Monday, January 31, 2011

List of space agencies

Country	Agency
United States	NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
ESA[show] Austria Belgium Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Ireland Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Portugal Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom	ESA (European Space Agency)
France	CNES (French Space Agency)
Japan	JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)
Russia	ROSCOSMOS (Russian Federal Space Agency)
Germany	DLR (German Aerospace Center)
China	CNSA (China National Space Administration)
India	ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization)
Italy	ASI (Italian Space Agency)
Iran	ISA (Iranian Space Agency)
United Kingdom	UKSA (UK Space Agency)
Brazil	AEB (Brazilian Space Agency)
Canada	CSA (Canadian Space Agency)
South Korea	KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute)
Ukraine	NSAU (National Space Agency of Ukraine)
Belgium	BISA (Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy)
Spain	INTA (Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial)
Sweden	SNSB (Swedish National Space Board)
Argentina	CONAE (Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales)
Pakistan	SUPARCO (Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission)
Netherlands	SRON (Netherlands Institute for Space Research)
Switzerland	SSO (Swiss Space Office)
Mexico	AEXA (Mexican Space Agency)

National Institutes of India

Research Institutions in India

Ahmedabad

Allahabad

Harish Chandra Research Institute

Bangalore

Barrackpore (W. B.)

Central Inland Capture Fisheries Research Institute

Bhopal

Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering

Bhubaneswar

Calcutta

Chandigarh

Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research

Chennai (Madras)

National Centre for Ultrafast Processes

National Institute of Ocean Technology

SPIC Science Foundation

Structural Engineering Research Centre

Delhi

Directorate of Wheat Research

Dehradun

Hyderabad

Indore

Center for Advanced Technology

Jammu

Regional Research Laboratory

Jhansi (U. P)

National Research Centre for Agroforestry

Jodhpur (Rajasthan)

Central Arid Zone Research Institute

Kanpur

Kasaragod

Central Plantation Crops Research Institute

Kharagpur

Indian Institute of Technology

Kochi

Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute

Lucknow

Mathura

Central Institute for Research on Goats

Mumbai (Bombay)

Palakkad

Fluid Control Research Institute

Palampur (H.P.)

Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology

Peechi

Kerala Forest Research Institute

Pilani

Puttur (Karnataka)

National Research Centre on Cashew

Pune

Roorkie (U. P.)

Central Building Research Institute

Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram)

Varanasi (U. P.)

Indian Institute of Vegetable Research

INSTITUTIONS AND CENTRES UNDER ICAR

Cenral Agricultural Research Institute, Port Blair
Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodpur, Rajasthan
Central Avian Research Institute, Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh
Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, West Bengal
Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Central Institute for Arid Horticulture, Bikaner, Rajasthan
Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture,Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar, Orissa
Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering & Technology, Ludhiana, Punjab
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi, Kerala
Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasaragod, Kerala.
Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Central Sheep & Wool Research Institute Avikanagar, Rajasthan
Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Delhi
ICAR Research Complex for Goa, Ela Old, Goa
Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore, Karnataka
Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
Indian Institute of Spices Research, Calicut, Kerala
Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Indian Institute of Natural Resins & Gums, Namkum, Ranchi
National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.

Bureaus
National Bureau of Ariimar Genetic Resources, Kamal, Haryana.
National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi.

National Research Centres
National Centre for Agril Economics & Policy Research, New Delhi
National Research Centre for Banana, Thiruchirappalli, Tamilnadu
National Research Centre for Cashew, Puttur. Karnataka
National Research Centre on Camel, Bikaner, Rajasthan
National Research Centre for Coldwater Fisheries, Bhimtal, Uttaranchal
National Research Centre on Equines, Hissar, Haryana
National Research Centre for Grapes, solapur, Maharashtra
National Research Centre for Groundnut, Junagadh, Gujarat
National Research Centre for Integrated Pest Management, New Delhi
National Research Centre for Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, Boriavi, Gujarat
National Research Centre for Mushroom, Solan, Himachal Pradesh
National Research Centre for Oilpalm, Pedavegi, Andhra Pradesh
National Research Centre for Orchids, Pakyang, Sikkim
National Research Centre for Weed Science, Madhya Pradesh

Thursday, January 27, 2011

The National Flag is a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (kesaria) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. The ratio of width of the flag to its length is two to three. In the centre of the white band is a navy-blue wheel which represents the chakra. Its design is that of the wheel which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. Its diameter approximates to the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes. The design of the National Flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 22 July 1947.

