05-07-2011

1. चेक रिपब्लिक की पेट्रा क्विटोवा ने विम्बलडन का खिताब अपनी झोली में डाला. पहला ग्रैंड स्लैम जीतने वाली क्विटोवा ने शारापोवा को सीधे सेटों में 6-3, 6-4 से हराया. आठवीं वरीयता प्राप्त क्विटोवा विम्बलडन खिताब जीतने वालीं तीसरी चेक रिपब्लिक की टेनिस खिलाड़ी हैं. क्विटोवा इससे पहले कभी किसी ग्रैंड स्लैम के फाइनल में नहीं खेली हैं
2. रक्षा सचिव प्रदीप कुमार को शनिवार को सर्वसम्मति से नया सीवीसी चुन लिया गया। हरियाणा कैडर के 1972 बैच के आईएएस ऑफिसर प्रदीप कुमार विवादास्पद सीवीसी पी. जे. थॉमस का स्थान लेंगे। चार महीने पहले सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने पाल्मोलिन ऑयल स्कैम में आरोपी थॉमस की सीवीसी पद पर नियुक्ति खारिज कर दी थी।
3. चीनी इंजीनियरों ने बिना किसी विदेशी मदद के समुद्र पर दुनिया के सबसे लंबे किंगडाओ-जियाओझोउ बे पुल के निर्माण का कमाल कर दिखाया। इस पुल की लंबाई 42.4 किलोमीटर है
4. थाइलैंड के पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री थकसिन शिनवात्रा की बहन इंगलक शिनवात्रा की द फिउ थाई पार्टी ने देश में हुए चुनाव में भारी बहुमत हासिल किया है। रविवार को चुनाव परिणाम आने के बाद इंगलक के लिए देश की पहली महिला प्रधानमंत्री बनने का मार्ग प्रशस्त हो गया। शिनवात्रा की राजनीतिक मुखौटा मानी जा रहीं इंगलक थाइलैंड की 28वीं प्रधानमंत्री होंगी।
5. सर्बियाई टेनिस स्टार नोवाक जोकोविच ने शानदार खेल का प्रदर्शन करते हुए गत चैम्पियन राफेल नडाल को हराकर विम्बलडन पुरूष एकल खिताब-2011 हासिल किया, इसके साथ ही वह दुनिया के नंबर एक खिलाड़ी भी बन गए। 24 वर्षीय जोकोविच ने खिताबी भिड़ंत में नडाल पर 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 से जीत दर्ज की। इससे पहले उन्होंने ग्रैंड स्लैम में 2008 और 2011 में ऑस्ट्रेलियाई ओपन में खिताब जीता था।
6. भारत के महेश भूपति और रूस की एलेना वेसनीना की जो़डी रविवार को खेले गए विम्बलडन के मिश्रित युगल मुकाबले के फाइनल में नौवीं वरीयता प्राप्त जो़डी आस्ट्रेलिया के जुर्गेन मेल्जर एवं चेक गणराज्य की इवेता बेनेसोवा से हार गई।
7. अमेरिका के ब्रायन बंधुओं बाब और माइक ने स्वीडन के रॉबर्ट लिंडस्टेट और रोमानिका के होरिया टेकाऊ को शनिवार को यहां 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 से हराकर विम्बलडन टेनिस चैंपियनशिप में पुरुष युगल का खिताब जीत लिया।

Daily Update

Daily Update

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1. Termination codon- Any of three mRNA sequences (UGA, UAG, UAA) that do not code for an amino acid and thus signal the end of protein synthesis.

2. Definition of cerebrum :The higher region of the brain that controls intelligence, learning, perception, and emotion.

3. Sucheta Kriplani (Hindi: सुचेता कृपलानी) (born Sucheta Mazumdar) (25 June 1908[1] - 1 December 1974[2]HYPERLINK \l "cite_note-2"[3]) was an Indian freedom fighter and politician in Uttar Pradesh, India. She became the first woman to be elected Chief Minister of any Indian state.

4. दुनिया के सबसे लंबे पुल को आम लोगों की आवाजाही के लिए खोल दिया गया है। यह पुल चीन में समुद्र के ऊपर बना है। यह पुल पूर्वी तटवर्ती शहर क्विंगदाओ को जियाजऊ के ह्रांगदाओ के साथ जोडता है। इस पुल की लंबाई 42.4 किलोमीटर है।

5. चीन की सत्ताधारी कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी (सीपीसी) ने 2011अपनी स्थापना की 90वीं वर्षगांठ मनाई।

6. दुनिया की सबसे लंबी प्राकृतिक गैस की पाइपलाइन को गुरूवार को शुरू कर दिया गया है। चीन की इस प्राकृतिक गैस लाइन की लंबाई 8700 किलोमीटर लंबी है। यह गैस पाइपलाइन तुर्कमेनिस्तान को दक्षिणी चीन से जोडेगी।

7. फ्रांस की वित्तमंत्री क्रिस्टिन लागार्डे अंतरराष्ट्रीय मुद्रा कोष की पहली महिला अध्यक्ष बनीं। वे डोमिनिक स्ट्रास कान का स्थान लेगी। कान ने यौन शोषण के आरोप में गिरफ्तार किए जाने के बाद पिछले महीने अपने पद से इस्तीफा दे दिया था।

8. भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक (आरबीआई) के मुताबिक बुधवार वह आखरी दिन है जब 25 पैसे के सिक्के की वैध कीमत है। एक अधिकारी ने कहा, ""गुरूवार यानी 30 जून के बाद 25 पैसे और उससे कम मूल्य के सिक्कों की वैधता नहीं होगी।""

9. सऊदी अरब के बाद भारत के दूसरे सबसे बड़े क्रूड ऑयल आपूर्तिकर्ता ईरान ने भुगतान व्यवस्था पर एक बार फिर चेताया है। ईरान ने कहा है कि भारतीय तेल कंपनियां आयात के भुगतान की व्यवस्था जल्दी करें अन्यथा वह अगस्त से क्रूड की सप्लाई रोक देगा।

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PSLV-C16 puts 3 satellites in orbit

 

PSLV-C16 puts 3 satellites in orbit

T.S. Subramanian

The Hindu FLAWLESS FLIGHT: PSLV-C16 lifts off majestically from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Wednesday. Photo: M. Vedhan

PSLV-C14 launches Oceansat-2 satellite

NEWS

PSLV notches up another success Resourcesat-2 will beam back huge data on resources Singapore delighted at ISRO's launch of X-Sat ISRO to build orbiter for NASA The long road to cryogenic technology Rs. 378-cr. aid for GPS-aided navigation system Moving on after the GSLV failure ResourceSat-2 launch scheduled for April 20

TOPICS

science and technology space programme
technology (general) rocketry

Success comes after last year's GSLV failures

It was “sweet seventeen” for the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on Wednesday, with the PSLV-C16 scoring a spectacular success by putting three satellites into orbit with precision.

It was the PSLV's 17th consecutive successful mission out of the 18 launches from Sriharikota. At the end of 18 minutes of “a delightful” flawless flight, the fourth stage of the rocket shot India's Resourcesat-2 into its orbit. About 40 seconds later, the fourth stage bulleted again the Youthsat and the X-sat into their orbits. The accuracy was such that the Resourcesat-2 reached an orbit at an altitude of 822.9 km against the targeted 822 km.

The mission lifted the veil of despondency that had fallen over the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after the failure of the GSLV-D3 with an indigenous cryogenic stage in April last year and of the GSLV-F06 with a Russian cryogenic engine in December. This year, the ISRO was hit by allegations over the S-band spectrum allocation to a private company.

ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan called the mission “a grand success” because the satellites reached their orbits with great precision. It was “a global mission,” he said, because the Resourcesat-2's remote-sensing images would be used by countries across the world.

Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre of ISRO S. Ramakrishnan described the success as “a sweet seventeen.”

Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram P.S. Veeraraghavan said the mission's success had established the PSLV “as the most reliable and cost-effective rocket in the world.” Everything went right with the mission, and “as far as the orbits were concerned, the satellites hit the bullseye,” he added.

The 54-hour countdown progressed without any hitch. At 10.12 a.m., the PSLV-C16 roared off from the first launch pad, climbing steadily. The rocket rode on towers of flame, tracing a parabolic path across a clear sky. One could see with naked eyes the separation of the first stage. The four stages and the strap-on booster motors ignited on time and fell into the Bay of Bengal. The rocket also performed “a dog-leg manoeuvre,” skirting the Sri Lankan territory.

Mission Director P. Kunhikrishnan praised “the excellent performance” of the rocket's four stages and their sub-systems. It was “a reassurance to the nation' from the ISRO that the faith put in the space agency was justified.

The Hindu : News / National : PSLV-C16 puts 3 satellites in orbit

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सचिन तेंदुलकर ने यहां टेस्ट मैचों में शतकों का अ‌र्द्धशतक

सचिन तेंदुलकर ने यहां टेस्ट मैचों में शतकों का अ‌र्द्धशतक पूरा करके क्रिकेट जगत में नया इतिहास रच दिया। रिकॉर्ड 175वें टेस्ट मैच की 286वीं पारी खेलने वाले तेंदुलकर दुनिया के पहले बल्लेबाज हैं, जिन्होंने 50 टेस्ट शतक लगाए हैं। उनके नाम पर एकदिवसीय मैचों में 46 शतक दर्ज हैं और इस तरह से वह अंतरराष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट में शतकों का सैकड़ा पूरा करने के करीब हैं। इस 37 वर्षीय बल्लेबाज ने ऐसे समय में अपना 50वां सैकड़ा ठोका जब भारतीय टीम दक्षिण अफ्रीका के खिलाफ पहले टेस्ट मैच में गहरे संकट में थी और उस पर पारी की हार का खतरा मंडरा रहा था। तेंदुलकर स्पिनर पॉल हैरिस की गेंद पर मिड ऑफ पर छक्का जड़कर नाइंटीज में पहुंचे और इसके बाद उन्होंने डेल स्टेन की गेंद पर कवर क्षेत्र में एक रन लेकर शतक पूरा किया। उनकी इस महान उपलब्धि का स्टेडियम में बैठे हजारों दर्शकों और भारतीय खिलाडि़यों ने ही नहीं बल्कि दक्षिण अफ्रीकी क्रिकेटरों ने भी तालियां बजाकर स्वागत किया। तेंदुलकर ने हमेशा की तरह शतक पूरा करने के बाद आसमान की तरफ देखकर ईश्वर का शुक्रिया अदा किया और दोनों हाथ हवा में लहराने के बाद दर्शकों का अभिवादन स्वीकार किया। तेंदुलकर ने इस साल 11 अक्टूबर को ऑस्ट्रेलिया के खिलाफ बेंगलूर में 214 रन की पारी खेलकर अपना 49वां शतक पूरा किया था और तब से उनके 50वें शतक का इंतजार बना हुआ था। तेंदुलकर यह उपलब्धि हासिल करने वाले न सिर्फ दुनिया के पहले बल्लेबाज बन गए हैं बल्कि इससे उनके और दूसरे नंबर पर काबिज ऑस्ट्रेलियाई कप्तान रिकी पोंटिंग (39) के शतकों के बीच 11 शतक का अंतर आ गया है। दक्षिण अफ्रीका के जैक्स कैलिस 38 शतक लगाकर तीसरे नंबर पर हैं। सेंचुरियन में अपनी शतकीय पारी के दौरान तेंदुलकर ने 2010 के कैलेंडर वर्ष में 1500 रन भी पूरे किए। वह इस साल इस मुकाम तक पहुंचने वाले पहले खिलाड़ी हैं। यह तेंदुलकर का एक कैलेंडर वर्ष में उनका सर्वश्रेष्ठ प्रदर्शन भी है, जिसमें सात शतक भी शामिल हैं। तेंदुलकर दुनिया के उन कुछेक बल्लेबाजों में शामिल हैं, जिन्होंने टेस्ट खेलने वाले प्रत्येक देश के खिलाफ शतक लगाए हैं। उन्होंने सर्वाधिक 11 शतक ऑस्ट्रेलिया के खिलाफ बनाए हैं। इसके बाद श्रीलंका (नौ शतक) , इंग्लैंड (सात), दक्षिण अफ्रीका (छह), बांग्लादेश (पांच), न्यूजीलैंड (चार) वेस्टइंडीज और जिंबाब्वे (तीन-तीन) तथा पाकिस्तान (दो शतक) का नंबर आता है। इनमें से उन्होंने 22 शतक भारतीय और 28 शतक विदेशी सरजमीं पर लगाए हैं। तेंदुलकर ने शतक पूरा करने तक 175 टेस्ट की 286 पारी में 56.86 की औसत से 14,502 रन बनाए थे।

