CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II

CURRENTS AFFAIRS II
The CEC (Central Election Commission) announced the polls in 4 states. West Bengal (294), Tamil Nadu (234), Kerala (140) and Assam (126). The CEC It also announced polls for Pondicherry (30).Overseas Indians are allowed to vote in person for the first time. (This is done through by amending the Representation of People (Amendment) Bill, 2010 passed by the Parliament). Allahabad High Court issued notice to Rahul Gandhi on a plea seeking information about the woman who went missing after meeting Rahul Gandhi on December 13, 2006. Ireland batsman Kevin OBrien created a record in the History of World Cup Cricket (2011) by hitting the fastest hundred in 50 balls. This match was held in Bangaluru and Ireland defeated England by 3 wickets. Ireland also created History in the World Cup by chasing the highest total of 327/3. Pakistans Minister for Minority Affairs was gunned down on March 2, 2011 in Islamabad. The assassination is being linked to blasphemy. Dedicated Lab for HIV Vaccine design: The (DBT) Department of Bio Technology along with the New York based IAVI (International AIDS Vaccine Initiative) will establish and operate a laboratory in Gurgaon. This is dedicated to design and develop an efficacious AIDS vaccine. GLORY: This is a NASAs spacecraft will be launched by Taurus XL (launch vehicle) on March 4, 2011. The data from Glory mission will allow scientists to better understand how the Sun and tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols affect Earths climate. The Taurus XL also carries the first of NASAs Educational launch Nano satellite missions. This contains three small satellites called Cubesats. Change-2 is the second lunar probe launched by China 0n October 1 2010.This was launched from Xichang Satellite launch site in Southwest China. Change-2 reached the Moon orbit in 7 days. The first one Change-1 was launched in 2007. Change-1 reached the Moon orbit in 14 days. China is heading for manned mission on to Moon by 2025. China plans to send 3rd unmanned probe to the moon, Change-3 in 2013. The moon rover would land with Change-3. The moon rover is a robot that can move and accomplish complicated tasks of detecting, collecting and analyzing tasks. China is planning for Change-5 in 2017 along with the drilling machine to drill the moon and to bring back rocks. The Supreme Court on March 3, 2011 quashed the appointment of the central vigilance commissioner P J Thomas for his involvement in a palmolein import case in 1992. As Food Secretary, of Kerala Mr. Thomas campaigned aggressively for the import of edible oil from Malaysia. It later emerged that the price paid for the oil - palmolein - was unjustifiably high."

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II (Note: CVC is appointed by a committee consisting of the PM, the Home Minister and the Leader of the Opposition). Nitish Kumar (16) of Canada is the youngest player in the World Cup Cricket. The CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) filed a charge sheet against Justice Nirmal Yadav on March 4, 2011 in the Cash-at-judges-door scam of 2008. At that time she was a Judge in Punjab and Haryana High Court. On March 4, 2011 is to demit the office as a Judge of Uttarakhand High Court. She is the first woman judge in the country to be charge sheeted. (To prosecute a judge the permission of the President on the recommendation of the CJI is mandatory). India tops the list in the black money in the entire World. Veteran Congress Leader and former Union Minister Arjun Singh passed away on March 4, 2011. He served as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and also the Punjab Governor during 1980s. On March 4, 2011 the passport of the former chief of IPL Lalit Modi was revoked on the ground that he is refused to attend in person in front of ED (Directorate of Enforcement) for enquiry. The ED has issued Look Out circular against Modi at all entry points and airports in the country. Forbes magazine is an America based news magazine published since 1917. The current editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. This is based in New York City. Forbes is a biweekly magazine. For the year 2011 (Forbes List) Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim named as the Worlds richest person followed by Bill Gates. He is the Chairman of Telmex (Telecom Company) based in Mexico city. Laxmi Mittal is ranked at number 6th position. Mukesh Ambani is at 9th position. The Chinese President Hu Jintao is the Worlds most powerful person as per Forbes list 2011. The US President is at number 2 position. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi is ranked at number 9th position. The city of Sendai, Japan was worst hit by Tsunami on March 11, 2011. It was a massive earth quake of 8.9 magnitude. The Prime Minister of Japan is Naoto Kan. Fukushima Daiichi I nuclear reactor exploded after it was hit by Tsunami. Fukushima Daiichi is located in the town of Okuma in the Futaba district of Fukushima prefecture, Japan. The construction began in the year 1966 and commissioned on March 26, 1971. It is operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II The high-power committee headed by Chaturvedi submitted the report to the PM Manmohan Singh. This committee was meant to review the Antrix-Devas S-Band deal. Roddam Narasimha is the other member of the committee. Adarsh scam enquiry committee: This is formed by the State Government of Maharashtra and is headed by the retire High Court Justice J A Patil and and former Chief Secretary P Subramanian as its member. (This was formed in January 2011). The Prime Minster of India agreed for the set up of a JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee) to enquiry into the 2G spectrum scam. JPC has been constituted with 30 members (20 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha). P C Chacko (He is an MP from Thrissur, Kerala) is the chairman of JPC. The first meeting is held on March 24, 2011. Conjugal Rights in Jail: Jasvir Singh and Sonia were convicted in the abduction and murder of a 16 year old boy. Jasvir was on death roll and Sonia serving a life sentence. She requested that she be granted conjugal rights with her husband. The plea is pending before Punjab and Haryana court. In Hisar district of Haryana Jats are agitating for reservation in government jobs. They are demanding for reservation within the 27% quota given to the OBCs for Central Government jobs. On January 5, 2011 Gujjars in Rajasthan are given 1% of reservation in government jobs with immediate effect. The decision regarding the remaining 4% is taken after the judgment of the High Court. Kirori Singh Bainsla is the leader for Gujjar agitation. Tamil Nadu is ranked at number one position in Urbanization. According to SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) India is the biggest Arms importer and China shared rank number 2 with South Korea. India imports most of the arms from Russia. The prestigious UNESCO Asia Pacific Merit award for cultural heritage conservation is presented to Chowmahalla Palace, Hyderabad. The Chowmahalla was the royal seat of Asaf Jahi rulers. The monarchy started in 1720. Majuli Island is considered as the largest fresh water river-island in the World. This is located in middle of Brahmaputra River in Jorhat district of Assam. The GOI has proposed the name of the river for inclusion in the Cultural Landscape category of the UNSECO. The GOI is also planning the three Qutub Shahi monuments for the UNSECO heritage award. Jantar Mantar of Jaipur is the latest (2010) Indian site that is included in the UNSECO World Heritage list. All together 28 Indian sites are included in the list. Indias first two sites are Agra Fort and Ajanta caves (1983). The state of Tamil Nadu is credited with highest number of sites in this list. As of 2010 Italy is credited with highest number (45) of World heritage sites in the World. The total number of sites in the World as of 2010 is 911.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II Tennis player Somdev Devvarman belongs to Assam state. He won Gold in Mens singles in Commonwealt games (2010) by defeating Greg Jones (Australia) and also in Asian Games (2010). In Asian games singles Somdev defeated Uzbekistans Denis Istomin. He also won the Mens doubles in Asian games (2010) along with Sanam Krishna Singh by defeating Chinas Gang Mao-xin and Li Zhe. Areva SA is a France major power from which India is planning to purchase reactors. Shika Awasthi is the first woman to receive the Sword of Honour award. Along with this she also receives the Presidents Medal and the Kalinga Trophy. She belongs to Rai Baraili of UP. She will join the Navy as Sub Lieutenant. The Indian Army Chief V K Singh (Vijay Kumar Singh) conferred with the Hall of Fame. (A hall of fame is a type of museum or attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field). Note: VK Singh is also the current chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army. The Cash for Votes rocked the Parliament during 2008 confidence vote. The Speaker constituted a committee to look into the issue. The committee was headed by Kishore Chandra Deo (Lok Sabha MP, Congress). The 14th Dalai Lama announced his retirement. His original name is Tenzin Gyatso. Jaitapur is a place in Maharashtras konkan region where a nuclear power plant is proposed to be set up. There is a protest in this area in the wake of nuclear crisis in Japan. Top Slip is a place in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve. Shanna Bukhari is the first person from the Muslim community to represent the UK. She received death threats from those who claim that she is denigrating the name of Islam. Saina Nehwal won the Wilson Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton in Basel (Switzerland) on March 20, 2011. She defeated the South Korean Sung Ji Hyun. GST (Goods and Services) tax will be introduced in India from April 1, 2012. France is the first country in the World to introduce GST. Warren Buffett is an American and often regarded as Legendary investor. He is the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He visited India in March 2011. Guatemala: The Constitution explicitly bans blood relatives of the President and the Vice President from running for office. The current president is Alvaro Colom. The first lady of Guatemala Sandra Torres divorced her husband (President) for contesting in the elections. The President belongs to National Unity of Hope (UNE) party.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II Andhra Pradesh became the 8th state in the country to provide 50 percent of reservation for women in Panchayat Raj bodies. (Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand are state that are providing reservation). Gopala Das who was arrested by Pakistan in 1984 on the grounds of Spying was released. The President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari remitted the sentence on humanitarian grounds following an appeal by the Indian Supreme Court. Dr Baruch Blumberg who discovered Hepatitis B Virus that causes liver disease and cancer died in April 2011. He received Nobel Prize in Physiology in the year 1976. Anna Hazare called off his 5 day hunger strike (April 9, 2011) after receiving a gazette notification from the centre on the Constitution of Joint committee comprising the members of the government and civil society for preparation of the draft Lokpal Bill. This is a 10 member committee. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is the Chairman of the Committee. Other 4 Ministers are P. Chidambaram, Veerappa Moily (Convener), Kapil Sibal and Salman Khurshid (Water Resources Minister). From the Civic society the members will be Anna Hazare, Former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan (Co-Chairperson), former Supreme Court Judge, Justice N. Santosh Hegde, Lawyer Prashant Bhushan and RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal. SOLAR PLANT: The PLG Power Limited launched Indias biggest solar power generation pant of 40 MW at Patan in Gujarat. MAHARATNA: Coal India Ltd is awarded the status of Maharatna. (April, 2011). NAVARATNA: Nyveli Lignate is awarded the status of Navaratna. (April, 2011). MINIRATNA: PAWANHANS is awarded the status of Miniratna. April 12, 2011 is celebrated as the 50th anniversary of the mans first travel into the space. Blasting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan , Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into the space. He travelled through VOSTOK spacecraft on April 12, 1961. CRICKET: West Indies cricketer Xavier Marshall has record with 12 sixes against Canada in the year 2008.Australian Shane Watson (Australia) hit 15 sixes in 1 inning against Bangladesh on April 11, 2011. Wisden cricketer of the year award for 2010 has been awarded to Sachin Tendulkar. The population of China reached from 1.27 billion in 2000 to 1.34 billion in 2010. Former England cricket team coach and Zimbabwean Duncan Fletcher has been appointed as the next coach of the Indian cricket team. Duncan Fletcher replaces Gary Kirsten.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II GENERAL FACTS ABOUT INDIA: A SUGGESTION: The Geography subject will be clearer to you, if you look at the map. Please read with a map beside you. India is the 10th industrialized country in the world. India is the 6th nation in the world to have gone into outer space. India is the 7th largest country in the World. India lies entirely in the northern hemisphere. (Do you know what Northern Hemisphere is?). India measures 3,214 km from North to South. India measures 2,933 km from east to west. The mainland extends between latitudes 8 40 and 37 60 North. The mainland extends between 68 70 and 97 250 East longitudes. Indias land frontier is about 15,200 km. India has a common boarders with North-west: Afghanistan and Pakistan North: China, Bhutan and Nepal East: Myanmar East of West Bengal : Bangladesh

