest Road Tunnel - 9.2 km long
tunnel on Jammu-Srinagar National Natural
Highway •• Longest River – Ganges
•• Largest Public Sector Bank- State Bank •• Largest Desert – Thar ( Rajasthan)
of India •• Largest Lake – Wular Rajasthan
•• Largest Botanical Garden - National •• Largest Fresh Water Lake-Kolleru in
Botanical Garden in Kolkata Andhra Pradesh
•• Largest Church- Se Cathedral at Old Goa, •• Largest Cave- Amarnath (about 44 km
10 km from Panaji.
from Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir)
•• Largest Delta- Sunderbans (75,000 sq km)
formed by the Ganga and Brahmaputra Founders of Indian Institutions
in West Bengal and Bangladesh
•• Largest Stupa- Kesariya Stupa in Bihar •• Arya Samaj-Swami Dayanand Saraswati
•• Largest Library- National Library, Kolkata •• Athmiya Sabha-Raja Ram Mohan Roy
•• Largest Planetarium- Birla Planetarium, •• Brahma Samaj-Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Kolkata. •• Deccan Education Society-G.G.Agarkar,
•• Largest Prison- Tihar Jail, Delhi M.G.Ranade, V.G.Gibhongar
•• Largest Concentration of Scheduled •• Dharma Sabha-Radhakanthadev
Tribes- Madhya Pradesh •• Indian Brahma Samaj-Keshav Chandra
•• Largest Scheduled Caste- Community Sen
Santhal •• Manavadharma Sabha-Durgaram Manjaram
•• Longest River Bridge – Bandra-Worli
•• Prarthana Samaj-Athmaram Pandurang
sea link which is 5.6 km.
•• Largest Corridor – Rameshwaram •• Pune Sewa Sadan-Smt.Remabhai Ranade,
Temple Corridor G.K.Devdhar
•• Largest irrigation Canal-Indira Gandhi •• Ramakrishna Mission-Swami Vivekananda
Canal or Rajasthan Canal (959 km long) •• Sadharan Brahma Samaj-Shivananda
•• Longest Dam-Hirakund Dam on Sashtri, Anand Mohan Bose
Mahanadi river in Odisha (24.4 km •• Servants of India Society-Gopalakrishna
long) Gokhale
•• Longest Glacier-Siachen Glacier on the •• Sewa Sadan-Bahuramji M.Malabari
Indo-Pakistan border (75.6 km long and •• Sewa Samithi-H.N.Kunsru
2.8 km wide) •• Social Service League-N.M.Joshi
•• Longest Railway Bridge Nehru Setu
•• Thathwabodhini Sabha-Debendranatha
Bridge (4.62 km) long
•• Fastest Train-Gatiman Express between Tagore
New Delhi and Agra at a speed of 160 •• Theosophical Society-Madam H.P.Blavadski,
kmph Col.H.L.Olkott
India has largest English speaking population in the world.
 GK-36 PANORAMA
Leader of Nations-Famous Father •• Calcutta- Job Charnock
•• America—George Washington •• Delhi- Anankapalan
•• Bangladesh—Mujibur Rehuman •• Fatehpur Sikri - Akbar
•• China—Sunyatsen •• Hisar- Ferozshah Tuglaq
•• Hyderabad - Quli Qutabshah
•• India—Gandhiji
•• Jodhpur- Rao Jodha
•• Indonesia—Sukarno
•• Mahabalipuram - Narasimhawarman
•• Mauritius—Ramgoolam •• Siri- Alauddin Khilji
•• Namibia—Sam Nujoma •• Vijayanagaram - Hariharan 1
•• Pakistan—Muhammad Ali Jinna
•• Sri Lanka—D.S.Senanayeke Agricultural Revolution
•• Tanzania—Julius Nerera •• Blue Revolution - Fisheries Development
•• Turkey—Musthafa Kamal •• Brown Revolution - Leather Production
•• Grey Revolution - Housing Development
Founders of Towns in India •• Green Revolution - Agriculture Production
•• Agra- Sikandar Lodhi •• Pink Revolution - Drugs & Pharmaceuticals
•• Ahmedabad - Ahmed Shah •• Silver Revolution - Egg Production
•• Ajmer- Ajaypal Chauhan •• White Revolution - Dairy Development
•• Allahabad- Akbar •• Yellow Revolution - Oil Seed Production

SOBRIQUETS
A sobriquet is a nickname, occasionally assumed and often given by another.
Person Primary Names
Anna C N Annadurai
Badshah Khan/ Frontier Gandhi Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Buddha Siddhartha Gautama
Chacha Jawahar Lal Nehru
Deenabandhu C F Andrews
Deshbandhu C. R. Das
Father of the Nation Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Grand Old Man of India Dadabhai Naoroji
Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore
Guruji M S Gohlwalkar
Kaviguru Rabindranath Tagore
Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan
Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas K. Gandhi
Man of Peace Lal Bahadur Shastri
Manitas de Plate Flamenco guitarist Ricardo Baliardo
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
Nightingale of India Sarojini Naidu
Panditji Jawahar Lal Nehru
Punjab Kesari Lala Lajpat Rai
Rajaji C Rajagopalachari
Saint of the Gutters Mother Teresa

Bandra worli sealink has steel wires equal to the Earth’s circumference.
PANORAMA GK-37

Father of the Nation Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Haryana Hurricane Kapil Dev
Prince of Kolkata Saurav Ganguly
Places Primary Names
Bengal’s Sorrow Damodar River
Blue Mountain Niligiri Hills
City of Golden Temple Amritsar
City of Palaces Kolkata
Diamond City in India Surat, Gujarat
Garden City of India Bengaluru
Garden of India Kashmir
Gateway of India Mumbai
God’s Own Country Kerala
Land of Five Rivers Punjab
Pink City Jaipur
Queen of Arabian Sea Kochi
Spice Garden of India Kerala
The City of Joy Kolkata
The City of Palaces Kolkata
Venice of East Alleppey
Queen of Arabian Sea Kochi
Garden City of India Bangalore
Blue Mountains Niligiri Hills
Silicon Valley of India Bengaluru
Planned City of India Chandigarh

States & its Slogans
•• Rice bowl of India, Egg bowl of Asia –
Andhra Pradesh.
•• The Orchid state of India or the paradise
of the Botanists- Arunachal Pradesh.
•• Rice bowl of Central India – Chhattisgarh.
•• Jewel of the Western part of India–
Gujarat.
•• State of Apples, Dev Bhoomi (Adobe of
Gods) – Himachal Pradesh
•• Heaven on Earth – Jammu and Kashmir.
•• The Land of Jungles & Jharis (Bushes) –
Jharkhand
•• God’s own country – Kerala
•• Heart of India – Madhya Pradesh
•• Gateway of the East – Manipur
•• The adobe of the clouds – Meghalaya
•• Land of the hill people – Mizoram
•• Falcon capital of the world-Nagaland
•• Granary of India, India’s bread-basket –
Punjab
•• Land of the Gods – Uttarakhand
•• Hindi Heartland of India – Uttar Pradesh

The Indian National Kabaddi Team (Men & Women) has won all the Kabaddi World Cups.
 GK-38 PANORAMA

World Panorama
WORLD COUNTRIES, CAPITAL, LANGUAGE & THEIR CURRENCY

Country Capital Chief Language Currency

Afghanistan Kabul Pushtu Dari Afghani
Algeria Algiers Arabic, French Algerian Dinar
Argentina Buenos Aires Spanish Argentine Peso
Australia Canberra English Australian Dollar
Azerbaijan Baku Azeri Manat
Bahrain Manama Arabic, English Bahraini Dinar
Bangladesh Dhaka Bangla Taka
Belgium Brussels Flemish (Dutch), French, German Euro
Bhutan Thimphu Dzongkha Ngultrum
Bolivia La Paz; Sucre Aymara Spanish, Quechua Boliviano
Bosnia and Her- Sarajevo Serbo-Croatian Conv.Mark
zegovina
Brazil Brazilia Portuguese Real
Bulgaria Sofia Bulgarian Lev
Burkina Faso Ouagadougou French Franc
Cambodia Phnom-Penh Khmer Riel
Canada Ottawa French, English Canadian Dollar
Chile Santiago Spanish Peso
China Beijing Chinese (Mandarin) Yuan
Colombia Bogota Spanish Peso
Congo Kinshasa French Congolese Franc
Formerly Zaire
Costa Rica San Jose Spanish Colon
Croatia Zagreb Croatian Kuna
Cuba Havana Spanish Peso
Czech Prague Czech Koruna
Republic
Denmark Copenhagen Danish Krone
Ecuador Quito Spanish United States dollar
Egypt Cairo Arabic Egyptian Pound
Ethiopia Addis Ababa Amharic Birr
Fiji Suva English Fijian Dollar
Finland Helsinki Finnish, Swedish Euro
France Paris French Euro
French Guiana Cayenne French Euro
Only 8% of the world’s currency is actual physical money.
PANORAMA GK-39

Country Capital Chief Language Currency

Georgia Tbilisi Georgian Lari
Germany Berlin German Euro
Ghana Accra English Ghana Cedi
Greece Athens Greek Euro
Guatemala Guatemala City Spanish Quetzal
Guyana Georgetown English Guyana Dollar
Haiti Port-au-Prince French Gourde
Honduras Tegucigalpa Spanish Lempira
Hong Kong Victoria English, Chinese Hong Kong Dollar
Hungary Budapest Hungarian Forint
India New Delhi Hindi (official), English and 22 Rupee
officially recognised regional
languages
Indonesia Jakarta Bahasa Indonesian, Dutch, English Rupiah
Javanese
Iran Tehran Persian (Farsi), Turk, Kurdish, Arabic Rial
Iraq Baghdad Arabic, Kurdish Iraqi Dinar
Ireland Dublin Irish, English Euro
Israel Jerusalem Hebrew, Arabic Shekel
Italy Rome Italian Euro
Japan Tokyo Japanese Yen
Jordan Amman Arabic, English Jordan Dinar
Kazakhstan Astana Kazakh, Russian, German Tenge
Kenya Nairobi Kiswahili, English, Kikuyu Shilling
Korea, North Pyongyang Korean Won
Korea, South Seoul Korean Won
Kuwait Kuwait city Arabic, English Kuwait Dinar
Lebanon Beirut Arabic, French, English Pound
Libya Tripoli Arabic Libyan Dinar
Luxembourg Luxembourg French, German, English, Luxem- Euro
bourgish
Malaysia Putrajaya Malay, English, Chinese, Tamil Ringgit
(formerly
Kuala Lumpur)
Mauritius Port Louis English, French, Creole, Rupee Mauritian
Hindustani
Mexico Mexico city Spanish, Amerindian Mexico Peso
languages
Mongolia Ulan Bator Mangolian Togrog
Myanmar Naypyidar or Burmese and tribal languages Kyat
Pyinmana (for-
merly Yangon)
Netherlands Amsterdam Dutch Euro
The largest denomination of US Currency was the $ 100,000 bill.
 GK-40 PANORAMA
Country Capital Chief Language Currency
New Zealand Wellington English and Maori dialect New Zealand Dollar
Nigeria Abuja English, Hansa, Ibo, Yoruba Naira
Norway Oslo Norwegian Krone
Oman Muscat Arabic Omani Rial
Pakistan Islamabad Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pusthu, Pakistani Rupee
Baluchi, Brahvi, English
Peru Lima Spanish, Quechua, Aymara Nuero Sol
Philippines Manila Filipino, English, Spanish Peso
Poland Warsaw Polish Zloty
Portugal Lisbon Portuguese Euro
Qatar Doha Arabic, English Riyal (QAR)
Russia Moscow Russian Russian ruble
Saudi Arabia Riyadh Arabic Rial (SAR)
Serbia Belgrade Serbo-Croatian (official), Alba- Dinar
nian
Singapore Singapore city Malay, Chinese, Tamil, English Singapore Dollar
Somalia Mogadishu Arabic, English, Italian Somali Shilling
South Africa Capetown Afrikaans, English Rand
Spain Madrid Spanish, Catalan, Basque, Gali- Euro
cian
Sri Lanka Colombo Sinhala, Tamil, English Sri Lankan Rupee
Sudan Khartoum Arabic, English, Dinka, Nubian Sudanese Pound
Sweden Stockholm Swedish Krona
Switzerland Bern German, French, Italian, Ro- Swiss Franc
mansch
Syria Damascus Arabic, Kurdish, Armenian Syrian Pound
Taiwan Taipei Mandarian Chinese, Taiwan, Hakka New Taiwan Dollar
dialects
Thailand Bangkok Thai, Chinese, English, Malay Thai Baht
Tunisia Tunis Arabic, French Dinar
Turkey Ankara Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic Turkish Lira
Uganda Kampala English, Luganda, Swahili Ugandan Shilling
United Arab Abu Dhabi Arabic Dirham
Emirates
United Kingdom London English, Welsh, Scots, Gaelic Pound Sterling
United States of Washington English Dollar
America D.C.
Venezuela Caracas Spanish Bolivar
Vietnam Hanoi Vietnamese, French, English, Dong
Chinese
Yemen Sana’a Arabic Rial
Zimbabwe Harare English, Shona, Ndebela Dollar (ZWD)

The Bible is the most widely translated book available in 2,454 different languages.
PANORAMA GK-41

WORLD’S GEOGRAPHICAL DISCOVERIES

•• Amundsen (Norwegian)-Discovered •• Magellan-Commanded the first
South Pole in 1912. expedition in 1519 to sail round the world.
•• Byrd-American aviator and polar Discovered passage to the Pacific from
explorer. Flew over the North Pole in the Atlantic through Straits afterwards
1926 and made the first flight over the named after him.
South Pole in 1929. Discovered Edsel Ford •• Marco Polo-Venetian traveller who
mountains and Morei Byrd land. explored China, India, South Eastern
•• Cabot (Venetian)-Discovered New countries and published the record of
Foundland in 1494. his various explorations. He was the first
•• Captain Cook (English)-Discovered European to visit China.
Sandwich (now Hawaiian) Isles in 1770. •• Nansen-Norwegian explorer who
•• Columbus-Discovered West Indies in 1492 explored across Greenland and reached
and South America in 1498. the highest altitude in the North Polar
•• Copernicus-Discovered Solar System Region.
in 1540. Propounded the astronomical •• Peary, Robert-First to reach the North
system which bears his name. Pole in 1909.
•• David Livingstone-Discovered course of •• Pedro Alvares Cabral (Portuguese) -
the Zambesi, the Victoria Falls and Lake Discovered Brazil in 1500.
Nyasa in Africa. •• Shackleton-Arctic explorer, reached
•• Edmund Hillary-Joint conqueror of within 160 km of the South Pole.
Mount Everest with Tenzing. He also led •• Sven Hedin-Swedish explorer. Made
a Trans-Atlantic expedition and reached great contribution to the geographic and
South Pole on January 3, 1958. archaeological knowledge of large areas
•• Ferdinand de Lesseps-Conceived the of Central Asia.
plan of the Suez Canal on which work was •• Iksman-Dutch navigator, discovered the
completed in 1869 through his efforts. Tasmania Island and New Zealand in 1642.
•• Francis Younghusband-Explored the •• Tenzing (Indian)-First to reach Mount
frontier regions of India, China and Tibet. Everest on 29th May, 1953 along with
•• Kepler-Discovered the Laws of Planetary Edmund Hillary. The expedition was led
Motion in 1609. by Col. Sir John Hunt.
•• Lindbergh-Performed the first solo-flight •• Vasco da Gama (Portuguese)-Rounded
across the Atlantic in 1927 from New York the Cape of Good Hope and discovered
to Paris. the sea route to India in 1498.
NATIONAL ANIMALS OF THE MAJOR COUNTRIES
Country Animals Country Animal
Afghanistan Snow Leopard Nepal Cow
Albania Golden Eagle New Zealand Kiwi
Australia Kangaroo Pakistan Markhor
Bangladesh Royal Bengal tiger South Africa Springbok
Brazil Macaw Spain Bull
Canada North American beaver United Kingdom Barbary Lion
China Panda, Red Crowned Crane United States Bald Eagle
Denmark Mute Swan India Bengal Tiger
Japan Green Pheasant Kuwait Camel
Myanmar Tiger Belgium Lion

France covers the most time zone covering 12 time zones.

 GK-42 PANORAMA
OFFICIAL BOOKS
Blue Book : An official report of the British Government
Green Book : An official publication of Italy and Persia
Grey Book : An official reports of the Government of Japan and Belgium
Orange Book : An official Publications of the Government of Netherlands
White Book : An official Publications of China, Germany and Portugal
Yellow Book : French official Book
White Paper : An official paper of the Government of Britain and India on a particular issue
Red Data Book : Russian official book which contains lists of species whose continued
existence is threatened.

INTERNATIONAL AWARDS
Nobel Prize
• It was set up in 1895 under the will of
Alfred Nobel.
• The Nobel prizes are presented annually
on 10 December (The death anniversary
of the founder).
• It is given in the fields of Peace,
Literature, Physics, Chemistry,
Physiology or Medicine (from 1901)
and Economics (from 1969).
Nobel Prize (Indian/Indian origin)
1913: L
 iterature: Rabindranath Tagore;
was the first Asian to win the prize
1930: Physics: C. V. Raman
1968: M
 edicine: Har Gobind Khorana; US
citizen of Indian origin
1979: P
 eace: Mother Teresa; Indian citi-
zen of Albanian origin
1998: Economics: Amartya Sen
2009: C
 hemistry: Venkatraman Ramak-
rishnan; US citizen of Indian origin
2014: Peace: Kailash Sathyarthi
Pulitzer Prize
• Instituted in 1917 and named after US
publisher Joseph Pulitzer.
• It is conferred annually in the United
States for the accomplishments in
journalism, literature and music.
Magsaysay Awards
• Instituted in 1957. Named after Ramon
Magsaysay, the former President of
Philippines.
In 1939-1943, no Nobel Peace Prizes were awarded due to World War II.
• The award is given annually on August
31, the birth anniversary of Magsaysay,
for outstanding contributions in Public
service, Community Leadership,
Journalism, Literature & Creative Arts
and International Understanding.
Man Booker Prize
• Instituted in 1968, is the highest literary
award of the world, set up by the Booker
Company and the British Publishers
Association along the lines of the Pulitzer
Prize of USA.
Right Livelihood Award
• The Right Livelihood Award was
established in 1980.
• It is also referred as “Alternative Nobel
Prize”.
• It is given to honour those “working on
practical and exemplary solutions to the
most urgent challenges facing the world
today.”
Oscar Awards
• Instituted in 1929, are conferred
annually by the Academy of Motion
Pictures, Arts and Sciences, USA, in
recognition of outstanding contribution
in the various fields of film making.
UN Human Rights Award
• Instituted in 1966, this award is given
every 5 years for individual contributions
to the establishment of human rights.
PANORAMA GK-43

UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize

• Instituted by UNESCO (1995) for the promotion of tolerance and non-violence on the
occasion of the UN Year of Tolerance and the 125th birth Anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhi funded by a donation from Madanjeet Singh.

INTERNATIONAL BOOKS & AUTHORS

Writer Book
Adam Smith Wealth of Nations
Adolf Hitler Mein Kamph
Albert Einstein The World as I See it
Alexander Solzhenitsyn August 1914
A. L. Basham The Wonder that was India
Anton Chekhov Cherry Orchard
Arthur Hailey Airport
Aristotle Politics
Boris Pasternak Dr. Zhivago
David Baldacci Absolute Power
Dante Divine Comedy
E.M. Forster A Passage to India, Maurice
Homer Odyssey, Illiad
H. G. Wells Shape of Things to Come
Harold Evans Good Times, Bad Times
Henry Miller Tropic of Cancer
Issac Newton Principia
Katherine Mayo Mother India
Machiavelli The Prince
Maxim Gorky Mother
Plato Republic
Jean J. Rousseau The Social Contract
John Milton Paradise Lost, Lycidas
Winston Churchill Gathering Storm
George Orwell Farm House, Animal Farm
Charles Darwin Descent of Man, Origin of Species
William Shakespeare Commedy of Errors, As You Like It, A Mid Summer Night’s
Dream, Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello
George Bernard Shaw Major Barbara, Man and Superman, Apple Carte, Arms and the
Man, Pygmalion, Caesar and Cleopatra, Candida
Charles Dickens A Table of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield.
The largest book in the world is “The Klencke Atlas” at 1.75 metres tall & 1.90 metres wide.
 GK-44 PANORAMA
J. K. Galbraith Affluent Society, Ambassador’s Journal, The Triumph
Herold Joseph Laski Grammar of Politics, Dilema of Our Time
J.M. Barrie Hindu Civilization, Peter Pan
Gunnar Myrdal Against the Stream, Asian Drama
Leo Tolstoy War and Peace
Z. A. Bhutto Great Tragedy
Vladimir Nabokov Lolita
Mao-tse Tung On Contradiction

7 WONDERS OF MODERN WORLD

Christ the Redeemer Brazil Petra Jordan
Great Wall of China China The Colosseum, Rome Italy
Machu Picchu Peru The Taj Mahal India
Chichen Itza Mexico

7 WONDERS OF ANCIENT WORLD

The Great Pyramid Giza, Egypt
Hanging Garden Babylon
Statue of Zeus Olympia, Greece
Temple of Artemis Ephesus, Asia Minor
Mausoleum Halicarnassus, Modern Turkey.
Colossus of Rhodes Greece
Lighthouse Alexandria, Egypt

WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES

Detective Agency Country Detective Agency Country

Ministry of State Security China VAJA Iran
Australian Secret Intelligence Australia MOSSAD Israel
Service (ASIS)
FSB Russia Egyption Homeland Security Egypt
State Security Agency South Africa PSIA Japan
Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) Pakistan Iraqi National Intelligence Iraq
Service
MI (Military Intelligence) 5 UK Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), USA
and 6, Special Branch, Joint Federal Bureau of investigation (FBI)
Intelligence org
Research and Analysis wing India DGSE (Direction General Dela France
(RAW), Intelligence Bureau (IB) Securite Exterieure

The Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made construction in the world for almost 4, 000 years.
PANORAMA GK-45

FATHER OF VARIOUS FIELDS

Field Father Field Father

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

SOBRIQUETS
A sobriquet is a nickname, occasionally assumed and often given by another. The sobriquet
can become more familiar than the original name.
Sobriquets Primary Names
Angel of Death Josef Mengele
Bard of Avon William Shakespeare
Bard of Twickenham Alexander Pope
Bloody Mary Mary I of England
Bonnie Prince Charlie Charles Edward Stuart
Brangelina Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus
Canuck Canadian, from Johnny Canuck
Der Alte (the old man) Konrad Adenauer
Desert Fox Erwin Rommel
Diamond Dave David Lee Roth, Singer
Digger Australian soldier
Dr. Death Jack Kevorkian, proponent of assisted suicide
Dubya George W. Bush
EI Caudillo Francisco Franco
Father of his country George Washington
Fuhrer Adolf Hitler

Burj Khalifa in Dubai, is the tallest building in the world.

 GK-46 PANORAMA
Sobriquets Primary Names
Genghis Khan Temüjin
Grand Old Man of Britain Willian Ewart Glandstone
Hanoi Jane Jane Fonda
Honest Abe Abraham Lincoln
Ike Dwight David Eisenhower
Iron Duke Duke of Wellington
Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher
King James LeBron James, American basketball player
Lady with the Lamp Florence Nightingale
Little Richard Rev. Richard Wayne Penniman, a prominent figure in
rock n’ roll.
Madge Madonna
Madiba Nelson Mandela
Maid of Orleans Joan of Arc
Man of Blood and Iron Otto Von Bismark
Man of Destiny Napolean Bonaparte
Old Blood and Guts George S. Patton
Old Blue Eyes Frank Sinatra, entertainer
Old Hickory Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States
Old Kinderhook (OK) Martin Van Buren, 8th President of the United States
Old Nick Santa
Old Rough and Ready Zachary Taylor
Old St. Nick Santa
Pelê Edson Arantes do Nascimento
Prince of the Humanists Desiderius Erasmus
Qaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Saint Jimmy Billie Joe Armstrong
Satchmo Louis Armstrong
Slick Willy U.S. President Bill Clinton
Slowhand Eric Clapton
Sting Gordon Summer, British rock musician
The Bard William Shakespeare
The Bird Mark Fidrych, Baseball pitcher
The Boss Bruce Springsteen
The Cincinnatus of the Americans George Washington
The Duke John Wayne
The Fab Four The Beatles
The Godfather of Soul James Brown
The Golden Bear Jack Nicklaus
The Great Commoner William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (“Pitt the elder”) or
William Jennings Bryan

Ireland has absolutely no snakes.

PANORAMA GK-47

Sobriquets Primary Names

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

PLACES
Beantown Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Blighty Great Britain (used by British servicemen abroad and
expatriates)
Brass Fountain PPSh-41
Brew City Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Brisvegas Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Britain of South New Zealand
Chocolate City Washington, D.C., so named because of its majority African-
American population
City of Brotherly Love Philadelphia
City of Dreaming Spires Oxford, England
City of Golden Gate San Francisco, USA
City of Magnificent Washington D.C., USA
Distances
City of Seven Hills Rome, Italy
City of Skyscrapers New York, USA
Cockpit of Europe Belgium
Dark Continent Africa
Empire City New York, USA
Eternal City Rome, Italy
Forbidden City Lhasa, Tibet
South Africa has three Capital cities Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (Legislative) & Bloemfontein (Judicial).
 GK-48 PANORAMA
Frisco San Francisco, California
Garden of England Kent, England
Garrincha Manoel Francisco dos Santos
Gate of Tears Bab-el-mandab, Jerusalem
Gift of Nile Egypt
Gotham New York
Granite City Aberdeen, Scotland
Great White Way Broadway, New York, USA
Hermit Kingdom Korea
Herring Pond Atlantic Ocean
Hogtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Holy Land Palestine
Humming Bird Trinidad
Island of Cloves Madagascar
Island of Pearls Bahrain
Key of Mediterranean Gibraltar
Land of Cakes Scotland
Land of Canals Netherlands
Land of Golden Pagoda Myanmar (Burma)
Land of Lilies Canada
Land of Maple Canada
Land of Midnight Sun Norway
Land of Morning Calm Korea
Land of Rising Sun Japan
Land of the Golden Fleece Australia
Land of Thousand Lakes Finland
Land of Thunderbolt Bhutan
Land of White Elephants Thailand
Land of Windmills Netherlands
Manchester of Japan Osaka
Never Never Land Prairies of N.Australia
Pearl of the Antilles Cuba
Pearl of the Orient Philippines
Perfidious Albion Great Britain
Pillars of Hercules Strait of Gibraltar
Playground of Europe Switzerland
Port of Five Seas Moscow
Powder Keg of Europe Balkans
Quaker City Philadelphia, USA
Queen of Adriatic Venice, Italy
Roof of the World Pamirs, Central Asia
Lion Capital of Ashoka, the state Emblem of India was adopted on 26th January 1950.
PANORAMA GK-49

Sick Man of Europe Turkey

Sin City Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Sorrow of China River Hwang Ho
Sugar Bowl of the World Cuba
The Antipodes Australia and New Zealand
The Battlefield of Europe Belgium
The Bayou City Houston, Texas, USA
The Big Apple New York City
The Big D Dallas, Texas, USA
The Big Easy New Orleans, Louisiana
The Big Smoke Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The City of Light Paris
The City or The City by San Francisco, California
the Bay
The Dragon China (as an economy)
The Emerald City Seattle, Washington, USA
The Emerald Isle Ireland and Puerto Rico
The Enchanted Isle (from ‘la isla del encanto’) Puerto Rico
The Federal City Washington D.C.
The Fourth Estate The Press
The Mother-in-law of Denmark
Europe
The Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court in England
The Old Lady of The Bank of England
Threadneedle Street
The Old Smoke London
The Paris of the South São Paulo and Buenos Aires
The Paris of the West San Francisco, USA
Tie Rock (prison) Alcatraz Prison
The Steel City Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Windy City Chicago, Illinois, USA
Tinseltown Hollywood, California, USA
Venice of the North Stockholm
Westminster The British Parliament
White City Belgrade, Yugoslavia
White House The executive branch of the government of the United States
White Man’s Grave Guinea Coast
Whitehall The British government including Parliament but excluding the
monarchy
World’s Bread basket Prairies of N. America
World’s Loneliest Island Tristan De Gunha (Mid-Atlantic)
Yellow River Huang He (China)
Germany Chancellor’s office is informally called as “The Washing Machine”.
 GK-50 PANORAMA

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

FIRST IN THE WORLD

The first person to reach Mount Everest Sherpa Tenzing, Edmund Hillary
The first person to reach North Pole Robert Peary
The first person to reach South Pole Amundsen
The first religion of the world Hinduism
The first country to print book China
The first country to issue paper currency China
The first country to commence competitive China
examination in civil services
The first President of the U.S.A George Washington
The first Prime Minister of Britain Robert Walpole
The first Secretary General of the United Nations Trygve Lie
The first country to win football World cup Uruguay
The first country to prepare a constitution U.S.A
The first Governor General of Pakistan Mohd. Ali Jinnah
The first country to host NAM summit Belgrade (Yugoslavia)
The first European to attack India Alexander, The Great
The first European to reach China Marco Polo
The first person to fly aeroplane Wright Brothers
The first person to sail round the world Magellan
The first country to send man to the moon U.S.A
The first country to launch Artificial satellite in the space Russia
The first country to host the modern Olympics Greece
The first city on which the atom bomb was dropped Hiroshima (Japan)
The first person to land on the moon Neil Armstrong followed by Edwin
E. Aldrin
The first shuttle to go in space Columbia
Indonesian Kawah Ijeh volcano spews blue molten Sulphur Lava.
PANORAMA GK-51

The first spacecraft to reach on Mars Viking-I

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

SUPERLATIVES
Tallest Animal on (land) Giraffe
Biggest Bell Great Bell at Moscow
Fastest Bird Swift
Largest Bird Ostrich
Smallest Bird Humming Bird
Longest Bridge (Railway) Lower Zambeji (Africa )
Tallest Building Burj khalifa, Dubai (U.A.E)
Tallest Office Building Patronas Twin Towers Kuala Lampur (Malaysia)
Longest Big Ship Canal Seuz Canal (Linkin red sea & Mediterranean)
Busiest Canal (Ship) Baltic White Sea Canal (152 miles)
Biggest Cinema House Roxy (New York)
Highest City Wen Chuwan (Tibet, China) 16,732 ft.
Largest City (in population) Tokyo [(3,42,00000), Est. population in 2006]
Biggest City in (area) Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia (41225 sq. km.)
Largest Continent Asia
Smallest Continent Australia
Largest Country (in population) China
Largest Country (in area) Russia
Largest Coral Formation The Great Barrier Reef (Australia)
Largest Dam Grand Coulee- Concrete Dam (U.S.A)
Longest Day June 21 (in Northern Hemisphere)
Shortest Day Dec. 22(in Northern Hemisphere)
Largest Delta Sundarbans, India (8000 sq. miles)
Longest Desert (World) Sahara, Africa (84, 00,000 sq. km.)
Largest Diamond The Cullinan (over 1 ½ 1b.)
Biggest Dome Gol Gumbaz (Bijapur), (Old archi) 144 ft. diameter.
Biggest Dome (New Archi) Astrodome, Sports
Longest Epic The Mahabharata
Largest Island Greenland (renamed Kalaallit Nunaat)
There are 196 countries in the world today.
 GK-52 PANORAMA
Largest Lake (Artificial) Lake Mead (Bouler)
Deepest Lake Baikal (Siberia); average depth2300 ft.
Highest Lake Titicaca (Bolivia) 12645 ft. above sea level.
Largest Lake (Fresh Water) Lake Superior, U.S.A
Largest Lake (Salt Water) Caspian Sea 3, 71,000 sq. km.)
Largest Mosque Masjid-al-Haram (Mecca-Saudi Arabia) surrounds the
Kaaba
Biggest Library National Kiev Library,Moscow & Library of the Congress,
Washington)
Highest Mountain peak (World) Mt. Everest, Himalayas
Longest Mountain Range Andes (S.America) 5,500 miles in length
Biggest Museum British Museum (London)
Tallest Minaret (Free Standing) Qutub Minar, Delhi 238 ft.
Tallest Minaret Great Hassan Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco
Deepest & Biggest Ocean The Pacific
Largest Palace Imperial Palace (Gugong), Beijing (China)
Largest Park National Park, Greenland
Largest Peninsula Arabic (32,50,000 sq. km.)
Coldest Place or Region Verkhoyansk (Syberia), Temperature – 85° C
Driest Place Death Valley (California); rainfall 1 ½ inch.
Hottest Place (World) Al-Aziziyah (Libya, Africa) 136°F
Largest Planet Jupiter
Brightest and Hottest Planet Venus
(also nearest to Earth)
Farthest planet (from the Sun) Neptune
Nearest Planet (to the Sun) Mercury
Smallest Planet Mercury
Highest Plateau Pamir (Tibet)
Longest Platform (Railway) Kharagpur W.B, India (833m)
Largest Platform (Railway) Grand Central terminal, New York (U.S.A)
Largest Port Port of New York & New Jersey (U.S.A)
Busiest Port Rotterdam (the Netherlands)
Longest Railway Trans-Siberian Railway (6,000 miles Long)
Longest River Nile (6690 km), Amazon (6570 km.)
Longest River Dam Hirakund Dam (Odisha), India 15.8 miles.
Largest sea-bird Albatross
Largest Sea (inland) Mediterranean Sea
Brightest Star Sirius (also called Dog star)
Tallest statue Statue of Liberty, New York (U.S.A), 150 ft. high.
Tallest Statue (Bronze) Bronze Statue of Lord Buddha, Tokyo (Japan).
Longest Swimming Course English Channel
Tallest Tower C.N Tower Toronto (Canada)
Longest Train nonstop Flying Scoutsman
Longest Tunnel (Railway) Seikan Rail Tunnel (Japan), (53.85 km.)
The world’s newest country is South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011.
PANORAMA
Longest & Largest Canal Tunnel Le Rove Tunnel (South of France)
Longest Tunnel (Road)
Highest Volcano
Largest Volcano
Longest Wall
Highest Waterfall
Longest Strait
Broadest Strait
Narrowest strait
Largest Bay
Largest Gulf
Largest Archipelago
Tallest Active Geyser
Largest River Basin
World Rainiest Spot
Largest Gorge
Lightest gas
Lightest Metal
Highest Melting Point
Hardest Substance
Longest Animal
Longest Life Span of an Animal 190 to 200 years, (Giant tortoise)
Largest Land Animal
Fastest Animal
Longest Jump Animal
Longest wing Spread Bird
Slowest Animal
Domestic Dog
Fastest Dog
Longest poisonous snake
Biggest Flower
Largest Stadium
Largest Church
Largest Temple
Largest Diamond mine
Largest River in volume
Longest Corridor
Highest Straight Dam
Highest Capital City
Largest Asian Desert
Largest Democracy
Longest Thoroughfare
193 countries are UN members. The exceptions are Taiwan, Vatican city & Kosovo.
GK-53
Laerdal, Norway
Ojos Del Salado, Andes Argentine-Chile (6,885 m.)
Mauna Lao (Hawaii)
Great Wall of China (1500 miles)
Salto Angel Falls (Venezuela)
Tartar Strait (Sakhalin Island & the Russian mainland)
Davis Straits (Greenland & Baffin Island, (Canada)
Chaliks-45 yards (Between the Greek mainland the island
of Euboea in the Aegean Sea)
Hudson Bay, Canada (Shore line 7623 miles)
Gulf of Mexico,( shoreline 2100 miles)
Indonesia (over 3,000 Islands)
Giant (Geyser ) Yellowstone Park, U.S.A 200 ft. high
Amazon Basin- 27, 20,000 sq. mile.
Cherrapunji (Mawsynram), India
Grand Canyon, on the Colorado River, U.S.A
Hydrogen
Lithium
Tungsten, 3,410`C
Diamond
Blue Whale, (recorded length 106 ft. weight-195 tons)
African Bush Elephant
Cheetah (Leopard ) 70 m.p.h
Kangaroo
Albatross
Snail
Irish Wolf Hound
Persian Grey Hound (speed 43 m.p.h)
King Cobra
Raffesia (Java)
Strahov stadium in Prague, (the Czech Republic)
Basilica of St. Peter, Vatican City, Rome, Italy
Angkor Vat (Combodia)
Kimbarley (S. Africa)
Amazon, Brazil
Rameshwaram Temple’s Corridor (5000 ft.)
Bhakhra Dam
La Paz (Bolivia)
Gobi, Mongolia
India
Verazano-Narrows, New York City Harbour
 GK-54 PANORAMA
Largest Neck Animal Giraffe
Largest Animal of the Cat Lion
Family
Most Intelligent Animal Chimpanzee
Bird, that never makes its nests Cuckoo
Wingless Bird Kiwi
Reptile which changes its Chameleon
colours
Largest Mammal Whale
FAMOUS LANDMARKS AROUND •• Niagara Falls: Border of Ontario
THE WORLD (Canada) and New York (USA)
•• The Statue of Liberty in New York: USA •• Angkor Wat: Cambodia
•• The Eiffel tower in Paris: France •• St. Peter’s Cathedral: Vatican City
•• St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow: Russia •• Mount Rushmore: South Dakota
•• The Great Sphinx at Giza, The Pyramids •• The Grand Canyon: Arizona
of Giza: Egypt •• Sydney Opera House: Australia
•• Neptune and the Place of Versailles: •• Forbidden City: Beijing
France •• The Colosseum: Rome, Italy
•• The Great wall of China: China •• The Empire State Building: New York
•• The Taj Mahal in Agra: India •• Abu Simbel: Egypt
•• Christ the Redeemer: Rio de Janeiro •• Tower of Pisa: Italy
•• Mecca: Saudi Arabia •• The Burj al Arab Hotel: Dubai
•• Brandenburg Gate in Berlin: Germany •• Stonehenge: Wiltshire, United Kingdom
•• Acropolis of Athens: Greece •• Big Ben: London
THE NATIONAL EMBLEMS OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
Country Emblem Country Emblem
Australia Kangaroo Bangladesh Water Lily
Barbados Head of a Trident Belgium Lion
Canada White Lily Chile Candor & Huemul
Denmark Beach Dominica Sisserou Parrot
France Lily Germany Corn Flower
Guyana Canje Pheasant Hong Kong Bauhinia (Orchid Tree)
India Lioned Capital Iran Rose
Ireland Shamrock Israel Candelabrum
Italy White Lily Ivory Coast Elephant
Japan Chrysanthemum Lebanon Cedar Tree
Luxembourg Lion with Crown Mongolia The Soyombo
Netherlands Lion New Zealand Southern Cross, Kiwi, Fern
Norway Lion Pakistan Crescent
Papua New Bird of paradise Spain Eagle
Guinea Sierra Leone Lion
Sri Lanka Lion Sudan Secretary Bird
Syria Eagle Turkey Crescent & Star
U.K. Rose
The Statue of Liberty was originally dull brown in colour, but slowly turned green due to oxidation of its copper plates.
PANORAMA
IMPORTANT DAYS OF THE YEAR
9th January: NRI Day
10th January: World Laughter Day
12th January: National Youth Day
15th January: Indian Army Day
23rd January: Netaji Subhash Chandra
Bose’s birth anniversary
24th January: National Girl Child Day
25th January: National Tourism Day
26th January: Republic Day
29th January: National Newspaper Day
30th January: Martyr’s Day
2nd February: World Wetlands Day
4th February: World Cancer Day
13th February: World Radio Day
14th February: St. Valentine’s Day
21st February: International Mother
Language Day
28th February: National Science Day
8th March: International Women’s Day and
Mother’s day
13th March: No Smoking Day
15th March: World Consumer Rights Day
22nd March: World Water Day
23rd March: World Meteorological Day
24th March: World Tuberculosis Day
27th March: World Theatre Day
2nd April: World Autism Awareness Day
7th April: World Health Day
18th April: World Heritage Day
22nd April: World Earth Day
25th April: World Malaria Day
30th April: World Jazz Day
1st May: International Labour Day
3rd May: World Asthma Day
5th May: World Athletics Day
GK-55
8th May: International Red Cross Day
11th May: National Technology Day
17th May: World Telecommunications Day
20th May: World Refugee Day
21st May: Anti-terrorism Day
24th May: Commonwealth Day
31st May: World No Tobacco Day
1st June: World Milk Day
5th June: World Environment Day
8th June: World Ocean Day
20th June: International Refugee Day
21st June: International Yoga Day
23rd June: International Olympic Day
27th June: World Diabetes Day
1st July: World Doctor’s Day Van Mahotsav
Week (1st July to 7th July)
11th July: World Population Day
26th July: Kargil Victory Day
28th July: World Hepatitis Day
29th July: International Tiger Day
30th July: International Day of Friendship
6th August: Hiroshima Day
12th August: International Youth Day
15th August: India’s Independence Day
19th August: World Humanitarian Day
29th August: National Sports Day
5th September: Teacher’s Day
8th September: International Literacy Day
14th September: Hindi Day
15th September: World Engineer’s Day
16th September: World Ozone Day
18th September: International Day of
Peace
21st September: Biosphere Day
 GK-56 PANORAMA
24th September: Girl Child Day
25th September: Social Justice Day, World
Maritime Day
27th September: World Tourism Day
1st October: International Music Day
2nd October: Gandhi Jayanti, International
Non-Violence Day
3rd October: World Habitat Day
8th October: National Air force Day
9th October: World Postal Day National
Postal Week (9th October to 14th October)
12th October: World Sight Day
16th October: World Food Day
31st October: National Integration Day
7th November: World Cancer Awareness
Day
11th November: National Education Day
14th November: Children’s Day
16th November: National Press Day
21st November: World Fisheries Day,
World Hello Day, World Television Day
25th November: International Day for the
Elimination of Violence against Women
26th November: National Constitution day
26th November: National Milk day
30th November: Flag Day
3rd December: World Conservation Day
5th December: World Soil Day
7th December: Armed Forces Flag Day
9th December: International Day against
Corruption, National Immunization Day
10th December: World Human Rights Day,
International Broadcasting Day
11th December: UNICEF Day
14th December: National Energy
Conservation Day
16th December: Vijay Diwas
22nd December: National Mathematics
Day
23rd December: Kisan Diwas (Farmers’ Day)
PEOPLE FOREVER GK-57
PEOPLE FOREVER
SCIENTIFIC PERSONALITIES
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 14th March 1879 to 18th
April 1955
•• Germany
•• Physics
Work :
Albert •• Theory of General relativity
and special relativity
Einstein
•• Law of the photoelectric effect
Duration, Place & Field :
•• October 21, 1833 to 10
December 1896
•• Stockholm, Sweden
•• Chemistry, engineering
Alfred Work :
Bernhard •• Invention of Dynamite
Nobel •• Patron of Nobel Prizes
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 15 Oct 1931 to 27 July 2015
•• Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
•• Aerospace Science
Work :
A. P. J. Abdul •• Pokhran-II Nuclear Tests in
Kalam 1998
•• 11th President of India
•• Missile technology
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 7 Nov 1888 to 21 Nov 1970
•• Thiruvanaikaval, Tiruchirap-
palli, Tamil Nadu
•• Physics
Work :
C.V. Raman •• Raman effect
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 3rd march 1847 to 2nd
august 1922
•• Edinburgh, Scotland
•• Physics
Alexander Work :
Graham Bell •• Invented telephone
•• Optical Telecommunications
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 25 April, 1874 to 20, July, 1937
•• Bologna, Italy
•• Physics
•• Radiowave
Work :
Guglielmo •• Pioneered the work on long-
Giovanni distance radio transmission
Maria •• Developed Marconi’s Law and
Marconi
a Radio Telegraph System
•• The Inventor of Radio
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 12 August 1919 to 30th
December 1971
•• Ahmedabad, India
•• Physics
Work :
Dr. Vikram •• Founder of Physical
Ambalal
Research Laboratory
Sarabhai •• Indian Institute of
Management, Ahmedabad
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 15th Feb 1564 to 8th Jan 1642
•• Pisa, Italy
•• Astronomy
•• Physician
Galileo Work :
Galilei •• Invented Telescope
•• Father of Observational
Astronomy
•• Father of Modern Physics
•• Father of Scientific Method
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 476 AD to 550 AD
•• Kusumapura (Pataliputra)
(present day Patna)
•• Mathematics
•• Astronomy
Work :
Aryabhatta
•• Aryabhaṭiya
•• Arya-siddhanta
 GK-58 PEOPLE FOREVER
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 26th December 1791 to
18th October 1871
•• London, United Kingdom
•• Mathematics
Work :
Charles •• Father of Computer
Babbage •• Invented First Mechanical
Computer
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 25 December 1642 to 20
March 1727
•• United Kingdom
•• Physics
Sir Isaac •• Mathematicis
Newton Work :
•• His book Philosophie Naturalis
Principia Mathematics based
on classical mechanics
•• He formulated the laws of motion
and universal gravitation
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 19th January 1736 to 25th
August 1819
•• Greenock, Scotland
•• Mechanical Engineer
Work :
James Watt •• Invented steam engine
•• Separate condenser Parallel
motion
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 1 Feb 1550 to 4 April 1617
•• Mathematics
•• Edinburgh, United Kingdom
•• Physics
•• Astronomy
John Napier
Work :
•• Inventor of Algorithm
•• Napier's bones
•• Decimal notation
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 27 Dec 1822 to 28 Sep 1895
•• Dole, France
•• Microbiology
Work :
•• Discovered pasteurization
Louis •• Vaccination for anthrax and
Pasteur rabies
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 7 November 1867 to 4 July 1934
•• Warsaw, Poland
•• Physics
Work :
•• The Theory of Radioactivity
•• Discovered elements; polonium
Marie Curie
and radium
•• First woman to win the Nobel
prize twice
Duration, Place & Field :
•• September 22, 1791 to 25
August, 1867
•• Newington Butts, United
Kingdom
•• Magnetism (Physics)
Michael Work :
Faraday •• His discoveries include the
principles underlying elec-
tromagnetic induction, dia-
magnetism and electrolysis
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 4 Jan 1809 to 6 Jan 1852
•• Coupvray, France
•• Mechanics
Work :
Louis Braille •• Devised Braille system of printing
and writing for the blind
Duration, Place & Field :
•• July 10, 1856 to 7 Jan 1943
•• Smiljan, Croatia
•• Electrical and Mechanical
engineering
•• Physics
Work :
Nikola Tesla •• Induction motor
•• Rotating magnetic field
•• Tesla coil
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 25 Jan 1627 to 31 Dec 1691
•• Lismore, Republic of Ireland
•• Chemistry
Work :
Robert •• Boyle's law
Boyle •• Founder of Modern Chemistry
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 12 November 1896 to 20
June 1987
•• Mumbai
•• Ornithology
•• Natural history
Salim Ali Work :
•• Bombay Natural History Society
•• Handbook of the Birds of
India and Pakistan
•• Known as the birdman of India
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 22 Dec 1887 to 26 April 1920
•• Erode, Tamil Nadu
•• Mathematics
Work :
•• Mathematical analysis
Srinivasa •• Number theory
Ramanujan •• Infinite series
•• Ramanujan prime
•• Ramanujan theta function
PEOPLE FOREVER GK-59

Duration, Place & Field : Duration, Place & Field :

•• Orville: August 19, 1871 to •• 1 Jan 1894 to 4 Feb 1974
January 30, 1948 Dayton, •• Kolkata
Wilbur Ohio-Wilbur: April 16, 1867 •• Quantum mechanics &
and Orville to May 30, 1912 Millville, Mathematical physics
Wright Indiana Work :
•• He is known for Bose–Einstein
•• Pioneer of aviation Satyendra condensate, Bose–Einstein statist-
•• Physics Nath Bose ics, Bose–Einstein distribution,
Work : Bose–Einstein correlations Bose
•• Invented world's first gas, Boson, Ideal Bose equation
successful airplane of state & Photon gas
Duration, Place & Field : Duration, Place & Field :
•• 9 Jan 1922 to 9 November •• Oct 19, 1910 to Aug 21, 1995
2011 •• Lahore, Punjab (Now in
•• Raipur presently in Pakistan Pakistan)
•• Biochemist •• Astrophysics
Work : Work :
•• First to demonstrate the role Subrahmanyan •• Chandrasekhar limit
Har Gobind Chandrasekhar •• Schönberg–Chandrasekhar
of nucleotides in protein
Khorana limit
synthesis
•• Chandrasekhar number
•• Nobel Prize for Physiology
•• Nobel Prize in Physics (1983)
or Medicine, 1968
Duration, Place & Field :
Duration, Place & Field : •• 6 August 1881 to 11 March
•• 30 October 1909 to 24 1955
January 1966 •• Lochfield, East Ayrshire,
•• Bombay Alexander Scotland
•• Nuclear physics Fleming •• Bacteriology, immunology
Homi J. Work : Work :
Bhabha •• Founding director, and •• Discovery of penicillin
professor of physics at the •• Nobel Prize (1945)
Tata Institute of Fundamental Duration, Place & Field :
Research. •• 570 to 495 BC
•• Father of the Indian nuclear •• Samos, Greece
programme •• Mathematics
Work :
Duration, Place & Field :
•• Gave Pythagoras Theorem
•• 30 Nov. 1858 to 23 Nov. Pythagoras
•• Pythagorean Tuning
1937
Duration, Place & Field :
•• Munshiganja (presently Bangla-
•• 11 Feb 1847 to 18 Oct 1931
desh) •• Milan, Ohio, United States
•• Botany, Biophysics •• Physics
Jagadish Work : Work :
Chandra •• He is known for Millimetre •• Invented phonograph, motion
Bose waves Radio and Crescograph Thomas
picture camera
•• Contributions to Plant biology Alva Edison •• Electric light bulb
POLITICAL PERSONALTIES
Duration, Place & Field : Duration, Place & Field :
•• February 12, 1809 to April •• 1 Oct 1847 to 20 Sept 1933
15, 1865 •• London, United Kingdom
•• Hodgenville, Kentucky, US •• Socialist and Political Activist
•• Politics
Work :
Work :
•• President of the United •• First female president of
Abraham Annie Indian national congress
States (1861-1865)
Lincoln Besant (1917)
•• Abolished slavery in USA
 GK-60 PEOPLE FOREVER
Duration, Place & Field : Duration, Place & Field :
•• 25 Dec 1924 •• 13th June, 1944
•• Gwalior, M.P, India •• Eumseong County, South
•• Political leadership Korea
•• Visionary •• Statesmanship & Politics
Atal Bihari Work :
Vajpeyee •• Former Prime Minister of India Work :
Ban-ki- •• 8th General Secretary of
•• Bharat Ratna Awardee Moon United Nations.
Duration, Place & Field : Duration, Place & Field :
•• 4 Aug 1961 •• 14 April, 1891 to 6 Dec 1956
•• Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
•• Mhow, MP
•• Politics
•• Social work
Work :
•• Politics philosophy
•• 44th President of US
Barack •• First African-American Work :
Obama President of US •• Architect of Indian
BR
•• Nobel Peace Prize Winner in Constitution
Ambedkar
2009 •• Campaigned against social
Duration, Place & Field : discrimination against
•• 19 Aug 1946 Untouchables (Dalits)
•• Arkansas, United States •• He was Independent India's
•• American politics first law Minister
Work : Duration, Place & Field :
Bill Clinton •• Served as the 42nd President •• 3rd Dec 1884 to 28 Feb 1963
of the United States from •• Siwan, Bihar
1993 to 2001 •• Politics
Duration, Place & Field : •• Social work
•• 29 July 1883 to 28 Apr 1945 Dr Rajendra Work :
•• Predappio, Italy Prasad •• First President of India
•• Politics •• President of Indian National
•• Dictatorship Congress (1934-1935)
Work : •• Elected president of the
•• Founder of National Fascist Constituent Assembly of
Benito Party India, which prepared the
Mussolini •• Prime Minister of Italy from
Constitution of India
1922 to 1943
Duration, Place & Field :
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 4th September, 1825 to 30th
•• August 15, 1945
June, 1917
•• Dinajpur, Bangladesh
•• Mumbai, India
•• Bangladeshi politics
Work : Dadabhai •• Politics and Social leader
•• Prime Minister of Bangladesh Naoroji work
Begum from 1991 to 1996 and from Work :
Khaleda Zia 2001 to 2006 •• President of INC thrice
Duration, Place & Field : •• Advocated Drain theory and
•• 19th June 1945 poverty
•• Yangon, Burma •• First Asian to be a British MP
•• Politics, Statesman Duration, Place & Field :
Work : •• 9 Oct 1966
Aung San •• Founder of National League •• London, United Kingdom
Suu Kyi for Democracy •• British politics
•• Fight for Democratic Rights Work :
•• First and incumbent State David •• Prime Minister of the United
Counsellor and Leader of the Cameron Kingdom from May 2010 to
National League for Democracy July 2016
PEOPLE FOREVER GK-61
Duration, Place & Field :
•• May 19, 1890
•• Kim Lien, Vietnam
•• Vietnamese Communist
leadership
Work :
Ho Chi Minh •• Prime Minister (1945–55)
and President (1945–69) of
the Democratic Republic of
Vietnam
•• Founder of Democratic Republic
of Vietnam in 1945, People's
Army of Vietnam (PAVN)
Duration, Place & Field :
•• July 6, 1946
•• Connecticut, United States
•• American Politics
Work :
George W •• 43rd President of the United
Bush States ( 2001- 2009)
Duration, Place & Field :
•• October 26, 1947
•• Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
•• American Politics
Work :
•• Democratic Party nominee
Hillary
for President of the United
Clinton
States in the 2016 election
•• Served as the 67th United
States Secretary of State
from 2009 to 2013
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 19 Nov 1917 to 31 Oct 1984
•• Allahabad
•• Indian Politics
Work :
•• The only female Prime
Indira Minister of India from 1966
Gnadhi
to 1977 and then from 1980
to 1984
•• Nationalisation of Banks
Duration, Place & Field :
•• July 8, 1914 to January 17,
2010
•• Kolkata
•• Indian Politics
•• Communist Party of India
Jyoti Basu Work :
•• Chief Minister of West Bengal
state from 1977 to 2000,
making him the longest-
serving Chief Minister in the
country's history.
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 30th January 1882 - 12th
April 1945
•• Hyde Park, New York, United
States
•• Political leadership
Work :
Franklin D. •• 32nd President of the US
Roosevelt •• Led the Allies in World War II
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 14th Nov 1889 to 27th May
1964
•• Allahabad
•• Politics/ Staesman
Work :
Jawahar Lal •• First Prime Minister of India
Nehru •• Architect of NAM
Duration, Place & Field :
•• October 2, 1904 to January
11, 1966
•• Mughalsarai, U.P. (India)
•• Politics
Work :
Lal Bahadur •• 2nd Prime Minister of the
Republic of India (9 June
Shastri
1964 – 11 January 1966)
•• Joined the Indian Independence
movement in the 1920s
•• His famous slogan- Jai
Jawan! Jai Kisan!
Duration, Place & Field :
•• November 8, 1927 Karachi,
Pakistan
•• Indian Politics
•• Senior leader of the BJP
Work :
Lal Krishna •• 7th Deputy Prime Minister
Advani of India
•• Minister of Home Affairs in the
BJP-led National Democratic
Alliance government from
1998 to 2004
Duration, Place & Field :
•• April 22, 1870 to January 21,
1924
•• Simbirsk, Russia
•• Russian communist revolut-
ionary
Vladimir •• Politics
Lenin •• Political theory
Work :
•• He served as head of
Government of the Russian
Republic from 1917 to 1918,
of the Russian Soviet Federative
Socialist Republic from 1918 to
1924, and of the Soviet Union
from 1922 to 1924
 GK-62 PEOPLE FOREVER
Duration, Place & Field :
•• October 2, 1869- January 30,
1948
•• Porbandar, Kathiawar, Gujarat
•• Indian independence leader
Mahatma and freedom fighter
Gandhi •• Social Reformer
Work :
•• Non violent satyagrah
•• Non-co-operation
•• Civil Disobedience Movement
•• Quit India Movement
•• Champion of Truth & Non-
violence
Duration, Place & Field :
•• December 25, 1861 - 12
November 1946
•• Allahabad, U.P.
•• Politics
Madan •• Education
Mohan Work :
Malaviya •• Two times President of INC
•• Founded Banaras Hindu
University
•• Founded "The Leader" English
Newspaper
Duration, Place & Field :
•• September 17, 1950
•• Vadnagar, Gujarat
•• Politics
Work :
•• Incumbent Prime Minister
Narendra
of India, in office since 26
Damodardas
May 2014
Modi
•• Chief Minister of Gujarat
from 2001 to 2014
•• Member of Parliament from
Varanasi
•• Leader of the Bharatiya
Janata Party
Duration, Place & Field :
•• July 18, 1918 to December
5, 2013
•• Mvezo, South Africa
Nelson •• Anti-apartheid revolutionary
Mandela •• Politics
•• Philanthropist
Work :
•• Served as President of South
Africa from 1994 to 1999
•• Nobel Peace prize winner in
1993
Duration, Place & Field :
•• January 23, 1897--
•• Cuttack
•• Freedom struggle
•• Political leadership
Work :
Netaji •• Congress President in 1938
Subhash and 1939
Chandra
•• Founded Forward Bloc
Bose
•• Led Indian National Army
against British
Duration, Place & Field :
•• December 26, 1893–
September 9, 1976
•• Shaoshan village, Hunan
Province, China
•• Communist revolution
Mao Zedong
•• Politics
Work :
•• 1st Chairman of the
Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China
•• Founding father of the
People’s Republic of China
•• Maoism

SOCIAL ACTIVISTS
Duration, Place & Field : Duration, Place & Field :
•• July 24, 1945 •• May 12, 1820 to August 13,
•• Mumbai 1910
•• Florence, Italy
•• Indian business tycoon •• English Social Reformer
•• Investor •• Founder of modern nursing
Azim Premji •• Philanthropy Work :
Work : Florence •• Called “The Lady with the
Nightingale Lamp” for making rounds of
•• Chairman of Wipro Limited wounded soldiers at night
•• Founder Azim Premji during war.
foundation •• Founder of modern nursing
PEOPLE FOREVER GK-63
Duration, Place & Field :
•• September 26, 1820 to July
29, 1891
•• Ghatal
•• Social reform
Work :
Ishwar
Chandra •• Barna parichay (Parts I &
Vidyasagar II, 1855), Rijupath (Parts I,
II & III, 1851–52), Sanskrita
Byakaraner Upakramanika
(1951)
•• Worked for widow remarriage
Duration, Place & Field :
•• January 11, 1954
•• Vidisha, MP
•• Activism for children’s rights
and children’s education
•• Activist against child labour
Kailash Work :
Satyarthi •• Founded the Bachpan
Bachao Andolan in 1980
•• Acted to protect the rights of
more than 83,000 children
from 144 countries.
•• Shared Nobel Peace Prize of
2014 with Malala Yousafzai
of Pakistan
Duration, Place & Field :
•• January 15, 1929 to April 4,
1968
•• Atlanta, Georgia, United States
•• Baptist Minister
•• Social Activist
Work :
Martin
•• Led the Civil rights movement
Luther King
in the U.S. from 1950s to 1968
Jr.
•• Worked for human rights
and racial discrimination
Duration, Place & Field :
•• August 26, 1910 to Septem-
ber 5, 1997
•• Skopje, Macedonia
•• Albanian-Indian Roman
Mother Catholic nun
Teresa •• Missionary
Work :
•• Founded the Missionaries of
Charity
•• Ramon Magsaysay Peace
Prize 1962
•• Nobel Peace Prize 1979
Duration, Place & Field :
•• July 12, 1997
•• Mingora, Pakistan
•• Pakistani activist
Work :
•• Pakistani activist for female
Malala education
Yousafzai •• The youngest-ever Nobel
Prize laureate
Duration, Place & Field :
•• December 1, 1954
•• Mumbai
•• Social reform
Work :
•• Founder member of
Medha Narmada Bachao Andolan
Patkar •• National Convener of
National Alliance of People’s
Movements
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 22 May 1772–27 September
1833
•• Radhanagar, West Bengal
•• Socio, political reforms
Work :
Raja Ram
•• Bengal Renaissance
Mohan Roy
•• Brahmo Sabha
•• Worked against social evils
like sati, polygamy and child
marriage.
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 11 September 1895 – 15
November 1982
•• Gagode Budruk, Maharashtra
•• Social and political reform
Work :
•• Bhoodan Movement
Vinoba
•• Campaigned against the
Bhave
slaughtering of cows
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 26 December 1914 – 9
February 2008
•• Hinganghat in Wardha
District of Maharashtra
Baba Amte •• Social work and social
activism, Human-Rights
Work :
•• Rehabilitation and empower-
ment of poor people suffering
from leprosy
•• United Nations Prize in the
Field of Human Rights,1988
Gandhi Peace Prize, 1999
 GK-64 PEOPLE FOREVER
HISTORICAL PERSONALITIES
Duration, Place & Field :
•• c. 484–c. 425 BC
•• Halicarnassus, Asia Minor
•• Historian
Work :
•• Regarded as the Father of
Herodotus
History
•• The Histories is his famous
book on historical investigation
Duration, Place & Field :
•• c. 563 BCE or c. 480 BCE - c.
483 BCE
•• Lumbini, presently in Nepal
•• Religious philosophy
Gautama Work :
Buddha •• Four Noble Truths
•• Eightfold Path
•• Nirvana
•• Founder of Buddhism
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 20 or 21 July 356 BC to 10 or
11 June 323 BC
•• Pella, Macedon, Greece
•• Warrior and conqueror
Work :
Alexander •• Created largest empire from
the Great Greece to northwestern India
•• He founded twenty cities
that bore his name including
Alexandria in Egypt
•• He unfurled Greek language,
culture
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 428/427 or 424/423 BC-
348/347 BC
•• Athens, Greece
•• Philosophy
Work :
•• Founder of the Academy in
Plato Athens
•• Theory of Forms, Platonic
idealism, philosopher king,
Platonic realism, Plato’s
tripartite theory of soul
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 384–322 BC
•• Stagira, Chalcidice, Northern
Greece
•• Greek philosophy
Work :
Aristotle •• Tutor of Alexander the great
•• Golden mean, Aristotelian logic,
Syllogism, Theory of the soul
•• Established a library in the
Lyceum
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 304 BC-232 BC
•• Pataliputra, Patna
•• Great emperor of the Maurya
Dynasty
Work :
Ashoka the •• Kalinga War
Great •• Propagated Buddhism across
Asia
•• First ruler of the entire
Indian subcontinent
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 13 July 100 BC–15 March
44 BC
•• Rome
•• Dictator of the Roman Republic
Work :
Julius •• Responsible for the fall of
Caesar the Roman Republic and the
rise of the Roman Empire.
•• First Roman General who
built a bridge across Rhine
•• Conducted the first invasion
of Britain
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 2 April 742-28 January 814
•• Aachen in Germany
•• The first Holy Roman Emperor
Work :
•• Laid the foundations for
Charlemagne modern France, Germany
•• Founded the Carolingian
Empire.
•• Known as the father of
Europe
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 25 April 1599-3 September
1658
•• Huntingdonshire, England
•• 1st Lord Protector of the
Commonwealth of England,
Oliver
Scotland, and Ireland
Cromwell
Work :
•• Cromwell was sworn in
as Lord Protector on 16
December 1653
•• Organized armed forces
after the outbreak of Civil
War in 1642
•• Deputy Commander of the
New Model Army
PEOPLE FOREVER GK-65
Duration, Place & Field :
•• c. 1162 – August 18, 1227
•• Khentii Mountains, Mongolia
•• Emperor
Work :
•• Founder of the Mongol Empire
Genghis •• Adoption of the Uyghur
Khan script as the Mongol Empire’s
writing system
•• Encouraged religious tolerance
in the Mongol Empire
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 14 February 1483 – 26
December 1530
•• Andijan, Timurid Empire,
Uzbekistan
•• Conqueror from Central Asia
Babur
Work :
•• Laid the foundation of
Mughal dynasty in the Indian
subcontinent
•• First Mughal emperor
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 15 Oct 1542-– 27 Oct 1605
•• Umerkot, Rajputana (present-
day Sindh, Pakistan)
•• 3rd Mughal Emperor
Work :
•• Established a centralised
Akbar system of administration
•• Promulgated Din-i-Ilahi
•• Introduced the mansabdari
system
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 19 Feb 1630 - 3 April 1680
•• Shivneri Fort, Maharashtra
•• Maratha King
Work :
•• Founder of Maratha Empire
Shivaji •• Promotion of Marathi and
Bhonsle Sanskrit
•• Introduced the guerrilla
warfare tactics
•• Introduced Ashtapradhan
mandal composed of eight
ministers
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 20 November 1750 -– 4 May
1799
•• Devanahalli, Bangalore
•• Ruler of the Kingdom of
Mysore
Work :
Tipu Sultan
•• Second & Third Anglo-
Mysore War
•• Tiger of Mysore
•• Innovator of the world’s first
war rocket
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 19 November 1828 – 18 June
1858
•• Varanasi, India
•• Queen of Jhansi
•• Freedom fighter
Work :
Rani
•• Leading figures of the Indian
Lakshmibai
Rebellion of 1857
•• First woman martyr of
India’s independence war
•• Died during the battle for
Gwalior on the war field
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883
•• Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
•• Revolutionary socialist
Work :
•• His important ideas : Surplus
Karl Marx value, contributions to the
labour theory of value, class
struggle, alienation and
exploitation of the worker,
materialist conception of history
•• Important books written: Das
Kapital, A Contribution to the
Critique of Political Economy,
The Communist Manifesto
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 24 May 1819 – 22 January
1901
•• Kensington Palace, London
•• Queen of United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland
Queen Work :
Victoria •• The first Empress of British
India
•• In June 1837, she became
the Queen at the age of just
18 years
•• The longest reigning British
Monarch (over 60 years)
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 25 December 1876 - 11
September 1948
•• Karachi, Pakistan
•• Indian Politics
•• The first Governor General
Muhammad of Pakistan
Ali Jinnah Work :
•• Founder of Pakistan
•• Political leader of the All-
India Muslim League
 GK-66 PEOPLE FOREVER
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 21 April 1926
•• Mayfair, London
•• Queen of the United
Kingdom and the other
Commonwealth realms
Work :
Queen •• World’s oldest reigning
Elizabeth II
monarch as well as Britain’s
longest-lived
•• Since 1952, the Queen has
given royal assent to more
than 3,500 acts of parliament.
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 2 March 1931
•• Privolnoye, Stavropol Krai,
Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
•• Politician and former
President of Soviet Union
Mikhail Work :
Gorbachev •• He was instrumental in
terminating the Cold War and
the collapse of the Berlin Wall
GEOGRAPHICAL PERSONALITIES
Duration, Place & Field :
•• August 1, 1770 – September
1, 1838
•• Caroline County, Virginia
•• American explorer
Work :
William •• Famous for the epic expedition
to the Pacific Northwest
Clark
(1804–06).
•• His Maps of the West (1810–
14) represented the best
available until the 1840s
Duration, Place & Field :
•• March 9, 1454 – February
22, 1512
•• Florence, Italy
•• Italian explorer
Work :
Amerigo
•• The first person to recognize
Vespucci North and South America as
distinct continents
Duration, Place & Field :
•• c. 100 ce— c. 170 ce
•• Alexandria, Egypt
•• Egyptian Geographer
Work :
•• His Geōgraphikē hyphēgēsis
Ptolemy (Guide to Geography)
provided all the information
and techniques required to
draw maps
•• He orchestrated reforms
called “perestroika” and
“glasnost” that caused
cracks in the Soviet Union
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 24 August 1929 - 11 November
2004
•• Cairo, Egypt
•• Palestinian leadership
Work :
•• 1st President of the Palestinian
Yasser
National Authority
Arafat
•• Founder of the Palestine
Liberation Organisation (PLO)
•• During this time, Hamas and
other militant organizations
rose to power
•• In 1994 Arafat received
the Nobel Peace Prize,
together with Yitzhak Rabin
and Shimon Peres, for the
negotiations at Oslo.
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 22 February 1903 – 27
February 1989
•• Kolkata
•• Professor of Geography
Work :
•• President of the International
Shiba Geographical Union (1964 to
Prasad 1968)
•• He has suggested the name
Chatterjee of the state ‘Meghalaya’.
•• Murchison Award 1959,
Padma Bhushan 1985
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 1991
•• Geographer and
Envirnmentalist
Work :
•• Fellow of the Royal Geographi-
Vaibhav
cal Society and the Royal
Kaul
Asiatic Society, alumnus of
the Environmental Change
Institute at the University of
Oxford
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 1862 to 1932
•• Stewartville, United States
•• Geographer and cartographer
Work :
John Paul •• Goode’s World Atlas
Goode
PEOPLE FOREVER GK-67
Duration, Place & Field :
•• February 25, 1304 – 1368
•• Tangier, Morocco
•• Geographer, explorer
Work :
•• Known for his extensive travels,
Ibn Battuta accounts published in Rihla
•• One of the greatest explorers
of all-time, documenting his
travels over nearly 30 years.
Duration, Place & Field :
•• February 12, 1850 to
February 5, 1934
•• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
•• Geographer
Work :
William
•• Father of American geography
Morris
•• Geographical cycle
Davis
•• Cycle of erosion
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 12 April 1885 to 23 May 1930
•• Murshidabad, West Bengal
•• Archaeology, epigraphy and
palaeography
Work :
Rakhaldas •• Known for unearthing pre-
Banerji Buddhist artefacts at the
ruins at Mohenjo-Daro
RELIGIOUS PERSONALITIES
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 599 BC to 527 B.C
•• Kshatriyakund, Vaishali, Bihar
•• 24th Jain Tirthankara
Work :
•• The founder of Jainism
•• Doctrine of austerity
Mahavira
•• Advocated vegetarianism
•• Taught the observance of the
vows ahimsa (non-violence),
satya (truth), asteya (non-
stealing), brahmacharya
(chastity) and aparigraha
(non-attachment)
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 551 – 479 BC
•• Zou, Lu state, Qufu, Shando-
ng, China
•• Moral Philosophy
Work :
Confucius
•• Emphasized self-cultivation,
emulation of moral exemplars,
and the attainment of skilled
judgment rather than
knowledge of rules
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 1910 to 1974
•• Gurmitkal village Gulbarga
District , Karnataka
•• Epigraphist
Work :
P.B. Desai
•• His books : History of
Vijayanagar empire, Jainism
in South India and some
Jaina Inscriptions, History of
Ancient India in Kannada
•• Discovery of Buddhist
centers in Karnataka, Works
on Shakti cult, Panduranga
of Pandharpur and history
of place names
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 16 September 1870 to 8
February 1928
•• Hoskote, Mysore
•• Epigraphist
H. Krishna Work :
Sastri •• Deciphered Brahmi inscriptions
of Asoka at Maski and
inscriptions of the Pallavas
•• Deciphered Tamil-Brahmi
inscriptions
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 788 CE-- 820 CE
•• Kaladi, Ernakulam, Kerala
•• Hindu philosopher and
theologian
Work :
Adi Shankar •• Expounded Advaita Vedanta
(non-dualism)
•• Founded Brahmasutrabhasya,
commentary on Brahma Sutra
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 15 April 1469 – 22
September 1539
•• Rāi Bhoi Kī Talvandī (present
day Nankana Sahib, Punjab,
Pakistan) near Lahore
Guru Nanak
•• Founder of Sikhism
Dev
Work :
•• Guru Granth Sahib
•• Guru Nanak emphasized
Nam Japna
•• Langar or common kitchen
 GK-68 PEOPLE FOREVER
Moinuddin Duration, Place & Field :
Chishti •• 1141 – 1236
•• Chisht, Afghanistan
•• Islamic scholar and philosopher
Work :
•• Established the Chishti
Order of Sufism in the Indian
subcontinent
•• Famous book Anīs al-Arwāh
and Dalīl al-’Ārifīn
•• Ajmer Sharif Dargah
Nizamuddin Duration, Place & Field :
Auliya •• 1238 – 3 April 1325
•• Badayun, Uttar Pradesh
•• Sufi Saint of the Chishti Order
Work :
•• He preached to renounce the
world and serve humanity
•• Founder of the Chisti Nizami
Order
•• He stressed love as a means
of realising God
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 10 Nov 1483 – 18 Feb 1546
•• Eisleben, Saxony, Holy Roman
Empire, Germany
•• German professor of theology,
priest, monk
Martin
Work :
Luther
•• Key figure in the Protestant
Reformation
•• Notable works: Ninety-five
Theses, Large Catechism,
Small Catechism, On the
Freedom of a Christian
•• Translated Bible into German
Duration, Place & Field :
•• July 10, 1509 - May 27, 1564
•• Noyon, France
•• Theologian & Pastor
Work :
•• His main work is Institutes
John Calvin of the Christian Religion,
published in Latin
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 1532–1623
•• Rajpur, Uttar Pradesh
•• Poet-saint, Reformer and
Philosopher
Work :
Tulsidas •• Famous literary works:
Ramcharitmanas, Vinaya
Patrika, “geetawali”, Dohavali,
Sahitya Ratna, Hanuman Chalisa
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 22 December 1666 – 7
October 1708
•• Patna, Bihar
•• 10th Sikh Guru
Guru Gobind Work :
Singh •• Founding the Sikh warrior
community called Khalsa
(1699)
•• Enshrined the scripture
the Guru Granth Sahib as
Sikhism’s eternal Guru.
•• Initiated the Five K’s: Kesh,
Kangha, Kara, Kirpan, Kacchera
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 12 Feb 1824 – 30 Oct 1883
•• Tankara, Gujarat
•• Hindu religious leader
Work :
Dayanand •• Founded the Arya Samaj
Saraswati •• First to give the call for
Swaraj as “India for Indians”
– in 1876
•• Revived Vedic ideologies
•• His famous book: Satyarth
Prakash (1875)
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 6 July 1935
•• Taktser, Qinghai, Republic of
China
•• Monk of the Gelug school
Work :
Dalai Lama •• Nobel Peace Prize in 1989
(14th) •• Has written books on
Buddhism and Mahayanaand
Vajrayana topics.
•• Currently living in India as
an exile
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 12 January 1863 – 4 July
1902
•• 3 Gourmohan Mukherjee
Street in Kolkata
Swami •• Hindu monk
Vivekananda Work :
•• Introduced Indian philosophies
of Vedanta and Yoga to the
Western world
•• Revived Hinduism and
Nationalism
•• Attended Parliament of the
World’s Religions in Chicago
in 1893.
•• Founder of Ramakrishna
Mission & Ramakrishna Math
PEOPLE FOREVER GK-69
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 1835 -- 1918
•• Spiritual master
Work :
•• Opponent of religious orthodoxy
•• He believed and propounded
Sai Baba of Dhikr, Jnana Yoga, Karma
Shirdi Yoga philosophy
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 18 February 1836 – 16
August 1886
•• Kamarpukur, Bengal
•• Indian mystic and yogi
Work :
Ramakrishna •• Exponent of Tantra, Vaishnava
Paramahamsa bhakti, and Advaita Vedanta
•• Chief disciple Swami Viveka-
nanda
BUSINESS PERSONALITIES
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 3 March 1839–-19 May 1904
•• Navsari, Gujarat
•• Industrialist
Work :
•• Founded the Tata Group,
Jamshedji India’s biggest conglomerate
Nusserwanji company
Tata •• Father of Indian Industry
•• Founder of Taj Mahal Hotel
in Mumbai
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 28 December 1932 – 6 July
2002
•• Chorvad, Gujarat
•• Business tycoon
Work :
•• Founded Reliance Industries,
Dhirubhai Reliance Power, Reliance Capital
Ambani •• Started the brand “Vimal” a
textile company
Duration, Place & Field :
•• July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947
•• Greenfield Township, Michigan,
U.S
•• American Industrialist
Work :
Henry Ford •• Founder of Ford Motor
Company
•• Instrumental in developing
charcoal briquets, under the
brand name “Kingsford”
•• He was first to introduce the
five 8 hours-day workweek
in 1926
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 15 Aug 1872 – 5 Dec 1950
•• Kolkata, Bengal
•• Yogi, Guru
Work :
Sri
•• Founder of Sri Aurobindo
Aurobindo
Ashram, Auroville
•• His philosophies included:
Integral Yoga, Involution,
Evolution, Integral psychology,
Intermediate zone, Supermind
•• Literary works: The Life
Divine, The Synthesis of
Yoga, Savitri, Agenda
Duration, Place & Field :
•• Jan 31, 1924 – April 17, 2015
•• Pontiac, Michigan, US
•• American real estate developer
Work :
Adolph •• First time designed the
Alfred modern indoor shopping mall
Taubman •• He has donated large sums
to the University of Michigan
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 10 April 1894 – 11 June 1983
•• Pilani, Rajasthan
•• Businessman
Work :
•• Established Hindustan Motors
Ghanshyam •• Conceptualized United
Das Birla Commercial Bank Limited
•• Elected to the Central
Legislative Assembly of
British India in 1926
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 29 July 1904 – 29 November
1993
•• Paris, France
•• Entrepreneur
Work :
J. R. D. Tata •• Former Chairman of Tata Sons
•• First licensed pilot in India
(1929)
•• Founder of Tata Consultancy
Services, Tata Motors, Titan
Industries, Tata Tea, Voltas
and Air India
•• He was awarded Bharat
Ratna in 1992
 GK-70 PEOPLE FOREVER
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 14 June 1967
•• Kolkata
•• Industrialist
Work :
Kumar •• Chairman of the Aditya Birla
Mangalam Group
Birla •• Chancellor of the Birla
Institute of Technology &
Science (BITS-Pilani)
•• Chairman of IIT, Delhi,
Chairman of Rhodes India
Scholarship Committee for
Oxford University
Duration, Place & Field :
•• October 28, 1955
•• Seattle, Washington, U.S.
•• American business magnate
Work :
•• Co-founder of Microsoft
Bill Gates •• Richest person in the world
with an estimated net worth
of US$81.7 billion
•• Established Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation, in 2000
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 4 July 1968
•• Mumbai
•• Businessman
Work :
Cyrus •• Ex-chairman the Tata group
Pallonji •• Served as the managing
Mistry director of Shapoorji Pallonji
& Company
•• According to The Economist,
‘the most important industria-
list in India, Britain & Ireland’
Duration, Place & Field :
•• June 14, 1946
•• Jamaica Estates, Queens, a
neighbourhood in New York City
•• American Businessman,
Donald
Trump television, Producer,
politician
Work :
•• Republican Party nominee who
won President’s election of the
United States in the 2016
•• The chairman and president
of ‘The Trump Organization’.
•• Development of Trump Tower, a
58-story skyscraper in Midtown
Manhattan in 1983
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 1 October 1955
•• Amreli, Gujarat
•• Businessman,
Pharmaceuticals
Dilip Work :
Shanghvi •• Founder of Sun Pharmaceuticals
•• One of the richest persons in
India with US$16.9 billion
•• Started Sun Pharmaceutical
Industries with capital of Rs
10,000 in 1982
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 24 June 1962
•• Ahmedabad, Gujarat
•• Business tycoon
Work :
Gautam •• Founder and chairman of
Adani the Adani Group
•• A first generation entrepreneur
•• Established India’s largest
commercial port the modern
‘Mundra port’
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 28 October 1955
•• Chennai, Tamil Nadu
•• American, business executive
Work :
•• Current Chairperson and
Indra
Chief Executive Officer of
Krishna-
murthy Nooyi PepsiCo
•• Consistently ranked among
the World’s 100 Most
Powerful Women
•• Serves as an Honorary Co-Chair
for the World Justice Project
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 15 June 1950
•• Sadulpur, Rajasthan
•• Steel magnate
Work :
Lakshmi •• Chairman & CEO of
Niwas Mittal Arcelor Mittal, Owner of
Karrick Limited, Co-owner of
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
•• Member of: the Indian Prime
Minister’s Global Advisory
Council, the Foreign Investment
Council in Kazakhstan, the
World Economic Forum’s
International Business
Council, and the Presidential
International Advisory Board
of Mozambique
PEOPLE FOREVER GK-71
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 24 July, 1945
•• Mumbai, Maharashtra
•• Business tycoon
Work :
Azim •• Chairman of Wipro
Hashim •• Known as the Czar of the
Premji Indian IT Industry
•• Twice listed among the 100
most influential people by
TIME Magazine
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 19 April 1957
•• Colony of Aden, Yemen
•• Business magnate
Work :
Mukesh •• Chairman of Reliance Industries
Dhirubhai •• India’s richest man and
Ambani second-richest man in Asia
•• Fifth among India’s
philanthropists
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 20 August 1946
•• Mysore, Karnataka
•• IT Industrialist
Work :
N. R. Narayana •• Chairman Emeritus Infosys
Murthy •• Co-founder of Infosys
•• Father of Indian IT sector Time
magazine
•• He has written a book-- A
Better India: A Better World
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 28 December 1937
•• Surat, Gujarat
•• Businessman, investor,
philanthropist
Ratan Naval Work :
Tata •• Interim chairman of Tata Sons,
Chairman of Tata Group
•• Conceptualised the Tata
Nano car, Tata Indica
•• Founder: Tata DoCoMo, Tata
Teleservices
Duration, Place & Field :
•• August 19, 1967
•• Hyderabad, Telangana
•• American business executive
Satya Work :
Narayana •• Chief executive officer (CEO)
Nadella of Microsoft
•• Pioneered the ‘Cloud computing’
division of ‘Microsoft’
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 23 October 1957
•• Ludhiana, Punjab
•• Entrepreneur, philanthropist
Work :
•• Founder & Chairman Bharti
Sunil Bharti Enterprises
Mittal •• Bharti Airtel
•• Bharti Foundation
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 14 July 1945
•• Moolaipozhi Village, Tuticorin
District, Tamil Nadu
•• Industrialist and philanthropist
Work :
Shiv Nadar •• Founder and chairman of
the HCL & SSN Trust
•• Padma Bhushan, 2008
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 28 Nov 1935
•• Shikarpur, presently in Pakistan
•• Business magnate, investor
Work :
Srichand •• Chairman, Hinduja Group
Parmanand •• Acquired Ashok Leyland
from British Leyland and
Hinduja
Gulf Oil from Chevron
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 10 June 1948
•• Araria, Bihar
•• Businessman
Work :
•• Founder and Chairman of
Subrata Roy the Sahara India
•• Propounded the corporate
philosophy of ‘Collective
Materialism’
•• Famous book: Life Mantras
Duration, Place & Field :
•• July 15, 1978
•• Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh
•• Entrepreneur
Work :
Vijay Shekhar •• Founder & CEO of Paytm
Sharma and One97 Communications
Limited
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 1973
•• Rajasthan
•• Entrepreneur and business
executive
Pranay Work :
Chulet •• Co-founder and the CEO of
Quikr
•• Founded Kijiji India
 GK-72 PEOPLE FOREVER
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 5 August 1981 (Sachin Bansal)
•• Chandigarh
•• Internet entrepreneur
Sachin
Bansal Work :
& Binny •• Co-founder & Executive
Bansal Chairman of Flipkart
•• Entrepreneur of the year –
ET Awards (2012–2013)
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 31 October 1898-1972
•• Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh
•• Pharmaceutical Businessman
Work :
•• Founder professor of the
Dr. Khwaja Jamia Milia Islamia in Aligarh
Abdul •• Founder of Cipla, India’s oldest
Hamied pharmaceutical company in
1935

DISCOVERERS & INVENTORS

Duration, Place & Field : Duration, Place & Field :
•• January 17, 1706 - April 17, •• 18 March 1858– 29
1790 September 1913
•• Milk Street, Boston, •• Paris, France
Massachusetts, US •• German inventor and
Benjamin •• Scientist, Inventor mechanical engineer
Rudolf
Franklin Work : Work :
Diesel
•• Franklin stove •• Invented diesel engine
•• He was the first person to Duration, Place & Field :
give electricity positive and •• 14 August 1888 – 14 June
negative charges 1946
•• The first flexible urinary •• Helensburgh,
catheter Dunbartonshire, Scotland,
•• Glass harmonica UK
•• Bifocal glasses John Logie •• Scottish engineer, innovator
Duration, Place & Field : Baird Work :
•• 18 February 1745 – 5 March •• Invented television
1827 •• First recording device
•• Como, Italy Duration, Place & Field :
•• Italian physicist, chemist •• 18 November 1787 – 10 July
Alessandro Work : 1851
Volta •• Invented the first electroche- •• Cormeilles-en-Parisis, Val-
mical battery cell d’Oise, France
•• Discovered methane Louis- •• French artist and photogra-
Duration, Place & Field : Jacques- pher
•• April 27, 1791 – April 2, Mandé Work :
1872 Daguerre •• Invented daguerreotype
•• Painter and inventor process of photography
•• Charlestown, Massachusetts, •• One of the fathers of
USA photography
Samuel Work : Duration, Place & Field :
Morse •• Single telegraph wire •• 9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848
•• Morse code •• Wylam, Northumberland,
Duration, Place & Field : England
•• November 25, 1844 – April •• English civil engineer and
4, 1929 mechanical engineer
•• Baden-Württemberg, Germany George Work :
•• Engine designer and automobile Stephenson •• Built the first public inter-
Karl Benz engineer city railway line in the world
Work : to use steam locomotives
•• Invented petrol-powered car •• Father of Railways
PEOPLE FOREVER GK-73

Duration, Place & Field : Duration, Place & Field :

•• 29 Sept 1901 – 28 Nov 1954 •• 6 October 1893 – 16
•• Rome, Italy February 1956
•• Italian physicist •• Shaoratoli, Dhaka
Work : •• Astrophysicist
Enrico Meghnad Work :
•• Inventor of the nuclear reactor
Fermi Saha •• Thermal ionisation
•• Discovered induced radioactivity •• Saha ionization equation
Duration, Place & Field : Duration, Place & Field :
•• 8 June 1955 •• 1451 – 20 May 1506
•• London, England •• Genoa, Republic of Genoa
•• English computer scientist •• Italian explorer, navigator
Work : Work :
Tim Berners Christopher •• Discovered the “New World”
•• Inventing the World Wide
Lee Columbus of the America
Web
•• Developed the http:// Duration, Place & Field :
protocol for the internet •• 1460s – 24 December 1524
Duration, Place & Field : •• Sines, Alentejo, Kingdom of
Portugal
•• April 23, 1941 – March 5,
•• Portuguese explorer
2016 Vasco da Work :
•• Amsterdam, New York, U.S. Gama •• Discovered the sea route to
Work : India
Raymond •• Invented the first email •• First to link Europe and Asia
Tomlinson
system by an ocean route
Duration, Place & Field : Duration, Place & Field :
•• 29 December 1813 – 29 June •• 17 May 1749 – 26 January 1823
1890 •• Berkeley, Gloucestershire,
•• Suffolk Street, Birmingham, England
England •• English physician and scientist
Edward Work :
Alexander •• Metallurgist and inventor Jenner
Parkes •• Pioneer of smallpox vaccine,
Work :
the world’s first vaccine
•• Created Parkesine, the first
Duration, Place & Field :
man-made plastic
•• 1254– January 8–9, 1324
Duration, Place & Field : •• Venice, Republic of Venice
•• 1398 – February 3, 1468 •• Traveller
•• Mainz, Germany Marco Polo Work :
•• Blacksmith, goldsmith, •• First European to reach China
printer, and publisher Duration, Place & Field :
Johannes Work : •• 19 March 1813– 1 May 1873
Gutenberg •• Introduced mechanical movable •• Blantyre, South Lanarkshire,
type printing to Europe Scotland, United Kingdom
•• Invented movable-type printing •• Explorer
David Work :
press Livingstone •• Exploration of Africa
Duration, Place & Field :
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 5 February 1840 – 23
•• 24 March 1733 – 6 February
October 1921
1804
•• Dreghorn, North Ayrshire, •• Batley in the West Riding of
Scotland Yorkshire
John Boyd •• Scottish Inventor
Joseph •• Chemist
Dunlop
Work : Priestley Work :
•• Re-invented pneumatic tyres •• Discovered Oxygen
 GK-74 PEOPLE FOREVER
ARTISTS
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 17 September 1915 – 9 June
2011
•• Pandharpur, Maharashtra
•• Indian painter of
Maqbool international acclaim
Fida Husain Work :
•• Founding member of The
Progressive Artists Group of
Bombay (PAG).
•• Meenaxi a tale of three cities
through the eyes of a painter
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 22 February 1922 – 23 July
2016
•• Babaria, Narsinghpur district,
Madhya Pradesh
S. H. Raza •• Painter
Work :
•• Saurashtra is his famous work
•• Founder of Raza Foundation
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 12 April 1924 – 28 March 2002
•• Saligao, Goa
•• Painting, Drawing
Work :
•• Founding member of the
Francis Progressive Artists’ Group of
Newton Bombay
Souza •• Famous works: Birth (1955)
•• First post-independence
Indian artist to achieve high
recognition in the West
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 14 December 1924 – 2 June
1988
•• Peshawar, North-West Frontier
Province, British India (now in
Raj Kapoor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan)
•• Actor, Producer & Director
Work :
•• The greatest showman of
Indian cinema
•• Famous works: Awaara,
Shree 420, Mera Naam Joker
•• Founder of R. K. Films studio
•• Padma Bhushan in 1971,
Dadasaheb Phalke Award
in 1987, Best Director of
the Millennium by Stardust
Awards
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 25 July 1925 – 2 July 2009
•• Kapadvanj, Kheda district,
Gujarat.
•• Painting
Tyeb Mehta Work :
•• Filmfare Critics Award in
1970
•• celebration at Christie’s,
Gesture, Kali
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 28 September 1929
•• Indore, Madhya Pradesh
•• Playback singer
Work :
Lata •• She has recorded songs for
Mangeshkar over a thousand Hindi films
and has sung songs in over
thirty-six regional Indian
languages and foreign
languages
•• Dadasaheb Phalke Award,
1889, Bharat Ratna 2001,
Padma Vibhushan 1999,
Padma Bhushan 1969
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 24 December 1924 – 31 July
1980
•• Kotla Sultan Singh, Punjab
•• Playback singer
Mohammed Work :
Rafi •• Sang about 7,400 songs in
many languages
•• Sang songs in English, Farsi,
Arabic, Sinhalese, Creole &
Dutch
•• Padma Shri, 1967
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 8 September 1933
•• Sangli, Maharashtra
•• Playback Singer, Vocalist
Work :
Asha Bhosle •• Sung for over a thousand
Bollywood movies
•• Acknowledged by the
Guinness Book of World
Records as the most recorded
artist in music history
•• Dadasaheb Phalke Award in
2000, Padma Vibhushan in
2008.
PEOPLE FOREVER GK-75
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 4 August 1929 – 13 October
1987
•• Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh
•• Playback singer
Work :
Kishore •• He won 8 Filmfare Awards
Kumar
for Best Male Playback Singer.
•• Kishore Kumar Award is
established in his name by
Govt. of Madhya Pradesh
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 16 September 1916 – 11
December 2004
•• Madurai, Madras Presidency
•• Classical vocalist
Work :
Madurai •• First musician ever to be
Shanmukhavadivu
Subbulakshmi awarded the Bharat Ratna,
•• First Indian musician to
receive the Ramon Magsaysay
award
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 14 September 1956
•• Chennai, Tamil Nadu
•• Indian classical dancer and
choreographer
Work :
Alarmel •• Exponent of Pandanallur
Valli style of Bharatnatyam
•• Participated in BBC’s The
Spirit of Asia Series
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 9 May 1954
•• Ahmedabad, Gujarat
•• Cassical dancer
Work :
•• Known for using her arts
for social change and
Mallika
transformation
Sarabhai
•• Played the role of Draupadi
in the Peter Brook’s play The
Mahabharata
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 4 February 1938
•• Classical music
•• Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Work :
Pandit Birju •• Exponent of the Lucknow
Kalka-Bindadin gharana of
Maharaj
Kathak dance
•• Founder of Kalashram
•• Padma Vibhushan 1986,
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Award, Kalidas Samman
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 6 January 1967
•• Chennai, Tamil Nadu
•• Composer, singer-song writer,
music producer, musician
Allah- Work :
•• Known as the Mozart of Madras
Rakha (AR)
Rahman •• His awards include: Two
Academy Awards, two
Grammy Awards, a BAFTA
Award, a Golden Globe, four
National Film Awards, fifteen
Filmfare Awards, thirteen
Filmfare Awards South
Duration, Place & Field :
•• Apr 30, 1944
•• Mumbai
•• Classical dancer
Work :
Sonal •• Founder of Centre for Indian
Mansingh Classical Dances (CICD) in
New Delhi
•• Padma Bhushan,1992, Sangeet
Natak Akademi Award, 1987 ,
Padma Vibhushan 2003
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 21 May 1954
•• Madurai, Tamil Nadu
•• Classical and contemporary
dancer
Work :
Anita •• Director, Arangham Interactive,
Ratnam Chennai
•• Founder www.narthaki.com,
a portal for Indian dance
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 20 December 1940
•• Madanapalli, Andhra Pradesh
•• Classical Dance
Work :
Mungara Yamini
•• Resident dancer of the Tirumala
Krishnamurthy Tirupati Devasthanam
•• Autobiography: A Passion
For Dance
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 1 November 1973
•• Mangalore, Karnataka
•• Actress, Model
Work :
•• Winner of the Miss World
Aishwarya 1994 pageant
Rai •• Goodwill Ambassador for the
Joint United Nations Programme
on AIDS (UNAIDS)
 GK-76 PEOPLE FOREVER
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 1253–1325 CE
•• Patiyali in Etah, Uttar
Pradesh
•• Sufi musician, poet and scholar
Amīr Work :
Khusrow •• Invented musical instruments
like the sitar and tabla
•• Regarded as the father of
Qawwali
•• Originator of the khayal and
tarana styles of music
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 11 October 1942
•• Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
•• Actor
Work :
Amitabh •• Known as, angry young man
& Shahenshah of Bollywood
Bachchan
•• Has appeared in over 180
Indian films
•• Hosted Kaun Banega Crorepati
•• Padma Bhushanin 2001 and
the Padma Vibhushan in 2015
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 1926–2011
•• Sadiya, Assam
•• Lyricist, musician, singer, poet
Work :
Bhupen •• His songs, based on the themes
Hazarika of communal amity, universal
justice and empathy
•• Sangeet Natak Akademi
Award 1987, Padmabhushan,
2001, Dada Saheb Phalke
Award 1992
•• Chairman of the Sangeet Natak
Akademi from December 1998
to December 2003
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 30 April 1870 – 16 February
1944
•• Tryambakeshwar, Nashik
•• Producer-director-screen-
writer
Dadasaheb Work :
Phalke •• Father of Indian cinema
•• The Dadasaheb Phalke Award,
for lifetime contribution to
cinema, instituted in his honour
by the Govt. of India in 1969.
•• He made Raja Harishchandra,
1913, India’s first full-length
feature film
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 11 December 1922
•• Peshawar, now in Pakistan
•• Film, acting
Work :
•• His career has spanned over
Dilip Kumar six decades and with over 60
films
•• Padma Vibhushan 2015, Padma
Bhushan 1991, Nishan-e-Imtiaz
1997 (Pakistan’s highest civilian
award)
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 8 February 1941 – 10
October 2011
•• Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan
•• Ghazal singer, composer and
musician
Jagjit Singh Work :
•• Known as the Ghazal King
•• Popularised ghazal
•• His 1987 album, Beyond
Time, was the first digitally
recorded release in India
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 13 January 1938
•• Jammu, Singer
•• Santoor player
Work :
Pandit •• Made the Santoor as a
Shivkumar popular Classical Instrument
Sharma •• Famous background music--
Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje
•• Honorary citizenship of the
city of Baltimore, USA, 1985,
the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Award in 1986, Padma
Vibhushan 2001
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 17 December 1770– 26
March 1827
•• Bonn, Electorate of Cologne
•• German composer
Work :
Ludwig van
•• Best-known compositions:
Beethoven 9 symphonies, 5 piano
concertos, 1 violin concerto,
32 piano sonatas, 16 string
quartets
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 15 April 1452 – 2 May 1519
•• Vinci, Italy
•• Painting, sculpting,
•• Architecture
Work :
Leonardo •• Mona Lisa , The Last Supper,
da Vinci The Vitruvian Man, Lady
with an Ermine
PEOPLE FOREVER GK-77

Duration, Place & Field : Duration, Place & Field :

•• June 1, 1926– August 5, 1962 •• 25 October 1881 – 8 April
•• Los Angeles, California, U.S 1973
•• American actress and model •• Málaga, Spain
Work : •• Spanish painter, sculptor
•• Dumb blonde characters Pablo
Work :
•• Founder of Marilyn Monroe Picasso
Marilyn •• Co-founded the Cubist
Productions (MMP) movement, invented construct-
Monroe •• Recognised by the American ed sculpture.
Film Institute as the sixth
•• Proto-Cubist Les Demoiselles
greatest female movie star
d’Avignon 1907, Guernica
of all time.
1937.
Duration, Place & Field :
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 24 October 1921 – 26
January 2015 •• December 5, 1901 –
•• Mysore, Karnataka December 15, 1966
•• Cartoonist, illustrator, and •• Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
humorist •• American animator, voice
R. K. Walt Disney actor and film producer
Laxman Work :
•• The Common Man Work :
•• Laxman’s writings include: •• Founded Disney Brothers
Servants of India, The Hotel Studio
Riviera, The Messenger, autobio- •• Mickey Mouse
graphy- The Tunnel of Time •• Established Disneyland

SPORTS PERSONALITIES
Duration, Place & Field : Duration, Place & Field :
•• 10 June 1955 •• 8 July 1972
•• Udupi district of Karnataka •• Behala, Kolkata
•• Badminton •• Cricket
Work : Work :
•• Co-founders of Olympic Gold •• 3rd batsman in history to cross
Prakash Quest Sourav the 10,000 run landmark
Padukone •• Served as the chairman of the Ganguly •• He was involved in the
Badminton Association of India highest partnership of 318
•• Won his first major runs with Rahul Dravid in
international title, 1978 1999 Cricket World Cup
Commonwealth Games in Duration, Place & Field :
Edmonton, Canada. •• 1929
•• The first Indian to win the •• Muzaffargarh District currently
men’s singles title at the All in Pakistan
England Championship. •• Track and field sprinter
Duration, Place & Field : Work :
•• 16 November 1973 Milkha •• Gold medals in the 1958 and
•• Nagandla, Prakasam district, Singh 1962 Asian Games
Andhra Pradesh •• First Indian athlete to win
•• Badminton player an individual athletics gold
Work : medal at a Commonwealth
Pullela •• Chief National Coach for the Games
Indian Badminton team •• 4th place finish in the 400
Gopichand
•• Won the All England Open metres final at the 1960
Badminton Championships Olympic Games
in 2001 •• Appointed as Director of
•• Founder of Gopichand Sports in the Punjab Ministry
Badminton Academy of Education
 GK-78 PEOPLE FOREVER
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 1 March 1983
•• Kangathei, Manipur
•• Boxer
Work :
•• Five-time World Amateur
Mary Kom
Boxing champion
•• Only woman boxer to have
won a medal in each one of
the six world championships
•• The first Indian woman
boxer to get a Gold Medal in
the Asian Games in 2014 in
Incheon, South Korea.
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 27 June 1964
•• Payyoli, Kozhikode, Kerala
•• Track and field athlete
Work :
•• Nicknamed as the Payyoli
Express
P. T. Usha
•• Founder of Usha School of
Athletics at Koyilandy
•• Won silver medal in the 100m
and the 200m, New Delhi Asian
Games, 1982, Won gold in
400m in Asian Track and Field
Championship (ATF), Kuwait
1983, From 1983–89, Usha
garnered 13 golds at ATF meets,
Won 4 gold medals and 1 silver
medal in the track and field
events in 10th Asian Games,
Seoul in 1986, Won five gold
medals at the 6th Asian Track
and Field Championship in
Jakarta, 1985
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 5 July 1995
•• Hyderabad, Telangana
•• Badminton
Work :
Pusarla •• Bronze medal at the 2009
Venkata Sub-Junior Asian Badminton
Sindhu Championships, Colombo
•• Silver in the women’s singles
at Iran Fajr International
Badminton Challenge, 2010,
Won Asia Youth Under-19
Championship, 2012, India’s
first medalist in women’s
singles at the Badminton World
Championships, Macau Open
Grand Prix Gold title, 2013.
•• Won silver medal in the
women’s singles event of the
2016 Summer Olympics at Rio.
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 10 July 1949
•• Mumbai, Maharashtra
•• Cricketer
Work :
•• The first person to score
Sunil
centuries in both innings of
Gavaskar a Test match three times
•• The first Test batsman to
score 10,000 Test Runs
•• Interim BCCI President
primarily to oversee 7th Season
of Indian Premier League
•• Books: Sunny Days (autobio-
graphy), Idols, Runs n’ Ruins
and One Day Wonders
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 6 January 1959
•• Chandigarh, Punjab
•• Cricketer
Work :
Kapil Dev •• Captained the Indian cricket
team which won the 1983
Cricket World Cup
•• Only player in the history
of cricket to have taken
more than 400 wickets (434
wickets) and scored more
than 5,000 runs in Tests
•• The youngest test cricketer
to take 100, 200 and 300
wickets
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 24 April 1973
•• Dadar, Mumbai, Maharashtra
•• Cricket
Work :
Sachin •• Regarded as the greatest
Tendulkar
batsman of all time
•• Only player to have scored
one hundred international
centuries
•• First batsman to score a
double century in a One Day
International
•• Bharat Ratna, 2013
•• Nominated to the Rajya
Sabha
•• Sponsors 200 underprivileged
children every year through
Apnalaya, a Mumbai-based NGO
•• Autobiography: Playing It
My Way
PEOPLE FOREVER GK-79

Duration, Place & Field : Duration, Place & Field :

•• 11 January 1973 •• 29 August 1905 – 3 December
•• Indore, Madhya Pradesh 1979
•• Cricket
•• Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
Work :
•• The Player of the Year and •• Hockey
Dhyan Work :
Rahul the Test Player of the Year
Chand
Dravid awards at the inaugural ICC •• Three Olympic gold medals
awards ceremony in 2004. (1928, 1932, and 1936) in
•• The first and the only player field hockey
till date to score a century
•• Scored more than 400 goals
in all the ten Test-playing
countries during his international career
Duration, Place & Field : •• His birthday, i.e. 29 August,
•• 14 January 1977 is celebrated as National
•• Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu sports day in India.
•• Formula One motor racing Duration, Place & Field :
driving •• 16 July 1968
Work :
Narain •• Khadki, Pune, Maharashtra
•• First Formula One motor racing
Karthikeyan driver from India, 1994 •• Field Hockey
•• 1st British Formula Ford Work :
Winter Series, 1994, 1st •• Presently the manager of the
Dhanraj
Formula Asia, 1996 Indian hockey team
Pillay
Duration, Place & Field : •• Member of the ad hoc
•• 16 November 1930 – 11
committee of Indian Hockey
June 1997
•• Purulia, West Bengal Federation
•• Swimming •• Only player to have played in
Work : four Olympics, four World Cups,
Mihir Sen •• The first Indian to conquer four Champions Trophies, and
the English Channel from four Asian Games
Dover to Calais in 1958
•• Under his captaincy. India
•• Only man to have swum the
Oceans of the five continents won the Asian Games (1998)
in one calendar year (1966) and Asia Cup (2003)
•• Guinness Book of World Duration, Place & Field :
Records •• 15 December 1976
•• Blitz Nehru Trophy in 1967 •• Tinkitam, Sikkim
by the Govt of India •• Football
Duration, Place & Field : Work :
Baichung
•• 17 April 1961
Bhutia •• Three-time Indian Player of
•• Delhi
•• Billiards the Year
Work : •• Won the Nehru Cup, LG Cup,
•• Won the IBSF World Amateur SAFF Championship three
Geet Siriram Billiards Championships in times and the AFC Challenge
Sethi 1985, World Professional Cup
Billiards Champion: 1992, •• First Indian athlete to boycott
1993, 1995, 1998, 2006
the Olympic torch relay
•• Took the Indian National
Snooker Championships in support of the Tibetan
four times back to back independence movement.
•• World’s first amateur •• Founder Bhaichung Bhutia
maximum break of 147 Football Schools, Delhi
 GK-80 PEOPLE FOREVER
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 28 September 1982
•• Dehradun, Uttarakhand
•• Shooting
Work :
•• First Indian to win an
Abhinav
individual gold medal at
Bindra
the Olympic Games, 2008
Beijing Olympic Games
•• Won Gold Medal in 2014
Commonwealth Games at
Glasgow
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 17 June 1973
•• Kolkata, West Bengal
•• Tennis
Work :
•• Won eight doubles and ten
Leander mixed doubles Grand Slam titles
Adrian Paes •• Won a bronze medal for
India in singles in the 1996
Atlanta Olympic Games
•• Holds the record for the
most Davis Cup doubles
wins with 42 victories
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 7 June 1974
•• Chennai
•• Tennis
Work :
Mahesh •• The first Indian to win a
Shrinivas Grand Slam tournament
Bhupathi •• Founder of International
Premier Tennis League
•• Won three doubles titles with
Leander Paes, including the
French Open and Wimbledon
•• Won four men’s doubles and
eight mixed doubles Grand
Slam titles
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 15 November 1986
•• Mumbai, Maharashtra
•• Tennis
Work :
Sania Mirza •• Currently ranked No. 1 in the
women’s doubles rankings
•• Won a total of 14 medals
(including 6 Gold) at three
major multi-sport events,
namely the Asian Games, the
Commonwealth Games and
the Afro-Asian Games.
•• First female from India to be
seeded at a Grand Slam, 2006
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 16 August 2004
•• Israna, Panipat district, Haryana
•• Golf
Work :
Shubham •• Won the Junior World Golf
Jaglan
Championships in 2015,
2013 World Masters of
Junior Golf, 2016 European
Junior Championship
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 3 September 1992
•• Rohtak, Haryana
•• Freestyle wrestler
Sakshi Work :
Malik •• First Indian female wrestler
to win a medal at the
Olympics
•• Won the bronze medal in
the 58 kg category, 2016 Rio
Olympics
•• Silver medal at the 2014
Commonwealth Games in
Glasgow, bronze medal at
the 2015 Asian Wrestling
Championships, Doha
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 11 December 1969
•• Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu
•• Chess
Work :
Viswanathan •• India’s first grandmaster, 1988
Anand •• Held the FIDE World Chess
Championship from 2000 to
2002
•• Five time winner of the
World Chess Championship
and was World No.1 from
2007 to 2013
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 1 June 1975
•• Amadalavalasa, Srikakulam,
Andhra Pradesh
•• Weightlifting
Karnam
Work :
Malleswari
•• Won the world title in the 54
kg division in 1994 and 1995
•• Bronze medal at the 2000
Olympics
•• The first Indian woman to
win an Olympic medal
PEOPLE FOREVER GK-81
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016
•• Louisville, Kentucky, U.S
•• Boxing
Work :
•• At age 18, he won a gold
Muhammad medal in the light heavyweight
Ali division, 1960 Summer
Olympics, Rome, At age 22 in
1964, he won the WBA and
WBC heavyweight titles
•• Recorded 56 wins of which
37 came in knockout and 5
losses
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 27 August 1908 – 25
February 2001
•• Cootamundra, New South
Wales, Australia
•• Cricket
Don Work :
Bradman •• Career Test batting average
of 99.94
•• Highest ratio of centuries per
innings played: 36.25%, Most
runs in one day’s play: 309,
Most double centuries: 12
Duration, Place & Field :
•• February 17, 1963
•• Brooklyn, New York
•• Basketball
Work :
Michael •• Five Most Valuable Player
Jeffrey
(MVP) Awards, ten All-NBA
Jordan First Team designations, six
NBA Finals MVP Awards,
and the 1988 NBA Defensive
Player of the Year Award.
•• Played with two Olympic gold
medal-winning American
basketball teams
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 30 October 1960
•• Lanús, Buenos Aires, Argentina
•• Football
Work :
Diego •• Joint FIFA Player of the 20th
Maradona Century with Pelé
•• In his international career
with Argentina, he earned
91 caps and scored 34 goals.
•• Known as “The Golden Boy”
•• Won 1986 World Cup in
Mexico as captain
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 2 May 1975
•• Leytonstone, London, England
•• Football
Work :
David •• The first English player to
Beckham win league titles in four
countries: England, Spain,
the United States and France
•• Won the Premier League title
six times, the FA Cup twice,
and the UEFA Champions
League in 1999
•• The first British footballer to
play 100 UEFA Champions
League games
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 3 January 1969
•• Hürth, West Germany
•• Racing driver
Work :
Michael •• Seven-time Formula One
Schumacher World Champion
•• Best Driver ESPY Award -
2005-2002, Bambi-Millenium
Award – 2014, Laureus World
Sports Award for Sportsman
of the Year - 2004-2002
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 2 May 1969
•• Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago
•• Cricket
Work :
Brian •• Record for the highest
Charles Lara individual score in first-class
cricket, with 501 not out at
Edgbaston, 1994
•• Record for the highest
individual score in a Test
innings after scoring 400
not out against England at
Antigua in 2004.
•• Only batsman to have ever
scored a hundred, a double
century, a triple century, a
quadruple century and a
quintuple century in first
class games
•• Nicknamed as “The Prince of
Port of Spain” or simply “The
Prince”.
 GK-82 PEOPLE FOREVER
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 7 March 1952
•• St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
•• Cricket
Work :
Sir Vivian •• 8,540 runs in 121 Test
Richards matches at an average of
50.23, including 24 centuries
•• As a captain, he won 27 of 50
Test matches and lost only 8
•• Knighted for his contribu-
tions to cricket
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 14 June 1969
•• Mannheim, Baden-Württem-
berg, West Germany
•• Tennis
Work :
Steffi Graf •• Won 22 Grand Slam singles
titles
•• The first and only tennis
player (male or female) to
achieve the Golden Slam
by winning all four Grand
Slam singles titles and the
Olympic gold medal in the
same calendar year in 1988
•• The only tennis player to
have won each Grand Slam
event at least 4 times.
SPACE TRAVELERS
Duration, Place & Field :
•• August 5, 1930 – August 25,
2012
•• Wapakoneta, Ohio, U.S.
•• Astronaut
Neil
Work :
•• First person to walk on the
Armstrong Moon
•• Commander of Apollo 11,
the first manned Moon
landing mission in July 1969.
•• Awarded the Presidential Medal
of Freedom, Congressional
Space Medal of Honour in 1978
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 29 August 1959
•• Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
•• Astronaut
Chris Work :
Hadfield •• The first Canadian to walk in
space
•• He spent 14 hours 53 minutes
and 38 seconds in space
Duration, Place & Field :
•• July 1, 1961
•• Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
•• Track and field athlete
Work :
Carl Lewis •• Won 10 Olympic medals,
including nine gold, and
10 World Championships
medals, including eight gold.
•• Set world records in the 100 m,
4 × 100 m and 4 × 200 m relays
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 3 June 1986
•• Manacor, Balearic Islands,
Spain
•• Tennis
Rafael Work :
Nadal
•• Currently ranked world No. 6
•• Titled “The King of Clay”
•• Won 14 Grand Slam singles
titles, the 2008 Olympic gold
medal in singles, 28 titles
in ATP World Tour Masters
1000 events, and 17 ATP
World Tour 500tournaments
(a record tied with Roger
Federer).
•• Won the 2014 French Open
•• Won Barcelona Open in 2016.
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 9 March 1934 – 27 March
1968
•• Klushino, Russian SFSR
•• Cosmonaut
Yuri Gagarin Work :
•• The first human to journey
into outer space
•• Hero of the Soviet Union
•• Became deputy training
director of the Cosmonaut
Training Centre
Duration, Place & Field :
•• October 31, 1930
•• Rome, Italy
•• Astronaut and test pilot
Work :
Michael •• Flew into space twice
Collins •• The fourth person, and third
American, to perform an EVA
(Extravehicular activity)
•• Vice President of LTV
Aerospace, 1980
PEOPLE FOREVER GK-83
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 13 January 1949
•• Patiala, Punjab
•• Air Force Pilot & Astronaut
Rakesh Work :
Sharma •• The first Indian to travel in
space
•• He spent 7 days 21 hours and
40 minutes aboard the Salyut 7
•• Conferred with the honour of
Hero of Soviet Union, Ashoka
Chakra
Duration, Place & Field :
•• March 17, 1962– February
1, 2003
•• Karnal, Punjab
•• Astronaut
Kalpana Work :
Chawla
•• The first woman of Indian
origin in space
•• First flew on Space Shuttle
Columbia in 1997
•• Died in the Space Shuttle
Columbia disaster on February
1, 2003
Duration, Place & Field :
•• September 19, 1965
•• Euclid, Ohio
•• Astronaut
Work :
Sunita •• Holds the records for total
Williams spacewalks by a woman
(seven) and most spacewalk
time for a woman (50 hours,
40 minutes).
•• As of March 2016, Williams
has made seven spacewalks
•• She carried the Hindu holy
book Bhagavad Gita during
space flights
Duration, Place & Field :
•• November 19, 1956
•• Elmira, New York, U.S.
•• Astronaut
Work :
•• First female pilot and first
female commander of a
Eileen
Collins Space Shuttle.
•• Spent 38 days 8 hours and
10 minutes in outer space
Duration, Place & Field :
•• January 20, 1930
•• Mountainside Hospital, Glen
Ridge, New Jersey, U.S.
•• Astronaut
Buzz Aldrin
Work :
•• One of the first two humans
to land on the Moon, and the
second person to walk on it
•• Set foot on the Moon at
03:15:16 on July 21, 1969
(UTC), following mission
commander Neil Armstrong
•• Books: Return to Earth
(1973), Men From Earth
(1989), Reaching for the
Moon (2005), Look to the
Stars (2009) and Magnificent
Desolation (2009)
Duration, Place & Field :
•• October 17, 1956
•• Decatur, Alabama, U.S
•• Astronaut
Work :
Mae C. •• The first African-American
Jemison woman to travel in space
•• Holds nine honorary
doctorates in science,
engineering, letters, and the
humanities
•• Current principal of the 100
Year Starship
Duration, Place & Field :
•• July 18, 1921
•• Cambridge, Ohio, U.S.
•• Astronaut
Work :
John Glen
•• On February 20, 1962,
Glenn flew the Friendship 7
mission and became the first
American to orbit the Earth
and the fifth person in space
•• Congressional Space Medal
of Honor in 1978
•• Flew as a Payload Specialist
on Discovery mission STS-
95.
 GK-84 PEOPLE FOREVER
LITERARY PERSONALITIES
Duration, Place & Field :
•• Between the 12th and 8th
Century BC
•• Ionia, Smyrna
•• Greek Poet
Homer
Work :
•• Iliad and the Odyssey
•• Author of the first known
literature of Europe
Duration, Place & Field :
•• c. 1265 – 1321
•• Florence, Republic of Florence,
Italy
Dante •• Italian poet
Work :
•• Divine Comedy
•• The Father of the Italian
language
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 1551 – 12 August 1602
•• Agra, Uttar Pradesh
•• Vizier of the Mughal
Abul Fazl emperor Akbar, and author
Work :
•• Akbarnama, Ain-i-Akbari
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 27 December 1797 – 15
February 1869
•• Kala Mahal, Agra
•• Urdu and Persian poet
Ghalib
Work :
•• Ghazal, Qasida, Rubai, Qat’aa
•• The last great poet of the
Mughal Era
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 5000 years ago
•• Damauli of Tanahi district,
now in Nepal
•• Author
Work :
Ved Vyasa •• Classified the Vedas
•• The Mahabharata
•• Guru Purnima, is dedicated
to him, and also known as
the Vyasa Purnima it is the
day, which is believed to be
his birthday.
Duration, Place & Field :
•• November 9, 1877 – April
21, 1938
•• Sialkot, Punjab
•• Poet
Work :
Muhammad
•• Spiritual father of Pakistan
Iqbal
•• Asrar-e-Khudi, 1915, Rumuz-
i-Bekhudi, Payam-i-Mashriq,
Zabur-i-Ajam. Bang-i-Dara,
Bal-i-Jibril, Zarb-i Kalim and
a part of Armughan-e-Hijaz,
Sare Jahan Se Achcha
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 1440 CE- 1518 CE
•• Lahartara, Kashi Varanasi
•• Weaver, poet
Work :
Kabir •• Influenced the Bhakti
movement, Sant Mat and
Kabir Panth movements.
Having hymns included in
the Guru Granth Sahib
•• His verses are found in
Sikhism’s scripture Adi Granth
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 4th century AD
•• Classical Sanskrit writer
Work :
•• Abhijnānaśākuntalam,
Raghuvaṃśa, Meghadūta,
Kalidasa
Vikramōrvaśīyam,
Kumārasambhava
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 31 July 1880– 8 October 1936
•• Lamhi, a village near Banaras
•• Modern Hindi-Urdu literature
Work :
•• Known as Upanyas Samrat
Munshi •• Godaan, Bazaar-e-Husn,
Premchand Karmabhoomi, Shatranj ke
khiladi, Gaban
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 26 June 1838–8 April 1894
•• 24 Parganas, Naihati, Bengal
•• Bengali writer, poet and
journalist
Work :
Bankim
Chandra •• Composed India’s national
Chatterjee song Vande Mataram
•• Anandamath, Durgeshn-ondini,
Kapalkundala, Mrinalini
PEOPLE FOREVER GK-85
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 15 September 1876 – 16
January 1938
•• Devanandapur, Hooghly,
West Bengal
Sarat •• Bengali novelist
Chandra Work :
Chatterjee •• Palli Samaj, Choritrohin,
Devdas, Nishkriti, Srikanta,
Griha Daha, Sesh Prasna and
Sesher Parichay
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 1478 AD- 1581 AD
•• Runakta,Mathura
•• Saint, poet and musician
Work :
•• Sur Sagar, Sur-Saravali, Sahitya-
Surdas Lahiri
•• Considered a saguna bhakti poet
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 500 century BCE
•• Banks of the Ganges in ancient
India
•• Harbinger-poet in Sanskrit
literature
Valmiki Work :
•• Adi Kavi, Maharishi
•• Works: Ramayana, Yoga Vasistha
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941
•• Jorasanko mansion, Kolkata
•• Author, poet
Work :
Rabindranath •• Known as Gurudev
Tagore •• The first non-European to win
the Nobel Prize in Literature
in 1913
•• Gitanjali, Gora, Ghare-Baire,
Rabindra Sangeet, Amar
Shonar Bangla
•• Composed national anthems
of India’s Jana Gana Mana
R. K. Narayan
and Bangladesh’s Amar
Shonar Bangla
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 20 June 1952
•• Kolkata, West Bengal
•• Novelist and poet
Work :
Vikram Seth •• A Suitable Boy, The Golden
Gate, An Equal Music, A
Suitable Girl.
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 24 November 1961
•• Shillong, Meghalaya
•• Author, Writer
Work :
Arundhati
Roy •• Won the Man Booker Prize
for Fiction in 1997, Sydney
Peace Prize (2004), Norman
Mailer Prize, 2011
•• The God of Small Things,
The End of Imagination,
Power Politics, An Ordinary
Person’s Guide To Empire,
The Checkbook and the
Cruise Missile
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 12 December 1905 – 28
September 2004
•• Peshawar currently in Pakistan
•• Writer
Mulk Raj
Work :
Anand
•• First writers to incorporate
Punjabi and Hindustani
idioms into English
•• Untouchable (1935), Coolie
(1936), Two Leaves and
a Bud (1937), The Village
(1939), Across the Black
Waters (1939), The Sword
and the Sickle (1942),
The Big Heart (1945), The
Private Life of an Indian
Prince (1953)
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 10 October 1906 – 13 May
2001
•• Chennai, Tamil Nadu
•• Author, Writer
Work :
•• Swami and Friends, The
Bachelor of Arts, The Dark
Room, The English Teacher, Mr.
Sampath, The Financial Expert,
Waiting for the Mahatma,
The Guide, The Man-Eater of
Malgudi, The Vendor of Sweets,
Malgudi Days
 GK-86 PEOPLE FOREVER
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 19 June 1947
•• Mumbai, Maharashtra
•• British Indian novelist and
essayist
Salman Work :
Rushdie •• Won the Booker Prize in
1981for Midnight’s Children
•• Grimus (1975), Midnight’s
Children (1981), Shame
(1983), The Satanic Verses
(1988), The Moor’s Last Sigh
(1995), The Ground Beneath
Her Feet (1999), Fury
(2001), Shalimar the Clown
(2005), The Enchantress of
Florence (2008), Two Years
Eight Months and Twenty-
Eight Nights (2015)
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 17 August 1932
•• Chaguanas, Caroni County,
Trinidad and Tobago
•• Novelist, travel writer, essayist
Work :
V S Naipaul •• Booker Prize 1971, Nobel
Prize in Literature 2001
•• A House for Mr Biswas, In
a Free State, A Bend in the
River, The Enigma of Arrival
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 2 February 1915 – 20 March
2014
•• Hadali, Khushab District,
Khushwant Punjab
Singh •• Journalist, writer, historian,
critic
Work :
•• The Mark of Vishnu and
Other Stories, (Short Story)
1950, The History of Sikhs,
1953, Train to Pakistan,
(Novel) 1956, The Voice
of God and Other Stories,
(Short Story) 1957, I Shall
Not Hear the Nightingale,
(Novel) 1959, The Sikhs
Today, 1959, With Malice
towards One and All
•• Awards: Rockefeller Grant,
1966, Honest Man of the
Year, Punjab Rattan, Sahitya
Akademi Fellowship
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 23 November 1897 – 1 August
1999
•• Kishoreganj, Bangladesh
•• Writer
Work :
Nirad
•• The Autobiography of
Chandra
an Unknown Indian, The
Chaudhuri
Continent of Circe, Thy
Hand, Great Anarch!, Three
Horsemen of the New
Apocalypse, The Intellectual
in India (1967), To Live or
Not to Live (1971), Scholar
Extraordinary, Culture in the
Vanity Bag (1976), Clive of
India (1975), Hinduism: A
Religion to Live by (1979)
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 22 April 1974
•• New Delhi
•• Novelist, Columnist
Work :
Chetan
•• Five Point Someone, One
Bhagat
Night @ the Call Center, Half
Girlfriend, The 3 Mistakes of
My Life, 2 States: The Story
of My Marriage, Revolution
2020, One Indian Girl
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 26 March 1907 - 11 September
1987
•• Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh
•• Hindi poet
Work :
Mahadevi
•• Neehar (1930), Rashmi (1932),
Varma
Neeraja (1934), Sandhyageet
(1936), Deepshikha (1939),
Agnirekha
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 14 January 1926 – 28 July
2016
•• Dhaka, Bangladesh
•• Fiction writer
Mahasweta
Devi Work :
•• Hajar Churashir Maa, Aranyer
Adhikar, Agnigarbha, Murti,
Neerete Megh, Stanyadayani,
Chotti Munda Evam Tar Tir
•• Sahitya Akademi Award
(Bengali)
PEOPLE FOREVER GK-87
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 19 May 1934
•• Kasauli, Punjab States
Agency, British India
•• Writer
Work :
Ruskin •• Our Trees Still Grow in
Bond Dehra, The Blue Umbrella, A
Flight of Pigeons, The Night
Train at Deoli
•• John Llewellyn Rhys Prize,
Sahitya Akademi Award,
Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 7 February 1812 – 9 June
1870
•• Landport, Hampshire, England
•• writer and social critic
Work :
Charles •• Works: The Pickwick Papers,
Dickens Oliver Twist, A Christmas
Carol, David Copperfield,
Bleak House, Hard Times,
Little Dorrit, A Tale of Two
Cities, Great Expectations
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 9 December 1608 – 8
November 1674
•• Bread Street, Cheapside, London
•• English poet
Work :
John Milton •• L’Allegro, Il Penseroso, Lycidas,
Paradise Lost, Paradise
Regained, Samson Agonistes
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 31 July 1965
•• Yate, Gloucestershire, England
•• Novelist
Work :
J. K. Rowling •• Harry Potter series, The
Casual Vacancy (2012), The
Cuckoo’s Calling (2013), The
Silkworm (2014) and Career
of Evil (2015).
Duration, Place & Field :
•• Feb 2, 1882 – Jan 13, 1991
•• Rathar, Republic of Ireland.
•• Irish Novelist and Poet.
James Joyce Work :
•• Works: Ulysses (1922), A
Portrait of the Artist as a
Young Man (1916)
•• He used stream of consciousness
technique
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 26 April 1564 – 23 April
1616
•• Stratford-upon-Avon, Warw-
ickshire, England
William •• Poet, playwright
Shakespeare Work :
•• Regarded as the greatest
writer in the English
language and the world’s
pre-eminent dramatist
•• England’s national poet, and
the Bard of Avon
•• Hamlet, Othello, King Lear,
and Macbeth
Duration, Place & Field :
•• September 9, 1828--
November 20, 1910
•• Yasnaya Polyana, Russian
Empire
Leo Tolstoy •• Writer
Work :
•• War and Peace, Anna
Karenina, The Death of Ivan
Ilyich, The Kingdom of God
is Within You, Resurrection
Duration, Place & Field :
•• 22 November 1819 – 22
December 1880
•• Nuneaton, Warwickshire,
England
•• English novelist, poet,
George Work :
Eliot
•• The Mill on the Floss
(1860), Silas Marner (1861),
Middlemarch (1871–72),
Daniel Deronda (1876)
•• 1 January 1879 – 7 June
1970
•• Marylebone, Middlesex, England
•• Novelist, short story writer
Work :
E. M. •• Where Angels Fear to Tread
Forster (1905), The Longest Journey
(1907), A Room with a View
(1908), Howards End (1910),
A Passage to India (1924),
Maurice
 GK-88 PEOPLE FOREVER
Duration, Place & Field : Duration, Place & Field :
•• 26 July 1856–2 November •• 26 September 1888 – 4
1950 January 1965
•• Dublin, Ireland •• St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
•• Anglo-Irish playwright, critic •• Poet & Critic
George Work : Work :
T. S. Eliot
Bernard •• Pygmalion, Heartbreak House, •• Works: The Love Song of J.
Shaw Major Barbara, Saint Joan,
Alfred Prufrock (1915), The
Man and Superman
Waste Land (1922), Four
•• Nobel Prize in Literature 1925.
Quartets (1944)
Vishnu Duration, Place & Field :
•• Nobel Prize in Literature
Sharma •• 3rd century BCE
(1948), Order of Merit (1948)
•• Kashmir
•• Scholar and author
Work :
•• Panchatantra
HISTORY GK-89

HISTORY
u India
u World

TOP HISTORICAL TRENDS/ EVENTS/ DEVELOPMENT

THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

INDIAN HISTORY MIND MAP

ANCIENT
 Indus Valley Civilization  Vedic Period/Aryan  Jainism & Buddhism
 Magadh Empire  Maurya Dynasty  Kushan Dynasty
 Gupta Empire  Harshvardhana  Southern Kingdom

MEDIEVAL
 Delhi Sultanate  Vijayanagar  Bhakti & Sufi Movement
 Mughal Dynasty  Advent of Europeans  Kingdom of Great Marathas

MODERN
 Trade Initiation of British  East India Company  British Rule before 1857
 Sepoy Mutiny 1857
 Freedom Struggle :
 Rowlatt Act (1919)  Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919)
 Chauri Chaura (1922)  Non Cooperation Movement (1920-22)
 Civil Disobedience Movement (1930)  Quit-India Movement (1942)
 Partition of India (1947), etc.
 GK-90 HISTORY
ANCIENT INDIA
Pre Historic Ages
Stone Age
•• Pre - historic period is divided into three
sections- Stone age, Bronze age and Iron age.
•• Stone age is divided into three periods
i.e. Palaeolithic Age, Mesolithic Age and
Neolithic Age.
•• Lower Palaeolithic Age covers the
greater part of the Ice Age.
•• The people of this age used to eat fruits,
birds, raw animal flesh etc.
•• The tools were usually made of hard rock.
•• In Middle Palaeolithic age, a change
occurred in the shape of tools which
were made of stones or bones.
•• In Upper Palaeolithic age, human
lived as nomadic hunter and gatherers.
•• Mesolithic Age was an intermediate
stage in the stone age. It ended with the
introduction of agriculture.
•• Neolithic age was an age of polished
tool culture.
•• Tool making became an important
profession and a variety of polished
tools were manufactured.
•• They learnt the art of pottery and their
pots were well made and decorated
with paintings.
•• They discovered the art of producing
fire by the friction of stones and the
wheel was also an important discovery
of this age.
Chalcolithic Age
•• Chalcolithic Age is marked by the use of
copper as copper age.
•• The economy was based on subsistence
agriculture, stock-raising, hunting and
fishing.
•• Neither they milked animals for dairy
products.
•• It was a transitional stage when both
bronze, copper and stone tools were used
and humans started living settled life.
There is an evidence of livestock breeding at the end of middle stone age period.
Bronze Age
•• It began with the development of Indus
valley civilization around 3000 BC and
continued up to 1300 BC.
•• People started using weapons and
agricultural tools made of Bronze, an
alloy of copper and tin.
•• It had opened the trade networks of
Mesopotamia civilization to reach out
in various directions.
•• The age came to an end primarily
because of the fact that the metals used
as alloy in manufacturing bronze were
not very common and widely found.
More over the expenses of making
bronze were high at that time.
Iron Age
•• It was the last principal period among
the three-age system of prehistoric
societies, preceded by the Bronze age.
•• The development of this era was due
to the weapons and tools made by iron.
Other changes in the society such as
agricultural practices, religious belief and
inclinations towards art were started.
•• The age began in the 6th century BCE in
northern Europe and 8th century BCE
in central Europe and by 12th century
BCE in the East, i.e. ancient Iran, ancient
India, and ancient Greece.
•• In India the late Harappan Culture
was marked with the Iron Age
archaeological cultures of India with
emphasis given on the Painted Grey
Ware culture (1200 to 600 BCE) and
the Northern Black Polished Ware (700
to 200 BCE).
Indus Valley Civilization
Indus Valley Civilization was the most
ancient urban civilization in this world
which flourished on the bank of Indus River
during Bronze Age Period. The important
cities under this civilizations were :
HISTORY GK-91

IMPORTANT SITES OF INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

Name of Sites Year of Excavators Features
Excavation
Harappa Punjab 1921 Daya Ram Sahni, • City followed grid planning
(Pakistan) River Madho Sarup • Row of six granaries
Ravi Vatsa, Wheeler • Only place having evidences of coffin
burial
• Evidence of fractional burial and coffin
burial
• Cemetery-H of alien people.
• Virgin-Goddess (Seal)
• Stone symbol of Lingam and Yoni
• Painted Pottery
Mohenjodaro 1922 R.D. Banerjee, • Great Granary, Great Bath Assembly
Sindh (Pakistan) Mackay, hall
River Indus Wheeler • Pashupati Mahadeva Seal
• Bronze image of nude woman dancer
• Human Skeltons huddled together
• Clay figures of Mother Goddess
• A fragment of woven cotton
• Brick Kilns and Dice
Chanhu-daro 1931 N. Gopal • A city without citadel
Sindh (Pakistan) Majumdar, • Inkpot, Lipstick
River Indus Mackay • Shell ornament makers’ shop and
bead makers’ shop
• Footprint of dog on a brick
• Terracotta model of a bullock cart,
Bronze toy cart
• Town was flooded more than seven times.
Kalibangan 1953 A. Ghosh, • Shows both Pre Harappan and Harappan
Rajasthan (India) B.V. Lal, phase
River Ghaggar B.K. Thapar • Evidence of furrowed land
• Evidence of seven fire altars and camel
bones
• Many houses had their own well
• Kalibangan stand for black bangles
• Evidence of wooden furrow
Lothal Gujarat 1953 S.R. Rao • A titled floor which bears intersecting
(India) River design of circles
Bhogava • Remains of rice husk
• Evidence of horse from a terracotta
figurine
• A ship designed on a seal
• Beads & trade ports
• An instrument for measuring angles,
pointing to modern day compass
• Dockyard

Barley was the first grown crop by human in the Middle East around 8000 B.C.
 GK-92 HISTORY
Banwali Hisar 1974
Haryana
Amri Sindh 1935
Dholavira Gujarat 1985-90
Rangpur Gujarat 1953
River Mahar
Ropar Punjab 1953
River Sutlej
Alamgirpur 1958
Ghaziabad
Early Vedic Period/ Aryan (1500–
500 BCE)
•• The earliest specimen of Indo-European
language is Rig Veda. Aryans were
the people who spoke Indo-European
languages basically belonging to
Central Asia, migrated to India.
•• They settled themselves in Sapta
Sindhu the land of seven rivers in
north-western region of India which
included Kubha river of Afghanistan
along with Indus and its five tributaries.
•• According to the oldest Vedic literature
(Rig Veda) the Aryan king came into
conflict with Dasa (branch of early
Aryans) and Dasyus (original inhabitants
of the country). They were soft to Dasas
but strongly hostile to Dasyus.
•• Gradually the region came to be known
as Bharatavarsha named after the
tribe Bharata. This clan consists of 5
Aryan chiefs and 5 non-Aryan chiefs.
Dasrajna Yudha or Battle of ten Kings
has been mentioned in hymns of Rig
Veda.
•• The battle was fought on the bank of
river Parusni, identical to river Ravi
and was won by Bharatas.
First evidence of human in India was found in western Narmada region in Madhya Pradesh.
R.S. Bisht • Shows both Pre-Harappan and Harppan
phase
• Good quantity of barley found here
N.G. Majumdar • Evidence of antelope
R.S. Bisht • Seven cultural stages
• Largest site
• Three part of city
• Unique water management
M.S. Vats, B.B. • Rice was cultivated
Lal & S.R. Rao
Y.D. • Evidence of burying a dog below the
Sharma human burial
• One example of rectangular mudbrick
chamber was noticed
• Five fold cultures - Harappan, PGW, NBP,
Kushana - Gupta and Medieval
Y.D. Sharma • The impression of cloth on a trough is
discovered
• Usually considered to be the eastern
boundary of the Indus culture
•• Samgrama meant that gram clashed
with one another and caused war.
•• The Aryans were pastoral people and
fought most of the war for it. Rig Veda
is “gavisihthi” or search for cows as
they were the most important form of
wealth.
•• The concept of women slave was most
common. Women and cows were gifted
to the priests in those days.
•• Voluntary offering to the chief was
known as bali.
•• Two priests who played important role
during this time were Vasishtha and
Vishvamitra.
•• The people of Vedic period were theists.
Vedic literature shows the existence
of god. The religion of the Vedic Aryan
worshipped nature with one in many
concepts.
•• Indra (rain god) was important as he
played role of a warlord. 250 hymns
were devoted to him.
•• Agni (fire god) was devoted 200 hymns.
Varuna, Soma (plant god), female
divinities like Aditi and Usha were
also worshipped but were not given
importance as the male gods.
HISTORY GK-93
•• The administrative machinery worked
under tribal chief called as Rajans. Clan
based assemblies were found such as
sabha, samiti, vidatha, gana. Women
attended sabha and vidatha.
•• Social structure of the society was based
on the kinship. Common term for nephew,
grandson and cousin was naptri.
Later Vedic Period
Vedic Literature
(1500 BC - 500 BC)
•• It is believed that the Rig Veda was
composed while the Aryans were still in
Punjab.
•• Vedic Literature comprises of four
literary productions:
1. The Samhitas or vedas
2. The Brahamans
3. The Aranyakas
4. The Upanishads
•• There are four vedas- Rig Veda, Sama
Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda.
The first three vedas are jointly called
Vedatrayi (trio of vedas).
Rig Veda (collection of lyrics) is the oldest
text in the world. It contains 10,500 verses
and 1028 hymns, divided into 10 mandalas.
The hymns of Rig Veda were recited by
Hotri. It is the tenth mandalas which
explains the four varnas.
Sama Veda (Book of chants) is important
for Indian music. The hymns of sama veda
were recited by Udgatri.
Yajur Veda (book of sacrificial prayers) is
a ritual veda. It has both verses and prose in
contrast with the fist two vedas. Its hymns
were recited by Adhveryus. It is divided into
two parts- Krishna Yajur and Shukla yajur.
Atharva veda (book of magical formulae)
contains charms and spells to word of evils
and diseases.
Every veda has several Brahmanas attached
to it:
Rig Veda: Aitareya and Kaushitiki
Sama Veda: Panchvisha, Shadvinsh,
Chhandogya and Jaiminaya
Lahuradeva in Uttar Pradesh are the site for oldest agricultural region in the Indian sub-continent.
Yajur Veda: Shatapatha (The oldest and the
largest Brahmana) and Taittariya.
Atharva Veda: Gopatha
Jainism
•• There were 24 Thirthankaras according
to Jain tradition. Rishabha Adinath
(symbol-Bull) was the first and Mahavira
(symbol-Lion) was the last Thirthankara.
•• There is historical proof of only the last two
Thirthankaras, Parshwanath (23rd) and
Mahavira (24th) while rest are obscure.
Parshvanatha
He was a prince of Benaras who led the life
of a hermit and died at Shikharji, Giridih,
Jharkhand. His four main teachings were
called chaturthi.
1. Ahimsa (Non-injury)
2. Satya (Non-lying)
3. Asteya (Non-stealing)
4. Aparigraha (Non-possession)
Mahavira
He adopted all these four teachings and
added Brahmacharya (Chastity) to it.
Mahavira was born in 540 BC in a village
called Kundagram near Vaishali in Bihar.
•• He renounced his family at the age of 30
and became an ascetic.
•• He attained kaivalya (perfect knowledge)
at the age of 42 under a sal tree at
Jambhika grama on the bank of river
Rijupalika.
•• He came to be known as Kevalin (perfect
learned), Jina (one who conquered his
senses), Nirgrontha (free from all bonds),
Arhant (blessed one) and Mahavira (the
brave).
•• He delivered his first sermon at Pava to his
11 disciples who were called Gandharas.
•• He passed away at Pavapuri near Bihar
Sharif, Bihar at the age of 72 in 468 BC.
•• Sudharma was the only Gandhara who
survived after his death.
 GK-94 HISTORY
Jain Council Year Venne Chairman Result
1st 300BC Patliputra Sthulabhadra Compilation of 12 Angas
2nd 512 AD Vallabhi Devardhi Final compilation of 12 Angas
Kshmasramana and 12 Upangas

Buddhism Sambharnath Horse

Gautama Buddha Abhiaandam Monkey
He was the founder of Buddhism. He was Sumatinath Curlew
born in 563 BC on the vaisakha purnima
Padmaprabhu Red Louts
day at Lumbinivana, Nepal in the Sakya
Kshatriya clan. Suparswanath Swastik
•• At the age of 29, he renounced home, Chandraji Prabhu Moon
this was his Mahabhinish Kramana
Suvidhinath Crocodile
(great going forth) and became a
wandering ascetic. Shitalnath Srivatsa
•• After 49 days of continuous meditation Shreganath Rhinoceros
under a pipal tree at Uruvella (Bodh
Vasupujya Buffalo
Gaya) on the bank of river Naranjana
(modern name Falgu) he attained Vimalnath Boar
Nirvana (enlightment). Anantnath Falcon
•• Buddha delivered his first sermon at
Dharamanath Vajra
Sarnath (Deer Park) to his five disciples,
this is known as Dharamachakro Shantinath Deer
Pravartana. Kuntunath He-Goat
•• He died at the age of 80 in 483 BC Arnath Fish
at Kushinagar. This is known as
Mahaparinirvana. Mallinath Waterpot
Muniswasth Tortoise
Important event of Symbols
Buddha’s life Neminath Blue Lotus
Janma (Birth) Lotus and Bull Arishtanemi Conch Shell
Mahabhinish Kraman Horse Parshwanath Serpent
(Renunciation)
Mahavira Lion
Nirvana/Sambodhi Bodhi tree
(Enlightenment)
Mahajanapadas
Dharamachakra Wheel
Pravartana (First Sermon) During the age of Buddha whole of northern
territory especially north of Vindyan was
Mahaparinirvana (Death) Stupa
divided into sixteen states called Sodasha
24 Tirthankaras Mahajanapadas either monarchical or
Name Symbol republican in character. The kingdoms of
Rishabha Bull Magadh, Koshala, Vatsa and Avanti were
considered powerful. Buddhist literature
Ajitnath Elephant
“Anguttara Nikaya” listed them as:
The original script of the Rigveda is in Brahmi.
HISTORY GK-95

Mahajanapadas Capital Present place

Gandhara Taxila A part of Afghanistan
Kamboja Rajauri Part of Kashmir and Afghanistan
Asmaka Potana Godavari Valley
Vatsa Kaushambi Allahabad
Avanti Ujjain Malwa and a part of M.P
Surasena Mathura Mathura in U.P
Chedi Shuktimati Bundelkhand in M.P
Malla Kushinara, Pawa Eastern U.P
Kurus Hastinapur/Indraprashta Delhi and Meerut
Matasya Virat Nagari Jaipur and Alwar
Vajjis Vaishali North Bihar
Anga Champa Bhagalpur and Munger in Bihar
Kashi Banaras Banaras
Kosala Shravasti Oudh in U.P
Magadha Girivraja/Rajgriha Patna and Gaya in Bihar
Panchala Ahichhatra/Kampilya Rohilkhand in U.P

Magadha Empire Kasi village made to Bimbisara. This brought

Magadha eventually emerged as one of
the most powerful Mahajanpadas mainly
because of its peculiar geographical
location. It was bordered by Ganga River in
north, Son River in west, Vindhya ranges in
south and Champa in East.
The various dynasties which ruled over
Magadh are as follows:
Haryanaka Dynasty
(544 BC-412 BC)
King Bimbisara
He was the founder of the Haryanka
dynasty. He was a contemporary of Lord
Buddha. Bimbisara married Kosala Devi,
sister of the Kosalan king Prasenajit, and
obtained a portion of Kasi as dowry. He also
married Chellana, the Lichchavi princess
of Vaishali, Vasavi, the Videha princess and
the Madra princess, Khema, thus increasing
Magadha’s powers by marital ties.
Ajatshatru
Ajatshatru, Bimbisara’s son, killed him to
ascend the throne in 493 B.C. As a result,
Kosalan king Prasenjit revoked the gift of
Yapniya was the sect of Jainism which originated from Digambar sect but followed certain Svetambar beliefs too.
about a war between Magadha and Kosala.
The war ended in a truce. Ajatasatru got
back Kasi and married Prasenjit’s daughter,
Vajira Kumari. After 16 years-long battle
with the Lichchavis, he conquered Vaishali.
Kosala too, fell to him. Gradually, the whole
of north Bihar came under his control and
Magadha held its sway over Eastern India.
Ajatasatru was succeeded by his son,
Udayabhadra (459 B.C). He shifted the
capital to Pataliputra at the confluence
of the Ganges and the Son rivers. Later
Pataliputra became the capital of India. A
succession of three weak kings, Anuruddha,
Munda and Nagadasaka ascended the
throne after him.
In 430 B.C., the last Haryanka ruler,
Nagadasaka, was killed by his courtier,
Shishunaga, who became the king and
founded the Shishunaga dynasty.
Shishunaga Dynasty (412-344 BC)
Shishunaga made Grivraja his residence
and deputed his son to Banaras. Shishunaga
was succeeded by Kalasoka. During
 GK-96 HISTORY
Kalasoka, Pataliputra became the capital
of Magadha. In Puranas he is mentioned
as Kakavarna and in Sri Lankan texts he is
mentioned as Kalasoka.
Kalasoka & Second Buddhist Council
The second Buddhist Council was sponsored
by Kalasoka at Vaishali in 383 BC. This
council was invited by a Buddhist monk
Yasa, who saw the local monks of Vaishali
following the teaching carelessly. The
dispute was on 10 points such as storing
salt in horn, eating after midday, eating
once and going to villages for alms, eating
sour milk after one’s meal etc. It was not
settled and Buddhism sects appeared for
the first time. President of this council was
Sabakami. The last rulers of Shishunaga
Dynasty were 10 sons of Kalasoka who
ruled simultaneously. Out of them one son
Nandivardhana is mentioned in Puranas.
Nanda Dynasty (344-321 BC)
Mahapadmananda was the first ruler of the
Nanda Dynasty. There are several theories
about the birth of Mahapadmananda. The
Purana theory say that Mahapadmananda
was son of Nandivardhana & a Shudra
Woman. Another theory says that there
was a good-looking barber, who won the
heart of the queen who subsequently killed
the king. Mahapadmananda was the son of
this barber. Whatever may be correct but
this was the line which started the trend of
lowborn (as of contemporary conditions)
rule started in Magadha.
Mahapadmananda had a large army and
that is why he is called Ugrasena. His army
might have been so large that it could be
arranged in a Lotus shape: Padmavyuh. He
might have been so wealthy that his wealth
was in Padama, a unit of counting equivalent
to a million multiplied by a billion.
Mahapadmananda subdued all the major
powers such as Ikasvakus, Kurus, Panchals,
Kasis, Surasens, Maithilas, kalingas, Asmakas
etc. and that is why Puranas mentioned his
name Sarvakhstrantaka (destroyer of all
Kshtras) equivalent to Parshurama.
The Nandas were the first Non Kshatriya
rulers in the history of India. The last ruler
was Dhana Nanda who was over thrown
Shyadvade also known as Anekantvada is the theory and Philosophy of Jainism of ancient times.
by Chandragupta Maurya thus founding
Mauryan Empire in 321 BC.
Alexander, the great invaded India in
326 BC during the rule of Dhanananda.
Dhanananda is mentioned as Xandrames
or Aggrammes or Ganderites in the Greek
historical texts.
Mauryan Empire (322-185 BC)
The Maurya Empire was founded by
Chandragupta Maurya, with the help
from Chanakya, a Brahmin teacher at
Takshashila who dethroned the last Nanda
ruler Dhana Nanda.
• Chandragupta Maurya defeated
Seleucus Nicator in 305 BC, who
surrendered a vast territory and the
Hindukush became the boundary of
their states.
• A Greek ambassador Megasthenes
was sent to the Court of Chandragupta
by Seleucus Nicator.
• In the last stage of his life Chandragupta
Maurya accepted Jainism and went to
Sravanbelagola in Karnataka with
Bhadrabaha.
• He was as sandrocottus by strabo and
recognised/discovered by William
Jones.
Bindusara (298-273 BC)
• He succeeded Chandragupta Maurya.
Bindusara was know as Amitrochates
to the Greeks, probably derived from
the Sanskrit world Amitraghata. He
is believed to have raided the Deccan
(upto Mysore).
• He patronised Ajivikas.
Ashoka (273BC- 232BC)
• Ashoka was the son of Bindusara who
successed him, by usurping the throne
after killing his 99 brothers and
spared Tissa, the youngest one.
• Ashoka fought the Kalinga war in
261 BC. He abandoned the policy
of physical occupation after he was
moved by the massacre in this war.
• The last Mauryan ruler Brihadratha
was assasinated in 185 BC by his
Commander-in-chief, Pushyamitra
Sunga who established his own Sunga
dynasty.
HISTORY GK-97

Ashokan Edicts and Information Place

Inscriptions
I. Rock Edicts
14 Major Rock Edicts Various Principles of Manshera (Pakistan) Shahbajgarhi (Mardan,
Dhamma Pakistan), Kalsi (Dehradun, Uttarakhand), Junagadh
(Girnar, Gujarat), Sopara (Thane, Maharashtra),
Yerragudi (Kurnul, Andhra Pradesh), Dhauli (Khurda,
Odisha), Jaugada (Ganjam, Odisha)
2 Kalinga Rock New system of Dauli or Tosali (Khurda, Odisha), Jaugada (Ganjam,
Edicts administration after Odisha)
the Kalinga war
Minor Rock Edicts Personal history of
Sasaram (Bihar), Maski (Andhra Pradesh), Bhabru-
Ashoka and summary
Bairat (Rajasthan), Rupanath (MP), Gavimath,
of his dhammaPalkig-undu, Siddhpur, Jating Rameshwar,
Brahmagiri (Karnataka)
Bhabru-Bairat Rock Ashoka’ conversion to Bhabru-Bairat (Rajasthan)
Edicts Buddhism
II. Pillar Edicts
7 Pillar Edicts Appendix to rock Edicts Meerut-Delhi (Chhoti Lata), Topra-Delhi (Badi
Lata), Allahabad (UP); Lauriya Nandangadh,
Lauriya Areraj and Rampurva (Bihar)
4 Minor Pillar Edicts Signs of Ashoka’s Sanchi (MP), Sarnath and Allahabad (UP)
fanaticism to Dhamma
2 Tarai Pillar Edicts Ashoka’s respect for Rummandei/Lumbini and Nigaliva (Tarai of Nepal)
Buddhism
III. Cave Edicts
3 Barabar Cave Edicts Ashoka’s toleration Barabar Hills (Gaya, Bihar)

ASHOKAN 14 MAJOR ROCK EDICTS

S. No. Informations
1. Prohibition of animal sacrifices and festive gatherings.
2. Measures of social welfare.
3. Respect to Brahamanas.
4. Courtesy to relatives, elders, consideration for animals.
5. Appointment of Dhamma Mahamatras and their duties.
6. Need for efficient organisation of administration (orders to Dhamma Mahamatras).
7. Need for tolerance among all religious sects.
9 System of Dhamma-yatras.
9. Attack on meaningless ceremonies and rituals.
10. Conquest through Dhamma instead of war.
11. Explanation of Dhamma-policy.
12. Appeal for tolerance among all religious sects.
13. Kalinga war, mention 5 contemporary Hellenic (Greek) kings.
14. Inspiration to spend religious life.
Ujjain was known as Avantika in the ancient times.
 GK-98 HISTORY
Shunga (Sunga) Dynasty
(185 BC–73 BC)
Four rulers of Shunga or Sunga Dynasty
were Pushyamitra Sunga (185 BC to 151 BC),
Agnimitra (149 BC-141 BC), Bhagabhadra
(114 BC-83 BC) and Devabhuti (87-73 BC).
Pushyamitra Sunga (185 BC to 151 BC)
Pushyamitra Shunga was the founder and
hero of the Shunga dynasty. He was viceroy
of the Mauryas at Ujjain and was a real
war hero. He was not happy with his king
Brihadratha, who failed in containing the
Yavanas and attacks from the western sides.
Pushyamitra is also known to have repelled
the Kalinga’s king Kharvela conquest. The
Ayodhya Inscription of Dhandeva mentions
that he performed two Ashwamedha Yagyas
(Horse Sacrifices).
Agnimitra, the second king of Shunga dynasty,
succeeded his father Pushyamitra Shunga and
reigned for a short period of 8 years. He is
the hero of Malvikagnimitram of Kalidasa in
which he has been referred to as Raja.
Bhagabhadra
We know about the king Bhagabhadra
by a Heliodorus pillar, which has been
found in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh near
modern Besnagar. Heliodorus was a Greek
ambassador and he dedicated this pillar
to God Vasudeva (Vishnu). The Heliodorus
pillar has a surmounted figure of a Garuda.
Devabhuti
Devabhuti was the last Shunga Ruler who
was killed by his own minister Vasudeva
Kanva in around 73 BC and founded the
Kanva Dynasty.
Satvahana Dynasty (167–196 AD)
Simuka was the founder of this dynasty. It
was situated between the region of Krishna
and Godavari rivers. Most powerful king of
the dynasty was Gautamiputra Satakarni
(A.D. 106-130). He defeated the Sakas,
Yavanas (Greeks) and Pahlavas (Parithans).
Kushan Dynasty (30–375 AD)
Kanishka was the greatest ruler of this
dynasty and is known for his military powers.
Bhagwat were the first to worship Vasudev Krishna.
The Capital of Kushans is Purushpura
(Peshawar). Kanishka is considered to
have conflicted with the Pataliputra. He was
a patron of Buddhism and convened the
4th Buddhist council in the Kundalvana of
Kashmir in 78 AD. Scholars in the Court of
Kanishka were Parsva, Vasumitra, Asvaghosa,
Nagarjuna, Charaka and Mathara. Sushruta
who wrote Sushruta Samhita, has also been
connected to Kanishka.
The Gupta Empire (320-550AD)
This period is known as Golden Era.
Chandragupta I (319-335 AD)- was the
founder and an important ruler of the Gupta
dynasty. He was married to Kumaradevi
princess of lichchhavi clan, in order to
strengthen his position.
Samudragupta (335-380 A.D.)- Expanded
the kingdom as he was very much
delighted by violence. The poet in his
court “Harisena” in his works Prayag and
Prashasti have described glowing account
of the military exploits of the patron. Thus,
he was known as “Indian Napoleon”.
Chandragupta II- He succeeded Samundra-
gupta. Extended his empire by marriage
alliances and conquers. He married his
daughter Prabhavati with a Vakataka prince
who belonged to the Brahmana caste and ruled
in central India. He patronized the famous
Navaratnas. Kalidasa and Amarasimha were
among them. He conquered western Malwa
and Gujarat, ruled by the Saka Kshatrapas for
about past four centuries and adopted the
title of Vikramaditya after conquering Ujjain.
Chinese pilgrim Fa-hien came to India during
his reign.
•• His son Kumaragupta succeeded him.
Kumaragupta’s dominion suffered
severely from the invasion of Huna Hordes,
all over North India. Skandagupta, son of
Kumaragupta defeated Pushyamitra who
became powerful during Kumaragupta
time. He also defeated the White Hunas.
•• Nalanda University was built by
Kumargupta.
•• The great Mathematician Aryabhata
lived during this period. He discovered
the number “0” and value of Pi. He wrote
“Aryabhatiya” and “Suryasiddhanta.
HISTORY GK-99
•• Poets Kalidasa, Dandi, Visakhadatta,
Shudraka, and Bharavi, all belonged to
the Gupta Age.
•• Tamralipti, a port in Bengal , was an
important trade centre during Gupta period.
•• The empire was divided into divisions:
bhuktis (under the charge of an uparika)
and vishayas (Districts) under the charge
of vishyapati.
Harshavardhana (606-647 A.D.)
•• Fall of Gupta’s and Huna invasion left
northern India in a disorder and chaotic
situation. It gave rise to small kingdoms
like Thaneswar, near Kurukshetra under
the leadership of Prabhakarvardhana
and his son Harsha.
•• He made Kanauj his capital and his
kingdom spread over northern India
except Kashmir.
•• Banabhatta was a poet in his court
who wrote Harshacharita describing
early history of his reign.
•• Chinese pilgrim Hsuan Tsang who
visited India during his reign has thrown
great deal of light on the administrative,
political and social life of that time. He
spent his six years of life in India (606-
612 A.D.).
•• Harsha himself wrote Ratnavali,
Naganandam and Priyadarshika
plays in Sanskrit.
The Pala Empire (750–1174 B.C.)
Golden era of Bengal
•• It was Buddhist dynasty from Bengal
founded by Gopala I. The empire
reached its peak under Dharmapala
and Devapala. Dharmapala conquered
Kanauj and extended his sway up to the
farthest limits of India in the northwest.
•• Palas were followers of the Mahayana and
Tantric schools of Buddhism, they also
patronised Shaivism and Vaishnavism.
•• Dharmapala founded the Vikramashila
and revived Nalanda. They maintained
close cultural and commercial ties with
countries of Southeast Asia and Tibet.
Sea trade added greatly to the prosperity
of the Pala kingdom. The Arab merchant
Suleiman notes the enormity of the Pala
army in his memoirs.
Birth, Karma and Bhakti hold the same significance to achieve Moksha according to Bhagvad Gita.
Southern Kingdoms
•• The Pallavas of Kanchi, the Chalukyas
of Badami and the Pandyas of Madurai
emerged as powerful states in southern
India in the beginning of seven century.
Pallavas
Pallavas constructed temples of Shiva and
Vishnu in Tamil Nadu.
•• Epigraphs found in Andhra Pradesh
and Karnataka between second and
third century B.C. were mostly written
in Prakrit but around 400 A.D. Sanskrit
became official language.
•• Pallavas ruled over southern Andhra
Pradesh and northern Tamil Nadu.
Made Kanchi their capital identical to
present Kanchipuram and made it a
city of temple and vedic learning.
Chalukyas
•• The Chalukyas setup their sovereign
state at Vatapi (modern Bijapur district).
•• Pulakesin I (543-567 A.D.) established
this dynasty and Pulakesin II (608-
647AD) was greatest of all rulers.
•• Well known Kasivisvesvara Temple
at Lakkundi, the Mallikarjuna Temple
at Kuruvatti, the Kallesvara Temple at
Bagali and the Mahadeva Temple at
Itagi were built during Chalukyas reign.
•• The Pallavas and Chalukyas were
in conflict during Pulakesin II.
Narasimhavarman captured his capital
during their second clash between the
two. Narasimhavarman then assumed the
title of vatapikonda (conquer of Vatapi).
Chola Dynasty
Vijayalaya was the founder of Chola
Dynasty. Most powerful kings of Chola
Dynasty was Rajaraja (985-1014) and his
son, Rajendra I. Rajendra I founded a new
capital of Gangai Kondacholapuram. He
defeated the kings of Sumatra in a naval
campaign and annexed a part of Sumarata
kingdom to his kingdom. Rajendra Chola
III was the last king of the dynasty. Under
the Cholas, the South India reached new
heights of excellence in art, religion and
literature.
 GK-100
HISTORY

MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Delhi Sultanate
Delhi sultanate begins with Turkish invasion in India by Muhammad Ghori in 1173 to
1202. He nominated his faithful slave Qutub ud-Din Aibak as the governor of the newly
possessed region called India. During this period Delhi became the centre of Turkish and
Afghan Power.
Dynasty Sultan / Agent Event Highlights
Muhammad •• Qutub-ud-din Aibak (1206–1210) •• Construction of world famous
Ghori slave •• Aram Shah (1210–1211) monument Qutub Minar by Qutub-
dynasty •• Shams ud din Iltutmish (1211–1236), ud-din Aibak and finished by his
(1193-1290) •• Rukn ud din Firuz (1236) successors. They attacked temples
•• Raziyyat-ud-din Sultana (1236–1240) of Ajmer, Samana, Kuhram, Delhi,
•• Muiz ud din Bahram (1240–1242) Kol, Benaras
•• Alauddin Masud (1242–1246), •• Construction of Quwat ul-Islam at
•• Nasiruddin Mahmud (1246–1266), Delhi, Adhai din ka Jhopra at Ajmer.
•• Ghiyas uddin Balban (1266–1286),
•• Muiz uddin Qaiqabad (1286–1290),
Khilji •• Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji (1290–1296) •• Known for their cruelty as they
(1290-1320) •• Alauddin Khilji (1296–1316) levied taxes on the defeated
•• Umar Khan Khilji (1316) community. During the period of
•• Qutb ud din Mubarak Shah (1316- Alauddin Khilji the famous Koh-i-
1320) noor Diamond of Warangal was
•• Khusro Khan (1320) looted somewhere around 1310
Tughluq •• Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq (1320-1325) •• Geographically the largest dynasty;
(1320-1395) •• Muhammad bin Tughluq (1325-1351) Muhammad bin Tughluq was
•• Mahmud Ibn Muhammad (March 1351) one of the powerful sultans who
•• Firuz Shah Tughluq (1351–1388) changed the capital from Delhi
•• Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughlaq II (1388– to Daulatabad (present Deogir in
1389) Maharashtra) to rule the empire
•• Abu Bakr Shah (1389–1390) more proficiently thus ordered
•• Nasir ud din Muhammad Shah III for forceful migration of common
(1390–1393) masses. Though a good idea but he
•• Sikander Shah I (March-April 1393) failed to execute.
•• Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq •• Secondly his ideas to introduce
(1393–1413) bronze coin instead of silver coin
•• Nasir-ud-din Nusrat Shah Tughluq also failed as the bronze coins were
(1394–1414), easy to forge
Sayyid •• Khizr Khan (1414–1421) •• The vast Tughlaq dynasty shrunk
(1400-1442) •• Mubarak Shah (1421–1434) within 10 miles of Delhi during this
•• Muhammad Shah (1434–1445) period.
•• Alam Shah (1445–1451)
Lodi •• Bahlul Lodi (1451–1489) •• The dynasty had fought one of the
(1457-1518) •• Sikandar Lodi (1489–1517) greatest battles in India- Battle
•• Ibrahim Lodi (1517–1526), of Panipat in 1526 with Babur
who was invited by Daulat Khan
Lodi to enter India and at the end
Ibrahim Lodi lost the battle.