गोल्फ की दुनिया पर टाइगर वुड्स की बादशाहत खत्म

गोल्फ की  दुनिया पर टाइगर वुड्स की बादशाहत  खत्म कर उनसे नंबर एक की कुर्सी छीनने वाले इंग्लैंड के ली वेस्टवुड ने सन सिटी ओपेन का खिताब जीतने के साथ ही साल का बेहतरीन अंत किया है। इसके साथ ही वेस्टवुड गोल्फ की दुनिया में नंबर एक पर बरकरार हैं।

मिस वर्ल्ड

सौंदर्य प्रतियोगिताओं में हर साल लोगों को मिस यूनिवर्स, मिस वर्ल्ड और मिस इंडिया का इतज़ार रहता है.

वर्ष 2009 में मिस यूनिवर्स का ख़िताब वेनेज़ुएला की सुंदरी स्टेफ़ेनिया फर्नांडिज़ ने जीता. 2008 में भी वेनेज़ुएला की डायना मेंडोज़ा मिस यूनिवर्स बनी थीं.

भारत की एकता चौधरी अंतिम 15 में भी स्थान नहीं बना पाईं. पिछले नौ साल से भारत की सुंदरियाँ मिस यूनिवर्स नहीं बन पाई हैं.इस प्रतियोगिता में 85 देशों की सुंदरियां ने हिस्सा लिया.

इससे पहले भारत की सुष्मिता सेन ने 1994 में और लारा दत्ता ने वर्ष 2000 में ये ख़िताब अपने नाम किया था.

मिस वर्ल्ड

दक्षिण अफ़्रीका के जोहानसबर्ग में हुई भव्य प्रतियोगिता में जिब्राल्टर की कायने एल्दोरीनो को वर्ष 2009 के लिए मिस व‌र्ल्ड चुन गया है.23 वर्षीय एल्दोरीनो पेशे से क्लर्क हैं.प्रतियोगिता में भारत का प्रतिनिधित्व करने वाली मिस इंडिया पूजा चोपड़ा सेमीफ़ाइनल तक तो पहुँचीं लेकिन वे अंतिम दौर में नहीं पहुंच पाईं. मिस मैक्सिको पेरला बेल्ट्रान एकोस्टा दूसरे स्थान पर रहीं जबकि मेजबान दक्षिण अफ्रीका की तातम किश्वार को तीसरा स्थान मिला. पूर्व मिस व‌र्ल्ड और बॉलीवुड अभिनेत्री प्रियंका चोपड़ा को इस प्रतियोगिता में निर्णायक के रुप में बुलाया गया था. उन्होंने वर्ष 2000 में मिस वर्ल्ड का ख़िताब जीता था. पिछले साल यानी 2008 में भारत की पार्वती ओमनाकुट्टन मिस वर्ल्ड प्रतियोगिता में दूसरे नंबर पर रही थीं.

एशियाई खेलों का सर्वश्रेष्ठ प्रदर्शन

भारत के लिए शुक्रवार इन एशियाई खेलों का सबसे स्वर्णिम दिन रहा जबकि उसके एथलीट्स ने चार स्वर्ण पदक जीतकर भारत को पदक तालिका में छठे स्थान पर पहुँचा दिया.

कुल पदकों के हिसाब से ये भारत का आज तक एशियाई खेलों में सबसे अच्छा प्रदर्शन है.

सबसे पहला स्वर्ण पदक आया कबड्डी से जहाँ पहले महिलाओं ने थाईलैंड को 14 के मुक़ाबले 28 अंकों से हरा दिया.

पुरुषों के वर्ग में कबड्डी के 1990 में एशियाड में शामिल किए जाने के बाद से भारत आज तक कभी स्वर्ण हारा ही नहीं और एक बार फिर वही हुआ जबकि भारत ने ईरान को 37-20 के स्कोर से हराकर दिन का दूसरा स्वर्ण पदक जीता.

एथलेटिक्स एक बार फिर भारत के लिए पदक लाया.

सबसे पहले महिलाओं की पाँच हजा़र मीटर की रेस में प्रीजा श्रीधरन और कविता राउत देश का प्रतिनिधित्व कर रहीं थीं.

उन्होंने 10 हज़ार मीटर रेस में स्वर्ण और रजत जीता था मगर इस रेस में वे रजत और काँस्य जीत सकीं. वैसे उन्होंने अपना सर्वश्रेष्ठ प्रदर्शन किया और भारत का राष्ट्रीय रिकॉर्ड भी बनाया.

SOME FACT

• Rosa Otunbayeva was sworn in as caretaker president of Kyrgyzstan 27 June 2010, three months after her predecessor, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, was ousted in a popular uprising. The 59-year-old took the oath of office at a ceremony in the capital, Bishkek, media reports said. Otunbayeva, a former ambassador to Britain and the US, is the first woman to hold the highest office in the Central Asian country. Officially, she is to serve as head of a transitional government until the end of 2011, after which she plans to withdraw from politics. Kyrgyzstan's parliamentary elections are scheduled for October.
• Finland has become the first country to make broadband with a speed of 1Mbps a legal right for every citizen
• After years of search by top monks, a 4-year-old Tibetan boy was  chosen as the sixth 'Living Buddha' in the Tibetan capital Lhasa through a lot-drawing system of two candidates conducted by the 11th Panchen Lama who is being projected by China as the Dalai Lama's successor. The fifth living Buddha, Dezhub Jambai Gaisanggyaco, died in Lhasa on March 11, 2000 at the age of 66.
  Read more:
• tran- Afghanistan Pipeline (TAPI), running through Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India

• First proposed in 1995, it was originally called TAP or Trans-Afghan Pipeline but with Pakistan and India now involved it was renamed TAPI.
  The gas pipeline would stretch 1,043 miles from Turkmenistan's Dauletabad gas field to the northwestern Indian town of Fazilka.

• Kamla Persad-Bissessar (born 22nd April 1952 in Siparia^[1]) is the seventh and current Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. She was sworn in as Prime Minister on May 26, 2010 and is the country's first female Prime Minister^[2].

  Persad-Bissessar is the political leader of the United National Congress and leads the People's Partnership, a coalition of five parties, formed for the general election of 24 May 2010. She was the first woman to serve as Attorney General, acting Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition of Trinidad and Tobago. She became Political Leader of the Opposition United National Congress in 2010.^[3]

• Karnataka Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests M N Jayakumar has been awarded MFIAP the highest distinction awarded by the UNESCO-affiliated International Federation of Photographic Art for a set of 20 images entitled "Spectacular Indian Birds".
• Treaty of Maastricht (formally, the Treaty on European Union,^[1] (TEU)^[2]) was signed on 7 February 1992 by the members of the European Community in Maastricht. The treaty led to the creation of the euro currency, and created what is commonly referred to as the pillar structure of the European Union.
 

10/03/2010

 

10/03/2010 : 1916 Maharshi Karve starts SNDT University in Pune, the first women's university, with five students

 

1937 Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit becomes first woman to hold a Union cabinet post

 

1947 Sarojini Naidu is first woman governor of independent India, in charge of United Provinces

 

1953 Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit scores again, becomes first woman president of the UN General Assembly

 

1956 Hindu Succession Act gives women right to hold property

 

1966 Indira Gandhi is India's first woman Prime Minister

 

1972 Kiran Bedi becomes the first woman IPS officer

 

1979 Mother Teresa wins the Nobel Peace Prize

 

1984 Bachendri Pal becomes the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest

 

1992 The 73rd Constitutional amendment reserves 33% seats in rural and urban local bodies for women

 

1997 Arundhati Roy is first Indian woman to win Booker Prize

 

2005 Hindu Succession Act amended to give daughters of deceased person equal rights to inheritance

 

2007 Pratibha Patil becomes first woman President

 

2009 Meira Kumar is first woman Speaker of Lok Sabha

 

2010 Bill to reserve 33% seats for women in Parliament and legislative assemblies passed by RS

10/03/2010 : Women reservation 33% in Parliament and State Assesmblies passed in Rajya Sabha - The Bill, formally known as the 108th constitutional amendment

10/03/2010 : Budget 2010 - Total plan expenditure is slated to go up 18 per cent to Rs 3.73 lakh crore

10/03/2010 : Income Tax Return - Centralised Processing Centre at Bengaluru

10/03/2010 : Budget : The government has introduced a pilot project, called 'Sevottam', to provide single window system for registration of all applications, including those for redressal of grievances, as well as paper returns. Currently, the scheme is on in Pune, Kochi and Chandigarh. Four more centres will be added in 2010-11.

10/03/2010 : Budget : In line with the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission, Mr Pranab Mukherjee presented a roadmap for fiscal consolidation and set the fiscal deficit target at 5.5 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) for 2010-11. The deficit for 2009-10 to be at 6.9 per cent of GDP , as against a comparable figure of 7.8 per cent of GDP in 2008-09. The target of 5.5 per cent for 2009-10 includes expenses on account of oil and fertilizer subsidies.

10/03/2010 : Budget : To spend 66 per cent of total expenditure on non-plan activities during 2010-11, compared to 70 per cent in 2009-10. The main reason for this is that the burden on account of Sixth Pay Commission report is off its back now.

10/03/2010 : Budget : To build the corpus of the National Clean Energy Fund set up earlier, FM announced a cess on coal production at a nominal Rs 50 per tonne. This will be levied on imported coal, too. Around 75 per cent of the power generated in the country is coal-based.

10/03/2010 : Budget : In another step at cutting domestic carbon emissions, the government increased the plan outlay for the Renewable Energy Ministry by 61 per cent to Rs 1,000 crore for 2010-11. The Ministry is implementing the ambitious National Solar Mission, aimed at setting up 20,000 MW of solar power capacity by 2020

10/03/2010 : Budget : Budget 2010 has also provided a concessional customs duty of five per cent for solar power generating equipment.