Apart from non-statutory instructions issued by the Government from time to time, display of the National Flag is governed by the provisions of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 (No. 12 of 1950) and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 (No. 69 of 1971). The Flag Code of India, 2002 is an attempt to bring together all such laws, conventions, practices and instructions for the guidance and benefit of all concerned.

The Flag Code of India, 2002, took effect from 26 January 2002 and superseded the 'Flag Code-Indias' as it existed. As per the provisions of the Flag Code of India, 2002, there are no restriction on the display of the National Flag by members of general public, private organisations, educational institutions, etc., except to the extent provided in the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 and any other law enacted on the subject.

State Emblem

The state emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. In the original, there are four lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the Capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dharma Chakra).

In the state emblem, adopted by the Government of India on 26 January 1950, only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden from view. The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the abacus with a bull on right and a horse on left and the outlines of other wheels on extreme right and left. The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted. The words Satyameva Jayate from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning 'Truth Alone Triumphs', are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script.

National Bird

The Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus, the national bird of India, is a colourful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck. The male of the species is more colourful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green tail of around 200 elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male and lacks the tail. The elaborate courtship dance of the male, fanning out the tail and preening its feathers is a gorgeous sight.

National Flower:

Lotus (Nelumbo Nucipera Gaertn) is the National Flower of India. It is a sacred flower and occupies a unique position in the art and mythology of ancient India and has been an auspicious symbol of Indian culture since time immemorial.

India is rich in flora. Currently available data place India in the tenth position in the world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity. From about 70 per cent geographical area surveyed so far, 47,000 species of plants have been described by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).

National Tree:

Indian fig tree, Ficus bengalensis, whose branches root themselves like new trees over a large area. The roots then give rise to more trunks and branches. Because of this characteristic and its longevity, this tree is considered immortal and is an integral part of the myths and legends of India. Even today, the banyan tree is the focal point of village life and the village council meets under the shade of this tree.

National River

The Ganga or Ganges is the longest river of India flowing over 2,510 kms of mountains, valleys and plains. It originates in the snowfields of the Gangotri Glacier in the Himalayas as the Bhagirathi River. It is later joined by other rivers such as the Alaknanda, Yamuna, Son, Gumti, Kosi and Ghagra. The Ganga river basin (External website that opens in a new window) is one of the most fertile and densely populated areas of the world and covers an area of 1,000,000 sq. kms. There are two dams on the river - one at Haridwar and the other at Farakka. The Ganges River Dolphin is an endangered animal that specifically habitats this river.

The Ganga is revered by Hindus as the most sacred river on earth. Key religious ceremonies are held on the banks of the river at cities such as Varanasi, Haridwar and Allahabad. The Ganga widens out into the Ganges Delta in the Sunderbans swamp of Bangladesh, before it ends its journey by emptying into the Bay of Bengal.

National Animal

The magnificent tiger, Panthera tigris is a striped animal. It has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes. The combination of grace, strength, agility and enormous power has earned the tiger its pride of place as the national animal of India. Out of eight races of the species known, the Indian race, the Royal Bengal Tiger, is found throughout the country except in the north-western region and also in the neighbouring countries, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. To check the dwindling population of tigers in India, 'Project Tiger' was launched in April 1973. So far, 27 tiger reserves have been established in the country under this project, covering an area of 37,761 sq km.