India is separated from Sri Lanka by a narrow channel of sea formed by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar. The plains of the Ganga and the Indus are one of the worlds greatest stretches of flat alluvium and also one of the most densely populated areas on the earth. Between Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea lies a narrow coastal strip. Between Eastern Ghats and Bay of Bengal there is a broader costal area. Niligiri Hills is the point where the eastern and Western Ghats meets.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II Cardamom hills lying beyond may be regarded as a continuation of Western Ghats. The Indus, which is one of the greatest rivers of the world rises near manasarovar in Tibet and flows through India and thereafter through Pakistan and falls in Arabian Sea near Kutch. Tributaries of Indus: The Sutlej, the Beas, the Ravi, The Chenab and the Jhelum. The Ganga-Brahmaputra_Meghana is another important system of which the principle sub basins are those of Bhagirathi and Alakanada join at Dev Prayag to form the Ganga. The major east flowing rivers are Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery, Mahanadi, etc. The west flowing rivers Narmada, Tapti and Mahi. The climate of India is tropical monsoon type. South-West monsoon is the summer monsoon and wind blows from sea to land after crossing Indian ocean, the Arabian sea and the Bay of Bengal. North-east monsoon is known as the winter monsoon and wind blows from land to sea. Botanical survey of India (BSI) headquarters Kolkata. Zoological survey of India (ZSI) headquarters Kolkata. The tiger and lion belong to cat family. The salt water crocodile is found along eastern coast and in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. The first census in India was conducted in the year 1872. It was conducted non-synchronously in different parts. Since 1881 it was conducted synchronously. The first census commissioner of India was W W Plowden (1881). 2001 census was undertaken during 9-28 February 2001. The census moment, the referral time at which the snapshot of the population is taken was 00.00 hours of March 1, 2001. Until 1991 census, the sunrise of 1 March was taken as the census moment. India accounts for a meager 2.4 percent of the worlds surface area. India has 17.5 (2011) percent of World population.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II The percent decadal growth of population in the inter-censual period 1991-2001 varies from a low of 9.43 in Kerala to a very high 64.53 in Nagaland. The population density of India in 2001 was 324 per sq km. West Bengal is the most thickly populated state with a population density of 903 in 2001. Delhi is the city with highest population density with 9340. Lowest population density is in Arunachal Pradesh with 13. Bihar second and Kerala third. Sex ration in India 940:1000. (2011 census) Highest sex ratio is Kerala. 1084:1000. (2011 census) Who is a literate? A person aged seven and above, who can both read and write any language with understanding is treated as a literate. In the census prior to 1991 children below 5 years were necessarily treated as illiterates. The literacy rate in the country is 74.04 percent (2011). Kerala retained its position by being on top with a 93.91 percent literacy rate (2011). Highest male and female literacy state Kerala. Bihar with a literacy rate of 63.82 (2011) percent ranks last in the country. Lowest male and female literacy state Bihar. 743 million people in India live in rural areas as per the 2001 census. 286 million people in India live in urban areas. Highly populated state in India is UP with 199 million (2011) people. Lowest population is in Sikkim with 540,851 people and constitutes 0.05 percent of the total. DO YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE FACTS ABOUT THE NATIONAL FLAG, NATIONAL ANTHEM.? The ratio of width of the flag to its length is 2 to 3.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II There are 3 colors in the National Flag. Saffron at the top, White in the middle followed by Green at the bottom. In the middle of the National Flag there is a wheel called Chakra. The Chakra has 24 spokes. The design of the National Flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on July 22, 1947. The Flag code of India, 2002, has taken effect from January 26, 2002 and supersedes the Flag code Indias as it existed. There shall be no restriction on the display of the National Flag by the members of general public private organizations, educational institutions, etc. The state emblem is an adoption from the saranath Lion capital of Asoka. In the sate emblem as adopted on January 26, 1950 only 3 lions are visible and the 4th one is hidden. The wheel appears in the center of the abacus with a bull on the right and a horse on the left and the outlines of other wheels on extreme right and left. The words Satyameva Jayate were taken from the Mundaka Upanishad. It means Truth Alone Triumphs are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script. The National Anthem Jana-gana-mana, composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version as National Anthem on January 24, 1950. National Anthem was first sung on December 27, 1911 at the Calcutta session of the INC. The National song Vande Mataram, composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterji, was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom. It has an equal status with the National Anthem. The first political occasion when National song, sung was the 1896 session of the INC. The National calendar is based on Saka era, with Chaitra as its first month and a normal year of 365 days was adopted from March 22, 1957 with Gregorian calendar. National Animal: The magnificent tiger, (Panthaera Tigris). National Bird: The Indian peacock, (Pavo Cristatus). National Flower: Lotus (Nelumbo Nucipera Gaertn).