 

10/03/2010 : Budget : The government has targeted construction of national highways at the pace of 20 km a day.

10/03/2010 : Budget : Bharat Nirman, the six-fold action plan for rural infrastructure development, charted out in 2006 by the then UPA government, will enter the second year of its second phase with Rs 48,000 crore, with the bulk of the increase going to rural electrification, housing and roads.

 

The umbrella scheme, which has a clutch of six different programmes under it, had entered the second phase in 2009 with an allocation of Rs 40,900 crore. In 2010 it has gone up to Rs 48,000 crore.

 

The main areas covered under it are roads, houses, drinking water, irrigation, telephony and electricity in rural areas. The budget for the first phase was Rs 1,74,000 crore. But in the second phase, the road component alone is expected to cost Rs 1,32,000 crore, as per the Budget document.

10/03/2010 : Budget : The Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), which targets to connect villages with a population of 1,000, has got an allocation of Rs 9,995 crore as against 2009-10 revised allocation of Rs 9,475 crore. The Yojana was launched on December 25, 2000 as a 100 per cent centrally sponsored scheme. But today it meets its expenses also through loans from the Asian Development Bank and World Bank.

10/03/2010 : Budget : In addition, an allocation of Rs 10,000 crore has been made as loan for PMGSY through the RIDF ( Rural Infrastructure Development Fund) window of NABARD ( National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development)

 

The PMGSY was to connect 66,000 habitations in the previous four years. The target now is to reach 1,67,000 habitations at a cost of Rs 1,32,000 crore by 2012.

10/03/2010 : Budget : The Bharat Nirman component on housing, called Indira Awas Yojana, which was to build 6 million dwellings in the four years ending 2009, now has a target of 12 million houses by 2014. The funds for this scheme implemented by the rural development ministry have gone up from Rs 7,918 crore in 2009-10 to Rs 8,996 crore in 2010-11.

 

About Rs 5,000 crore for this scheme will be provided by the National Investment Fund.

10/03/2010 : Budget : The funds for rural electrification have gone up in 2010-11 with fund transfers to Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana going up from Rs 3,100 crore to Rs 5,000 crore. The entire funding for the scheme is coming from the National Investment Fund.

 

The scheme was started with the aim of providing power connections to 100,000 villages and release electricity connections to 23 million rural BPL households in five years.

10/02/2010 : Budget : The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) will continue with its mammoth agenda of providing 100 days of work in the country's rural areas, drawing its oxygen mainly from the National Investment Fund (NIF). A major part of the scheme's allocation will come from the NIF for the second consecutive year. NIF draws money from disinvestment of government stake in public sector undertakings.

 

The allocation for NREGS has gone up marginally from Rs 39,100 crore in 2009-10 to Rs 40,100 crore in 2010-11. But the share of NIF component in NREGS funding has gone up from Rs 11,730 crore in 2009-10 (when the total allocation was Rs 39,100 crore) to Rs 18,768 crore in 2010-11 (against the total allocation of Rs 40,100 crore). Therefore, the government expenditure on NREGP has been declining.

 

The NIF proceeds for 2009-10, estimated at Rs 25,000 crore, will come on account of disinvestment of government stake in NHPC Ltd, NTPC Ltd, Oil India Ltd, Rural Electrification Corporation Ltd and NMDC Ltd. The NIF, which was constituted in 2009, is expected to part-fund social sector schemes till 2011-12.

 

The increased funding of Rs 1,000 crore will barely be enough to create the over 300,000 Panchayat Bhawans or Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendras proposed by the Rural Development Ministry in every panchayat in the country, or to fund NGOs in these panchayats to help run the scheme.

10/03/2010 : Budget : Budget has extended the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) benefits to all NREGS beneficiaries who had worked for more than 15 days during the preceding financial year. The insurance coverage would be through the Rs 30 per year smart cards which would provide the entire family health insurance cover worth Rs 30,000.

10/03/2010 : Budget : The agriculture sector - unprecedented 21.6 per cent hike in the central plan allocation to address the supply side constrains that have led to high food inflation. Besides measures to boost production, stress has been laid on opening up of retail trade to reduce the wide differences between the farm gate, wholesale and retail prices. Tax sops to infrastructure have also been proposed to facilitate storage and safe handling of perishable foods until the retail points.

10/03/2010 : Budget : A four-pronged strategy has been mooted in the Budget to spur growth in farm production. It involves measures to

 

(1). raise agricultural production;

 

(2). reduce wastages;

 

(3). strengthen credit support to farmers; and

 

(4). lend a thrust to the food processing sector for value addition of farm produce.

 

G K Q BANK

Science and Technology 2010


1. किसके रोगी को डायलेसिस पर रखा जाता है ?

उत्तर: वृक्क(Kidney) के रोगी को

2. ग्रुप A रक्त वाले व्यक्ति को किस ग्रुप का रक्त दिया जा सकता है ?

उत्तर: A तथा O ग्रुप का

3. सूर्य के प्रकाश से हमें कौनसा विटामिन मिलता है ?

उत्तर: विटामिन D

4. मानव शरीर में ऑक्सीजन को लाने और ले जाने वाला वाहक कौन है ?

उत्तर: रुधिर

5. मलेरिया का परजीवी क्या होता है ?

उत्तर: प्लैज्मोडियम वाइवेक्स

6. AB रक्त समूह वाला व्यक्ति किस रक्त समूह के व्यक्ति से रक्त ग्रहण कर सकता है ?

उत्तर: A, B तथा O समूह के व्यक्तियों से

7. पौलीथीन के संश्लेषण में प्रयुक्त की जाती है -

उत्तर: एथिलीन

8. एक बाइट कितने बिट्स के बराबर होता है ?

उत्तर: 8 बिट्स के बराबर

9. द्वि-आधारी संख्या हैं -

उत्तर: 0 तथा 1

10. गहरे समुद्रों में गोताखोरों द्वारा वायु के स्थान पर किन गैसों के मिश्रण का प्रयोग किया जाता है ?

उत्तर: हीलियम और ऑक्सीजन के मिश्रण का

नेशनल करंट अफेयर्स 2010

1. भारत का वह महत्वपूर्ण वन्यजीव जिसे वर्ल्ड लाइफ फंड ने अपनी रिपोर्ट में सर्वाधिक खतरे में बताया है -

उत्तर: बाघ (Tiger)

2. वह फिल्म जिसे वर्ष 2008 के राष्ट्रीय फिल्म पुरस्कारों में सर्वश्रेष्ठ फिल्म का पुरस्कार मिला है -

उत्तर: अंतहीन (बांग्ला)

3. वह स्थान जहाँ भारत में सर्वाधिक लम्बा एलीवेटेड राष्ट्रीय राजमार्ग का निर्माण किया गया है -

उत्तर: बंगलौर

4. वह भारतीय संस्था/विभाग जो हिन्दुओं के धार्मिक आस्था के केंद्र कैलाश-मानसरोवर यात्रा का प्रबंध करता है -

उत्तर: भारत सरकार का विदेश मंत्रालय

5. भारत में इस वर्ष राष्ट्रीय बालिका सप्ताह कब मनाया गया ?

उत्तर: 24-30 जनवरी, 2010

6. वह राजनीतिक नेता, जो भारत में किसी राज्य के सर्वाधिक समय तक लगातार मुख्यमंत्री रहे ?

उत्तर: ज्योति बसु

7. भारतीय हिंदी फिल्मों के वह प्रथम सिनेमेटोग्राफर, जिन्हें वर्ष 2008 के लिये फिल्मों का सर्वोच्च दादा साहब फाल्के पुरस्कार प्रदान करने की घोषणा की गयी ?

उत्तर: वी.के.मूर्ति

8. वह बहादुर भारतीय बालक जिसे गणतंत्र दिवस-2010 पर उसकी बहादुरी के कार्य के लिये 'भारत अवार्ड' प्रदान किया गया ?

उत्तर: गौरव सिंह सैनी (हरयाणा)

9. वह विदेशी राजनेता, जो भारत के 2010 के गणतंत्र दिवस पर मुख्य अतिथि थे -

उत्तर: ली म्युंग बाक

10. वह भारतीय महिला, जो दक्षिणी ध्रुव पर स्कींग करने वाली पहली महिला बन गयी है -

उत्तर: रीना कौशल धर्मशाक्तू



International Current Affairs February 2010

1. वह अन्तर्राष्ट्रीय संस्था, जिसने हिमालय के ग्लेशियर के सन् 2035 तक पूरी तरह पिघल जाने की घोषणा की थी ?

उत्तर: इंटरगवर्नमेंटल पैनल ऑन क्लाइमेट चेंज (IPCC)

2. वह देश जहाँ जनवरी 2010 में आये भूकंप ने जान-माल की भीषण तबाही मचाई ?

उत्तर: हैती

3. वह देश जिसमें भारतीयों के पहुँचनेके सन् 2010 में 150 वर्ष पूरे होने पर वहाँ वर्ष भर आयोजन किये जा रहे हैं ?

उत्तर: दक्षिण अफ्रीका

4. वह देश जहाँ राष्ट्रमंडल देशों की संसदोंके अध्यक्षों का सम्मलेन जनवरी 2010 में आयोजित किया गया ?

उत्तर: भारत

5. संयुक्त राष्ट्र संघ द्वारा वर्ष 2010 को किस रूप में मनाने की घोषणा की गयी है ?

उत्तर: जैव विविधता वर्ष

6. हॉलीवुड की वह सर्वाधिक चर्चित एवं लोकप्रिय फिल्म, जिसे जनवरी 2010 में प्रदान किये गये गोल्डन ग्लोब अवार्ड्स में सर्वश्रेष्ठ मोशन पिक्चर-ड्रामा सहित अनेक पुरस्कार प्राप्त हुए ?

उत्तर: अवतार (AVTAR)

7. अन्तर्राष्ट्रीय क्रिकेट में खेलने वाला वह देश, जिसके खिलाडियों को इंडियन प्रीमियर लीग(IPL) के तृतीय संस्करण के लिये किसी भी टीम ने सम्मिलित नहीं किया ?

उत्तर: पकिस्तान

8. वह स्थान जहाँ जनवरी 2010 में बेसिक(BASIC) समूह की मंत्री स्तरीय बैठक संपन्न हुई ?

उत्तर: नई दिल्ली

9. वह नगर जहाँ जनवरी 2010 में टाइगर जनसँख्या को बचाने तथा बढाने के लिये एक विश्वस्तरीय सम्मलेन आयोजित किया गया ?

उत्तर: बैंकोक

10. वह नगर जहाँ पहला 'प्रवासी फिल्म फेस्टीवल-2010' आयोजित किया गया ?

उत्तर: नई दिल्ली

भूगोल से सम्बंधित सामान्य ज्ञान फरवरी 2010



1. तिरुअनन्तपुरम का पुराना नाम क्या है ?

उत्तर: त्रिवेंद्रम

2. न्यूफाउंडलैंड में कौनसी दो जल धाराएं मिलती हैं ?