National Aquatic Animal

River Dolphin is the National Aquatic Animal of India. This mammal is also said to represent the purity of the holy Ganga as it can only survive in pure and fresh water. Platanista gangetica has a long pointed snout and also have visible teeth in both the upper and lower jaws. Their eyes lack a lens and therefore function solely as a means of detecting the direction of light. Dolphins tend to swim with one fin trailing along the substrate while rooting around with their beak to catch shrimp and fish. Dolphins have a fairly thick body with light grey-brown skin often with a hue of pink. The fins are large and the dorsal fin is triangular and undeveloped. This mammal has a forehead that rises steeply and has very small eyes. River Dolphins are solitary creatures and females tend to be larger than males. They are locally known as susu, because of the noise it makes while breathing. This species inhabits parts of the Ganges, Meghna and Brahmaputra rivers in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, and the Karnaphuli River in Bangladesh.

River dolphin is a critically endangered species in India and therefore, has been included in the Schedule I for the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The main reasons for decline in population of the species are poaching and habitat degradation due to declining flow, heavy siltation, construction of barrages causing physical barrier for this migratory species.

National Fruit

A fleshy fruit, eaten ripe or used green for pickles etc., of the tree Mangifera indica, the mango is one of the most important and widely cultivated fruits of the tropical world. Its juicy fruit is a rich source of Vitamins A, C and D. In India there are over 100 varieties of mangoes, in different sizes, shapes and colours. Mangoes have been cultivated in India from time immemorial. The poet Kalidasa sang its praises. Alexander savoured its taste, as did the Chinese pilgrim Hieun Tsang. Mughal emperor Akbar planted 100,000 mango trees in Darbhanga, Bihar at a place now known as Lakhi Bagh.

National Game

India has conquered the podium when it comes to the game of Hockey. Our nation has an excellent record with eight Olympic gold medals. Indian hockey's golden period was from 1928-56, when the Indian hockey team won six successive Olympic gold medals. Team also won the 1975 World Cup besides two more medals (silver and a bronze). The Indian Hockey Federation (External website that opens in a new window) gained global affiliation in 1927 and joined the International Hockey Federation (FIH) (External website that opens in a new window).

Thus began the history of Indian Hockey Federation as India entered the Olympics to begin its golden saga. The tour was a huge success with India winning 18 out of the 21 matches and the legendary Dhyan Chand was the cynosure of all the eyes scoring over 100 goals of the 192 Indian accounted for. The match began in Amsterdam in 1928 and India went on a winning spree in Los Angeles in 1932 and Berlin in 1936 and thus bagged a hat-trick of gold medals at the Olympics.

Post Indian Independence; the Indian team achieved another hat-trick of gold medals at the 1948 London Olympics, 1952 Helsinki Games and the Melbourne Olympics.

During the Golden Era, India played 24 Olympic matches, won all 24, scored 178 goals (at an average of 7.43 goals per match) and conceded only 7 goals. The two other gold medals for India came in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Currency Symbol:

The symbol of Indian Rupee typifies India's international identity for money transactions and economic strength. The Indian Rupee sign is an allegory of Indian ethos. The symbol is an amalgam of Devanagari "Ra" and the Roman Capital "R" with two parallel horizontal stripes running at the top representing the national flag and also the "equal to" sign. The Indian Rupee sign was adopted by the Government of India on 15^th July, 2010.

The symbol, conceptualised and designed by Udaya Kumar, a post graduate in Design from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, has been chosen from thousands of concept entries received by the Ministry of Finance through an open competition among resident Indian nationals. The process of establishing and implementing this new identity is underway through various digital technology and computer applications.

Recipients of Dadasaheb Phalke Award

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is an annual award given by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. It was instituted in 1969, the birth centenary year of Dadasaheb Phalke, considered the father of Indian cinema.