S.A. Dange started the publication of an English Weekly Socialist in 1923.

HISTORY GK-101

LITERATURE OF DELHI SULTANATE

Book Author Historical Importance
Tabqiq-i-Hind Alberuni Alberuni was an Arabian scholar who wrote
about the Slave dynasty
Tabaqat-i-Nasiri Minhaj-us-Siraj Gives an account of Iltutmish’s region
Laila-Majnu Amir Khusrau Court poet of Alauddin Khilji
Khazain-ul-Futuh Amir Khusrau Describes conquests of Alauddin Khilji
Tughlaq-Nama Amir Khusrau Gives account of Ghiyasuddin’s reign
Nuh-Siphir Amir Khusrau Poetic description of Alauddin Khilji
Fatawa-i-Jahandri Ziauddin Barani Gives an account of the Tughlaq dynasty
Tarikha-i-Firoz Shahi Ziauddin Barani Gives an account of Firoz Shah’s reign
Fatwah-i-Firoz Shahi Firoz Shah Gives an account of his reign
Kitab-fi-Tahqiq Alberuni About Indian Sciences
Qanun-e-Masudi Alberuni About astronomy
Jawahar-fil-jawahir Alberuni About mineralogy
Qamas Firozabadi Arabic words dictionary
Taj-ul-Maathir Hasan Nizami History of IIbaris, the slave dynasty
Chach Namah Abu Bakr History of Sindh region
Lubab-ul-Alab Bhukhari Persian anthology
Khamsah Amir khusrau Literature and Poems
Shah Namah Firdausi About Mahmud Ghazni’s reign
Kitab-ul-Rehla lbn Battutah A travelogue with stories
Miftah-ul-Futuh Amir Khusrau Jalaluddin’s conquest and life
Multa-ul-Anwar Amir Khusrau Literary masterpieces
Ayina-i-Sikandari Amir Khusrau Literary masterpieces
Hasht Bihisht Amir Khusrau Literary masterpieces
Shirin Khusrau Amir Khusrau Literary masterpieces
Tarik-i-Firoz Shahi Shams-i-Shiraj Afif History of Tughlaqs
Futuh-us-Salatin Isami About Bahmani Kingdom

VIJAYANAGARA EMPIRE
Dynasty Emperors Important Highlights
Sangama •• Harihara Raya I(1336–1356) •• The rise of Vijayanagar dynasty was
Dynasty •• Bukka Raya I (1356–1377) the result of political and cultural
•• Harihara Raya II (1377–1404) movement against the Tughlaqs.
•• Virupaksha Raya (1404–1405) •• Presumably Harihar I and Bukka I were
•• Bukka Raya II (1405–1406) the founders of this dynasty.
•• Deva Raya I (1406–1422) •• This dynasty had to face the invasion
•• Ramachandra Raya(1422) from Bhamani Sultan Ahmed Lin.
•• Vira Vijaya Bukka Raya (1422–1424) •• The kings of this dynasty were generous
•• Deva Raya II (1424–1446) and worked for the social welfare of the
•• Mallikarjuna Raya (1446–1465) people.
•• Virupaksha Raya II (1465–1485) •• Some of the kings were great patronage
•• Praudha Raya(1485) of literature.
Great philosopher and political thinker Chanakya was known with other names such as Kautilya and Vishnugupta.
 GK-102
Saluva •• Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya ( 1 4 8 5 – •• The Saluva started ruling soon after
Dynasty 1491)
•• Thimma Bhupala (1491)
•• Narasimha Raya II (1491–1505)
•• Tuluva Narasa Nayaka (1491–1503) •• Founded by Tuluva Narasa Nayak, the
•• Vira Narasimha Raya (1503–1509)
•• Krishna Deva Raya (1509–1529)
•• Achyuta Deva Raya (1529–1542)
Tuluva •• Venkata I 1542
Dynasty •• Sadasiva Raya (1542–1570)
•• Aliya Rama Raya 1542–1565
•• Tirumala Deva Raya 1565–1572
•• Sriranga I 1572–1586
Aravidu •• Venkata II 1586–1614
Dynasty •• Sriranga II 1614
•• Rama Deva Raya 1617–1632
•• Venkata III 1632–1642
•• Sriranga III 1642–1646
Religious Movements
During fifteenth and sixteenth century
religious movements have emerged in India
so as to liberate people from dogmatic beliefs,
ritualism, caste and communal hatred, etc.
Two major movements that carried out
juxtaposing by both Hindu and Muslim
communities were Bhakti and Sufi Movement.
Bhakti Movement
•• Bhakti means personal devotion to God.
It stresses the union of the individual
with God.
•• Bhakti movement originated in South
India between the 15th and the 17th
centuries AD.
•• The Nayanars, who worshipped Shiva,
and the Alwars, who worshipped Vishnu,
preached the idea of Bhakti.
•• Saints like Sankara, Ramanuja and
Madhwa gave their concepts of God and
the individual soul.
•• Teachings of Ramanuja were based on
the Upanishads and Bhagwad Gita.
•• Ramananda was disciple of Ramunaja. He
was the first reformer to preach in Hindi.
Vinay Pitaka literature contains the rules and regulations of the Sangha in Buddhism.
HISTORY
Saluva Narasimha had a fight with
the Sambetas of Peranipadu and the
Paligers of Ummattur but they couldn’t
sustain power for a very long period
third Hindu dynasty of Vijayanagar
Empire seemed to be the most powerful
dynasties.
•• Krishan Deva Raya the most powerful
king of this dynasty.
•• Believed to be the golden period of
Telugu literature
•• Worshipped Nagaraja Vasuki hence
called as Nagavanshis
•• The last dynasty of Vijayanagar empire
founded by Tirumal Deva Raya
•• The battle of Raksa –Tangadi happened
hence the Aravidu dynasty as well as
Vijayanagar empire came to an end by
the combined forces of Bijapur muslims
•• Kabir was an ardent disciple of
Ramananda. He wanted unity between
the Hindus and the Muslims.
•• He preached that both the Hindus and the
Muslims are the children of a single God.
•• The devotees of Kabir were known as
Kabir Panthis.
•• Namdeva was a waterman by birth. He
composed beautiful hymns in Marathi.
•• Nanak was the founder of the Sikh
religion.
•• Nanak’s teachings were in the form of
verses. They were collected in a book
called the Adi Granth.
•• Later Adi Granth was written in a script
called Gurmukhi.
•• Chaitanya, a great devotee of Lord
Krishna, was a saint from Bengal.
•• Meerabai was a Rajput princess. She
married the Rana of Mewar. She was a
pious devotee of Lord Krishna.
•• Chatrapati Shivaji, the great Maratha
ruler, was a follower of Ramdas.
•• Tukaram was a saint who lived in
Maharashtra. He composed a large
number of verses called Abhangas.
HISTORY GK-103
•• Tulsidas composed the famous
Ramcharitamanas in Hindi, expounding
the various aspects of Hindu dharma.
•• Surdas was a devotee of Lord Krishna
and Radha. His works include Sursagar,
Sahitya Ratna and Sur Sarawali.
•• Dadu Dayal was a disciple of Kabir. His
followers were known as Dadu Panthis.
•• Eknath was a devotee of Vithoba. He
wrote commentary on verses of the
Bhagavad Gita.
Sufi Movement
Sufism or tasawwuf, as it is called in
Arabic, is generally understood by scholars
and Sufis to be the inner, mystical, or
psycho-spiritual dimension of Islam. Today,
however, many Muslims and non-Muslims
believe that Sufism is outside the sphere of
Islam.
In Sufism, a perfect being is also called a
Wali (saint), a word that literally means
‘sincere friend’. The superstructure of
Sufism is built upon the concept of teacher,
pir or murshid.
The cardinal doctrines of the Sufism include
1. Absorbed variety of ideas and practices
from Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism
and Zorastrianism.
2. It aimed at services of mankind
3. Building cultural synthesis
4. It opposed orthodoxy and preached
devotion to God
5. Discouraged materialistic life but did
not support complete renunciation
These cardinal principles altogether
make the Doctrine of Fana which means
annihilation of human attributes through
Union with God. Sufism had succeeded in
inculcating the sentiments of fraternity,
equality and equity, coupled with sense
of service to humanity, in the followers,
irrespective of race, community, caste, creed
and colour.
Sufi Saint
•• Khwaja Ali Hujjwiri (11th century):
He was also known as Data Ganj
Baksh. He wrote a manual of Sufism
called ‘Kashf-ul-Mahjub’.
Borobudur in Central Java, Indonesia is the world’s largest Buddhist temple.
•• Shaikh Bahauddin Zakariya
(1182-1262): He was the founder of
Suhrawardi order who founded first
leading Khanqah in India at Multan.
•• Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti (1141-
1236): He was the founder of the
chisti order which is the first and most
popular liberal sufi order in India. He
settled down at Ajmer. Other chisti Sufi
Saints who followed Khwaja Muinuddin
Chisti were:
(1) Sheikh Hamiduddin Nagauri
(1192-1274);
(2) Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar
Kaki in whose memory Qutub
Minar was built;
(3) Baba Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakar
(1175-1265) popularly known as
Baba Farid. He built his Khanqah
at Ajodan (Punjab). He was also
the first Punjabi poet of Sufism;
(4) Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya
(1236-1325): He was known
as Mehboob-i-ilahi, built his
khanqah in Delhi and became
the most famous Sufi Saint of the
Chisti order.
(5) Shaikh Nasiruddin Mahmud
(death 1365) was a chisti saint
came to known as Chirag-i-Delhi;
(6) Syed Muhammad Gesu Daraz
(death 1421) settled down at
Gulbarga (Karnataka). He was
popularly known as Bandanawaz.
•• Shaikh Badruddin Samarkandi (13th
century): He founded Firdausi order
which thrived only in Bihar.
•• Shah Nayamatullah Qadri and Shah
Abdullah Shuttari (15th Centry):
Shah Nayamattullah Qadri founded
the Qadiriya order. It spread in Uttar
Pradesh and Deccan. Miya Mir (1550-
1635) was its popular Saint. Shah
Abdullah Shuttari (dealth 1458)
founded the Shuttari order. It spread
mainly in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
•• Khwaja Baqi Billah (1536-1603) He
founded Naqsbandiah order.
 GK-104
HISTORY
MUGHAL DYNASTY
Sultans Important accomplishments
•• Babur won Delhi sultanate by defeating the last king of Lodhi dynasty,
i.e. Ibrahim Lodhi.
•• Two major battles won by Babur were Battle of Panipat I (April 1526)
and Khanwa Battle (March 1527).
•• Continued to conquer places in the coming years and his territory
extended almost up to the northern part of India.
Babur (1526-1530)
•• Came to power soon after the death of his father Babur in 1530.
•• Forcefully driven to Afghanistan by the Muslim rebel Sher Shah in
1540 and returned to India after 15 years in 1555.
•• Encouraged Persian artists for their fine arts; brought two of them
from the school of Bihzad to teach Akbar, the lessons of drawing.
•• Died accidentally by falling down from stone staircase.
Humayun
(1530-40 to 1555-56)
•• Ruled from 1556 till his death.
•• His power influenced entire country because of the dominance of
Mughal military, politics, culture and economy.
•• Was quite different from other mughal emperors in terms of his liberal
behaviour with the society, religious practices and administrative policies
•• Abolished pilgrimage tax which the common people had to pay while
Akbar visiting to pilgrim spots
(1556-1605) •• Rajputs were made equal partners in government.
•• Driven by the thought of religious equality, formulated his own
religion Din-i-Ilahi which focused on universal harmony.
•• His great passion about knowledge made him appoint intellectual
people in his court and name them as Navratna.
•• The only heir that survived and ruled the mughal dynasty after Akbar.
•• First military expedition was against Rana Amar Singh, son of Rana
Pratap of Mewar.
•• Art, literature, and architecture prospered under Jahangir’s rule, and
the Mughal gardens in Srinagar remain an enduring testimony to his
artistic taste.
Jahangir (1605-1627)
•• The fifth ruler of Mughal dynasty and famous for his great
administration
•• As a great lover of art and culture took interest in the construction and
architecture and the master piece is Taj Mahal built in the memory of
his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal

Shah Jahan
(1628-1658)
•• Started ruling the dynasty as its sixth emperor.
•• Was a ruler with religious orthodoxy and used to support Islam
•• Was not much passionate about art and culture, so during his tenure
only few monuments have been developed - the exquisite Moti (Pearl)
Mosque at Delhi.
•• Reintroduced Jaziya, i.e. taxation on non-muslims.
Aurangzeb
(1658-1707)
Bodhisatva Avalokiteshwara of Mahayana Buddhism is also known as Padmapani.
HISTORY GK-105

LITERATURE OF MUGHAL PERIOD

Book Author Contents
Tuzuk-i-Baburi Babur Describes military tactics and
administrative organisation during
Babur’s reign
Qanun-i-Humayu Khwand Amair Describes Humayun’s administration,
festivities and buildings of that period
Humayun Nama Gulbadan Begum Biography of Humayun
Akbar Nama Abul Fazl Gives a history of Akbar’s reign
Tobaqat-i-Akbari Khwajah Nizamuddin -do-
Ahmad Baksh
Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri Jahangir Memoirs of his own reign
Iqbalnama-i-Jahangiri Muhammad Khan History of Jahangir's reign
Chahar Chaman Chandra Bhan History of Shah Jahan's rule
Brahman
Alamgir-nama Munshi Mirza Gives an account of Aurangzeb's first 10
Muhamma Kazin years of rule
Massir-i-Alamgiri Saqi Mustaid Khan Official history of Aurangzeb’s reign
written after his death
Ain-i-Akbari Abul Fazl History of Akbar's reign
Muntakhab-ul-Tawarikh Badauni History of Akbar's rule
Tawarikh-i-Alfi Mulla Daud -do-
Nuriyya-i-Sultaniyya Abdul Haq Theory of Kinship during Mughal Period
Waqt-i-Hyderabad Nimat Khan Ali Aurangzeb's Golconda conquest
Futuhat-i-Alamgiri Ishwar Das Aurangzeb's history
Nuskha-i-Dilkusha Bhimsen Saxena Analysis of Aurangzeb's rule and character
Khulasat-ul-Tawarikh Sujan Raj Khatri History of Aurangzeb's rule
Padshah Namah Abdul Hamid Lahori History of Shah Jahan's reign
Padshah Namah Muhammad Waris -do-
Shahjahan Namah Muhammad Salih -do-
Shahjahan Namah Inyat Khan -do-
Hamlai-Haidri Muhammad Rafi Khan History of Aurangzeb's rule
Namah-e-Alamgiri Aquil Khan Zafar -do-
Sirr-i-Akbar Dara Shikoh Urdu translation of Upanishad
Safinat-ul-Auliya -do- Biographies of Sufi Saints
Majma-ul-Bahrain -do- Philosophical ideas discussed
Raqqat-e-Alamgiri Aurangzeb A compendium of his letters
Hasmat-ul-Arifin Dara Shikoh Religious ideas discussed

The Bhumisparsha mudra statue of Buddha of Sarnath is dated to Gupta period.

 GK-106
HISTORY
Advent of European Commerce in in the year 1565. The expedition aimed at
India opening spice roots to India. However, in between
1595 to 1601 several such expeditions were
The Portuguese made to monopolize the entire spice trade to
Vasco de Gama discovered new sea route Europe with their skill administration and
to India via coast of South Africa and vigour commercialization.
reached Calicut coast on 20th May 1498 The French
and established factories at Cochin.
The very first attempt of the French community
Successively Francis co de Almeida
to enter Indian coast was in the early days of
reached India in September 1505 and
16th century but they failed to do so due to
became the Portuguese governor in India. the monopoly of Dutch Territory. Later on
He built a fort and settled there and named
they discovered land routes through Asia
it as Anjadiav.
minors under the guidance of Richelieu.
The Dutch They were permitted to sail to Madagascar
The first Dutch expedition reached East Indies and the neighbouring islands and establish
under the leadership Cornelius Houtman colonies and trade there.
THE KINGDOM OF THE GREAT MARATHA
Eminent Persons Notable accomplishments
•• Known as the father of Maratha nation.
•• Before killing Adilshahi general Afzal Khan in 1647, he gradually started
capturing forts in the region like Purandar, Rajgad, Torna.
•• The guerrilla tactics and brilliant military strategies were his key to
success in every war.
•• Fought with Jai Singh, general of Aurangzeb in which he lost and was
Shivaji Bhonsle arrested in 1666, but soon he escaped and regained his lost territory.
(1630-80 A.D) •• Assumed the title of “Chhatrapati” at his elaborate coronation in 1674.
•• Died in 1680 and at that time had control over most of western
Maharashtra and had made ‘Raigad’ capital.
•• Was the first son of Chhatrapati Shivaji and succeeded his father after his
death in the first week of April 1680.
•• Gave shelter to Sultan Muhammad Akbar, the fourth son of Aurangzeb, who
sought Sambhaji’s aid in winning the Mughal throne from his emperor father.
•• During this period Mughals sieged the Maratha fort of Ramsej in 1682, but
after five months of failed attempts, including planting explosive mines
Sambhaji and building wooden towers to gain the walls, the Mughal siege failed.
•• Was imprisoned and executed by Aurangzeb, in 1689.
•• After the execution of Sambhaji, Rajaram, the second son of Shivaji had
taken the charge of Marathas in 1689 but soon died in 1700.
•• Tarabai the widow of Rajaram, put her young son Sambhaji II on the
throne after his father’s death, at the tender age of ten, and continued the
fight against Mughals until the death of Aurangzeb in 1707.

Rajaram
•• Sahuji the son of Sambhaji was released from Mughals captivity in 1707.
•• He attacked Tarabai and Sambhaji II from the throne of Maratha with the
help of Peshwa Balaji Biswanathan and won the battle. Soon had his own
territory.
•• Didn’t posses a strong affinity towards politics he settled down in Satara.

Sahuji
Gautam Buddha was raised to the position of God during the reign of Kanishka.
HISTORY GK-107

•• He was appointed as Prime Minister of Sahuji and assisted him on

political issues.
•• This was the beginning of another great dynasty in 1718 known as
Peshwa dynasty.
•• He died in 1721.

Balaji
Vishwanath
•• As the eldest son to his father Balaji Vishwanath, Bajirao Peshwa I took
the charge of Peshwa dynasty after his death in 1721.
•• During his tenure, Pune regained the status of capital Maratha Kingdom
from Raigad.
•• In 1734, captured the Malwa territory in the north, and in 1739, drove out
the Portuguese from nearly all their possessions in the Western Ghats.
•• He died in 1740.
Bajirao Peshwa I
•• Succeeded as Peshwa after his father Bajirao Peshwa’s Death.
•• Fought the third war of Panipat with Ahmad Shah Abdalli in 1761 but
lost the war.
•• Was shattered by the loss of his elder son and brother in the war and died
soon after the war ended.

Balaji Bajirao
(Nanasaheb)

•• Assumed the title of Peshwa in 1761.

•• His leading achievements included the defeat of Nizam of Hyderabad,
Hyder Ali of Mysore and Bhosle of Nagpur.
•• Defeated Jats and took the hold of Agra and Mathura in 1769 with the
help of Mahadaji Shinde and Nana Phadnis.
•• In 1772, died at an early age of 27 years.
Madhav Rao
•• Was a trusted lieutenant of the Peshwa and one of the three pillars of
Maratha Resurrection
•• Wiped out the power of Jats of Mathura and during 1772-73 and
destroyed the power of Pashtun Rohillas in Rohilkhand and captured
Najibabad.
•• Died of typhoid fever, at his camp at Wanavdi near Pune on 12 February
1794 while he was at the zenith of power.
Mahadaji Shinde
•• Was a prominent minister and statesman of the Maratha Empire during
the Peshwa administration in Pune.
•• Handled the Peshwai well and with great unity among Maratha chiefs.
•• The then rising powers have been halted by his great efforts and
continued to serve the Peshwas until his death in 1800 AD.

Nana Phadnavis

Chamundarai, minister under Ganga ruler Rachmalla constructed Jain statue of Bahubali (Gomat) in 983 A.D.
 GK-108
HISTORY

MODERN HISTORY
British India (1612–1947) The border dispute between Nepal and
In 1617, the British East India Company British India, which sharpened after 1801,
was given permission by Mughal Emperor had caused the Anglo-Nepalese War
Jahangir to trade in India. As a result of of 1814–16 and brought the defeated
three Carnatic Wars, the British East India Gurkhas under British influence. In 1854,
Company gained exclusive control over Berar was annexed, and the state of Oudh
the entire Carnatic region of India. The was added two years later. Their policy was
Anglo-Mysore Wars (1766–1799) and sometimes summed up as Divide and Rule,
later the Anglo-Maratha Wars (1772– taking advantage of the enmity festering
1818) led to control of the vast regions of between various princely states and social
India. Ahom Kingdom of North-east India and religious groups.
first fell to Burmese invasion and then to
In 1757, Clive was appointed by the
British after Treaty of Yandabo in 1826.
company as its first ‘Governor of Bengal’.
Punjab, North-West Frontier Province, and
Kashmir were annexed after the Second In same year Treaty of Allahabad was
Anglo-Sikh War in 1849; however, Kashmir concluded by which the Mughal Emperor
was immediately sold under the Treaty of granted the Diwani rights to the English
Amritsar to the Dogra Dynasty of Jammu East India Company. Thus, the British
and thereby became a princely state. power in India was thoroughly established.
GOVERNORS (1757–1854)
• Robert Clive 1757–1760 • Henry Vansittart 1760–1764
• Robert Clive 1765–1766 • Harry Verelst 1767–1769
• John Cartier 1769–1772 • Warren Hastings 1772–1774
• Charles Cornwallis 1786–1793 • Richard Wellesley 1798–1805
• Charles Cornwallis 1805–1805 • James Broun-Ramsay 1848–1854

EAST INDIA COMPANY BEFORE 1857

Event Involved Consequences
First Carnatic War French La Bourdonnais and British victory
(1746-1748) British Admiral Edward Peyton
fought at Negapatam
Second Carnatic Nasir Jung aided by France while •• Ended with the Treaty of Pondicherry
War (1749-1754) England aided Muzaffar Jung in 1754 and Muzafar Jung became the
Nizam.
•• Dupleix was replaced by Godeheu as
the French governor.
Third Carnatic At Wandiwash (1760) Count de •• Defeat of French
War (1758-1763) Lally French commander was •• Treaty of Paris (1763) was signed,
defeated by British General Sir which returned Chandernagore and
Eyre Coote Pondichérry to France.
Battle of Plassey French supported Siraj-ud-Daula •• Paved way for British mastery of
(23 June 1757) and East India Company led by Bengal and eventually whole of India.
Robert Clive. •• Rich revenue of Bengal helped British
to maintain strong army.
Battle of Buxar, East India Company led by Hector •• Treaty of Allahabad secured Diwani
22nd October, Munro and Mughal Emperor along Rights for the Company to collect and
1764 with the Nawab of Bengal manage the revenues of real estate.
The Hathigumpha inscription tells us that Kharvela defeated three Southern Kingdom-Cholas, Cheras and Pandayas.
HISTORY GK-109

1781 War Forces of the Kingdom of Mysore •• Eyre Coote defeated Haider Ali at Port
and Great Britain. Novo.
1784, Pitt’s Act •• British government got supreme
control over the company’s affair and
its administration.
War 1789 -1792 Tipu Sultan and East India •• Treaty of Seringapatam was signed.
Company Tipu had to cede half of his territories
to English and paid ` 330 lakhs as
indemnity.
Awadh annexation Lord Dalhousie •• Introduced the famous Doctrine of
1856 Lapse.
The rebellion East India Company and united force of Indian leaders like (Bahadur
of 1857 Sepoy Shah, Bakt Khan, Begum Hazart Mahal of Avadh, Tanti Tope, Nana Saheb,
Mutiny Azimullah, Rani Lakshmibai, Kunwar Singh etc.), The revolt marked the end
of the East India Company’s rule, and India came under the direct rule of
the British Crown.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL REFORMS

Date Person Event
1815 Raja Ram Mohan Roy Established Atmiya Sabha. He was the first
Indian to start an agitation for social, religious and
political reforms.
1828 Raja Ram Mohan Roy Established Brahmo Samaj to preach monotheism
and purify Hinduism.
1839 Debendranath Tagore Founded Tatvabodhini Sabha to propagate Ram
Mohan Roy’s ideas.
1850 Vidyasagar Protest against child-marriage and promoted
women education.
1850 Vishnu Shankar Pundit Founded widow remarriage association.
1851 Naoroji Furdonji, Dadabhai Rehnumai Mazdayasan Sabha or Religious Reform
Naoroji and S.S.Bengalee Association.
1852 Kassondas Mulji In Gujarat advocated widow remarriage.
1866 Dadabhai Naoroji Established East India Association in London.
1872 Baba Ram Singh Namdhari Movement originated in north-west
corner of Sikh kingdom. It was also known as Kuka
movement.
23 September, Mahatma Jyotirao Formed Satyashodhak Samaj (Society of Seekers of
1873 Govindrao Phule Truth).
1875 Swami Dayanand Founded Arya Samaj in Bombay. Called Vedas to
Saraswathi be source of “true knowledge” and gave the motto
“back to Vedas”. Was against idol worship, child
marriage and caste system.
1897 Vivekananda Founded the Ramakrishna Mission to carry out
humanitarian relief and social work.
1902 Swami Shradhananda Started Gurukul near Haridwar to propagate more
traditional idea of education.

Yuktisastika (Sixty stanzas on Reasoning) was written by Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna.

 GK-110
HISTORY
THE FREEDOM STRUGGLE TIME LINE
1885 Pherozeshah Mehta, K.T. Telang, Badruddin Tyabji formed Bombay Presidency
Association.
28 Dec. 1885 Indian National Congress was formed by Allan Octavian Hume.
28-31 Dec. 1885 First session of Indian National Congress was attended by 72 delegates under
the presidency of W.C. Bonnerjee.
1896-97 Bal Gangadhar Tilak initiated a no-tax campaign in Maharashtra.
20 July, 1905 Partition of Bengal order was passed by Lord Curzon.
Dec. 1905 Gokhale then the president of Congress condemned the partition of Bengal
and supported Swadeshi and Boycott movement.
1906 Dadabhai Naoroji became the president of National Congress and clearly
declared their goal to be self-government or Swaraj like the other colonies.
30 Dec. 1906 All India Muslim League was formed by Aga Khan III and the founding
meeting was hosted by Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah.
1909 The Indian Councils Act or Morley-Minto Reform was announced.
1911 Government announced the withdrawal of Partition of Bengal.
1913 Ghadar Party founded by Punjabi Indians in the United States and Canada
aiming at securing India’s independence.
April, 1915 First session of Hindu Mahasabha was held under the presidentship of
Maharaja of Kasim Bazar.
26 Dec. 1916 Lucknow Pact was signed dealing with the structure of the government of
India and with relation to the Hindu and Muslim communities.
1917 Indigo Satyagraha started by M.K. Gandhi in Champaran, Bihar.
1918 Edwin Montagu, then the Secretary of State and Lord Chelmsford, the
Viceroy produced a scheme of constitutional reform which was called as the
Montague-Chelmsford reforms.
1919 Enactment of the Government of India Act.
March, 1919 Rowlatt Act was passed which enabled government to imprison people
without trial.
13 April, 1919 Unarmed crowd gathered at Jallianwala Bagh to protest against the arrest of
Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satyapal was attacked by the British army as
commanded by General Dyer.
31 August, 1920 Khilafat Committee launched a non-cooperation Movement.
1 February, 1922 M.K. Gandhi announced mass Civil Disobedience movement.
5 Feb. 1922 Protesters participating in the Non-cooperation Movement turned violent,
leading to police opening fire in Chauri Chaura. Congress as a result halted
the non-cooperation Movement.
1925 Communist Party came into existence.
Nov. 1927 Simon headed commission was set up to submit report on working of Indian
constitution established by Government of India Act, 1919.
17 Nov. 1928 Lala Lajpat Rai died due to the injuries by the beating of local police during
a protest demonstration at Lahore.
Dec. 1928 Gandhi joined back the active politics at Calcutta session.
26 Jan. 1930 Was fixed as the First Independence Day and since then was celebrated
every year up to 1947.
Bali was a voluntary offering to the king but it became compulsory and oppressive tax during Gupta period.
HISTORY GK-111

Feb. 1930 Chandra Shekhar Azad was shot dead in a park called Azad Park at Allahabad,
in an encounter with British police.
12 March, 1930 Dandi March lead by M.K. Gandhi took place. Together with 78 companions
he walked 375 km from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi.
6 April, 1930 Gandhi reached Dandi and broke the Salt law.
12 Nov. 1930 First round table conference was held in London, was chaired by British
Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald.
5 March, 1931 Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed between Gandhi and then viceroy of India
Lord Irwin. According to which British agreed to withdraw all ordinances and
end prosecutions and release all political prisoners.
24 August, 1932 Poona Pact was signed between Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar at Yerwada
Central Jail.
1935 Government of India Act was passed according to which All India Federation
was established including British India and Princely States (representative
were appointed by the rulers) forming a bicameral federal legislature.
October, 1940 Gandhi gave an order for limited satyagraha (for few individuals only).
8 August, 1942 Quit India Movement was launched by M.K.Gandhi.
1945 Congress working committee adopted a resolution to abolish landlordism.
2 Sept. 1946 Interim government of India formed the newly elected Constituent
Assembly of India. This idea was rejected by Muslim league.
9 Dec. 1946 The Constituent Assembly met for the first time.

INTERIM GOVERNMENT
External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations : Jawahar Lal Nehru
Defence : Baldev Singh
Home (including Information and Broadcasting) : Vallabhbhai Patel
Finance : Liaquat Ali Khan
Posts and Air : Abdur Rab Nishtar
Food and Agriculture : Rajendra Parsad
Labour : Jagjivan Ram
Transport and Railways : M. Asaf Ali
Industries and Supplies : John Matthai
Education and Arts : C. Rajagopalachari
Works, Mines and Power : C.H. Bhabha
Commerce : I.I. Chundrigar
Law : Jogindar Nath Mandal
Health : Ghazanfar Ali Khan

Mountbatten Plan
The Indian Independence Act 1947 also called 3 June Plan or Mountbatten Plan,
declared that power would be handed over by 15 August 1947. It gave India and Pakistan
a dominion status. The Act received the royal assent on 18 July 1947. The boundaries
between the two dominion states were determined by a Boundary Commission which
was headed by Sir Cyril Radcliff.
Katyayana, a smriti writer of Gupta period, was the first to use the expression Asprashya to denote the untouchables.
 GK-112
HISTORY
SESSIONS OF INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS
The Founding Years (1885-1900)
Session Place Date President
1st Session Bombay Dec. 28-30, 1885 Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee
2nd Session Calcutta Dec. 27-30, 1886 Dadabhai Naoroji
3rd Session Madras Dec. 27-30, 1887 Badruddin Tyabji
4th Session Allahabad Dec. 26-29, 1888 George Yule
5th Session Bombay Dec. 26-28, 1889 William Wedderburn
6th Session Calcutta Dec. 26-30, 1890 Pherozeshah Mehta
8th Session Allahabad Dec. 28-30, 1892 Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee
10th Session Madras Dec. 26-29, 1894 Alfred Webb
11th Session Poona Dec. 27-30, 1895 Surendranath Banerjee
12th Session Calcutta Dec. 28-31, 1896 Rahimatullah M. Sayani
13th Session Amraoti Dec. 27-29, 1897 C. Sankaran Nair
14th Session Madras Dec. 29-31, 1898 AnandaMohan Bose
15th Session Lucknow Dec. 27-30, 1899 Romesh Chunder Dutt
16th Session Lahore Dec. 27-29, 1900 N.G. Chandavarkar
7th Session Nagpur Dec. 28-30, 1891 P. Ananda Charlu
9th Session Lahore Dec. 27-30, 1893 Dadabhai Naoroji

The Pre Independence Era (1900-1947)

Session Place Date President
17th Session Calcutta Dec. 26-28, 1901 Dinshaw Edulji Wacha
18th Session Ahmedabad Dec. 28-30, 1902 Surendranath Banerjee
19th Session Madras Dec. 28-30, 1903 Lal Mohan Ghosh
20th Session Bombay Dec. 26-28, 1904 Henry Cotton
21st Session Benares Dec. 27-30, 1905 Gopal Krishna Gokhale
22nd Session Calcutta Dec. 26-29, 1906 Dadabhai Naoroji
23rd Session Surat Dec. 26-27, 1907 approx Rash Behari Ghosh
23rd Session (contd.) Madras Dec. 28-30, 1908 Rash Behari Ghosh
24th Session Lahore Dec. 27-29, 1909 Madan Mohan Malaviya
25th Session Allahabad Dec. 26-29, 1910 William Wedderburn
26th Session Calcutta Dec. 26-28, 1911 Bishan Narayan Dar
28th Session Karachi Dec. 26-28, 1913 Nawab Syed Mohammed Bahadur
30th Session Bombay Dec. 27-29, 1915 Satyendra Prasanna Sinha
31st Session Lucknow Dec. 26-30, 1916 Ambica Charan Mazumdar
32nd Session Calcutta Dec. 26-29, 1917 Annie Besant
(Special Session) Bombay Aug. 29-Sept. 1, 1918 Syed Hasan Imam
33rd Session Delhi Dec. 26-31, 1918 Madan Mohan Malaviya

Chandragupta II ‘Vikramaditya‘ was the first Gupta ruler to issue silver coins and adopted the title Sakari.
HISTORY GK-113

34th Session Amritsar Dec. 26-30, 1919 Motilal Nehru

35th Session Nagpur Dec. 26-31, 1920 C. Vijayaraghavachariar
36th Session Ahmedabad Dec. 27-28, 1921 Hakim Ajmal Khan (Acting Presi-
dent for C.R. Das)
37th Session Gaya Dec. 26-31, 1922 C.R. Das
(Special Session) Delhi Abul Kalam Azad
39th Session Belgaum Dec. 26-27, 1924 M.K. Gandhi
40th Session Kanpur Dec. 26-28, 1925 Shri B.K. Hariprasad
41st Session Gauhati Dec. 26-28, 1926 S. Srinivasa Iyengar
42nd Session Madras Dec. 26-28, 1927 M.A. Ansari
43rd Session Calcutta Dec. 29, 1928-Jan. 1, 1929 Motilal Nehru
45th Session Karachi Mar. 29-31, 1931 Vallabbhai J. Patel
46th Session Delhi Apr.24,1932 (Banned) Ranchod Lal Amrit Lal
47th Session Calcutta March,1933(Banned) Nellie Sen Gupta
48th Session Bombay Oct. 24-28, 1934 Rajendra Prasad
51st Session Haripura Feb. 19-21, 1938 Subhash Chandra Bose
52nd Session Tripuri Mar. 10-12, 1939 Subhash Chandra Bose
53rd Session Ramgarh Mar. 19-20, 1940 Abul Kalam Azad
54th Session Meerut Nov. 23-24, 1946 J.B. Kripalani

The Post Independence Era (1947-1990)

Session Place Date President
55th Session Jaipur Dec. 18, 1948 B. Pattabhi Sitaramayya
56th Session Nasik Sept. 21-22, 1950 Purushottam Das Tandon
60th Session Avadi (Madras) Jan. 21-23, 1955 approx. Shri Bharat Kumar
61st Session Amritsar Feb.11-12,1956approx. Shri Bharat Kumar
62nd Session Indore Jan. 5-6, 1957 approx. Shri Bharat Kumar
63rd Session Gauhati Jan. 18-19, 1958 Shri Bharat Kumar
64th Session Nagpur Jan. 9-11, 1959 Shri Bharat Kumar
65th Session Bangalore Jan. 16-17, 1960 N. Sanjiva Reddy
66th Session Bhavnagar Jan. 6-7, 1961 N. Sanjiva Reddy
71st Session Hyderabad Jan. 10-11, 1968 S. Nijalingappa
72nd Session Faridabad Apr. 27-28, 1969 S. Nijalingappa
73rd Session Bombay Dec. 28-29, 1969 Jagjivan Ram
74th Session Calcutta Dec. 28-29, 1972 Shankar Dayal Sharma
75th Session Chandigarh Dec.31,1975-Jan.1,1976 D.K. Barooah
76th Session New Delhi Jan. 1-2, 1978 Indira Gandhi
77th Session Calcutta Dec. 29-30, 1983 Indira Gandhi
78th (Centenary) Session Bombay December 28, 1985 Rajiv Gandhi
Harshavardhana was an accomplished author who wrote three sanskrit plays – Nagenanda, Ratnavali and Priyadarshika.
 GK-114
HISTORY
THE POST LIBERALIZATION ERA (1990-2010)
Session Place Date President
79th Session Tirupati (A.P.) April 14-16, 1992 P.V. Narasimha Rao
Special Session Surajkund (Haryana) March 27-28, 1993 P.V. Narasimha Rao
Special Session Talkatora Stadium, June 10- 11, 1994 P.V. Narasimha Rao
New Delhi
80th Session Calcutta August 8-10, 1997 Sitaram Kesri
Special Session New Delhi April 6, 1998 Sonia Gandhi
Chintan Shivir Panchmarhi (M.P.) Sept. 4-6, 1998 Sonia Gandhi
Special session Talkatora Stadium, December 18, 1998 Sonia Gandhi
New Delhi
Special Session Talkatora Stadium, May 25, 1999 Sonia Gandhi
New Delhi
81st Session Bangalore February 14, 16, 2001 Sonia Gandhi
Chintan Shivir Shimla (H.P.) July 9, 10, 11, 2003 Sonia Gandhi
Special session Talkatora Stadium, August 21, 2004 Sonia Gandhi
New Delhi
82nd Session Hyderabad January 2006 Sonia Gandhi
83rd Plenary Session New Delhi 2010 Sonia Gandhi
Chintan Shivir Jaipur January 18-19, 2013-08-24 Sonia Gandhi

NEWSPAPERS AND JOURNALS

Newspaper/Journal Name Founder
Bengal Gazette (1780) (India’s First Newspaper) James Augustus Hickey.
Kesari B.G.Tilak
Amrita Bazar Patrika Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh
Vande Mataram Aurobindo Ghosh, Madam Bhikaji Cama
Kavivachan Sudha Bhartendu Harishchandra
Rast Goftar(first newspaper in Gujarati) Dadabhai Naoroji
Statesman Robert Knight
Hindu Vir Raghavacharya and G.S. Aiyar
Yugantar Bhupendranath Data and Barinder Kumar
Ghosh
Bombay Chronicle Firoze Shah Mehta
Hindustan M.M. Malaviya
Mooknayak B.R. Ambedkar
Comrade Mohammad Ali
Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq Sir Syed Ahmed Khan

Pallavi ruler Narshimhavarman ‘Mammala’ invaded chalukyas and captured vatapi and adopted the title vatapikonda.
HISTORY GK-115

Al-Hilal Abul Kalam Azad

Al-Balagh Abul Kalam Azad
Independent Motilal Nehru
Punjabi Lala Lajpat Rai
New India(Daily) Annie Besant
Pratap Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi
Samvad Kaumudi (Bengali) Ram Mohan Roy
Mirat-ul-Akbhar Ram Mohan Roy (first Persian Newspaper)
Young India M.K Gandhi
Harijan M.K Gandhi
Hindustan Times K.M. Pannikar

GREAT TRAVELERS IN INDIAN HISTORY

Identity: Greek ethnographer & ambassador.
Time of Visit to India: During the rule of Chandragupta Maurya.
Duration of Stay: 302-298 BC.
Contribution: Wrote the book Indica.

Megasthenes
Identity: A Buddhist Monk who came from China.
Time of Visit to India: Reign of Harshvardhana.
Duration of Stay: 405-411 AD.
Contribution: Wrote ‘Record of Buddhist kingdoms’.

Fa Hsien
Identity: Chinese Buddhist monk.
Time of Visit to India: Reign of Harshavardhan.
Duration of Stay: 630-645 AD.
Contribution: Wrote Si-yu-ki or the ‘Records of Western World.

Hiuen Tsang-tsang/
Xuanzang
Identity: Muslim scholar and polymath from Persia
Time of Visit to India: Came along with Mahmud of Ghazni.
Duration of Stay: 1024-1030 AD
Contribution: Wrote Taharikh-al-Hind, about social religious,
political nature of India during that time.
Al-Biruni/Abu
Rayhan Muhammad
Identity: Italian merchant and traveller
Time of Visit to India: Came during the Period of Rudramani Devi
of Kakatiya Dynasty.
Duration of Stay: 1292-1294 AD
Contribution: Wrote “The book of Sir Marcopolo”, describing
about Indian Economy at that time.
Marco Polo

Vaishesika School of Philosophy was founded by Uluka Kanada.

 GK-116
HISTORY
Identity: Traveller of Morocco
Time of Visit to India: Came in India at the reign of Muhammad
bin Tughluq.
Duration of Stay: 1333-1347 AD
Contribution: write Kitab-ul-rahla, relating geographical, social
and economical behaviour of this time.
Ibn Battuta
Identity: Russian merchant Traveller
Time of Visit to India: Came to India during the reign of Bahmani
Sultanate.
Duration of Stay: 1469-1472
Contribution: ‘The Journey beyond Three Seas’.

Nicolo Conti
Identity: Ambassador of James II, king of England
Time of Visit to India: Came in India at the reign of Jahangir, the
great mogul along with William Finch.
Duration of Stay: First Visit: 1421, Revisited: 1430

William
Hawkins
Identity: Italian Traveller
Time of Visit to India: Came during the rule of Devaraya I of
Sangam dynasty of Vijaynagar empire.
Duration of Stay: First Visit : 1421 Revisited: 1430
Contribution: Author of “Voyage aux Indes.
Afanasy Nikitin
Identity: Persian traveller
Abdur Razzaq Time of Visit to India: Came to India during Bahmani Sultanate.
Duration of Stay: 1443-1444 AD
Identity: Arab navigator
Sulaiman Al Mahri Time of Visit: Middle of Ninth Century during the age of Palas and
Pratiharas
Contribution: Wrote an account on Pala Empire
Identity: Arab historian & geographer
Al-Masudi Time: Visited Gujarat in 915-16 during Pratiharas Kinghom.
Contribution: Testified the great power and prestige of the
Pratihara rulers.

Pallavas were instrumental in spreading Indian culture in South-East Asia. The Pallava types of Shikhara can be found
in temples of Java, Cambodia and Annam.
HISTORY GK-117

WORLD HISTORY MIND MAP

WORLD HISTORY

Ancient Medieval Modern

 Mesopotamian Civilization  Medieval Europe  Renaissance
(5000-900 BC) Civilization  Reforms
 Egyptian Civilization  African Civilization  Major Revolutions of
(500-30 BC)  Mongol Empire Civiliza- World
 Israel Kingdom tion • Glorious Revolution
(1300-63 BC)  Arab civilization & Islam • Industrial Revolution
 Greek Civilization (776-  Medieval China • American Revolution
388 BC) • French Revolution
 Roman Civilization (753 • Russian Revolution
BC-476AD)  An insight into World Wars
 Christianity  Major wars of World
 Zoroastrianism (Parsi) • Trojan War
• Persian War
• Peloponnesian War
• Punic Wars
• Hundred Years War
• Russo-Japan War
• Vietnam War
• Iraq War

ANCIENT WORLD HISTORY

MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION
Time Period Events
5000-3500 BC The first city built by Sumerian people in southern Mesopotamia.
3500 BC Writing started with pictogram based script and took about a thousand year
to be evolved in full cuneiform script.
2300 BC The first akkadian ruler Sargon started to conquer Sumerian cities
2112-2095 BC The central city of Ur was built by Ur-Nammu and called as the third dynasty
of Mesopotamian.
1792-49 BC Development of Babylonian civilization by king Hammurabi along
Euphrates River.
1530 BC Kassite came into being in Hammurabi’s rule in 1750 BC and categorized
into minorities of Mesopotamia.
1500 BC Northern Mesopotamia is conquered by an Indo-European ruler called
Mittani. He has also conquered Syria and Asia Minor.
1200 - 900 BC Assyria started to lose its importance due to political instability engulfing
Anatolia, Syria, and the Levant coast.

Fahien, the Chinese pilgrim visited India during Chandragupta II and Hiuen-Tsang during Harshavardhana.
 GK-118
HISTORY
EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
Time Period Events
5000 BC Farming started along the bank of Nile river.
3500-3000 BC Starting of Pre dynastic period which was characterized by permanent
settlement.
2650 BC Old kingdom began to flourish which was known to be the era of dynamic
development of Egyptian art.
2575-2465 BC Pharaoh Khufu built Great pyramid of Giza having a height of 481 feet.
2381-2345 BC The Old Kingdom ended during the realm of Unas.
2055 BC-1650 BC The era of middle kingdom started with reunion of Egypt.
1539 BC With the expulsion of the Hyksos and reunification of Egypt, it became
the leading power in the Middle East.
1344-1328 BC The first ever instance of monotheism had been illustrated by the
religious reforms of pharaoh Akhenaton.
1336-1327 BC The realm of Tutankhamen.
1279-1213 BC The existence of Ramses Realm when Egypt experienced the height of
its power.
728 BC Nubian kings took over the power of Egypt.
639 BC The period of revival started with the expulsion of Assyrians by
Egyptians.
525 BC Persians started ruling the Egypt.
332 BC Alexander the great conquered Egypt.
305 BC A greek-speaking dynasty was established by one of the generals of
Alexander the Great.
30 BC The last queen of independent Egypt died and Roman empire occupied
Egypt.

THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL

Time Period Events
1300-1200 BC The land of Canaan occupied by the Israelites.
1050-970 BC The kingdom was ruled by Soul followed by David.
970 BC David’s son Solomon became the new king.
931 BC The kingdom divided into north (Israel) and south(Judah) parts.
722 BC The Assyrians destroyed the northern kingdom.
620 BC A religious revival took place in southern kingdom of Judah.
597-582 The destruction of both Judah and Jerusalem occurred.
538 BC The Persian king Cyrus repatriated the kings of Judah and Jerusalem and
encouraged them to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.

Jai Chand was the last Rajput king who was killed by Mohammad Ghori in the Battle of Chandawar.
HISTORY GK-119

164 BC The revolution broke out against the Seleucid kings under the leadership of
the Maccabbees brothers by Jews.
63 BC Judaea was conquered by Romans and the family of Herod the Great started
ruling.

GREEK CIVILIZATION
Time Period Events

776 BC The first official date of Olympic Games.

750 BC Greek started planting colonies on the Mediterranean coast.

490-479 Athens and Sparta took lead for defending their land against invasion from
the huge Persian Empire.

447 BC Athenian Empire was at the height of its power.

431-404 Athens was defeated by Sparta in the Second Peloponnesian War.

399 Socrates, the famous philosopher of Athens was sentenced to death as he

was questioning conventional ideas.

338 The Greek city-states were defeated by King Phillip II of Macedon.

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

Christianity
•• It was founded by Jesus Christ (i.e. Merriah).
•• He was born on 25th December to Mother Mary (Marium) in Bethlehem (Nr. Jerusalam)
•• Bible is the holy book of Christians.
•• His crucifixion (hanging) on cross happened in about AD 33.
•• So, sign of ‘cross’ is considered holy for Christians.

Kanbana, Kuttana and Pugalendi are considered as ‘three gems of Tamil poetry’.
 GK-120
HISTORY

MEDIEVAL WORLD HISTORY

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

Feudalism was a socio-political hierarchy which started in 8th century AD in Europe and
ended in 14th century AD.
Crusades were the series of military campaign organized under the banner of the cross so
as to recover the holy places of Palestine from Muslim occupation.

AFRICAN CIVILIZATION
Time Period Events
830AD Ghana Empire was created.
1050-1100AD Expansion of Almoravid kingdom from Ghana to southern Spain.
1100-1150AD Emergence of Zimbabwe as a centre for producing gold and copper
artifacts and long distance trade.
1200-1250 AD •• Christian churches established in Ethiopia.
•• Kingdom of Mali was established in West Africa, with Timbuktu as a
centre of learning.
1375 AD Gao rebelled against and Songhai started to expand its realm.
1465 AD Songhai conquered Mema and after three years seized Timbaktu.
1588–91 AD Songhai was attacked by Moroccan forces with firearms and they kept on
conquering Tondibi, Timbuktu and Gao one after the other.

Qutubuddin Aibak patronised Hasan-un-Nizami, author of ‘Taj-ul-Massir’ and Fakhruddin, author of ‘Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi’.
HISTORY GK-121

MONGOL EMPIRE
Time Period Events
1206 AD Temüjin from the Orkhon Valley received the title Genghis Khan, and
started ruling the unified nomads of Mongolia homeland.
1227 AD Death of Genghis Khan.
1250–1350 AD Pax Mongolica or stabilization of Mongol empire.
1260-1294 AD Fragmentation of Mongol Empire into Ilkhanate Yuan dynasty, Chagatai
Khanate, Golden Horde.
1368 AD Fall of Yuan dynasty.
1687 AD Collapse of Chagatai Khanate.

ARAB CIVILIZATION
Time Period Events
571AD •• The great Prophet of Islam, was born in Mecca
•• With the rise of new religion Islam, the Arab civilization started
expanding its realm
632AD After the death of Mohammad his successors continued to spread his
teachings and were known as Caliphs or Khalifas
13th Century AD The Islamic Empire came to end with the defeat of Abbasids by Seljuq Turks

Islam in Arab Civilization

•• Hazrat Prophet Muhammad Saheb founded Islam as a religion.
•• He was born on Monday, April 22nd, 571 A.D. (12th Rabi Al Awwal) in Mecca.
•• His father was Abdulsah & mother was Aminah.
•• His father died in Madina before Muhammad was born.
•• His grandfather was Abdul Mullahib.
•• He was suckled by Haleema (Dai).
•• His mother died when he was 6 year and grandfather died 2 years later.
•• His uncle – Abu Talib took cave of him.
•• Khadijah (a rich widow lady) of age 40 years married Muhammad (25 yrs).
•• Hijri Era started on 24th September 622 when he migrated to Medina.
•• He attained enlightment, i.e. the first revelation came to him on Monday, August 10th,
610 AD (21st of Ramadan) at 40 years of age at Gaare-Hira (Hira cave).
•• First persons who embraced Islam were–Khadija (wife), Zaid (slave), Ali (cousin), &
Abu Bakr (friend).
•• Prophet Muhammad died on Monday, 8th June, 623 AD and was buried at Medina.
•• Islam divided into shia and sunni cults after his death.
•• His successors were called Khalifa.
•• Eid-milad-un-Nabi is celebrated as the birthday of the prophet.

Harshavardhana called for a religious assembly at Kannauj which was joined by many learned people and presided over by Hiuen-Tsang.
 GK-122
MODERN WORLD HISTORY
Renaissance
The European era between 14th to 17th
centuries AD was designated as the Age of
Renaissance generally known for “Revival
of Learning”. The Florence city of Italian
region Tuscany was well known as the
birth place of Renaissance.
Reformation
Reformation was a social movement
initiated by Martin Luther during 16th
century in Europe against Roman Catholic
Church. He started criticizing the selling of
self indulgence of higher authorities in the
church by highlighting the fact that the Pope
had no authority over the purgatory and
there was no evidence of catholic doctrine
of the merits of the saints in the gospel.
Major Revolutions
Glorious Revolution
It was otherwise known as the Bloodless
Revolution primarily focused on securing
freedom of worship from Catholics and
unifying Whigs and Tories of Anglican
church against the Roman Catholic ruler
James II.
Industrial Revolution
It was the process of change in earning
livelihood by adopting industrial processes
rather than agriculture. It started during
mid 18th century in Britain with the
WORLD WARS: I & II
Event World War I
Countries Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey Britain, France, USSR, US, Other
Involved vs. France, Russia, Britain, US, Italy.
Duration of July 28, 1914 – November 11, 1918
War
Hiuen-Tsang spent about eight years (635-643 AD) in India and wrote a text called- Si Yu ki.
HISTORY
invention of several technological aids such
as spinning jenny by James Hargreaves
in 1764, water-powered spinning frame by
Richard Arkwright in 1769, spinning mule
by Samuel Crompton in 1779, power loom
by Edmund Cartwright in 1785, steam
engine by James Watt in 1769 etc.
American Revolution
It was the mutiny of people living in thirteen
colonies of England in North America in late
18th century. Various factors such as French
and Indian War, stamp act, Townshend
Acts, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party/
Intolerable Acts, can be considered as the
triggering fact of this revolution in 1775-83.
French Revolution
It was one of the greatest revolutions of
eighteenth century which put an end to
French monarchy. It lasted from 1789 until
1799, and partially carried forwarded by
Napoleon during the later expansion of the
French Empire.
Russian Revolution
Based on the ideology of Marxism,
Russian revolution took place in 1917 and
eventually ended up in creating the Russian
Soviet Union. The prime causes of these
revolutions were the autocratic rule Czars,
inefficient and vigorous use of power, low
living standard of people in the society, to
support church forcefully.
World War II
nations vs. Germany, Italy, Japan
September 1, 1939 –
September 2, 1945
HISTORY GK-123

Causes Immediate Immediate

Murder of Austrian King Archduke Germany’s ultimatum and
Ferdinand at Serajevo by a Serbian which Poland’s rejection for surrender
resulted in strong hostility between Austria- of Port Dazing.
Hungary and Serbia Refusal of Poland to establish rail
Associated link between Germany and West
•• Militarism Prussia through Polish corridor.
•• Nationalism or Competitive Patriotism Associated
•• Economic Imperialism •• The treaty of Versailles (1919)
•• Anglo-German Rivalry and the charter of •• Nationalist movement of
William II Germany & Italy.
•• Lack of International Organization •• Ideological conflict between
Dictatorship and Democracy
•• Inefficiency of League of Nation
•• Colonial and commercial rivalry
•• Aggressiveness of Berlin-Rome
–Tokyo axis

Conse- •• End of the German, Russian, Ottoman and •• Collapse of Nazi Germany
quences Austro-Hungarian empires •• Fall of Japanese and Italian
•• Formation of new countries in Europe and Empires
the Middle East. •• Creation of the United Nations
•• Transfer of German colonies and regions •• Emergence of the United
of the former Ottoman Empire to other States and the Soviet Union as
powers superpowers
•• Establishment of the League of Nations •• Beginning of the Cold War

Major Wars in History Peloponnesian War

Trojan War
Participants: City of Troy vs City of Sparta
Duration of War: 10 years
Causes of War: The war resulted due to
the kidnapping of Queen Helen from her
husband, the king of Sparta by the Trojan
Prince.
Outcome of war: The war ended with
victory of Greek and destruction of Troy.
Persian War
Participants: Greek vs. Persia
Duration of War: 499 BC – 449 BC
Causes of War: The king of Persia, Darius
I attacked Athens when the series of Greek
uprisings were suppressed.
Outcome of war: The Greek made its
victory against Persia.
Participants: Athens vs. Sparta
Duration of War: 431 BC – 404 BC
Causes of War: The war occurred due to
the political fragmentation and mutual two
city states of Greece, Athens and Sparta.
Outcome of War: Eventually Sparta
registered its victory by defeating Athens in
Decelean war (known to be the third phase
of Peloponnesian War), with the help of
Persian Empire.
Punic Wars
First
Participants: Rome vs. Carthage
Duration of War: 264 BC -241 BC
Causes of War: The war broke out as the
Carthaginians established a base of island
that seemed to be a potential threat to
Rome.

Sher Shah Suri was known as Hazarat-i-Ala and he defeated Humayun in the battle of Chausa in 1539.
 GK-124
Outcome of War: The Romans won the war.
Second
Participants: Greek vs. Trojan
Duration of War: 218 BC- 201 BC
Causes of War: The war occurred when
Carthage started expanding its power in
Spain and striving for the coastal city of
Saguntum (the present day Sagunto) which
was allied with Rome.
Outcome of War: Finally Rome won over
Carthage in the battle of Zama forcing the
Carthaginians to give up Spanish territories
and its navy.
Third
Participants: Greek vs. Persian
Duration of War: 149 BC- 146 BC
Causes of War: The fear of Carthaginian
resurgence led to the war in the city streets
of Carthage
Outcome of War: Ultimately Romans
destroyed the city of Carthage
Hundred Years War
Participants: France vs. England
Duration of War: 1337 BC -1453 BC
Causes of War: The war broke out after
King Edward III of England invaded the
country of France and continued to seize its
land and became its ruler.
Outcome of War: At the end France
managed to defy the England’s reign with
the help of Scotland.
Krishna Deva Rai took the titles of Yavanaraja Sthapancharya and also known as Andhra Bhoj and Andhra Pitamaha.
HISTORY
Russo-Japan War
Participants: Russia vs. Japan
Duration of War: 1904 – 05 AD
Causes of War: The war fought for having
imperial authority over Manchuria and
Korea.
Outcome of War: Japanese won the war.
Vietnam War
Participants: Democratic Republic of
Vietnam allied with Soviet Union vs. China.
Duration of War: 1955 – 75 AD
Causes of War: The war was fought for
checking communism spread all over
South-Asia.
Outcome of War: The war ended with the
victory of North Vietnam by empowering
the Communist government in South
Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia with annexure
of South Vietnam. The American-led forces
had to back out from Indochina.
Iraq–Iran War
Participants: Islamic Republic of Iran and
the Republic of Iraq
Duration of War: 1980 – 88 AD
Causes of War: The war started with the
invasion of republic of Iran resulting from a
border dispute of two Republics.
Outcome of War: Iraq failed to take over
the east bank of the Shatt al-Arab and
strengthen Arab separatism in the region of
Khuzestan. The Iranian invasion failed and
the idea of deposing Saddam Hussein was
shattered.
POLITY GK-125

POLITY
POLITY
u  India  u  World

TOP POLITICAL TRENDS/ EVENTS/ DEVELOPMENT

THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
GK-126
POLITY

 Important Acts
Making of  Constituent Assembly
Constitution  Enactment & Enforcement

 Introduction
Salient Features  Basic Features
of Constitution  Important Quotes
 Sources
Structure of  List of Articles
Indian  List of Schedules
Constitution  List of Amendments (Till date)
MAPMAP
Indian Constitution

 Preamble
 Union & Territories
 Citizenship
 FRs, FDs, & DPs.
 Union & State Executives
 Union & State Composition
MIND

Constitutional  Supreme Court & High Court

Framework  Indian Penal Code
 Panchayati Raj System & Municipalities
Centre State Relations
POLITY- -MIND


 List I, II, III
 Interstate Council
 Zonal Council
 Article 370 - Jammu & Kashmir
 Uniform Civil Code
POLITY

 Election Comm.  CAG

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

Statutory  Lokpal & Lokayukta  NDC

 NITI Ayog  NHRC
INDIAN

Bodies

 Democratic
Types of
INDIAN

 Parliamentary
Government  Federal

 Legislature
Institutional
Indian Government

 Executive
Framework
 Judiciary

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

India & its Neighbours

POLITY
Making of Constitution
Constitutional
Landmark
Pitts India Act, 1784
Government of India,
1858
Indian Councils Act, 1861 ••
••
••
Indian Councils Act, 1909 ••
(Morley-Minto Reforms.
Lord Morley was the then ••
Secretary of State for
••
India and Lord Minto was
then Viceroy of India).
Government of India
Act, 1919/ Montague
- Chelmsford Reforms.
Montague was the
Secretary of State
for India and Lord
Chelmeford was the
Viceroy of India.
Government of India Act, ••
1935
••
••
The August Offer, 1940
Cripps Proposals, 1942
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisaiton Act was passed in the year 2014.
GK-127
INDIAN CONSTITUTION
IMPORTANT ACTS
Important Provisions
•• Indian affairs under direct control of British government.
•• Board of control was established.
•• Company rule replaced by British crown.
•• Secretary of state for India appointed to exercise the power of the
crown. He was a member of British cabinet, responsible to it &
was assisted by Council of India with 15 members.
•• Governor General became the agent of the crown and now known
as Viceroy of India.
Parliamentary system started in India.
Indians became non-official members of the legislature.
Started decentralization of power.
Central Legislative Council becames Imperial Legislative Council
with officials forming the majority.
Provincial Legislative Councils had a majority of non-official
members.
Introduced communal representation for Muslims with a separate
electorate system. Legalized communalism. Lord Minto created a
communal electorate.
•• Separated central subjects from provincial subjects.
•• Provincial subjects were transferred and reserved.
•• Transferred subjects were administered by Governor with help of
ministers who were responsible to the legislature.
•• Reserved subjects were administered by Governor and Executive
Council who were not responsible to the legislature.
•• Diarchy/ Dual system of government was introduced.
•• Bicameral legislature with upper and lower houses were formed
with direct elections.
•• Majority of members in both houses were directly elected.
•• 3 of the 6 members of Governor-General’s council had to be
Indians.
Established All India federation of provinces & princely states as
constituent units.
Federal, provincial & concurrent lists were introduced.
Abolished diarchy in provinces which now had provincial
autonomy.
•• Introduced diarchy at the Centre & bicameralism in the provinces.
•• Introduced responsible governments in provinces.
•• Expansion of the Governor-General’s Executive Council to include
more Indians.
•• Establishment of an advisory war council.
•• Provision made up for participation of Indian states in the
constitution making body.
•• The leaders of the principal sections of the Indian people were
invited to take active and effective participation in the councils of
their country.
 GK-128
POLITY
Cabinet Mission Plan, •• There should be a Union of India, embracing both British India
1916 and the states which should deal with foreign affairs.
•• A Constituent Assembly should be set up to draw up the future
constitution of the country.
Indian Independence Act, •• Declared India as independent & sovereign state.
1947 •• Established responsible government at the Center & provinces.
•• Designated Governor General of India & Provincial Governors as
Constitutional heads or nominal heads.
Objective Resolution •• On Jan 22, 1947 the Constituent Assembly adopted Objective
resolution as advocated by Jawahar Lal Nehru. It contained
fundamental propositions of the constitution & set forth the
political ideas that should guide its deliberations.

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

IMPORTANT COMMITTEES
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
Drafting Committee Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
Flag Committee J. B. Kriplani
Union Constitution Committee Jawahar lal Nehru
Provincial Constitution Committee Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel
Union Powers Committee Jawahar lal Nehru
Committee on Fundamental Rights and Minorities Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel
Special Committee to Examine the Draft Constitution (Chairman: Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer)
Expert Committee on Financial Provisions
Ad-hoc Committee on Supreme Court
Ad-hoc Committee on National Flag
Committee on Chief Commissioners’ Provinces
Drafting Committee 4 Dr. K.M. Munshi
It consisted of 7 members – 5 Syed Mohammad Saadullah.
1 Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (Chairman) 6 N. Madhava Rau
2 N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar
7 T.T Krishnamachari
3 Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar
The Constituent Assembly has 11 sessions and incurred `64 lakh on making the constitution.
POLITY GK-129

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

Sources of Indian Constitution

Indian Constitution has borrowed its provisions from following sources.
Country Provisions Borrowed
Government of Federal scheme
India Act, 1935 Declaration of emergency powers
Ordinance defining the power of the President and Governors
Office of the Governor
Power of federal judiciary
Administration at the centre and state level
United Parliamentary system
Kingdom Bicameral parliament
Prime Minister
Council of Ministers
Single citizenship
Office of CAG
Writ jurisdiction of courts
Rule of law
USA Written constitution
Fundamental rights
Supreme Court
President as executive head of the state
Impeachment of the president, removal of SC and HC judges
Vice President as chairman of Rajya Sabha
Judicial review, independence of judiciary

The concept of written constitution was first born in the USA.

 GK-130
POLITY
Australia Concurrent list
Cooperative federalism
Centre State relationship
Joint sitting of two houses of Parliament
USSR Fundamental duties
Weimer Suspension of fundamental rights during emergency
Constitution of Ballot system
Germany
Canada Federal system
Residuary powers
Appointment of Governor
Advisory jurisdiction of S.C.
South Africa Procedure of Constitutional amendment.
Electing member to Rajya Sabha
Ireland Concept of Directive Principles of State Policy.
Nomination of members to Rajya Sabha by the President.
Presidential election.

SCHEDULES OF THE CONSTITUTION

Numbers Subject Matter Articles Covered
First Names of the States and their territorial jurisdiction. 1 and 4
Schedule Name of the Union Territories and their extent.
Second Provisions relating to the emoluments, allowances, 59, 65, 75, 97, 125, 148,
Schedule privileges and so on of: 158, 164, 186 & 221
The President of India
The Governors of States
The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha
The Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha
The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative
Assembly in the states
The Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the legislative
Council in the states
The judges of the Supreme Court
The judges of the High Courts
The Comptroller and Auditor - General of India
Third Forms of Oaths or Affirmations for: 75, 84, 99, 124, 146,
Schedule 173, 188 and 219
The Union Ministers
The candidates for election to the Parliament
The members of Parliament
The judges of the Supreme Court
The Comptroller of Auditor - General of India
The State Ministers
The candidates for election to the state legislature
The members of the state legislature
The judges of the High Courts
Fourth Allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha to the states and the 4 and 80
Schedule Union Territories.
Fifth Provisions relating to the administration and control of 244
Schedule scheduled areas and scheduled tribes.
The first woman to become the Prime Minister of a country was Sirimavo Bhandharnaike of Sri Lanka.
POLITY GK-131

Sixth Provisions relating to the administration of tribal areas in 244 and 275
Schedule the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
Seventh Division of power between the Union and the States in 246
Schedule terms of List I (Union List), List II (State List) and List III
(Concurrent List). Presently, The Union List contains 100
subjects (originally 97), The State list contains 61 subjects
(Originally 66) and the concurrent list contains 52 subjects
(originally 47).
Eighth Languages recognized by the Constitution. Originally, it had 344 and 351
Schedule 14 languages but presently there are 22 languages. They are:
Assamese, Bengali, Bodo Dogri (Dongri), Gujarati, Hindi,
Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Mathili(Maithili), Malayalam,
Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali,
Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Sindhi was added b the 21st
Amendment Act of 1967: Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali
were added by the 71st Amendment Act of 1967; Konkani,
Manipuri and Nepali were added by the 71st Amendment
Act of 1992; And Bodo, Dongri, Maithili and Santhali were
added by the 92nd Amendment Act of 2003.
Ninth Acts and Regulations (originally 13 but presently 282) of the 31 - B
Schedule state legislatures dealing with land reforms and abolition
of the zamindari system and of the Parliament dealing
with other matters. This schedule was added by the 1st
Amendment (1951) to protect the laws included in it from
judicial scrutiny on the ground of violation of fundamental
rights. However, in 2007, the Supreme Court ruled that the
laws included in this schedule after April 24, 1973, are open
to judicial review.
Tenth Provisions relating to disqualification of the members 102 and 191
Schedule of Parliament and State Legislatures on the ground of
defection. This schedule was added by the 52nd Amendment
Act of 1985, also known as Anti Defection Law.
Eleventh Specifies the powers, authority and responsibilities of 243 - G
Schedule Panchayats. It has 29 matters. This Schedule was added by
the 73rd Amendment Act of 1992.
Twelfth Specifies the powers, authority and responsibilities of 243 - W
Schedule Municipalities. It has 18 matters. This Schedule was added
by the 74th Amendment Act of 1992.

LIST OF IMPORTANT AMENDMENTS

Amendments Enforced since Objectives
11th – 1961 Amend articles 66 19 December Election of Vice President by Electoral
and 71. 1961 College consisting of members of
both Houses of Parliament, instead of
election by a Joint Sitting of Parliament.
Indemnify the President and Vice
President Election procedure from
challenge on grounds of existence of
any vacancies in the electoral college.
25th – 1971 Amend article 31. 20 April 1972 Restrict property rights and
Insert article 31C. compensation in case the state takes
over private property.

The total strength of the Constituent Assembly was to be 389.

 GK-132
31st – 1973 Amend articles 81, 17 October 1973 Increase size of Parliament from 525 to
330 and 332.
32nd – 1973 Amend article 371. 1 July 1974
Insert articles 371D
and 371E.
Amend schedule 7.
42nd – 1976 Amend articles 31, 1 April 1977
31C, 39, 55, 74, 77, 81,
82, 83, 100, 102, 103,
105, 118, 145, 150,
166, 170, 172, 189,
191, 192, 194, 208,
217, 225, 226, 227,
228, 311, 312, 330,
352, 353, 356, 357,
358, 359, 366, 368
and 371F.
Insert articles 31D,
32A, 39A, 43A, 48A,
131A, 139A, 144A,
226A, 228A and 257A.
Insert parts 4A and
14A.
Amend schedule 7.
51st – 1984 Amend articles 330 16 June 1986
and 332.
61st – 1988 Amend article 326.
64th – 1990 Amend article 356.
65th – 1990 Amend article 338.
81st – 2000 Amend article 16.
82nd – 2000 Amend article 335.
86th – 2002 Amend articles 45
and 51A.
Insert article 21A.
89th – 2003 Amend article 338.
Insert article 338A.
Dr. Sachchidanand Sinha, the oldest member, was elected as the temporary President of the Assembly.
POLITY
545 seats. Increased seats going to the
new states formed in North East India
and minor adjustment consequent to
1971 Delimitation exercise.
Protection of regional rights in
Telangana and Andhra regions of State
of Andhra Pradesh.
Amendment passed during internal
emergency by Indira Gandhi. Provides
for curtailment of fundamental
rights, imposes fundamental duties
and changes to the basic structure of
the Constitution by making India a
“Socialist Secular” Republic.
Provide reservation to Scheduled Tribes
in Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram
and Arunachal Pradesh Legislative
Assemblies.
28 March 1989 Reduce age for voting rights from 21 to 18
16 April 1990 Article 356 amended to permit President’s
rule up to three years and six months in
the State of Punjab.
12 March 1990 National Commission for Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes formed
and its statutory powers specified in
the Constitution.
9 June 2000 Protect SC / ST reservation in filling
backlog of vacancies.
8 September Permit relaxation of qualifying marks and
2000 other criteria in reservation in promotion
for SC / ST candidates.
12 December Provides Right to Education until the
2002 age of fourteen and Early childhood
care until the age of six.
28 September The National Commission for
2003 Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
was bifurcated into The National
Commission for Scheduled Castes and
the National Commission for Scheduled
Tribes.
POLITY GK-133

97th – 2011 Amend Art 19 and 12 January 2012 Added the words “or Co-operative
added Part IXB. Societies” after the word “or Unions” in
Article 19(l)(c) and insertion of article
43B i.e., Promotion of Co-operative
Societies and added Part-IXB, i.e. the
Co-operative Societies.
The amendment objective is to
encourage economic activities of
cooperatives which in turn help
progress of rural India. It is expected
to not only ensure autonomous and
democratic functioning of cooperatives,
but also the accountability of the
management to the members and other
stakeholders.

99th – 2014 Insertion of new 13 April 2015
articles 124A, 124B and
124C Amendments
to Articles 127, 128,
217, 222, 224A, 231.
100th – 2015 Amendment
First Schedule
Constitution
The amendment provides for the
formation of a National Judicial
Appointments Commission. 16 State
assemblies out of 29 States including
Goa, Rajasthan, Tripura, Gujarat
and Telangana ratified the Central
Legislation, enabling the President
of India to give assent to the bill. The
amendment is in toto quashed by
Supreme Court on 16 October 2015.
of 1 August 2015 Exchange of certain enclave territories
to with Bangladesh and conferment
of citizenship rights to residents of
enclaves consequent to signing of Land
Boundary Agreement (LBA)Treaty
between India and Bangladesh.

PREAMBLE
Meaning •• Introduction or preface to the Constitution.
•• Summary or essence of the Constitution
Components •• Source of Authority – People of India
•• Nature of Indian State – Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic & Republican.
•• Objectives of Constitution –Justice, Liberty, Equality & Fraternity.
Amendment •• 42nd Amnd Act 1976 added 3 new words – Socialist, Secular & Integrity.
Part of the •• In Kesavananda Bharati Case (1973), Supreme Court held that Preamble is
Constitution an integral part of the Constitution.

THE UNION & ITS TERRITORY

•• Article 1 stipulates that India, that is Bharat, shall be Union of states.
•• The country is described as ‘Union‘ beacuse it is indestructible.
•• The ‘territory of India’ includes the entire area over which the Sovereignty of India extends.
•• Under Articles 2 &3, Parliament has the power to establish new States, form a new State from
the territory of any State or by uniting two or more States, increase or decrease the area of
any State, or after the boundaries or the name of any State.
•• First Linguistic State – Andhra Pradesh.

National flag was adopted on July 22, 1947.

 GK-134
POLITY
State Reorganisation Act 1956
State Reorganisation Act 1956 was adopted by the Govt. of India that resulted in the
formation of new States & UTs.
LIST OF NEW STATES & UTS CREATED AFTER 1956
STATES/UTs YEAR
1. Maharashtra & Gujarat 1960
2. Dadra & Nagar Haveli 1961
3. Goa, Daman & Diu 1962
4. Goa (Statehood) 1987
5. Puducherry 1962
6. Nagaland 1963
7. Haryana, Chandigarh 1966
8. Himachal Pradesh (Statehood) 1971
9. Manipur, Tripura & Meghalaya (Statehood) 1972
10. Sikkim (full – fledged State) 1975
11. Arunachal Pradesh & Mizoram 1987
12. Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand & Jharkhand 2000
13. Telangana 2014

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

Acquisition of Citizenship

By Birth By Descent By By By Incorporation

Registration Naturalisation of Territory

Loss of Citizenship

By Renunciation By Termination By Deprivation

The Constitution deals with the Citizenship from article 5 to 11 under Part II.
 POLITY

Can be Suspended FRs available only to citizens

Magna Carta Part III (Article Borrowed from during Emergency & Not to Foreigners- Art. 15,
of India 12 to 35) USA & France except Art. 20 & 21 16, 19, 29, 30

Fundamental Rights

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

Articles Articles Articles Articles Articles Articles

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

(5) Quo–Warranto
(15) Prohibition of (20) Protection in respect of (24) Prohibition of (26 ) Manage religious affairs. (30) Right of minorities
discrimination on conviction for offences. employment of to establish
grounds of religion, children in factories & administer
race, sex etc. etc. educational
institutions.
(16) Equality of (21) Protection of life & (27) Freedom from payment of
opportunity in personal liberty. taxes for promotion of any
public employment religion.
(17) Abolition of (22) Protection against (28) Freedom from attending
untouchability. arrest & detention in religious instruction
certain cases. or worship in certain
GK-135

educational institutions.
(18) Abolition of titles.
 GK-136
POLITY

Directive Principles
Promote concept of
Part IV, Article
“Instrument of instructions” welfare state
36 – 51
– B.R. Ambedkar

Mixture of
socialist
Gandhian & Directive Non-justiciable
Liberal Principles
principles

Fundamental guidelines Borrowed from Aim to economic &

in country’s governance Ireland social justice

ARTICLES RELATED TO DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY AT A GLANCE

Article No. Subject - matter

36 Definition of State

37 Application of the principles contained in this part

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

39 Certain principles of policy to be followed by the State

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

39 A Equal justice and free legal aid

40 Organisation of village panchayats

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

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

43 Living wage, etc. for workers

43 A Participation of workers in management of industries

43 B Promotion of co-operative societies

44 Uniform Civil Code for the citizens

45 Provision for early childhood care and education to children below the age of
six years

46 Promotion of educational and economic interests of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled

Tribes and other weaker section.

Article 39, 39A, 43A and 48A of Directive Principles were added by 42nd Amendment Act of 1976.
POLITY GK-137

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

48 Organisation of agriculture and animal husbandry

48 A Protection and improvement of environment and safeguarding of forests and

wildlife

49 Protection of monuments and places and objects of national importance

50 Separation of judiciary from executive

51 Promotion of international peace security

FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES

Fundamental Duties

Covered Part IV A, Article 51–A

Borrowed from USSR

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

Recommended by Swaran Singh Committee.

Numbers Originally–10 duties

Now–11 duties (added by 86th Amendment ACT, 2002)

List of F.Ds 51 A (a) Abide by the Constitution and respect National Flag & National

Anthem

B Follow ideals of the freedom struggle

C Protect sovereignty & integrity of India

D Defend the country and render national services when called

upon

E Spirit of common brotherhood

F Preserve composite culture

G Protect natural environment

H Develop scientific temper

I Safeguard public property

J Strive for excellence

K Duty of all parents & guardians to send their children in the age

group of 6-14 years to school.

National Song of India was adopted on 24th January, 1950.

 President

GK-138

President
Position Term Oath Emolument Qualification Election Vacancy Powers
Executive
• Executive • 5 years • By Chief • ` 1.5 lakh • Citizen of • Elected • On expiry of Legislative
Head of the • Eligible for Justice per month India indirectly by term Judicial
State Re-election of India • Pension • Completed 35 electoral college • By death Emergency
• First citizen or senior ` 75,000 years age consisting • By resignation
of the country most per month • Qualified for elected members • By impeachment
judge of election as a of both houses
Supreme member of of Parliament
Court Lok Sabha & State’s
• Not hold any Legislative
office of profit Assemblies
under GOI • Following
formula is
adopted at first
stage:

×
Total population of State 1
UNION & STATE EXECUTIVES

Value of vote of MLA =

Total no. of elected members in the State Legislative Assembly 1000

Total value of votes of all MLAs of all States

Value of vote of MP =
Total no. of elected MPs
•• At second stage, a complex system of calculating Quota of individual candidate is used
which is based on the order of preference of candidates.
POLITY
 Powers of President
POLITY

Executive Legislative Judicial

Appoints PM, Directly Dissolution or Address Nominates Assent Laying Issue Seek Power to
Council of administers Prorogation of & Send Members of on Bills down Ordinance Advice of grant
ministers, UTs Parliament messages Parliament passed by some Supreme pardon
Attorney_General,
CAG, Judges of to houses Parliament reports Court
Supreme Court before
& High Courts, Parliament
Governors,
Administrators
of UTs, Chairman Miscellaneous Emergency
& Members of
Public Service
Commission,
Chairman & Supreme Conclude National Failure of Financial
Members of Commander & Approve Emergency Constitutional Emergency
Finance of Armed International (Art. 352) Machinery (Art. 360)
Commission, Forces Treaties & in States
Chief Election Agreements (Art. 356)
Commissioner
& Election
Commissioners,
Inter - State
Council,
Commission
GK-139

investigate the
condition of SCs,
STs & OBCs.
 GK-140
POLITY
LIST OF PRESIDENTS
List of President Joining date Leaving date
Dr. Rajendra Prasad 1/26/1950 5/13/1962
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan 5/13/1962 5/13/1967
Zakir Hussain 5/13/1967 5/3/1969
Varahagiri Venkata Giri 5/3/1969 7/20/1969
Muhammad Hidayatullah 7/20/1969 8/24/1969
Varahagiri Venkata Giri 8/24/1969 8/24/1974
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed 8/24/1974 2/11/1977
Basappa Danappa Jatti 2/11/1977 7/25/1977
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy 7/25/1977 7/25/1982
Giani Zail Singh 7/25/1982 7/25/1987
Ramaswamy Venkataraman 7/25/1987 7/25/1992
Shankar Dayal Sharma 7/25/1992 7/25/1997
Kocheril Raman Narayanan 7/25/1997 7/25/2002
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam 7/25/2002 7/25/2007
Smt. Pratibha Patil 7/25/2007 7/25/2012
Pranab Mukherjee 7/25/2012 Incumbent
Vice President (4) Acts as President when vacancy occurs
Qualification in the office of the President due to his
resignation. Removal, death, or otherwise.
(1) Citizen of India.
(2) Completed 35 years. Removal
(3) Qualified for election as a member of (1) He can be removed by a resolution of
Rajya Sabha. the Rajya Sabha passed by an absolute
(4) Not hold any office of profit under Union/ majority & agreed to by the Lok Sabha.
State government or any Local Authority. But, no such resolution can be moved
Term unless at least 14 days advance notice
(1) 5 years. has been given.
(2) Eligible for re-election.
Prime Minister
Oath
(1) Administered by the President.
Appointment
(1) By President
Emoluments
(1) ` 1.25 Lakh per month salary. Position
Election (1) Real executive authority (de facto executive).
(2) Head of the Government.
(1) Indirectly elected.
(3) Leader of the majority party in the Lok
(2) Elected by an electoral college consisting
of the members of both Houses of Sabha.
Parliament & in accordance with the Election
system of proportional representation (1) Elected directly by the people.
by means of the single transferable vote. Term
Functions (1) 5 years
(1) Ex-officio chairman of Rajya Sabha. (2) The PM actually stays in office as long as he
(2) Suspend or adjourn the business of the enjoys the confidence of the parliament,
House(Rajya Sabha). but the normal term is automatically
(3) Issues direction to the Chairman of reduced if the Lok Sabha is dissolved
various committees. earlier.
The election commission of India is not concerned with the election of panchayats and municipalities.
POLITY GK-141

Powers President on the recommendations of

(1) Advise the President to summon & the Prime Minister.
(4) Allocates Portfolios among the various
prorogue the Parliament & dissolve the
ministers & reshuffles them.
Lok Sabha. (5) Presides over the meetings of the
(2) Act as a Link between the cabinet & the Council of ministers.
President. (6) Ask a minister to resign.
(3) All the members of the Council (7) Coordinates the policies of the various
of Ministers are appointed by the departments & ministries.
List of Prime Ministers of India Party Name
Narendra Modi 2014 till date Bharatiya Janata Party
Manmohan Singh 2004-14 Indian National Congress
Atal Bihari Vajpayee 1998-2004 Bharatiya Janata Party
IK Gujral 1997-98 Janata Dal
HD Deve Gowda 1996-97 Janata Dal (Secular)
AB Vajpayee 1996 Bharatiya Janata Party
PV Narasimha Rao 1991-96 Indian National Congress
Chandra Shekhar 1990-91 Samajwadi Janata Party
VP Singh 1989-90 Janata Dal (National Front)
Rajiv Gandhi 1984-89 Indian National Congress
Indira Gandhi 1980-84 Indian National Congress
Charan Singh 1979-80 Janata Dal (Secular)
Morarji Desai 1977-79 Janata Dal
Indira Gandhi 1966-77 Indian National Congress
Gulzarilal Nanda 1966-66 Indian National Congress
Lal Bahadur Shastri 1964-66 Indian National Congress
Gulzarilal Nanda 1964 Indian National Congress
Jawaharlal Nehru 1947-64 Indian National Congress

Governor
Position •• Chief Executive of the State.
•• Act as an head agent of the Central Government.
Qualification •• Citizen of India.
•• Completed 35 years.
•• Not hold any office of profit under government.
•• Not a member of Parliament or State legislature.
Appointment •• Appointed by President.
& Tenure •• Term is 5 years.
Oath •• Administered by Chief Justice of High Court
Powers and (A) Executive Powers –
Functions •• Appoints Chief Minister & other ministers, Advocate General, chairman &
Members of State PSC, State Election Commissioner & Finance Commission,
Vice Chancellors of Universities in State.
•• Nominate one member of Anglo Indian Community to the Legislative Assembly
of his State & 1/6th members of Sate Legislative Council.
•• Recommend President that government of the Sate cannot be carried on in
accordance with the Provisions of the Constitution.
(B) Legislative Powers –
•• Summon, adjourn & Prorogue State legislature & Dissolve the State Legislative
Assembly.
•• Address the state legislature at the commencement of the first session after
each general election and the first session of each year.
•• Give or withold Assent to the bill.
The interpretation of the Constitution falls within the domain of the Constitutional Bench which must consist of at least 5 judges.
 GK-142
POLITY
•• Return or reserve the Bill.
•• Submission reports from auditor General, State PSC, State Finance Commission
before the legislature.
(C) Discretionary Powers –
•• Appointing a new Chief Minister when no Single Party Commands a clear-cut
majority in Legislative Assembly.
•• Dismissal of ministry if he is convinced that it has lost majority support.
(D) Other powers –
•• Grant Pardons & Suspend the sentence of any person but cannot Pardon in
case of death sentence.
•• No demand of grants can be made except on the recommendation of the Governor.
•• Ensures that Budget of State is laid before State legislature every year.
Chief Minister
Appointment By Governor
Tenure 5 years
Qualification Member of either house of the State legislature
Powers & (1) Chief link between the Governor & the Council of Ministers.
Functions (2) Head of the Council of Ministers.
(3) Recommends to the Governor the names of persons to be appointed as
members of the Council of Ministers
(4) Allocates portfolios among Ministers.
(5) Supervises & coordinates Policies of the several Ministries & Departments.
Council of Ministers (At Centre & State Level) : Composition
Assist Ministers
with whom they are
attached & perform
administrative duties

Collective
Responsibility No Separate charge
to Lok Sabha M I NISTE
TY RS
at Central level E PU Head Important
and Legislative S O F S TA Ministries of Central
D

Assembly at T ER T / State Government

IS

State level
MIN

Attend Cabinet’s
CABINET meetings & decide
MINISTERS policies
Supreme
Individual Executive
(Independent
Responsibility authority
Charge)
to President at
Central level Independent charge of
& Governor at Ministries / Departments.
State level.
Work under Supervision &
guidance of Cabinet ministers.

Not members of Cabinet &

donot attend Cabinet meeting.
Part IV of The Constitution i.e. States Govt. is not applicable to Jammu and Kashmir.
POLITY GK-143

THE NEW COUNCIL OF MINISTERS AT THE CENTRE 2016

S.No. Portfolio Name

Union Council of Ministers
1 Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Narendra Modi
Atomic Energy, Department of Space, All important policy
issues and All other portfolios not allocated to any Minister
Cabinet Ministers
1 Home Affairs Rajnath Singh
2 External Affairs Smt. Sushma Swaraj
3 Finance, Corporate Affairs Arun Jaitley
4 Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty M. Venkaiah Naidu
Alleviation, Information & Broadcasting
5 Road Transport and Highways, Shipping Nitin Jairam Gadkari
6 Defence Manohar Parrikar
7 Railways Suresh Prabhu
8 Statistics & Programme Implementation D.V. Sadananda Gowda
9 Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Sushri Uma Bharati
Rejuvenation
10 Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ramvilas Paswan
11 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Kalraj Mishra
12 Women and Child Development Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi
13 Chemicals and Fertilizers, Parliamentary Affairs Ananth kumar
14 Law & Justice, Electronics & Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad
15 Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda
16 Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati
17 Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Anant Geete
18 Food Processing Industries Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal
19 Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Narendra Singh Tomar
Sanitation
20 Steel Chaudhary Birender Singh
21 Tribal Affairs Jual Oram
22 Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh
23 Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot
24 Textiles Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani
25 Science and Technology, Earth Sciences Dr. Harsh Vardhan
26 Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar

While debating or during general discussion on a bill, the members of the parliament have to address only to the Speaker.
 GK-144
POLITY
Parliament

Indian Legislature

Union Leg
State Leg
(Parliament)

President Rajya Sabha Lok Sabha Bicameral Unicameral

Legislative Assembly
Upper House Lower House

Also known as House of People

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

238 12 530 20 2 (Nominated Lower House

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

Citizen of Not less than

India 30 years

Sessions of Parliament

Budget Session Monsoon Session Winter Session

February- May July-September November–December

Only the president can save a person guilty in the supreme court who has been given the death sentence.
POLITY GK-145

CONTROL OF THE PARLIAMENT OVER THE EXECUTIVE

Question hour •• First hour of every parliamentary sitting.
•• Starred questions are answered orally and supplementary questions can follow.
•• Unstarred questions are answered in writing.
•• Short notice questions are asked giving less than 10 days notice.
Zero hour •• Starts immediately after the question hour.
•• Any matter can be discussed during the zero hour.
Half-an-hour •• To clear fact on matters of public importance on which lot of debate has
discussion occurred.
Short duration •• To discuss urgent matters.
discussions •• Also known as two hour discussion.
Calling •• Moved to call the attention of a minister to matters of public importance.
Attention
Motion
Adjournment •• To draw attention of Parliament to a matter of urgent public importance.
Motion •• Motion needs the support of 50 members for admission.
•• Rajya Sabha cannot move this motion.
No Confidence •• Moved to prove the confidence of Lok Sabha in the Council of Ministers.
Motion •• If No Confidence Motion is passed, Council of Ministers has to resign.
•• No Confidence Motion needs the support of 50 members to be admitted.
•• Can be moved only in Lok Sabha.
Censure •• This motion seeks to censure the government for its lapses.
Motion •• If the Censure Motion is passed against the government, it should pass a
Confidence Motion as soon as possible to regain the confidence of the house.
•• And government, does not need to resign immediately unlike in case of No-
Confidence Motion.
•• It can be moved against an individual minister for specific policies or
actions. This motion should state the reason for its adoption. It is in practice
since 1954.

INDIAN JUDICIARY

INTEGRATED JUDICIARY

President

Supreme Court
1. Chief Justice
Governor 2. Judges Parliament

High Courts
1. Chief Justice
2. Judges

The presiding officer (Speaker or Chairman) declares the house adjourned sine die, when the business of a session is completed.
 GK-146
POLITY
Courts

Indian Judiciaries
The Supreme Court
Delhi High Courts
(In States)

(In Districts) District and Metropolitan Areas

Session Courts
Metropolitan Magistrate Courts
City - Civil and Session Courts
(Civil) Provincial (Criminal)
Subordinate Small Cases Session Courts Presidency Small Cases Courts
Courts Courts

Subordinate Panchayat
Munsif Nyaya
Magistrate Courts Courts
Courts Panchayat

Judicial Executive
Magistrate Magistrate

Supreme Court •• According to Article 129, SC is a “Court of

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

Original Appellate Advisory Review

Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction

Give its legal opinion

Disputes Disputes involving on matters referred to
relating to violation of it by the President Power of Judicial Review
Union and the fundamental rights (means it can pronounce
states (writ jurisdiction) upon the constitutional
validity of laws passed by
legislature and actions
Appeal in Appeal in Appeal in Special leave taken by administrative
Civil cases Criminal cases Constitutional cases to Appeal authority.

Supreme Court at Calcutta was established by the Regulating Act 1773.

POLITY GK-147

High Court •• Qualification: a person appointed as a

•• The judiciary in a State consists of a HC judge of HC should
& a hierarchy of Subordinate courts. (1) Be a citizen of India.
•• The judges of HC are appointed by the (2) Must have held a judicial office in
President .
the territory of India for 10 years
•• The judge of a HC holds office until he
attains the age of 62 years. He can be or have been on advocate a high
removed by the process of Impeachment. court for 10 years.
Jurisdiction of High Court
Types of Jurisdiction

Original Writ Appellate Court of

Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Record

Issue writs for Appeal against judgements

enforcement of of subordinate courts in civil
FRs of citizens and criminal matters

Matters of Disputes relating Revenue

Admirality to election of matter
Parliament and
state legislature
Review its own Judgements Power to
judgement Proceedings and punish for
Acts are recorded contempt
for legal references of court

Crime 2. Crimes Against Property: Dacoity,

The Indian Penal Code was passed in
the year 1860 and came into effect from
January 1, 1862. The Indian Penal Code
applies to the whole of India except for
the state of Jammu & Kashmir. It contains
23 Chapters and 511 Sections. Before
the Indian Penal Code came into effect,
the Mohammedan Criminal Law was
applied to both Mohammedans and Hindus
in India.
Broad classification of crimes under
the Indian Penal Code (IPC)
1. Crimes Against Body: Murder, its
attempt, Culpable Homicide not
amounting to Murder, Kidnapping &
Abduction, Hurt, Causing Death by
Negligence;
Jammu and Kashmir has its own constitution and its own flag.
its preparation & assembly, Robbery,
Burglary, Theft;
3. Crimes Against Public order: Riots,
Arson;
4. Economic Crimes: Criminal Breach of
Trust, Cheating, Counterfeiting;
5. Crimes Against Women: Rape, Dowry
Death, Cruelty by Husband and Relatives,
Molestation, Sexual harassment and
Importation of Girls;
6. Crimes Against Children: Child
Rape, Kidnapping & Abduction of
Children, Procreation of minor girls,
Selling/Buying of girls for Prostitution,
Abetment to Suicide, Exposure and
Abandonment, Infanticide, Foeticide;
7. Other IPC crimes.
 GK-148
Few Known Sections
Section 120 : Concealing design to commit
offence punishable with imprisonment
Section 120-A and B: Definition of criminal
conspiracy and Punishment of criminal
conspiracy
Section 141: Unlawful assembly
Section 146 and 147: Rioting and
Punishment for rioting
Section 169: Public servant unlawfully
buying or bidding for property
Section 171-B: Bribery
Section 279: Rash driving or riding on a
public way
Section 295: Injuring or defiling place of
worship with intent to insult the religion of
any class
Section 298: Uttering words, etc., with
deliberate intent to hurt the religious
feelings of any person
Section 300: Murder
Section 304-B: Dowry death
Section 307: Attempt to murder
Section 317: Exposure and abandonment
of child under twelve years, by parent or
person having care of it.
Section 369: Kidnapping or abducting
child under ten years with intent to stealing
from their parent.
Section 372: Selling minor for purposes of
prostitution, etc.
Section 373: Buying minor for purposes of
prostitution, etc.
Section 378: Theft
Section 375: Rape
Section 376: Punishment against rape
Section 383: Extortion
Section 390: Robbery
Section 397: Robbery, or dacoity, with
attempt to cause death or grievous hurt
The first Speaker of Lok Sabha was Ganesh Vasudev Mavlankar who served as the speaker from 1952 to 1956.
POLITY
LEGAL TERMS
Affidavit: This is a sworn statement made
by a party, in writing, made in the presence
of an oath commissioner or a notary
public which is used either in support of
applications to the Court or as evidence in
court proceedings.
Alimony: The maintenance given by a
husband to his divorced wife.
Amicus curiae: Translated from the Latin
as ’friend of the Court’. An advocate appears
in this capacity when asked to help with
the case by the Court or on volunteering
services to the Court.
Arbitration: Settling disputes by referring
them to independent third parties as an
alternative to court proceedings.
Audi alteram partem: This is a rule of natural
justice which translates from the Latin as ‘hear
the other side’ or ’hear both sides’.
Bequeath: To dispose of personal property
by Will.
Caveat: Where it is apprehended that an
opposite party may file a case, a party may
file a document requesting the court that no
order be made in the case without hearing
the caveator.
Cognizable offence: An offence in which
arrest can be made without a warrant.
Dasti Notice: Dasti is a persian word,
which means ‘by hand’. Dast Notice means
service of the notice by the Petitioner on
the Respondent(s) in person, and not by the
Registry through post.
Decree: The formal expression of an
adjudication which, so far as regards the
Court expressing it,
Estoppel: A legal principle that bars a
party from denying or alleging a certain
fact owing to that party’s previous conduct,
allegation, or denial.
Habeas Corpus: A writ requiring a person
under arrest to be brought before a judge or
into court, especially to secure the person’s
release unless lawful grounds are shown for
their detention.
POLITY
In pari delicto: When both the parties are
equally in fault.
Interim Order : Any order by a court before
a final order is made.
Interlocutory Application: Petition seeking
a relief even while the main petition
remains in the Court.
Intervenor: A person who is not a party to
the proceedings may, with the permission
of the court, intervene if it is shown that the
outcome of the case will affect such person
in some way.
Judgment-debtor: Any person against
whom a decree has been passed or an order
capable of execution has been made;
Judicial Review: A term that describes
the function of the judiciary being able
to examine and correct the actions of all
the organs of State—the executive, the
legislature and the judiciary itself.
Justiciable: A matter is justiciable if it
lends itself to adjudication by a court. This
is determined by criteria laid down in law.
Litigation: The totality of the legal
proceedings in any dispute.
Locus Standi: Translated from Latin as
‘place of standing’, locus standi gives the
right to pursue a litigation. Under this rule,
only a person or group of persons affected
by the issue may petition the Court.
Ordinance: A codified law made, as a
temporary measure, by the President of
India or the Governor of a State when the
Parliament or legislature of a state is not in
session.
Perjury: This occurs when a person gives
false evidence or false affidavit in a case.
Petition: A written document filed in
a court asserting a claim or a right and
seeking relief on legal grounds.
Pleadings: A collective noun for all the
petitions, affidavits, replies, rejoinders
drafted by or on behalf of the parties to a case.
Balwant Rai Mehta Committee had recommended for the decentralization of the government in November 1957.
GK-149
Prima facie: At first sight; on the face of it.
Pro bono publico: Translated from the
Latin as ’for the public good’. In PIL, this
refers to a petitioner acting bonafide in the
public interest.
Respondent: A party against whom a
petition is filed. A proforma respondent is a
party against whom no relief is sought.
Stare decisis: The principle that decisions
of Courts in previous cases must be followed
in subsequent cases of similar nature.
Statute: A codified law that is enacted by
the Parliament or a State Legislature.
Stay Order: A party filing a petition may
require some immediate relief, even before
the respondents can be heard or a final
decision given.
Suo Motu: The Court may take action on its
own when facts requiring legal intervention
reach its notice. The Court is then said to be
acting Suo Moto.
Void: One that law regards as never having
taken place.
Vox populi: Translated from the Latin as
’the voice of the people’.
Writ: A writ is a direction that the Court
issues, which is to be obeyed by the
authority/person to whom it is issued.
Writ Petition: A petition seeking issuance
of a writ is a writ petition.
Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI)
The term Panchayati Raj (PRI) in India
signifies the system of rural local self
government. It has been established in all
the States of India by the Acts of the state
Legislatures to build democracy at the
grassroot level. It is entrusted with rural
development. It was constitutionalised
through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment
Act 1992.
 GK-150
Committees on Panchayati Raj
Committee Year
1. Balwant Rai Mehta 1957
2. Ashok Mehta 1977
3. GVK Rao 1985
4. LM Singhvi 1986
Constitutionalisation
73rd Amendment Act 1993
The Parliament has passed 73rd and 74th
Constitutional Amendment Acts in 1993 to
ensure the effective participation of rural &
urban people in the institutions of local Self
government.
•• Added part -IX (Articles 243 to 243-0) &
the 11th Schedule to the Constitution.
•• 11th Schedule contains 29 functional items
& deals with Article 243 – G.
•• The important provisions of 73rd
Constitutional Amendment Act are as
follows –
1. It made mandatory to hold the elections
of Panchayats in due time on regular
basis.
2. Reservation of seats for women, SCs,
STs & OBCs in Panchayats, at all levels.
3. Elections to the panchayats shall be
held with in a period of 6 months from
the date of dissolution.
4. Members of Block Panchayat & Zila
Panchayats are to be elected by people
directly along with the election of
members of Gram Panchayat. The heads
of Gram Panchayat shall be elected
by directly elected members of these
bodies.
5. Establishment of an independent State
Election Commission in every State.
The Fifth Schedule of Indian Constitution which deals with Scheduled Tribes and administration of Scheduled Tribe areas do not hold for J&K.
POLITY
Important Recommendations
•• Three – tier Panchayati Raj System – Gram Panchayat at
Village level, Panchayat Samiti at Block level & Zila Parishad
at district level.
•• Two – tier PR System – Mandal Panchayats at Village level &
Zila Panchayat at district level.
•• Official representation of Political Parties at all levels of
Panchayat elections.
•• Seat for SCs & STs should be reserved.
•• Constitutional recognition to PRIs.
•• Regular elections to the PRIs.
•• Regular, Free & fair elections to PRIs.
•• Establishment of Nyaya Panchayats.
•• More financial resources to village Panchayats.
6. Power to the Panchayats to impose
and collect taxes in accordance with
the provisions made by the State
government.
7. Establishment of a State Finance
Commission.
8. Prepare & implement the plans for
economic development.
Municipalities
For the establishment of self-government
in urban areas urban bodies have been
established. The urban institutions have
been granted constitutional status by 74th
Constitutional Amendement (enforced
with effect from January 1,1993). In the
Part IX A of the Constitution the provisions
for Municipalities have been made from
Article 243 P to 243 ZG. Besides a 12th
Schedule also has been incorporated in the
Constitution, which contains 18 subjects
relating to the jurisdiction of Municipalities.
As per this Constitutional Amendment
3 types of urban institutions have been
established on the basis of population they
are –
1. Nagar Panchayat for a transitional area.
2. Municipal Council for a smaller urban
area.
3. Municipal Corporation for a larger
urban area.
POLITY
CENTRE – STATE RELATIONS
The basic provisions regarding the
distribution of powers between the central
& Provincial governments are in Part XI
& XII of the Constitution. Both the Union
& the States derive their authority from
the Constitution, which divides all powers
legislative, executive & financial between
them. Our Constitution makers elaborated
provisions to govern Centre State relations.
A total of 56 Articles, from Article 245 to
300 deal with the Centre State relations.
Committees Appointed to study Centre
-State relation.
1. Setalvad Committee (1966).
2. Rajamannar Committee (1969)
3. Sarkaria Committee (1983).
Division of Legislative Powers between
Centre & the States
I. Three Lists
1. Union List – List I – 97 subjects
2. State List – List II – 66 subjects
3. Concurrent List – List III – 52 subjects
Important Subject in Various Lists
Union List (List I)
1. Atomic energy and mineral resources.
2. Extradition.
3. Banking.
4. Insurance.
5. Stock exchanges and futures markets.
6. Patents, inventions and designs; copyright;
trade-marks and merchandise marks.
7. Census.
8. Corporation tax.
9. Any other matter not enumerated in
List II or List III including any tax not
mentioned in either of those lists.
State List (List II)
1. Public order.
2. Local government.
3. Public health and sanitation.
4. Libraries, museums and other similar
institutions.
5. Agriculture.
6. Fisheries.
7. Gas and gas-works.
8. Markets and fairs.
9. Captivation taxes.
Justice M. Hidayatullah was the first and only Chief Justice of India to have become acting President of India from
20th July, 1969 to 24th August, 1969.
GK-151
Concurrent List (List III)
1. Criminal law.
2. Criminal procedure.
3. Preventive detention.
4. Marriage and divorce.
5. Transfer of property other than
agricultural land.
6. Contracts.
7. Civil procedure.
8. Contempt of court, but not include
contempt of the Supreme Court.
9. Prevention of cruelty to animals.
10. Economic and social planning.
11. Legal, medical and other professions.
12. Electricity.
13. Archaeological sites.
Inter State Council
Inter–State Council is one of the important
extra judicial bodies formed in 1990 on the
recommendation of Sarkaria Commission.
The Article 263 of Constitution empowers
the President to appoint or establish an Inter–
State Council for: (1) enquiring into & advising
upon inter–state disputes. (2) Investigate &
Discuss on subjects in which states alone or
states & Union have common interest.
The Council is headed by the Prime Minister
& its members include 6 Cabinet Ministers
& Chief Ministers of States.
Zonal Council
Zonal Councils were constituted on the
recommendation of States Reorganization
Commission 1956. In 1956, five Zonal
Councils were established – North, South,
East, West & Central. In 1971, the 6th Zonal
Council was established i.e. North–east
zonal council. Its objectives are:–
(a) To promote collective approach &
sorting out common problems of the
member states.
(b) For providing cooperation for the
implementation of development plans
& progress.
Composition: The Union Home Minister
is the ex–officio chairman of all the Zonal
Councils. Each Zonal Council includes the
Chief Ministers of the member states & the
Administrators of the Union Territories.
The chief secretaries of the member states
are also included.
 GK-152
Article 370
Under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution,
Jammu & Kashmir is granted autonomy.
It is a ‘temporary provision’ that accords
special status to the State. All the provisions
of the Constitution are not applicable to
J&K, unlike other states. Except finance,
defence, communications, and foreign
affairs, Central Government needs the state
government’s consensus for applying all
other laws. Because of this article, residents
The Supreme Court has no jurisdiction in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
POLITY
of Kashmir follow separate set of laws in
terms of citizenship, property ownership,
and other rights.
Moreover, as per Article 370, the power of
Parliament to make laws for the said State
is “limited to those matters in the Union
List and the Concurrent List.” It doesn’t
have the authority to increase or reduce the
borders of the State. For those uninitiated,
the article was drafted by N. Gopalaswami
POLITY GK-153

Ayyangar in 1949 against the wish of Dr
BR Ambedkar, who found it discriminatory
and against the interest of India. Despite
Jawahar Lal Nehru’s promise that Article
370 will be gradually abrogated, it has not
happened even after more than six decades
have whiled away.
It is not known to many that the article 370
has been eroded time and again due to a
series of Presidential Orders. These orders
over a period of time have made almost all
Union laws applicable to J&K. Today, the
State is within the “scope and jurisdiction”
of almost every institution of India.
How J & K Different from Other States?
•• Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP)
are not applied to J&K but applied to other
states. DPSP = states are required to do
some things for the welfare of community.
•• President can’t declare financial emergency
(salaries and allowances reduction etc.) in
relation to J&K.
•• High Court of J&K can issue writs only for
enforcement of Fundamental Rights.
•• Right to property is still guaranteed in J&K.
•• Permanent residents of J&K have some
special fundamental rights.
•• Although Supreme Court, EC and CAG are
applicable to J&K along with all other states.

CONSTITUTIONAL BODIES
Election Commission
It is a permanent & an independent body established by the Constitution of India directly
to ensure free & fair elections in the country. Elections to Parliament, State legislatures,
President & Vice–President are vested in it.
Composition
The Election Commission consists of a Chief Election Commissioner & such other
commissioners as the President may form time to time to decide.
Appointment & Term
The CEC & other Election Commissioners are appointed by the President for a term of 6
years. The Regional Commissioners may also be appointed by the President in consultation
with the Election Commission for assisting the Election Commission. The CEC can be
removed from office before expiry of his term by the President on the basis of a Resolution
passed by the Parliament by a special majority on the ground of proved misbehavior or
incapacity. The other Election Commissioners may be removed by the President on the
recommendation of the CEC.
POWERS & FUNCTIONS

Current Chief Election Commissioner is Mr. Nasim Zaidi

No outsider can purchase land in Jammu and Kashmir.

 GK-154
Public Service Commissions
Union Public Service Commissions
(UPSC)
•• Independent Constitutional body.
•• Recruitment of civil servants at the Union
level.
•• Chairman & members are appointed by
the President & have tenure of 6 years or
until age of 65 years.
•• The President can also remove them before
expiry of their term on grounds of proved
misbehaviour. The President can issue
orders for the removal of the members
of the UPSC only after the Supreme court
makes such a recommendation on the
basis of an enquiry.
Functions
1. Conduct examinations for appointment
to the services of the Union.
2. Assists the states in framing & operating
schemes of joint recruitment.
3. Advises the President of India–
(a) All matters relating to methods of
recruitment in civil services & for
civils posts.
(b) Suitability of Candidates for
appointments, for promotions.
(c) On all disciplinary matters person
serving under the goverment of
India.
4. Presents annually to the President
a report on its performance. The
President places this report before both
the Houses of Parliament.
State Public Service Commission
•• Recruitment of Civil Services at the state
level.
•• Two or more states, if parliament provides
by law, may have a Joint Public Service
Commission.
•• Service conditions of SPSC’s members are
determined by Governor whereas service
conditions of Joint PSC are determined by
President.
•• Chairman & members of SPSC are
appointed by Governor & in case of JPSC
by the President.
•• Chairman & members of SPSC & JPSC have
tenure of 6 years or until age of 62 years.
As the Supreme Commander of Indian Armed Forces, President appoints chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force.
POLITY
•• Members may resign by writing to
Governor. It is only the President who can
make a reference to the Supreme Court &
make an order of removal in pursuance of
the report of the Supreme Court.
Functions
1. Conduct examinations for appointments
to the services of the state.
2. Advise on matter that may be referred
by the Governor.
3. Present Annual report to the Governor
who shall cause it to be laid before the
state legislature.
4. Any other function that state legislature
may by law assign.
Finance Commission
An instrument which the Constitution has
evolved for the purpose of distributing
financial resources between Centre & states
is the Finance Commission. According
to Article 280 of the Constitution, it is to
be constituted by the President once every
5 years consisting of a chairman &
four other members appointed by the
President.
Functions
The duty of the Commission is to make
recommendations to the President as to–
1. The distribution between the Union &
the states of the net proceeds of taxes
which are to be divided between them
and the allocation between the states
themselves of the respective shares of
such proceeds.
2. The principles which should govern
the grant– in–aid of the revenue of the
states out of the Consolidated Fund of
India.
3. The measures needed to augment
the consolidated fund of a state to
supplement the resources of the
Panchayats & the Muncipalities in the
state on the basis of the recommendation
by the State Finance Commission.
4. Any other matter referred to the
Commission by the President in the
interests of sound finances.
POLITY GK-155

National Commission for Scheduled 3. To submit its annual report to the

Castes & Tribes President.
The President has power to appoint a National Commission for Backward
National Commission for SCs & STs. The
Classes
Commission shall consist of a Chairman, a
Vice–Chairman & 5 other members. This Article 340 empowers the President to
Commission was given constitutional status appoint a Commission to investigate the
by the 65th Amendment Act 1990. conditions of the socially & educationally
Functions backward classes. The Commission
recommends removal of all difficulties
1. To investigate & monitor all matters
of Backward Classes & raising them to a
relating to the safeguards provided for
SCs & STs under the Constitution of higher social, educational & economic
India & to evaluate the working of such standard.
safeguards. After Constitution was adopted two
2. To enquire specific complaints with ‘Backward Class Commissions’ were
respect to the deprivation of rights & appointed – (1) Kaka Saheb Kalelkar
safeguards of SCs & STs. Committee & (2) B.P. Mandal Committee.
RESERVATION
Meaning Percentage of seats reserved for the socially and educationally backward
communities.
Constitutional Article 16(4)—
Provision Nothing in this article shall prevent the state from making any provision for
the reservation of appointments or posts in favor of any backward class of
citizens which, in the opinion of the state, is not adequately represented in the
services under the state.
Commissions Kaka Kalelkar Commission (1955):
• First Backward Classes Commission
• Relate social backwardness of a class to its law position in the traditional
caste hierarchy of Hindu society.
• Report was rejected by Central Government.
• Mandal Commission (1979):
• Established to assess the situation of socially and educationally backward
clases.
• Recommended 27% reservation for people belonging to OBC in
government jobs.
Current Scenario • Out of 543 seats in parliament, 84 are reserved for SC and 47 for ST.
• In Central Govt. funded higher education institutions—
—7.5% reservation to ST.
—15% reservation to SC.
—27% reservation to OBC.
Demand for a • Protests by the people from SC, ST and OBC communities who were not
separate Quota benefited properly from the current reservation system.
• They demand a separate quota within the SC/ST quota.
Recent Examples • Conflict of Mala and Madiga caste in Andhra Pradesh.
• Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan.
• Jat community in Haryana demanded inclusion of Jats in OBC category.
• Patel or Patidar community in Gujarat aggressively campaigned for
reservation.

Sikkim was made an integral part of India under the 36th Constitutional Amendement.
 GK-156
Comptroller & Auditor – General (CAG)
The CAG is the custodian of public purse &
controls the entire financial system of the
country. He is appointed by the President
for a period of 6 years or till he attains
the age of 65 years whichever is earlier.
It is his/her duty to see that no money
is spent out of the Consolidated Fund of
India or of a State without the authority
of the appropriate legislation. The reports
of the CAG are presented to the President
or the Governor, as the case may be, & laid
before the Parliament & the respective
State legislatures. In Lok Sabha, the Public
Accounts Committee considers this Report.
The current CAG of India is Shashikant
Sharma.
Functions
He can audit & report on:
1. All expenditure from Consolidated
Fund of India & each state & each
Union Territories having a legislative
Assembly & see whether expenditure
has been in accordance with the law.
2. All expenditure from the Contingency
Funds & Public Accounts of the Union &
the states.
3. All trading, manufacturing, profit & loss
accounts, etc. Kept by any Department
of the Union or a State.
4. The receipts & expenditure of the
Union & of each state to satisfy himself
that the rules & procedures are
designed to secure an effective check
on the assessment, collection & proper
allocation of revenue.
5. The receipts & expenditure of all bodies
& authorities substantially financed
from the Union or state revenues.
Attorney General (AG)
The AG is the highest legal officer of the
Government of India. He is appointed by the
President & holds office during the pleasure
of the President. He must have the same
qualifications as are required to be a judge
of the Supreme Court.
The Constituent Assembly had 15 women members - Ammu Swaminathan, Dakshayani Velayudan, Begum Aizaz Raisul,
Vijalakshmi Pandit and SarojiniNaidu to name a few.
POLITY
Though the AG of India is not a member
of the Cabinet, he has the right to address
in the House of Parliment but has no right
to vote. In the performance of his official
duties the AG is entitled to audience in all
Courts in the territory of India.
Functions
1. Give advice on all such legal matters & to
perform all such other duties of a legal
character as may, from time to time, be
referred to him by the President.
2. Discharge the functions conferred on
him by the Constitution or any other
law for the time being in force.
3. Appear before the Supreme Court &
various High Courts in cases involving
the Goverment of India.
Advocate General
Each state shall have an Advocate General.
He is the state’s counter part of the Attorney
General of India. He is appointed by the
Governor of the State who holds office
during the pleasure of the Governor. A
person qualified to be a High Court Judge
can be appointed Advocate– General. He
has the right to address & take part in
the proceedings of the House of the State
Legislature. But he has no right to vote.
His functions are similar to those of the
Attorney – General.
Planning Commission
•• Set up by a Resolution of the
Government of India on March 15,
1950.
•• Non-statutory/extra constitutional
body.
•• Jawahar Lal Nehru was the first
Chairman.
National Development Council (NDC)
•• Set up by a Resolution of central
government on August 6, 1952.
•• Extra-Constitutional body.
•• Described as a Super Cabinet.
POLITY GK-157

NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India)

 GK-158
POLITY
Administrative Reforms
The nodal agency of the Government for administrative reforms as well as redressel of
public grievances relating to the states and Central Government agencies is the Department
of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG). The Department comes under
the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. The mission of the department
is to foster excellence in governance and pursuit of administrative reforms through
improvements in Government structures, promoting citizen centric governance with
emphasis on grievance redressel, innovations in e-governance and documentation and
dissemination of best practices.

ARC AT A GLANCE
Appointed by Government of India.
Objective Recommendations for reforming Indian public administration system.
Two commission First ARC Second ARC
• Set up in Jan. 1966. • Set up in Aug. 2005.
• Initially chaired by Morarji R • Initially chaired by Mr. Veerappa
Desai. Moily.
• Later chaired by K. Hunmanthaiya. • Later chaired by Ramachandran.
• Submitted 20 reports contained • Submitted 15 reports.
537 major recommendations.

Citizens’ Charter
• First articulated and implemented in the UK by Conservative Government of John Major
in 1991.
• Represents the commitment of the organization towards standard, quality and
time frame of service delivery, grievance redressal mechanism, transparency and
accountability.
• It is basically a set of commitments made by an organization regarding the standards of
service which it delivers.
• In India it was first introduced simultaneously in Central departments and in all state
governments in May 1997.
• 2nd ARC has recommended adoption of the “Seven Step Model for Citizen Centricity—
Sevottam”, for making citizen’s Charters effective.
• The Right to Public Service Delivery Act, based on Sevottam model, guaranteeing the
delivery of certain time bound services to the citizens have been enacted by many state
governments. Madhya Pradesh has led the way and now this act has been enacted by
Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal
Pradesh and Punjab.

Good Governance
The World Bank initially defined Governance simply as “the exercise of political power to
manage nations’ affairs”.
Good Governance is about making sure that the exercise of power by the government helps
improve quality of life enjoyed by all citizens.

The idea of the suspension of Fundamental Rights during the emergency was taken from Weimar Constitution of Germany.
POLITY GK-159

Right to Information (RTI)

• RTI Act 2005 mandates timely response to citizen requests for government
information.
• It has been given the status of a fundamental right under Article 19(1) of the
Constitution.
• It confers right to access to information held by a Public Authority, in order to
promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority, the
constitution of a Central Information Commission States Information Commissions
and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

National Anthem was adopted on 24th January, 1950.

 GK-160
POLITY

POLITY GK-161

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)

NHRC is a statutory body, established in 1993, to act as the watchdog of human rights in
the country, that is the rights relating to life, liberty, equality & dignity of the individual
guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the international covenants & enforceable
by courts in India. The Commission is a multi-member body consisting of a chairman and
four members. The Chairman and members are appointed by the President. They hold
office for a term of 5 years or until they attain the age of 70 years.

INDIAN GOVERNMENT

Govt.
Local
Decentralisation
of Authority

Govt.
State
State Concurrent
List

Central
Govt.
Federal

Distribution
of powers

List
P.M. President

Union
of State)
FEATURES OF INDIAN GOVERNMENT

List
(Head
2 Heads

Government is
Govt.)
(Head

to parliament
of

responsible
Parliamentary

sentation
governs through Repre-
Government Party

assembly or
parliament
to the public
Responsive

opinion
Democracy

socio-economic
development
freedom &
Political
Ensure

people indirectly
Representatives
are elected by

or directly.
GK-162
POLITY

INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK

Legislature Executive Judiciary

Law-making Law-Implementation Law-Adjudication

Body Body

Includes Ministers Settlement Judicial

Introduction, Make
Discussion & Laws & Civil Servants of Disputes Review
passing of
the bills
Formulation
Guardian
& Implementation
Responsible of Fundamental
of Plans & Policies
to the electorate Rights
POLITY GK-163

ELECTIONS

3 Types Procedure Basis

General By Mid term Steps Adult Geographical Single Member

Election Election Election Suffrage Representation Territorial
Constituencies
Nomination
Elections Election Election of Candidates
of Lok to fill due to
Sabha vacant Dissolvement Declaration of final
& State seat of of Lok Sabha or list of candidates
Assemblies a member Vidhan Sabha Allotment of symbols
of Lok before its term to political parties &
Sabha or is over Independent Candidates
State
Legislative Election Manifesto
Assembly & campaign

Polling

Counting
of votes
Declaration
of Result

Committees for Electoral Reform : •• Contestants restricted to two constituencies.

1. Tarkunde Committee (1974) •• Campaigning period reduced from 20 to
2. Dinesh Goswami Committee (1990) 14 days.
3. Vohra Committee (1993) •• Declaration of criminal antecedents, assets,
4. Indrajit Gupta Committee (1998) etc. by candidates on nomination paper.
5. Election Commission of India Report on •• Ceiling on election expenditure increased.
Proposed Electoral Reforms (2004)
6. Tankha Committee (2010) Political Parties
Important Electoral Reforms : •• Meaning : Group of persons who agree
•• Lowering of voting age from 21 years to on some ideology & seek to capture the
18 years. power & form the government on the
•• Use of Electronic Voting Machines. basis of collective leadership.
•• Adjournment of poll or countermanding •• Type of Party System in India : Multi
of elections in case of booth capturing. Party System.
Candidates of •• Functions :
Recognised
(i) Representation
Parties
(ii) Elite Formation & Recruitment
Listing of Candidates of
Registered (iii) Goal Formulation
•• candidates
Unrecognised (iv) Interest Articulation & Aggregation
Names
Parties (v) Socialization & Mobilization
Other Independent (vi) Organization of Government.
Candidates •• Category of Political Party in India:
The Rashtrapati Bhavan was designed by Edwin Lutyens.
 GK-164
POLITY

Political Party

National Party State Party

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

votes in 4 Sabha & members votes in state no. of seats
states or more OR are elected from + OR or 3 seats
+ 3 different states 2 seats in in assembly,
4 seats in Lok assembly whichever is
Sabha from any more
state or states

NATIONAL POLITICAL PARTIES OF INDIA

No. Name Abbreviation Symbol Foundation Current
Year Leaders
1. Bharatiya Janata Party BJP Lotus 1980 Amit Shah
2 Indian National Congress INC Hand 1885 Sonia Gandhi
3 Communist Party of India CPI-M Hammer, Sickle 1964 Sitaram Yechury
(Marxist) and star
4 Communist Party of CPI Ears of corn 1925 Suravaram
India and sickle Sudhakar Reddy
5 Bahujan Samaj Party BSP Elephant 1984 Mayawati
6 Nationalist Congress Party NCP Clock 1999 Sharad Pawar

Pressure Groups •• Seek support of party leaders, legislators

•• Represents socio-economic & political
interests of a particular section in political
system. Eg. farmers, industrial workers etc.
•• Organised on the basis of common goals
& share similar values.
Types of Pressure Group in India
Types of P.G.
& bureaucracy in vigorous pursuit of their
goals.
•• Exert pressure on government in order to
obtain laws and administrative measures
in favour of their specific interests.
•• Termed as a “Anonymous Empire”

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

Manmohan Singh is known as the Father of Indian economic reforms.