उत्तर: लेब्रोडोर (ठंडी जल धारा) तथा गल्फस्ट्रीम (गर्म जल धारा)

3. सबसे लम्बा राष्ट्रीय राजमार्ग (NH-7) कहाँ से कहाँ तक है ?

उत्तर: वाराणसी से कन्याकुमारी तक (2369 किमी)

4. कराकोरम राजमार्ग किन दो देशों को जोड़ता है ?

उत्तर: पाकिस्तान और चीन को

5. साराजेवो किसकी राजधानी है ?

उत्तर: बोसनिया व हर्जेगोविना की

6. क्रिकेट खेल के लिये चर्चित शारजाह कहाँ है ?

उत्तर: संयुक्त अरब अमीरात (UAE)

7. युर्ट किस प्रजाति का घर है ?

उत्तर: खिरगीज का

8. क्यूराइल द्वीपों को लेकर किन दो देशों के बीच विवाद है ?

उत्तर: रूस और जापान में

9. पूर्व सोवियत संघ के किस नगर का नाम पुनः सेंत पीटर्सबर्ग रखा गया है ?

उत्तर: लेनिग्राड का

10. राजस्थान की इंदिरा गाँधी नाहर किस नदी से निकाली गयी है ?

उत्तर: सतलज-व्यास से

आज का करंट अफेयर्स

1. वह 80 वर्ष से अधिक की उम्र के राज्यपाल जिन्होंने सेक्स स्कैंडल के एक स्टिंग ओपरेशन के बाद दिसंबर 2009 में त्यागपत्र दे दिया -

उत्तर: नारायण दत्त तिवारी

2. वह स्थान जहाँ भारत की प्रतिष्ठित इंडियन साइंस कांग्रेस का 97 वाँ वार्षिक अधिवेशन जनवरी 2010 में आयोजित किया जा रहा है -

उत्तर: थिरुवंतपुरम

3. भारत का वह राज्य जहाँ प्रचुर मात्र में यूरेनियम खनिज उपलब्ध है, लेकिन खनिज परियोजना विवादों के कारण प्रारंभ नहीं हो सकी -

उत्तर: मेघालय

4. भारत निर्मित वह कार जिसे 'द 2010 इंडियन कार ऑफ द ईयर" अवार्ड प्रदान किया गया -

उत्तर: नैनो

5. भारत का वह पहला मुक्केबाज जिसने अन्तर्महाद्वीपीय प्रेसिडेंट्स कप मुक्केबाजी प्रतियोगिता में स्वर्ण पदक जीता -

उत्तर: सुरंजय सिंह

6. भारत की क्रिकेट टीम किस देश की टीम को टेस्ट श्रंखला में हराकर आई.सी.सी. की टेस्ट रंकिंग में वर्ष 2009 में शीर्ष स्थान पर आई -

उत्तर: श्रीलंका

7. वह नेता जिसे दिसम्बर 2009 में भारतीय जनता पार्टी का अध्यक्ष बनाया गया -

उत्तर: नितिन गडकरी

8. भारतीय जनता पार्टी की वह प्रखर एवं शीर्ष महिला नेता जिन्हें दिसंबर 2009 में लोक सभा में विपक्ष का नेता बनाया गया -

उत्तर: सुषमा स्वराज

9. वे भारतीय बैडमिन्टन खिलाडी जिन्होंने दिसंबर 2009 में आयोजित जे.पी. कप सैयद मोदी इंटरनेशनल ग्रांड प्रिक्स बैडमिन्टन टूर्नामेंट में क्रमश पुरुष तथा महिला वर्ग में ख़िताब जीते -

उत्तर: चेतन आनंद तथा साइना नेहवाल

10. हिंदी के वह वरिष्ठ कवि जिन्हें हिंदी वर्ग में वर्ष 2009 का साहित्य अकादमी पुरस्कार देने की घोषणा दिसंबर 2009 में की गई है -

उत्तर: कैलाश वाजपेयी

G K Q BANK

19/02/2010 : India's first-ever 2-MW solar power plant at Awan, near Amritsar, Punjab. Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah inaugurated it. set up by US company Azure Power in the independent power producers (IPP) mode.

19/02/2010 : World's fastest train - China - average speed of 350 kph - 1,068 km between Wuhan in central China and Guangzhou in the south in two hours 45 minutes

19/02/2010 : Kaushik Basu: He has been appointed Chief Economic Advisor in the Finance Ministry in place of Arvind Virmani, who has joined the International Monetary Fund as an Executive Director.

19/02/2010 : Ben Bernanke: US Federal Reserve Bank Chairman, he has been named as the "Person of the Year, 2009" by the Time magazine, for helping guide USA through financial turmoil.

19/02/2010 : Kaiane Aldorino: Miss Gibraltar, she has won the 2009 Miss World crown in a ceremony held at Johannesburg, South Africa. Miss Mexico Perla Beltran finished second, while Miss South Africa Tatum Keshwar was third.

19/02/2010 : Year 2009 was designated by UN as the International Year of Astronomy, to commemorate 400 years of Galileo's theory about the solar system.

19/02/2010 : Government of India has introduced for the first time "visa on arrival" scheme for tourists from five countries - Singapore, Finland, New Zealand, Luxembourg and Japan.

19/02/2010 : Among developing countries, India ranked fourth in terms of FDI inflows in 2008 as per figures published in UNCTAD World Investment Report (WIR) 2009.

19/02/2010 : Rosa Power plant - After synchronising with the State grid, it became northern India's first thermal power plant in the private sector to do so. The total capacity of the project, costing Rs 6,000 crore, is going to be 1,200 MW. The first unit of 300 MW would get fully operational by April 2010. The second stage of 600 MW is likely to get operational by March 2012. What makes the project significant for UP is that 900 MW would be supplied to the UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL). The rest 300 MW would be used as "merchant capacity", company can sell it to others. Spreading over an area of around 1,500 acres, the construction of the project started in June 2007. The plant would take water from Garrah river which flows nearby. Around 75 cubic metres of water taken in would then be heated into steam to turn turbines of over 250 tonnes at a pace of 3,000 rotations per minute in order to generate the requisite power.

19/02/2010 : India's first-ever 2-MW solar power plant at Awan, near Amritsar, Punjab. Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah inaugurated it. set up by US company Azure Power in the independent power producers (IPP) mode.

19/02/2010 : World's fastest train - China - average speed of 350 kph - 1,068 km between Wuhan in central China and Guangzhou in the south in two hours 45 minutes

19/02/2010 : Kaushik Basu: He has been appointed Chief Economic Advisor in the Finance Ministry in place of Arvind Virmani, who has joined the International Monetary Fund as an Executive Director.

19/02/2010 : Ben Bernanke: US Federal Reserve Bank Chairman, he has been named as the "Person of the Year, 2009" by the Time magazine, for helping guide USA through financial turmoil.

19/02/2010 : Kaiane Aldorino: Miss Gibraltar, she has won the 2009 Miss World crown in a ceremony held at Johannesburg, South Africa. Miss Mexico Perla Beltran finished second, while Miss South Africa Tatum Keshwar was third.

19/02/2010 : Year 2009 was designated by UN as the International Year of Astronomy, to commemorate 400 years of Galileo's theory about the solar system.

19/02/2010 : Government of India has introduced for the first time "visa on arrival" scheme for tourists from five countries - Singapore, Finland, New Zealand, Luxembourg and Japan.

19/02/2010 : Among developing countries, India ranked fourth in terms of FDI inflows in 2008 as per figures published in UNCTAD World Investment Report (WIR) 2009.

19/02/2010 : Rosa Power plant - After synchronising with the State grid, it became northern India's first thermal power plant in the private sector to do so. The total capacity of the project, costing Rs 6,000 crore, is going to be 1,200 MW. The first unit of 300 MW would get fully operational by April 2010. The second stage of 600 MW is likely to get operational by March 2012. What makes the project significant for UP is that 900 MW would be supplied to the UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL). The rest 300 MW would be used as "merchant capacity", company can sell it to others. Spreading over an area of around 1,500 acres, the construction of the project started in June 2007. The plant would take water from Garrah river which flows nearby. Around 75 cubic metres of water taken in would then be heated into steam to turn turbines of over 250 tonnes at a pace of 3,000 rotations per minute in order to generate the requisite power.

19/02/2010 : INS Vikramaditya (Admiral Gorshkov) : The first four Russian-made MiG-29K fighters to be deployed on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, formerly the Admiral Gorshkov, when it is inducted into the Indian Navy have been received in a knocked-down condition and will now be assembled in this country. The jets arrived in the country on December 4, celebrated as Navy Day.



The jets were purchased by the Navy as part of a $1.5 billion deal signed with Russia in January 2004 for the Admiral Gorshkov. Of this $740 million was meant for the aircraft and the balance for the refitting of the carrier. Russians have now upped the price to between $2.2 billion and $2.9 billion.



The Navy will eventually be getting 12 MiG-29K single-seater aircraft and four MiG-29KUB twin-seat trainer aircraft, some in flyaway condition.



The Navy has named its MiG-29K squadron the Black Panthers. As the 45,000-tonne Kiev class aircraft carrier is scheduled to be delivered by 2012, the jets will undertake shore-based sorties from Goa.





19/02/2010 : Kailash Vajpeyi has been honoured with the Sahitya Akademi award for his work, Hawa mein hastakshar (Signature in the wind).

19/02/2010 : Copenhagen Major Highlights



(1). The final draft after the Copenhagen summit has agreed to cuts in emissions and hold increase in global temp below 2 C.



(2). A proposal attached to the accord calls for a legally binding treaty by the end-2010.



(3). Developed countries to provide adequate financial resources and technology to support developing countries. A goal of mobilizing $100 billion a year by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries has been set.



(4). Details of mitigation plans are included in separate annexure, one for developed countries and one for voluntary pledges from developing countries. These are not binding, and describe the current status of pledges-ranging from 'under consideration' for the United States to 'adopted by legislation' for the European Union.



(5). Emerging economies have been asked to monitor their efforts and report the results to the United Nations every two years, with some international checks to meet transparency concerns of West but 'ensure that national sovereignty is respected'.



(6). The accord agrees to provide positive incentives to fund afforestation with financial resources from developed world



(7). Carbon Markets are mentioned in the accord, but not in detail. The deal promises to pursue various approaches, including opportunities to use markets to enhance the cost-effectiveness and promote mitigation actions.

19/02/2010 : Dandi March : 390 km march from Sabarmati to Dandi between March 12 and April 6, 1930



(1). Non-violent protest against British salt Tax in colonial India with salt march to Dandi(2). First act of organised opposition after Purna Swaraj, declaration of complete independence by INC.



(3). It's important because it attracted world wide media attention and coverage towards it and thus to India Independence Movement.



(4). Styagraha against salt tax continued for almost a year ,ending with Gandhi's release from jail and negotiations with Viceroy Lord Irwin at Second round of round table conferenc(5). About 80,000 were jailed during this campaign and a significant effect on world?s and British attitude towards Indian Independence, and caused large numbers of Indian to join the campaign actively.