Following is the list of award winners:

Name of Awardee	Year	Occupation/Field
D. Ramanaidu	2009	Producer
V. K. Murthy	2008	Cinematographer
Manna Dey	2007	Playback Singer
Tapan Sinha	2006	Director
Shyam Benegal	2005	Director
Adoor Gopalakrishnan	2004	Director
Mrinal Sen	2003	Director
Dev Anand	2002	Actor, Director, Producer
Yash Chopra	2001	Director, Producer
Asha Bhosle	2000	Playback Singer
Hrishikesh Mukherjee	1999	Director
B.R. Chopra	1998	Director, Producer
Pradeep	1997	Lyricist
Sivaji Ganesan	1996	Actor
Rajkumar	1995	Actor
Dilip Kumar	1994	Actor
Majrooh Sultanpuri	1993	Lyricist
Bhupen Hazarika	1992	Director
Bhalji Pendharkar	1991	Director, Producer, Screenwriter
Akkineni Nageswara Rao	1990	Actor
Lata Mangeshkar	1989	Playback Singer
Ashok Kumar	1988	Actor
Raj Kapoor	1987	Actor, Director
B. Nagi Reddy	1986	Producer
V. Shantaram	1985	Actor, Director, Producer
Satyajit Ray	1984	Director
Durga Khote	1983	Actress
L. V. Prasad	1982	Actor, Director, Producer
Naushad Ali	1981	Music Director
Paidi Jairaj	1980	Actor, Director
Sohrab Modi	1979	Actor, Director, Producer
Rai Chand Boral	1978	Music Director, Director
Nitin Bose	1977	Cinematographer, Director, Screenwriter
Kanan Devi	1976	Actress
Dhirendranath Ganguly	1975	Actor, Director
Bomireddi Narasimha Reddy	1974	Director
Ruby Myers (Sulochana)	1973	Actress
Pankaj Mullick	1972	Music Director
Prithviraj Kapoor	1971	Actor (Posthumous)
B. N. Sircar	1970	Producer
Devika Rani Chaudhuri Roerich	1969	Actress

Recipients of Jnanpith Award

The Jnanpith Award is the highest literary award in India. It is presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith, a trust founded by the Sahu Jain family, the publishers of The Times of India newspaper. The Jnanpith Award is given to any Indian writer for his or her outstanding contribution in any of the 18 languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. It is given for outstanding contribution to creative writing in a specified period of 15 years but excluding the five years immediately preceding the year.

Following is the list of the Jnanpith Awardees, so far:

Laureates Awarded	Year	Language
Akhlaq Khan Shahryar	2008	Urdu
O. N. V. Kurup	2007	Malayalam
Satyavrat Shastri	2006	Sanskrit
Ravindra Kelekar	2006	Konkani
Kunwar Narain	2005	Hindi
Rahman Rahi	2004	Kashmiri
Vinda Karandikar	2003	Marathi
D. Jayakanthan	2002	Tamil
Rajendra Shah	2001	Gujarati
Indira Goswami	2000	Assamese
Nirmal Verma	1999	Hindi
Gurdial Singh	1999	Punjabi
Girish Karnad	1998	Kannada
Ali Sardar Jafri	1997	Urdu
Mahasveta Devi	1996	Bangla
M.T. Vasudevan Nair	1995	Malayalam
U.R. Anantha Murthy	1994	Kannada
Sitakant Mahapatra	1993	Oriya
Naresh Mehta	1992	Hindi
Subhash Mukhopadhyaya	1991	Bangla
V.K. Gokak	1990	Kannada
Qurratulain Hyder	1989	Urdu
C. Narayana Reddy	1988	Telugu
V.V.S. ‘Kusumagraj’	1987	Marathi
Satchidanand Rautroy	1986	Oriya
Pannalal Patel	1985	Gujarati
Thakazhi S. Pillai	1984	Malayalam
Masti V. Iyengar	1983	Kannada
Mahadevi Varma	1982	Hindi
Amrita Pritam	1981	Punjabi
S.K. Pottekkatt	1980	Malayalam,
B.K. Bhattacharya	1979	Assamese
S.H.V. Ajneya	1978	Hindi
K.S. Karanth	1977	Kannada
Ashapurna Devi	1976	Bangla
P.V. Akilandam	1975	Tamil
V.S. Khandekar	1974	Marathi
D.R. Bendre	1973	Kannada,
Gopinath Mohanty	1973	Oriya
Ramdhari Singh `Dinkar’	1972	Hindi
Bishnu Dey	1971	Bangla
V. Satyanarayana	1970	Telugu
Firaq Gorakhpuri	1969	Urdu
Sumitranandan Pant	1968	Hindi
Uma Shankar Joshi	1967	Gujarati
K.V. Puttappa	1967	Kannada
T.S. Bandyopadhyaya	1966	Bangla
G. Sankara Kurup	1965	Malayalam