POLITY
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POLITICAL PARTY & PRESSURE GROUP
Political Party
1. Strive to organise public opinion in issues Specific or sectional interets (united objectives)
of public concern. (Wider objectives)
2. Represents aggregation of interests. Represents specific interest. (Limited
(Large membership) Membership)
3. Generalist in organisation of opinion. Specialist in organisation of opinion.
4. Contest elections.
5. Intention of gaining political power.
6. Help in formulating policies.
FOREIGN POLICY OF INDIA
I. Principles and Objectives
1. Preservation of India’s sovereign
independence.
2. Non-alignment.
3. Opposition to Imperialism, colonialism
& racial discrimination.
4. Opposition to discriminatory international
regimes & hedonistic policies.
5. Panchsheel –
•• Mutual respect for each other’s
territorial integrity & sovereignty.
•• Non-aggression
•• Non-interference in each other’s
internal affairs.
•• Equality & mutual benefit.
•• Peaceful co-existence.
6. Support for United Nations &
international peace.
7. Promotion of unity & solidarity of Third
world for securing an equitable share in
world politics.
II. Look East Policy
India’s ‘Look East’ Policy was first initiated
in 1992 by the then Prime Minister P. V.
Narasimha Rao. Since then, the policy has
been one of the cornerstones of India’s
foreign policy. It lays emphasis on improving
cooperation with India’s neighbouring
south-east & east. Asian countries (eg.
China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand
etc.) & also engagement with various
regional organisations such as ASEAN, East
Asia Summit, BIMSTEC & Mekong Ganga
Cooperation (MGC). The policy is pursued
in a multi faceted manner in diverse areas
such as improved connectivity, promotion
of trade, investment & cultural exchanges.
The original copies of the Indian Constitution are kept in Helium-filled Cases in Parliament’s Library.
GK-165
Pressure Group
Do not contest elections.
No intention of gaining political power.
Tend to influence the policies of government.
III. Gujral Doctrine
The Gujral Doctrine is a milestone in India’s
foreign policy. It was propounded & initiated in
1996 by I.K. Gujral, the then Foreign Minister
in the Deve Gowda Government. The Doctrine
is a 5-point roadmap to guide the conduct of
India’s foreign relations with its neighbours.
These 5 principles are as follows
1. With the neighbours, India should not
ask for reciprocity, but give to them
what it can in good faith.
2. No South Asian country should allow its
territory to be used against the interest
of another country of the region.
3. No country should interfere in the
internal affairs of another country.
4. All South Asian countries should respect each
other’s territorial integrity & sovereignty.
5. All South Asian countries should settle
all their disputes through peaceful
bilateral negotiations.
IV. Nuclear Policy of India
India adopted its Nuclear doctrine in 2003.
Its main objectives are:
1. India shall pursue a doctrine of credible
minimum nuclear deterrence.
2. India will not resort to the use or threat
of use of nuclear weapons against states
which donot possess nuclear weapons, or
are not aligned with nuclear weapon powers.
3. Deterrence requires that India maintain:
(a) Sufficient, survivable & operationally
prepared nuclear forces.
(b) Robust command & control system.
(c) Effective intelligence & early warning
capabilities.
• India’s first nuclear test- 18 May 1974.
• India second nuclear test- 11 May &
13 May, 1998.
 GK-166
INDIA & ITS NEIGHBOURS
India & Myanmar
 Myanmar acts as a land bridge
between India & South East Asia.
 Myanmar is important to India as it
looks to counter Chinese presence in
South East Asia by creating its own
sphere of economic zones.
 India is one of Myanmar’s largest
export markets and the two countries
collaborate in a number of bilateral
treaties to promote investment, free
trade and double tax avoidance.
 Two issues play a significant role in
the growth of New Delhi- Naypyidaw
trade relations—
(i) The Trilateral Highway project
intended to Connect India,
Myanmar and Thailand.
(ii) The Kaladan Multimodal Transit
Transport initiated by India in
Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
 Both the countries signed an MOU on
border cooperation.
India & Pakistan
 Strained relations due to disagreements
over a number of key issues.
 In keeping with India’s long—standing
policy of strengthening relations
with Pakistan based on peace and
cooperation, Pakistani Prime Minister
Mr. Nawaz Sharif was invited along
with other SAARC Leaders to attend
the swearing-in ceremony of the new
Indian Government on May 26, 2014.
 New 10—point Comprehensive Bilateral
Dialogue (CBD) includes following
elements—
• Peace and security CBMs.
• Jammu & Kashmir
• Siachen
• Sir Creek Boundary Dispute
• Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation Project
• Economic and Commercial cooperation
• Counter-terrorism, Narcotics control
People-to- people exchanges
• Humanitarian issues
• Religious tourism
• Pakistan opposed granting India the
status of a permanent member of the
UN Security Council.
The hand-in-hand joint training exercise between India-China was first held in 2007.
POLITY
India & Sri Lanka
 Sri Lanka is India’s largest trade partner
in south Asia. India in turn is Sri Lanka’s
largest trade partner globally.
 Four key issues—the Tamil Nadu factor,
devolution of power and Tamil interests,
the fishermen quandary and Indian
Ocean and maritime security—that
affects the India-Sri Lanka relationship.
 India pledged $318 million line of
credit for railway upgradation, unveiled
a currency swap agreement of US $ 1.5
billion to help stabilize the Sri Lankan
rupee and to develop Trincomalee
as a regional petroleum hub with the
cooperation of Lanka IOC (India Oil
Corp’s subsidiary in Sri Lanka) and
Ceylon petroleum corporation.
 Both countries also signed four
pacts regarding visa exemption
for official passport holders, youth
exchanges, customs agreement and
the construction of the Rabindranath
Tagore auditorium at the Ruhuna
University with India’s aid.
India & Afghanistan
 India’s development work in Afghanistan
include — Zaranj Delaram highway
 Salma Dam in Heart province (also
known as Afgan-India friendship dam)
 Afghanistan’s new Parliament building
 Medical care, food aid and scholarships
for Afghan students and policy makers.
 India is the largest regional donor
and Afghanistan is the second largest
recipient of Indian aid.
 Afghanistan is the gateway to the central
Asia, an energy rich destinations, for India.
India & Bangladesh
 India’s longest land boundary is with
Bangladesh, which is strategically
located between India’s Northeast
region and the rest of the country.
 The problems of undemarcated and
faulty border-drawing, resources
sharing and illegal trafficking have
often off-set relations.
POLITY
 In the Tin Bigha Corridor, Bangladeshi
Citizens were granted 24—hour
access to Dahargram and Angorpeta.
 India has also opened its markets to the
huge garment industry of Bangladesh.
 The majority of recent agreements
signed between the two countries are
focused on improving connectivity.
New bus and rail routes are planned,
as is the use of Mongla and Chittagong
ports and is essential for its
development.
 India and Bangladesh are partners
in the SAARC, the BIMSTEC and
Bangladesh—China—India—Myanmar
Forum for Regional Cooperation.
 Indian PM Narendra Modi and PM
of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina jointly
inaugurated the Petrapole Integrated
Check Post. It will provide better
facilities for smooth cross border
movement of person’s goods and
transport and for efficient and effective
discharge of functions such as security,
customs, immigration, quarantine, etc.
India & Nepal
 Nepal matters for the defence of
India. After the Chinese established a
significant military presence in Tibet,
it became an important buffer vis-à-vis
China.
 Nepal has South Asia’s largest potential
for hydropower and India is the largest
potential consumer.
 The first direct bus service between
Pokhara (Nepal) and New Delhi
(India) was launched to connect south
Asia’s two important cities.
 In the infrastructure sector, India’s
current development partnership
consists of construction of four
Integrated Check Post for trade
promotion and facilitation, and cross-
border rail links at five locations.
 India and Nepal work together against
flood–related disasters, including
the repair and maintenance works
at major border rivers, especially
Kosi and Gandak, embankments of
which are maintained by India under
bilateral agreements.
Mohammad Ajgar Ali, an old Bangladeshi casted vote for the first time in an Indian Election.
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 India is Nepal’s steadfast partner,
supplying to it essential commodities
ranging from salt to petroleum products.
India is constructing a petroleum
pipeline from Raxaul to Amlekhganj for
Nepal’s future energy security, besides
halving the transportation costs.
India & China
 There are elements of cooperation,
competition and concern in the China-
India relationship.
 Major irritants—the boundary dispute,
the China–Pakistan nexus, issuing
stapled visas to Indians traveling to
China from Arunachal Pradesh and
China’s reported attempts to check
off India’s water supply by building
a dam across the Yarlung Tsangpo in
Tibet, Chinese activities in the border
regions abutting India’s Northeast
States and in the Indian Ocean.
 India and China hold first joint
tactical exercise, named Sino—India
Cooperation 2016, in Chushul—Maldo
in Jammu and Kashmir.
India & Maldives
 India’s contribution to the development
of the Maldives include the construction
of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital,
faculty of Engineering & Technology,
and faculty of Hospitality and Tourism
Studies as well as the establishment of
the Technology Adoption Programme in
Education Sector in Maldives. Through
its leading public sector bank, the State
bank of India, India has been providing
loan assistance to promote Maldivian
island resorts, marine products exports,
business enterprises and commercial
projects.
 In the defence and security sphere,
India’s assistance to the Maldives
National Defence Force in training,
supply of equipment, capacity
building, joint patrolling, aerial and
maritime surveillance, and medical
treatment has been enormous.
 In 2016, bilateral agreements were
signed in the fields of avoidance of
double taxation, conservation and
restoration of ancient mosque, tourism
and defence.
 GK-168
World Polity
ARMS CONTROL TREATIES
Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT)
Banned nuclear weapon tests in the
atmosphere, in outer space and under
water. Signed by the US, UK and USSR in
Moscow on 5 August 1963. Came into force
on 10 October 1963.
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
Allows only the nuclear weapon states to
have nuclear weapons and stops others
from acquiring them. For the purposes
of the NPT, a nuclear weapon state is one
which has manufactured and exploded a
nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive
device prior to 1 January 1967. So there are
five nuclear weapon states: US, USSR (later
Russia), Britain, France and China. Signed in
Washington, London, and Moscow on 1 July
1968. Came into force on 5 March 1970.
Extended indefinitely in 1995.
Strategic Arms Limitation TalksI
(SALT-I)
The first round of the Strategic Arms
Limitation Talks began in November 1969.
The Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and
the US President Richard Nixon signed the
following in Moscow on 26 May 1972 – a)
Treaty on the limitation of Anti-Ballistic
Missile Systems (ABM Treaty); and b)
Interim Agreement on the limitation of
strategic offensive arms Came into force on
3 October 1972.
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II
(SALT-II):
The second round started in November
1972. The US President Jimmy Carter and
the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev signed
the Treaty on the limitation of strategic
offensive arms in Vienna on 18 June 1979.
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has a preamble and eleven articles and is reviewed every 5 years.
POLITY
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty I
(START-I):
Treaty signed by the USSR President
Mikhail Gorbachev and the US President
George Bush (Senior) on the reduction and
limitation of strategic offensive arms in
Moscow on 31 July 1991.
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty II
(START-II):
Treaty signed by the Russian President
Boris Yeltsin and the US President George
Bush (Senior) on the reduction and
limitation of strategic offensive arms in
Moscow on 3 January 1993.
UN Specialized Agencies
UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Headquarters : Place de Fontenoy, Paris,
France
Established : 16 November 1945
Head : Irina Bokova,
Members : 195 member states
Functions:
•• Mobilizing for education by providing
every child, irrespective of its gender
quality education as a fundamental
human right
•• Creation of World Heritage Sites to
support cultural diversity and protect
sites of outstanding universal value.
•• Pursuing scientific cooperation
•• Protecting freedom of expression
UNICEF
The United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF)
Headquarters : New York City
Established : 11 December 1946
Head : Anthony Lake
Members : 36 Member States
POLITY GK-169
 GK-170
Functions:
•• Child protection from violence,
exploitation and abuse along with
social inclusion for disabled.
•• Basic education and gender equality
through programmes like girls
education innovation for education
learning for the peace out-of-school
initiative.
•• Policy advocacies and partnership
through data analysis, leveraging
resources and child participation.
ILO
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland
Established : 1919 [Head: Guy Ryder]
Members : 187 of the 193 member
states of the United Nations
plus the Cook Islands are
members of the ILO.
Functions:
•• Creation of international labour
standards.
•• Formulation of international policies.
•• Technical assistance training.
•• Education, research and publishing
activities.
World Bank (WB)
Headquarters : Washington DC, USA
Established : July 1944
Head : Jim Yong Kim
Members : 189 member states
Functions:
•• World Bank provides various technical
services to the member countries.
•• Reduce poverty.
•• Support development.
•• Bank grants loans for a particular
project duly submitted to the Bank by
the member country.
IMF
The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Headquarters : Washington, D.C.
Established : 27 December 1945
Head : Christine Lagarde
Members : 189 countries
Functions:
•• Foster global monetary cooperation.
•• Secure financial stability.
•• Facilitate international trade.
World Food Programme is the largest Humanitarian Organisation which is located in Rome.
POLITY
•• Promote high employment and
sustainable economic growth.
•• Reduce poverty.
WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO)
Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland
Established : 7 April 1948
Head : Margaret Chan, Director
General
Members : 194 member states
Functions:
•• Providing leadership on matters critical
to health and engaging in partnerships
where joint action is needed.
•• Shaping the research agenda
and stimulating the generation,
dissemination of valuable knowledge.
•• Providing technical support, catalyzing
change, and building sustainable
institutional capacity.
•• Monitoring the health situation and
assessing health trends.
FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations (FAO)
Headquarters : Rome, Italy
Established : 16 October 1945, in Quebec
City, Canada
Head : José Graziano da Silva
Members : 197 members
Functions:
•• Help eliminate hunger, food insecurity
and malnutrition.
•• Make agriculture, forestry and fisheries
more productive and sustainable.
•• Reduce rural poverty.
IAEA
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Headquarters : Vienna, Austria
Established : July 29, 1957
Head : José Yukiya Amano
Members : 168 member states
Functions:
•• Promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear
energy by its member states.
•• Implementing safeguards to verify that
nuclear energy is not used for military
purposes.
•• Promoting high standards for nuclear
safety.
POLITY
UNIDO
United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO)
Headquarters : Vienna, Austria
Established : 1966 (converted to a sp-
ecialized agency in 1985)
Head : Li Yong
Members : 170 States
Functions:
•• Assists developing countries in the
formulation of development, institutional,
scientific and technological policies and
programmes in the field of industrial
development.
•• Analyzes trends, disseminates information
and coordinates activities in their industrial
development.
•• Acts as a forum for consultations and
negotiations directed towards the
industrialization of developing countries.
UNWTO
The United Nations World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO)
Headquarters : Madrid, Spain
Established : 1975
Head : Taleb Rifai
Members : 157 countries
Functions:
To promote and develop sustainable
tourism so as to contribute to economic
development, international understanding,
peace, prosperity etc.
WFP
The World Food Programme (WFP)
Headquarters : Rome, Italy
Established : 1961
Head : Ertharin Cousin
Members : 80
Functions:
•• Save lives and protect livelihoods in
emergencies.
•• Support food security and nutrition and
(re) build livelihoods in fragile settings.
•• Reduce risk and enable people,
communities and countries to meet
their own food and nutrition needs.
WIPO
The World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO)
Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland
Established : July 14, 1967
The Republic of Nauru has become the 189th member of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
GK-171
Head : Francis Gurry (Director-
General)
Members : 189 member states
Functions:
•• Promoting creative intellectual activity
and facilitating the transfer of technology
related to industrial property to the
developing countries.
WMO
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland
Established : 1950
Head : Petteri Taalos
(Secretary-General)
Members : 191 Member States and
Territories
Functions:
•• Provides a framework for international
cooperation in the development of
meteorology and operational hydrology
and their practical application.
•• Played a unique and powerful role in
contributing to the safety and welfare
of humanity.
•• Under WMO, National Meteorological
and Hydrological Services contribute
substantially to the protection of life
and property against natural disasters.
UNDP
The United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP)
Headquarters : New York City
Established : 1965
Head : Helen Clark
Functions:
•• Poverty reduction.
•• Crisis prevention and recovery.
•• Environment and Energy.
UNHCR
The United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR)
Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland
Established : 14 December 1950
Head : Filippo Grandi
Members : 98 members
Functions:
•• To lead and co-ordinate international
action to protect refugees and resolve
refugee problems worldwide.
•• To protect and provide humanitarian
assistance to whom it describes as
other persons “of concern,” including
internally displaced persons.
 GK-172
UNEP
The United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP)
Headquarters : Nairobi, Kenya
Established : 15 December 1972
Head : Erik Solheim •• To formulate policies relating to all
(Executive Director)
Members : 58 nations (Governing
Council)
Functions:
•• Assessing global, regional and national
environmental conditions and trends.
•• Developing international and national
environmental instruments.
•• Strengthening institutions for the wise
management of the environment.
UNFPA
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Headquarters : New York City
Established : 1969
Head : Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin
Members : 36 countries
Functions:
•• Universal access to reproductive health
services.
•• Universal primary education and closing
the gender gap in education.
•• Reducing maternal mortality and infant
mortality.
UNCTAD
United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development
OTHER ORGANISATIONS
World Trade Organization (WTO)
The World Trade Organisation dealing with
the rules of trade between nations. The goal
is to help producers of goods and services,
exporters, and importers conduct their
business.
Facts:
Location : Geneva, Switzerland
Established : 1 January 1995
Created by : Uruguay Round
negotiations (1986-94)
Membership : 161 members
Head : Roberto Azevedo
United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi was founded by Maurice Strong.
POLITY
Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland
Established : 1964
Head : Mukhisa Kituyi
Members : 194 member states
Functions:
aspects of development including trade,
aid, transport, finance and technology.
UN Women
The United Nations agreed to the formation
of a new institution named “UN Women”
on 2nd July 2010. The main objective will
be the sexual/gender equality and women
empowerment.
The fifty-ninth session of the Commission
on the status of Women took place at United
Nations Headquarters in New York from 9 to
20 March 2015. Representatives of Member
States , UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited
non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
from all regions of the world attended the
session. The main focus of the session was
on the Beijing Declaration and Platform
for Action, including current challenges
that affect its implementation and the
achievement of gender equality and the
empowerment of women.
The sixtieth session of the Commission on
the Status of Women will take place at the
United Nations Headquarters in New York
from 14 to 24 March 2016.
Functions:
•• Administering WTO trade agreements
•• Forum for trade negotiations
•• Handling trade disputes
•• Monitoring national trade policies
•• Technical assistance and training for
developing countries
•• Cooperation with other international
organizations
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is an
intergovernmental organization of states
considering themselves not aligned formally
with or against any major power bloc. As of
now, the organization has 120 members and
POLITY
17 observer countries. Generally speaking
the Non-Aligned Movement members can
be described as all of those countries which
belong to the Group of 77 (along with Belarus
and Uzbekistan), but which are not observers in
Non-Aligned Movement and are not Oceanian
(with the exception of Papua New Guinea and
Vanuatu).
The organization was founded in Belgrade
in 1961, and was largely the brainchild
of Yugoslavia’s first President, Josip Broz
Tito, India’s first Prime Minister, Jawahar
Lal Nehru, Egypt’s second President,
Gamal Abdel Nasser, and Indonesia’s first
President, Sukarno. All four leaders were
prominent advocates of a middle course for
states in the Developing World between the
Western and Eastern blocs in the Cold War.
The purpose of the organisation as stated in
the Havana Declaration of 1979 is to ensure
“the national independence, sovereignty,
territorial integrity and security of non-
aligned countries” in their “struggle against
imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism,
racism, and all forms of foreign aggression,
occupation, domination, interference
or hegemony as well as against great
power and bloc politics.” They represent
nearly two-thirds of the United Nations’s
members and 55% of the world population,
particularly countries considered to be
developing or part of the third world.
The Commonwealth
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally
referred to as the Commonwealth and previously
known as the British Commonwealth, is an
intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four
independent member states. All except two
(Mozambique and Rwanda) of these countries
were formerly part of the British Empire.
The member states co-operate within a
framework of common values and goals.
These include the promotion of democracy,
human rights, good governance, the rule of
law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free
trade, multilateralism and world peace. The
Commonwealth is not a political union, but
an intergovernmental organisation through
which countries with diverse social, political
and economic backgrounds.
The World Meteorological Organisation and UNEP established the IPCC in 1988.
GK-173
The symbol of their free association is the Head
of the Commonwealth, which is a ceremonial
position currently held by Queen Elizabeth II.
Member countries span six continents and
oceans from Africa (19), Asia (8), the Americas
(2), the Caribbean (12), Europe (3) and the
South Pacific (10).
The Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting, abbreviated to CHOGM, is a biennial
summit meeting of the heads of government
from all Commonwealth nations. Every two
years the meeting is held in a different member
state, and is chaired by that nation’s respective
Prime Minister or President, who becomes
the Commonwealth Chairperson-in-Office.
European Union
The European Union (EU) is an economic
and political union of 28 member states
which are located primarily in Europe.
The Maastricht Treaty established the
European Union under its current name
in 1993. The last amendment to the
constitutional basis of the EU, the Treaty of
Lisbon, came into force in 2009.
SAARC
The South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) is an organization of
South Asian nations, founded in 1985. Its seven
founding members are Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Afghanistan joined the organization in 2007.
Meetings of heads of state are usually scheduled
annually; meetings of foreign secretaries, twice
annually. Headquarter is in Kathmandu, Nepal.
•• The concept of SAARC was first adopted
by Bangladesh during 1977, under
the administration of President Ziaur
Rahman.
•• Afghanistan was added to the regional
grouping on 13 November 2005.
•• On 2 August 2006 the foreign ministers
of the SAARC countries agreed in
principle to grant observer status to
the US, South Korea and the European
Union.
•• The SAARC Secretariat was established
in Kathmandu on 16 January 1986 and
was inaugurated by Late King Birendra
Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal.
•• The SAARC Secretariat and Member
States observe 8 December as the SAARC
Charter Day .
 GK-174
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization
or NATO also called the (North) Atlantic
Alliance, is an intergovernmental military
alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty
which was signed on 4 April 1949. The NATO
headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium,
and the organization constitutes a system
of collective defence whereby its member
states agree to mutual defense in response
to an attack by any external party.
On 1 April 2009, membership was enlarged
to 28 with the entrance of Albania and
Croatia.
SEATO
The South-East Asia Treaty Organization
(SEATO) was an international organization
for collective defense which was signed on
September 8, 1954 in Manila. The formal
institution of SEATO was established at a
meeting of treaty partners in Bangkok in
February 1955. It was primarily created to
block further communist gains in South-
East Asia. The organization’s headquarters
were located in Bangkok, Thailand. SEATO
was dissolved on June 30, 1977.
SEATO was planned to be a South-East
Asian version of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO), in which the
military forces of each member would be
coordinated to provide for the collective
defense of the members’ country.
INTERPOL
Interpol (the International Criminal Police
Organization) is largest organization
facilitating international police cooperation.
It was established as the International
Criminal Police Commission in 1923 and
adopted its telegraphic address as its
common name in 1956.
Its membership of 190 countries provides
finance of around $78 million through
annual contributions. The organization’s
headquarters is in Lyon, France.
GROUP OF 8
The Group of Eight (G-8) is a forum, created
by France in 1975, for governments of six
countries in the world: France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has designated November 5 as World Tsunami Awareness Day.
POLITY
United States. In 1976, Canada joined the
group (thus creating the G7). In 1997, the
group added Russia thus becoming G8. In
addition, the European Union is represented
within the G8, but cannot host or chair. “G8”
can refer to the member states or to the
annual summit meeting of the G8 heads of
government.
Group of 77
The Group of 77 (G-77) was established
on 15 June 1964 by seventy-seven
developing countries signatories of the
“Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven
Countries” issued at the end of the first
session of the United Nations Conference
on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
in Geneva. Beginning with the first
“Ministerial Meeting of the Group of 77 in
Algiers (Algeria) on 10 - 25 October 1967,
which adopted the Charter of Algiers”, a
permanent institutional structure gradually
developed which led to the creation of
Chapters of the Group of 77 with Liaison
offices in Geneva (UNCTAD), Nairobi
(UNEP), Paris (UNESCO), Rome (FAO/
IFAD), Vienna (UNIDO), and the Group of 24
(G-24) in Washington, D.C. (IMF and World
Bank). Although the members of the G-77
have increased to the original name was
retained because of its historic significance.
GROUP OF 15
The Group of Fifteen (G-15) was established
at a Summit Level Group of Developing
Countries in September 1989, following
the conclusion of the Ninth Non-Aligned
Summit Meeting in Belgrade. The Group
was originally founded by 15 developing
countries. While there are now 17 member
countries, the original name of the Group
has been retained.
This forum was set up to foster cooperation
and provide input for other international
groups, such as the World Trade
Organization and the Group of Eight. It is
composed of countries from North America,
South America, Africa, and Asia with a
common goal of enhanced growth and
prosperity. The G-15 focuses on cooperation
among developing countries in the areas of
investment, trade, and technology.
POLITY
Group of 20
The Group of Twenty (G-20)Finance Ministers
and Central Bank Governors from 20
economies: 19 countries plus the European
Union, which is represented by the President
of the European Council and by the European
Central Bank. Their heads of government or
state have also periodically meet at summits
since their initial meeting in 2008. Collectively,
the G-20 economies comprise 85% of global
gross national product, 80% of world trade
(including EU intra-trade) and two-thirds of
the world population.
The G-20 was proposed by former Canadian
Finance Minister Paul Martin (later, Prime
Minister) for cooperation and consultation
on matters pertaining to the international
financial system.
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a
regional development bank established
on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic
development of countries in Asia. The bank
admits the members of the UN Economic
Commission for Asia and the Far East (now
UNESCAP) and non-regional developed
nations.
Arab League
The Arab League is a regional organisation
of Arab states in North and North-east Africa,
and South-west Asia. It was formed in Cairo
on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt,
Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and
Syria. Yemen joined as a member on 5 May
1945. The Arab League currently has 22
members and four observers. The main goal
of the league is to “draw closer the relations
between member states and co-ordinate
collaboration between them, to safeguard
their independence and sovereignty, and
to consider in a general way the affairs and
interests of the Arab countries.
ASEAN
The Association of South-east Asian Nations
is a geo-political and economic organization
of 10 countries located in South-east Asia,
which was formed on 8 August 1967 by
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore
and Thailand. Since then, membership
has expanded to include Brunei, Burma
CENTO, originally known as the Baghdad Pact was formed in 1955 but was dissolved in 1979.
GK-175
(Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.
Its aims include the acceleration of
economic growth, social progress, cultural
development among its members, the
protection of the peace and stability of the
region, and to provide opportunities for
member countries to discuss differences
peacefully.
If ASEAN were a single country, it would
rank as the 9th largest economy in the
world and the 3rd largest in Asia in terms
of nominal GDP.
OPEC
The Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries is a cartel of twelve
developing countries consisting of Algeria,
Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya,
Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United
Arab Emirates and Venezuela. OPEC has
maintained its headquarters in Vienna since
1965, and hosts regular meetings among
the oil ministers of its member countries.
Indonesia withdrew in 2008 after it became
a net importer of oil, but stated it would
likely return if it became a net exporter in
the world again.
APEC
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries
that seeks to promote free trade and
economic cooperation throughout the
Asia-Pacific region. Established in 1989 in
response to the growing interdependence
of Asia-Pacific economies and the advent
of regional economic blocs (such as the
European Union and the North American
Free Trade Area) in other parts of the
world, APEC works to raise living standards
and education levels through sustainable
economic growth and to foster a sense of
community and an appreciation of shared
interests among Asia-Pacific countries.
Members account for approximately 40% of
the world’s population, approximately 54%
of world GDP and about 44% of world trade.
OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development is an international
economic organisation of 34 countries
founded in 1961 to stimulate economic
progress and world trade. It defines
 GK-176
itself as a forum of countries committed
to democracy and the market economy,
providing a platform to compare policy
experiences, seeking answers to common
problems, identifying good practices, and
co-ordinating domestic and international
policies of its members.
The OECD originated in 1948 as the
Organisation for European Economic Co-
operation (OEEC), led by Robert Marjolin
of France, to help administer the Marshall
Plan for the reconstruction of Europe after
World War II. Later, its membership was
extended to non-European states. In 1961,
it was reformed into the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development
by the Convention on the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and
Development. Most OECD members are
high-income economies with a high Human
Development Index (HDI) and are regarded
as developed countries (Chile being the
only OECD member which is also a member
in the organisation of developing countries,
the Group of 77).
Amnesty International
Amnesty International was established
on 28 May 1961, with its headquarters at
London, by Peter Benson, a British lawyer.
A worldwide organization, it investigates
violations of human rights. It campaigns for
the release of all prisoners of conscience,
provided they have not used or advocated
violence, fair, and prompt trails for all
prisoners, and abolition of torture and
capital punishment. It now has more than
1,100,000 members in over 150 countries,
with 6,000 local groups in 70 countries in
Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the
Middle East. It won the Nobel Prize for
Peace in 1977.
Red Cross
Red Cross was established in 1864 by
Jean Henri Durant. In 1859, J.H. Durant,
a Swiss businessman, travelling through
Italy witnessed the Battle of Solferino,
when France tried to free Italy from
Austrian domination, in which about
30,000 soldiers were wounded or killed.
He organized relief work for the wounded
soldiers and subsequently called for the
MTCR (Missile Technology Control Regime) was established by G7 countries in April 1987.
POLITY
formation of a permanent relief society
for those wounded in war. Durant’s appeal
had immediate results. An international
conference took place in Geneva in 1864
where 26 governments were represented.
The Conference led to the Geneva
Convention and the emblem of Red Cross
was adopted. Each year World Red Cross
and Red Crescent Day is celebrated on May
8, the birthday of its founder Henri Durant.
Its motto is Charity in War. A red cross on
a white background is its symbol (it is the
reverse of the flag of Switzerland). The
Red Cross completed 132 years on 8 May
1994 and in it 126th year, it adopted the
slogan ‘125 Years at Work — and Still
Developing’
In the Middle East, a Red Crescent replaces
The Red Cross. ICRC (International
Committee of the Red Cross) together
with the League of Red Cross Societies,
constitutes the International Red Cross. The
League of Red Cross Societies was founded
in 1929.
BRICS
BRICS is the acronym for an association
of five major emerging international
economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and
South Africa. The grouping was originally
known as “BRIC” before the inclusion of
South Africa in 2010. The BRICS members
are all developing or newly industrialised
countries, but they are distinguished by
their large, fast-growing economies and
significant influence on regional and global
affairs; all five are G-20 members.
As of 2014, the five BRICS countries
represent almost 3 billion people which
is 40% of the world population, with a
combined nominal GDP of US$16.039
trillion (20% world GDP) and an estimated
US$4 trillion in combined foreign reserves.
As of 2014, the BRICS nations represented
18% of the world economy.
Brazil held the chair of the BRICS group
in 2014, having hosted the group’s sixth
summit in 2014.
Russia chaired the 7th BRICS summit on
8-9th July 2015.
8th BRICS summit was held in Goa (India) on
16 & 17 Oct. 2016.
POLITY
Sustainable Development Goals
At the United Nations Sustainable
Development Summit on 25 September
2015, World Leaders adopted the 2030
Agenda for sustainable development,
which includes a set of 17 sustainable
development goals (SDG) to end poverty,
fight inequality and injustice and tackle
climate change by 2030.
17 Goals are–
1. End poverty in all its forms
everywhere.
2. End hunger, achieve food security
and imporve nutrition and promote
sustainable agriculture.
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote
well-being for all at all ages.
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable
quality education and pormote life
long learning opportunities for all.
5. Achieve gender equality and
empower all women and girls.
6. Ensure availability and sustainable
management of water and sanitation
for all.
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable,
sustainable and modern energy for
all.
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and
sustainable economic growth, full and
productive employment and decent
work for all.
9. Build resilient infrastructure,
promote inclusive and sustainable
industrialization and foster innovation.
10. Reduce inequality within and among
countries.
11. Make cities and human settlements
inclusive, safe, resilient and
sustainable.
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and
production patterns.
13. Take urgent action to combat climate
change and its impacts.
14. Conserve and sustainably use the
oceans, seas and marine resources for
sustainable development.
15. Protect, restore and promote
sustainable use of terrestrial
India became the 35th member of the Missile Technology Control Regime in June 2016.
GK-177
ecosystems, sustainable management
of forests, combat desertification, and
halt and reverse land degradation and
halt biodiversity loss.
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive
societies for sustainable development,
provide access to justice for all and build
effective, accountable and inclusive
institutions at all levels.
17. Strengthen the means of implementation
and revitalize the global partnership for
Sustainable development.
Missile Technology Control
Regime (MTCR)
The Missile Technology Control Regime
(MTCR) is a multilateral export control
regime. It is an informal and voluntary
partnership among 35 countries to prevent
the proliferation of missile and unmanned
aerial vehicle technology capable of
carrying above 500 kg payload for more
than 300 km.
MTCR  was established by G-7 countries in
1987. The aim of the MTCR is to restrict
the proliferation of missiles, unmanned air
vehicles (UAVs), complete rocket systems
and related technology for those systems
capable of carrying a 500 kilogram payload
for at least 300 kms, as well as systems
intended for the delivery of weapons of
mass destruction (WMDs).
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)
NSG is an elite group or cartel of countries
concerned with reducing nuclear
proliferation by controlling the export and
re-transfer of materials that may be used
for development of nuclear weapons. It was
set up in 1974 as a reaction to India’s first
successful nuclear tests (code name Smiling
Buddha conducted on 18 May 1974) to
stop so called misuse of nuclear material
meant for peaceful purposes. NSG’s
members are allowed to trade in and export
nuclear technology. Currently, NSG has 48
members (including China) and works by
consensus. India is persistently bidding for
its membership.
 GK-178
POLITY
IMPORTANT SUMMITS AT A GLANCE

Summits Location Theme/Objective Previous Upcoming

8th BRICS Goa, India Building Responsive, Ufa, Russia

Inclusive and collective (2015)
solutions

11th G-20 Hangzhou, China Toward an Innovative, Antalya, Turkey Hamburg,

Invigorated, Interconnected (2015) Germany
and inclusive world (2017)
Economy

19th SAARC Islamabad, Postponded Kathmandu, Bengaluru,

Pakistan Nepal (2014) India (2018)

28th and Vientiane, Laos Turning Vision into Reality Kuala Lumpur, —
29th ASEAN for a Dynamic ASEAN Malaysia (2015)
Community

11th EAS Vientiane, Laos Matters include maritime Kuala Lumpur, Philippines
security, terrorism, non- Malaysia (2015) (2017)
proliferation, irregular
migration

28th APEC Peru, Lima Quality Growth and Human Philippines, Vietnam,
Development Manila (2015) Hanoi (2017)

4th Nuclear Washington, USA To coordinate international Hague, —

Security efforts to prevent terror Netherlands
Summit organizations from (2015)
acquiring nuclear weapons
or material

27th NATO Warsaw, Poland Major agenda include— Wales, UK Brussels,

Summit situation in Eastern (2014) Belgium
Europe, reform of NATO’s (2017)
partnership policy, debate
about future nuclear
strategy of the alliance,

17th NAM Margarita, Peace, Sovereignty and Venezuela —

Venezuela Solidarity for Development (2015)

49th (ADB) Frankfurt, Agenda—Sustainable Baku, Azerbaijan Yokohama,

Asian Germany development in Asia and (2015) Japan (2017)
Development the pacific
Bank Annual
Meeting

Shanghai Tashkent, Issues of strengthening Ufa, Russia Astana,

Cooperation Uzbekistan stability and security in (2015) Kazakhstan
Organization Central Asia (2017)
(SCO)
Summit
POLITY GK-179

List of Parliament of Different Countries

Country Parliament Name Country Parliament Name
India Sansad/Parliament Maldives Majlis
Pakistan National Assembly Spain Cortes
Bangladesh Jatiya Sansad Nepal Rastriya Panchayat
China National Peoples Congress Russia Duma
Bhutan Tsondu France National Assembly
Sri lanka Parliament of Sri Lanka  Iran Majlis
Afghanistan Shora Malaysia Diwan Negara
England Parliament Switzerland Federal Assembly
Canada Parliament Turkey Grand National Assembly
Australia Parliament Taiwan Yuan
USA Congress Japan Diet
Germany Wondstag Israel Knesset

Governing Political Parties in Different Countries

Country Ruling Party or Coalition Parties in opposition
India National Democratic Alliance led by Bharatiya UPA, non-NDA parties
Janata Party
Pakistan Pakistan Muslim League (N) Pakistan People Party
Bangladesh Awami League Jatiyo Sangshad
China Communist Party of China
Bhutan Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party People’s Democratic Party
United Kingdom Conservative Unionist Party Labour Party
Canada Liberal Party of Canada Loyal Opposition
Australia Coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party Shadow Cabinet of Australia
USA Democratic Party (President), Republican from
Jan 2017
Republican Party (Legislature)
Germany Christian Democratic Union, Christian Social
Union, Social Democratic Party of Germany
Sri Lanka National Unity Government (consists of All Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
Ceylon Muslim Congress, Jathika Hela Urumaya,
Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Up-Country People’s
Front, National Union of Workers, Sri Lanka
Muslim Congress, United National Party,
Democratic People’s Front)
Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party
Japan Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito Democratic Party
Burma National League for Democracy Aung San Suu Kyi
Iraq State of Law Coalition, Al-Muwatin, Al-Ahrar
Bloc, Kurdistan Democratic Party, Iraq Alliance
 GK-180
POLITY
Israel Likud, The Jewish Home, United Torah Judaism, The Knesset
Kulanu, Shas
Spain People’s Party Spanish Socialist Worker’s
Party
Nepal Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist– Nepali Congress
Leninist), Unified Communist Party of Nepal
(Maoist), Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal,
Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum, Nepal (Loktantrik)
Russia United Russia Shadow Cabinet
France Socialist Party, Radical Party of the Left National front
Iran Moderation and Development Party People’s Mojahedin
Organisation of Iran (PMOI)
Malaysia United Malays National Organization (UMNO) People’s Justice Party (PKR),
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party
(PAS) & the Democratic
Action Party (DAP)
Turkey Justice and Development Party Republican People’s Party
GEOGRAPHY GK-181

GEOGRAPHY
u Physical  u India
u World

 Theories of Development
 Big bang Theory
 Steady State theory
 Oscilating Universe Theory
 Galaxy
Universe

 Solar Systems
 Planets and Moons
 Cosmic Bodies
 Seasons and Their Formation
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY–MIND MAP

 Earth
 Chronology of the Earth
 Geological Era
 Internal Structure

 Rocks and their classification

Geographology

 Movement of Earth
 Factors Affecting movement of Earth
(Endogenetic and Exogenetic Forces)
 Outcomes of Earth’s Movement (Fold
Mountains, Earthquakes, Volcanoes)
 Mountain, Plains, Plateau
 Process of Formation and their types

 Ocean Structure  Temperature

Oceano-
graphy

 Salinity  Ocean Deposits

 Ocean Tides  Ocean Currents
 Coral Reef and Atolls

 Atmospheric Structure
 Insolation and Heat Budget
 Winds and their type
Atmosphere

 Planetary Wind (Polar winds, Westerlies, Trade winds)

 Seasonal Winds (Monsoon)
 Local Winds
 Cyclones and Anti Cyclones
 Recent Major Cyclones
 Air masses
 Clouds and their types
 Precipitation
 Conventional, Cyclonic, Orogenic
 GK-182
GEOGRAPHY

ASTRONOMY
NASA defines astronomy as, “The study of highly compressed state and expansion
stars, planets and space.” started with premordial explosion
which was bang in superdense ball.
Universe These exploded particles travelling at
•• All existing matters and space as a a speed of thousands miles per second
whole forms the Universe. It was gave rise to our galaxies.
termed as cosmos when first conceived
Steady State Theory
as an orderly unit and its study called
as cosmology. It is believed to be •• The steady state theory was governed
expanding since its creation in the Big by Hermann Boudi and Thomas Gold.
Bang about 13 billion years ago. •• It is also known as theory of continuous
•• In astronomy & cosmology, space is the creation. According to this theory
vast 3-dimensional region that begins universe has always existed and will
where the earth’s atmosphere ends. There always exist and will always look
are inter steller & intergalactic spaces. essentially the same, so there is no over
all evolution, thus balancing the average
Fact of Universe density despite the exapansion.
Diameter 8.8×1026 m (28.5 Gpc or 93 •• As old galaxies move apart the new
Gly) galaxies are being formed.
Volume 4×1080 m3 Galaxy
Mass 1053 kg •• A Galaxy is a large collection of stars,
(ordinary gas, dust, and dark matter bounded by
matter) gravitational force. At times they are so big
Density 9.9 × 10–30 g/cm3 (equivalent that they are called as Island Universe.
to 6 protons per cubic meter Elliptical Galaxies
of space)
Elliptical galaxies can be classified on the
Age 13.799 ± 0.021 billion years
basis of their ellipticity, ranging from nearly
Average 2.72548 K spherical (E0) to highly elongated (E7).
temperature These have low portion of open clusters and
Contents ordinary (baryonic) matter low rate of new star formation.
(4.9%)
Spiral Galaxies
dark matter (26.8%)
Spiral galaxies have a central nucleus with
dark energy (68.3%) great spiral arms trailing round it resembling
•• Normal matters that are visible (star, pin wheel. Andromeda Galaxy and Milky
planet and galaxies) make up less than Way are the example of such galaxies. The
5% of the total mass of the universe rest spiral arms are thought to be areas of high-
are made of dark matters. These dark density matter, or “density waves”.
matters are not seen by the astronomers
Irregular Galaxies
but they can study their effects.
Irregular galaxies are youthful in nature
Development Theories
with no sharp and boundary thinning out
Big Bang Theory gradually, these galaxies contain large
•• Big bang theory was proposed by amount of gas and dust. This type of galaxy
Georges Lemaitre in 1927. is the result of gravitational interaction
•• According to this theory billion of or collision between formerly regular
years ago cosmic matters were in galaxies.
Mt. Vesuvius (Italy), Mt. Stromboli (Italy), Mt. Etna (Italy) and Mauna Loa (Hawaii) are examples of active volcanoes.
GEOGRAPHY GK-183
The Life Cycle of a Star
Nebula
A nebula is a cloud of gas (hydrogen) and
dust in space. Nebulae are the birthplaces
of stars.
Star: A star is a luminous globe of gas
producing its own heat and light by nuclear
reactions (nuclear fusion).
•• Stars are born from nebulae and consist
mostly of hydrogen and helium gas.
Red Giant Star
•• Red Giant stars
is a dying star, i.e. the later stages of
the evolution of a star like the Sun, as it
runs out of hydrogen fuel at its centre.
•• In few billion years, the Sun will turn
into a red giant star, expand and engulf
the inner planets, possibly even the
Earth. Red Giant stars are very cool,
faint and small stars, approximately one
tenth the mass and diameter of the Sun.
Red Dwarf Stars
Red Dwarf stars are the most common &
longest lived stars.
•• They are the smallest of the stars with
low temperature, e.g. Proxima Centauri
& Barnard’s star.
White Dwarf A small very dense star that is
typically the size of planet.
Black Hole is very small, hot star, the last
stage in the life cycle of a star like the Sun.
The gravitational pull in a black hole is so
great that nothing can escape from it, not
even light. So, it is invisible.
•• S. Chandrasekhar has given
Chanderasekhar limit, which is about
the formation of Black Holes.
•• The closest star to the Earth is the Sun.
•• The closest star to our solar system is
The Proxima Centauri.
•• Light year, Astronomical unit (A.U.).
Parsec is the unit of measurement of
interstellar distance that is equal to
3.26 light years.
The Solar System
•• The Sun, the eight planets (Pluto is not
a planet now, considered as a dwarf
planet) along with their satellites,
Barren Island in India is an active volcano while Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa is an example of extinct volcano.
the asteroids, the comets, the inter
planetary dust and the electrically
charged gases called plasma, together
make up the solar system.
•• Our solar system consists of an average
star we call it the Sun, the planets –
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
•• The Sun is an average star. It isn’t the
hottest, it isn’t the coolest, it isn’t the
oldest. Nor is it brightest, biggest, etc.
•• Sun’s Mass: The Sun’s mass is in
between 99.8% and 99.9% of the
solar system. The rest is split between
planets, satellites, comets, asteroids,
dust particles and gases surrounding
the solar system.
•• It is composed mainly of hydrogen and
helium.
•• Nuclear fusion in the core of the Sun is
source of all its energy.
•• The glowing surface of the Sun is called
Photosphere.
•• The Sun has a red coloured
Chromosphere and beyond it is Corona
(visible during eclipses).
•• The surface of the Sun changes continu-
ously. Bright regions are called Plages
and dark spots are called Sun spots
which frequently form and disappear.
Sun Statistics
•• Distance from the Earth – 150 mn km
•• Diameter – 1391980 km
•• Core temperature – 15000000°C
•• Rotation time – 25 days
•• Age – 5 billion years
•• Composition : H2 - 71%, He - 26.5% and
other 2.5%
•• Mass – 1.99 × 1033 kg
Solar Eclipse
Solar eclipse is caused when the Moon
revolving around the Earth comes in
between the Earth and the Sun, thus making
a part or whole of the Sun invisible from a
particular part of the Earth.
Lunar Eclipse
During the revolution of Earth, when it
comes between moon and the Sun the
shadow of the Earth hides moon either fully
or partially. This is called lunar eclipse.
 GK-184
Planet
A planet must meet three criteria:
(i) It must orbit the Sun,
(ii) It must be big enough for gravity to
squash it into a round ball,
(iii) It must have cleared other objects out of
the way in its orbital neighbourhood.
•• The Terrestrial Planets or Inner
Planets are the four innermost planets
in the solar system, which include
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
•• The Jovian Planets or Outer Planets
are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune because they are all gigantic
compared to Earth, and they have a
gaseous nature.
Mercury
It is the smallest and the closest planet to the
Sun, without a moon. Surface is full of craters.
Venus
It is the second closest planet to the Sun, known
as evening as well as morning star, rotates
from east to west. It is the hottest planet. The
atmosphere of Venus is covered with thick
clouds that strongly reflects sunlight.
Earth
It is the third planet from the Sun with one
moon. Perfect place for life. It consists of
78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% other
ingredients envelops it. Moon is the only
natural satellite of Earth.
Mars
It is the fourth planet from the Sun with two
moons (Phobos and Deimos).
It is known as the Red Planet because iron
minerals in the Martian soil oxidize, or rust,
causing the soil and the dusty atmosphere
to look red. The planet is characterized
by volcanoes, canyon systems, riverbeds,
crated terrains.
Jupiter
It is the fifth planet from the Sun and the
largest in the solar system. Its atmosphere
is made up mostly of hydrogen (H) and
helium (He). It has the fastest rotational
velocity, completing one rotation in less
than 10 hours.
The zone on the globe which does not experience an earthquake is known as the shadow zone.
GEOGRAPHY
Jupiter has 67 known satellites and
4 Galilean moons. It has the biggest
magnetosphere in the entire solar system.
Saturn
It is the second largest planet of the
solar system and surrounded by ring
like structures. These rings are made of
premordial dust and ice particles. More
over Saturn is a gaseous planet. The planet
has 62 prominent moons among which the
largest moon is Titan which is the second
largest in the entire solar system.
Uranus
It is the seventh planet from the Sun. One day
on Uranus takes about 17 hours (the time
it takes for Uranus to rotate or spin once).
Uranus makes a complete orbit around the
Sun (a year in Uranian time) in about 84 Earth
years. It has 27 moons. It is characterized by
usual magnetic and electric field.
Neptune
It is the eighth planet from the Sun. Its
atmosphere is made up mostly of hydrogen
(H), helium (He) and methane (CH4). Triton
is its largest moon. It is having a earth
size blemish called as Green dark spot. It
has 14 satellites among which Triton and
Nereid are the prominent ones.
Pluto (not a planet now). It is now
considered as a dwarf planet. It has the
slowest orbital velocity and hence, the
longest year, Charon, is nearly half its size.
Dwarf planet– A dwarf planet is a
planetary-mass object that is neither a
planet nor a natural satellite. It shares
its orbits around the Sun with other
objects such as asteroids or comets. It
is massive enough for its shape to be
in hydrostatic equilibrium under its
own gravity, but has not cleared the
neighborhood around its orbit.
The first 5 recognised dwarf planets are –
Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Haumea & Makemake.
Light year– A light-year is a unit of
astronomical distance. It is the distance
that light can travel in one year. It is
approximately 9.5 trillion kilometres
(or about 6 trillion miles).
GEOGRAPHY GK-185

Planets Facts Cosmic World

1. Biggest Planet-Jupiter Asteroid: 645,118
2. Biggest Satellite-Jupiter
3. Blue Planet-Earth A small rocky body orbiting the sun is
4. Green Planet-Uranus termed as asteroid. Large numbers of these,
5. Brightest Planet-Venus are found between the orbits of Mars and
6. Brightest Planet outside Solar System- Jupiter, though some have more eccentric
Sirus orbits.
7. Closest Star of Solar System-Proxima Meteor
8. Coldest Planet-Neptune A meteoroid is a small rocky or metallic
9. Evening Star-Venus body travelling through space and range
10. Farthest Planet from Sun-Neptune in size from small grains to 1 meter-wide
11. Planet with maximum no. of satellites- objects. When it enters the atmosphere to
Jupiter become visible it is called meteor. It is also
12. Fastest revolution in solar system- known as “shooting star” or “falling star.”
Mercury One can see nearly 20 million of meteors
13. Hottest Planet-Venus in a day. In Huba the largest meteorite was
14. Densest Planet- Earth found (Namibia – 60 tons).
15. Fastest Rotation in Solar System-Jupiter
16. Morning Star-Venus
Oort Clouds
17. Nearest Planet to Earth-Venus They are roughly spherical, shell of icy
18. Nearest Planet to Sun-Mercury objects found in the outermost reaches
19. Red Planet-Mars of the solar system is called Oort Clouds.
20. Slowest Revolution in Solar System- Astronomers believe that it is remains of
Neptune the disc of material that formed the Sun and
21. Slowest Rotation in Solar System-Venus planets. Estimates put it at around 2 trillion.
22. Smallest Planet-Mercury It is also referred to as Trans-Neptunian
23. Smallest Satellite-Deimos object applied to objects in the Kuiper Belt.
24. Earth’s Twin-Venus Astronomers think that long-period comets
25. Atmosphere like Earth-Titan have their origins in the Oort Clouds.

INFORMATION BULLETIN ON EARTH

•• Human population of the Earth : Seven billion as of on 2011, 7.389 billion (as of Dec
2015)
•• World Population Growth : 1.13% as of (2015-16) - 2014 estimate
•• Countries of the world : 196 (195 Excluding Taiwan)
•• Earth’s Circumference at the : 24,901.55 miles (40,075.16 km)
Equator
•• Earth’s Circumference between : 24,859.82 miles (40,008 km)
the North and South Poles
•• Earth’s Diameter at the Equator : 7,926.28 miles (12,756.1 km)
•• Average Distance from the : 92, 935, 700 miles
Earth to the Sun
•• Average Distance from the : 238.900 miles/384, 400 km
Earth to the Moon
•• Highest Elevation on Earth : Mt. Everest, Asia : 29,035 feet (8850 m)

Light takes about 4.3 years to reach us from the next nearest star Proxima Centauri.
 GK-186
GEOGRAPHY
•• Tallest Mountain on Earth from : Mauna Kea. Hawaii: 33,480 feet (rising to 13.796
Base to Peak feet above sea level) (10204 m, 4205 m)
•• Point Farthest from the Center : The peak of the volcano Chimborazo in Ecuador at
of the Earth 20,561 feet (6267 m) is farthest from the center of
the Earth due to its location near the equator and
the oblateness of the Earth.
•• Lowest Elevation on Land : Dead Sea: 1369 feet below sea level (417,27 m)
•• Deepest Point in the Ocean : Challenger Deep. Mariana Trench. Western Pacific
Ocean: 36,740 feet (11022 m)
•• Highest Temperature Recorded : 135.80F - A1 Aziziyah, Libya, Sep. 13,1922 (57.7°C)
•• Lowest Temperature Recorded : –128.5°F - Vostok, Antarctica. July 21, 1983
(–89.2°C)
•• Water vs Land : 4.5 to 4.6 billion years
•• Atmosphere content : 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% traces of
argon, carbon dioxide and water.
•• Rotation on Axis : 23 hours and 56 minutes and 04.09053 second.
But, it takes an additional four minutes for the
earth to revolve to the some position as the day
before relative to the sun (i.e., 24 hours)
•• Revolution Around the Sun : 365 . 2425 day
•• Chemical Composition of the : 34.6% Iron, 29.5% Oxygen, 15.2% Silicon, 12.7%,
Earth Magnesium, 2.4% Nickel, 1.9% Sulphur and 0.05%
Titanium.

Planet Earth between the tropics and polar region (23½°

•• The form of Earth is ‘Oblate spheroid’. of 66½°) having moderate climate.
•• The axis of the Earth is inclined to the Frigid Zones
plane of Earth’s orbit at an angle of 66
1/2°giving rise to different seasons and
varying lengths of day and night.
•• At equator, day and night are of equal
length throughout the year.
Torrid Zone
The Mid-day Sun shines vertically overhead
at least once a year between the Tropic of
Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Thus,
this region receiving the maximum heat and
is called Torrid Zone.
Temperate Zones
These are the areas where climatic
condition is not extreme. The area lies

Jupiter is known as winter planet as its average temperature is very low (–148ºC).
GEOGRAPHY GK-187

These are the two extremely cold zones situated in the Polar regions extending to the Arctic
circle in the North and to the Antarctic circle in the South.

Seasons Formation
Revolution of the Earth around the Sun along with it spinning around its axis, which is
tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees, is the main cause of season’s formation. Around the
June Solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, therefore experiencing
summer. The Southern Hemisphere on the other hand, is tilted away from the Sun and
thus, experiences winter. The opposite occurs around the December Solstice, when the
Southern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, while the Northern Hemisphere is tilted
away.
Seasons and their Formation

Northern summer/Southern winter Northern fall/Southern spring

21. March
Periapsis
ill.
Equinox 47 m 3. January
1 k m
21. June Line of Solstice
21. December
es
sid
ap
e of
Lin
m
ill. k
2m 23. September
15
Apoapsis 3. July

Northern summer/Southern winter Northern fall/Southern spring

There are four seasons: Summer when the Sun’s ray falls directly over the tropic of cancer.
In autumn, the Sun’s ray falls directly over the equator. During winter it is over tropic of
Capricorn and during spring it falls back on equator.
Equinoxes is the day which happens twice a year and day and night are of equal length.
March 21 is called as Vernal equinox and 23rd September is autumnal equinox. Solstice
in the same ways occurs when the difference between the lengths of day and night are
maximum. Occurs twice in a year firstly when the Sun’s ray falls on tropic of cancer and
secondly when over tropic of Capricorn.

Eclipse
It is related to obscuring light of the sun or the moon by any other body. There are two types
of eclipse.
Lunar eclipse occurs when the earth comes in middle of the sun and the moon. It occurs on
full moon day but not every full moon day experiences lunar eclipse.
Solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes in middle of the sun and the earth. It occurs on
the new moon day when the moon is in line with sun.

Lake Eyre (–15.8 m) is the lowest point in Australia and Kosciuszko mountain (2.228 m) is the highest point.
 GK-188
GEOGRAPHY
Chronological age of the Earth
EON ERA PERIOD EPOCH Millions of Years Ago
Holocene 0.011477
Quaternary
Pleistocene 1.806
Pliocene 5.332
Neogene
Cenozoic Miocene 23.03

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

Triassic 251
Permian 299
Charboniferous

Pennsylvanian 318.1

Paleozoic Mississippian 359.2

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

Mesoproterozoic Ectasian 1400

Calymmian 1600
Precambrian

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

Mesoarchean 3200
Paleoarchean 3600
Eoarchean 4000
Hadean 4567

Kilimanjaro (5,895 m) is the highest while Lake Assai (–156.1 m) is the lowest point in Africa.
GEOGRAPHY GK-189

Internal Structure of Earth

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

Upper crust Depth (Km) Layers

er cr ust
Low
0-60 Lithosphere (locally varies between 5
Uppe
r Mantl
e and 200 km) (density 2.9-3.3)
m sphere
0k m Meso 0-35 Crust (locally varies between 5 and
k
20 m
40
k 70 km)
r Mantl
Lowe e
km
400 km
35-60 Uppermost part of mantle
650 D” Layer
35–2,890 Mantle
r Core
0k
m Oute
270 0 km
8 9 100–200 Upper mesosphere (density 3.3-4.3)
2
r
Inne Core
515
0k
m
660–2,890 Lower mesosphere (density 4.3-5.5)
2,890–5,150 Outer core (density 10.00-13.3)
6378 km
5,150–6,360 Inner core (density 13.3-13.6)

Crust (6-11 km oceanic,

25-90 km
continental)

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

Mt. Mckinley (6,194 m) is the highest and Death Valley (–85.9 m) is the lowest point in North America.
 GK-190
GEOGRAPHY

GEOMORPHOLOGY

Rock
Rock is a naturally occurring mineral and relatively hard.
Proportion of Elements Found in Rock
7% Others 5.5% Others
13% Magnesium 3% Sodium
15% Silicon 8% Aluminium
30% Oxygen 28% Silicon
35% Iron 47% Oxygen
In Earth In Earth Crust
Type of Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary rocks are formed through lithification, compression and cementation of sedi-
ments deposited in a particular place mainly aquatic areas.
Igneous/Primary Rocks
Igneous rocks are formed from solidification and cooling of magma. Usually this magma
partially melts off the pre-existing rocks from mantle or crust of the earth. This melting
of rocks is caused by one or more processes namely: increase in temperature, decrease in
pressure, or a change in composition e.g. Basalt, Granite.
Metamorphic Rocks
When the change occurs in the form or composition of the pre-existing rock (igneous or
sedimentary) without any disintegration taking place is called as metamorphic rock.

Earth Movement
The forces affecting earth’s crust and the resultant movement can be categorized into two
broad categories and further into sub-categories.
Aconcagu (6,960 m) is the highest while valdes Peninsula (–39.9 m) is the lowest point in Latin America.
GEOGRAPHY GK-191

Forces which affects the Earth’s Crust

Endogenetic Forces Exogenetic Forces

Diastrophic Forces Sudden Catastrophic Forces

Epeirogenetic Forces Orogenetic Forces Volcanic Eruption Earthquakes

Upward Downward
Movement Movement
(Emergence) (Submergence)

Tensional Forces Compressional Forces

Crustal Fracture Crustal Bending

Cracking Faulting (Faults) Warping Folding (Folds)

Weathering Erosion
Upwarping Downwarping
• Physical • Ice
• Chemical • River water
• Biological • Sea
• Wind
• Underground
water
Endogenetic Forces Types of Folds
The forces which originate within the •• Symmetrical fold is the simple fold, the
Earth surface are defined as endogenetic limbs of which incline uniformly.
forces. They can result in both horizontal •• Asymmetrical Fold is the fold with
and vertical movement of the earth unequal and irregular inclination and
surface. Internal heat causing chemical length.
reactions inside the earth and transfer of
•• Monoclinal Fold is the fold with one
rock materials on the surface of the earth
by external forces results in release of limb inclined moderately with regular
endogenetic energy. slope while the other limb inclines steeply
Endogenetic forces are of two types: at right angle and the slope is almost
Diastrophic movements and Sudden vertical.
movements. •• Isoclinical Fold is a fold where compres-
These movement causes fold, fault, sive force, forces both the limbs of the fold
earthquake and volcanic activities. to become parallel but not horizontal to
Folds its axis.
These are the wave like structure formed •• Recumbent Fold is formed when
in the crustal rock due to tangential compression force is strong enough to
compressive force resulting from horizontal make both the limbs of the fold parallel as
movement caused by endogenetic forces. well as horizontal to its axis.
The explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who circumnavigated the Earth, named the Ocean ‘Pacific’ meaning peaceful.
 GK-192
Faults
These are the slippage or displacement
occuring in the crust along the fracture
plane. Four types of faults: i) normal, ii)
reverse, iii) lateral and iv) step faults.
Volcano
It is a fissure or vent in the earth’s crust
communicating with the interior, from
which lava, rock fragments, hot vapour and
gases are ejected. A volcano begins to form
when magma, which is hot molten rock
from deep within the earth, rises toward
the earth’s surface and collects in magma
chambers.
Plate Tectonic Theory
Our earth surface is made up of plates
which are in motion due to the convection
current flowing beneath it. This movement
The Mariana Trench is the World’s deepest trench with a depth of 11,033 metres.
GEOGRAPHY
Types of Volcanoes:
(a) Active Volcanoes: Alive now
(b) Dormant Volcanoes: Have not erupted
for quite some time
(c) Extinct Volcanoes: Have not erupted
for several centuries
Earthquake
Motion ranging from faint terror to wild
shaking of the earth surface is called
earthquake. It occurs mainly due to tectonic
activities caused by continuous endogenetic
processes inside earth’s crust. The place
from where it starts is called as focus or
hypocenter and the point directly above
it is known as epicenter. It is measured in
Richter scale varying from 0 to 9.
in the earth’s plate is called as tectonic
movement. This movement has been
widely accepted cause of continental drift,
earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, and
oceanic trenches.
GEOGRAPHY GK-193
Types of Plates
Minor Plates Minor Plates
Africa Plate Cocos Plate
Pacific Plate Filipino Plate
North American Plate Juan de Fuca Plate
Antarctic Plate Caribbean Plate
Eurasian Plate Scotia Plate
Australian Plate Nazca Plate
South American Plate and Arabian Plate
Indian Plant  
Exogenetic/Denudational/Destructional
Forces
The forces which act above the earth surface
changing relief of earth surface are known
as exogenetic forces. These processes are
continuously engaged in destructing the
relief features created by endogenetic
forces. These forces are carried on by the
agents of erosion such as wind, water,
glacier etc., the process through which
these agents work on the earth surface are
weathering and erosion.
•• Weathering is a process in which
breaking down of the earth surface takes
place but the debris do not move from
their place.
•• Erosion refers to the movement in the
weathered material.
Denudation is a long-term sum of processes
that is caused by weathering, leading to a
reduction in elevation and relief of landforms
and landscapes and erosion.
Major Landforms
Mountains
These are the second order relief features
having an abrupt natural rise from the
adjacent surrounding area. Collective
system of long, narrow elevated land
for some distance is a Mountain Ridge.
Several parallel long narrow mountains
of different period is called as Mountain
chain. Mountain Range is a series of
mountain ridges, peaks, and summits and
the valley of same age but structurally
different. Cordilleras are the huge set
The Atlantic Ocean has the longest coastline and is also the busiest ocean for trade and commerce.
of several mountain groups and systems
having different ridges, ranges, mountain
chains etc.
Types of Mountains
Folded Mountains originated by
compressive forces. Young, mature and
old are its sub types. E.g. Alps in Europe,
Rockies in North America, Andes in South
America and the Himalayas in Asia.
Block fault Mountain originated by
tensile and compressional forces. E.g. Black
forest mountains on the border of France
and Germany.
Dome Mountain originated by magnetic
intrusion and unwrapping of the crustal
surface.
Volcanic Mountain formed by accumula-
tion of volcanic materials e.g. Mount Mauna
Loa in Hawaii, Mt. Fujiyama in Japan and Mt.
Popa in Central Myanmar.
Residual mountain E.g. Vindhyachal
Aravalli, Eastern and Western Ghats.
Plateau
A second order relief feature characterized
by flat and rough top surface and steep wall
with a height difference of at least 300 m
from its surrounding areas.
Types of Plateau:
(i) Intermontane Plateau (Tibetan,
Bolivian, Peru, Columbian Plateau,
Mexican, Iranian)
(ii) Piedmont Plateau (Appalachian
Piedmont Plateau, Patagonian Plateau)
(iii) Continental Plateau (Deccan Plateau
of India, Chota Nagpur Plateau)
(iv) Coastal Plateau (Coromandel Coastal
upland of India)
Lake
Lakes are static bodies of water surrounded
by land from all sides. These are not
permanent features on the earth surface.
Sometimes lakes are found near along the
sea coast. There are two type lakes e.g.
freshwater lakes and saline lake.
Oceanography
Ocean Structure
•• Ocean can be divided into two main groups
(i) the ocean (ii) the sea. Ocean covers 70%
of the earth surface and has an average
depth of more than 12,400 feet.
 GK-194
GEOGRAPHY
•• Geographically the oceans have been Density of Ocean
divided into (i) the Pacific (ii) the •• Amount of mass per unit volume of
Atlantic (iii) the Indian and (iv) the substance, measured in g/cm3
Arctic ocean. •• Density of pure water is 1 g/cm3 at 4°C.
•• Pacific Ocean, the largest and oldest and ocean water is 1.0278 g/cm3 (2-3%
occupies 50% of the ocean world, followed higher than water) at 4°C.
by Atlantic (29.9%), Indian (21%). •• It increases with lowering of
•• Arctic is strictly not an ocean and not temperature of ocean. Highest density
navigable. is recorded at –1.3°C.
Continental shelf Salinity of the Ocean
•• Continental margin submerged under •• Average salinity of ocean water is 35%.
ocean water upto 100 fathoms (600 Salinity of ocean water is affected by
feet) with slope of 1° to 3° and often marine organism, plant community and
determined by the coastal reliefs. High physical properties of ocean such as
mountainous coast have narrow self. In temperature, density, waves, pressure
Atlantic Ocean it is 2 km to 80 km. and currents.
Deep Sea Plain/Abyssal Plain •• Highest salinity is observed between
•• Most extensive relief, covering 75.9% 20° - 40° N (36%).
of the total area of ocean basin. Flat and •• Boiling point of saline water is higher
rolling submarine having depth from than pure water.
3000 m to 6000 m. The Mariana Trench •• The line with same salinity is joined by
near Guam Island is the deepest of all. Isohalines.
Temperature of Ocean Source of Salinity
Ocean is divided into three layers according Salts brought by rivers is the main source. It
to temperature. contains 60% of calcium sulphate and 2%
(i) First layer upto 500 m from top having of sodium chloride.
temperature of 20° - 25°C SALTS IN OCEAN WATER
(ii) Thermocline layer - below 500 m where
temperature decreases at a rapid rate Name of Salts %
with the increase in depth. Sodium Chloride 77.8
(iii) Third layer is very cold and extends Magnesium Chloride 10.9
upto deep ocean floor. Polar region has
this layer from surface to deep ocean Magnesium Sulphate 04.7
form. Calcium Sulphate 03.6
Daily Range of temperature is the
Potassium Sulphate 02.5
difference of maximum and minimum
temperature of a day which is 0.3°C at low Calcium Carbonate 00.3
latitude and 0.2° to 0.3°C at higher latitudes. Magnesium Bromide 00.2
Annual Range of temperature: Maximum
Factors controlling salinity
temperature is recorded in August and
minimum in February in the northern •• Evaporation is positively related to the
hemisphere. Average annual range of salinity level.
temperature of ocean water is - 12°C usually. •• Precipitation has a negative relation
with it.
Factors affecting distribution of •• Influx of river water has inverse relation
temperature with salinity level.
•• Major factors include: Latitude, Unequal •• Atmospheric pressure and wind are of
distribution of land and sea, prevailing directional help in the redistribution of
wind and ocean current water salinity.
•• Minor factors include: Submarine ridges, •• Circulation of ocean water is the
local weather, location and shape of sea. controlling factor of salinity in a region.
A shallow lake formed between the sand and the sea coast is called lagoon and kayal in Kerala.
GEOGRAPHY GK-195

Ocean Currents • Counter Equatorial Current (Warm)

The movement of a mass of oceanic water • Kuroshio System (warm)
parallel to the coast is called as ocean • Oyashio Current (Cold)
current. • California Current (Cold)
Currents are of two types on the basis of • Peru Current (Cold)
temperature. • El Nino or Counter Current (warm)
(i) Warm current • Eastern Australian Current (warm)
(ii) Cold current • West Wind Drift (Cold)
On the basis of velocity, dimension and
Indian Ocean
direction.
• North-east Monsoon Current (warm)
Drift
• Indian Counter Current (warm)
It is slow movement of the ocean current • South West Monsoon (warm)
under the influence of prevailing wind. • Indian Equatorial Current (warm)
Current • Mozambiqe Current (warm)
Movement or circulation of ocean water in a • West Wind Drift (cold)
definite path having great velocity. Seas of Ocean
Stream
Pacific ocean
Movement of ocean water involving large
volume in a definite direction with velocity. Arafura sea, Bering sea, Celebes sea, Coral
It is a continuous flow. sea, Java sea, Gulf of Carpentria, Yellow sea,
Japan sea, Bohol sea, Gulf of Alaska, Molucca
Origin
sea and South China sea.
Origin of ocean current occurs due to
following factors: Indian ocean
• Rotation of earth Arabian sea, Andaman sea, Bay of Bengal,
• Temperature difference in ocean Timor sea, Red sea, Laccadive sea, Gulf of
• Salinity difference in ocean Oman, Gulf of Aden, Mozambique Channel.
• Density Difference
• Air pressure and wind
Atlantic ocean
• Rainfall and Evaporation Caribbean sea, Celtic sea, Labrador sea,
• Direction, shape and configuration of Marmara sea, Norwegian sea, Bothnia sea,
coast Gulf of Finlang, Bay of Fundy, Barents sea,
• Bottom relief Beaufort sea, Amunden sea, Baffin Bay,
• Seasonal variation Laptev sea, White sea, Pechora sea, Kara
Distribution of Currents sea, East Siberian sea, Greenland sea, Prince
Gustav Adolf sea.
Atlantic Ocean
Inland Seas
North Equatorial Current (warm)
Caspian sea, Aral sea, Salton sea, Dead sea
South Equatorial Current (warm)
Counter Equatorial Current (warm) and Black sea.
Gulf stream (warm) Strait is a narrow passage of water
North Atlantic Current connecting two seas or two other large
Canary Current (Cold) areas of water.
Labrador Current (Cold) Strait of Malacca is a funnel-shaped
Brazil Current (warm) narrow waterway 800 km long that
Falkland Current (Cold) connects the South China & Andaman Sea.
South Atlantic Drift (Cold) Bass strait is the widest (240 km).
Benguela Current (Cold) Bosphorous, the narrowest strait in
world used for international navigation,
Pacific Ocean that connects the Black Sea with the Sea
• North Equatorial Current (Warm) of Marmara.
• South Equatorial Current (Warm)
Andaman and Nicobar islands are separated by the Ten Degree Channel because 10ºN latitude passes through this place.
 GK-196
GEOGRAPHY
MAJOR STRAIT OF THE WORLD
Name Joins Location
Malacca Strait Andaman Sea & South China Sea Indonesia - Malaysia
Palk Strait Palk Bay & Bay of Bengal India-Sri Lanka
Sunda Strait Java Sea & Indian Ocean Indonesia
Yucatan Strait Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea Mexico-Cuba
Messina Strait Mediterranean Sea Italy-Sicily
Otranto Strait Adriatic Sea & Ionian Sea Italy-Albania
Bab-el-Mandeb
Red Sea & Gulf of Aden Yemen-Djibouti
Strait
Cook Strait South Pacific Ocean New Zealand (N & S islands)
Mozambique Strait Indian Ocean Mozambique - Malagasy
North Channel Irish Sea & Atlantic Ocean Ireland-England
Taurus Strait Arafura Sea & Gulf of Papua Papua New Guinea - Australia
Bass strait Tasman Sea & South Sea Australia
Bering Strait Bering Sea & Chukchi Sea Alaska-Russia
Bonne-Fasio Strait Mediterranean Sea Corsika-Sardinia
Bosphorus Strait Black Sea and Marmara Sea Turkey
Dardanelle Strait Marmara Sea and Aegean Sea Turkey
Davis strait Baffin Bay & Atlantic Ocean Greenland-Canada
Denmark strait North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean Greenland-Iceland
Dover strait English Channel & North Sea England-France
Florida Strait Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean USA-Cuba
Hormuz strait Gulf of Persia & Gulf of Oman Oman-Iran
Hudson strait Gulf of Hudson & Atlantic Ocean Canada
Mediterranean Sea & Atlantic
Gibraltar Strait Spain-Morocco
Ocean
Magellan strait Pacific and South Atlantic Ocean Chile
Makassar Strait Java Sea & Celebeze Sea Indonesia
Tsugaru Strait Japan Sea and Pacific Ocean Japan (Hokkaido-Honshu island)
Tatar Strait Japan Sea & Okhotsk Sea Russia (E Russia-Sakhalin Island)

Gulf trading centers are located on gulfs. It forms

a good fishing ground and oil deposits.
A large area of a sea or ocean partially
enclosed by land, especially a long The Gulf of Mexico
landlocked portion of sea opening through Bordering the United States, Mexico, and
a strait. Gulf and Bay are of economic the island nation of Cuba, is the world’s
importance as they serve as excellent largest gulf. It has a coastline of about 5,000
harbour in most of the cases. Many important kilometers (3,100 miles).
Anemometer is an instrument used for measuring wind velocity and Beufort Scale is used to identify wind strength.
GEOGRAPHY GK-197
The Persian Gulf
In Arabian Sea borders Iran, Iraq, Kuwait,
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab
Emirates, and Oman. There a vast deposit of
petroleum is found.
The Gulf of Carpentaria on northeast coast
of Australia, is an inlet of the Arafura Sea.
Bay
A bay is a small body of water or a broad
inlet that is set off from a larger body of
water generally where the land curves
inward. Examples of bays include the Bay
of Pigs (Cuba), Hudson Bay (Canada),
Chesapeake Bay (Maryland and Virginia),
and Bay of Bengal (near India).
Choke Point
When a body of water such as a strait is
capable of being blocked or even closed in
order to control transportation routes, the
body is called a “choke point.”
Estuaries
Estuaries are bodies of water and their
surrounding coastal habitats typically found
where rivers meet the sea. It becomes the
home of numerous unique plant and animal
communities because their waters are brack-
ish. Brackish is a mixture of fresh water drain-
ing from the land and salty seawater.
Clinometer is an instrument used for determing the difference in elevation between two points.
Bar-built
Sandbars or barrier islands built up by
ocean currents and waves in coastal areas
created a protected area fed by small
streams or rivers. The barrier islands off
the Atlantic coastline of North Carolina and
Massachusetts enclose bar-built estuaries.
Delta system
Deltas are formed at the mouths of large
rivers from sediment and silt depositing.
When the river flow is restricted by the
delta, an estuary may form. The Nile River
in Egypt and the Mississippi River in
Louisiana forms delta systems estuaries.
Tectonic
It is created when a major crack or a large
landmass sink, often caused by earthquakes,
produced a basin below sea level that fills
with water. This type of estuaries usually
occurs along fault lines. San Francisco Bay
in California is an example of an estuary
created by tectonics.
Fjords
Advancing glaciers ground out long, narrow
valleys with steep sides. Glacier Bay in
Alaska is an example of a fjord.
 GK-198
GEOGRAPHY
MAJOR GULFS AND THEIR LOCATION
Gulf of Aden of the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula
Gulf of Alaska in the Pacific Ocean south of the state of Alaska
Amundsen Gulf in the Arctic Ocean northwest of Canada
Gulf of Aqaba in the northern end of the Red Sea, leading to Israel and Jordan
Gulf of Bahrain, part of the Persian Gulf
Gulf of Bothnia, part of the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland
Gulf of Cádiz, part of the Atlantic Ocean off the southern border of Spain and Portugal
Gulf of California in the Pacific Ocean in northwestern Mexico
Gulf of Carpentaria a large bay off northern Australia
Gulf of Cazones a large gulf in southern Cuba
Gulf of Corinth, which extends into Greece from the Mediterranean
Davao Gulf in the Philippines
Gulf of the Farallones, westward from the opening of the San Francisco Bay and Drakes
Bay to the Farallon Islands
Gulf of Finland, between the southern coast of Finland and the northern coast of Estonia
in the Baltic Sea.
Gulf of Genoa inside the Ligurian Sea on the northwestern coast of Italy
Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Equatorial Africa
Gulf of Izmir in the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece. It was formerly called the
Gulf of Smyrna.
Gulf of Khambhat in the Arabian Sea, formerly known as the Gulf of Cambay
Gulf of Kutch in the Arabian Sea
Lingayen Gulf of western Luzon, the Philippines, in the South China Sea
Gulf of Lion, a bay on the Mediterranean coastline of Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence
in France
Gulf of Maine, off the State of Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia in the Atlantic
Ocean
Gulf of Mannar, between India and Sri Lanka
Gulf of Mexico, between Mexico, the United States, and Cuba
Gulf of Morbihan, a natural harbour on the coast of the Département of Morbihan in the
south of Brittany
Gulf of Nicoya, in Costa Rica, Central America.
Gulf of Oman, between the south eastern Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Pakistan and Arabian
Sea.
Gulf of Oristano, near Oristano on the Western Sardinian coast
Gulf of Panama in the Pacific Ocean south of Panama
Persian Gulf between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula
Fathometer is the instrument used for measuring the depth of the Ocean.
GEOGRAPHY GK-199

Gulf of Roses, the most northeastern bay on the Catalan coast

Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the world’s largest estuary and the outlet of the Saint Lawrence
River into the Atlantic Ocean
Gulf St Vincent, separated from Spencer Gulf by the Yorke Peninsula
Gulf of Sidra, just north of Libya in the Mediterranean
Spencer Gulf, near Port Lincoln, South Australia
Gulf of Suez, in the northern end of the Red Sea, leading to the Suez Canal
Gulf of Thailand, just south of Thailand in the Indian Ocean
Gulf of Tonkin, just east of North Vietnam in the Pacific Ocean
Gulf of Tunis, in the Mediterranean off the coast of Tunisia

MARINE RESOURCES
The biotic and abiotic resources found in
the oceanic water and lagoons are called
as Marine resources. It includes marine
water, inherent energy in ocean water (e.g.
wave and tidal energy) biotic life (plants
and animals), marine deposits and abiotic
elements (minerals, fossils fuels, etc).
Marine Zone
(i) Territoral Sea
It is a region lying between base line
and 12 nautical miles towards sea. 12
nautical mile is the seaward limit of
territoral sea and called as contiguous
zone.
(ii) Exclusive Economic Zone
This zone extends upto a 200
nautical miles from the base line.
The coastal state has the right of
survey, exploitation, conservation and
management of mineral resources of
ocean deposits, ocean floor, marine
water energy, water and ocean
organisms with exclusive economic
zone. No other country can venture
without the permission of the concern
state.
(iii) High Sea
It extends beyond sea limit of the
exclusive economic zone and includes
the vast ocean area.
Marine Biological Resources
Those marine - related biological resources
such as flora, fauna and micro organism
whose inter-community behaviour and
action affect or get affected by the piece of
marine ecosystem they are living in.
Plankton Community
Planktons are floating and drifting micro
plants and animals in photic zone. These are
divided into phytoplankton (plant plank-
tons) and zooplanktons (animal planktons).
Phytoplankton produces food through the
process of photosynthesis with the help of
sunlight, water and atmosphere. Algae and
Diatoms are most important member of this
community. Algae and diatom are called as
marine pasture.

MAJOR WETLAND OF THE WORLD AS RANKED BY WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Country Wetland Name Area
Canada Wood Buffalo National Park 44,807 km2
USA Everglades National Park 6,110 km2
USA Olympic National Park 3,734 km²

Isopleth is a line drawn on the map along which the value of a particular phenomenon or product is uniform.
 GK-200
GEOGRAPHY
USA Yellowstone National Park 8,983 km²
Bulgaria Srébarna Nature Reserve 6 km²
Romania and Ukraine Danube Delta 4,152 km2
Russian Federation Lake Baikal 31,722 km²
Russian Federation Volcanoes of Kamchatka 43781 km²
Spain Doñana National Park 543 km²
Tunisia Ichkeul National Park 85 km²
Malawi Lake Malawi National Park 94 km²
Senegal Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary 160 km²
Dem. Republic of Congo Virunga National Park 7,800 km²
India Kaziranga National Park 430 km²
India Keoladeo National Park 28 km²
India Manas National Park 950 km²
Australia Fraser Island 1,840 km²
Australia Kakadu National Park 19,804 km²
New Zealand Te Wahipounamu 26000 km²
Honduras Río Platano Biosphere Reserve 5250 km²
Mexico Sian Ka’an 3,157 km²
Panama Darien National Parks 720 km²
Colombia Los Katios National Parks 5,970 km²
Peru Manu National Park 17,163 km²

called ebb/low tide. The difference between

Coral Reefs and Atoll
It is accumulated and compact skeleton
of lime secreting organisms known as
coral polyps. They are confined between
25°N - 25°S latitude. They live on lime
and in colony form. High mean annual
temperature between 68°F to 70°F (20°C
- 21°C) is required for the growth of
corals. They do not grow in more than 250
feet (60-77 m) of water as they require
oxygen and sunlight. Grows in open sea
as fresh water is harmful for corals.
Types of Coral Reef: (i) fringing reef (ii)
barren reef and (iii) atoll
Ocean Tide
Alternative rise and fall in the sea level is
known as tide. The rise of sea water and its
movement towards coast is high tide. The
fall of seawater and moving towards sea is
high and low tide is called as tidal range.
Types of Tide
(i) Spring tide: When the sun, the moon
and the earth are in the same line, there
is formation of spring tide. The position
when all three are in a straight line is
called as syzygy. When the sun, the
moon and the earth are in sequential
order in a straight line is called as
conjunction. It occurs on new moon
day. When the earth is in between
the moon and the sun are called as
opposition. It occurs on full moon day.
(ii) Neap tide: It’s a quadrature (90o)
position between the earth, the sun
and the moon on seventh or eighth day
of the fortnight. During this time the
forces of the sun and the moon acts in
Opposite direction.

Isorithm is any line on the map representing continuous value on maps.

GEOGRAPHY GK-201

ATMOSPHERE
The gaseous envelop which covers a celestial called normal lapse rate. The transition layer
body or planet is called atmosphere. Air is a separating troposphere from stratosphere is
mixture of gases in various proportions. It known as tropopause which is between 16
has a mass of 5.15 × 1018 kg. of which are km at equator to 8 km at pole.
concentrated within 11 km of the surface of
Stratosphere
the earth. The force of gravity plays a vital
role in holding the atmosphere close to the The layer which extends from 18 to 50
earth. km above the earth surface is called as
Gases which contributes to the formation stratosphere. In this layer temperature
of atmosphere are Nitrogen (78.084%) increases as altitude increases due the ultra
Oxygen (20.946%), Argon (0.93%), Carbon violet rays. Ozone forms to be the outer
dioxide (0.0397), Neon (0.001818), Helium limit for this layer. Turbulence free zone
(0.000024), Methane (0.000179) along with hence is ideal for flying of jet aircrafts.
Water vapour (0.001% – 0.005%). Mesosphere
Proportion of gas in Mesosphere lies from 50 to 80 km above
the Atmosphere
other
the ground level with the temperature
1% below – 100°C at 80 km. Even pressure
drops to 1 mb at 50 km to 0.01 mb at 90 km.
Oxygen
Mesopause are the upper transitional layer
21% separating mesosphere from ionosphere. It
is the zone of meteorites activities.
Ionosphere
Nitrogen
78 % The layer between mesosphere and
thermosphere is known as ionosphere.
Aurora Austrialis and Aurora Borealis occur
due to penetration of ionizing particles in
Structure of Atmosphere this layer. Temperatures rise with increasing
km height here owing to the absorption of ultra-
180
B violet radiation by atomic oxygen. Above
160 100 km the atmosphere is increasingly
Heterosphere

140 affected by solar X-rays and ultra-violet

120 ere radiation, which causes ionization.
sph
rmo
100 The Thermosphere
80 Mesopause
The thermosphere is the second highest
Homosphere

60 Mesosphere layer of earth’s atmosphere just above

40 Stratopause mesopause. It forms lower boundary of
20 Tropopause Stratopause
Troposphere exosphere is known as exobase. Gradual
0 increase of temperature is witnessed with
-200 -100 0 100 200
TEMPERATURE °C height reaching up to 1500°C (2700°F).

Troposphere Exoshpere
The first layer of atmosphere from the earth Outer most layer extending between of 700 km
surface is known as troposphere. It is at the to 10000 km. Gases like nitrogen, oxygen and
carbon dioxide are found. No meteorological
height of 12 km from the earth surface. Here
phenomenon is possible. Sometimes
temperature decreases at the rate of 6.5°C
Aurora Borialis and Aurora Austrialis occur
per km with the increase in height. This is overlapping into the thermosphere.
Isobar is a line of equal pressure and Isobath is a line of equal depth in sea.
 GK-202
Insolation
•• The sun is primary source of energy on
earth. It enters earth’s atmosphere in
the form of short waves. This is known
as incoming Insolation solar radiation.
The earth receives solar radiation at the
rate of 1.94 calories per cm2/m.
•• The amount of solar radiation received
by earth is affected by four factors
which are as follows:
1. Solar Constant: It is the rate at which
incoming solar radiation is received per
unit area of earth surface when the sun
is at its mean distance from the earth.
Increase in the sun-spot increases
the amount of solar radiation hence
affecting insolation as well.
2. Distance from Sun: The path that is
followed by the earth around the sun is
not at the same distance throughout the
year. The orbit of the earth is elliptical in
shape. The shortest distance of the earth
from the sun is called as Perihelion
(147 million km) and Apehelion is time
when the earth farthest from the sun.
The former occurs in January and the
latter in July.
3. Altitude of the Sun: Solar altitude
is the relative angle of the sun with
respect to earth’s horizon. The angle
formed between the sun and the earth
surface varies with the latitude at which
a place is situated. The area closer to
equators receive greater amount of
solar insolation than at poles.
4. Length of Day: The amount of insolation
received by place also depends on the
length the day. Longer the duration
of the day more will be the amount of
radiation received.
Heat Budget
Earth balances the incoming solar radiation
with the outgoing terrestrial radiation
and is called as heat budget. The energy
received if not returned back to the space
in the form of long waves would increase
the temperature of the earth surface. This
balancing of heat affects the amount of
insolation absorbed.
Adiabatic Changes
When the air parcel moving towards a low
pressure zone without the exchange of heat
with surrounding air. It increases volume
and reduces the heat available per unit
Isobronts are lines joining places experiencing a thunderstorm at the same time.
GEOGRAPHY
volume and hence temperature falls. Such
a change of temperature, where neither
addition nor subtraction of heat involves is
known as ‘adiabatic change’.
Inversion of Temperatures
It refers to a condition where temperature
increases with increasing height of the
atmosphere. The five causes of inversion
of temperature are radiation, drainage,
frontal, advection, subsidence.
•• General tendency to decrease in temperature
with increasing latitude is known as
‘temperature gradient’. Not only the
temperature but even its nature with
latitude changes. The rate of change
of temperature is comparatively low
between tropics. On the other hand the
gradient is high at the poles.
Isotherms: The line which join places
having equal temperature is called
‘Isotherms’.
Atmospheric Pressure
•• Atmospheric pressure is the pressure
exerted by the weight of air in the
atmosphere of Earth. The standard air
pressure at sea level is 1013.25 mb.
Air pressure decreases with increase
in altitude at the rate of 0.1 inch or 3.4
mb per 600 feet. The rate of decrease is
confined to the height of few thousand
feet. Line joining places with equal
pressure at sea level are called isobars.
•• The areas affect by high pressure
are called as High Pressure zone or
Anticyclones and the low pressure are
called as Low or depression or Cyclone.
There are seven pressure belts across
the globes.
Equatorial Low Pressure Belt
The geographical region situated between
5° N to 5°S is known as Equatorial Low
Pressure Belt. This belt gets longer duration
of sunshine and sun’s ray falls at a straight
angle on earth surface. Intense heat is
received by the earth surface causing
thermal induced atmosphere. It is also a
convergence zone of north-east and south-
east trade winds. The area is calm with no
wind movement, thus known as Belt of
Calm or Doldrums.
GEOGRAPHY GK-203

Sub-Tropical High Pressure Polar High

Pressure
The sub tropical high pressure belt extends Winds
between 25° to 35° in both the hemisphere. Low
Low 60º
Pressure
Pressure
The air upraises in equatorial region. They
Low
High
start descending as they become heavy Pressure
30º
Pressure
after cooling at a certain height and are Trade Winds
deflected towards poles because of earth’s (N E)
rotation causing a zone of high pressure. Low
Low
Pressure
Pressure 0º
Sub Polar Low Pressure Belt
Trade Winds
The zone is situated between 60° to 65° in (S E)
both the hemisphere. The temperature of Low
Low
30º
Pressure
Pressure
this area is generally low throughout the
year. It is a convergence zone where winds
from sub-tropical low and polar high meets 60º
together to produce Polar front.
Major Pressure Belts
Polar High
Wind Belts
The Polar High Pressure zone is situated
Wind can be defined as the movement large
near the pole. As the name suggests the
volume of gases from high pressure area
zone is originated due to thermally induced
to low pressure area. There are two types
factor as very low temperature is solely
of winds 1) Permanent/Prevailing Winds
responsible for the creation of a high
(blow throughout the year) and 2) Seasonal
pressure zone over the polar areas.
Wind (blow in particular period of the year).
Permanent/Planetary/Prevailing Winds
Types Sub Types Characteristics
Tropical Doldrum •• It is called as “equatorial calms” because wind over there
Winds (5º N - 5ºS) has no motion and cumulonimbus cloud are formed bring
Equatorial daily rainfall.
westerlies
•• It is not continuous belt. Equatorial fronts are formed
(15ºN – 35ºN)
and equatorial westerlies blow there. It is associated with
strong atmospheric disturbances or cyclonic storm.
Trade Winds •• A wind flowing from subtropical high pressure to
equatorial low pressure belt is termed as Trade Winds.
It moves in north east and south east in north and south
hemisphere respectively.
Sub Westerlies Blowing from subtropical high pressure belt (30º - 35ºN
Tropical (35º-65ºN and S) to the sub polar low pressure belt (60º - 65ºN and
wind and S) S) is called Westerlies. In the northern hemisphere these
wind blow from south west to north east and in southern
hemisphere from north west to south east. 40ºS to 50ºS-
Roaring Forties, 50ºS to 60ºS- Furious Fifties and 60ºS
onwards – Shriecking Sixties are its name.

Polar •• A low pressure zone is created in between 600 to 650 in

Wind both the hemisphere due to the dynamic factor of the earth.
•• It blows from north easterly and south easterlies in
northern and southern hemisphere respectively.
Isogonals are the lines joining places with some magnetic declination.
 GK-204
GEOGRAPHY
Variable Wind
Sub Types Seasonal Winds Characteristics
Monsoon •• It blows from the south west in summer and from north east in winter.
It is consistent and bi-directional regular flow of wind over a year. It
is thermally induced complex air circulation where all layers of air
circulation that is surface, middle and upper layer are involved.

Local Winds

Nature Nature Region

Fohn Warm Alps
Chinook (snow eater) Warm Rockies
Kalbaisakhi Warm North India
Berg Warm S. Africa
Zonda Warm Andes
Loo Warm Indian subcontinent
Santa Ana Warm Coastal Southern California
Southerly Cold New South Wales Burster
Khamsin Warm Egypt
Harmattan (Doctor) Warm Guinea Coast
Mistral Cold S.E. France
Samun Warm Iran
Purga Cold Russia
Levanter Cold France
Pampero Cold S. America
Norwester Warm, dry New Zealand
Harmattan Warm, dry Eastern part of Sahara

Levante It blows in western Mediterranean, near the Strait of Gibraltar. It is called as

the Viento de Levante or the Levanter and even Solano. It blows moderately or
strongly bringing rain and damp smell to the region.
Norte The Norte is a strong and cold northeasterly wind which blows in Mexico along
the Gulf of Mexico. It results from an outbreak of cold air from the north.
Etesian Etesians blow as winds of northeasterly to northerly direction over Northern
Agean Sea while, in the southern Aegean along with the Cretan and the
Carpathian Sea, they blow as northern westerlies.
Helm Generally seen in Columbia and England these strong north-easterly wind
blows down the south –west slope of the Cross Fell Escarpment.
Buran/ Extremely cold wind full of ice and snow blowing across Russia and eastern
Purga Asia. In tundra region, it is also known as Purga. In Alaska this severe north-
easterly wind is known as Burga, bringing snow and ice pellets.
Brick- It is a hot and dry summer wind blowing in coastal regions of South Australian
fielder desert. Blows strongly, for several days at a time, along with dust, and parching
all vegetation. In one sense it is a healthy wind, as it destroys many harmful
germs due to its heat.
Isohels are Isopleths of equal amount of Sunshine and Isohyet are isopleth of rainfall.
GEOGRAPHY GK-205

Air Mass
A large volume of air defined by constant
physical properties i.e. temperature and water
vapor, spreading over hundreds or thousands
of square miles is called as air mass.
Types of Air mass
Continental Polar (cP) forms over cold
and dry land mass during winter near
poles north of 50-60 N.
Maritime Polar (mP) is associated with
cool or cold, damp and gray day’s weather,
near polar coastal areas.
Continental Tropical (cT) form over
deserts and plains. It is hot and dry during
summer and only dry during winter.
Maritime Tropical (mT) is hot and
humid sticky weather on the tropical
coastal regions.
Cyclones
Cyclones are the low pressure centers
surrounded by closed isobars having
pressure increasing outwards. Blows
inward from high pressure to low pressure
and hence wind movement is anti-clockwise
in northern hemisphere and clockwise
in southern hemisphere. They are also
termed as atmospheric disturbances. There
shape varied from circular to elliptical and
sometimes even V shaped. On the basis
of place of origin there are two types of
cyclones which are as follows:

Tropical Cyclone Temperate / Extra-tropical cyclone

The tropical cyclones have a thermal origin, Formed in middle or high latitudes, due to
exclusively over the tropical seas. the development of front (350- 650 N and S).
A low pressure zone is created due to extreme Develops when a frontal surface
heat and further intensifies with the increase separates two opposing air masses
in temperature (above 270C). The winds from (warm and cold). As the amplitude of
surrounding high pressure region rushes to the the wave increases, the pressure at the
central low pressure (eye) area developing a centre of disturbance falls, eventually
powerful and destructive storm. The velocity of intensifying to the point at which a
the cyclone varies from 32-180 km/hour. cyclonic circulation begins.
Its velocity decreases and finally decays as When the cold air from the poles sweeps
they cross more land mass. Usually ends with off all the warm tropical air and entire
heavy downpour of rain and wind bringing cyclone is composed of the cold air mass
devastation to the coastal areas. temperate cyclone dies.

Humidity
It is the amount of water vapour present in the air at a particular period of time and place.
Humidity of a place can be expressed in three ways:
Absolute Humidity
The measure of water vapour content of the atmosphere which may be expressed as the
actual quantity of water vapour present in a given volume of air is called absolute humid-
ity. This is measured as gms per cubic meter air. Absolute humidity changes with place
and time. The capacity of air to hold water vapour depends on temperature. Warm air
holds more moisture than cold air.
Specific Humidity
Another way to express humidity as the mass of water vapour per unit weight of air or
the proportion of the mass of water vapour to the total mass of air is called the specific
humidity. Specific humidity is not affected by changes in pressure or temperature.

Isonif are Isopleth of amount of snow and Isohyse are Isopleth of elevation above sea level.
 GK-206
Relative Humidity
This is a ratio expressed between actual quantity of water vapour present in the air at a
given temperature (absolute humidity) and the maximum quantity of water vapour that
the atmosphere can hold at that temperature. Relative humidity determines the amount
and rate of evaporation.
•• Hygrometer is the instrument used
for measuring relative humidity.
It comprises of wet and dry bulb
thermometer.
Absolute humidity
Relative humidity = · 100
Humidity capacity
•• Temperature and evaporation are
directly proportional to humidity.
•• The process of transformation of
liquid into gaseous form is called as
evaporation.
•• Oceanic and coastal regions record
higher humidity capacity of air than the
remote continental regions.
•• Humidity capacity decreases from
equator to polewards as the temperature
also decreases.
•• The air having moisture content equal
to its humidity capacity is called as
saturated air.
Precipitation
Condensation of atmospheric water va-
pour that falls under the gravity is called
as precipitation. This could be in the form
of rain, snow or hail etc. Its form depends
on the temperature at which water vapour
condenses.
Forms of Precipitation
Hail
It is a form of solid precipitation consisting
of large pellets or spheres of ice balls with
the diameter varing between 5 to 50 mm.
The falling of hail on the ground surface
is called hailstorm. It is destructive as it
destroys agricultural crops and claim
human and animal lives.
Snowfall
It is the fall of large snowflakes from clouds
on the ground surface. The dew point
should be below freezing point for receiving
snowfall. It is a result of sublimation.
Isophence are isopleth of seasonal phenomena and Isorymes are lines of equal frost.
GEOGRAPHY
Sleet
It is a mixture of snow and rain. It is a small
pellets formed by freezing of raindrops or
melting snowflakes.
Rainfall
It is the most common form of precipitation.
It is a process wherein warm air ascends,
saturates and condenses. Adiabatic cooling
takes place when the relative humidity
becomes 100 per cent. The condensation
of water vapour takes place where large
hygroscopic nuclei (salt and dust) is formed.
Such droplets are called as cloud droplets
shade. Rainfall occurs when cloud droplets
change to raindrops which involves two
processes:
1. The warm and moist air ascends
to such a height that the process of
condensation begins below freezing
point. Both the water droplets and ice
droplets are formed. The condensation
takes place as the water droplets
evaporates around ice droplets due to
difference in vapour pressure. These
ice droplets become large and fall when
finally they are not able to be held back
in the condensed icedroplets.
2. The suspended cloud droplets in the
cloud are of varrying sizes. They collide
among themselves at different rate as
their size varies. They combine to form
a large droplet. In this process several
cloud droplets are coalesced to form
raindrops. When these cloud droplets
are large enough that they are unable to
hold by ascending air they begin to fall.
Types of Rainfall
Rainfall can be classified into three types:
1. Convectional Rainfall
2. Orographic Rainfall
3. Cyclonic or Frontal Rainfall
GEOGRAPHY GK-207
1. Convectional Rainfall
The thermal heating of the ground
surface through the process of
insolation leads to rise of air as they
become warm and light. The process of
convectional rainfall mainly depends on
two factors.
(i) The supply of moisture through
evaporation should be abundant
so that its relative humidity
becomes high.
(ii) There should be intense heating
through insolation process.
The process of convectional rainfall involves
intense heating of ground surface through
solar radiation. As the warm air rises, the
vacant shape is filled by surrounding air
which too warm up when come in contact
with already warm air. When the air
reaches the temperature of its surrounding
cumulo-nimbus cloud is formed and there
is instantaneous heavy rainfall.
•• It occurs daily in afternoon in the
equatorial regions.
•• It is for short duration but pour down
heavily.
•• Occurs through thick dark and extensive
cumulo-nimbus clouds.
•• It is accompanied by number of thunder
and lightning.
Cloud
Warm ascending air
Ground Surface
Convectional Rainfall
2. Orographic Rainfall
When the warm and moist air is
obstructed by any hill or mountain, it
starts ascending along the slope of the
hill or mountain and get saturated after
reaching a height. As a result condenses
around hygroscopic nuclei. The slope of
the mountain facing the wind is called
as windward side and the other side
The highest tidal range is observed in the Bay of Fundy.
of that mountain is known as Leeward
side.
Windward side receives maximum rain
and leeward side receives no or little
rain. The leeward side is also known as
rainshadow region. This type of rainfall
is called as orographic rainfall.
e
Le
sid
ew
rd
wa
ard
ind
sid
W
e
Orographic rainfall
3. Cyclone or Frontal Rainfall
Cyclonic or frontal rainfall occurs due
to ascending of moist air and adiabatic
cooling caused by convergence of two
extensive air mass.
Clouds
Clouds are the visible mass of condensed
water vapour floating in the atmosphere,
typically high above the general level of
the ground. It plays a major role in the heat
budget of the earth and the atmosphere
as they reflect, absorb and diffuse the
incoming short wave and outgoing long
wave terrestrial radiation.
Types of clouds
•• Cirrus : Feather like
•• Cirrocumulus : Ripples like
•• Cirrostratus : Transparent sheet like
causes sun and moonto have ‘halos’.
•• Altocumulus : Have bumpy-look
•• Altostratus : Sheet like
•• Stratocumulus:Large globular masses
•• Nimbostratus: Dark grey and rainy
looking which gives continuous rain.
•• Stratus: Low clouds foggy in appearance
•• Cumulus: Round topped and flat based
•• Cumulonimbus: Special type of
cumulous clouds spread out in form of
an anvil. Often indicate convectional
rain, lightning and thunder.
GK-208
GEOGRAPHY
GEOGRAPHY GK-209
INFORMATION BULLETIN
1. Official name: Republic of India
2. Capital: New Delhi
3. Nationality: Indian
4. Continent: Asia
5. Region: South Asia Indian subcontinent
6. Area: Ranked 7th
•• Total 3,287,263 km2 (1,269,219 sq mi)
•• Land 90.08%
•• Water 9.92%
7. Borders : Total land borders : 15,106.70
km (9,386.87 mi)
•• Bangladesh: 4,096.70 km (2,545.57 mi)
Bordering States - West Bengal, Assam,
Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram
•• C hina (PRC) : 3,488 km (2,167 mi)
Bordering States - Jammu & Kashmir,
Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim,
and Arunachal Pradesh)
•• Pakistan: 2,910 km (1,808 mi)
Bordering States- Jammu and Kashmir,
Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan
and Gujarat
•• Nepal: 1,751 km (1,088 mi)
Bordering States – Bihar, Uttarakhand,
Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, and West Bengal
•• Myanmar: 1,643 km (1,021 mi)
Bordering States – Manipur and
Nagaland
•• Bhutan: 699 km (434 mi)
Bordering States: West Bengal, Sikkim,
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam
8. Highest point: K2 or Godwin Austin
(claimed) 8,611 m (28,251.3 ft)
Kangchenjunga (administered) 8,598 m
(28,208.7 ft)
9. Lowest point: Kuttanad; –2.2 m (–7.2 ft)
10. Longest river: Ganges, Brahmaputra
11. Largest lake: Chilka Lake (Odisha)
Major Physiographic Divisons
The landmass of India can be divided into
following major physiographic divisions.
The Himalayan Mountain, Northern plain,
Peninsular plateau, Indian desert, Coastal
plains, the islands.
Name of India has been derived from the river Indus.
The Himalayan Mountains
The Himalayas are the youngest mountains
in the world. They are structurally folded
mountains, form an arc of about 2,400
km long from west to east. The width
varies from 400 km in Kashmir to 150
km in Arunachal Pradesh. The altitudinal
variations are greater in the eastern part
than in the western part. There are four
parallel ranges in its longitudinal extent.
Zaskar range lies west of Himalayas and
Indus gorge is beyond it.
The Great or Inner Himalayas
It is known as ‘Himadri, it is the most
continuous range with loftiest peaks.
Average height of peaks here is 6,000
meters. Asymmetrical folds having granite
in the core are snow covered throughout
the year.
The Lesser Himalayas or Himachal
This lies south of the Great Himalayas and
north of Shiwalik with altitude varying from
3,700 m to 4,500 m. Average width of this
range is 60-80 km. This range is mainly
composed of highly compressed and altered
rocks. Pir Panjal, Dhaula Dhar, Mahabharat
and Mussorie ranges are found as we move
west to east.
The Shiwaliks or the Outer Himalayas
It is an outermost range and is also known
as lesser Himalayas. The altitude varies
between 900 - 1100 km and the width
varies between 10 -50 km in this range.
The longitudinal valleys lying between the
Himachal and Shiwaliks are called ‘Dun’ and
are composed of unconsolidated sediments.
Trans Himalayas
It includes Karakoram and Ladakh Ranges.
Karakoram Range (Krishnagiri) lies north
of Indus. Extended from Pamir crossing
Gilgit river reaches Ladakh. Elevation
is above 5500 m and width is 120-140
Km. Ladakh Range is situated in Kashmir
between Indus and its tributary Shyok.
Highest peak is Mt. Rakaposhi (7880).
 GK-210
GEOGRAPHY
Major Mountain Peaks Important Straits
Peak Country Height in Location Channel
meters
Mt. Everest Nepal 8848 Indira point-Indo- Great Channel
nesia
Kanchenjunga India 8598
Makalu Nepal 8481 Little Andaman and 10° Channel
Nicobar
Dhaulagire Nepal 8172
Nanga Parbat India 8126 Minicoy-Lakshad- 9° Channel
Annapurna Nepal 8078 weep
Nanda Devi India 7817 Maldives-Minicoy 8° Channel
Kamet India 7756
Namcha Barwa India 7756 India-Sri Lanka Gulf of Mannar
Gurla Mandhata Nepal 7728 and Palk Strait

Valleys in India

Valleys and its locations

• Araku Valley : Andhra Pradesh
• Damodar Valley : Jharkhand and West Bengal
• Darma Valley : Uttarakhand
• Dzukou Valley : North-eastern part
• Johar Valley : Uttarakhand
• Markha Valley : Ladakh
• Nubra Valley : Ladakh
• Sangla Valley : Himachal Pradesh
• Saur Valley : Uttarakhand
• Suru Valley : Ladakh
• Tons Valley : Uttarakhand
• Yumthang Valley : Sikkim

Mountain Passes of India

Himalayan passes
• Banihal pass — between Doda and Anantnag (Jawahar Tunnel), J & K.
• Shipki La — River Sutluj enters India from Tibet, Himachal Pradesh.
• Bara Lachan La — between Kyelang and Leh, Himachal Pradesh.
• Rohtang pass — between Kullu and Kyelang, Himachal Pradesh.
• Bomdila pass — between Tezpur and Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.
Himalaya passes between India and China
• Shipki La — Himachal Pradesh.
• Thaga La and Niti La — Uttarakhand .
• Lipu Lekh La — Tri-junction, India-Nepal-China, Uttarakhand.
• Jelep La — Between India and China (Gangtok-Lhasa Road) Sikkim.
• Nathu La — Between India and China (Entry to Chumbi Valley) Sikkim.
The Southernmost Point of India was called the Pigmation point and now it is known as the Indira point.
GEOGRAPHY GK-211
Trans Himalayan passes
• Karakoram pass and Aghil pass — Jammu & Kashmir.
Passes in Western Ghats
• Palghat — between Palakkad and Coimbatore.
• Shenkota — between Kollam and Madurai.
• Thalghat — between Mumbai and Pune.
• Bhorghat — between Mumbai and Nasik.
•• The best known passes of the Pir Panjal
range are the Pir Panjal Pass (3480 m),
the Bidil (4270m), Golabghar (9812m)
and Banihal Pass (235m). The Jammu-
Srinagar highway uses the Banihal Pass.
Some important facts about peaks
• Highest Mt. Peak in India: K2 or God-
win Austin
• Highest peak in Aravalli: Gurushikhar
(in Mt. Abu)
• Highest peak in Satpura - Dhupgarh
(Mahadeo Hills)
• Highest peak in E. Ghats - Mahendra-
giri (Odisha)
• Highest peak in W. Ghats - Anaimudi
(Annamalai Hills - Kerala)
• Highest peak in Nilgiris - Doda Betta
• Hills in Southern Hill complex - Nilgiri,
Annamalai, Cardamom & Palani
• Hills in Eastern Ghats: Shevaroy, Ja-
vadi, Palkonda, Nallamalai, Northern
Circars
• Oblique ranges to Western Ghats in
Maharashtra: Ajanta, Satmala, Harish-
chandra, Balaghat
• Satpura range from East to West:
Amarkantak - Maikal- Mahadeo -
Gawilgarh - Rajpipala
• Highest peak in Andaman and Nicobar
is lands- Saddle Peak
• The highest peak of Naga hills is Sara-
mati peak.
The Northern Plain
The northern plain of India is formed by
three river systems, viz. the Indus, the Ganga
and the Brahmaputra along with their
tributaries. Alluvial soil has been deposited
over millions of years. The total area of
the northern plain is about 7 lakh square
kilometer. It is about 2400 km long and
about 240 to 320 km broad. The northern
The Highest peak is Andaman and Nicobar Island is the Saddle Peak.
plain is divided into three sections, viz.
the Punjab Plain, the Ganga Plain and the
Brahmaputra Plain.
Punjab Plains
It is western part of the northern plain.
Formed by the Indus and its tributaries like
Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
Ganga Plains
This plain extends between Ghaggar and
Tista rivers. The northern states, Haryana,
Delhi, UP, Bihar, part of Jharkhand and West
Bengal lie in the Ganga plains.
Brahmaputra Plains
This plain forms the eastern part of the
northern plain and lies in Assam.
•• Based on the relief features the northern
plain can be divided into four regions, viz.
bhabar, terai, bhangar and khadar.
The Peninsular Plateau
The peninsular plateau is a tableland. It is
composed of the oldest rocks and drifted
from Gondwana land with elevation of 600-
900 Km. Broad and shallow valleys with
rounded hills are the characteristic features
of this plateau. The plateau can be broadly
divided into two regions, viz. the Central
Highlands and the Deccan Plateau. The
slope of the Deccan Plateau is from west to
east as the rivers flows.
The Central Highlands
It lies to the north of Narmada river (Satpura
range), covering portion of Malwa plateau.
It is wider in west and narrower in east.
Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand mark the
eastward extension. The plateau further
extends eastwards into the Chhota nagpur
plateau. Touches Aravilli in the west covering
Rajasthan uplands.
 GK-212
The Deccan Plateau
It is triangular in shape, Satpura range makes
its northern boundary. The Mahadev, Kaimur
Hills and Maikal ranges make its eastern
part. It extends into the north east which
encompasses Meghalaya, Karbi-Anglong
Plateau and North Cachar Hills. Garo, Khasi
and Jaintia hills are the prominent ranges
starting from west to east.
The Western and the Eastern Ghats
The average elevation of Western Ghats is
900 – 1600 metres compared to 600 metres
in case of Eastern Ghats. The Eastern Ghats
stretch from Mahanadi Valley to the Nilgiris
in the south.
The Indian Desert
It lies towards the western margins of the
Aravali Hills. This region gets scanty rainfall
which is less than 150 mm in a year. Hence,
the climate is arid and vegetation is scanty.
The Thar Desert
• The Thar desert extends across Gujarat,
Haryana and Punjab; and covers more
than 60% of the geographical area of
Rajasthan. The region is also called as
‘MARUSTHALI’.
• Luni is the seasonal river and gets very
little rainfall.
• It has an arid climate and vegetation is
sparse.
• Ghaggar flows through Rajasthan and
disappears at the heart of the Thar
desert.
The Coastal Plains
Towards the west and east of Peninsular
stretches narrow coastal strips are situated.
They run along the Arabian Sea in west
and along the Bay of Bengal in east. The
western coast lies between the Western
Ghats and the Arabian Sea. It is divided into
three sections. The Konkan is northern
part, comprised of Mumbai and Goa. The
Kannada Plain makes the central part and
the Malabar coast is the southernmost
coast. The eastern coastal plain is wider and
runs along the Bay of Bengal.
The northernmost point of the country is in Jammu and Kashmir, known as Indira col.
GEOGRAPHY
The Islands
The Lakshadweep Islands are in the
Arabian Sea. Its area is 32 sq km. This group
of islands is rich in terms of biodiversity.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands group of
islands can be divided into two groups. The
Andaman is in the north and the Nicobar
is in the south. These islands too have rich
biodiversity.
ISLANDS OF INDIA
Major Island Group
Two major island groups are situated
on either side of Indian peninsula.
Andaman and Nicobar island group lies
on the eastern part, i.e. in Bay of Bengal
and Lakshadweep island group lies on
the western part of India, i.e. in Arabian
Sea.
Altogether there are 247 smaller islands
from which 204 are in Bay of Bengal and
43 islands are in Arabian Sea.
Drainage in India
The pattern of drainage in India is mostly
influenced by its varied physiological
divisions. Thus, they are classified into three
major types such as: Himalayan, Peninsular
and Inland drainage.
Himalayan Rivers
The Himalayan Rivers mostly originate
from Himalayan mountain range. These are
mostly perennial in nature which means
availability of water throughout the year as
they obtain water from the large ice cover of
great Himalayan range. Major rivers of this
section are the Indus, the Ganges and the
GEOGRAPHY GK-213

Brahmaputra. Other important tributaries •• It enters the plain at Rupnagar (Ropar).

of this section are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas •• It is joined by the Beas at Harike.
and Sutlej of Indus river system, Yamuna, •• From near Ferozepur to Fazilka, it
Son, Ramganga, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi of forms the boundary between India and
the Ganges river System, and Tista, Lohit,
Pakistan for nearly 120 km.
Manas, Subansiri River, Dhansiri River of the
Brahmaputra River System. •• It joins the Indus a few kilometers
above Mithankot.
The Ganga River System
•• It is the largest in India.
•• The total area of the Ganga basin in
India is 861,404 sq km which accounts
for 26.3% of the geographical area of
the country.
•• The Ganga basin covers over 12,500 sq
Ravi km in northern India.
•• It originates from Kullu hills near the Ganga
Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh. •• It originates as Bhagirathi from the
•• It cuts a deep gorge in the Dhaula Dhar Gangotri glacier.
range after crossing Chamba. •• Alaknanda joins it at Devaprayag.
•• It enters Punjab Plains near Madhopur Pindar river joins it at Karan Prayag
and later enters Pakistan 26 km below
and Mandakini or Kali Ganga at Rudra
Amritsar.
Prayag.
•• It debouches into the Chenab a little
•• The combined waters of the Bhagirathi
above Rangpur in Pakistani Punjab.
and the Alaknanda flow in the name of
Beas the Ganga, below Devprayag.
•• It also originates near Rohtang Pass, •• It debouches on plain from hills in
close to the source of the Ravi. Haridwar.
•• It crosses the Dhaula Dhar range •• It is joined by Yamuna in Allahabad.
through a deep gorge from Lorji to
•• Beyond Farakka, it is known as Padma
Talwara.
in Bangladesh.
•• It debouches on the plain near Pong and
•• It bifurcates itself into Bhagirathi-
meets the Sutlej river at Harike.
•• It lies entirely within the Indian territory. Hooghly in West Bengal and Padma-
Meghna in Bangladesh.
Sutlej •• The delta formed by the Ganga-
•• It rises from the Mansarovar - Rakas Brahmaputra is the largest delta of the
Lake near Darma Pass in western Tibet, world covering an area of 58,752 sq km.
where it is also known as Langcher
•• Sundarbans is a part of the world’s
Khambab.
largest delta.
•• In Nari Khorsan province of Tibet, it has
•• The total length, 2525 km, is distributed
created an extraordinary canyon.
•• It is joined by the Spiti river at Namgia among states:
near the Shipki La. (i) Uttar Pradesh – 1140
•• Before entering the Punjab Plain, it cuts (ii) W. Bengal – 520 km
a gorge in Naina Devi Dhar (Bhakra (iii) Bihar – 445 km,
Dam has been constructed here). (iv) Uttarakhand – 310 km.
The most important waterfall by river Narmada is Dhuandhar falls near Jabalpur, is also called the Marble falls.
 GK-214
GEOGRAPHY
The Drainage System
Name of the Length Area drained
Source
river (in km) (sq km)
Ganga Gangotri Glacier at 7,010 m 2,525 861,404
Yamuna Yamnotri Glacier at 6,330 1,376 366,223
Chambal Near Mhow (Indore-M.P) 1,050 139,468
Ramganga Garhwal district at 3,110 m 596 32,493
Ghaghra Near Gurla Mandhota peak 1,080 127,950
Gandak South of Manasarovar 425 in India 46,300 (7,620 in India)
Kosi Tibet-Nepal border at 7,620 730 in India 86,900 (21,500 in India)
Sikkim Nepal- Tibet Himalaya

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DELTA AND ESTUARY

Delta Estuary
1. The triangular deposits made by rivers 1. The sharp edged mouth of rivers, devoid of
at their mouth form a delta. any deposits is known as estuary.
2. Deltas are founded in the regions of 2. Regions of high tides and rift valleys witness
100 tides and coastal plains. estuaries.
3. Deltas are fertile lands. 3. Estuary does not have fertile lands.
4. Ganga, Brahmaputra, Krishna, Kaveri and 4. Narmada and Tapi rivers form estuaries.
Mahanadi rivers form Delta.

Yamuna •• Betwa, rising in Bhopal, joins the

•• It is the largest and the most important Yamuna near Hamirpur. Dhasan is an
tributary of the Ganga. important tributary of Betwa.
•• It originates from the Yamunotri glacier
Son
on the Bandarpunch Peak in Garhwal in
Uttarakhand. •• It is a large south bank tributary of the
•• It enters the plains near Tajewala. Ganga.
•• Tons, a tributary of it, joins it below •• The Son river springs from the
Kalsi. At this site, the water carried by Amarkantak Plateau.
the Tons is twice the water carried by •• It joins the Ganga near Danapur in
the Yamuna.
Patna district.
•• It takes a southerly course upto
Mathura and south easterly in its •• Its catchment area is 71,259 sq km.
onward journey upto Allahabad where •• Almost all the tributaries join it on its
it unites with the Ganga. right bank.
Chambal •• Tributaries are Johilla, Rihand, Kanhar
•• It rises near Mhow in the highlands of and North Koel.
Janapao Hills in MP. Damodar
•• It enters a gorge at Chaurasigarh.
•• It joins Yamuna in Etawah district of •• It rises in the hills of the Chota Nagpur
Uttar Pradesh. plateau and flows through a rift valley.
•• Banas joins it near Sawai Madhopur. •• It is also called ‘Sorrow of Bengal’.

Quartz is the chief rock that has formed the Aravalli Ranges.
GEOGRAPHY GK-215

•• It joins the Hooghly 48 km below •• Then all three streams unite at Triveni
Kolkata. north of the Mahabharat Range to form
•• The total length of the river is 541 km. the Kosi.
•• Its catchment area is 25,820 sq km. Peninsular Rivers
Ramganga The Peninsular Rivers are mostly having
•• It rises in the Garhwal district of their origin from Western Ghats running
Uttarakhand. parallel with western coast from north to
•• It enters the Ganga plain near Kalagarh. south. They are seasonal in nature as the
•• Its basin covers 32,493 sq km. source of water is rainfall only. The rivers
Ghaghra form deltas at their mouth. Some of the
•• It originates near the Gurla Mandhota rivers such as Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna
peak, south of Manasarovar in Tibet. and Cauvery are drained into the Bay of
•• It is known as the karnali in Western Bengal whereas the other prominent rivers
Nepal. like Narmada and Tapi both fall into the
•• It joins Ganga a few kilometres Arabian Sea.
downstream of Chapra in Bihar. The West Flowing Rivers
•• The total catchment area of the river is
127,950 sq km out of which 45% is in Narmada
India. •• It is the largest of all the west flowing
Kali rivers of the Peninsula.
•• It rises from the Amarkantak plateau in
•• It rises in high glaciers of snow covered
region of trans-Himalayas. Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh.
•• It forms the boundary between Nepal •• It flows through a rift valley between
and Kumaon. the Vindhyan Range on the north and
•• It is known as the Sarda or Chauka after the Satpura range on the south.
it reaches the plains near Tanakpur. •• The Dhuandhar (Clouds of Mist) falls
is formed by the Narmada river in
Gandak
Jabalpur.
•• It originates near the Tibet-Nepal border. •• It makes an estuary studded with
•• Kali Gandak, Mayangadi, Bari and several islands. Aliabet is the largest
Trishuli are the major tributaries of it. island.
•• Its drainage area is 46,300 sq km out of
•• The Sardar Sarovar Project has been
which 7620 sq km is in India.
constructed on this river.
Burhi Gandak
Tapi (or Tapti)
•• Originating from the western slopes
•• It is the second largest west flowing
of Sumesar hills near the India-Nepal
border, it joins the Ganga opposite river of the Indian peninsula.
Munger town. •• It is also known as ‘the twin’ of the
•• Its length is 610 km and drainage area Narmada.
is 12,200 sq km. •• It originates from Multai in Betul
district of Madhya Pradesh.
Kosi
Sabarmati
•• The Kosi river consists of seven
streams, namely, Sut Kosi, Tamba Kosi, •• This 320 km long river is the name given
Talkha, Doodh Kosi, Botia Kosi, Arun to the combined streams-the Sabar and
and Tamber and is popularly known as the Hathmati.
Saptkaushiki. •• It rises from the hills of Mewar in
•• Seven rivers mingle with each other to the Aravalli Range. Its tributaries are
form three streams named the Tumar, Hatmati, Sedhi, Wakul, Meshwa, Vatrak,
Arun and Sun Kosi. etc.
Rann of kutch is believed to have once been a part of the Arabian Sea.
 GK-216
GEOGRAPHY
Mahi Inland Drainage
•• It rises in the Vindhyan range and Some rivers of India do not reach upto the
debouches into the Gulf of Khambhat. sea and constitute inland drainage. These
•• Its length is 533 km. rivers are mostly present in the drier regions
•• It drains an area of 34,862 sq km. of the country like Western Rajasthan,
•• The main tributaries are Som, Anas and Ladakh and Aksai Chin etc. Ghaggar river
Panam. is the most important example of inland
•• Mahi river cuts tropic of cancer twice. drainage. It is a seasonal stream rising
Luni (or the Salt River) from the lower slopes of Himalayas and
•• Its water is brackish below Balotra. is said to flow on the dried bed of ancient
•• Its source lies to the west of Ajmer river Saraswati. It forms boundary between
(Rajasthan) in the Aravallis. Punjab and Haryana for much of its length
•• The river is known as the Sagarmati in and gets subsumed in Rajasthan desert.
its upper course and from Govindgarh, Another such river is Luni, which is the
where Sarsuti joins it, becomes Luni. largest river of Rajasthan. It originates near
Finally, it gets lost in the Rann of Pushkar and flows South-West of Aravalis
Kachchh. till it reaches Rann of Kutch.

Famous Cities and River Banks

City River City River City River
Allahabad At the confluence Ferozpur Satluj Mathura Yamuna
of the Ganga and Guwahati Brahmaputra Nasik Godavari
Yamuna (Sangam) Haridwar Ganga Patna Ganga
Agra Yamuna Hyderabad Musi Panjim Mandavi
Ayodhya Saryu Jabalpur Narmada Srinagar Jhelum
Ahmedabad Sabarmati Jamshedpur Swarnarekha Surat Tapti
Badrinath Alaknanda Jaunpur Gomti Sambalpur Mahanadi
Bareilly Ram Ganga Kanpur Ganga Serirangapatam Cauvery
Cuttack Mahandadi Kota Chambal Tiruchurapalli Cauvery
Kurnool Tungabhadra Kolkata Hooghly Ujjain Kshipra
Delhi Yamuna Lucknow Gomti Vijayawada Krishna
Dibrugarh Brahmaputra Ludhiana Sutlej Varanasi Ganga

Annual yield of water

River Contribution (%)
Brahmaputra 33.8
Ganga 25.2
Godavari 6.4
Indus 4.3
Mahanadi 3.6
Krishna 3.4
Narmada 2.9

The highest range of the western ghats is called the Sahyadri Range.
GEOGRAPHY GK-217

Important Rivers of India

Name Origin From Fall into Length (km)
Ganges Combined Sources Bay of Bengal 2525
Satluj Mansarovar Rakas Lakes Chenab 1050
Indus Near Mansarovar Lake Arabian Sea 2880
Ravi Kullu Hills near Rohtang Pass Chenab 720
Beas Near Rohtang Pass Satluj 470
Jhelum Verinag in Kashmir Chenab 725
Yamuna Yamunotri Ganga 1375
Chambal M.P. Yamuna 1050
Ghagra Matsatung Glacier Ganga 1080
Kosi Near Gosain Dham Park Ganga 730
Betwa Vindhyanchal Yamuna 480
Son Amarkantak Ganga 780
Brahmaputra Near Mansarovar Lake Bay of Bengal 2900
Narmada Amarkantak Gulf of Khambat 1057
Tapti Betul Distt. of M.P. Gulf of Khambat 724
Mahanadi Raipur Distt. in Chattisgarh Bay of Bengal 858
Luni Aravallis Rann of Kuchchh 450
Ghaggar Himalayas Near Fatehabad 494
Sabarmati Aravallis Gulf of Khambat 416
Krishna Western ghats Bay of Bengal 1327
Godavari Nasik distt. in Maharashtra Bay of Bengal 1465
Cauvery Brahmagir Range of Western Bay of Bengal 805
Ghats
Tungabhadra Western Ghats Krishna River 640

Important River Valley Projects in India

Bhakra Nangal Project Situated on Sutlej in Punjab. Highest in India. Ht.
226m. Reservoir is called Gobind Sagar Lake.
Mandi Project On Beas in Himachal Pradesh
Chambal Valley Project On Chambal in Madhya Pradesh & Rajasthan, 3
dams include Gandhi Sagar Dam, Rana Pratap Sagar
Dam and Jawahar Sagar Dam
Damodar Valley Project On Damodar in Bihar, based on Tennessee Valley
Project USA
Hirakud Project On Mahanadi in Odisha, World’s Longest Dam:
4801m
The Dzukou valley is a valley located at the border of Nagaland and Manipur.
 GK-218
GEOGRAPHY
Rihand Project On Son in Mirzapur, Reservoir is called Gobind Vallabh
Pant reservoir
Kosi Project On Kosi in N. Bihar
Mayurkashi Project On Mayurkashi in West Bengal
Kakrapara Project On Tapi in Gujarat
Nizamsagar Project On Manjra in Andhra Pradesh
Nagarjuna Sagar Project On Krishna in Andhra Pradesh
Tungabhadra Project On Tungabhadra in Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka
Shivasamudram Project On Cauvery in Karnataka. One of the oldest river
valley projects in India.
Tata Hydel Scheme On Bhima in Maharashtra
Sharavathi Hydel Project On Jog Falls in Karnataka
Kundah & Periyar Project In Tamil Nadu
Farakka Project On Ganga in WB. Apart from power and irrigation,
also helps to remove silt for easy navigation.
Ukai Project On Tapti in Gujarat
Mahi Project On Mahi in Gujarat
Salal Project On Chenab in J&K
Mata Tila Multipurpose Project On Betwa in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh
Thein Project On Ravi, Punjab.
Pong Dam On Beas, Punjab
Tehri Dam On Bhagirathi, Uttarakhand
Sardar Sarovar Project On Narmada, Gujarat/MP.
Lakes
Lakes of India are of high importance as they prevent flooding during high rain and on the
other hand it stimulate an even water flow during dry seasons. India is bestowed with some
really beautiful lakes which are not only of geomorphologic importance but also attracts a
large number of tourists every year. Many such lakes are Dal Lake,Wular, Chilka, Loktak,
Nakki, Kodaikanal, Sukhna, Puskar, Nakki, Sukhna, Manasbal, Bhojtal, Hussain Sagar, Tam
dil, Pulicat etc.

Important lakes in India

Lakes Name State
Kolleru Lake, Pulicat Lake Andhra Pradesh
Deepor Beel, Chandubi Lake, Haflong Lake, Son Beel Assam
Kanwar Lake Bihar
Hamirsar Lake, Kankaria Lake, Nal Sarovar, Sursagar Lake Gujarat
Brighu Lake, Dashir Lake, Dhankar Lake, Kareri (Kumarwah) Himachal Pradesh
Lake, Khajjiar Lake,
Macchial Lake, Maharana Pratap Sagar, Manimahesh Lake, Nako
Lake, Pandoh Lake,

Johar valley in Uttarakhand was a major trade route with Tibet.

GEOGRAPHY GK-219

Prashar Lake, Renuka Lake, Suraj Taal, Chandra Taal Himachal Pradesh
Badkhal Lake, Brahma Sarovar, Karna Lake, Sannihit Sarovar, Haryana
Surajkund Lake, Tilyar Lake, Blue Bird Lake
Dal Lake, Pangong Tso, Sheshnag Lake Jammu & Kashmir
Bellandur Lake, Ulsoor Lake, Sankey Lake, Agara Lake, Karanji Karnataka
lake, Kukkarahalli lake, Lingambudhi Lake, Pampa Sarovar
Ashtamudi Lake, Maanaanchira Lake Kerala
Upper Lake, Lower Lake Madhya Pradesh
Moti Jheel Uttar Pradesh
Gorewada Lake, Lonar Lake Maharashtra
Umiam Lake Meghalaya
Loktak Lake Manipur
Palak Dil Lake, Tam Dil Lake Mizoram
Anshupa Lake, Chilka Lake, Kanjia Lake Odisha
Kanjli Wetland, Harike Wetland, Ropar Wetland Punjab

Soil Parts of South Bihar, Birbhum and Bankura

As a prime natural resource soil plays an
important role in the growth of human
activities of a specific location. The type of
soil found in India can be classified in number
of ways but as per All India Soil Survey
Committee of Indian Council of Agricultural
Research there are 8 types of soil found in
India.
Alluvial soil
Spatial Distribution: Wide spread in
northern plains and river valleys such as
Indus-Ganga- Brahmaputra plain, Narmada-
Tapi plain, deltas and estuaries of Peninsular
India.
Property: Mixture of Humus, lime and
organic matters and hence highly fertile.
Colour: Light Grey to Ash Grey.
Texture: Sandy to silty loam or clay.
Suitable for: Production of Wheat, rice,
maize, sugarcane, pulses, oilseed.
Red soil
Spatial Distribution: Mainly found in the
areas of low rainfall. The states with red
soils are Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, South-east
part of Maharashtra, Eastern Part of Andhra
Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, Chota
Nagpur in Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattishgarh
Markha river is a tributary of Zanskar river lying within Hemis National Park.
districts of West Bengal, Mirzapur, Jhansi,
Banda, Hamirpur district of UP, Aravali
Hills and eastern half of Rajasthan.
•• Property: Abundance of Ferric oxide
Absence of lime matters and hence
highly fertile.
•• Colour: Red
•• Texture: Sandy to clay and loamy.
•• Suitable for: Production of Wheat,
cotton, pulses, tobacco, oilseeds, potato.
Black / Regur soil
•• Spatial Distribution: Most of the
Deccan is occupied by Black soil.
•• Property: Mature soil with high water
retaining capacity, become sticky when
wet and shrinks when dried. Iron, lime,
calcium, potassium, aluminum and
magnesium.
•• Colour: Deep black to light black.
•• Texture: Clayey.
•• Suitable for: Best soil for cotton
production.
Arid / Desert soil
•• Spatial Distribution: Seen widely
under Arid and Semi-Arid conditions
such as Rajasthan, Parts of Haryana and
Punjab.
 GK-220
•• Property: Lack of moisture and
Humus and contains impure Calcium
Carbonate.
•• Colour: Red to Brown.
•• Texture: Sandy
•• Suitable for: Salt tolerant crops like
barley , rapeseed, wheat , millet, maize.
Laterite soil
•• Spatial Distribution: mostly found
in Eastern Ghats, the Rajmahal Hills,
Vidhyas, Satpura and Malwa Plateau.
•• Property: Prone to leaching of lime and
silica from soil, rich iron and aluminum,
•• Deficient in Nitrogen, Potash,
Potassium, Lime, Humus
•• Colour: Red colour due to iron oxide
•• Texture: Clayey rocky
•• Suitable for: Rice, Ragi, Sugarcane and
Cashew nuts are cultivated mainly.
Saline soil
•• Spatial Distribution: mostly found
Andhra Pradesh and Karnatak, in Drier
parts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana,
Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. In
Gujarat the area around gulf of Khamart,
vast estuaries of the Narmada, Tapi and
Mahi river.
•• Property: Mainly saline and alkaline
in nature, rich in sodium, magnesium,
calcium salt, and sulphurous acid.
•• Not suitable for agricultural
productivity.
Peaty/marshy soil
•• Spatial Distribution: generally found
Coastal areas of Odisha and Tamil Nadu,
Sunderbans of West Bengal, Bihar and
Almora district of Uttarakhand.
•• Property: heavy and highly acidic
in nature, deficient in Potash and
Phosphate.
•• Colour: Black
•• Suitable for: Paddy Cultivation.
Tache gompa is an important Buddhist monastry in the Markha valley.
GEOGRAPHY
Forest soil and Mountain Soil
•• Spatial Distribution: Mostly found
in Himalayan Region mainly in valley
basins, and Western and Eastern Ghats
of Peninsular India
•• Property: Rich in humus, deficient in
Potash, Phosphorous and lime.
•• Suitable for: Wheat, maize, barley in
southern India and temperate fruit in
Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh
and Uttarakhand.
Climate
Although India is basically a tropical
country, it experiences wide variation in
climatic condition depending upon the
altitude, latitude, distance from sea and
relief. The variability can be observed in
number of factors such as:
•• Western Rajasthan experiences a
high temperature during June where
as the areas close to Kashmir are
relatively experiencing a much lower
temperature. The coastal lands are
comparatively having a moderate
climate due to the nearness of sea.
•• The amount of rainfall also varies
throughout the country. The rainfall in
India is primarily governed by Monsoon
wind which generally hits the south
west coast of India generally in June
and known as onset of Monsoon. The
wind then starts circulating via the Bay
of Bengal covering the entire eastern,
north eastern and parts of central India.
The highest rainfall is experienced in
Mawsynram Cherrapunji in Meghalaya
i.e. 1221 cm of annual rainfall every
year. On the other hand in the month
of October and November the monsoon
trough of Low pressure starts receding
from Northern Plain results into rain in
Southern India. About 50% to 60% of
rainfall in Tamil Nadu is caused due to
Retreat of Monsoon from North East.
GEOGRAPHY GK-221

Rain fall Distribution in India

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

NATURAL VEGETATION
Natural Vegetations or the forest type of India vary from place to place depending upon
several factors such as climate, soil, rainfall, temperature as well as their seasonal variation
along with varied edaphic and biotic conditions. Various botanist and ecologist have given
different classification on the basis of climatic and adaptive factors. On the basis of such
suggestion a generalised classification can be done with 5 main types and 16 sub types of
vegetation.

Classification of Natural Vegetation

Type Sub- Types
Moist Tropical Forest •• Tropical wet Evergreen
•• Tropical semi evergreen
•• Tropical Moist Deciduous
•• Littoral and Swamp

Dry Tropical Forest •• Tropical dry evergreen

•• Tropical dry deciduous
•• Tropical Thorn
Mountain Sub-tropical •• Sub tropic Broad leaved hill
Forest •• Sub tropical Moist hills (pine)
•• Sub tropic dry evergreen
Mountain Temperate •• Mountain Wet Temperate
Forest •• Himalayan Moist Temperate
•• Himalayan Dry Temperate

Alpine Forest •• Sub- Alpine

•• Moist – Alpine Scrub
•• Dry Alpine Scrub

Nubra Valley lies in the Ladakh Valley is a high altitude cold desert.
 GK-222
GEOGRAPHY
Spatial Distribution of Natural vegetation in India

LANGUAGES
According to the schedule eight of our constitution, there are 22 officially recognized
languages in India; among all, Hindi dominates the scene as it is spoken by 41.03% of people
followed by Bengali (8.11 %), Telugu (7.19 %), Marathi (6.99), Tamil (5.91 %) and Urdu
(5.01%). Sanskrit, Bodo, Manipur, Dogri and Konkani are the languages which have least
speakers in India. Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali were added to the Eighth Schedule
with the passing of the 100th Amendment to the Constitution of India in 2003, taking the
The little Andaman and the South Andaman is separated by the Duncan Passage.
GEOGRAPHY GK-223

total number of Scheduled languages to 22 to be the official language of the country

in 2001. There are total 234 identifiable along with English to be an additional
mother tongues. language. Other than these two French and
Official languages in India: Article 343 Portuguese are the official languages of
of the Indian Constitution considers Hindi Puducherry and Goa respectively.
Tribal Groups of India
Tribal Region Tribal Region
Group Group
Abhor Arunachal Pradesh Kharia Jharkhand, Odisha
Adivasi A.P, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Kol Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Some
Northeastern States, West Bengal,
Andaman and Nicobar
Ahgani Manipur Kolam Maharashtra, Andhra
Pradesh, Telengana, M.P
Apatani Arunachal Pradesh Kota Karnataka
Baiga Madhya Pradesh Kuki Mizoram
Bakarwal Jammu and Kashmir Lahaula Himachal Pradesh
Bhil M.P and Rajasthan Lepcha Sikkim
Birhor M.P and Bihar Lushai Mizoram, Manipur
Chang Nagaland Muria Chhattisgarh
Chenchuas Telengana, Karnataka Miha Rajasthan
Sutiya Assam Moplah Malabar
Gaddis Himachal Pradesh Munda West Bengal, Jharkhand,
Odisha, Chhattishgarh
Gallong Arunachal Pradesh Nishi Assam
Garo Meghalaya Naga Nagaland
Gond M.P and Bihar Oraon MP, Bihar and Odisha,
Chhota Nagpur, W.B,
Gujjar Rajasthan Onges Andaman & Nicobar
Irula Tamil Nadu Singpho Assam, Arunachal
Pradesh
Jaintia Meghalaya Santhal WB, Odisha, Bihar,
Jharkhand, Assam
Jarawa Andaman, Islands Sangtam Nagaland
Kanikar Tamil Nadu and Kerala Sema Nagaland
Kalkari Maharashtra Sentinelese Andaman & Nicobar
Kharia Maharashtra Shompen Andaman & Nicobar
Khond Jharkhand Toda Tamil Nadu
Khasi Meghalaya Uralis Kerala
Wancho Arunachal Pradesh
Warli Maharashtra, Daman
and Diu, Bihar, Madhaya
Pradesh, West Bengal
Dadra and Nagar Haveli
The Andaman group of Islands is separated from the Nicobar group by the 10 Degree Channel.
 GK-224
AGRICULTURE IN INDIA
A wide range of crops can be grown in
India as the land is supported by element
essential for crop growth such as relief,
soil, climate, abundant sunshine and long
growing seasons.
Kinds of Crops
The major Indian crop can be divided into
following categories:
Food crops
Rice, Wheat, Maize, Millet, Jower, Bajra,
Ragi, and pulses like Gram, Tur (Arhar)
Cash crops
Cotton, Jute, Sugarcane, Tobacco, Oilseeds,
Ground Nut, Linseed, Sesame, Castor seed,
Rapeseed, Mustard
Plantation crops
Tea, Coffee, Spices, Cardamom, Ginger, Turmeric,
Coconut, Areca nut and Rubber
Horticulture
Apple, Peach, Pear, Apricot, Almond,
Strawberry, Walnut, Mango, Banana, Citrus
Fruit, Vegetables.
Agro-climatic Regions
(i) Western Himalayan Region
Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh
and the hill region of Uttarakhand fall
into it. Valley floors grow rice, while
the hilly tracts grow maize in the kharif
season. Winter crops are barley, oats,
and wheat. Apple orchards and other
temperate fruitls such as peaches,
apricot, pears, cherry, almond, litchis,
walnut, etc. Saffron is grown in this
region.
(ii) Eastern Himalayan Region
Arunachal Pradesh, hills of Assam,
Sikkim, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur,
Mizoram, Tripura, and the Darjeeling
district of West Bengal come into this
region. Annual rainfall is 200-400 cm.
The main crops are rice, maize, potato,
tea. Orchards of pineapple, litchi,
oranges and lime are also found.
The largest reserves of Kyanite are found in the Lapsa Buru area in Jharkhand.
GEOGRAPHY
(iii)Lower Gangetic Plain Region
Located in West Bengal (except the
hilly areas), eastern Bihar and the
Brahmaputra valley lie in this region
with the rainfall of 100 cm-200 cm. Rice
is the main crop which at times yields
three successive crops (Aman, Aus and
Boro) in a year. Jute, maize, potato, and
pulses are other important crops.
(iv) Middle Gangetic Plain Region
Large parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
are covered and receive 100 cm and
200 cm of rainfall. Rice, maize, millets
grow in kharif; wheat, gram, barley,
peas, mustard and potato in rabi are
important crops.
(v) Upper Gangetic Plains Region
Central and western parts of Uttar
Pradesh and Haridwar and Udham Nagar
districts of Uttarakhand fall into it. Rainfall
is between 75 cm-150 cm. Wheat, rice,
sugarcane, millets, maize, gram, barley,
oilseeds, pulses and cotton are the main
crops.
(vi) Trans-Ganga Plains Region
Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi
and the Ganganagar district of
Rajasthan come under it. Rainfall
varies between 65 cm and 125 cm.
The main crops are wheat, sugarcane,
cotton, rice, gram, maize, millets,
pulses and oilseeds etc. The region
faces the threat of water logging,
salinity, alkalinity, soil erosion and fall
of water table.
(vii) Eastern Plateau and Hills
Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and
Dandakaranya come under it. 80 cm-
150 cm of annual rainfall is received.
Rice, millets, maize, oilseeds, ragi, gram,
potato, tur, groundnut and soyabean
grow on rainfed areas.
GEOGRAPHY GK-225
(viii)Central Plateau and Hills
Bundelkhand, Baghelkhand, Bhander
Plateau, Malwa Plateau, and
Vindhyachal Hills receive rainfall 50
cm-100 cm. Crops like millets, wheat,
gram, oilseeds, cotton and sunflower
grow in this region.
(ix) Western Plateau and Hills
Malwa plateau and Deccan plateau
(Maharashtra). 25 cm-75 cm. of annual
rainfall. Wheat, gram, millets, cotton,
pulses, groundnut, and oilseeds are
I. Western Himalayan Region
II. Eastern Himalayan Region
III. Lower Gangetic Plain Region
IV. Middle Gangetic Plain Region
V. Upper Gangetic Plains Region
VI. Trans-Ganga Plains Region
VII. Eastern Plateau and Hills
VIII. Central Plateau and Hills
Mining and Smelting of copper in India are managed by Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL).
the main crops in the rain-fed areas,
while in the irrigated areas, sugarcane,
rice, and wheat, are cultivated.
(x) Southern Plateau and Hills
Interior Deccan includes parts of
southern Maharashtra, the greater
parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh,
and Tamil Nadu uplands from Adilabad
district in the north to Madurai district
in the south. Annual rainfall is between
50 cm and 100 cm. Millets, oilseeds,
pulses grows here.
AGRO-CLIMATIC
ZONES OF INDIA
IX. Western Plateau and Hills
X. Southem Plateau and Hills
XI. Eastern Coastal Plains and Hills
XII. Western Coastal Plains and Ghats
XIII. Gujarat Plains and Hills
XIV. Western Dry Region
XV. Island Region
 GK-226
GEOGRAPHY
(xi) Eastern Coastal Plains and Hills maize, millets, pulses, turmeric and
Coromandal and northern Circar coasts cassava. Nearly half of the cropped
of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha come into area is under coconut plantation. The
it. Annual rainfall here varies between 75 area is covered with thick forests and
cm and 150 cm. Main crops include rice, agriculture is in backward stage.
jute, tobacco, sugarcane, maize, millets, Major Growing Seasons in India
groundnut and oilseeds. Cultivation of
spices (pepper and cardamom) and Kharif (July to October)
development of fisheries is also done. Major crops are rice, maize, sorghum, pearl
(xii) Western Coastal Plains and Ghats millet/bajra, finger millet/ragi (cereals),
Malabar and Konkan coastal plains arhar (pulses), soyabean, groundnut
and the Sahyadris are included in it. (oilseeds), cotton, etc.
Annual rainfall is more than 200 cm.
Rabi (October to March)
Rice, coconut, oilseeds, sugarcane,
millets, pulses and cotton are the Major crops wheat, barley, oats (cereals),
main crops. The region is famous for chick pea/gram (pulses), linseed, mustard
plantation crops and spices.
(oilseeds) etc.
(xiii)Gujarat Plains and Hills
Zaid (March to June)
They includes hills and plains of
Kathiawar, and the fertile valleys of Muskmelon, Watermelon, Vegetables of
Mahi and Sabarmati rivers. Annual cucurbitacae family such as bitter gourd,
rainfall varies between 50 cm and 100 pumpkin, ridged gourd etc.
cm. Groundnut, cotton, rice, millets,
oilseeds, wheat and tobacco are the International Boundaries with India
main crops. It is an important oilseed • India shares its international boundaries
producing region. with Pakistan in the West, Nepal, China
(xiv)Western Dry Region and Bhutan in the North-East.
Extended over Rajasthan, West of the • It is surrounded by Burma and
Aravallis, this region has an erratic Bangladesh to the East.
rainfall of an annual average of less
• Sri Lanka is located in the South of India.
than 25 cm. Horticultural crops like
• Radcliffe line separates India and
watermelon, guava and date palm
grow here. Pakistan.
• The McMahan Line is the effective
(xv) Island Region
boundary between India and China.
It includes Andaman-Nicobar and
Laksha-dweep which have typically • The Durand Line is boundary between
equatorial climate (annual rainfall India–Afghanistan and Pakistan–
less than 300 cm). Main crops are rice, Afghanistan.

Gypsum is a hydrated sulphide of Calcium used for reclaiming alkaline soils.

GEOGRAPHY GK-227

Industry Major Industrial Type

As per the type raw materials used in the
Major Industrial Regions of India industry and its finished product, the categories
There are eight major industrial regions in India. of Indian Industry can be divided into:
1. Mumbai-Pune Industrial Region •• Agro Based Industry
2. Hugli Industrial Region ¾¾ Cotton Textile
3. Bangalore-Tamil Nadu Industrial ¾¾ Jute Textile
¾¾ Sugar
Region ¾¾ Silk
4. Gujarat Industrial Region •• Metallurgical Industry
5. Chota Nagpur Industrial Region ¾¾ Iron and Steel Industry
6. Vishakhapatnam-Guntur Industrial ¾¾ Aluminum smelting Industry
Region •• Engineering Industry
7. Gurgaon-Delhi-Meerut Industrial •• Fertilizer Industry
Region •• Aircraft Industry
8. Kolfam-Thiruvananthapuram •• Glass Industry
•• Cement Industry
Industrial Region
•• Chemical Industry
Fertilizer and Cement industries are the largest consumers of gypsum produced in the country.
 GK-228
GEOGRAPHY

MINERALS IN INDIA
Minerals are the natural resources which are materials, cement materials, clay, chromite,
used in many industries as raw materials. Iron lime, dolomite, and gold, but deficient in
ore, manganese, bauxite, copper, etc. are such copper, lead, mercury, zinc, tin, nickel,
minerals. petroleum products, rock phosphate,
Minerals are of two types: metallic and non- sulphur, and tungsten.
metallic. Iron ore and copper are metallic Mineral resources like potassium are totally
minerals while limestone and dolomite are absent and have to be imported. Minerals
non-metallic minerals. like crude petroleum (which accounts
Metallic minerals are further sub-divided into
for about 80% of the total value of Indian
ferrous and non-ferrous minerals. Those
metallic minerals which have iron content imports), diamonds (uncut), sulphur, and rock
belong to ferrous group. The metallic minerals phosphorus are imported.
belonging to non-ferrous group do not have The state with the highest mineral output is
iron content. Jharkhand. India is rich in ferrrous metals
India is rich in iron, mica, manganese, but its reserves of non-ferrous metals are
bauxite; self sufficient in antimony, building poor.
Mineral Resources
Aluminium - Kerala.
Antimony - Antimony deposits are found in Punjab and Karnataka.
Asbestos - Karnataka and Rajasthan.
Barytes (Barium - Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Manbhum and Singhbhum districts of
Sulphate) Jharkhand.
Bauxite - Ranchi and Palamau districts of Jharkhand, Belgaum, Jharia and Thana
districts of Maharashtra, Balaghat, Jabalpur, Mandya and Bilaspur
districts of Chhattisgarh.
Beryllium Sands - Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Kashmir and Bihar.
Cement - Katni (M.P.), Lakheri (Rajasthan), Jabalpur (M.P.), Guntur (Andhra
Pradesh), Jhinikapani (Singhbhum district of Jharkhand), Surajpur
(Haryana).
China Clay - Rajmahal Hills, Singhbhum (district of Jharkhand), Kerala.
Chromite - Singhbhum and Bhagalpur (Jharkhand), Ratnagiri, Salem (Tamil Nadu),
Karnataka, Keonjhar (Odisha), Ladakh (Kashmir).
Coal - Raniganj (West Bengal), Jharia, Bokaro (Jharkhand), Giridih, Karanpur,
Panch Valley and Chanda (M.P.), Singareni (Andhra Pradesh) and Mukum
(Assam).
Cobalt - Rajasthan and Kerala.
Copper - Jharkhand (Singhbhum and Barajamda), Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan (Khetri).
Diamond - Diamond mines are found in Panna district of Madhya Pradesh, Raipur
district of Chhattisgarh.
Feldspar - Burdwan (West Bengal), Rewa (M.P.), Tiruchirapalli (Tamil Nadu), Alwar
and Ajmer.
Gold - Kolar gold-fields (Karnataka).
Graphite - Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,
Odisha and Kerala.
Gypsum - Bikaner and Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Tiruchirapalli (Tamil Nadu), Gujarat
and Himachal Pradesh.
Cuttack and Keonjhar district have the largest amount of chromite reserves.
GEOGRAPHY GK-229

Iron Ore - Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Chhattisgarh, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj (Odisha).

Lac - West Bengal.
Lead - Zawar in Udaipur and at the Banjavi mines in Jaipur.
Lignite - Neyveli in South Arcot district (Tamil Nadu).
Limestone - Singareni and Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Panchmahals (Gujarat),
Balaghat, Bhandara, Chhindwara, Nagpur, Indore, Vishakhapatnam,
Sandur (Tamil Nadu).
Manganese - Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
Marble - Jaipur (Rajasthan).
Mica Koderma in Hazaribagh district, Jharkhand, Munger (Bihar), Nellore in
Andhra Pradesh.
Monazite Sands - Found in abundance in Travancore Coast (Kerala).
Nitre - Bihar, U.P., Tamil Nadu and Punjab.
Petroleum Digboi, Badarpur, Musimpur and Patharia fields of Assam.
Pitchblende - Gaya (Bihar).
Red Stone - Jodhpur (Rajasthan).
Salt - Sambhar Lake (Rajasthan), and is also obtained from ocean water in
Rann of Kutch, on the north-western and south-eastern littoral (sea-
shore) of India.
Saltpetre - Punjab, U.P. and Bihar.
Silmanite - Khasi Hills (Assam), Rewa (M.P).
Silver - Goldfields (Karnataka), Singhbhum and Manbhum (Jharkhand), Tamil
Nadu and Rajasthan.
Tungsten - Bihar, Nagpur (Maharashtra) and Marwar.
Uranium - Bihar
Zinc - Zawar mines in Udaipur (Rajasthan).
Zircon - Beach sands of Kerala and Cape Comorin.

CENSUS 2011
The 15th Indian National census was
conducted in two phases, houselisting and
population enumeration. Information for
National Population Register was also
collected in the first phase, which will be
used to issue a 12-digit unique identification
number to all registered Indians by Unique
Identification Authority of India.
Census Data
Population
Total Population
Males
Females
Ratio
According to the provisional reports
released on March 31, 2011, the Indian
population increased to 1.21 billion with a
decadal growth of 17.64%. Adult literacy
rate increased to 70.04% with a decadal
growth of 9.21%.
Information on castes was included in the
census following demands from several
ruling coalition and opposition parties.
Statistics
1,21,01,93,422 (persons)
62,37,24,248
58,64,69,174
940 Females/1000 Males

The chief producer of kyanite in India is the Indian Copper Corporation Ltd.
 GK-230
GEOGRAPHY
Decadal Growth (2001-2011) 18,14,55,986 (17.64%)
Density of Population 382 per sq. km.
Literacy (in percent) Total: 74.04, Males: 82.14, Females: 65.46

Highest/Lowest Population
State with Highest Population Uttar Pradesh 166,197,921
State with Lowest Population Sikkim 540,851
UT with Highest Population Delhi 13,850,507
UT with Lowest Population Lakshadweep 60,650
District with Highest Population Medinipur (West Bengal) 9,610,788
District with Lowest Population Yanam (Pondicherry) 31,394
Population Density Persons/Sq. Km.
India 325
State with highest Population Density West Bengal 903
State with lowest Poxpulation Density Arunachal Pradesh 13
UT with Highest Population Density Delhi 9,340
UT with Lowest Population Density Andaman & Nicobar Islands 43
District with Highest Population Density North East (Delhi) 29,468
District with Lowest Population Density Lahul & Spiti (Himachal Pradesh) 2
Sex Ratio (Females per Thousand Males)
India 940
Rural 946
Urban 900
State with Highest Female Sex Ratio Kerala 1,058
State with Lowest Female Sex Ratio Haryana 861
UT with Highest Female Sex Ratio Pondicherry 1,001
UT with Lowest Female Sex Ratio Daman & Diu 710
District with Highest Female Sex Ratio Mahe (Pondicherry) 1,147
District with Lowest Female Sex Ratio Daman (Daman & Diu) 591
Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Population
Population Percentage
Scheduled Castes 166,635,700 16.2%
Scheduled Tribes 84,326,240 8.2%
Scheduled Castes
State with highest proportion of Scheduled Castes Punjab (28.9%)
State with lowest proportion of Scheduled Castes Mizoram (0.03%)
UT with highest proportion of Scheduled Castes Chandigarh (17.5%)
UT with lowest proportion of Scheduled Castes D&N Haveli (1.9%)
District with highest proportion of Scheduled Castes Koch-Bihar (50.1%)
District with lowest proportion of Scheduled Castes Mizoram (0.01%)

Meghalaya is the leading producer of sillimanite.

GEOGRAPHY GK-231

Scheduled Tribes
State with highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes Mizoram (94.5%)
State with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes Goa (0.04%)
UT with highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes Lakshadweep (94.5%)
UT with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes A & N Islands (8.3%)
District with highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes Sarchhip, Mizoram (98.1%)
District with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes Hathras, Uttar Pradesh (0.01%)
Religion Based Data
Religions Composition Population * (%)
Hindus 827,578,868 80.5
Muslims 138,188,240 13.4
Christians 24,080,016 2.3
Sikhs 19,215,730 1.9
Buddhists 7,955,207 0.8
Jains 4,225,053 0.4
Other Religions & Persuasions 6,639,626 0.6
Religion not stated 727,588 0.1
Total * 1,028,610,328 100
Rural Urban Distribution

Rural-Urban Distribution Population (%)

Rural
Urban
State with highest proportion of Urban Population
State with lowest proportion of Urban Population
UT with highest proportion of Urban Population
UT with lowest proportion of Urban Population
Quick facts
•• India’s population has jumped to 1.21
billion, an increase of more than 181
million during 2001-11, according
to provisional data of Census 2011
released.
•• Though the population is almost equal
to the combined population of the U.S,
Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh
and Japan (1,214.3 million).
•• The percentage decadal growth rates
of the six most populous states have
declined during 2001-11 compared with
1991-2001.
•• The overall sex ratio nationwide has
increased by seven percentage points
to 940 against 933 in Census 2001.
Sex ratio is defined as the number of
females per 1,000 males.
•• An increasing trend in the child sex
ratio was seen in Punjab, Haryana,
Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu,
The beach sands of Kerala are the most important source of sillimanite.
742,490,639 72.18%
286,119,689 27.82%
Goa 49.8
Himachal Pradesh 9.8
Delhi 93.2
Dadra & Nagar Haveli 22.9
Mizoram and the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands, but in the remaining States/
UTs, the ratio showed a decline. The
total number of children in the age
group of 0–6 is now 158.8 million, less
by five million since 2001.
•• The literacy rate has gone up from
64.83% in 2001 to 74.04%, an increase
of 9.21% points.
•• Kerala, with 93.91%, continues to
occupy the top position while Mizoram’s
Serchhip district (98.76%) and Aizawl
(98.50%) recorded the highest literacy
rates among districts. Madhya Pradesh’s
Alirapur district has the lowest literacy
rate of 37.22% as also the naxalite-
affected Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district,
where the literacy rate is 41.58 per cent.
Lakshadweep followed Kerala with a
literacy level of 92.28%, while Bihar
remained at the bottom of the ladder at
63.82%, followed by Arunachal Pradesh
at 66.95%.
GK-232
GEOGRAPHY
GEOGRAPHY GK-233

EARTH INFORMATION BULLETIN

•• Total Surface Area - 510, 072,000 km² •• Largest country - Russia (17,075,400
•• Land Area - 148,094,000 km² km²)
•• Water Area - 361,132,000 km² •• Most populated country - China
•• Percentage of Land - 29.2% (1,401,586,609) 2015
•• Percentage of Water - 70.8% •• Smallest country - Vatican City (0.44 km²)
•• Water Type - 97% salt water, 3% fresh •• Least populated country - Vatican City
water (1000) 2015
•• Circumference - 40,066 km at Equator, •• Highest point - Mount Everest (8,848 m)
39,992 km at Poles •• Lowest point - Dead Sea (-409 m)
•• Continents - 7 recognized •• Largest Ocean - Pacific (155,557,000
•• Countries - 193 recognized km²)
•• Oceans - 5 •• Smallest Ocean - Arctic (14,056,000
•• Population - 7,214,958,996 (2015) km²)
•• Largest continent - Asia (43,810,582 km²)
•• Largest Sea - South China sea (2,974,600
•• Most populated continent - Asia
km²)
(4,361,416,312) 2015
•• Smallest continent - Australia/Oceania •• Largest Saline Lake - Caspian Sea
(8,112,000 km²) (371,000 km²)
•• Least populated continent- Antarctica •• Longest River - Nile (6,695 km)
(no native population)

CONTINENTS OF WORLD
A continent is one of the large landmasses on Earth generally identified by convention
rather than any strict criteria, with up to seven regions commonly regarded as continents.
They are Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Australia and Antarctica.
Continent % of Earth Area Continents (by the number of
countries)
1. Asia 29.5 44
2. Africa 20.4 54
3. North America 16.3 23
4. South America 11.8 12
5. Europe 7.1 46
6. Australia or Oceania 5.3 14
7. Antarctica 9.6
Asia south of the Caucasus Mountains and the
Asia is the world’s Caspian and Black Seas. It is bounded on
largest continent, the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south
having an area of by the Indian Ocean and on the north by the
44,444,100 sq km. Arctic Ocean.
Asia covers to the Physical Features
east of the Suez
Region-wise it can be classified into 6
Canal, the Ural
regions which are:
River, and the Ural Central Asia : Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Mountains, and Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Madagascar is often called the land of the living fossils.
 GK-234
GEOGRAPHY
Eastern Asia :China, Hong Kong, Japan, North Eastern Africa : Burundi, Comoros, Kenya,
Korea, South Korea, Macau, Mongolia, Taiwan Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mayotte,
Northern Asia : Russia Mozambique, Reunion, Rwanda, Seychelles,
Southeastern Asia: Brunei, Myanmar, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Zimbabwe.
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor- Central Africa : Angola, Cameroon, Central
Leste, Vietnam African Republic, Chad, Republic of the
Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Southern Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tomé and
India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka Príncipe.
Western Asia : Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Southern Africa: Botswana, Lesotho,
Cyprus, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland
Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, State of Palestine, Western Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,
Emirates,Yemen. Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger,
Nigeria, Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone,
Natural Vegetation of Asia
Togo
•• The Tundra
Natural Vegetation of Africa
•• The Taiga
•• Temperate Grasslands, the Steppes •• Tropical Rain Forests
•• Mediterranean Scrubland and Forest •• Tropical Savannas
•• Tropical Steppes and Deserts
•• Desert Vegetation
•• Mediterranean Forests
•• Monsoon Region •• Montane Forests
•• Tropical Rainforest •• Mangrove Forests
•• Vegetation in the Mountains
Europe
Africa
The continent comprises the westernmost
Africa is the second largest continent in part of Eurasia bordered by Arctic Ocean in
area (30,330,000 sq north, the Atlantic Ocean in west, and the
Km), covers 6% of Mediterranean Sea to the south. To the east
Earth’s total surface and southeast, it is separated from Asia by
area and 20.4% of the watershed divides of the Ural and
its total land area. Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the
Algeria is Africa’s Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways
largest country by of the Turkish
area, and Nigeria Straits. The coastline
by population. Africa’s population is the of Europe is 80,500
youngest among all the continents; 50% of km, which is longer
Africans are 19 years old or younger. than Africa. It is the
Separated from Europe by the second smallest
Mediterranean Sea, it is joined to Asia at its continent in the
northeast extremity by the Isthmus of Suez world.
163 km wide.
Physical Features
Physical Features
Region-wise classification of Europe Western
Region-wise it can be classified into 6
Uplands: Landscape of Scandinavia (Norway,
regions which are listed below.
Sweden, and Denmark), Finland, Iceland,
Northern Africa : Algeria, Canary Islands,
Scotland, Ireland, the Brittany region of
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Ceuta, Egypt, Libya, France, Spain, and Portugal.
Madeira, Melilla, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, Central Uplands : Central Europe, western
Western Sahara. France and Belgium, southern Germany,
Northeast Africa : Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Czech Republic, and parts of northern
Somalia Switzerland and Austria.
The inhabitants of Madagascar refer themselves as Malagasy.
GEOGRAPHY GK-235

Alpine Mountains : The Italian and Balkan and the United States. Grain grown in this
peninsulas, northern Spain, and southern region, called the “Bread basket of North
France. The region includes the mountains America,” feeding a large part of the world.
of the Alps, Pyrenees, Apennines, Dinaric Canadian Shield: The Canadian Shield
Alps, Balkans, and Carpathians. is a raised but relatively flat plateau. It
North European Plain: France, Belgium, extends over eastern, central, and north
the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, western Canada. The Canadian Shield is
Poland, the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, characterized by a rocky landscape packed
and Lithuania), and Belarus. by an astounding number of lakes.
Island : British Isles, Corsica, Alba, Sardinia, Eastern Region: This varied region
Crete , Malta , Cyprus, are some of the major includes the Appalachian Mountains and
Islands of Europe. the Atlantic coastal plain. North America’s
Deserts : Accona Desert, Bardenas Reales, older mountain ranges, including the
Bledowska Desert, The Stone Desert, Appalachians, rise near the east coast of the
Larzac, Santorini and Anafi, are some of the United States and Canada
major deserts of Europe Caribbean Region: The Caribbean Region
Natural Vegetation of Africa includes more than 7,000 islands, islets,
•• Sub tropical dry forest reefs, and cays. The region’s islands and
•• Subtropical Mountain Forest smaller islets are varied in their topography.
•• Temperate Oceanic Forest Natural Vegetation of Africa
•• Temperate continental Forest •• Arctic/ Tundra Forests
•• Boreal Coniferous forest •• Boreal Forests/ Taiga/ Coniferous forests
•• Boreal Tundra Forest •• Eastern Deciduous Forests
•• Boreal Mountain •• Grasslands
•• Desert Scrub
North America •• Mediterranean and Madrean Scrublands
North America covers about 4.8% of the and Woodlands
planet’s surface or about 16.5% of its land •• Pacific Coast Coniferous Forests
area, having the population of 565 million •• Western Montane Coniferous Forests
(2013) in 23 independent states. It is the •• Tidal Wetlands
third largest continent by area, following South America
Asia and Africa and
fourth largest in This is a triangular shape continent,
terms of population stretching from 12° N to 55°S latitude.
with the density of Towards its west
24 million/sq km. It lies Pacific Ocean,
extends from 7° N Atlantic Ocean on
to 85° N latitudinal- the east and, North
wise and longitude-wise 20°W to 179°W. It America and the
has 5 time zones. Caribbean Sea lie to
the northwest. It is
Physical Features the fourth largest continent of the world
It can be classified into 5 regions: with smooth and inlet coastline.
Western Region : Young Mountains rise
Physical Features
in the west. The most familiar of these
mountains are probably the Rockies, North It can be classified into 5 regions :
America’s largest chain. They stretch from The Pacific coastal strip lies between the
the province of British Columbia, Canada, to west Pacific and Andes.
the U.S. state of New Mexico. The Andes stretches through entire
Great Plains : In the middle of the continent in length running in north-south
continent lies the Great Plain. Deep rich soil direction from Isthmus of Panama to Strait
blankets large areas of the plains in Canada of Magellan.
The southwestern sections of Africa are rimmed by the Cape fold mountains and Karoo rock series.
 GK-236
The Central Lowland: Two great river
system are covered under it namely the
Amazon-Orinoco and Parana-Paraguay rivers.
The Eastern Highland consists of
Brazilian and Guiana Highlands along with
Patagonia.
Natural Vegetation of South America
•• Equatorial Forest
•• Temperate Forests
•• Mediterranean Forests
•• Savanna Grasslands
•• Pampas
•• Desert
Australia
Thousands of islands combined to form
Oceania region, mostly covering the Central
and South Pacific
Ocean. The region is
dominated by world’s
biggest island and
two other major
landmasses, micro-
continent of Zealandia
(including New Zealand) and the western
half of the island of New Guinea, made up of
the nation of Papua New Guinea. Oceania
also includes three island regions:
Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia
(including the U.S. state of Hawaii). It
stretches from the Strait of Malacca to the
coast of Americas. Tropic of Capricorn
divides it into almost two halves.
There are 28 countries and Island groups
in Australasia/Oceania covering 5.3% of
the Earth’s land and 1.5% of the Earth’s
surface. The largest cities of this region
includes: Jakarta, Manila, Sydney, Bandung,
Melbourne, Surabaya, Medan etc.
GEOGRAPHY
Physical Features
It can be classified into 3 regions such as:
The Great Western Plateau covers two
third of Australia.
The Central Lowland extends from the
shallow Gulf of Carpentaria in the north to
the Southern Ocean.
The Eastern Highlands stretch along the
eastern edge of Australia, all the way from
Cape York to Tasmania.
Natural Vegetation
•• The tropical Rainforest
•• The deciduous forest Savanna
•• The dry desert and desert scrub
Antarctica
The continent of Antarctica is the fifth–
largest continent in terms of geographical
area, and it is situated
in a remote cold
location of Southern.
The continent covers
approximately 20%
of the hemisphere.
As such there are not
countries in this continent except some
parts of few nations such, New Zealand,
Australia, France, Norway, the United
Kingdom, Chile, and Argentina.
Physical Features
As a frozen continent it has only a few
prominent physiographic units such as:
Trans – Antarctic Mountain dividing the
continent into West Antarctica and East
Antarctica.
The Antarctic Peninsula
The islands of the Antarctic region which
contains South Orkney Islands, South
Shetland Islands, South Georgia, and the
South Sandwich Islands, all claimed by the
United Kingdom.

LANGUAGES OF WORLD
There are numerous languages in the world but they have varying number of speakers for
each one of them. Approximately 2,300 languages are spoken in Asia, 2,140, in Africa, 1,300
in the Pacific, 1,060 in the Americas, and 280 in Europe (2015). Chinese tops the list of most
popular world languages, with over one billion speakers. English trails in third place, with
335 million speakers. This data represents first-language speakers.

The Okarango region of Kalahari is called the Jewel of Kalahari.