(6). At midnight on Dec 31.1929, the INC raised the tricolour flag of India on the banks of river Ravi in Lahore.The INC , led by Gandhi and Nehru , publicly issued the Declaration of Independence, or Purna Swaraj, on January 1930.



(7). The Congress Working Committee gave Gandhi the responsibility for organizing the first act of Civil Disobedience, with Congress itself ready to take charge after Gandhi's expected arrest.



(8). Gandhi's plan was to begin civil disobedience with a satyagraha aimed at the British salt tax.



(9). The 1882 Salt Act gave the British monopoly on the collection and manufacture of salt, limiting its handling to gov. salt depots and levying a salt tax. Violation of the Salt Act was a criminal offense. Even though salt was freely available for the Indians living on the coasts(by evaporating sea water), Indians were forced to purchase it from the colonial gov..



(10). Gandhi's choice of the salt tax was met with incredulity by the working committee of the congress, though Gandhi had his reasons for choosing the salt tax. The salt tax was a deeply symbolic choice, since salt was used by nearly everyone in India. It represented 8.2% of the British Raj tax revenue, and most significantly hurt the poorest Indians the most. Gandhi felt the this protest would dramatize Purna Swaraj in a way that was meaningful to the lowliest Indians. He also reasoned that it would build unity among Hindus and Muslims by fighting a wrong that touched them equally.



(11). Dandi march was well planned and it was declared as early as 5 Feb in the newspaper.



(12). The entire route and all the dates and scheduled was well planned. Even the speeches that Gandhi gave was prepared before keeping in mind the place where it was given, considering local peoples.



(13). Gandhi prepared world media about the march by issuing statements regularly after the evening prayers and through direct contacts with press.



(14). Gandhi had intelligently used dramatic languages in addressing press, for ex: "We are entering upon a life and death struggle, a holy war; we are performing an all-embracing sacrifice in which we wish to offer ourselves as oblation." "I want world sympathy in this battle of Right against Might."



(15). Gandhi assured that strict discipline is followed during the march, so instead of hiring from Congress, he hired for march from his own disciples from Ashram.



(16). The 23 day march would pass through 4 districts and 48 villages.



(17). Gandhi sent scouts to each village to plan his talks at each resting place, based on the needs of the local residents.



(18). Events at each villages/halts are planned and publicized in Indian and Foreign press.



(19). On march 2nd Gandhi wrote to Lord Irwin offering to stop the march on the condition of meeting 11 demands.

18/02/2010 : National Commission on Religious and Linguistic Minorities - headed by Justice Ranganath Misra - recommended 15 per cent reservation in non-minority educational institutions and Central and State government jobs for all religious and linguistic minorities. Out of the 15 per cent earmarked seats in education institutions, Muslims should be given 10 per cent reservation (commensurate with their 73 per cent share in the total minority population in India) and the remaining 5 per cent to other minorities, states the report.

18/02/2010 : India and Japan signed 2 agreements on Rs 3,60,000-crore Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project - integrated investment regions and industrial areas across six States - ecological and environment friendly cities to be built - India : Japan :: 50 : 50

18/02/2010 : Gujarat Assembly passes mandatory voting Bill - Voting mandatory - if voter fails to vote for some reason other than allowed reasons, he is declared "defaulter voter" - punishment rules are to defined

18/02/2010 : Maulana Abul Kalam Azad National Fellowship Scheme for minority students. 756 fellowships (30 per cent to be reserved for women) - to minority students wishing to pursue higher studies - to grant integrated five-year fellowships in form of financial assistance to students from minority communities as notified by the Central government to pursue MPhil and PhD.

18/02/2010 : RadhaKrishnan new ISRO chief after Madhavan Nair retired.

18/02/2010 : Satuate Mile ( 1.8) > Nautical mile (1.6) : Used to measure sea distance

18/02/2010 : India's mainland : 8 degree 4' N to 37 degree 6' N latitutde and 68 degree 7'E to 97 degree 25'E longitude

18/02/2010 : India's Southern bourder 6 degree 45' in Bay of Bengal

18/02/2010 : North to South India is 3214 KM

18/02/2010 : East to West India is 2933 KM

18/02/2010 : Meridian of each country is a multiple of 7 degree 30' .That of India's is 82 degree 30' (11th multiple). Some countries have multiple time zones as USA have 7 time zones.

18/02/2010 : India's Size 3.28 milion square KM , 2.4% of world total land surface.

18/02/2010 : CoastLine is 6100KM in mainland and 7517 KM including islands.

18/02/2010 : India is seperated by SriLanka by Gulf of Mannar and Pak Strait.

18/02/2010 : Naxalism - What, why , solution :



(1). Battle with moists is being fought since 1967 when first moists rebellion erupted. It intensified over the last five years following the formation of CPI(M), in 2004, through the merger of two prominent naxalite groups, the People's War Group(PWG) and the Moists community centre(MCC).



(2). Jharkhand, Orissa and Chattisgarh are strong holds of Naxal groups.



(3). The Gadchiroli region in Maharashtra, naxals are recapturing its lost space.



(4). Kobad Gandhi and Amitabh Bhagchi are senior members of CPI(Moists), who were arrested recently.



(5). Francis Induwar, police inspector who is beheaded in Jharkhand.



(6). 18 Police members are killed in Mah , Gadcholi region.



(7). Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji, member of CPI(Moists). Party incharge leader in W.B.



(8). Moists activites have spread to 231 of 626 districts in country.



(9). Action against moists will be carried out 1 or 2 areas at a time out of 11 areas identified as worst affected, thus ensuring intense mobilisation in the selected area.



(10). All the forces will be under the unified command of a central task force trained at Counter Terrosism and Jungle Warfare College in Kanker, Chattisgarh.



(11). The forces deployed in an area will be followed by a backup team which will concentrate on socio-economic developments.



(12). Institute of Conflict Management, Delhi



(13). Operation Green Hunt is likely to begin in Nov when Center sends in more troops.



(14). COBRA: Commando Battalion for Resolute Action, will ensure coordination among states. In respective states, CM will be the supreme commando and DGP will oversee the operational aspect.



(15). GreyHounds an ellite commando force against naxals in A.P. raised in 1989.



(16). Area surrounding Lalgarh in W.B. is called JangalMahal.



(17). Root of Moist movement can be traced to the 1967 uprising in NaxalBari in Darjeeling.



(18). Nandigram(See Map). (Purba Midnapore District.)



(19). People's committee against Police Atrocities, public face of Moists in Lalgarh. Chatradhar Mahato head.

17/02/2010 : Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav

17/02/2010 : India offered a $250-million - to Nepal. It also extended a massive 80,000 tonnes of essentials, mainly food grains, to Nepal.



17/02/2010 : Earlier - $1 billion package to Bangladesh

17/02/2010 : Renowned Hindustani vocalist Pandit Jasraj, veteran film actor Shreeram Lagoo and danseuse Yamini Krishnamurti are among six eminent personalities to be awarded with Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellows (Akademi Ratna).The other three artists are Carnatic musician Lalgudi Jayaraman, theatre personality Kamlesh Dutt Tripathi and vocalist Kishori Amonkar.

17/02/2010 : Tata Sons and Italian defence major AgustaWestland signed an agreement for formation of a joint venture company, which will establish a final assembly line for AW-119 helicopters for the Indian Army and the global market.

17/02/2010 : Vitamin C - used for treating Scurvy disease

17/02/2010 : GK Vasan - Union Minister of Shipping

17/02/2010 : Irfan Alam (28), director of SammaaN Foundation - a Patna-based NGO was invited by US President Barack Obama for the "Presidential Summit on entrepreneurship" to be held in Washington DC

17/02/2010 : Suma Shirur - women 10m air rifle.

17/02/2010 : Surendra Singh Rathod - 50m rifle

17/02/2010 : East Asia summit - held in Hua Hin, Thailand

17/02/2010 : Dandi March : 390km march from Sabarmati to Dandi between March 12 and April 6, 1930



(1). Non-violent protest against British salt Tax in colonial India with salt march to Dandi



(2). First act of organised opposition after Purna Swaraj, declaration of complete independence by INC.



(3). It's impotant because it attracted world wide media attention and coverage towards it and thus to India Independence Movement.



(4). Styagraha against salt tax continued for almost a year ,ending with Gandhi's release from jail and negotiations with Viceroy Lord Irwin at Second round of round table conference.

17/02/2010 : The All India Football Federation (AIFF) felicitated national captain Bhaichung Bhutia on 20th October, 2009 for achieving the rare honour of playing 100 matches for the country. He received Rs.5 lakh, a plaque and a gold coin from AIFF president Praful Patel.

17/02/2010 : Bengali player Subrata Paul received the "Footballer of the Year" award. Paul, who played a stellar role in India's Nehru Cup victory as the goal-keeper, was also awarded Rs.5 lakh and a plaque.

17/02/2010 : India (FIFA 146) defeated Syria (96) in Nehru Cup final.

17/02/2010 : Indian football Coach Bob Houghton

16/02/2010 : Eminent Hindi poet Acharya Janaki Ballabh Shastri, who had on Republic Day refused to accept the Padma Shri, has turned down the award once again. He is upset because officials asked for his Bio-Data.

16/02/2010 : Poulomi Ghatak , Shamini Kumaresan ,Madhurika Patkar - Table Tennis - Divya No 1 in TT

16/02/2010 : Imjin River - River running through the border of North Korea and South Korea

16/02/2010 : 'Prithvi-II' surface-to-surface missiles with a range of 350 km. The nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile had already been inducted by the armed forces and was handled by the army units attached to the strategic force command's special group. The sources said the twin-engined Prithvi-II is nine metres in length and is one metre wide. It has features to deceive enemy missiles and is equipped with 'added inertial' navigation systems. They have been designed to operate with both liquid and solid fuels, and were capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear payloads.

16/02/2010 : The 35th National Games is scheduled to be held in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) in Kerala in 2010. The National Games is usually being conducted once in two years.

16/02/2010 : Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson won the Nobel Economics Prize

16/02/2010 : China (July 2009): Ethnic riots took place in Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital. In Xinjiang's worst ethnic violence in decades, Uighurs attacked majority Han Chinese in Urumqi. The immediate cause - attacks on Uighur workers at a factory in southern China in June 2009 that left two Uighurs dead.



Uighurs are ethnic Muslims who live in Xinjinag province. They are one of China?s 56 defined minority groups, whereas the Hans form the majority in the country. They identify themselves with the Muslims-especially the Kazakhs- of Central Asia, than with the Chinese. They cherish the idea of a ?pan-Islamic Central Asia? or a ?Turkistan Federation?. On the other hand, China considers the Uighur ethnic activists as separatists and agents of Al-Qaeda. Xinjiang has economic and strategic importance. Xinjiang is connected with Pakistan through the Karakoram Highway. It has been recently revealed that many Uighurs have sneaked into Pakistan and Afghanistan through this route and fought alongside the Afghan Mujahideens and later, Taliban. China has paid much attention for the development of the province and invested huge amounts for its industrialization. It has become one of the industrial hubs of People?s Republic of China (PRC) in fuel industry, metallurgy, chemicals, petrochemicals & power sector. The progress of the Province has resulted in an influx of Han people from the other parts of China who settled there. The increasing number of Hans resulted tensions between the Hans and the Uighurs.