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II National Tree: The Banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis). National Fruit: Mango (Manigifera Indica). National River: Ganges

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NATIONAL PARKS Bandipur National Park Chandraprabha sanctuary Corbett National Park Ghana Bird Sanctuary Gir National Park Hazaribagh Sanctuary Kanha National Park Kaziranga National Park Periyar Sanctuary Wild Ass Sanctuary Manas Sanctuary UP Uttaranchal Rajasthan Gujarat Bihar MP Assam (Famous for one-horned rhinoceros). Kerala Gujarat Assam Karnataka

SOME MORE FACTS about INDIA: Area-wise Rajasthan is the largest state in India. Area-wise Goa is the smallest state. Area-wise Andaman & Nicobar Islands is the largest UT. Area-wise Lakshadweep is the smallest UT. Highest population is in UP.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II Lowest population is in Sikkim. Highest population Delhi (UT). Lowest population Lakshadweep (UT). Largest country is Russia (area wise). India is the 7th largest country (area wise). Highest population China. Population wise India is the second largest country in the world. Andhra Pradesh is the first state in India that has been formed on a purely linguistic basis in 1953 and enlarged in 1956. Andhra state 1953 and AP in 1956. Highest number of Assembly seats UP 355. Highest number of legislative Council seats UP 99. Highest number of Rajya Sabha seats UP -31. Highest number of Lok Sabha seats UP 80. Lowest number of Assembly seats Sikkim -32. Lowest number of Legislative Council seats JK 36. Lowest number of Lok Sabha seats Sikkim 1. Lowest number of Rajya Sabha seats Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura and Goa 1. The Legislative Councils are present only in seven states. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Bihar, UP, J&K and Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu is the latest state to establish the Legislative Council. (Legislative Councils are created / abolished by Parliament only). In Union Territories Delhi has maximum number of seats in Assembly. (70). Pondicherry has the lowest number of seats in Assembly. (30). Highest number of districts present in UP. 70 in number Goa has only 2 districts.

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CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II Kutch in Gujarat is the largest district in India. The area is 45,652 Sq.km. Mahe in the state of Kerala is the smallest district in India. The area is 9 Sq.km. Mahe is geographically located in Kerala but administered by Pondicherry. Drass in Western Ladakh is the coldest place in India. It is also the second coldest place in the World after Siberia. The High Court was first established in Bombay, Calcutta and Madras in the year 1862. In the year 2000 three new High Courts were set up in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttaranchal. At present there are 21 High Courts present in India. N-E states are called Seven sisters. (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura).

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SUBMARINES: INS SHALKI: First indigenously built submarine. INS CHAKRA: Indias first nuclear submarine. (From USSR). INS ARIHANT: Indias first indigenously built nuclear sub marine INS Sindhushastra: Indias first missile firing submarine. INS GHARIYAL: Indigenously built warship. INS VIBHUTI: Indigenously built missile boat.

R&D (Research and Development) Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) was set up in 1958. The Defence Research and Development Laboratory launched Integrated Missile development Programme. Under this five missiles were successfully test fired. PRITHVI: Indias first indigenously built Surface to Surface missile. In 1998, first test fired from Sriharikota. 250 KM. Inducted in 1993. TRISHUL: Short range surface to Air missile. 5-9 KM. 1988.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II AKASH: Surface to Air missile. 25 KM. 1990. NAG: Third generation anti-tank guided missile. 4 KM. 1988. AGNI: Intermediate ballistic surface to surface missile. 2500 KM. 1989.

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MISCELLANEOUS: Coast guards set up in 1977. Cantonment board is established through cantonment Act of 1924. Home guards set up in 1946. ATOMIC ENERGY: The Atomic Energy Commission was set up in 1948. The present Chairman is DR Sirikumar Benarjee. On May 18, 1974 India conducted its first underground nuclear explosion at POKHRAN (RAJASTAN). The Second test was conducted on May 11, 1998. OPERATION SHAKTI was the code name of the tests. India became the sixth nuclear power in the world. At present there are six Nuclear power stations in India. Tarapur (Maharashtra), Rawatbhatta (Rajasthan), Kalpak am (Tamil Nadu), Narora (UP), kakrapar (Gujarat), Kaiga (Karnataka). Tarapur Atomic Power Station (T.AP.S.) was the first nuclear power plant in India. The construction of the plant was started in 1962 and the plant went operational in 1969. APSARA was India's First Nuclear Reactor. It was also the first nuclear reactor in Asia. Apsara went critical at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Trombay on August 4, 1956. The first Heavy water plant was set up in Nangal (Punjab) in the year 1962. Heavy water is used in Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR). Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) set up in 1957 at Trombay, near Bombay. It houses APSARA, CIRUS and DHRUVA the three nuclear reactors. ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) was set up in 1969.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II CENTRE Vikram Sarabhai Space centre ISRO Satellite Centre Space Application Centre SHAR Centre National Remote Sensing Agency LOCATION Thiruvananthapuram. Bangalore Ahmadabad Srihari Kota (AP) Hyderabad

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The first Indian satellite Aryabhatta was launched from USSR on April 19, 1975. Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma became Indias first man in space. India set a record on April 28, 2008 by PSLV-C9 successfully launching 10 satellites from Sriharikota, AP. It also included remote sensing satellite CARTOSAT-2A. SLV-3 was Indias first indigenous satellite launch vehicle. This was launched by ISRO in the year 1980. Dr A P J Abdul Kalam was the Project Director for the same. INSAT-2A was India's first indigenously built satellite. The satellite was launched on July 9, 1992 from Kourou, French Guyana.

NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS: Central Institute for cotton research Coffee Board Tea Board Tobacco Board Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Indian Institute of Mathematical Sciences Indian Diamond Institute Advanced Level Telecom Centre Nagpur. Bangalore Kottayam (Kerala) Andhra Pradesh New Delhi Chennai. Surat Ghaziabad

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II Bharat Ratna Bhim Rao Ambedkar Institute of Telecom Training National Academy for Telecom Finance and Management telecommunication Engineering Centre Indian Institute of Science Indian School Business Bureau of Indian Standards Central Drug Research Institute National Institute for Oceanography Jabalpur. Hyderabad. New Delhi Bangalore. Hyderabad Delhi Luck now Panaji (Goa) Hyderabad Hyderabad Cuttack Hyderabad Kanpur New Delhi Chennai.

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Centre For Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) National Institute for Nutrition Central Rice Research Institute Centre for DNA finger printing and Diagnostics Indian Institute for Sugar Technology National Institute for Immunology National Institute for Ocean technology HEALTH:

Indias National Anti-Malaria programme is the worlds biggest health programme against a single communicable disease. Dengue fever is a viral disease which is transmitted through the bites if female AEDES mosquitoes. The National Leprosy control programme was launched in 1955. The National Programme for control of Blindness was launched in 1976. The control of sexually transmitted Diseases (STD) was introduced during fourth 5 year plan. National AIDS control programme was launched in 1987.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II Deficiency odf Iodine in the daily diet may cause goiter and other iodine deficiency disorders. The National Mental Health Programme was started in 1982. The National Cancer control Programme was launched in 1975. India became the first country to launch GUINEAWORM eradication programme in 1983. India was declared as guinea worm disease free country. The GOI was the first country in the world to initiate a comprehensive family planning programme in 1951. POLIO ---- Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) DIPHTHERIA PERTUSIS TETANUS -------DPT DIPHTHERIA TETANUS -------- DT TETANUS TOXOID ---------TT Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 -------- It banned any test to determine the sex of an unborn child has become illegal.

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LEGISLATIVE MEASURES TO SAFEGUARD THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN Hindu Marriage Act, 1955: A Hindu cannot get married for second time till the first marriage is dissolved by divorce or decree. National Commission for Women: The National Commission for Women was set up as statutory body in January 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990. Chairman and 5 members are nominated by the Central government. Ms. Jayanti patnaik was the 1st and present chair person is Dr. Girija Vyas (since 2008). Prohibition of Child Marriage act, 2006: It replaced the child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929. LANGUAGES IN INDIA: The languages are mentioned in the 8th schedule of the Constitution. At present there are 22 languages mentioned in the Constitution. Hindi is spoken by more people in India. 39.85% of the total population in India speaks Hindi.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II Hindi in Devanagari script is the official language in India. Bengali ranks at number two position with 8.22%. Telugu ranks at number three with 7.80%. Sanskrit ranks at the last position with 0.01%. It is the classic language of India and also one of the oldest languages in the world. It starts with Rig Veda. Telugu numerically the biggest of the Dravidian languages in India. Urdu is the official language for Jammu and Kashmir.

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DANCE FORMS IN INDIA: BHARATANATYAM: This is dance form in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The earliest exponents of Bharatanatyam were the Devadasis in South India. Devadasis means Temple dancers. This dance form contains 64 principles. The dance syllables are popularly known as BOLS. KATHAK: It is confined to North India. KATHAKALI: KERALA. Its a most scientific and elaborately defined dance form of Kerala. MANIPURI: MANIPUR ODISSI : ORISSA KUCHIPUDI: ANDHRA PRADESH MOHINIATTAM : KERALA TAMILNADU : Kollattam (Folk) ASSAM: BIHU (folk) PUNJAB: GIDDHA (WOMEN FOLK) PUNJAB: BHANGRA (MEN FOLK BOOKS:

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II 1. ARTHSHASTRA 2. MAHABHASYA KAUTILYA PATANJALI BHASA BHARATA KALLIDASA SUDRA

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3. SWAPNA VASAVADATTA 4. NATYA SASTRA -

5. ABIGYAN SHAKUNTALA 6. MRICHCHAKATIKA 7. RATNAVALI 8. MAHAVIRA CHARITRA 9. UTTARAMA CHARITA 10. MATTAVILASA

HARSHA BHAVABHUTI BHAVABHUTI MAHENDRA VIKRAM PALLAVA SARANGADEVA

11. SANGEETA RATNAKAR -

The National School of Drama was founded in 1959. INSTRUMENTALISTS:

VIOLIN FLUTE TABLA VEENA SAROD SITAR SANTOOR SHEHNAI GAJANA RAO JOSHI. HARIPRASAD CHAURASIA ZAKIR HUSSAIN DORAISWAMY IYENGAR BUDDADEV DASGUPTA PANDIT RAVI SHANKAR

SHIV KUMAR SHARMA BISMILLA KHAN KARAIKUDI MANI NEERUSWAMY PILLAI

MRIDANGAM NADASWARAM PAINTING:

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II AJANTA paintings belong to 1st century to 8th Century AD. These are associated with the life History of the Buddha and the Jataka stories. MUGHAL paintings reached climax during Jahangirs time. Jahangirs court was patronized by Bishan Das, Murad, Mansur, Bahzad, and Aga Raza. EUROPEAN STYLE: Raja Ravi Verma of Kerala distinguished himself in this style of paintings. The modern paintings in India were pioneered by Gaganendranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, and Rabindranath Tagore.

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CULTURAL INISTITUTIONS LALIT KALA ACADEMY: It is the National Academy of Fine Arts. It was Established in 1954 in New Delhi. SANGEETH NATAK ACADEMY: It is the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama. Established in the year 1952 in New Delhi. NATIONAL SCHOOL OF DRAMA: set up in 1959 in New Delhi. SAHITYA ACADEMY: Established in 1954 in New Delhi.

OTHER INSTITUTIONS: ACHAELOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA: ESTABLISHED in 1861 in NEW DELHI. ASIATIC SOCIETY: It was established in 1784 at Calcutta by Sir William Jones. Anthropological Survey of India: Set up in 1945 at Calcutta. National Achieves of India: Set up in 1981 in New Delhi.

PRECEDENCE IN ADMINISTRATION:

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II President Vice President Prime Minister Governors of states within their respective states. Former Presidents. Chief Justice of India.