GEOGRAPHY GK-237

Major Languages Spoken in the World

Language Approx number of speakers
1. Chinese 1,197,000,000
2. Spanish 414,000,000
3. English 335,000,000
4. Hindi 260,000,000
5. Arabic 237,000,000
6. Portuguese 203,000,000
7. Bengali 193,000,000
8. Russian 167,000,000
9. Japanese 122,000,000
10. Javanese 84,300,000
Major religion of the world
Religion Followers (in millions)
Christianity 2,200
Islam 1,600
Hinduism 1,100
Chinese folk religion 754 — 1,000
Buddhism 488 — 535
World Climatesic types
Climate zone Climate Type
Polar climate zone Polar climate
Sub polar climate Subpolar climate
Marine West coast
Transitional climate
Temperature zone Cool continental climate
Warm summer continental climate
East coast climate
Subtropical East Coast climate
Subtropical climate zone
West coast winter rain climate
Dry passat climate
Passat climate zone
Humid Passat climate
Tropical seasonal climate zone Tropical seasonal climate
Equatorial climate zone Equatorial climate
High mountains climate zone High mountains climates

The first European to reach Angola was the Portuguese navigator Diogo cao.
 GK-238
Major Industrial Regions of the World
These are areas where manufacturing
industries are carried out on a relatively
large scale and employ a relatively large
proportion of population. The industrial
regions of the world are very unevenly
distributed. With the development of
machinery, many industrial centres have
come up where there is abundance of coal,
iron, and extensive water-power are in
abundance.
The major industrial regions of the world
are as follows:
USA and Canada Industrial Regions
Industrial region of USA and Canada
comprises the New England Regions, The
New York - Mid-Atlantic Region, North
- Eastern Region. The Southern Region,
Western Region & Pacific Region. These
regions include several major American
industrial cities & Metropolitans like
Hartford, New Haven, areas from New York
to Baltimore with New Jersey, Chicago,
Detroit, Houston, etc.
European Industrial Region
• Western Europe major industrial
regions.
• United Kingdom’s industrial regions are
located in Lancashire, London's basin,
Scotland, Midland, South-Wales, etc.
producing manufacturing products like
engineering, ferrous, chemical textile,
food & beverages, etc.
• The Saar Region, the Hamburg Region,
Berlin Region & Leipzig Region with
iron & steel heavy chemicals, textiles
& different consumer goods Industries.
• France’s industrial region produces
iron & steel, textile, glass, leather,
automobiles with Northern, Lorraine &
Paris Industrial Regions. Other European
countries like Italy, Switzerland, Holland
Belgium and Sweden are industrial
giants.
• Eastern Europe has six major industrial
regions out of which four are in Russia,
one in Ukraine, and one in southern
Poland and northern Czech Republic.
Volga and Dnieper river are the most important for transport and hydroelectric source for Europe.
GEOGRAPHY
`` Asian major
• China is the most dominant and
powerful industrial agglomeration
of Asia. The regions of Manchurian
region, Yangtze region, North-China
region, South China region, etc. with
many manufacturing units producing
steel, heavy chemical's textiles, paper,
cement, automobiles, toys, etc are
major industrial regions.
• Japan has several industrial cities
producing steel, Pedro-chemical,
cement, footwear. toys, etc. at Tokya-
Yokohama region, Osaka - Kobe region,
north Kyushu region.
• India’s conurbation of Kolkata,
the Mumbai-Pune Industrial belt,
Ahmedabad-Vadodara belt, Southern
industrial regions with Chennai,
Coimbatore, Bangalore industrial
belt, Damodar Valley industrial belt,
Northern regions with centers like
Delhi, Ambala, Ghaziabad, Mathura, etc.
Other major industrial regions include
Allahabad, Varanasi, Hyderabad,
Patiala, Jaipur, Bilaspur, Jalandhar,
Meerut, Lucknow, Kanpur, etc.
Trans-Continental Railways of World
•• Canadian Pacific Rail Route : It runs
from Halifax to Vancouver.
•• Candian National Rail Route: It joins
St. John City to Vancouver.
•• Trans-Siberian Rail Route: It connects
St. Petersburg to Vlalivoslok.
•• Trans-caucasus Rail Route: It starts
from Batum, cross Tergana and reaches
Krusk.
•• North Trans continental Rail Route:
It originates at Seattle (USA) New York.
•• Mid Transcontinental Rail Route: It
joins San Francisco to New York.
•• Southern Transcontinental Rail
Routes : It runs from Los Angeles
to New York and then reaches New
Orleans.
•• Oriental Express Rail Route: Connects
Paris to Kustuntunia (Turkey).
GEOGRAPHY GK-239
•• Cape-Cairo Rail Route: It is the longest
rail route of Africa running from Cape
Town in Southern part of continent
and reaches Ciro near the coast of
Mediterranean sea situated in the
northern part of continent.
•• Trans-Andean Rail Route: Starting
from Valparais (Chile) reaches other
end of the continent running west to
east to Buenos Aires (Argentina).
WATER TRANSPORT
Water transport is considered to be one of
the oldest form of transport. It is cheapest
mode of transport. The cost of production
alongwith the cost of operation is also
low incase of water transport. There are
evidences which shows that boats were
used in the form dugout canoe (a boat made
from a hallowed tree trunk) in ancient
period. It is considered that Egyptians
probably were the first to use sail boat. The
Mesopotamian and Indus valley civilization
excavation have shown the presence of
habour and ports.
Water transportation includes canals, lakes,
rivers, seas and oceans. It is mainly divided
into two categories:
Sea Routes
Oceans provide smooth traversable high-
way in all direction with low maintenance
cost. Major sea routes are:
The North Atlantic Sea Route
It is linking two major industrially developed
regions of the world such as North-Eastern
USA and North-Western Europe.
The Mediterranean-Indian Ocean Sea
Route
It is considered to be the most important
sea route as it serves more countries
and people than this route are port said,
Aden, Mumbai, Colombo, and Singapore.
The distance covered by this route has
drastically reduced with the construction of
Suez canal.
Gora Narodnaya is the highest peak in the Ural Mountains.
•• Trans-Australian Continental Rail
Route: It connects west end of Australia
to east end starting from Perth and
reaches Sydney.
Transe-Asiatic Railways Line : This
is a proposed project of united Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and Pacific. It will connect 28 countries
including China, Thailand Bangladesh,
India, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey.
The Cape of Good Hope Sea Route
It connects west European and West
African countries with Brazil, Argentina
and Uruguay in South America.
The North Pacific Sea Route
It is connecting Western European, North
American with Australian countries. It is
used for reaching Hong kong, Philippines
and Indonesia. Honolulu is the most impor-
tant seaport of this route.
Inland Water Transport
River, canals, lakes and coastal area the
important components of inland water
transport as they facilitate transportation
of goods and services with in the country.
Boats and steam are the important means
of transport. The significant waterways of
the world are:
The Rhine Waterway
River Rhine flows through Germany and
Netherland. It is navigable for 700 km.
It serves industrial areas of Switzerland,
Germany, France, Belgium and the
Netherlands.
The Dawube Waterway
River Danube serves Eastern Europe as it
rises from Black forest and flows eastward
through many countries. The navigation is
possible only upto Taurna Sevenin, this river
transport facilitates the export of wheat,
maize, timber and machinery.
The Volga Waterways
Volga is one of important waterways of
Russia which provides a navigable water
route of 11,200 km and it drains into
Caspian sea.
 GK-240
GEOGRAPHY

THINGS TO REMEMBER

Continent’s Highest and Lowest Points

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

Highest Mountain Peaks (World)

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

Three Deepest Oceans

Name Greatest depth (in metres) Greatest depth location

1. Pacific Ocean 11,033 Mariana Trench
2. Atlantic Ocean 9,460 Puerto Rico Trench
3. Indian Ocean 7,542 Java Trench

Some Important Boundary Lines

Durand Line Between Pakistan and Afghanistan
Hindenberg Line Between Germany and Poland
49th Parallel Between USA and Canada
Mac Mahon Line Between India and Tibet/China
Maginot Line Between France and Germany
38th Parallel Between North and South Korea
Oder Neisse Line Between Germany and Poland
Radcliffe Line Between India and Pakistan
Mt. Elbrus in the caucasus is the highest peak in Europe.
GEOGRAPHY GK-241

Longest Rivers
Name, Nation/Continent Length in kms Basin Area m2km
Nile, Africa 6695 3.25
Amazon, South America 6516 6.14
Yangtze Kiang, China 6380 1.72
Mississippi Missouri, USA 5959 3.20
Ob Irtysh, Russia 5568 2.97
Yenisey Angari a Selenga, Asia 5550 2.55
Yellow (Hwang Ho), China 5464 –
Congo (Zaire), Africa 4667 –
Parana Rio de la Plata, S. America 4500 2.58
Irtysh, Asia 4440 –
Mekong, Asia 4425 –
India REGION LENGTH
Indus Asia 3180
Brahmaputra Asia 2948
Ganga-Hooghly-Padma India 2620
Godawari India 1465
Sutlej India 1372
Krishna India 1300
Narmada India 1289
Chenab India 1086
Ghaghara India 1080
Shortest River (metres)
Europe Ombia River, Croatia 30
North America, Roe River, Montana, USA 61
South America – Azvis River, Brazil 147
Deepest Lakes
Baikal, Russian 1620 m
Tanganyika, Africa 1463 m
Caspian Sea, Asia-Europe 1025 m
Malawi of Nyasa, Africa 706 m
Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan 702 m
Largest Deserts of the World
Subtropical
Sahara, North Africa 8,600,650 sq. km
Arabian, Middle East 2,300,000 sq. km
Great Victoria, Australia 647,475 sq. km
Kalahari, Southern Africa 582,727 sq. km
Chihuahuan, Mexico 453,232 sq. km
Thar, India/Pakistan 453,232 sq. km
Great Sandy, Australia 388,485 sq. km
The world’s deepest lake, Lake Baikal is drained by Angara River.
 GK-242
GEOGRAPHY
Gibson, Australia 310,788 sq. km
Sonoran, S.W. USA 310,788 sq. km
Simpson/Stony, N Africa 145,034 sq. km
Mohave, S.W. USA 139,854 sq. km
Cool coastal
Atacama, Chile SA 139,854 sq. km
Namib, S.W. Africa 33,668 sq. km
Cold winter
Gobi, China 1,166,450 sq km
Patagonian, Argentina 673,374 sq km
Great Basin, S.W. USA 492,081 sq. km
Karakum, West Asia 349,636 sq. km
Colorado, Western USA, also called the Painted Desert 336,687 sq. km
Kyzyl-kum, West Asia 297,838 sq. km
Taklamakan, China 271,939 sq. km
Deep-Sea Trenches
Name Length Depth Deepest Pt.
Mariana 2250 10.924 Challenger Deep
Tonga Kermadec (S. Pacific) 2575 10.850 Vityaz 11 (Tonga)
Kuril-Kamchatka 2250 10.542 -
Philippine 1350 10.539 Galathea Deep
Java-Indian 2250 7725 Planet Deep
Some Important Tribes and their Home and (World)
Aleuts : Alaska Koryaks : N. Siberia, Eurasian Tundra, N.E.
Ainus : Japan Asia
Aeta : Phillip Cines Kalmuk : Central Asia
Bushman : Kalahari Kareus or Meos : Myanmar
Buryak : Central Asia Kirghiz : Asiatic steppes
Berbers : N. Africa
Kazakhs : Kazakhstan
Bedouin : Sahara and Middle East
Lapps : N. Finland, Scandinavia
Bindibu or Aborigins : Australia
Chukchi : N.E. Asia, U.S.S.R., North Siberia Maoris : New Zealand
Eskimos : Greenland, North Canada, Masai : East and Central Africa
Alaska, N. Siberia Orange Asli : Malaysia
Fulani : Western Africa Pygmies : Congo basin, Zaire
Gobi Mongols : Gobi Red Indian : N. America
Guicas : Amazon forest area Somoyeds : Siberia
Hausa : North Nigeria Semangs : East Sumatra
Hotten tots : Hot tropical Africa Turregs : Sahara
Ibans : Equatorial rain forest region of Tapiro : Papua New Guinea
South-East Asia
Yoakuts : Siberia
India Tribes : Amazon basin
Zulus : South Africa

Verkhoyansk has recorded the lowest temperature on the globe outside Antarctica.
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT GK-243

ECOLOGY AND
ENVIRONMENT

TOP TRENDS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
 GK-244
INTRODUCTION
Ecology is a branch of biology that deals
with the distribution and interaction of
living organisms among themselves and
their environment.
There are four basic concepts of ecology
which are as follows:
•• Holism: is a term which conceived
as a directive and creative principle
operating from initial to last level in
ecology. It means whole are much
important than individual element.
•• Ecosystem: involve both the living and
non-living factors interacting together,
working in a complex web.
•• Succession: the living organisms
and their environment commonly
reactive and influence each other
in different ways. Increase in the
capacity of tolerance towards changing
environment by modifying their
adaptability as the process of growth,
dispersal, reproduction, death and decay
follows changing the abiotic component
of ecosystem is called as succession.
•• Conservation: Regulation of the
population through naturally-operating
trophism ensures resilience of the
system.
Realm of Ecology
Ecology as a basic division of biology
explains patterns within and among
organism. The hierarchical level of ecology
is shown below.
•• Biosphere
•• Ecosystem
•• Communities
•• Population
•• Organism
Biosphere
Biosphere is the layer of the planet Earth
where life exist. This layer ranges from
heights of upto ten kilometers above the
sea level. Biosphere is an ecological system
integrating all living beings and their
relationship. Including their interaction
with the elements of the lithosphere,
hydrosphere and atmosphere. In general
Fresh water ecosystem can be categorised as Lentic (pools, ponds and lakes), Lotic (streams and river) and Wetlands.
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
biosphere are any closed, self-regulating
systems containing ecosystem.
Ecosystem
Ecosystem is defined as a specific and
recognizable landscape such as forest,
wetland, coastal area, grass lands, deserts,
etc. having interaction of biological
community and physical and chemical
factors that make up its non-living or abiotic
environment.
Components of Ecosystem
•• Abiotic components are the non-living
elements of an ecosystem as air, water,
climate and soil, etc. containing both
organic and inorganic matters.
•• Biotic components consist of all the
living community of plants and animals
in any area together with the non-living
components of the environment such as
soil, air and water.
Function of Ecosystem
Ecosystem is a functional and life sustaining
environmental system. Consists of biotic
and abiotic components in any particular
habitat.
The function of ecosystem can be referred
a producer consumer arrangement of
nutrients known as energy cycles and
each food level of this pyramid is known as
trophic level. The three major aspects of
energy cycles are food chain, food web and
ecological pyramids.
Food chain
It is a chain or series of feeding relationship
among different living things in a particular
environment or habitat. Plant is always the
first step of food chain as it produces its own
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
food from non living things and eventually
eaten by the next higher level of living
orgasm such as herbivores who only takes
plant as their food item. Plants are known
as producers and animals depend upon
producers are known as primary consumer.
The next level in this hierarchy is known
as secondary consumer who depends on
primary consumer for food.
Food Web
It is defined as the system of interlocking
and interdependent food chains.
Energy Pyramid
It is a graphical presentation of the trophic
levels in an ecosystem where the energy from
the sun is transferred through the ecosystem
by passing through various trophic levels.
Only 10% of energy gets transferred from
one trophic level to the next.
Top Carnivore
1
kg
Primary Carnivore 10
kg
100
Herbivores
Producers
Energy Flow in Ecosystem
•• Ecosystem obtains energy from sun,
which is trapped by producers via
photosynthesis and is converted into
chemical energy.
•• The chemical energy is converted into
mechanical and heat energy in cellular
activities.
•• Energy enters in the ecosystem as light
and exits as heat.
World Wetland Day is celebrated on 2nd February every year.
GK-245
•• Energy flows in a one way direction
through ecosystem i.e. not recycled.
•• It passes from one trophic level to another.
•• Only 10% energy (that was stored
in adipose tissue of one trophic
level organism), passes to another
trophic level. It is called 10% law or
LENDEMANN LAW.
•• In the same way carnivores store only
10% of the stored energy of herbivore.
Types of Ecosystem
Ecosystems are classified on the basis of
climate, habitat and plant communities.
Types of Ecosystem
Aquatic Ecosystem Terrestrial Ecosystem
• Fresh water • Tropical rainforest
• Estuarine • Temperate decidusous
• Marine • Coniferous forest
• Grassland
• Desert
• Taiga
• Tundra
Aquatic Ecosystem
The aquatic ecosystem has been classified
in a number of ecological ways. On the basis
of salt content in water they are further
divided into fresh water, estuarine and
marine ecosystem.
Terrestrial Ecosystem
It is further divided into forest, grassland,
desert ecosystem and artificial ecosystems
such as crop fields, gardens, etc.
Aquatic Ecosystem
On the basis of salt content in water they
kg are further divided into:
•• Fresh water.
1000 kg
•• Estuarine and
•• Marine ecosystem.
Fresh Water
•• Freshwater ecosystem can be categorised
into three types of fresh water ecosystem,
i.e. lotic, lentic & wetlands.
Lotic and Lentic
Lotic ecosystem refers to the dynamic
(moving) water habitat eg. river, brook
etc. Lentic ecosystem refers to the static
water habitats like ponds, lake, swamps
 GK-246
and marshes. However, both of ecosystem
have fresh water source, but weather and
climatic condition can lead to a wide ranges
of salinities.
Wetlands
•• Wetlands are lands which, due to
geological or ecological factors, have a
natural supply of water – either from
tidal flows, flooding rivers, connections
with groundwater, or because they are
perched above aquifers.
•• The periodicity of water level fluctuations
is termed as hydroperiod and it is the key
factor that determines the productivity
and species composition of the wetland
community.
•• Generally low lying areas, covered by
shallow water and have characteristic
soils and water tolerant vegetation.
•• Wetlands occupy only 2% of the surface
area of earth and they are estimated to
contain 10 to 14% of carbon.
•• Man made wetlands: paddy fields,
fishery ponds, Trapa & Euryale
cultivation ponds and other aquaculture
habitats.
Significance of Wetlands
•• Nutrient rich and have high primary
productivity.
•• Since they have both aquatic and semi-
aquatic environmental conditions so
support specialized vegetation and
fauna. Often a prime breeding habitat
for waterfowl, many migratory birds and
other aquatic or semi aquatic vertebrates.
•• Helps in controlling flood by holding
excess water, and the flood water stored
in wetlands then drains slowly back ino
the rivers, providing a steady flow of
water throughout the year.
•• Serve as groundwater recharging areas.
•• Provide important commercial products,
including wild rice and various types
of berries (such as black berries, blue
berries, etc.).
The Gulf of kachchh & the Gulf of khambhat constitute the major mangrove zones of the Gujarat Coast.
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
•• Hold sediments and accumulate soil
along the shoreline.
•• National Wetland Conservation Programme
(NWCP) has been initiated for identified
wetland which are at present 66 covering
21 states.
Estuaries
•• An estuary (from Latin aestus, “tide”) is
a semi-enclosed coastal body of water,
which has a free connection with the
open sea.
•• Nutrients from the river enrich estuarine
waters, making estuaries one of the most
biologically productive ecosystem on
earth and thus have more biodiversity
in unit area.
•• It is strongly affected by tidal action
which is an important physical
regulator and an energy subsidy.
•• They are transitional zones/ecotones
between the freshwater and marine
habitats.
•• Examples include river mouths, coastal
bays tidal marshes and bodies of water
behind barrier beaches and extensive
intertidal mudflats or salt marshes
often border them.
•• Estuary provides the “nursery grounds”
for most coastal shellfish and other
fishes. e. g. shrimp and spawn.
Marine Ecosystem
It is Earth's largest aquatic ecosystem,
which includes salt marshes, intertidal
zones, lagoons, mangroves, coral reefs and
sea floor.
Mangroves
•• Found in tropical and sub tropical land-
sea ecotones.
•• They are potential “land builders” that
help to form islands and to extend
seashores.
•• On the basis of salinity, five zones of
mangrove distribution are considered,
namely euhaline, polyhaline, mesohaline,
oligohaline and limnetic zones.
•• Indian coastline covers about 7500km
and it accounts for 8% of the world’s
mangrove area which is approximately
700,000 ha.
Significance of Mangroves
•• Mangroves perform a variety of
productive as well as protective
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
functions. The resilient mangroves
protect the hinterland against cyclonic
storms during cyclones, super cyclones,
and ingress of sea water during tidal
surges and other natural catastrophes
acting as an effective shelterbelt.
•• They are considered as “land builders”.
It is belived that the roots of mangroves
secrete a substance, which modifies the
coarse particles into fine ones and help
in soil formation. The tangles of stilt
roots also trap the sediments.
•• Support a range of interconnected
food webs, which directly sustain the
fisheries. Algae and detritus sustain
shrimps and prawns, which provide a
food source for fishes and prawns.
•• They are repositories of immense
biological diversity.
•• The mangrove conservation programme
was launched in 1987 and so far 35
mangrove areas have been identified for
intensive convervation and management
in our county.
•• A mangrove genetic resource center is
established in the Pichavaram mangrove
area, Chidambaram, India where the
endangered mangrove species are being
conserved.
Coral Reefs
•• Coral is plant-animal super organism,
an algae called zooxanthellae, grow
inside the tissues of the animal polyp,
thus exhibits mutualism between
polyps & algae.
•• Located generally between 30 degrees
North and 30 degrees South latitudes.
•• Found scattered in coastal zones
above contineantal shelves throughout
the tropical and subtropical western
Atlantic and Indo-pacific oceans.
Major reef formations in India are restricted to the Gulf of Mannar, Palk bay, Gulf of Kutch, Andaman and Nicobar
Island and the Lakshadweep Islands.
GK-247
•• The polyp is able to feed itself using
stinging cells found on its tentacles,
but is able to feed itself partially.
The ramainder comes from the
zooxanthellae and the carbohydrates
are also used by the polyp to make
calcium carbonate via calcification. This
material forms the skeleton of the coral
and eventually the framework known
as the coral reef.
•• Polyps secrete hard limestone deposits
(calcium carbonate that ramain when
polyps die.
•• Coral reefs are sometimes referred to as
‘tropical rainforests of the deep’.
•• Bleaching: Under environmental stress
much of the algae are lost and corals
appear white in colour. If the symbiotic
green algae leave the coral animal and
the mutumlism is not restored then the
coral slowly dies of starvation.
Importance of Coral reefs
•• Apart from tropical rain forests, they
are the other most productive natural
ecosystems in the world.
•• They protect coastline from storms &
high waves by breaking the force of the
waves, thereby allowing mangroves and
sea grass to flourish.
•• They serve as nurseries for many fish
species and provide resources for
fisheries.
•• Coral skeletons are being used as bone
substitutes in reconstructive bone
surgery. The pores and channel in
certain corals resemble those found
in human bone. Bone tissue and blood
vessels gradually spread into the coral
graft. Eventually, bone replaces most of
the coral implant.
Terrestrial Ecosystem
Biomes
Biome can be defined as major ecological
communities of flora and fauna, which
 GK-248
generally extend over a large part of the
earth surface and usually characterized by
a distinct type of vegetation.
The main terrestrial biomes are:
•• Tundra
•• Coniferous forests/Temperate evergreen
forests
•• Temperate Broadlead deciduous forests
•• Mediterranean Shrublands
•• Grasslands
•• Deserts
•• Tropical deciduous forests
•• Tropical scurubs/Thornwoods
•• Tropical rain forests
•• F.E elements and V.E shelford (1939)
introduced the biome concept.
•• Ecotone: boundary between two biomes.
•• Bailey (1976) developed the concept of
ecoregion.
•• Ecoregions: Ecosystems based on a
continuous geographical or landscape
area across which the interactions
of climate, soil and topography are
sufficiently uniform to permit the
development of similar types of
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
Population Dynamic
It is the change in the number of individuals
in a population or the vital rates of a
population over time. It is the key to
•• Examine the response of species to
ecosystem manipulation,
•• Analyze the endangered species
•• Understand ecosystem dynamics and
ecology
Theories of Population Dynamics
•• Exponential population growth is
when the birth rate is constant over a
period of time and isn’t limited by food or
disease. A species growing exponentially
would also affect other species directly
due to competition for food and other
resources. Exponential growth can be
affected by modern medicine, quality
and quantity of food and the overall
standard of living for a species.
(a) Exponential (unrestricted) growth
The growth rate
Population size

vegetation. of the population

Community accelerates
A group of population of different species
living together in a given area with mutual
tolerance and beneficiary interactions is
defined as community. The species may be
plant, animal or microorganism.
Characteristics 0 Time
•• Biodiversity
•• Logistic growth describes a sustainable
1. Species richness
growth of populations which slows
2. Relative abundance
down after a period of significant
•• Dominant vegetation
•• Stability/disturbance development as the availability of
•• Succession living space and resources, along with
other factors, limits its growing ability.
Population The logistics growth model is a more
A population is a summation of all the reliable measure of population growth
organisms of the same group or species, than the exponential model because it
which live in a particular geographical area, accounts for the real-world factors that
and have the capability of interbreeding. inhibit population growth.
The term Biodiversity was popularized by the sociologist- Edward Wilson.
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT GK-249

(b) Logistic (restricted) growth The genetic diversity helps the population to
adapt changing environment. If a population
Carrying capacity of has more diversity it can adapt better to the
environment changed environmental conditions. The low
diversity leads to uniformity. The genetic
variability is therefore, considered to be the
The rate
Population size

raw material for specialisation.

slows down
2. Species Diversity
The measurement of species diversity is its
richness, i.e. the number of species per unit
area. The greater is the species richness the
The rate Point of more will be the species diversity. In nature,
accelerates maximum the number and kind of species, as well as
growth the number of individual per species, vary,
and this leads to greater diversity.
0 Time
3. Ecological diversity
Organism It is the diversity at community level. It can
An organism, is any form of contiguous be of 3-types:
living system such as an animal, plant or Alpha (α) diversity: It is the diversity of
bacterium with cell as its basic units. All organisms within the same community or
organism have developed with some degree habitat.
of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth Beta (b) diversity: It is the diversity between
and development and homeostasis. As the communities or different habitats. Higher the
basic unit of every organism is cell it can be heterogeneity in the altitude, Humidity and
categorized into both uni cellular and multi Temperature of a region, the greater will be
cellular depending upon the no. of cells the dissimilarity between communities, and
present in the organism. Mostly the unicellular higher will be the β diversity.
organisms are microscopic in nature. Gamma (γ) diversity: It is the diversity of
organisms over the entire geographical area,
Biodiversity covering several ecosystems or habitats and
Biodiversity means diversity or various trophic levels and food webs. Such
heterogeneity at all levels of biological diversity is most stable and productive.
organization, i.e. from macromolecules of
the cells to the Biomass. Causes of Loss of Biodiversity
The important levels of biodiversity are The accelerated rate of species-extinction
1. Genetic diversity, 2. Species diversity, is largely due to human activities. There are
3. Ecological diversity 4-major causes, called ‘The Evil Quartet’,
for the loss of biodiversity –
1. Genetic Diversity
1. Habitat loss and fragmentation
It is the diversity at genetic level, or at 2. Overexploitation
subspecies level, i.e. below species level, in 3. Invasion of Alien or exotic species
a single species. 4. Co-extinctions
Biodiversity Conservation

In-situ conservation Ex-situ conservation

National Parks Biosphere Sacred Zoos, Seed Bank/ Sacred

and Sanctuaries reserves lakes and Botanical Gardens, Gene bank groves
forests Arboreta and (Cryopres-
Aquaria ervation)
Terrestrial Marine

The first national park of the world, Yellow stone, in U.S.A., was founded in 1872 and India's first national park established
in 1936 as Jim Corbett National Park.
 GK-250
The Conservation of biodiversity can be
in situ (on site) or ex situ (off site)–
In Situ Conservation
In such conservation the endangered
species are protected in their natural
habitat with entire ecosystem. The
conservationists, on global basis, have
identified certain Biodiversity Hot Spots.
The 3-biodiversity hot spots of India, that
cover rich-biodiversity regions, are
1. Western Ghat
2. Himalaya
3. Indo-Burma
The in situ conservation in India, consists
of 15–Biosphere reserves, 90-National
Parks, more than 450 sanctuaries and
several Sacred Groves or the tracts of forests.
Biosphere Reserves
They represent natural biomes which
contain unique biological communities.
They include land as well as coastal
environment.
(i) Core (natural) zone – It is inner most
zone
(ii) Buffer zone – In this zone limited
human activity is allowed for research
and education purposes.
(iii)
Transition (manipulation) zone –
It is the outermost zone of biosphere
reserve in which large number of
human activities are permitted,
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
National Parks
They are reserved for the betterment of
wild life, both fauna and flora. In national
parks private ownership is not allowed. The
grazing, cultivation, forestry etc. is also not
permitted.
Sanctuaries
In sanctuaries the protection is given to
fauna only. The activity like harvesting of
timber, collection of forest products and
private ownership rights are permitted so
long as they do not interfere with the well
being of the animals. The important wildlife
sanctuaries are Chilka wildlife sanctuary
(Odisha), Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary
(Rajasthan),
The Sacred Groves
These are found in Khasi and Jaintia hills
(Meghalaya), Aravalli hills (Rajasthan),
Western ghats (Karnataka and Maharashtra)
and Sarguja, Chanda and Bastar areas of Madhya
Pradesh.
Ex situ conservation
In such type of conservation the threatened
animals and plants are taken out of their
natural habitat and are protected in special
parks or areas like, Zoological parks, Wild
life safari parks and Botanical gardens,
etc. The ex situ conservation also includes
Cryopreservation.

ENDANGERED SPECIES IN INDIA

Birds White-bellied heron
Great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps)
Forest owlet (Athene blewitti)
Baer’s pochard (Aythya baeri)
Spoon-billed sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus)
Siberian crane (Grus leucogeranus)
White-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis)
Indian vulture (Gyps indicus)
Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris)
Bengal florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis)
Himalayan quail (Ophrysia superciliosa)
Jerdon’s courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus)
Pink-headed duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea)
Red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus)
Sociable lapwing (Vanellus gregarius)
Bugun liocichla (Liocichla bugunorum)

Cryopreservation is the process of freezing biological material at extreme temperature, most common –196ºC in liquid (N2).
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT GK-251

Fish Knifetooth sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidata)

Pondicherry shark (Carcharhinus hemiodon)
Ganges shark (Glyphis gangeticus)
Deccan labeo (Labeo potail)
Largetooth sawfish (Pristis microdon)
Longcomb sawfish (Pristis zijsron)
Humpback mahseer
Reptiles and Northern river terrapin (Batagur baska)
Amphibians Red-crowned roofed turtle (Batagur kachuga)
Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
Ghats wart frog (Fejervarya murthii)
Gundia Indian frog (Indirana gundia)
Toad-skinned frog (Indirana phrynoderma)
Charles Darwin’s frog (Ingerana charlesdarwini)
Rao’s torrent frog (Micrixalus kottigeharensis)
Amboli bush frog (Pseudophilautus amboli)
White-spotted bush frog (Raorchestes chalazodes)
Griet bush frog (Raorchestes griet)
Munnar bush frog (Raorchestes munnarensis)
Ponmudi bush frog (Raorchestes ponmudi)
Sacred Grove bush frog (Raorchestes sanctisilvaticus)
Shillong bubble-nest frog (Raorchestes shillongensis)
Resplendent shrubfrog (Raorchestes resplendens)
Anaimalai flying frog (Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus)
Patinghe Indian gecko (Geckoella jeyporensis)
Mammals Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus)
Namdapha flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi)
Himalayan wolf (Canis himalayensis)
Andaman Shrew (Crocidura andamanensis)
Jenkins’ shrew (Crocidura jenkinsi)
Nicobar shrew (Crocidura nicobarica)
Northern Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis lasiotis)
Kondana soft-furred rat (Millardia kondana)
Pygmy hog (Porcula salvania)
Indian Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus inermis)
Malabar large-spotted civet (Viverra civettina)
Elvira rat (Cremnomys elvira)
Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla)
Kashmir stag (Cervus canadensis hanglu)
Coral Fire corals (Millepora boschmai)
Spiders
Rameshwaram Ornamental or Parachute Spider (Poecilotheria
hanumavilasumica)
Gooty Tarantula, Metallic Tarantula or (Poecilotheria metallica)

NATIONAL PARKS IN INDIA

Name State Notability
Bandipur National Karnataka Chital, grey langurs, Indian giant squirrel, gaur,
Park (1974) leopard, sambar deer, Indian elephants, honey
buzzard, red-headed vulture and other animals.

Biodiversified hotspots are geographic area that contain high levels of species diversity but are threatened with extinction.
 GK-252
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
Bannerghatta Karnataka White Tiger, Royal Bengal Tiger, Bear, other animals
National Park
(Bannerghatta
Biological Park) (1974)
Betla National Park Jharkhand Tiger, Sloth Bear, Peacock, Elephant, Sambar deer,
(1986) mouse deer and other animals.
Bhitarkanika Odisha Mangroves, Saltwater crocodile, white crocodile,
National Park (1988) Indian python, black ibis, wild pigs, rhesus
monkeys, chital and other animals
Buxa Tiger Reserve West Bengal Tiger
(1992)
Dachigam National J&K Only area where Kashmir stag is found
Park (1981)
Dudhwa National U.P Swamp deer, sambar deer, barking deer, spotted
Park (1977) deer, hog deer, tiger, Indian rhinoceros,
Gir Forest National Gujarat Asiatic lion
Park (1965)
Great Himalayan Himachal UNESCO World Heritage Site
National Park (1984) Pradesh
Gulf of Mannar Tamil Nadu Green turtles and Olive Ridley turtles and whales.
Marine National Park
(1980)
Indravati National Chhattisgarh Wild Asian Buffalo, Tiger Reserve, Hill Mynas
Park (1981)
Jaldapara National West Bengal Indian one horned rhinoceros
Park (2012)
Jim Corbett National Uttarakhand Tiger
Park (1936)
Kanha National Park Madhya Swamp Deer, Tigers
(1955) Pradesh
Kaziranga National Assam Indian rhinoceros, UNESCO World Heritage Site
Park (1905)
Keibul Lamjao Manipur Only floating park in the world
National Park (1977)
Keoladeo National Rajasthan UNESCO World Heritage Site
Park (1981)
Manas National Park Assam UNESCO World Heritage Site
(1990)
Mandla Plant Fossils Madhya Plant Fossils National Park
National Park (1983) Pradesh
Marine National Park, Gujarat 70 species of sponges, Coral 52 species along with
Gulf of Kutch (1980) puffer fishes, sea horse and sting ray
Namdapha National Arunachal Snow Leopards, Clouded Leopards, Common
Park (1974) Pradesh Leopards and Tigers
Nanda Devi National Uttarakhand UNESCO World Heritage Site
Park (1982)
Neora Valley National West Bengal Clouded leopard, red panda and musk deer
Park (1986)
Nokrek National Park Meghalaya UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve
(1986)
Dobson unit is measurement for the total amount of ozone in the atmosphere above a point on the earth's surface 1 Dobson
unit equivalent to a layer of pure ozone 0.01 mm.
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT GK-253

Periyar National Park Kerala Tigers

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

WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES
India has 515 animal sanctuaries referred to as wildlife sanctuaries category IV protected
areas. Among these, the 48 tiger reserves are governed by Project Tiger, and are of special
significance in the conservation of the tiger.
WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES IN INDIA
Name of the Location Major Species
Sanctuary
Gir Wildlife Sasan Gir, Lion, Leopard, Chausinga, Chital, Hyena, Sambar,
Sanctuary Junagadh, Amreli Chinkara, Herpetofauna, Crocodiles and birds
Wild Ass Little Rann of Wild Ass, Chinkara, Blue bull, Houbara bustard,
Sanctuary Kachchh Wolf, Waterfowls, Herpetofauna
Hingolgadh Hingolgadh, Chinkara, Blue bull, Wolf, Hyena, Fox, Birds,
Sanctuary Rajkot Herpetofauna
Marine Sanctuary Gulf of Kachchh, Sponges, Corals, Jellyfish, Sea horse,
Jamnagar Octopus,Oyster, Pearloyster, Starfish, Lobster,
Dolphin, Dugong, waterfowls
Simlipal Sactuary Odisha Elephant, Tiger, Leopard, Gaur, Cheetal
Kutch Desert Great Rann of Chinkara, Hyena, Fox, Flamingo, Pelicans &
Sanctuary Kachchh other waterfowls, Herpetofauna
Rampara Rampara, Rajkot Blue bull, Chinkara, Wolf, Fox, Jackal, Birds,
Sanctuary Herpetofauna
Ghana Bird Rajasthan Water Bird, Black-buck, Cheetal, Sambar
Sanctuary
Panchmarhi Madhya Pradesh Tiger, Panther, Sambhar, Nilgai, Baskeng, Deer
Dandeli Sanctuary Karnataka Tiger, Panther, Elephant, Cheetal, Sanbhar, Wild
Boar
Kutch Bustard Near Naliya, Great Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican, Houbara
Sanctuary Kachchh bustard, Chinkara, Blue bull, Herpetofauna
Biosphere Reserves has three zones – core, buffer and transition.
 GK-254
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
BIOSPHERE RESERVES IN INDIA AREA-WISE
Name State Key Fauna
Nilgiri Biosphere Tamil Nadu, Nilgiri tahr, lion-tailed macaque
Reserve Kerala and
Karnataka
Nanda Devi Uttarakhand Himalayan musk deer, mainland serow,
National Park & Himalayan tahr
Biosphere Reserve
Gulf of Mannar Tamil Nadu Dugong or sea cow
Nokrek Meghalaya Red panda
Sundarbans West Bengal Royal Bengal tiger
Manas Assam Golden langur, red panda
Simlipal Odisha Gaur, Royal Bengal tiger, elephant
Dihang-Dibang Arunachal Mishmi takin, red goral, musk deer
Pradesh
Pachmarhi Madhya Pradesh Giant squirrel, flying squirrel
Biosphere Reserve
Achanakmar- Madhya Pradesh, Four horned antelope (Tetracerus quadricornis), Indian
Amarkantak Chhattisgarh wild dog (Cuon alpinus), Saras crane (Grus antigone),
Biosphere Reserve Asian white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis), Sacred
grove bush frog (Philautus sanctisilvaticus)
Great Rann of Kutch Gujarat Indian wild ass
Cold Desert Himachal Pradesh Snow leopard
Khangchendzonga Sikkim Snow leopard, red panda
AgasthyamalI Kerala, Tamil Nilgiri tahr, elephants
Biosphere Reserve Nadu
Great Nicobar Andaman and Saltwater crocodile
Biosphere Reserve Nicobar Islands
Dibru-Saikhowa Assam Golden langur
Seshachalam Hills Andhra Pradesh Yellow-throated bulbul
Panna Madhya Pradesh Tiger, chital, chinkara, sambhar and sloth bear

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Deforestation
It is the conversion of forest to another land use or the long-term reduction of the tree canopy
cover. This includes conversion of natural forest to tree plantations, agriculture, pasture, water
reservoirs and urban areas but excludes timber production areas managed to ensure the forest
regenerates after logging.

Material that get into the stratosphere can stay there for long time, such the case for the ozone-destroying chemicals
called CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbon).
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT GK-255

Causes Impact
Subsistence • Physical and ecological processes, (e.g. disruption of hydrological re-
farming (48%) gimes and loss of watershed protection).
Commercial • Soil and water resources, (e.g. soil erosion, loss of nutrients and in-
agriculture crease in sediment loads in river systems)on local and global climate,
(32%) e.g. albedo changes, changes in surface energy budget, and alteration
Logging (14%) of biogeochemical cycles (such as the global carbon cycle) leading to
Fuel wood an increase in atmospheric CO2 and other trace gases, affecting the
removals (5%) climate and causing global temperature change, Diversity and abun-
dance of terrestrial species through destruction and fragmentation of
habitats and the “edge effects”, decreasing ecological complexity.
Desertification
The U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) defines it as “land degradation in arid,
semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations
and human activities.” This process is the result of a long-term failure to balance human
demand for ecosystem services and the amount the ecosystem can supply. The stress
mounts on dry land ecosystems for providing services related to basic human existence.
The situation worsens when combined with human factors (such as population pressure
and land use patterns) and climatic factors (such as droughts).
Causes Effects Measures
Overgrazing Soil becomes less Afforestation and planting of soil binding
usable grasses can check soil erosion, floods and
water logging
Farming of Average Land Vegetation is lacking Crop rotation and mixed cropping im-
or damaged prove the fertility.
Destruction of Plants in Causes Famine Artificial bunds or covering the area with
Dry Regions vegetation.
Incorrect Irrigation in Food Loss Salinity of the soil can be checked by
Arid Regions Causes a improved drainage
Build-up of Salt in the Soil

Ozone Layer Depletion: Causes and Effects

Chlorofluorocarbons or associated hydrocarbons start dissociating in presence of UV rays
which release chlorine, which is catalyst of destroying ozone.
Ozone Layer Depletion:
A process wherein oxygen molecules are photolyed splitting into two atoms, weakening the
ozone as solar UV enters accentuating conversion

Effects on Human Health: Causes Effects on Biogeochemical Cycles:

nonmelanoma skin cancer, malignant Increased UV radiation affects terrestrial
melanoma development and clouding and aquatic biogeochemical cycles
of eyes

Effects on Marine Ecosystem: Phytoplankton Effects on Materials:

lead aquatic food webs which are effected by Synthetic polymers and naturally occurring
amount of sunlight received biopolymers are affected by UV rays

Effects on Plants: amount of UVB in present-

day sunlight affecting the plant growth directly
Delhi government ran odd even plan in two phases — 1st to 15th January 2016 and 2nd phase from 15th to 30th April
2016 to combat pollution in Delhi.
 GK-256
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
Pollution Types and Measures of their Control

Pollution: The process which contaminates natural

environment that resulting in adverse change.

Air Pollution: Light pollution: It is caused by light

Photochemical smog, Acid rain trespass, over- illumination and
astronomical interference
Primary Pollutants enter the
atmosphere directly from various How to Control?
sources (CO, HCs, SO2, NO)

Secondary Pollutant formed during •• recycling

chemical reaction between primary
pollutant and other atmospheric •• reusing
constitution (water vapour)
•• Waste
Anthropogenic Sources: Combustion
minimization
from power plant, vehicles, household
fuel etc.
•• mitigating
Pollution control devices:
•• Vapour recovery systems •• preventing
•• Phytoremediation
•• Sewage /industrial waste treatment •• compost
•• Scrubber (Baffle spray, Cyclonic
spray, Ejector venture, mechanically
aided Spray tower)
•• Bag houses

Littering: It is caused by man-made objects, Noise pollution: It is created by

piling onto public and private properties.
Radioactive contamination: It is
caused by nuclear power generation
and nuclear weapons research,
manufacture and deployment.
vehicles, aircraft, sonar, underground
leakage etc.
Thermal pollution: It is caused by
temperature change in natural water
bodies (using water as a coolant).

Visual pollution: It is caused by Water Pollution: It is caused by waste

overhead power line, motorway
billboard, municipal solid waste,
debris, scarred landforms.
Plastic pollution: It is caused by plastic
products in the environment, adversely
affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, or humans.
disposal to the water bodies (sewage,
commercial by-products, surface runoff).
Soil Pollution: It is caused by
Chemical spill or underground leakage
(hydrocarbons, heavy metals, MTBE,
pesticides).

The pollutants may be inorganic, biological or radiological in nature.

(i) Bio-degradable pollutants are domestic wastes which are rapidly decomposed by
micro-organisms.
(ii) Non-biodegradable pollutants include chemicals, mercuric salts, lead compounds,
pesticides, etc.
(iii) Natural pollution is caused by radioactive substances, volcanic eruptions, forests and
mines fires, floods, etc.
According to UNICEF, more than 3000 children die everyday globally due to consumption of contaminated drinking water.
 ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
(iv) Artificial pollution is caused by
industries, thermal plants, automobile,
exhausts, sewage, etc.
Environment: The conditions existing
around animal or human life.
Atmosphere : The gaseous envelop
surrounding the earth. It has been classified
into following regions:-
(i) Stratosphere: The layer of the earth’s
atmosphere above the troposphere
and below the mesosphere.
(ii) Troposphere: The lowest region of
the atmosphere extending from earth’s
surface to the lower boundary of the
stratosphere. In this region, human
beings along with other organisms live.
It contains water vapour and is greatly
affected by air pollution.
Note: The other two layers are
Thermosphere and Mesosphere.
Material that get into the stratosphere
can stay there for long time, such is the
case for the ozone - destroying chemicals
called CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons).
Air Pollution
• The WHO defines air pollution as, "the
presence of materials in the air in such
a concentration which are harmful to
man and his environment."
• Infact, are pollution is the addition
of foreign particles, gas and other
pollutants into the atmosphere which
have an adverse effect on human beings,
animals, vegetation, buildings, etc.
Air Pollutants
Carbon Sulphur Nitrogen Smoke and
monoxide dioxide Oxides dust
Air pollutants: The major air pollutants are
(i) Carbon monoxide (CO): It is produced
by incomplete combustion of gasoline
in motor vehicles, wood, coal,
incineration and forest fires.
It is deadly poisonous gas. It induces
headache, visual difficulty, coma and
death. It blocks the normal transport of
oxygen from the lungs to other parts of
the body.
(ii) Sulphur dioxide (SO2): It is produced
by petrol combustion, coal combustion,
petrol refining and smelting operations.
Pollen and aeroallergan in high levels also leads to rising temperature. This causes asthma which affects 300 millions
people worldwide.
GK-257
It hinders the movement of air in
and out of lungs. It is particularly
poisonous to trees causing chlorosis
and dwarfing. In presence of air it is
oxidised which is also irritant.
2SO2 + O2 (air) → 2SO3
In presence of moisture it is converted
into highly corrosive sulphuric acid.
SO3 + H2O (moisture) → H2SO4
It attacks marble, limestone,
vegetation, paper and textiles and
injurious to human beings.
(iii) Oxides of nitrogen: Source - combustion
of coal, gasoline, natural gas, petroleum
refining, chemical plants, manufacturing
explosives and fertilizers, tobacco smoke.
Breathing NO2 causes chlorosis to
plants and chronic lung conditions
leading to death. It reacts with moisture
to form acids.
(iv) Smoke, dust:
Sources: cement works, iron and steel
works, gas works, power generating
stations.
Smog: It is a mixture of smoke and fog
in suspended droplet form. It is of two
types:
(a) London smog or classical smog:
It is coal smoke plus fog. The fog
part is mainly SO2 and SO3. It has
sulphuric acid aerosol. It causes
bronchial irritation and acid rain.
(b) Photochemical smog or Los
Angeles smog: The oxidised
hydrocarbons and ozone in
presence of humidity cause
photochemical smog.
Hydrocarbons + O2, NO2, NO, O,
O3 → Peroxides, formaldehyde,
peroxyacetylnitrate (PAN), acrolein
etc.
It is oxidising in nature and causes
irritation to eyes, lungs, nose,
asthmatic attack and damage plants.
• Acid rain: The oxides of C, N and S
present in the atmosphere, dissolve
in water and produce acids and
lower the pH of water below 5.5.
The acids are toxic to vegetation, react
with marble and damage buildings.
Acids corrode water pipes and produce
salts with heavy metals ions viz Cu, Pb,
Hg and Al toxic in nature.
 GK-258
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
Air Pollution is a major factor in many of the world's leading causes of death
Global burden of disease Burden attributable to
motorized road transport
Rank Cause Deaths DALYs Deaths DALYs
1 Ischemic heart disease 7,029,270 129,795,464 90,639 1,909,563
2 Stroke 5,874,181 102,238,999 58,827 1,148,699
3 COPD 2,899,941 76,778,819 17,266 346,376
4 Lower respiratory 2,814,379 115,227,062 5,670 489,540
infections
5 Lung cancer 1,527,102 32,405,411 11,395 232,646
6 HIV/AIDS 1,465,369 81,549,177 -- --
7 Diarrheal disease 1,445,798 89,523,909 -- --
8 Road injury 1,328,536 75,487,102 1,328,536 75,487,104
9 Diabetes Mellitus 1,281,345 46,857,136 -- --
10 Tuberculosis 1,195,990, 49,399,351 -- --
All other causes 24,207,527 1,682,995,639 -- --
Total 52,769,676 2,482,258,070 1,512,333 79,613,928
Air pollution can also pose a significant cost on GDP
CO2 emissions (million tons) Deaths %GDP
China 8287 1,233,890 9.7%-13.2%
United States 5433 103,027 3.2%-4.6%
India 2009 627,426 5.5%-7.5%
Russia 1741 94,558 6.9%-9.8%
Japan 1171 64,196 4.9%-7.7%
Germany 745 41,582 5.1%-7.3%
Iran 572 32,288 4.7%-6.2%
South Korea 568 23,036 4.6%-7.1%
Canada 499 7,171 2.0%-3.2%
United Kingdom 494 23,373 3.7%-5.5%
Saudi Arabia 464 8,550 3.4%-4.4%
South Africa 460 3,208 0.6%-1.0%
Mexico 444 20,496 1.9%-2.5%
Indonesia 434 63,826 2.8%-3.9%
Brazil 420 7,582 0.3%-0.7%

Greenhouse Effect Consequences of global warming:

The retention of heat by the earth and (i) Rise in sea level due to increased rate
atmosphere from the sun and its prevention of melting of glaciers and floods.
to escape into the outer space is known as (ii) Increase in infectious diseases like
greenhouse effect. malaria, dengue, etc.
Global warming is average increase in the Ozone layer and its depletion
temperature of earth due to increase in The ozone layer, existing between 20 to
concentration of greenhouse gases. 35 km above the earth’s surface, shield
To address climate change, countries adopted the Paris Agreement at the COP 21 in Paris on 12 December 2015. In this agreement, all
countries agreed to work to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degree celsius, and given the grave risk, to strive for 1.5 degrees celsius.
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
the Earth from the harmful U.V. radiations
from the Sun. The U.V. radiations cause
skin cancer, cataract of eye, and harm to
vegetation.
Depletion of ozone is caused by oxides of
nitrogen.
N2 + hv → N + N
reactive nitric oxide
The presence of chlorofluorocarbons also
increase the decomposition of O3.
Control of air pollution
It can be controlled by
1. Dissolving HCl, HF in water and, in
alkaline solution.
2. Adsorbing gas and liquid molecules
over activated charcoal and silica gel.
3. Chemical reactions.
4. Use of precipitators to settle charge
particles.
5. Use of settling chambers under the action
of gravity.
6. Use of natural gas in place of diesel,
petrol, etc.
Water Pollution
The contamination of water by foreign
substances which would constitute a health
hazard and make it harmful for all purposes
(domestic, industrial or agriculture, etc.) is
known as water pollution. The polluted
water may have offensive odour, bad taste,
unpleasant colour, murky oily, etc.
Sources of water pollution
(a) Domestic sewage: Discharges from
kitchens, baths, lavatories, etc.
(b) Industrial waters: Wastes from
manufacturing processes which
includes acids, alkalines, pesticides,
insecticides, metals like copper, zinc,
lead, mercury, fungicides, etc.
(c) Oil: From oil spills or washings of
automobiles.
(d) Atomic explosion and processing of
radioactive materials.
(e) Suspended particles (organic or
inorganic) viruses, bacterias, algae,
protozoa, etc.
The Red list of 2012 was released on 19 July 2012 at Rio +20 Earth Summit, nearly 2000 species were added, with 4 species
to the extinct list, 2 to the rediscovered list.
GK-259
(f) Wastes from fertilizer plants such as
phosphates, nitrates ammonia, etc.
(g) Clay: Ores, minerals, fine particles of soil.
Aerobic and anaerobic oxidation
The oxidation of organic compounds
present in sewage in presence of good
amount of dissolved or free oxygen (approx.
8.5 ml/l) by aerobic bacterials is called
aerobic oxidation. When dissolved or free
oxygen is below a certain value the sewage
is called stale. Anaerobic bacterias bring
out putrefaction producing H2S, NH3, CH4,
(NH4)2S, etc. This type of oxidation is called
anaerobic oxidation.
Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)
It is defined as the amount of free oxygen
required for biological oxidation of the
organic matter by aerobic conditions at
20°C for a period of five days. Its unit is mg/l
or ppm. An average sewage has BOD of 100
to 150 mg/l.
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
It is a measure of all types of oxidisable
impurities present in the sewage. COD
values are higher than BOD values.
Soil Pollution
The addition of substances in an indefinite
proportion changing the productivity of the
soil is known as soil or land pollution.
Sources of soil pollution
(i) Agricultural pollutants: Chemicals
like pesticides, fertilizers, bacteriacides,
fumigants, insecticides, herbicides,
fungicides.
(ii) Domestic refuge and industrial wastes.
(iii) Radioactive wastes from research centres,
and hospitals.
(iv) Soil conditioners containing toxic metals
like Hg, Pb, As, Cd, etc.
(v) Farm wastes from poultries, dairies and
piggery farms.
(vi) Improper disposal of human and
animal excreta.
(vii) Pollutants present in air from chemical
works.
 GK-260
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming
Greenhouse effect is the phenomenon of heating of atmosphere as a result of short wave
radiations transmitted inward through earth atmosphere owing to its absorption by
atmospheric carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane, and other gases. It’s a natural process
that keeps the temperature suitable for sustenance of life. But the matter of concern is
enhanced greenhouse effect which refers to intensification of the effect due to increase
in the toxic gaseous envelop of these gases and ultimately lead to the rise of temperature.
The process of rise in temperature is known as Global Warming.
Greenhouse gas emission in the atmosphere absorbs and emits radiation within the
thermal infrared range. The primary green house gases in Earth’s atmosphere are water
vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone.

WHO IS DOING WHAT FOR CLIMATE?

GHG emission Country
CHINA : Envisages a peak in emissions by around 2030, and reducing carbon
intensity (CO2 emitted per unit of GDP) by 60-65% by 2030 compared with
I 24% 2005 levels. The world’s most populous nation will boost the share of non-
fossil fuel in primary energy consumption from 11.2% in 2014 to 20%, and
boost the volume of CO2-absorbing forest by about 4.5 billion cubic metres.
UNITED STATES : Has pledged a 26-28% reduction in emissions from 2005
II 15.5%
levels by 2025. Power plants are to cut carbon dioxide pollution by 32% by 2030.
EUROPEAN UNION : The 28-member bloc tends to cut emissions by at least
III 10.8% 40% by 2030 over 1990 levels, and has set 27% targets for renewable energy
supply and efficiency gains.
INDIA : Plans to reduce carbon intensity by 35% by 2030 from 2005 levels,
IV 6.4%
and generate 40% of its electricity from renewable sources by the same date.
RUSSIA : Has mooted cutting emissions by 25-30% by 2030 from 1990 levels,
V 4.9% conditional on the pledges of other “major emitters”.

JAPAN : Has pledged a 26% reduction in emissions from 2013 levels by 2030,
with nuclear energy – offline since the 2011 Fukushima disaster – providing
VI 2.9%
20-22% of electricity by then. Renewable electricity production, including
hydro power, would be expanded to a 22-24% share, from 11% in 2014.

VII 2.1% BRAZIL : Will cut emissions by 37% by 2025 from 2005 and 43% by 2030.

IRAN : Iran has made an unconditional pledge to reduce its greenhouse gas
emissions in 2030 by four per cent compared with a “business as usual”
VIII 1.6% secnario. In addition, Tehran said it would reduce emissions by another
8% if it receives financial and technology support, and if what it describes
as : unjust sanctions where lifted.
INDONESIA : A 29% cut in emissions by 2030 compared with what the level
IX 1.6% would have been with our any action. With financial and other help, this could
be raised to 41%.
CANADA : Will seek to cut emissions by 30% from the 2005 levels by 2030.
X 1.5% Canada has done its bit by cutting carbon emission and putting a curb on
pollution in major cities in the country.
Source: TOI

India's Western Ghats and Eastern Himalayas are amongst the 32 biodiversity hotspots on Earth.
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT GK-261

Carbon Budget
A carbon budget is the maximum amount of carbon that can be released into the atmosphere while
keeping a reasonable chance of staying below a given temperature rise. The concept of carbon budget
was first time adopted by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its 2013 report. In
its most recent synthesis report, published in early 2014 states that the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) laid out estimates of how much CO2 we can emit and still keep global average
temperature rise to no more than 1.5C, 2C or 3C above pre-industrial levels.
The first four carbon budgets, leading to year 2027, have been set in law. The UK is currently in
the second carbon budget period (2013-17). Meeting the fourth carbon budget (2023-27) will
require that emissions be reduced by 50% on 1990 levels in 2025.
Carbon Sinks are increasing with time:
As Carbon dioxide is increasing day by day in the atmosphere the three major sink (atmosphere,
ocean and land) are absorbing more carbon. The carbon sink are increasing alarmingly due to
deforestation, fossil fuel emission and industrialization. Although we tend to focus on growing
atmospheric carbon concentrations, ocean acidification is also hugely worrying. As the world
continues to warm the future function of ocean and land sinks may come under strain.
Global Share of CO2
The largest producers of CO2 emissions worldwide in 2015, based on their share of global CO2
emissions. In recent years, there has been a tremendous surge in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels
in the atmosphere. These atmospheric carbon dioxide rises are believed to be the result of the
earth’s industrialization. China was the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide; the country accounted
for around 28.03 percent of global CO2 emissions that year. In 2014 five largest CO2 producers
includes United States of America, Brazil, Russia India and China out of which China is at the top
position in carbon dioxide emission. Today, there are a number of measures to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions. These measures include reforestation, the introduction of a price for carbon,
a reduction of livestock and a decreased use of fossil fuels in energy generation.

INDIA'S INITIATIVES TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

•• National Solar Mission: The NAPCC (National Action Plan for Climate Change) aims to
promote the development and use of solar energy for power generation and other uses with
the ultimate objective of making solar competitive with fossil-based energy options.
•• National Water Mission: With water scarcity projected to worsen as a result of climate
change, the plan set a goal of a 20% improvement in water use efficiency through pricing
and other measures.
•• National Mission on Sustainable Habitat: To promote energy efficiency as a core
component of urban planning.
•• National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency: The government initiative will
address national problems of inefficient energy use.
•• National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem: The plan aims to conserve
biodiversity, forest cover, and other ecological values in the Himalayan region, where
glaciers that are a major source of India’s water supply are projected to recede as a result
of global warming.
•• National Mission for a “green India”: Goals include the afforestation of 6 million hectares
of degraded forest lands and expanding forest cover from 23% to 33% of India’s territory.
•• National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture: The plan aims to support climate
adapation in agriculture through the development of climate-resilient crops, expansion
of weather insurance mechanisms,and agricultural practices.
•• National Mission on Strategic knowledge for Climate Change: To gain better
understanding of climate science, impacts and challenges, the plan envisions a new
Climate Science Research Fund, improved climate modeling, and increased international
collaboration.
International conventions for climate change entered into force on 21 March 1994.
 GK-262
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Convention Place Crucial documents
International Washington, •• To keep under review and revise as necessary
Whaling Commission D.C., United the measures laid down in the Schedule to the
(1946) States. Convention which govern the conduct of whaling
throughout the world.
Convention on Washington, •• Help in conservation of species
International Trade in U.S.A.
Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora
(1963)
Ramsar Convention Ramsar, Iran •• Halt the worldwide loss of wetlands and
on Wetland (1971) •• To conserve, use and manage, those that remain.
•• This requires international cooperation, policy
making, capacity building and technology transfer.
Convention on the Bad •• It is an intergovernmental treaty
Conservation of Godesberg, •• Should promote, cooperate in and support
Migratory Species of Germany research relating to migratory species
Wild Animals (1976) •• Endeavour to provide immediate protection for
migratory species
•• Conservation and management of migratory
species included in Appendix II
International Tropical Geneva •• Provide an effective framework for cooperation
Timber Organization between tropical timber producers and consumers
(1983) •• To encourage the development of national policies
aimed at sustainable utilization
•• Conservation of tropical forests and their genetic
resources
Montreal Protocol Helsinki, •• Play role in controlling the ozone depletion
on Substances that Finland
Deplete the Ozone
Layer (1987)
Basel Convention on Basel, •• To reduce hazardous waste generation and
the Control of Trans Switzerland promote environmental sound management
boundary Movements system for their disposal.
of Hazardous Wastes •• Restrict trans boundary movement of such wastes and
and Their Disposal •• Provide regulatory system applying to cases where
(1989) such movement is allowable.
United nation Rio de •• Draft Earth Charter
Conference on Janeiro, •• Convention on climate change and Biological
environment and Brazil Diversity
Development or •• Convention on Forest
Earth Summit (1992) •• Agenda 21
Convention on •• The conservation of biological diversity
Biological Diversity •• The sustainable use of the components of
(1993) biological diversity
•• The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits
arising out of the utilization of genetic resources

The existing Tiger Reserves represent around one-third of India's high density forest area.
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT GK-263

The United Nations Kyoto, Japan •• Gather and share information on greenhouse gas
Framework emissions, national policies and best practices
Convention on •• Launch national strategies for addressing
Climate Change greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to
(1994) expected impacts, including the provision of
financial and technological support to developing
countries
•• Cooperate in preparing for adaptation to the
impacts of climate change
Global tiger forum New Delhi, •• Set up to embark on a worldwide campaign to
(1994) India save the wild tiger
United Nations •• Promotes a global response to desertification,
Convention to Combat land degradation and drought
Desertification (1994)
United Nations •• Implementation of agreements and foster a
Forum on Forests common understanding on sustainable forest
(2000) management;
•• To provide policy development and dialogue among
Governments and international organizations,
•• To enhance cooperation
•• To foster international cooperation and
•• To monitor, assess and report on progress of the
above functions and objectives
•• Tostrengthenpoliticalcommitmenttothemanagement,
conservation and sustainable development.
Stockholm Stockholm, •• It develops a risk management evaluation
Convention on Sweden •• Determines whether the substance fulfills POP
Persistent Organic screening.
Pollutants (2001) •• Manage and dispose of POPs wastes in an
environmentally sound manner
Rotterdam Rotterdam, •• Convention promotes open exchange of information
Convention Netherlands •• Calls on exporters of hazardous chemicals to use
(2004) proper labeling
•• Inform purchasers of any known restrictions or
bans
KYOTO Protocol the Kyoto Protocol have committed to cut
Kyoto Protocol was an agreement negotiated emissions of not only carbon dioxide, but of
by many countries in December 1997 and also other greenhouse gases, being:
came into force with Russia's ratification on Methane (CH4)
February 16, 2005. The reason for the lengthy Nitrous oxide (N2O)
timespan between the terms of agreement Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
being settled upon and the protocol being
Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)
engaged was due to terms of Kyoto requiring at If participant countries continue with
least 55 parties to ratify the agreement and for emissions above the targets, then they are
the total of those parties emission to be at least required to engage in emissions trading;
55% of global production of greenhouse gases. i.e. buying “credits” from other participant
The protocol was developed under the countries who are able to exceed their
United Nations Framework Convention on reduction targets in order to offset.
Climate Change. The goals of Kyoto were to see participants
UNFCCC collectively reducing emissions of greenhouse
Participating countries that have ratified gases by 5.2% below the emission levels of
(which is an important term that I'll clearly) 1990 by 2012.
Hemis National Park in Jammu and Kashmir is the largest national park in India.
 GK-264
While the 5.2% figure is a collective one,
individual countries were assigned higher
or lower targets and some countries were
permitted increases. For Example, the USA
was expected to reduce emissions by 7%.
India and China, which have ratified
the Kyoto protocol, are not obligated to
reduce greenhouse gas production at the
moment as they are developing countries;
i.e. they weren't seen as the main culprits
for emissions during the period of
industrialization thought to be the cause for
the global warming of today.
This is a little odd given that China is about to
overtake the USA in emissions, but take into
account the major differences in population
and that much of the production in these
countries is fuelled by demand from the West
and influence from the West on their own
culture. As a result of this loophole, the West
has effectively outsourced much of its carbon
emissions to China and India.
ANIMAL WELFARE
People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA)
It is a non-profitable American animal rights
organization based in Norfolk, Virginia.
Led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international
president, founded in 1980 with a slogan of
“Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment
on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any
other way.” It focuses its attention on the
four areas in which the largest numbers of
animals suffer the most intensely for the
longest periods of time: on factory farms, in
the clothing trade, in laboratories, and in the
entertainment industry.
World Wide Fund for Nature
The organisation was conceived in
Morges, Switzerland (29 April, 1961).
It is an international non-governmental
organization in nature. Works in the field
related to biodiversity conservation, and
the reduction of humanity’s footprint on
the environment. It is the world’s largest
conservation organization with the slogan
of “For a Living Planet.” The method of its
working involves Lobbying Research and
Consultancy. Basically it’s a charitable trust.
Rann of Kutch, also known as the Indian Wild Ass sanctuary is the largest wildlife sanctuary in India.
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
This phenomenon, whether intended or
coincidental is a major hole in the Kyoto
Protocol.
About National Air Quality Index
•• The national AQI is published for every
month by CPCB along with a numerical
value and a colour code which helps in
comparing air pollution levels in cities.
•• It is determined on the basis of
concentration of 8 pollutants, including
Particulate Matter (PM 2.5, PM 10),
sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide
(NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) ozone
(O3), ammonia (NH3) and lead (Pb).
•• The colour categories are classified into
6 categories depending upon numerical
value as Good (0-50), Satisfactory (51-
100), Moderately polluted (101-200),
Poor (201-300), Very poor (301-400)
and Severe (401-500).
WWF’s giant panda logo originated from a
panda named Chi Chi. It has been designed
by Sir Peter Scott from preliminary sketches
made by Gerald Watterson.
The main missions of WWF are as follows:
•• conserving the world’s biological diversity
•• ensuring that the use of renewable
natural resources is sustainable
•• promoting the reduction of pollution
and wasteful consumption.
At present WWF’s current strategy of
achieving its mission which is related to
restoring populations of 36 species (species
or species groups that are important for
their ecosystem or to people, including
elephants, tunas, whales, dolphins and
porpoises), and ecological footprint in 6
areas (carbon emissions, cropland, grazing
land, fishing, forestry and water).
Animal Welfare Board of India
Functions
•• To keep the law in force in India for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
under constant study and to advise
the government on the amendments
to be undertaken in any such law from
time to time.
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
•• To advise the Central Government on
the making of rules under the Act with a
view to preventing unnecessary pain or
suffering to animals.
•• To advise in the design of vehicles so as
to lessen the burden on draught animals.
•• To take all such steps as the Board may
INDIA INITIATIVES TOWARDS ANIMAL PROTECTION
Project Tiger
It is a Government of India initiative for
conserving its national animal, the tiger. The
project was launched in 1973. Since then the
number of tiger reserve has been increased
from 9 to 47 which accounts for 2.08% the
total geographical area of our country. The
area of tiger projects have been developed
on core/buffer strategy. The core areas
are legally termed as National Parks and
the buffering areas are a mixture of forest
and non-forest land managed as a multiple
used area. The project aims at fostering an
exclusive tiger agenda in the core areas of
tiger reserves, with an inclusive people
oriented agenda in the buffer
Project Rhino
It was joint venture of the Assam Forest
Department and Wildlife Trust of India
- International Fund for Animal Welfare
(WTI-IFAW) and initiated in February 2006
with the trans location of a hand-raised
rhino calf to Manas Wildlife Sanctuary.
The projects aims at repopulating the one
horn rhino by displacing them to Manas
wild life sanctuary from Kaziranga National
Park. The whole project is supported by
Bodoland Territorial Council and the Assam
Forest Department.
Project Crocodile Conservation
It was launched in 1975 in different States
for protecting the endangered crocodile
species like Gharial, Gavialis gangeticus;
Mugger crocodile, Crocodylus palustris
and Saltwater crocodile, Crocodylus were
on the verge of extinction by the seventies.
The funds and technical support for the
project came from UNDP/ FAO through the
Government of India.
In India the first biosphere reserve, Nilgiri was declared in 1986.
GK-265
think fit for amelioration of animals
by encouraging, or providing for the
construction of sheds, water troughs
and the like and by providing for
veterinary assistance to animals.
•• To advise in the design of slaughter
houses or its maintenance.
Project Elephant (PE)
It is a Central Government initiative to
provide financial and technical support
to major elephant bearing states of India.
It was launched in February 1992. It aims
at protecting the elephants, their habitat
and corridor. It also looks after the human
elephant issues. It is implemented in 13
States / UTs, viz. Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal
Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka,
Kerala, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Tamil
Nadu, Uttranchal, Uttar Pradesh and West
Bengal.
SAVE
Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction
(SAVE) is a consortium of regional and
international organization to co-ordinate
conservation, campaigning and fundraising
activities to help the plight of south Asia’s
vultures. The key strategies of vulture
conservation SAVE is involved in a wide
range of conservation activities across
South Asia including:
•• breeding vultures in captivity so that
their offspring can be released back in
to the wild when the environment is
free from diclofenac
•• an active advocacy programme targeting
the vets and farmers using diclofenac
•• legislation controlling the manufacture
and sale of veterinary drugs
•• in-situ conservation actions focused
around the small but key remaining
vulture populations in the wild
•• an active research programme that
underpins these activities and monitors
their effectiveness
 GK-266
Project Dolphin
Gangetic river dolphins is India’s national
aquatic animal and is often known as the
‘Tiger of the Ganges’. This dolphin species is
an indicator animal which represent healthy
river ecosystem in a same position as a tiger
in a forest. Their population is estimated to
be less than 2,000 in the country. Some of the
major threats are habitat fragmentation due
to construction of dams and barrages, direct
killing, indiscriminate fishing and pollution
of rivers.
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS
•• The Water (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Act, 1974
•• The Water (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Rules, 1975
•• The Water (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Cess Act, 1977
•• The Water (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Cess Rules, 1978
•• The Air (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Act, 1981
•• The Air (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Rules, 1982
•• The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
•• The Environment (Protection) Rules,
1986
•• Hazardous Wastes (Management and
Handling) Rules, 1989
•• Manufacture, Storage and Import of
Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Hazards are the situations which occur on
the earth surface and have the capability
of impacting life, health, property and
environment negatively. When they really
start impacting they turned into disasters.
Major types of natural disasters are:
Drought
It is a period of unexpected rainfall deficit
which results in a shortage of water, which
develops slowly affecting an extensive
area. The associated impacts of drought
are the lack of adequate drinking water,
Tiger census added 295 tigers and total estimated population reaches to 1706. In the latest census, Karnataka has surpassed
Madhya Pradesh for the number of tigers.
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
For conservation of dolphins, India’s first
Dolphin Community Reserve established
in West Bengal to protect the endangered
mammal, Gangetic river dolphins. The
reserve would be set up in the Hooghly
River between Malda and Sundarbans as
per provisions of Wildlife Protection Act,
1972. State Forest department also has
announced that it would also conduct
a census to estimate the population of
dolphins.
•• The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
•• The Forest (Conservation) Rules, 1981
•• The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
•• The Wildlife (Transactions and
Taxidermy) Rules, 1973
•• The Wildlife (Stock Declaration) Central
Rules, 1973
•• The Wildlife (Protection) Licensing
(Additional Matters for Consideration)
Rules, 1983
•• The Wildlife (Protection) Rules, 1995
•• The Wildlife (Specified Plants - Conditions
for Possession by Licensee) Rules, 1995
•• The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991
•• The Public Liability Insurance Rules,
1991
•• The National Environment Tribunal
Act, 1995
•• The National Environment Appellate
Authority Act, 1997
loss of vegetation, loss of farmland, loss of
livestock and loss of life due to famine or
dehydration.
Floods
These are the overflow of water from rivers
and streams which submerge the connected
dry lands caused due to excessive
precipitation driven by atmospheric factors.
They can be divided into two types, river
flood and sea flood basing upon their place
of occurrence.
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
'Chennai' the capital city of Tamil Nadu
along with its surrounding areas had
faced one of the most dangerous and
catastrophic flood situation during 1st
and 2nd week of December 2015 as
a result heavy down pour which had
occurred from 28th Nov to 4th Dec
2015.
Tsunamis
These are the series of huge sea waves that
strike a coast with the massive amount
of water in the coastal areas as a result of
underwater seismic disturbances.
Earthquakes
These are the vibration of the earth surface
caused due to the convergence of two plates
under the earth crust giving rise to physical
damage such as demolition of buildings,
rupture in the roads etc.
Nepal earthquake killed over 9,000
people and injured more than 23,000
occurred on 25th April 2015 with
intensity of 7.8 on Richter Scale.
Tornadoes
These are the localized gust of wind moving
in a circular motion over the land surface.
Generally they form funnel like structure
and commonly termed as thunder storm as
well.
Numerous tornadoes scoured the
landscape across central Indiana and into
Northwest Ohio on August 24,2016
Hurricanes
These are the typical disturbance of the
North Atlantic and East Pacific Oceans.
In other ocean basins they are known
as Typhoons, Tropical Cyclones, or
Cyclones. These are the low pressure zones
over the ocean surface which continues to
intensify as long as they are moving on it.
Once they hit the coast they start to weaken
and result into heavy down pour with high
velocity of wind.
In 2016, forest fire, have been noted in pine forest of Uttarakhand and according to forest department 3,500 hectares of
forest had been burnt.
GK-267
Super Typhoon Meranti has become
the strongest cyclone hurricane or
typhoon, of 2016 and is one of three most
powerful typhoons ever recorded.
Cyclonic storm ‘Komen’ hit Bangladesh
coast on 30th July 2015, bringing
heavy rainfall to Gangetic West Bengal
and Odisha. The wind speed was
approximately 300km/h.
Landslide
It is a downward movement of rock and
soil debris that becomes detached from the
underlying slope. The material can move
by falling, toppling, sliding, spreading and
flowing.
Twand district in Arunachal Pradesh
faced a landslides triggered by heavy
rains on April 24, 2016
Forest Fire
Human-made forest fires in the
Himalayan state of Uttarakhand have
been regular and a historic feature. In
2016 Indian state of Uttarakhand caught
forest fire in mainly pine forest in the
slope of sub-Himalayan Region. The
forest department estimated that 3,500
hectares (8,600 acres) of forest had been
burnt. National Disaster Response Force
was deployed for rescue operations in
the Kumaon and Garhwal regions. MI-
17 helicopters were used to spray water
to control forest fire. Reports were
published in local media which variously
blamed local people and timber mafia for
the forest fires.
Managing a Disaster
•• Disaster management practices are
the policies, initiative or operational
activities, that pertains to various
stages of disasters at all levels.
•• These are applied management
practices with systematic observation
and analysis of the types of disaster,
measures of improvement related
to prevention, emergency response,
recovery and mitigation and finally
planning for and responding to
disasters including both pre and post
disaster activities.
 GK-268
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
Integrated Disaster Management

Recovery

Preparedness Response
(Activities prior (Activities during (Activities following (Activities that reduce
to a disaster) a disaster) a disaster) effects of disasters)
•• Preparedness •• Public Warning •• Temporary •• Building codes &
plans system housing Zoning
•• Emergency •• Emergency •• Claims •• Vulnerability
exercises Operations processing analyses
•• Training, •• Search and •• Grants •• Public education
•• Warning Sytem rescue •• Medical care

Institutional Framework for Disaster  22nd March: World Water Day

Management
The disaster management practice is an
integrated effort of several institution
who joins hand together to mitigate the
problem and rehabilitate the victims in
best possible way. The top down approach
of the institutional framework for disaster
management cell is as follows:
Disaster Management Structure
•• NDMA Apex Body with Prime
Minister as Chairperson.
•• National Executive Committee -
Secretaries of 14 Ministries and Chief
of Integrated Defence Staff.
Centre Level
•• Central Ministries; National Disaster
Management Authority,
•• National Institute of Disaster
Management
•• National Disaster Response Force
(NDRF).
State Level
•• SDMA headed by Chief Minister.
•• State Executive Committee (SEC).
District Level
•• DDMA headed by District Magistrate.
•• Interface between Govt. and Public.
Important Dates for Ecology &
Environment
 2nd February: World Wetland Day
2016 Theme: Wetland for one future:
Sustainable livelihood.
2016 Theme: Better Water, Better Jobs
 23rd March: World Meteorological Day
2016 Theme: Hotter, Drier, Weter – Face
the Future.
 22nd April: World Earth Day
2016 Theme: Trees for the earth.
 5th June: World Environment Day
2016 Theme: Zero tolerance for the
illegal trade in Wildlife
 8th June: World Ocean Day
2016 Theme: Healthy Ocean healthy
Planet.
 29th July: International Tiger Day
 16th September: World Ozone Day
2016 Theme: Ozone and climate:
Restored by a world united.
 3rd October: World Habitat Day.
2016 Theme: Housing at the centre.
 3rd December: World Conservation
Day
 5th December: World Soil Day
2016 Theme: Soil and pulses, a
symbiosis for life.
 14th December: National Energy
Conservation Day

Ecology term was coined by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel.

 ECONOMY

TOP ECONOMICAL TRENDS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

 GK-270
ECONOMY

ECONOMY
Micro-Macro
Public Finance Indian Economy
Economics

Demand Budget Naonal Income

Supply
Revenue Terms
Price
Expenditure Measurement
Elascity
Deficit Human Development
Marginal
Ulity Tax Index
Equilibrium Types Five Year Plans
Revenue & Poverty
Classificaon
Cost Unemployment
Methods
Profit & Loss Type
Recession & Banking &
Schemes
Depression Insurance Agriculture
Market Deficit Financing Green Revoluon
Factors of in India NABARD
Producon Government Food Security
Land Industries
Subsidies
Labour
Finance Manufacturing
Capital
Services
Entrepreneur Commission
Inflaon Stock Exchanges
SEBI

MICRO–MACRO ECONOMICS

Demand the amount of a certain good producers are

Demand refers to how much (quantity)
of a product (goods) or service is desired
by buyers. The quantity demanded is the
amount of a product people are willing
to buy at a certain price; the relationship
between price & quantity demanded is
known as the demand relationship. The law
of demand states that as the price of a good
increases (or decreases), the quantity of that
good demanded will decrease (increase).
Supply
Supply represents how much the market
can offer. The quantity supplied refers to
India’s retail market is estimated to be worth US$450 billion.
willing to supply when receiving a certain
price. The correlation between price & how
much of a good or service is supplied to the
market is known as the supply relationship.
The law of supply states that as the price of a
good increases (or decreases), the quantity of
that good supplied will increase (decrease).
Price
Price is the amount of money that has to
be paid to acquire a given product. Price
mechanism is based on the principle that
only by allowing prices to move freely,
the supply of any given commodity match
demand. If supply is excessive, prices will
ECONOMY GK-271

be low & production will be reduced, this Elasticity

will cause prices to rise until there is a
balance of demand & supply. In the same
way, if supply is inadequate, prices will be
high, leading to an increase in production
that in turn will lead to a reduction in
prices until both supply & demand are in
equilibrium.
The concept of elasticity is intended to
measure the degree of responsiveness
of a buyer or seller to a change in a key
determinant, in particular price.
OR
Elasticity is a ratio of relative changes in
quantity demanded/supplied & price.

Elasticity – I
(Price is determinant)

Demand Supply

Elastic ← (buyer response) → Inelastic Elastic ← (seller response) → Inelastic

Quantity Supply is
Price↑
OR
Price↓ Demanded Price↑ OR Price↓ unaffected
⇓ ⇓ ⇓ ⇓
is same at when price
Demand↓ Demand↑ Supply ↑ Supply ↓
any price changes

Elasticity – II
(Demand/supply is determinant)

Demand Supply

Elastic ← (seller response) → Inelastic Elastic ← (buyer response) → Inelastic

Price is
Price is unaffected
Demand↑ Demand↓ Supply ↑ Supply↓
constant ⇓ OR ⇓ when supply
⇓ OR ⇓ irrespective Price ↓ Price ↑ changes
Price↑ Price↓
of demand

Marginal Utility equilibrium. At this point, the suppliers

Marginal utility is the additional satisfaction
a consumer gains from consuming one
more unit of a goods or service. It is used by
the economist to determine how much of an
item a consumer will buy.
are selling all the goods that they have
produced & consumers are getting all the
goods that they are demanding.
Supply

Equillibrium Equilibrium
Price

When supply & demand are equal (i.e. when Demand

the supply function & demand function
intersect) the economy is said to be at Quantity

Mumbai is the financial capital of India and headquarter of LIC, NSE, BSE.
 GK-272
ECONOMY
Revenue
Revenue refers to the amount received by a firm or an individual from the sale of a given
quantity of a commodity in the market. It is directly influenced by sales level, i.e. as sales
increases, revenue also increases.
REVENUE

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

↓ ↓ ↓
TR = Quantity of TR It is the addition of TR
commodity sold AR= from the sale of one extra
No. of units sold
× Price of commodity.
commodity
Change in total revenue
MR =
Change in total quantity

Cost
Cost is defined as the money expenditure incurred by the producer to purchase ( or hire)
factors of production & raw materials to produce goods & services.

TYPES OF COST

Fixed cost Variable cost Explicit cost Implicit cost

Expenditure on Expenditure on Expenditure in- Cost of self

hiring/purchasing of variable inputs curred on both fixed supplied
fixed inputs (eg. land) (eg. labour) & variable inputs factors

CONCEPTS

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

↓ ↓
TC = Total fixed AC = Total cost
cost + Total variable cost Total output
Profit
Profit is the surplus of revenue over total
cost of production.
Profit = Total Revenue – Total Cost
Normal profit: This occurs when total
revenue is equal to total cost. This is
the Break-even Point for a firm. It is the
minimum profit level to keep the firm in the
industry in the long run.
Supernormal profit: This occurs when
total revenue is more than total cost.
According to 2016 estimates, India has more than 502.3 million available labour force..
↓
MC = Increase in total
cost due to increase in
one extra unit of output
Loss
Loss is a situation in which a producer does
not earn the level of profit that would justify
remaining in business in the long run.
Loss = Total cost – Total revenue
Recession
A period of temporary economic decline
during which trade and industrial activity
are reduced, generally identified by a fall in
GDP in two successive quarters.
ECONOMY GK-273

Depression Market
A period during which business, employment, Market is a place where forces of demand &
& stock-market values decline severely or supply operate, & where buyers and sellers
remain at a very low level of activity. interact to trade goods, services, or contracts
or instruments, for money or barter.
FEATURES OF MARKET STRUCTURE
S. Market Types of Numbers of Entry & exit Price determination
No. product sellers/firms
1. Perfect Homogeneous Many Freedom of entry Firms are price-takers
competition product & exit
2. Monopoly Unique One Barriers to entry Firm is price-makers
3. Oligopoly Differentiated Few Barriers to entry Firm are price-makers
products
4. Monopolistic Differentiated Many Freedom of entry Firms are price - makers
Competition products & exit

Factors of Production profit from it by combining all other

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

Degree of Inflation

Creeping Trotting Running Hyper Inflation/

Inflation Inflation Inflation Runaway/Galloping
↓ ↓ ↓ Inflation
Price rise at Price rise moderately Price rise rapidly ↓
very slow rate (Less than 10%) (10 - 20%) Price rise at very fast
less than 3% (Between 3 – 7%) rate (20 – 100%)
Measurement of Inflation basis price index for the current year is
1. General Price or Wholesale Price Index: calculated. If the index of the current
It measures the changes in average prices year is below 100 it indicates the state
of goods & services. A base year is selected of deflation &, on the contrary, if index of
& its index is assumed as 100 & on this the current year is above 100 it indicates
the state of inflation.
China, European Union, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Switzerland are the main import partners of India.
 GK-274
2. Consumer Price Index (CPI): It measures
the average change in prices paid by
ultimate consumers for a particular
basket of goods & services over a period
of time. CPI actually measures the
increase in price a consumer will have
to pay for the designated commodity
basket which may be revised every
4 – 5 years to factor in changes in
consumption pattern.
Price Index = Current year’s
price/base year’s price × 100
In India, inflation is measured in terms
of the WPI.
Causes of Inflation
The inflation occurs due to two main factors :-
(a) (b)
Increase in demand Decrease in the
for goods & services supply of goods &
services
(a) Factors causing an increase in demand
for goods & services:
(i) Increase in public expenditure
(ii) Increase in pvt. expenditure
(iii) Increase in exports
(iv) Reduction in taxation
(v) Rapid growth of population
(vi) Black money
(vii) Deficit financing
(viii) Cheap money policy
(ix) Increase in consumer spending
(x) Department of Tax internal debts.
(b) Factors causing decrease in supply of
goods & services:
(i) Shortage of supplies of factors
(ii) Industrial disputes
(iii) Natural calamities
(iv) Loop-sided Production
(v) Hoarding by traders
(vi) Operation of Law of Diminishing
Returns.
Impact of Inflation
Inflation is the most regressive form of taxation
as it affects the poor and vulnerable sections
of the society the most. Such a situation leads
to increase in income disparities.
Inflation dampens exports by making our
products expensive and, conversely, makes
imports attractive. Such a situation may
warrant formal or informal devaluation of
the currency in order to make our exports
competitive.
On 30 June 2015, Greece became the first developed country to fail to make an IMF loan repayment.
ECONOMY
Inflation leads to recession, as people with
fixed incomes set apart an increasing share
of their income to meet the growing costs
of essential commodities, leaving very little
for expenditure on non-essential terms. The
production of such items has to be reduced,
leading to shutdowns and recession.
Policy measure to control inflation
The issue of inflation is addressed from
both demand and supply sides. Demand
management implies putting a check on the
demand of the public for goods and services.
Demand management is achieved by measures
such as postponing public expenditure,
reducing up excess liquidity either through
taxes or saving schemes and restrictions on
ad hoc treasury bills. While such measures
help contain the money supply, there is a
danger that these will contract the economy
and lead to an increase in unemployment.
Rationalisation of excise and import duties of
essential commodities to higher the burden
on poor.
RBI assists in controlling inflation through
monetary measures such as quantitative and
selective credit controls and by manipulating
the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and the Statutory
Liquidity Ratio (SLR). These are the monetary
policies adopted by government.
On the supply side, the mechanism of
Public Distribution System (PDS) ensures
availability of essential commodities for the
vulnerable sections of society. This helps to
maintain price levels. Fixation of maximum
prices to eliminate the incentive for hoarding
and speculative activity in foodgrains. Control
over private trade in foodgrains. Adoption
of Open General Licence (OGL) to ease
the imports of sugar, pulses, etc.,in case of
shortages. Coupled with this is the open
market sale of rice and wheat resorted to by
FCI from its buffer stock in times of price rise.
Related Terms
Deflation: Deflation is that state in which
the value of money rises & the price of goods
& services falls.
Stagflation: It refers to the situation of
coexistence of stagnation & inflation in the
economy. Stagnation means low National
Income growth & high unemployment.
Disinflation: The rate of inflation at a slower
rate is called disinflation.
ECONOMY GK-275

PUBLIC FINANCE
Budget
Budget is an annual financial statement. The Budget in India is divided into 2 parts – Revenue
Account & Capital Account.
 GK-276
ECONOMY
New Classification of Expenditure
ECONOMY GK-277

Important Terms
(1) Revenue– It is the income received by the government.
(2) Expenditure– It is the amount incurred by the government to meet day to day & regular
needs.
(3) Deficit– It means shortage. The gap between the Receipts & Expenditure is called
deficit. The important types of deficit are as follows:
(a) Budget Deficit = Total Expenditure – Total Receipts
(b) Revenue Deficit = Revenue Expenditure – Revenue Receipts
(c) Fiscal Deficit = Total Expenditure – Total Receipts except Borrowing & Other Liabilities.
(d) Primary Deficit = Fiscal Deficit – Interest Payment

Tax
The money which public have to pay to the government so that it can pay for public services
is called tax.
(i) Types of Taxes

Direct Tax Indirect Tax

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

(ii)
Broad Areas of Tax

Tax on Income Tax on Tax on Property &

& Expenditure Commodities Property Transaction

Personal Income, Excise Wealth Tax,

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

Proportional Progressive Regressive Taxation

Taxation Taxation

Tax levied as Tax rate increase Tax rate decrease

a% of tax base with increase in with increase in
at a uniform size of tax base . tax base .

India ranks second in world fish production, contributing about 5.4 per cent of global fish production.
 GK-278
Types of Taxes
•• Direct Tax– The tax that people pay
directly to the government is called
direct tax.
•• Indirect Tax– The tax burden when
shifted to another person that tax is
called indirect tax.
•• Income Tax– Tax on the personal
income of the individuals.
•• Corporate Tax– Levied on Company’s
profit income.
•• Wealth Tax– Imposed on the
accumulated wealth or property of
every individual.
•• MAT (Minimum Alternate Tax) – Imposed
on zero tax companies (companies pay
very low tax by using the provisions of
exemptions, deductions, incentives, etc.
•• Excise Duties– Tax on production of
commodities.
•• Custom Duties– Tax on Import &
Export of commodities.
•• VAT (Value Added Tax) –Tax on sale of
commodities. It is a state level tax. The
tax rate is imposed as x of value added.
ECONOMY
•• GST– It is a uniform tax on goods &
services throughout the country.
METHODS OF TAXATION OF GOODS
Methods of
Taxation on Goods
Ad– Valorem Specific Duty
(1) Ad Valorem– If tax is levied as x of the
value of the goods regardless of number
of units produced/ sold/ imported, then
it is called ad valorem.
Eg. Price of car Tax Amount
` 2 lakh ` 20,000
` 4 lakh ` 40,000
(2) Specific Duty– If tax is levied at a flat
rate per unit of goods produced/ sold/
imported regardless of the value then it
is called specific duties.
Eg. Car’s Price Tax
` 2 lakh ` 10,000
` 4 lakh ` 10,000

INCOME TAX SLAB FOR FY 2016 -17

1. For Individual/HUF/Association of person

Income tax slab (in `) Tax

0 to 2,50,000 Nil

2,50,001 to 5,00,000 10%

5,00,001 to 10,00,000 20%

Above 10,00,000 30%

2. For Senior Citizen (who is 60 years or more but less than 80 years)

Upto ` 3,00,000 Nil

` 3,00,01 – ` 5,00,000 10%

Next Slabs are same as general

3. For Super Senior citizen (80 years of age or more).

Upto ` 5,00,000 Nil

Next Slabs are same as general

Mutual Funds asset base of equity funds and Equity Linked Saving Scheme (ELSS) increased to `4.68 trillion (US$ 70.0
billion) at the end of September 2016.
ECONOMY GK-279

BANKING SYSTEM
Reserve Bank of India
[Central Bank and supreme monetary authority of the country]

Scheduled Banks Unscheduled Bank

Scheduled Commercial Bank Scheduled Co-operative Banks

Public Private Foreign Regional Scheduled Scheduled

Sector Sector Bank in Rural Urban State
Banks (27) Banks (25) India (39) Banks (357) Cooperative Cooperative
Banks (53) Banks (31)

Other State Bank Old New

Nationalised
Public of India Private Private
Banks (19)
Sector Bank & its Banks (17) Banks (8)
Associates (8)

RESERVE BANK OF INDIA

•• It is the apex regulatory body of Indian
Banking system. Also called as the
Central Bank.
•• It keeps the cash reserves of all
Scheduled Banks & hence is known as
the ‘Reserve Bank’.
•• It was inaugurated in April 1935.
•• Situated in Mumbai.
•• Fully owned by the Government of
India.
•• Presently, the Governor is Dr. Urjit R.
Patel.
•• Has 19 regional offices.
Functions of RBI–
(a) Bank of Issue (All notes except ` 1 note
& coins are issued by RBI). One rupee
note & coins are issued by Ministry of
Finance but circulated by RBI.
(b) Banker & debt manager to Government.
(c) Banker’s Bank.
(d) Custodian and manager of Foreign
Exchange.
(e) Controller of credit
EXIM Bank was established for financing, facilitating and promoting foreign trade in India.
(f) Supervision over commercial &
cooperative banks.
Commercial Banks
Accept deposits, give loans and provide
other financial services to earn profit.
Consist of both public sector and private
sector banks.
Public Sector Banks
Public sector banks are those banks in
which the majority of ownership is with
government. The majority of ownership
means, shareholding of more than 51%.
State Bank Group
State Bank group means State Bank of India
(SBI) and its Associates. Previous name of
SBI was Imperial Bank of India. It was
created in 1921 by amalgamating the three
Presidency Banks of Bengal (1806), Bombay
(1840) and Madras (1843). Imperial Bank
of India was partially nationalized on July
1, 1955 and renamed as State Bank of India
(SBI).
 GK-280
Other Nationalised Bank
The public sector banks other than SBI and
its associates are other nationalised banks.
For examples – PNB, BOI, etc.
The Regional Rural Banks (RRB):
These banks were established since 1975,
under RRBs Act 1976. These banks were
set up by public sector banks. RRBs were
established to lend to weaker section called
target group like landless labour, artisan and
craftsmen at concessional rate.
Co-Operative Banks
Cooperative banks are established by State
laws. These banks are called as cooperative
banks because these have cooperation of
stake holders as motive. Along with lending,
cooperative banks accept deposits.
NABARD
NABARD was set up in July 1982.
The functions of NABARD, viz. financing of
agriculture and refinancing of cooperative
banks and RRBs.
NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture
and Rural Development) is the apex body
of cooperative sector in India.
Tools of Credit Control
RBI acts as controller of credit. Control of
Credit means control of lending & deposit
creating capacity of the banks. These
controls result in control of money supply
which is essential to control inflation &
there by promote economic growth.
Some of the important measures or tools of
credit control are as follows:
Bank Rate
It is the rate charged by the Central Bank for
lending funds to commercial banks.
CRR
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) is a specified
minimum fraction of the total deposits of
customers which commercial banks have to
hold as reserves with the Central Bank.
According to World Bank report, 42% of the world’s poor live in India.
ECONOMY
Repo Rate
It is the rate at which commercial banks
borrow from RBI by mortgaging their dated
government securities and treasury bills. If
repo rate is increased, the banks have two
options either to reduce the borrowing from
RBI or borrow at higher rate from RBI and
charge higher interest rate from customer.
If banks borrow fewer amounts, the credit
creating capacity of banks will come down
and money supply will come down. If
bank borrows and charges higher interest
rate, the customer will borrow less. The
money supply will come down. If the rate is
decreased the reverse will be the case.
Reverse Repo Rate
It is the rate at which RBI borrows from
commercial banks by mortgaging its dated
Government securities and Treasury bills.
If the reverse repo rate is increased, the
banks have two options either to lend to RBI
or lend to customer at higher interest rate.
If banks lend to RBI, the money available
with the bank to lend to its customer will
come down. The credit creating capacity of
banks and money supply will come down.
If the banks raise interest rate on loans to
customers at higher rate, the customer
will borrow lesser amount. So, the money
supply will come down.
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
has set an ambitious target of bringing
more than 7.5 crore un-banked families
into India’s banking system by opening
more than 15 crore bank accounts at the
rate of two bank accounts per household
by 15 August 2015. The remaining hilly
areas and the other 75 naxalite-affected
districts will be covered under the Yojana
by the end of August 2016.
ECONOMY GK-281

INSURANCE
Insurance in the event of an incident involving
It is a form of risk management primarily a vehicle they own.
used to hedge against the risk of a (c) Health Insurance: Covers the
contingent, uncertain loss.
expenditures associated to
Insurance policy treatment & medical expenditures.
It is a financial contract between the insurer (d) Property Insurance: Provides
& the policy holder where the details of the protection from risks associated to
policy is mentioned including the benefits theft, fire, floods, etc.
& the premium that policy holder has to •• Insurance Industry in India
pay. The Indian Government passed
Premium an ordinance on January 19, 1956
whereby the life insurance sector
It is the periodic payment made on an
was nationalised & the Life Insurance
insurance policy. Insurance premiums are
Corporation of India (LIC) came into
collected in monthly or quarterly or half-
existence. The Indian Parliament
yearly or yearly mode.
passed the General Insurance Business
Major Types of Insurance: (Nationalisation) Act in 1972 & the
general insurance sector was brought
(a) Life Insurance: Descendent’s
under governmental control from
family receives financial benefits.
January 1, 1973.
(b) Automobile Insurance: Protects
policy holder against financial loss
Insurance Companies in India
IRDA

Life Insurance General Insurance

Public Sector Private Sector Public Sector Private Sector

(LIC) (24 Companies) (5 G.I Cos) (23 G.I. Cos.)

IRDA
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) is an autonomous apex
statutory body which regulates and develops the insurance industry in India. It was constituted
by a Parliament of India act called Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act,
1999 and duly passed by the Government of India.
The agency operates from its headquarter at Hyderabad, Telangana, shifted from Delhi in 2001.
The key objectives of the IRDA include promotion of competition so as to enhance customer
satisfaction through increased consumer choice and lower premiums, while ensuring the
financial security of the insurance market.

India has the seventh largest foreign currency reserves in the world.

GK-282

Insurance Plans

Life Insurance Plans General Insurance Plans

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

Taken for entire Nominee Provide lump Used as a form Unit linked Taken by For rural Availed by Coverage Compulsory
duration of receives sum once of investment Insurance individual based companies to for damage for vehicles. It
insured’s life. It a fixed the policy that produces plans are to cover business or get protection to work, covers theft,
is a pension plan. payment holder dies good financial one where against individuals, for important operations, damage and
once the to nominee returns energy the financial accidental provide projects, equipments, third party
policy or when the 4th/5th year worth of death, coverage construction, etc. accident.
holder dies policy matures in future a policy is injury, from life contracts &
during to policy for using dependent health. & health equipments.
policy holders. in various on present to natural
period. purposes. Net Asset disasters.
Value (NAV)
of the core
investment
assets related
to it in the
share market.
ECONOMY
ECONOMY
India’s Public Debt
Public Debt
The Public Debt of the Govt. of India is
composed of – (a) Internal Debt & (b)
External Debt.
Internal Debt
It comprises of market loans, compensation
bonds, prize bonds & 15–year annuity
certificates. It also includes borrowings
of a temporary nature, viz treasury bills
issued to the RBI, commercial banks, etc. &
also non– negotiable, non–interest bearing
securities issued to international financial
institutions like the IMF, World Bank & the
Asian Development Bank.
External Debt
It includes borrowings by Central
Government from external sources & are
based upon historical rates of exchange.
The total Public Dept & other liabilities
of the Indian Government would come to
`68,94, 691 crores by end March 2016; it
was only `15, 58, 900 crores in March 2003,
Central Govt’s public debt & other liabilities
has increased by nearly 4.5 times.
Government Subsidies
It is the money paid by government to help
an industry to reduce its costs, so that it can
provide products services at lower prices.
Subsidies– A sum of money granted to
support an undertaking held in public interest.
Types of Subsidies –
Cash Subsidies
Providing food or fertilizers to the consumer
at prices lower than those at which
government procures the commodities.
Interest or credit subsidies
It relates to loans given at rates lower
than market rates. This takes the form of
concessional credit to small scale industries
or priority sector loans to individuals to
buy a taxi, an auto-rickshaw or to set up
some small enterprise by buying some
equipment.
Tax subsidies
It can be in the form of tax exemption of
medical expenses, postponing collection of
tax arrears.
Procurement subsidies
It is the purchase of food grains at an
assured price which is higher than the
prevailing market price.
India is the world’s second largest importer of arms and spent $50 billion in the last decade
GK-283
In-Kind subsidies
Provision of free medical services through
government dispensaries, provision of
equipment to physically handicapped persons.
Regulatory subsidies
Fixation of prices of goods produced by
the public sector at less than the cost with
a view to providing inputs to industry
or helping certain other categories of
consumers. Examples are making steel,
coal or other minerals available to industry,
providing electricity to farmers at a rate
much lower than the cost.
Finance Commission
Under the provisions of Article 280 of the
Constitution, the President is required to
constitute a Finance Commission every
fifth year for the specific purpose of
devolution of non-plan revenue resources.
The functions of the Commission are to
make recommendations to the President in
respect of
(i) the distribution of net proceeds of taxes
to be shared between the Union and
the States and the allocation of share of
such proceeds among the States,
(ii) the principles which should govern the
payment by the Union Govt. as grants-
in-aid to the States, and
(iii) any others matter concerning financial
relations between the Union and the
States.
The appointment of the Finance Commissioner
is of great importance, for it enables the
financial relation between the Centre and
the units to be altered in accordance with
changes in need and circumstances.
Stock Exchange in India
In India, there are small and big stock
exchanges. The most prominent exchanges
are National Stock Exchange (NSE) and
Bombay Stock Exchanges (BSE).
National Stock Exchange (NSE)
The NSE is the leading stock exchange of
India, located in Mumbai. It was established
in 1993 on the recommendation of
Pherwani Committee. Industrial
Development Bank of India (IDBI) is
the main promoter of this exchange. The
number of listings in NSE is 1696.
 GK-284
ECONOMY
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)
Like wholesale price index which
It is an Indian stock exchange located at Dalal measures the rise/fall in the price of
Street, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai. Established in commodities, there are share price indices.
1875, the BSE is Asia’s first stock exchange The most prominent indices in India are
and the World’s fastest stock exchange with
Sensex, Nifty and Nifty Junior.
a median trade speed of 6 micro seconds.
Sensex stands for Sensitive index. This is
More than 5500 companies are publicly
an index of Bombay Stock Exchange. This
listed in the BSE.
measures the price movement of top 30
Top 10 Stock Exchanges of the World company shares. The top 30 companies
1. New York Stock Exchange are called Blue Chip Companies.
2. NASDAQ Nifty stands for National Index for
3. London Stock Exchange fifty. This and Nifty Junior are indices of
4. Japan Exchange Group National Stock Exchange. Nifty measures
5. Shanghai Stock Exachange price movement of top fifty companies.
Nifty Junior is an index of next 50 top
6. Hong Kong Stock Exchange
companies.
7. Euronext
The top companies are selected on the
8. Shenzhen Stock Exchange basis of total value of all shares that are
9. TMX Group traded in the stock exchange.
10. Deutsche Borse

SEBI (Security and Exchange Board of India)

SEBI was established in 1988 for the development & regulation of securities market (Shares
& Debentures) through a resolution of government. It was given statutory status in 1992.
Its head office is in Mumbai. Its regional offices are in Kolkata, Delhi & Chennai. SEBI was
authorized to regulate all merchant banks on issue activity, lay guidelines & supervise &
regulate the working of mutual funds & oversee the working of stock exchanges in India.

INDIAN ECONOMY
National Income
National Income of a country is the total
value of all final goods and services
produced in the country in a particular
period of time usually, one year. The growth
of National Income helps to know the
progress of the country. National Income is
a flow, not a stock. In India, National Income
estimates are related with the financial
year, i.e. April 1 to March 31.
Measures/Concepts of National Income
GDP
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the
total money value of all final goods &
services produced within the geographical
boundaries of the country (produced by
resident citizens + foreign nationals) during
a given period of time, generally one year.
India is the largest producer of milk, i.e. 17% of global production.
GDP = Q × P,
Q = Total quantity of final goods & services.
P = Price of final goods & services.
GNP
Gross National Product (GNP) is the money
value of total output or production of final
goods & services produced by the nationals
of a country during a given period of time,
generally a year. In this case, the income of
all the resident & non-resident citizens of
a country is included whereas the income
of foreign nationals who reside within the
geographical boundary of the country is
excluded.
GNP = GDP + (X – M)
X = Export of goods & services
M = Import of goods & services
ECONOMY GK-285

X – M = Net Factor Income from Abroad P.I. = National Income – Undistributed Profits
(NFIA) of Corporation – Payments for Social Security
So, GNP = GDP + NFIA Provisions – Corporate Taxes + Government
Transfer payments + Business Transfer
NNP
payments + Net Interest paid by government.
Net National Product (NNP) can be SOCIAL SECURITY PROVISIONS = Payments
calculated in 2 ways:- made by employees towards pension &
(i) NNP at market price: provident fund
NNP = GNP – Depreciation TRANSFER PAYMENTS = Payments that
are not made against any productive
Depreciation means wear & tear of goods activity. eg. old age pension, unemployment
produced. compensation, disaster relief payment, etc.
NNP at market price includes Indirect taxes DISPOSAL PERSONAL INCOME (DPI):
and excludes subsidies. Income that is available to individuals that
(ii) NNP at factor cost: NNP at factor cost can be disposed at their will.
calculates National Income only on the
DPI = Personal Income – Direct Taxes.
basis of cost incurred to produce the goods
& services. This cost is the payment made to National Income at constant price &
the factors of production. current price

NNPfc = NNPmp – Indirect Taxes + Subsidy NI @ CONSTANT PRICE = Total quantity

When NNP is obtained at factor cost, it is
known as National Income.
Likewise, GDP at factor cost also can be
calculated.
GDPfc = GDPmp – Indirect Taxes + Subsidy
of all final goods & services produced in a
particular year × Price of base year.
Base year of National Income accounts
is the year chosen to enable inter – year
comparisons. The new series changes the
base to 2011–12 from 2004–05

Personal Income NI @ CURRENT PRICE = Total quantity

of all final goods & services produced in
It is that income which is actually obtained
a particular year × Price of goods & ser-
by nationals in one year. vices in that particular year.

Measurement of National Income

Methods of Measurement

Product/Output/Pro- Income Consumption/Expen-

duction method method diture method

Gross value added = Output N.I. = Total Rent + GDP = Consumption

of final goods & services – Total wages + Total Expenditure of Consumers
Intermediate Consumption Interest + Total profit
+ Consumption Expenditure
of investors or entrepreneur
called investment +
GDP = Gross value added +
consumption of government
Indirect Taxes – Subsidy

The average Indian is nearly 20 years younger than the average Japanese (26 against 45).
 GK-286
ECONOMY
IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL (c) Living standards: Gross National
REPORTS INDEX Income Per Capita
Human Development Index India has been classified in the Medium
The UNDP Human Development Report Human Development Category, placed
ranks countries on basis of measuring at 130 rank out of 187 countries (Human
human development by combining Development Report 2015).
indicators of the Health, Education The title of 2015 edition of, HDR is ‘work
& Income into a composite Human
for Human Development’. The top 3 nations
Development Index (HDI). The HDI
classifies the World into 4 broad segments : in 2015 HDI are Norway (1st),Australia
Very High → High → Medium and → Low (2nd) & Switzerland(3rd).The first Indian
Human Development Components of HDI. Human Development Report was formally
HDI includes released by the then Prime Minister Mr. Atal
(a) Health : Life Expectancy at Birth Bihari Vajpayee on April 23, 2002. Madhya
(b) Education : Mean years of schooling, Pradesh was the first state to release state-
Expected years of schooling level Human Development Report.
INDIA’S RANK IN IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL REPORTS/INDEX
Index / Report India's Rank
Gender Inequality Index 2015 130th (Out of 155 countries)
Global Hunger Index 2016 28.5 (Serious hunger situation)
Global Competitiveness Report 55th (Out of 140 economies)
2015-16
World Investment Report 2016 10th (in FDI inflows in the world)
Global Gender Gap 2015 108th (Out of 145 economies)
Ease of Doing Business Index 2017 130th (Out of 190 economies)
Global Innovation Index 2016 66th (Out of 128 countries)
Global Human Capital Index 2016 105th (Out of 130 countries)

FIVE YEAR PLANS

Plans Period Growth Performance Themes
(% p.a.)
Target Actual
1st Plan (1951 - 56) 2.1 3.5 Development of primary sector
2nd Plan (1956 - 61) 4.5 4.2 Development of public sector (Industries)
3rd Plan (1961 - 66) 5.6 2.8 Agricultural Development, Defence
Industry, Price stabilization
Annual Plan (1966 - 69) – 3.9 Growth with stability & progress towards
(Plan Holiday) self-reliance. (Nationalisation of Banks,
Green Revolution).
4th Plan (1969 - 74) 5.7 3.2 Employment, Poverty Alleviation
5th Plan (1974 - 78) 4.4 4.7 Economic Liberalisation
Annual Plan (1979 - 80) – – 5.2 Growth, Modernisation, Self-Reliance &
Social Justice

According to latest data, Indian Railways is one of the largest rail networks in the world, giving employment to more than 1.4 million people.
ECONOMY GK-287

6th plan (1980 - 85) 5.2 5.5 Human Development in various aspects,
Beginning of Liberalization - Privatisa-
tion- Globalization
7th plan (1985 - 90) 5.0 5.6 Growth with Equity & Distributive
Justice
Annual Plan (1990 - 92) – 3.4 Equity with Social Justice
8th Plan (1992 - 97) 5.6 6.5 Towards more Inclusive Growth
9th Plan (1997 - 6.5 5.5 Faster more Inclusive & Sustainable Growth
2002)
10th Plan (2002 - 07) 7.9 7.7
11th Plan (2007 - 12) 9.0 8.0
12th Plan (2012 - 17) 8%

Poverty 3. Antyodaya plan

Poverty can be defined as a social 4. Small Farmer Development Programme
phenomenon in which a section of the (SFDP)
society is unable to fulfil even its basic 5. Drought Area Development Programme
necessities of life. (DADP)
Magnitude of Poverty in India 6. Twenty Point Programme
7. Food for Work Programme
The Planning Commission of India has
8. Minimum Needs Programme (MNP)
estimated rural and urban poverty in India
from the sixth Five Year Plan ownwards. 9. Integrated Rural Development Programme
Type of Poverty (IRDP)
1. Absolute 10. National Rural Employment Programme
2. Relative (NREP)
11. Rural Labour Employment Guarantee
Rural & Urban Poverty
Programme (RLEGP)
I. Rural Poverty 12. Jawahar Gram Samriddhi Yojana (JGSY)
(Formerly known as Jawahar Rojgar
Main Reasons for Rural Poverty Yojana)
1. Rapid population growth. 13. TRYSEM scheme
2. Lack of capital. 14. Family Planning/Welfare programme for
3. Lack of alternative employment population control
opportunities other than agricultural. 15. Employment Assurance Scheme
4. Excessive population pressure on 16. Scheme for Rural artisans / craftsmen
agriculture. 17. DWCRA programme
5. Illiteracy 18. Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana
6. Regional disparities. 19 Mahila Samriddhi Yojana
7. Joint family system. 20 National Social Assistanc Programme (NSAP)
8. Child marriage tradition. 21 Group Life Insurance Scheme for Rural
9. Indifferent attitude towards investment. Areas
10. Lack of proper implementation of 22. Rural Housing Programme
public distribution system.
23. Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana
Government Efforts for Eliminating (PMGY)
Rural Poverty 24. Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana
1. Legal elimination of bonded labourers 25. Sampurna Gramin Rojgar Yojana
2. Preventing the centralisation of wealth 26. Indira Awaas Yojana
by modifying the law 27. Samagra Awaas Yojana

India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the World.
 GK-288
28. Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Yojana
29. Agriculture Income Insurance Scheme
30. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme
(MGNREGS)
II. Urban Poverty
Main Reasons for Urban Poverty
1. Migration of rural youth towards cities.
2. Lack of vocational education /training.
3. Limited job opportunities of employment
in the cities.
4. Rapid increase in population.
5. Lack of housing facilities.
6. No proper implementation of public
distribution system (PDS).
Government Efforts for Eliminating
Urban Poverty
1. Emphasis on vocational education.
2. Nehru Rozgar Yojana (NRY).
3. Self-Employment Programme for the
Urban Poor (SEPUP).
4. Financial assistance for constructing houses.
5. Self-Employment to the Educated Urban
Youth (SEEUY) Programme.
6. Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana (Also
implemented in rural areas).
7. National Social Assistance Programme.
8. Urban Basic Services for the Poor (UBSP)
Programme.
9. Prime Minister's Integrated Urban Poverty
Eradication Programme (PMIUPEP).
10. Swarna Jayanti Shahri Rozgar Yojana.
Unemployment
In broad sense a state of unemployment
appears when a labour does not obtain
employment opportunity despite his
willingness to work on existing wage rate.
Different Types of Unemployment in
India
1. Structural Unemployment
This type of unemployment is associated
with economic structure of the country, i.e.
rapidly growing population, technological
change and their immobility fall in rate
of capital formation.
Brown field FDI is investment made by a foreign company’s existing production arrangements.
ECONOMY
2. Under-employment
The labourers are under-employed
who obtain work but their efficiency
and capability are not utilised at their
optimum and as a result they contribute
in the production upto a limited level.
3. Disguised Unemployment
If a person does not contribute anything
in the production process or in other
words, if he can be removed from the
work without affecting the productivity
adversely, he will be treated as
disguisedly unemployed. The marginal
productivity of such unemployed
person is zero.
4. Open Unemployment
When the labourers live without any
work and they don’t find any work to
do, they come under the category of
open unemployment. Educated and
unskilled labourers unemployment are
included in open unemployment.
NREGS (National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme)
NREGS was started by the UPA
Government as a national programme to
provide 100 days of employment to begin
with through asset-creating public works
every year at minimum wages to one-
able bodied person in every poor class
household.
The National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act came into force in 2006
in India’s 200 most backward districts.
In 2007, it was extended to another 130
districts. With effect from April 1,2008,
the Act is to cover all districts.
The following are the major short-
comings of NREGS:
•• Lack of adequate professional staff
•• Lack of project planning
•• Bureaucratic resistance of NREGA
on account of the widely held belief
that it is much more difficult to make
money under NREGS as compared
with other employment programmes.
•• Lack of transparency and absence of
social audit
•• Inappropriate rates of payment.
ECONOMY GK-289

VARIOUS DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMMES

IN INDIA – AT A GLANCE
Programme/Plan/ Year of Objective/Description
Institution beginning
Command Area Development 1974-75 To ensure better and rapid utilisation of irrigation
Programme (CADP) capacities of medium and large projects.
Twenty Point Programme 1975 Poverty eradication and raising the standard of
(TPP) living.
Antyodaya Yojana 1977-78 To make the poorest families of the village
economically independent (only in Rajasthan).
Training Rural Youth for 1 August Programme of training rural youth for self-
Self-Employment (TRYSEM) 15,1979 employment.
Integrated Rural Development October 2, All-round development of the rural poor through a
Programme (IRDP) 1980 programme of asset endowment for self-employment
National Rural Employment 1980 To provide profitable employment opportunities to
Programme the rural poor.
National Fund for Rural February To grant 100% tax rebate to donors and also to
Development (NFRD) 1984 provide financial assistance for rural development
projects.
Industrial Reconstruction March To provide financial assistance to sick and closed
Bank of India 1985 industrial units for their reconstruction.
Council for Advancement of September To provide assistance for rural prosperity.
People’s Action and Rural 1, 1986
Technology (CAPART)
Jawahar Rozgar Yojana April 1989 For providing employment to rural unemployed
Nehru Rozgar Yojana October For providing employment to urban unemployed.
1989
Members of Parliament December To sanction ` 1 crore per year to every Member of
Local Area Development 23, 1993 Parliament for various development works in their
Scheme (MPLADS) respective areas through DM of the district.
Scheme of Infrastructural 1993-94 To provide capital through special institutions for
Development in Mega Cities water supply, sewage, drainage, urban transportation,
(SIDMC) land development and improvement of slum projects
undertaken in Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai
and Hyderabad.
Mid-Day Meal Scheme 1995 Improving the nutritional status of children in
government, local body, government aided schools
and Education Guarantee scheme and Alternate
& Innovative education centres with the main
objective of enabling poor children to attend
school regularly.
Mahila Samridhi Yojana October 2, To encourage the rural women to deposit money in
1993 Post Office Savings & Account
Kasturba Gandhi August 15, To establish girls schools in districts having low
Education Scheme 1997 female literacy rate.
Swarna Jayanti Shahari December To provide gainful employment to urban
Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) 1997 unemployed and under employed poor through
self-employment or wage employment.
Greenfield investment is investment in new plants.
 GK-290
ECONOMY
Programme/Plan/ Year of Objective/Description
Institution beginning
Annapurna Yojana March To provide 10 kg foodgrains to senior citizens (who
1999 did not get pension).
Swarna Jayanti Gram April 1999 For eliminating Rural poverty and unemployment
Swarozgar Yojana. and promoting self-employment.
Jan Shree Bima Yojana Aug. 10, Providing Insurance Security to people living
2000 below poverty line
Pradhan Mantri 2000 To fulfil basic requirements in rural areas.
Gramodaya Yojana
Antyodaya Anna Yojana Dec. 25, To provide food security to poor.
2000
Pradhan Mantri Gram Dec. 25, To provide good all-weather road connectivity to
Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) 2000 unconnected villages.
Vande Matram Scheme Feb. 9, Major initiative in public-private partnership during
2004 pregnancy check-up.
National Food for Work Nov. 14, Programme to intensify the generation of
Programme 2004 supplementary wage employment.
Janani Suraksha Yojana April 12, Providing care to expectant mothers.
2005
Bharat Nirman Dec. Development of Rural Infrastructure including six
Programme 16,2005 components : Irrigation, Water Supply, Housing,
Road, Telephone and Electricity.
Jawaharlal Nehru National 2005 To assist cities and towns in taking up housing and
Urban Renewal Mission infrastructural facilities for the urban poor in 65
(JNNURM) cities in the country.
National Rural Health 2005 To provide effective healthcare to rural population
Mission (NRHM) and universal access to healthcare with emphasis
on women.

National Rural Employment Feb. 2, To provide atleast 100 days wage employment in
Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA) 2006 rural areas.
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao 2014 Generating awareness and improving the efficiency
Yojana of delivery of welfare services meant for women.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan 2014 To link poors at grassroot level by providing bank
Yojana accounts.
Atal Mission for 2015 To upgrade urban infrastructure across 500 towns
Rejuvenation and Urban and cities.
Transformation (AMRUT)
Shyama Prasad Mukherji September To deliver integrated project based infrastructure
Rurban Mission 2015 in the rural areas.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan 2001 Programme for achievement of universalization of
(SSA) elementary education in a time bound manner.
Make in India August To revive manufacturing sector.
2015
National Skill Mission July To develop skill and entrepreneurship.
2015
NABARD is the apex institution for providing credit facility to agricultural & rural areas.
ECONOMY GK-291

Programme/Plan/ Year of Objective/Description

Institution beginning
Atal Pension Yojana March For Social Security.
2015
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan May To provide a renewable 1 year accidental death-
Jyoti Bima Yojana 2015 cum-disability cover of ` 2 lakh for partial/
(PMJJBY) permanent disability to all savings bank account
holders in the age group of 18-70 years for a
premium of ` 330 per annum per subscriber.

AGRICULTURE
Features of Indian Agriculture Sector

(1) Accounts for almost 27% of GDP incorporate financing of rural infrastructure
(2) Contributes 21% of total exports such as water, roads and power.
(3) Provides employment to around 65% of Evergreen Revolution
the total workforce
(4) Provides raw materials to several The pioneer of Indian green revolution Mr.
industries M.S. Swaminathan, presently chairman of
National Commission on farmers gave a
Green Revolution in India new call for ‘Evergreen Revolution’ for
doubling the present production level of
Since the mid-1960’s, the traditional
foodgrains from 210 million tonnes to 420
agricultural practices are gradually being
million tonnes. For making ‘Evergreen
replaced by modern technology & farm
Revolution’ a success, he stressed on
practices in India & veritable revolution
adopting organic farming. He also
is taking place in our country. American
mentioned four pre-requistes for getting
Scientist Dr. William Grande termed it as
the success:
Green Revolution. During the middle of
i. Promoting soil health.
60s, Indian agricultural scientists developed ii. Promoting Lab to Land exhibitions.
a number of new high yielding varieties of iii. Making rainwater harvesting compulsory.
wheat by processing wheat seeds imported iv Providing credit to farmers on suitable
from Mexico. These varieties were having conditions.
production potentialities of 60 – 65 quintals
per hectare. Agricultural Revolution in a nutshell
As a result Green Revolution ensured India’s Revolution Area
self-dependence in foodgrains. The credit for
it goes not only to Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman 1. Green Foodgrain production
Borlaug but also to Dr. M. S. Swaminathan. 2. White Milk
Second Green Revolution 3. Yellow Oil seeds
(Strategy Adopted in 11th Plan) 4. Blue Fisheries
The urgent need for taking agriculture to a 5. Red Meat and Tomato
higher trajectory of 4% annual growth can 6. Golden Fruits
be met only with improvement in the scale 7. Grey Fertilizers
as well as quality of agricultural reforms
undertaken by the various states and agencies 8. Black/ Brown Non-conventional &
at the various levels. These at efficient use of Energy Sources
resources and conservation of soil, water and 9. Silver Eggs
ecology on a sustainable basis, and in a holistic 10. Round Potato
framework. Such a holistic framework must

Food Corporation of India was established in 1965.

 GK-292
Food Security
World Development Report defined food
security as “access by all people at all times
to enough food for an active, healthy life”.
Main components of the food security
system :
1. Promoting domestic production to meet
the demands of the growing population
and also to reduce under-nutrition among
quite a large section of the population.
2. Providing minimum support prices for
procurement & storage of food items.
3. Operating a Public Distribution System.
4. Maintaining buffer stocks so as to take
care of natural calamities resulting in
temporary shortage of food.
Public Distribution System (PDS)
•• It is established by the Government of
India in an Indian Food Security system.
•• It distributes subsidized food & non-
food items to India’s poor.
•• Scheme was launched in India on June
1997.
•• Major commodities distributed include
staple foodgrains, such as wheat,
rice, sugar, and kerosene oil, through
a network of public distribution
shops, (also known as ration shops)
established in several states across the
country.
•• Food Corporation of India procures
and maintains the PDS.
Minimum Support Price of Agriculture
Production
Minimum Support Price (MSP) announced
by the Government is the price at which
Government is ready to purchase the crop
from the farmers directly if crop price
becomes lower to MSP. As a result, market
price of the crop never comes down from
the levels of MSP. The minimum price
security gives incentives to farmers to
increase their production.
NABARD
A National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD) was, set up in July
1982 by an Act of Parliament to take over
the functions of ARDC and the refinancing
functions of RBI in relation to co-operative
banks and RRBs. NABARD is linked originally
The General Budget is presented in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Finance.
ECONOMY
with the RBI by the latter contributing half
of its share capital the other half being
contributed by the Government of India
and nominating three of its Central Board
Directors on the board of NABARD, besides
a Deputy Governor of RBI being appointed
as Chairman of NABARD.
Functions of NABARD
(i) It provides refinance facilities to all
banks and financial institutions lending
to agriculture and rural development.
(ii) It provides short-term, medium-term
and long-term credits to State Co-
operative Banks (SCBs), RRBs, LDBs and
other financial institutions approved by
RBI.
(iii) NABARD gives long-term loans (up
to 20 years) to State Governments to
enable them to subscribe to the share
capital of co-operative credits societies.
(iv) NABARD gives long-term loans to any
institution approved by the Central
Government.
(v) NABARD has the responsibility of co-
ordinating the activities of Central
and State Governments, the Planning
Commission and other all- India and
State level institutions entrusted with the
development of small scale industries, village
and cottage industries, rural crafts, industries
in the tiny and decentralised sectors, etc.
(vi) It has the responsibility to inspect RRBs
and co-operative banks, other than
primary co-operative societies; and
(vii) It maintains a Research and Develop-
ment Fund to promote research in
agriculture and rural development.
India’s agriculture in Current
Scenario
Agriculture plays a vital role in India’s
economy. Over 58 per cent of the rural
households depend on agriculture as their
principal means of livelihood. Total food
grains production in India reached an all-
time high of 251.12 million tonnes in FY15.
India has the second largest agricultural
land in the World with 157.35 million
hectares of land available.
Agriculture sector in India contributes 16%
of GDP & 10% of export earnings.
ECONOMY GK-293

2nd Largest Agricultural Land in the World

157.35 million hectares of available land

Growth of Agriculture Industry in India

Growth drivers of Indian Agriculture
• Population and income
growth
Demand-side
drivers • Increasing exports
• Favourable demographics

• Growing
Growth institutional credit
drivers • Increasing MSPs
• Hybrid and genetically
modified seeds • Introduction of
• Mechanisation new schemes
Supply-side Policy
• Irrigational facilities • Opening up of
drivers support
• Green Revolution in exports of wheat
Eastern India and rice

Among 15 Leading Exportern of Agricultural Products Agricultural exports from India

(USD billion) CAGR: 27%

Policy Support

• 100% FDI under automatic route for

development of seeds

29.6 • Agricultural Technology Management

24.7 29.2 Agency (ATMA)
15.6
11.3 • Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium
(SFAC)
• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)
FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14
• Pradhan Mantri Gram Sinchai Yojana

Growth of Agriculture Industry in India

Growth in Agriculture
According to the advanced estimates of Central Statistical Organisation, agriculture and
allied sector recorded a growth of 8.3 per cent in FY 15.
Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for about 58 per cent of India’s population
Deficit financing was first done in the USA.
 GK-294
ECONOMY
GDP by value added - size of agriculture and allied activities (US$ billion)

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Print Release, RBI Tech sci Research;
Note: GDP- Gross Domestic Product, cso-Central Statistical Organisation

INDUSTRIES
Types of Industries

Primary Secondary Tertiary

(Manufacturing) (Services)

Production of Transform raw material into Provide services to other

goods with help finished product with the people & industries
of nature help of manpower machines.

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

Forestry, Fishing, Automobile, Oil Refining, Information Technology,
Horticulture Textile, Energy Production etc.

Liberalisation
Liberalisation is a relaxation of Government restrictions, usually in areas of social, political
and economic policy. It is commonly known as free trade. It implies removal of restrictions
& barriers to free trade.
1. Privatization: Privatization can be partner and players in the global defined as the
transfer of ownership arena & control of public sector units to private individuals or
companies.
2. Globalization: It refers to a process whereby there are social, cultural, technological
exchanges across the border.

RBI is the nodal agency for implementing the monetary policy.

ECONOMY
CPSEs (Central Public Sector Enterprises)
Structure of PSEs in India
The PSEs in India are basically categorised under four broad types based on their owner-
ship structure. These include:
(i) departmental undertakings,
(ii) statutory corporations,
(iii) government-owned companies and
(iv) autonomous bodies set up as registered societies.
Public Enterprises
Departmental Statutory
Undertakings Corporations
• Railways • Airport Authority of
• Post India
• All India Radio • National Highway
• Doordarshan authority of India
• Food corporation
of India
• Industrial Finance
Corporation of India
(i) Departmental undertakings
Departmental undertakings are
primarily meant to provide essential
services such as railways. They function
under the control of the respective
ministries of Government of India (GOI).
A departmental undertaking structure
is considered suitable for activities the
government aims to keep in its control
in view of the public interest.
(ii) Statutory corporations
Statutory corporations are public
enterprises that came into existence
by a Special Act of the Parliament. The
Act defines the powers and functions,
rules and regulations governing the
employees and the relationship of
the corporation with government
departments.
National Stock Exchange (NSE) was set up in 1984.
GK-295
Autonomous Bodies
Government registered under
Companies Societies
Registration Act
• Steel Authority of • Indian Council of
India Ltd. Agricultural
• Coal India Ltd. Research
• Hindustan Copper • Council of Scientific
Ltd. & Industrial
• State Bank of India Research
(iii) Government-owned companies
Government-owned or controlled
companies refer to companies in
which 51% or more of the paid up
capital is held by the central or any
state government (partly or wholly by
both). It is registered under the Indian
Companies Act and is fully governed by
the provisions of this Act.
(iv) Autonomous bodies
Autonomous bodies are set up whenever
it is felt that certain functions need to be
discharged outside the governmental set
up with some amount of independence
and flexibility without day-to-day
interference from the governmental
machinery. These bodies are set up
by the concerned ministries or their
 GK-296
departments and are funded through
grants-in-aid, either fully or partially,
depending on the extent which such
institutes generate internal resources of
their own. These grants are regulated by
the Ministry of Finance (MOF) through
ECONOMY
their instructions. They are mostly
registered as societies under the ‘Societies
Registration Act’ and in certain cases they
have been set up as statutory institutions
under the provisions contained in various
Acts.

CPSE’s Role in Economy

•• CPSE investments have a multiplier effect on the economy
During the first five-year plan (1950-51 to 1955-56) there were only 5 CPSEs with a total
financial investment (Including equity plus long-term loans) of `290 million, whereas at
present, in 2015, there are as many as 290 CPSEs, wherein, 169 are Holding CPSEs and
121 are the subsidiaries. As of March 31, 2012, the total financial investment of CPSEs was
7,292.3 billion, showing a CAGR of around 12% during the same period.
•• CPSEs continue to dominate domestic output of key sectors
CPSEs continue to hold control across several industries, despite opening up of several
sectors for private investment. CPSEs continue to have complete monopoly in nuclear power
generation. Other leading areas of dominance are coal (over 80%), crude oil (over 70%),
refineries (over 55%) and wired lines (over 80%). However, their share has decreased
considerably, with the exception of coking coal and power generation.

Corporations & Government companies are 2. Coal India Limited

divided into three categories - Maharatna,
Navratna and Miniratna. As on 26th October
2014 there are 7 Maharatna, 17 Navratna &
73 Miniratna.
Maharatna
Criteria for grant of Maharatna status :
The CPSEs fulfilling the following criteria
are eligible to be considered for grant of
Maharatna status.
(i) Having Navratna status.
(ii) Listed on Indian stock exchange with
minimum prescribed public shareholding
under SEBI regulations.
(iii) Average annual turnover of more than
` 25,000 crore, during the last 3 years.
(iv) Average annual net worth of more than
` 15,000 crore, during the last 3 years.
(v) Average annual net profit after tax of
more than ` 5,000 crore, during the last
3 years.
(vi) Should have significant global presence/
international operations.
Companies:
1. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
The BOP of a country reflects its economic strengths and weaknesses.
3. GAIL (India) Limited
4. Indian Oil Corporation Limited
5. NTPC Limited
6. Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)
Limited
7. Steel Authority of India Limited
Navratna
Criteria for grant of Navratna status :
The Miniratna Category – I and Schedule ‘A’
CPSEs, which have obtained ‘excellent’ or
‘very good’ rating under the Memorandum
of Understanding system in three of the last
five years, and have composite score of 60
or above in the six selected performance
parameters, namely,
(i) net profit to net worth,
(ii) manpower cost to total cost of production/
services,
(iii) profit before depreciation, interest and
taxes to capital employed,
(iv) profit before interest and taxes to
turnover,
(v) earning per share and
(vi) inter-sectoral performance.
ECONOMY
Companies:
1. Bharat Electronics Limited
2 Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited
3. Container Corporation of India Limited
4. Engineers India Limited
5. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
6. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation
Limited
7. Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited
8. National Aluminium Company Limited
9. National Buildings Construction
Corporation Limited
10. NMDC Limited
11. Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited
12. Oil India limited.
13. Power Finance Corporation Limited
14. Power Grid Corporation of India Limited
15. Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited
16. Rural Electrification Corporation Limited
17. Shipping Corporation of India Limited
Industrial Policy 1991
(A) Main Features (objective)
•• to maintain a sustained growth in
productivity.
•• to enhance gainful employment.
•• to achieve optimum utilisation of
human resources.
•• to attain international competitiveness
•• to transform India into a major partner
and players in the global arena.
(B) Main Focus on
•• deregulating Indian industry.
•• allowing the industry freedom & flexibility
in responding to market forces
•• providing a policy regime which
facilitates and fosters growth of Indian
industry
(C) Policy Measures
(i) Liberalisation of Industrial Licensing
Policy.
(ii) Introduction of Industrial Entrepreneur’s
Memorandum (i.e. no industrial approval
is required for industries not requiring
compulsory licensing).
(iii) Liberalisation of Locational Policy.
(iv) Liberalised policy for Small Scale Sectors.
Asia’s first Export Processing Zone (EPZ) set up in Kandla in 1965.
GK-297
(v) Non-Resident Indians Scheme (NRIs are
allowed to invest upto equity on non-
repatriation basis in all activities except
for a small negative list).
(vi) Electronic Hardware Technology Park
(EHTP)/ Software Technology Park (STP)
Scheme for building up strong electronic
industry to enhance exports.
(vii) Liberalised policy for Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI).
Core Industries
There are 8 core industries in the economy
having a weightage of 38% in the IIP.
(Index of industrial production). There 8
core Industries are-Coal, Crude oil, Natural
Gas, Petroleum Refinery production,
Fertilizes, steel, Cement and Electricity.
MAJOR INDUSTRIES:-
Biotechnology Industry in India
India is among the top 12 biotech
destinations in the world and ranks third in
the Asia-Pacific region.
The Indian biotech industry holds about
2% share of the global biotech industry. The
Indian biotechnology sector is expected
to grow from the current US$ 5-7 billion
to US$ 100 billion by 2025, growing at an
average rate of 30%.
Biopharma is the largest sector contributing
about 64% of the total revenue followed
by bioservices (18%), bioagri (14%),
bioindustry (3%), and bioinformatics
contributing (1%).
The high demand for different biotech
products has also opened up scope for the
foreign companies to set up base in India.
India has emerged as a leading destination
for clinical trials, contract research and
manufacturing activities owing to the
growth in the bioservices sector.
India has all the ingredients to become a
global leader in affordable healthcare. If
there is an annual investment of US$ 4.01
billion to US$ 5.02 billion in the next five
years, the biotech industry can grow to US$
100 billion by 2025, with a 25% return on
investment, and set a growth rate of 30%
year-on-year.
 GK-298
12th Five-Year Plan fund allocation
Source : Deptt. of science and Technology,
Planning commission, Aranca Research
Cement Industry in India
India is the second largest producer of
cement in the world. India’s cement
industry is a vital part of its economy,
providing employment to more than a
million people, directly or indirectly.
Some of the recent major government
initiatives such as development of 100
smart cities are expected to provide a
major boost to the sector. Expecting such
developments in the country and aided
by suitable government foreign policies,
several foreign players such as Lafarge-
Holcim, Heidelberg Cement, and Vicat have
invested in the country in the recent past.
India’s cement demand is expected to reach
550-600 million tonnes per annum (MTPA)
by 2025. The housing sector is the biggest
demand driver of cement, accounting for
about 67% of the total consumption in India.
In the 12th Five Year Plan, the Government
of India plans to increase investment in
infrastructure to the tune of US$ 1 trillion and
increase the industry’s capacity to 150 MT.
Gems and Jewellery Industry in India
Contributor to semi-skilled employment.
Consists of 3 segments – Diamonds, Gold
Jewellery & Coloured Gemstones.
It is extremely export oriented and labour
intensive. It contributes to 6 – 7% of the
GDP.
The gems and jewellery sector in India
is engaged in sourcing, manufacturing,
and processing, which involves cutting,
polishing and selling precious gemstones
and metals such as diamonds, other
The Industrial Policy Resolution, 1948 was the first economic policy of our country.
ECONOMY
precious stones, gold, silver and platinum.
It contributed US$ 39.9 billion in terms of
foreign exchange earnings in FY 2014-15.
According to a report by Research and
Markets, the jewellery market in India is
expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.95% over
the period 2014-2019.
Manufacturing Industry in India
Indian Manufacturing sector currently
contributes 16% to GDP (2015) and gives
employment to 12% (2014) of the country’s
workforce. Studies have estimated that
every job created in manufacturing has a
multiplier effect, creating 2–3 jobs in the
services sector.
Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi, has
launched the ‘Make in India’ initiative
to place India on the world map as
a manufacturing hub to give global
recognition to the Indian economy.
In a major boost to the ‘Make in India’
initiative, the Government of India has
received investment proposals of over
US$ 3.05 billion till end of August 2015
from various companies. India has become
one of the most attractive destinations for
investments in the manufacturing sector.
Clean energy investments in India increased
to US$ 7.9 billion in 2014, helping the
country maintain its position as the seventh
largest clean energy investor in the world.
Oil and Gas Industry in India
The oil and gas sector is among the six core
industries in India and plays a major role
in influencing decision making for all the
other important sections of the economy.
In 1997–98, the New Exploration Licensing
Policy (NELP) was envisaged to fill the ever-
increasing gap between India’s gas demand
and supply. The Government of India
has adopted several policies to fulfil the
increasing demand. The Government has
allowed 100% foreign direct investment
(FDI) in many segments of the sector,
including natural gas, petroleum products,
and refineries, among others.
Presently, domestic production accounts for
more than three-quarters of the country’s
total gas consumption. India increasingly
ECONOMY
relies on imported LNG. The country was
the fifth-largest LNG importer in 2013,
accounting for 5.5% of global imports.
India’s LNG imports are forecasted to
increase at a CAGR of 33% during 2012–17.
Wind
r
a
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N u
Hydro Coal
lG &
tu um
as
Na role
ra
t
Pe
Energy consumption pattern in India
State-owned Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation (ONGC) dominates the
upstream segment (exploration and
production), accounting for approximately
68% of the country’s total oil output (FY14).
PAHAL - Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG
consumer (DBTL) scheme was launched
in 54 districts on November 11, 2014
and expanded to rest of the country on
January 1, 2015 will cover 15.3 crore
active LPG consumers of the country. 24×7
LPG service via web launched to provide
LPG consumers an integrated solution to
carry out all services at one place, through
MyLPG.in, from the comfort of their home.
The Government of India launched the ‘Give
It Up’ campaign on LPG subsidy that helped
it save ` 140 crore (US$ 21.11 million) as
on 22nd July 2015 with nearly 12.6 lakh
Indians registering for the cause.
Subsidised cooking gas will no longer be
provided to consumers earning ` 10 lakh
or more a year from January 1, 2016. The
rule will initially be implemented on self-
declaration basis for cylinders booked from
January 2016 onwards.
India has proven oil reserves of 5.7 billion
barrels, and gas reserves of 1.4 trillion
Indian Railway network is the biggest railway of Asia.
GK-299
cubic meters, yet given the low production
base, the country remains a net importer of
energy.
Real Estate Industry in India
India is the second largest employer of
Real estate after agriculture and is slated to
grow at 30% over the next decade.
The real estate sector comprises four sub
sectors - housing, retail, hospitality, and
commercial.
Bengaluru is expected to be the most
favoured property investment destination
for NRIs, followed by Ahmedabad, Pune,
Chennai, Goa, Delhi and Dehradun.
The Indian real estate market is expected to
touch US$ 180 billion by 2020. The housing
sector alone contributes 5-6% to the
country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Mumbai is the best city in India for
commercial real estate investment, with
returns of 12-19% likely in the next five
years, followed by Bengaluru and Delhi-
National Capital Region (NCR).
Under the Sardar Patel Urban Housing
Mission, 30 million houses will be built in
India by 2022, mostly for the economically
weaker sections and low-income groups,
through public-private-partnership (PPP)
and interest subsidy.
Textile Industry in India
India’s textiles sector is one of the oldest
industries in Indian economy dating back
several centuries. Even today, textiles sector
is one of the largest contributors to India’s
exports. India is the world’s second largest
exporter of textiles and clothing contributing
approximately 12% of total exports.
The Indian textiles industry, currently
estimated at around US$ 108 billion, is
expected to reach US$ 223 billion by 2021.
The textile industry contributes to 10% of
manufacturing production, 2% of India’s
GDP and to 13% of the country’s export
earnings. With over 45 million people
employed directly, textile industry is one of
the largest source of employment generation
 GK-300
in the country. Readymade garments are
the largest contributor to total textile and
apparel exports from India in FY15. The
segment had a share of 40% in overall textile
Segments
Cotton & Jute & Silk &
Cotton Jute Silk
Textiles Textiles Textiles
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in textile
sector increased to US$ 1,587.8 million in
FY15 from US$ 1,424.9 million in FY14.
The Ministry of Textiles is encouraging
investments through increasing focus on
schemes such as Technology Up-gradation
Fund Scheme (TUFS).
IT & ITeS Industry in India
India is the world’s largest sourcing
destination for the information technology
(IT) industry, accounting for approximately
67% of the US$ 124-130 billion market.
India’s IT industry amounts to 12.3% of the
global market, largely due to exports. Export
of IT services accounted for 56.12% of total
IT exports (including hardware) from India.
The Business Process Management (BPM)
segment accounted for 23.46% of total IT
exports during FY15.
The IT industry has also created significant
demand in the Indian education sector,
especially for engineering and computer
science.
The Indian Information Technology (IT)
sector is expected to grow 11% per annum
and triple its current annual revenue to
reach US$ 350 billion by FY 2025, as per
National Association of Software and
Services Companies (NASSCOM).
The IT industry is the biggest private sector employer in India.
ECONOMY
exports. Cotton and handmade textiles were
also major contributors with shares of 31%
and 16%, respectively.
The textile and apparels industry is broadly
classified into the following segments:
Wool & Hand- Technical Ready-
Woolen crafted Textiles made
Textiles Textiles garments
India’s internet economy is expected to touch
`10 trillion (US$ 151.6 billion) by 2018,
accounting for 5% of the country’s gross
domestic product (GDP), according to a
report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
and Internet and Mobile Association of India
(IAMAI). India’s internet user base reached
over 350 million by June 2015, the third largest
in the world, while the number of social media
users grew to 143 million by April 2015 and
smartphones grew to 160 million.
Indian start-ups are expected to receive
funding worth US$ 5 billion by the end of
2015, a 125% increase in a year, according to
a report by IT Industry association NASSCOM.
The Government of India has launched
the Digital India program to provide
several government services to the people
using IT and to integrate the government
departments and the people of India. The
adoption of key technologies across sectors
spurred by the ‘Digital India Initiative’ could
help boost India’s gross domestic product
(GDP) by US$ 550 billion to US$ 1 trillion by
2025, as per research firm McKinsey.
SMAC, increasing at a CAGR of approximately
30% to around US$ 650-700 billion by
2020. The social media is the second most
lucrative segment for IT firms, offering
a US$ 250 billion market opportunity by
2020.
ECONOMY
The Indian e-commerce segment is
US$ 12 billion in size and is witnessing
strong growth and thereby offers another
attractive avenue for IT companies to
develop products and services to cater to
the high growth consumer segment.
Indian Autombile Industry
The Indian automobile industry registered
a growth of 8.68% in the FY 2014 – 15
over last year and produced 23.37 million
vehicles. The automobile industry accounts
for 7.1% of the country’s gross domestic
product (GDP).
Two-wheeler production is projected to
rise from 18.5 million in FY15 to 34 million
by FY20. Furthermore, passenger vehicle
production is expected to increase to 10
million in FY20 from 3.2 million in FY15.
The government aims to develop India as a
global manufacturing as well as a research and
development (R&D) hub. It has set up National
Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure
Project (NATRIP) centres as well as a National
Automotive Board to act as facilitator between
the government and the industry.
Alternative fuel has the potential to provide
for the country’s energy demand in the auto
sector as the CNG distribution network in India
is expected to rise to 250 cities in 2018 from
125 cities in 2014. Furthermore, the luxury
car market can register high growth and is
expected to reach 150,000 units by 2020.
Coal Industry in India
Coal is one of the important parts of India’s
energy mix. It has the fifth largest coal
reserves in the world. It is a major source of
electricity production in India.
Coal India Limited (CIL) was formed as a
holding company in 1975, incorporating the
state-owned companies that were created
following the nationalisation of India’s coal
assets.
Coal India Limited accounts for around
80% of India’s total coal production.
MSME is the largest job provider and contributes about 8% to the GDP of India.
GK-301
Iron & Steel Industry
Started by TISCO at Jamshedpur in 1907.
India is world’s 3rd largest producer of
crude steel. Provides employment to large
number of people. Steel sector contributes
nearly 2% of GDP. Key industry for
construction. Backbone of all industries.
SAIL is the largest public sector steel
producing company. India is the largest
producer of sponge iron in the world.
Travel & Tourism Industry
According to World Economic Forum’s Travel
& Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015,
India ranks 52nd globally out of 141 economies
ranked on Travel & Tourism Competitiveness
Index. Tourism in India accounts for 6.8% of
the GDP & is the 3rd largest foreign exchange
earner for the country. The direct contribution
of Tourism & Hospitality sector to GDP totalled
US $ 44.2 billion in 2015. Over 7.757 million
foreign tourist arrivals were reported in
2015. Important Travel Companies in India
Cox Kings Ltd., India Tourism Development
Corporation Ltd., Thomas Cook Ltd.
Foreign Direct Investment Policy 2016
The FDI policy amendments are meant to
liberalize and simplify the FDI policy so as to
provide ease of doing business is the country
leading to larger FDI inflows contributing
to growth of investment, incomes and
employment. Measures undertaken by the
Government, in previous years, have resulted
in increased FDI inflows at US$ 55.46 billion
in financial year 2015-16, as against US $
36.04 billion during 2013-14. This is the
highest ever FDI inflow far a particular
financial year. However, it was felt that the
country has potential to attract far more
foreign investment which can be achieved
by further liberalizing and simplifying the
FDI regime. Thus changes introduced in the
FDI policy 2016 included increase in sectoral
 GK-302
ECONOMY
caps, bringing more activities under automatic route and easing of conditionalities for foreign
investment. The amendments have made India the most open economy in the world for FDI.

FDI 2016 in Various Sectors

Sector Limit Entry Route
Food Products (Manufactured/Produced 100% Government
in India)
Defence 100% Government
Broadcasting Carriage Services 100% Automatic
Brownfield pharmaceuticals 74% Automatic
Brownfield Airport Projects 100% Automatic
Animal Husbandry 100% Automatic
Agriculture 100% Automatic
Construction Development: Townships, 100% Automatic
Housing, Built-up Infrastructure
Industrial Parks 100% Automatic
Telecom Services 100% Upto 49%—Automatic
Above 49%—Government
Multi Brand Retail Trading 51% Government
Banking—Private Sector 74% Upto 49%—Automatic
Above 49%—Government
& Upto 74%
Banking—Public Sector 20% Government
Insurance 49% Automatic
Pension 49% Automatic

MSME contributes about 40% to India’s exports.

MAJOR POLICIES/ACTS – AT A GLANCE GK-303

MAJOR POLICIES/ACTS –
AT A GLANCE

VARIOUS DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMMES

IN INDIA – AT A GLANCE
Programme/Plan/ Year of Objective/Description
Institution beginning
National Institution of 1977 Training, investigation and advisory organisation for
Rural Development rural development.
Rural Landless August 15, For providing employment to landless farmers and
Employment Guarantee 1983 labourers.
Programme (RLEGP)
Self-Employment to the 1983-84 To provide financial and technical assistance for
Educated Unemployed self- employment.
Youth (SEEUY)
Self-Employment September To provide self-employment to urban poor through
Programme for the Urban 1986 provision of subsidy and bank credit.
Poor (SEPUP)
District Rural 1993 To provide financial assistance for rural
Development Agency development.
(DRDA)
Valmiki Ambedkar Awas December Constructing slum houses in urban areas.
Yojana (VAMBAY) 2, 2001
Community Development 1952 Overall development of rural areas with people’s
Programme (CDP) participation.
Intensive Agriculture 1960-61 To provide loan, seeds, fertilizer tools to the
Development Programme farmers.
(IADP)
Green Revolution 1966-67 To increase the foodgrains, specially wheat production.
Nationalisation of 14 July 1969 To provide loans for agriculture, rural development
Banks and other priority sectors.
Drought-Prone Area 1973 To try an expedient for protection from drought
Progr-amme (DPAP) by achieving environmental balance and by
developing ground water.
Crash Scheme for Rural 1972-73 For rural employment.
Employment (CSRE)
Food for Work 1977-78 Providing food grains to labour for the works of
Programme development.
 GK-304
MAJOR POLICIES/ACTS – AT A GLANCE
Programme/Plan/ Year of Objective/Description
Institution beginning
Jawahar Rozgar Yojana April 1989 For providing employment to rural unemployed.
Agricultural and Rural 1990 To exempt bank loans upto ` 10,000 of rural
Debt Relief Scheme artisans and weavers.
(ARDRS)
Scheme of Urban Micro 1990 To assist the urban poor people for small
Enterprises (SUME) enterprise.
Scheme of Urban Wage 1990 To provide wage employment after arranging the
Employment (SUWE) basic facilities for poor people in the urban areas
where population is less than one lakh.
National Renewal Fund February To protect the interest of the employees of Public
(NRF) 1992 Sector.
Employment Assurance October 2,
To provide employment of at least 100 days in a
Scheme (EAS) 1993 year in villages.
Scheme of Integrated Sixth Five
To provide resource and create employment in
Development of Small and Year Plansmall and medium towns for prohibiting the
Medium Towns migration of population from rural areas to big
cities.
Child Labour Eradication August 15, To shift child labour from hazardous industries to
Scheme 1994 schools.
Prime Minister’s November To attack urban poverty in an integrated manner
Integrated Urban Poverty 18, 1995 in 345 town having population between 50,000 to
Eradication Programme 1 lakh.
(PMIUPEP)
National Social Assistance 1995 To assist people living below the poverty line.
Programme
Ganga Kalyan Yojana 1997-98 To provide financial assistance to farmers for
exploring and developing ground and surface
water resources.
BhagyaShree Bal Kalyan October 19, To uplift the conditions of girls.
Policy 1998
Sampurna Gramin Rojgar September Providing employment and food security.
Yojana 25, 2001
Social Security Pilot January 23, Scheme for labourers of unorganised sector for
Scheme 2004 providing family pension, insurance and medical.

WOMEN EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMMES

Name of the Year of Objective/Description

Programmes Beginning
Rashtriya Mahila Kosh- 1993 It extends micro-finance services through a client
(National Credit Fund for friendly and hasslefree loaning mechanism for
Women) livelihood activities, housing micro-enterprises,
family needs, etc to bring about the socio-economic
upliftment of poor women.
Support to Training and 2003-04 To increase the self-reliance and autonomy of
Employment Programme women by enhancing their productivity and
for Women (STEP) enabling them to take up income generating
activities.
MAJOR POLICIES/ACTS – AT A GLANCE GK-305

Ujjawala December A comprehensive scheme for prevention

4th, 2007 of trafficking with 5 specific components :
prevention, rescue, rehabilitation, re-integration
and repatriation of victims.
Dhan Laxmi March Conditional cash transfer scheme for the girl child
2008 to encourage families to educate girl children and
to prevent child marriage.
National Mission for 2010 To achieve empowerment of women socially,
Empowerment of Women economically and educationally by securing
(NMEW) convergence of schemes.
Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for November It aims at empowering adolescent girls of 11 to 18
Empowerment of Adolescent 19th, 2010 years by improving their nutritional and health
Girls (RGSEAG)- ‘Sabla’ status, upgradation of home skills, life skills and
vocational skills.
Saakshar Bharat September National Literacy mission has been recased as
8th, 2009 ‘Saakshar Bharat’. The aim is to cover all adults,
in the age group of 15 and above, with its primary
focus on women.