16/02/2010 : Bharti Groups (Airtel ) bid for acquiring Kuwait based Zain Telecom's assets in all of Africa (except those in Sudan and Morocco) for 49,700 crore was reportedly accepted by Zain's board.

16/02/2010 : With only 100 million hectares of agricultural land, China produces 400 million tonnes of grain while India averages only 108 million tonnes of food from 146 million hectares of agricultural land.

16/02/2010 : India produces over 600 million tonnes of food products annually - is the second largest rice and wheat producer - and the largest producer of pulses and milk. Only about 2% of India?s fruit and vegetable output is processed. Processed food 70% in Brazil and 60-70% in developed countries. About 30% of farm produce is wasted every year for want of storage, transportation, cold chain and other infrastructure facilities.





16/02/2010 : BT Brinjal :



GM Science : (1).Genetically modified seeds are produced by altering the genetic structure of naturally available varieties.



(2).Technology is useful in incorporating desirable traits, such as drought and salinity resistance.



(3).Bt refers to a particular type of genetic modification.



(4).Soil Bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis is introduced in plant cell, goading the plant to produce toxins poisonous to certain insects.



(5).Studies have to be conducted to ensure these toxins are not harmful to humans, environment and others.







Key Issues:



(1).Data and tests carried out by the developer itself.



(2).Government says it has not received any report of harmful effects of Bt Brinjal



(3).The government has put commercial cultivation of Bt Brinjal on hold for a while following wide spread opposition.



(4).Bt Brinjal is the genetically modified variant, the first such ever GM vegetable.



(5).Bt Brinjal is expected to provide enchanced economic benefits to farmers, as use of pesticides will drop.







Govt's GM Policy



(1).Government has followed case-by-case approval of GM crops.



(2).Commercial cultivation is approved after safety, efficacy and agronomic performance of transgenic seeds is evaluated.



(3).Commercialisation of GM plants approved only when there is a clear economic and technical justification.



(4).The government has allowed trials of rice, okra, brinjal, potato, groundnut, tomato, corn, cabbage, cauliflower, mustard and sorghum.



(5).India has so far allowed only Bt cotton for commercial cultivation in India.



(6).Many countries still do not allow GM foods.



(7).Others such as EU require such food to carry appropriate label.



(8).Argentina, US and Canada have adopted GM crops in a big way

15/02/2010 : OVL team wins 40% in Venezuela oil block : A consortium led by Indian state-owned oil companies has won a global bid to pick up 40% stake in an important oil block in Venezuela, providing a boost to India's attempts to secure oil assets overseas. ONGC Videsh (OVL), the foreign arm of ONGC, will pick up 11% stake in the Venezuelan field Carabobo-1, while other two Indian partners - Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and Oil India (OIL) will have 3.5% stake each.

15/02/2010 : Satpayev Oil Block - Kazakhstan - OVL 25% stake - $400 million deal - July 2009



15/02/2010 : Imperial Energy - UK Listed company - Acquired by OVL in December 2008 - $2.1 billion deal

15/02/2010 : European Union - 16 nation block - to bail out Greece (capital Athens ), which is its member and have Euro as currency

15/02/2010 : International Cricket Council - ICC - Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat

15/02/2010 : Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar and West Bengal - the four states through which Ganga flows - members of Ganga River Basin Authority

15/02/2010 : Ganga dolphin - national aquarian animal - to save the rare freshwater species from becoming extinct.

15/02/2010 : Barack Hussein Obama (born 4th August, 1961) is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office, as well as the first born in Hawaii. Obama is the third sitting U.S. President to be awarded the Nobel prize, following Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and Woodrow Wilson in 1919. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter (1977-81) won in 2002.

15/02/2010 : The 77th Air Force Day was celebrated on 8th October 2009. It was on this day in 1932 that the Indian Air Force was formed by the Viceroy, Lord Willingdon.

15/02/2010 : 'Phalcon' Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS) - India procured from Israel in 2009.

15/02/2010 : The proposed All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) would start functioning from 2011 in Rishikesh, near Dehradun in Uttarakhand.



15/02/2010 : Union Health Minister: Gulam Nabi Azad

15/02/2010 : Swine Flu was first reported in Maxico.

15/02/2010 : Swine Flu: Swine influenza (also known as swine flu) refers to influenza caused by any virus of the family Orthomyxoviridae, that is endemic to pig (swine). Strains of endemic in swine are called swine influenza virus (SIV). These are classified as Influenzavirus A (common) or Influenzavirus C (rare). These affects humans also. Interestingly, Influenzavirus B has not been reported in swine population, but it affects humans. Swine influenza is known to be caused by influenza A subtypes H1N1, H1N2, H3N1, H3N2 and H2N3.







Health experts say pigs can carry human influenza viruses, which can combine (i.e. exchange homologous genome sub-units by genetic reassortment) with H5N1, passing genes and mutating into a form which can pass easily among humans. In August 2004, researchers in China found H5N1 in pigs. The H5N1 virus is known to cause the avian flu (bird flu).







In humans the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza in general. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A few more patients than usual have also reported diarrhea and vomiting. Because these symptoms are not specific to swine flu, a differential diagnosis of probable swine flu requires not only symptoms but also a high likelihood of swine flu due to the person's recent history.







People who work with poultry and swine, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of infection from these animals if the animals carry a strain that is also able to infect humans. SIV can mutate into a form that allows it to pass from human to human. The strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak is believed to have undergone this mutation.







The symptoms and transmission of the swine flu from human to human is much like that of seasonal flu. Common symptoms include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing, while runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea have also been reported. It is believed to be spread between humans through coughing or sneezing of infected people and touching something with the virus on it and then touching their own nose or mouth. Swine flu cannot be spread by pork products, since the virus is not transmitted through food.



The swine flu in humans is most contagious during the first five days of the illness although some people, most commonly children, can remain contagious for up to ten days. Diagnosis can be made by sending a specimen, collected during the first five days, to the CDC for analysis.







For the 2009 outbreak, it is recommended it be treated under medical advice only with oseltamivir and zanamivir to avoid drug resistance. The vaccine for the human seasonal H1N1 flu does not protect against the swine H1N1 flu, even if the virus strains are the same specific variety, as they are antigenically very different.







Recommendations to prevent infection by the virus consist of the standard personal precautions against influenza. This includes frequent washing of hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially after being out in public. People should avoid touching their mouth, nose or eyes with their hands unless they've washed their hands. If people do cough, they should either cough into a tissue and throw it in the garbage immediately. If they cough in their hand, they should wash their hands immediately. When attending to a patient, it is imperative to wash and/or sanitize hands, not only prior to touching them but afterwards as well.

14/02/2010 : Australian-American researcher Elizabeth Blackburn and Carol Greider and Jack Szostak of the United States won the Nobel Medicine Prize 2009 for identifying a key molecular switch in cellular ageing. The trio were honoured for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the role of an enzyme called telomerase in maintaining or stripping away this vital shield.

14/02/2010 : Three scientists who created the technology behind digital photography and helped link the world through fiber-optic networks shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in physics



Charles K. Kao was cited for his breakthrough involving the transmission of light in fiber optics while Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith were honored for inventing an imaging semiconductor circuit known as the CCD sensor.



The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said all three have American citizenship. Kao, who was born in Shanghai (China) also holds British citizenship while Boyle is also Canadian.



The award's 10 million kronor ($1.4 million) purse will be split between the three with Kao taking half and Boyle and Smith each getting a fourth. The three also receive a diploma. Kao was awarded the prize for his 1966 discovery that showed how to transmit light over long distances via fiber-optic cables, which became the backbone of modern communication networks that carry phone calls and high-speed Internet data around the world.

14/02/2010 : Romanian-born German writer Herta Mueller won the 2009 Nobel Prize in literature on 8th October. The 56-year-old author, emigrated to Germany from the then-communist Romania in 1987. Her 1982 collection of short stories titled "Niederungen," ("Lowlands" in English) was censored by the Communist Government of Romania.

14/02/2010 : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh - on Gandhi Jayanti on 2nd October 2009 - renamed NREGA to Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGREGA).



The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) aims at 100-day guaranteed unskilled manual work to every rural adult with an aim to alleviate poverty in such areas. The scheme is mainly aimed at mitigate the hardships of seasonal un-employment, which is a common phenomenon among the agricultural workers across the country.



During the financial year 2008-09, a total of 1,46,855 people were provided jobs under NREGA across the country.



In the current fiscal (2009-10), Rajasthan provided jobs to the highest number of people. When it comes to providing employment to the disabled people, West Bengal tops the list, followed by Chattisgarh.

14/02/2010 : Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. China PM Wan Jiabao.

14/02/2010 : Taepodong - II - North Korean Missile - Range 6700 KM - can reach Alaska, USA

14/02/2010 : India has announced its decision to draw international attention on the issue of tiger conservation by launching 2010 as the "Year of the Tigers". The Minister for Environment and Forests has announced that the campaign will be launched on 14th February 2010 from Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand. The Year of Tiger will end in November 2010 with another function in Ranthambore National Park (Rajasthan). The campaign will be assisted by the prestigious Smithsonian Institute and other agencies including the World Bank. The Russians are hosting the World Tiger Summit in Vladivostok in September 2010.



14/02/2010 : Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand, Kanha in Madhya Pradesh, Nagarhole in Karnataka and Kaziranga Assam.

14/02/2010 : The Kerry Lugar Bill lays down a programme for USD 7.5 billion non-military aid to Pakistan over the next five years, tripling the US aid to the country.

14/02/2010 : Argentine President Cristina Fernando de Kirchner. India have a Civil Nuclear Agreement with Argentina

11/02/2010 : West Bengal government accepted the Ranganath Mishra Commission report granting 10 pc reservation in government jobs for Muslims under the OBC category.

11/02/2010 : Agni-V with a range of 5,000-km to be tested within a year

11/02/2010 : IPS officer Vikram Srivastava - Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) . Vikram Srivastava is the younger brother of Border Security Force (BSF) DG Raman Srivastava

11/02/2010 : "King of Pop" Michael Jackson was honoured with the Lifetime Grammy award posthumously, which was received by his children

11/02/2010 : Mahita Mohan - Cycling

11/02/2010 : Trupti Murgunde - Badminton

11/02/2010 : HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh - outstanding achievement award by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales

11/02/2010 : Assocham - Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India

11/02/2010 : National Ganga River Basin Authority - under the chairmanship of PM Manmohan Singh.

11/02/2010 : Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said - India will soon come out with a climate change assessment report by its own panel - the Indian Network for Climate Change Assessment (INCCA).

11/02/2010 : Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu - the first Indian woman to ski to the South Pole last year

11/02/2010 : Rehan Poncha - swimming

11/02/2010 : Gaganjeet Bhullar - Golf

10/02/2010 : Bt Brinjal - genetically modified - was planned to be introduced for commercial cultivation - 13 state government and some scientist opposed - now decision on hold.