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INDIAs FIRST AND LAST: First Governor-General of Bengal (1772-1785) Last Governor-General of Bengal 1833) Warren Hastings Lord William Bentinck (1828-

GOVERNOR-GENERAL of Bengal became the GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA. First Governor-General of India (1833-35) Last Governor-General of India (1856-1858_ -Lord William Bentinck. - Lord Canning

GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA REDESIGNATED AS GOVERNOR-GENERAL and VICEROY of INDIA. First Viceroy Last Viceroy GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIAN UNION First G-G Last G-G PRESIDENTS First President (1950-1962) Dr. Rajendra Prasad Lord Mountbatten C.Rajagopalachari - Lord Canning - Lord Mountbatten

He is the only president who got elected to the office for two times.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II Present President (2007- till date VICE PRESIDENTS First Vice President (1952-1962) Dr. S. Radhakrishnan ) Smt. Pratibha Patil

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He is the only Vice President who got elected to the office for two times Present Vice President (2007- till date) PRIME MINISTERS OF INDIA First Prime Minister (1947-1964) Present Prime Minister (2004 till date Jawaharlal Nehru Dr. Manmohan Singh Md. Hamid Ansari

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTERS First Deputy Prime Minister (1947-1950) Last Deputy PM (2002-2004) FINANCE MINISTERS: First FM (1947-1949) Present FM (2009 till date) SPEAKERS: First speaker (1947-1959) Present speaker (2009- till date) GV Mavalankar Meira Kumar RK SHANMUKHAM SHETTY Pranab Mukharjee Sardar Patel LK Advani

(She is the first women speaker of Lok Sabha). CHIEF JUSTICES OF INDIA: First CJI (1950-51) Present CJI (2010- till date) CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS: Harilal Kania SH KAPADIA

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II First CEC (1950-58) Present CEC (2010 till date) CHAIRMEN OF UPSC: Present Chairman DP Agarwal Sukumar sen S Y Quereshi

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COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR GENERALS First CAG (1948-1954) Present CAG (2008 till date) V. Narahari Rao Vinod Rai

ATTORNEY-GENERALS OF INDIA First A-G (1950-63) Present A-G (Jun 2009 till date) MC. Setalvad G E Vahanavati

GOVERNORS OF RESERVE BANK OF INDIA Set up in the year 1935. First Governor (1935-1937) (1943- 1949) Present Governor (2008 till date) Sir Osborne Smith Sir C D Deshmuk Dr. Duvvuri Subba Rao

Press Trust of India (PTI) founded in 1947 in Bombay, to provide unbiased news to all subscribers. Do you know? Orissa has the distinction of publishing news papers in 18 out of 23 languages (22 languages plus English). The largest number of news papers and periodicals registered in any Indian language is Hindi. UP has the distinction largest number of registered news papers in India.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II NEWS PAPER COUNTRY

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The SUN The Mirror DAWN The Times New Statesman The New York Times PRAVDA Red Flag

Britain Britain Pakistan Britain Britain USA Russia China

THE SOLAR SYSTEM and few more facts: The rotation of the Sun as seen from the Earth. At the poles it is more than the equator. At the equator it is 25.38 days and at poles it is 33 days. The Chemical composition of the Sun is 71% Hydrogen, 26.5% Helium and other elements 2.5%. The age is about 5 billion years. The nearest planet to the Sun is Mercury 58 million kms. The farthest planet to the Sun is Neptune 4497 million kms. The distance of Earth from Sun is 150 million Km. The planet with highest diameter is Jupiter with 1, 41,968 km. It is next to Sun with 13, 84,000 km. Mercury has the lowest diameter with 4850 km. The Earth has only one satellite i.e. Moon. Jupiter has of 63 satellites. This is the highest for any planet.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II The planets Mercury and Venus have no satellites. On August 24, 2006 Pluto was declared as a dwarf planet. It lost its seven decade status as the ninth and the outermost planet. The Pluto was discovered in 1930 by the American Clyde Tom Baugh. EARTH Escape Velocity is the speed necessary to break away from the Earth into outer space. It is 11 km per second. Speed of the rockets is 8 km per second. This is the velocity required to counter the Earths gravity to rise up to the atmosphere. The highest component in the Earth is Iron (35%) and lowest is Aluminum (0.4%). Period of rotation of earth on its own axis is 23 hours 56 m. 4.09 sec. Period of revolution of Earth round the Sun is 365 days 5 hrs 48 m 45.51 sec. Area of water surface on the Earth is 70.9%. Asia is the biggest continent and it has 29.5% in the earths area. Approximately 3879 million populations live in Asia. Antarctica is an uninhabited area and it occupies 9.6% of the earths area. Lowest population lives in Australia. 32 million people live in Australia. Area wise Australia is the lowest with only 5.2% of the earths area. Highest point on the Earth is Everest with 8848 meters. Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean. Greatest depth location is Mariana trench in Pacific. Russia is the biggest country in area wise. India is the 7th biggest country area wise. China is the biggest country population wise. India is the second biggest country population wise.

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CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II Vatican City is the smallest country (0.44 sq km) with respect to area and population. Highest volcano Ojos del salado 6885 meters. It is in Andes mountain range. It is in Argentina and Chile. Largest desert is Sahara. Deepest cave Reseau du Foillis, in France. Greenland is the largest islands. South-china Sea is the largest sea. Largest ocean is pacific. Longest river is Nile, Africa. Deepest point is Challenger deep in Mariana Trench. Highest waterfalls are ANGEL is in Venezuela. The biggest deltas is Ganges-Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. China has most land borders. It has borders with 14 countries. India has borders with 7 countries. The Tallest statue is USHIKU DAIBUTSU in Japan. The Worlds longest mountains in the World Andes present in South America. This passes through the west coast of South America. The range is about 7000 km. This runs through 7 countries. Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. (The highest peak in Andes is Mt. Aconcagua of 6963 m. This is in Argentina). WITH REFERENCE TO INDIA: The highest mountain peak K2 (Mount Godwin Austen) 8611 meters. It is in Pak-occupied Kashmir. Kanchenjunga 8598 meters. Kuttanadu in the district of Alappuzha in Kerala is the region with lowest region in India. (The farming is carried below the sea level). Longest river is Ganga 2510 km. Longest river in South India is Godavari 1465 km.

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CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II Highest population is in Mumbai. Hindus constitute 80.44% in India. India has longest border with Bangladesh. (4097 km). India has lowest border with Afghanistan. (106 km). Most literate district in India is AIZAWL in Mizoram. The district with highest sex ratio is Mahe in Pondicherry. Highest hill station in India Gulbarga in Jammu and Kashmir. 2250 meters.

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Golden Quadrilateral project: The Golden Quadrilateral is a highway network connecting India's four largest metropolitan cities. Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, thus forming a quadrilateral of sorts. The largest highway project in India, initiated by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, it is the first phase of the National Highways Development Project (NHDP), and consists of building 5,846 km of four/six lane express highways at a cost of 60,000 crore. As of 31 October 2010, 5,806 km of the entire work has been completed and work on remaining 40 km is under progress. Only National Highways are used in the Golden Quadrilateral. The four legs use the following National Highways: Delhi Kolkata: NH 2 Delhi Mumbai: NH 8 (Delhi Kishangarh), NH 79A (Ajmer bypass), NH 79 (Nasirabad Chittaurgarh), NH 76 (Chittaurgarh Udaipur), NH 8 (Udaipur Mumbai) Mumbai Chennai: NH 4 (Mumbai Bangalore), NH 7 (Bangalore Krishnagiri), NH 46 (Krishnagiri Ranipet), NH 4 (Ranipet Chennai) Kolkata Chennai: NH 6 (Kolkata Kharagpur), NH 60 (Kharagpur Balasore), NH 5 (Balasore Chennai)

UNO (UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION):

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II UNO officially came into existence on October 24, 1945. The declaration was signed in 1942 in San Francisco. Every year October 24 is celebrated as UN day. UN has 6 official languages. Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish and Arabic. Arabic was added in the year 1973 by the General Assembly. New countries will be admitted by the General Assembly after the recommendation by the Security Council. India became a member of UNO on October 30, 1945. The UN has six important wings. The General Assembly, the Security Council, the Secretariat, the Trusteeship Council, the Economic and Social Council and the International Court of Justice. GENERAL ASSEMBLY: It is like a world Parliament. The members of UN form General Assembly. Meets once in a year.