POLICIES

Policy Year of Objective/Description

Beginning
New Pension System
National Food Security
Mission
Mega Food Parks Scheme
(MFPs)
Unique Identification
Authority of India (UIDAI)
Direct Benefit Transfer
Digital India July, 2015  Creation of digital infrastructure.
January,  To provide retirement income to all the citizens.
2004  Structured in 2 tiers –
 Tier-1 account is a basic retirement pension
account available to all citizens and does not
permit withdrawal of funds before retirement.
 Tier-2 account is a prospective payment system
account that permits some withdrawal of
pension prior to retirement under exceptional
circumstances.
2007  To increase production and productivity of
wheat, rice and pulses.
 To bridge the yield gap through spreading of
improved technologies and farm management
practices.
2008  To set up modern infrastructure facilities for
food processing.
 To reduce wastage of perishables.
2009  To assign a 12-digit UID number (Aadhaar) to
all residents of India.
2013  Direct transfer of subsidy under various social
schemes into beneficiaries’ bank accounts
through Aadhar Payment Bridge
 Delivering services digitally.
 Digital literacy.
 GK-306
MAJOR POLICIES/ACTS – AT A GLANCE
Smart Cities Mission June, 2015  To promote, cities that provide core
infrastructure, and give a decent quality of life
to its citizens.
 A clean & sustainable environment and
application of smart solutions.
 Cover 100 cities and its duration will be 5 years
(2015-16 to 2019-20).
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan 2 October,  To have a cleaner India.
2014  Introduce modern and scientific municipal
solid waste management practices.
MUDRA Bank Yojana April 8,  Regulate the micro finance to the rural and
2015 needy population.
Payment Banks 2015  RBI granted ‘in principle’ approval for payment
banks to 11 entities, including Reliance
Industries, Airtel, Vodafone etc.
 New stripped - down type of banks, which are
expected to reach customers mainly through
their mobile phones rather than traditional
bank, branches.
 These banks can’t offer loans but can raise
deposits of upto ` 1 Lakh, and pay interest on
these balances.
Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram 2015  To provide 24×7 uninterrupted electricity
Jyoti Yojana supply to each rural household across the
nation by 2022.
Soil Health Card Scheme February,  To help farmers to improve their farm
2015 productivity by evaluating the quality by of the
soil.
Citizenship (Amendment) February  The bill allows the central government to
Bill 27, 2015 register a person as an Overseas Citizen of India
cardholder even if he/she does not satisfy the
given eligibility under special circumstances
only.
The Constitution (119th May 2015  Constitution (119th Amendment) Act, 2015
Amendment) Act is related to the Land Boundary Agreement
(LBA) between India and Bangladesh.
 The bill aims to amend the 1st schedule of
the constitution for the exchange of disputed
territories occupied by both the nations in
agreement with the 1974 bilateral LBA(Land
Boundary Agreement)
Motor Vehicles March,  The bill describes “e-cart or e-rickshaw” as a
(Amendment) Bill 2015 special purpose battery powered vehicle of
power not exceeding 4000 watts, having three
wheels for carrying goods or passengers.
 The bill empowers Union Government to make
the rules on the specifications for e-carts and
e-rickshaws with conditions and manner for
issuing driving licenses.
MAJOR POLICIES/ACTS – AT A GLANCE GK-307

The Rights of Transgender April 2015  The Bill guarantees reservation in education,
Persons Bill jobs, financial aid and social inclusion.
• The bill promises for creation of welfare
boards at the Centre and State level for the
community with two per cent reservation
in government jobs along with providing for
pensions and unemployment allowances; and
establishment of Transgender rights court.
Insurance Laws March  The Amendment will hand over the
(Amendment) Bill 2015 responsibility of selecting insurance agents to
insurers and provides for IRDAI to standardize
their eligibility, qualifications and other
aspects. It allows agents to work for variety
of companies in various business categories;
upholding the conflict of interest that would
not be allowed by IRDAI via suitable rules.
• The amendments provide a comparatively
easier process for payment to the nominee
of the policy holder, as the insurer would
be discharged of its legal liabilities once the
payment is made to the nominee.
Land Acquisition 11th May,  The Right to Fair Compensation and
Rehabilitation 2015 Transparency in Land Acquisition,
and Resettlement Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment)
(Amendment) Bill Bill, 2015 was introduced on 11th May, 2015.
• The Bill seeks to amend the principal Act
(LARR Act, 2013) passed in 2013.
• The bill empowers the government to excuse
five categories of projects including defence,
rural infrastructure, affordable housing,
industrial corridors and infrastructure
including PPPs, from the requirements of: (i)
social impact assessment, (ii) restrictions on
acquisition of multi-cropped land, and (iii)
consent for private projects and public private
partnerships (PPPs) projects.
• The bill eliminated the provisions from the
principal act which deemed the head of a
government department guilty for an offence
conducted by the department and added the
requirement of a prior sanction to take legal
action against a government employee.
• The government allowed this ordinance
on the land acquisition act to lapse on 31st
August 2015.
SAHAJ Scheme 2015  Under the SAHAJ scheme, people are required
to fill up forms online for a new LPG connection
and avoid visiting the LPG distributors. It
involves filing the KYC form by uploading bank
account details and photographs.
 GK-308
MAJOR POLICIES/ACTS – AT A GLANCE
‘SAMANVAY’ portal 2015  ‘SAMANVAY’ web portal was launched by
the Union Ministry of Rural Development
to supervise the progress and execution of
the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) for
development of Gram Panchayats.
USTAAD Scheme 2015  The USTAAD scheme was launched in order to
improve the degrading condition of the world
renowned Banaras Saree weavers belonging to
various minority communities.
• The Scheme seeks to upgrade the Skills and
Training of the minority communities by
preservation of their customary ancestral Arts
and Crafts.
• It also focuses on improving upon the skills
of craftsmen, weavers and artisans who are
already engaged in the traditional ancestral
work.
Namami Gange Project May, 2015  Namami Gange Project was launched as an
intergrated effort by the Union Government
for the conservation and improvement of the
Ganga River.
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan 9 May,  Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana
Jyoti Bima Yojana 2015 (PMJJBY) was launched by the Union finance
minister Arun Jaitley with the aim to extend life
insurance cover to people both in the cases of
natural deaths or accidents.
Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao January  Union Government launched one of its most
campaign 22nd, ambitious projects Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao
2015 (BBBP) on 22nd January 2015 whose prime
objective is to create awareness about the
diminishing child sex ratio in the country.
Sukanya Samridhi Yojana January  Sukanya Samridhi Yojna was launched by Prime
22nd, Minister Narendra Modi on 22nd January 2015
2015 as a girl child prosperity scheme to ensure the
bright future of the girl child in India.
• Under the scheme, parents need to deposit `
1,000 at the time of her birth and thereafter
deposit multiples of ` 100 with the maximum
deposit of ` 1,50,000.
• The yojana permits the girl child to access
her account after she is 10 years old and
a withdrawal of 50% from the account is
permitted at the age of 18 years for higher
education purpose.
MAJOR POLICIES/ACTS – AT A GLANCE GK-309

Nai Manzil scheme August  The scheme seeks to deal with educational
8th, 2015 and livelihood needs of minority communities
in general and Muslims in particular as it lags
behind other minority communities in terms of
educational attainments.
• The focus of the scheme is to provide
educational intervention by offering bridge
courses to the trainees, getting them
certificates for class XII and X through distance
educational system and facilitate them with
trade basis skill training in 4 courses namely
manufacturing, engineering, services and soft
skills.
Thari Pension, Thare Pass August,  Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar
2015 launched the Thari Pension Thare Pass in
Chandigarh, seeking to directly transfer
pension into the bank accounts of beneficiaries.
• Over 10 lakh beneficiaries from 1,744 villages
and 81 towns in the state would get pensions
through banks and post offices under the first
phase of the scheme.
‘Aapki Beti Hamari Beti’ January  Haryana government launched the ‘Aapki
Scheme 22nd, Beti Hamari Beti’ scheme aiming to combat
2015 the problem of declining child sex ratio and
promote girls’ education.
 The scheme is to be implemented in both rural
and urban areas of the state covering first-born
girl child of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Below
Poverty Line (BPL) families.
Green Highways Policy 2015 • The aim of the policy is to promote greening
of Highway corridors with participation of the
community, farmers, private sector, NGOs, and
government institutions.
•
The target for the first year is to plant trees
along 6,000 km of highways, for which 12,000
hectares of land allotted.
‘Pradhan Mantri Kaushal 2015 • Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched
Vikas Yojana’ ‘Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana’, which
aims to offer 24 lakh Indian youth meaningful,
industry relevant, skill based training.
One Rank One Pension September  To provide uniform pension to ex-servicemen
(OROP) 5, 2015 of the same rank and the same length of
service, regardless of their date of retirement.
Swadesh Darshan Yojana 2015  Develop world class tourism infrastructure.
 GK-310
MAJOR POLICIES/ACTS – AT A GLANCE
National Heritage January  Bringing together urban planning, economic
City Development and 21, 2015 growth and heritage conservation to preserve
Augmentation Yojana the heritage character of each Heritage City.
(HRIDAY)
Udaan Scheme November,  Encouraging girls for higher technical
2014 education and aims to provide them with
better learning opportunities.
Gold Monetisation Scheme November,  To reduce the reliance on gold imports.
2015
UJWAL Discom Assurance November,  To reduce the interest burden, cost of power,
Yojana (UDAY) 20, 2015 power losses in distribution sector, and
improve operational efficiency of DISCOMs.
BUSINESS
BUSINESS
BUSINESS ENTITIES
Sole Proprietorship
It is an unincorporated business with one
owner who pays personal income tax on
profits from the business.
Partnership
A type of business organisation in which
two or more individuals pool money, skills,
& other resources, & share profit & loss in
accordance with terms of the partnership
agreement.
Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)
It is a partnership in which some or all
partners have limited liabilities.
Hindu Undivided Family (HUF)
It is an extended family arrangement
prevalent throughout the Indian subcontinent
consisting of many generations living in the
same household, all bound by the common
relationship. A HUF is a legal term related
to the Hindu Marriage Act. The female
members are also given the right of share to
the property in the HUF.
Cooperative
It is a firm owned, controlled, & operated by
a group of users for their own benefit. Each
member contributes equity capital & shares
in the control of the firm on the basis of one-
member, one-vote principle.
Dormant Company
The Companies Act 2013 (section 455)
introduces a concept of a dormant company
within its ambit. The Dormant Company is
a company formed & registered under this
act for a future project or to hold an asset
Goldmansach was founded in 1869 and became a public company in 1999.
GK-311
or intellectual property & has no significant
accounting transaction, such a company
or an inactive company may make an
application to the registrar in such manner
as may be prescribed for obtaining the
status of a Dormant company.
Family Owned Business
It is a kind of business in which two or more
family members are involved & the majority
of ownership or control lies within the family.
Private Limited Company
A type of company that offers limited liability,
or legal protection for its shareholders but
places certain restrictions on its ownership.
Small Company
It is a company that satisfies either of the
following conditions:
(i) Paid-up share capital which does not
exceed 50 lakh rupees or such higher
amount as may be prescribed which shall
not be more than 5 crore rupees.
OR
(ii) Turnover of which as per its last profit
& loss account does not exceed 2 crore
rupees or such higher amount as may be
prescribed which shall not be more than
20 crore rupees.
Public Limited Company
A company whose securities are traded on
a stock exchange & can be bought & sold by
anyone. Its formation, working & its winding
up, in fact, all its activities are strictly
governed by laws, rules & regulations.
 GK-312
Public Sector Unit (PSU)
The government owned corporations are
termed as public sector undertakings
(PSUs) in India. In a PSU, majority (51% or
more) of the paid up share capital is held
by Central Government or by any state
government & partly by one or more state
governments.
One Person Company
It is a registered company who has only one
shareholder. It is a private company.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The framework of rules & practices by which
a Board of Directors ensures accountability,
fairness, & transparency in a company’s
relationship with its all stakeholders
(financiers, customers, management,
employees, government, & the community).
The corporate governance framework
consists of :
1. explicit & implicit contracts between
the company & the stakeholders for
COMPANIES ACT AMENDMENT BILL 2016
The Companies Act (Amendment) Bill
2016 seeks to amend the Companies Act
2013 which regulates the incorporation,
regulation and winding up of companies.
The Bill in the wake of facilitating ease
of doing business aims to bring some
radical changes in the previous Act. In
March 2016, the Bill was introduced in
Key Features Companies Act, 2013
Private Placement Separate offer letter to be given to
private individuals. A record of such
offers must be filed with the Regis-
trar of Companies (ROC) in 30 days.
Forward dealing & Prohibits forward dealing in secu-
Insider trading rities by the Director or Key mana-
gerial personnel. Prohibits insides
trading by all persons in a company.
Memorandum of a Requires to state the objects for
Company which the company is being incor-
porated, and other related matters.
Edmund Jerome McCarthy propounded the theory of 4 P’s of marketing.
BUSINESS
Unlimited Company
It is a company in which all members
or shareholders have total & joint
responsibility to cover all debts & other
liabilities the company generates, regardless
of how much capital each contributes.
Incorporated Company
A company that has been granted a charter
legally recognizing it as a separate entity
having its own privileges, rights, & liabilities
distinct from other business & persons.
distribution of responsibilities, rights &
rewards.
2. procedures for reconciling the sometimes
conflicting interests of stakeholders in
accordance with their duties, privileges
& roles.
3. procedures for proper supervision, control
& information-flows to serve as a system
of checks & balances.
Lok Sabha. This Bill is mainly based on the
recommendations of the companies Law
Committee. The Bill was then referred to
the standing Committee on finance for
examination.
Brief description of the key changes
proposed is 2016 Bill compared with
provisions of the 2013 Act:
Companies
(Amendment) Bill, 2016
Removes the requirement of is-
suing a separate offer letter, and
recording such offers with the
ROC.
Removes the provisions related
to prohibition of forward deal-
ing and insider trading.
Memorandum may contain gen-
eral objects which state that the
company may engage in any
lawful activities or businesses.
BUSINESS GK-313

Managerial Approval of the Central Government Omits the requirement of ob-

remuneration and shareholders must be obtained
for payment of managerial remu-
neration if exceeds prescribed lim-
its.
Cap on invest- Investments in a company cannot
ments be made through more than two lay-
ers of investment companies.
Subsidiary com- Subsidiary Company is one in
pany and Associate which a parent company holds
Company more than 50% of its ‘Shares’.
Associate Company is one
where another company holds
at lest 20% of its ‘Shares’. (Includes
equity & Preferential shareholders).
Ratification of Appointment or continuance of au-
Auditors ditor of a company should be rati-
fied annually by the members of the
company.
Loans to Directors A company is not allowed to ad-
vance any loan to its Directors or to
any person in whom the director is
interested.
Register as a Pri- Any company formed, consisting
vate Company of seven or more members, may
at any time register under this Act
as an unlimited company, or as a
company limited by shares, or as a
company limited by guarantee.
taining approval from the Cen-
tral Government.
Removes the restrictions on
number of layers of investment
companies.
Replaces the term ‘shares’
with voting power. Preferential
shareholders, who do not have
voting power are excluded.
Omit this requirement
Allows company to advance a loan
in relation to any person a Direc-
tor is interested in if the company
passes a special resolution.
For the words ‘seven or more
members’, the words ‘two or
more member’ shall be substi-
tuted. A company with less than
seven members shall register as
a private company.

PENSION SYSTEM
Pension Plans provide financial security & stability during old age when people don’t have
a regular source of income. To provide social security to more citizens the Government
of India has started the National Pension System. Government of India established
Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA) on 10th October 2013 to
develop & regulate pension sector in the country. The National Pension System (NPS)
was launched in 1st January, 2004 with the objective of providing retirement income to
all the citizens. With effect from 1st May 2009, NPS has been provided for all citizens of
the country including the unorganised sector workers on voluntary basis. Additionally,
Central Government launched a co-contributory pension scheme, ‘Swavalamban
Scheme’ in the Union Budget of 2010-11, under which the Government will contribute
a sum of ` 1,000 to each eligible NPS subscriber who contributes a minimum of
` 1,000 & maximum ` 12,000 per annum.
The NPS is structured in 2 tiers. A Tier-1 account is a basic retirement pension account
available to all citizens from 1 May 2009. It doesnot permit withdrawal of funds before
retirement. A Tier-2 account is a prospective payment system account that permits
some withdrawal of pension prior to retirement under exceptional circumstances,
usually related to the provision of health care.

The 4 P’s of the marketing theory are Product, Price, Place, Promotion.
 GK-314
MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS
MCA regulates corporate affairs in India
through the Companies ACT, 1956, 2013
and other allied Acts, Bills and Rules. MCA
also protects investors and offers many
important services to stakeholders.
The Ministry is also responsible for
administering the Competition Act, 2002
to prevent practices having adverse
effect on competition, to promote and
sustain competition in markets, to protect
the interests of consumers through the
commission set up under the Act.
Besides, it exercises supervision over
the three professional bodies, namely,
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
(ICAI) which are constituted under three
separate Acts of the Parliament for proper
and orderly growth of the professions
concerned
Registrar of Companies
Registrars of Companies (ROC) appointed
under Section 609 of the Companies
Act covering the variuous States and
Union Territories are vested with the
primary duty of registering companies
and LLPs floated in the respective states
and the Union Territories and ensuring
that such companies and LLPs comply
with statutory requirements under the
BALANCE SHEET
A financial statement that summarizes
a company’s assets, liabilities and
shareholders’ equity at a specific point in
time. These three balance sheet segments
give investors an idea as to what the
Production function is the relationship between physical inputs and physical output of a commodity.
BUSINESS
Act. These offices function as registry
of records relating to the companies
registered with them, which are available
for inspection by members of public on
payment of the prescribed fee. The Central
Government exercises administrative
control over these offices through the
respective Regional Directors.
Income Tax Department
The Income Tax Department, also referred
to as IT Department, is a government
agency in charge of monitoring the income
tax collection by the Government of India. It
functions under the Department of Revenue
of the Ministry of Finance. It is responsible
for administering following direct taxation
acts passed by Parliament of India.
•• Income Tax Act
•• Wealth Tax Act
•• Gift Tax Act
•• Expenditure Tax Act
•• Interest Tax Act
•• Various Finance Acts (Passed Every
Year in Budget Session)
The IT Department is also responsible for
enforcing the Double Taxation Avoidance
Agreements and deals with various aspects
of international taxation such as Transfer
Pricing.
company owns and owes, as well as the
amount invested by shareholders.
The balance sheet adheres to the following
formula:
Assets = Liabilities + Shareholders’ Equity
 BUSINESS GK-315

Balance Sheet Template

Company Name Here
Balance Sheet
For the period Ended ___________

Assets Liabilities
Current Assets Current Liabilities
Cash XXXXXX Account Payable XXXXXX
Short-term investment XXXXX Salaries Payable XXXXX
Accounts Receivables XXXXX Accrued Interest XXXXX
Inventories XXXXXXX Taxes payable XXXX
Prepaid Insurance XXXXXX XXXXXX Current Portion of Notes XXXXXX XXXXXXXX
Others XXXXXX

Long Term Investments Long Term Liabilities

Stock Investments XXXXXX Note Payable XXXXXX
Cash Value of Insurance XXXXXXX XXXXXXX Mortgage Liability XXXXXX XXXXXXXX

Fixed Assets

Land XXXXXX
Building and Equipment XXXXXX Total Liabilities XXXXXXXX
Less Accumulated Depreciation (XXXXX) XXXXXX XXXXXX
Stock Holder’s Equity
Intangible Assets Capital Stock XXXXXXX
Good Will XXXXXX Retained Earnings XXXXXX

Total stock Holder’s Equity XXXXXX

Other Assets
Receivables from Employees XXXXXXXX

Total Assets XXXXXXXX Total Liabilities XXXXXXXX

SOURCES OF FUNDS
Debt
A duty or obligation to pay money delivery
goods or render service under an express or
implied agreement.
Debentures
It is a medium- to long-term debt instrument
used by large companies to borrow money,
at a fixed rate of interest.
Shareholder’s Equity
It represents the amount by which a
company is financed through common and
preferred shares.
Seed Funding
It is a type of securities contribution in which
an investor invests capital in exchange for
an equity stake in the company. This sort
of funding is done in the initial stages of a
business.
Relationship marketing is a form of marketing developed from direct response marketing campaign conducted in 1960.
Venture Funding
It is the capital invested, or available for
investment, in an enterprise that offers the
probability of profit along with the possibility
of loss. This sort of funding is done, generally,
after a company has a proof of concept and
has crossed early stages of business.
IPO
Initial public offering or IPO is the first sale
of a company’s shares to the public, leading
to a stock market listing. A lot of venture
funds adopts this route to exit a company in
which they have invested.
Shares
A unit of ownership that represents an equal
proportion of a company’s capital. It entitles
its holder( the shareholder) to an equal
 GK-316
claim on the company’s profits & an equal
obligation for the company’s debts & losses.
There are 2 major types of shares-
•• Ordinary shares: Entitles the shareholder
to share in the earnings of the company &
to vote at the company’s annual general
meetings & other official meetings.
•• Preference shares: Entitles the shareholder
to a fixed periodic income but generally do
not give him/her voting rights.
Loans: A loan is a debt provided by an
entity (organisation of individual) to
another entity at an interest rate.
Performance of a company
Debt/Equity Ratio
It is a debt ratio used to calculate company’s
financial leverage. It is calculated by
dividing a company’s total liabilities by its
stockholder’s equity. It shows how much
debt a corporation is using to fund its assets
relative to the amount of value represented
in shareholder’s equity.
P/E Ratio
The price-to earnings ratio is an equity
valuation multiple. It is defined as market
price per share divided by annual earnings
per share, (EPS = total income of company
divided by number of shares issued)
Turnover Ratio
The turnover ratio measures how well a
company is utilizing its capital to support
a given Level of Sales. A high turnover
ratio indicates that management is being
extremely efficient is using a firm’s short
term assets & liabilities to support sales.
Conversely, a low ratio indicates that a
business is investing in too many accounts
receivable & inventory assets to support
its sales, which could eventually lead to an
excessive amount of bad debts & obsolete
inventory.
Small and Medium-Sized
Enterprises
Small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs); sometimes also small and medium
enterprises) or small and medium-
First Five-Year Plan (1951-1956) was based on the “Harold-Domar Model”.
BUSINESS
sized businesses (SMBs) are businesses
whose personnel numbers fall below
certain limits. Indian Small and Medium
Enterprises (SME) sector has emerged as
a highly vibrant and dynamic sector of the
Indian economy over the last five decades.
SMEs not only play crucial role in providing
large employment opportunities at
comparatively lower capital cost than large
industries but also help in industrialization
of rural areas. SMEs are complementary to
large industries as ancillary units and this
sector contributes enormously to the socio-
economic development of the country.
The sector consisting of 36 million units,
as of today, provides employment to over
80 million persons. The Sector through
more than 6,000 products contributes
about 8% to GDP besides 45% to the total
manufacturing output and 40% to the
exports from the country. The SME sector
has the potential to spread industrial
growth across the country and can be a
major partner in the process of inclusive
growth.
SMEs also play a significant role in Nation
development through high contribution to
Domestic Production, Significant Export
Earning, Low Investment Requirements,
Operational Flexibility, Location Wise
Mobility, Low Intensive Imports, Capacities to
Develop Appropriate Indigenous Technology,
Import Substitution, Contribution towards
Defence Production, Technology – Oriented
Industries, Competitiveness in Domestic
and Export Markets thereby generating new
entrepreneurs by providing knowledge and
training.
E–Commerce in India
E-commerce or electronic commerce
deals with the buying & selling of goods
& services, or the transmitting of funds or
data, over an electronic platform, mainly
the internet. These business transactions
are categorised into–
•• Business to Business (B2B)
•• Business to Consumers (B2C)
BUSINESS
•• Consumer to Consumer (C2C)
•• Consumer to Business(C2B) private organization that is independent from
Business to Business to Consumer
E–commerce processes are conducted
using applications, such as Email, fax,
online catalogues & shopping carts,
electronic data interchange, file transfer
protocol & web services & e–newsletters to
subscribers. E–Travel is the most popular
form of E–commerce, followed by e–Tail which
essentially means selling of retail goods on
the internet conducted by the B2C category.
Mobile Commerce (M – Commerce)
M–Commerce is the buying & selling of goods
& services through wireless handheld services
such as cellular telephone & personal digital
assistants. The phrase mobile commerce was
originally coined in 1997 by Kevin Duffey at
the launch of the Global Mobile Commerce
Forum. Mobile Commerce transaction
continues to grow, & the term includes online
banking, bill payment & so on.
MNC
A corporation that has its facilities and
other assets in at least one country other
than its home country. Such companies
have offices and/or factories in different
countries and usually have a centralized
head office where they co-ordinate global
management. It can also be referred as an
international corporation, a “transnational
corporation”, or a stateless corporation.
NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) is
an organization that is neither a part of a
government nor a conventional for-profit
business.
The term “non-governmental organization”
was first coined in 1945, when the United
Nations (UN) was created. The UN, itself an
inter-governmental organization, made it
possible for certain approved specialized
international non-state agencies, i.e. non-
governmental organizations to be awarded
observer status at its assemblies and some of
its meetings. Later the term became used more
Second Five-Year Plan (1956-1961) was based on the P.C. Mahalanobis Model.
GK-317
widely. Today, according to the UN, any kind of
government control can be termed an “NGO”,
provided it is not-for-profit, non-prevention,
and not simply an opposition political party.
Examples include improving the state of
the natural environment, encouraging the
observance of human rights, improving the
welfare of the disadvantaged, or representing
a corporate agenda. However, there are a
huge number of such organizations and their
goals cover a broad range of political and
philosophical positions. This can also easily
be applied to private schools and athletic
organizations.
FICCI (Federation of Indian Chamber
of Commerce & Industry)
Established in 1927, FICCI is the largest
and oldest apex business organisation in
India. A non-government, not-for-profit
organisation, FICCI is the voice of India’s
business and industry. From influencing
policy to encouraging debate, engaging
with policy makers and civil society, FICCI
articulates the views and concerns of
industry.
Agmark
It is a certification mark employed on
agricultural products in India, assuring that
they confirm to a set of standards approved
by the Directorate of Marketing & Inspection,
an agency of the Government of India.
ISI Mark
ISI (Indian Standards Institute) mark is
a certification mark for industrial products
in India. The mark certifies that a product
confirms to the Indian Standard, mentioned
as IS: xxxx on top of the mark, developed
by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
The ISI mark is mandatory for certifying
products to be sold in India, like many of the
electrical appliances, kitchen appliances,
other products like LPG valves, LPG
cylinders, automotive tyres, etc.
 GK-318
BUSINESS
Important Business Terms
Term Meaning
Ahead of the Curve To be more advanced than the competition
Backroom Deal An agreement or decision that is made without the public knowing
about it.
Go broke To go bankrupt or to loose all the money a person or business had.
In the black If a company is “in the black”, it means that they are making a profit
In the red If a company is “in the red” it means that they are not profitable & are
operating at a loss.
Lose – Lose When someone has to choose between various options & all the
situation options are bad.
Pink Slip If someone gets the “pink slip”, it means they have fired.
Snail Mail Letter or messages that are not sent by email, but by regular post.
Blue Collar Worker Someone who works with his/her hands (manufacturing
construction, maintenance, etc.).
White Collar Worker Someone who works in an office (customer service, management,
sales, etc.)
Win – Win situation A situation where everyone involved gains something.
Corner a market To dominate a particular market.
Downsizing A planned reduction in the number of employees needed in a firm in
order to reduce costs & make the business more efficient.
Venture Capital Money that is invested in new or emerging companies that are
perceived as having great profit potential.
Opportunity Cost Cost in terms of foregone alternatives.
Logistics Process of strategically managing the efficient flow & storage of raw
materials, in-process inventory, & finished goods from point of origin
to point of consumption.
Equity Difference between market value of a property & claims held against
it.
Merger Combination of two or more companies into a single firm.
Acquisition Taking over the control of one company by another.
Hedging A Risk management strategy used in limiting or offsetting probability
of loss from fluctuations in the prices of commodities, currencies, or
securities.
Intellectual Property Knowledge, creative ideas, or expressions of human mind that
have commercial value & are protectable under copyright, patent,
servicemark, trademark, or trade secret laws from imitation
infringement, & dilution.
Swap Exchange of one type of asset, cash flow, investment, liability, or
payment for another.
Bankrupt When individual/company cannot pay their debts & are not able to
reach an agreement with their creditors.
Liquidity How quickly assets can be converted into cash.

Abid Hussain committee was formed for the development of capital markets.
BUSINESS
BUSINESS CONCEPTS
Agent
A business entity that negotiates, purchases,
and/or sells, but does not take title to the
goods.
Doing Business As (DBA)
DBA stands for “Doing Business As,” which
is a company name, also commonly called
a “Fictitious business name.” When a sole
proprietor operates a company using any
name except his or her own given name,
then the DBA or ficticious business name
registration establishes the legal ownership to
satisfy banks, local authorities, and customers.
Ideas vs Opportunities
Ideas are the basis of potential business
opportunities. Good ideas do not necessarily
represent good opportunities.
Initial Public Offering (IPO)
A corporation’s initial efforts of raising
capital through the sale of securities on the
public stock market.
Inventory
Goods in stock, either finished goods or
materials to be used to manufacture goods.
Outsourcing
Purchasing an item or a service from an
outside vendor to replace performance
of the task with an organization’s internal
operations.
SWOT Analysis
A formal framework of identifying and
framing organizational growth opportunities.
SWOT is an acronym for an organization’s
internal Strengths and Weaknesses and
external Opportunities and Threats.
CRM
CRM stands for Customer Relationship
Management. At its simplest, a CRM system
allows businesses to manage business
relationships and the data and information
associated with them.
Supply Chain Management (SCM)
It is the oversight of materials, information,
The World Trade Organisation was earlier known as GATT.
GK-319
and finances as they move in a process from
supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler
to retailer to consumer. Supply chain
management involves coordinating and
integrating these flows both within and
among companies.
Memorandum of Association (MoA)
MoA is a legal document prepared in
the formation & registration process of
a limited liability company to define its
relationship with shareholders.
Articles of Association
It is a document of a company which defines
the responsibilities of the directors, the kind
of business to be undertaken, & the means by
which the shareholders exert control over the
board of directors.
Start–ups
A start-up company is an entrepreneurial
venture or a new business in the form of
a company, a partnership or temporary
organization designed to search for a
repeatable and scalable business model.
These companies, generally newly created,
are innovative in a process of development,
validation and research for target markets.
Boot Strap
A situation in which an entrepreneur starts
a company with little capital. An individual
is said to be boot strapping when he or
she attempts to lay foundation and build a
company from personal finances or from
the operating revenues of the new company.
Employees’ State Insurance (ESI)
ESI is a self-financing social security
& health insurance scheme for Indian
workers. The ESI is managed by the ESI
Corporation (ESIC) according to rules and
regulations stipulated there in the ESI Act
1948, which oversees the provision of
medical and cash benefits to the employees
and their family through its large network
of branch offices, dispensaries and
hospitals throughout India.
 GK-320
Provident Fund (PF)
It is a fund which is composed of
contributions & made by the employee
during the time he/she worked along with
an equal contribution by his employer.
Its purpose is to help employees save a
fraction of their salary every month, to
be used in an event that the employee is
temporarily or no longer fit to work or at
retirement.
TDS
Tax deducted at source (TDS), as the very
name implies aims at collection of revenue
at the very source of income. It is essentially
an indirect method of collecting tax which
combines the concepts of “pay as you
earn” and “collect as it is being earned.”
Its significance to the government lies in
the fact that it prepones the collection of
tax, ensures a regular source of revenue,
provides for a greater reach and wider
base for tax. At the same time, to the tax
payer, it distributes the incidence of tax and
provides for a simple and convenient mode
of payment.
Lease
A legal document outlining the terms under
which one party agrees to rent property
from another party. A lease guarantees
the lessee (the renter) use of an asset
and guarantees the lessor (the property
owner) regular payments from the lessee
for a specified number of months or years.
Both the lessee and the lessor must uphold
the terms of the contract for the lease to
remain valid.
Financial Leasing
As one of the most popular financing
tools in modern business world, Financial
Leasing Services uses finance leases to
leverage assets. A Finance Lease (or Capital
Lease) is a lease that is primarily a method
of raising finance to pay for assets, rather
than a genuine rental.
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) was established on 12 July 1982.
BUSINESS
It is a commercial arrangement where:
•• the lessee (customer or borrower) will
select an asset (equipment, vehicle,
software);
•• the lessor (finance company) will
purchase that asset;
•• the lessee will have use of that asset
during the lease;
•• the lessees will pay a series of rental or
installments for the use of that asset;
•• the lessor will recover a large part or all
of the cost of the asset plus earn interest
from the rentals paid by the lessee;
•• the lessee has the option to acquire
ownership of the asset (e.g. paying the
last rental, or bargain option purchase
price).
The finance company is the legal owner of
the asset during duration of the lease.
E-FILING
Electronic tax filing, or e-filing, is a
system for submitting tax documents
to a revenue service electronically,
often without the need to submit any
paper documents. E-filing has manifold
benefits; the taxpayer can file a tax
return from the comfort of home, at any
convenient time, once the tax agency
begins accepting returns. E-filing saves
the tax agency time and money, because
the tax data is transmitted directly into
its computers, significantly reducing the
possibility of keying and input errors.
Corporate Tax
Corporate taxes are taxes against profits earned
by businesses during a given taxable period.
Corporation tax is a tax imposed on the net
income of the company. The present corporate
tax is 30% on the Net Income of the company.
It was announced in Union Budget 2015 that
corporate tax rate will be gradually reduced
from 30% to 25% over the period of 4 years,
starting in April 2016. 2% surcharge was
introduced on earnings above 10 crores.
BUSINESS GK-321

Surcharge is applied in the following
cases:
•• If the company has a total income less
than ` 1 crore, then it does not have to
pay any income tax.
•• If the net income of the company for
that year is in the range of ` 10 crore
then 5% surcharge is applied on its net
income.
•• If the net income of the company for
that year exceeds ` 10 crore then 10%
surcharge is applied on its net income
education cess
Profitability of Company
Profitability is the ability of a business to
earn a profit. A profit is what is left of the
revenue a business generates after it pays all
expenses directly related to the generation
of the revenue, such as producing a product,
and other expenses related to the conduct
of the business activities.
Dividend
A share of the after-tax profit of a company,
distributed to its shareholders according to
the number and class of shares held by them.
Start-ups and other high-growth companies
such as those in the technology or
biotechnology sectors rarely offer dividends
because all of their profits are reinvested to
help sustain higher-than-average growth and
expansion. Larger, established companies
tend to issue regular dividends as they seek
to maximize shareholder wealth in ways aside
from supernormal growth.
Issued Capital
The share capital that has been issued to the
shareholders. This is part of a company’s
authorised capital.
Paid up Capital
The amount of a company’s capital that has
been funded by shareholders. Paid-up capital
can be less than a company’s total capital
because a company may not issue all of the
shares that it has been authorized to sell. Paid-
up capital can also reflect how a company
depends on equity financing.

FORBES LIST OF MONEY MASTERS 2016

The Most Powerful People In The Financial World
Top 10 People Firm
1. Stephen Schwarzman Blackstone Group.
2. David Tepper Appaloora Management.
3. Jamie Dimon JP Morgan Chase & Co.
4. Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway
5. Laurence Fink Black Rock
6. Ken Griffin Citadel
7. Jeffrey Gundlach Double line Capital
8. Carl Icahn Icahn Enterprises
9. Lloyd Blankfein Goldman Sachs
10. George Soros Soros Fund Management
33. Uday Kotak Kotak Mahindra Bank

The idea of credit card was first developed by a Bavrarian Farmer, Franz Nesbitum McNanaera, an American businessman.
 STARTUP INDIA

GK-322

Meaning & Objective Startup India Action Plan Economic Survey 2015-16 Banks' Dedicated Branch for Startups




Definition  To build
strong eco- unusual dynamism in startup sector Focus Imp Data


 An entity,

 
system for



incorporated Financial India is 3rd largest
or registered in nurturing Launched Focused Coverage base of technology
e-commerce
India for not more innovation by PM on Areas startups in world.



than 5 years. & startups. 16/1/2016 19,400 technology-
Wide array Cities
 Drive sustainable of sectors  From tier enabled startups.
 Annual turnover
economic growth. 1, 2 to tier India is home ground
not exceeding  healthcare
3 cities for 8 startups in unicorn
INR 25 crore  Generate large  education
scale employment club with valuations
in any preceding  manufacturing including
opportunities. semi-urban greater than $1 billion
financial year.  technology
 agriculture & rural Startups grown by 40%,
 Working towards  Promoting  others areas. creating 80,000-85,000
innovation development, entrepreneurship jobs in 2015.
deployment or among SCs/STs Indian startups have raised
commercialization & women $3.5 billion in funding in
of new or improved candidates. first half of 2015.
products, processes No. of active investors in



services. Simplification Funding Industry India increased from 220
 Driven by technology or & Hand holding support & Academia in 2014 to 490 in 2015.
Incentives Partnership 19-Point Action Plan
intellectual property.




& Incubation (See Next Page)

SBI RBL HDFC
Incube Branch Bank Smartup
BUSINESS
 19-Point Action Plan
BUSINESS

Single point of Self Certification Tax exemption Annual

Contact via startup Compliance on Investments startup
India Hab above fair Fests
Market Value
Simplifying
Processes
with Mollie App
Launch of world class Innovation Hubs
& Portal
under Atal Innovation Mission
Easier Patent Filing Flipkart
Snapdel Paytm Setting up of Incubator Network
Relaxed norms of Public Pepper Tap Quikr
Procurement
Car Dekho Ola R&D centres across the country
Faster exit Mechanism Top
Free Charge
First cry startups
Setting up of INR 100 billion Research Parks to propel innovation
corpus fund College Dekho
Urban Ladder
Promotion of Biotechnology sector
Credit Guarantee Funding Policy Bazaar Rapido
Tax exemption on Profits Innovation Focused Programs for students
3- year Income Tax Exemption Oyo Rooms Grofers
Annual Incubator
GK-323

Grand Challange
 GK-324
BUSINESS
MAJOR ACQUISITIONS IN 2016
Company Company that is Acquired
1. Mindtree Magnet 360.
2. Tech Mahindra Ltd. BIO Agency Ltd.
3. Dabur Discaria.
4. Myntra Jabong
5. Quikr Common Floor.
6. Titan Industries Carat Lane.
7. Yatra Mgaadi.
8. Road Runnr Tiny Qwl
9. Shop clues Momoe.
10. Russia’s Rosneft Oil Company India’s Essar Oil
11. Sony Pictures Networks Sports Channels of Zee Entertainment.
12. IDFC Bank Grama Vidiyal Micro Finance Ltd.
13. Google Moodstocks.
14. Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Forever 21.
15. Future Group Fab Furnish.
16. Flipkart Phone Pe International Pvt. Ltd.
17. Bharti Airtel Ltd. Videocon Telecommunication Ltd’s Spectrum.
Reliance Communications and Marxis Communications Berhad, promoters of Aircel,
merged their wireless businesses to form the 4th largest telecom operator in the country.

Dear Money is a money which is very expensive to borrow because of high real interest rates.
FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT IN INDIA GK-325

FOREIGN TRADE
AND INVESTMENT
IN INDIA

Foreign Trade and Investment

Introduction Foreign Exchange India's Foreign Balance of India's Balance

Reserves Trade Payments of Payments

Trends
Gold Problems
Special Drawing
Protectionist
Right (SDR)
Policies
Foreign Currency
Assets (FCA) External Debt
Reserve Tranche Export Promotion
Position (RTP)
Exchange Rate
Trade Policy
Special Economic
History India's Export India's Import
Zone (SEZ)
Profile Profile
Foreign Direct
Investment
Introduction Structure of Balance
of Payments
Current Account
Capital Account
Reserve Account Balance

INTRODUCTION
• Foreign trade is exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or
territories, which involves the activities of the government and individuals.
• In most countries, it represents a significant share of gross domestic product (GDP).
Foreign trade in India, includes all imports and exports to and from India. At the level
of Central Government it is administered by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
India exports approximately 7500 commodities to about 190 countries.
 GK-326
FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES
• Foreign exchange reserves also called
forex reserves or FX reserves are
assets held by a central bank or other
monetary authority, usually in various
reserve currencies and used to back its
liabilities, e.g. the local currency issued,
and the various bank reserves deposited
with the central bank by the government
or by financial institutions.
• The foreign exchange reserves of India
comprise of three elements:
(i) Gold,
(ii) Special Drawing Rights (SDR),
(iii) Foreign Currency Assets (FCA).
Gold
• It accounts for only 5% of our foreign
exchange assets.
Special Drawing Rights (SDR)
• An international type of monetary
reserve currency, created by International
Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1969 which
operates as a supplement to the existing
reserves of member countries.
• It is also known as “paper gold”,
created in response to concerns about
the limitations of gold and dollars as
the sole means of settling international
accounts, SDRs are designed to augment
international liquidity by supplementing
the standard reserve currencies.
• Its value is based on a basket of five key
international currencies and SDRs can be
exchanged for freely usable currencies.
The basket of five international currencies
includes US dollar, Euro, Chinese yuan,
Japanese yen and British pound.
Foreign Currency Assets (FCAs)
• Foreign currency assets include foreign
exchange reserves less gold holdings,
special drawing rights and India’s
reserve position in the IMF.
India imports 6000 commodities from 140 countries.
FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT IN INDIA
Foreign Exchange Management
• Foreign exchange management (FEM)
can be managed in three possible ways:
fixed currency rates, floating currency
rates and managed exchange rates.
Fixed Exchange rates
• Fixed rates are currency values which
are tied to a precious metal such as gold,
or anchored to another currency, like the
US Dollar. This method was brought by
the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
• The IMF system involved the US$ as the
anchor for the system with the US$ given
a specific value in terms of gold, and
other currencies were then given a value
in terms of the US$, such as £1 = $2.40.
India was part of this regime too and in
1948, 1$ was equal to ` 3.30.
• However, the system collapsed in 1971
for a variety of reasons, including the
build up of US debts abroad as a result
of the need to fund the war in Vietnam,
inflation in the USA and growing doubts
about the stability of the US$.
Floating Exchange Rates
• Under a floating system, a currency can
rise or fall due to changes in demand
or supply of currencies on the foreign
exchange market.
• The advantages of floating exchange
rates are flexibility and automatic
adjustment in case of balance of trade
disequilibrium.
Managed Exchange Rates
• This is a combination of fixed and
floating rates. In today’s economic
situation, almost all countries follow this
system of exchange rate determination.
The governments usually let the market
determine the exchange rates but
intervene whenever needed.
FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT IN INDIA GK-327
Reserve Tranche Position
• Each member of the IMF is assigned a
quota, part of which is payable in SDRs
or Specified usable currencies and part
in the member’s own currency.
INDIA’S FOREIGN TRADE
• Historically, India ran a trade surplus
for centuries together through export
of spices, handicrafts, textiles, etc. No
restrictions on imports or exports were
officially maintained.
• Before India got independence, import
of goods from great Britain received
official encouragement through
Imperial preferences.
• Statutorily, it was the Sea Customs
Act, 1878 that provided the basis
for implementing the official bias in
favour of imports from Britain.
• The Government of India Act, 1935
granted Central government the
exclusive legislative powers to regulate
import of goods into India and export of
goods from India. However, this power
was used when the Imports and Exports
(Control) Act, 1947 was enacted.
• The initial life of the Imports and Exports
(Control) Act, 1947 was three years but it
was extended from time to time till 1971.
• To protect industries from influx of
imported goods the government issued
the Imports (Control) Order 1955
allowing most of the imports only against
an import licence.
• In 1976 many changes were made to the
Imports and Exports (Control) Act, 1947.
• Beginning mid-1991, the Government
of India introduced a series of reforms
to liberalise and globalise the Indian
economy.
India’s foreign exchange reserves were US$ 367.14 billion in the week up to October 21, 2016.
• The difference between a member’s
quota and the IMF’s holdings of its
currency is a country’s Reserve Tranche
position (RTP).
• The Import policies prior to 1992
contained an Open General Licence under
which specific goods could be imported
and exported by specific categories
of importers and exporters subject to
fulfilment of certain conditions.
• In 1992, the policy was amended to open
general licence and allow imports and
exports of all goods without a licence,
except those specifically mentioned in a
small negative list.
• In 1950s, India’s share in the world
trade was 1.78% which was decline to
0.59% in 1990 and remained low for
many years. India’s share in world trade
is currently around 2% (2015) and our
country has set for itself the ambitious
target of gaining 3.5% of world trade by
2020.
• As per the rankings of WTO for the year
2014, India was the 19th largest exporter
(with a share of 1.7%) and 12th largest
importer (with a share of 2.5%) of
merchandise trade in the world.
• In Commercial services, India is the 6th
largest exporter (with a share of 3.3%)
and 7th largest importer (with a share of
2.9%). Service sector has been a major
financer for India’s merchandise trade
deficit. Service surplus financed around
53% of merchandise trade deficit during
2013-14.
• India has been pursuing a policy of
market diversification directing her
export promotion efforts at Asia and
ASEAN, Latin America and Africa through
Focus Market Initiatives and bilateral
trade agreements.
 GK-328
BALANCE OF PAYMENTS (BOP)
Introduction
• Balance of payments (BoP) is statistical
statement of all transactions made
between one particular country and
all other countries during a specified
period of time. BoP compares the dollar
difference of the amount of exports and
imports, including all financial exports
and imports.
• A negative balance of payments means
that more money is flowing out of the
country than coming in. The balance of
payment is maintained by Central Bank
of India, i.e. Reserve Bank of India
(RBI).
• Balance of payments may be used as
an indicator of economic and political
stability. For example, if a country has
a consistently positive BoP, this could
mean that there is significant foreign
investment within that country. It may
also mean that the country does not
export much of its currency.
• BoP indicates trade balance, foreign
investments and investment by
foreigners. Even a negative BoP does
not signify unfavourable climate for the
economy. It is unfavourable only if the
economy lacks the means to fill the gap
created by negative BoP.
Balance of trade and balance of
payment
• Balance of trade takes into account only
those transactions arising out of exports
and imports (the visible items). It does
not consider the exchange of services
rendered such as shipping. Balance of
payment takes into account the exchange
of both visible and invisible items.
• Hence, the balance of payments
represents a better picture of a country’s
economic transactions with the rest of
the world than the Balance of trade.
Structure of Balance of Payments
Accounts
A balance of payments statement is a
summary of a nation’s total economic
Net inflow into equity schemes during September 2016 stood at `3,743 crore (US$ 559.9 million).
FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT IN INDIA
transaction undertaken on international
account. It is usually composed of three
sectors:
1. Current account,
2. Capital account,
3. Reserve account balance.
Current Account
This account is the summary of all
international trade transactions of the
domestic country in one year. It records the
following 3 items:
(i) Visible items of trade
• The balance of exports and imports of
goods is called the balance of visible
trade, e.g. Tea, Coffee, etc.
(ii) Invisible Trade
• The balance of exports and imports
of services is called the balance of
invisible trade. The invisible are divided
into three categories: (a) Services-
insurance, travel, transportation,
miscellaneous (like communication,
construction, financial, software, etc.),
(b) Income, and (c) Transfers (grants,
gifts, remittances, etc.).
(iii) Unilateral transfers
• Unilateral transfers are receipts which
residents of a country make without
getting anything in return, e.g. gifts, etc.
Capital Account
• This account is the summary of
foreign capital transactions. On the
credit side of this account receipt of
foreign exchange due to Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI), Foreign Capital
Investment (FCI) and Foreign Borrowing
(FB) is recorded.
• On the debit side of capital account
payment of foreign exchange due
to Direct Investment Abroad (DIA),
Portfolio Investment Abroad (PIA) and
Foreign Lending (FL) is recorded.
• While India made the rupee fully
convertible under current account, it
was felt that the economy was not yet
ready for capital account convertibility
(CAC).
FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT IN INDIA GK-329
Reserve Account Balance
• This is the adjusting account in balance
of payment. It makes an adjustment
between current account balance and
capital account balance.
• If the deficit in the current account is
followed by surplus in capital account
than the excess foreign exchange is
diverted into capital account to current
account so that deficit in the current
account is eliminated.
• The remaining surplus in the capital
account is transferred to the Reserve
account and recorded on the credit of
reserve account. Therefore both Current
Account and Capital Account is always
balanced.
• The Reserve Account is also the indicator
of Forex Reserves of the country. If
surplus in the Capital Account is more
than deficit in the Current Account, there
is net increase in the Forex Reserves of
the country at the end of the year.
• On the other hand if deficit in the
current account is more than surplus
in the Capital Account then there is net
decrease in Foreign Reserves of the
country at the end of the year.
Balance of Payment (BoP) Crisis
• If international reserves of a country
are not enough to balance a combined
deficit in current and capital account on
a sustained basis, then the phenomenon
is called a BoP crisis.
• It can be tackled by exporting more or by
limiting imports through tariffs, quotas,
etc.
• Contractionary fiscal and monetary
policies can also tackle the crisis
through lower import demand with fall
in average income levels.
• Another short term solution is currency
devaluation which encourages exports
and discourages costlier imports.
India’s Balance of Payment
• The international Balance of Payments
(BoP) of a country reflects its economic
strengths and weaknesses. A typical
India’s Index of Industrial Production (IIP) grew by -0.7 % in August 2016, as compared to a growth of -2.5% growth in July 2016.
problem of the developing countries
is that of a chronic BoP deficit, India
being no exception.
• Our country has been facing BoP
disequilibrium right since independence,
culminating into a disaster in 1990-91,
the year of the acute BoP crisis. India
then had foreign exchange reserve of
mere 1 billion dollar, barely sufficient
to finance a month’s import bill. The
country was on the verge of defaulting.
• This crisis led to the massive changes in
the country’s economic policy, popularly
known as the Structural Adjustment
Program or New Economic Policy
(NEP) regime, focusing on liberalization
and globalization of the economy.
Trends & Problems Of India’s
BoP – 1949-50 To 1999-2000.
•• The disequilibrium in India’s BoP
has been caused by both internal as
well as external factors. The need for
development of such a big nation with
a huge population is one of the main
causes for the recurring BoP problem.
•• The BoP is always under pressure and
had huge deficits due to high imports of
food grains and capital goods, the heavy
external borrowings and its payment and
poor exports.
• India faced a major BoP crisis in the
early 1990s. We had to borrow
from IMF to be able to sustain the
economy. This loan came with a number
of conditions. The following are some
of the conditions that came with the
medium term loan given by IMF to India
for restructuring of the economy:
•• Government expenditure to be cut by
10% per annum,
•• Devaluation of rupee by 22%,
•• Excise duty to be increased by 20%,
•• Custom duty to be cut drastically from
the peak of 130% to 30%.
Protectionist Policies
• The main objective of the Second
Five Year Plan (1956-57 to 1960-61)
was to attain self reliance through
industrialization. Self reliance was to be
achieved through import substitution.
 GK-330
• For this basic industries had to be set up
which required import of capital goods.
Exports were expected to automatically
take-off with industrialization.
• All focus was on import substitution, with
gross neglect of exports. Such inward
looking protectionist policies did result
in some self-reliance in the consumer
goods industries, but the capital goods
industries remained mostly import
intensive.
• The high degree of protection to Indian
industries led to inefficiency and
poor quality products due to lack of
competition. The high cost of production
further eroded our competitive strength.
• Rising petroleum products demand, the
two oil shocks, harvest failure, all put
severe strain on the economy. The BoP
situation remained weak throughout the
1980s, till it reached the crisis situation
in 1990-91, when India was on the verge
of defaulting due to heavy debt burden
and constantly widening trade deficit.
External Debt
• India had to resort to large scale foreign
borrowings for its developmental efforts
in the field of basic social and industrial
infrastructure. The country’s resources
were very much limited due to low per
capita income and savings
• The situation worsened because
Government of India resorted to heavy
foreign borrowings to correct the BoP
situation in the short run out of panicky.
By the Seventh Five Year Plan, the debt
service obligations rose sharply because
of harder average terms of external
debt, involving commercial borrowing,
repayments to the IMF and a fall in
concessional aid flow.
Export Promotion
Although by the Sixth Five Year Plan we
had done away with the need of food grain
imports and some crude oil was being
produced domestically, BoP position was still
not comfortable due to low exports. The need
for export promotion was felt during the
1960s. The Third Five Year Plan introduced
certain export promotion policies like cash
compensatory schemes, tax exemptions, duty
India’s largest trading partners in descending order are UAE, China, USA, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Singapore, Germany,
Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iraq and Japan.
FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT IN INDIA
drawbacks, Rupee devaluation, etc. However,
our exports remained discouraging. Indian
exports depended largely on world trade
situation. We were mainly primary product
exporters, the price of which fluctuated
heavily with fluctuations in world market
demand.
• Primary products exporting countries
have an unfavorable term of trade. The
earnings from primary product exports
were low and unstable.
• Secondly, the quality of Indian products
was not up to the world standards due to
which we could not sustain markets.
• Third, only residue products were mainly
exported. The fact that export earnings
also contribute to economic development
was overlooked. Cumbersome procedures
for license, etc. served as disincentives
for exporters. Domestic inflation further
reduced the competitiveness of India’s
export.
Exchange Rate
• The instability of the exchange value
of the rupee was another problem. The
constant devaluations (to promote
exports) raised the amount of external
debt. The value of rupee was managed
by the central bank (fixed exchange rate).
• The gap between official and market
exchange rate created problems for
the exporters and importers. The
strict foreign exchange controls also
encouraged hawala trade.
• India followed a strongly inward
looking policy, laying stress on import
substitution. Ideally, imports should be
financed by export earnings. But because
there was export pessimism, the deficit
was financed either by the invisible
earnings or by foreign aid or depletion of
valuable foreign exchange reserve. Much
import constraint to check trade deficit
was also not possible because India’s
imports were mainly ‘maintenance
imports’.
• On one hand import reduction was
not possible and on the other exports
suffered due to the recession in the
1980s.
FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT IN INDIA GK-331
India’s BoP was thus beset with several
problems. The process of liberalization
began from the mid 1980s. Restriction
on certain imports were removed,
FOREIGN TRADE POLICY 2015-20
Aiming to nearly double India’s exports of
goods and services to $900 billion by 2020,
the government has announced several
incentives in the five-year Foreign Trade
Policy for exporters and units in the Special
Economic Zones (SEZ). Unveiling the
first trade policy of the NDA government,
Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
said the FTP (2015-20) will introduce
Merchandise Exports from India Scheme
(MEIS) and Services Exports from India
Scheme (SEIS) to boost outward shipments.
The new policy aims at boosting India’s
exports and it is believed that PM Narendra
Modi’s pet projects, ‘Make in India’ and
‘Digital India’ will be integrated with the
new Foreign Trade Policy.
Trade Policy (2015-20) Key Features
• India to be made a significant participant
in world trade by 2020.
• Merchandize exports from India (MEIS)
to promote specific services for specific
Markets Foreign Trade Policy.
• FTP would reduce export obligations
by 25% and give boost to domestic
manufacturing.
• FTP 2015-20 introduces two new schemes,
namely “Merchandise Exports from
India Scheme (MEIS)” and “Services
Exports from India Scheme (SEIS)”. The
‘Services Exports from India Scheme’ (SEIS)
is for increasing exports of notified services.
These schemes (MEIS and SEIS) replace
multiple schemes earlier in place, each with
different conditions for eligibility and usage.
Incentives (MEIS and SEIS) to be available
for SEZs also e-Commerce of handicrafts,
handlooms, books, etc. eligible for benefits of
MEIS. FTP benefits from both MEIS and SEIS
will be extended to units located in SEZs.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows have increased 29 per cent during April 2015 – March 2016 to reach US$ 40 billion.
particularly those which were used as
inputs for export production. But by then
the situation was already bad and all the
mismanagement ultimately led to the
1990-91 BoP crisis.
• Agricultural and village industry
products to be supported across the
globe at rates of 3% and 5% under MEIS.
• Higher level of support to be provided to
processed and packaged agricultural and
food items under MEIS.
• Industrial products to be supported in
major markets at rates ranging from 2%
to 3%.
• Served from India Scheme (SFIS) will be
replaced with Service Export from India
Scheme (SEIS).
• Branding campaigns planned to promote
exports in sectors where India has
traditional strength.
• SEIS shall apply to ‘Service Providers
located in India’ instead of ‘Indian
Service Providers’.
• The criteria for export performance
for recognition of status holder have
been changed from Rupees to US dollar
earnings.
• Manufacturers who are also status
holders will be enabled to self-certify
their manufactured goods as originating
from India.
• Reduced Export Obligation (EO) to
(75%) for domestic procurement under
EPCG scheme.
• Online procedure to upload digitally signed
document by Chartered Accountant/
Company Secretary/Cost Accountant to be
developed.
• Inter-ministerial consultations to be held
online for issue of various licences.
• No need to repeatedly submit physical
copies of documents available on
Exporter Importer Profile.
• Export obligation period for export
items related to defence, military store,
aerospace and nuclear energy to be 24
months instead of 18 months.
 GK-332
• Calicut Airport, Kerala and Arakonam
ICDS, Tamil Nadu notified as
registered ports for import and export;
Vishakhapatnam and Bhimavarm added
SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE (SEZ)
• Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a
specifically delineated duty-free enclave
that has economic laws different from
a country’s typical economic laws,
usually the goal is to increase foreign
investments.
• India was one of the first in Asia to
recognise the effectiveness of the
Export processing Zone (EPZ) model in
promoting exports, with Asia’s first EPZ
set up in Kandla in 1965. With a view
to attract larger foreign investments in
India, the Special Economic Zones (SEZs)
Policy was announced in April 2000.
• Today, there are approximately 3,000
SEZs operating in 120 countries which
account for over US $ 600 billion in
exports and about 50 million jobs.
• As a major step forward meant to invoke
confidence in investors and signal the
government’s commitment to a stable
SEZ policy regime, a comprehensive
Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 was
passed by the Parliament in May 2005. It
received Presidential assent on the 23rd
of June 2005. This Act came into force
w.e.f. February 10, 2006.
The main objectives of the SEZ Act
• Generation of additional economic
activity.
• Promotion of exports of goods and
services.
• Promotion of investment from domestic
and foreign sources.
• Creation of employment opportunities.
• Development of infrastructure facilities.
The salient features of SEZs Act
• Exemption from customs duty, excise duty,
etc. on import/domestic procurement of
goods for the development, operation
and maintenance of SEZs and the units
therein.
Passenger vehicle sales in September 2016 grew by to 278,428 units, as compared with to 258,000 units in August 2016.
FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT IN INDIA
as Towns of Export Excellence.
• Certificate from independent chartered
engineer for redemption of EPCG
authorisation no longer required.
• 100% income tax exemption for 5 years,
50% for the next 5 years and 50% of
ploughed back export profits for 5 years
thereafter for SEZs units.
• Exemption from capital gains on transfer
of an undertaking from an urban area of
SEZs.
• 100% income tax exemption to SEZ
developers for a block of 10 years in 15
years.
• Exemption from dividend distribution
tax to SEZ developers.
• 100% income tax exemption for 5 years
and 50% for next five years for off shore
Banking units located in SEZ.
• Exemption to SEZ developer and units
from Minimum Alternate Tax.
• CST exemption to SEZ developer and
units on inter-state purchase of goods.
• Constitution of an authority for each
SEZ with a view to providing greater
administrative, financial and functional
autonomy to these zones.
• Establishment of designated courts and
a single enforcement agency to ensure
speedy trial and investigation of offences
committed in SEZs.
• Encouragement to State Governments
to liberalise State laws and delegate
their powers to the Development
Commissioners to the SEZs to facilitate
single window clearance.
Export Oriented Units, Export
processing Zone and Special
Economic Zone Schemes
• The Government has liberalised the
scheme for export-oriented units and
export processing zones. Agriculture,
horticulture, poultry, fisheries and
dairying have been included in export-
oriented units.
FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT IN INDIA GK-333
• Export processing zone units have also
been allowed to export through trading
and star trading houses and can have
equipments on lease. These units have
been allowed cent per cent participation
in foreign equities.
1. Export Processing Zones
• Before getting converted into Special
Economic Zones (SEZs), these Export
Processing Zones (EPZs) were playing
important role in promoting exports of
the country. These zones were created
to develop such an environment in the
economy which may provide capability
of facing international competition.
• The Export Processing Zone (EPZs)
set up as enclaves, separated from the
Domestic Tariff Area by fiscal barriers,
were intended to provide a competitive
duty free environment for export
production.
• All the 8 EPZs, located at Kandla and Surat
(Gujarat), Santa Cruz (Maharashtra),
Cochin (Kerala), Chennai (Tamil Nadu),
Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh),
Faeta (West Bengal) and Noida (U.P)
have been converted into Special
Economic Zones.
2. Export-Oriented Units
• Since 1981, the Government introduced
a complementary plan of EPZ (Now
converted into SEZ) scheme for
promoting export units (making export
of their cent per cent production. Under
this scheme the Government provides
various incentives to increase the
production capacity of these units so as
to increase exports of the country.
FDI
• Foreign direct investment (FDI) is an
investment in a business by an investor
from another country for which the
foreign investor has control over the
company purchased. The Organisation of
Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) defines control as owning 10%
or more of the business. Businesses that
make foreign direct investment are after
India’s current account deficit stood at US$ 277 million in April-June quarter, as against US$ 0.3 billion in Jan-Mar 2016 quarter.
3. Export Houses, Trading Houses
and Star Trading Houses
• To increase the marketable efficiency of
exporters, the Government introduced
the concept of export houses, trading
houses and star trading houses.
• Since April 1, 1994 a new category
named Golden Super Star Trading
Houses was added by the Government
which has the highest average annual
foreign exchange earnings. On March
31, 2003 there were 4 Golden Super Star
Trading House working in the country.
4. Export Promotion Industrial
Parks (EPIP)
• A Centrally-sponsored ‘Export Promotion
Industrial Park (EPIP)’ scheme was
introduced in August 1994 with a view
to involving the state governments in the
creation of infrastructure facilities for
export oriented production. It provides
for 75% (limited to 10 crore) grant to
state government towards creation of
such facilities.
• The Central Government has so far
approved 25 proposals for establishments
of EPIPs in the states of Punjab, Haryana,
Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka,
Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, U.P., Gujarat, Bihar, J&K, Assam,
M.P., West Bengal, Odisha, Meghalaya,
Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura.
• At present, the number of formally approved
SEZs is 523, notified is 352 and operational
is 196. The total number of units approved
in SEZs is 4,102. A total investment of
` 3,48,983.22 crores has been done till
2015. Moreover, till now 15,04,597 persons
have received employment through SEZs.
called Multinational Corporations (MNCs)
or Multinational Enterprises (MNEs).
• A MNE may create a new foreign
enterprise by making a direct investment,
which is called a greenfield investment.
• A MNE may make a direct investment by
the acquisition of a foreign firm, which
is called an acquisition or prownfield
investment .
 GK-334
Advantages FDI
1. Economic Development Stimulation.
2. Easy International Trade.
3. Employment and Economic Boost.
4. Development of human capital
Resources.
5. Tax incentives.
6. Resource Transfer.
7. Reduced disparity between revenues
and costs.
8. Increased productivity.
9. Increment in income.
Disadvantages of FDI
1. Hindrances to domestic Investment.
2. Risk from political changes.
3. Negative influence on exchange rates.
4. Higher costs.
5. Economic non-viability.
6. Expropriation.
7. Modern-day Economic colonialism.
• FDI, being a non-debt capital flow, is
a leading source of external financing,
especially for the developing economies.
It not only brings in capital and technical
know-how but also increases the
competitiveness of the economy.
• The current phase of FDI policy is
characterized by negative listing,
permitting FDI freely except in a few
sectors indicated through a negative list.
Under the current policy regime, there
are three broad entry options for foreign
direct investors:
1. In some sectors, FDI is not permitted
(negative list);
2. In another small category of sectors,
foreign investment is permitted only
till a specified level of foreign equity
participation.
3. The third category, comprising all
the other sectors, is where foreign
investment up to 100 % of equity
participation is allowed. The third
category has two subsets –
India’s Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation rate declined to 3.6% in September 2016 as against 3.74% in the previous month.
FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT IN INDIA
a. one consisting of sectors where
automatic approval is granted for FDI
(often foreign equity participation
less than 100 %), and
b. the other consisting of sectors where
prior approval from the Foreign
Investment Approval Board (FIPB) is
required.
• FDI policy changes increasingly reflect
the requirements of industry and are
based on stakeholder’s consultation.
Upfront listing of negative sectors has
helped focus on reform areas, which are
reflected in buoyant FDI inflows.
100% FDI
• Advertising, agriculture, air transport
services (domestic airlines), courier
services, drugs and pharmaceuticals,
electricity, power, films and studios, hotel
and tourism, housing and real estate,
construction, mass rapid transport
system, mining (gold and silver), NBFC,
marketing, pipelines and refining of
petroleum products, tourism, transport
infrastructure, townships, SEZs, railways,
single brand retail (upto 49% automatic
and from 49 to 100% has to be approved
by FIPB), telecommunications (upto
49% automatic, 49-100% by FIPB), and
asset reconstruction companies ( upto
49% automatic, 49-100% by FIPB).
74% FDI
• Airports, broadcasting, coal and lignite,
credit information companies, direct
to home (DTH), mining (diamonds &
precious stones), satellites, and private
sector banking are the sectors with FDI
limit of 74%.
26–49% FDI
• Airlines/aviation, defence, insurance and
pension are the sectors which have 49%
FDI limit. Sectors with 26% FDI limits
print media (newspaper – 26%, scientific
& periodicals – 100% ) and FM radio.
Public sector Banks have the lowest FDI
limit of 20%.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-335

GENERAL SCIENCE u Physics

u Chemistry
u Life Science
u Everyday Science

PHYSICS
Unit & dimension Some Important Conversions
Physical Quantities (i) 1 yard = 0.9144 m ≅ 0.91m
(ii) 1 foot (1’) = 0.305 m
Those quantities which can describe the (iii) 1 inch (1”) = 2.54 cm = 0.025 m
laws of physics and possible to measure are (iv) 1 mile = 1609 m = 1.609 km
called physical quantities. (v) 1 ltr. = 1000 cc = 10-3 m3
The physical quantities which do not depend (vi) 1 cm2 = 10-4 m2
upon other physical quantities are called (vii) 1 mm = 10-3 m
fundamental quantities. (viii) 1 atomic mass unit 1 (amu)
In Standard International (S.I.) system the = 1.67 × 10-27
(ix) 1 slug = 14.57 kg
fundamental quantities are mass, length,
(x) 1 tonne = 10 quintal = 1000kg
time, temperature, luminous intensity, electric
(xi) 1 kg/m3 = 1000 g/cm3
current and amount of substance.
5
The physical quantities which depend on (xii) 1 km/h = m/s and
fundamental quantities are called derived 18
quantities, e.g. speed, acceleration, force, etc. 18
1 m/s = km/h
5
Units (xiii) 1 newton = 105 dyne, 1 kg wt = 9.8 N
The unit of a physical quantity is the and 1 g wt = 981 dyne
reference standard used to measure it. (xiv) 1 joule = 107 erg,
1. Fundamental Units: The units defined 1 eV = 1.6 × 10–19 J
for the fundamental quantities are (xv) 1 atm = 76 cm of Hg = 1.01 × 105
called fundamental or base units.
N dy
Fundamental Unit for Mass- Kilogram = 1.01 ×
(Kg), Length-metre (m), Time-second(s), m2 cm 2
(xvi) 1 h.p. = 746 watt
Temperature-kelvin (K), Electric Current-
(xvii) 1 kw h = 3.6 × 106 J
ampere (A), Luminous intensity - Candela
(xviii) 1 tesla = 1 web/m2 = 104 gauss
(cd), Amount of Substance - mole (mol).
2. Derived Units: The units defined for the Mechanics
derived quantities are called derived Path Length or Distance: The length of the
units. e.g. unit of speed or velocity actual path between initial and final positions
(metre per second), acceleration of a particle in a given interval of time is called
(metre per second2), etc. distance covered by the particle.
The MKS and CGS system are called metric or decimal system.
 GK-336
Displacement: The shortest distance from
the initial position to the final position of
the particle is called displacement.
Speed, Velocity and Acceleration
Distance travelled
Speed =
TimeTaken
Displacement
Velocity =
Time interval
Change in velocity
Acceleration =
Time interval
Kinematic equations for uniformly
accelerated motion
Motion under uniform acceleration is
described by the following equations.
1
v = u + at ; s = ut + at2 and
v2 = u2 + 2as 2 P2
Distance travelled in nth second of
uniformly accelerated motion
a of a body is directly proportional to the
S = u + (2n − 1)
n th 2 
Relative velocity
 
If v A and v B be the respective velocities
of object A and B then relative velocity of A
   and a = acceleration produced
w.r.t. B is v A B = v A − v B
Similarly, relative velocity of B w.r.t. A is
   particle for a smaller time, then impulse =
v BA = v B − v A
Scalars and Vectors
The physical quantities which require only
magnitude to express, are called scalar
quantities, e.g. Mass, distance, time, speed,
volume, density, pressure, work, energy,
power, charge, electric current, temperature,
potential, specific heat, frequency, etc. Certain
physical quantities have both magnitude and
direction, they are called vector quantities,
e.g. Displacement, velocity, acceleration,
force, momentum, impulse, electric field,
magnetic field, current density, etc.
Newton’s Laws of Motion
1st law: Every body continues to be in
its state of rest or of uniform motion in a
straight line unless compelled by an external
force to change its state. This fundamental
property of the body is called inertia.
When a body moves in space, then the motion is called three–dimensional motion.
GENERAL SCIENCE
This law is known as Newton’s first law of
motion or law of inertia.
Inertia: Inertia is the property of a body due
to which it opposes the change in its state.
Inertia of a body is measured by mass of the
body. It is directly proportional to the mass
of the body i.e., Inertia ∝ mass.
Momentum

The linear momentum of a body ( p ) is
defined as the product of the mass of the
body (m) and its velocity. i.e., P = mv .
Relation between momentum and kinetic
energy:
Consider a body of mass (m) moving with
velocity (v). Linear momentum of the body,
p = mv.
KE of a particle can be expressed as
E= and p = 2mE
2m
2nd law: The rate of change of momentum
unbalanced external force applied on it.

   
i.e., F ∝ dp or, F = k dp or F = ma
dt dt
Force (F) = ma where m = mass of the object
Impulse: If a large force acts on a body or
product of force and time.
Impulse = F∆t
3rd law: According to this law, every action
has equal and opposite reaction. Action and
reaction act on two different bodies and
they are simultaneous. There can be no
reaction without action.
Law of conservation of linear momentum
If the total external force acting on a system
is equal to zero, then the final value of the
total momentum of the system is equal to
the initial value of the total momentum of
the system.
  
p = constant or pf = pi
Motion in a Lift
Let a man of weight W = Mg be standing in
a lift.
Case (a): If the lift is moving with constant
velocity v upwards or downwards.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-337

The fictitious force F0 = Ma acts upward

a=0 while weight of a man W = Mg always acts
downward, therefore apparent weight,
W ‘ = W + F0 = Mg – Ma = M (g – a)

g Friction
Whenever a body moves or tends to move over
the surface of another body, a force comes
into play which acts parallel to the surface
W = Mg of contact and opposes the relative motion.
This opposing force is called friction.
In this case there is no accelerated motion
hence no pseudo force experienced by Circular Motion
observer ‘O’ inside the lift. Motion of a body along a circular path is
So apparent weight, W’ = actual weight W called circular motion.
Case (b): If the lift is accelerated i.e., a = Centripetal force: The force directed
constant and in upward direction. towards the centre required for traversing a
Then net forces acting on the man are circular path is called centripetal force.
mv 2
(i) weight W = Mg downward Centripetal force = F = = mω2 r .
(ii) fictitious force F0 = Ma downward. r
• In a banked path with curvature (q)
So apparent weight, with friction, the safe velocity is given
W’ = W + F0 = Mg + Ma by
= M (g + a) v = √ [rg (tan θ + µ) / (1 – µ tan θ)].
• Bending of cyclist: In order to take
a circular turn of radius r with speed
a v, the cyclist should bend himself
through an angle q from the vertical
such that
v2
g tan θ =
rg
Centrifugal force: A force that is equal
and opposite to the central force is called
centrifugal force. e.gs. cream separator,
W’ = M(g+a) centrifugal dryer, etc.
Case (c): If the lift is accelerated downward Torque and angular momentum
with acceleration a < g: Torque is the moment of force. It is the cross
product of the force with the perpendicular
distance between the axis of rotation and the
point of application of force with the force.
a<g  
Torque = t = r × F ; S.I. unit is N – m
Angular momentum is the moment
of linear momentum. It is also the
g product of the linear momentum and the
perpendicular distance of the mass from
the axis of rotation.
  
t =r×p
where r = position relative to origin
W’ = M (g – a) p = linear momentum at position.
Relation between angular velocity and linear velocity, V = rw
 GK-338
GENERAL SCIENCE
  Board of Trade unit (B.O.T.U) = kwh, i.e., kilo
Angular momentum L = r × p =: S.I unit
kg m /s
2 watt hour
Relation between torque and angular 1 kwh = 1 unit = 3.6 × 106 joule
momentum,  This is to measure domestic electric energy
 dL consumption.
T=
dt Energy
Moment of inertia Energy is the capacity of doing work.
It is equivalent to mass in rotational motion. It is also a scalar quantity. The SI unit is
It is defined as the sum of the product of the joule.
constituent masses and the square of their Work-energy theorem states that the
perpendicular distances from the axis of work done on a body is equal to the change
rotation. in its kinetic energy.
n Kinetic energy: K.E. is the energy possessed
= ∑ mi ri 2 by the body due to its motion.
i =1 1
S.I. unit is kg/m2 and it is a scalar quantity. K.E. = mv 2
2
Periodic motion
Potential energy: P.E. is the energy
Any motion that repeats itself in equal possessed by the body due to its position
intervals of time is called periodic motion.
or shape.
A periodic motion can be represented in
terms of sines and cosines, so it is called a Gravitational P.E. = mgh (due to change in
harmonic motion. The uniformly rotating position)
earth represents a periodic motion that Law of conservation of energy states
repeats itself at every 24 hours. that energy can neither be created nor be
An oscillatory motion is always periodic destroyed but it can be transformed from
but a periodic motion may not be one form to another. For eg.
oscillatory. Dynamo: Mechanical Energy into Electrical
Examples of S.H.M. (i) clock pendulum, (ii)
Energy.
oscillating liquid in a U-tube, (iii) oscillating
block in a liquid, (iv) oscillating frictionless Electric Motor: Electrical Energy into
piston fitted in a cylinder filled with ideal Mechanical Energy.
gas, etc. Microphone: Sound Energy into Electrical
Energy.
Work
Loud Speaker: Electrical Energy into
Work done by a force on a body is defined as Sound Energy.
the product of force and the displacement of
Electric Bulb: Electrical Energy into Light
the body in the direction of force. SI unit of
work is joule. Heat Energy.
 Solar Cell: Solar Energy into Electrical
W = F.S = FS cos θ where θ is the angle Energy.
 
between F and S . Candle: Chemical Energy into Light & Heat
Power : Power is the rate of doing Energy.
work. Sitar: Mechanical Energy into Sound
  Energy.
dW F.dS   Mass-energy equivalence: According to
Power = P = = = F.v
dt dt this theorem mass and energy are inter-
Its SI unit is watt. convertible.
1 Horse power [1HP] = 746 W, E = mc2.
1 calorie = 4.2J and where c = 3 × 10 ms–1 is velocity of light in
8
6
1 kW h = 3.6 × 10 J vacuum or air.

The amount of heat produced by unit mass or unit volume of a fuel is called its calorific value.
GENERAL SCIENCE
Collision
If the path of a body is affected by another
body when two bodies physically come in
contact, then collision is said to have taken
place.
Elastic collision: Both momentum and K.E.
are conserved.
For elastic collision in one dimension,
Inelastic collision: Only momentum is
conserved.
Coefficient of restitution is defined as the
ratio of velocity of separation to the velocity
of approach.
Coefficient of restitution
v − v1
= e = 2
u1 − u 2
e = 1 for perfectly elastic collision
e = 0 for perfectly inelastic collision
Centre of Mass: It is an imaginary point at
which the whole mass of a body is supposed
to be concentrated.
Gravitation
• Gravitation is a natural phenomenon
by which all physical bodies attract
each other.
• On Earth, gravity gives weight to
physical objects employing a downward
force to keep them grounded.
• Gravitational force is always attractive.
For example, earth always attracts us
but never repels.
• It is weakest force among the
four natural forces in nature i.e.
electromagnetic, weak and strong
nuclear force.
• If there are two objects of mass m1 and
m2 and they are placed at distance r
apart. Then force between them will be:
F = G(m1m2)/r2
where G is the universal gravitational
constant.
This is called Newton’s Universal
Gravitational law.
• G = 6.67 × 10–11 Nm2/kg2
• Gravitational force is a central and
conservative force.
• They can operate over a very long
distances.
At the centre of the earth, weight becomes zero. This is due to the fact that 8 in all directions becomes equal and all forces
canal each other.
GK-339
• According to Newton’s theory, the
gravitational attraction between the
planets and the sun holds the planets in
elliptical orbits around the sun.
• The earth’s moon and moons of the
other planets are held in orbits by the
attraction between the moons and the
planets.
• The force of gravity depends upon the
object’s mass or the amount of matter
in the object.
• The weight (w) of an object is equal to
the mass of the object multiplied by the
acceleration due to gravity(g).
W = mg
• gmaximum at poles and gminimum at equator.
1
• g(moon) = g(earth)
(gearth)
6
• The value of ‘g’ decreases with altitude,
depth from the earth’s surface.
• g decreases due to rotation of earth.
Weight of a body in a lift
(i) If lift is stationary or moving with
uniform speed (either upward or
downward), the apparent weight of a
body is equal to its true weight.
(ii) If lift is going up with acceleration, the
apparent weight of a body is more than
the true weight.
(iii) If lift is going down with acceleration,
the apparent weight of a body is less
than the true weight.
(iv) If the cord of the lift is broken, it falls
freely. In this situation the weight of a
body in the lift becomes zero. This is
the situation of weightlessness.
(v) While going down, if the acceleration
of lift is more than acceleration due to
gravity, a body in the lift goes in contact
of the ceiling of lift.
• Escape speed (ve) is the minimum
speed with which an object just crosses
the earth’s gravitational field and never
comes back.
2GM
V = = 2gR
• The escape velocity of Earth is about
11.2 kilometres per second and on
moon it is 2.4 km/sec.
 GK-340
Satellite
It is a heavenly body or an artificial object
which revolves round a planet in a particular
orbit. The required centripetal force is provided
by the gravitational force. Kepler’s laws of
planetary motion are applicable to them.
(a) Orbital velocity of a satellite:
Velocity with which the satellite
orbits around the planet.
GM
vo =
R+h
(b) Time period of a satellite: Time
taken by it to complete one revolution
around the planet.
T=
2π ( R + h )3
R g
(c) Height of a satellite above the
surface of the planet:
 T 2 R 2g 
H =  
2  –R
 4π 
(d) “Total energy of a satellite orbiting
on a circular path is negative” with
potential energy being negative but
twice as the magnitude of positive
kinetic energy.
(e) Binding energy of a satellite is the
energy required to remove it from its
orbit to infinity.
GMm
B.E. = No energy is required
2r
to keep the satellite in its orbit.
Geostationary satellites: The satellites
in a circular orbit around the earth in the
equatorial plane with a time period of 24
hours, appears to be fixed from any point
on earth are called geostationary satellite.
For geostationary satellite, height above
the earth’s surface = 35800 km and orbital
velocity = 3.1 km/s.
Polar Satellites: A satellite that revolves
in a polar orbit along north-south direction
while the earth rotates around its axis in
east west direction.
Weightlessness: A situation where the
effective weight of the object becomes zero.
An astronaut experiences weightlessness
in space satellite because the astronaut as
The geostationary environment satellites are used for short range whereas polar satellites are used for longer term forecasting.
GENERAL SCIENCE
well as the satellite are in a free fall state
towards the earth.
Properties of Matter
Elasticity and Plasticity
The property of the body to regain its
original configuration (length, or shape)
when the deforming forces are removed is
called elasticity. On the other hand, if the
body does not have any tendency to regain
its original configuration on removal of
deforming force the body is called plastic
body and this property is called plasticity.
Perfectly elastic body: A body which
regains its original configuration
immediately and completely after the
removal of deforming force from it, is
called perfectly elastic body. Quartz and
phosphorous bronze, are closed to perfectly
plastic body.
Perfectly plastic body: A body which does
not regain its original configuration at all
on the removal of deforming force, however
small the deforming force may be is called
perfectly plastic body. Putty and mud are
closed to perfectly plastic body.
Stress: The internal restoring force acting per
unit area of a body is called stress.
i.e., Stress = Restoring force/ Area
Strain: The ratio of change in configuration
to the original configuration is called strain.
Change in configuraion
i.e., Strain =
Original configuration
Strain being the ratio of two like quantities
has no units and dimensions.
Elastic Limit
Elastic limit is the upper limit of deforming
force up to which, if deforming force is
removed, the body regains its original form
completely and beyond which, if deforming
force is increased, the body loses its
property of elasticity and gets permanently
deformed.
Hooke’s law
It states that within the elastic limit stress is
directly proportional to strain.
i.e., Stress ∝ strain
or Stress = E × strain
Here E is the coefficient of proportionality
and is called modulus of elasticity or
coefficient of elasticity of a body.
GENERAL SCIENCE
Materials-Ductile, Brittle and Elastomers
(i) Ductile materials: The materials
which have large range of plastic
extension are called ductile materials.
They can be drawn into thin wires, e.g.,
copper, silver, aluminium, iron, etc.
(ii) Brittle materials: The materials
which have very small range of plastic
extension are called brittle materials.
These materials break as soon as the
stress is increased beyond the elastic
limit. e.g., glass, ceramics, cast iron, etc.
(iii) Elastomers: The materials which can
be stretched to large values of strain are
called elastomers. e.g., rubber, elastic
tissue of aorta, etc.
Young’s modulus of elasticity (Y): It is
defined as the ratio of normal stress to the
longitudinal strain within the elastic limit.
Normal stress
Thus, Y =
Longitudinal strain
Fluids
Fluids are the substances that can flow.
Therefore liquids and gases both are fluids.
The study of fluids at rest is called fluid
statics or hydrostatics and the study of
fluids in motion is called fluid dynamics or
hydrodynamics. Both combined are called
fluid mechanics.
Density (r)
Mass per unit volume is defined as density. So
density at a point of a fluid is represented as
dm dm m
ρ = lim = =
∆v →0 dV dV V
Relative Density
It is defined as the ratio of the density of the
given fluid to the density of pure water at
4°C.
Relative density (R.D).
Density of given liquid
= • Slow rise in barometric reading is the
Density of pure water at 4°C
The density of water is maximum at 4°C and
is equal to 1.0 × 103 kgm–3
Pressure
If a uniform force is exerted normal to
an area (A), then average pressure (pav) is
defined as the normal force (F) per unit area.
F the body is called buoyancy and force is
i.e., Pav =
A
Thicker liquid like honey, coaltar, glycerine, sugar solution, etc. have a larger viscosity.
GK-341
∆F
In limiting sense, pressure p = lim
∆A →0 ∆A
Pressure is a scalar quantity.
SI unit: pascal (Pa), 1 Pa = 1 N/m2
Practical units: atmospheric pressure
(atm), bar and torr
1 atm = 1.01325 × 105Pa = 1.01325 bar =
760 torr = 760 mm of Hg column pressure.
Pascal’s Law of Transmission of Fluid
Pressure
Pascal’s law is stated in following ways:
• The pressure in a fluid at rest is same at
all the points if gravity is ignored.
• A liquid exerts equal pressures in all
directions.
• If the pressure in an enclosed fluid is
changed at a particular point, the change
is transmitted to every point of the fluid
and to the walls of the container without
being diminished in magnitude.
Applications of Pascal’s law: Hydraulic
machines, lifts, presses and brakes, are
based on the Pascal’s law.
Atmospheric Pressure
Force exerted by air column on unit cross-
section area of sea level is called atmospheric
pressure (P0)
P0 =
F
= 101.3kN / m 2
A
Barometer is used to measure atmospheric
pressure which was discovered by
Torricelli.
Atmospheric pressure varies from place to
place and at a particular place from time to
time.
Sudden fall in barometer reading is the
indication of storm.
• Slow fall in barometric reading is the
indication of rain.
indication of clear weather.
Buoyancy and Archimedes Principle
If a body is partially or wholly immersed
in a fluid, it experiences an upward force
due to the fluid surrounding it. This
phenomenon of force exerted by fluid on
called buoyant force or upthrust.
 GK-342
GENERAL SCIENCE
Archimedes’ Principle: It states that the Heat
buoyant force on a body that is partially or
totally immersed in a fluid equal to the weight Temperature and Heat
of the fluid displaced by it. Temperature is defined as the degree of
Bernoulli’s Principle hotness or coldness of a body. It is a scalar
When incompressible, non-viscous, irrotational quantity. Its S.I. unit is kelvin (K).
liquid i.e., ideal liquid flow from one position Heat is a form of energy which causes
to other in streamline path then in its path at sensation of hotness or coldness. The flow of
every point, the sum of pressure energy, kinetic heat is always from higher temperature to
lower temperature. No heat flows from one
energy and potential energy per unit volume
body to other, when both the bodies are at
remains constant.
the same temperature. The two bodies are
Blowing of roofs by storms, sprayer action of said to be in thermal equilibrium. The SI
carburetor, etc. based on Bernoulli’s principle. unit of heat is joule. Its CGS unit is calorie,
Viscosity 1 cal = 4.2 joule
The property of a fluid due to which it Measurement of Temperature
opposes the relative motion between its A branch of science which deals with the
different layers is called viscosity (or fluid measurement of temperature of a substance
friction or internal friction) and the force is called thermometry.
between the layers opposing the relative Thermometer is a device used to measure
motion is called viscous force. the temperature. Thermometer used for
Terminal Velocity measuring very high temperatures are called
pyrometer.
It is maximum constant velocity acquired
by the body while falling freely in a viscous Relationship between different scales of
medium. temperature
Surface Tension C − 0 F − 32 R − 0 K − 273 Ra − 492
= = = =
Surface tension is basically a property of 100 180 80 100 180
liquid. The liquid surface behaves like a
stretched elastic membrane which has a OR
natural tendency to contract and tends to C F − 32 R K − 273 Ra − 492
= = = =
have a minimum possible surface area. This 5 9 4 5 9
property of liquid is called surface tension. Normal temperature of human body is 310.15 k
Force F (37°C = 98.6°F)
Surface tension T =
Length L At –40° temperature, celsius and fahrenheit
Examples of surface tension thermometers read the same.
(i) Raindrops are spherical in shape. Ideal-gas Equation and Absolute
(ii) The hair of a shaving brush cling together Temperature
when taken out of water. The equation, PV = nRT
(iii) Oil spread on cold water but remains as
a drop on hot water etc. where, n = number of moles in the sample
of gas
Capillarity
R = universal gas constant; (its value is 8.31
A glass tube with fine bore and open at J mol–1 K–1), is known as ideal-gas equation
both ends is known as capillary tube. The
property by virtue of which a liquid rise or fall It is the combination of following three laws
in a capillary tube is known as capillarity. (i) Boyle’s law: When temperature is
Rise or fall of liquid in tubes of narrow bore held constant, the pressure is inversely
(capillary tube) is called capillary action. proportional to volume.
Rise of kerosene in lanterns, rise of ink in i.e., P ∝ 1 ( at constant temperature)
fountain pen etc. are due to capillary action. V
Coffee powder is easily soluble in water because water immediately wets the five granules of coffee by the action of capillarity.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-343

(ii) Charle’s law: When the pressure is Relation between coefficient of linear
held constant, the volume of the gas is expansion (α), coefficient of superficial
directly proportional to the absolute expansion (β) and coefficient of cubical
temperature. expansion (γ)
i.e., V ∝ T (at constant pressure) b g
(iii) Avogadro’s law: When the pressure a= = ⇒ a : b : g = 1: 2 : 3
and temperature are kept constant, the 2 3
volume is directly proportional to the Anomalous expansion of water
number of moles of the ideal gas in the Almost all liquids expand on heating but
container. water when heated from 0°C to 4°C its volume
i.e., V ∝ n (at constant pressure and decreases and hence density increases until
temperature) its temperature reaches 4°C. Its density
is maximum at 4°C, on further heating its
Absolute temperature
density decreases. This behaviour of water is
The lowest temperature of –273.16 °C at which called anomalous behaviour of water.
a gas is supposed to have zero volume and zero
Specific heat capacity
pressure and at which entire molecular motion
stops is called absolute zero temperature. It is the amount of heat energy needed to raise
A new scale of temperature starting with the temperature of unit mass of substance by
–273.16°C by Lord Kelvin as zero. This 1ºC (or 1K).
is called Kelvin scale or absolute scale of It is denoted by s or c.
temperature.
Cwater = 1 cal/g °C = 1 cal/g K = 1 kcal/kg K=4200
T(K) = t°C + 273.16
Thermal expansion joule/kg K
The increase in the dimensions, i.e. length, Latent heat or hidden heat
area or volume of a body due to the increase When state of a substance changes, change
in its temperature on heating is called thermal of state takes place at constant temperature
expansion. (m.pt. or b.pt.) heat is released or absorbed
Linear expansion: The fractional increase and is given by,
in length per ºC rise in temperature is called Q = mL
coefficient of linear expansion. where L is latent heat.
Coefficient of linear expansion, Change of State of Matter
 ∆l 
  Any state of a substance (solid/ liquid/ gas)
l dl
α=   = can be changed into another by heating or
∆T l.dT cooling. The transition of a substance from
Superficial expansion: On increasing the one state to another is called a change of
temperature of a solid, its area increases. This state.
increase in area is referred as superficial
expansion. Some common changes of states:
Coefficient of superficial expansion is (i) Melting: When heat is supplied, solid
defined as the fractional increase in area per substance changes into liquid, this
ºC rise in temperature. change of state of substance is called
Cubical expansion: On increasing the melting.
temperature of a solid, its volume increases. Heat
Solid  → Liquid
This increase in volume with increase in The temperature at which the solid and
temperature is called cubical or volume the liquid states of a substance coexist
expansion. in thermal equilibrium with each other
Coefficient of volume expansion is defined is called its melting point.
as the fractional increase in volume per ºC rise
(ii) Freezing: When heat is released, liquid
in temperature.
changes into solid, this change of state
i.e., Coefficient of volume expansion,
of substance is called freezing.
∆V / V dV
g= = Liquid 
Cool
→ Solid
∆T V.dT
The air having moisture content equal to its humidity capacity, is called saturated air. Humidity capacity of air is directly proportional to
the temperature.
 GK-344
(iii) Condensation: When vapour is cooled,
it changes into liquid, this change of
state is called condensation.
Vapour 
Cool
→ liquid
(iv) Evaporation: Conversion of liquid into
gaseous state at all the temperatures is
called evaporation or boiling.
Heat
Liquid 
→ Vapour
The temperature at which the liquid
and vapour states of a substance co-
exist in thermal equilibrium with each
other is called its boiling point.
It is a phenomenon that occurs at
the surface of liquids. The rate of
evaporation increases with rise in
temperature. Heat required to change
unit mass of liquid into vapour at a
given temperature is called heat of
evaporation at that temperature.
(v) Sublimation: It is the conversion of a
solid directly into vapour.
Solid 
Heat
→ Vapour
Sublimation takes place when boiling
point is less than the melting point.
Heat transfer: Heat energy transfer from
a body at higher temperature to a body
at lower temperature by three different
methods. They are conduction, convection
and radiation.
Conduction: Conduction is that mode
of transmission of heat in which heat is
transferred from a region of higher
temperature to a region of lower temperature
by the aid of particles of the body without
their actual migration. Conduction requires
material medium.
Convection: Convection like conduction
requires a material medium. It is the process
in which heat is transferred from one place to
other by actual movement of heated material
particles.
Radiation: When a body is heated and
placed in vacuum, it loses heat even when
there is no medium surrounding it.
The process by which heat is lost in this case
is called radiation. This does not require the
presence of any material medium. It is by
radiation that the heat from the sun reaches
the earth.
The measuring of temperature closed to OK, is known as cryogenics while dealing with the measurement of very high temperature, is called
pyrometry.
GENERAL SCIENCE
Newton’s Law of Cooling
The rate of cooling of a body (rate of loss
of heat) is directly proportional to the
excess of temperature of the body over the
surroundings, provided that this excess is small
and loss of heat by radiation only.
If θ and θ0 are the temperatures of the body
and its surroundings respectively, then
according to Newton’s law of cooling,
dQ
Rate of loss of heat, − ∝ ( θ − θ0 )
dt
Thermodynamics
The thermodynamics is the branch of
science in which the conversion of heat into
mechanical work and vice versa is studied.
Triple point of water: The triple point of
water represents the co-existence of all
the three phases of water ice, water and
water vapour in equilibrium. The pressure
corresponding to triple point of water is 6.03
× 10–3 atmosphere or 4.58 mm of Hg and
temperature corresponding to it is 273.16 K.
Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics
If objects A and B are separately in thermal
equilibrium with a third object C then objects
A and B are in thermal equilibrium with each
other.
First Law of Thermodynamics
If some quantity of heat is supplied to a
system capable of doing external work, then
the quantity of heat absorbed by the system is
equal to the sum of the increase in the internal
energy of the system and the external work
done by the system.
i.e., δQ = δU + δW
The first law of thermodynamics is essentially
a restatement of the law of conservation of
energy, i.e. energy can neither be created nor
be destroyed but may be converted from one
form to another.
Heat Engines
Heat engine is a device which converts heat
energy into work.
Efficiency of heat engine,
Work done (W )
η=
Heat taken from source (Q1 )
Refrigerators and Heat Pumps
A refrigerator is the reverse of a heat engine.
A heat pump is the same as a refrigerator.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-345

Waves (iii) Sound waves do not pass through a

• A wave is a disturbance which propagates vacuum but electromagnetic waves
energy from one place to the other (light) do.
without the transport of matter. Characteristics of Sound Waves
• These are of two types • Audible sound for human is 20 Hz to
(i) Mechanical waves 20000 Hz.
(ii) Electromagnetic waves • Sound higher than 20000 Hz are called
ultrasonics.
Mechanical Waves • Sounds less than 20 Hz are called
A mechanical wave is a periodic disturbance infrasonics.
which requires a material medium for its Speed of Sound in Different Mediums
propagation.
Medium Speed of sound
(a) Transverse wave: When the particles
of the medium vibrate in a direction (In m/s)
perpendicular to the direction of Air(0°C) 332
propagation of the wave, the wave
Air (20°C) 343
is known as the transverse wave. For
example, waves produced in a stretched Steam (at 100°C) 405
string, waves on the surface. These waves Mercury 1450
travel in form of crests and troughs. Water (20°C) 1482
These waves can travel in solids and
Sea water 1533
liquids only.
(b) Longitudinal wave: When the particles Iron 5130
of the medium vibrate along the direction Glass 5640
of propagation of the wave then the wave Sound is characterised by three parameters:
is known as the longitudinal wave. For (i) Pitch (ii) Loudness (iii) Quality
example sound wave in air, waves in a
(i) Pitch: Pitch is the sensation (brain
solid rod produced by scrubbing etc.
interpretation) of the frequency of an
These waves travel in the form of compressi-
ons and rarefactions. These waves can travel emitted sound and is the characteristic
in solids, liquids and gases. which distinguishes a shrill (or sharp)
sound from a grave (or flat) sound.
Electromagnetic Waves (ii) Loudness: Loudness or softness of
The waves which do not require medium a sound wave is the sensation that
for propagation are called electromagnetic depends upon its amplitude. The
waves. This means that these waves can loudness of sound is a measure of the
travel through vacuum also. For example, sound energy reaching the ear per
light waves, X-rays, γ-rays, Infrared waves,
second.
radio waves, microwaves, etc. These waves
are of transverse type. • The loudness of sound is measured in
• In the 1860’s and 1870’s, a Scottish sci- decibel (dB).
entist named James Clerk Maxwell no- The loudness of sound of people talking
ticed that electrical fields and magnetic quietly is about 65 dB, the loudness of
fields can couple together to form elec- sound in a very noisy factory is about
tromagnetic waves. 100 dB.
Difference between sound waves and (iii) Quality (Timber): Quality or timber
electromagnetic waves of a sound wave is that characteristic
(i) Sound waves are longitudinal and which helps us in distinguishing one
electromagnetic waves are transverse. sound from another having same pitch
(ii) Sound waves travel at a speed of 340 and loudness. We recognise a person
m/s whereas electromagnetic waves (without seeing) by listening to his sound
travel at a speed of 3 × 108 m/s. as it has a definite quality.
Shark protective oceanic device (Shark POD) protects divers from shark. It consists of two metal electrodes, one attached to diver’s fins and
other to diver’s air tank.
 GK-346
A pure sound of single frequency is called
a tone.
An impure sound produced by mixture
of many frequencies is called a note. It is
pleasant to listen.
Reflection of Sound
When sound waves strike a surface, they
return back into the same medium. This
phenomenon is called reflection.
Laws of reflection of sound waves
(i) Angle of incidence is equal to the angle
of reflection.
(ii) The incident wave, the reflected wave
and the normal all lie in the same plane.
Echo
Phenomenon of hearing back our own sound
is called an echo. It is due to successive
reflection from the surface of obstacles of
large size.
Conditions for the formation of Echoes
(i) The minimum distance between the
source of sound and the reflecting body
should be 17.2 metres.
(ii) The wavelength of sound should be less
than the height of the reflecting body.
(iii) The intensity of sound should be
sufficient so that it can be heard after
reflection.
Reverberation
Persistence of sound after its production
stopped, is called reverberation.
When a sound is produced in a big hall, its
wave reflect from the walls and travel back
and forth. Due to this energy does not reduce
and the sound persist.
A short reverberation is desirable in a
concert hall (where music is being played)
because it gives ‘life’ to sound.
Optics
Optics
The branch of physics which deals with the
propagation, nature and behaviour of light is
known as optics.
Light
Light is a form of energy which enables human
beings and creatures to ‘see’ things.
Light is an electromagnetic radiation which
exhibits properties like a wave as well as a
particle. It always propagates in a straight line.
Light travels with a speed nearly equal to
3 × 108 m/s. According to current theories,
no material particle can travel at a speed
greater than the speed of light.
Humming of mosquito has high pitch (high frequency) but low intensity (low loudness) while the roar of a lion has high intensity (loudness)
but low pitch.
GENERAL SCIENCE
Luminous and non-luminous objects
Luminous objects are those which emit its
own light e.g., sun, glowworm, burning
candle, electric lights. Non-luminous objects
do not give out its own light but are visible
only when light from a luminous object falls
on it. e.g., moon, earth, table, paper, etc.
Transparent, Translucent and Opaque
materials
Transparent materials are those which
allow most of light to pass through them.
Example: Glass, water, air.
Translucent materials allow only a part
of light to pass through it. We cannot see
distinctly through them. Example: greased
paper, paraffin wax, etc.
Opaque materials do not allow any light
to pass through it. They reflect or absorb all
the light that falls on them. Example: Books,
desk, stone, rubber, trees, etc.
• Speed of light in different mediums
Medium Speed of light
Glass 2 ×108 m /sec
Turpentine oil 2.04 ×108 m /sec
Water 2.25×108 m/sec
Vacuum 3×108 m/sec
Reflection of Light
The turning back of light in the same medium
is called reflection of light.
Laws of reflection
1. The angle of incidence ‘i’ is equal to the
angle of reflection ‘r’.
2. At the point of incidence, the incident
rays, the normal to the surface and the
reflected ray all lie in the same plane.
Images and their properties
An ‘image’ is defined as the impression of
an object carried over and formed by light
reflected from it. An image is said to be a
real image if it can be caught on a screen,
and a virtual image if it cannot be caught
on the screen. For example, the image on
the screen in a theatre is a real image and
the image observed in a plane mirror is a
virtual image.
Real image
1. When the rays of light actually meet,
the image so formed is known as real
image.
2. A real image can be caught on a screen
since it is formed by actual meeting
of rays.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-347

3. A real image is always inverted. Mirror Formula

4. A real image is formed by a convergent If an object is placed at a distance u from the
reflected beam. pole of a mirror and its image is formed at a
5. In ray diagrams, for real image, the rays distance v (from the pole) then,
are represented by full lines. 1 1 1
Virtual image + =
1. When the rays of light appear to meet, v u f
the image so formed is known as Magnification
virtual image. If a thin object linear size O situated vertically
2. A virtual image cannot be caught on a on the axis of a mirror at a distance u from
screen since it is formed by meeting of the pole and its image of size I is formed at
imaginary rays. a distance v (from the pole), magnification
3. A virtual image is always erect. (transverse) is defined as
4. A virtual image is formed by a divergent (+ve means erect image)
reflected beam.
m   I   v 
5. In ray diagrams, for virtual image, (–ve means inverted image)
the rays are generally represented by O u (|m| >1 means large image)
dotted lines.
(|m| < 1 means small image)
Characteristics of images formed by a
plane mirror Refraction of Light
The image formed by a plane mirror is When a ray of light passes from one medium
(a) virtual (the image cannot be formed on to another medium it bends – towards the
a screen), normal when goes from rarer to denser
(b) upright, and away from the normal when goes from
(c) laterally inverted (the left side of an denser to rarer medium. This phenomenon is
image is formed by the right side of an called refraction of light.
object), Twinkling of stars, sun is visible to us about
(d) the same size as the object, 2 minutes before the actual sunrise, and
(e) the same distance behind the mirror as about 2 minutes after actual sunset etc. due
to atmospheric refraction.
the object is in front of the mirror.
Refractive index
Concave and Convex Mirror
Refractive index of medium II with respect
Concave mirror: If the reflection takes to medium I.
place from the inner surface of a spherical Speed of light in medium I
mirror, then the mirror is called concave µ 21 =
Speed of light in medium II
mirror.
Uses of concave mirrors: Laws of Refraction
(i) In torches, search-lights and vehicles (i) Snell’s law: For any two media and for
headlights to get powerful beams of light of a given wavelength, the ratio
light. of the sine of the angle of incidence to
(ii) As a shaving mirror to see a large the sine of the angle of refraction is a
image of the face. constant.
(iii) As a dentists mirror to see large images sin i
of the teeth of patients. i.e., = constant
sin r
(iv) Large sized concave mirror is used to where i = incidence angle,
concentrate sunlight to produce heat r = refraction angle.
in solar furnaces. (ii) The incident ray, the refracted ray and
Convex mirror: If the outer surface of the the normal at the incident point all lie
spherical mirror acts as a reflector then the in the same plane.
mirror is called convex mirror. When object is in denser medium and
Uses of convex mirrors:
observer is in rarer medium:
(i) As a rear -view mirrors in vehicles.
(ii) For security purposes. Real depth
Refractive index µ =
(iii) In sodium reflector lamp. Virtual depth
If half of the mirror is covered, then image formed is complete but its intensity reduces (because less amount of light is reflected from the mirror).
 GK-348
GENERAL SCIENCE
Some Phenomena based on Refraction (viii)An object in a denser medium
(i) Twinkling of stars appears to be nearer when seen
(ii) Oval Shape of sun in the morning and
from a rarer medium, eg. fish in
evening.
(iii) Rivers appear shallow water, a coin at the base of a water
(iv) Coins appear raised in glass filled with filled vessel.
water.
(v) Pencils appear broken in the beaker Lens
filled with water. A lens is a piece of transparent material
(vi) Sun appears above horizon at sunset with two refracting surfaces such that
and sunrise. atleast one is curved and refractive index
(vii) Writing on a paper appears lifted on of used material is different from that of the
putting glass slab on it. surroundings.
Refractive index
Material medium Refractive index Material medium Refractive index
Air 1.0003 Canada Balsam 1.53
Ice 1.31
Water 1.33 Rock salt 1.54
Alcohol 1.36
Kerosene 1.44 Carbon disulphide 1.63
Fused quartz 1.46 Dense flint glass 1.65
Turpentine oil 1.47 Ruby 1.71
Benzene 1.50 Sapphire 1.77
Crown glass 1.52 Diamond 2.42
Refraction through a thin lens (lens Critical angle (ic): When a ray passes from
formula) an optically denser medium to an optically
If an object is placed at a distance u from rarer medium, the angle of refraction r
is greater than the corresponding angle of
the optical centre of a lens and its images
incidence i. From Snell’s law.
is formed at a distance v (from the optical
centre) and focal length of this length is f Let µ1 = µ 2 and µ 2 = 1 and let for i = ic, r =
then 90º then sin ic = 1 / µ
1 1 1 1
− = ∴ ic = sin −1 ; ic is called the critical angle.
v u f µ
This phenomenon takes place in shining
This is called lens formula.
of air bubble, sparkling of diamond,
Power of a lens mirage, looming, in optical communication,
The power of a lens is defined as endoscopy using optical fibre.

P=
1
. The unit of power is diopter.
Dispersion of Light
f (in m ) When a white ray of light or sunlight passes
Total Internal Reflection through a prism it breaks into its seven
constituents colours, i.e. violet, indigo, blue,
When the object is placed in an optically
green, yellow, orange and red (VIBGYOR).
denser medium and if the incident angle is This phenomenon is called dispersion
greater than the critical angle then the ray of light. The band of seven constituents
of light gets reflected back to the originating colours is called spectrum. The deviation
medium. This phenomenon is called total is maximum for violet colour and least for
internal reflection. red colour.
At the sunrise and sunset, the sun appears flattened. This apparent flattening of the Sun’s disc is also due to the atmospheric refraction.
GENERAL SCIENCE
The Rainbow
A rainbow is a spectrum of white light
from the sun. This is a phenomenon due to
combined effect of dispersion, refraction
and reflection of sunlight by spherical water
droplets of rain.
(i) Primary rainbow: It is formed due to
two refractions and one total internal
reflection of the light incident on the
droplet. Sunlight is first refracted
as it enters a raindrop which cause
different colours of light to separate.
The observer sees a rainbow with red
colour on the top and violet on the
bottom.
(ii) Secondary rainbow: It is formed
due to two refractions and two total
internal reflection of light incident on
the water droplet. It is due to four -
step process. The intensity of light is
reduced at the second reflection and
hence the secondary rainbow is fainter
than the primary rainbow.
Scattering of Light
As sunlight travels through the earth’s
atmosphere it gets scattered by the small
particles present in the atmosphere.
According to Rayleigh law, the amount of
scattering is inversely proportional to the
 1 
fourth power of the wavelength  .
 λ4 
Phenomenon based on scattering of light
(i) Blue colour of sky: Blue colour has
a shorter wavelength than red colour
therefore blue colour is scattered
strongly. Hence the bluish colour
predominates in a clear sky.
(ii) White colour of clouds: Clouds
contain large dust particles, water
droplets or ice particles. These large
sized Particles do not obey Rayleigh
law of scattering. All wavelengths are
scattered nearly equally. Hence clouds
are generally white.
(iii) Sun looks reddish at the Sunset
or Sunrise: At sunset or sunrise, the
sun’s rays have to pass through a larger
distance in the atmosphere. Most of the
blue and other shorter wavelengths
are scattered. The least scattered light
reaching our eyes, therefore the sun
looks reddish.
Interference of light can be seen when the kerosene oil spread on the water surface seems to have a decent colour because of the
interference of the light.
GK-349
Power of Accomodation of Eye
The ability of the lens to change its shape
to focus near and distant objects is called
accommodation.
A normal human eye can see objects clearly
that are between 25 cm and infinity.
Microscope: It is an optical instrument used
to see magnified image of a tiny objects.
Resolving power (R.P.) of a microscope
Resolving power of a microscope is defined
as the reciprocal of the least separation
between two close objects, so that they
appear just separated, when seen through
the microscope.
Telescope (Astronomical): It is an optical
instrument used to increase the visual angle
of distant large objects.
It is used to see far off objects clearly.
Resolving power (R.P.) of a telescope
Resolving power of telescope is defined as the
reciprocal of the smallest angular separation
between two distant objects, so that they
appear just separated, when seen through
the telescope.
D
Resolving power of telescope =
1.22λ
Interference of Light Waves
The phenomenon of redistribution of light
energy in a medium due to superposition
of light waves from two coherent sources is
called interference of light.
Conditions for sustained interference:
(i) Two sources must be coherent.
(ii) Amplitudes of waves should be either
equal or approximately equal.
(iii) Light should be monochromatic.
Polarisation
It is the phenomenon of restricting the
vibration of light in a particular plane.
Light waves are transverse in nature i.e.,
the electric field vector associated with
light wave is always at right angles to the
direction of propagation of the wave. When
unpolarised light is incident on a polaroid
(Nicol Prism), the light wave gets linearly
polarised i.e., the vibration of electric field
vector are along a single direction.
Electricity
Electric Charges
Charge is something associated with matter
due to which it produces and experiences
electric and magnetic effects.
 GK-350
GENERAL SCIENCE
The study of charges at rest is called static Two lines of force never intersect. If they
electricity or electrostatics while the are assumed to intersect, there will be two
study of charges in motion is called current directions of electric field at the point of
electricity. There are two types of electric intersection, which is impossible.
charge:
(i) Positive charge and (ii) Negative charge Capacitors and Capacitance
The magnitude of elementary positive or A capacitor or condenser is a device
negative charge is same and is equal to that stores electrical energy. It consists of
1.6 × 10–19 C. conductors of any shape and size carrying
Charge is a scalar quantity and its SI unit is charges of equal magnitude and opposite
ampere second or coulomb (C). signs and separated by an insulating
Basic properties of electric charge medium.
(1) Similar charges repel and opposite The symbol of a capacitor is or
charges attract each other.
(2) A charged body attracts light uncharged The net charge on a capacitor is zero.
bodies. Capacitance or capacity of a capacitor is a
(3) Accelerated charge radiates energy. measure of ability of the capacitor to store
Conductors and Insulators charge on it.
The materials which allow electric charge When a conductor is charged then its
(or electricity) to flow freely through them potential rises. The increase in potential is
are called conductors. Metals are very directly proportional to the charge given to
good conductors of electric charge. Silver, the conductor.
copper and aluminium are some of the good Q
conductors of electricity. i.e. Q ∝ V or Q = CV or, C =
V
The materials which do not allow electric The constant C is known as the capacitance
charge to flow through them are called of the conductor.
nonconductors or insulators. Its SI unit is farad (F) or coulomb/volt
For example, most plastics, rubber, non- Capacitance of the conductor depends
metals (except graphite), dry wood, wax,
upon:
mica, porcelain, dry air etc., are insulators.
(i) Size of conductor
Coulomb’s law (ii) Surrounding medium
It states that, the electrostatic force of (iii) Presence of other conductors nearby
interaction (repulsion or attraction) between
two electric charges q1 and q2 separated Electric Current
by a distance r, is directly proportional to The time rate of flow of charge through any
the product of the charges and inversely
cross-section is called electric current. If ∆q
proportional to the square of distance
charge passes through a cross-section in
between them.
time ∆t then,
Electric Field ∆q
average current I av =
The region surrounding an electric charge or ∆t
a group of charges in which another charge ∆q dq
Instantaneous current I = lim =
experiences a force of attraction or repulsion ∆t →0 ∆t dt
is called ‘electric field’. Electric current is measured in ampere (A).
The S.I. unit of electric field intensity is N/ Types of electric current:
coul or volt/metre. (a) Direct current: The current whose
Electric lines of force magnitude and direction does not
An electric line of force is that imaginary vary with time is called direct current
smooth curve drawn in an electric field along (dc). The various sources are cells, dc
dynamo, etc.
which a free isolated unit positive charge
moves. It’s symbol is

Polaroids are useful in three dimensional motion pictures, i.e. in holography.

GENERAL SCIENCE
(b) Alternating current: The current
whose magnitude continuously changes
with time and periodically changes its
direction is called alternating current.
It has constant amplitude and has
alternate positive and negative halves.
It is produced by ac dynamo.
It’s symbol is
Resistance, Conductance and Resistivity
Resistance (R): It is the property of a
substance due to which it opposes the flow of
current through it.
Its SI unit volt/ampere called ohm (Ω).
The reciprocal of specific resistance is
1 Conversion of galvanometer into voltmeter:
conductance i.e. σ =
ρ A galvanometer is converted to a voltmeter
Superconductors
At a very low temperature, the resistance
of the conductor may vanish completely.
When it happens, the conductor is called a
superconductor. For example, helium is a
superconductor at 4.2 K (– 268.8°C).
Ohm’s law
It states that if the physical state i.e.
temperature, nature of material and
dimensions of a conductor remain unchanged
then the ratio of potential difference applied
across its ends to current flowing through it
remains constant.
V Advantages of Alternating Current Over
i.e. V ∝ I or V = I R, where R =
I
resistance of conductor.
Electrical Energy
When a current is passed through a
resistor energy is wasted in overcoming
the resistance of the wire. This energy is
converted into heat.
The heat generated (in joule) when a current
of 1 ampere flows through a resistance of R
ohm for T second.
This is the joule’s law of heating
1 unit of electrical energy
= 1 Kilowatt hour (1 KWh) = 3.6 × 106 joule
This is known as Board of trade (B.O.T)
unit of electrical energy.
Power
Energy liberated per second is called its
power. The electrical power P delivered or
The process of protecting certain field from external electric field, is called electrostatic shielding.
GK-351
consumed by an electrical device is given by
P = VI, where V = Potential difference across
the device and I = current.
Ammeter : An ammeter is a low resistance
galvanometer used to measure strength of
current in an electrical circuit.
Conversion of galvanometer into ammeter:
A galvanometer can be converted to an
ammeter by connecting a low resistance or
shunt in parallel to coil of galvanometer.
Voltmeter: A voltmeter is a high resistance
galvanometer used to measure potential
difference.
by connecting a high resistance in series with
the coil of galvanometer.
Alternating Current
When an alternating voltage is applied
across a coil or a bulb, it sends a similar
varying current (i.e., of the same nature as
that of voltage) through the coil. The current
is called alternating current (A.C.).
The current flowing in only one direction
in a circuit is called direct current (D.C.).
Batteries, thermocouples and solar cells
are some of the sources of direct current.
is the Direct Current
(i) A.C. can be obtained over a wide range
of voltages. These voltages can be
easily stepped up or stepped down
with the help of transformers.
(ii) The generation of A.C. is found to be
economical than that of D.C.
Transformers
It is a device used for transforming a low
alternating voltage of high current into a
high alternating voltage of low current and
vice versa, without increasing power or
changing frequency.
Principle: It works on the phenomenon of
mutual induction.
If a low voltage is to be transformed into a
high voltage, then the number of turns in
secondary is more than those in primary. The
transformer is called a step up transformer.
 GK-352
If a high voltage is to be transformed into
a low voltage, then the number of turns in
secondary is less than those in primary.
The transformer is called a step-down
transformer.
Uses of Transformer
A transformer is used in almost all ac
operation.
(i) In voltage regulators for TV, refrigerator,
computer, air conditioner, etc.
(ii) In the induction furnaces.
(iii) Step down transformer is used for
welding purposes.
(iv) In the transmission of ac over long
distance.
AC Generator/Dynamo/Alternator
An electrical machine used to convert
mechanical energy into electrical energy
is known as AC generator/alternator or
dynamo.
Principle: It works on the principle of
electromagnetic induction, i.e. when a coil
is rotated in uniform magnetic field, an
induced emf is produced in it.
DC Motor
A D.C. motor converts direct current energy
from a battery into mechanical energy of
rotation.
Principle: It is based on the fact that when
a coil carrying current is held in a magnetic
field, it experiences a torque, which rotates
the coil.
Efficiency of the d.c. motor:
EI E Back e.m. f .
η= = =
VI V Applied e.m. f .
Uses of D.C Motor
1. The D.C. motors are used in D.C. fans
(exhaust, ceiling or table) for cooling
and ventilation.
2. They are used for pumping water.
3. Big D.C. motors are used for running
tram-cars and even trains.
Magnetism
Magnetism
The phenomenon of attracting magnetic
substances like iron, cobalt, nickel etc. is
called magnetism. A body possessing the
property of magnetism is called magnet.
Thermistor is a heat sensitive device whose resistivity changes very rapidly with change of temperature.
GENERAL SCIENCE
Lodestone or magnetite is natural magnet.
Earth is also a natural magnet.
In magnetised substance all the atomic
magnets are aligned in same direction and
thus resultant magnetism is non-zero.
Bar Magnet: A bar magnet consists of
two equal and opposite magnetic poles
separated by a small distance. Poles are not
exactly at the ends. The shortest distance
between two poles is called effective length
(Le) and is less than its geometric length (Lg).
For bar magnet Le = 2l and Le =(5/6) Lg.
S N
L=
e 2 l
Lg
Bar magnet
Properties of Magnet
(i) Attractive property: The places where
its attracting power is maximum are
called poles.
(ii) Directive property: When a magnet is
suspended its length becomes parallel
to N-S direction. The pole pointing
north is called the north pole while
the other pointing in the geographical
south is called the south pole of the
magnet.
(iii) Poles of a magnet always exist in
pairs: In a magnet the two poles are
found to be equal in strength and
opposite in nature.
(iv) Repulsive property: A pole of a
magnet attracts the opposite pole
while repels similar pole.
Demagnetisation of Magnet
A magnet gets demagnetised, i.e. loses its
power of attraction if it is heated, hammered
or alternating current is passed through a
wire wound over it.
Permanent and Temporary Magnets
(Electromagnets)
The permanent artificial magnets are
made of some metals and alloys like Carbon-
steel, Alnico, Platinum-cobalt, Alcomax,
Ticonal etc. The permanent magnets are
made of ferromagnetic substances with
large coercivity and retentivity
GENERAL SCIENCE
The temporary artificial magnets like
electromagnets are prepared by passing
current through coil wound on soft iron
core. These cannot retain its strength for a
long time. These are made from soft iron,
non-metal and alloy. Electromagnets are
stronger than permanent magnet.
Some applications of electromagnets
(i) Electric motors
(ii) Doorbells
(iii) In scrapyards to separate iron from
other metals
Magnetic Field
The space around a magnet (or a current
carrying conductor) in which its magnetic
effect can be experienced is called the
magnetic field.
Magnetic Lines of Force
Magnetic line of force is an imaginary
curve tangent to which at a point gives the
direction of magnetic field at that point or
the magnetic field line is the imaginary path
along which an isolated north pole will tend
to move if it is free to do so.
Magnetic lines of force do not intersect each
other. Because if they do, there will be two
directions of magnetic field which is not
possible.
The Earth’s Magnetism
The branch of Physics which deals with
the study of earth’s magnetic field is called
terrestrial magnetism.
William Gilbert suggested that earth itself
behaves like a huge magnet.
(a) A freely suspended magnet always
comes to rest in N-S direction.
(b) A piece of soft iron buried in N-S
direction inside the earth acquires
magnetism.
Geographic meridian: It is a vertical plane
passing through geographic north and
south pole of the earth.
Geographic equator: A great circle on the
surface of the earth in a plane perpendicular
to geographical axis is called geographic
equator. All places on geographic equator
are at equal distances from geographical
poles.
Magnetic meridian: It is a vertical plane
passing through the magnetic north and
south pole of the earth.
Magnetic field inside the body forms the basis of obtaining the images of different parts of body and it is done by using a
technique MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging).
GK-353
Magnetic equator: A great circle on the
surface of the earth in a plane perpendicular
to magnetic axis is called magnetic equator.
All places on magnetic euqator are at equal
distance from magnetic poles.
Magnetic Elements
The physical quantities which determine
the intensity of earth’s total magnetic field
completely both in magnitude and direction
are called magnetic elements.
Angle of declination (φ): The angle
between the magnetic meridian and
geographical meridian at a place is called
angle of declination.
Angle of dip or inclination (θ): The angle
through which the N pole dips down with
reference to horizontal is called the angle of
dip. At magnetic north and south pole angle
of dip is 90°. At magnetic equator the angle
of dip is 0°.
Horizontal component of earth’s
magnetic field: The total intensity of the
earth’s magnetic field makes an angle θ
with horizontal. It has
(i) component in horizontal plane called
horizontal component BH.
(ii) component in vertical plane called
vertical component BV.
Comparison of properties of soft iron
and steel:
(1) The area of hysteresis loop for soft
iron is much smaller than for steel, so
energy loss per unit volume per cycle
for soft iron is smaller than steel.
(2) The retentivity of soft iron is greater
than that of steel.
(3) The coercivity of steel is much larger
than that of soft iron.
(4) The magnetisation and demagnetisa-
tion is easier in soft iron than steel.
(5) Soft iron acquires saturation
magnetisation for quite low value
of magnetising field than in case of
steel or soft iron is much strongly
magnetised than steel.
Diamagnetic Substances: The substances
which when placed in a magnetic field are
feebly magnetised in a direction opposite
to that of the magnetising field are called
diamagnetic substances.
 GK-354
Some diamagnetic substances are Cu, Zn, Bi,
Ag, Au, Pb, He, Ar, NaCl, H2O, marble, glass,
etc.
Paramagnetic Substances: The substances
which when placed in a magnetic field
are feebly magnetised in the direction of
magnetising field are called paramagnetic
substances.
Some paramagnetic substances are Al, Na,
Sb, Pt, CuCl2, Mn, Cr, liquid oxygen, etc.
Ferromagnetic Substances: The substances
which when placed in a magnetic field are
strongly magnetised in the direction of the
magnetising field are called ferromagnetic
substances.
Iron, cobalt, nickel, etc. are some examples of
ferromagnetic substance.
Semiconductor Electronics
Metals, Semiconductors and Insulators
On the basis of electrical conductivity (σ) or
resistivity (ρ = 1/σ) the solids are classified as
(i) Metals – have low resistivity
ρ ∼ 10–2 to 10–8 Ωm
σ ∼ 102 to 108 Sm–1
(ii) Semiconductors – have intermediate
resistivity
ρ ∼ 105 to 100 Ωm
σ ∼ 10–5 to 100 Sm–1
(iii) Insulators – have high resistivity
ρ ∼ 108 Ωm
σ ∼ 10–8 Sm–1
i.e. the Semiconductors are the materials
whose conductivity is more than insulators
but less than conductors.
Types of Semiconductors :
Intrinsic semiconductors or Pure
semiconductors
In semiconductors forbidden energy gap is
more than metals or conductors and less
than insulators.
Silicon (Si) and Germanium (Ge) are the
examples of pure semiconductors.
In pure or intrinsic semiconductor,
ne = nh = ni where, ne = no. of electrons;
nh = no. of holes
and ni = no. of intrinsic carrier concentration.
(a) n – type semiconductor: Si or Ge with
pentavalent doping.
Now-a-days large electromagnets are used to levitate modern trains, these trains are called, maglev.
GENERAL SCIENCE
(b) p - type semiconductor: Si or Ge with
trivalent doping. The trivalent atom is
negatively charged as it acquires an
electron and is called acceptor atom
or impurity.
Formation of p – n junction: Part of
p-type can be converted into n – type by
adding pentavalent impurity. There is
concentration gradient between p and n
sides, holes diffuse from p side to n side
(p → n) and electrons move from (n → p)
creating a layer of positive and negative
charges on n and p side respectively called
depletion layer.
Symbol of p-n junction diode
p n
Special purpose p – n junction diode:
Zener diode: It is fabricated by heavy
doping of p and n sides of p – n junction.
Depletion region is thin < 10–6 m. Electric
field of junction is high ~ 5 × 106 V/m.
Reverse bias ~ 5V.
It is used as voltage regulator.
p-n junction diode is used as a rectifier.
Rectifier is a device which converts A.C.
into D.C.
Inverter converts D.C. into A.C.
Optoelectronic junction devices:
(a) Photodiode: It work on the principle of
photoelectric effect. It is always lightly
doped. It is a p – n junction fabricated
with a transparent window to allow
light photons to fall on it. These
photons generate electron hole pairs
upon absorption. The generation
of electron hole pair is near the
junction and due to junction field they
remain separated till external load is
connected. The electron are collected
on n–side and holes on p–side near
junction and give rise to an emf.
When external load is connected,
current flows. The magnitude of
current depends on intensity of
incident radiation.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-355

(b) Light emitting diode Principle (LED): Symbol:

Photoluminonce
It consists of heavily doped p – n E
junction in forward bias. Electrons
move from n to p and holes from
C
p to n (minority carriers). Thus,
near junction, minority carrier
concentration increases (under no
bias it is less) and they combine with B
majority carriers near the junction n-p-n type
to release energy in form of photons
with energy equal to or less than band E
gap energy. As forward bias increases,
current increases till light intensity C
reaches maximum.
Junction Transistor:
Types: (i) n-p-n type, (ii) p-n-p type.
Structure: (i) Emitter (E), (ii) Base (B), (iii) B
Collector (C) p-n-p type
Important Discoveries in Physics
Discovery Scientist Year
Laws of motion Newton 1687
Law of electrostatic attraction Coulomb 1779
Atom John Dalton 1808
Photography (On metal) J.Neepse 1826
Law of electric resistance G.S. Ohm 1827
Law of floatation Archemedes’ 1827
Electromagnetic induction Michael Faraday 1831
Photography (On paper) W.Fox Talbot 1835
Dynamite Alfred Nobel 1867
Periodic table Mandeleev 1888
X-Rays Roentgen 1895
Radioactivity Henry Becquerel 1896
Electron J.J. Thomson 1897
Radium Madam Curie 1898
Quantum theory Max Plank 1900
Wireless telegram Marconi 1901
Diode Sir J.S. Fleming 1904
Photoelectric effect Albert Einstein 1905
Principle of relativity Albert Einstein 1905
Triode Lee de Forest 1906
Atomic Structure Neil Bohr & Rutherford 1913
Proton Goldstein 1886
Raman effect C.V. Raman 1928
Neutron James Chadwick 1932
We come across the metal detect or at some public places like railway stations, airport, etc. walking through a metal detector
is walking through a coil of wire that carries a small electric current and is associated with some magnetic field.
 GK-356
GENERAL SCIENCE
Nuclear Reactor Anrico Fermi 1942
Law of electrolytic dissociation Faraday –
Thermionic emission Edison –
Some more Inventions
Invention Inventor Country Year
Adding machine Pascal France 1642
Aeroplane Wright brothers USA 1903
Ball-point pen C. Biro Hungary 1938
Barometer E. Torricelli Italy 1644
Bicycle K. Macmillan Scotland 1839
Calculating machine Pascal France 1642
Centrigrade scale A. Celsius France 1742
Cinematograph Thomas Alva Edison USA 1891
Clock (mechanical) Hsing and ling-Tsan China 1725
Diesel engine Rudolf Diesel Germany 1892
Dynamo Michael Faraday England 1831
Electric lamp Thomas Alva Edison USA 1879
Evolution(theory) Charles Darwin England 1858
Film (with sound) Dr Lee do forest USA 1923
Fountain Pen L.E. Waterman USA 1884
Gramophone T.A. Edison USA 1878
Jet Engine Sir Frank Whittle England 1937
Lift E.G. Otis USA 1852
Match (safety) J.E. Lundstrom Sweden 1855
Microphone David Hughes USA 1878
Motor car(petrol) Karl Benz Germany 1885
Motorcycle Edward Butler England 1884
Printing Press J. Gutenberg Germany 1455
Radium Marie and Pierre Curie France 1898
Radio G.Marconi England 1901
Razor (safety) K.G. Gillette USA USA 1895
Refrigerator J. Harrison and A. Catlin Britain 1834
Rubber(vulcanized) Charles Good year USA 1841
Safety pin William Hurst USA 1849
Sewing machine B. Thimmonnier France 1830
Steam engine (piston) Thomas Newcome Britain 1712
Steam engine (condenser) James Watt Scotland 1765
Stainless Steel Harry Brearley England 1913
Telephone Alexander Graham Bell USA 1876
Television John Logie Bared Scotland 1926
Thermometer Galileo Galilei Italy 1593
Tractor J.Froelich USA 1892
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-357

Scientific Instruments and their uses

Instrument Use
Altimeter Measures Altitudes (in aircraft)
Ammeter Measures electric current
Anemometer Measures force and velocity of wind and directions
Audiometer Measures intensity of sound
Bolometer To measures heat radiation
Calorimeter Measures quantities of heat
Cardiogram (ECG) Traces movement of the heart; recorded on a Cardiograph
Chronometer Determines longitude of a vessel at sea.
Colorimeter Compares intensity of colours
Cryometer A type of thermometer used to measure very low temperatures,
usually close to 0°c
Dynamo To convert mechanical energy into electrical energy
Electroencephalo- Records and interprets the electrical waves of the brain (brain
graph (EEC) waves) recorded on electroence-phalograms
Electroscope Detects presence of an electric charge
Endoscope To examine internal parts of the body
Fathometer Measures depth of the ocean
Galvanometer Measures electric current
Hygrometer Measures level of humidity
Hydrophone Measures sound under water
Hypsometer To determine boiling point of liquids
Kymograph Graphically records physiological movement. (e.g. blood pressure/
heartbeat)
Lactometer Measures the relative density of milk to determine purity
Machmeter Determines the speed of an aircraft in terms of the speed of sound
Manometer Measures the pressure of gases
Micrometer Measure thickness, width, wavelength, diameter of hair, wool, ra-
diation or cell or bacteria.
Microphone Converts sound wave into electrical vibrations
Microscope To obtain a magnified view of small objects
Periscope To view objects above sea level (used in submarines)
Photometer Compares the luminous intensity of the source of light
Polygraph Instrument that simultaneously records changes in physiological
processes such as heartbeat, blood-pressure and respiration; used
as a lie detector
Pyrheliometer Measures components of solar radiation
Pyrometer Measures very high temperature
Radar To detect the direction and range of an approaching aeroplane by
means of radio waves, (Radio, Angle, Detection and Range)
Salinometer Determines salinity of solutions
Sphygmometer Measures blood pressure
Stereoscope To view two-dimensional pictures
Stethoscope Used by doctors to hear and analyze heart and lung sounds
 GK-358
GENERAL SCIENCE
Telemeter Records physical happenings at a distant place.
Thermostat Regulates temperature at a particular point
Tonometer Measures the internal pressure of the eye to detect a disease (glau-
coma)
Udometer Rain gauge to measure the quantity of rain
Ultrasonoscope To measure and use ultrasonic sound (beyond hearing); use to
make a Ecogram to detect brain tumours, heart defects and abnor-
mal growth
Viscometer Measures the viscosity of liquid
Transistor As a switch, an amplifier, an oscillator, etc.

Nano Technology everyday items, and are used in medicine

Introduction
Nanomaterials are cornerstones of nanoscience
and nanotechnology. Nanostructure science
and technology is a broad and interdisciplinary
area of research and development activity that
has been growing explosively worldwide in
the past few years. It has the potential for
revolutionizing the ways in which materials
and products are created and the range
and nature of functionalities that can be
accessed. It is already having a significant
commercial impact, which will assuredly
increase in the future.
Nanoscale materials are defined as a set of
substances where at least one dimension is
less than approximately 100 nanometers. A
nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter-
approximately 100,000 times smaller than the
diameter of a human hair. Nanomaterials are
of interest because at this scale unique optical,
magnetic, electrical, and other properties
emerge. These emergent properties have
the potential for great impacts in electronics,
medicine, and other fields.
Some nanomaterials occur naturally,
but of particular interest are engineered
nanomaterials (EN), which are designed for,
and already being used in many commercial
products and processes. They can be found
in such things as sunscreens, cosmetics,
sporting goods, stain-resistant clothing,
tyres, electronics, as well as many other
for purposes of diagnosis, imaging and drug
delivery.
Engineered nanomaterials are resources
designed at the molecular (nanometre
level to take advantage of their small
size and novel properties which are
generally not seen in their conventional,
bulk counterparts. The two main reasons
why materials at the nanoscale can have
different properties are increased relative
surface area and new quantum effects.
Nanomaterials have a much greater surface
area to volume ratio than their conventional
forms, which can lead to greater chemical
reactivity and affect their strength. Also at
the nanoscale, quantum effects can become
much more important in determining the
materials properties and characteristics,
leading to novel optical, electrical and
magnetic behaviours.
It could be nanoscale in one dimension
(eg: surface film), two dimension
(eg: strands of fibre) or three dimension
(eg: particle).
Application
So, due to the important features it find its
application in (a) Medicine (b) electronics
(c) cosmetic TiO2, (Sun protection factor in
sunscreen) (d) automobiles (e) decrease
pollutant. It is used as nano optics
nanomagnetic, nanoelectronic,
But its utilisation in nano mechanic is still a
challenge for scientists.

The diameter of a proton is approximately 0.000000000001 mm (1/25,000,000,000,000 inch).

GENERAL SCIENCE GK-359

CHEMISTRY
Chemistry : It is a branch of physical science that studies the composition, structures,
properties and change of matter.
So, we initiate our learning from matter.

Nature of Matter

Matter

Chemical classification of matter Physical classification of matter

Pure Substances Mixtures

Solid Liquid Gas

Homogeneous Heterogeneous

Elements Compounds

Organic Inorganic

Metalic Metalloids Non-metallic

Everything in this universe is made up Matter is made up of particles

of material. Scientist have named matter
air, food we eat, stones, clouds, plants and
animals, particle of sand-everything is
matter. All the thing mentioned above
occupy space and have mass. i.e they have
both mass and volume.
where the particle of matter
(i) Has space between them
(ii) Particle of matter attract each other.
Due to above characteristic matters are
classified as follows with their properties in
the table.

State of Matter Properties Example

Solid • Definite shape (tightly packed particle, so rigid) Ice, salt, rubber band,
• Fixed volume sponge
Liquid • No fixed shape, more space than solid particle, so Water, Petrol, etc.
not rigid, can flow so it is fluid
• Fixed volume
Gas • No fixed shape (Largest space between particle Water vapour oxygen,
so can diffuse easily) hydrogen
• No fixed volume (High compressibility)

Plasma, fourth state of matter can be found on the earth in flames, lightning and the polar auroras.
 GK-360
NOTE : Gas and Liquid both are fluids
Factors determining the state of matter are
(i) Pressure
(ii) Temperature
Heat Heat
Solid state Liquid state Gaseous state
Cool Cool
Pure Substance
Pure substance is one that is a single form of
matter and has a uniform composition. Such a
substance always have the same texture and
taste. e.g. water, salt, sugar, etc.
Testing the purity of a substance
The purity of substance can easily be
checked by checking its melting points in
case of a solid substance or by checking its
boiling points in case of a liquid substance.
Types of pure substances
Two different types of pure substances are
(i) Element: An element is a substance
which can not be split up into two or
more simpler substances by usual
chemical methods of applying heat,
light or electric energy, e.g. hydrogen,
oxygen, sodium, chlorine etc.
(ii) Compound: A compound is a
substance made up of two or more
elements chemically combined in a
fixed ratio by weight, e.g. H2O (water),
NaCl (sodium chloride), etc.
GENERAL SCIENCE
Mixture
A mixture is a substance which consists of
two or more elements or compounds not
chemically combined together.
Types of mixtures
Mixtures are impure substances. They are of
two types:
(i) Homogeneous mixture: It has a
uniform composition throughout
and its components can not be
distinguished visually.
e.g. a well mixed sample of vinegar.
(ii) Heterogeneous mixture: It is one that
is not uniform throughout. Different
samples of a heterogeneous mixture
may have different composition. e.g. a
mixture of salt and pepper.
Solution
It is a homogeneous mixture of two or more
substances whose composition can be
varied, e.g. solution of common salt in water,
solution of ammonia in water. Some other
examples are lemonade, coke, pepsi, etc.
Separating the components of a
mixture
Depending upon the type of mixture (i.e.
whether it is a homogeneous mixture or
heterogeneous mixture) different methods
used are given below:

S No. Mixture Separation Method Example

1. Insoluble solid in solvent Sedimentation followed by Sand in water tank
filtration. In case of a fine
solid centrifugation is used
instead of filtration
2. Solution of solid in liquid Evaporation, NaCl in water sugar
crystallization, distillation solution
3. Miscible mixture of Fractional distillation Petroleum products
liquids
4. Immiscible mixture of Separating funnel Water-kerosene
liquids mixture
5. Mixture of two solids one Sublimation Camphor in iron ore.
of which is sublime
6. Mixture of substances in Chromatography
solution
Mosquitoes like the scent of estrogen, thus women get bitten more often than men do.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-361

• Solute: The component of solution Amount of solute

that is dissolved and present in smaller
quantities in a solution is known as
solute.
• Solvent: The component of solution in
which solute is dissolved is known as
solvent. It is always present in larger
amount in a solution.
• Saturated Solution: A solution in
which no more solute can be dissolved
at the same temperature is called
saturated solution.
• Unsaturated Solution: It is a solution
in which more solute can be dissolved
at the same temperature.
• Super-saturated Solution: It is a solution
which contains more mass of the dissolved
solute than the saturated solution at the
same temperature and pressure.
• Concentration of a solution: Concentration
of a solution is the amount of solute
present in a given amount (mass or
volume) of a solution or the amount
of solute dissolved in a given mass or
volume of a solvent.
Concentration=
Amount of solvent
• Solubility: It is defined as the amount
of solute dissolved in 100g of solvent to
form a saturated solution.
• Suspension: It is a non-homogeneous
mixture in which solids are dispersed
in liquids. The solute particles do
not dissolve but remains suspended
through out the bulk of the medium.
• Colloids or colloidal solution: Colloid
is a heterogeneous mixture. The size of
particles of a colloid is intermediate
between true solutions and suspensions
(i.e between 1nm and 100 nm). The
particles of a colloid can not be seen
with naked eye. It shows tyndall effect.
• Types of colloidal solution: Since
colloidal solution is heterogeneous
mixture it consists of two phases. These
are
(i) dispersed phase (colloidal particles)
(ii) dispersion medium (The medium
in which colloidal particles are
dispersed.)

Dispersed Dispersing Type Example

phase Medium
Liquid Gas Aerosol Fog, clouds, mist
Solid Gas Aerosol Smoke, automobile exhaust
Gas Liquid Foam Shaving cream
Liquid Liquid Emulsion Milk, face cream
Solid Liquid Sol Milk of magnesia, mud
Gas Solid Foam Foam, rubber, sponge, pumice
Liquid Solid Gel Jelly, cheese, butter
Solid Solid Solid Sol Coloured gemstone, milky glass

• Emulsion: Emulsions are liquid-liquid • Emulsifiers are those substances that

colloids. help in forming stable emulsions of oil
• Types of Emulsion: Emulsions are of and water, e.g. milk, cod-liver oil, cold
two types: creams, vanishing creams, moisturising
(i) water in oil (ii) oil in water cream, paints, etc.