10/02/2010 : Lalgarh and Jangalmahal in West Bengal - Naxal areas

10/02/2010 : Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar



10/02/2010 : Ram Singh - marathon

10/02/2010 : Madhurika Patkar - Table Tennis - 4 golds in 11th South Asian Games held in Dhaka, Bangladesh

10/02/2010 : Iran set into motion the process of further refining its stocks of lightly enriched uranium at its atomic facility in Natanz. Iran needs 20 per cent enriched uranium for its research reactor in Tehran to produce medical isotopes for treating cancer patients.

10/02/2010 : Salt Tax in British India: Taxation of salt has occurred in India since the earliest times. However, this tax was greatly increased when the British East India Company began to establish its rule over provinces in India. Salt has been produced all along the Rann of Kutch in the west coast of India for the past 5,000 years. The Rann of Kutch is an extensive marshland which is cut off from the rest of the Indian subcontinent during monsoons when the seas inundate the low-lying areas. However, when the sea water evaporates during summer, it leaves behind a crust of salt which accumulate as salt pans. This salt is collected by laborers called malangis. In the eastern coast, salt could be obtained extensively along the coast of Orissa. The salt produced by the salt pans called khalaris in Oriya is of the finest quality in all India. There has always been a demand for Orissa salt in Bengal. When the British took over the administration of Bengal, they too felt its need and traded for salt. Gradually they monopolized Orissa salt all over Bengal. To check smuggling and illegal transportation, they sent armies into Orissa resulting in the conquest of Orissa in 1803.



Salt is a commodity which had been taxed in India ever since the time of the Mauryas. Taxes on salt have been prevalent even during the time of Chandragupta Maurya. The Arthashastra which describes the different duties of the people says that a special officer called lavananadhyaksa was appointed to collect salt tax. Taxes were also imposed on imported salt. However, they accounted for 25 percent of the total value of the salt.

10/02/2010 : Great Hedge of India: The Great Hedge of India or Inland Customs Line was a customs barrier across India from the 1840s to the 1880s built by the British rulers to facilitate collecting the heavy salt tax. It was also used to control the profitable opium trade, which the East India Company had acquired from the Mughal Empire by conquest.The barrier consisted of fences, stone walls, and above all a nearly impenetrable barrier of trees, thorny bushes, and hedges, with periodic guard stations.

10/02/2010 : OIL India director (operations) and former deputy director general in the Directorate General of Hydrocarbon (DGH), SK Srivastava, is likely to replace the controversial chief custodian of country's oil and gas assets, VK Sibal. The government established DGH in 1993 to act as an upstream advisor and technical regulator. Its prime function is to manage country's hydrocarbon resources.

10/02/2010 : Reserve Bank governor Duvvuri Subbarao.

10/02/2010 : China replaced US as India's largest trade partner in 2009. Their bilateral trade touched $36 billion in the last financial year.

10/02/2010 : Ecuadore president Rafael Correa

10/02/2010 : The Man Booker Prize for 2009 has gone to British novelist Hilary Mantel for her gripping 16th century tale titled 'Wolf Hall'.

10/02/2010 : George Papandreou: PM of Greece . President Karolos Papoulias. Greece is the home to ancient civilisation where the Olympic games originated. It is situated in eastern Europe on the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea. The capital is Athens and the currency is Euro. It is a memebr of the European Union.

G K Q BANK

24/02/2010 : Silda Camp - West Midnapore - Naxalites killed 24 soldiers of Eastern frontier rifles.




24/02/2010 : Budget :



(1). Only Parliament can authorise the government to collect funds by way of taxes, duties and borrowings. All govrnment expenditure needs Parliament's approval



(2). The Finance Minister prepares the Union Budget & budgets of states under President's Rule



(3).State Organs involved :



(a). The Planning Commission : Sets overall targets for ministeries



(b). The Comptroller & Auditor General : Keep a tabs on accounts



(c). Administrative Ministries : State their requirements and plan priorities



(4). Budget Circular: The Budget division of the department of economic affairs (DoE) issues a budget circular to all Union Ministries, all states and UTs, autonomous bodies and departments and three arms of the defence forces for preparing revised estimates for the current financial year and the budget estimates for the next financial year.



(5). Consulatations / Pre - Budget Meetings : Extensive consultations are held with all stake-holders -- union administrative ministeries, state governments, industry, political parties, economists and civil society groups



(6). The Finance Ministry undertakes an intense internal assessment. Spending priorities are assessed by the departments of economic affairs and expenditure. Revenue Mobilisation assessed by the department of revenue. Policy goals assessed by the department of economic affairs



(7). Once the pre-budget meetins are over, a final call on the tax proposals is taken by the finance minister, in consultation with the PM.



(8). Budget Presentation : The President address the Budget session of Parliament



(9). By convention, since 1999, budget is being presented at 11 AM



(10). The FM presents the Budget in the Lok Sabha



(11). The Budget speech of the FM has two parts. Part A deals with general economic survey and policy statements while Part B contains taxation proposals



(12). The annual financial statement is tabled in Rajya Sabha after the FM's speech



(13). No discussion follows the budget presentation



(14). A few days later, the Lok Sabha discusses the Budget as a whole and not the details for 2-3 days



(15). The FM replies at the end of the discussion



(16). A vote on account for expenditure for the next two months of the ensuing financial year is obtained from Parliament



(17). The house is adjourned for a fixed period



(18). During this period, demands for grants are considered by standing committees of Parliament



(19). The standing committee reports are presented to the House, which discusses and votes on demands for grants



(20). The speaker puts all the outstanding demands to the vote of the House. The Lok Sabha has the power to pass or reject any demand or even to reduce the amount of grant



(21). In the Rajya Sabha, there is only a general discussion



(22). The government introduces the Appropriation Bill, which authrosies the govt to spend out of the Consolidated Fund of India

24/02/2010 : Government-appointed committee headed by Ram Pradhan - 26/11 terror strikes investigation

24/02/2010 : Turkish President Abdullah Gul

24/02/2010 : Magsaysay Awards, 2009 - Deep Joshi, from India. He is being recognized for "his vision and leadership in bringing professionalism to the NGO movement in India, by effectively combining 'head' and 'heart' in the transformative development of rural communities." - 5 forigners also got this award. Joshi founded in 1983 the Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN), an NGO, along with one Vijay Mahajan.



24/02/2010 : Ashok Chakra,2009 - Major Mohit Sharma, who laid down his life fighting militants infiltrating from Pakistan into J&K in March 2009, has been awarded with Ashok Chakra, the highest peacetime gallantry award of the country, along with Major D. Sreeram Kumar.



24/02/2010 : Jnanpith Award, 42nd - Eminent Sanskrit poet Satya Vrat Shastri has been presented the prestigious 42nd Jnanpith Award. The award was conferred to him by the Princess of Thailand, Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, for his "outstanding contribution to the enrichment of Indian literature." He is the first Sanskrit poet to be conferred the award since its inception.



24/02/2010 : Stockholm Water Prize, 2009 - Indian sanitation expert Bindeshwar Pathak has been awarded the Prize, the most prestigious award for outstanding achievement in water-related activities. The founder of Sulabh Sanitation Movement in India, Pathak is known around the world for his wide-ranging work in the sanitation field.



24/02/2010 : The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence -



(1). Businesswoman of the Year: Vinita Bali, MD, Britannia Industries.



(2). Entrepreneur of the Year: G.V.K. Reddy, Chariman, GVK Group.



(3). Emerging Company of the Year: Idea Cellular.



(4). Global Indian of the Year: Ram Charan, Management Guru and Thinker.



(5). Corporate Citizen of the Year: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).



(6). Company of the Year: Hero Honda.



(7). Business Reformer of the Year: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.



(8). Policy Change Agent of the Year: Jean Dreze, Instrumental in conceptualising NREGS.



(9).Lifetime Achievement Award: Keshub Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra & Mahindra.

24/02/2010 : "Jinnah -India, Partition, Independence" - Author Mr Jaswant Singh



24/02/2010 : Bhishma-First Indian built T-90 tank - The first batch of India's indigenously built state-of-the-art T-90 main battle tanks, named Bhishma, with features like protection from nuclear attack, were handed over to the army on August 24, 2009 at a function in Avadi, Tamil Nadu. The tanks are being manufactured at the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF).



24/02/2010 : Mangala Oil fields - The Mangala oil fields of Cairn India in Barmer, Rajasthan were inaugurated by Prime minister Manmohan Singh on August 29, 2009. The fields will help India curtail its oil import bill, which is to the tune of $20 billion, to a large extent. Mangala's peak production of 1.25 lakh barrels per day (bpd) will be reached in the first half of 2010. Along with two other fields 'Bhagyam and Aishwarya' the aggregate peak production of Cairn India will be 1.75 lakh bpd, which is 20 per cent of India's domestic production. The three fields are expected to save the country $1.5 billion annually as import bill over the next 10 years. It would also earn the government $30 billion through taxes, royalties and profit petroleum.







24/02/2010 : Twenty-five years after it established Dakshin Gangotri, the first permanent research station in the South Polar Region, India is all set to build the third such centre in Antarctica to take up cutting-edge research in various fields. The new station, tentatively named Bharti, is scheduled to be operational by 2012, making India a member of an elite group of nine nations that have multiple stations in the region. Dakshin Gangotri, set up in 1984, was buried in ice and had to be abandoned in 1990, a year after India set up Maitri, the second station. The National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa, will set up the new station on Larsmann Hill, 3,000 km from Schirmacher Oasis, where Maitri stands. While Maitri was more than 100 km from the Antarctic Sea, Bharti will be on a promontory by the sea.



24/02/2010 : The National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa.

24/02/2010 : Bhuvan: Indian version of Google Earth. Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), a part of ISRO, had a lead role in designing and developing 'Bhuvan'. NRSA scientists developed the content using data provided by Indian satellites like Resourcesat-1.



24/02/2010 : World Tiger Summit - India will host World Tiger Summit in 2010 where wildlife experts from various countries are expected to congregate to deliberate on conservation of diminishing striped cats in the wild. Rajasthan will be hosting the World Tiger Summit at Ranthambore in October or November.

23/02/2010 : Nyoma - This is the third such airstrip that has been activated along the LAC in Ladakh. On September 18, 2009, an AN-32 aircraft landed at Nyoma, where an advanced landing ground (ALG) has been readied for faster deployment of troops and moving supplies to troops based at forward posts. The landing strip is 23-km inside Indian Territory and is at an altitude of 13,300 feet. An ALG means: where the landing strip comprises hard compacted earth but is not paved with concrete. Earlier, in May 2008, the IAF had activated Daulat-Beg-Oldie (DBO), the highest airfield in the world situated at an altitude of 16,200 feet.





23/02/2010 : India launches OceanSat-2 - On September 23, 2009, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched seven satellites in 1,200 seconds with the help of its most trusted Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, from the Sriharikota spaceport on Andhra Pradesh coast. The satellite is intended for identification of potential fishing zones, weather forecasting and other trends of the sea, coastal zone studies and providing inputs for general meteorological observations.



India placed its second Ocean observation satellite Oceansat-2, along with six other nano satellites, including two German Rubinsat - Rubin 9.1 and Rubin 9.2 and four Cubesats - the Beesat (assembled by Technical University, Berlin), UWE-2 (University of Wuerzburg, Germany, ITU-pSat (Istanbul Technical University, Turkey) and SwissCube-1 (Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne, Switzerland.