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SECURITY COUNCIL: Five Permanent members. USA, Britain, France, Russia and China. 10 Non permanent members elected every 2 years by the General Assembly. Permanent 5 members have the veto power. (For more details please read GKBASICS.COM / CURRENT AFFAIRS).

SECRETARIATE:

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of Security Council. Secretary-General Tenure 5 years. The Secretary-General is eligible for reelection. First Secretary-general was Trygve Lie of Norway from 1946-53. Present Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon of South Korea 2007 to till date. HEADQUARTERS: The General Assembly, Security Council, Secretariat, Trusteeship Council and Economic and Social Council ------------- NEW YORK. International Court of Justice Hague, Netherlands. (15 Judges) United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) set up in 1946 in Paris. World Health Organization set up in 1948 in Geneva. Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in 1945 in Rome. World Trade organization set up in Geneva in 1995. International Maritime Organization set up in London in the year 1948. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) set up in the year 1957 in Vienna. World Bank set up in the year 1945 in Washington. 10 International Labour Organization (ILO) was set up in the year 1946 in Geneva. International Monetary Fund (IMF), 1945 at Washington. International Telecommunications satellite Organization (INTELSAT) 1964, Washington.

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UNO INTERNATIONAL DECADES:

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II 2001 2010 International Decade for a Culture of peace and non-violence for the children of the world. 2003-2012 UN literacy decade: Education for all. 2005-2015 International decade for Action: Water for life. 2008-2017 Second decade for eradication of poverty 2010-2020 UN decade for deserts and the fight against desertification UNO INTERNATIONAL YEARS: World Population Year International womens year International year of Children World communication year International Literacy Year International Space Year International year of Languages and Planet Earth 1974. 1975 1979 1983 1990 1992 2008.

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International Year of Reconciliation, National Fibers and Year of Astronomy -2009. IAU (INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION) The IAU was founded in the year 1919. Head Quarters Paris, France. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation. The long-term policy of the IAU is defined by the General Assembly. The policies are implemented by the Executive Committee. There are 70 National members in IAU. India is a member in IAU. NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT (NAM):

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II It is a group of 118 developing countries. 1955 a conference was held in Bandung in Indonesia. Founded in 1955. NAM officially cane into operations in the year 1961. 15th summit was be held in 2009 in SHARM EI SHEIK (EGYPT) from July 11-16.

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THE COMMENWEALTH: Formed in the year 1926. India hosted a meeting in the year 1983. 2009 meeting is in Trinidad and Tobago (Port of Spain). 2011 summit will be in Colombo (Sri Lanka)

EU (EUROPEAN UNION): Established in the year 1993. Head Quarters Brussels (Belgium). Bulgaria and Romania joined in the year 2007. Presently there are 27 countries.

SAARC (SOUTH ASIAN ASSOCIATION FO RREGIONAL COOPERATION ) SAARC formed in the year 1985, at Dhaka, Bangladesh. Headquarters KATHMANDU, Nepal. Originally only 7 members and in the year 2007 Afghanistan has been admitted. At present the number is 8 countries. 2008 summit was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It declared 2008 as Year of Good Governance. 2009 summit is in Male, Maldives. 2009 is the year to Fight Terrorism.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II 2001 2010 declared as SAARC Decade of the Rights of the Child. 2006-20015 SAARC Decade of Poverty Alleviation. 2010 summit was held in Timphu, Bhutan. The 2011 summit will be held in Male (Maldives). Mahindra Rajapaksa (The President of Sri Lanka) is the present chairman. Sheel Kant Sharma is the present Secretary-General.

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INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS Asian Development Bank (ADB) -1966 -Manila (Philippines) -Jakarta (Indonesia) Paris (France) Lyons (France)

Association of South East Nations (ASEAN) -1967 European Space Research Organization -1964

International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOLE) 1923 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) - 1949

- Brussels (Belgium)

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)- Vienna, Australia. G-8 (1985) initially it was G-7, Russia Joined in the year 1998. All are most industrialized nations. G-77 1964 - Developing Countries.

D-8, Developing 8. India is not a member. NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFIRATION TREATY (NPT) First signed in the year 1968 came into force in the year 1970. India has not signed the NPT protesting against discriminatory nature.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY (CTBT) 1996, UN General Assembly approved the CTBT. India voted against it. PANCHASHEEL Signed in the year 1954 in New Delhi. Signed between India and China by the PM Jawaharlal Nehru and Chou-en-Lai. MONTREAL PROTOCOL Signed in 1987 in Montreal (Canada). To prevent further depletion of Ozone layer. KYOTO PROTOCAL 1 Signed in Kyoto (Japan), 2005. It requires industrialized countries to reduce their emission of Carbon dioxide and other green house gases. NOTE: Green House gases water vapour, Methane, Nitrous oxide, ozone and Chloro floro carbons India signed and ratified in the year 2002. USA has not ratified. BOUNDARY LINES: Radcliff line McMahon 49th parallel 38th parallel Durand Line 24th parallel India and Pakistan India and China USA and Canada South Korea and North Korea India and Afghanistan India and Pakistan

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CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II BHUDDISM Founded in the year 525 BC by Gautama Buddha (Siddhartha). Vihara means Temple. Sacred books related to Buddhism are Tripitakas also called Sutras. Tripitakas (Sutta Piatika, Vinaya Pitaka and Abhidamma pitaka). Buddha was born in Lumbini in Nepal. He received enlightnment in Bodh Gaya in Bihar. Attained Nirvana in Kushinagara in UP.

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CHRISTIANITY Founded by Jesus Christ (Jesus of Nazareth) Sacred book Bible. Highest numbers of people in the World belong to this religion. Christ lived and preached in Jerusalem.

HINDUISM Founded by Aryan Invaders. Sacred books Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, and Ramayana.

ISLAM Founded by Prophet Mohammad. Prophet was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Sacred book Quran. God delivered to the Prophet by the angle Gabriel.

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Judaism Shintoism Skims Guru Nanak Taoism Zoroastrianism (Fire Temple) - Sacred book Sacred Book -Sacred book Torah No specific sacred book Guru Grant sahib Tao-te-Ching Zend Avesta

Majority of the people in the world speak Chinese, Mandarin followed by Spanish and English.