Nanotechnology in the interdisciplinary field that has evolved from the study of colloids and the techniques of integrated
circuit fabrication.
 GK-362
• Physical change: During such a change
no new substances is formed and there
is no change in the chemical properties
of the substances.
• Chemical change: Such a change is
accompanied by change in chemical
properties and formation of new
substances.
Structure of Atom
Atomic Laws and Theory
Law of conservation of mass: This law
was stated by Lavoisier in 1744. It states
that “In all physical and chemical changes, the
total mass of reactants is equal to total mass
of products.”
Law of constant proportions (or constant
composition): This law was first stated by
Proust in 1797. According to the law “a
chemical compound is always found to be made
up of the same elements combined together in
the same proportions by weight” e.g. the ratio
of hydrogen and oxygen in pure water is
always 1: 8 by weight. This law is also called
law of definite proportions.
Law of multiple proportions: This law was
given by John Dalton (1803) and states
that “when two elements combine to form
two or more compounds, the different mass
of one of the elements and the fixed mass of
the one with which it combines always form
a whole number ratio”. This law explains
the concept of formation of more than one
compound by two elements.
Dalton’s Atomic theory: Postulates of
Dalton’s Atomic Theory
(i) Matter is made up of extremely small
indivisible particles called atoms.
(ii) Atoms of the same substance are
identical in all respects, i.e. they
possess same size, shape, mass, chemical
properties, etc.
(iii) Atoms of different substances are
different in all respects, i.e. they
possess different size, shape, mass, etc.
The most abundant type of atom in the universe is the hydrogen atom. Nearly 74% of the atom in the milky way galaxy are
hydrogen atoms.
GENERAL SCIENCE
(iv) Atom is the smallest particle that takes
part in a chemical reaction.
(v) Atoms of different elements may
combine with each other in a fixed
simple, whole number ratio to form
compound atoms.
(vi) Atoms can neither be created nor
destroyed, i.e. atoms are indestructible.
Atom: It is the smallest particle of an
element which can take part in a chemical
change. It may or may not be capable of
independent existence.
Symbol: The abbreviation used for lengthy
names of elements are termed as their
symbols.
The symbol of an element is the first letter
or the first and another letter of English
name or Latin name of the element.
While writing a symbol, the first letter is
always capital and the second is always
small.
Molecule: It is the smallest particle of an
element or compound that is capable of
independent existence and shows all the
properties of that substance.
Atomicity: The number of atoms present in
a molecule of an element or a compound is
known as its atomicity, e.g. the atomicity of
oxygen is 2 while atomicity of ozone is 3.
Formula of Simple and Molecular
Compounds
Binary compounds are those compounds
which are made up of two different elements
e.g. NaCl, KBr, CaO, etc. Following rules are
to be followed for writing the formula.
(i) The valencies or charges on the ions
must be balanced.
(ii) For a compound made up of a metal
and a non-metal the symbol of metal
is written first.
(iii) In compounds formed with polyatomic
ions, the ion is enclosed in a bracket
before writing the number to indicate
the ratio.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-363

Valency: The electrons present in the Applications of Isotopes: Isotopes are

outermost shell of an atom are known
as valence electrons. These electrons
determine the valency of an atom.
Valency is equal to the number of valence
electrons.
In case the number of valence electrons is
close to its full capacity. Then,
Valency=8 − valence electrons
Atomic number (Z): Atomic number of an
element is equal to the number of protons
present in the nucleus of an atom.
Atomic number (Z) = number of protons =
number of electrons.
Mass number (A): It refers to the total
number of neutrons and protons (i.e., sum
of protons and neutrons) called collectively
as nucleus, present in an atom.
Mass number (A) = number of protons +
number of neutron
Isotopes: Atoms of the same element
having same atomic number but different
mass numbers are known as Isotopes e.g.
35 and 36 Cl , and 1 H and 2 H , 12 C
17 Cl 17 1 1 6 neutron is a neutral particle found in the
and 14 C etc.
6
Properties of Atomic Particles (Comparative)
Particles Electron
used in various fields. For example
(i) Isotope of uranium is used as a fuel in
nuclear reactor.
(ii) Isotope of cobalt is used in treatment
of cancer.
(iii) Isotope of iodine is used in treatment
of goitre.
Isobars: Atoms of different elements
having same mass numbers are known as
Isobars, e.g. K-40 and Ar-40
The discovery of cathode rays was done by
J.J. Thomson, an English physicist.
Sub-atomic particles
Electron, proton and neutron are subatomic
particles. The credit for discovery of these
particles goes to :
Electron — J.J. Thomson and Proton— E.
Goldstein. Another subatomic particle which
is neutral and has a mass approximately
equal to that of a proton was called neutron
and was discovered by Chadwick. The
nucleus of an atoms.
Proton Neutron

(i) Symbol e or e– p n

(ii) Nature Negatively charged Positively charged neutral (no charge)

(iii) (a) Charge (a) –1.6 × 10 –19 C (a) +1.6 × 10 –19 C 0

(b) Unit charge (b) –1 (b) + 1 0

(iv) Mass (a) amu (a) 0.0005486 amu (a) 1.00753 amu (a) 1.00893 amu
(b) kg (b) 9.1 × 10–31kg (b) 1.67265× 10–27 kg (b) 1.67495 × 10–27 kg

(v) Location Extra nuclear space nucleus nucleus

(vi) Notation 0 1 1
−1e 1P 0n

(vii) Relative mass 1/1840 1 1

The number of protons in the atom will determine its chemical element, and the number of neutrons will determine its isotope.
Composition of Atoms of the First Eighteen Elements with Electron Distribution in Various Shells

Distribution of Electrons Valency

Atomic Number of Number of Number of

GK-364

Element Symbol
Number Protons Neutrons Electrons K L M N

Hydrogen H 1 1 - 1 1 - - - 1
Helium He 2 2 2 2 2 - - - 0

Lithium Li 3 3 4 3 2 1 - - 1
Beryllium Be 4 4 5 4 2 2 - - 2
Boron B 5 5 6 5 2 3 - - 3
Carbon C 6 6 6 6 2 4 - - 4
Nitrogen N 7 7 7 7 2 5 - - 3
Oxygen O 8 8 8 8 2 6 - - 2
Fluorine F 9 9 10 9 2 7 - - 1
Neon Ne 10 10 10 10 2 8 - - 0
Sodium Na 11 11 12 11 2 8 1 - 1
Magnesium Mg 12 12 12 12 2 8 2 - 2
Aluminium Al 13 13 14 13 2 8 3 - 3
Silicon Si 14 14 14 14 2 8 4 - 4
Phosphorus P 15 15 16 15 2 8 5 - 3.5
Sulphur S 16 16 16 16 2 8 6 - 2
Chlorine Cl 17 17 18 17 2 8 7 1
GENERAL SCIENCE

Argon Ar 18 18 22 18 2 8 8 0
GENERAL SCIENCE
Radioactivity
• It was discovered by Henry Becquerel
but term radioactivity was given by
Madam Curie. It is the process of
spontaneous disintegration of nucleus
and is measured by Geiger counter.
• It is a nuclear phenomenon, thus
remains unaffected by external factors
like temperature, pressure, etc.
Radioactive rays
• Radioactivity involves emission of a, b
and g rays or particles. The original unit
of radioactivity is curie (Ci). Curie is
replaced by becquerel (Bq) in SI unit.
Alpha (a) Rays
• These rays consist of positively charged
helium nuclei (He++). They have +2 unit
charge and 4 mass.
• They have low penetrating power but
very high ionising power and kinetic
energy.
• An a-emission reduces the atomic mass
by 4 and atomic number by 2, thus, the
new nuclei formed occupy a position
two places left to the parent nuclei in
the periodic table (Soddy Fajans group
displacement law).
Beta (b) Rays
• These rays consist of negatively charged
electrons (–1e0) and have – 1 unit charge
and zero mass.
• These are more dangerous than a-rays.
• These have high penetrating power as
compared to a-rays.
• A b-emission increased the atomic
number by one with no change in
atomic mass, thus, the new nuclei
obtained occupy a position one place
right to the parent nuclei in the periodic
table (Soddy Fajans group displacement
law).
Gamma (g) Rays
• These are electromagnetic radiation
and have very high penetrating power.
• These have low ionising power and
kinetic energy.
• Their emission does not affect the
position of nuclei in the periodic table.
The half life of carbon-14 is used in carbon dating to determine the age of fossils.
GK-365
Half-Life Period
It is the time in which a radioactive
substance remains half of its original
amount.
Nuclear Fission
• It is a process in which a heavy nucleus
is broken down into two or more lighter
fragments.
• It is usually accompanied with the
emission of neutrons and large amount
of energy. It is used in nuclear reactor
and atom bomb.
Atom Bomb
• It is based on uncontrolled nuclear
fission. It contains 235U or 239Pu as fuel.
Nuclear Reactor
• It is a device that is used to produce
electricity and permits a controlled
chain nuclear fission.
• It contains fuels, e.g. 92U235, moderator
(e.g. graphite and heavy water, D2O) to
slow down neutrons and control rods
(made up of boron steel or cadmium) to
absorb neutrons.
• It may also contain liquid sodium as
coolant.
Nuclear Fusion
• It is a process which involves fusion
of two or more lighter nuclei to give a
heavier nuclei.
• It occurs only at extremely high
temperature (> 106 K), so also called
thermonuclear reactions.
• It is used in hydrogen bomb. Energy of
Sun is also a result of a series of nuclear
fusion reactions.
Hydrogen Bomb
It contains a mixture of deuterium oxide
(D2O) and tritium oxide (T2O) in a space
surrounding an ordinary atom bomb.
Radiocarbon Dating
• It is used in determining the age of
carbon bearing materials such as wood,
animal fossils, etc. It is based on the
concentration of C and C isotopes.
Uranium Dating
It is used to determine the age of earth,
minerals and rocks.
 GK-366
GENERAL SCIENCE
Uses of Radioisotopes Formula of compound
1. Iodine-131 is employed to study the A molecule of a compound may be made
structure and activity of thyroid gland. up of atom of different elements linked
It is also used in internal radiation up together chemically and in definite
therapy for the treatment of thyroid proportion by weight.
disease.
2. Iodine-123 is used in brain imaging. Chemical Formula
3. Cobalt-60 is used in external radiation It is of two types:
therapy for the treatment of cancer. (i) Molecular formulae:
4. Sodium-24 is injected along with salt Chemical formulae that indicate
solution to trace the flow of blood. the actual number and type of atoms
5. Phosphorus-32 is used for leukemia in a molecule is called molecular
therapy. formulae.
6. Carbon-14 is used to study the kinetics (ii) Empirical formulae:
of photosynthesis. Chemical formulae that indicate only
General Concepts of the relative number of atoms of each
Chemistry type in a molecule is called empirical
The study of chemistry is sub-divided into formulae.
various branches such as: Equivalent weight
(i) Physical chemistry
(ii) Inorganic chemistry (i) Equivalent weight of element
(iii) Organic chemistry Molecular mass
=
(iv) Biochemistry Basicity of acid / Acidity of base
(v) Analytical chemistry (ii) Eq. wt of an acid/base
(vi) Industrial chemistry
Molecular mass
(vii) Agricultural chemistry =
Basicity of acid / Acidity of base
(viii) Applied chemistry
(iii) Eq. wt of salts
Ions or Radicals
Formula mass
An ion is formed when electrons are =
removed from or added to an atoms or (Valency of cations)(No.of cations)
group of atoms. Expression of strength /
When electron(s) is/are removed the resulting concentration of solution
ion is called a cation or basic radical. A cation
is positively charged ion. (e.g. Na+). (i) Mass percent
When electron(s) is/are added the resulting Weight of solute(gm)
= × 100
ion is called an anion or acidic radicals. An Weight of solution (gm)
anion is negatively charged ion (e.g. Cl–, O22–) (ii) Normality
An ion or radical is classified as monovalent,
divalent, trivalent or tetravalent when the Number of gram equivalents of solute
=
number of charges over it is 1, 2, 3 or 4 Volumeof solution (lit.)
respectively. (iii) Molarity
Formula of elements
Number of gram moles of solute
The molecule of an element is denoted by =
Volumeof solution (lit.)
writing the symbol of the element and, to
the right and below it, a number expressing Gram moles of solute
(iv) Molality =
the number of atoms in the molecule. Weight of solvent (kg)
Most radicals may be considered to have arisen by cleavage of normal electron – pair bonds.
GENERAL SCIENCE
(v) Mole fraction: Mole fraction of solute
nA
= XA =
nA + nB
Mole fraction of solvent
= XB =
nB
nA + nB
XA + XB = 1
Chemical change
A chemical change is generally accompanied
by a change of state, change of colour, evolution
of a gas or change of temperature etc.
Chemical equation
The qualitative representation of a chemical
reaction in a short hand or concise form in
term of symbols and formulae, is called a
chemical equation.
Skeletal chemical equation or symbol
equation
A chemical equation written in the form of
symbols and formulae is called a skeletal
chemical equation.
Balanced chemical equation
A chemical equation in which number
of atoms of each elements on L.H.S. (i.e.
reactants) and R.H.S. (i.e.products) is equal
is called a balanced chemical equation.
Balancing of chemical equations
The process of making the number of
different elements on both side of the
equation equal is known as balancing of
chemical equation.
Types of chemical reactions
Various types of chemical reactions are:-
(i) Combination reactions:
Combination reactions are those in
which one element reacts with another
to form a compound.
(ii) Decomposition reactions:
Decomposition reactions are those
reactions in which a compound breaks
down into simpler compounds (or
substances). These reactions require
energy in the form of heat, light,
electricity, etc.
(iii) Simple displacement reaction and
simple substitutions: A displacement
reaction is a reaction in which an
atom, or group of atoms, present in
Most oxidation-reduction (redox) processes involve the transfer of oxygen atoms, hydrogen atoms or electrons.
GK-367
a molecule is displaced by another
atom. This type of reaction can be
represented as follows:
AB + C →AC + B
(Compound) (New compound)
(iv) Double displacement reactions or
Double decomposition: The reactions in
which mutual exchange of radicals takes
place are known as double decomposition
reactions.
(v) Oxidation-Reduction Reactions
Oxidation: Oxidation is defined as a
process which involve addition of oxygen
or removal of hydrogen.
Reduction: The term reduction is
defined as a process which involve
the removal of oxygen or addition of
hydrogen.
(vi) Redox reactions: Those reactions in
which oxidation and reduction takes
place simultaneously, are known as redox
reactions.
(vii) Exothermic and endothermic reaction:
Chemical reactions usually proceed
with either liberation of heat or the
absorption of heat.
When a chemical reaction liberates
heat to the surroundings, it is said
to be ‘exothermic reaction’ and
when it absorbs the heat from
the surroundings, it is said to be
endothermic reaction.
Rancidity: The most important cause
of deterioration in fats and fatty foods is
oxidation of fats. What we perceive is an
unpleasant change in the flavour and odour
of a food, called rancidity.
Classification of Elements
and Periodicity in Properties
Doberiner’s Law of Triads
According to this law, “in certain triads
(group of three elements) the atomic mass of
the central element was the arithmetic mean of
the atomic masses of the other two elements.”
Limitations of Doberiner’s Triads: He
could identify only a few such triads and so
the law could not gain importance. In many
traids like in the triad of Fe, Co, Ni, all the
three elements have a nearly equal atomic
mass and thus does not follow the above law.
 GK-368
Newland’s Law of Octaves
According to this law “the elements are
arranged in such a way that the eighth element
starting from a given one has properties which
are a repetition of those of the first if arranged
in order of increasing atomic weight like the
eight note of musical scale.”
Drawback of Newland’s law of octaves:
(i) According to Newland only 56 elements
exists in nature and no more elements
would be discovered in the future. But
later on several new element were
discovered whose properties did not
fit into law of octaves.
(ii) In order to fit new elements into his
table Newland adjust two elements in
the same column, but put some unlike
elements under the same column.
Thus, Newland’s classification was not
accepted.
Mendeleev’s Periodic Table
Mendeleev arranged 63 elements known at
that time in the periodic table. According to
Mendeleev, “the properties of the elements are
a periodic function of their atomic masses.”
The table consists of eight vertical column
called ‘groups’ and horizontal rows called
‘periods’.
Merits of Mendeleev’s periodic table:
(i) At some places the order of atomic
weight was changed in order to justify
the chemical and physical nature.
(ii) Mendeleev left some gap for new
elements which were not discovered at
that time.
(iii) One of the strengths of Mendeleev’s
periodic table was that, when inert
gases were discovered they could
be placed in a new group without
disturbing the existing order.
Achievements of Mendeleev’s periodic
table
(i) The arrangement of elements in
groups and periods made the study of
elements quite systematic
(ii) Prediction of new elements and
their properties: Many gaps were
left in this table for undiscovered
elements. The elements silicon, gallium
and germanium were discovered in this
manner.
Bee stings are acidic while wasp stings are alkaline.
GENERAL SCIENCE
(iii) Correction of doubtful atomic
masses: Mendeleev corrected the
atomic masses of certain elements with
the help of their expected positions
and properties.
Limitations of Mendeleev’s classification:
(i) He could not assign a correct position
of hydrogen in his periodic table, as
the properties of hydrogen resembles
both with alkali metals as well as with
halogens.
(ii) The isotopes of the same element will
be given different position if atomic
number is taken as basis, which will
disturb the symmetry of the periodic
table.
(iii) The atomic masses do not increases
in a regular manner in going from one
elements to the next. So it was not
possible to predict how many elements
could be discovered between two
elements.
Characteristics of the Periodic Table
Its main characteristics are:
(i) In the periodic table, the elements are
arranged in vertical rows called groups
and horizontal rows called periods.
(ii) There are eight groups indicated by
Roman Numerals I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII,
VIII. The elements belonging to first
seven groups have been divided into
sub-groups designated as A and B
on the basis of similarities. Group VIII
consists of nine elements arranged in
three triads.
(iii) There are six periods (numbered 1, 2,
3, 4, 5 and 6). In order to accomodate
more elements, the periods 4, 5, 6 are
divided into two halves. The first half
of the elements are placed in the upper
left corners and the second half occupy
lower right corners in each box.
Modern Periodic Law
Modern this law was given by Henry
Moseley in 1913. It states, “Properties of
the elements are the periodic function of their
atomic numbers”.
Cause of periodicity: Periodicity may
be defined as the repetition of the similar
properties of the elements placed in a group
and separated by certain definite gap of atomic
numbers.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-369

Modern periodic table (iii) Metallic and non-metallic properties:

Moseley proposed this modern periodic In a period from left to right metallic
table and according to which “the physical nature decreases while non-metallic
and chemical properties of elements are character increases.
periodic function of their atomic number and In a group metallic character increases
not the atomic weight.” from top to bottom while non-metallic
(i) The modern periodic table has 18 character decrease.
vertical columns called “groups” and (iv) Electronegativity: The relative tendency
seven horizontal rows called “periods”. of an atom to attract the shared pair
The groups have been numbered 1, 2, of electrons towards itself is called
3.......18 from left to right. electronegativity.
(ii) The elements belonging to a particular In a period from left to right, the value
group make a family and usually named of electronegativity increases while in
after the first member. In a group all a group from top to bottom the value of
the elements contain the same number electronegativity decreases.
of valence electrons.
(iii) In a period all the elements contain Acids, Bases and Salts
the same number of shells, but as we
move from left to right the number of Acids and Bases
valence shell electrons increases by The term acid, in fact, comes from the
one unit. latin term acere, which means “Sour”.
The maximum number of electrons In everyday life we come across many
that can be accommodated in a shell compounds that chemists classify as acids.
can be calculated by the formula 2n2 Bases are compounds which taste bitter eg.
where n is the number of the given
milk of magnesia.
shell from the nucleus.
A. Properties of acids
Trends in modern periodic table
Chemical properties:
The trends observed in some important
(i) Action of metals
properties of the elements in moving down
Metal + Acid → Salt + Hydrogen
the group (from top to bottom of the table)
(ii) Action with metal oxides
and across a period (from left to right in a
(Basic oxides)
period) are discussed below:
Basic oxide + Acid →
(i) Valency: Valency may be defined as
Salt + Water (neutralisation reaction)
“the combining capacity of the atom of
(iii) Action with metal carbonates
an element with atoms of other elements
and metal hydrogen carbonates
in order to acquire the stable configuration
Carbonate/bicarbonate + Acid →
(i.e. 8 electron in valence shell. In some
Salt + water + carbon dioxide.
special cases it is 2 electrons).”
(ii) Atomic size: It refers to the distance B. Properties of bases
between the centre of nucleus of an Chemical Properties:
isolated atom to its outermost shell (i) Reaction of metals with bases:
containing electrons. Metals (e.g. Zn, Al, Sn) dissolve
The atomic radius decreases on moving in NaOH (an alkali) to liberate
from left to right along a period. This hydrogen gas.
is due to an increase in nuclear charge (ii) Action with acids: It is a
which tends to pull the electrons closer neutralisation reaction.
to the nucleus and reduces the size of
Base + Acid → Salt + Water
the atom.
Non-metallic oxides react in the same
In a group atomic size decreases
from top to bottom due to increase in way hence non-metallic oxides are acidic
number of shells. in nature.
Acids and bases are important in the human body. Stomach secretes hydrochloric acid, to digest food. Bile juice secreted from liver
are rich in base bicarbonate to neutralize stomach acid before it reaches to small intestine.
 GK-370
GENERAL SCIENCE
Strength of Acids and Bases Salts
The strength of an acid or a base can be A salt is an ionic compound which dissociates
easily estimated by making use of universal to yield a positive ion other than hydrogen
indicator which is a mixture of several ion (H+) and negative ion other than
indicators. The universal indicator show hydroxyl ion (OH–) e.g. NaCl.
different colours at different concentrations Salts are formed by the reaction of acid and
of hydrogen ions in solution. base which is also known as neutralisation.
pH Scale (i) Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or Caustic
It is a scale that is used for measuring H+ ion soda: It is prepared on commercial
(hydrogen ion) concentration of a solution. scale by the electrolysis of strong
The term pH stands for “potential” of solution of sodium chloride (NaCl)
“hydrogen”. It is the amount of hydrogen ions also called brine. The process is called
in a particular solution. chlor-alkali process.
For acids pH < 7 The overall reaction taking place is:
For bases pH > 7 2NaCl(aq) + 2 H2O(l) →
For neutral substances pH = 7 H2(g) + Cl2(g) + 2NaOH(aq)
Uses:
Importance of pH in Daily Life
(a) Sodium hydroxide is used as a
(i) Blood pH: For proper functioning base in the laboratory.
our body needs to maintain blood pH (b) It is used in many industries,
between 7.35 and 7.45. Values of blood mostly as strong chemical base
pH greater than 7.8 or less than 6.8 in manufacture of pulp and paper,
often results in death. textiles, drinking water, soap and
(ii) Acid rain: When pH of rain water is detergents etc.
less than 5.6, it is called acid rain, when (ii) Baking soda, Sodium hydrogen
acid rain flows into rivers, it lowers the carbonate, (NaHCO3)
pH of river water. NaCl + H2O + CO2 + NH3 →
Approximate Values of pH for some NH4Cl + NaHCO3
Familiar Solutions When heated the following reaction
Solution pH occurs
Heat
1 M NaOH 14 2NaHCO3 
→
1 M NH3 (household 11.6 Na2CO3 + H2O + CO2

ammonia) The above reaction occurs when
Saturated Mg(OH)2 (milk 10.5 baking soda is heated during cooking.
of magnesia) Uses:
Blood 7.3 – 7.5 (a) In baking powder:
The most practical use of baking
Saliva 6.5 – 7.5
soda is as a leavening agent in baking.
Urine 5.5 – 7.5 (b) As an antacid: Baking soda reacts
Coffee 4.5 – 5.5 with acid due to its alkaline nature
Beer 4.0 – 5.0 and neutralizes acidity (i.e. acts as
Tomato Juice 4.0 – 4.4 an antacid).
(c) In fire extinguishers: It is used in
Wine 2.8 – 3.8 soda-acid fire extinguisher.
Vinegar 2.4 – 3.4 (iii) Washing soda, Na2CO3. 10H2O,
Lemon juice 2.2 – 2.4 Sodium carbonate
Gastric juice 1.0 – 3.0 Sodium carbonate can be obtained by
heating baking soda; recrystallisation
Battery acid 0.5
of sodium carbonate gives washing
1 M HCI 0 soda. It is also a basic salt.
Black salt is made in India by mixing saltwater with harad seeds. The mixture is left to evaporate leaving behind black lumps
of salt. When the salt is ground, the resulting powder is pink.
GENERAL SCIENCE
Uses:
(a) Sodium carbonate (washing soda)
is used in glass, soap and paper
industries.
(b) It is used for removing permanent
hardness of water.
(iv) Bleaching powder:
Calcium hypochlorite is a chemical
compound with formula CaOCl2. It
is a yellowish powder with smell of
chlorine. It is widely used for water
treatment and as a bleaching agent
(bleaching powder)
2Ca(OH)2 + 2Cl2 →
CaOCl2 + CaCl2 + 2H2O
Calcium hypochlorite is used for the
disinfection of drinking water or
swimming pool water.
(v) Plaster of Paris, CaSO4 .1/2 H2O
It can be obtained by heating gypsum
(CaSO4. 2H2O)
(CaSO 4 .2H 2O + heat →
 1  3
 CaSO 4 . H 2O  + H 2O
 2  2
Plaster of paris is a white powder and
on mixing with water it changes to
gypsum once again giving a hard solid
mass
Uses: It is used
(a) for making moulds or casts for
toys, pottery, cermics etc.
(b) in surgical bandages for setting
fractured bones.
Metals and Non-metals
Metals and Non-Metals
There are 118 elements present in the
periodic table. New 4 elements have been
added recently, earlier it was 114 elements.
These elements can be broadly classified
into two categories, i.e. metals and non-
metals. Out of 118 elements, 22 are non-
metals. Some element share the property
of both metal & non-metal are called
metalloid.
List of metalloid : Silicon (Si), Germanium
(Ge), Arsenic (As) Antimony (Sb), Tellurium
(Te)
Sodium bicarbonate combine with water and work as cleaning agent and also as deodoriser.
GK-371
NEWLY added 4 elements in Periodic
table are :
115 Ununpentium (Uup)
116 Livelmorium (Lv)
117 Ununxptium (Uus)
118 Ununoctium (Uuo).
Physical properties of metals:
(i) They are usually shiny i.e. have a
metallic lustre.
(ii) Metals have a high density.
(iii) Metals are ductile, i.e. they can be
drawn into wires.
(iv) Metals are malleable i.e. they can be
hammered into thin sheets.
(v) Metals are good conductors of electricity.
(vi) Metals have high melting point and
are generally in solid state at room
temperature.
(vii) Metals are good conductors of heat and
sound.
Uses of metals:
Metals are used in manufacturing of bridges,
railways, aeroplanes, diesel mobile units
(DMU), electric mobile units (EMU), motor
cars, electric motors, telephones, televisions,
interplanetary space vehicles, or even
common articles like cooking utensils and
coins. Metals are very important for the
economy of a country. Some metals, such
as titanium, chromium, manganese and
zirconium are strategic metals. These metals
and their alloys find wide applications in
atomic energy, space science projects, jet
engines and high grade steels. Gold and silver
ornaments are obtained from small pieces of
metals by hammering.
Noble metal: Noble metals are metals
that are resistant to corrosion or oxidation,
unlike most base metals. Examples include
tantalum, gold, platinum, and rhodium.
Precious metal: A precious metal is a
rare metallic chemical element of high
economic value. Precious metals include
the platinum group metals: ruthenium,
rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and
platinum, of which platinum is the most
widely traded.
Alloy: An alloy is a mixture of two or more
elements in solid solution in which the
major component is a metal. Combining
different ratios of metals as alloys modify
the properties of pure metals to produce
desirable characteristics.
 GK-372
GENERAL SCIENCE
Alloy Composition Uses
1 Brass Cu = 80%, Zn = 20%
For making utensils and cartridges.
2 Bronze Cu = 90%, Sn = 10%
For making statues, medals, ships, coins and
machines
3 Solder Sn = 50%, Pb = 50% For joining metals, solding wire and
electronic components etc.
4 Duralumin Al = 95.5%, Cu = 3%, Used in bodies of aircrafts, kitchen ware and
Mn = 1.0%, Mg = 0.5% automobile parts etc.
5 German Silver Cu = 60%, Zn = 20%, Ni For making utensils and ornaments
= 20%
6 Gun metal Cu = 90%, Sn = 10% For gears and castings etc.
7 Bell metal Cu = 80%, Sn = 20% For bells, gangs etc.
8 Magnalium Al = 90%, Mg = 10% For balance beams, light instruments.
9 Type metal Pb = 82%, Sb = 15%, For casting type
Sn = 3%
10 Stainless steel Fe, Ni, Cr, C For utensils, cutlery etc.
Physical properties of non-metals: Extraction of Metals
(i) They are dull, however diamond, (i) Minerals: The natural substance in
graphite and iodine are lustrous. which the metals or their compounds
(ii) They are poor conductors of heat occur in the earth is called minerals.
and electricity. Graphite is a good (ii) Ores: The minerals from which
conductor. the metals can be conveniently and
(iii) They are weak and brittle (they easily economically extracted are called ores.
break or shatter). (iii) Native ores: These ores contain
(iv) They have a low density (they feel light metals in the free state, e.g., silver, gold,
for their size). platinum, etc.
(v) They do not make a ringing sound (iv) Metallurgy: The whole process of
when they are hit. obtaining a pure metal from one of its
(vi) Melting points and boiling points are ore is known as metallurgy.
usually low. (v) Gangue or matrix: Ores usually
(vii) Non-metals are usually soft. (Diamond contain soil, sand, stones and others
is an exception, it is quite hard. It is a useless silicates. These undesired
crystalline solid). impurities present in ores are called
(viii) They exist in allotropic forms. gangue or matrix.
(vi) The removal of unwanted earthy and
Uses of Non-Metals silicious impurities from the ore is
(i) Oxygen is essential for survival of life. called ore-dressing or concentration
(ii) Hydrogen is used to convert vegetable oil of ores and the process used to
into vegetable ghee by hydrogenation. concentrate an ore is called the
(iii) Nitrogen is used to preserve food and benefication process.
for manufacturing proteins by plants. Ore is achieved by
(iv) Carbon in the form of diamond is (1) Physical methods:
used for cutting rocks and in the (a) Hand-picking: It is used in the
form of graphite as electrode and in case when the impurities are quite
manufacturing of lead pencils. distinct from the ore so that these
(v) Sulphur is used in vulcanization of may be differentiated by naked eye.
rubber, as fungicide and in manufacture (b) Hydraulic washing or Levigation or
of dyes, gun powder etc. Gravity separation: The separation
(vi) Chlorine is used as water disinfectant is based on the difference in the
and in the manufacture of pesticides specific gravities of the gangue
like gammaxene. particles and the ore particles.
Amulgum used for dental fillings, is made from mercury, tin, silver, zinc and copper.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-373

(c) Electromagnetic separation: (2) Chemical method (Leaching) involves

When one component either the ore the treatment of the ore with a suitable
or impurity is magnetic in nature, reagent as to make it soluble while
this method can be used for impurities remain insoluble. The ore is
recovered from the solution by suitable
separation.
chemical method.
(d) Froth floatation process: (3) Extraction process used to obtain
This method is used for the metals in free state from concentrated
concentration of sulphide ores. ores is called extraction.
S. Name of the ore Formula of the ore Types of ore Metal obtained from
no. the ore
1 Bauxite Al2O3.2H2O Oxide Aluminium (Al)
2. Haematite Fe2O3 Oxide Iron (Fe)
3. Magnetite Fe2O4 Oxide Iron (Fe)
4. Zincite ZnO Oxide Zinc (Zn)
5. Cuprite Cu2O Oxide Copper (Cu)
6. Litharge PbO Oxide Lead (Pb)
7. Malachite CuCO3.Cu(OH)2 Carbonate Copper (Cu)
8. Magnesite MgCO3 Carbonate Magnesium (Mg)
9. Lime stone CaCO3 Carbonate Calcium (Ca)
10. Cinnabar HgS Sulphide Mercury (Hg)
11. Chalcopyrite CuFeS2 Sulphide Copper (Cu)
12. Zinc blende ZnS Sulphide Zinc (Zn)
13. Galena PbS Sulphide Lead (Pb)
14. Common salt NaCl Chloride Sodium (Na)
(Halide)
15. Fluorspar CaF2 Fluoride Calcium (Ca)
(Halide)
16. Horn silver AgCl Chloride Silver (Ag)
(Halide)
17. Chalcocite Cu2S Sulphide Copper (Cu)
Electrochemistry • In electrolytic etching of metal surfaces
It is the study of production of electricity like tools or knives with a permanent
from energy released during spontaneous mark or logo.
• Electrometallurgy is the process of
chemical reactions and use of electrical
reduction of metallic compound into
energy to carry out non-spontaneous
pure metal by electrolysis.
chemical transformations. • Anodisation is an electrolytic process
Electrolysis that makes the surface of metals
The process in which a non-spontaneous resistant to corrosion.
reaction is carried out by using electrical • Electrolysis of brine (the water,
energy. saturated or nearly saturated with
salt, usually sodium chloride) gives
It is used hydrogen and chlorine. The products
• in production of oxygen for spacecraft are gaseous.
and nuclear submarines.
• in layering metals to fortify them. 2NaCl + 2H2O 
→
• in production of hydrogen for fuel. 2NaOH + H2 + Cl2

Diamonds being the rarest gems have been replaced by jadeite which costs about $3 million per carat.
 GK-374
Faraday’s Laws of Electrolysis
First Law of Electrolysis
It states that the quantity of elements
separated by passing an electric current
through a molten or dissolved salt is
proportional to the quantity of electric
charge passed through the circuit.
w ∝ Q ; w ZQ = Z it
(Charge Q = Current × Time)
Second Law of Electrolysis
The amount of different substances
liberated at the electrodes by the same
quantity of electricity passing through the
electrolytic solution are proportional to
their chemical equivalent weights.
W1 E
W ∝ E or = 1
W2 E 2
Electrochemical Cell
• It is a device that produces an electric
current from energy released by a
spontaneous redox reaction (in short
which converts chemical energy into
electrical energy). This kind of cell
includes the galvanic cell or voltaic
cell.
• It has two conductive electrodes, i.e.,
anode (at which oxidation occurs) and
cathode (at which reduction occurs)
• It contains an electrolyte in between
the electrodes, which contains ions
that can move freely.
Battery
• It is an arrangement of one or more
cells connected in series.
• It is basically a galvanic cell.
These are of two types
1. Primary batteries (non-rechargeable)
e.g., dry cell, mercury cell etc.
2. Secondary batteries (rechargeable)
e.g., lead storage battery, nickel-
cadmium battery.
Lechlanche Cell or Dry Cell
• It consists of a zinc container that acts
as anode and carbon (graphite) rod
surrounded by powdered manganese
dioxide and carbon which acts as
cathode. It contains a paste of NH4Cl
and ZnCl2 in between the electrodes.
• It is used in transistors and clocks.
• It has a potential of 1.5 V.
Faraday is basically the charge on 1 mole of electrons. Its exact value is 96487.
GENERAL SCIENCE
Mercury Cell
• It is suitable for the low current devices
like hearing aids and camera, etc.
• It consists of zinc-mercury amalgam as
anode and a paste of HgO and carbon
as cathode. The electrolyte is a paste of
KOH and ZnO.
• It has potential of 1.35 V. This potential
remains constant during its whole life.
Lead Storage Battery
• It is a secondary battery.
• It acts as electrochemical cell during
discharging (i.e., during use) and as
electrolytic cell during charging.
• It is used in automobiles and invertors.
• It consists of lead as anode and a
grid of lead packed with lead dioxide
(PbO2) as cathode. A 38% solution of
sulphuric acid is used as an electrolyte.
• It consists of a series of six identical
cells assembled in series. Each cell
may produce a potential of 2 V, hence
overall voltage produced is12 V.
• PbSO4 is formed when lead storage
battery is in use and lead dioxide are
formed when it is charged.
Fuel Cell
These are galvanic cells which use energy
of combustion of fuels like hydrogen (H2),
methane (CH4), methanol (CH3OH), etc. as
the source to produce electrical energy. e.g.
hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell.
Corrosion of Metals
Corrosion is an oxidation reaction with
atmospheric oxygen in the presence of
water on the surface of a metal. Rusting is
3
Fe(s) + O2(g) + xH2O(l ) →
2
Fe2 O3 .xH2O(s)
i.e. rust is hydrated iron oxide.
Prevention of Corrosion
Iron and steel (alloy of iron) are most easily
protected by paint which provides a barrier
between the metal and air/water. Moving
parts on machines can be protected by a
water repellent oil or grease layer. Other
important methods are
GENERAL SCIENCE
(i) Alloying: Iron or steel along with other
metals can also be protected by ‘alloying’
or mixing with other metals (e.g.,
chromium) to make non-rusting alloys.
(ii) Galvanizing: Coating iron or steel with
a thin zinc layer is called ‘galvanizing’.
Purity of Gold
24-Carat gold: The carat (abbreviation
ct or Kt) is a measure of the purity of gold
alloys. Carat is used to measure the mass of
gemstones, pearls, etc.
Some Important Man Made
Materials
Glass
It consists of a mixture of two or more
silicates.
Preparation of glass
Common glass (or soft glass): It is used
to make bottles, glass wares etc. and is
obtained by heating together silica (in the
form of sand), sodium carbonate or sodium
sulphate and chalk or lime stone (calcium
carbonate). Some broken glass and a
little coke are usually added. The glass so
prepared consists of silicates of sodium and
calcium.
Na2CO3(s) + SiO2(s) →
        (silica)
Na2SiO3(s) + CO2(g)
Na2SO4(s) + SiO2(s) →
Na2SiO3(s) + SO3(g)
CaCO3(s) + SiO2(s) →
CaSiO3(s) + CO2(g)
Hard glass: For preparation of hard glass
K2CO3 is used in place of Na2CO3. It consists
of a mixture of calcium and potassium
silicates.
Physical properties of glass
Hard, rigid, high viscosity, bad conductor of
heat and electricity, brittle, etc.
Blowing: It is a method to cast the molten
glass into different moulds. There are two
different methods of glass blowing:
(i) Free blowing and ( ii) mould blowing
Free blowing: It involves the blowing of air
to inflate the molten glass which is gathered
at one end of the blow pipe to give the
desired shape.
Nowadays, Ni-MH (Nickel-metal hydride) batteries are widely used. These batteries have 25% more rechargeable life and is less
hazardous as compared to Ni-Cd (Nickel-Cadmium) battery.
GK-375
Mould blowing: This method was developed
after the technique of free blowing. In this
method, molten glass is inflated into a
wooden or metal carved mould with the
help of blow pipe which gives the molten
glass the shape and design of the interior of
the mould.
Chemical properties of glass
(i) It is resistant to action of air and acids
except hydroflouric acid.
(ii) It is alkaline in nature.
(iii) It slowly reacts with water to form
alkaline solution.
Types of glass
(i) Silica glass: For this type of glass the
raw material used is 100% pure form
of quartz. It is quite expensive. It is
used in the manufacture of laboratory
apparatus. It has low thermal
expansion. Its softening point is very
high and it is resistant to a wide variety
of chemicals.
(ii) Alkali silicate glass: For it the raw
materials used are sand and soda. It
is also called water glass because it
is soluble in water and used only as a
solution. It is generally used to make
gums and adhesives.
(iii) Lead glass: For this type of glass lead
oxide is added to ordinary glass. The
addition of lead oxide increases the
density and also the refractive index.
This type of glass is used for the
manufacture of ornamental glass ware,
decorative articles, etc.
(iv) Optical glass: This type of glass
is used in the manufacture of
optical instruments like binoculars,
spectacles, lenses, prisons, telescopes,
microscopes etc. It is transparent
and can be grounded into the
required shape. It generally contains
phosphorus, and lead silicates with
little cerium oxide which absorbs UV
radiations.
(v) Processed glass: The properties and
applications of glass also depend upon
the processing of glass.
 GK-376
GENERAL SCIENCE
Some types of processed glass and their applications are given here:
Processed glass Applications
1. Laminated glass Used for doors and windows of automobiles. (It has high
strength).
2. Fibre glass Used for reinforcing purpose (It has enough tensile strength)
3. Foam glass Used for civil construction and insulation purposes (it is light
weight).
4. Opaque glass In it non-transparent glass filters the light entering into it. Thus
provides an aesthetic look.
(vi) Borosilicate glass: It contains silica Saponification
and Boron oxide and small amount of It is the process of making of soap by the
oxides of sodium and aluminium. It is hydrolysis of fats and oils with alkalis.
resistant to a wide variety of chemicals Both soaps and detergents are soluble in
due to this property it is used in the water and act as surfactants which reduce
manufacture of laboratory ware. the surface tension of water to a great extent.
Fertilizers This increases the water - fabric interaction
as a consequence of which dirt particles,
Fertilizers are chemical compounds which
grease spots etc are washed away effectively.
when added to the soil increase their
In other words soaps and detergents enhance
fertility and directly supply the need of
the cleansing action of water.
essential elements [N, P, K] of primary
importance. Portland Cement
Classification It was first discovered in England. It is
Chemical fertilizers are broadly classified essentially a mixture of lime stone and clay.
into the following three types: It was called Portland cement because in
(i) Nitrogenous fertilizers: Ammonium presence of water it sets to a hard stone-like
sulphate, urea etc. mass resembling with the famous Portland
(ii) Phosphatic fertilizers: Super phosphate, rock. The approximate composition of
ammonium phosphate Portland cement is
(iii) Potash fertilizers: Potassium chlo- Calcium oxide (CaO) 62%
ride, potassium sulphate. Silica (SiO2) 22%
Alumina (Al2O3) 7.5%
Soaps and Detergents Magnesia (MgO) 2.5%
Soap: Fatty acid salts of sodium and Ferric oxide (Fe2O3) 2.5%
potassium are known as soaps. These are The above compounds are provided by
prepared by the action of fatty acids with the two raw materials, namely lime stone
sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. (which provides CaO) and clay (which
Fatty acid + sodium hydroxide → Soap provides SiO2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3). In cement,
+ glycerol. almost entire amount of lime is present
Detergents are sodium salt of long chain in the combined state as calcium silicate
sulphonic acids or alkyl hydrogen sulphate. (2CaO. SiO2 and 3CaO. SiO2) and calcium
Advantages of detergents over soaps aluminates (3CaO. Al2O3 and 4 CaO. Al2O3).
(i) Detergents can be used for laundering (i) Cement containing excess amount
even with hard water as they are of lime cracks during setting; while
soluble even in hard water. cement containing less amount of lime
(ii) Detergents possess better cleansing is weak in strength.
properties than soaps. (ii) Cement with excess of silica is slow-
Disadvantages of detergents over soap: setting and that having an excess of
Detergents are prepared from hydrocarbons, alumina is quick-setting.
while soaps are prepared from edible fatty (iii) Cement containing no iron is white but
oils. Thus they are non biodegradable. hard to burn.
Water glass is basically a compound of Sodium Silicate (Na2 SiO3) and prepared by heating sodium carbonate with silica.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-377

Cement is manufactured by two processes, viz. wet and dry. A small amount (2–3%) of
gypsum is added to slow down the setting of the cement so that it gets sufficiently hardened.
Setting of cement is an exothermic process and involves hydration of calcium aluminates
and calcium silicates.
Lime stone and
clay are powdered
and mixed
Addition of
Burnt at
Calcium silicates + Portland Cement
1770-1870K gypsum
in a rotatory kiln calcium aluminates

Substance Chemical Composition Formula

Alum Potash Potassium, Sulphur, Aluminium, K2SO4Al2(SO4)3
Hydrogen and Oxygen
Bleaching Calcium Calcium, Chlorine, Oxygen CaCl(OCl)4 H2O
Powder hypochlorite
Blue Vitriol Copper Copper, Sulphur and Oxygen CuSO45H2O
sulphate
Calomel Mercurous Mercury, Chlorine Hg2Cl2
chloride
Caustic Lotion Silver nitrate Silver, Nitrogen, Oxygen AqNO3
Candy Fluid Potassium Potassium, Manganese, Oxygen KMnO4
permanganate
Caustic Potash Potassium Potassium, Hydrogen, Oxygen KOH
hydroxide
Chalk Calcium Calcium, Carbon, Oxygen CaCO3
carbonate
Caustic Soda Sodium Sodium, Hydrogen, Oxygen HaOH
hydroxide
Baking Soda Sodium Sodium, Hydrogen, Carbon, Oxygen NaHCO3
bicarbonate
Common Salt Sodium Sodium, Chlorine NaCl
chloride
Epsom Salt Magnesium Magnesium, Sulphur, Oxygen MgSO4.7H2O
sulphate
Galena Lead sulphide Lead and Sulphur PbS
Green Vitriol Iron sulphate Iron, Sulphur, Oxygen FeSO4.7H2O
Glauber’s salt Sodium sulphate Sodium, Sulphur, Oxygen Na2SO4.10H2O
Gypsum Calcium sulphate, Calcium, Sulphur, CaSO4.2H2O
Oxygen
Hypo Sodium Sodium, Sulphur, Hydrogen, Oxygen Na2S2O3.5H2O
thiosulphate
Laughing gas Nitrous oxide Nitrogen, Oxygen N2O
Lime water Calcium Calcium, Hydrogen, Oxygen Ca(OH)2
hydroxide
Excess of lime in the cement causes cracks in cement during solidification. While excess of alumina in it causes easy and
quick solidification of cement.
 GK-378
GENERAL SCIENCE
Substance Chemical Composition Formula
Litharg Lead monoxide Lead, Oxygen PbO
Nitre Potassium Potassium, Nitrogen, Oxygen KNO3
nitrate
Plaster of Paris Calcium Calcium, Sulphur, Hydrogen, Oxygen 2CaSO4.H2O
sulphate
Quartz Sodium silicate Sodium, Silica, Oxygen Na2SiO3
Quick lime Calcium oxide Calcium, Oxygen CaO
Red lead Triphumbic Lead, Oxygen Pb3O4
tetroxide
Sal ammoniac Ammonium Ammonia, Chlorine NH4Cl
chloride
Soda ash Triplumbic Sodium, Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen Na2CO3.10H2O
tetroxide
Soda bicarb Ammonium Sodium, Hydrogen, Carbon, Oxygen NaHCO3
chloide
Washing soda Sodium Sodium, Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen Na2CO3.10H2O
carbonate
White vitriol Zinc sulphate Zinc, Sulphur, Hydrogen, Oxygen ZnSO4.7H2O

General Organic Chemistry chloroform, benzene, etc. and insoluble in

Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are defined as the optically
active polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones or
substances which yield these on hydrolysis.
Classification of Carbohydrates
Based on Molecular Size
Carbohydrates
Monosaccharides Oligosaccharides
Based on Nature
Carbohydrates are also classified as
reducing and non-reducing sugars
depending on whether they reduce Fehlings
and Tollen’s reagent or not.
Based on Taste
Carbohydrates with sweet taste are called
sugars while those without a sweet taste
are called non-sugars.
Lipid
Lipids are organic compounds soluble in
non-polar fat solvents such as acetone, ether,
water. The most important role of lipids is
that of biological fuel. Lipids supply more
energy than carbohydrates, excess of lipids
is stored in the body and used at the time of
starvation.
Proteins
Proteins are highly complex, natural
compounds, composed of a large number
of different amino acids joined together
with peptide linkage, i.e. they are naturally
occurring polypeptides. The biological
importance of proteins can be judged by
the fact that the animals can live for a long
time without fat or carbohydrate, but not
without protein.
Nucleic Acids
Nucleic acids are colourless, complex,
amorphous, compounds made up of
three units: bases, sugar and phosphoric
acid. These are macro-molecules of high
molecular weight and are present in every
living cell.

Though solid at room temperature, gallium will liquefy in your hand.

GENERAL SCIENCE GK-379

LIFE SCIENCE

Cell biology and Genetics Cell are of 2 types :

Biology is the science of life. Biologist study
the structure function, growth origin,
evolution and distribution of living organism.
It include both plants & animals.
Father of biology & zoology: Aristotle
Father of Botany : Theophratus.
Cell
Cell is a basic structural and functional unit
of life.
•• Robert Hooke in 1665 coined the word
‘cell’.
•• Anton van Leeuwenhoek first saw and
described a live cell.
•• Robert Brown later discovered the nucleus.
•• Cell theory was proposed by Schleiden and
Schwann in 1855 to explain the concept
of the cellular nature of living organism.
Note : Every cell originate from pre-existing
cell.
Prokaryotic cell and Eukaryotic cell
Prokaryotic Cells
•• Prokaryotic cells are morphologically
most primitive.
•• Prokaryotic cells are devoid of
membrane bound organelles like
nucleus, plastids, mitochondria and
advanced (9+2) flagella.
•• Prokaryotic cells are represented by
bacteria, cyanobacteria (blue green
algae), mycoplasma and PPLO (pleuro-
pneumonia like organisms).
Eukaryotic Cells
Eukaryotic cells contain a nucleus (which
absent in prokaryotes) and many organelles
like mitochondria, lysosomes, golgi complex,
etc.

COMPONENTS OF A CELL

Cell Membrane Cytoplasm Nucleus

Cell Organelles Cell Inclusions

Membrane Bound Non-Membranous Storage Products
Endoplasmic Ribosomes – Starch
Reticulum – Fats and Oils
– Proteins
Golgi Complex Cytoskeleton Secretory Problems
– Enzymes
– Hormones
Mitochondria Centrioles – Pigments **
– Alkaloids **
Plastids ** – Resins **
– Gums **
Lysosomes * Excretory Products **
– Inorganic Salts
– Latex
NOTE : * Only in animal cells – Tannin
** Only in plant cells – Essential Oils
Archaebacteria are the primitive type of prokaryotes which includes methanogeus, halophiles and thermoacidophiles.
 GK-380
GENERAL SCIENCE
A eukaryotic cell consists of the following parallely arranged organelles that occur in
components: the association of endoplasmic reticulum
Golgi in the cytoplasmic matrix.
apparatus Plasma •• The golgi apparatus principally performs
membrane the function of packaging materials to
Smooth
endoplasmic
Centriole be delivered either to the intra-cellular
reticulum targets or secreted outside the cell.
Lysosome
Nuclear Lysosomes
envelope Ribosomes
•• L
ysosomes are popularly called “suicide
Mitochondrion
bags” present in animal cell.
Rough endoplasmic
reticulum Vacuoles
Nucleus
Cytoplasm •• I n plant cells, the vacuoles can occupy
up to 90% of the volume of the cell. The
Cell Wall vacuole is bound by a single membrane
•• The cell wall is a non-living, semi-rigid, called tonoplast. They are responsible
for maintenance of turgor pressure.
external protective covering of the cell.
•• Cell wall is entirely absent in animals. Mitochondria
•• It is made up of cellulose secreted by •• M
itochondria are also called as
the cell itself. powerhouse of cells.
Plastids
Cell Membrane •• P
lastids are found in plants and few
•• T
he cell membrane is a living, protists Euglena.
thin, elastic and semi-permeable
Ribosomes
membranous covering of plant and
•• ibosomes are smallest cell organelles.
R
animal cells. They are protein synthesising factories.
Fluid mosaic model of plasma There are two types of ribosomes viz.,
membrane – Prokaryotic or 70S ribosomes
•• S.J. Singer and G. Nicolson in 1972 – Eukaryotic or 80S ribosomes
proposed the most accepted model Nucleus
of membrane structure. The plasma •• N ucleus is centrally located, spherical
membrane is a lipid-bilayer with and largest component of the all
proteins embedded in it. eukaryotic cell. It contains the genetic
•• Lipids are amphipathic, i.e. they are material of the cell.
structurally asymmetric with polar Structure of Nucleus
hydrophilic and non-polar hydrophobic •• A typical nucleus consists of four
group. structures: (i) nuclear membrane, (ii)
•• One of the most important function of nucleoplasm (iii) chromatin and (iv)
plasma membrane is the transport of the nucleolus.
the molecules across it. Satellite
Secondary

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Short arm Short arm

constriction

There are two types of endoplasmic Centromere

reticulum, i.e. Centromere

•• Smooth or agranular ER – They do

not have attached ribosomes on their Long arm
Telocentric Acrocentric Sub-
surface. It is site for Lipid Synthesis. metacentric
Metacentric

•• Rough or granular ER – They bear Fig. : Types of chromosomes based on the

ribosomes on their surface, for protein position of centromere
synthesis. Nucleolus
Golgi Apparatus •• It is present inside the nucleus.
•• Golgi apparatus or Golgi complex is a •• It is the site of active ribosomal RNA
stack of flattened, membrane bounded, synthesis.
Mitochondria and Plastid are semi autonomous organelles as they posses their own DNA.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-381

Genetics DNA
Study of heredity and variation is called •• D NA is found in nucleus, and also found
genetics. in mitochondria and chloroplast.
•• Term genetics was given by - Bateson. •• It stands for deoxyribonucleic acid
•• Father of genetics - Gregor Johan Mendel. (DNA).
•• Father of experimental genetics - •• It is double stranded.
Thomas Hunt Morgan. •• It consists of Nitrogenous bases-
•• Father of human genetics - Archibald Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine or
Garrod. Guanine, 5-carbon sugar and a
•• Study of genes is known as genetics.
phosphate molecule.
Gene •• RNA is single stranded.
•• It is a segment of DNA and basic unit •• It consists of phosphate, ribose sugar,
of heredity. These are located on nitrogenous bases- Adinine, Uracil,
chromosomes. Cytosine, and Guanine.
Some Human Body Disorder
Disorder Symptoms Defect
Cystic fibrosis Mucus clogs lungs, liver, and Failure of chloride ion transport
pancreas mechanism
Sickle-cell anemia Poor blood circulation Abnormal hemoglobin molecules
Tay-Sachs disease Deterioration of central nervous Defective enzyme (hexosaminidase A)
system in infancy
Phenylketonuria Brain fails to develop in infancy
Defective enzyme
(phenylalanine hydroxylase)
Hemophilia Blood fails to clot Defective blood-clotting factor VIII
Huntington’s disease Brain tissue gradually deteriorates Production of an inhibitor of brain
in middle age cell metabolism
Muscular dystrophy Muscles waste away Degradation of myelin coating of nerves
(Duchenne) stimulating muscles
Congenital Increased birth weight, puffy face, Failure of proper thyroid development
hypothyroidism constipation, lethargy
Hypercholesterolemia Excessive cholesterol levels in Abnormal form of cholesterol cell
blood, leading to heart disease surface receptor
Mendel’s Laws pair of genes-controlling a given trait -
•• M endel conducted cross hybridization was not influenced by the segregation
experiments on Garden Pea plant (Pisum of other gene pairs. Genes located on
sativum). The first was the Principle of different chromosomes move to gametes
segregation, which claimed that each independently of each other during meiosis.
trait was specified by paired hereditary Human Blood Groups
determinants (alleles of genes) that •• T he system of blood groups in humans
separate from each other during gamete was discovered by Karl Landsteiner in
formation. This law is also called Law of 1900s.
purity of gametes or Law of splitting •• There are four phenotypes of blood
of hybrids. namely A, B, AB and O produced by
•• Gregor Mendel was the first individual to three different alleles IA, IB and i of a
apply a modern scientific approach to the gene.
study of heredity. Mendel proposed two •• The allele IA and IB are equally dominant
basic principles of transmission genetics. and do not interfere with expression of
•• Mendel’s second basic conclusion was the each other hence the allele IA IB are said
Principle of independent assortment, to be co-dominant because both are
which stated that the segregation of one expressed in the phenotype AB.
Alleolemorph is one of a number of alternative forms of the same gene occupying a given position on a chromosome.
 GK-382
GENERAL SCIENCE
Blood Antigen present Antibody present Possibility of blood donation
Group in RBC in plasma
A A b Can donate blood to A and AB.
B B a Can donate blood to B and AB
AB A, B none Can receive from all but donate to only
AB
O None a, b Can donate to all but receive blood
only from O.

Blood valves in them to prevent back flow

of blood in them. Blood flows at low
•• Blood is a fluid connective tissue and
pressure and at a lower speed.
composed of blood corpuscles, plasma
•• These carry deoxygenated blood except
and platelets.
the pulmonary vein which carries
•• It is slightly alkaline is nature (pH 7.4).
oxygenated blood to the heart.
•• Its volume in an adult is 5.8 L.
•• The oxygenated or pure blood is bright Capillaries
red while the deoxygenated blood is •• These are the thinnest blood vessels
purple coloured (Darker shade of red). and connect arteries to the veins.
•• People who live at high altitudes have •• These help in exchange of materials like
more blood than those who live in the nutrients, gases, waste product, etc.,
low regions. This extra blood supplies between blood and cells.
additional oxygen to body cells. Blood Type of Parent and their
•• During blood clotting fibrinogen changes Children
into fibrin by thrombin which is obtained
from thromboplastin in the presence of Blood Type of Possible Blood Type
Ca2+. Parent (Homo or of Children
•• The haemoglobin content of adult female Heterozygous)
varies from 13.5-14.5% whereas in adult O×O O
male its amount varies from 14.5-15.5%
Haemoglobin count is highest in the foetus O×A O, A
and is about 23 g per 100 mL. of blood O×B O, B
at birth. O × AB A, B
Blood Vessels A×A A, O
A×B O, A, B, AB
Blood vessels are of three types:
A × AB A, B, AB
Arteries
B×B B, O
•• These are thick walled blood vessels
which carry the blood away from the B × AB A, B, AB
heart to various body parts. These are AB × AB A, B, AB
deep seated in the body and have no Blood Cells
valves in them.
•• These carry oxygenated blood except Erythrocytes (RBCs)
the pulmonary artery which carries •• Red blood cells contain the blood’s
deoxygenated blood to the lungs. In haemoglobin and distribute oxygen.
arteries, blood flows at a high pressure •• RBCs are the most abundant cells.
and a higher speed.
•• Mature red blood cells lack a nucleus
Veins and organelles in mammals. However,
•• These are thin walled blood vessels and in camel and Llama it is nucleated.
carry blood away from various body •• One RBC contains about 280 haemoglobin
parts towards the heart. These have molecules.
Heparin, a natural anticoagulant in the blood that prevent the conversion of prothombin into thombin in circulating blood.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-383

Leukocytes (WBCs)
These are part of the body’s immune system; they destroy and remove old or aberrant cells
and cellular debris, as well as attack infectious agents and foreign substances. These are
much less in number than RBCs (1 : 600).
Thrombocytes
(Platelets)
It is responsible for blood clotting (coagulation). It changes fibrinogen into fibrin.
Comparison between Plasma and Lymph

Plasma Lymph
It contains 92% water, 8% blood plasma Lymph contains a variety of substances
proteins and trace amounts of other including proteins, salts, glucose, fats, water
materials and WBCs.
It is cell free part of blood, contain salts, It is modified tissue fluid, contains cells like
considerable amount of proteins as well as lymphocyte and monocytes, salt and small
more or less all constituents of body. amount of proteins. It is colourless.
It flows within blood vessels. It flows within lymphatic vessels.
It takes part in nutrition, excretion, respiration, It supplies nutrition to tissue devoid of
etc. by transporting various materials and blood supply,takes part in fat absorption and
helps in the defence mechanism of the body defence mechanism of the body.
by producing antibodies.
It can coagulate because it contains fibrinogen It can coagulate but very slowly because it
and prothrombin. contains these two in small quantities.
Blood Pressure (BP) Sex Determination
•• The pressure created by the blood on •• Henking discovered X body in sper-
the walls of the blood vessels due to matogenesis of few insects and it was
the repeated pumping of heart is called given name of X chromosome. Due to
blood pressure. It is measured by involvement of X and Y chromosomes in
sphygmomanometer. determination of sex, they were called
•• It can be felt at certain places in our sex chromosomes.
body, viz wrist of the hands etc.
XX → Girl
•• Blood pressure is recorded as systolic/
diastolic. Blood pressure in a normal XY → Boy
person is 120/80 mm Hg. Factors •• Rest of the chromosomes which
affecting blood pressure are age, cardiac determine other metabolic character of
output, total peripheral resistance, etc. the body are called autosomes.
•• If a person has persistent high blood
pressure then it is called hypertension Mutation
and persistent high blood pressure is •• Phenomenon that results in alteration of
150/90 mm Hg. Factor responsible are DNA sequence and consequently results
overeating, fear, worry, anxiety, sorrow, in change in genotype and phenotype of
etc. Hypotension is condition of low
an organism is called mutation.
blood pressure, i.e. persistent 100/50
•• Mutagens are various chemical and
mm Hg.
•• Electrocardiograph (ECG) is used to physical factors that induce mutations,
check proper working of heart by using e.g. UV radiations, carcinogenic chemicals
electrodes. like nicotine, nitric oxide (NO).
Bone marrow is the flexible tissue in the interior of bones.
 GK-384
Plant Physiology
Photosynthesis
•• Photosynthesis occurs in specialized
cells called mesophyll cell which contain
chloroplast.
•• Photosynthesis follows two main steps:
Light dependent reaction which occur
in grana of the chloroplast and light
dependent reaction which occur in
stroma region of the chloroplast.
•• It is actually oxidation reduction
process in which water is oxidized and
CO2 is reduced to carbohydrates.
•• The reduction of CO2 to carbohydrates
needs assimilatory powers, i.e. ATP and
NADPH2.
Respiration
•• Carbohydrates are broken down
through the process of oxidation and
releasing of energy for cellular use, is
called respiration. Respiration occurs in
three steps as Glycolysis, Kreb’s Cycle
and Electron transport system.
C6H12O6 + 6CO2 → 6CO2 + 6H20 +
energy
•• Glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm of
the cell and the final product is pyruvate
which is transported from the cytoplasm
to mitochondria. Citric acid cycle/Kreb’s
cycle occur in mitochondrial matrix.
Transpiration
•• Loss of water in the form of water
vapour from plant through the small
pore (stomata) present on leaves is
called transpiration.
Nitrogen Metabolism
•• P
lants obtain Nitrogen from the soil in the
form of nitrites (NO2—), nitrates (NO3—)
and ammonium (NH4)+ salts. Nitrogen
assimilation is carried out by plants in
three steps.
Ammonification
•• It is the process of conversion of
complex organic compounds like
protein into ammonia in the presence
of ammonifying bacteria.
•• Proteins → Amino acids → Organic
acids → Ammonia
In transpiration water loss occur in the form of vapour through stomata whereas in Guttation water loss occur in form of
water droplets through hydathodes.
GENERAL SCIENCE
Nitrification
•• Ammonia is rapidly converted first to
nitrite and then nitrates by the process
of nitrification. Nitrification is brought
about by nitrifying bacteria such as
Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter.
Denitrification
•• It is the process of conversion of nitrate
salts present in the soil and water to
gaseous nitrogen which escapes into
atmosphere. It takes place with the help
of bacteria called Pseudomonas.
Plant Growth Regulators
Some chemical molecules secreted by the
plants which affect the growth of the plant
known as plant growth regulators.
Auxin
•• It controls division in the vascular
cambium and xylem differentiation. It
Promotes flowering. It also causes the
phenomenon of apical dominance.
Gibberellins
•• It causes an increase in length of axis of
the plant. It delay senescence and help
in induction of seed germination.
Cytokinins
•• It promotes cell division and growth
of lateral branches by inhibiting apical
dominance. It also promotes formation
of adventitious shoot.
Ethylene
•• It is synthesized in the tissue undergoing
senescence and ripening of fruits.
It promtes in ripening of fruits and
accelerate the abscission of flower.
Abscisic acid
•• It causes ageing and abscission of
leaves and fruits. It also regulates bud
and seed dormancy.
Human Physiology
Human Digestive System
The human digestive system consists of
alimentary canal and digestive glands. The
alimentary canal consists of mouth, (having
teeth and tongue) oesophagus, stomach,
small intestine and large intestine.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-385

Teeth •• Tongue also contains taste buds due

to which we sense bitter, sour, salty or
•• With the help of teeth the food is
sweet taste.
chewed. Teeth are of four types:
Incisors (for cutting)
Canines (for tearing)
Premolars (for chewing)
Bitter
Molars (for chewing and grinding)
Sour
Tongue Sour
•• S aliva, secreted by the salivary glands, Salt Salt
is mixed with the chewed food by the Sweet
tongue. Taste Areas on the Human Tongue
Digestion of Food
Name of the Name of the enzymes Substrate End product
Digestive juice
Saliva Ptyalin (Salivary amylase) Starch Maltose
Pancreatic Juice Amylopsin (pancreatic Starch, Maltose and Glucose
amylase) Glycogen
Intestinal juice Sucrase (invertase), Sucrose; Glucose, fructose and
Maltase, Lactase Maltose, galactose
Lactose
Gastric Juice Pepsin, Rennin Proteins, Proteoses and peptones,
Casein Calcium caseinate
Pancreatic Juice Trypsin, Chymotrypsin, Proteins, Proteoses and peptides
Carboxyl peptidases Proteins Peptides Amino acid.
Peptides
Intestinal juice Amino peptidase, Peptides Amino acids
Dipeptidase
Vitamin Required by the Body
Vitamin Chemical Function in Body Deficiency Sources
Name Disease
B1 Thiamine Part of coenzyme for Beri-beri: Cereals, legumes,
pyrophosphate respiration nerve and heart beans, nuts.
disorders
B2 Riboflavin Part of coenzyme Ariboflavinosis: Milk, yogurt, meat,
FAD needed for skin and eye leafy greens, whole
respiration disorders grains.
B12 Cyanoco- Coenzyme needed Pernicious Meat, fish, poultry,
balamin for making red blood anaemia shellfish, eggs,
cells, bone, blood and cheese, milk.
nerve changes
B5 Nicotinic Part of coenzymes Pellagra: skin, Widespread in
acid (‘niacin’) NAD, NADP used in gut and nerve foods.
respiration disorders
C Ascorbic acid Not precisely known Scurvy: Citrus fruits, e.g.
degeneration of lemon.
skin teeth and
blood vessels.
Digestion begins in the mouth with the secretion of saliva and its digestive enzymes.
 GK-386
GENERAL SCIENCE
A Retinol Not fully known but Xeropthalmia: Milk, eggs, meat, fish
forms part of visual ‘dry eyes’ liver oils, Green leafy
pigment, rhodopsin vegetables.
D Cholecalciferol Stimulates calcium Rickets: bone Exposed to sunlight,
absorption by small deformity Dairy products, egg
intestine, needed for yolk, fish liver oils,
proper bone growth oysters, yeast.
E Tocopherol Not precisely known Infertility Plant oils, green,
leafy vegetables,
egg yolk, nuts,
seeds, and liver.
K Phylloquinone Involved in blood Possible Bacterial synthesis
clotting haemorrhage in the digestive
tract. Green leafy
vegetables, cabbage
and milk
Mineral Required by Body
Minerals Source Function
Sodium (Na) Table salt large amounts is present Needed for proper fluid balance,
in processed foods, small amounts in nerve transmission, and muscle
milk, breads, vegetables, and meats contraction
Chloride Table salt, large amounts is present Needed for proper fluid balance,
in processed foods, small amounts in stomach acid
milk, meats, breads, and vegetables
Potassium Meats, milk, fresh fruits and Needed for proper fluid balance,
vegetables, whole grains, legumes nerve transmission, and muscle
contraction
Calcium Milk and milk products, canned Important for healthy bones and teeth,
fish with bones (salmon, sardines), helps muscles relax and contract,
fortified tofu and fortified soy milk, important in nerve functioning, blood
greens (broccoli, mustard green), clotting, blood pressure regulation,
legumes immune system health
Phosphorus Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, Important for healthy bones and
processed foods teeth, found in every cell, part of
the system that maintains acid-base
balance
Magnesium Nuts and seeds; legumes, leafy green Needed for making protein, muscle
vegetables, seafood, and chocolate contraction, nerve transmission,
immune system health
Sulfur Occurs in foods as part of protein, Important for protein
meats, poultry, fish, eggs, milk,
legumes, nuts
Iron Organ meats; red meats, fish, poultry, Part of a molecule hemoglobin
shellfish (especially clams), egg yolks, found in red blood cells that carries
legumes; dried fruits dark, leafy oxygen in the body, needed for
greens, iron-enriched breads and energy metabolism
cereals, and fortified cereals
Iodine Seafood, foods grown in iodine-rich Found in thyroid hormone, which
soil, iodized salt, bread, dairy products helps regulate growth, development,
and metabolism

Vitamin B complex is a dieting supplement that delivers all eight of the B vitamins.
GENERAL SCIENCE
Human Respiratory System
•• H
uman respiratory system consists
of external nostrils, nasal cavity,
nasopharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchiole
and lungs.
nasal cavity
windpipe
larynx
(trachea)
lobes
of lung
Transport of gases
•• 9
7% of oxygen is transported from the
lungs to the tissues in combination with
haemoglobin (Hb + O2 HbO2,
oxyhaemoglobin). 3% is transported in
dissolved condition by the plasma.
There are three ways of transport of
CO2
•• 5 %–7% (approximately) of CO2 is
transported, being dissolved in the
plasma of blood.
•• CO2 react with the water to form
carbonic acid (H2CO3) by the enzyme
carbonic anhydrase (present in RBC).
•• CO2 reacts with amine radicals (NH2)
of haemoglobin molecule and forms
a carbamino – haemoglobin (HbCO2)
molecule. Nearly 23% of CO2 is
transported through this mode.
Circulatory Pathways
The circulatory patterns are of two types –
Open circulatory system is present in
arthropods and molluscs in which blood
pumped by the heart passes through large
vessels into open spaces or body cavities
called sinuses.
Closed circulatory system
•• Annelids and chordates have a closed
circulatory system in which the
blood pumped by the heart is always
circulated through a closed network of
blood vessels. All vertebrates possess a
muscular chambered heart.
•• Fishes have a 2-chambered heart with
an atrium and a ventricle.
Cigarette smoke contain chemicals that interfere with the filtering of air as it produces mucus and toxic substances result in congestion of the lungs.
GK-387
•• Amphibians and the reptiles (except
crocodiles) have a 3-chambered heart
with two atria and a single ventricle.
Crocodiles, birds and mammals
possess a 4-chambered heart with
two artia and two ventricles.
Heart Beat and Pulse
The human heart beats at the rate of about
72-80 per minute in the resting condition.
Electrocardiograph
bronchial tree
•• E CG is the graphic record of electronic
alveoli are in current produced by the excitation of
here
cardiac muscles.
•• A normal electrocardiogram is composed
of a P wave, QRS complex and T wave.
P wave indicate the depolarisation of
the atria. QRS complex expresses the
ventricular depolarisation. T wave
indicate an repolarisation of ventrcle.
Excretion
•• T he process of excreting ammonia is
-Ammonotelism. Kidney plays a minor
role in the elimination of ammonia
e.g. teleost fishes, tadpoles, aquatic
soft bodied invertebrates. Organism
undergoing ammonotelism are called
ammonotelic.
•• The process of excreting urea is -
Ureotelism. e.gs. are mammals, many
terrestrial adult amphibians and
cartilaginous fishes (shark).
•• The process of elimination of uric acid is
Uricotelism, egs. are land snails, insects,
birds and many reptiles.
•• Each kidney has nearly one million
complex tubular structures called
nephrons, which are the functional
units of kidney. These filter the blood to
produce urine.
Excretory Organs of Some Animals
Excretory Organ Animal
Contractile vacuole Amoeba
Flame cells/solenocytes Tapeworm
Renette cell Ascaris
Nephridia Earthworm
Malpighian tubules Cockroach
Coxal glands Scorpion
Green glands Prawn
 GK-388
Skeletal System
Human Skeleton
(comprising 206 bones)
divided into
Axial Skeleton Appendicular Skeleton
made up of made up of
Skull Vertebral Sternum Ribs Girdles Limbs
column
Joints
A joint is a location at which two bones
make contact and is essential for all types
of movements, involving the bony parts of
the body.
Synovial joints - Movable joints
They are characterised by the presence
of a closed space or cavity between the
bones. These are classified into six major
categories:
Plane (gliding joint): Present between
carpals. Only sliding motion in all direction
is allowed.
Hinge joint: Present between Knee joint.
Pivot joint: Present between vertebrae.
Saddle joint: Present between carpal and
metacarpal.
Ball and Socket joint: Present between
humerus and pectoral girdle.
Neural Control and Coordination
•• The neural system is the control system
of the body which consists of highly
specialized cells called neurons.
•• A neuron consists of main cell body and
cytoplasmic processes arising from it.
The human brain is divisible into three
parts:
Forebrain: It comprises the olfactory lobes,
cerebrum and diencephalon.
Cerebrum is the largest and complex part.
It consists of the left and right hemispheres
connected by a bundle of myelinated fibres,
called corpus callosum. The outer layer of
the cerebrum is called the cortex.
Diencephalon: The main parts of the
diencephalon are epithalamus, thalamus
and hypothalamus.
The hypothalamus is the highest centre
of autonomic nervous system. It governs
In chloride shift exchange of chloride and carbonate occur between the plasma and the erythrocytes during exchange of
O2 and CO2 .
GENERAL SCIENCE
emotional reactions and exercise control
over sleep mechanism.
Midbrain: It is formed of corpora
quadrigemina and cerebral peduncles.
Cerebral penduncles are bundles of fibres
connecting the cerebral cortex with other
parts of brain and spinal cord.
•• Hind brain: It comprises of:
Cerebellum: It controls the balance and
posture of the body.
Pons varolii - The pons is concerned
with maintenance of normal rhythm of
respiration.
Medulla oblongata - Medullary centres
(reflex centres) are present for controlling
the functions of important organs, e.g.
cardiac centres (heart), respiratory centre,
vasomotor centre (for regulating diameter
of blood vessels) and reflex centres
(for swallowing, vomiting, peristalsis,
secretion and activity of alimentary canal,
salivation, coughing, etc.)
Sense Organs
Eye
Eyes are the sensitive detectors of light. The
human eye can distinguish about 10 million
colours. It consists of three parts:
Sclerotic Layer
It is the outermost, bony layer, which includes
Cornea is the clear dome-shaped tissue,
covering the front of the eye.
Conjunctiva is the continuation of upper
eyelid.
Choroid Layer
It is the middle layer and consists of:
Pupil is the black hole in the centre of the
iris. It changes size as the amount of light
changes.
Ciliary muscles regulates the lens curvature.
Iris is the coloured part of the eye. It
controls the amount of light that enters the
eye by changing the size of the pupil.
Lens is a biconvex transparent circular
solid located just behind the iris. It focuses
onto the retina
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-389

Retina Causes
Lens Fovea (point of •• The eye ball is too short so image is
Iris central focus)
formed beyond the retina.
Optic nerve to •• Cornea is not curved enough.
brain’s visual
cortex •• Eye lens is farther back in the eye.
Pupil
•• Increase in the focal length of eye lens.
Cornea
•• Stiffening of ciliary muscles.
Blind spot Remedy: Convex lens is used to converge
The Eye
the rays at retina.
Retina Target group
•• Light sensitive tissue that lies at the •• It can affects both children and adults.
back of the eye. It contains millions •• People whose parents are farsighted.
of photoreceptors (rods and cones) •• It can be confused with presbyopia (i.e.
that convert light rays into electrical “after 40” vision).
impulses that are relayed to the brain
via the optic never. Astigmatism: Astigmatism is the most
•• The image formed on retina is real and common refractive problem responsible for
inverted. blurry vision. Cylindrical lens is used to
•• Rods are highly sensitive to dim light correct astigmatism.
and contain a reddish purple pigment Presbyopia (“after 40” vision)
called rhodopsin. Night vision involves After age 40, and most noticeably after age
mostly rods (not cones). 45, the human eye is affected by presbyopia,
•• Cones are sensitive to bright light, which results in greater difficulty maintaining
hence differentiate the colours.
a clear focus at a near distance with an eye
•• The fovea centralis is the area
which sees clearly at a far away distance.
of sharpest vision due to high
concentration of ones. Cataract
•• The blind spot (optic disc) has not rods It is the clouding of the lens of the eye that
and cone cells, hence no image is form prevent a person to see.
in this region. Because light rays can’t pass through the
Defects of Vision & Remedies cloudy lens, vision of a person becomes
cloudy, blurry, foggy, or filmy.
Myopia or Near(short) sightedness Causes
A person suffering from Myopia can’t see •• Protein builds up in the eye lens & make
the far (distant) object clearly but can see it cloudy.
nearby object clearly. •• Cloudy protein layers prevent rays to
Causes pass through eye lens.
•• The eye ball is too long (i.e. elongated)
•• New lens cells form on the outside of the
so image is formed before retina.
•• Lens being too curved for the length of lens, making older cells compacted into
the eye ball. the center of the lens to form cataract.
•• Combination of above, i.e. elongated Remedy
eyeball & curved lens. •• It can be corrected with suitable eye
•• Shortening of focal length of eye lens. glasses (lenses).
•• Over stretching of ciliary muscles. •• Cataract surgery is performed when eye
Remedy: Concave lens is used to diverge glass does not suit.
the rays at retina. Ear
Hyperopia or Hypermetropia (long •• Ears are meant for both balancing and
(far) sightedness) hearing.
A person suffering from it can’t see near •• It can be divided into three parts
object clearly but can see distant object as External ear (pinna + external
clearly. auditory canal), Middle ear (tympanic
Synovial fluid is present in the cavities of synovial joints, reduces the friction between the synovial joints.
 GK-390
GENERAL SCIENCE
cavity) and Internal ear (bony and Nose
membranous labyrinth). •• Nose is a sense organ for smell or
•• Hearing is controlled by auditory are of olfaction, It contains
temporal lobe of cerebral cortex. 1. Olfactory cells which are more
•• Human ear can list in the sound of chemosensitive than taste cells.
60-80 decibel. 2. Olfactory stimuli such as, chloroform
•• Human ear is sensitive to sounds and ammonia are irritating and can
frequency 50-20,000 cycles/sec. cause tearing.
•• Defects of ear are : Otalgia ear, ache •• Dogs have an acute olfactory sense.
(Pain in ear); Othitis media (Acute They can trace people because they
infection of middle ear), Labyrithine can distinguish between the odours of
disease (malfunction of inner ear). different persons.
Chemical Coordination in Animal (Hormones)
Endocrine Gland Hormone Principal action Disorders
Thyroxine (T4) and Maintains calcium level Cretinism, myxoedema
Triiodothyronine (T3) normal in the body. goiter
Thyroid
Calcitonin Increases rate of metabolism
in the body.
Parathyroid Parathormone (PTH) Increases plasma calcium Parathyroid tetany,
osteoporosis
“Adrenal gland “Adrenaline and Increases heart beat, blood
(medulla)” Noradrenaline” sugar and also constricts
blood vessel
“Mineralocorticoids Increases reabsorption of “Addison’s disease
(aldosterone)” sodium and excertion of Adrenal virilism”
potassium
Adrenal cortex
Glucocorticoids Increases blood sugar and Cushing’s syndrome
(cortisol) affects carbohydrate, fat and
protein metabolism
ARH Regulates corticotropin
secretion
TRH Thyrotropin secretion
Hypothalamus SRH Stimulates secretion of
gonadotropins
Growth hormone Regulates secretion of
releaing factor prolactin
Pituitary gland Stimulates general growth Pituitary dwarfism,
anterior lobe gigantism, Acromegaly
Prolactin Stimulates milk production
and secretion
Follicle stimulating Stimulates ovarian follicle and
Pituitary gland hormone (FSH) spermatogenesis
anterior Lutemizing Stimulates corpus luteum
lobe hormone (LH) and ovulation in females and
interstitial cell in males
Thyroid stimulating Stimulates thyroid gland to
hormone (TSH) secrete hormones
Adrenocorticotropic Stimulates adrenal cortex to
hormone secrete glucocorticoids
Cornea of the eye is an only tissue that don’t have blood.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-391

Intermediate Melanocyte Growth and development of

lobe stimulating hormone melanocyte
Oxytocin Contraction of uterine muscles
and mammary gland cells
Posterior lobe “Vasopressin Promotes reabsorption of Diabetes insipidus
(ADH)” water from collecting ducts
of kidneys

Reproductive System Urethra 1 Conduct urine and

•• The process by which new individuals sperms.
are produced from their parents is called Prostate gland 2 Secrete an alkaline
reproduction and the organs which fluid to neutralise the
are used for this process, collectively acidity of urethra and
constitute the reproductive system. make the sperm more
•• Reproduction is of two types, i.e., active.
asexual and sexual. Cowper’s 2 Secrete an alkaline
•• In asexual reproduction only one gland white lubricating fluid
parent is involved and sex cells are not Penis (have 1 Pass urine and deposit
involved. rich blood sperm in female genital
•• In sexual reproduction two parents supply) tract
are involved and formation and fusion
•• Males can produce spermatozoa
of gametes takes place.
(sperm) throughout their life from age
Modes of Reproduction in Different of 13-14 yrs. The growth of hairs on
Organisms body is due to masculine hormones.

Mode of Organism
Reproduction Urinary Seminal
bladder vesicle
Fission (asexual) Amoeba, bacteria,
(behind
flatworm, etc. bladder)
Prostate
Budding (asexual) Hydra, yeast and sponge. gland
Bulbourethral Urethra
Syngamy (sexual) Cockroach, frog, human gland Scrotum
being, etc. Erectile tissue
of penis
Glans
Vas deferens
Male Reproductive System Epididymis
penis

The various organs which constitute Testis

the male reproductive system and their Male Reproductive System
functions are tabulated below: Female Reproductive System
Reproductive No Function Female reproductive system includes
Organ following organs which are tabulated below
Testes 2 Produce sperm and Reproductive No Function
testosterone Organ
Sperm duct 2 Conduct the sperm from Ovaries 2 To produce ova and
the testes to urethra hormones.
Seminal 2 Secrete seminal plasma Oviducts 2 To move the ovum
Vesicles towards uterus.
Epididymis 2 Temporarily store Uterus 1 To provide space for
sperms and provides developing child
mobility Vagina 1 To receive the sperms

Ear bone (auditory ossicle) consists of three bones namely malleus, incus and stapes. They are considered as smallest bone.
 GK-392
GENERAL SCIENCE
Ovaries Oviduct Follicles •• On an average menstrual cycle is
completed in 28 days.
•• It is absent during pregnancy, may
be suppressed during lactation and
Uterine Corpus permanently stops at menopause.
Uterus luteum
wall About 13 mature eggs are released from
Cervix Endometrium two ovaries of female in a year.
Vagina •• Menstrual cycle is controlled by FSH,
LH, oestrogen and progesterone
Female Reproductive System harmones.
•• If sperm is present, the egg will be Birth Control Methods or
fertilised in the ampullary isthmic Contraception Methods
junction of Fallopian tube. •• The prevention of union of sperm and
•• After maturity the ovary releases an ovum is known as contraception.
ovum (egg cell) after every 28 days. The various methods used for it are
•• The connection between developing diaphragm, condoms, contraceptive pills,
embryo and mother is made by tubectomy, vasectomy, copper-T etc.
placenta. It supplies blood, organic •• Amniocentesis or amniotic fluid test
and inorganic nutrients, harmones, is technique of finding out sex and
antibodies etc. disorder of foetus.
•• The embryo develops for nine months
Gestation Periods of Animals
in uterus. It is called gestation period.
•• Child is delivered after its development Animal Gestation Animal Gestation
and mother produces milk to nourish Period Period
the child (lactation). Buffalo 310 days Horse 340 days
•• The first milk which comes out from Elephant 610 days Leopard 105 days
the mother’s mammary gland just after
Lion 120 days Tiger 103 days
child birth is caused colostrum.
•• This milk is rich in protein, antibodies Whale 365 days Squirrel 40 days
which imparts immunity to new born Human 280 days Dog 61 days
baby.
Menstrual Cycle Plant Kingdom
•• Reproductive period of a human female Features of Plants
extends from puberty (10-14 years) to
•• Most of the plants are eukaryotic and
menopause (40-50 years).
chlorophyll containing organisms.
•• The release of the first menstrual flow
•• Cell walls of plant cells are comprised of
or period is called menarche.
cellulose.
•• Menarche marks the onset of
•• They have an ability to grow by cell
reproductive life and onset of puberty
division.
in females.
•• Menopause is stopping of ovulation and •• In life cycle of plant cells, the
menses. It normally occurs between interchanges occur from the embryos
the age of 45 to 55. This stage onwards, and are supported by other tissues and
woman lose the ability to reproduce. self produce.
•• The periodic vaginal bleeding during •• Plants have both organs and organ
menstrual cycle is called menstruation. systems.
Male produce the smallest human cell – the sperm and female produce the largest human cell → the egg or ovum.
GENERAL SCIENCE
•• They obtain their energy from sun
through photosynthesis.
•• Plants reproduce both by sexual and
asexual.
•• Plants develop a self defense mechanism
to protect them from being destroyed by
animals, fungi and other plants.
•• Organisms within Kingdom Plantae
are multicellular, eukaryotic and
autotrophic.
•• They lack motility.
PTERIDOPHYTES
Bryophytes
•• Bryophytes are also called amphibians
of the plant kingdom because these
plants can live in soil but are dependent
on water for sexual reproduction. They
usually occur in damp, humid and
shaded localities.
•• Species of Sphagnum, a moss, provide
peat that have long been used as fuel,
and because of their capacity to hold
water as packing material for trans-
shipment of living material.
Pteridophytes
•• Evolutionarily, they are the first
terrestrial plants to possess vascular
tissues – xylem and phloem.
•• The main plant body is a sporophyte
which is differentiated into true root,
stem and leaves. These organs possess
well-differentiated vascular tissues
Examples are Psilotum, Equisetum,
Dryopteris, Marsilea, etc.
Gymnosperms
•• G
ymnosperms are plants which bear
naked seeds i.e. the ovules and the
seeds that develop from these ovules
after fertilization are not enclosed in
fruit wall.
Fertilization is most possible when the female is at the middle of her menstrual cycle. It is when the hormones promoting pregnancy
are at their peak.
GK-393
•• R
oots have fungal association in the form
of mycorrhiza (Pinus), while in some
other (Cycas) small specialised roots
called coralloid roots are associated
with N2– fixing cyanobacteria.
Angiosperms (Flowering Plants)
•• A ngiosperms are seed bearing,
flowering vascular plants in which
seeds are enclosed in fruits.
•• The flower is the most characteristic
structure of the angiosperms. The male
sex organ in a flower is the stamen.
Each stamen consists of a slender
filament with an anther at the tip. The
anthers, following meiosis, produce
pollen grains.
•• The female sex organ in a flower is the
pistil or the carpel. Pistil consists of
an ovary enclosing one to many ovules.
Within ovules are present highly
reduced female gametophytes termed
embryo sacs.
Each embryo-sac has a seven-celled
egg apparatus – one egg cell and two
synergids, three antipodal cells and
two polar nuclei. The polar nuclei
eventually fuse to produce a diploid
secondary nucleus.
•• Pollen grain, after dispersal from the
anthers, are carried by wind or various
other agencies to the stigma of a pistil.
This is termed as pollination.
•• The pollen tubes enter the embryo-sac
where two male gametes are discharged.
One of the male gametes fuses with the
egg cell to form a zygote (syngamy).
The other male gamete fuses with the
diploid secondary nucleus to produce
the triploid primary endosperm
nucleus (PEN). Because of the
involvement of two fusions, this event
is termed as double fertilisation, and
event unique to angiosperms.
 GK-394
GENERAL SCIENCE
Animal Kingdom
KINGDOM ANIMALIA

Unicellular Animals Multicellular Animals

Protozoa Metazoa
It lacks cell wall,
egs. Amoeba, Invertebrates Vertebrates
Euglena, (No Backbone) (Backbone)
Trypanosoma,
Sponges Fishes
Giardia,
Coelenterates Amphibians
Paramecium,
Worms Reptiles
Plasmodium
Anthropods Birds
Mollusca Mammals
Echinoderms

Introduction
Animals are the most diverse groups of
organisms. Multicellular, heterotrophs
characterised by mobility, sensory and
nervous systems.
Phylum-Porifera
•• S ponges are aquatic, mostly marine,
solitary or colonial and sessile.
•• Examples of some sponges are : Sycon
(scypha), Spongilla (fresh water
sponge) and Euspongia (bath sponge).
Phylum-Coelenterata (Cnidaria)
•• All are aquatic and are mostly marine
(exception-Hydra are found in fresh-
water), solitary or colonial, sessile,
or free-swimming and radially
symmetrical animals.
•• E
xample-Physalia (Portuguese man
of war), Adamsia (Sea anemone),
Pennatula (Sea-pen), Gorgonia (Sea-
fan) and Meandrina (Brain coral).
Phylum-Ctenophora
•• These are diploblastic, radial symmetrical
animals with tissue level of organization.
•• Examples–Hormiphora (sea walnut),
Pleurobranchia (sea gooseberry), Cestum
(venus girdle), Beroe.
Phylum-Platyhelminthes
•• T hese are mostly endoparasites, bilateral
symmetrical, triploblastic and acoelomate
animals with organ level of organisation.
•• Examples– Taenia (Tape worm), Fasciola
(liver fluke).
Phylum-Aschelminthes
•• T
hey may be free-living, aquatic and
terrestrial or parasitic in plants and
animals.
•• Examples: Ascaris (Round worm), Wuchereria
(filarial worm), Ancylostoma (Hook worm),
Enterobius (Pin worm).
Phylum-Annellda
•• It is characterised by metameric
segmentation forming ring like segments.
•• Example: Neries, Pheretima (Earthworm)
and Hirudinaria (Blood sucking leech).
Phylum-Arthropoda
•• T hey are bilateral symmetry, triploblastic
animals, which have organ-system level
of organisation.
•• Example: Apis (Honey bee), Bombyx
(Silkworm), Laccifer (Lac insect).

Since bryophytes lack xylem and phloem only way to move substances through the plant body is by osmosis and diffusion from
surface moisture.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-395

Phylum-Mollusca xamples : Marine – Exocoetus (Flying

•• E
•• T hey are aquatic (marine or fresh fish), Hippocampus (Sea horse), Lophius
water), or terrestrial having an organ- (Angler fish), Fresh water fishes – Labeo
system level of organisation. (Rohu), Catla (Katla).
•• Ex. Pila, Octopus (devil fish), Loligo (sea Superclass : Tetrapoda (Bear Limbs)
squid).
Class : Amphibia
Phylum-Echinodermata •• Adapted for both water and land life.
•• A ll existing echinoderms are marine, •• They are oviparous and development
generally live at sea bottom. indirect through distinct larval stage
•• Ex. Asterias (star fish), Cucumaria called tadpole. Exambles : Bufo (Toad),
(commonly called as sea cucumber), Rana (Frog), Hyla (Tree frog), Salamandra
Antedon (water lily or feather star). (Salamander), Ichthyophis (Limbless
amphibia).
Phylum-Hemichordata
•• They are bilaterally symmetrical, Class: Reptilia
triploblastic, and entrocoelous animals. •• T
he class name refers to their creeping
•• Ex. Balanoglossus (acorn worm or or crawling mode of locomotion.
tongue worm), Saccoglossus. •• They are oviparous; Development direct.
Examples: Crocodilus (Crocodile),
Phylum-Chordata Bangarus (Krait)
•• T he fundamental four characters Class: Aves
of phylum chordata are presence of
•• B irds are bipedal feathered animals.
notochord, a dorsal hollow nerve
•• Endoskeleton is fully ossified (bony) and
cord, paired pharyngeal gill slits and
the long bones are hollow with air cavities
post anal tail either in the embryonic or
adult stage. (pneumatic).
•• Examples: Herdmania (sea squirt), Examples : Corvus (crow), Pavo (Peacock).
Branchiostoma. Class: Mammalia
•• T hese are warm blooded (homio-
Subphylum Vertebrata is Divided
thermous) animals having hair and
into Two Sections mammary glands.
Section 1 Agnatha (The jawless •• They are viviparous with few
exceptions and development is direct.
vertebrates)
Example : Oviparous – Tachyglossus =
Class : Cyclostomata Echidna (spiny Anteater). Viviparous –
•• M outh jawless suctorial and round. Pteropus (Flying fox), Camelus (Camel),
•• All living members are ectoparasites on Macaca (Monkey).
some fishes.
•• Ex. Petromyzon (lamprey), Myxine (hag Disease and Defence
fish). Mechanism
Section 2 Gnathostomata (The Pratozoan Diseases
jawed vertebrates)
Disease Pathogen
Superclass : Pisces (Bear fins) Malaria Plasmodium
Class : Chondrichthyes Amoebiasis Enta moeba
•• They have a cartilagenous skeleton. histolylica
•• Some of them possess electric organs
e.g. Torpedo. Giardiasis Giardia lambia
•• Examples: Scoliodon (Dog fish), Trygon Sleeping sickness Trypanosoma
(Sting ray). Leshmanis Leishmania
Class : Osteichthyes Trichomoniasis Trichomonas
•• They have a bony skeleton. vaginalis
Corals are marine coelenterates which secrete hard stony substance which form external skeleton.
 GK-396
GENERAL SCIENCE
Fungal diseases Immunity
Disease Pathogen he term immunity refers to the
•• T
specific resistance exhibited by the host
Aspergillosis Aspergillus fumigatuo
towards infections by micro-organisms
Candidiasis Candida albicens (pathogens) and their products.
Ringworm Trichoplyton Innate or Natural Immunity
Blastomycosis Blasto myces •• Innate immunity is developed in an
dermatitidis individual without having the disease
Sporotnichosis Sporothrix Schenckii or immunization, e.g., recreation of
sweat glands contain certain chemical
Bacteria Diseases substances which prevent the entry of
micro-organisms.
Disease Pathogen
•• It is present from birth.
Dysentery Shigella
Acquired Immunity
Plague Pasteurellapestis
•• T
he resistance against infectious
Diphtheria Corynebacterium disease that an individual acquires
diphtheriae during life is known as acquired
Cholera Vibrio cholerae immunity.
Tuberculosis Mycobacterium Antibody Mediated Immunity
tuberculosis •• B
cells produce specialized proteins
Tetanus Clostridium tetani called antibodies (immunoglobulin)
Whooping cough Bordetella pertussis which are glycoproteins.
Leprosy Mycobacterium leprae Classification of Antibodies :
Anthrax Bacillus anthrasis (a) Ig A – Protects from inhaled or ingested
pathogens.
Weil’s disease Leptospira (b) Ig D – Present on lymphocyte surface as
receptors, activation of B cells.
Viral Diseases (c) Ig E – Mediator in allergic response.
(d) Ig G – Stimulation of phagocytes and
Disease Pathogen complement system, passive immunity
Rabies Rabies virus to foetus.
(e) Ig M – Activation of B cells.
Dengue Dengue virus
Influenza Influenza virus MERS : Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
(MERS) is new viral disease related to
Measles Rubeola virus
respiratory illness. Including fever, cough
German measles Rubella virus and shortness of breath. Affected countries
Mumps Mumps virus is Middle East include Egypt, Iran, Jordan,
Chicken pox Varicella zoster Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
and UAE.
Small pox Variola virus
SARS : Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Polio Polio virus (SARS) is caused by coronavirus called,
Chikungunya Chikungunya (CHIK) SARS-CoV. First time this disease was
Virus reported in November 2002 in Guangdong
Avian flu H5N1 virus province, China. It begins with high fever
headache an overall feeling of discomfort,
H1N1(Swine flu) H1N1 virus and bodyaches.
Arthropods have external skeleton composed of poly saccharide called chitin.
GENERAL SCIENCE
Ebola: Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola
HF) is a severe & fatal disease in humans,
monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees. It is
caused by Ebola virus, named after the
Ebola River found in Congo. Ebola is spread
through direct contact (through broken
skin or unprotected mucous membranes
in, for example, the eyes, nose, or mouth).
The symptoms appears for Ebola HF from
2 to 21 days. Symptoms are fever, headache,
joint and muscle aches, sore throat, and
weakness, followed by diarrhoea, vomiting,
and stomach pain.
Zika : Zika virus is a mosquito-borne virus
transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
The virus was first identified in 1947 in
Uganda and its name has been derived from
Zika Forest.
Transmission : Zika virus is transmitted by
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
Most common symptoms : Headache,
muscle and joint pain, mild fever, rash,
pinkeye and inflammation of the underside
of the eyelid.
Linkages: It causes neurological disorders and
foetal deformation known as Microcephaly
in which infants are born with abnormally
smaller heads that can cause brain damage.
AIDS :
•• Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
(AIDS) is caused by Human Deficiency
Virus (HIV) which destroys the CD4
Cells that are essential for the body
immune symptoms.
•• HIV is transmitted (spread) through the
blood, semen, genital fluids, or breast
milk of a person infected with HIV.
•• Unprotected sex and sharing of drug
injection equipment with the person
infected with HIV are the most common
ways of HIV transmission.
•• It takes many years to develop the HIV
symptoms but the HIV infected person
can spread the virus at any stage of HIV
infection.
•• 1st December is also remembered as
World AIDS day globally people unite
together to fight against HIV showing
support to the people infected with HIV.
Bird flu or avian influenza is caused by deadly strain of bird flu – H5N1.
GK-397
Diabetes
Diabetes is a long-term condition caused
by too much glucose (sugar) in the blood.
There are two main types of diabetes
Type 1
Diabetes occurs when the body doesn’t
produce enough insulin to function
properly or the body’s cells don’t react to
insulin. This is known as insulin resistance.
Type 2
Diabetes is a far more common than type
1 diabetes, which occurs when the body
doesn’t produce any insulin at all.
Symptoms
Symptoms common to both types of diabetes
include
(i) Feeling very thirsty
(ii) Urinating frequently, particularly at
night.
(iii) Feeling very tired.
(iv) Weight loss and loss of muscle bulk.
Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease which is endemic
in most African and Asian countries and it
affects the central nervous system of warm
blooded animals, including human. This
fatal zoonotic viral disease transmitted
to human through contact (mainly bites
and scratches) with infected animals both
domestic and wild. Clinical signs of rabies
in animals will vary depending on the effect
of the virus on the brain. Typical signs
include sudden behavioural changes and
progressive paralysis leading to death.
Dengue
Dengue fever occurs through 1 to 4 types of
dengue virus. It is spread by the bite of an
infected dengue mosquito (Aedes aegypti).
It is characterized by high fever lasting 3-7
days frontal headache pain behind the eyes
and muscle joint pain and muscular and
rash on skin. There is no specific treatment
for Dengue fever till now.
Chikungunya
Chikungunya fever is a viral illness caused
by an arbovirus transmitted by the Aedes
mosquitoes. Chikungunya disease does not
often result in death, but the symptoms can
 GK-398
be severe and disabling. Symptoms appear
after 3-7 days after infected by the virus.
Most common symptom is fever, joint pain
and headache.
Common Heart Diseases
Coronary artery disease or Arthro-
sclerosis: In this disorder the deposition
of calcium, fat, cholesterol and fibrous
tissue occur in coronary arteries which
makes the lumen of arteries narrower and
thereby affect the blood supply.
Angina (angina pectoris): Angina is an
acute chest pain due to oxygen deficiency
to heart muscles. It occurs due to oxygen
deficiency to heart muscles. It occurs due to
improper blood flow. It is common among
middle-aged and elderly person.
Heart Failure (congestive heart
failure): It is the condition in which heart
is not pumping blood enough to meet the
need of the body. Congestion of the lung is
the main symptom.
Arteriosclerosis: It is the state of
hardening of arteries and arterioles due
to thickening of the fibrous tissue and
consequent loss of elasticity. It leads to
hypertension.
Common Lung Diseases
Asthma: It is a disease caused due to an
allergic reaction to foreign substances that
affect the respiratory tract. In people with
asthma, the walls of these airways become
inflamed (swollen) and oversensitive. The
airways over react to things like smoke,
air pollution, mold, and many chemical
sprays. Bronchioles can constrict (narrow)
because of muscle spasms. Drugs called
bronchodilators (inhalers). These devices
help dilate (open up) the bronchioles.
Bronchitis (Inflammation of the
Bronchi): A condition where the bronchi
and bronchioles get inflamed and their
cavities become narrow so that air
cannot pass in and out of lungs easily.
The bronchial pathway gets blocked with
the accumulation of mucus on the wall of
bronchi due to which walls inflammation
of the wall occur. Bronchitis occurs due to
cough and cold smoking and exposure to air
pollutant like carbon monoxide.
Ig A is the main immunoglobulin found in mucous secretions including tears, saliva, sweat, etc.
GENERAL SCIENCE
Common Brain Diseases
Epilepsy: Epilepsy is a condition where
a person has recurrent seizures, abnormal
discharge of electrical activity in the brain
cells which may give rise to abnormal
behaviour such as involuntary muscle
movements, unusual perceptions and
disturbed level of consciousness. Epilepsy
can occur due to brain injury, brain tumor,
chemical abnormalities and alcohol or drug
effects.
Loss of Consciousness: Faintness
includes the sensation of dizziness
lightheadedness and weakness. The
majority of attack is due to altered reflex
affecting cardiac rate, vascular tone
and some time due to severe cardiac
disturbances.
Cancer : Cancer is a complex genetical
disease which occurs due to the environmental
factors. Cancer causing agent (carcinogen)
may be present in food and water, in air in
sunlight and in chemicals.
Biology in Human Welfare
Animal Husbandry
It deals with the care, breeding &
management of domesticated animals that
are useful to humans.
Poultry Farming
•• P oultry is a rearing of domesticated fowls,
ducks, geese, turkeys, guinea fowls and
pigeons.
•• Poultry birds exclusively grown for
meat are called broilers, layers are for
egg production, cockerel for young
male fowls and rooster are mature male
fowls.
Fisheries
•• P isciculture is the rearing, breeding
and catching of fishes.
•• Aquaculture is rearing and management
of useful aquatic plants and animals like
fishes, oysters, and prawns etc.
Apiculture
•• A
piculture is rearing and breeding
of honeybees for the production of
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-399

honey. It also produces beeswax and Out-crossing: Mating between the animals
bee pollen. Beeswax is used for the of the same breed which do not have a
preparation of cosmetics and polishes common ancestor.
of various kinds. Cross-breeding: Mating between the
•• The commonest species of honeybee is superior animals of different breeds of the
Apis indica. same species.
MOET (Multiple Ovulation Embryo
Animal Breeding Transfer) technique is a programme
Animal breeding is the production of which improves the chances of successful
new breeds of domesticated animals production of hybrids.
with improved traits. Breeding is the
modification of genotype of an organism to Plant Breeding
make that organism more useful to human. •• P
lant breeding refers to the modification
Inbreeding: Mating between the closely and improvement of genetic material
related animals of same breed. of plants resulting in the development
Out-breeding: Mating between the animals of crops which are more beneficial to
which are not closely related. human beings.
Crop Variety Resistance to diseases
Wheat Himgiri Hill bunt, leaf and stripe rust
Cauliflower Pusa snowball Blight black rot, Black rot and Curl
K-1, Pusa shubra
Brassica Pusa Swarnim (Karan rai) White rust
Cowpea Pusa Komal Bacterial blight
Chilli Pusa Chilly mosaic virus, Tobacco mosaic
Sadabahar virus and leaf curl.
Table : Crop varieties bred by hybridization and selection for disease resistance to fungi,
bacteria and viral disease.
•• Examples of insect pest resistance crops using living organism cells or enzymes.
bred by hybridization are This technology has application in
(i) Pusa Gaurav variety of Brassica is agriculture, food processing industry,
resistant to aphids. bioremediation, medicine diagnostics,
(ii) Pusa Sawani and Pusa A-4 waste treatment and energy production.
varieties of Okra (Bhindi) are •• Biotechnology deals with:
resistant to shoot and fruit borer. ¾¾ Microbe-mediated processes
(iii) Pusa sem 2 and Pusa sem 3 (making curd, bread, wine etc.)
varieties of flat bean are resistance ¾¾ In vitro fertilization (‘test tube’
to aphids and fruit borer. baby programme)
Biotechnology and its Application ¾¾ Synthesis and using of gene
•• It deals with large scale production and ¾¾ Preparation of a DNA vaccine
marketing of products and processes ¾¾ Correcting a defective gene
Medical Discoveries
Discovery Made by Country Year
Antibiotic (Penicillin) Alexander Fleming Scotland 1928
Antiseptic Joseph Lister Scotland 1867
Aspirin Dr Felix Hoffmann Germany 1899
Blood Circulation William Harvey Britain 1628
Blood Group K. Landsteiner Austria 1900-1902
Blood Transfusion Jean-Baptiste Denys France 1625
DNA was first discovered in 1869 by swiss Friedrich Mieschler.
 GK-400
GENERAL SCIENCE
Cholera and TB Germs Robert Koch Germany 1883
Diphtheria Germs Klebs and Loffler Germany 1883-84
Electro cardiogram (ECG) William Einthoven Dutch 1903
Heart-Lung machine John Heynsham Gibbon US 1953
Hypodermic Syringe Alexander Wood Britain 1853
Heart Transplant Christian Barnard South Africa 1967
Kidney Machine W. J. Kolf The Netherlands 1944
Malaria Germs A. Laveran France 1880
Organ Transplant John P. Merril USA 1953
Scan (CAT) Godfrey Hounsfield England 1973
Sphygomomanometer Scipione Riva-Rocci Italy 1896
Stethoscope Rene Laennec France 1819
Thermometer (Clinical) Sir Thomas Albutt England 1867
Ultrasound Ian Donald Ireland 1950
X-ray W. Roentgen Germany 1895
Important Vaccines
Vaccine Developed by Country Year
Small Pox Edward Jenner England 1796
Cholera Louis Pasteur France 1880
Diphtheria and Emil Adolf Von Behring and Shibasaburo Germany/Japan 1891
Tetanus Kitasato
TB Vaccine Albert Calmette and Camille Guerin France 1922
Polio Vaccine Jonas E. Salk US 1952
Oral Polio Vaccine Albert Bruce Sabin US 1955
Measles Vaccine John F. Enders, Thomas peeble US 1953
Rabies Vaccine Louis Pasteur France 1885
Typhus Vaccine Charles Nicolle France 1909

Health Guide FRUITS

CALORIE CHART Apple 1 small 50-60
Banana ½ Medium 50-60
Food Categories Measure Calories
Grapes 20 small 50-60
MILK & MILK PRODUCTS Mango 1 small 50-60
Milk (Cow) 90 ml 50 Musambi 1 Medium 50-60
Milk (Buffalo) 45 ml 50 Orange 1 small 50-60

Cheese 15 gms 50 CEREAL

Cooked Cereal ½ Cup 80
Butter 1 tbsp 50
Rice Cooked 25 gms 80
Ghee 1 tbsp 50 1 Medium 80
Chapati
Mostly people in world have cornea defect. It does not need blood match. 1 cornea can be donated at least to 3 persons.
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-401

STARCY VEGETABLES 167.5 59.0-64.8 157.5 48.5-53.9

Potato 1 Medium 80 170.0 60.7-66.6 160.0 49.9-55.3
Pulses 1 Large 80
172.5 62.6-68.9 162.5 51.2-57.1
Katori
Mixed 150 gms 80 175.0 64.4-70.7 165.0 52.6-58.9
Vegetables 178.0 66.2-72.5 167.5 54.4-61.2
PROTEIN / MEAT 180.0 68.0-74.8 170.0 56.2-63.0
Fish 50 gms 55 183.0 69.8-77.1 172.5 58.0-64.8
Mutton 1 oz 75 185.5 71.6-79.3 175.0 59.8-66.6
Egg (Hen) 2 pieces 100
188.0 73.4-81.6 178.0 61.6-68.4
COOKED FOOD
190.5 75.7-83.9 180.0 63.5-70.3
Biscuit (Sweet) 15 gms 70
193.0 78.0-86.1 183.0 65.3-72.1
Cake (Plain) 50 gms 135 +For Medium Frame Persons
Cake (Rich 50 gms 225
Chocolate)
Branches of Science
Dosa (Masala) 1 Medium 120 Branch Study
Pakoras 1 Medium 175 Acarology – study of mites
Puri 1 Large 85 Adenology – study of glands
Samosa 1 Piece 140 Angiology – study of blood flow
Vada (Medu) 1 Small 70 and lymphatic system
MAIN DISH Apiology – study of bees
Biryani (Mutton) 1 Cup 225 Arthrology – study of joints
Biryani (veg.) 1 Cup 200 Astheniology – study of diseases of
Curry (Chicken) 100 gms 225 weakening and aging
Auxology – science of growth
Curry (Veg.) 100 gms 130
Fried Rice 85 gms 140 Barology – study of gravitation
Pullao (Veg.) 100 gms 130 Biometrics – study of biological
measurement
SWEET DISH
Bromatology – study of food
Carrot Halwa 50 gms 300
Ctetology – study of the
Jalebi 20 gms 100
inheritance
Kheer 100 gms 180 of acquired
Rasgulla 150 gms 140 characteristics
HEIGHT & WEIGHT CHART Cacogenics – study of racial
degeneration
Height Weight Height Weight
(Cms) (Kgs) (Cms) (Kgs) Carcinology – study of cards and
+ Men + Women other crustaceans
Carpology – study of fruits and
157.5 53.5-57.1 147.5 43.5-48.5
seeds
160.0 54.8-60.3 150.0 44.4-49.9 Catacoustics – science of echoes or
162.5 56.2-61.6 152.5 45.8-51.2 reflected sounds
Cetology – study of whales and
165.0 57.8-63.0 155.5 47.1-52.6 dolphins

Bt cotton was the first genetically modified crop of cotton variety, which produces an insecticide to ball worms.
 GK-402
GENERAL SCIENCE
Branch Study Branch Study
Chemistry – study of properties of Herpetology – study of reptiles and
substances amphibians
Chirography – study of handwriting Histology – study of the tissues of
or penmanship
organisms
Cosmology – study of the universe
Horology – science of time
Craniology – study of the skull
measurement
Dactylography – the study of
Horticulture – study of gardening
fingerprints
Hyetology – science of rainfall
Dactylology – study of sign
language Hygienics – study of sanitation;
Demography – study of population. health
Demology – study of human Hygiastics – science of health and
behaviour hygiene
Dermatology – study of skin Hypnology – study of sleep; study
Ecology – study of environment of hypnosis
Edaphology – study of soils Insectology – study of insects
Emetology – study of vomiting Ichthyology – study of fish
Emmenology – the study of Irenology – the study of peace
menstruation Kalology – study of beauty
Endocrinology – study of ductless Kinematics – study of motion
glands
Kinetics – study of forces
Entomology – study of insects
producing or
Entozoology – study of parasites
changing motion
that live inside larger
organisms Karyology – study of cell nuclei
Epidemiology – study of diseases; Laryngology – study of larynx
epidemics Lepidopterology – study of butterflies
Euthenics – science concerned and moths
with improving living Leprology – study of leprosy
conditions
Magnanerie – art of raising
Geochemistry – study of chemistry of
silkworms
the earth’s crust
Magnetics – study of magnetism
Geogony – study of formation of
the earth Malacology – study of molluscs
Geology – study of earth’s crust Malariology – study of malaria
Geoponics – study of agriculture Mammalogy – study of mammals
Graminology – study of grasses Mastology – study of mammals or
Gynaecology – study of women’s mammary glands or
physiology breast diseases
Halieutics – study of fishing Meteoritics – study of meteors
Helminthology – study of worms Meteorology – study of weather
Hematology – study of blood Metrology – science of weights
Hepatology – study of liver and measures
GENERAL SCIENCE GK-403

Branch Study Branch Study

Microbiology – study of microscopic Palaeontology – study of fossils
organisms Parasitology – study of parasites
Microclimatology – study of local Pathology – study of disease
climates
Pharmacology – study of drugs
Microphytology – study of very small
Physiology – study of processes
plant life
of life
Morphology – study of forms and
the development of Psychology – study of mind
structures Pyretology – study of fevers
Myology – study of muscles Rheumatology – study of rheumatism
Magirics – art of cookery Radiology – study of X-rays
Nasology – study of the nose and their medical
Neonatology – study of newborn applications.
babies Seismology – study of earthquakes
Nephology – study of clouds Sociology – study of society
Nephrology – study of the kidneys Tectonics – science of structure
Obstetrics – study of midwifery of objects, buildings
Odontology – study of teeth and land forms
Oncology – study of tumours Toxicology – study of poisons
Oology – study of eggs Urology – study of urine;
Optics – study of light urinary tract
Ornithology – study of birds Virology – study of viruses
Osteology – study of bones Xylology – study of wood
Otology – study of the ear Zoiatrics – veterinary surgery
Paedology – study of children Zoology – study of animals
 GK-404
EVERYDAY SCIENCE
•• Why on mixing salt to the water the
level of water remain same?
The matter is made up of particle. When
we dissolve particle of salt it occupies
the space between the particles of water.
••
Why is carbon dioxide used in
extinguishing fire?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is heavier than
oxygen, (O2). So it makes a blanket and
do not allow oxygen to come in contact
for combustion.
••
Evaporation takes place at lower
temperature around 60° & above,
but boiling at 100° C.
Evaporation is a surface phenomenon,
occurs only in the upper part of water
but boiling is a bulk phenomenon.
•• Plant cells are stronger than animal
cells.
Plant cells lacks lysosome (suicide bag
of cell). So in plant cell even dead cell
help to strengthen the plant.
•• Why number of (white blood cell or
WBC) should be maintained?
Normally the count of WBC in normal
human body is 4500 to 11000 per mg.
But its increase will lead to leukaemia
and decrease may decrease the
immunity which may lead to HIV.
•• Why head injury is more vulnerable?
The head cells are basically neuron cell,
which are specialized cell, which do not
regenerate. It ultimately is very fatal.
•• Who will possibly learn swimming
faster-a fat person or thin person ?
The fat person displaces more water
which will help him float much more
freely compared to a thin person.
•• Why is a flash of lightening seen
before thunder?
Because light travels faster than sound,
it reaches the Earth before the sound of
thunder.
•• Why cannot a fire caused by petrol
be extinguished by water?
GENERAL SCIENCE
Water, which is heavier than petrol,
slips down permitting the petrol to
rise to the surface and continue to
burn. Besides, the existing temperature
is so high that the water poured on
the fire evaporates even before it can
extinguish the fire. The latter is true if a
small quantity of water is poured.
•• Why does water remain cold in an
earthen pot?
There are pores in an earthen pot which
allow water to percolate to the outer
surface. Here evaporation of water
takes place thereby producing a cooling
effect.
•• Why do we place a wet cloth on the
forehead of a patient suffering from
high fever?
Because of the body’s temperature,
water evaporating from the wet cloth
produces a cooling effect and brings the
temperature down.
•• When a needle is placed on a small piece
of blotting paper which is placed on
the surface of clean water, the blotting
paper sinks after a few minutes but the
needle floats. However, in a soap
solution the needle sinks. Why?
The surface tension of clean water being
higher than that of a soap solution, it can
support the weight of a needle due to its
surface tension. By addition of soap, the
surface tension of water reduces,
thereby resulting in the sinking of the
needle.
•• To prevent multiplication of mosquitoes,
it is recommended to sprinkle oil in
the ponds with stagnant water. Why?
Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water.
The larvae of mosquitoes keep floating
on the surface of water due to surface
tension. However, when oil is sprinkled,
the surface tension is lowered resulting
in drowning and death of the larvae.
•• How does oil rise on a cloth tape of
an oil lamp?
The pores in the cloth tape suck oil due
to the capillary action of oil.
GENERAL SCIENCE
•• How are ventilators in a room always
made near the roof?
The hot air being lighter in weight
tends to rise above and escape from the
ventilators at the top. This allows the
cool air to come in the room to take its
place.
•• How does ink get filled in a fountain
pen?
When the rubber tube of a fountain pen
is immersed in ink it is pressed, the air
inside the tube comes out and when the
pressure is released the ink rushes in to
fill the air space in the tube.
•• Why are air coolers less effective
during the rainy season?
During the rainy reason the atmospheric
air is saturated with moisture. Therefore,
the process of evaporation of water from
the moist pads of the cooler slows down
thereby not cooling the air blown out
from the cooler.
•• Why does grass gather more dew in
nights than metallic objects such as
stones?
Grass being a good radiator enables
water vapour in the air to condense
on it. Moreover, grass gives out water
constantly (transpiration) which
appears in the form of dew because the
air near grass is saturated with water
vapour and slows evaporation. Dew
is formed on objects which are good
radiators and bad conductors.
•• If a lighted paper is introduced in a jar
filled with carbon dioxide, its flame is
extinguished. Why ?
Because carbon dioxide does not help
in burning. For burning oxygen is
required.
•• Why does the mass of an iron rod
increase on rusting?
Because rust is hydrated ferric oxide
which adds to the mass of the iron rod.
The process of rusting involves addition
of hydrogen and oxygen elements to
iron.
•• Why does milk curdle?
Lactose (milk sugar) content of milk
undergoes fermentation and changes
GK-405
into lactic acid which on reacting with
milk protein (caesin), forms curd.
•• Why does hard water not lather soap
profusely?
Hard water contains sulphates and
chlorides of magnesium and calcium
which forms an insoluble compound
with soap. Therefore, soap does not
lather with hard water.
•• Why is it dangerous to have charcoal
fire burning in a closed room?
When charcoal burns it produces
carbon monoxide which is suffocating
and can cause death.
•• Why is it dangerous to sleep under
trees at night?
Plants respire at night and give out
carbon dioxide which reduces the
oxygen content of air under the trees
required for breathing.
•• Why does ENO’s salt effervesce on
addition of water?
It contains tartaric acid and sodium
bicarbonate. On adding water, carbon
dioxide is produced which when released
into water causes effervescence.
•• Why does milk turn sour?
The microbes react with milk and grow.
They turn lactose into lactic acid which
is sour in taste.
•• Why is a new quilt warmer than an
old one?
In the new quilt the cotton is not
compressed and it encloses more
air which is bad conductor of heat.
Therefore, it does not allow heat to
pass.
•• Eskimos live in double-walled ice
houses. Why?
Because the air in between two ice walls
does not allow heat to pass. Ultimately
they feel warmer in it compared to
environment
•• Curved rail tracks or curved roads
are banked or raised on one side.
Why?
Because a fast moving train or vehicle
leans inwards while taking turn and
the banked or raised track provides
 GK-406
required centripetal force to enable it to
move round the curve.
•• How do bats fly in dark?
When bats fly they produce ultrasonic
sound waves which are reflected back
to them from the obstacles in their
way and hence they can fly without
difficulty.
•• Water pipes often burst at hill
stations on cold frosty nights. Why?
The temperature at hill stations may
fall below 0°C during cold frosty nights
which converts the water inside the
pipes into ice, resulting in an increase
in volume. This exerts great force on the
pipes and as a result, they burst.
•• Why are white clothes more comfortable
in summer than dark or black ones?
White clothes are good reflectors and
bad absorbers of heat, whereas dark
or black clothes are good absorbers of
heat. Therefore, white clothes are more
comfortable because they do not absorb
heat from the sun rays.
•• Why does a rose appear red and
grass green in daylight?
Rose absorbs all the constituent colours
of white light except red which is
reflected to us. Similarly, grass absorbs
all colours except green which is
reflected to us.
•• Why does a ship rise as it enters the
sea from a river?
The density of sea water is high due
to impurities and salts compared to
river water. As a result, the upthrust
produced by the sea water on the ship
is more than that of river water.
•• Why are fuses provided in electric
installations?
A safety fuse is made of a wire of metal
having a very low melting point. When
excess current flows in, the wire gets
heated, melts and breaks the circuit.
By breaking the circuit it saves electric
equipment or installations from
damage by excessive flow of current.
GENERAL SCIENCE
•• Why is it easier to lift a heavy object
under water than in air?
Because when a body is immersed in
water, it experiences an upward thrust
(Archimedes’ Principle) and loses
weight equal to the weight of the water
displaced by its immersed portion, and
hence, is easier to lift objects.
•• If a highly pumped up bicycle tyre
is left in the hot sunlight, it bursts.
Why?
The air inside the tube increases in volume
when heated up. As sufficient space for
the expansion of the air is not available
because the tube is already highly
pumped, it may result in bursting of the
tyre.
•• What will be the colour of green
grass in blue light?
Grass will appear dark in colour
because it absorbs all other colours of
the light except its own green colour.
The blue light failing on grass will be
absorbed by it, and hence, it will appear
dark in colour.
•• Why do two eyes give better vision
than one?
Because two eyes do not form exactly
similar images and the fusion of these
two dissimilar images in the brain gives
three dimensions of the stereoscopic
vision.
•• Why do we bring our hands close to
the mouth while shouting across to
someone far away?
By keeping hands close to mouth the sound
is not allowed to spread (phenomenon of
diffraction of sound) in all directions but
is directed to a particular direction and
becomes louder.
•• Why does a corked bottle filled with
water burst if left out on a frosty
night?
Because of low temperature the water
inside the bottle freezes. On freezing it
expands, thereby its volume increases
and pressure is exerted on the walls.
GENERAL SCIENCE
•• Why is a small gap left at the joint
between two rails?
To permit expansion of rails due to heat
generated by friction of a moving train.
•• Why cannot a copper wire be used to
make elements in electric heater?
Copper melts at 108.3°C and forms a black
powder on reacting with atmospheric
oxygen. For heater elements a metal
should have more resistance to produce
•• Why are water or mercury droplets
always round when dropped on a
clean glass?
The surface of a liquid is the seat of
a special force as a result of which
molecules on the surface are bound
together to form something like a
stretched membrane. They tend to
compress the molecules below to
the smallest possible volume which
causes the drop to take a round shape
as for a given mass the sphere has
minimum volume.
•• Why does a balloon filled with
hydrogen rise in the air?
Weight of hydrogen is less than the
weight of air displaced by it. In balloons
hydrogen is normally filled because it is
lighter than air.
•• Why do we lean forward while
climbing a hill?
In order to keep the vertical line passing
through our centre of gravity always
between our feet, which is essential to
attain equilibrium or stability.
•• Why does smoke curl up in the air?
Smoke contains hot gases which being
lighter in weight, follows a curved path
because of the eddy currents that are
set up in the air.
•• Why does an electric bulb explode
when it is broken?
The bulb encompasses partial vacuum
and as it breaks, air rushes in causing a
small explosion.
•• Why does a man fall forward when
he jumps out of a running train or
bus?
He is in motion while in the train or bus.
When he jumps out, his feet comes to rest
GK-407
while touching the ground but his upper
portion which is still in motion propels
him forward.
•• Why does an ordinary glass tumbler
crack when very hot tea or milk is poured
in it?
When a hot liquid is poured into a
tumbler, the inner layer of the tumbler
gets heated, it expands before the outer
layer and an unequal expansion of both
layers causes the tumbler to crack.
•• Why is a compass used as an indicator
of direction?
The magnetic needles of a compass under
the influence of the earth’s magnetic field
lie in a north-south direction. Hence, we
can identify direction.
•• Why is water from a hand pump
warm in winter and cold in summer?
In winter the outside temperature is
lower than that of water flowing out of
the pump, and therefore, the water is
warm. Whereas, in summer, the outside
temperature is higher than the water of
the pump, and therefore, it feels cold.
•• Why is a rainbow seen after a
shower?
After a shower the clouds containing
water droplets act like a prism through
which the white light is dispersed
producing a spectrum.
•• Why does a swimming pool appear less
deep than it actually is?
The rays of light coming from the bottom
of the pool pass from a denser medium
(water) to a rarer medium (air) and are
refracted (bend away from the normal).
When the rays return to the surface they
form an image of the bottom of the pool
at a point which is little above the real
position.
•• Why is one’s breath visible in winter
but not in summer?
In winter, water vapour contained in the
breath condenses into small droplets
which become visible but in summer
they are quickly evaporated and not seen.
 GK-408
•• Why doesn’t the electric filament in
an electric bulb burn up?
Firstly, because it is made of tungsten
which has a very high melting point
(3410°C) whereas the temperature of the
filament required to glow is only 2700°C.
Secondly, oxygen is absent since the bulb
is filled with an inert gas which does not
help in burning.
•• Why does blotting paper absorb ink?
Blotting paper has fine pores which
act like capillaries. When a portion of
blotting paper is brought in contact with
ink, ink enters the pores due to surface
tension (capillary action of liquids) and
is absorbed.
•• Why does a small ball of iron sink in
water but a large ship float?
The weight of water displaced by an
iron ball is less than its own weight,
whereas water displaced by the
immersed portion of a ship is equal to
its weight (Archimedes’ Principle).
•• Why does ice float on water?
The weight of the ice block is equal to
the weight of the liquid displaced by the
immersed portion of the ice
•• Why does moisture gather outside a
tumbler containing cold water?
The water vapour in the air condenses on
cooling and appears as droplets of water.
•• Why does kerosene float on water?
Because the density of kerosene is less
than that of water. For the same reason
cream rises in milk and floats at the top.
•• Why is the water in an open pond cool
even on a hot summer day?
As the water evaporates from the open
surface of a pond, heat is taken away in
the process, leaving the surface cool.
•• Why is it less difficult to cook rice or
potatoes at higher altitudes?
Atmospheric pressure at higher
altitudes is low and boils water below
100°C. The boiling point of water is
directly proportional to the pressure on
its surface.
GENERAL SCIENCE
•• Why is it difficult to breathe at higher
altitudes?
Because of low air pressure at higher
altitudes the quantity of air is less, and
so also that of oxygen.
•• Why are winter nights and summer
nights warmer during cloudy weather
than when the sky is clear?
Clouds being bad conductors of heat
do not permit radiation of heat from
land to escape into the sky. As this heat
remains in the atmosphere, the cloudy
nights are warmer.
•• Why is a metal tyre heated before it
is fixed on wooden wheels?
On heating, the metal tyre expands by
which its circumference also increases
This makes fixing the wheel easier and
thereafter cooling down shrinks it; thus
fixing the tyre tightly.
•• Why is it easier to swim in the sea
than in a river?
The density of sea water is higher;
hence the upthrust is more than that of
river water.
•• A man with a load jumps from a
high building. What will be the load
experience by him ?
Zero, because while falling, both the
man and the load are falling at the same
acceleration i.e. acceleration due to
gravity.
•• A piece of chalk when immersed in
water, emits bubbles. Why?
Chalk consists of pores forming
capillaries. When it is immersed in
water the water begins to rise in the
capillaries and air present there is
expelled in the form of bubbles.
•• Why does a liquid remain hot or
cold for a long time inside a thermos
flask?
The presence of air, a poor conductor of
heat, between the double glass wall of
a thermos flask, keeps the liquid hot or
cold inside a flask for a long time.
•• Why does a ball bounce upon falling?
When a ball falls, it is temporarily
deformed. Because of elasticity, the ball
GENERAL SCIENCE
tends to regain its original shape for
which it presses the ground and bounce
up (Newton’s Third Law of Motion).
•• Why is standing in boats or
double decker buses not allowed,
particularly in the upper deck of
buses?
On tilting the centre of gravity of the
boat or bus is lowered and it is likely to
overturn.
•• Why is it recommended to add salt to
water while boiling dal?
By addition of salt, the boiling point
of water gets raised which helps in
cooking the dal sooner.
•• Why is the boiling point of sea water
more than that of pure water?
Sea water contains salt, and other
impurities which cause an elevation in
its boiling point.
•• Why is it easier to spray water to
which soap is added?
Addition of soap decreases the surface
tension of water. The energy for
spraying is directly proportional to
surface tension.
•• Which is more elastic, rubber or
steel?
Steel is more elastic for the same stress
produced compared with rubber.
•• Why is the sky blue?
Violet and blue light have short waves
which are scattered more than red
light waves. While red light goes almost
straight through the atmosphere.
Blue and violet light are scattered by
particles in the atmosphere. Thus, we
see a blue sky.
•• Why does ink leak out of partially
filled pen when taken to a higher
altitude?
As we go up, the pressure and density
of air goes on decreasing. A partially
filled pen leaks when taken to a higher
altitude because the pressure of air
acting on the ink inside the tube of the
pen is greater than the pressure of the
air outside.
GK-409
•• On the Moon, will the weight of a
man be less or more than his weight
on the Earth?
The gravity of the moon is one-sixth
that of the earth; hence the weight of a
person on the surface of the moon will
be one-sixth of his actual weight on
earth.
•• Why do some liquids burn while
others do not?
A liquid burns if its molecules can
combine with oxygen in the air with the
production of heat. Hence, oil burns but
water does not.
•• Why can we see ourselves in a
mirror?
We see objects when light rays from
them reach our eyes. As mirrors have a
shiny surface, the light rays are reflected
back to us and enter our eyes.
•• Why does a solid chunk of iron sink
in water but floats in mercury?
Because the density of iron is more
than that of water but less than that of
mercury.
•• Why is cooking quicker in a pressure
cooker?
As the pressure inside the cooker
increases, the boiling point of water is
raised. Hence, the cooking process is
quicker.
•• When wood burns, it crackles.
Explain.
Wood contains a complex mixture of
gases and tar forming vapours trapped
under its surface. These gases and tar
vapours escape, making a crackling
sound.
•• Why do stars twinkle?
The light from a star reaches us after
refraction as it passes through various
layers of air. When the light passes
through the earth’s atmosphere, it is
made to flicker by the hot and cold
ripples of air and it appears as if the
stars are twinkling.
 GK-410
•• W hy is it easier to roll a barrel than
to pull it?
Because the rolling force of friction is
less than the dynamic force of sliding
friction .
•• If a feather, a wooden ball and a steel
ball fall simultaneously in a vacuum,
which one of these would fall faster?
All will fall at the same speed in vacuum
because there will be no air resistance
and the earth’s gravity will exert a
similar gravitational pull on all.
•• When a man fires a gun, he is pushed
back slightly. Why?
As the bullet leaves the nozzle of the
gun’s barrel with momentum in a
forward direction, as per Newton’s
Third Law of Motion, the ejection
imparts to the gun an equal momentum
in a backward direction.
•• Ice wrapped in a blanket or saw dust
does not melt quickly. Why?
Both blanket and saw dust are bad
conductors of heat. They do not permit
heat rays to reach the ice easily.
•• Why do we perspire on a hot day?
When the body temperature rises, the
sweat glands are stimulated to secrete
perspiration. It is nature’s way to keep
the body cool. During the process of
evaporation of sweat, body heat is taken
away, thus, giving a sense of coolness.
•• Why does ice float on water but sink
in alcohol?
Because ice is lighter than water it
floats on it. However, ice is heavier than
alcohol and therefore it sinks in alcohol.
MYTHS & REALITY IN EVERY DAY SCIENCE
1. Hair and fingernails continues to
grow after death:
Reality: People believe that hair and
fingernails grows even after the death
of the person. The person would need
to still be eating and digesting nutrients
and performing cellular processes. So
there’s no way the body is producing
more keratin in order to make hair and
fingernails.
2. Antibiotics can kill the virus:
Reality: By definition antibiotics can
kill only bacteria. The common cold
GENERAL SCIENCE
•• W hy do we perspire before rains?
Before the rain falls, the atmosphere
gets saturated with water vapour, as
a result, the process of evaporation of
sweat is delayed.
•• Why does a thermometer kept in
boiling water show no change in
reading after 100°C?
The boiling point of water is 100°C.
Once water starts boiling at this
temperature, thermometer records no
change in temperature. The quantity of
heat supplied is being utilized as latent
heat of evaporation to convert the water
at boiling point into vapour.
•• TB patients are suggested to live in
sanatorium.
At high altitude count of RBC
(haemoglobin) increases.
•• Rate of breathing in fish is higher
than human being.
Fish live in water, where amount of
dissolved oxygen in water is less, so fish
breath at higher rate to get adequate
oxygen for respiration.
•• Cornea transplant do not need blood
match.
Cornea does not have blood vessel. It
takes oxygen directly from atmosphere.
•• Clay layers are poor aquifers.
Clay minerals are dense impermeable
material and act as an aquifers i.e a layer
of material that is almost impermeable
to water.
and influenza are caused by viruses
and are not affected by antibiotic use.
While some might think that taking
antibiotics could be helpful on some
level and want them for viral disease
that is actually wrong and could bring
on more problems. Taking antibiotics
in a manner contrary to their intended
purpose or dosage instruction could
cause other common bacteria within
the body to become drug-resistant,
which has become critically important.
GENERAL SCIENCE
3. Dropping a penny from a tall building
will kill someone:
Reality: Some people believes that
pennies when fall on the head from
top of any tall building it may kill the
person. Pennies are fairly lightweight
at around one gram and being a flat
circle doesn’t bode well in terms
of aerodynamics. Because it would
tumble and flip the entire way down,
its low mass and relatively low terminal
velocity wouldn’t do much damage to
the people rather. It would feel similar
to getting flicked in the head. Annoying,
yes; but not lethal.
4. Sugar makes children hyperactive:
Reality: Some people believe that sugar
consumption by children can influence
hyperactivity in them as they see them
in birthday parties. There has not been
much evidence to suggest that the sugar
actually makes children hyperactive. It
may be due to presence of caffeine and
also due to excitement over getting a
treat or being around other kids.
5. Tea makes the skin turn darker:
Reality: Tea has been blamed for
causing darker skin tone however there
is no relation between your cup of tea
and your skin tone.
6. The Earth revolves around the Sun:
Reality: Technically, the Earth, sun and
all of the other the planets are orbiting
around the centre of mass of the solar
system, not specifically the sun.
7. Vitamin C is an effective treatment
for a cold:
Reality: Flu-sufferers are often
encouraged to increase their dosage of
Vitamin C, but most experts have stated
that there is little or no evidence that
the vitamin can help treatment of a cold.
Instead of effectively treating a cold,
it is thought to help in building up the
immune system to ward off potential flu
viruses.
GK-411
8. Brain cell cannot regenerate:
Reality: The study has found that the
memory and learning center of the
brain can create new cells – giving hope
for an eventual cure for illnesses like
Alzheimer’s.
9. Meteors are heated by friction when
entering the atmosphere:
Reality: When a meteoroid enters the
atmosphere of the earth (becoming
a meteor), it is actually the speed
compressing the air in front of the
object that causes it to heat up. It is the
pressure on the air that generates a
heat intense enough to make the rock
so hot that is glows brilliantly.
10. Evolution causes something to go
from “lower” to “higher”:
Reality: It is a fact that according to
natural selection organisms having
useful variations are selected by nature
but there are many cases where an
imperfect organism has survived. Some
examples of this are fungi, sharks,
crayfish, and mosses – these have all
remained essentially the same over a
great period of time. These organisms
11. People use just 10 per cent of their
brain:
Reality: Neurologists describe the myth
as false and state we use virtually every
part of the brain, and that (most of) the
brain is active almost all the time.
12. Shaving your hair will make it grow
back quicker:
Reality: Many believe shaving body hair
makes it grow back quicker but shaving
hair doesn’t change its thickness, colour
or rate of growth. Shaving facial or body
hair simply gives the hair a blunt tip
which might feel coarse or ‘stubbly’ for
a period of time as it grows out.
13. Microwave radiation can cause
cancer:
Reality: Most experts say that
microwave ovens don’t give off enough
energy to damage the genetic material
(DNA) in cells so they can’t cause cancer.
 GK-412
14. Handling a baby bird will make its
mother reject it:
Reality: Most birds have a very poor
sense of smell, so in most cases are
unable to even notice human scent on
baby bird.
15. The Great Wall of China can be seen
from space:
Reality: The Apollo astronauts
confirmed that you can’t see the Great
Wall of China from the Moon. In fact, all
you can see from the Moon is the white
and blue marble of Earth.
16. Plants breathe by inhaling carbon
dioxide and exhaling oxygen:
Reality: Plants take in air through
their leaves. Both carbon dioxide and
GENERAL SCIENCE
oxygen are used for different processes.
In Photosynthesis plants takes carbon
dioxide, while in respiration plants
takes oxygen.
17. Physical changes are reversible
while chemical changes are not:
Reality: Chemical changes are also
reversible. Some physical changes
are also hard to reverse, for example,
crushing a rock.
18. Going out in chilly weather causes
you to catch cold:
Reality: A cold is caused by a viral
infection of the respiratory system.
Viruses don’t magically appear in your
body because you went out to get the
mail without your scarf and mittens.
TECHNOLOGY & ITS APPLICATION GK-413
TECHNOLOGY & ITS
APPLICATION
BIOTECH INNOVATIONS
Gene Editing
Gene editing is a tool for the CRISPRs (Clustered
Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)
which are the segment of prokaryotic DNA
containing short repetitions of base sequences.
Genome editing techniques were concurrent
with other approaches over the years to
manipulate gene function, including homologous
recombination and RNA interference.
Cancer Spit Test
Forget biopsies—a device designed by
researchers at the University of California-
Los Angeles detects oral cancer from a
single drop of saliva.
Smart Contact Lens
Contact lenses developed at the University of
California-Davis contain conductive wires
that continuously monitor pressure and fluid
flow within the eyes of at-
risk people. The lenses
then relay information to
a small device worn by
the patient; the device
wirelessly transmits it to
a computer.
Speech Restorer
For people who have lost the ability to talk, a
new “phonetic speech engine” from Illinois-
based Ambient Corporation provides an
audible voice. Developed in collaboration with
Texas Instruments, the Audio uses electrodes
to detect neuronal signals travelling from
brain to vocal cords.
DNA App store is an online store for information about our genes and to learn more about our health risks.
Absorbable Heart Stent
The bio- absorbable version made by Abbott
Laboratories in Illinois
does its job and
disappears. After six
months the stent begins
to dissolve, and after two years it’s
completely gone, leaving behind a healthy
artery. But cheap stents are metallic which
don’t dissolve.
Stem cell treatment
Stem cell has been used to treat range of
diseases, injuries and other health related
conditions. The widely used stem cell
treatment is the transplantation of blood
stem cells used to treat disease and immune
system.
Nanomedicines
Nanomedicine is one of the applications
of nanotechnology which is used for
diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases.
Nanomedicine shows, the promising use in
disease diagnosis, drug delivery on a targeted
site in the body and molecular imaging.
Nanosensors
Today, detection of biological and chemical
species is the centre of area in the field of
health care. Nanosensors are any biological,
chemical, or surgical sensory points used to
convey information about nanoparticles to the
macroscopic world.
 GK-414
Biosensors
Biosensor is a device for the detection of
biological component with a physiochemical
detector component. Biosensors can convert
the biological data to electrical signal which
can be later used to detect enzymes, receptors
antibodies and microbial cell.
Artificial Brain
Artificial brain is a collection of interconnected
neural net module which is evolved in a special
electronic hardware downloaded into PC and
interconnected according to the design of
human brain.
MEDICAL INNOVATIONS
Cryonics
Cryonics is the low-temperature preservation
(usually at -196°C) of people who cannot be
sustained by contemporary medicine, with
the hope that resuscitation and restoration to
full health may be possible in the far future.
De-extinction, or Resurrection
Biology, or Species Revivalism
De-extinction is the process of creating an
organism, which is either a member of, or
resembles an extinct species, or breeding
population of such organisms. Cloning is the
most widely proposed method, although
selective breeding has also been proposed.
Similar techniques have been applied to
endangered species.
Virotherapy
Virotherapy is a treatment using biotechnology
to convert viruses into therapeutic agents by
reprogramming viruses to treat diseases. In
a slightly different context, virotherapy can
also refer more broadly to the use of viruses
to treat certain medical conditions by killing
pathogens.
Vitrification
Vitrification is the transformation of a
substance into a glass, that is to say a non-
crystalline amorphous solid. The technology
can be used in making of pottery, glass,
and some types of food. Some of the other
HAL Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is India’s stealth super maneuverable multirole fighter aircraft.
TECHNOLOGY & ITS APPLICATION
Artificial Intelligence
It is the field of science in which we study
how computers and computer softwares
can be created that are capable of intelligent
behaviour.
Bio-printing
3D bio-printing is the process of creating
spatially-controlled cell
patterns, in which the
behaviour of biological
tissues can be reproduced.
applications are the disposal and long-term
storage of nuclear waste or other hazardous
wastes in a method called geomelting and in
cryopreservation.
Tooth Regeneration
Tooth regeneration is a stem cell based
regenerative medicine procedure in the
field of tissue engineering and stem cell
biology to replace damaged or lost teeth by
regrowing them from autologous stem cells.
Cancer treatment in Nature
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has
discovered a breed of natural cures for cancer
in Quercetin, a compound found in fruits
and leaves, and plant Vernonia Condensata,
which can significantly reduce the tumour
size and increase the longevity of life.
Autophagy
This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine has been awarded to 71-year-old
Yoshinori Ohsumi of the Tokyo Institute of
Technology for unravelling in the 1990s
the underlying molecular mechanism
of autophagy. He was the first to visually
observe the process.
During starvation a person is able to survive
for a considerable stretch of time. Despite
the obvious stress, the body is able to cope
because of an internal physiological process
of “self-cannibalisation” through which the
body makes use of its inessential and damaged
cellular components by breaking them down
TECHNOLOGY & ITS APPLICATION GK-415
and reassembling them into useful proteins
and the nutrients needed to sustain its
essential functions. This is called autophagy,
which literally means “self-devouring”. It
is a process that has been evolutionarily
conserved and is intrinsic to all organisms,
from unicellular yeast to multicellular
mammalian systems like humans.
T-cell Therapy of Cancer
Researchers from the Yale Cancer Center
have identified that two genes, NR4A1 and
ABC transporters, mark a distinct subset of
quiescent T cells within human tissues, and
have developed methods to mobilize them
into circulation for potential application in
adoptive T cell therapy of cancer.
Adoptive cellular therapy uses the body’s
own T cells to boost its immune system to
target cancer. The adoptive transfer of T
cells has emerged as a promising treatment
strategy for cancer, but improvements
on enhanced longevity and infiltration to
tumor tissue, particularly in solid tumors,
are needed.
CYSVAX Vaccine Against Tapeworms
The Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL)
has launched CYSVAX, world’s first vaccine
to fight against Taenia solium Tapeworms
in pigs.
The vaccine has significant potential benefit
to reduce the incidence of epilepsy in
humans.
The CYSVAX is a recombinant porcine
(Pigs) Cysticercosis Vaccine. The vaccine
has potential to break the Cysticercosis
disease parasite’s life-cycle in pigs which
is considered to be one of the important
reasons for epilepsy in humans.
Mother’s Milk Fight Super bugs
Scientists from University of Sydney
(Australia) have found that mother’s milk
from marsupials (also known as Tasmanian
devils) could help to deadly superbugs
which resist antibiotics.
They have found that peptides in the
marsupial’s milk killed resistant bacteria,
including methicillin-resistant golden staph
bacteria and enterococcus that is resistant
to powerful antibiotic vancomycin.
Scientist are hopeful marsupial peptides
World’s first climate-controlled domed city is to be built in Dubai.
could eventually be used to develop new
antibiotics for humans to aid the battle
against superbugs.
Superbugs are deadly bacteria which
cannot be treated by current antibiotics
and other drugs. According to recent British
study, Superbugs could kill up to 10 million
people globally by 2050.
Electroactive Bandage
The NASA (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration) has developed a new
high-tech electroactive bandage that uses
electricity to significantly promote healing
of injured wounds.
The high-tech bandage
creates an electric
charge to promote
the healing process
of wounds in space
especially in conditions
of non-Earth gravity.
The electroactive bandage uses a new
material called polyvinylidene fluoride
(PVDF) which can be stimulated by
pressure of cell growth and body heat. This
bandage could be used by astronauts in
space, military personnel wounded in field,
patients who have undergone surgery or
who have suffered a serious wound.
3D – Lungs
Scientists in the United States including
those of Indian origin have successfully
grown three-dimensional (3D) lungs in
the lab, using stem cells.The 3D lungs or
organoids was created by coating tiny gel
beads with lung-derived stem cells and
then allowing them to self-assemble into
the shapes of the air sacs found in human
lungs. To show that these tiny organoids
mimicked the structure of actual human
lungs, researchers compared it with real
sections of human lung.
The laboratory-grown 3D lungs can be
used to study diseases including Idiopathic
Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) which has
been difficult to study using conventional
methods and also test possible treatments
for the lung diseases.
 GK-416
IPF is a chronic lung disease characterised
by scarring of the lungs. The scarring
makes the lungs thick and stiff. It results
in progressively worsening shortness of
breath and thus results in lack of oxygen
to the brain and vital organs. Though
researchers do not know what causes IPF in
all cases but cigarette smoking and exposure
to certain types of dust can increase the risk
of developing the disease.
Herb inhibit cancer
Researchers from the Pune-based National
Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) have
successfully isolated cancer stem cells that
cause skin cancer.
They have successfully demonstrated that
Andrographolide (a compound) isolated and
purified from Andrographis paniculata (a
herb) found in India is effective in inhibiting
tumour growth both in skin cancer and lung
metastasis in mice.
PHYSICS
Fastest Electric Current
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of
Quantum Optics have now created electric
currents inside solids which exceed the
frequency of visible light by more than
ten times They made electrons in silicon
dioxide oscillate with ultrafast laser pulses.
The conductivity of the material which is
typically used as an insulator was increased
by more than 19 orders of magnitude.
UV-Photo Detector
The researchers from the Indian Institute
of Science (IISc), Bengaluru have developed
a cost-effective, high-performance, self-
powered UV photodetector.
The self-powered UV photodetector can use
the harvested optical energy for direct self-
In China, Facebook was blocked following the July 2009 Urumqi riots.
TECHNOLOGY & ITS APPLICATION
Zika Vector
Brazilian scientists have identified Culex
quinquefasciatus mosquito infected
by the Zika virus as another type of Zika-
transmitting mosquito.
It was identified by researchers from the
public Brazilian laboratory Fundacion
Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) in three out of 80
groups of mosquitoes analysed up until
now.Up until now, transmission of the Zika
virus was only known through the Aedes
aegypti mosquito, the same vector that
spreads Dengue and Chikungunya.
The Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito is
known as the domestic mosquito in Brazil.
In Recife, where the majority of Zika cases
of Brazil were registered, the population of
this mosquito is estimated to be 20 times
larger than that of the Aedes aegypti.
charging of energy storage devices such
as supercapacitor. It can also be used for
operating electronic devices in the absence
of external power source.
Topology of Matter
British trio of physicists David Thouless,
F Duncan M Haldane and Michael
Kosterlitz have won the 2016 Nobel Prize
in Physics. For their individual researches
on theoretical discoveries of topological
phase transitions and topological phases of
matter.
Their research work centres on Topology, a
branch of mathematics involving step-wise
changes like making a series of holes in an
object.
They have discovered totally unexpected
behaviours of solid materials.
The discoveries have paved the way for
designing new materials with all sorts of novel
properties that have significant potential
revolutionize advances in electronics and
future quantum computers.
TECHNOLOGY & ITS APPLICATION GK-417
CHEMISTRY
Water Hydroelectric Cell
A team of scientists led by Dr. RK Kotnala
from Delhi’s National Physical Laboratory
(NPL) have developed a novel way using of
producing electricity from water hydroelec-
tric cell at room temperature without using
any power or chemicals.
In this new method, scientist had used zinc
and silver as electrodes to make a cell that
produces electricity.
They had used nanoporous magnesium
ferrite to split water into hydroxide (OH) and
hydronium (H3O) ions. As magnesium has
high affinity for hydroxide, it spontaneously
BIOLOGY
Termite
A new termite species
Glyptotermes Chiraharitae
was discovered at Kakkayam
in the Malabar Wildlife
Sanctuary, Kerala. It has
been named ‘Chiraharitae’
after the tropical evergreen forests of the
Western Ghats, where it was spotted.
TECHNOLOGY
Tumor-Nanosensor
Engineers at MIT have developed new
nanosensors that can profile tumors and
may yield insight into how they will respond
to certain therapies.
The system is based on levels of enzymes
called proteases, which cancer cells use to
remodel their surroundings.
Once adapted for humans, this type of
sensor could be used to determine how
aggressive a tumor is and help doctors
choose the best treatment, says Sangeeta
Bhatia, the John and Dorothy Wilson.
On 28 August 2016, ISRO conducted a successful test of a scramjet engine on a two stage, solid-fuelled rocket.
splits water into hydroxide and hydronium
ions. The H3O ions get trapped inside
the nanopores of magnesium ferrite and
generate an electric field. The electric field
helps in further dissociation of water.
To further enhance the activity of
magnesium ferrite, about 20% of
magnesium is replaced with lithium. The
substitution of lithium at magnesium site
increases the sensitivity of magnesium
ferrite.
This is helpful in dissociating water at room
temperature as the electrons get trapped in
the oxygen deficient sites.
Snake-like-fish
Scientists have discovered Gymnothorax
indicus (proposed name Indian unpatterened
moray), a new species of eel (a snake-like
fish) in the northern Bay of Bengal region
along the West Bengal coast.
It was discovered after it was collected in a
trawl net by fishermen in northern Bay of
Bengal, about 70 km off the coast.
Gelator
Researchers from Indian Institute of
Science Education and Research (IISER)
Thiruvananthapuram have developed a
compound named gelator to scoop out
marine oil spills.
They had produced gelators using
glucose as a starting material and through
several other chemical reactions. The
gelator molecule is partly hydrophilic and
partly hydrophobic. The hydrophilic part
helps in self-assembling to form gelator
fibres, while the hydrophobic part is
responsible for its diffusion into oil layer.
Since outer part of the fibre is hydrophobic,
 GK-418
oil tends to gets into spongy network made
of fibres. Once inside the fibre network, oil
loses fluidity and becomes a gel. The gel
was strong enough to be scooped with a
spatula.
Human Hair as Cathode
Researchers from Kolkata based Indian
Institute of Science Education and Research
(IISER) have produced cost-effective, metal-
free cathodes using human hair for use in
solar cells.
This is the first instance where a bio-waste-
derived electrode (in this case human hair)
has been used as cathode in a quantum dot
sensitised solar cell device.
Eye of Heaven
China has built world’s largest radio
telescope nicknamed Tianyan (Heavenly
Eye” or “The Eye of Heaven) or the five-
hundred-metre aperture spherical radio
telescope (FAST).
It has started its operation and is part
of China’s drive to become a science
powerhouse. It is located in the Dawodang
depression (vast natural crater), a natural
basin in Pingtang County in the Guizhou
Province, Southwest China.
Driverless Bus Service
The world’s first daily driverless bus
service has started in Lyon, France which
SPACE
Artificial Gravity
It is the increase or decrease of apparent
gravity (g-force) by artificial means,
particularly in space as well as on Earth.
Hyper Telescope
Hyper-telescope is a set of
telescopes, arranged in a large
lens-shape, working together
to resolve astronomical
images at much higher
angular resolutions than possible with each
telescope alone.
Space Probes
Space probes are used to explore space at
various distances from the Earth. Four main
The movie Kinoautomat presented in the Czech Pavilion in Expro ‘67 in Monteral is considered to be the first cinema-like
interview movie.
TECHNOLOGY & ITS APPLICATION
will run in the city’s confluence area. The
driverless bus service includes two electric
shuttles that will transport passengers on a
ten-minute route hosting five stops.
The driverless buses can hold up to 15
passengers and are electric buses. It has
features like LIDAR radar technology and
motion sensors will help to avoid accidents.
The LIDAR radar technology allows these
buses to know exactly where they are and
to detect everything happening around
them. Using this technology these buses
manage their movement intelligently to
avoid collisions.
LIDAR is acronym of Light Detection And
Ranging. Originally it was created as a
portmanteau of “light” and “radar”.
Software Roboties
India’s largest private sector bank ICICI
Bank has successfully deployed ‘Software
Robotics’ for power banking operations.
With this, it becomes first bank in the
country and among few globally to deploy
‘Software Robotics’. ICICI Bank has deployed
Software Robotics to over 200 business
processes across various functions. The 200
business processes include retail banking
operations, agri-business, trade & foreign
exchange, treasury and human resources
management, among others.
kinds of probes are :
(i) Sounding rockets: It carries
instruments into the upper atmosphere
and into space near the Earth.
(ii) Lunar Spacecraft: It explores the
moon to prepare the way for astronauts
to land there.
(iii) Interplanetary Probes: It explore space
between the planets. They do not reach a
specific body in space.
(iv) Planetary Probes: It travel in orbits
around the sun. They may fly past the
target planet, go into orbit around it, or
land.
TECHNOLOGY & ITS APPLICATION GK-419
Remote Sensing
The term ‘remote sensing’ refers to
the process of sensing, identifying and
delineating various objects on ground
from a distance without coming into
direct physical contact with them. ISRO
and the Indian Council of Agricultural
Research conducted during 1974-75 a
joint experiment called the Agricultural
Resources Inventory and Survey
Experiment (ARISE). Indian experimental
satellites, Bhaskara I and II carried out
remote sensing for land cover mapping,
geology and vegetation cover of the country.
Today, India has the largest group of remote
sensing satellites providing services at both
the national and global levels.
Launch Vehicle Technology
PSLV
The PSLV, the country’s
firstoperational launch
vehicle, is a four-stage
rocket. The first stage
is a solid propellant,
the second stage is
based on the liquid
engine technology, the
third stage is a solid
propellant motor and
the fourth, a liquid
propellant stage.
Cryogenic Engine
The cryogenic engine is crucial to the
development of GSLV. Cryogenics refers to
technology of sub-zero temperatures, and
cryogenic engines use liquid oxygen as the
oxidiser and liquid hydrogen as the fuel.
India was to acquire the cryogenic engine and
technology from the Russian space agency,
Glavkosmos.
The advantage of the cryogenic engine is that
it would develop one-and-a-half times the
thrust of conventional liquid rocket engines
using fuel storable at room temperature. It
is a high risk high technology and would
Dragon Skin Body Armour can withstand a grenade explosion at point-blank range.
help bridge the gap between the number
of satellite being made by India and the
vehicles needed for their launch.
Reusable Launch System
RLS or reusable launch vehicle (RLV)
is a launch system which is capable of
launching a payload into space more than
once. This contrasts with expendable
launch systems, where each launch vehicle
is launched once and then discarded. Falcon
9 rocket is designed to have a reusable
first stage; several of these stages have
been safely returned to land after launch.
Several partially reusable systems, such as
Adeline and Vulcan, are currently under
development; one fully reusable system,
the Mars Colonial Transporter, is also under
development.
Inflatable Space Habitats
The Inflatable space habitats are pressurized
structures capable of supporting life
in outer space whose internal volume
increases after launch. They have frequently
been proposed for use in space applications
to provide a greater volume of living space
for a given mass. The main areas of research
are being undertaken by Bigelow Aerospace
and NASA. The only designs that have flown
in space have been the Genesis I, Genesis II,
and Bigelow Expandable Activity Module
from Bigelow Aerospace.
Asteroid Mining
Asteroid mining is the exploitation of
raw materials from asteroids and other
minor planets, including near-Earth
objects. Minerals and volatiles could be
mined from an asteroid or spent comet
then used in space for in-situ utilization
(e.g. construction materials and rocket
propellant) or taken back to Earth. These
include gold, iridium, silver, osmium,
palladium, platinum, rhenium, rhodium,
ruthenium and tungsten for transport back
to Earth.
 GK-420
DEFENCE
Cruise Missiles
Cruise Missiles are low flying missiles, which
are programmed to target by an on board
computer. These missiles are used for long
distance warheads with high accuracy.
These are self-corrected avionic missiles
with high tech aeronautics using transistor
and computer technology. BrahMos and
Nirbhay missiles of Indian origin are under
this category.
Stealth Technology
Stealth technology is a discipline of
military tactics and passive electronic
countermeasures, which include the
techniques used with personnel, aircraft,
ships, submarines, missiles and satellites to
make them less visible (ideally invisible) to
radar, infrared, sonar and other detection
methods. Some of the stealth aircraft
are F-22 Raptor, SR-71 Blackbird, F-117
Nighthawk, F-35 Lightning II, B-2 Spirit and
T-50 PAK FA.
Green Bullet
Green bullets are nicknames for a United
States Department of Defence program to
eliminate the use of hazardous materials
INFRASTRUCTURE
Claytronics
Claytronics is an abstract future concept that
combines nanoscale robotics and computer
science to create individual nanometer-scale
computers called claytronic atoms, or catoms,
which can interact with each other to form
tangible 3D objects that a user can interact
with. Claytronics will offer a more realistic sense
to communication over long distance called
pario. Pario could be used effectively in many
professional disciplines from engineering design,
education and healthcare to entertainment and
leisure activities such as video games.
AGRICULTURE
Data Preserved in Soil
For traditional farming models, the primary
determinants are the availability and suitability
The 30th of November is known as “Computer Security Day”.
TECHNOLOGY & ITS APPLICATION
from small arms
ammunition and from
small arms ammunition
manufacturing. Two green
ammunition cartridges
are the 5.56×45mm NATO
M855A1 and the MK281 40 mm grenade.
Directed-energy Weapon
Directed-energy weapon (DEW) emits
highly focused energy, transferring that
energy to a target to damage it. The
applications of this technology include
anti-personnel weapon systems, potential
missile defense system, and the disabling
of lightly armored vehicles such as cars,
drones, watercraft, and electronic devices
such as mobile phones.
Electromagnetic Pulse
Electromagnetic pulse (EMP), also called
a transient electromagnetic disturbance,
is a short burst of electromagnetic energy.
Weapons have been developed to create
the damaging effects of high-energy EMP.
These are typically divided into nuclear
and non-nuclear devices.
Domed City
A domed city is a kind of theoretical or
fictional structure that encloses a large urban
area under a single roof. In most descriptions,
the dome is airtight and pressurized,
creating a habitat that can be controlled for
air temperature, composition and quality,
typically due to an external atmosphere.
Domed cities have been a fixture of science
fiction and futurology since the early 20th
century, and may be situated on Earth, a
moon or other planet.
of land. However, any idea of future potential
must be built on current data, with what data
there is then mapped to tell the story of a
TECHNOLOGY & ITS APPLICATION GK-421
region. This story is effectively written in
the dirt, the soil. The Africa Soil Information
Service (ASIS) is developing continent-wide
digital soil maps for sub-Saharan Africa
using new analysis, statistics, field trials and
crowdsourcing.
Molecular Assembler
A molecular assembler, as defined by K. Eric
Drexler, is a “proposed device able to guide
chemical reactions by positioning reactive
molecules with atomic precision”. Some
biological molecules such as ribosomes fit
this definition. This is because they receive
instructions from messenger RNA and then
assemble specific sequences of amino acids
to construct protein molecules.
Greens Fed on Rainbow Waste
Hydroponicsis a growing method
based on use of mineral-
enriched water, whereas
aquaponics takes
matters a step further,
bringing together fish
and plant farming in one
recirculating system.
Genetically Modified Food (GMF)
Genetically modifying a food involves
introducing a gene into a fruit, vegetable,
or animal from another organism. Broad
scientific consensus suggests that genetically
modified foods presents no more danger
than conventional food. GMFs have been
commercially available since the 1990s and
are most often associated with fruits and
vegetables.
EDUCATION
E-Learning
eLearning is learning or utilizing electronic
technologies to access educational
curriculum outside of a traditional classroom.
m-Learning
m-Learning is one of the latest
developments in e-Learning which takes
advantage of mobile devices for learning
Skype is banned from the public in China.
Cultured Meat
Cultured meat, also called synthetic meat is
meat grown in cell culture instead of inside
animals. It is a form of cellular agriculture.
Cultured meat is produced using many of
the same tissue engineering techniques
traditionally used in regenerative medicine.
Due to technical challenges associated with
scaling and cost-reduction, cultured meat
has not yet been commercialized.
Precision Agriculture
Precision agriculture (PA) or satellite
farming is a farming management
concept based on observing, measuring
and responding to inter and intra-field
variability in crops. The purpose of
precision agriculture research is to define
a decision support system (DSS) for
whole farm management with the goal
of optimizing returns on inputs while
preserving resources. Precision agriculture
management practices can significantly
reduce the amount of nutrient and other
crop inputs used while boosting yields.
Vertical Farming
Vertical farming is the practice of producing
food in vertically stacked layers, vertically
inclined surfaces and/or integrated in other
structures. The modern idea of vertical farming
uses controlled-environment agriculture
(CEA) technology, where all environmental
factors can be controlled. These facilities
utilize artificial control of light, environmental
control (humidity, temperature, gases...) and
fertigation. Some vertical farms use techniques
similar to greenhouses, where natural sunlight
can be augmented with artificial lighting and
metal reflectors.
on accessible portable platforms. It is ideal
for people on the go or for those who can’t
access a regular computer.
Virtual Classroom
A virtual classroom is an online learning
environment. The environment can be
web-based and accessed through a portal or
software-based and require a downloadable
executable file.
 GK-422
Smart Board
The smart board
provides the facility for
learners to participate
in the instructional
process. It gives the
platform for students
to understand the subject through writing,
teaching and drawing. Every student has a
facility to participate in the discussion via
tablets and notebooks.
OLED
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is a
light-emitting diode (LED). They are used
to create digital displays in devices such
as television screens, computer monitors,
portable systems such as mobile phones,
handheld game consoles and PDAs.
3 D Display
A stereo display also known as 3D display
is a display device capable of conveying
depth perception to the viewer by means of
stereopsis for binocular vision.
Laser Phosphor Display
Laser Phosphor Display (LPD) is a large-
format display technology that is similar to
cathode ray tube (CRT) technology but uses
lasers instead of an electron gun to activate
the phosphors that create the images. LPD
was invented and patented by Prysm, Inc.
LPD competes with liquid crystal display
(LCD), plasma display panel (PDP), and
other large-format display technologies.
FLCD
Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Display (FLCD)
is a display technology based on the
ferroelectric properties of chiral smectic
liquid crystals. It has been proposed in
Kinetic Energy Recovery
(KERS)- Auto Racing
Used in Formula One racing, this 35-kilogram
car part “recovers the kinetic energy that is
DRS was first tested in a India vs Sri Lanka match in 2008.
TECHNOLOGY & ITS APPLICATION
MOOCs (Massive Open Online
Course)
(MOOCs) is a platform where every student
can discover a free online course through
internet for years, although the quality
and quantity of courses changed day by
day. It has changed the face of education.
MOOCs can be considered as a term or word
related to the scalability of open and online
education.
DISPLAYS
1980 by Clark and Lagerwall. These find
applications in 3D head mounted displays
(HMD), image insertion in surgical
microscopes and electronic view finders
where direct-view LCDs fail to provide
more than 600 ppi resolution.
Quantum Dot Display
A quantum dot display is an experimental
type of display technology. Quantum dots
(QD) or semiconductor nanocrystals could
provide an alternative for commercial
applications such as
display technology.
Currently, they are
used only to filter
light from LEDs to
backlit LCDs, rather
than as actual displays.
Laser Video Display
Laser color television, or Laser color video
display utilizes two or more individually
modulated optical (laser) rays of different
colors to produce a combined spot that is
scanned and projected across the image
plane by a polygon-mirror system or less
effectively by optoelectronic means to
produce a color-television display.
SPORTS
System present in the waste heat created by the car’s
braking process.” It takes the energy used
when a car brakes and uses it later on to boost
acceleration.
TECHNOLOGY & ITS APPLICATION GK-423
Computerized Scoring- Bowling
The difficulty of keeping score manually
can put people off of the game. Bowling, in
particular, can be difficult for the infrequent
alley visitor to score. However, using a
computer eases the pain of scoring by 100%.
Having a computer keeping the score can
keep all your focus on your next ball rather
than adding and multiplying pins.
Above the Net Camera-Hockey
One of the most game-changing devices, a
camera above the net will primarily be used
to see what goals passed the line, if it beat the
clock, etc., just very basic events. The camera-
evidence has changed the outcome of numerous
games, all for the better.
The Headset-Football
The headset is the best technology football
has to offer. Coaches up in the press box can
see aerial views of the game, and with the
headset they can relay information to the
head honcho who may not be able to get
that look at ground-level.
Heart Monitor-Training
Heart monitors help out the average joggers
as well as the elite athletes. These devices
can be used to alert athletes of dehydration
and malnutrition. This is a simple wrist or
strap-on mechanism that can warn people
of an unsafe workout.
Advancements in Protective Gear
With bigger hits than ever on the field,
athletes want to be more protected. Rob
Vito guarantees that players won’t get hurt
on game day. Another company, evoSHIELD,
creates gear for all 32 NFL teams. The
technology is dubbed a ‘second skin’ and
doesn’t add a ton of bulk.
Pink Balls
Pink balls in cricket were developed in
the 2000s to enable Tests and first-class
TRANSPORT
Utility fog
Utility fog, coined by Dr. John Storrs Hall
in 1993 is a hypothetical collection of
tiny robots that can replicate a physical
Pink ball was first used in a day-night Test match for the first time in November 2015.
matches played
at night. The red
ball is unsuited to
night tests due to
poor visibility, and
the white ball is
unsuited to first-
class cricket because its rapid deterioration
makes it unable to be used for eighty overs
as specified in the rules, so the pink ball
was designed to provide a satisfactory
compromise on both issues.
Umpire Decision Review System
The Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS
or DRS) is a technology-based system
used in the sport of cricket. The system
was introduced in Test cricket, for the
sole purpose of reviewing controversial
decisions made by the on-field umpires
as to whether or not a batsman had been
dismissed.
Electronic Line Judge
An electronic line judge is a device used
in tennis to automatically detect where a
ball has landed on the court. The methods
have been based upon the use of pressure
sensors, sensors to detect magnetized or
electrically conductive tennis balls, infrared
laser beams, and most recently video
cameras.
Hawk-Eye
Hawk-Eye is a complex computer system
used officially in numerous sports such as
cricket, tennis, Gaelic football, badminton,
hurling, association football and volleyball,
to visually track the trajectory of the ball
and display a record of its statistically most
likely path as a moving image. The system
is not infallible and is accurate to within
5 millimetres (0.19 inch) but is generally
trusted as an impartial second opinion in
sports.
structure. In the original application as a
replacement for seatbelts, the swarm of
robots would be widely spread-out, and
the arms loose, allowing air flow between
 GK-424
them. In case of a collision the arms would
lock into their current position, the result
would be to spread any impact over the
entire surface of the passenger’s body.
Maglev Trains
The maglev train has no wheels. So, these
locomotives levitate. The tracks they run
on are magnetized. The trains use the force
this creates to propel themselves upward
and forward at high speeds. Running
these engines requires the consumption
of only a small amount of fuel. Thus, in
addition to being faster than traditional
style locomotives, these ones are more eco-
friendly and less costly to operate.
Electric Cars
The electric car is a good solution to the
transportation crisis at hand.
These automobiles are just
plugged in to the appropriate
outlet and then they are on
the road. The cars do almost
no harm to the environment and are also
economical. One study published by IDC
Energy Insights stated that by the end of 2015
there will be three million cars on the road.
Driverless Cars
A large and complex camera is mounted
to the roof of driverless cars which is used
to navigate the road. These cars are safer,
if the technology is right, to ride in as a
precisely calibrated robot is at the wheel.
The automobiles also allow people to work
or relax during a trip, as they eliminate the
need to focus on the road. However, they are
bad for the environment.
Vehicular Communication Systems
Vehicular communication systems are
networks in which vehicles and roadside
PRINTING
3D Printing
Printing is no longer limited to flat
sheets of paper. 3D printing or additive
manufacturing is a process of making
3-dimensional solid objects from a digital
file. The creation of a 3D printed object is
The Mumbai Suburban Railway is the first Rail system in India which began in 1867.
TECHNOLOGY & ITS APPLICATION
units are the communicating nodes,
providing each other with information, such
as safety warnings and traffic information.
They can be effective in avoiding accidents
and traffic congestion.
Supersonic Transport
A supersonic transport (SST) is a civilian
supersonic aircraft designed to transport
passengers at speeds greater than the
speed of sound. To date, the only SSTs to see
regular service have been Concorde and the
Tupolev Tu-144. The last passenger flight of
the Tu-144 was in June 1978 and it was last
flown in 1999 by NASA.
Scramjet
A scramjet (supersonic combusting ramjet)
is a variant of a ramjet airbreathing jet
engine in which combustion takes place in
supersonic airflow. An aircraft using this
type of jet engine could dramatically reduce
the time it takes to travel from one place to
another, potentially putting any place on
Earth within a 90-minute flight.
Vactrain
A vactrain (or vacuum tube train) is a
proposed design for very-high-speed rail
transportation. It is a maglev (magnetic
levitation) line using partly evacuated
tubes or tunnels. Reduced air resistance
could permit vactrains to travel at very
high speeds—up to 4,000–5,000 mph
(6,400–8,000 km/h), which is 5–6 times the
speed of sound in Earth’s atmosphere at sea
level—using relatively little power. If these
trains achieve the predicted speeds, the trip
between New Delhi and New York would
take less than 2 hours, surpassing aircraft
as the world’s fastest mode of public
transportation.
carried out using additive processes. In an
additive process an object is created by
laying down successive layers of material
until the entire object is made. Each of
these layers can be seen as a thinly sliced
horizontal cross-section of the eventual
object.
TECHNOLOGY & ITS APPLICATION GK-425
Hybrid Printing
Hybrid printing is where a mix of printing
technologies are used on a press or finishing
system to allow for adding variable data to
offset or flexo printed content.
Print-on-demand
It is a book distribution method made
BUSINESS
Dimensional Marketing
Marketing has evolved significantly in the
last half-decade. The evolution of digitally-
connected customers lies at the core, reflecting
the dramatic change in the dynamic between
relationships and transactions. This modern
era for marketing is likely to bring new
challenges in the dimensions of customer
engagement, connectivity, data and insight.
Amplified Intelligence
Amplified intelligence is focused on deploying
tools at points when a business really needs
it for effective decision-making. Natural
language processing techniques (allowing
conversational interaction with a complex
system), visualisation tools (letting individuals
explore data on their own terms and find
new patterns of discoveries), or advanced
analytics mobile solutions (such as those
embedded inside smartphones or tablets)
are the examples.
BANKING
Satellite Banking
Satellite banking is an upcoming technological
innovation in the Indian banking industry,
which is expected to help in solving the
problem of weak terrestrial communication
links in many parts of the country. The use
of satellites for establishing connectivity
between branches will help banks to reach
remote areas in a better way, and offer better
facilities, particularly in relation to electronic
funds transfers.
Biometrics
A number of banks have started the process
of setting up ATMs enabled with biometric
The RBI logo was inspired from the East India Company Double Mohur.
possible by, and inseparable from, digital
printing. It prints books only in response
to orders, and only prints the exact
amount ordered. With the capabilities
of digital printing, print on demand is
capable of filling an order for one book
economically.
CRM (Customer Relationship
Management)
(CRM) software is a category of enterprise
software that covers a broad set of applications
and software designed to help businesses manage
customer data and customer interaction, access
business information, automate sales, marketing
and customer support. It also manages employee,
vendor and partner relationships.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is the
business process management software
that allows an organization to use a system
of integrated applications to manage the
business and automate many back office
functions related to technology, services and
human resources. ERP software integrates
all facets of an operation, including product
planning, development, manufacturing, sales
and marketing.
technology to tap the potential of rural
markets. People in such areas do not adopt
technology as fast as the urban centres due
to the large scale illiteracy. Development of
biometric technology has made the use of
self service channels like ATMs viable with
respect to the illiterate population.
 GK-426
RTGS
The other payment and settlement systems
deployed were mostly aimed at small value
repetitive transactions, largely for the retail
ENTERTAINMENT
Virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR), is a technology that
offers new and exciting ways to consume
information and entertainment. As a non-
linear medium, VR brings a very different
viewing experience to the table. VR offers
exciting possibilities: as a dynamic new
storytelling medium; as a rich narrative
device within conventional film; and as a
practical, time-saving preproduction tool.
Depth Sensors
Developed as a CGI-video hybrid, the
software repurposes the depth-sensing
camera from the Microsoft Kinect to capture
and visualise the world as wireframe forms.
By syncing the Depth Kit to the camera
with which shooting is done, a 3D CGI
sculpture for every frame of the film is
captured, essentially producing a file of
3D animation that perfectly lined up to the
film’s characters and action.
Computer-generated Imagery
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the
application of computer graphics to create
or contribute to images in art, printed
media, video games, films, television
programs, shorts, commercials, videos,
and simulators. The term “CGI” is most
commonly used to refer to 3D computer
graphics used for creating scenes or special
effects in films and television.
(Immersion (virtual reality)
Immersion into virtual reality is a
perception of being physically present
in a non-physical world. The perception
is created by surrounding the user of
the VR system in images, sound or other
stimuli that provide an engrossing total
environment. The degree to which the
virtual or artistic environment faithfully
reproduces reality determines the degree
The term “virtual reality” was conceived by Jaron Lanier in 1987.
TECHNOLOGY & ITS APPLICATION
transactions. The introduction of RTGS in
2004 was instrumental in the development
of infrastructure for Systemically Important
Payment Systems (SIPS).
of suspension of disbelief. The greater the
suspension of disbelief, the greater the
degree of presence achieved.
Interactive Cinema
Interactive cinema tries to give the audience
an active role in the showing of movies. The
availability of computers for the display
of interactive video has made it easier
to create interactive movies. Another
newer definition of interactive cinema is
a video game which is a hybrid between
participation and viewing, giving the player
- or viewer, as it were - a strong amount of
control in the characters’ decisions.
Second Screen
The second screen involves the use of a
computing device to provide an enhanced
viewing experience for content on another
device, such as a television. The use of such
devices provide interactive features during
broadcast content, such as a television
program, especially social media postings
on social networking platforms, such as
Facebook and Twitter. The use of a second
screen supports social television and
generates an online conversation around
the specific content.
Smart TV
A smart TV, sometimes referred to as
connected TV or hybrid TV, is a television
set with integrated Internet and
interactive “Web 2.0” features. Smart TV
is a technological convergence between
computers and flatscreen television
sets and set-top boxes. Along with the
traditional functions of television sets and
set-top boxes provided through traditional
broadcasting media, these devices also
provide Internet TV, online interactive
media, over-the-top content (OTT), as well
as on-demand streaming media, and home
networking access.
 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY &
COMPUTERS

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & COMPUTERS

•• I ndia is the world’s largest sourcing destination for the information technology (IT)
industry.