Earlier, in April 2008, ISRO had launched 10 satellites in one go.

23/02/2010 : Dr Norman Borlaug - American agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate , the father of the Green Revolution

23/02/2010 : El Nino disrupts weather patterns around the world, causing drought in Indonesia, Australia, India and eastern Brazil, and unusually heavy rainfall in the US Gulf Coast and parts of South America. It also lowers sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean and Atlantic, which helps prevent the formation and intensity of hurricanes in that region.





23/02/2010 : India in Turmoil - Written by former Delhi police chief Ved Marwah

23/02/2010 : Vyas Samman, 2008 - Mannu Bhandari has been honoured for her novel "Ek Kahani Yah Bhi". The award consists of a citation and prize money of Rs 2.55 lakh.

23/02/2010 : Saraswati Samman, 2008 - Dr Lakshminandan Bora has been honoured with the award for his Assamese novel "Kayakalpa". The awards consists of a citation and prize money of Rs 5 lakh.

23/02/2010 : Rio de Janerio - Capital of Brazil, this city will host the 2016 Olympics. With this the Olympic Games head for South America for the first time.

23/02/2010 : Kumharia - The Central government has approved this site in Fatehabad district of Haryana to set-up a nuclear power project by Nuclear Power Corporation of India.

23/02/2010 : Bengaluru - The meeting of Foreign Ministers of RIC (Russia-India-China) was held here in October 2009.







23/02/2010 : Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration, 2008 - Noted journalist from Jammu and Kashmir Balraj Puri has been given the prestigious award "for his yeoman work in promoting and preserving the spirit of national integration in the country".

23/02/2010 : Booker Prize, 2009 - British author Hilary Mantel has won the prize for her novel Wolf Hall

23/02/2010 : Nobel Prizes 2009



(1). Peace - US President Barack Obama - created a new climate in international politics.



(2). Literature - Romanian-born German writer Herta Mueller



(3). Economics - Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson of the United States



(4). Chemistry: India-born structural biologist, Dr Venkatraman 'Venky' Ramakrishnan. Worked on protein-producing ribosomes, and its translation of DNA information into life. He shares the Prize with Dr Thomas Steitz of Yale University, Connecticut, and Dr Ada Yonath of Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.



(5). Physics: Three scientists, Charles K. Kao, Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith, who created the technology behind digital photography and helped link the world through fibre-optic networks.



(6). Medicine: Three American scientists, Australian-born Elizabeth Blackburn, British-born Jack Szostak and Carol Greider, share the award for the discovery of a built-in protection device in chromosomes, a finding that sheds light on ageing and may help in the fight against cancer.

22/02/2010 : NAFED Managing Director C. V. Ananda Bos

22/02/2010 : National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) has decided to extend its 'Farm Gate to Home Gate' campaign (the sale of essential commodities at low prices) to more States to help hold the price line of essential commodities.

22/02/2010 : Bharat Nirman, a programme to build rural infrastructure, was launched by the Government of India in 2005 to be implemented in a period of four years from 2005-06 to 2008-09. Bharat Nirman project has six components :



(1). Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (Department of Drinking Water Supply )



(2). Rural Housing - Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY)



(3). Telecommunication and Information Technology



(4). Rural Roads (Ministry of Rural Development)



(5). Electrification



(6). Irrigation

22/02/2010 : Professor Yash Pal of India has been awarded UNESCO's annual Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science, jointly with Trinh Xuan Thuan of Vietnam.

Established in 1951, the Kalinga rewards honour a person who has helped interpret science, research and technology for the general public.

22/02/2010 : Oil exploration firm Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has stumbled upon a reserve of uranium while carrying out exploration work at the Borholla oilfield in Jorhat district. This is the first time that uranium traces have been found in an Assam oilfield although other north-eastern States like Meghalaya have rich reserves.

22/02/2010 : Commander Dilip Dhonde of the Indian Navy, the first Indian to attempt to circumnavigate the world alone, reached Christchurch in New Zealand on November 21, 2009, after covering 9,000 nautical miles on Mhadei, the Indian Naval Sailing Vessel.

22/02/2010 : India's nuclear programme crossed a milestone with fifth unit of the 220 megawatt Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (Raps-5) attaining criticality. With this, the number of operating nuclear power reactors in India has gone up to 18, increasing the total atomic power generating capacity from 4,120 MW to 4,330 MW.

Attaining criticality in the jargon of the atomic scientists means the start of self-sustaining nuclear fission chain.

22/02/2010 : Aerospace and Engineering major QuEST Global has launched India's first aerospace special economic zone (SEZ) at Belgaum, Karnataka, for development and manufacture of aerospace precision engineering products. The SEZ has come up on a 300 acre site at an investment of Rs 150 crore.

22/02/2010 : Darrah National Park - Rajasthan will soon have its third tiger reserve after Ranthambore and Sariska. The new tiger reserve will come up at Darrah National Park, 50 km from Kota.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has given a nod to the project and the first tiger is likely to be relocated to Darrah by 2011.

At present, Darrah National Park is spread over an area of 250 sq km and is separated from Ranthambore by another 250 sq km stretch which houses Ramgarh Vishdhari Wildlife Sanctuary. The park has three wildlife sanctuaries - Darrah, Chambal and Jaswant Sagar. The park has another positive side - a permanent source of water from the Chambal Basin.

Meanwhile, with an aim to protect and increase tiger population, the state government has finalised a proposal to form a tiger conservation foundation. The foundation, which will also deal with rehabilitation of the big cats to reserve parks with lesser population, is being set up as per the provisions of the Wildlife Conservation Act.

22/02/2010 : Kisan Vision Yojna

Kisan Vision Yojana is an ambitious project of Indian Railways to set up cold chain facilities across the country for fresh fruit and vegetables. The first pilot project is being set up at Singur in West Bengal. The aim of the project is to provide linkage between production clusters with consumption centres.

As much as Rs 35,000 crore worth of farm produce is wasted every year due to lack of proper storage. If this pilot project is successful, Railways will build similar perishable cargo centres at Nashik, Azadpur Mandi in Delhi, New Jalpaiguri, Dankuni and Mecheda.



Container Corporation of India (CONCOR), which operates inland container depots for Railways, will provide container facilities between production clusters and consumption points. CONCOR's subsidiary, Farm and Health Enterprises will provide infrastructure support to these facilities.



22/02/2010 : Language issue and the Indian Constitution

Article 343 of the Constitution and the Official Languages Act says that the official language of the Union will be Hindi. However, the attempt to adopt Hindi as the official language was strongly opposed by several non-Hindi speaking States, especially Tamil Nadu, which erupted in violent protests leading to a compromise in allowing the use of English also for official purposes. Thus, the Constitution and the act allowed English to be used for transaction of business in Parliament, by Centre and States and for certain purposes in High Courts for 15 years. Later, the act was amended in 1967 to allow continuation of English for official purposes.

Originally, the Constitution listed fourteen languages 'Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu' in Eighth Schedule, in 1950. Since then, the list has been expanded thrice, once to include Sindhi, second time to include Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali and yet again to add four more languages ' Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and Dogri' bringing total to 22 Scheduled languages.

The three-language formula recommends the study of a modern Indian language, preferably a south Indian language, apart from Hindi and English in Hindi-speaking States and the study of the regional language along with Hindi and English in non-Hindi speaking States.

In 2004, the Government of India declared that languages that met certain requirements could be accorded the status of a "classical language" in India.

09/02/2010

09/02/2010 : Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) Secured Communication Network is all set to take off as part of preparations for the Commonwealth Games. The same technology was used in Melbourne for the Games in 2006 and in Beijing Olympics last year.


09/02/2010 : Right to Information (RTI) ACT - 2005

09/02/2010 : Khilanmarg, Gulmarg , J&K - Snow avalanche

09/02/2010 : Ukraine's opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych narrowly beat Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in the presidential election run-off

09/02/2010 : Endeavour - US Space shuttle , Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

09/02/2010 : Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia

09/02/2010 : Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman K. Radhakrishnan

09/02/2010 : Dharasana Satyagrah: Dharasana Satyagraha was a protest against the British salt tax in colonial India in May, 1930. Following the conclusion of the Salt March to Dandi, Mahatma Gandhi chose a non-violent raid of the Dharasana Salt Works in Gujarat as the next protest against the rule of the British Raj.

09/02/2010 : Iran became an Islamic Republic in 1979. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei formally endorsed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for second term as President. Controversial.

09/02/2010 : Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy



09/02/2010 : A Bill to give legal cover for construction, operation and maintenance of the metro rail system in the National Capital Region (NCR) and other metro cities was passed by the Lok Sabha today (06.08.2009). The Metro Railways (Amendment) Bill 2009, which was introduced by Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy, was necessary as currently there were no statutory provisions to provide legal backing to the development, construction, operation and maintenance of metro rail system outside Delhi. It will enable Delhi Metro to enter Noida and pave way for its expansion to other parts of NCR. Therefore, it has become necessary to make suitable amendments in the Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act 1978 and the Delhi Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance) Act 2002 so as to make the provisions of both these Acts applicable to the metro railways in the NCR, metropolitan cities and other areas for development, construction, operation and maintenance of metro railways.



These bills are not being made applicable to metro operations in Kolkata as it was being regulated through the Calcutta Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance) Temporary Provisions Act 1985. Kolkata was the first city in India to begin metro rail service.

09/02/2010 : The Japanese city of Hiroshima marked the 64th anniversary of the world's first atomic attack. The atom bomb was dropped over Hiroshima on 6th August 1945, at the orders of President Harry S. Truman of the United States of America.

09/02/2010 : Sanskrit poet Satya Vrat Shastri was conferred the prestigious Jnanpith Award for 2006 for his contributions to literature and enrichment of the language. The Award was presented to him by his disciple and Princess of Thailand Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on 19th August 2009.



Shastri has to his credit three Mahakavyas of about a thousands stanzas each, three Khandakavyas, one Prabandhakavya and one Patrakavya.



The Award carries a citation and a prize money of Rs seven lakh.



Shastri became the first Sanskrit poet to be conferred the award since its inception in 1965.



The 42nd Jnanpith Award (2006) was jointly won by Staya Vrat Shastri and the noted Konkani writer Rajendra Kelekar. Incidentally, Kelekar is also the first writer to get an Jnanpith Award in his language.

09/02/2010 : Jalayagnam - a large scale program to construct more than 70 pending irrigation projects in the state of Andhra to improve irrigation facilities to the farmers, and an increase in the minimum support price for rice.

09/02/2010 : Arogya Shree - a health insurance scheme for rural masses where the Andhra government pays the entire price of any surgery and does not require people to pay any premium.

09/02/2010 : Pavala Vaddi - a program that provides loans to people of Andhra at 3% per year so as to encourage them to take up small scale businesses and entrepreneurship primarily targeted at rural woman, and several others programmes were started by dead CM YSR for the welfare of masses.

09/02/2010 : Aung San Suu Kyi is the leader of the pro-democratic movement National League for Democracy (NLD) in Myanmar. She is a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

09/02/2010 : Venezuelan beauty Stefania Fernandez has been crowned as Miss Universe 2009. She bagged the coveted title in a pageant held in the Caribbean country of Bahamas.