************ BHARATA RATNA This award was established by the first President of India Dr. Rajendra Prasad in the year 1954. This award was suspended from 1977 to 1980. So far it has been awarded to 41 persons. Tamil Nadu is the state with highest number of recipients (8). Awarded to 2 non Indians and one naturalized citizen. In the year 2008 this is awarded to Bhim sen Joshi a classical singer. Former President Abdul Kalam was awarded in the year 1997.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II DADA SAHEB PHALKE AWARD Dada Saheb is considered to the father if Indian cinema. It is given by the Government of India for the contribution to Indian cinema. Institutionalized in the year 1969. First recipient was Mrs. Devika Rani. For the year 2009 it was awarded to Dr Ramanaidu (Producer)

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********* RAJIV GANDHI KHEL RATNA AWARD It is the highest given for the achievements in sports. Instituted in the year 1991-92. First recipient was Vishwanathan Anand in the year 1991-92. For the year 2010 it was awarded to Saina Nehwal. ********* ARJUN AWARDS Institutionalized in the year 1961 for recognizing outstanding performance in sports. ******** DRONACHARYA AWARD : 1985 for best for excellence in sports coaching. O M Nambiar was the first recipient for athletics in the year 1985.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II DHYAN CHAND AWARD Highest award for life achievement in sports and games. Initiated in the year 2002 named after the legendary Indian hockey player Dhyan Chand. First recipient was Aparna Ghosh for Basketball. For the year 2010 awarded to 3 persons. ANITHA CHANU KULDEEP SINGH SATISH PILLAI JNANPITH AWARD Instituted in 1961 but first awarded in 1965. Given in literature. G. Sankara Kurup was the first recipient. Jnanpith Award 2007 ONV Kurup (Malayalam) and 2008 for Akhlaq Khan Shahryar (Urdu) (announced in September 2010) SARASWATI SAMMAN AWARD: This award was instituted in the year 1991 by K K Birla Foundation. This award is named after Hindu Goddess SARASWATI. This awarded annually. Awarded for outstanding Prose or Poetry literary work in any Indian language. This also includes 7.5 lakh rupees a citation and a Plaque. Last 10 years novels are considered. Ismat Chughtai (Urdu literature) was the first recipient of this award. For the year 2010 it was awarded to Kannada writer S L Bhyrappa for his novel MANDRA. (This is the 20th Saraswati Samman Award). - WEIGHT LIFTING - WRESTLING - ATHLETICS

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CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II NOBEL PRIZE First given in the year 1901 in the fields of Peace, Physics, Chemistry, Medicine and Literature. 1967 Noble prize in the field of Economics also introduced. Now its given in 6 fields. So far seven Indians received this award. First Indian was Sri Rabindranath Tagore for Literature (Gitanjali). In the year 2001 its given to V.S. Naipul for Bend in the River. Amartya Sen received in the year 1998 for Economics (welfare Economics). C.V. Raman was the first Indian scientist to win Nobel Prize. C.V. Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize in the year 1930 in Physics for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the Raman Effect, which is named after him. Raman Effect is related to the inelastic scattering of a photon. When light is scattered from an atom or molecule, most photons are elastically scattered. The scattered photons have the same energy or frequency and, therefore, wavelength, as the incident photons.

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********* NATIONAL DAYS 1. National Science Day 2. International womens Day 3. World Meteorological Day 4. World Health Day 5. World Heritage Day 6. Earth Day 7. International Labour Day 8. World Red Cross Day February 28 March 8 March 23 April 7 April 18 April 22 May 1 May 8

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II 9. World Telecommunication Day 10. No (Anti) Tobacco Day 11. World Environment Day 12. World Population day 13. Teachers Day 14. World Literacy Day 15. World Ozone Day 16. World Tourism Day 17. World Post Office Day 18. National Post Day 19. World AIDS day 20. Human Rights Day May 17 May 31 June 5 July 11 September 5 September 8 September 16 September 27 October 9 October 10 December 1 December 10

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MISCELLANEOUS The largest archipelago (group of islands) in the world is Indonesia. The largest dam in the world Three Gorges dam in China. The largest island is the Greenland. The largest salt water lake is Caspian Sea. The largest mountain range is Andes (South America). The largest Railway platform is Kharagpur in West Bengal. The largest temple is Angkor Vat in Kampuchea. The country with largest electorate (number of voters) is India. The largest bird Ostrich.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II The largest creature Blue Whale. The largest delta Sunder bans. Gulf of Mexico is the largest gulf. Etosha Reserve (Africa) is the largest Zoo. Jama Masjid is the largest Mosque in the world. The tallest animal Giraffe. Highest rain fall is in Cherrapunji in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. The brightest star is Sirius (Dog Star). Fastest bird Swift. The largest Public sector bank in India is State Bank of India. The highest waterfall in India is the jog falls in India. ********* IMPORTANT PERSONS Subash Chandra Bose Abdul Gaffar Khan Madan Mohan Malaviya Mahatma Gandhi Lala Lajapathi Rai Rabindranath Tagore Rajinder Singh Sheik Mujibur Rahman Jaya Prakash Narayana Lal Bahadur Shastri Netaji Frontier Gandhi, Badshah Khan Mahamana Bapu, Father of the nation Punjab kesari Gurudev Sparrow Bangabandhu Loknayak Man of peace

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CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II Dadabhai Narorji Chittaranjan Das C F Andrews C Rajagopala Chari Annadurai Adolf Hitler Grand Old Man of India Deshabandu Deenabandu Rajaji Anna Fuehrer

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NEW 7 WONDERS IN THE WORLD New Seven wonders foundation is a Swiss based non-profit organization conducted a worldwide poll. This was conducted by Bernard Weber Swiss adventurer. 1. Taj Mahal 2. Roman Colosseum 3. Pyramid of Chichen Itza 4. Machu pichu 5. Christ the redeemer 6. Petra 7. Great Wall of China India Italy Mexico Peru Brazil Jordan China

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II In the year 2007, Red Fort Delhi and in the year 2008 Kalka-Shimla railway in Himachal Pradesh were included in the UNESCOs list of World Heritage sites. =========================================================== FIRSTs First Chinese pilgrim to visit India First Governor-General of Pakistan First to climb Everest First to step on the Moon First President of USA First lamb created using DNA from a sheep Worlds first cloned Human Baby First women cosmonaut First woman Prime Minister of a Country First woman President of a country First Indian to get Oscar award First Talkie Film First test Tube Baby First Woman Central Minister First Woman CM of a state First woman Governor First woman Minister of a state First women to Climb Everest First Science city First silent Movie Fahein

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-Mohammad Ali Jinnah Tensing Norgay and Edmund Hillary

Neil Armstrong followed by Edwin Aldrin George Washington Dolly EVE

Valentina Tereshkova

-Mrs. Sirimavo Bandarnaike -Maria Estela Peron (Argentina) -Bhanu Athaiya -Alam Ara Indira Baby Harsha Rajkumari Amrut Kaur Mrs. Sucheta Kripalani Mrs. Sarojini Naidu

Mrs. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit Bachendri Pal Kolkata

- Raja Harish Chandra

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II First News paper First Telegraph line installed between First Indian in the British Parliament First Indian woman to go to space -Bengal Gazette Diamond Harbour and Kolkata - Dadabhai Narorji - Kalpana Chawla

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********* OLYMPIC GAMES First held in 776 BC by Greeks. Revived and conducted in the modern times in the year 1896 for the first time in Athens, Greece. Summer Olympics Summer Olympics-2008 - Beijing, China 2012 - London

First winter Olympics 1924 - Chamonix. France. Winter Olympics Winter Olympics -2006 - Turin, Italy. -2010 - Vancouver, Canada

Indias won the first gold medal in Hockey in the year 1928. In the year 2008 Abhinav Bindra won gold medal in Mens shooting 10 m air rifle. India officially participated in the sixth Olympic Games in the year 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium.