The world’s first website was published on August 6, 1991 by British physicists Tim Berners-Lee.
 GK-428
•• A
ccounting for approximately 67% of
the US$ 124-130 billion market.
•• T
he industry employs about 10 million
work forces.
•• T
he IT industry has also created
significant demand in the Indian
education sector, especially for
engineering and computer science.
•• The Indian IT and ITeS industry is
divided into four major segments:
v IT services;
v Business Process Management
(BPM);
v Software products and engineering
services and hardware.
•• The IT-BPM sector which is currently
valued at US$ 143 billion is expected
to grow at a Compound Annual Growth
Rate (CAGR) of 8.3% yearly.
•• The sector is expected to contribute 9.5%
of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
and more than 45% in total services
export in 2015-16.
Government Initiatives
1. National Digital Literacy Mission
National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM)
Scheme has been formulated to impart IT
training to 52.5 lakh persons, including
Anganwadi and ASHA workers and
authorised ration dealers in all the States/
UTs to enable them to actively participate in
developmental process.
2. Digital India (DI)
The Digital India not only envisages giving
boost to information technology but also
envisages achieving import-export balance
in electronics.
Digital India is somewhere derived from the frame work “Vibrant Gujarat” of Gujarat’s developmentary program.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & COMPUTERS
The initiative is an umbrella programme
which shall include all departments
and ministries within its scope. The
implementation shall be monitored and
overseen by a Digital India Advisory group.
Objectives
•• To bring digital empowerment to India
and aid in its transition to becoming a
knowledge economy.
•• Transform so far agrarian Indian econo-
my to a knowledge-centric economy
•• Plug the widening digital divide in In-
dian society
•• Give India equal footing with the devel-
oped world in terms of development
with the aid of latest technology.
Features
•• N ational Optical Fiber Network (NOFN)
to connect 2, 50,000 Gram Panchayats
by providing internet connectivity to all
citizens.
•• To provide high-speed internet at the
gram level, e-availability of major gov-
ernment services like health, education,
security, justice, financial inclusion etc.
thereby digitally empowering citizens.
•• Ensure public answerability via a
unique ID, e-Pramaan
•• To create huge number of jobs.
•• To promote of digital usage through
mobile phones
•• Individuals will maintain a digital iden-
tity right from birth.
•• Government services can be availed ei-
ther through mobile phones or through
the internet.
•• To promote universal digital literacy
and make all digital resources univer-
sally accessible to the people.
•• The DI programme covers a wide range
of areas.
Thrust Areas in Digital India
 Broadband highways
 Total mobile connectivity
 Public Internet Access Programme
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & COMPUTERS GK-429
 E-Governance,
 E-Kranti
 Boost to electronics firms,
 Employment
 Early harvest programmes
 Access to information
 MyGov
 Net-Zero Electronics Import Target
by 2020
 Electronic development fund
3. Smart India Hackathon
•• I t is the world’s largest digital national
building initiative.
•• The Hackathon aims to find digital
solutions by harnessing creativity and
technical expertise of over 30 lakh
students from technology institutes in
remotest parts of India.
•• It is a joint initiative of All India Council
for Technical Education (AICTE),
University Grants Commission (UGC),
MyGov, NASSCOM.
•• Finding digital solutions to problems
in the areas of education, health, water,
power, agriculture, finance, urban &
rural development, energy, aviation
& shipping, transport, sanitation, law
& justice, sports, skill development &
entrepreneurship, textiles, tourism,
defence, etc.
Supercomputing in India
India’s supercomputer programme was
started in late 1980s. PARAM 8000 is
considered to be India’s first supercomputer.
It was indigenously built in 1990 by Centre
for Development of Advanced Computing
(C-DAC)and was replicated and installed
at ICAD Moscow in 1991 under Russian
collaboration.
PARAM-ISHAN
•• P
ARAM ISHAN is the fastest
and most powerful computer.
It has been jointly developed by IIT
Guwahati and C -DAC.
IoT was first coined by Kevin Ashton in a presentation related to use of RFID.
•• It has a peak computing power of 250
Teraflops and three hundred terabytes
capacity.
•• It can be used in research initiatives
such as computational chemistry,
computational electromagnetic,
computational fluid dynamics, civil
engineering structures, nana-block self-
assemble, optimization etc.
•• It can be also used for weather, climate
modeling and seismic data processing.
IT Trends
Internet.org
Social networking services company Facebook
along with Samsung, Ericsson, MediaTek, Opera
Software, Nokia and Qualcomm have moved
into a partnership which is named as Internet.
org. This coming together of companies is
to attain the objective of bringing affordable
access to selected services of Internet in
countries.
Internet.org was launched on August 20,
2013 by Mark Zuckerberg to improve
internet access for people across the world.
The platform is available to all developers
to have their apps on the portal subject to
fulfilling the technical criteria like websites
requiring high-bandwidth will be excluded,
partner services should be optimized for
smart phones and services should promote
the exploration of broader internet
wherever possible. The first summit of
Internet.org was held in New Delhi, India on
October 9, 2014. Internet.org has launched
its Free Basics Android application to offer
free web services to its users.
Net Neutrality
Network Neutrality, Internet Neutrality or
Net neutrality is a term that was first given by
media law professor of Columbia University,
Tim Wu, in the year 2003. The principle makes
it necessary for the Internet service providers
and governments to treat all Internet data as
same. There will not be any charges imposed
on by user, application, type of enclosure,
content, website, etc. It is the best way for all
to enjoy the usefulness of internet without
any charges. It is a feature of net neutrality to
allow different websites to exist side-by-side
 GK-430
without affecting others. At the same time and
same speed, all the websites are accessible for
users. Net neutrality will support competitive
market place by providing a chance to each
firm irrespective of its size. Net Neutrality
has enabled Google, Facebook and Zomato
to reach various places around the globe.
Until now, India has had no laws to govern the
net neutrality. Although Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (TRAI) has released rules
for unified access service license to encourage
net neutrality, they do not execute them.
Free Basics by Facebook is a free step
to connecting one billion Indians to jobs,
education, and opportunities online, and
ultimately a better future.
KiloCore, World’s First
1000-Processor Computer Chip
The scientists in June 2016 unveiled a
microchip, named KiloCore, containing
1000 independent programmable
processors.
Key features
•• The energy-efficient chip has a
maximum computation rate of 1.78
trillion instructions per second.
•• It contains 621 million transistors.
•• Each processor core can run its own
small program independently of the
others. Cores operate at an average
maximum clock frequency of 1.78 GHz.
•• It can shut itself down to further save
energy when not needed.
•• It can execute 115 billion instructions
per second, 100 times more efficiently
than a modern laptop processor.
Biometric Sensors
Soon, your body could log you into an e-mail
account. Intel is providing software so that
users can log in to websites via biometric
authentication. It serves two purposes:
biometric authentication is relatively
reliable and secure, and users won’t have
to remember dozens of passwords for
different sites.
As of now, the fastest super computer in the world is the Sunway Taihu light, in mainland China.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & COMPUTERS
Instant Prints
Creating instant prints from a digital camera
is one of the new electronic inventions in
printing. The Polaroid PoGo™ is a small
portable printer that weighs only a few
ounces. The printer produces full colour 2”
x 3” prints using an “inkless” technology.
The images are created from heat activated
crystals in the photo paper. The photos are
water proof, tear proof and smear proof.
This new electronic invention connects to
a digital camera using a USB cable, or to a
mobile phone through wireless Bluetooth.
It uses rechargeable batteries or an AC
adapter.
Smart Factory/ Industry 4.0
Digital Industry 4.0 known as the fourth
industrial revolution is based on cyber-
physical production systems that combine
communications, IT, data and physical
elements. These systems transform
traditional plants into smart factories.
Here, machines “talk” to products and
other machines, objects deliver decision-
critical data, and information is processed
and distributed in real time resulting in
profound changes to the entire industrial
ecosystem.
Quantum Computing
Like the first digital computers, quantum
computing offers the possibility of
technology millions of times more powerful
than current systems, but the key to success
will be translating real world problems
into quantum language. At D-Wave, the
first company to offer the technology for
commercial use, that process is already
underway and it is revealing massive
potential.
Internet of Things (IoT)
This is the concept of basically connecting
any device with an on and off switch to
the Internet (and/or to each other). This
includes everything from cellphones, coffee
makers, washing machines, headphones,
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & COMPUTERS GK-431

lamps, wearable devices and almost anything else you can think of. This also applies to
components of machines, for example a jet engine of an airplane or the drill of an oil rig.
By 2020 there will be over 26 billion connected devices. The IoT is a giant network of
connected “things” (which also includes people). The relationship.

The original name of Windows was interface manager.

 GK-432
will be between people to people, people to
things, and things to things.
ReactJS
ReactJS is an open-source JavaScript
library providing a view for data rendered
as HTML. It is maintained by Facebook,
Instagram and a community of individual
developers and corporations. React is
currently being used on the websites of
Netflix, Imgur, Bleacher Report, Feedly,
Airbnb, SeatGeek, HelloSign, and others. As
of March 2016, React and React Native are
Facebook’s top two open-source projects
by number of stars on GitHub, and React is
the 6th most starred project of all time on
GitHub.
Advanced Machine Learning
Advanced machine learning is what makes
smart machines appear “intelligent” by
enabling them to both understand concepts
in the environment, and also to learn.
Through machine learning a smart machine
can change its future behaviour. This area
is evolving quickly, and organizations
must assess how they can apply these
technologies to gain competitive advantage.
Mobile Trends
4G
Fourth generation, also called as 4G, is
the succeeding generation of 3G in mobile
telecommunications. It is an advanced system
with advanced capabilities of telephony,
Noughat 7.1 is current version of Android.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & COMPUTERS
mobile web, gaming services, high definition
TV, video conferencing, 3D television and
cloud computing.
Mobile generations began in 1981 with byte
analogue (1G) moving to digital transmission
(2G) in the year 1992. Then, in 2001, multi-
media supported 3G was introduced. It had
byte rate of 200 kb/s. 4G is assumed to have
a five times faster speed than its predecessor
3G. 4G aims at providing a download speed
of 100MB/s.
•• 4G long-term evolution (LTE) is wireless
communications standard developed
by the 3rd Generation Partnership
Project (3GPP).
•• 4G LTE is one of several competing 4G
standards along with WiMax (IEEE
802.16) and Ultra Mobile Broadband
(UMB). Presently two standards are
commercially used world-wide viz. LTE
and Mobile WiMax standard.
•• WiMax standard was first commercially
in South Korea in 2007 and LTE
standard was first used in Norway and
Sweden in 2009.
•• Designed to provide up to 10x speeds
of 3G networks for mobile devices such
as tablets, smartphones, netbooks and
wireless hotspots etc.
•• It can provide internet speed of at least
100 Mbit per second (Mbps) to 1 Gbps.
•• 4G technologies are designed to provide
IP (Internet Protocol)-based voice,
data and multimedia streaming at high
speed.
Google Pixel
Google Pixel Smartphone the latest has the
following features:
•• a 5.00-inch touchscreen display with a
resolution of 1080 pixels by 1920 pixels
at a PPI of 441 pixels per inch.
•• powered by 1.6GHz quad-core
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor
•• 4GB of RAM
•• 32GB of internal storage
•• 12.3-megapixel primary camera on the
rear and a 8-megapixel front shooter
for selfies.
•• runs Android 7.1
•• 2770mAh non removable battery.
 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & COMPUTERS GK-433
•• I t measures 143.80 x 69.50 x 8.60
(height x width x thickness) and weighs
143.00 grams.
•• Connectivity options, Wi-Fi, GPS,
Bluetooth, NFC, 3G and 4G (with
support for Band 40 used by some LTE
networks in India).
•• Sensors on the phone include Compass
Magnetometer, Proximity sensor,
Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor,
Gyroscope and Barometer.
Reliance Jio
•• Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, doing
business as Jio, is a LTE (Long-Term
Evolution) mobile network operator in
India.
•• It is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Reliance Industries
provides wireless 4G
LTE service network
(without 2G/3G based
services) and is the only
100% VoLTE (Voice over Long-Term
SOME COMMONLY USED TERMS
• Assembler– A programme, which con-
verts assembly language programme
into machine language programme. It is
a system software.
• Bit– It is the basic units of computer. It
can have two values 1 and 0 only.
• BIOS– It stands for Basic Input Output
System. This program is stored in ROM.
• Byte– One byte is a collection of 8 bits.
• Compiler– It is a computer programme
that transforms human readable source
code of another computer programme
into the Machine readable code that a
CPU can execute.
• Cloud Commuting– It is a new technolo-
gy for internet services, under which the
user need not to have fall softwares and
operating system installed on his ma-
chine, rather could be provided the same
as and when required by the internet e.g.,
Google.
• Computer Virus– A virus is a computer
programme which attaches itself to and
Typewriter is the longest word that can write using the letters only on one row of the keyboard of computer.
Evolution) operator in the country,
with coverage across all 22 telecom
circles in India.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
•• U nified Payments Interface (UPI) ap-
plication will allow customers to make
easier real-time payments via digital
means using smartphones.
•• It help India to move towards a cashless
economy.
•• It will provide uniform mobile payment
system by leveraging digital trends such
as increasing smartphone adoption and
deeper penetration of mobile data.
•• It will allow customers to send and re-
ceive money from their smartphones
using virtual payments address without
entering bank account details.
•• It facilitates ‘virtual address’ as a single
payment identifier for sending and col-
lecting money and works on single click
2 factor authentication.
becomes part of another executable pro-
gramme and thus halts the system by
pending to same undesired result.
• Connector– A connector is a device that
joins two networks together. The most
common connectors are hub, bridges
and router.
• Cables– A flexible metal or glass wire or
group of wires. All cables used in elec-
tronics are insulated with a material
such as plastic or rubber.
• Cell– Cells are boxes created by the inter-
action of rows and columns.
• Copyright– It means the material and
information are the personal property of
the owner or producer.
• Database– It is a collection of files. Data
remains in an organized form in a data-
base.
• Interpreter– It translates some form of
source code into a target representation
that it can immediately execute but exe-
cution is relatively slower than compiler.
 GK-434
• Internet– It is the worldwide accessible
system of interconnected computer
networks that transmit data by using the
internet protocol.
• Local Area Network (LAN)– A LAN
is a computer network that physically
links two or more computers within a
geographically limited area (generally
one building or a group of buildings).
• Multi-tasking– Allows more than one
programme to run concurrently.
• Multi-processing– Supports running a
programme on more than one CPU.
• Multi-threading– Allows different parts
of a single programme to run concurrently.
• Multimedia– It is the use of several
media (example, text, audio, graphics,
animation, video etc.) to convey the
information.
• Microprocessor– It is a single chip based
device which is a complete processor
in itself and is capable of performing
arithmetic and logical operations.
• Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN)–
MAN is a high-speed network that can
carry voice, data, and images at up to
200 Mbps (megabit per second) or faster
over distances of up to 75 km ranging
from several blocks of buildings to entire
cities.
• Modem– A modem is a device that allows
a computer to communicate through
telephone lines.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & COMPUTERS
• Network Interface Card (NIC)– An
expansion card or other device used to
provide network access to a computer or
other device, such as a printer. Network
interface cards mediate between the
computer and the physical media, such
as cabling, over which transmissions
travel.
• Primary Key– It is a field with unique
value for each record.
• Resource– Any part of a computer
system or a network such as a disk drive,
printer, or memory that can be allotted
to a program or a process while it is
running.
• Secondary Memory– It is the permanent
memory of the computer.
• System Software– It performs the
basic functions that are necessary to
operate a computer system.
• Time sharing– It is the concurrent use
of a single computer system by many
independent users. In time sharing many
terminals can be attached to a central
computer.
• Tag– It is part of HTML. It determines
the way, the browser displays text in Web
Page.
• Wide Area Networks (WAN)– WAN is a
computer Network that is distinguished
from a Local Area Network because of
its longer-distance communications.
The network may cover a whole country
or may include the sites of a large
multinational organization.
 B-435
ART & CULTURE GK-435
Geography

ART & CULTURE

Culture plays an important role in the development of any nation. It represents a set of
shared attitudes, values, goals and practices. Culture and creativity manifest themselves in
almost all economic, social and other activities. A country as diverse as India is symbolized
by the plurality of its culture.
India has one of the world’s largest collections of songs, music, dance, theatre, folk
traditions, performing arts, rites and rituals, paintings and writings that are known, as the
‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ (ICH) of humanity.

ART FORMS IN INDIA

The vibrant and colourful land of India is also famous for the versatility of its art and culture
as each of the forms are different from each other in terms of their place of origin, creativity
and raw materials used.
FAMOUS ART FORMS
Names State of Origin
The art form has its origin dates
back in 5th century BC and since
then it has been lovingly nurtured
in the areas like Raghurajpur
Village in Puri district of Odisha.
Patachitra painting
The indigenous art form belongs
to Bengal and very interestingly
it depicts spoofs on retrograde
social practices, thus attempting
to highlight them for change.
Bengal pat painting
This art form comes under the cultural
legacy of Madhubani district of Bihar
depicting mythological stories of Lord
Krishna. Various geometric shapes
have given emphasis on the colourful
Madhubani painting environment of Madhubani Painting
Canvas.
Materials Used
Canvas made of fine gauze-like cloth
fortified with tamarind paste, chalk
powder and gum and natural dyes
for intricate painting over it.
Artists use dye that are made
of spices, earth, soot, etc. And
particularly red, indigo, green, black
and ochre colours are seen widely in
such painting.
Traditionally people used mud coated
wall as canvas for painting. But with
time the canvases modified into cloth,
handmade paper to give the painting
the same authentic look. The colours
used in the painting are derived from
natural element like bamboo shoots,
turmeric powder, rice powder, flower
extracts, pollens etc.

“Pattachitra” is an Indian technique of paintings that is done on palm leaves and is originated in the state of Odisha.
 GK-436
ART & CULTURE
Developed during Mughal Period The intricate designs are given form
i.e. 16th – 19th century this style of by using colours using precious
painting are very small in size but stones conch shells, gold and silver.
having a lot of niceties of court life
and the contemporary personalities,
Miniature painting events and actions of the Mughal times.
As the name indicates this form of Semi-precious stones, glass and gold
art has its origin in Tanjore district are used to give the painting a royal
of Southern Tamil Nadu depicting look with embellished designs.
the stories of gods and goddess
with an aristocratic touch.
Tanjore art
This ethnic painting is a patronage The art is executed by fine pens
of Golkonda and Mughal Sultanate made of bamboo and natural colours
and flourished near Kalahasti region extracted from vegetables.
of Chennai and Masulipatnam area
Kalamkari of Hyderabad.
This is a rudimentary wall painting Typical natural elements such as
with emphasis on graphical pattern Rice paste, mix with gum and water
and legacy of North Sahyadri Range Red clay (Geru), cow dung, mud
in India. It’s an age old tribal painting
are used to give the painting an
started during the 2500 or 3000 BCE
depicts the nature, celestial body authentic tribal look.
Warli Painting and human invention with different
graphical shape.
This is a tribal art form developed These art forms are generally drawn
by Gond Tribes of Central India. on made on walls, ceilings and floors
The typical design Gond art with of village houses.
dots and lines depict the nature
and social customs of the tribal
community.
Gond Art

FAMOUS INDIAN PAINTERS

Rabindranath Tagore 7 May 1861 – 7 Aug 1941
Abanindranath Tagore 7 Aug 1871 – 5 Dec 1951
Amrita Sher-Gil 30 Jan 1913 – 5 Dec 1941
Jamini Roy 1 Apr 1887 – 24 Apr 1972
Francis Newton Souza  12 Apr 1924 -28 Mar 2002
S.H. Raza 22 Feb 1922 - 23 July 2016
Tyeb Mehta 25 Jul 1925 – 2 Jul 2009
Satish Gujral 25 Dec 1925 - Till date
Nandalal Bose 3 Dec 1882 – 16 Apr 1966
Manjit Bawa 1941-29 Dec 2008
M. F. Husain 17 Sep 1915 – 9 Jun 2011

Indian Music
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk music, pop and classical music. India’s
classical music tradition, including Hindustani music and Carnatic, has a history spanning
millennia and developed over several eras. Music in India began as an integral part of socio-
religious life.
Indian art industry is estimated to be around 500 crore rupees with a per annum growth of 35-40 %.
ART & CULTURE GK-437

LEGENDS OF INDIAN MUSIC

Legends Period & Forte Awards
Pandit Ravi Shankar Grammy Award, Padma Bhushan, Magsaysay
7 April 1920 – 11 Dec 2012 award, Padma Vibhushan, UNESCO International
Sitar Music, Legion d’honneur, Sangeet Natak
Akademi Award, Kalidas Samman, Bharat Ratna
Pandit Hariprasad Sangeet Natak Academy, Padma Bhushan,
Chaurasia: 1st July 1938 Konark Samman, Yash Bharati Samman, Padma
Bansuri Vibhushan

Pandit Shivkumar Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Padma

Sharma: January 13, 1938 Vibhushan, Padma Shri
Santoor

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan UNESCO Award, Padma Bhushan, Padma

9 October 1945 Vibhushan, UNICEF’S National Ambassadorship,
Sarod 

Ustad Bismillah Khan Bharat Ratna, Fellow of Sangeet Natak Akademi,

21 March 1913- 21 August Padma Vibhushan
2006
Shehnai
Ustad Zakir Hussain Padma Bhushan,Padma Shri, Grammy, Sangeet
9 March 1951 Natak Akademi, Indo-American Award, India’s
Tabla National Academy of Music

Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Padma Bhushan, National Film Award for Best
Joshi: 4 February 1922 – 24 Male Playback Singer, Sangeet Natak Akademi
January 2011 Award, First platinum disc, Padma Vibhushan
Indian classical vocalist

Pandit Jasraj: 28 January Padma Vibhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi

1930 Award, Padma Bhushan, Sangeet Kala Ratna,
Indian classical vocalist Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Award

M. S. Subbulakshmi Padma Bhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award,

16 September 1916 – 11
December 2004
Classical vocalist
Dr. Lakshminarayana
Subramaniam: 23 July
1947
Classical, Carnatic, jazz
fusion, Indo jazz, world
fusion, Western music
M.Balamurali Krishna
6 July 1930-22 Nov, 2016
Carnatic music
Sangeetha Kalanidhi, Ramon Magsaysay award,
Padma Vibhushan
Lifetime Achievement Award, Limca Book of
Records, GiMA (Best Carnatic Instrumental
Album – Innovations), Asthana Vidwan, ISKCON,
Bangalore , Viswa Kala Bharathi Bharat Kalachar
Chennai (2004), Sangeet Kalaratna, Sangeet
Kala Shiromani, Padma Bhushan.
Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan

Bade Ghulam Ali Khan NA

2 April 1902 – 25 April 1968
Sarangi, Hindustani classic
vocal
Indian art industry is the only field that has never been affected by the inflation.
 GK-438
ART & CULTURE
Indian Dance The most popular classical dance styles of
There are many types of dance forms in India India are Bharatnatyam of Tamil Nadu,
which are deeply religious in content to those Kathakali and Mohiniattam of Kerala,
which are performed on small occasions. Odissi of Odisha, Kathak of Uttar Pradesh,
The Indian dances are broadly divided into Kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh and Manipuri
Classical dances and folk dances. of Manipur.
The Classical dances of India are usually All these dance forms use basically the same
spiritual in content. Though the folk dances ‘mudras’ or signs of hand as a common
of India are also spiritual and religious in language of expression and were originally
content but the main force behind the folk performed in the temples to entertain
dances of India is the celebratory mood. various Gods and Goddesses.
VARIOUS DANCE FORMS
Dance Forms Origin Legends
Odissi is believed to be the oldest Kelucharan Mohapatra, Sonal Mansingh
form of Indian dance from the Mayadhar Raut  , Jhelum Paranjape,
state of Odisha. It is considered KumKum Mohanty, Madhumita Raut,
a dance of love, joy and intense Aloka Kanungo, Ileana Citaristi
Odissi passion, pure, divine and human.
Bharatnatyam is more popular in Alarmel Valli, Yamini Krishnamurthy,
South Indian states. This dance is Rukmini Devi, Padma Subramanyam,
almost 2,000 years old. Mrinalini Sarabhai.
Bharatnatyam
It presents scenes from Hindu Epics Bhavana Reddy, Yamini Reddy, Raja &
and mythological tales through Radha Reddy, Kaushalya Reddy
dance-dramas.

Kuchipudi
This north Indian dance form is Pandit Birju Maharaj, Kumudini Lakhiya,
inextricably bound with classical Sitara Devi, Shovana Narayan, Malabika
Hindustani music. Mitra, Kartik Ram - Kalyan Das, Manisha
Gulyani
Kathak
It literally means story play and is Kalamandalam Krishna Prasad, Kavungal
an elaborate dance. Chathunni Panicker, Kalamandalam
Ramankutty Nair, Kalamandalam
Kesavan Namboodir, Kottakkal Sivaraman,
Kathakali Kalamandalam Gopi
It is a very graceful dance meant Smitha Rajan, Sunanda Nai, Jayaprabha
to be performed as a solo recital Menon, Pallavi Krishnan, Gopika Varma,
by women. Vijayalakshmi

Mohiniyattam
The most striking part of Manipur Poushali Chatterjee , Rajkumar Singhajit
dance is its colorful decoration, Singh, Sohini Ray, Guru Nileswar
lightness of dancing foot, delicacy Mukharjee, Guru Bipin Singha
of abhinaya (drama), lilting music
Manipuri and poetic charm.
20th century Indian art was associated with the nationalist movement as people were using art and paintings as a medium to sway
the patriotic feelings of the masses.
ART & CULTURE GK-439

Indian Festivals all celebrated in the spirit of harmony and

India has numerous national, regional, local, national oneness.
religious, seasonal and social festivities. This There is also a stream of secular or non-
is not surprising considering the fact that religious festivals like the harvest festivals
of Baisakhi and Pongal-Sankranti, the
India is the land of gods, goddesses, saints,
Raksha Bandhan, which depicts the love
gurus and prophets. All these festivals are
of sisters for brothers and vice-versa or the
characterised by colour, gaiety, celebrations,
Karwa Chauth, the observance of fasts by
feasts and a variety of prayers and rituals. It
Hindu married women for the well-being
may not be out of place to describe India as
of their husbands. There are other festivals
‘A Land of Festivals’. Since India is a multi-
which are typical of particular states, towns
religious and multi- lingual country, it is but or villages like the Bonnalu of Andhra
natural to find festivals of all major religions Pradesh, Pushkar of Rajashthan, Rajrani of
in the world being celebrated in India. Thus, Odisha, Teej of Rajasthan or Bogali Bihu of
we come across, Holi, Dusshera, Krishna Assam. Some other festivals are associated
Janmashtmi, Hanuman Jayanti, Ganesh with renowned historical or cultural places
Chaturthi, Eid-ul-Adha, Eid-ul-Fitr, like the Khajuraho Festival, Taj Mahotsava,
Muharram, Shivratri, Buddha Jayanti, Nagaur Festival and Vijayanagar Hampi
Jamshed Navroz, Christmas and Diwali, Festival.
Main Festival Other Festivals Main Festival Other Festivals
Diwali Durga Puja, Dussehra, Buddha Purnima Hemis Gompa, Losar,
Holi,Janmashthami, Ullambana (Bodh)
Ram Navami, Karwa
Chauth, (Hindus)
Eid-ul-Fitr Eid-ul-Adha, Milad- Christmas Easter
un-Nabi Good Friday
(Barawafat), Shab-e-
Barat,
Shab-e-Qadr, Shab-e-
Meraz, Muharram Feast of Passover Purim(Festivals
(Muslims) of Lots)
Navroz Zarthost No Deeso,
Khordad Sal, Pateli
(Parsis)
Chaliho Sahib Chaliho Sahib (Lord
Guru Purab Guru Nanak Jayanti, Jhulelal), Cheti Chand

Holla Mohalla,
Lohri, Birthday Guru
Ramdassji, Sodal mela,
Onam Boat Race Festival
Guru Gobind Singh (homecoming of
Jayanti (Sikhs) King Mahabal)
Mahavir Jayanti Mahamastak Abhishek,
Diwali,
Paryushan Paryushana (Kerala)
Parva (Jains)

Mughal era saw the emergence of a unique style which was a blend of Islamic, Hindu and Christian art.
 GK-440
ART & CULTURE
Main Festival Other Festivals Main Festival Other Festivals
Kila Raipur Sports Kila Raipur Sports Hemis Festival Ugadi (Regional)
(India’s Rural Ladakh Andhra,
Olympics) Telangana, Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu

Karni Mata Karni Mata(devotees

believe her soul
resides in the rats) Bihu(Regional) Chhath(Regional)
Assam Bihar & Eastern UP

Jaisalmer Desert Jaisalmer Desert

Festival Festival, Rajasthan

Chapchar Kut Sekrenyi (Regional)

(Regional) Mizoram Nagaland
Nag Panchami Nagaraja - Kerala,
Nagathamman -
Chennai,
and Hardevja - Jaipur.

Archaeology
Archaeology studies the story of man’s past through his material remains.
Period Indian Architecture Indian Sculpture
Indus Civilization • House, Lothal, Gujarat, • Chaitiva Hall, Bhaja, Maharashtra
Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Ropar, Dancing girl, Bronze, Mohen-
Kalibangan, Lothal and Rangpur. jo-daro, Pakistan
• Lomas Rishi cave, Bihar Priest, Clay, Harappa,
Pakistan
Bull, bronze, Mohen-jo-daro
Toy animal with movable head,
Terracotta, Mohen-jo-daro Pakistan
Seal : Pasupati, Stone, Mohen-jo-
daro, Pakistan
• Jewellery, Mohen-jo-daro, Pakistan
Buddhist • Prayer Hall or Chaitya, at Karle • Lion capital from Ashoka
(Poona district) Stambha, Stone, Sarnath,
• Sanchi Stupa No.1, (UP)
Madhya Pradesh
• Railing and • Bull Capital, from Rampurva, Bihar
Gateways at • Chauri-bearer (Yakshi), Lime Stone,
Bharhut, Sanchi Didarganj, Bihar
and Bodh Gaya(North) • Worship of the Bodhi Tree, Bharhut,
• Amravati and Nagarjunakonda (MP)
( South). • Sanchi Stupa No.1, Yakshi, (MP)
• Taming of Nalagiri Elephant, Amaravati,
State Museum, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Followers of Zoroastrianism in India don’t bury their dead, but instead leave bodies in buildings called “Towers of Silence” for
the vultures to pick clean.
ART & CULTURE GK-441

Gupta Period • Temples 17 & 18 at Sanchi, Vishnu Anantasheshashayee,

Madhya Pradesh Vishnu Temple, Deogarh, (UP)
• Lad Khan & Durga
Temples, Aihole,
Karnataka
• Draupadi and Arjuna Ratha &
Nakula and Sahadev Temple,
Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu Standing Buddha, Sarnath, (UP)
• Mahabodhi Temple,
Bodh Gaya, Bihar
• Jagannatha Temple,
Puri, Odisha
• Kailash Temple, Ellora,
Maharashtra
Indo-Islamic • Arches, Qutub Complex, Delhi • Descent of Ganga, Mahabalipuram,
Architecture • Adhai din-ka-jhonpra, Ajmer, (TN)
Rajasthan • Ravana shaking Mount Kailash,
• Qutub Minar, Delhi • Trimurti, Elephanta Caves,
• Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Maharashtra
Sikri, (UP) • Nayika, Lingaraja Temple,
• Amar Singh Gate, Agra Fort, Bhubaneswar, Odisha
(UP) • Surya riding chariot, Surya Mandir,
• Panch Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri, Konarak, Odisha
Agra, (UP) • Manjira Player, Surya Mandir,
• Taj Mahal, Konarak, Odisha
Agra, (UP) • Mohini, Chennakeshava Temple,
• Hawa Mahal, Belur, Karnataka
Jaipur, • Pillars with Horse rider, Meenakshi
Rajasthan Sundareshvara Temple, Madurai, (TN)

Modern • Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, • ‘Triumph of labour’ by D.P. Roy

Architecture Mumbai Chowdhury, Delhi
• North and South Block, Delhi
• Rashtrapati Bhawan &
Parliament House, Delhi
• Connaught Place, India Gate,
Delhi, Supreme Court, Delhi

Parliament House , Delhi

The earliest cotton in the world was spun and woven in India. Roman emperors would wear delicate cotton from India that they
would call “woven winds.”
 GK-442
ART & CULTURE

THEATRES
The rich Indian theatre culture has its origin dating back in the first century, CE, and started
and nurtured by the society as means of expressing, communicating and sharing the ideas,
opinions, emotions and belief of mankind. Since then it has gone through many ups and
downs but the culture remain undaunted. Today many of Indian theatre have internationally
acclaimed fraternity.

Some of the Important Theatres of Modern India

Name Founder Year and Place of People Associated with it
Establishment
National School of Ministry 1959, New Delhi Naseeruddin Shah, Irfan Khan,
Drama of Culture, Anupam Kher, Nawazuddin Siddiqui,
(Deemed Government Pankaj Kapur, Himani Shivpuri and
University) of India. many more
Bhartendu Academy Padma Shri 1975, Lucknow, Rajiv Jain, Raajpal Yadav, Anupam
of Dramatic Arts Raj Bisaria. Shyam
Theatre Arts Raj Bisaria 1966, Lucknow
Workshop (TAW)
TOURISM
Famous Tourist places of India
Site Location Founder
Aram Bagh Agra (Uttar Pradesh) Babur

Anand Bhawan Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh) Moti Lal Nehru

Adhai Din Ka Jhopra Ajmer (Rajasthan) Qutub-ud-din-Aibak

Ajanta Caves Aurangabad Gupta Rulers

Akbar’s Tomb Sikandera (Uttar Pradesh) Jahangir

Bibi ka Maqbara Aurangabad (Maharashtra) Aurangzeb

Bharatpur Fort Bharatpur (Rajasthan) Raja Surajmal Singh

Bundi Fort Bundi (Rajasthan) Qutub-ud-din-Aibak

Bada Imambada Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) Nawab Asaf-ud-daulah

Belur Math Kolkata Swami Vivekanand

Botanical Garden Shilbpur (West Bengal) -

Chhatra Mahal Bundi Fort Rani Chhatrasal

Chenna Keshab Temple Belur (Karnataka) Vishnu Vardhan

Char Temple Konark (Odisha) Narasing Dev I

Chasma-Shahi Jammu and Kashmir Ali Mardan Khan

India has the world’s largest movie industry, based in the city of Mumbai (known as the “City of Dreams”).
ART & CULTURE GK-443

Charar-e-Sarif Srinagar (Kashmir) Jainul Abedin

Chhota Immbada Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) Mohammad Ali Shan

Cochin Fort Kerala Portuguese

Dewan-e-khas Agra Fort (Uttar Pradesh) Shah Jahan

Dilwara Jain Temple Mount Abu (Rajasthan) Vastu Pal Tejpal

Deeg Palace Deeg (Rajasthan) Raja Badan Singh

Dhar Fort Dhar (Madhya Pradesh) Mohammad Bin Tughlaq

Etamad-ud-daulah’s Tomb Agra (Uttar Pradesh) Noor Jahan

Ellora Caves Aurangabad Rashtrakuta Dynasty

Elephanta Caves Mumbai Rashtrakutas

Fatehpur Sikri Agra (Uttar Pradesh) Akbar

Firoz Shah Kotla Delhi Firoz Shah Tughlaq

Fort William Kolkata Lord Clive

Fateh Sagar Udaipur (Rajasthan) Maharana Fateh Singh

Gateway of India Mumbai British Government

Golconda Fort Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) Qutubshahi Dynasty

Gol Ghar Patna (Bihar) British Government

Humayun’s Tomb Delhi Hameeda Bano Beghum

Hauz Khas Delhi Ala-ud-din-khilji

Hajratbal Masjid Srinagar (Kashmir) -

Harmandir Sahib Patna (Bihar) Maharaja Ranjit Singh

Junagarh Bikaner (Rajasthan) Raja Jai Singh

Jama Masjid Delhi Shah Jahan

Jantar-Mantar Delhi and Jaipur Sawai Jai Singh

Jodhpur Fort Jodhpur (Rajasthan) Rao Jodha Ji

Jaku Temple Kolkata Rani Ras Moni

Jagannath Temple Puri (Odisha) Chola Gang Dev

Jama Masjid Agra (Uttar Pradesh) Shah Jahan

Khas Mahal Agra (Uttar Pradesh) Shah Jahan

Kankaria Lake Ahmedabad Sultan Qutub-ud-din

The Bahá’í house of worship in Delhi, known as the “Lotus Temple,” is shaped like a lotus flower with 27 gigantic “petals” that
are covered in marble.
 GK-444
ART & CULTURE

Khirki Masjid Delhi Ghiyas-ud-din-Tughlaq

Kandaria Mahadev Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh) Chandela Kings

Kanheri Caves Mumbai Buddhists

Laxman Temple Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh) Chandela Rulers

Laxmi Narayan Temple Delhi Birla Family

Laxman Jhula Rishikesh (Uttarakhand) -

Moti Masjid Agra Fort (Uttar Pradesh) Shah Jahan

Moti Masjid Delhi Fort Aurangzeb

Mrignayani Palace Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) Raja Man Singh Tomar

Madan Palace Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) Raja Madan Shah

Mecca Masjid Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) Kuli Kutab Shah

Nahargarh Fort Jaipur (Rajasthan) Raja Jai Singh

Nishaat Bagh Jammu and Kashmir Asaf Ali

Nakhuda Masjid Kolkata -

Old Fort (Purana Quila) Delhi Sher Shah Suri

President House Delhi British Government

Pichhola Lake Udaipur (Rajasthan) -

Pathar ki Masjid Patna (Bihar) Parvez Shah

Padari Ki Haveli Patna (Bihar) Father Capuchin

Patthar Ki Masjid Jammu and Kashmir Noor Jahan

Prince of Wales Museum Mumbai George V

Rani Ki Badi Bundi (Rajasthan) Rani Nathvati

Red Fort Delhi Shah Jahan

Sheesh Mahal Agra (Uttar Pradesh) Shah Jahan

Safdarjung ka Maqbara Delhi Shuja-ud-daulah

Sabarmati Ashram Ahmedabad Mahatma Gandhi

St George Fort Chennai (Tamil Nadu) East India Company

Shalimar Bagh (Garden) Srinagar (Kashmir) Jahangir

Sunset Point Mount Abu (Rajasthan) -

Indians made significant contributions to calculus, trigonometry, and algebra. The decimal system was invented in India in 100 B.C.
ART & CULTURE GK-445

Sher Shahi Masjid Patna (Bihar) Parvez Shah

Sher Shah’s Tomb Sasaram (Bihar) Islam Shah Suri, Son of Sher Shah

Taj Mahal Agra (Uttar Pradesh) Shah Jahan

Tughlakabad Delhi Ghiyas-ud-din-Tughlaq

Umaid Palace Jodhpur (Rajasthan) Maharaj Ummed Singh

Vijay Stambh Chittorgarh (Rajasthan) Rana Kumbha

Victoria Memorial Kolkata -

Vishnupad Temple Gaya (Bihar) Rani Ahilya Bai

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India

Year of Sites 1993 Qutub Minar (Delhi)

Inclusion
1983 Ajanta Caves (Maharashtra) 1999 Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
(West Bengal)
1983 Ellora Caves (Maharashtra)
2002 Mahabodhi Temple (Bodh
1983 Taj Mahal (Uttar Pradesh) Gaya) (Bihar)
1983 Agra Fort (Uttar Pradesh) 2003 Rock Shelters of Bhimbetaka
(Madhya Pradesh)
1984 Sun Temple Konark (Odisha)
2004 Brihadeshwara Temple
1985 Mahabalipuram Temples (Gangaikondacholapuram,
(Tamil Nadu) Tamil Nadu)
1985 Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, 2004 Airavatesvara Temple,
Bharatpur (Rajasthan) Darasuram
1985 Kaziranga National Park (Assam) 2004 Champaner-Pavagadh
1985 Keoladeo National Park Archaeologicatl Park (Gujarat)
Bharatpur (Rajasthan) 2005 Valley of Flowers
1986 Churches in Goa (Goa) (Uttarakhand)
1986 Khajuraho Temples (Madhya 2005 Nilgiri Mountain Railway
Pradesh) (Tamil Nadu)
1986 Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh) 2007 Red Fort (Delhi)
1986 Hampi Temple (Karnataka) 2008 Kalka-Shimla Railway
1987 Sunderbans National Park (Himachal Pradesh)
(West Bengal) 2010 Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
1987 Elephanta Caves (Maharashtra) (Rajasthan)
1987 Pattadakal Temples 2012 Western Ghat
(Karnataka)
2013 Hill forts of Rajasthan
1988 Nanda Devi National Park
(Uttarakhand) 2014 Rani ki Vav (Gujarat)
1989 Sanchi Stupa (Madhya Pardesh)
2014 Great Himalayan National Park
1993 Humayun’s Tomb (Delhi)
(Himachal Pradesh)
During the Vedic era in India, horse sacrifice sanctioned the sovereignty of the king.
 GK-446
ART & CULTURE
Top Ten Monuments With Highest Foreign Visitors in india
Monuments No. of Foreign Visitors % age share
1. Taj Mahal, Agra 6,95,702 23.2
2. Agra Fort, Agra 3,63,823 12.1
3. Qutub Minar, Delhi 3,07,043 10.2
4. Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi 2,76,641 9.2
5. Fatehpur Sikri, Agra 2,55,129 8.5
6. Red Fort, Delhi 1,41,498 4.7
7. Mattancherry place Museum, Kochi 1,04,717 3.5
8. Western Group of Temple, Khajuraho 89,511 3.0
9. Excavated site, Sarnath 85,991 2.9
10. Group of Monuments, Mamallapuram 70,840 2.4

HANDICRAFTS
India has got international acclamation in terms of its beautiful and creative handicrafts.
Given below are the states with diversified crafts:
State Handicrafts
Odisha Weaving craft, palm leaf writing, patachitra- the chitrakar’s foray, applique,
stone carving, metal craft,
Delhi Zardozi, lacquer work, clay and paper made dolls
Maharashtra Paithani saris, sawantwadi crafts, warli paintings, kolhapuri chappals,
narayan peth
West Bengal Artistic leather craft, brass & bell metal, pottery, mat making, dhokra metal
casting, cane & bamboo, fine arts, clay dolls, horn work, jute products, shell
& conch shell, sholapith, famous handloom sarees like dhakai jamdani,
tangail etc
Gujarat Bead-work, jewellery, inlay work, embroidery, wood carving, cloth printing,
dyeing, patola fabric, zari work
Rajasthan Tie-and-dye textiles, hand block printing, quilting, jewellery, gems and
stones, blue pottery, leather craft, wood carving
Himachal Pradesh Jewellery, leather craft, woodcarving, architecture, kangra paintings
Goa Pottery & Terracotta, Brass metal ware, Crochet & Embroidery, Bamboo
Craft, Fiber Craft, Jute Macrame Craft, Coconut Mask carving, sea shell craft
Andhra Pradesh Priceless Pearls
Karnataka Wood carving, Ivory carving
Jharkhand Woodcraft, paitkar paintings, metal work, stone carving, ornaments, toy
making
Manipur Wood carving, textile weaving, stone-carving, block printing, kauna (water
reed) mat, hand-embroidery
Jammu & Kashmir Carpets, Basket Weaving, Namdas, pashmina shawls, Papier-mache, Leather
and fur, wood carvings

Chandragupta Maurya (340-290 B.C.), was guarded by a band of women on horseback.

SPORTS & GAMES GK-447

SPORTS & GAMES

TROPHIES ASSOCIATED WITH SPORTS

NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL
Name of the Trophy Related game Name of the Trophy Related game
Aga Khan Cup Hockey Nehru Trophy Hockey
Barna Bellack Cup Table Tennis American Cup Yatch Racing
Ashes Cup Cricket (Australia-
Beighton Cup Hockey England)
Bombay Gold Cup Hockey Azlan Shah Hockey
Burdwan Trophy Weight Lifting US Masters Golf
D.C.M. Trophy Football Hopman Cup Lawn Tennis
Dhyan chand Trophy Hockey Colombo Cup TrophyFootball
Dr. B.C. Roy Trophy Football Davis Cup Lawn Tennis
Duleep Trophy Cricket Kings Cup Race Air Races (England)
Merdeka Cup Football (Asia)
Durand Cup Football
Thomas Cup World Badminton (Men)
Ezra Cup Polo
Uber Cup World Badminton
I.F.A Shield Football (women)
Lady Ratan Tata Trophy Hockey US-Open Lawn Tennis
Moin ud daula Gold Cup Cricket French-Open Lawn Tennis
Rangaswami Cup Hockey Australian Open Lawn Tennis
Wimbledon Lawn Tennis
Ranji Trophy Cricket
Masters Champions Hockey
Santosh Trophy Football Trophy
Scindia Gold Cup Hockey British Open Golf
Subroto Mukherjee Cup Football (Inter-School) Malaysian Open Badminton
Wellington Trophy Rowing Tata Open Lawn Tennis

NUMBER OF PLAYERS ON EACH SIDE

Badminton 1 or 2 Polo 4
Baseball 9 Rugby Football 15
Basketball 5 Tennis and Table tennis 1 or 2
Cricket 11 Water Polo 7
Football 11 Volleyball 6
Hockey 11 Kabaddi 7
Chess 1
Since the modern Olympic Games began, Swiss athletes have won a total of 184 Summer Olympic medals and 137 Winter
Olympic medals.
 GK-448
SPORTS & GAMES
Chess Check, Checkmate, Gambit,
NATIONAL SPORTS OF Stalemate
FAMOUS COUNTRIES Cricket Bowling, Bouncer, Crease, Cover
point, Drive, Duck, Follow on,
Name National game Googly, Gulley, Hat Trick, Hit
Australia Cricket wicket, L.B.W. (Leg Before
Brazil Football Wicket), Leg Break, Leg
Canada Ice Hockey spinner, Leg bye, Maiden over,
China Table Tennis No ball, Pitch, Run, Silly point,
England Cricket Stumped, Wicket keeper.
India No Game Football Dribble, Drop Kick, Foul,
Japan Judo or Ju Jitsu
Hattrick, Off-side, Penalty,
Throw in, Touch Down.
Malaysia Badminton
Golf Bogey, Caddie, Hole, Links, Put,
Pakistan Hockey
Putting the green, Stymie, Tee.
Russia Chess, Football
Hockey Bull, Carry, Centre Forward,
Scotland Rugby, Football Carried, Dribble, Goal, Hat
Spain Bull Fighting trick, Penalty corner, Scoop,
United States of America Baseball Short corner, Sticks, Striking
TERMS USED IN SPORTS AND GAMES circle, Under cutting.
Horse Racing Jockey, Place, Protest, Punter,
Badminton Deuce, Double, Drop, Fault,
Game, Let, Love, Smash. Win.
Baseball Bunt, Diamond, Home, Lawn Tennis Back-hand-drive, Service, Smash,
Pitcher, Put out, Strike. Volley, Deuce, Game, Set, Love.
Billiards Break, Cannons, Cue, In off, Polo Bunder, Chuckker, Mallet.
Jigger, Scratch, Rifle Shooting Bull’s eye.
Boat Race Cox Rugby Drop kick, Screen.
Boxing Hook, Jab, Knock-out, Punch,
Upper cut. Swimming Stroke.
Bridge Diamonds, Dummy, Grand Volley ball Booster, Deuce, Love, Service,
slam, Little slam, Revoke, Ruff, Spikers.
Tricks, Trump. Wrestling Half Nelson, Heave.
SPECIFIC NAMES OF PLAYING AREAS
Sport Name of Playing Area Sport Name of Playing Area
Badminton Court Golf Link, Green**
Baseball Diamond Lawn Tennis Court
Boxing Ring Ice Skating Rink
Cricket Pitch* Wrestling Ring, Arena
* Pitch in fact is the space between the wickets and not the entire cricket field.
** It is the area around the hole only.

OLYMPIC GAMES
Olympic Games are an international sporting event which is organised in the form of
summer and winter sports. The Summer Olympic Games were first held in 1896. The Winter
Olympic Games were created after the huge success of the Summer Olympics. Baron Pierre
de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. The Olympic
Games are held after every four years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternatively
occurring every four years but two years apart from each other.
Major Dhyan Chand has a statue with 4 hands and 4 sticks in Austria.
SPORTS & GAMES GK-449

The Olympics games originated in the city The colour of rings represents different
of Olympia, an ancient city of Greece. These continents as given below:
games were held at Mount Olympia. India
Blue Europe
officially participated in the Olympics for
the first time in the year Yellow Asia
1920, in the 6th edition
of the games at Antwerp, Black Africa
Belgium.
The Olympic flag is made up of white silk Red America
and contains five intertwined rings as the Green Australia and Oceania
Olympics emblem.
INDIA’S PERFORMANCE IN OLYMPICS
Discipline Year Performance
Wrestling 1952 KD Jadhav won Bronze Medal in Men’s 52-57 kg Freestyle
2008 Sushil Kumar won Bronze Medal in men’s 66 kg Freestyle
2012 Sushil Kumar won Silver Medal in Men’s 66 kg Freestyle
Yogeshwar Dutt won Bronze Medal in men’s 60 kg Freestyle
Hockey 1928 Won Gold Medal
1932 Won Gold Medal
1936 Won Gold Medal
1948 Won Gold Medal
1952 Won Gold Medal
1956 Won Gold Medal
1960 Won Silver Medal
1964 Won Gold Medal
1968 Won Bronze Medal
1972 Won Bronze Medal
1980 Won Gold Medal
Shooting 2004 Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won Silver Medal in double trap
Abhinav Bindra won Gold Medal in Men’s 10 m air rifle
2008 Vijay Kumar won Silver Medal in 25 Rapid Fire Pistol
2012 Gagan Narang won Bronze Medal in 10 m Air Rifle
Athletics 1900 Norman Pritchard won two Silver Medals in (200 m) and (200
m hurdle) events
1960 Milkha Singh-fourth in 400 m final Zora Singh-eighth in 50 km
walk
1964 Gurbachan Singh Randhawa-fifth in 100 m hurdles (final)
1976 Sriram Singh-seventh in 800 m final Shivnath Singh-eleventh in
the marathon
1980 Sriram Singh-Semifinalist in 800 m
1984 PT Usha-fourth in 400 m hurdles
Football (Soccer) 1956 Semi-final
Tennis 1996 Leander Paes won Bronze Medal in Men’s Singles event
Weightlifting 2000 Karnam Malleshwari won Bronze Medal in women’s 69 kg
category
Boxing 2008 Vijender Singh won a Bronze Medal (75 kg)
2012 Mary Kom won a Bronze Medal in Women’s flyweight
Badminton 2012 Saina Nehwal won a Bronze Medal in Women’s singles
2016 P.V. Sindhu won Silver medal in women’s singles
Wrestling 2016 Sakshi Malik won Bronze in Women’s freestyle 58 kg.

Mary Leela Rao was the first Indian woman participant in the olympic games.
 GK-450
SPORTS & GAMES
SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES 1952 Helsinki, Finland
Year Venue 1956 Melbourne, Australia
1896 Athens, Greece 1960 Rome, Italy
1900 Paris, France 1964 Tokyo, Japan
1904 St Louis, France 1968 Mexico City, Mexico
1906 Athens, Greece (Games were not 1972 Munich, West Germany
recognised by IOC) 1976 Montreal, Canada
1908 London, Great Britain 1980 Moscow, Russia
1912 Stockholm, Sweden
1984 Los Angeles, USA
1916 Games not held due to World War I
1988 Seoul, South Korea
1920 Antwerp, Belgium
1992 Barcelona, Spain
1924 Paris, France
1928 Amsterdam, Netherlands 1996 Atlanta, USA
1932 Los Angeles, USA 2000 Sydney, Australia
1936 Berlin, Germany 2004 Athens, Greece
1940 Games not held due to World War II 2008 Beijing, China
1944 Games not held due to World War II 2012 London, Great Britain
1948 London, Great Britain 2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

INDIA IN THE SUMMER OLYMPICS

Games Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank
1896 Athens did not participate
1900 Paris 0 2 0 2 17
1904 St. Louis did not participate
1908 London did not participate
1912 Stockholm did not participate
1920 Antwerp 0 0 0 0 -
1924 Paris 0 0 0 0 -
1928 Amsterdam 1 0 0 1 23
1932 Los Angeles 1 0 0 1 19
1936 Berlin 1 0 0 1 20
1948 London 1 0 0 1 22
1952 Helsinki 1 0 1 2 26
1956 Melbourne 1 0 0 1 24
1960 Rome 0 1 0 1 32
1964 Tokyo 1 0 0 1 24
1968 Mexico City 0 0 1 1 42
1972 Munich 0 0 1 1 43
1976 Montreal 0 0 0 0 -
1980 Moscow 1 0 0 1 23
1984 Los Angeles 0 0 0 0 -
1988 Seoul 0 0 0 0 -
1992 Barcelona 0 0 0 0 -
1996 Atlanta 0 0 1 1 71
2000 Sydney 0 0 1 1 71
Over 40 international sports federations and organisations have their headquarters in Switzerland, mostly in the canton
of Vaud.
SPORTS & GAMES GK-451

2004 Athens 0 1 0 1 65
2008 Beijing 1 0 2 3 50
2012 London 0 2 4 6 55
2016 Rio de Janeiro 0 1 1 2 67

Winter Olympic Games

Winter Olympic games were started in the year A.D. 1924. The first game, were held at
Chamonix (France). The winter games are numbered in rotation as they are held. The
programme at the winter games includes ice hockey, figure skating, speed skating, alpine
sking, skiting, etc. Like the summer games, the winter games are also awarded gold, silver
and bronze medals.
Year Venue Year Venue
1924 Chamonix, France 1980 Lake Placid, New York
1928 St. Moritz, Switzerland 1984 Sarajevo, Yugoslavia
1932 Lake Placid, New York 1988 Calgary, Canada
1936 Garmisch – Parten/Kirchen, Germany 1992 Albertville, France
1948 St. Mortiz, Switzerland 1994 Lillehammer, Norway
1952 Oslo, Norway 1998 Nagano, Japan
1956 Cortina d’ Ampezz, Italy 2002 Salt Lake City, USA
1960 Squaw Valley, United States 2006 Turin, Italy,
1964 Innbruck, Austria 2010 Vancouver, Canada
1968 Grenoble, France 2014 Sochi, Russia
1972 Sapporo, Japan 2018 Pyeongchang, South Korea
1976 Innsbruck, Austria 2022 Beijing, China

PARALYMPIC GAMES
•• Back in 1948, Sir Ludwig Guttman, a
neurologist who was working with
World War II veterans with spinal
injuries at Stoke Mandeville Hospital
in Aylesbury, began using sport as part
of the rehabilitation programmes of his
patients. He set up a competition with
other hospitals to coincide with the
London Olympics in that year.
•• The Paralympics are elite sport events
for athletes from six different disability
groups. Athletes include those with
mobility disabilities, intellectual
disabilities, visual impairments, cerebral
palsy and amputees.
•• This event focuses on the athletes’
achievements rather than their
disabilities.
Switzerland has 1,774 ski lifts, of which 51% are T-bars.
•• Paralympic sports include athletics,
cycling, judo, rowing, swimming, and
volleyball.
•• The Paralympic Games are always held
in the same year as the Olympic Games.
The name comes from the fact that it
runs parallel to the Olympic Games
hence the name Paralympics.
•• The first Paralympic Games were held
in Rome, Italy, in 1960 and involved 400
athletes from 23 countries. Originally,
only wheelchair athletes were invited
to compete.
•• The Paralympics are held in two
seasons: summer and winter.
 GK-452
Winter Paralympic Games
1976 - Paralympics I - Örnsköldsvik - Sweden
1980 - Paralympics II - Geilo - Norway
1984 - Paralympics III - Innsbruck - Austria
1988 - Paralympics IV - Innsbruck - Austria
1992 - Paralympics V - Albertville - France
1994 - Paralympics VI - Lillehammer - 1984 - Paralympics VII - Stoke Mandeville -
Norway
1998 - Paralympics VII - Nagano - Japan
2002 - Paralympics VIII - Salt Lake City - 1992 - Paralympics IX - Barcelona - Spain
United States
2006 - Paralympics IX - Turin - Italy
2010 - Paralympics X - Vancouver – Canada
2014 - Paralympics XI - Sochi - Russia
Summer Paralympic Games
1960 - Paralympics I - Rome - Italy
1964 - Paralympics II - Tokyo - Japan
SPORTS & GAMES
1968 - Paralympics III - Tel Aviv - Israel
1972 - Paralympics IV - Heidelberg - West
Germany
1976 - Paralympics V - Toronto - Canada
1980 - Paralympics VI - Arnhem -
Netherlands
UK, New York - US
1988 - Paralympics VIII - Seoul - South Korea
1996 - Paralympics X - Atlanta - United States
2000 - Paralympics XI - Sydney - Australia
2004 - Paralympics XII - Athens - Greece
2008 - Paralympics XIII - Beijing - China
2012 - Paralympics XIV - London - United
Kingdom
2016 - Paralympics XV - Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

COMMONWEALTH GAMES
•• It is the second largest sports festival in •• The first Commonwealth Games were
the world after Olympics. held in 1930 at Hamilton, Canada.
•• India, for the first time, participated in
•• It is held in four years in between the
the 2nd Commonwealth Games held in
olympic years.
1934 at London.
COMMONWEALTH GAMES SINCE 1930
Year Places Participant Competitions First India’s Medal
Countries Place
1930 Hamilton 11 6 England Not participated
(Canada)
1934 London 16 6 England 1 Bronze Medal
(England)
1938 Sydney 15 7 Australia No medal
(Australia)
1950 Auckland 12 9 Australia Not Participated
(New Zealand)
1954 Vancouver 24 9 England No medal
(Canada)
1958 Cardiff (Wales) 35 9 England Gold-2, Silver-1
1962 Perth (Australia) 35 9 Australia Not Participated
1966 Kingston 34 9 England Gold-3, Silver-4, Bronze-5
(Jamaica)
1970 Edinburgh 42 9 Australia Gold-5, Silver-3
(Scotland)
1974 Christchurch 38 9 Australia Gold-4, Silver-8, Bronze-3
(New Zealand)
There are over 20,000 sports clubs in Switzerland and 2.7 million sport licences.
SPORTS & GAMES GK-453

1978 Edmonton 46 10 Canada Gold-5, Silver-4, Bronze-6

(Canada)
1982 Brisbane 46 10 Australia Gold-5, Silver-5, Bronze-3
(Australia)
1986 Edinburgh 26 10 England Not Participated
(Scotland)
1990 Auckland 55 10 Australia Gold-13, Silver-8, Bronze-7
(New Zealand)
1994 Victoria 63 10 Australia Gold-6, Silver-11, Bronze-10
(Canada)
1998 Kuala Lumpur 70 16 Australia Gold-07, Silver-10, Bronze-8
(Malaysia)
2002 Manchester 72 17 Australia Gold-32,Silver-21,Bronze-
(England) 19(Third Position)
2006 Melbourne 71 16 Australia Gold-22, Silver-17,
(Australia) Bronze-11 (Fourth Position)
2010 Delhi 71 17 Australia Gold-74, Silver-55,
(India) Bronze-48 (Second Position)
2014 Glasgow 71 18 England Gold-15, Silver-30,
(Scotland) Bronze-19 (Fifth Position)
2018 Gold Coast Proposed
(Australia)

ASIAN GAMES
• The idea of the Asian Games was first conceived by Prof. G.D. Sondhi. The first Asian
Games were held at New Delhi on 4 March 1951.
• The motto of the Asian Games play the game in spirit of the game” was given by Pt. J.L
Nehru.
• Its emblem is a bright full rising sun with interlocking rings.
ASIAN GAMES SINCE 1951
Games Year Places Number of Number of Number of
Serial Countries Sports Players
1 1951 New Delhi(India) 11 6 491
2 1954 Manila(Philippines) 18 8 1021
3 1958 Tokyo(Japan) 20 13 1422
4 1962 Jakarta(Indonesia) 16 13 1545
5 1966 Bangkok(Thailand) 18 14 1945
6 1970 Bangkok(Thailand) 18 13 1752
7 1974 Tehran(Iran) 25 16 2869
8 1978 Bangkok(Thailand) 25 19 3000
9 1982 New Delhi(India) 33 21 3447
10 1986 Seoul(S. Korea) 27 25 3883
11 1990 Beijing(China) 37 27 4500

Vishwanathan Anand was the first sportsperson to win the Padma Vibhushan.
 GK-454
SPORTS & GAMES
12 1994 Hiroshima(Japan) 42 34 7300
13 1998 Bangkok(Thailand) 41 38 7000
14 2002 Busan(S. Korea) 44 38 7711
15 2006 Doha(Qatar) 45 39 9524
16 2010 Guangzhou(China) 45 42 9704
17 2014 Incheon(South Korea) 45 36 9501
18 2018 Jakarta (Indonesia) Scheduled

South Asian Games

The SAG(SAF) games was first held in 1984 at Kathmandu, Nepal. The seven participating
countries are India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives. The
motto of SAG games is “Peace, Prosperity and Progress”. The games year 1986 edition was
not staged as it was a year of Commonwealth and Asian Games.

CRICKET WORLD CUP

• It is organised by the International • The first One day International Cricket
Cricket Council (ICC) after every 4 Match was played in the year 1971
years. between England and Australia in
• The first world Cup was organized in Melbourne.
England in June 1975. • The first twenty 20 International
• Australia is the champion of ICC Cricket match was played on 17 February
world cup 2015, which also holds
2005 between Australia and New
the record of winner for maximum
Zealand in which the former came out
number of times.
• The first Cricket Test Match was played victorious.
in Melbourne between England and • The Board of Control for Cricket in
Australia in 1877. India (BCCI) was formed in 1927.
LIST OF CRICKET WORLD CUP
1975 Lord’s, England West Indies beat Australia
1979 Lord’s, England West Indies beat England
1983 Lord’s, England India beat West Indies
1987 Kolkata, India Australia beat England
1992 Melbourne, (Australia) Pakistan beat England
1996 Lahore, Pakistan Sri Lanka beat Australia
1999 Lord’s, England Australia beat Pakistan
2003 Johannesburg, South Africa Australia beat India
2007 Bridgetown, West Indies Australia beat Sri Lanka
2011 Mumbai, India India beat Sri Lanka
2015 Australia/New Zealand Australia beat New Zealand
2019 England Scheduled

The average soccer ball is made up of 32 leather panels and held together by 642 stitches and is the most followed sport.
SPORTS & GAMES GK-455

ICC TWENTY-20 CRICKET WORLD CUP

Year Host Nations Final Venue Winner Runner-up
2007 South Africa Johannesburg India Pakistan
2009 England Lord’s, London Pakistan Sri Lanka
2010 West Indies Barbados England Australia
2012 Sri Lanka R Premdasa Stadium, Colombo West Indies Sri Lanka
2014 Bangladesh Sher-e Bangla Cricket Stadium, Dhaka Sri Lanka India
2016 India Eden Gardens, Kolkata West Indies England

IPL 2016
It is a professional Twenty 20 Cricket league The ninth and the latest IPL was held in
in India. 2016. The Sunrisers Hyderabad were
It is held every year in April-May which crowned as the champion after they won
is organised by the Board of Control for against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the
Cricket in India (BCCI). finals.
It was founded by BCCI in 2007. The IPL
is the most attended Cricket league in the 2016 IPL FINAL
world and ranks sixth among all sports
league. Man of the Match Ben Cutting
There are total 8 teams in IPL: Delhi Most Valuable player Virat Kohli
Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight of the tournament
Riders, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers
Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rising Emerging player of the Mustafizur
Pune Supergiants, Gujarat Lions. season Rehman

FIFA WORLD CUP

It is held after every four years.
Germany was the champion of 20th FIFA world cup held last in 2014 in Brazil, which was
their 4th title.
Brazil has won five times and they are the only team to have played in every tournament.
The next two World Cups will be hosted by Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022.

HOCKEY WORLD CUP

• It is organised by the International Hockey Federation. It was started in 1971.
• It is held every four years.
• India has won the tournament only once in 1975 since its inception in 1971.
A LOOK AT HOCKEY WORLD CUP
Year Host Winner Runner-up
1971 Spain Pakistan Spain
1973 Netherlands Netherlands India
1975 Malaysia India Pakistan
1978 Argentina Pakistan Netherlands
1982 India Pakistan West Germany
1986 England Australia England
Before 1850 golf balls were made of leather and were stuffed with feathers.
 GK-456
SPORTS & GAMES
1990 Pakistan Netherlands Pakistan
1994 Australia Pakistan Netherlands
1998 Netherlands Netherlands Spain
2002 Malaysia Germany Australia
2006 Germany Germany Australia
2010 India Australia Germany
2014 Netherlands Australia Netherlands
2018 India – –

TENNIS GRAND SLAMS

The four Grand Slam tournaments also called majors, are the most important annual tennis
events. The Grand Slam itinerary consists of the ‘Australian-open’ in mid January, the ‘French
open’ in May/June ‘Wimbledon’ in June/July, and the ‘US open’ in August /September. Each
tournament is played over a period of two weeks.
Grand Slams Nature of Court
1. Australian open Hard court
2. French open Clay court (Red)
3. Wimbledon Grass court
4. U.S. Open Hard court

ATP/WTA Rankings No ATP/WTA Rankings

ATP world tour finals Davis Cup
WTA Tour Championships Fed Cup
ATP Masters 1000 olympics World Team Cup
ATP 500 Series Hopman Cup
ITF Men’s Circuit
ITF Women’s Circuit

Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open

2016 2016 2016 2016
Venue: Melbourne Venue: Stade Roland Venue: All England Venue: USTA Billie Jean
Par, Melbourne Garris, Paris Lawn Tennis and King National Tennis
Croquet Club, London Center, New York City
Men’s Singles Men’s Singles Men’s Singles Men’s Singles
champion: Novak champion: Novak champion: Andy champion: Stan
Djokovic Djokovic Murray Wawrinka
Women’s Singles Women’s Singles Current Women’s Women’s Singles
champion: Angelique champion: Garbine Singles champion: champion: Angelique
Kerber Muguruza Serena Williams Kerber

INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE

The Indian Super League (ISL) also known as the Hero Indian Super
League is a professional football league in India. The league consists of eight
franchise teams from all around India. The Indian Super League was founded in
2013 in an effort to make football a top sport in India and to make Indian football
a major player worldwide. The inaugural season of the league started on 12th
October 2014 and concluded on 20th December 2014. The inaugural season was
won by Atlético de Kolkata when it defeated the Kerala Blasters in the final 1–0.
The game of Tug-of-war was an Olympic sport from 1900-1920.
SPORTS & GAMES GK-457

Team City/State Stadium

Atlètico de Kolkata Kolkata, West Bengal Salt Lake Stadium
Chennaiyin FC Chennai, Tamil Nadu Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium
Delhi Dynamos FC Delhi Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium
FC Goa Margao, Goa Fatorda Stadium
Kerala Blasters FC Kochi, Kerala Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium
Mumbai City FC Mumbai, Maharashtra DY Patil Stadium
North East United FC Guwahati, Assam Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium
FC Pune City Pune, Maharashtra Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

UEFA Champions League also known as Champions League is a yearly
continental club football competition organised by the Union of European
Football Associations (UEFA), played by top-division European clubs. The
club competition was launched one month after UEFA’s first Congress, held
in Vienna on 2 March 1955.
ALL-TIME TOP SCORES
Rank Player Goals Appearances Years Clubs
1 Cristiano Ronaldo 88 121 2003- Manchester United, Real Madrid
2 Lionel Messi 80 102 2005- Barcelona
3 Raùl 71 142 1995-2011 Real Madrid, Schalke 04
Ruud van 56 73 1998-2009 PSV, Manchester United, Real
4
Nistelrooy Madrid
5 Thierry Henry 50 112 1997-2010 Manaco, Arsenal, Barcelona
6 Alfredo Di Stèfano 49 58 1955-1964 Real Madrid
7 Andriy Shevchenko 48 100 1994-2012 Dynamo Kyiv, Milan, Chelsea
Eusèbio 46 65 1961-1974 Benfica
8 Karim Benzema 46 77 2006- Lyon, Real Madrid
Fllippo Inzaghi 46 81 1997-2012 Juventus, Milan

NICKNAMES OF FAMOUS PLAYERS PT Usha Payyoli Express

AROUND THE WORLD Major Dhyan- “The Wizard”
chand
Sachin Tendulkar Master Blaster, Tendlya
Allan Donald White Lightning
Virender Sehwag Viru, Sultan of Multan
Shoaib Akhtar Rawalpindi Express Kapil Dev The Haryana Hurricane

V V S Laxman Very Very Special Shikhar Dhawan Gabbar

Brendon McCul- Baz
Don Bradman The Don
lum
Milkha Singh Flying Sikh
Rahul Dravid The Wall, Mr. Dependable,
Sunil Gavaskar Sunny, Little Master Jammy
Sourav Ganguly Dada, The Prince of Kolkata Mahendra Singh Mahi, Captain Cool, MSD
Ricky Ponting Punter Dhoni
Harbhajan Singh Bhajji, Turbanator Michael Phelps “The Baltimore Bullet”
Shane Warne Warnie, The King of Spin Usain Bolt “Lightning Bolt”
Brett Lee Bing, Binga, The Speedster Lionel Messi “La Pulga”

The volleyball sport was invented in the year 1895.

 GK-458
SPORTS & GAMES
Baichung Bhutia “Sikkimese Sniper” Ajith Wadekar The making of a cricketer
Mahesh Bhupathi “Indian Express” David Beckham My Side
and Leander Paes Tiger Wood How to play golf?
(Doubles) Allan Border Beyond Ten thousand
Novak Djokovic “Djoker” PT Usha Golden Girl
Rafael Nadal “The King of Clay” Major Dhyan Goal
Andre Agassi “The Las Vegas Kid” Chand
Martina Hingis “Can’t-miss-Swiss” Javed Miandad The cutting edge
BOOKS BY SPORTS PERSONS Vishvanathan My best game of Chess
Anand
Sachin Tendulkar Playing it my way Yuvraj Singh The test of my life
Kapil Dev By God’s Decree Abhinav Bindra A Shot at History
Sunil Gavaskar Idol, Sunny Days Allan Donald White Lightening

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was established on 10th November 1999. Its pri-
mary aim is to promote and coordinate the fight against doping in sport internationally.
The organization’s headquarters is located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. WADA was set
up as a foundation under the initiative of the IOC with the support and participation of
intergovernmental organizations, governments, public authorities, and other public and
private bodies fighting doping in sport. WADA is accountable for the World Anti-Doping
Code, adopted by more than 600 sports organizations, including international sports fed-
erations, national anti-doping organizations, the IOC, and the International Paralympics
Committee. Sir Craig Reedie is the current president of the agency.
National Anti Doping Agency
National Anti Doping Agency is responsible for conducting for dope free sports in India.
The primary objectives are to implement anti-doping rules as per WADA code, regulate
dope control programme, to promote education and research and creating awareness
about doping and its ill effects. India is among one of the nation who signed the Copenha-
gen Declaration on Anti Doping in December 2004.

The average golf ball has 336 dimples.

HEALTHCARE GK-459

HEALTHCARE

HEALTHCARE IN INDIA

The healthcare services of India have Present Status

seen tremendous growth in the past few
India has worked in improving the health
years which can be revealed by different
of the citizens. However, the healthcare
indicators and health parameters. Inspite
sector has been seen as a social sector
of this fact, the expenditure on healthcare
is very less, i.e. 4% of the GDP and private receiving less focus and low budget
parties have the dominance over the sector. allocation.

* India spends a total of 4.2% of its GDP on healthcare while USA 18%.
* As a result of low GDP allocation private players are emerging to fulfil the growing
healthcare needs.
* India shares 20% of the burden of global diseases with only 6% beds and 8 %
doctors.
* Hospital bed density in India is 0.9 per 1,000 persons, against WHO’s recommendation
3.5 per 1,000.
* India has one doctor per 1,700 citizens against WHO’s a minimum ratio of 1:1,000.
* India has 387 medical colleges—181 Government and 206 private.
* India produces 30,000 doctors, 18,000 specialists, 30,000 AYUSH graduates, 54,000
nurses, 15,000 ANMs and 36,000 pharmacists annually.
* India has about 6-6.5 lakh doctors. But it needs 4 lakh more by 2020 to maintain the
required ratio of 1:1,000.

Rise in Per Capita Healthcare personal health and hygiene.

Expenditure
• Per capita healthcare expenditure is
estimated at a CAGR of 5 % during FY
2008–15 to US$ 68.6 billion by 2015.
• This is due to rising incomes, easier
access to high-quality healthcare
facilities and greater awareness of
• Greater penetration of health insurance
aided the rise in healthcare spending, a
trend likely to intensify in the coming
decade.
• Economic prosperity is driving the
improvement in affordability for
generic drugs in the market.

The blue whale has the largest heart weighing over 1,500 pounds.
 GK-460
HEALTHCARE
Per capita healthcare expenditure (US$) strengthening coverage, services and
68.9
increasing expenditure by public as
61 58 61 61.9 well private players.
54
• During 2008-20, the market is expected
to record a CAGR of 16.5%.
• The total industry size is expected to
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 touch US$ 160 billion by 2017 and US$
Source : World Bank, BMI Report, TechSci Research 280 billion by 2020.
• As per the Ministry of Health, development
Growth of Healthcare Industry in India of 50 technologies has been targeted in
• Healthcare industry is growing at the FY16, for the treatment of disease
a tremendous pace owing to its like Cancer and TB.

HEALTHCARE
Healthcare Sector to Grow at a CAGR of 17% during 2008-20 and
healthcare revenues to reach USD 280 billion by 2020
Policy Support
280.0 India to Emerge as a global healthcare hub
300 Reduced excise and customs duty
Exemption in service taxes
200 160.0 Establishment of new drug testing
laboratories
81.3 Formulation of the Mental Health Policy
68.4 72.8
45.0 51.7 59.5
According to the Ministry of Health, over 50
technologies are being developed by FY16 for
0 treatmentofCancer,TBandotherdiseases.
8 9 010 011 12 14 F
F

0 0 0
20 2
17

20 2 20 20 20
2
Implementation and Promotion of e-Health
20

F-Forecase Initiatives-Mother and Child Tracking System

(MCTS)andFacilitationCentre(MCTF).
Healthcare expenditure to grow at a CAGR of 17% during 2011-20
Source: TechSci Research

Dolly, a female domestic sheep was the first cloned mammal.

HEALTHCARE
7 Structural Problems in India’s
Healthcare System
1. A weak primary healthcare system.
2. Unequally distributed skilled human
resources.
3. Large unregulated private sector
4. Low public spending on health
5. Fragmented health information systems
6. Irrational use and spiralling cost of
drugs
7. Weak governance and accountability
Major Concerns in Last Decade
•• India ranked 67th among the top developing
countries with a doctor patient ratio of
0.7 doctors per 1000 patient.
NATIONAL HEALTH PROGRAMMES
National AIDS Control Programme
A division of Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare,was established in 1992 to prevent
and control HIV/AIDS infection through 35
HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Societies.
National Cancer Control Programme
Launched in 1975 with an initiation of
giving priority for equipping the premier
cancer hospital/institutions. The further
evolution has added few other important
aspects which include recognition of new
Regional Cancer Centre, strengthening of
existing Regional Cancer Centres, devel-
opment of oncology units, District Cancer
Control Programme, etc.
Pulse Polio Campaign (Do Boond
Zindegi Ke)
Initiated in 1978 the programme aimed at
preventing polio by vaccinating against the
disease. It was the extended programme
of Universal Immunisation Program which
successfully covered 95% of the country and
as a result India was declared Polio free in
2014.
A red blood cell can circumnavigate our body in under 20 seconds.
GK-461
•• A wide gap between urban and rural
population in terms of provision of
medical facilities.
•• Poor facilities in large government
institutions compared to corporate
hospitals.
•• Increasing cost of curative medical services,
high tech curative services not free.
•• India has been affected the most by
dengue, the rapidly spreading mosquito-
borne viral disease.
•• Malaria is still a major concern for
Indian Health sector.
•• Tuberculosis is the biggest threat to India
with 2.2 million tuberculosis patients.
•• Hepatitis C patients lack access to
affordable treatment and care.
National Filaria Control Programme
Launched in India since 1957 with an
objective:
•• To carry out surveys in different parts of
the state where the problem was known
to exist in order to determine the extent
of prevalence, types of infection and their
vectors.
•• To undertake large scale pilot studies
to evaluate the known methods of
filariasis control in selected areas in
different parts of states.
•• To train professional and ancillary
personnel required for the programme.
National Leprosy Eradication
Programme (NLEP)
Launched in 1955 is a centrally sponsored
Health Scheme of the Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare, Govt. of India with an
objective of eliminating Leprosy with the
use of Multi Drug Therapy (MDT) in phases.
Eliminate Kala-azar
A part of National Health Policy envisaged
in 2010 to eradicate the dreaded disease
 GK-462
‘Kala-azar’ or Visceral Leishmaniasis, also
known as ‘Black Fever’ and ‘Dumdum Fever’
from India by 2015.
National TB Control Programme
Launched in 1962 with an objective of
eradication of the disease but till 1992 only
30% of the country had been covered. So the
programmes has been revised in 1993 with
an objective of achieving and maintaining
a cure rate of 85% among newly detected
infectious (new sputum smear positive)
cases. This resulted in the coverage of 450
million populations which is more than 80%
in 2004.
TB-Mission 2020
•• TB Mission 2020 was announced by the
Union Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare on 28th October 2014 at WHO’s
Global TB Symposium in Barcelona with
an initiative to eliminate Tuberculosis in
India by 2020.
•• The Indian government will take up
projects of providing free diagnosis,
treatment, nutrition support and
financial aid to the affected patients.
National Tobacco Control
Programme
Launched in 2007 by the Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare with objectives:
•• To bring about greater awareness about
the harmful effects of tobacco use and
about the Tobacco Control Laws.
• • To facilitate effective implementation
of the Tobacco Control Law.
National Rural Health Mission
(NRHM)
Launched on 5th April,2005. The Mission
was initially started for:
•• Creation of cadre of Accredited Social
Health Activist (ASHA).
•• Strengthening all the CHCs, PHCs and
sub centres.
•• Mainstreaming AYUSH (Indian System
of Medicine).
Sushruta, an ancient Indian physician is known as “The father of surgery” and also called “The first plastic surgeon”
HEALTHCARE
•• Integrating health and family welfare
programme.
•• Developing capacities for preventive
healthcare at all levels.
•• Promotion of public-private partnerships
for achieving public health goals.
•• Strengthening capacities for data
collection, assessment and review for
evidence based planning, monitoring
and supervision.
National Urban Health Mission
(NUHM)
Launched in 2014 under National Health
Mission (NHM).
The main objectives are to:
•• Improve the healthcare status of the
urban population particularly the poor
and other disadvantaged sections.
•• Strengthen public healthcare system.
•• Involve the community and urban local
bodies in healthcare delivery.
•• Supplement the National Rural Health
under a unified National Health Mission.
Special Focus on:
•• Urban poor population living in listed and
unlisted slums.
•• All other vulnerable populations such as
homeless, rag-pickers, street children,
rickshaw pullers, construction site workers,
sex workers and any other temporary
migrants.
Mission Indradhanush
•• Mission Indradhanush was launched
to immunize all children against seven
vaccine preventable diseases including
diphtheria, whooping cough (Pertussis),
tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and
hepatitis B by the year 2020.
•• The mission involves four special
vaccination campaigns which were
conducted between the months of April
and July 2015, focussing on intensive
planning and monitoring of these campaigns.
•• The campaigns will be planned and
executed in accordance with the learning
HEALTHCARE
from the successful implementation of
the polio programme.
•• The focus of the systematic immunization
drive will be comprehended through a
“catch-up” campaign mode with the aim
to cover the left out children who missed
out immunization.
•• The mission will be carried out in 2 phases
in 2015 in which the first phase will cover
201 districts, while the second phase will
cover 297 districts.
•• The Government has recognised 201
districts across 28 states in the country
with 82 districts from Bihar, Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh
having 25% children who are
unimmunized or partially immunized.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
•• The Swachh Bharat Mission was officially
launched by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on 2nd October 2014, covering 4041
statutory towns with the purpose to clean
the streets, roads and infrastructure of
the nation.
•• The mission aims to make the nation
‘open defecation free’ by 2019 through
construction of IHHL (individual
household latrines), cluster toilets and
community toilets.
•• SBA also aims at eradication of manual
scavenging.
RECENT OUTBREAK OF MAJOR DISEASES IN INDIA
Disease Outbreak Symptoms
Influenza A (H1N1) • Chills, Fever, Cough
virus 2009 • Sore Throat, Runny or Stuffy
Nose, Bodyache, Fatigue,
Diarrhoea
Swine flu 2014- • Cough
2015 • Fever
• Headache
• Sore Throat
• Muscle Pain
• Chills
• Vomiting Or Diarrhoea.
We exercise atleast 36 muscles when we smile.
GK-463
•• It also involves 100% collection and
processing/disposal/reuse/recycling
of municipal solid waste.
•• The campaign involves generation of
awareness among the citizens regarding
sanitation and public health.
•• The mission encourages private sectors
to participate in construction and
maintenance of sanitary facilities as a
part of corporate social responsibility
initiative. L&T has announced the
construction of 5000 toilets across the
nation as the part of their CSR initiative.
National Bal Swachhta Mission
•• The National Bal Swachhta Mission was
launched by the Union Government on
14th November 2014, on the 125th birth
anniversary of India’s first Prime Minister
Jawahar Lal Nehru.
•• The Bal Swachhta Mission is an integral
part of the famous sanitation drive
‘Swachh Bharat Mission’.
•• The six themes to be included in the
mission are:
1. Clean Anganwadis
2. Clean Surroundings like Playgrounds
3. Clean Self (Personal Hygiene/ Child
Health)
4. Clean Food
5. Clean Drinking Water.
6. Clean Toilets
•• Maternity Benefit Program
Recommended Treatment
Use of drugs such as
• Oseltamivir (Tamiflu®),
• Zanamivir (Relenza®)
• Peramivir (Rapivab®)
• Vaccination to prevent
infection.
• Oseltamivir (Tamiflu®),
• Zanamivir (Relenza®)
 GK-464
HEALTHCARE
Hepatitis 2009 • Liver Inflammation, • Lamivudine (Zeffix®)
• Vomiting • Adefovir (Hepsera®)
• Jaundice. • Entecavir (Baraclude®) 
• Tenofovir (Viread®)
• Pegylated Interferon
(Pegasys®)
Dengue 2014-2016 • High Fever, (105°F) • As such there is no such
• Pain Behind the Eyes & Joints, specific drugs for treating
Muscles, Bones dengue. However doctors
• Severe Headache prescribe Acetaminophen
• Rash over skin (Tylenol, others) for
• Bleeding from nose/ gum/ alleviating pain and reduce
stools fever.
Cholera 2010 • Mild fever, Body ache, • Antibiotic
Abdominal pain and cramps, • Oral health drink to prevent
Lethargy and fatigue dehydration
• Excessive thirst
• Headaches
Plague 1994 • Sudden onset of fever • Streptomycin
• Headache • Gentamicin
• Chills • Tetracycline
• Weakness and one or • Chloramphenicol
more swollen, tender and pain- • Doxycycline
ful lymph nodes (called • Oxytetracycline
buboes) • Sulfamethoxazole/trimethopri
Chikungunya • Arthritis like pain around the • Aspirin
1963-1973 & 2016 joints • Non-steroidal inflammatory
• Muscle aches drugs
• Fever • Chloroquine Phosphate
• Malaise
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Vomiting

A3’s Healthcare Challenge in

Remote Areas anywhere to control patients from long
distances, i.e. rural areas.
•• A3rmt is a wireless portable medical
•• The concept and devices useful in
technology developed as a solution to
area-specific healthcare inefficiencies. developing countries was started by Dr.
A3 is a remote technology came in Shrikant Parikh, founder and CEO of the
to help doctors sitting in cities or company, in 2008.
Our blood is on a 60,000 mile journey per day.
HEALTHCARE
•• Dr. Shrikant Parikh has declared that A3
will help India in tackling its rural health
problems by connecting needy patients to
medical experts. A3rmt create customized
devices to connect patient side units to
multiple cloud servers. Doctors just need
to have a smartphone/hand held device.
•• A3rmt provides detailed information
about the specific local challenges in
healthcare.
•• The A3 services focus on five broad
areas: cardiovascular diseases, cuts
and wounds, war zone medical care,
pregnancy, and radiology.
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES IN HEALTHY SECTOR
India’s universal health plan that aims to
offer guaranteed benefits to a sixth of the
world’s population will cost an estimated `
1.6 trillion (US$ 23.48 billion) over the next
four years.
Some of the major initiatives taken by the
Government of India to promote Indian
healthcare industry are as follows:
•• Provisions made in the Union budget
2016-17:
o National Dialysis Services Pro-
gramme to be initiated to provide
dialysis services in all district hos-
pitals.
o A new health protection scheme
for health cover upto ` 1 lakh (US$
1,470) per family.
o Setting up 3,000 medical stores
across the country to provide qual-
ity medicines at affordable prices.
o Senior citizens will get additional
healthcare cover of ` 30,000 (US$
441) under the new scheme
o Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi
Yojana to be strengthened, 3000
generic drug store to be opened.
•• Government of West Bengal has
introduced G1 Digital Dispensary, to
provide people from rural areas access
to primary healthcare services.
•• A unique initiative for healthcare
‘SEHAT’ (Social Endeavour for Health
The beating sound of the heart is the clap of valve leaflets opening and closing.
GK-465
•• A3 devices are helping doctors and
cardiologist of Tamil Nadu State
Governmental District Hospital to
remotely serve patients in the Primary
Healthcare Centre of Kunjapanai village,
which lies in a hilly, forested terrain.
•• A3 has provided their technology to
six Indian states so far, and has even
crossed the Indian border to reach the
hospital of Mwanza, Tanzania, where
patients are remotely monitored by
senior doctors in Ahmedabad.
and Telemedicine) has been launched
to empower rural citizens by providing
access to information, knowledge, skills
and other services in different sectors
through digital technologies.
•• Government of India has launched the
National Deworming initiative to
protect 24 crore children of 1-19 years
from intestinal worms.
Startups Making Difference in
Healthcare Digitally
About 90% of the startups evaluated
in 2015 were working on preventive
healthcare and monitoring solutions,
revealed an InnAccel’s report.  Hospitals,
medical devices, clinical trials, outsourcing,
tele-medicine, medical tourism, health
insurance and medical equipment
collectively form the pillar of healthcare
sector.
Today, you can locate diagnostic centres,
hospitals and doctors just by a swipe on a
smartphone’s Apps created by Startups.
Below are the list of some healthtech
startups:
eKincare: It was founded in 2014 by
Kiran Kalakuntla and Sunil Motaparti at
Hyderabad. It helps users put their health
records and keep it on the cloud — where
they can access the data anywhere, using a
PC or a mobile device.
 GK-466
Medibox Technologies: Mr. Bhavik Kumar
and Kapil Kanbarkar started it at Bengaluru.
Medibox allows patients to search for
healthcare facilities like pharmacies,
hospitals and blood banks across India. It is
a mobile application based services.
Mediaka Bazaar: It was founded by Mr.
Vivek Tiwari in 2015 in Mumbai. Mediaka
bazaar is a market place for all medical and
healthcare needs. It helps buyers search and
compare from over 10,000 medical devices
and consumable options for all health and
wellness needs.
Medical Unique Identity (MUI): Mr.
Mayank Harlalka started it in Bengaluru.
The human body has 45 miles of nerves.
HEALTHCARE
MUI manages personal health information
to deliver quality healthcare to the public.
It allows users to maintain lifetime health
records and data for improving the quality
of medical treatment.
BookMEDS.com: It was started by
Mohammed Abubakar, Subathra Santanam,
and Sajid Sikander in 2013 at Hyderabad.
BookMEDS is an e-commerce portal for
medicines and medical products. The
product categories include orthopedic care,
home care, mother and baby care, medical
gadgets, hospital equipment, contraceptives
care, protein supplements, fitness and
sports, homeopathy and ayurveda, ENT,
eye, and dental care.
 MEANS OF COMMUNICATION
Means of Communication

Postal Network Telecommunication

Expanding Telephone
services
Indian Handles First class mail Second class mail Six mail 24 hrs STD facility to every
postal parcels, Includes Book channels village in the country
Include
Network letters cards & Pockets, Development of space
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & TRANSPORT

Largest in etc. envelopes Registered technology revolutionized

World Newspapers, the system
Airlifted, Periodicals
cover both Rajdhani Channel
land & air Carried by
surface mail, Metro Channel
cover land Facilitate
quick Green Channel
& water delivery
transport Business Channel
in large Bulk mail Channel
towns &
cities Periodical Channel

Mass Communication
COMMUNICATION

Print Media

Newspapers Periodicals Journals

MEDIA & TRANSPORT

Includes Radio, Benefits

TV, Newspapers, Provides Entertainment
Magazines,
GK-467

Creates Awareness about

Books, Films Provides Updates current
programmes/policies
knowledge National &
Educational programmes International affairs
 GK-468
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & TRANSPORT

COMMUNICATION
Post Office
•• The Department of Posts was founded
in India on 1st April, 1774.
•• This department serves as an agent of Govt.
•• It provides services like letter post,
parcel service, EMS, delivery, freight
forwarding, third-party logistics,
and deposit accounts, saving banks,
retailing, life insurance, remittance etc.
•• Indian Post has been terminated two
of its major services such as Telegram
and Money order in July 2013 and April
2015 respectively due to the increasing
pressure of electronic communication
media, but still continues with the
services of electronic money order
(eMO) and instant money order (IMO)
which were introduced in 2008.

Quick Facts
Founder of Telegraph and Postal in India : Governor General Lord Dalhousie
First General Post Office opened in India : 1774 (Kolkata)
First postage stamp of India : Sinde Dawk (1852)
Pin system started in India : 1972
The First Indian Post Office Outside India : Dakshin Gangotri in Antarctica (1983),
Indian Territory
Speed Post started in India : 1986
Money Order System : 1880
Postal Life Insurance started : 1884
Postal Staff College situated at : Ghaziabad (UP)
World Postal Day is observed on : 9th October
Indian Postal Day is observed on : 10th October

Telecommunication William O’Shaughnessy pioneered

the telegraph and telephone in India.
•• The Telecommunications system in
A separate department was opened in
India is the 2nd largest in the world.
1854 when telegraph facilities opened
Telephone services were introduced
to the public.
in 1881-82 in Kolkata for the first
•• A revolution in wireless communication
time and first automatic exchange was
began in the first decade of the
opened up at Shimla in 1913-14 with a
20th century with the pioneering
capacity of 700 lines only. In 1850, the
developments in radio communications
first experimental electric telegraph
by Guglielmo Marconi, who won the
line was started between Calcutta
Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909.
and Diamond Harbour. In 1851, it was
•• Other highly notable pioneering inventors
opened for the use of the British East
and developers in the field of electrical
India Company. The construction of
and electronic telecommunications
4,000 miles (6,400 km) of telegraph
include Charles Wheatstone and Samuel
lines was started in November 1853.
Morse (telegraph), Alexander Graham
These connected Kolkata and Peshawar
Bell (telephone), Edwin Armstrong, and
in the north; Agra, Mumbai through
Guglielmo Marconi (radio), as well as
Sindwa Ghats, and Chennai in the
Vladimir K. Zworykin, John Logie Baird
south; Ootacamund and Bangalore. and Philo Farnsworth (television).
Chandragupta Maurya is the first Indian King to be depicted on an Indian Stamp.
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & TRANSPORT
Radio and Television
•• At the time of Independence, there
were six radio (Akashwani) stations. At
present all India Radio is accessible to
almost 99% of total population.
•• Doordarshan is the national television
service of India. It was started in 1959.
•• Under the open skies policies a
large number of private parties have
registered in India.
Mobile Communication
•• A mobile phone is a telephone that can
make and receive calls over a radio
frequency carrier while the user is
moving within a telephone service area.
•• Modern mobile phones support a variety
of services, such as text messaging, MMS,
email, Internet access, short-range wireless
communications, business applications,
gaming, and photography. Mobile phones
which offer these and more general
computing capabilities are referred to
as Smartphone.
•• Wireless data connections used in
mobile computing take three general
forms. Cellular data service uses
technologies such as GSM, CDMA or
GPRS, 3G, 4G networks such as W-CDMA,
EDGE or CDMA 200 and more recently 4G
networks such as LTE, LTE-Advanced.
•• GSM (Global System for Mobile
Communications, is to describe the protocols
for second-generation (2G) digital cellular
networks used by mobile phones, first
deployed in Finland in July 1991.
•• Code division multiple access (CDMA) is
a channel access method used by various
radio communication technologies. CDMA
is used as the access method in many
mobile phone standards such as cdmaOne,
CDMA2000 (the 3G evolution of cdmaOne),
and WCDMA (the 3G standard used by
GSM carriers), which are often referred
to as simply CDMA.
The first handheld mobile phone was demonstrated by Motorola in 1973.
GK-469
•• 3G, is the third generation of mobile
telecommunications technology. 3G
telecommunication networks support
services that provide an information
transfer rate of at least 200 kbit/s.
•• 4G, is the fourth generation of mobile
telecommunications technology, succeeding
3G. A 4G system must provide capabilities
defined by ITU in IMT Advanced. Potential
and current applications include amended
mobile web access, IP telephony, gaming
services, high-definition mobile TV, video
conferencing, 3D television, and cloud
computing.
Communications Satellite
•• A communications satellite is an artificial
satellite that relays and amplifies radio
telecommunications signals via a
transponder; it creates a communication
channel between a source transmitter
and a receiver(s) at different locations on
Earth.
•• Communications satellites are used for
television, telephone, radio, internet, and
military applications.
•• The first artificial Earth satellite
was Sputnik 1. Put into orbit by the
Soviet Union on October 4, 1957,
it was equipped with an on-board
radio-transmitter that worked on two
frequencies: 20.005 and 40.002 MHz.
India has launched 87 Indian satellites
(as of now) of many types since its first
in 1975. The organisation responsible for
India’s satellite program is the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO).
Application Areas
•• Agriculture
•• Education
•• Health
•• e-governance
•• Grid Computing (High Performance
Computing)
 GK-470
NEWS & MEDIA
Newspaper
Newspaper is the print media that
usually prints information, the activities
and happenings around us, generally
categorized into daily and weekly basis. It
was introduced way back in 1780.
QUICK FACTS
Event Publishing Name of the
Year Publication
First newspaper 1780 Hicky’s Bengal
in India Gazette or
Calcutta General
First newspaper 1789 Bombay Herald
from Bombay
First newspaper 1854 Samachar
in Hindi Sudha Varshan
Registrar of Newspapers
It is a statutory body of Government of
India which is popularly known as RNI. It
was established on 1st July 1956 with an
objective of regulating and monitoring the
printing and publication of newspapers
based on the Press and Registration of
Books Act, 1867. It has both statutory and
non-statutory functions.
Press Trust of India (PTI)
It was incorporated in Madras on, 27th
August, 1947 but started providing full-
fledged news and information both in
Hindi and English medium from 1st
February, 1949. It’s a non-profit sharing
cooperative organization and known for
its unbiased news coverage. The corporate
and registered offices are located at Sansad
Marg, New Delhi and D N Road, Mumbai
respectively. It has a news channel known
as PTI-TV featuring documentaries.
United News of India (UNI)
It was founded on December 1961 under
the Company Acts. However its commercial
application started on 21st March 1961.
Prasar Bharti
It is an autonomous body set up by an Act
of Parliament on 23 Nov, 1997. It has two
major divisions Doordarshan Television
Network and All India Radio. It is known to
be the largest broadcasting agency in India.
Bharti Airtel launched India’s first 4G service, using TD-LTE technology, in Kolkata on 10 April 2012.
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & TRANSPORT
All India Radio (AIR) or Akashwani
It was formed in 1930 as a part of Prasar
Bharti. It is considered to be one of the
nation’s premier Public Service Broadcasters
which truly lives up to its motto of ‘Bahujan
Hitaya: Bahujan Sukhaya’. At the beginning
AIR started broadcasting in 23 languages
and 146 dialects.
Doordarshan
It was launched on 15 September, 1959
as a part of Prasar Bharti with the motto
Satyam Shivam Sundaram. It provides
television, radio, online and mobile services
throughout metropolitan and regional
India with more than 60 channels which
broadcast programmes in almost all
regional languages along with Hindi and
English. It has also a wide spread network
in the overseas also.
Reuters
It is an English news service opened in
London by Julius Reuter in 1851, and now the
most important institution of its kind in the
British Empire. It has correspondents in all the
great news centres of the world and furnishes
telegraph and other news features throughout
the eastern hemisphere and, to some extent, to
Latin America, the United States and Canada.
AFP Agence France-Presse (AFP)
It is an international news agency. The
headquarter of AFP is located in Paris. It
was founded in 1944. It is the third largest
in the world (after Associated Press and
Reuters). AFP has regional offices in Nicosia,
Montevideo, Hong Kong, and Washington,
D.C., and bureaus in 150 countries. It
transmits news in French, English, Arabic,
Portuguese, Spanish and German.
AP (Associated Press)
It is one of the largest and most trusted sources
of independent news gathering. It is neither
privately owned nor government-funded;
instead, as a not-for-profit news cooperative
owned by its American newspaper and
broadcast members. Founded in 1846, AP
has covered all the major news events of
the past 165 years, providing high quality,
informed reporting of everything from wars
and elections to championship games and
royal weddings. Since the Pulitzer Prize was
established, in 1917, AP has received 51
Pulitzers, including 31 photo Pulitzers.
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & TRANSPORT GK-471

BBC (The British Broadcasting Social Media

Corporation)
It is the public service broadcaster of the
United Kingdom, headquartered at Broad-
casting House in London. It is the world’s
oldest national broadcasting organisation and
the largest broadcaster in the world.
Al Jazeera
It is a Doha-based state funded broadcaster
owned by the Al Jazeera Media Network,
Partly funded by the house of Thani, the
ruling family of Qatar. It is one of the largest
news organizations with 80 bureaus around
the world. The channel was launched on 1st
November 1996 following the closure of the
BBC’s Arabic language television station.
Hamid bin Thamer Al Thani is the chairman
of the channel.
Social Media are computer-mediated
technologies that allow the creating and
sharing of information, ideas, career
interests and other forms of expression via
virtual communities and networks.
Social media use web-based and mobile
technologies on smartphones and tablet
computers to create highly interactive
platforms through which individuals,
communities and organizations can share,
co-create, discuss, and modify user-
generated content or pre-made content
posted online.
Some of the most popular social media
websites are Facebook (and its associated
Facebook Messenger), WhatsApp, Tumblr,
Instagram, Twitter, Baidu Tieba, Pinterest,
LinkedIn, Gab, Google+, YouTube, Viber,
Snapchat, Weibo and WeChat.

TRANSPORT
A well-knit and coordinated system of transport plays an important part in the development
of economic growth of a country. The present transport system of India comprises several
modes of transport which includes (a) Rail (b) Roads (c) Inland waterways (d) Coastal
shipping and (e) Airways.
The Ministry of Transport is responsible for the formation and implementation of policies
and programmes for the development of various modes of transport except the railways
and the civil aviation.
NEED & IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPORT
Development of a Country

Production of Goods & Services + Movement of Goods & Services

Require

EFFICIENT Means of Transport

Link areas of production with consumption

Importance of Trans-
port System

Facilitates movement of Goods, Services Economic Prosperity & Maintain

& People at local & global level Security
The Smallest National Highway is NH47A with length of 6 kms from Bamanbore (Guj) to Nagpur.
 GK-472
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & TRANSPORT
TRANSPORT

Means of Transport

Land Water Air

Indian Road Network

•• India has a road network of over approx. 4,689,842 kilometers.
•• The Central Government is responsible for development and maintenance of the
National Highways system.
•• The Ministry carries out development and maintenance work of National Highways
through three agencies. viz. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), State Public
Works Department (PWDs) and Border Road Organization (BRO).
•• National Highways Development Project (NHDP) is the largest highway project ever
taken in the country.
•
FEATURES OF ROAD TRANSPORT
More economical for
short distance travel &
traffic movement

Cheap & Easy Provides

to Construct door-to-door
& Maintain service

Road
Transport

Feeder to More flexible &

Railways, Air Accessible
& Seaports
Constructed in hilly
areas, negotiate steep
slopes & sharp bends

QUICK FACTS
Categories Dimensions in Responsible Authority
Kms (up to 2011)
National Highways 92,851 Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (Central

Government)
State Highways 1,63,898 State governments (State’s public works department)
Major and Other 17,05,706 Local governments, Panchayats and Municipalities
District Roads
Rural Roads 27,49,805 Local governments, Panchayats and Municipalities

All highways directed from east to west are numbered in odd digits.
 CLASSIFICATION OF ROAD ON THE BASIS OF CAPACITY

National Highways State Highways District Roads Village Roads

Golden Quadrilateral
Super Highways Objective Maintained Major National Objective Maintained Objective
Objective Constructed/
by Highways by
Maintained by
Improve Special Impetus
& upgrade Link State Connect
Objective Implemented Major primary road NH-1 Capital with Zila
district head Parishad Pradhan Mantri
by Projects system Different quarters Grameen Sadak
Delhi-Amritsar District Yojana Govt.
Central
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & TRANSPORT

Reduce Time (Sher Shah Suri

Public Works Marg) State Public Link Rural Schemes
& Distance Works areas with
between Mega Department NH-2 Department Towns
Cities
Golden
National Quadrilateral Delhi-Kolkata
Highway NH-3
Authority Delhi-Kolkata- Border Roads
of India Chennai-Mumbai Agra-Mumbai
(6 lane)
North South NH-7 Objective Benefits Constructed/
Corridor Maintained by
Varanasi- Improved
Development Accessibility
Srinagar (J & K) Kanyakumari of Roads of Border Roads
to Kanyakumari in difficult
(Tamil Nadu) NH-8 Strategic Organisation
terrain
Importance in (est. in 1960)
East West North & North- Economic
Corridor Delhi-Mumbai East Border Development
States
GK-473

Porbandar
Gujarat to
Silcher, Assam
 GK-474
National Highways Development Project
National Highways Development Project
(NHDP) has taken up a massive programme
of road building in the country. Launched on
January 2, 1999, this is perhaps one of the
largest programmes of road development
ever taken up in the country. The project is
being implemented by National Highways
Authority of India (NHAI). NHDP has
following components.
(i) Phase I — Golden Quadrilateral
Comprising National Highways connecting
Delhi — Mumbai—Chennai—Kolkata—
Delhi by six-lane super highways. This
component has a total length of 5,846 km.
The four sides of the quadrilateral have
varying length. The side of quadrilateral
between Delhi and Mumbai is 1419 km
long, Mumbai to Chennai is 1,290 km long,
Chennai to Kolkata is the longest side which
is 1,684 km long. The side between Kolkata
and Delhi is 1,453 km long.
(ii) Phase II—North-South Corridor
Comprising the National Highways
connecting Srinagar to Kanniyakumari
including Kochi-Salem Spur and East-West
corridor comprising the National Highways
connecting Silchar in Assam and Porbandar
in Gujarat.
The project has a total length of about 7,300
km, out of which the North-South corridor
is 4,000 km and East-West corridor is 3,300
km long.
(iii) Phase III of NHDP
The NHDP Phase III, proposed to take up
rehabilitation and upgradation of about
10,000 km of existing National Highways to
4-lane dual carriageway configurations on a
BOT basis. Identification of these stretches
is proposed on the following principles:
(i) Corridors having high density of traffic.
(ii) Connectivity of State capitals with the
NHDP Phase I and II network.
(iii) Connectivity to places of economic,
commercial and tourist importance.
The implementation of entire 10,000
stretches has been entrusted to NHAI.
Accelerated North-East Road Development
Project is being proposed for the
development of roads in this region. The
The NH7 is the longest National highway in India with a length of 2369 km, Varanasi to Kanyakumari.
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & TRANSPORT
main purpose is to provide connectivity
to all the State capitals and district
headquarters including 4-laning of 315
km of National Highways between Nagao
and Dibrugarh and 2/4 laning of 288 km of
National Highways in Meghalaya, Nagaland
and Sikkim. Other stretches considered
critical for economic development are also
included in this proposal.
(iv) Phase IV of NHDP
This is a new initiative which aims
at providing balanced and equitable
distribution of improving/widening
highway network throughout the country
by upgrading 21,000 km of single lane
roads to 2 lane road with paved shoulders
and for strengthening of 17,000 km of
existing 2-lane highways and construction
of paved shoulders.
Border Roads Organisation
Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Board
was set up in May 1960 for accelerating
economic development and strengthening
defence preparedness through rapid and
co-ordinated improvement of roads in the
north and north-eastern border areas.
This organisation has constructed world’s
highest road joining Chandigarh with
Manali in Himachal Pradesh and Leh in
Ladakh.
This road runs at an average altitude of
4,270 metres above sea level and negotiates
four passes at heights ranging from 4,875
to 5,485 metres. It is a vital road link in the
western Himalayas and has considerably
reduced the distance between Chandigarh
and Leh.
The Border Roads Organisation has
now spread its activities throughout the
country and is presently working in states
of Rajasthan, J &K, Himachal Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh,
Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya,
Nagaland, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram,
Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar and Andaman and
Nicobar Islands. It has so far constructed
over 24,553 km of roads and surfaced
20,225 km of roads. It is also maintaining
about 16,720 km of roads in border areas.
The BRO is doing a commendable job
in the field of snow clearance on 64
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & TRANSPORT GK-475

roads for a length of 2,618 km in high

NH 5 Kolkata-Chennai
altitude areas. With the passage of time,
NH 6 Kolkata-Dhule
the BRO has extended and diversified
its field of activities and is now engaged NH 7 Varanasi-Kanyakumari
in the construction of airfields, building NH 8 Delhi-Mumbai (via Jaipur, Boroda
complexes, hospitals, schools, prestigious & Ahmedabad)
NH 9 Mumbai-Vijaywada
accommodation projects and allied
NH 10 Delhi-Fazilka
hydroelectric projects. A prestigious project
NH 24 Delhi - Lucknow
of developing the 160 km long Tamu-
NH 26 Lucknow-Varanasi
Kalemyo-Kalewa road in Myanmar was
taken up in 1997 and completed in 2001.
Another important work is the construction
Some Basic facts about the Indian
of Indo- Bangladesh Border (IBB) Roads
Road Network
and fencing of the border. India has the second largest road network
International Highways in the world. The density of India’s high-
way network is higher than that of the
The roads which are financed by the World United States.
Bank and connect India with neighbouring
countries are called international highways. Given below are some interesting facts
There are two categories of such highways, about India Roads.
(a) the main arterial routes linking the
capitals of neighbouring countries. Some Total length of Roads in 4.690 million
of the important routes of this category are India kilometers
(i) the Lahore-Mandalay (Myanmar) route Total Length of National 66,754 Kms
passing through Amritsar-Delhi-Agra- Highways in India
Kolkata-Golaghat- Imphal (ii) Agra-Gwalior- Length of India’s State 128,000
Hyderabad-Bangalore-Dhanushkodi road Highways
and (iii) Barhi-Kathmandu road.
Longest National NH 7 ( 2369
(b) Routes joining major cities, ports etc. Highway in India kms)
with arterial network such as: (i) Agra-
Mumbai road (ii) Delhi-Multan road (iii) Density of highway 0.66 km per
Bangalore-Chennai Road and (iv) Golaghat- network sqkm of land
Ledo road. Total Length of Express 562 Kms
Highways in India
IMPORTANT NATIONAL HIGHWAYS
NH Connects Indian Railways
NH 1 New Delhi-Ambala-Jalandhar- Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise
Amritsar and one of the world’s largest railway
networks comprising 115,000 km of
NH 2 Delhi-Mathura-Agra-Kanpur-
track over a route of 65,808 km and 7,112
Allahabad-Varanasi-Kolkata stations. Indian Railways is the second most
NH 3 Agra-Gwalior-Nasik-Mumbai important means of communication in
NH 4 Thane and Chennai via Pune and India contributing 1% to the gross domestic
Belgaum product from transportation point of view.
It was founded on April 16, 1853.
INDIAN RAILWAY TRACK
Broad Gauge
Inner (1.676 m)
distance Multiple
Railway between Metre Gauge
Gauge
Gauges 2 parallel (1.000 m)
Operations
rail lines Narrow Gauge
(0.762 and 0.610 m)
Colour distribution of milestones are as: National – Yellow and White, State – Green and White, City – Black and White.
 GK-476
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & TRANSPORT
RAILWAY TRANSPORT

Accelerate
Mode of transport Conduct development
for freight & Multifarious Integrating of Industry &
passengers Activities Force Agriculture

Railway
Transport

INDIAN RAILWAYS

Largest 1st Train-From (March 2011) Reorganised

Public Sector Mumbai to Network of 7133 into 16 zones
Undertaking Thane (34 km) stations + Route
in 1853 length of 64,460 km

INDIAN RAILWAYS ZONES AND THEIR HEADQUARTERS

Name Route (km) Headquarters

Southern (SR) 5098 Chennai

Central (CR) 3905 Mumbai

Western (WR) 6182 Mumbai

Eastern (ER) 2414 Kolkata

Northern (NR) 6968 Delhi

North Eastern (NER) 3667 Gorakhpur

South Eastern (SER) 2631 Kolkata

Northeast Frontier (NFR) 3907 Maligaon

South Central (SCR) 5951 Secunderabad

East Central (ECR) 3628 Hajipur

North Western (NWR) 5459 Jaipur

East Coast (ECoR) 2677 Bhubaneswar

North Central (NCR) 3151 Allahabad
South East Central(SECR) 2447 Bilaspur
South Western(SWR) 3177 Hubli
West Central (WCR) 2965 Jabalpur

All highways directed from North to South are numbered in even digits.
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & TRANSPORT GK-477

DISTRIBUTION PATTERN OF RAILWAY NETWORK

Distribution Pattern of
Railway Network

Regions of Dense Regions of Moderate Regions of Sparse

Network Network Network

Himalaya
Northern Plains Peninsular
Mountainous
Region
Regions

Reasons Reasons Reasons

Level Land, dense Hilly & Plateau terrain High relief, sparse
population, rich population, lack of
agricultural resources economic opportunities

PROBLEMS FACED BY RAILWAYS

Loss due to passengers travel
without tickets.

Delay & Inconvenience due to

chain pulling, stopping trains &
Problems faced other anti-social activities
by Railways
Thefts & damages to railway
property
Operational problems; accidents
TOP TEN STATES WITH TOP TEN COUNTRIES WITH
LONGEST RAIL NETWORK IN LONGEST RAIL NETWORK IN
IN INDIA THE WORLD
Rank State Route Km. Rank Country Route Km.
1. Uttar Pradesh 8832 1. USA 250000
2. Rajasthan 5872 2. China 100000
3. Maharashtra 5725 3. Russia 85500
4. Andhra Pradesh 5322 4. India 65000
5. Gujarat 5257 5. Canada 48000
6. Madhya Pradesh 4955 6. Germany 41000
7. West Bengal 4037 7. Australia 40000
8. Tamil Nadu 4027 8. Argentina 36000
9. Bihar 3656 9. France 29000
10. Karnataka 3228 10. Brazil 28000
Indian Railway is the third longest railway network around the world.
 GK-478
Metro Rail
Metro Rail was started in India on 24th October, 1984 in Kolkata. By far it has covered the
major metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi and Bangalore.
With 8 operational metro systems, metro rail lines are composed of both standard gauge
and broad gauge.
SCENARIO OF METRO RAIL IN FOUR METROPOLIS
City Owner
Kolkata Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation
Delhi Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRCL)
Mumbai Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development
Authority (MMRDA)
Chennai Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL)
Kolkata Metro
Kolkata Metro is the first mass rapid
transit system in the country and India’s
Oldest Metro Railway. The Line 1 North-
South Metro of 25 kilometers is in the
operation with 23 stations of which 15 are
underground station. Kolkata Metro is also
the first in country to build an operational
underground railway.
Chennai Metro
Chennai is second city in India to run a
rapid transit system in 1995, Chennai Mass
Rapid Transit System is an elevated railway
line run within the city from Chennai Beach
to Velachery. Chennai Metro Rail project
consist both elevated and underground
section.
Delhi Metro
Delhi Metro has 6 lines of 189.63 kilometers
with 142 railway stations of which 35
are underground. Delhi Metro consist a
combination of at-grade,underground and
elevated lines.
Bengaluru Metro
Bengaluru Metro also known as Namma
Metro is recently started rapid transit rail
system in the Bengaluru city of Karnataka.
Mumbai Metro
Mumbai, the financial and commercial
capital of India is all set to provide another
mode of transport to the people. Mumbai is
already running Monorail system, the first
monorail in India. Mumbai metro is opened
and over 10 lakh commuters traveled on
the city’s first Metro train. It covers the 11.4
km-long journey from Versova-Andheri-
Ghatkopar corridor.
DMRC is the first in the world to have started earning carbon credits for its regenerative breaking system.
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & TRANSPORT
Began Operation Distance in Kms
24 October 1984 28.14 km
24 December 2002 213 km
8 June 2014 11.4 km
29 June 2015 10km
Hyderabad Metro
Hyderabad Metro is under construction
with 3 lines and covering a distance of
around 71 km for the city. The Hyderabad
Metro is the first public-private partnership
metro project in India. Hyderabad is already
running a Multi-Modal Transport System
for particular routes.
Jaipur Metro
The pink city of Rajasthan got its first metro
line of 9.2 km from Mansarovar to Chandpole
Bazaar in November 2010. Rajasthan is one
of the most visited tourist place in India,
specially international tourist and Jaipur is
best place to enjoy royal Rajasthan.
Aviation industry
Aviation industry is the highly growing
market, in terms of World Economy. It
targets to be the third largest market by
2020 and to be in the first position by 2030.
Over the next five years, the industry will
experience an increase in the domestic and
international passenger traffic at an annual
average rate of 12 % and 8 % respectively.
Air transport in India made a beginning
in 1911 when airmail operation
commenced over a little distance of 10
km between Allahabad and Naini. But
its real development took place in post-
Independent period. The Airport Authority
of India is responsible for providing
safe, efficient air traffic and aeronautical
communication services in the Indian Air
Space. The authority manages 125 airports.
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & TRANSPORT GK-479

Airways
Airways

Merits Limitations

Fastest, comfortable & Very Expensive

prestigious mode

Reach inaccessible & remote Limited carrying capacity

areas

Cover difficult terrains (high Weather conditions hamper air

mountains, deserts, dense transport
forests, long oceanic stretches
with ease.
AIR TRANSPORT

Air Transport in India

Nationalised Domestic International Pawan Hans

in 1953 Airways Airways Helicopter

Indian Alliance Private Non- Indian Air India Public Provides

Airlines Air Scheduled Scheduled Airlines Sector helicopter
Airlines Operators Company services to
ONGC
BUSIEST AIRPORTS IN INDIA
Rank Name City State IATA Code
1. Indira Gandhi International Airpot Delhi Delhi DEL
2. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Mumbai Maharashtra BOM
3. Kempegowda International Airport Bangalore Karnataka BLR
4. Chennai International Airport Chennai Tamil Nadu MAA
5. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Kolkata West Bengal CCU
Airport
6. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport Hyderabad Telangana HYD
7. Cochin International Airport Kochi Kerala COK
8. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Ahmedabad Gujarat AMD
Airport
9. Pune International Airport Pune Maharashtra PNQ
10. Goa International Airport Dabolim Goa GOI
5/20 rule aviation: The rule allows an Indian carrier to fly abroad only after has completed five years of domestic operations
and maintains a fleet of 20 aircrafts.
 GK-480
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & TRANSPORT
Waterways
India has 14,500 km of navigable waterways, contributing about 1% to the country’s
transportation. It comprises rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks, etc. At present, 5,685 km
of major rivers are navigable by mechanised flat bottom vessels. For the development,
maintenance and regulation of national waterways in the country, the Inland Waterways
Authority was set up in 1986.
ADVANTAGES OF WATERWAYS

Cheapest means of
transport

Helps in Promotion of Waterways Suitable for carrying

foreign Trade heavy & bulky goods

Fuel efficient &

Environment friendly

NATIONAL WATERWAYS OF INDIA

Waterways Stretch Specification
NW 1 Allahabad-Haldia It is divided into three parts for
stretch (1,620 km) developmental purposes– (i) Haldia-
Farakka (560 km), (ii) Farakka-Patna
(460 km), (iii) Patna- Allahabad (600
km).
NW 2 Sadiya-Dhubri stretch Brahmaputra is navigable by steamers
(891 km) up to Dibrugarh (1,384 km) which is
shared by India and Bangladesh.
NW 3 Kottapuram-Kollam It includes 168 km of west coast canal
stretch (205 km). along with Champakara canal (23 km)
and Udyogmandal canal (14 km).
NW 4 Godavari and Krishna rivers along with
Kakinada Puducherry stretch of canals (1078
km)
NW 5 Specified stretches of river Brahmani
along with Matai river, delta channels of
Mahanadi and Brahmani rivers and East
Coast canals (588km).

The Central Water Transport corporation (CIWTC)

It was constituted in 1967 and has its headquarters at Kolkata. It is mainly engaged in
the transportation of goods by inland waterways in the Ganga, Brahamputra, Hugli and
Sundarbans regions. It is operating regular Cargo services between Kolkata and Karimganj
(Assam), Kolkata and Bangladesh, and Haldia and Patna.
World Water Day is held annually on March 22.
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & TRANSPORT GK-481

Inland Waterway Authority of India Kochi Kerala Arabian Sea

(IWAI) Vishakhapatnam Andhra Bay of Bengal
The Inland Waterway Authority of India Pradesh
came into existence on 27 October, 1986 for Paradip Odisha Bay of Bengal
the development and regulation of inland (Orissa)
waterways for shipping and navigation. The New Tuticorin Tamil Nadu Bay of Bengal
authority primarily undertakes projects Marmagao Goa Arabian Sea
for development and maintenance of IWT Kandla Gujarat Arabian Sea
infrastructure on national waterways
New Mangalore Karnataka Arabian Sea
through grant received from the Ministry
Nhava Sheva Maharasthra Arabian Sea
of shipping, Road Transport and Highways. (Jawahar Lal
The head–office is at Noida. The National Nehru Port)
Inland Navigation Institute is located at Ennore Tamil Nadu Bay of Bengal
Patna.
Port Blair Andman and Bay of Bengal
Ports Nicobar

•• Indian coastline is about 7516.6 Facts

kilometers and it is one of the biggest
peninsulas in the world.
•• It is serviced by 12 major ports, 200
notified minor and intermediate ports.
Maharashtra (48) has the maximum
number of non-major ports followed by
Gujarat (42) and Andaman & Nicobar
Islands (23).
•• The Major Ports are administered by
the central government’s shipping
ministry.
•• The Minor and Intermediate ports
are administered by the relevant
departments or ministries in the nine
coastal states.
The Coastal States in India are Andhra
Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu,
Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and
Gujarat.
India has about 7517 km of main coastline
spread over 13 states/union territories, and
studded with 12 major ports and 200 non-
major ports (minor and intermediate).
MAJOR PORTS OF INDIA
Name State/UT River/Strait/
Ocean
Kolkata West Bengal Hoogly River
Mumbai Maharashtra Arabian Sea
Chennai Tamil Nadu Bay of Bengal
• Jawahar Lal Nehru Port in Mumbai is
the largest port in India.
• Vishakhapatnam Port is the largest
natural port.
• Kandla is the tidal port in Gujarat. It has
been made into a free trade zone.
• Haldia Port (WB) is said to be developed
as the first Green port of India.
• Kochi port is a natural harbour on the
west coast. It largely handles coal,
petroleum products, fertilisers, raw
materials and general cargo.
•• Paradip Port is an artificial and deep-
water port.
•• Ennore Port, officially renamed
Kamarajar Port Limited, is the only
corporatised major port and is
registered as a company.
•• Jawaharlal Nehru Port is the largest
container port in India. It was formerly
known as Nhava Sheva port.
•• Tuticorin Port is an artificial deep-
sea harbour of India. Tuticorin Port is
officially known as VO Chidambaranar
Port.
•• Chennai Port is the one of the oldest
port of India and the second largest
port in the country.

Gujarat forms the longest coastline that is about 1600 km.

 Major Sea Ports (12)
At a Glance

GK-482

West Coast East Coast

Kandla Mumbai New Tuticorin Vishakhapatnam Kolkata

Port Jawaherlal Nehru Mangalore Port Port (Tamil Port Port
(Gujarat) Port Nhava Sheva (Karnataka) Nadu)
Deepest Inland
Natural
1st port Decongest landlocked & Riverine Port
Harbour
Mumbai port Export-Iron ore well-protected
Tidal Rich port Large & Rich
concentrates
port Hub Hinterland hinterland
from Kudremukh
port Handle large Outlet for of Ganga-
mines
variety of Iron ore Brahmaputra
cargoes export basin
Mumbai Marmagao Kochi Port
Port Port (Goa) (Kerala) Trade with
Tidal
Located at neighbouring
Port
MAJOR SEA PORTS OF INDIA

Biggest Iron-ore entrance countries

port exporting port of lagoon (Srilanka,
Maldives) Paradip Port Haldia
Chennai Port (Odisha) Port (West
Natural & well- Natural
sheltered Harbour Bengal)
Harbour Oldest
Artificial port Export of
Ranked next iron ore As a subsidiary
to Mumbai in port to relieve
Trade & Cargo
COMMUNICATION, MEDIA & TRANSPORT

pressure on
Kolkata port
FILM INDUSTRY GK-483

FILM INDUSTRY

INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY

India is the largest producer of films in the
world and second oldest film industry in the
world which originated around about 103
years ago. It was in early 1913 that an Indian
film received a public screening. The film was
Raja Harischandra. Its director, Dadasaheb
Phalke is now remembered through a life-
time achievement award bestowed by the
film industry in his name. It was Phalke
who introduced India to world cinema at a
time when working in films was taboo. After
the success of 'Raja Harishchandra', several
filmmakers in Bombay and Madras began
making silent films.
The silent era came to an end when
Ardeshir Irani produced his first talkie, 'Alam
Ara' in 1931.
The year also marked the beginning of the
Talkie era in South Indian films. The first
talkie films in Bengali (Jumai Shasthi),
Telugu (Bhakta Prahlad) and Tamil
(Kalidas) were released in the same year.
Indian film industry is also the dominant
source of movies and entertainment in its
neighbouring countries of South Asia. Largest
film industry in India is the Hindi film industry
mostly concentrated in Mumbai(Bombay),
and is commonly referred to as "Bollywood",
an amalgamation of Bombay, which produces
around 20% of films in India. The other
largest film industries are Telugu cinema,
Tamil cinema, Kannada cinema, Malayalam
cinema, and Bangla cinema (Cinema of West
Bengal), which are located in Hyderabad,
Chennai, Bengaluru (Bengaluru), Kochi,
and Kolkata are commonly referred to as
"Tollywood" (Telugu), "Kollywood"(Tamil),
"Sandalwood"(Kannada),"Mollywood"(Ma
layalam), "Tollywood"(Bangla). The Indian
film industry produces more than 1000 films
a year. "Bollywood" is the largest portion
of this and is viewed all over the Indian
Subcontinent, and is increasingly popular in
UK, United States, Australia, New Zealand,
Southeast Asia, Africa, the Gulf countries and
European countries. The largest film studio
complex in the world is Ramoji Film City
is located at Hyderabad, India, which was
opened in 1996 and measures 674 ha (1,666
acres), comprising 47 sound stages,

Popular Indian Cinema People

Producers
Name Films and Year
1. Nikhil Advani D-Day (2013), Katti Batti (2015), Airlift (2016).
2. Farhan Akhtar Don (2006), Rock On (2008), Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011),
Dil Dhadakne Do (2015).
3. Sanjay Leela Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Black (2005), Saawariya
Bhansali (2007), Gabbar is Back (2015), Bajirao Mastani (2015).

Bollywood word has been included as a word in the Oxford Dictionary.

 GK-484
FILM INDUSTRY
4. Yash Johar Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001),
Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003).
5. Aditya Chopra Dhoom (2004), Veer Zaara (2004), Chak De ! India (2007),
Band Baaja Baaraat (2010), Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Fan (2016),
Sultan (2016).
Directors
1. Mani Ratnam Dil Se (1998), Bombay (1995), Guru (2007).
2. Prakash Jha Gangaajal (2003), Apaharan (2005), Raajneeti (2010),
Aarakshan (2011), Chakravyuh (2012), Satyagraha (2013).
3. AR Murugadoss Ghajini (2008) Holiday (2014), Akira (2016).
4. Farhan Akhtar Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Don (2006), Lakshya (2004),.
5. Sanjay Leela Devdas (2002), Black (2005), Saawariya (2007), Bajirao Mastani
Bhansali (2015).
Lyricists
1. Sampooran Singh Mirzya (2016), Kill Dil (2014), Dedh Ishqiya (2014), Jab Tak Hai
Kalra (Gulzar) Jaan (2012), Raajneeti (2010), Guru (2007).
2. Javed Akhtar Welcome, Don 2, Talaash, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Om Shanti Om, Jodhaa
Akbar.
3. Sameer Saawariya, Aashiq Banaya Aapne, Tere Naam, Andaaz, Raaz,
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Dhadkan.
4. Irshad Kamil Sultan (2016), Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015), Highway (2014),
Raanjhnaa (2013), Aashiqui 2 (2013).
5. Swanand Kirkire 3 Idiots (2009), Raajneeti (2010), Singham (2011), Barfi (2012),
Vicky Donor (2012).
Actors
1. Amitabh Bachchan Anand (1971) Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Don (1978),
Agnipath (1990), Mohabbatein (2000), Black (2005), Paa
(2009), Pink (2016)
2. Akshay Kumar Namaste London (2007), Hera Pheri (2000), Welcome (2007),
(Rajiv Hariom Singh is King (2008), Housefull (2010), Special 26 (2013),
Bhatia) Holiday (2014), Gabbar is Back (2015), Airlift (2016).
3. Hrithik Roshan Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai (2000), Koi Mil Gaya, Krrish (2006), Dhoom
2 (2006), Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011).
4. Ranbir Kapoor Rockstar (2011), Raajneeti (2010), Barfi (2012), Roy (2015),
Tamasha (2015).
5. Ranveer Singh Band Baaja Baaraat(2010), Ram Leela (2013), Dil Dhadakne Do
(2015), Bajirao Mastani (2015).
6. Shahrukh Khan Darr (1993), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch
Hota Hai (1998), Mohabbatein (2000), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003),
Don (2006), Fan (2016).

Devika Rani was the first actress with a degree in film making.
FILM INDUSTRY GK-485

7. Salman Khan Tere Naam (2003), Wanted (2009), Dabangg (2010), Ek Tha
Tiger (2012), Kick (2014), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), Sultan
(2016).
8. Aamir Khan Sarfarosh (1999), Lagaan (2001), Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Rang
De Basanti (2006), Taare Zameen Par (2007), Ghajini (2008),
3 Idiots (2009), Dhoom 3 (2013), PK (2014).
9. Saif Ali Khan Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2001), Hum Tum
(2004), Parineeta (2005), Omkara (2006), Love Aaj Kal (2009),
Salaam Namaste (2005).
10. Ajay Devgan Gangaajal (2015), Apaharan (2005), Golmaal (2006), Raajneeti
(2010), Once upon a Time in Mumbai (2010), Singham (2011),
Satyagraha (2013), Drishyam (2015).
Actresses
1. Aishwarya Rai Taal (1999), Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Mohabbatein
(2000), Dhoom 2 (2006), Guru (2007), Aye Dil Hai Mushkil
(2016).
2. Jacqueline Housefull (2010), Murder 2 (2011), Race 2 (2013), Kick (2014),
Fernandez Roy (2015), Dishoom (2016), A Flying Jatt (2016).
3. Deepika Padukone Om Shanti Om (2007), Love Aaj Kal (2009), Chennai Express
(2013), Ram Leela (2013), Piku (2015), Bajirao Mastani (2015).
4. Priyanka Chopra Andaaz (2003), Fashion (2008), Aitraaz (2004), Barfi (2012),
Mary Kom (2014), Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), Bajilrao Mastani
(2015).
5. Anushka Sharma Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), Badmaash Company (2010), Jab
Tak Hai Jaan (2012), PK (2014), NH 10 (2015), Sultan (2016).
List of Top 10 Highest-grossing Bollywood Movies of 2016
Movie Name Budget Lifetime Business
1. Sultan 90 Cr. 300.45 Cr.
2. M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story 104 Cr. 132.85 Cr.
3. Airlift 30 Cr. 127.80 Cr.
4. Rustom 40 Cr. 127.13 Cr.
5. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil 72 Cr. 109.00 Cr.
6. House full 3 85 Cr. 108 Cr.
7. Shivaay 105 Cr. 97.57 Cr.
8. Fan 105 Cr. 85 Cr.
9. Baaghi 47 Cr. 76 Cr.
10. Neerja 30 Cr. 75.61 Cr.

'Mughal-e-Azam (1960) was a trilingual-with all scenes shot thrice in Hindi, Tamil and English.
 GK-486
FILM INDUSTRY

INTERNATIONAL FILM INDUSTRY

The first films to consist of more than one shot
appeared toward the end of the 19th century,
a notable example was the French film of the
life of Jesus Christ by Alice Guy. It was not a
continuous film rather the separate scenes
were interspersed with lantern slides, a lecture,
and live choral numbers, to increase the running
time of the spectacle to about 90 minutes.
Another example of this is the reproductions
of scenes from the Greco-Turkish war, made by
Georges Méliès in 1897. Real film continuity,
involving action moving from one sequence
into another, is attributed to British film pioneer
Robert W. Paul's Come Along, Do!The further
development of action continuity in multi-shot
films continued in 1899 at the Brighton School
in England. In the latter part of that year, George
Albert Smith made The Kiss in the Tunnel in
1900, continuity of action across successive
shots was definitively established by George
Albert Smith and James Williamson, who also
worked in Brighton
G.A Smith pioneered the use of the close-
up shot in his 1900 films As Seen Through a
Telescope and Grandma's Reading Glass.
The first use of animation in movies was in
1899, with the production of the short film
Matches: An Appeal by British film pioneer
Arthur Melbourne-Cooper.
The first feature length multi-reel film in the
world was the 1906 Australian production
called The Story of the Kelly Gang. The first
successful permanent theatre showing only
films was "The Nickelodeon", which was
opened in Pittsburgh in 1905.

Popular International Cinema People

Directors
Name Films and Year
1. Christopher Nolan Memento (2000), Insomnia (2002), Batman Begins (2005), The
Prestige (2006), The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010 ),
The Dark Knight Rises (2012 ), Interstellar (2014).
2. James Cameron The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989), Terminator
2: Judgment Day (1991), True Lies (1994), Titanic (1997), Ghosts of
the Abyss (2003), Aliens of the Deep (2005 ), Avatar (2009).
3. Steven Spielberg Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can (2002), War of the Worlds,
Munich (2005), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal
Skull (2008), The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the
Unicorn (2011).
4. David Fincher Panic Room (2002), Zodiac (2007), The Curious Case of Benjamin
Button (2008), The Social Network (2010), The Girl with the Dragon
Tattoo (2011), Gone Girl (2014).
5. Zack Snyder Dawn of the Dead (2004), 300 (2007), Watchmen (2009), Legend
of the Guardians (2010), Sucker Punch (2011), Man of Steel (2013),
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).

Lyricists
1. Bob Dylan - Forrest Gump, American Beauty, Silver Linings Playbook, The Big Lebowski
2. David Bowie - Labyrinth, Basquiat, The Hunger, The Man Who Fell to Earth
3. Tyler Perry - Diary of a Mad Black Woman, I Can Do Bad All by Myself, For Better or
Worse, Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor

In the 19th Century, Charlie Chapter Chaplin made his theatrical debut at the age of eight, in 1897.
FILM INDUSTRY GK-487

4. Mel Brooks - The Producers, Spaceballs, Blazing Saddles, History of the World: Part I
5. Stevie Wonder - Silver Linings Playbook, Die Hard, I Am Legend, I, Robot

Actors
Name Films and Year
1. Christian Bale Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008 ), Terminator
Salvation (2009), Public Enemies (2009), The Dark Knight Rises
(2012).
2. Johnny Depp Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), Pirates of
the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007), Public Enemies (2009),
Alice in Wonderland (2010), The Tourist (2010), Pirates of the
Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), The Rum Diary (2011).
3. Leonardo DiCaprio Titanic (1997), The Departed (2006), Blood Diamond (2006),
Body of Lies (2008), Inception (2010 ), The Great Gatsby (2013
), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), The Revenant (2015).
4. Robert Downey Jr. Zodiac (2007 ); Lucky You (2007), Iron Man (2008), Tropic
Thunder (2008), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Iron Man 2 (2010),
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), The Avengers
(2012), Iron Man 3 2015 Avengers (2013).
5. Brad Pitt Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Troy (2004), Ocean’s Twelve (2004 ),
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Ocean’s Thirteen (2007), Tree of Life
(2011), Moneyball (2011 ), World War Z (2013), 12 Years a
Slave (2013 ), Fury (2014).

Actresses
Name Films and Year
1. Emma Stone Superbad (2007), Zombieland (2009), Easy A (2010), Crazy,
Stupid, Love (2011), The Help (2011), The Amazing Spider-
Man (2012), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), Birdman
(2014)
2. Jennifer Lawrence 2013 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire; 2013 American Hustle;
2015 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2; 2015 Joy ; 2016
A Beautiful Planet; 2016 X-Men: Apocalypse; 2016 Passengers
3. Natalie Portman 2009 The Other Woman; 2009 New York, I Love You
Brothers; 2010 Black Swan; 2011 No Strings Attached; 2011
Your Highness; 2011 Thor; 2013 Illusions & Mirrors; 2013
Thor: The Dark World
4. Angelina Jolie 2005 Mr. & Mrs. Smith; 2008 Wanted; 2010 The Tourist; 2008
Changeling; 2010 Salt; 2014 Maleficent; 2015 By the Sea
5. Scarlett Johansson 2009 He’s Just Not That Into You; 2010 Iron Man 2; 2011 We
Bought a Zoo; 2012 The Avengers; 2014 Captain America: The
Winter Soldier; 2014 Chef; 2014 Lucy; 2015 Avengers: Age of
Ultron

Roundhay Garden Scence, an 1888 short silent film is the oldest surviving film in existence, noted by the Guinness Book of Records.
 GK-488
FILM INDUSTRY
Producers
Name Films and Year
1. Kathleen Kennedy Rogue One (2016) Star wars (2015), LinColn (2012),
Crossing Over (2009), The Last Airbender (2010), Jurassic
Park (1993).
2. Quentin Tarantino Planet Terror (2007), Hostel (2005), Hell Ride (2008), My
Best Friend's Birthday (1987).
3. Peter Jackson The Hobbit (2014), West of Memphis (2012), King Kong
(2005), District 9 (2009), The Lovely Bones (2009).
4. Frank Marshall Jason Bourne (2016), Jurassic World (2015), The Bourne
Legacy (2012), The Sixth Sense (1999), Signs (2002), The
Young Black Stallion (2003).
5. Harvey Weinstein Southpaw (2015), Scream (2015), Carol (2015), Sin City
(2014), Escape from Planet Earth (2013), Spy kids (2011),
Rambo (2008) The Reader (2008).

Hollywood’s Highest-grossing Films of 2016

Rank Title Distributer Worldwide gross
1 Capital America: Civil War $1,153,304,495
2 Finding Dory $1,023,352,708
Disney
3 Zootopia $1,023,761,003
4 The Jungle Book $966,533,249
5 The Secret Life of Pets Universal $873,713,249
6 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Warner Bros. $873,260,194
Justice
7 Deadpool Fox $782,612,155
8 Suicide Squad Warner Bros. $745,600,054
9 Doctor Strange Disney $582,186,769
10 The Mermaid Sony $553,810,228

The Sensorium is regarded the world's first commercial 4D film and was first screened in a Six Flags theme park in Baltimore in 1984.
 EDUCATION AND CAREER GK-489
EDUCATION AND
CAREER
STRUCTURE OF HRD
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF
HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (MHRD)
The essence of Human Resource Development
(HRD) is education, which plays a significant
and remedial role in balancing the socio-
economic fabric of the country. It was created
on September 26, 1985, through the 174th
amendment to the Government of India
(Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961.
The main objectives of the Ministry
would be:
•• Formulating the National Policy on
Education and to ensure that it is
implemented in letter and spirit
•• Planned development, including expanding
access and improving quality of the
educational institutions throughout the
country, including in the regions where
people do not have easy access to education.
•• Paying special attention to disadvantaged
groups like the poor, females and the
minorities
•• Provide financial help in the form of
scholarships, loan subsidy, etc to deserving
students from deprived sections of the society.
•• Encouraging international cooperation in the
field of education, including working closely
with the UNESCO and foreign governments
as well as Universities, to enhance the
educational opportunities in the country.
Nalanda University of Bihar was reopened after 800 years on 1st September, 2014.
Department of School Education &
Literacy
The essence and role of education
articulated in the National Policy on
Education (NPE), 1986/92 continues to be
relevant even 25 years after its formulation.
National Policy on Education(NPE) states:
•• In our national perception education is
essentially for all. This is fundamental to
our all-round development.
•• Education has an acculturating role.
•• Education develops manpower for
different levels of the economy.
•• In sum, education is a unique investment
in the present and the future. This cardinal
principle is the key to the National Policy
on Education.
Department of Higher Education
The Department of Higher Education, MHRD,
is responsible for the overall development of
the basic infrastructure of Higher Education
sector, both in terms of policy and planning.
Under a planned development process, the
Department looks after expansion of access
and qualitative improvement in the Higher
Education, through world class Universities,
Colleges and other Institutions.
 EDUCATION & CAREER
th Graduation
Intermediate(XII )

GK-490

Science Commerce Humanities Science Commerce Humanities

(B.Sc) (B.Com) (B.A)
Careers in: Careers in:
• B.Com • B.A
• BBA • BBA Careers in: Careers in:
• CA/CS • Mass Communication • Accountancy • M.A
• Accountancy • Psychoanalysis • M. Com • • Psychology:
• Mass Communication • Career Counselling • CA/CS – Career
• CLAT • SSC(Govt.Jobs) • MBA Counselling
• SSC(Govt.Jobs) • Teaching – PsychoAnalysis
Math Group Bio Group • Data Analysis • Teaching
• Others...
• Govt Jobs: • MBA
PCM PCB – UPSC • Govt Jobs:
(Phy, Che, Math) (Phy, Che, Bio) Careers in: Careers in:
• B.Tech – PCS – UPSC
• M.Sc (zoology,
• M.Sc/Phy, Chemistry, Math – Railway – PCS
Bot, Agriculture)
Careers in: Careers in: • Nuclear Science – Banking – Railway
• Biotechnology
• IIT/NIT/Engg. • NEET/AIIMS • Aerospace – SSC – Banking
• Health Science
• B.Sc • Biotech • Petrochemical – etc. – SSC etc.
• Biochemistry
• BBA • Biochemistry • Applied Mathmatics • Nutrition Science
• CA/CS • Biophysics • Forensic Science • Environment Science
• Mass Communication • Mass Communication • Energy (solar,wind,etc.) • Wildlife
• CLAT • CA/CS • Robotics • Agriculture Science
• NDA • CLAT • Meteorology • Biomedicine
• SSC(Govt.Jobs) • SSC(Govt.Jobs) • Hydrology, Hydrogeology • Teaching, MBA
• Others... • Teaching, MBA • Govt.Jobs: UPSC, PCS
• Govt. Jobs–UPSC, Banking, Railway, SSC, etc.
SSC, PCS, Railway, Banking,
Defence
EDUCATION AND CAREER
EDUCATION AND CAREER GK-491

EDUCATION IN INDIA
Education in India is provided by public sector as well as the private sector. with control
and funding coming from three levels: Central, State, and Local. The Central and most state
boards uniformly follow the “10+2+3” pattern of education.

Education School/Level Grade Grade Age Age Years Notes

From To from To
Primary Elementary 1 8 6 14 8
School
Secondary Secondary 9 12 14 18 4 Includes standards X
School and XII - Secondary
School or Senior
Secondary School
Tertiary University/ 3
Collage Level
Tertiary Technical 4 Under-graduate
Institutes degree

Of all the schools in the world, the City Montessori School is the largest in India.
 GK-492
EDUCATION AND CAREER
Regulatory Framework of Higher Education in India
• Department of Higher Education, • University Grants Commission
Ministry of Human Resources Development • AICTE, MCI, PCI, DEC, BCI, NCTE
• Association of Indian Universities • ICAR, ICMR, ICSSR, CSIR

gn
• Central Advisory Board of Education • States Regulatiors

Re
ki
ma

gu
• State Councils for Higher Education

lat
y
lic

io
n
Po
Accreditation

• National Board of Accreditation

• National Assessment and Accreditation Council

University and Higher Education Institution under State Legislature Act

In India, “University” means a University
established or incorporated by or under a
Central Act, a Provincial Act or a State Act
and includes any such institution as may, in
consultation with the University concerned,
recognised by the University Grants
Commission (UGC).
At present, the main categories: Central
Universities, State Universities, Deemed-
to-be Universities and University-level
institutions. These are described as follows:
Central University
A university established or incorporated by
a Central Act.
State University
A university established or incorporated by
a Provincial Act or by a State Act.
Private University
A university established through a State/
Central Act by a sponsoring body. A Society
registered under the Societies Registration Act
1860, or any other corresponding law for the
time being in force in a State or a Public Trust
or a Company registered under Section 25 of
the Companies Act, 1956.
Deemed-to-be University
An institution Deemed to be University,
commonly known as Deemed University,
refers to a high-performing institution, which
has been so declared by Central Government
under Section 3 of the University Grants
Commission (UGC) Act, 1956.
Institution of National Importance
An Institution established by Act of Parliament
and declared as Institution of National
importance.
Agnes Zhelesnik is the world’s oldest teacher, who is 101 years old.
An Institution established or incorporated
by a State Legislature Act.
National Curriculum Framework
(NCF 2005)
The National Curriculum Framework
(NCF 2005) is one of four National
Curriculum Frameworks published in
1975, 1988, 2000 and 2005 by the National
Council of Educational Research and
Training NCERT in India.
•• The Framework provides the framework
for making syllabii, textbooks and
teaching practices within the school
education programmes in India.
•• The NCF 2005 document draws its
policy basis from earlier government
reports on education as Learning
Without Burden and National Policy of
Education 1986-1992 and focus group
discussion.
Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)
•• A Massive Open Online Course is
an online course aimed at unlimited
participation and open access via the web.
•• In addition to traditional course materials
such as filmed lectures, readings, and
problem sets, many MOOCs provide
interactive user forums to support
community interactions among students,
professors, and teaching assistants (TAs).
•• MOOCs are a recent and widely researched
development in distance education
which were first introduced in 2008 and
emerged as a popular mode of learning in
2012.
•• As MOOCs have evolved, there appear
to be two distinct types: “cMOOC” and
“xMOOC”.
 EDUCATION AND CAREER GK-493
•• cMOOCs are based on principles from
connectivist pedagogy indicating that
material should be aggregated (rather
than pre-selected), remixable, re-
purposable, and feeding forward (i.e.
evolving materials should be targeted at
future learning).
•• xMOOCs have a much more traditional
course structure typically with a clearly
specified syllabus of recorded lectures
and self-test problems.
INSTITUTIONS SCHOOL EDUCATION
AND LITERACY
Central Board of Secondary Education
(C.B.S.E)
The Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE) is a Board of Education for public
and private schools which functions under
the supervision of the Union Government of
India. CBSE affiliates Kendriya Vidyalayas,
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, private
schools and most of the schools approved
by Central Government of India. It conducts
10th and 12th boards every year in the
month of March. It also conducts AIPMT
(All India Pre Medical Test NEET) for
admission to major medical colleges in
India. In 2014, the conduct of the National
Eligibility Test for grant of junior research
fellowship and eligibility for assistant
professor in institutions of higher learning
was outsourced to CBSE. With the addition
of NET in 2014, the CBSE has become the
largest exam conducting body in the world.
Vineet Joshi is the current chairman of the
board.
Council for the Indian School
Certificate Examinations (CISCE)
Council for the Indian School Certificate
Examinations (CISCE) is a national level,
private Board of School education in India
which conducts the Indian Certificate of
Secondary Education and the Indian School
Certificate examinations for 10th and
12th standard respectively. The board was
established in 1958.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
The International Baccalaureate (IB),
formerly known as The International
Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is an
Banaras Hindu University is one of the best and largest residential university in Asia.
international educational foundation
headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland,
founded in 1968. IB offers for educational
programmes for children aged 3-19. It is a
non-profit educational foundation offering
four highly respected programmes of
international education that develop the
intellectual, personal, emotional and social
skills needed to live, learn and work in a
rapidly globalizing world. Schools must be
authorized, by the IB organization, to offer
any of the programmers.
The top IB schools of the country are
as follows:
•• The Doon School, Dehradun
•• Woodstock School, Mussoorie
(Uttarakhand)
•• GD Goenka School, Gurgaon
•• Kodaikanal International School,
Tamil Nadu
•• Singapore International School,
Mumbai
National Council of Educational
Research and Training
•• The National Council of Educational
Research and Training (NCERT)
is an autonomous organisation of
the  Government of India that was
established on 1 September 1961 as a
literary, scientific and charitable society
under the Societies’ Registration Act
(Act XXI of 1860). Its headquarters are
located at Sri Aurbindo Marg in New
Delhi.  NCERT assists and advises the
Central and state governments on
academic matters related to school
education.
•• The major objectives of NCERT and its
constituent units are to: undertake,
promote and coordinate research in
areas related to school education;
prepare and publish model textbooks,
supplementary material, newsletters,
journals and develops educational
kits, multimedia digital materials, etc.
organise pre-service and in-service
training of teachers; develop and
disseminate innovative educational
techniques and practices; collaborate
and network with state educational
 GK-494
departments, universities, NGOs
and other educational institutions;
act as a clearing house for ideas and
information in matters related to school
education; and act as a nodal agency for
achieving the goals of Universalisation
of Elementary Education.
National Institute of Open Schooling
(NIOS)
•• The National Institute of Open
Schooling National Open School,
(name changed in 2002) is the
board of education under the Union
Government of India. It was established
by the Ministry of Human Resource
Development of the Government of
India in 1989 to provide education
to remote areas under the motive to
increase literacy and aimed forward for
flexible learning.
•• It is a national board that administers
examinations for Secondary and Senior
Secondary examinations of open
schools similar to the CBSE and the
CISCE to increase literacy and provide
education to rural areas.
University Grants Commission
The University Grants Commission (UGC)
is a constitutional organization established
in 1956 by an Act of Parliament. It provides
grants to eligible universities and colleges,
and also advises the Central and State
Governments on the measures which are
necessary for the development of Higher
Education. Its headquarters is situated in
New Delhi and the other six Regional offices
are located in Bangalore, Bhopal, Guwahati,
Hyderabad, Kolkata and Pune. Indian
government has set a National Institutional
of Ranking Framework under UGC which will
rank all educational institutes by April 2016.
Prof. Ved Prakash is the incumbent Chairman
of UGC. The Commission along with CSIR
conducts NET for appointments of teachers
in colleges and universities. It has made
NET qualification mandatory for teaching
at Graduation level and at Post Graduation
level since July 2009.
There are 22 Universities in the name of “Gandhi”: Mahatma Gandhi-8, Rajiv Gandhi-8, Indira Gandhi-5 and Sanjay Gandhi-1.
EDUCATION AND CAREER
All India Council for Technical
Education (AICTE)
The All India Council for Technical
Education (AICTE) is the statutory body
and a national-level council for technical
education, under Department of Higher
Education, Ministry of Human Resource
Development. The Council was established
in November 1945 as an advisory body but
in 1987 was given statutory status by an Act
of Parliament. It is responsible for proper
planning and coordinated development of
the technical education and management
education system in India. The AICTE
accredits postgraduate and graduate
programs under specific categories at
Indian institutions as per its charter.
What is a deemed university?
Deemed university, or “Deemed-to-be-
University”, is a status of autonomy granted
by the Department of Higher Education in
the Union Human Resource Development
Ministry, on the advice of the UGC, under
Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956. The status
allows full autonomy in courses, syllabus,
admissions and fees. The first institute
to be granted deemed university status
was Indian Institute of Science which was
granted this status on 12th May 1958.
Indian Council of Social Science
Research
Indian Council of Social Science Research
(ICSSR) was established in the year of 1969
by the Government of India to promote
research in social sciences in the country.
The Council was meant to:
•• Review the progress of social science
research and give advice to its users;
•• Sponsor social science research
programmes and projects and
administer grants to institutions and
individuals for research in social
sciences;
•• Institute and administer scholarships
and fellowships for research in social
sciences;
•• Indicate areas in which social science
research is to be promoted and adopt
special measures for development of
research in neglected or new areas;
•• Give financial support to institutions,
associations, and journals engaged in
social science research.
 EDUCATION AND CAREER GK-495
CAREER
The word career refers to a person’s chosen
profession or occupation. A career often
requires special training and comes with
some expectation of progress throughout
the course of an individual’s life.
Career Exploration
Career Exploration is the process of.
• learning about yourself and the world of
work
• identifying and exploring potentially
satisfying occupations
• developing an effective strategy to realize
your goals
Career Planning 4-step Planning
Process
Career planning is an ongoing process that
can help you manage your learning and
development.
You can use the four step planning process
whether you are:
• still at school;
• a school dropper;
• an adult adding on skills; or
• an adult changing your job or career.
Career Planning is the Continuous
Process of:
• thinking about your interests, values,
skills and preferences;
• exploring the life, work and learning
options available to you;
• ensuring that your work fits with your
personal circumstances; and
• continuously fine-tuning your work and
learning plans to help you manage the
The world’s first university was established in Taxila in 700 BC.
changes in your life and the world of
work.
Career Guidance
Career guidance consists of the services
that help people successfully manage their
career development. Although this aspect
of human development occurs on its own
as we mature, everyone can benefit from
assistance navigating through this process.
Service
Since career guidance is intended to support
an individual through his or her entire career,
it includes the following components:
• Career Choice Assistance
• Job Search Help
• Early and Mid-Career Advice
• Job Loss Recovery
• Motivatation
• Career Change
UPSC
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
is one of the many constitutional bodies in
India. It is authorized to conduct competitive
examinations and interviews for recruitment
of civil services, defence services and posts
under the Union Government or Central
Government.
Some of the most sought after exams are
as follows:
Civil Services Examination
It is conducted by the UPSC. Top services
offered by this examination are: IAS (Indian
Administrative Service), IPS (Indian Police
Service), IFS (Indian Foreign Service), IRS
(Indian Revenue Service), Indian Customs
and Central Excise Service etc. There are
total twenty-four services offered through
this single examination. Considering the
importance and the nature of the jobs,
UPSC takes utmost care in selecting the right
people. A three level examination is conducted
to achieve this purpose which include
Preliminary Examination (Objective-type
questions), Main Examination (Descriptive-
 GK-496
type questions), and interview test. This
examination is open to graduates in any
discipline.
Indian Forest Service Examination
IFS officers are recruited through the IFS
examination conducted annually by the Union
Public Service Commission. The examination
is open to graduates in any science or
engineering discipline and has a three-
stage selection process including Preliminary
Examination (Objective-type questions),
Main Examination (Written and Interview)
spanning nearly seven months. The officers
while in field postings in their state cadres
work for conservation, protection and
development of forests and wildlife along with
an aim to enhance livelihood opportunities of
forest dependent communities of rural and
tribal areas.
Engineering Services Examination
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
conducts Engineering Services Examination
as a combined competitive examination
for recruitment to the services or posts of
Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering,
Mechanical Engineering, and Electronics and
Telecommunication Engineering. The exam
is conducted for selection of engineers for
government’s engineering organizations, such
as Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE),
Central Engineering Service (CES), Military
Engineering Services (MES), etc. The entrance
comprises of a Written Exam (section I and
II) and an Interview.
Combined Defence Services
Examination (CDS)
(CDS) Combined Defence Service
Examination is an exam conducted twice
every year by Union Public Service
Commission (UPSC). It is an exam to induct
officers into the Indian Defence Forces i.e.
the Army and the Air force. The entrance
comprises of a Written Exam followed by
and Intelligence and Personality Test.
National Defence Academy (NDA)
Examination
This exam is conducted for admission to
the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of the
NDA and for Indian Naval Academy Course
(INAC) by UPSC. It is an exam to induct cadets
into the Indian Defence Forces i.e. the Army
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is considered the world’s largest open university.
EDUCATION AND CAREER
and the Air force. The candidates Joining
Indian Naval Academy would undergo
4 years B.Tech Course and would be given an
opportunity to join Executive and Technical
Branches of the Navy subject to availability
of vacancies. The examination consists of
2 Papers-Mathematics (300 marks) and
General Ability Test (600 marks) with
objective type questions, inclusive of
negative marking for every wrong answer.
Combined Medical Services
Examination
The “Combined Medical Services”
Examination or the CMS Exam is conducted
by the Union Public Service Commission for
recruitment as Medical Officer in various
organizations such as the Indian Ordnance
Factories, Indian Railways functioning
under the Government of India. There is an
objective-type written examination with
two papers of two hours duration, each
carrying a maximum of 250 marks. This
is followed by a Personality Test carrying
100 marks of candidates who qualify on the
results of the written examination.
SSC
Staff Selection Commission (SSC) is an
Indian organization to recruit staff for
various posts in the various Ministries and
Departments of the Government of India
and in Subordinate Offices by administering
various competitive exams.
The examinations which are conducted under
the purview off SSC are broadly categorized as:
1. Open Examinations
2. Departmental Examinations
OPEN EXAMINATION
S. No. Name of the Examinations
1 Combined Graduate Level Examination
2 Tax Assistant Examination
3 Statistical Investigators (SSS) Grade IV
Examination
4 Junior Engineers Examination
5 Junior Translators (CSOLS) Examination
6 Section Officer (Commercial Audit)
Examination
7 Deputy Field Officer (Cab Sect)
Examination
8 Data Entry Operator (DEO) Examination
 EDUCATION AND CAREER GK-497

9 Sub Inspector in CPOs Examination •• Data Entry Operator (DEO)

10 Section Officer (Audit) Examination
11 Combined Matric Level Examination
12 Section Officer (Accounts) Examination
DEPARTMENTAL EXAMINATIONS
S. No. Name of the Examinations
1 Grade ‘C’ Stenographers Ltd. Depttl.
Compt. Examination
2 UD Grade Ltd. Depttl. Compt.
Examination
3 Clerks Grade (For Group ‘D’ Staff
only) Examination
Career Options after Choosing SSC or
its Branches
Ever since its inception in November 1975,
the Staff Selection Commission recruits
Indians to Group B governmental posts,
Group C technical posts, and more. SSC has
announced the prospective job vacancies
open for suitable candidates in 2015.
Indian citizens have the option to apply for
62,390 job vacancies across governmental
organizations like:
•• Assistants, in CSS, AFHQ, MEA etc, Inspectors
in Central Excise/Preventive Officer/Income
Tax, Inspector of Posts, Sub Inspector in CBI,
Divisional Accountants, Auditors, UDC etc
•• Tax Assistant in CBDT and CBEC
•• Statistical Investigators (SSS) Grade IV in
Dept. of Statistics
•• Junior Engineers (Civil and Elect) in
CPWD/Dept. of Posts, Military Engineering
Service
•• Junior Translators of CSOLS Cadre in DOL
•• Section Officer (Commercial Audit )
•• Deputy Field Officer (Cabinet Sect)
•• Sub Inspector in CPOs
•• Section Officer (Audit)
•• Steno Grade “C”, Steno Grade “D”, and LDC
•• Section Officer (Accounts)
Banking
IBPS PO & Clerk
Candidates aspiring for a Probationary Officer
(PO) and Clerk in any Indian Public Sector
banks have to go through the compulsory IBPS
exams. Recruitment under the IBPS includes a
three-tier process consisting of a Preliminary
exam of 100 marks, followed by a mains exam
of 200 marks for the shortlisted candidates
and finally the third tier is an Interview.
SBI PO & Clerk
State Bank of India (SBI) accepts application
form through offline or online for recruitment
of Probationary Officer (PO). Candidates who
have completed their graduation or above
qualification from any recognized university
are eligible to apply. The selection of the
candidates is done in three phases which
include Preliminary Examination, Main
Examination, and Group Discussion and
Interview.
The SBI Clerks/JA/JAA selection is based
on an online objective test consisting of
2 tests : Preliminary and Main exams.
IBPS/SBI/Other Nationalised
Specialist Officer Exam
Specialist officers are posted in specialised
department in banks such as IT, Law,
Agriculture, HR, etc. The selection of
candidates will be on the basis of online test
and interview.

VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL TESTS

SAT GRE GMAT IELTS TOEFL
Reason Used by most Used as a judging Required for An international Required for
to take U.S. colleges parameter admissions test of English testing the
the test to determine by most U.S. in graduate language English language
whether colleges to management Proficiency proficiency
students should determine programs for non-native of non-native
be accepted into admissions to of most English language English speakers
the institution’s master’s and business speakers for wishing to enroll
undergraduate doctoral degree schools. higher education in American
programs. programs. and immigration. universities.

Satyendranath Tagore was the first Indian to join Indian Civil Service (ICS) in the year 1864.
 GK-498
EDUCATION AND CAREER
Struc- The SAT The GRE The GMAT The IELTS test Has internet
ture consists of a consists of consists of has four sections based test and
of the 70 minutes Analytical analytical Listening (30 paper based
test Critical Reading Writing writing minutes plus 10 test. The internet
section (one section (1 assessment minutes’ transfer based test has
20-min section hour), Verbal (30 min), time), Reading reading (60–100
and two 25-min Reasoning integrated (60 minutes), min), listening
sections); a 70 section (20 reasoning Writing (60 (60–90 min),
minutes Math questions in 30 (30 min minutes) and speaking (20
section (one minutes) and for 12 Speaking min) and writing
20-min section 2 sections of questions), (11–14 minutes) (50 min). And
and two 25-min Quantitative the the paper based
sections) and Reasoning (20 quantitative test Listening
a 60 minutes questions in 35 section (75 (30 – 40 min),
Writing section minutes) min for 37 Structure
(one 25-min questions), and Written
essay, one and the Expression (25
25-min section, verbal min), Reading
and one 10-min section (75 Comprehension
section) min for 41 (55 min) and
questions) Writing (30 min).

Format It is a paper- The test is a The GMAT is

The test involves The TOEFL is
based Computer- a computer-
2 modules either Internet-
standardized based or based
of the IELTS: based or
test. paper-based the Academic
standardized paper-based
standardized Module and the
test. standardized
test. General Training test.
Module.
Scoring 200–800 Analytical The total The test is The iBT test
(in 10-point writing scored score ranges scored on a is scored on a
increments) on from 0.0 to 6.0 from 200 nine-band scale, scale of 0 to 120
each of three (in 0.5 point to 800 and with each band points whereas
sections (total increments), Scores are equivalent to the PBT score
600–2400). Verbal reasoning given in a specified ranges between
Essay scored and Quantitative increments competence in 310 and 677
on scale of reasoning of 10. English. and is based
0–12, in 1-point marked on the Listening (31–
increments. scale of 130 to 68), Structure
170 (in 1 point (31–68),
increments) and Reading
each. (31–67).
Test 3 hours and 45 Around 3 hours 3.5 hours 2 hours, 45 Internet-based
duration minutes and 45 minutes minutes test: 3 hours 10
minutes to 4
hours 20 minutes
Paper-based
test: 2 hours
20 minutes
to 2 hours 30
minutes.

Validity 5 years 5 years 5 years 2 years 2 years

First SAT was developed in 1901 as a means of determining intelligence without systematic bias.
EDUCATION AND CAREER GK-499
MOST SOUGHT-AFTER COURSES
Engineering
Premier institutions: The Indian
Institutes of Technology (IITs), Birla
Institute of Technology & Science (BITS),
Indian Institutes of Information Technology
(IIITs), National Institutes of Technology
(NIT) and many more.
Engineering Entrance Examinations
1. JEE MAIN
Purpose: For Admission in B.E/B. Tech.,
B. Arch., B. Planning JEE-Main exam is
for admission to National Institutes of
Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes
of Technology (IITs), Centrally Funded
Technical Institutes (CFTIs).
Eligibility: Class 12, passed/appearing (PCM)
Admission Test: JEE Main exam has two
papers, Paper-1 and Paper-2. Candidates
may opt for either or both of them. Both
papers contain multiple choice questions.
Paper 1 is for admission to B.E/B.Tech
courses. It is conducted both online and
offline. Paper-2 is for admission in B.Arch
and B.Planning courses. It is conducted
offline only.
2. JEE Advanced
Purpose: Admission in UG programmes in
IITs and ISM Dhanbad
Eligibility : Students who qualify JEE-Mains
for advance can appear for JEE -Advanced
examination.
Duration: 4 years.
Major Branches of Engineering:
Eligibility: 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry
and Mathematics as core subjects.
Course Duration: 4 years for B.E or B.Tech.
Mechanical Engineering
The branch applies the principles of
engineering, physics and material science
for the design, analysis, manufacturing and
maintenance of mechanical systems.
Computer Science Engineering
It deals with design, implementation, and
management of information system of both
software & hardware processes. A computer
In 1861, Indian Civil Service (ICS) act was passed.
engineer specializes in theory of computation
and design of computational systems.
Electronics & Communication
Engineering
It develops everyday devices such as
transistors, integrated circuits and printed
circuit boards (PCBs) which can be used
in computers, MP3 players, cell phones,
television to name a few.
Electrical Engineering
It deals with the study and application of
electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism.
The focus of the course remains on designing
and testing ICs, inductors, capacitors and
resistors, etc.
Civil Engineering
It deals with the various aspects of planning,
designing, construction, maintenance and
modification of physical structure and
naturally built environment.
Information Technology
Information Technology is the study of
utilizing computers and telecommunications
in order to control, gather, store and
circulate information.
Aeronautical Engineering
It is the specialized branch of engineering
for the aviation industry. It involves studying,
designing, construction and science of the
airplanes and other spacecraft.
Architecture Engineering
It is the area of study, which deals with the
designing, and planning of buildings and
structures and the spaces between them.
Course Duration: 5-year Bachelor of
Architecture degree programme.
Chemical Engineering
It is concerned with the design, construction,
and operation of machines and plants
that perform chemical reactions to solve
practical problems or make useful products.
It deals with the application of physical
science and life sciences with mathematic,
 GK-500
to the process of converting raw materials
or chemicals into more useful or valuable
forms.
Medical
Premier institutions: All India Institute of
Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, Armed Forces
Medical College (AFMC), Pune, Christian
Medical College (CMC), Vellore, Maulana Azad
Medical College (MAMC), Delhi, Jawaharlal
Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education
& Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry, and many
more.
Medical Entrance Examinations
1. National Eligibility-cum-Entrance
Tests (NEET) for Undergraduate (UG)
Purpose - Admission to MBBS/BDS
Eligibility-Class 12 (PCB)
Duration - 4.5 Years
AIIMS MBBS: Entrance Exam: The All
India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
conducts an entrance exam after Class XII at
National Level for admission to MBBS seats
in AIIMS New Delhi and to the other six new
AIIMS like institutions.
Eligibility: Should have secured 50% marks
in physics, chemistry, biology and english in
the ‘10+2’ examinations.
2. JIPMER MBBS Entrance Test
This medical entrance exam is conducted
by Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate
Medical Education and Research (JIPMER)
for admission to MBBS course in its institute.
Major courses of Medical
1. M.B.B.S
MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor
of Surgery) is the bachelor degree in
medical field for cure & diagnose.
Course Duration: The course duration is
5½ years (4½ years of classroom study
followed by a year of rotating internship)
2. B.D.S
The BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery)
is the only educational and professional
programme of dental surgery in India.
Course duration: The BDS is a 5 year (4 years
academic education + 1 year mandatory
internship) UG degree programme.
The primary school at Phumachangtang, Tibet is the highest school in the world at 5,373 m above the sea level.
EDUCATION AND CAREER
3. B.H.M.S
BHMS (Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine
and Surgery) is an undergraduate degree
programme in medical field. This degree
covers the medical knowledge of the
homeopathic system.
Course Duration: 5.5 years academic
programme containing the 4 and 1/2 year
academic session and one year internship
programme.
4. B.A.M.S
Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and
Surgery (BAMS) is an integrated Indian
Degree in the medical field. This degree
programme is conferred to those students
who studied the modern medicines and
traditional Ayurveda.
Course Duration: 5 years and 6 month
degree programme containing the 4 and
1/2 year academic session and one year
internship programme.
5. B. Pharma
Bachelor of Pharmacy or B.Pharma is an
undergraduate degree course in Pharmacy.
After the completion of this degree, the
students can practise as a Pharmacist.
Course Duration: 4 years.
6. M.D: M.D (Doctor of Medicine) is
awarded to the doctors who are physicians.
Eligibility: MBBS.
Course Duration: 3 years
7. M.S: This degree is awarded to the
doctors who master course in surgery.
Eligibility: MBBS.
Course Duration: 3 years
Mass Communication
Premier Institutions
Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication
(Pune); Amity School of Communication
(Noida); Delhi College of Arts & Commerce;
Manipal Institute of Communications;
Department of Media Studies, Christ
University (Bangalore); St. Xavier’s College
(Mumbai); Institute of Mass Communication
Media Technology (Kurukshetra) and many
more.
EDUCATION AND CAREER GK-501
Main Branches of Mass Communication
1. Bachelor of Journalism and Mass
Communication (BJMC)
It combines classes in journalism, writing
and communications. Students must
complete both a broad liberal arts education
and rigorous writing course work.
Eligibility: Pass with 50% aggregate marks
in 10+2 or equivalent (with English)
Course Duration: 3 years
2. Master of Journalism and Mass
Communication (MJMC):
It is an academically-oriented degree that
prepares students for doctoral studies or a
career in research.
Eligibility: Graduation.
Course Duration: 2 years
Law
Premier Institutions: National Law School
of India University (Bangalore); National
Academy of Legal Studies and Research
(Hyderabad); National Law University (Delhi);
Faculty Of Law, BHU; Faculty of Law, Aligarh
Muslim University; University School of Law
& Legal Studies, GGSIPU and many more.
Common Law Admission Test (CLAT)
CLAT entrance examination is conducted
for admission to 17 of the coveted National
Law Schools.
Eligibility: - Candidates should have passed
Higher Secondary School/Intermediate
Examination (10+2) or its equivalent
examination with not less than 45% marks
in aggregate (40% in case of SC/ST and
persons with Disability).
Major courses of Law:
LLB (Bachelor of Law)
It is an undergraduate law course. The degree
felicitates a student to become a lawyer or
work in a legal department.
LLM (Masters in Law)
The University Grants Commission approved
one-year LLM courses in India on 6 September
2012 and the guideline for the same was
notified in January, 2013.
Eligibility: Should have cleared LL.B./Five-
Year Integrated LL.B./any other equivalent
examination with minimum 55% marks for
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) was launched in 1980 by Cambridge English Language
Assessment and the British Council.
General/OBC/PWD categories and minimum
50% marks for SC/ST categories
Course of Duration: 2 years
Business & Management
Premier Institutions
Christ University; Symbiosis Centre for
Management Studies; Amity International
Business School; Indian Institutes of
Management (IIMs); XLRI (Xavier Labour
Relations Institute) Jamshedpur; FMS
(Faculty of Management Studies) Delhi; JBIMS
(Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management
Studies) Mumbai.
Eligibility - Graduate in any discipline
1. CAT (Common Admission Test)
CAT is the Guru of all MBA entrance
examinations, is conducted by the Indian
Institutes of Management (IIMs) to enroll
students for Post-graduate and Fellow
Programs. Several other top management
institutes in India also use valid CAT score
for admissions. CAT is held in the month of
Nov.
2. XAT (Xavier’s Admission Test)
XAT (Xavier’s Aptitude Test) is conducted
for admission to Post-Graduate degree
programme in Management at XLRI, XIM,
XISS, LIBA etc. XAT is held in the month of
January.
Institutes accepting XAT Score: XLRI
(Jamshedpur); XIM (Bhubaneshwar); SIBM
(Pune); BIM(Trichy); GIM (Goa);
Major courses of Business & Management
Bachelor of Business Administration
(BBA) : It is a bachelor’s degree in commerce
and business administration.
Eligibility: Should have passed 10+2 with at
least 50% marks.
Course Duration: 3 years
Master of Business Administration
(MBA): It is a master’s degree in business
administration (management).
Eligibility: The minimum eligibility
criterion for admission is at least a 3-year
bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks
or equivalent.
Course Duration: 2 years
The following are the list of some of the
specialization in MBA Courses in India:
 GK-502
EDUCATION AND CAREER
•• Finance behaviour by observing, interpreting and
•• Marketing recording how people relate to one another
•• Human Recourse (HR) and their environments.
•• International Business (IB) Types of Psychologists:
•• Health Care Management I. Clinical Psychologists: diagnose and
•• Operations treat mental, emotional and behavioral
•• Banking and Finance disorders. some clinical psychologists
•• Sales and Marketing focus on certain specialities, such as:
Health Psychologists study how
Hotel Management Psychological and behavioral factors
Premier Institutions: Institutes of Hotel interact with health and illness.
Management (IHM), Oberoi Centre of Learning Neuropsychologists study the effects of
and Development, Welcomgroup Graduate brain disorder diseases on behaviour
School of Hotel Administration (WGSHA) and thinking.
Manipal, Christ College Bangalore. II. Counselling Psychologists: help
Major courses: persons deal with and understand
problems, including issues at home,
1. Bachelor of Hotel Management at school, at the work place or in their
(BHM) community.
Eligibility: The candidate should have III. Developmental Psychologists: study the
passed 10+2 stage examination psychological progress and development
Course duration: 3 years that take place throughout life.
Bachelor of Science in Hotel Management: IV. Forensic Psychologists: use psycho-
The program teaches students the necessary logical principles in the legal and
technical, organizational, and communication criminal justice system to help judges,
skills needed to manage restaurants, hotels, attorneys, and other legal specialists.
and other places where hospitality is V. Industrial - Organisational Psychologists
essential to the nature of the business. apply psychology to to work place by
Eligibility: Must have passed Class 10+2 using psychological principles to to
examination with at least 50% marks. solve problems and improve the quality
Course Duration: 4 years of work life.
Psychology VI. School Psychologists counsel students
and families
Premier Institutions: University of Delhi, VII. Social Psychologists study how people’s
Indian Institute of Psychology & Research mind sets and behavious are shaped by
(IIPR), Bangalore, Amity Institute of social interactions.
Behavioural Health & Allied Science, Eligibility: Ph.D in Psychology, a
Noida, University of Rajasthan, Jamia master degree is sufficient for some
Millia University, Government College of positions.
Educational Psychology and Guidance, 2. Academic Teachers/ Research
Jabalpur, S.N.D.T women’s University, Mumbai. Psychologists: These kinds of
Career in Psychology psychologists works as leachess and
1. Psychologist researchers, generally at the college level.
Scope: Psychologists study cognitive, Eligibility: Ph.D in Psychology, a
emotional and social processes and master degree is sufficient for some
positions.

The TOEFL test was first administered in 1964 by the Modern Language Association.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE GK-503
ENGLISH
LANGUAGE
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & GRAMMAR
Language is a medium of communication
through which one person expresses his/her
views by speaking or writing with the help
of words, phrases, sentences, etc.
Grammar is the set of rules that explain how
words are used in a language. In the world,
every language has its rules, regulations
and principles. These rules are called the
Grammar of the language. Similarly is the
case with English Language. Words used
in English language are of 8 types, called
parts of speech. These are noun, pronoun,
adjective, verb, adverb, preposition,
conjuction & interjection.
Noun
A noun is a word used as the name of a
person, place or thing: e.g. boy, girl, Delhi,
India, table, chair, lion, deer etc. There are
four types of nouns.
Common Noun
A Common Noun is the word used for a
class of person, place or thing. e.g. boy, king,
birds, ball, garden, road, bat etc.
Proper Noun
A Proper Noun is the name of some
particular person or place. e.g. Ram, Delhi,
Himalya, Taj Mahal etc.
Proper Nouns should always be written
with a Capital letter at the beginning.
Collective Noun
A Collective Noun is the name of a number
of (or collection) persons or things, taken
together and spoken of as ‘one whole’ e.g.
a crowd of People, a team of Players, a flock
of sheep, a school of children, an army of
soldiers, etc.
English is the official language of 67 countries.
Abstract Noun
An Abstract Noun is the name of a quality,
action or feelings of a person or an animal.
e.g. Ram is very kind. John is an honest man.
Pronoun
A Pronoun is a word that takes the place of
or refers to a noun. Thus, a word which is
used instead of a Noun is called a Pronoun.
Example: John is running as he is an athlete.
Sweety is a good girl and she is also beautiful.
A camel is drinking water; it is called the
ship of the desert.
In the sentences he is used for John, she for
sweety and it for camel.
There are also relative pronouns which
refer or relate to other Nouns e.g.
John, who is an athlete, is standing there.
Adjective
An Adjective is a word that is used to modify
or add something to the meaning of a noun.
Example: Sita is an intelligent girl.
Ashoka was a brave king.
Here intelligent & brave are adjectives.
Comparison of Adjectives
When things are compared we use the
Adjectives to compare them. When only
two things are compared, the comparative
degree of the adjective should be used.
Example: Ram is wiser than Shyam.
When more than two things are compared,
the superlative degree of the Adjective
should be used.
Example: Ram is the wisest boy of the class.
It should be noted that the article ‘the’ should
be used before the superlative degree.
 GK-504
Verb
A verb is usually called a ‘doing word’ when
a word tells us about some action or work
done, then it is called a Verb. e.g.
Ram plays football.
The lion killed the deer.
The School bell is ringing.
In the above sentences, the plays, killed
ringing are verbs.
Adverb
A word that modifies the meaning of a verb,
an adjective, or another Adverb is called an
Adverb. e.g. The boy runs quickly.
In the above sentences the verbs runs, is
modified by the adverbs quickly.
Adverbs modifying the Adjectives
When a word modifies an adjective, it is also
known as an Adverb. For example: The boy
runs very fast. The apples are extremely
sweet. She reads quite clearly.
Prepositions
A Preposition is a word placed before a
Noun or a Pronoun to show the relation
between a person or a thing.
Example: The book is on the table
The cow is in the field.
The cat jumped on the table.
Some generally used prepositions are–in, on,
about, above, across, along, among, around,
before, behind, below, within, without, etc.
Conjunction
A Conjunction is a word which joins
together sentences and also words.
Example:
The man is poor. The man is honest.
Now if we join these two sentences with
‘but’, then they join together: The man is
poor, but he is honest.
Ram sells mangoes and oranges.
Some conjunctions are used in pairs only.
e.g.
Either do it or go away.
It is neither required nor is useful.
Though he is my friend, yet he hides his
secrets from me.
Whether you stay or go away, it’s your wish.
We both love and honour our teacher.
‘I am.’ is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Interjections
Interjections are words used to express
strong feeling or sudden emotion. They are
included in a sentence usually at the start
to express a sentiment such as surprise,
disgust, joy, excitement, or enthusiasm.
Example: Hey!
Get off that bike! Oh! that is a surprise.
Good! Now we can move on.
Introductory expressions such as yes, no,
indeed, and well also fall in this category.
Example: Indeed, this is not the first time he
came late. Yes, I do intend to go to Delhi.
Figure of Speech
A figure of speech is a word or phrase that
has a meaning which is different from its
literal meaning. It can be a metaphor or
simile that is designed to further explain a
concept.
Types of figures of speech
Alliteration is the repetition of beginning
sounds. Example: Sally sells seashells.
Walter wondered where winnie was. Ninja
needed notebooks. Fred fried frogs.
Anaphora is a technique where several
phrases or verses begin with the same word
or words.
Example: I came, I saw, I conquered - Julius
Caesar.
Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition!
We laughed, we loved, we sang. With malice
toward none; with charity for all; with
firmness in the right, - Abraham Lincoln.
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds
in words that are close together. Example:
“And stepping softly with her air of blooded
ruin about the glade in a frail agony of grace
she trailed her rags through dust and ashes,
circling the dead fire, the charred billets and
chalk bones, the little calcined ribcage.” The
words “glade,” “frail,” “grace,” and “trailed”
help set the chilling mood of the work, and
it is repeated and emphasized at the end
with “ribcage.”
Euphemism is a word or phrase that
replaces a word or phrase to make it more
polite or pleasant. Example: A little thin
ENGLISH LANGUAGE GK-505
on top instead of bald, Homeless instead
of bum, letting him go instead of fired him,
passed away instead of died, put to sleep
instead of euthanize.
Hyperbole uses exaggeration for emphasis
or effect. Example: I’ve told you a hundred
times. He is older than dirt. Everybody
knows that.
Irony is using words where the meaning
is the opposite of their usual meaning.
Example: A traffic cop suspended for not
paying his parking fee. The titanic was said
to be unsinkable.
Metaphor compares two unlike things
or ideas. Example: Heart of stone, time is
money, the world is a stage. He is a night
owl. He is an ogre.
Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like
what it is describing. Example: Splat, buzz,
click.
Oxymoron is two contradictory terms
used together. Example: Peace force, small
crowd, free market.
Personification is giving human qualities
to non-living things or ideas. Example: The
flowers danced, the wind howled.
Simile is a comparison between two
unlike things using the words “like” or “as.”
Example: As blind as a bat, eats like a pig, as
slippery as an eel.
Synecdoche is when a part represents the
whole or the whole is represented by a part.
Example: Wheels - a car, the police - one
policeman, Coke - any cola drink.
Understatement is when something is said
to make something appear less important
or less serious. Example: It’s just a scratch
- referring to a large dent, the weather is
a little cooler today - referring to sub-zero
temperatures.
Articles
An article is a word used to modify a noun,
which is a person, place, object, or idea.
‘A’, or ‘an’ and ‘the’ are called Articles. In
fact, they are demonstrative adjectives
which specify whether the person or thing
is singular or plural, or is indefinite or a
definite. Example: I saw a boy playing.
I saw the boys playing.
This is an apple.
The article ‘an’ is used before a noun which
starts with a vowel - a, e, i, o, u.
However, there is an exception in using the
article ‘an’. When begin with a silent ‘h’ and
The longest English word that can be spelled without repeating any letters is ‘uncopyrightable’.
the next syllable is a vowel, then we use ‘an’
and not ‘a’.
Example:
The train is an hour late.
The definite Article- ‘the‘
The definite article ‘the’ is used when we
refer to some particular person or thing
such as:
The boy along with me is my brother. The
dog which was playing with you is mine.
We also use the definite article ‘The’ for
some outstanding things: for example: The
Gita, The Bible, The koran etc.
The Ganga, The Indus, The Taj Mahal, The
Sun, The Mars, The Economic Review etc.
Some important buildings – The Taj Mahal,
The Red Fort, The Qutub Minar etc.
Names of heavenly bodies -The Sun, The
Moon, The Earth, The Mars, The Sky etc.
Tenses
There are three tenses in the English
language. They are (i) the Present Tense (ii)
the Past Tense (iii) the Future Tense. The
tenses of a verb show the time of an action
or event.
Present Tense
A verb in a sentence which refers to the
present time or situation is called the
Present Tense.
Example:
I play football.
Sita dances everyday.
However, the Present Tense has four
different forms, which clarify the state or
the situation of the action.
Example:
I play football - Simple Present Tense
I am playing football - Present Continuous
I have played football - Present Perfect
I have been playing football -Present
perfect continuous
Past Tense
When a verb in a sentence refers to the past
time or situation is called the Past Tense.
e.g.
I played football.
Sita danced everyday.
Similar to the Present tense, it also has four
different forms, which denote the state or
the situation of the action.
Example:
I played football.– Simple Past
I was playing football. – Past continuous
I had played football. – Past perfect
 GK-506
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
I had been playing football. – Past Perfect I shall have played football. – Future
continuous. Perfect Tense
Future Tense I shall have been playing football. – Future
Perfect Continuous Tense
When the verb in a sentence refers to the
future time or situation, then it is denoted Active and Passive Voice
as the Future Tense.
Example:
Active Voice
I shall play football. When the subject of a verb performs an
action the verb is said to be in the active
Sita shall/will dance everyday.
voice. The effect of the action may or may
Ram shall write a letter.
not fall on an object, that is, the verb may or
Future tense also has those four forms, may not have an object.
which tell the state and affairs of the work
which is to be done. Passive Voice
Examples: When the object of a verb appears to
I shall play football. – Simple Future Tense perform an action so that the effect of that
action appears to fall on the subject the verb
I shall be playing football. – Future
is said to be in the passive voice.
Continuous Tense
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE IN VARIOUS TENSES
Tense Active Passive
Simple Present Once a week, Calvin cleans Once a week, the shed is cleaned by Calvin.
the shed.
Present Right now, Shreya is Right now, the letter is being written by
Continuous writing the letter. Shreya.
Simple Past Samuel repaired the car. The car was repaired by Samuel.
Past Continuous The accountant was The customer was being helped by the
helping the customer accountant when the thief came into the
when the thief came into store.
the store.
Present Perfect Many tourists have visited That fort has been visited by many tourists.
that fort.
Present Perfect Deepti has been doing the The work has been being done by Deepti.
Continuous work since morning.
Past Perfect Michelle had repaired Many cars had been repaired by Michelle
many cars before she before she received her mechanic’s license.
received her mechanic’s
license.
Past Perfect Chef Vikas had been The restaurant’s fantastic dinners had been
Continuous preparing the restaurant’s being prepared by Chef Vikas for two years
fantastic dinners for two before he moved to London.
years before he moved to
London.
Simple Future Someone will finish the The work will be finished by 5:00 PM.
work by 5:00 PM.
Simple Future Sarita is going to make a A beautiful dinner is going to be made by
beautiful dinner tonight. Sarita tonight.
Future At 8:00 PM tonight, Kevin At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes will be being
Continuous will be washing the dishes. washed by Kevin.
‘The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog’. This type of sentence is called a ‘pangram’ as it uses every letter in the
English language.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE GK-507

Future At 8:00 PM tonight, Kevin At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes are going to
Continuous is going to be washing the be being washed by Kevin.
dishes.
Future Perfect They will have completed The building will have been completed
the building before the before the deadline.
deadline.
Future Perfect They are going to have The building is going to have been
completed the building completed before the deadline.
before the deadline.
Future Perfect The famous artist will The mural will have been being painted by
Continuous have been painting the the famous artist for over one year by the
mural for over one year by time it is finished.
the time it is finished.
Future Perfect The famous artist is going The mural is going to have been being
Continuous to have been painting the painted by the famous artist for over one
mural for over one year by year by the time it is finished.
the time it is finished.
Used to Kunal used to pay the The bills used to be paid by Kunal.
bills.
Would Always My mother would always The desserts would always be made by my
make the desserts. mother.
Future in the Past I knew Akriti would finish I knew the work would be finished by 5:00
Would the work by 5:00 PM. PM.
Future in the Past I thought Swati was going I thought a beautiful dinner was going to
Was Going to to make a beautiful dinner be made by Swati tonight.
tonight.
DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH This week That week
Direct Speech Tomorrow The following day
Direct speech reports the speech by The next day
repeating the actual words of a speaker. The day after
Example: He said, ‘I am going to school.’
Next week The following week
Indirect or reported speech The next week
Indirect speech is a sentence where the The week after
main idea of a speaker’s words is reported Yesterday The previous day
by another person. Usually, they are The day before
summarized or paraphrased and there are
Last week The previous week
no special punctuation issues to take into
The week before
account.
Example: He said that he was going to school. Ago Previously before
2 weeks ago 2 weeks previously
RULE CHART FOR CHANGING 2 weeks before
DIRECT INTO INDIRECT
Tonight that night
Direct Indirect Last Saturday The previous Saturday
Now Then The Saturday before
Today That day Next Saturday The following Saturday
The next Saturday
Here There The Saturday after
This That The Saturday after
The longest word in English has 45 letters: ‘pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis’. It is a type of lung disease
caused by inhaling ash and sand dust.
 GK-508
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
TENSE CHANGE RULES Drink like a fish drink excessive
amounts of alcohol
Direct Indirect
Have a memory to be very bad at
Simple present Simple Past like a sieve remembering things
Simple Past Past Perfect Sleep like a log to sleep very soundly
Have eyes like a miss nothing of what is
Present continuous Past Continuous
hawk going on around one
Present Perfect Past Perfect Sleep like a baby a very deep and restful
Can Could sleep
Sing like a bird to have a beautiful
Will Would
singing voice
May Might Eat like a pig to eat noisily and
unpleasantly
LIST OF SIMILES As harmless as a innocent, meek and
Direct Indirect dove gentle
Gleamed like shining very brightly As fragile as a easily destroyed or
pearls house of cards spoilt
As green as very green As fresh as the air very fresh
mould in spring
as clear as crystal easy to understand As ugly as sin very ugly and
As bold as brass very brave and unpleasant to look at
confident As soft as a very soft
As dead as a quite dead daffodil’s petals
doornail
Deaf as a post having very bad LIST OF IDIOMS
hearing
A penny for to ask someone what
Hot as hell extremely warm your thoughts they are thinking about
As crooked as a very dishonest
witch’s hat At the drop of without hesitation or
Sharp as a razor very sharp a hat good reason
As sick as a dog very ill Ball is in your it is someone’s turn to
court make the decision
As slippery as devious and
an eel untrustworthy Beat around To avoid getting to the
As fiery as a quickly or easily the bush point of an issue
volcano becoming angry Bite off more take on a commitment
As solid as a rock to be very strong than you can one cannot fulfill
chew
As stubborn as a extremely stubborn
mule Blessing in an apparent misfortune
As white as a extremely pale (when disguise that eventually has good
ghost frightened) results
Burn the read or work late into the
Wise as an owl very wise
midnight oil night
As red as a red-faced,
beetroot typically through Costs an arm to be very expensive
embarrassment and a leg
Eat like a horse to eat large amounts Curiosity killed Being curious can get
of food the cat you into trouble

There is no word in the English language that rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE GK-509

Don’t put all don’t risk everything Come up with To produce or find a
your eggs in on the success of one (something) thought/idea/answer
one basket venture
Right away Immediately
Every cloud Every bad situation has
has a silver some good aspect to it Take over To take control of something
lining
Run through Be present in every part
Hit the sack go to sleep of; pervade.
It takes two to Actions or
tango communications need To call a To be frank and truthful a
more than one person spade spade
Once in a blue Happening very rarely Bring Raise a child up
moon someone
See eye to eye to agree about someone Chip in Help
Steal win praise for oneself by
someone’s pre-empting someone En route On the way
thunder else’s attempt to impress Lingua Common language
Your guess is as To say something when franca
good as mine you do not know the
answer to a question Count on To rely on a person or
Whole nine everything possible or someone/ thing
yards available something
Miss the boat to miss out Grow apart To end a friendship
Last straw the final difficulty in a
Hang in To stay strong and positive
series
Barking up the To pursue a mistaken line
wrong tree of thought or course of LIST OF HOMOPHONES
action Aid: to help
Cry over spilt to be unhappy about Aide: an assistant
milk what cannot be undone
Allowed: let someone to do something.
Cut corners do something Aloud: out loud
perfunctorily so as to
Alter: change in character or composition
save time or money
Altar: The table in a Christian church on
LIST OF PHRASES which the bread and wine are consecrated
in communion services.
Phrases Meaning
Bait: Food placed on a hook or in a net
Feel blue Feel sad Bate: An angry mood
Rain or Not allowing the weather Bail: temporary release of an accused
shine to prevent you from doing person awaiting trial
something Bale: A large wrapped or bound bundle of
Over one’s When something is paper, hay, or cotton
head mentally too difficult to Base: The lowest part or edge of
understand
something
Sleep Tight Get a good night’s sleep Bass: The member of a family of
Down to Realistic; reasonable; instruments that is the lowest in pitch
Earth sensible Berth: a fixed bunk on a ship, train, or
Drop Send a letter or email to a other means of transport
someone line someone Birth: give birth to

‘Queueing’ is the only word with five consecutive vowels (five vowels in a row).
 GK-510
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Bridal: of or concerning a bride or a newly Anecdote A short interesting or
amusing story
married couple.
Bridle: the headgear used to control a Anthology A collection of poems or
writings
horse
Apiary A place where bees are kept
Cereal: a grain used for food
Serial: consisting of or taking place in a Arboreal Those who live in trees
series. Ascetic One who avoids physical
pleasures and comforts
Desert: abandon in a way considered Astronomy Scientific study of heavenly
disloyal or treacherous. bodies
Dessert: the sweet course eaten at the end Aviary A place for keeping birds
of a meal Backlog It means an accumulation of
arrears.
Discreet: careful and prudent in one’s Barbarian An uncivilised person
speech or actions Beverage A liquid for drinking
Discrete: individually separate and
Bibliography A list of writings on a subject
distinct
Biennial Happening once every two
Flour: a powder obtained by grinding years
grain
Floor: Lower surface of a room Bigamy System of two marriages
Genes: a unit of heredity which is Blue Blood The quality of being a noble
transferred from a parent to offspring person by birth
Jeans: hard-wearing casual trousers made Bonsai The art of growing a plant in
of denim or other cotton fabric a pot that is prevented from
reaching its natural size
Grate: reduce (food) to small shreds by
rubbing it on a grater Bookworm One who is too fond of
Great: intensity considerably above reading and study
average Bottleneck It is a narrow passage, a
Hoard: a stock or store of money or valued place, stage or condition that
objects checks progress.
Horde: a large group of people Boulevard A broad street having trees on
each side
ONE WORD SUBSTITUTION Bourgeois Belonging to the middle class
Abdicate Renounce a throne, high Bric-a-brac Small objects kept for
decoration
office or dignity
Abolish Do away with Cabal A small group of people who
make secret plans for political
Acrobat One who performs action
gymnastic feats Calligraphy The art of beautiful writing
Adulterate Make impure by the by hand
addition of inferior Canine Of a dog
substance
Ad hoc Made for a particular Cannibal One who eats human flesh
purpose Chalet A wooden house with a
steeply sloping roof
Agoraphobia Fear of open spaces
Alimony Compensatory allowance Celibacy One who does not indulge in
given to wife after divorce carnal pleasure
Altruist One who is habitually kind Clock-and- Stories that deal with
to others Dagger adventure and exciting
Alumnus A former student of a mystery
school or college Clot A half-solid mass or lump
Anachronism That which appears to be in formed from a liquid,
the wrong period especially blood
English is the official language of the sky! It doesn’t matter which country they are from, all pilots speak in English on
International flights.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE GK-511

Coagulate Change from a liquid into a Chefd’ oeuvre masterpiece (Mona Lisa is
solid by chemical action Vinci’s Chef-d’ oeuvre)
Cold war Severe political struggle Corrigenda a list of errors (in a book)
between countries, without Dejure from the law, by law.
actual fighting Dramatis characters of the drama or
personae play
Foreign Words and Phrases En masse in a body (They took leave
The knowledge of foreign words and phrases en masse)
will help you reading comprehension and Errata list of errors
other types of common questions. So, make Ex-officio in virtue of his office
yourself familiar with the common foreign Faux pas a false step; slip in
words and phrases. behaviour
Aborigine from the origin Impasse a deadlock (Talks reached
Addenda list of additions (addenda an impasse)
to a book) In memoriam in memory
Ad hoc a body elected or appointed Modus manner of working. (of a
for a definite work. (ad hoc operandi gang, group etc.)
committee). Per se by itself
Alma mater a school which one has
attended Word Formation
A la carte according to the bill of English has many ways of making new
fare (a la carte dishes are words from old words like:
available) • By adding something to a word before
Amour self love or after.
propre • By changing its grammatical category
Au revoir until we meet again (to say • By combining two or more whole words
au revoir at parting) or part of one and part of another
Beaumonde the world of fashion English is able to produce new words
Bonjour Good morning whenever required. This is called the
Bona fide good faith (His bona fide process of word formation.
in the matter cannot be
doubted) Prefixes
A prefix is affix that’s added in front of a
Bizarre odd, fantastic word and often changes the meaning of it.
Bon voyage a good voyage or journey Common prefixes include--- re-, un-, mis-
to you etc.

Prefix Meaning Keyword

anti- against Antifreeze
de- opposite Defrost
dis- not, opposite of Disagree
en-, em- cause to encode, embrace
fore- before Forecast
in-, im-, ir- not injustice, impossible, irresponsible
Inter- between Interact
mid- middle Midway
mis- wrongly Misfire
non- not Nonsense
over- over look over
pre before Prefix
re- again Return

To jirble means “to spill a liquid while pouring it because your hands are shaking.”
 GK-512
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
semi- half Semicircle
sub- under Submarine
super above Superstar
trans across Transport
un- not Unfriendly
under- under Undersea
contra- against contraindicate, contraceptive
de- down, away Descend
ex- former ex-husband
ex- out Exhort
an- not, without anaemic
in- not Inconvenient
in- into inebriate, indulge
homo- same homograph, homophone, homogeneous
magn- great magnate, magnificent, magnanimous,
magnitude, magnify
para- beside paragraph, paramedic, paradox triangle,
tri- three tripod, triceps, triathlon
Suffix
A suffix is a letter or a group of letters attached to the end of a word to form a new word or
to change the grammatical function (or part of speech) of the original word. For example,
the verb read is made into the noun reader by adding the suffix -er. Similarly, read is made
into the adjective readable by adding the suffix -able.
Common Suffixes in English
Noun Suffixes
Suffix Meaning Example
-acy state or quality privacy, fallacy, delicacy
-al act or process of refusal, recital, rebuttal
-ance, -ence state or quality of maintenance, assurance
-dom place or state of being freedom, kingdom, boredom
-er, -or one who trainer, protector, narrator
-ism doctrine, belief communism, narcissism, skepticism
-ist one who chemist, narcissist, plagiarist
-ity, -ty quality of inactivity, veracity, parity, serenity
-ness state of being heaviness, sadness, rudeness, testiness
-ship position held fellowship, ownership, kinship, internship
Verb Suffixes
-ate become regulate, eradicate, enunciate, repudiate
-en become enlighten, awaken, strengthen
-ify, -fy make or become terrify, satisfy, rectify, exemplify
-ize, -ise become civilize, humanize, socialize, valorize
Adjective Suffixes
-able, -ible capable of being edible, presentable, abominable, credible
-al pertaining to regional, grammatical, emotional, coastal
-ful notable for fanciful, resentful, woeful, doubtful
-ic, -ical pertaining to musical, mythic, domestic, chiastic
-ious, -ous characterized by nutritious, portentous, studious
-ish having the quality of fiendish, childish, snobbish
-ive having the nature of creative, punitive, divisive,
decisive -less without endless, ageless, lawless, effortless
-y characterized by sleazy, hasty, greasy, nerdy, smelly

Bamboozle derives from a French word, embabouiner, meaning “to make a baboon out of someone.”
ENGLISH LANGUAGE GK-513
PHOBIAS AND THEIR MEANINGS
Acrophobia Fear of heights
Aerophobia Fear of flying or
draughts
Agoraphobia Fear of open spaces
Ailurophobia Fear of cats
Algophobia Fear of pain
Amaxophobia Fear of riding in a car
Ambulophobia Fear of walking
Anglophobia Fear of England or
the English
Anthrophobia Fear of humans
Aquaphobia Fear of water
Arachnophobia Fear of spiders
Automysophobia Fear of being dirty
Autophobia Fear of solitude
Ballistophobia Fear of missiles
Bathophobia Fear of falling from a
high place
Batophobia Fear of heights or
being close to tall
buildings
Bibliophobia Fear of books
Blennophobia Fear of slime
Cancerophobia Fear of cancer
Cenophobia Fear of empty spaces
Chrematophobia Fear of money
Claustrophobia Fear of closed spaces
Climacophobia Fear of falling down
stairs
Cremnophobia Fear of cliffs and
precipices
Cyberphobia Fear of computers
Cynophobia Fear of dogs
Dysmorphophobia Fear of physical
deformities
Ecophobia Fear of home
Euphobia Fear of good news
Geniophobia Fear of chins
Gerascophobia Fear of growing old
Heliophobia Fear of sunlight
Hierophobia Fear of sacred things
Hydrophobia Fear of water
Kainotophobia Fear of change
Kakorrhaphiophobia Fear of failure
Kenophobia Fear of empty spaces
Ligyrophobia Fear of loud noises
Lygophobia Fear of darkness
Muriphobia Fear of mice
Noon is derived from the Latin for “ninth” novem. It originally referred to the ninth hour of the Roman day -- 3pm.
Mysophobia Fear of contamination
or dirt
Nebulaphobia Fear of fog
Necrophobia Fear of corpses
Nosophobia Fear of disease
Novercaphobia Fear of one’s
stepmother
Nyctophobia Fear of the night or
darkness
Ochlophobia Fear of crowds
Ombrophobia Fear of rain
Onomatophobia Fear of hearing a
certain word
Ophidiophobia Fear of snakes
Ophthalmophobia Fear of being stared
at
Ornithophobia Fear of birds
Paedophobia Fear of children;
fear of dolls
Pantophobia Fear of everything
Pathophobia Fear of disease
Pediculophobia Fear of lice
Phagophobia Fear of eating
Phengophobia Fear of daylight
Photophobia Fear of light
Pyrophobia Fear of fire
Satanophobia Fear of the devil
Sciaphobia Fear of shadows
Scopophobia Fear of being looked
at
Scotophobia Fear of the dark
Sitiophobia Fear of food
Spectrophobia Fear of looking in a
mirror
Symmetrophobia Fear of symmetry
Taphephobia Fear of being buried
alive
Technophobia Fear of technology
Thalassophobia Fear of the sea
Thanatophobia Fear of death
Theophobia Fear of God
Tonitrophobia Fear of thunder
Topophobia Fear of performing;
fear of certain places
Toxicophobia Fear of poisoning
Xenophobia Fear of foreigners
Zoophobia Fear of animals
 GK-514
ENGLISH LANGUAGE

CONFUSABLES & THEIR MEANING

Confusables Meanings Confusables Meanings
accept to agree to receive or do breech the back part of a gun barrel
except not including canvas a type of strong cloth
adverse unfavourable, harmful canvass to seek people’s votes
averse strongly disliking; opposed censure to criticize strongly
advice recommendations about censor to ban parts of a book or film; a
what to do person who does this
advise to recommend something chord a group of musical notes
affect to change or make a cord a length of string; a cord-like
difference to body part
effect a result; to bring about a result coarse rough
all together all in one place, all at once course a direction; a school subject;
altogether completely; on the whole part of a meal
along moving or extending complacent smug and self-satisfied
horizontally on complaisant willing to please
a long referring to something of complement to add to so as to improve;
great length an addition that improves
aloud out loud something
allowed permitted compliment to praise or express approval;
altar a sacred table in a church an admiring remark
alter to change council a group of people who
appraise to assess manage or advise
apprise to inform someone counsel advice; to advise
assent agreement, approval cue a signal for action; a wooden
ascent the action of rising or climbing rod
up queue a line of people or vehicles
bare naked; to uncover currant a dried grape
bear to carry; to put up with current happening now; a flow of
bated in phrase ‘with bated breath’, water, air, or electricity
i.e. in great suspense defuse to make a situation less tense
baited with bait attached or inserted diffuse to spread over a wide area
bazaar a Middle Eastern market desert a waterless, empty area; to
abandon someone
bizarre strange
dessert the sweet course of a meal
berth a bunk in a ship, train, etc.
discreet careful not to attract attention
birth the emergence of a baby from
discrete separate and distinct
the womb
dual having two parts
born having started life
duel a fight or contest between
borne carried
two people
bough a branch of a tree
elicit to draw out a reply or reaction
bow to bend the head; the front of
illicit not allowed by law or rules
a ship
ensure to make certain that
brake a device for stopping a
something will happen
vehicle; to stop a vehicle
insure to provide compensation if
break to separate into pieces; a pause
a person dies or property is
breach to break through, or break a
damaged
rule; a gap
The opposite of déjà-vu is called jamais-vu: it describes the odd feeling that something very familiar is actually completely new.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE GK-515

Confusables Meanings Confusables Meanings

envelop to cover or surround
envelope a paper container for a letter
exercise physical activity; to do
physical activity
exorcise to drive out an evil spirit
fawn a young deer; light brown
faun a mythical being, part man,
part goat
forebear an ancestor
foreword an introduction to a book
forward onwards, ahead
freeze to turn to ice
frieze a decoration along a wall
hoard a store
horde a large crowd of people
loath reluctant, unwilling
loathe to hate
loose to unfasten; to set free
lose to be deprived of; to be unable
to find
palate the roof of the mouth
palette a board for mixing colours
pedal a foot-operated lever
peddle to sell goods
pole a long, slender piece of wood
poll voting in an election
pour to flow or cause to flow
pore a tiny opening; to study
something closely
sceptic a person inclined to doubt
septic infected with bacteria
sight the ability to see
site a location
stationary not moving
stationery writing materials
storey a level of a building
story a tale or account
yoke a wooden crosspiece for
harnessing a pair of oxen
yolk the yellow center of an egg

LOGIES
Arachnology The scientific study of spiders and related animals such as scorpions.

Aetiology The branch of medical science that studies the causes of diseases
and the factors underlying their spread
Andrology The branch of medicine concerned with diseases in men, esp of the
reproductive organs
Anemology The science of the winds

Audiology The scientific study of hearing, often including the treatment of

persons with hearing defects
Agrology The branch of soil science dealing with the production of crops.

Apiology The scientific study of bees.

Carpology A branch of botany that deals with the study of fruits and seeds.

Cytology Deals with the structure and function of plant and animal cells

Dermatology The branch of medicine dealing with the skin, nails, hair diseases

Etymology The branch of linguistics

Ethology The study of the behaviour of animals in their normal environment.

Gastroenterology The branch of medicine which deals with disorders of the stomach
and intestines.

The infinity sign, ∞, is called a lemniscate. Its name means “decorated with ribbons” in Latin.
 GK-516
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Gemmology The science of gemstones.

Genealogy The study or investigation of ancestry and family histories.

Hierology The study of religious beliefs and practices.

Ichnology The branch of paleontology that studies fossil footprints

Limnology The study of inland waters.

Mycology The branch of biology that deals with fungi.

Metrology The science of weights and measures; the study of units of measurement

Nephology The scientific study of clouds.

Otorhinolaryngology The study of diseases of the ear, nose, and throat

Ophiology The branch of zoology that is concerned with the study of snakes.

Osteology The scientific study of bones.

Oncology The branch of medicine that deals with tumors

Petrology The branch of geology that studies the origin, composition,

distribution and structure of rocks.
Philologies The study of literary texts and written records

Phonology The sound system of a language.

Phycology The branch of botany that deals with algae

Rhinology The branch of medical science concerned with the nose and its diseases.

Semiology The study of signs.

Tribology The science and technology of friction, lubrication, and wear.

Uranology The branch of physics that studies celestial bodies and the universe
as a whole.

The first English dictionary was written in 1755.

GENERAL APTITUDE & PERSONALITY GK-517

GENERAL APTITUDE
& PERSONALITY

GENERAL APTITUDE
An Aptitude is natural ability to do something i.e. for learning and proficiency in a specific
area or discipline. Outstanding Aptitude can be considered “TALENT”. Aptitude may be
physical or mental.
Aptitude is expressed in interest and is reflected in current performance which is expected
to improve over time with training.

(table, line, pie, bar

graphs) etc.

‘Aptitude found in the understanding and is often inherited. Genius coming from reason
and imagination, rarely’. –Marcus Aurelius
General Aptitude was developed during World War.
 GK-518
Reasoning
It is the set of processes that enables us to
go beyond the information given
Logic
It is a tool to develop reasonable conclusions
based on a given set of data. Logic is free of
emotion and deals very specifically with
information in its purest form.
Aptitude Test
These are one of the most commonly used
assessments in measuring candidates’
suitability for a role. Advantage of aptitude
tests is that they may suggests areas in
which you could succeed, even though you
do not have yet any experience of them.
The kind of ability testing is usually called
‘aptitude testing’. There are 2 types of
aptitude tests.
•• General aptitude test
•• Scholastic aptitude test
(a) General Aptitude Test
These test are designed to give you
information about types of intelligence that
are relevant to different skills. Completing
all of the tests will allow you to establish
different skills. Completing all of the tests
will allow you to establish your likely
strengths and weaknesses.
(b) Scholastic Aptitude Test
These tests are designed to give you
information about intelligence relevant
to different subjects. Completing all the
tests will establish your strengths and
weaknesses in different subjects.
Benefits of Aptitude Tests
1. Accurate Prediction: Aptitude tests
are quite accurate in predicting the
potentials for success. There are further
advantages too in using the test to help
identify the right candidate for the job,
whether it is a new hire or promotion.
2. Accurate Assessment: These tests are
fairly accurate when it comes to assessing
Carl Brigham, a psychologist developed General Aptitude Test.
GENERAL APTITUDE & PERSONALITY
a person’s strengths and weaknesses.
3. Aptitude tests can afford the candidate
an opportunity to examine the types of
skills the position calls for. Job applicant
should feel that they will be the right fit
for the position
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal reasoning is understanding and
reasoning using concepts framed in words.
It aims at evaluating, ability to think
constructively rather than at simple fluency or
vocabulary recognition. This type of reasoning
refers to how well students solve problems
using words.
Types of Verbal Reasoning Tests
The skill needed to perform well in verbal
reasoning tests can be broken down into 3
separate categories:
•• Comprehension: Your ability to understand
and analyze written information.
•• Grammar: Your ability to spell correctly
and know to correct tenses. Such tests
include sentences completion and same
type of tests.
•• Vocabulary: Some tests are deliberately
worded difficult and use long complicated
routes to tell you the information. Such
methods include the use of double
negative and other such forms.
Topic Based On Verbal Reasoning
•• Analogy: Analogy refers to relationship.
In this type of tests a particular
relationship is given and another
similar relationship has to be identified
from the alternatives provided.
•• Classification: Classification means to
separate the item which does not belong
to a particular group of items classified
on the bases of certain qualities.
•• Coding-decoding: Code refers to a
system of words, letters or symbols
used to represent others. Coding is
a method of transmitting a message
between the sender and the receiver
without knowing anybody else. While
GENERAL APTITUDE & PERSONALITY
decoding is translation (data or
message) from a code into the original
language or form.
•• Blood-Relations Test: In this, a round
about description is given in the form
of certain small relationship and we
analyse the whole chain of relation and
find out the direct relationship between
the persons concerned.
Abstract Reasoning
Abstract reasoning involves the ability
to analyze and understand non-verbal or
visual information to figure out problems
using non-verbal reasoning.
Diagrammatic Reasoning
In diagrammatic reasoning tests you are given
a diagram or a flowchart. In this flowchart,
you are given a set of rules and these rules
have to be applied to a new situation.
Inductive Reasoning
This is a form of logical reasoning which
involves going from a series of specific cases
to a general statement.
Non-verbal reasoning such as abstract
reasoning is also referred to as inductive
reasoning. Examples of inductive reasoning
are number sequences and a particular form
of syllogism.
Spatial Reasoning
These type of tests test your ability to
understand a logical series of patterns but
involves your ability to mentally rotate
pictures and three dimensional shapes in
your mind.
General Aptitude was first used in the recruitment of Army called Army Alpha.
GK-519
Non-Verbal Reasoning
Non-verbal reasoning refers to student’s
ability in spatial and abstract thinking. This
type of reasoning also refers to how well
students solve problems using shapes and
figures. For example: identifying relationship,
similarities and differences between shapes
and patterns, recognizing visual sequences
and relationship between objects.
Logical /Analytical/Critical
Reasoning
The logical reasoning, also known as
critical thinking or analytic reasoning,
involves one’s ability to isolate and identify
the various components of any given
argument. A person with a higher logical
reasoning ability is better equipped to work
in positions that require quick decision
making. Logical Reasoning involves use of
reasons, especially to form conclusions,
inferences or judgments from the given
facts, evidences and figures.
It introduced in various exams to test the
student’s ability to analyze the logical
foundations of a given argument and to
predict the effects of certain causes and
on the basis find a best possible course of
action and take decisions for any situations.
Types of Logical/ Analytical/Critical
Reasoning
Syllogism
In syllogism, follow the methods of Venn
diagram by drawing as much diagram as
possible through the given statements and
then compare them with given conclusion
to find their validity.
 GK-520
Statement and Argument
In this, the statement full of argument
is provided. Students are being asked to
support/weaken a conclusion or fact and
evidence be given, reasoning may not be
implicit and not should be identified before
proceeding.
Lateral Thinking/Reasoning
Lateral thinking reasoning is solving
problems through an indirect and creative
approach, using reasoning that is not
immediately obvious and involving ideas
that may not be obtainable by using only
traditional step-by-step logic.
It is the process of using information to bring
about creativity and insight restructuring.
Lateral thinking can be learned, practiced
and used.
Lateral Reasoning is a set of processes that
provides a deliberate, systematic way of
thinking creatively that result in innovative
thinking in a repeatable manner. While
critical thinking is primarily concerned
with judging the true value of statements
and seeking errors. It is more concerned
with the “movement value” of statements
and ideas.
Psychological Testing
It is related with psychological tests. A
psychological test is an objective and
standardized measure of individual’s
performance on specific tasks. This
individual performance on specific tasks
PERSONALITY
Personality
Ethics/Human
Values
Code of Code of
ethics conduct
Five broad personality dimensions that compose human personality are: Extraversion Agreeableness, conscientiousness,
Neuroticism & openness.
GENERAL APTITUDE & PERSONALITY
is usually referred to sample of behaviour.
This sample of behaviour consists of a
paper-and-pencil tests which are a series
of items.
Types of Psychological Tests
IQ/Achievement Tests
IQ tests are designed to measure the
intelligence level and achievement test
measure the use and level of development
of ability. In IQ tests, a series of tasks is
given to a person being evaluated and the
person’s response are graded according
to prescribed guidelines. After the test is
completed, the results can be compiled and
compared to the responses of a non group.
Examples of verbal IQ tests are vocabulary
and information Non-verbal examples are
Puzzle solving and identifying images in a
fixed pattern (Matrix reasoning).
Attitude Tests
These type of tests are individual’s feelings
about an event, person or object. Attitude
scales are used in marketing to determine
individual or group preference for brands
or items. These tests use specific type of
scale.
Psychometric Testing
Psychometric testing is related with
evaluation of candidate’s performance that
includes skills and knowledge, abilities,
personality traits, attitudes and job/
academic potentials.
Personality
Assessment
Interview Group
discussion
GENERAL APTITUDE & PERSONALITY
Introduction
Personality can be defined as the collective
qualities, characteristics, disposition and
values of a person which distinguish him
or her from others. Personality reflects the
manners he/she reacts toward or interact
with other people and his/her environment.
It is an ongoing developmental process.
Every person has some specific set of
personality traits.
Ethics/Human Values
Ethics and human values are the bedrock
of an admired personality.
Ethics
Ethics are moral principles that govern
a person’s behaviour or activity. It helps
to lead a value based life and brings
all-round development. Things like
integrity, humility, simplicity, fairness,
modesty, love, courage, justice are the
components of ethics. Being ethical
implies doing what the moral and social
law requires without harming anybody.
Religion can set high ethical standards
and provide intense motivations but
ethics cannot be confined to religion. We
can say, ethics comprise two basic things:
firstly, it refers to well-founded standards
of right and wrong that prescribes what
humans ought to do. Secondly, it refers
to the study and development of one’s
ethical standards.
Human Values
They are the cardinal characteristics of a
positive and well organized personality. These
are the principles, standards, convictions and
beliefs that people adopt as their guidelines
in daily activities. They are a set of consistent
measures and behaviours that individuals
choose to practice in the pursuit of doing
what is right or what is expected of them by
society.
Human values comprises of:
• Civility, respect, consideration
To respect someone ultimately means
Ethics is derived form Ancient Greek word Ethikos whichi means “relating to one’s character.
GK-521
to respect his/her human qualities. It
is a positive quality develops social
and professional relationship.
• Honesty, fairness, loyalty, sharing,
solidarity
These are basic principles of a
strong character. These values when
incorporated into individual’s character
boost confidence and make one’s
personality strong and respectable.
• Openness, listening, welcoming,
acceptance, recognition
These human values are based on
the principles of sharing and caring.
These are the finest human values that
make your personality sociable. These
qualities demand love and affection at
the cost of compromising personal ego.
• Brotherhood, friendship, empathy,
compassion, love
These values express peace by
integrating them into our way of
managing human relations.
Human values are most required to
develop personality in social as well as
professional front.
Code of Ethics
Certain codes of ethics are essential to be
successful in social and professional fronts.
These are an essential part of professional
responsibility. Ethical codes in personality
are practiced entities that refine individual
behaviour.
These codes include :
• Honesty: Honesty is best policy. To be
honest means to be truthful to your duty
and responsibility without harming
others intensely. Same criteria are
applicable in all spheres of life.
• Right Conduct: While working with
different people, it is always good
to respect them. The basic priority
should be to get the work done despite
differences. You can develop strong
personality being patient, able to
listen and making right decisions.
 GK-522
• Kindness: Gaining trust depends on
your feelings for others. Therefore,
selfless service with kindness is a
noble virtue that will enlighten your
personality.
• Faithfulness: We should be faithful
to those we are serving. We should
honour our obligations to serve the
public.
Code of Conduct
Code of conduct in terms of personality
means to follow certain set of social rules,
accepted by all, for the good of the society
and the nation. This includes principles,
values, standards and rules of behaviour.
The basic aim is to contribute to the welfare
of all and respect the rights of all people
affected by your conduct.
Some of the important personal codes of
conducts are:
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CODE OF ETHICS AND CODE OF CONDUCT
Basics Code of Ethics
Meaning It is a set of principles to guide It is a set of rules & guidelines that influence
members in their decision making members actions
honestly & with integrity
Nature General
Scope Wide
Governs Decision making
Length Short
Disclosure Publicly disclosed
Focused on Values or principles
Personality Assessment
Personality assessment is the measurement
of personal characteristics. One way of
measuring personality involves asking
individuals to respond to a self-report
inventory or questionnaire. This is known
as objective tests of personality that
contain questions or statements to which
individuals respond in various ways. One
of the important areas of personality
The first personality tests were developed in 1920.
GENERAL APTITUDE & PERSONALITY
• Not doing harm to any living being.
• Avoiding unethical behaviours like
stealing or causing misunderstandings.
• Avoid telling lies, deceiving others,
manipulating or using abusive or
hurtful words.
• Avoid using intoxicating substances.
• Develop ethical behaviour towards
parents and the environment.
• Sense of justice.
• Respect to Motherland and law of the
land.
• Respect to Culture and traditions.
• Sense of duty and time.
Society, organisations and business entities
follow code of conduct for the betterment
of their members employees. Govt. servants
are also prescribed with certain codes of
conduct while assigning their duties.
Code of conduct
Specific
Narrow
Actions
Longer (i.e. do’s & don’ts)
Members only
Compliance & rules
assessments is behaviourial assessment.
The other techniques include interview and
group discussion.
Interview
Interviews are popular methods of
personality assessment. It is known as
observational method. In this method:
• There is a direct contact
• Personality is assessed by asking
questions
• Personality traits are identified
GENERAL APTITUDE & PERSONALITY
In structured interviews predetermined
questions are asked. In unstructured
interviews any question could be asked to
assess personality.
Personality Test during Interviews
First Impression
It is very important to create a good
impression right from the beginning.
Therefore, put aside all of your previous
preparations and allow plenty of time to
get to the interview so that you arrive in
a cool and composed state of mind. Arrive
before the scheduled time. You will never
feel nervous if you are well prepared and
look your best.
• Develop confidence and feel relaxed.
Look directly into the eyes of the
interviewer.
• Don’t let confidence come across as
arrogance.
• Excess confidence can come across as
arrogance is not a positive trait.
• Consider your personality to suit your
desired job
Confidence
• Shake hand firmly
DO’S & DON’TS OF INTERVIEW
Do’s
• Eye contact: Keep your eye fixed
on the interviewers. This displays
interest and sincerity, but don’t
stare.
• Dress for success: Dress professionally
for the type of job, because the
first thing the employer sees when
greeting you is your attire.
• Wait until you are offered a chair
before sitting.
• Show enthusiasm in the position
and the company.
• Make sure that your good points
come across in a factual, sincere
manner.
• Show human concern whenever
possible in your answers.
The job interview was born in 1921, when Thomas Edison created a written test to evaluate job candidate knowledge.
GK-523
• Sit straight
• Be precise in your answer
Approachability
• Be friendly and open with etiquette,
smile pleasantly and greet everyone
you are introduced.
Sense of Humour
• Be responsive to humours but don’t
crack jokes.
Body Language
• Make your presence felt in a positive
way.
• Take care of your postures and
gestures.
• Be yourself but remain professional.
• Show your strengths and personality
that will prove you are the right person
for the job.
• Think before you say
• Answer interview questions by giving
relevant examples that show your
coverage.
• Emphasize on how your personality
contributes to your actions and helps
you succeed.
Don’ts
• Don’t lie: Never give fake facts during
interview.
• Don’t stop reading newspapers: Information
about current happenings is very important.
Have a general idea about the happenings for
last one year.
• Don’t compromise your morality: Many
interviews not only measure one’s intellectual
qualities but also social traits.
• Do not get involved into any negative
emotions before interview.
• Avoid the expression, ‘I am sorry.’
• Avoid conversational cliches, like: ‘as you
know’, ‘that’s correct’, ‘of course’, ‘indeed’,
‘obviously’, etc.
• Avoid technical jargon. However, if a member
continues to probe you in any technical field,
you can use technical expressions.
 GK-524
Group Discussion
Group Discussion is essentially an
interactive oral process. The exchange of
ideas in a GD takes place in a systematic
structured way. Each of the participants
gets an opportunity to express his/her
views and comment on the views expressed
by other members of the group.
Candidates called for GD are tested on
the interpersonal skills, their leadership
qualities, effective communication and
confidence levels. The examiners closely
watch the candidate and evaluate him/
her on these attributes. The criteria
for evaluation are active participation,
thoroughness, adaptability, leadership,
listening, appropriate language, clarity
of expression, positive attitude, emotions,
and effective non-verbal communication
i.e. facial expression, gestures, eye-contact,
posture and tone of voice.
GD is divided into three parts-introduction,
body and summary. Each candidate should
participate in every part systematically.
Some Tips For Successful GD
• A complete understanding and
knowledge of the current political
economic and social scene within the
country and outside. Regularly reading
The common IIT-JEE was conducted for the first time in 1960, when it had four subjects including an English language paper.
GENERAL APTITUDE & PERSONALITY
newspaper, magazine and news
channels will help in it.
• Confidence in speaking with correct
pronunciation audible to evaluator
sitting two meters away.
• Organise your thoughts before
speaking.
• Don’t repeat the same point time and
again.
• Don’t conclude when discussion is in
its full flow.
• Observe the reaction of the group to
your contributions.
• Your body language should reflect your
interest by maintaining eye-contact
while speaking.
• Don’t speak irrelevant but only three
to four relevant points to pass the GD.
• If GD is given an abstract topic, relate it
to humanity, morals, and ethics.
• Be active and not passive except some
time when it needs.
• Try to be the first speaker showing
leadership quality by making valid
contribution.
• If you don’t have valid points to
contribute, then wait and only enter
the discussion at the appropriate time.
• Always be polite and cut in gently
when someone in speaking.
 GK-525

QUIZZES
QUIZZES

u National u International
u Science u Finance

NATIONAL
1. Which was the largest site of Indus 9. Arya Samaj was started by-
Civilization? (a) Swami Vivekananda
(a) Mohenjodaro (b) Lothal (b) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
(c) Chanhudaro (d) Dholavira (c) Swami Dayanand Saraswati
2. Babur established Mughal rule in India (d) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
through his victory in 1526, over 10. Bannerghatta National Park is situated in
(a) Rana Sanga (a) Meghalaya
(b) Sikandar Lodi (b) Rajasthan
(c) Daulat Khan Lodi (c) Madhya Pradesh
(d) Ibrahim Lodi (d) Karnataka
3. The cavalry of Shivaji was known as
11. Which of the following crops is regarded
(a) Risala (b) Sir-i-Naubat
as a plantation crop?
(c) Bergir (d) Paga
4. The first jute mill was set up in India in – (a) Coconut (b) Cotton
(a) 1920 (b) 1850 (c) Sugarcane (d) Rice
(c) 1855 (d) 1755 12. The most ideal region for the cultivation
5. Who among the following created the of cotton in India is
Khalsa Panth? (a) the Brahmaputra valley
(a) Guru Teg Bahadur (b) the Indo-Gangetic valley
(b) Guru Hargobind (c) the Deccan plateau
(c) Guru Gobind Singh (d) the Rann of Kutch
(d) Guru Arjan Dev 13. The Aravallis mountain ranges are the
6. Who was the first Governor General of example of-
Bengal? (a) old fold mountains
(a) Warren Hastings (b) young fold mountains
(b) Robert Clive (c) Volcanic mountains
(c) William Bentinck (d) block mountains
(d) Lord Cornwallis 14. The only state in India that produces
7. Who was the founder of Indian National saffron is-
Congress? (a) Assam
(a) Gopal Krishna Gokhle (b) Himachal Pradesh
(b) Allen Octavian Hume
(c) Jammu and Kashmir
(c) Feroz Shah Mehta
(d) Meghalaya
(d) Bipin Chandra Pal
8. Who is regarded as the ‘ Mother of the 15. The India’s highest annual rainfall is
Indian Revolution’ ? reported at
(a) Devika Rani (a) Namchi, Sikkim
(b) Madam Bhikaji Cama (b) Churu, Rajasthan
(c) Rani Laxmibai (c) Mawsynram, Meghalaya
(d) Begum Hazrat Mahal (d) Chamba, Himachal Pradesh
 GK-526
26. The typical area of sal forest in the Indian
peninsular upland occurs
(a) on the western ghats
(b) between the Tapti and the Narmada
(c) to the north-east of the Godavari
(d) on the Malwa plateau
17. Which mythological weapon is depicted
on the Param Vir Chakra medal?
(a) Vajra
(b) Khatvanga
(c) Sudarshan Chakra
(d) Kaumodaki (a) Darjeeling (b) Srinagar
18. Which is the oldest football club in India?
(a) Mohun Bagan
(b) East Bengal
(c) Mohammedan Sporting
(d) Churchill Brothers
19. What name has been given to the first
Boeing 747/700 jet, inducted into Indian
Air Force, designed to work as the Indian
President’s office-in-the-sky?
(a) Samrat (b) Rajdoot
(c) Maharaja (d) Badshah
20. The novel ‘Q & A’, on which 8 Oscar awards
winning film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ (2008)
is based, was authored by which Indian
civil servant?
(a) Vikas Swarup (b) Vikram Seth
(c) Amitav Ghosh (d) Aravind Adiga
21. Ghatigaon Sanctuary, set up for the
conservation of the Son Chiriya (great
Indian bustard), is located in which state?
(a) Haryana (a) Kandla (Gujarat)
(b) Rajasthan
(c) Madhya Pradesh
(d) Karnataka
22. Which Indian state is the largest producer in
the world of the golden coloured ‘Muga’ silk ?
(a) Assam (b) Odisha
(c) West Bengal (d) Karnataka
23. Which was the first Indian company to list
on the Nasdaq in 1999?
(a) Wipro
(b) Infosys
(c) Satyam Computers
(d) Tech Mahindra
24. Which state is known as the ‘Spice Garden
of India’?
(a) Kerala
(b) Karnataka
(c) Andhra Pradesh
(d) Tamil Nadu
25. Who is the first Indian sportsman whose
wax statue was inducted at Madame
Tussaud’s Wax Museum in London?
QUIZZES
(a) Pankaj Advani
(b) Sachin Tendulkar
(c) Vishwanathan Anand
(d) Abhinav Bindra
26. In which town of Uttar Pradesh did
Gautam Buddha attain Mahaparinirvana
(salvation)?
(a) Lumbini (b) Kushinagar
(c) Nanded (d) Pavapuri
27. In which hill station is the Himalayan
Mountaineering Institute (HMI) located?
(c) Nainital (d) Shimla
28. In India, the inflation rate represents the
annual change (in percentage) in which
index?
(a) Consumer Price Index (CPI)
(b) Consumer Confidence Index (CCI)
(c) Wholesale Price Index (WPI)
(d) Index of Industrial Production (IIP)
29. In addition to Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and
West Bengal, the Tropic of Cancer passes
through which north eastern states of
India?
(a) Assam and Meghalaya
(b) Meghalaya and Manipur
(c) Manipur and Nagaland
(d) Tripura and Mizoram
30. In 1965, at which port was the India’s first
Free Trade Zone established?
(b) Kochi (Kerala)
(c) Falta (West Bengal)
(d) Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
31. By what name is the Irish lady Margaret
Elizabeth Noble, a disciple of Swami
Vivekananda, better known?
(a) Meera Ben
(b) Mother Teresa
(c) Savitri Khanolkar
(d) Sister Nivedita
32. Who authored the ‘Gitanjali’, an anthology
of poems?
(a) Sumitranandan Pant
(b) Makhanlal Chaturvedi
(c) Rabindranath Tagore
(d) Maithili Sharan Gupt
33. To have legal rights for self-employed
women like industrial workers, which lady
activist founded Self-Employed Women’s
Association (SEWA)?
(a) Aruna Roy (b) Ela Bhatt
(c) Medha Patkar (d) Teesta Setalvad
QUIZZES
34. Kailash Temple at Ellora in Maharahstra,
the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture,
was built by the rulers of which dynasty?
(a) Kadamba (b) Rashtrakuta
(c) Chalukya (d) Satavahana
35. Anamudi Peak, located in the Idukki
district of Kerala, is the highest peak of
which Indian mountain range?
(a) Aravali
(b) Vindhyas
(c) Sahyadri (W.Ghats)
(d) Satpura
36. Which Indian state was originally known
as the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) ?
(a) Manipur
(b) Meghalaya
(c) Arunachal Pradesh
(d) Nagaland
37. Which Ramon Magsaysay Award winner,
popularly known as Water Man, founded
an NGO called ‘Tarun Bharat Sangh’ near
Alwar in Rajasthan to work on watershed
projects and rain-water harvesting?
(a) Sandeep Pandey
(b) Rajendra Singh
(c) Mahesh Chandra Mehta
(d) Arvind Kejriwal
38. What is the minimum age limit to become
the President of India?
(a) 25 years (b) 30 years
(c) 35 years (d) 40 years
39. In which city is the dargah (tomb) of sufi
saint Moinuddin Chishti located ?
(a) Mumbai (b) Srinagar
(c) New Delhi (d) Ajmer
40. Who was the first person to address the
United Nations in Hindi?
(a) Morarji Desai
(b) Atal Behari Vajpayee
(c) V.P.Singh
(d) P.V. Narasimha Rao
41. Which princely state was the first to
be annexed to the British East India
Company under the Doctrine of Lapse
policy, devised by Lord Dalhousie?
(a) Satara (b) Sambalpur
(c) Jhansi (d) Awadh
42. Which one of the following organisation
was launched to help the poor in rural
area to make them self employed
(a) DPAP (b) IRDP
(c) TRYSIM (d) DDP
43. Who among the following is called the
“guardian of the public purse” of India?
GK-527
(a) Governor of Reserve bank of India
(b) Finance Minister of India
(c) Comptroller & Auditor General of India
(d) Supreme Court of India
44. The National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN)
project is to link the optical fibre for of-
fering a 100 mbps broadband ser-
vice to which among the following levels?
(a) District
(b) Tehsil / Taluka
(c) Gram Panchayat
(d) Block Gram Panchayat
45. How many articles are there in Constitution
of India?
(a) 395 (b) 397
(c) 448 (d) 410
46. Which of the following is not a constitutional
body?
(a) Election Commission
(b) Planning Commission
(c) National Advisory Council
(d) Inter State Council
47. The oath of office is administered to the
Governor by the
(a) Chief Justice of India
(b) President
(c) Chief Justice of high court
(d) Speaker of legislative assembly
48. In which Constitutional Amendment Act
Sikkim was made full-fledged State of the
Union of India?
(a) 21st Constitutional Amendment Act
(b) 31st Constitutional Amendment
Act, 1973
(c) 35th Constitutional Amendment
Act, 1974
(d) 36th Constitutional Amendment
Act, 1975
49. When Right to Information Act came into
force in India?
(a) 10th June 2005
(b) 11th March 2005
(c) 12th October 2005
(d) 13th November 2005
50. In which Constitutional Amendment Act,
seats of Lok Sabha were increased from
525 to 545?
(a) 21st Constitutional Amendment
Act, 1967
(b) 24th Constitutional Amendment
Act, 1971
(c) 25th Constitutional Amendment
Act, 1971
(d) 31st Constitutional Amendment
Act, 1973
 GK-528
QUIZZES
51. Article 44 is related to? 61. India’s first Defence University is set up in-
(a) Uniform civil code for citizens. (a) Haryana (b) Uttar Pradesh
(b) Provision of early childhood care and (c) Punjab (d) Delhi
education to children below the age 62. “Pahla kadam , pahli udan” account is
of 6 years. launched by which bank ?
(c) Duty of the state to raise the level of (a) SBI (b) Andhra Bank
nutrition. (c) Bank of Baroda (d) Canara Bank
(d) Organization of agriculture and 63. When, for the first time, did the Prime
animal husbandry. Minister of India announce the 20-point
52. Who among the following is a famous Economic Programme?
Santoor player? (a) 1973 (b) 1974
(a) Hari Prasad Chaurasia (c) 1975 (d) 1976
(b) Ravi Shankar 64. Name the Card launched by Indian
(c) Zakir Hussain Railways to avoid payment transaction
(d) Shiv Kumar Sharma during ticket booking?
53. Natya Shastra the main source of India (a) Go India smart Card
classical dances was written by
(b) Metro Card
(a) Bharat Muni (b) Tandu Muni
(c) Smart Citizen Card
(c) Narad Muni (d) Abhinav Gupt
(d) Adhar Card
54. The words ‘Satyameva Jayate’ inscribed
below the base plate of the emblem of 65. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme was
India are taken from which scripture. launched by which ministry?
(a) Ramayana (a) Ministry of Women and Child
(b.) Mundaka Upanishad Development
(c) Rigveda (b) Ministry of Human Resource
(d) Satpath Brahmana Development
55. Where is the largest concentration of (c) Ministry of Home Affairs
Stupas in India? (d Ministry of Health and Family
(a) Himachal Pradesh Welfare
(b) Andhra Pradesh 66. The committee on Cauvery water dispute
(c) Madhya Pradesh was known as:
(d) Arunachal Pradesh (a) P. Sathasivam
56. Manusmrithi was translated into English (b) H. L. Dattu
by- (c) B.S Chauhan
(a) Macauely (d) K. G. Balakrishnan
(b) J.S Mill 67. RBI Adjusts Liquidity by which tool?
(c) William Jones (a) Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)
(d) Max Muller (b) Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR)
57. Who wrote Charaka Samhita? (c) Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF)
(a) Kautiliya (b) Charaka (d) Market Stabilisation Scheme (MSS)
(c) Aryabatta (d) Chanakya 68. Who has become the first Indian to be
58. Who is the Sanskrit Scholar in the court elected the President of the International
of Chandragupta II? Hockey Federation (FIH)?
(a) Bimbisara (b) Ariean (a) Narinder Batra (b) Dhanraj Pillay
(c) Amarsimba (d) Bindu Sar
(c) K D Singh (d) Kirtan Singh
59. Who was the founder of Maurya dynasty?
69. Which is the focus country in the 2016
(a) Karikala
India International Trade Fair (IITF)?
(b) Raja Raja
(a) South Korea (b) Belarus
(c) Chandragupta Maurya
(d) Ashok (c) Japan (d) Thailand
60. Which city is known as the Pittsburg of 70. The book “SRK – 25 Years of a Life” has
India? been authored by whom?
(a) Jamshedpur (b) Kerala (a) Samar Khan (b) R K Kapoor
(c) New Delhi (d) Punjab (c) Sonali Kokra (d) Omang Tripathi
QUIZZES
71. What is the theme of 2016 World
Pneumonia Day (WPD)?
(a) Universal access to pneumonia
prevention and care
(b) Keep the Promise, Stop Pneumonia
Now
(c) Every Breath Counts: Stop
Pneumonia Now
(d) Innovate to End Child Pneumonia
72. The World Science Day for Peace and
Development (WSDPD) is observed on
which date?
(a) November 11 (b) November 12
(c) November 10 (d) November 13
73. Who is the newly appointed chairman of
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)?
(a) Ishaat Hussain
(b) Aman Mehta
(c) Ron Sommer
(d) N Chandrasekaran
74. The book “Beyond the Last Blue Mountain:
A Life Of J. R. D. Tata” has been authored
by whom?
(a) Elena Ferrante
(b) Gita Subramaniam
(c) C. S. Lakshmi
(d) R M Lala
75. The Public Service Broadcasting Day is
observed on which date in India?
(a) November 9 (b) November 15
(c) November 12 (d) November 14
76. “Lakshmi”, India’s first banking robot has
been launched by which bank?
(a) State Bank of India
(b) City Union Bank
(c) ICICI Bank
(d) Axis Bank
77. The 2018 International Competition
Network (ICN) annual conference will be
hosted by which country?
(a) Portugal (b) India
(c) Japan (d) Singapore
78. Which state government has launched
“Lakshya Bhagirathi” campaign to
complete the irrigation projects?
(a) Madhya Pradesh
(b) Uttar Pradesh
(c) Chhattisgarh
(d) Assam
79. India’s first-ever Liquefied Natural Gas
(LNG) driven bus has been launched in
which state?
(a) Kerala (b) Assam
(c) Tamil Nadu (d) Karnataka
GK-529
80. The 2016 Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) will be hosted by
which country?
(a) India (b) Peru
(c) China (d) Philippines
81. “Smart India Hackathon 2017” has been
launched by which Union Minister?
(a) Ravi Shankar Prasad
(b) Narendra Modi
(c) Prakash Javadekar
(d) Dr. Harsh Vardhan
82. Which country is hosting the 2016
International Regulatory Cooperation
for Herbal Medicines (IRCH)?
(a) Germany (b) Morocco
(c) Indonesia (d) India
83. Who has been bestowed with the 2016
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) – TV5
Monde Press Freedom Prize in journalist
category?
(a) Hadi Abdullah (b) Zaina Erhaim
(c) Li Tingyu (d) Inan Kizilkaya
84. The 2016 International Academy of
Aviation & Space Medicine (IAASM) has
started in which city?
(a) Brasília (b) New Delhi
(c) Pretoria (d) Beijing
85. How much loan amount has been
sanctioned by the Asian Development
Bank (ADB) to improve to improve
Assam’s power distribution system?
(a) $54 million (b) $48 million
(c) $88 million (d) $63 million
86. Who will be conferred with the Rashtriya
Kalidas Samman for year 2016-17?
(a) N. Rajam (b) Anupam Kher
(c) Raj Bisaria (d) Banshi Kaul
87. The 7th session of Conference of Parties
(COP7) on tobacco control has started in
which state of India?
(a) Uttar Pradesh (b) Haryana
(c) Rajasthan (d) Odisha
88. Which country is hosting the Conference
of Parties (COP22) of the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)?
(a) India (b) Morocco
(c) Nepal (d) Palestine
89. The Defence Research & Development
Organisation (DRDO) has signed a MoU
with which IIT institute to establish a Joint
Advanced Technology Centre (JATC)?
(a) IIT Bombay (b) IIT Kharagpur
(c) IIT Indore (d) IIT Delhi
 GK-530
90. Which Indian Armed Force has launched
“Operation school chalo” in South
Kashmir?
(a) Indian Army (b) Indian Air Force
(c) Indian Navy (d) All of the above
91. Who has been appointed as the new
Executive Director (ED) of the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI)?
(a) K K Malhotra (b) MRajeshwarRao
(c) Arindam Kunar (d) Greesh Bindra
92. Who has been appointed as MD & CEO of
Central Registry of Securitisation Asset
Reconstruction and Security Interest of
India (CERSAI)?
(a) Rishabh Jain
(b) Praveen Kumar Sharma
(c) Kirti Singh
(d) Sudha Singhvi
93. Which state government has recently
inked MoU with Union Ministry of Civil
Aviation for Regional Connectivity Scheme
(RCS)-UDAN?
(a) Assam (b) Odisha
(c) Haryana (d) Madhya Pradesh
94. Where is the headquarters of the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)?
(a) Pune (b) New Delhi
(c) Bhopal (d) Raipur
95. What is the theme of the first-ever World
Tsunami Awareness Day (WTAD)?
(a) Reduce Mortality, Raise awareness
(b) Knowledge for Life
QUIZZES
(c) Live To Tell: Raising Awareness
(d) Effective Education and
Evacuation Drills
96. The book “An Era of Darkness: The British
Empire in India” has been authored by
whom?
(a) Amrish Tripathi
(b) Hamid Ansari
(c) Shashi Tharoor
(d) Romesh Dutt
97. Which country will host the 2016
International Energy Forum –
International Gas Union (IEF-IGU)
Ministerial Forum?
(a) India (b) Qatar
(c) Iran (d) Israel
98. Which country’s hockey team has won the
2016 Women’s Asian Champions Trophy?
(a) China (b) India
(c) Japan (d) Malaysia
99. Asia’s largest man-made ‘Jungle Safari’
is located in which state of India?
(a) Madhya Pradesh
(b) Chhattisgarh
(c) Rajasthan
(d) Uttar Pradesh
100.“Aware and Care” the health awareness
campaign has been launched by which
state government?
(a) Uttar Pradesh (b) Kerala
(c) Punjab (d) Karnataka

ANSWER KEY
1. (a) 16. (d) 31. (b) 46. (c) 61. (a) 76. (b) 91. (b)
2. (d) 17. (a) 32. (c) 47. (c) 62. (a) 77. (b) 92. (b)
3. (d) 18. (a) 33. (b) 48. (d) 63. (c) 78. (c) 93. (a)
4. (c) 19. (b) 34. (b) 49. (c) 64. (a) 79. (a) 94. (b)
5. (c) 20. (a) 35. (c) 50. (d) 65. (a) 80. (b) 95. (d)
6. (a) 21. (c) 36. (c) 51. (a) 66. (c) 81. (c) 96. (c)
7. (b) 22. (a) 37. (b) 52. (d) 67. (c) 82. (d) 97. (a)
8. (b) 23. (b) 38. (c) 53. (a) 68. (a) 83. (a) 98. (b)
9. (c) 24. (a) 39. (d) 54. (b) 69. (b) 84. (b) 99. (b)
10. (d) 25. (b) 40. (b) 55. (c) 70. (a) 85. (b) 100. (c)
11. (a) 26. (d) 41. (a) 56. (c) 71. (b) 86. (d)
12. (c) 27. (a) 42. (c) 57. (b) 72. (c) 87. (a)
13. (a) 28. (c) 43. (c) 58. (c) 73. (a) 88. (b)
14. (c) 29. (d) 44. (c) 59. (c) 74. (d) 89. (d)
15. (c) 30. (a) 45. (c) 60. (a) 75. (c) 90. (a)
QUIZZES GK-531

INTERNATIONAL

1. Who wrote the famous novel “Alice’s 13. Who invented the ball point pen?
Adventures in Wonderland”? (a) Waterman Brothers
(a) Rudyard Kipling (b) Bicc Brothers
(b) John Keats (c) Biro Brothers
(c) Lewis Carroll (d) Wright Brothers
(d) H G Wells 14. Which scientist discovered the radioactive
2. Who was the first to complete the element radium?
circumnavigation of Earth? (a) Isaac Newton
(b) Albert Einstein
(a) Francis Drake (b) Columbus
(c) Benjamin Franklin
(c) Magellan (d) Vasco da Gama
(d) Marie Curie
3. The Nobel prize was instituted by which 15. Who invented Dynamite?
country? (a) Sir Alexander Graham Bell
(a) USA (b) UK (b) Benjamin Franklin
(c) Russia (d) Sweden (c) Thomas Alva Edison
4. Which of the following is an award (d) Alfred B. Nobel
instituted by UNESCO? 16. Who is the father of English Poetry?
(a) Kalinga Award (b) Pulitzer prize (a) Charles Dickens
(c) Stirling prize (d) Pritzker prize (b) John Milton
5. Magsaysay award is given by (c) Geoffrey Chaucer
(a) USA (b) UK (d) William Wordsworth
(c) Malaysia (d) Philippines 17. Who wrote the novel War and Peace?
6. Which of the following organisations is (a) Leo Tolstoy
not associated with the UNO? (b) Mahatma Gandhi
(a) ILO   (b) WHO (c) Charles Dickens
(d) Rudyard Kipling
(c) ASEAN  (d) All of the above
18. Who was the first woman to win the Nobel
7. Where is the headquarters of UNESCO Prize?
situated? (a) Marie Curie
(a) Rome (b) Geneva (b) Bertha von Suttner
(c) New York (d) Paris (c) Selma Lagerlöf
8. The five permanent members of UN (d) Grazia Deledda
Security Council are 19. Who is called as “The Father of History”?
(a) Japan, West Germany, USSR, UK and (a) Euclid (b) Herodotus
USA (c) Aristotle (d) Julius Caesar
(b) Canada, China, France, USSR and USA 20. Who wrote the novel “Anna Karenina”?
(c) Germany, China, USSR, UK and USA (a) Lewis Carroll (b) Leo Tolstoy
(d) China, France, USSR, UK and USA (c) Victor Hugo (d) Boris Pasternak
9. Which of the following is the headquarters 21. Who wrote the novel “A Farewell to Arms”?
of World Trade Organisation (WTO)? (a) Charles Dickens
(a) New York (b) Geneva (b) Ernest Hemingway
(c) Thomas Hardy
(c) Madrid (d) Paris
(d) Aldous Leonard Huxley
10. The Great Victoria Desert is located in
22. Who wrote the controversial novel “The
(a) Canada (b) West Africa Satanic Verses”?
(c) Australia (d) North America (a) William Golding
11. Which of the following is tropical (b) Gunnar Myrdal
grassland? (c) Salman Rushdie
(a) Taiga (b) Savannah (d) Agatha Christie
(c) Pampas (d) Prairies 23. Who is the author of the novel Les
12. The humidity of the air depends upon Misérables?
(a) Temperature (b) Location (a) Victor Hugo (b) ALium tofler
(c) Weather (d) All of the above (c) G.Wynne (d) Agatha Christie
 GK-532
QUIZZES
24. Who wrote the book ‘Gulliver’s Travels’? 35. Who was the author of the American
(a) Jonathan Swift Declaration of Independence?
(b) Charles Dickens (a) George Washington
(c) Charles Lamb (b) Thomas Paine
(d) Alexandra Dumas (c) Thomas Jefferson
25. Who wrote the book ‘Tom Sawyer’? (d) Marquis de Lafayette
(a) William Shakespeare 36. Who authored the book The Social
(b) John Ruskin Contract?
(c) Mark Twain (a) Voltaire
(d) Leo Tolstoy (b) Denis Diderot
26. Who wrote the 16th-century political (c) Jean-Jacques Rousseau
treatise “The Prince”? (d) Aristotle
(a) George Bernard Shaw 37. Who discovered the sea-route from
(b) V.S. Naipaul Europe to India?
(c) Emile Zola (a) Christopher Columbus
(b) Vasco-da-Gama
(d) Niccolo Machiavelli
(c) Marco Polo
27. Who was the first woman to go to space?
(d) Magellan
(a) Valentina Tereshkova
38. Who defined Democracy as the
(b) Sally Ride Government of the people, by the people
(c) Sunita Williams and for the people?
(d) Liu Yang (a) George Washington
28. Anthropology is the study of? (b) John Stuart mill
(a) Science (b) Psychology (c) Abraham Lincoln
(c) Literature (d) Humanity (d) Winston Churchill
29. The working languages of the UNESCO 39. Das Capital and Communist Manifesto
is/are were written by
(a) French only (a) Engels (b) Trotsky
(b) English only (c) Karl Marx (d) Lenin
(c) English and French 40. The Battle of Waterloo in the year 1815
(d) English, French and Russian was fought between
30. ‘World Cancer Day’ is observed on (a) Britain and France
(a) 19th February (b) 4th February (b) Britain and Germany
(c) 12th February (d) 17th January (c) Japan and China
31. Who invented Mobile phone? (d) Austria and Russia
(a) Graham Bell (b) Martin Cooper 41. The Boston Tea Party took place in which
(c) Edison (d) Larry Page year?
32. Who among the following is the co- (a) 1776 (b) 1773
founder of Google? (c) 1774 (d) 1770
(a) Larry Page 42. Which style of painting was used by early
(b) Time Berners-Lee renaissance artists?
(c) Philippe Kahn (a) Graeco-Roman (b) Catholic Art
(c) Gothic (d) None of these
(d) Richard Davis
43. Which is the longest River in the world?
33. The Last Super, a famous renaissance
(a) Nile (b) Amazon
painting was a master piece of
(c) Thames (d) Ganges
(a) Leonardo da Vinci 44. Where is the headquarters of FIFA
(b) Raphael situated?
(c) Michael Angelo (a) Zurich (b) Sao Paulo
(d) Titian (c) London (d) Dubai
34. The terms Liberty, Equality and Fraternity 45. Which is the oldest Grand Slam tennis
are associated with which of the following? tournament?
(a) Industrial Revolution (a) Wimbledon
(b) Russian Revolution (b) French open
(c) French Revolution (c) Australian open
(d) Olympic Games (d) US open
QUIZZES
46. The parliament of Russia is known as
(a) Federal Assembly of Russia (c) Canada (d) Germany
(b) Shora
(c) National Assembly Goldsmiths Prize, is belonged to which
(d) Folketing
47. The religious text of the Jews is named as
(a) The Analectus (b) Torah
(c) Tripitika (d) Zend-Avesta
48. Which country’s currency is Ngultrum?
(a) Laos (b) Nepal
(c) Bhutan (d) Bangladesh
49. World Environment Day run by the UNEP
on 60. The 2016 Asia-Pacific Economic
(a) 11th Dec. (b) 20th Dec.
(c) 15th Sept. (d) 5th June.
50. International Human Rights Day is
observed on
(a) 10th Dec. (b) 24th Oct.
(c) 25th Nov. (d) None of these
51. When is the World Population Day
observed?
(a) Jan 8 (b) June 10
(c) July 11 (d) May 19
52. Meng Hongwei, who has been elected as
the new President of Interpol, is belonged
to which country?
(a) Japan (b) Thailand
(c) China (d) Malaysia
53. Headquarter of Asian Development Bank
is located in
(a) Tokyo (b) Rio de Janeiro
(c) London (d) Manila
54. What is the theme of the 2016 World
Diabetes Day (WDD)?
(a) Understand diabetes and live Happily
(b) Eyes on Diabetes
(c) Healthy Living and Diabetes
(d) Diabetes education and prevention
55. What is the theme of 2016 World
Pneumonia Day (WPD)?
(a) Universal access to pneumonia
prevention and care
(b) Keep the Promise, Stop Pneumonia
Now
(c) Every Breath Counts: Stop Pneumonia
Now
(d) Innovate to End Child Pneumonia
56. The World Science Day for Peace and
Development (WSDPD) is observed on
which date?
(a) November 11 (b) November 12
(c) November 10 (d) November 13
57. Leonard Cohen, who passed away recently,
was the legendary singer of which
country?
GK-533
(a) Japan (b) Brazil
58. Mike McCormack, who has won the 2016
country?
(a) Brazil (b) Peru
(c) Portugal (d) Ireland
59. Who is the newly elected director-general
of the International Labour Organization
(ILO)?
(a) Adriana Cruz (b) MichelHansenne
(c) Juan Somavía (d) Guy Ryder
Cooperation (APEC) will be hosted by
which country?
(a) India (b) Peru
(c) China (d) Philippines
61. Who has been bestowed with the 2016
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) – TV5
Monde Press Freedom Prize in journalist
category?
(a) Hadi Abdullah (b) Zaina Erhaim
(c) Li Tingyu (d) Inan Kizilkaya
62. The book “The Singularity Is Near: When
Humans Transcend Biology” has been
authored by whom?
(a) John Walker (b) Bill Gates
(c) Ray Kurzweil (d) Janet Maslin
63. Which country is hosting the Conference
of Parties (COP22) of the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ?
(a) India (b) Morocco
(c) Nepal (d) Palestine
64. The book “Game Goes On” has been
authored by whom?
(a) Alan McGilvray
(b) James Leigh Hunt
(c) Arun Kolatkar
(d) Nissim Ezekiel
65. What is the theme of the first-ever World
Tsunami Awareness Day (WTAD)?
(a) Reduce Mortality, Raise awareness
(b) Knowledge for Life
(c) Live To Tell: Raising Awareness
(d) Effective Education and Evacuation
Drills
66. Kwon Taek Im, who will be honoured with
the Lifetime Achievement Award at the
2016 International Film Festival of India
(IFFI), is belonged to which country?
(a) Japan (b) Taiwan
(c) South Korea (d) Malaysia
67. Who has been appointed as the new Prime
Minister of South Korea?
(a) Yim Jong-yong (b) Jung Youn-kuk
(c) Kim Byong-joon (d) Choi Soon-sil
 GK-534
68. The World Vegan Day is observed on which
date?
(a) November 2 (b) November 4
(c) November 1 (d) November 3
69. Who has won the 2016 Formula 1 Mexican
Grand Prix?
(a) Daniel Ricciardo
(b) Sebastian Vettel
(c) Lewis Hamilton
(d) Nico Rosberg
70. Katherine Espin, who won the crown of
2016 Miss Earth, is belonged to which
country?
(a) Philippines (b) Ecuador
(c) Colombia (d) Venezuela
71. Silvio Gazzaniga, who designed the FIFA
World Cup trophy, was belonged to which
country?
(a) France (b) Germany
(c) Italy (d) Brazil
72. What is the theme of 2016 World Savings
Day?
(a) A global celebration for saving
(b) Shining a light on what people value
(c) Saving, investment and planning for
retirement
(d) Grabbing hold of your financial future
73. What is the theme of the 2016 United
Nations’ World Cities Day? country?
(a) Designed to Live Together
(b) Promoting a better urban future
(c) Inclusive Cities, Shared Development
(d) Better City, Better Life
74. Kylie Verzosa, who has been crowned Miss
International 2016, is belonged to which
country?
(a) Nicaragua (b) Philippines
(c) Argentina (d) Venezuela
75. Kristalina Georgieva, who has been
appointed chief executive of the World
Bank (WB), is belonged to which country?
(a) Israel (b) Germany
(c) France (d) Bulgaria
76. Who is the newly elected Prime Minister
of Spain?
(a) Javier Arenas (b) Mariano Rajoy
(c) Alfredo Perez (d) Maria Dolores
77. Antartica’s which sea has been declared
as world’s largest marine protected area?
(a) Caspian Sea (b) Black Sea
(c) Ross Sea (d) Dead Sea
78. Who has won the 2016 Man Booker Prize?
(a) Sam Lipsyte
(b) Amanda Foreman
(c) Paul Beatty
(d) Marlon James
QUIZZES
79. Junko Tabei, who recently passed away,
was the well-known mountaineer of
which country?
(a) Japan (b) China
(c) Nepal (d) Malaysia
80. Who has been named as the 2016
European Golden Boy Award?
(a) Raheem Sterling
(b) Anthony Martial
(c) Renato Sanches
(d) Marcus Rashford
81. Carlos Alberto, who died recently, was a
legendary footballer from which country?
(a) Germany (b) Brazil
(c) Italy (d) France
82. The World Polio Day is observed on which
date?
(a) October 23 (b) October 24
(c) October 25 (d) October 26
83. Who has won the 2016 Formula 1 United
States Grand Prix?
(a) Daniel Ricciardo
(b) Nico Rosberg
(c) Sebastian Vettel
(d) Lewis Hamilton
84. Tom Hayden, who passed away recently,
was anti-Vietnam war activist of which
(a) United States (b) Russia
(c) Germany (d) France
85. What is the theme of the 2016 United
Nations Day?
(a) Freedom First
(b) Goals for Peace
(c) Strong UN: Better World
(d) Freedom & Peace for humanity
86. Which of the following will be the official
mascot of FIFA 2018 World Cup?
(a) Zakumi (b) Willie
(c) Zabivaka (d) Gauchito
87. The United Nations’ (UN) World
Development Information Day is observed
on which date?
(a) October 23 (b) October 25
(c) October 24 (d) October 26
88. The cannes film festivals are held in
(a) SPAIN (b) FRANCE
(c) PORTUGAL (d) USA
89. The book “Dogs at the Perimeter” has been
authored by whom?
(a) Johanna Skibsrud
(b) Wajdi Mouawad
(c) Madeleine Thien
(d) Deborah Levy
QUIZZES GK-535

90. What is the theme of 2016 World
Osteoporosis Day (WOD) ?
(a) Stop at One: Make Your First Break
Your Last
(b) Love Your Bones: Perfect Your Future
(c) Real Men Build Their Strength from
Within
(d) Serve Up Bone Health
91. The 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World cup
has been won by which country?
(a) Venezuela (b) Japan
(c) Spain (d) North Korea
92. The powerful Typhoon Haima has recently
hit which of the following countries?
(a) India (b) Malaysia
(c) Indonesia (d) Philippines
93. Who is the newly elected President of
the International Gymnastics Federation
(IFG)?
(a) Emilia Romagna
(b) Morinari Watanabe
(c) Georges Guelzec
(d) Bruno Grandi
94. Which Italian city has recently honoured
the Dalai Lama with an honorary
Citizenship award? (
a) Rome (b) Florence
(c) Naples (d) Milan
95. Mewa Ramgobin, who passed away
recently, was well-known Gandhian
activist of which country?
(a) Bhutan (b) South Africa
(c) Nepal (d) Bangladesh
96. Which city has topped the 2016 Global
Power City Index (GPCI) ?
(a) Tokyo (b) Rio de Janeiro
(c) London (d) Mumbai
97. Who has been awarded with the first
International Prize in Statistics?
(a) Ron Wasserstein
(b) William Johnson
(c) David Cox
(d) Susan Ellenberg
98. How much fund will be provided by
World Bank to Bangladesh to fight child
malnutrition?
(a) $5 billion (b) $1 billion
(c) $4 billion (d) $2 billion
99. What is the theme of 2016 World Food
Day (WFD)?
(a) Social protection and Agriculture
(b) Feeding the world, caring for the earth
(c) Climate is changing. Food and
agriculture must too
(d) Family Farming: Breaking the Cycle
of Rural Poverty
100. Kigeli V Ndahindurwa, who passed away
was the king of which country?
(a) Kenya (b) Rwanda
(c) Egypt (d) South Africa

ANSWER KEY
1. (c) 18. (a) 35. (c) 52. (c) 69. (c) 86. (c)
2. (c) 19. (b) 36. (c) 53. (d) 70. (b) 87. (c)
3. (d) 20. (b) 37. (b) 54. (b) 71. (d) 88. (b)
4. (a) 21. (b) 38. (c) 55. (b) 72. (d) 89. (c)
5. (d) 22. (c) 39. (c) 56. (c) 73. (c) 90. (b)
6. (c) 23. (a) 40. (a) 57. (c) 74. (d) 91. (d)
7. (d) 24. (a) 41. (b) 58. (d) 75. (d) 92. (d)
8. (d) 25. (c) 42. (a) 59. (d) 76. (b) 93. (b)
9. (b) 26. (d) 43. (a) 60. (b) 77. (c) 94. (d)
10. (c) 27. (a) 44. (a) 61. (a) 78. (c) 95. (b)
11. (b) 28. (d) 45. (a) 62. (c) 79. (a) 96. (c)
12. (d) 29. (d) 46. (a) 63. (b) 80. (c) 97. (c)
13. (c) 30. (b) 47. (b) 64. (a) 81. (b) 98. (b)
14. (d) 31. (b) 48. (c) 65. (d) 82. (b) 99. (c)
15. (d) 32. (a) 49. (d) 66. (c) 83. (d) 100. (b)
16. (c) 33. (a) 50. (a) 67. (c) 84. (a)
17. (a) 34. (c) 51. (c) 68. (c) 85. (a)
 GK-536
SCIENCE
1. What is the purpose of Biotech – KISAN
scheme launched by the Union Ministry
of Science and Technology?
(a) Its purpose is to connect farmers,
scientist and science institution
across country
(b) The scheme aims at boosting selective
breeding of the native livestock more
accurately to ensure high-yielding,
disease-resistant, resilient livestock.
(c) In this scheme farmers are provided
with free seeds.
(d) None of the above
2. What is the name of the satellite launched
by China space lab Tiangong-2?
(a) Shenzhou - 11 (b) Banxing-2
(c) Shenzhou – 10 (d) None of the above
3. What is the name of the vaccine
launched by The Indian Immunologicals
Limited (IIL) to fight against Taenia
solium Tapeworms in pigs?
(a) CYSVAX (b) CYYVAX
(c) TAXVAX (d) None of the above
4. India has signed an agreement for
cooperation in the development of a
network of 25 integrated infrastructure Agro
irradiation centres with which country?
(a) US (b) UK
(c) Russia (d) China
5. Researchers from Kolkata based Indian
Institute of Science Education and
Research (IISER) has produced cost-
effective, metal-free cathodes using
__________for use in solar cells.
(a) Human hair (b) Coal
(c) Human skin (d) None of the above
6. India has launched latest communication
satellite GSAT-18 from which country?
(a) Russia (b) Turkey
(c) Vizag (d) Guiana
7. From where does India launch its
fastest and most powerful computer,
PARAM-ISHAN?
(a) IIT – Madras (b) IIT – Bombay
(c) IIT – Guwahati (d) IIT - Delhi
8. Which country has invited India to join
in developing next-generation nuclear
reactors and participate in its fast reactor
research project, known as MBIR?
(a) US (b) China
(c) Russia (d) UK
QUIZZES
9. In which country the world’s first baby
was born from a new procedure that
combines the DNA of three people?
(a) China (b) Australia
(c) US (d) Mexico
10. 2nd largest black hole in Milky Way is
found by which country?
(a) China (b) Japan
(c) North Korea (d) US
11. Which organization has discovered
the presence of Neon Gas in Moon’s
atmosphere?
(a) ISRO (b) BARC
(c) NASA (d) JAXA
12. Researchers of which country has
developed a laboratory on Smartphone
that can detect cancer?
(a) China (b) US
(c) UK (d) Japan
13. The scientist of which Indian institute
or university has developed a catalyst
to render the drinking water E.coli free?
(a) IIT – Kanpur
(b) IIT – Mumbai
(c) Indian institute of Sciences
(d) National Chemical Laboratory
14. The surgeons of which country
performed the world’s first robotic
operation inside the eye?
(a) China (b) Japan
(c) US (d) Britain
15. What is the name given to the largest
planet recently discovered by NASA that
orbits two suns?
(a) Keplar 1647b (b) SDSU 69
(c) Keplar 7689a (d) None of the above
16. The world’s 1st scanning Helium
Microscope (SHeM) is developed by
which country?
(a) India (b) UK
(c) Australia (d) Russia
17. Which of the following countries have
launched the 1st rocket from its newly
built Vostochny Cosmodrome recently?
(a) South Korea (b) Russia
(c) China (d) Japan
18. The domain of which country has
become the world’s most commonly
used domain over Internet?
(a) US (b) UK
(c) China (d) India
QUIZZES
19. India has developed Long Range Surface
to Air Missile (LRSAM) Barak 8 which
was successfully test fired from INS
Kolkata. With which country it tested
the Missile jointly?
(a) Israel (b) Russia
(c) UAE (d) UK
20. Recently Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite
has been launched by which country?
(a) South Korea (b) North Korea
(c) China (d) Japan
21. Which country has successfully Test-
Fired Anti-Ship ‘Zarb’ Missile?
(a) Russia (b) India
(c) China (d) Pakistan
22. Which company has hired the world’s
first robot lawyer ROSS to assist the
company and its various teams?
(a) Baker Hostetler (c) INS Kavaratti (d) None of the above
(b) DLA Piper
(c) Dentons
(d) None of the above
23. Which country has successfully
launched Yaogan-30 remote sensing
satellite into sun-synchronous orbit
(SSO) using the Long March-2D rocket?
(a) Russia (b) China
(c) UK (d) Mongolia
24. What is the name of the insect which
has been declared as a world’s largest
insect?
(a) Indian spider
(b) China bug
(c) Indian grasshopper
(d) None of the above
25. 1st IVF puppies were developed by
which country?
(a) US (b) UK
(c) China (d) Russia
26. Which of the following statements are
true?
(a) GSAT-15, India’s latest communications
satellite, was launched successfully
by the European Ariane 5 VA-227
launch Vehicle
(b) The weight of the satellite is 3164kg
(c) It carries communication transponders
in Ku-band and a GPS Aided GEO
Augmented Navigation (GAGAN)
payload operating in L1 & L5 bands.
(d) All the above
27. ARSAT2 is a second communication
satellite launched by which country?
(a) US (b) Russia
(c) Argentina (d) Mexico
GK-537
28. What is the name of the second multi-
spectral remote sensing Indonesian
satellite launched by India that will help
the country to monitor land-use, natural
resource and in disaster mitigation?
(a) LAPAN A1/Tubsat
(b) LAPAN A2/ Orari
(c) LAPAN A2/Tubsat
(d) None of the above
29. Which country has successfully
launched a new model of carrier rocket,
the Long March-11?
(a) South Korea (b) China
(c) Japan (d) India
30. From which of the following naval ships
has India successfully test fired Long
Range surface to Air missile, LR – SAM?
(a) INS Kolkata (b) INS Kamrota
31. Which of the following Indian states will
get the 1st ever solar, stellar observatory?
(a) Rajasthan (b) Uttar Pradesh
(c) Maharashtra (d) Gujarat
32. Which of the following statements are
correct regarding INS Vikrant?
(a) It was India’s first indigenously-
built largest aircraft carrier
(b) It was successfully undocked at
Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in
Cochin district of Kerala.
(c) With successful completion of
construction of INS Vikrant India
joins elite group of four nations
in the world viz United States,
Russia, United Kingdom and France
that are capable of designing and
constructing aircraft carriers.
(d) All the above
33. Which material is used for the
construction of filament of the world’s
thinnest light bulb?
(a) Carbon (b) Graphene
(c) Graphite (d) None of the above
34. Which country manufactured the
world’s first electric passenger aircraft
named BX1E?
(a) India (b) Russia
(c) China (d) US
35. What is India’s world rank in Nuclear
Power Generation?
(a) 60th (b) 19th
(c) 12th (d) 20th
36. Which statement is correct regarding
GSLV – D 6 satellite launched by India?
(a) Its launch vehicle is having the
complex cryogenic engine
 GK-538
(b) The GSAT-6 satellite will provide
S-band Communication services
mostly to the defence sector.
(c) The Weight of GSLV – D 6 launching
Vehicle is 414.75 Tonnes.
(d) All the above
37. What is the name of the Indian origin
scientist who has developed the world’s
first wireless pacemaker?
(a) Dr. Vivek Reddy
(b) Dr. Vishvanand Prasad
(c) Dr. J. P. Singh
(d) None of the above
38. What is the name of the Gene behind
Brain Development?
(a) USP6X (b) USP9X
(c) USP10X (d) USP8X
39. What is the name of the compound
developed by IISER to scoop out marine
oil spills?
(a) Carbon (b) Fiberol
(c) Gelator (d) None of the above
40. In which country first baby is born
using Next-Generation DNA sequencing
method?
(a) US (b) UK
(c) Australia (d) China
41. Which statements are correct regarding
World’s first holographic flexible
Smartphone?
(a) HoloFlex features a 1920x1080 full
high-definition Flexible Organic
Light Emitting Diode (FOLED)
touch screen display.
(b) Images are rendered into 12-pixel
wide circular blocks rendering the
full view of the 3D object from a
particular viewpoint.
(c) HoloFlex is also equipped with a
bend sensor
(d) All the above
42. Which country has test fired a ballistic
missile named “Musudan missile”
(a) South korea (b) North korea
(c) China (d) Japan
43. Which bank has launched SmartUp, a
dedicated solution for start-ups to fulfil
all their banking needs?
(a) ICICI Bank (b) Axis Bank
(c) Yes Bank (d) HDFC Bank
44. The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) has successfully
launched a super pressure balloon from
which country to conduct near-space
scientific investigations?
QUIZZES
(a) New Zealand (b) Australia
(c) China (d) US
45. What is the name of the world’s lightest
material developed by ISRO scientists?
(a) Carbon Aerogel
(b) Graphite Aerogel
(c) Silica Aerogel
(d) None of the above
46. Maximum of how many satellites does
ISRO launched in a single mission held
in May 2016?
(a) 23 (b) 27
(c) 22 (d) 25
47. Which country has successfully launched
its most sophisticated observational
satellite, Gaofen – 4?
(a) China (b) India
(c) Russia (d) UK
48. Recently WHO has launched flavoured
drugs for kids to counter which disease?
(a) Malaria (b) Dengue
(c) TB (d) Swine Flu
49. Which American MNC recently
developed the 1st human like speech
recognition system?
(a) Apple Inc (b) Samsung
(c) HP (d) None of these
50. Which of the following companies has
introduced the Li – Fi technology?
(a) Ericsson (b) Google
(c) Velmenni (d) Motorola
51. _____________is an independent regional
navigation satellite system being
developed by India.
(a) PSLV (b) IRNSS
(c) INSAT (d) ISTRAC
52. Which is India’s first dedicated multi
wavelength space Observatory?
(a) ASTROSAT (b) GEOSAT
(c) SLV (d) MOM
53. GAGAN stands for
(a) GPRS Aided Geography Augmented
Navigation
(b) General Aided GEO Augmented
Narrow
(c) GPS Aided GEO Augmented
Navigation
(d) GEO Aided GPS Augmented
Navigation
54. Which gas is usually filled in the electric
bulb is?
(a) Carbon Dioxide (b) Nitrogen
(c) Oxygen (d) Hydrogen
55. Which of the following rays are more
penetrating?
(a) X rays (b) Alpha rays
(c) Beta rays (d) Gamma rays
QUIZZES
56. Deep blue colour is imparted to glass by
the presence of:
(a) Cupric Oxide (b) Nickel Oxide
(c) Iron Oxide (d) Cobalt Oxide
57. Which of the following is the first ever
manned Spacecraft?
(a) Vostok-I (b) Sputnik-I
(c) Louika (d) Columbia
58. Which of the following lab is the first
space lab in orbit?
(a) Skylab
(b) American Space lab
(c) Media-Saturn SPACELAB
(d) Flylab
59. What is the importance of Graphene?
(a) It is a two-dimensional material and
has good electrical conductivity.
(b) It is one of the thinnest but strongest
materials tested so far.
(c) It can be used as ‘conducting
electrodes’ required for touch
screens, LCDs and organic LEDs.
(d) All the above
60. Consider the statements about ‘Dark
Energy and Dark Matter’.
(a) Dark energy attracts while Dark
matter repels.
(b) While dark energy shows itself
only on the largest cosmic scale,
dark matter exerts its influence on
individual galaxies as well as the
universe at large.
(c) Both a and b
(d) None of the above
61. Which of the above are responsible
for bringing dynamic changes on the
surface of the earth?
(a) Electromagnetic radiation
(b) Geothermal energy
(c) Gravitational force
(d) All the above
62. “A solar flare is a sudden flash of brightness
observed over the Sun’s surface or the
solar limb, which is interpreted as a large
energy release”. Consider the statements
with reference to it
(a) They are always followed by a
colossal mass ejection.
(b) The flare ejects clouds of neutrons,
ions, and atoms through the corona
of the sun into space.
(c) They produce radiation across
electromagnetic spectrum at all
wavelength except visible
(d) None of the above
GK-539
63. During a thunderstorm, the thunder in
the skies is produced by the:
(a) Meeting of cumulonimbus clouds in
the sky
(b) Lightning that separates the nimbus
clouds
(c) Violent upward movement of air
and water particles
(d) Both a and c
64. Which points are correct regarding
Cattle Genomics Scheme launched by
the government recently?
(a) The scheme aims at boosting
selective breeding of the native
livestock more accurately to ensure
high-yielding, disease-resistant,
resilient livestock.
(b) Under it, government will
undertake an ambitious project of
genome sequencing of 40 registered
indigenous cattle breeds of India.
(c) A high-density DNA chips will be
developed under this scheme to
reduce the cost and time interval of
breeding of the native livestock
(d) All the above
65. Which of the following is/are example/
examples of chemical change?
(a) Crystallization of sodium chloride
(b) Melting of ice
(c) Souring of milk
(d) All the above
66. Which statement is correct regarding
GSAT-11?
(a) It will basically address the rural
communication requirement
(b) Its mission life is 15 years
(c) It will provide high throughput
capacity of about 10Gbps to render
broadband connectivity
(d) All the above
67. Which among the following are
‘Nocturnal’ in nature?
(a) Bat (b) Catfish
(c) Kiwi (d) All the above
68. Consider the statements with reference
to ‘Ebola Virus’
(a) Fruit bats and animals like monkeys
are natural hosts.
(b) It spreads through direct contact
with the blood, secretions, body
fluids and aerosol transmission.
(c) It can be diagnosed through electron
microscopy and ELISA test only.
(d) None of the above
 GK-540
69. What is the difference between a CFL
and an LED lamp?
(a) To produce light, a CFL uses mercury
vapour and phosphor while an LED
lamp uses semiconductor material.
(b) The average life span of a CFL is much
longer than that of an LED lamp.
(c) A CFL is less energy-efficient as
compared to an LED lamp.
(d) Both a and c
70. The objective of developing a genetically
engineered brinjal named as Bt Brinjal
is to:
(a) To make it pest-resistant
(b) To improve its taste and nutritive
qualities
(c) To make it drought-resistant
(d) To make its shelf-life longer
71. Leakage of which of the following gases
had caused the Bhopal Gas Tragedy?
(a) Methyl isocyanate
(b) Carbon Mono-oxide
(c) Nitric oxide
(d) Sulphur dioxide
72. What is measured by the sling
Psychrometer?
(a) Temperature (b) Humidity
(c) Pressure (d) Wind velocity
73. Cryogenic engines fined applications in:
(a) Sub-marine propulsion
(b) Frost free refrigerators
(c) Rocket technology
(d) Superconductivity
74. What is the theme of the 2015 Indian
Science Congress?
(a) Science and Technology for
Sustainable Growth
(b) Science and Technology for Human
Development
(c) Ancient science for today’s growth
(d) Technology for better future
75. Which physical law is behind the idea of
a rocket engine?
(a) The law of gravity
(b) The action-reaction principle
(c) The law on the conservation of energy
(d) The General Relativity
76. What is the A380?
(a) The biggest civilian aircraft ever,
built by Airbus
(b) The code name for AMD’s next-
generation laptop chips
(c) The model of the rocket used by China
to send its first astronaut in space
(d) A supersonic military transport
aircraft being developed by Boing
QUIZZES
77. What is El Nino?
(a) The surname given to Ventura
Reyes Prósper
(b) A major warming of the equatorial
waters in the Pacific Ocean
(c) A particularly damaging type of
hurricane
(d) The nine forms the Ebola disease
can take
78. Which statement is correct regarding
the lightest material developed by ISRO
‘silica aerogel’:
(a) It can be used both in space and earth
(b) Can be used in thermal jackets
(c) It has low density
(d) All the above
79. Which of the following are optical illusions?
(a) Size of the sun at dusk
(b) Colour of the sun at dawn
(c) Twinkle of stars in the sky
(d) All the above
80. “A solar flare is a sudden flash of brightness
observed over the Sun’s surface or the
solar limb, which is interpreted as a large
energy release”. Consider the statements
with reference to it
(a) They are always followed by a
colossal mass ejection.
(b) The flare ejects clouds of neutrons,
ions, and atoms through the corona
of the sun into space.
(c) They produce radiation across
electromagnetic spectrum at all
wavelength except visible
(d) None of the above
81. Consider the statements about ‘Dark
Energy and Dark Matter’. Which of the
following are correct:
(a) Dark energy attracts while Dark
matter repels.
(b) While dark energy shows itself
only on the largest cosmic scale,
dark matter exerts its influence on
individual galaxies as well as the
universe at large.
(c) Both a and b
(d) None of the above
82. Many transplanted seedlings do not
grow because:
(a) the new soil does not contain
favourable minerals
(b) most of the root hairs grip the new
soil too hard
(c) most of the root hairs are lost
during transplantation
(d) leaves get damaged during
transplantation
QUIZZES
83. Which of the following plants are
propagated by stem cutting?
(a) Rhodendron (b) Rose
(c) Mulberry (d) All the above
84. Which of the following statements are
correct regarding ‘Phyto Chemicals’?
(a) They posses antioxidant and
hormone like activity.
(b) They can be found in apples, tea and
carrot
(c) They have potential to treat cancer,
cardiovascular diseases, diabetes etc
(d) All the above
85. Which of the following statements are
correct?
1. Viruses lack enzymes necessary for
the generation of energy.
2. Viruses can be cultured in any
synthetic medium.
3. Viruses are transmitted from one
organism to another by biological
vectors only.
(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
86. Exomars is the mars mission launched
jointly between Europe and which
other country?
(a) India (b) America
(c) Australia (d) Russia
87. What is the application of IRNSS?
(a) Disaster Management
(b) Vehicle tracking
(c) Mapping
(d) All the above
88. How do organisms use Adenosine
Triphosphate?
(a) as a digestive enzyme
(b) as an energy carrier
(c) to maintain cell membrane integrity
(d) as a competitive inhibitor
89. How many pairs of chromosomes does a
human usually have?
(a) 23 (b) 36
(c) 48 (d) 56
90. What is the technology to provide high
speed internet access over telephone
wiring called?
(a) DSL (b) ADSL
(c) MODEM (d) None of the above
91. Tuberculosis is caused by:
(a) Virus (b) Fungus
(c) Bacteria (d) None of the above
92. Which of the following is not a scientific
optical instrument?
(a) telescope (b) periscope
(c) endoscope (d) microscope
GK-541
93. Which country has developed the 1st
Helium Microscope?
(a) Australia (b) Russia
(c) UK (d) US
94. Which was the India’s first satellite
launched from Kapustin Yar using a
Kosmos-3M launch vehicle?
(a) Apple (b) Mangalyam
(c) Aryabhata (d) Ariane
95. Which was the First experimental
remote sensing satellite which Carried
TV and microwave cameras?
(a) Bhaskara-I (b) Rohini – I
(c) GSAT (d) PSLV
96. Recombinant DNA technology (Genetic
Engineering) allows genes to be
transferred:
(a) Across different species of plants.
(b) From animals to plants.
(c) From microorganisms to higher
organisms.
(d) All the above
97. Satellites used for telecommunication
relay are kept in a geostationary orbit.
A satellite is said to be in such an orbit
when:
(a) The orbit is geosynchronous.
(b) The orbit is circular,
(c) The orbit lies in the plane of the
Earth’s equator.
(d) All the above
98. What is “Virtual Private Network”?
(a) It is a private computer network of
an organization where the remote
users can transmit encrypted
information through the server of
the organization
(b) It is a computer network across a
public internet that provides users
access to their organization’s network
while maintaining the security of the
information transmitted
(c) It is a computer network in which
users can access a shared pool of
computing resources through a
service provider.
(d) None of the above
99. The term ‘Polymorphism’ is associated
with:
(a) Genetics
(b) Material science
(c) Computer science
(d) All the above
100. When is National Technology Day
celebrated in India?
(a) 2nd May (b) 20th April
(c) 5th April (d) 11th May
 GK-542
QUIZZES
ANSWER KEY
1. (a) 18. (c) 35. (c) 52. (a) 69. (d) 86. (d)
2. (b) 19. (a) 36. (d) 53. (c) 70. (a) 87. (d)
3. (a) 20. (b) 37. (a) 54. (b) 71. (a) 88. (b)
4. (c) 21. (d) 38. (b) 55. (d) 72. (b) 89. (a)
5. (a) 22. (a) 39. (c) 56. (d) 73. (c) 90. (b)
6. (d) 23. (b) 40. (b) 57. (a) 74. (b) 91. (c)
7. (c) 24. (b) 41. (d) 58. (a) 75. (b) 92. (b)
8. (c) 25. (a) 42. (b) 59. (d) 76. (a) 93. (a)
9. (d) 26. (d) 43. (d) 60. (b) 77. (b) 94. (c)
10. (b) 27. (c) 44. (a) 61. (d) 78. (d) 95. (a)
11. (c) 28. (b) 45. (c) 62. (d) 79. (d) 96. (a)
12. (b) 29. (b) 46. (c) 63. (d) 80. (c) 97. (d)
13. (c) 30. (a) 47. (a) 64. (d) 81. (b) 98. (b)
14. (d) 31. (d) 48. (c) 65. (c) 82. (c) 99. (d)
15. (a) 32. (d) 49. (d) 66. (d) 83. (d) 100. (d)
16. (c) 33. (b) 50. (c) 67. (d) 84. (d)
17. (b) 34. (c) 51. (b) 68. (d) 85. (c)
QUIZZES
FINANCE
1. With which of the following banks
the SBI has signed an MOU in the
fields of corporate finance and project
financing?
(a) Royal bank of Scotland
(b) Asian Development Bank
(c) Korea development bank
(d) IBRD
2. Syndicate bank has started the project
to offer latest digital banking facilities
to customer including the proposal of
opening fully operational account in
less than one day. The project has been
named?
(a) Project Ananya
(b) Project Antariksha
(c) Project Digidhwani
(d) Project Antyodaya
3. In which state the BSE has signed an
MOU to setup an International Stock
Exchange?
(a) Uttarakhand (b) Uttar Pradesh
(c) Karnataka (d) Gujrat
4. Consider following two statements
I. PFRDA has reduced the minimum
annual contribution to Rs. 1000 for
keeping the account active.
II. Earlier this limit was minimum
10,000 per annum.
Which of the above statements are
correct?
(a) Both I and II (b) Only I
(c) Only II (d) Neither I nor II
5. Which of the following entities
joined hands with Federal Bank for
distribution of Indian Gold Coin (IGC)?
(a) SBI (b) MMTC
(c) RBI (d) ICICI
6. Which of the following received the
certificate of incorporation from the
registrar of companies thus setting to
start operations in 2017?
(a) India Post Payment Bank
(b) Indian Bank of Post Payments
(c) Indian Bank of Restructuring
(d) Indian Development and Restructuring
Bank
7. Bhartiya Mahila Bank is to be merged
with which of the following?
(a) SBI (b) PNB
(c) NABARD (d) IDBI
GK-543
8. Which of the following is not one of the
four organizations which have been
selected for sale of share in HUDCO?
(a) SBI Caps (b) ICICI Securities
(c) IDBI Capital (d) HDFC Infra
9. Which of the following has become
the first major port in India to sign an
agreement with SBI and Development
Bank of Singapore for raising External
Commercial Borrowing?
(a) Chennai port trust
(b) Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust
(c) Paradip Port Trust
(d) Kandla Port Trust
10. What is the limit to the cash transactions
that has been fixed by the Government
with an objective of curbing the black
money?
(a) 2 lakh (b) 4 lakh
(c) 5 lakh (d) 3 lakh
11. Which of the following banks has tied up
with IBM for using its cloud commerce
solutions?
(a) SBI (b) ICICI
(c) IndusInd (d) IDBI
12. As per RBI guidelines the loans to
women SHGs will be provided under
the NRLM Ajeevika scheme at the
interest rate of?
(a) 9% (b) 7%
(c) 8% (d) 10%
13. Who has been appointed as the
chairman of the Committee set up by
MoF for digitizing incentive payments?
(a) Raghuram Rajan
(b) Kaushik Basu
(c) Arun Jaitly
(d) Ratan Watal
14. Qatar based Doha Bank has opened its
first branch in which of the following
Indian states?
(a) Kerala
(b) Tamilnadu
(c) Andhra Pradesh
(d) Telangana
15. Who of the following has been
appointed as the new CEO of Reliance
Life?
(a) Deep Bora (b) Kamal Siddhu
(c) Ashish Vohra (d) Ashish Khaitan
 GK-544
16. Who has been appointed as the chief of
the Banks Board Bureau?
(a) Sushil mahajan
(b) B N Kaul
(c) R Rajan
(d) Vinod Rai
17. Who of the following has been
appointed as the new governor of RBI?
(a) Kaushik Basu
(b) Subramanyam Swami
(c) Raghuram Rajan
(d) Urjit Patel
18. Which of the following states is not
included amongst the three states in
which HDFC – Ergo has implemented
Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme
(WBCIS)?
(a) Uttarakhand
(b) Assam
(c) Himachal Pradesh
(d) Madhya Pradesh
19. Which of the following banks has
become the first in India to tie up with
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) to
offer specialised courses in Banking
and Finance?
(a) Axis Bank (b) HDFC Bank
(c) ICICI Bank (d) PNB
20. Which insurance company has joined
hands with Paytm to provide health
insurance to cab and auto drivers which
shall cover the hospital expenses upto
50 thousand?
(a) ING Vyasya
(b) Bharti Axa
(c) ICICI Prudential
(d) Tata AIG
21. Which of the following has become
the first in Asia to tie up with a social
networking site (Twitter) for providing
regular updates?
(a) NSE (b) BSE
(c) HSE (d) SSE
22. Which of the following city has been
declared as the richest city in India by
the ‘New World Wealth’?
(a) Delhi (b) Bangalore
(c) Chandigarh (d) Mumbai
23. Who of the following has been
appointed as the MD of SBI?
(a) Anuradha Rao
(b) Dinesh Khara
(c) R Gandhi
(d) Pami Dua
QUIZZES
24. Who has been appointed as the
chairman of the LIC of India?
(a) V K Sharma
(b) S K Rao
(c) P V Bharti
(d) Mallikarjun Rao
25. Who of the following was recently
appointed as the World Bank’s country
director to India?
(a) Onno ruhl (b) Jim Yong Kim
(c) Junaid Ahmed (d) Reena Kala
26. Which of the following institutions has
launched the ‘Hope Loans’ at reduced
interest rates?
(a) PNB (b) SBI
(c) HDFC (d) ICICI
27. Which of the following recently
acquired BSS Microfinance?
(a) Karur Vyasya
(b) Yes Bank
(c) Muthoot Finance
(d) Kotak Mahindra Bank
28. Which of the following Public Sector
bank recently opened its branch in
Yangon, Myanmar?
(a) SBI
(b) PNB
(c) Dena Bank
(d) Union Bank of India
29. Rajeev Rishi, the newly elected
chairman of IBA is currently working as
CMD of which of the following banks?
(a) Canara Bank
(b) Syndicate Bank
(c) PNB
(d) Central Bank of India
30. Which of the followings banks recently
designated P V Sindhu and K Srikanth
as brand ambassadors?
(a) Canara Bank (b) SBI
(c) Bank of Baroda(d) PNB
31. Which of the following has become the
first bank in India to introduce software
robotics in power banking?
(a) ICICI
(b) IDBI
(c) Kotak Mahindra
(d) Yes bank
32. In which of the following Indian
cities the first BRICS film festival was
organised?
(a) Bangalore (b) Mumbai
(c) Delhi (d) Hyderabad
QUIZZES
33. India stands on which rank in the global
competitiveness index for 2016-17?
(a) 35th (b) 45th
(c) 39th (d) 49th
34. Which of the following states has ranked
first in attracting industrial investment
in the year 2015-16?
(a) Gujrat
(b) Delhi
(c) Karnataka
(d) Andhra Pradesh
35. What is the new limit of flexible fund
decided by the Government in the
Centrally Sponsored Schemes in order
to give the states more freedom of
operation in these schemes?
(a) 10% (b) 15%
(c) 20% (d) 25%
36. Which of the following companies
has been ranked on top by fortune
magazine in ‘Change the World’ list for
current year?
(a) Nicolas Piramal
(b) Zydus Pharma
(c) Glaxo Smithkline
(d) Sun Pharma
37. Who of the following has been
appointed as the president of Indian
Statistical Institute (ISI)?
(a) C Rangrajan
(b) Vijay Kelkar
(c) Vijay Tendulkar
(d) R Rajan
38. Which of the following banks recently
started its skill academy in Coimbatore
as part of its CSR functions?
(a) Yes Bank (b) ICICI Bank
(c) HDFC Bank (d) Federal Bank
39. In which of the following Indian states
the government has started the scheme
of providing 50% subsidy on purchase
of scooty for college going girls?
(a) Uttar Pradesh
(b) Madhya Pradesh
(c) Rajasthan
(d) Jammu and Kashmir
40. Central Board of Direct Taxes has
recently launched an online service to
provide easy grievance redressal for
tax payers. What is the name of the
scheme?
GK-545
(a) E- Nistasran (b) E- nivaran
(c) E- sancharan (d) E- samadhan
41. LG electronics has recently tied up with
which of the following e commerce
companies for smart home services?
(a) Snap deal (b) Amazon
(c) Alibaba (d) Myntra
42. Which of the following became the
first start up of India to be acquired by
Apple?
(a) Tumble toe (b) Teeter pots
(c) Tuplejump (d) Imids
43. For which of the following field of
study the Nobel prize in economics
was conferred to Oliver Hart and Bengt
Holmstrom?
(a) Distribution of wealth
(b) Welfare economics
(c) Sustainability of demand
(d) Contract theory
44. India was recently declared to be on
97th rank in global hunger index. Which
of the following organizations publishes
the index?
(a) IFPRI (b) UNHRD
(c) UNCHR (d) TERI
45. Which of the following cities recently
hosted the 11th G20 summit?
(a) New Delhi, India
(b) Shanghai, China
(c) Hangzhou, China
(d) Bangalore, India
46. On what rank India is placed in
the ‘Global Competitiveness Index’
published by World Economic Forum?
(a) 40th (b) 97th
(c) 121st (d) 39th
47. Which rank India stands on in the ‘Ease
of Doing Business Index’ released by
World Bank?
(a) 97th (b) 130th
(c) 100th (d) 21st
48. Who of the following was recently
appointed as whole time member of
SEBI?
(a) Gurumoorthy Mahalingam
(b) Rishabh Sood
(c) C Rangrajan
(d) Dinesh Chandra
 GK-546
49. Which of the following has been made
the 5th Zone by SBI in north-east?
(a) Guwahati (b) Aizawl
(c) Dimapur (d) Silchar
50. Who is the president of New Deve-
lopment Bank?
(a) Paul Aldren (b) Sita Bajpayi
(c) K V Kamath (d) U Patel
51. Which one of the following is the most
appropriate method to measure the
economic growth of a country?
(a) National Income
(b) Net National Produce
(c) Gross Capital Formation
(d) Gross Domestic Product
52. Consider the following statements
I. About 1/3 of GDP in India is
contributed by the agriculture sector.
II. More than 60% of the country’s GDP
is contributed by the services sector.
Which of the statements given above is/
are correct?
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II (d) Neither I nor II
53. Match list (Period) with list II (Growth
rate of India’s population) and select
the correct answer using the codes
given below the list
List I List II
(a) 1891 to 1. High growth with
1921 definite sign of
slowing down and
stabilisation
(b) 1921 to 2. Stagnant
1951 population growth
(c) 1951 to 3. Steady population
1981 growth
(d) 1981 to 4. Rapid high
2011 population growth
Codes:
A B C D
(a) 2 4 3 1
(b) 2 3 4 1
(c) 4 3 1 2
(d) 4 1 3 2
54. Which one of the following sectors is the
major contribution towards the Gross
Domestic Saving in India in recent time?
(a) Public Sector
(b) Private Sector
(c) Corporate Sector
(d) Household sector
QUIZZES
55. Who was the first Indian to calculate
national income of India?
(a) Dada Bhai Nauroji
(b) Suresh Tendulkar
(c) C Rajgopalachari
(d) N M Joshi
56. Which of the following factors is
accounted in the calculation of Gross
Domestic Product of a country in the
expenditure method?
(a) Private consumption
(b) Gross investments and government
spending
(c) Net expenditure of the expenditure
on export and import
(d) All of the above
57. Which one of the following is not the
component of the services sector of
Indian Economy?
(a) Insurance and Finance
(b) Community and Personal
(c) Construction
(d) Trade and Hotel
58. Which one of the following countries of
Asia has the highest number of human
resource in Science and Technology?
(a) SriLanka (b) China
(c) India (d) Thailand
59. Who presented the first Union Budget
of Independent India?
(a) Morarji Desai
(b) John Mathai
(c) RK Shanmukham Chetty
(d) NK Chanda
60. Which one of the following bodies/
agencies implements the largest
National Highways Development
Project (NHDP) in the country?
(a) BRO (b) CPWD
(c) NHAI (d) None of these
61. Which one of the following is the best
source of generating electricity in India
from the view point of sustainable
development?
(a) Coal
(b) Mineral oil and gas
(c) Hydro-electricity
(d) Atomic energy
62. Which of the following is not a harbour?
(a) Kandla (b) Cochin
(c) Mangalore (d) Bengaluru
QUIZZES
63. Which one of the river basins has the
highest potential for the Hydel Power?
(a) Brahmaputra Basin
(b) Ganga Basin
(c) East Flowing rivers of South India
(d) West flowing rivers of South India
64. What is the position of India in the term
of proven coal reserves in the world?
(a) First (b) Second
(c) Third (d) Fourth
65. Which one of the following ports is not
the major port of India?
(a) Port Blair Port
(b) Ennore
(c) Paradeep
(d) None of the above
66. Consider the following statements
I. Agriculture and Allied sectors
contribute less than 20% of Gross
Domestic Product Of India.
II. Around 60% of net sown
agricultural area of India is
dependent on rainfall.
Which of the statements given above is/
are correct?
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II (d) Neither I or II
67. Match list I with List II and select the
correct answer using the codes given
below the list
List I List II
(Five Year Plan) (GDP Growth of
Agriculture)
(a) Third Plan 1. More than 3%
(b) Eight Plan 2. Negative growth
rate
(c) Ninth Plan 3. Around 2.5%
(d) Eleventh Plan 4. More than 4.5%
Codes:
A B C D
(a) 2 4 3 1
(b) 2 3 4 1
(c) 4 3 1 2
(d) 4 1 3 2
68. Consider the following statements
I. Between 1960 to 2010 the food grin
production grew at around 2%
II. The food grain production during this
time is known as Hindu growth rate
Which of the above is correct?
(a) Only I
(b) Only II
(c) Both I and II
(d) Neither I nor II
GK-547
69. Consider the following statements
I. In India robusta constitutes major
portion of coffee production
II. India ranks II in coffee production
in the world
Which of the above is correct?
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II (d) Neither I nor II
70. Which of the following states ranks 1st
in production of coffee in India?
(a) Kerela (b) Karnataka
(c) Tamil nadu (d) Andra Pradesh
71. Who is considered as the father of
operation flood (White Revolution) in
India?
(a) MS Swaminathan
(b) Vargese Kurian
(c) KV Kamath
(d) E Shridharan
72. The green revolution was restricted to
which part of India?
(a) North west (b) North east
(c) South (d) South east
73. Which of the following FYP had no
targets for crop production?
(a) 7th (b) 10th
(c) 9th (d) 11th
74. What is India’s rank in coffee production
in the world?
(a) 4 (b) 5
(c) 6 (d) 7
75. In which FYP National Horticulture
Mission was launched?
(a) 9th (b) 10th
(c) 11th (d) 12th
76. Consider the following statements
I. India ranks 1st in the world in
dairy milk production
II. India ranks 1st in the number of
pet cattle in the world
Which of the above is correct?
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II (d) Neither I nor II
77. What does MSP stands for?
(a) Major Share Producer
(b) Maximum support price
(c) Minimum support price
(d) Minimum structural price
78. What does NABARD stands for?
(a) National Accredited Board for Arid
Region Development
(b) National Bank for Agricultural and
Rural Development
(c) National Agriculture Board for
Arid Region Development
(d) None of the above
 GK-548
QUIZZES
79. The ill effect of green revolution doesn’t 87. Devaluation of currency results in
include? (a) Fall in internal prices
(a) Interregional inequality (b) No change in internal prices
(b) Class inequality (c) Rise in internal prices
(c) Gender inequality (d) Unpredictable consequences
(d) Crop Diversification 88. Which of the following makes fiscal
80. Central Potato Research Institute is policy?
located at? (a) Ministry of finance
(a) Modinagar (b) Bangalore
(b) RBI
(c) Ahemdabad (d) Mumbai
(c) Niti Ayog
81. Which of the following is known as
narrow money in India? (d) NDC
(a) M1 (b) M2 89. What is repo rate?
(c) M3 (d) M4 (a) The rate at which RBI buys the
82. Which of the following are the currency
major instruments used for liquidity (b) The rate at which RBI buys the
management? government securities
I. Repo rate (c) The rate at which RBI repositions
II. Reverse repo rate its hold in the market
III. Lending rates (d) The rate at which RBI repositions
Which of the above is correct? its hold in the banks
(a) I and II (b) I and III 90. The proportion of cash which a
(c) II and III (d) I only commercial bank is required to
83. Which of the following type of currency maintain as reserved from its total
is difficult to convert in other currencies assets is called as?
as it may depreciate rapidly? (a) SLR (b) RR
(a) Hard Currency
(c) CRR (d) RRR
(b) Soft Currency
91. Which of the following is not a part of
(c) Gilt Edged Currency
scheduled banking structure?
(d) SDR’s
(a) Private banks
84. What are open market operations?
(b) PSUs banks
(a) sale and purchase of shares by
(c) Cooperative banks
brokers
(d) Money lenders
(b) Selling of government securities
92. At times the Governments opt for
by RBI to people
deliberate devaluation of currency.
(c) Selling of government securities
Which of the following is primary
by RBI to banks
objective?
(d) Sale of shares by companies
(a) Boosts exports
directly to people
85. Which of the following money is most (b) Boosts imports
(c) Boosts Internal Trade
liquid?
(d) Increase gold reserves
(a) Broad money
93. Which of the following committees was
(b) Bad money
formed for reforms in Indian banking
(c) Near money
system?
(d) Commodity money (a) Abhijeet Sen Committee
86. Who roles out the monetary policy of (b) Abid Husain Committee
India? (c) Suresh Tendulkar Committee
(a) Ministry of Finance (d) Narsimhan Committee
(b) Budget Division 94. Which of the following regulates mutual
(c) A collegiums of government and funds in India?
RBI members (a) SEBI (b) RBI
(d) RBI (c) PFRDA (d) IRDA
QUIZZES GK-549

95. Which of the following is not the part of
capital market?
(a) Government securities market
(b) Mutual funds
(c) Long term borrowings
(d) Call Money Markets
96. Which of the following committees
submitted its report on full capital
account convertibility?
(a) ESL Narshimhan Committee
(b) Tarapore Committee
(c) Rajan Mehta Committee
(d) GVK Rao Committee
97. Which of the following setup ICICI bank
for developing SMEs in private sector in
India?
(a) World bank (b) ADB
(c) IMF (d) UNHCR
98. Which of the following bodies regulates
the insurance market in India?
(a) LIC (b) PFRDA
(c) RBI (d) IRDA
99. Which of the following is related with
NIFTY junior?
(a) Equity market
(b) Commodity market
(c) Money Market
(d) FDI
100. Which of the following is considered to
be an asset for a commercial bank?
(a) Peoples deposits
(b) Industrial Deposits
(c) Agriculture Credits
(d) Borrowings from the RBI

ANSWERS KEY
ANSWER KEY
1. (c) 2. (a) 3. (d) 4. (b) 5. (b) 6. (a)
7. (a) 8. (d) 9. (b) 10. (d) 11. (c) 12. (b)
13. (d) 14. (a) 15. (c) 16. (d) 17. (d) 18. (c)
19. (a) 20. (d) 21. (b) 22. (d) 23. (b) 24. (a)
25. (c) 26. (b) 27. (d) 28. (a) 29. (d) 30. (c)
31. (a) 32. (c) 33. (c) 34. (d) 35. (d) 36. (c)
37. (b) 38. (d) 39. (d) 40. (b) 41. (b) 42. (c)
43. (d) 44. (a) 45. (c) 46. (b) 47. (a) 48. (a)
49. (d) 50. (c) 51. (d) 52. (b) 53. (b) 54. (d)
55. (d) 56. (d) 57. (c) 58. (b) 59. (c) 60. (c)
61. (c) 62. (d) 63. (d) 64. (d) 65. (d) 66. (c)
67. (a) 68. (a) 69. (a) 70. (b) 71. (b) 72. (a)
73. (b) 74. (c) 75. (c) 76. (c) 77. (c) 78. (b)
79. (d) 80. (a) 81. (a) 82. (a) 83. (b) 84. (c)
85. (c) 86. (d) 87. (b) 88. (a) 89. (b) 90. (c)
91. (d) 92. (a) 93. (d) 94. (a) 95. (d) 96. (b)
97. (a) 98. (d) 99. (a) 100. (d)
GK-550
QUIZZES