********* President of IOC Jacques Rogge, Belgium***************

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II COMMON WEALTH GAMES First 18th 19th 20th - 1930 Hamilton, Canada - 2006 Melbourne, Australia - 2010 New Delhi - 2014 Glasgow, Scotland

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ASIAN GAMES First 15th 16th 17th - 1951 - 2006 - 2010 - 2014 New Delhi Doha, Qatar Guangzhou, China Inch eon, South Korea

SOUTH ASIAN FEDERATION GAMES (SAF) 1st 10th 11th 1984 - Kathmandu, Nepal

2006- Colombo 2008 Dhaka, Bangladesh

2010 games were held in Dhaka. 2012 and 2014 will be in New Delhi and Kathmandu respectively CRICKET International Cricket Council was founded in 1909. Headquarters Lords, London. 1975, first world cup tournament was conducted in the year 1975. West Indies won the cup two consecutive times in 1975 and 1979. India won the cup in the 3rd world cup under the captainship of Kapil Dev. 2007 it was hosted by West Indies. Australia won by beating Sri Lanka.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II 2011 it will be hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Pakistan was eliminated from the list of hosting because of the terrorist attacks. 2015 it will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand. (Miscellaneous: Sourav ganguly is the most successful test captain of India. The first person to take 10 wickets in an innings was Jim Laker of UK in 1956. Anil Kumble is the second one against Pakistan in 1999. Anil kumble is the leading wicket taker of India in both forms of Cricket. Muralidharan of Sri Lanka is the highest wicket taker in the World for both forms of Cricket. Sachin Tendulkar is the leading run maker in the World in both the forms of Cricket. Brain Lara is the only player in the History of Cricket to make 400 runs in an innings.) ******** FOOT BALL The world cup Soccer tournament is conducted by FIFA (Federation of the International de Football Association). The world cup is now called the Jules-Rimet. 1st 1930 Uruguay.

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Uruguay won the first cup. 2010 was held in South Africa. The current champions are Spain (2010). Spain defeated Netherlands (1-0). 2014 will be held in Brazil. Russia hosting in 2018 Qatar hosting in2022

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II HOCKEY World cup Hockey is organized by International Hockey Federation (IHF). 1st conducted at Barcelona in the year 1971. Pakistan won the cup. 2010 was conducted in New Delhi. In the 2010 cup Australia defeated Germany by 2-1. The 2014 World cup will be held in The Hague, Netherlands BANKS AND NATIONALIZATION
SBI (State Bank of India) : SBI is the largest state-owned banking in India. The government of India nationalized the Imperial Bank of India in 1955, with the Reserve Bank of India taking a 60% stake, and renamed it the State Bank of India. In 2008, the government took over the stake held by the Reserve Bank of India. The Bank of Calcutta, later renamed the Bank of Bengal, was established on 2 June. The Bank of Bombay established on April 15, 1840. The Bank of Madras established on July 1, 1843. These banks amalgamated on 27 January 1921, and formed into Imperial Bank of India. Imperial Bank of India renamed to SBI.

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SBI has five associate banks:

State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur State Bank of Hyderabad State Bank of Mysore State Bank of Patiala State Bank of Travancore State Bank of Saurashtra - merged with SBI in 2008. State Bank of Indore- merged with SBI in 2010.

CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II 14 banks were nationalized in the year 1969. 6 more banks were nationalized in the year 1980. In the year 1993, the government merged New Bank of India with Punjab National Bank. In early 1990s the Narasimham committee recommended the entry of private banks into the banking sector. Global Trust Bank (GTB) was the first private bank to set up. Later GTB amalgamated with the Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC). ******** FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry): FICCI was established in the year 1927. The headquarters located in New Delhi. This is an association of business organizations in India. FICCI was established On the advice of Mahatma Gandhi FICCI was founded by GD Birla and Purushottam Takkur. FICCI is also the permanent Indian host of the Global India Business Meeting. The current President is Harsh C. Mariwala ( Chairman and Managing Director of FICCI). PARAM-800 (Parallel Machine) is the first Super Computer in India. This is developed by CDAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) in the year 1991. (KASEZ) KANDLA SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE is the first SEZ in India. This was set up in the year 1965. It is also the first SEZ in ASIA. This is the largest multi-product in India. The BSE (Bombay Stock exchange) is the oldest stock exchange in India. This was set up in the year 1875 as The Native Share and Stock Brokers Association. BSE is also the oldest stock exchange in the country. BSE obtained permanent recognition in the year 1956. This is located in Mumbai. Suman Sharma is the first woman in the World to fly Russian MIG-35 fight Jet.

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NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II The Nuclear power is produced by controlled nuclear reactions. The plants use nuclear fission reactions to heat water to produce steam which is then utilizes to generate electricity. Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant of USSR is the first nuclear power plant in the World. It was set up on January 27, 1954. TAPS (Tarapur Atomoc Power Plant), Maharasthra is the first nuclear power plant in India. This went operational in 1969. The Nuclear Accident of Chernobyl occurred on April 26, 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. It is the worst nuclear power plant accident in the World. This is considered to be the level 7 on the INES (International Nuclear and radiological Event Scale). The INES was introduced in the year 1990 by IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna). There are 0 to 7 levels. Each level is considered to be 10 times more severe than the previous level. The level 7 is considered to be the major accident (Chernobyl). AERB (Atomic Energy Regulatory Board) was constituted by the President of India in the year 1983. Head Quarters Mumbai. Current Chairman is S S Bajaj. NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd) works under Department of Atomic Energy. This is set up in the year 1987. The current Chairman is S K Jain. NPCIL objective is to implement the atomic power projects for generation of electricity. The first AHWR (Advanced Heavy Water Reactor) is developed by NPCIL in the year 2011. This is under the consideration of AERB. This reactor is meant for Thorium utilization. Thorium was discovered by Jakob Berzelius in the year 1928. In nature Thorium occurs as Thorium-232. This is estimated to be 3 to 4 times more abundant than Uranium in the earth crust. India has about 25% of the World Thorium reserves. Indias Kakrapar-1 reactor is the Worlds first reactor which uses Thorium rather than depleted Uranium. The KAPS (Kakrapar Atomic Power Station is located in Gujarat). At present KAPS using PHWR (Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors).

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CURRENTS AFFAIRS - II CBFC (Central Board For Film certification): CBFC was established in the year 1952. Head Quarters located in Mumbai. CBFC is popularly known as Censor Board. This functions under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. This is a regulatory body. The films can be publicly exhibited in India only after the certification by CBFC. The term of the chairman is 2 years. Same person can be reappointed. The current chairperson is Leela Samson (April 1, 2001 - ...). Leela Samson is a noted Bharatanatyam Dancer. Prior to her appointment as the Chairperson of CBFC she Chairperson of Sangeet Natak Academy (Indias National Academy for Music Dance and Drama). Leela Samson replaced Sharmila Tagore.

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