Name of Chief Guests at Republic Day of India

Chief Guests at Republic Day of India (26th January Parades): Since 1950, India has been hosting head of state or government of another country as the state guest of honour for Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi. Since 1955 parade is being presenting at Rajpath. The guest country is chosen after a deliberation of strategic, economic and political interests.

Following is the list of all Chief guest invited to attend Republic Day of India (26th January) since 1950 to 2011:

Year	Chief Guest Name	Country
1950	President Sukarno	Indonesia
1951
1952
1953
1954	King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck	Bhutan
1955	Governor General Malik Ghulam Muhammad (first guest for parade at Rajpath)	Pakistan
1956
1957
1958	Marshall Ye Jianying	People’s Republic of China
1959
1960	President Kliment Voroshilov	Soviet Union
1961	Queen Elizabeth II	United Kingdom
1962
1963	King Norodom Sihanouk	Cambodia
1964
1965	Food and Agriculture Minister Rana Abdul Hamid	Pakistan
1966
1967
1968	Prime Minister Alexei Kosygin and President Josip Broz Tito	Soviet Union Yugoslavia
1969	Prime Minister of Bulgaria Todor Zhivkov	Bulgaria
1970
1971	President Julius Nyerere	Tanzania
1972	Prime Minister Seewoosagur Ramgoolam	Mauritius
1973	President Mobutu Sese Seko	Zaire
1974	President Josip Broz Tito and Prime Minister Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike	Yugoslavia Sri Lanka
1975	President Kenneth Kaunda	Zambia
1976	Prime Minister Jacques Chirac	France
1977	First Secretary Edward Gierek	Poland
1978	President Patrick Hillery	Ireland
1979	Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser	Australia
1980	President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing	France
1981	President Jose Lopez Portillo	Mexico
1982	King Juan Carlos I	Spain
1983	President Shehu Shagari	Nigeria
1984	King Jigme Singye Wangchuck	Bhutan
1985	President Raúl Alfonsín	Argentina
1986	Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou	Greece
1987	President Alan Garcia	Peru
1988	President Junius Jayewardene	Sri Lanka
1989	General Secretary Nguyen Van Linh	Vietnam
1990	Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth	Mauritius
1991	President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom	Maldives
1992	President Mário Soares	Portugal
1993	Prime Minister John Major	United Kingdom
1994	Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong	Singapore
1995	President Nelson Mandela	South Africa
1996	President Dr. Fernando Henrique Cardoso	Brazil
1997	Prime Minister Basdeo Panday	Trinidad and Tobago
1998	President Jacques Chirac	France
1999	King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev	Nepal
2000	President Olusegun Obasanjo	Nigeria
2001	President Abdelaziz Bouteflika	Algeria
2002	President Cassam Uteem	Mauritius
2003	President Mohammed Khatami	Iran
2004	President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva	Brazil
2005	King Jigme Singye Wangchuck	Bhutan
2006	King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud	Saudi Arabia
2007	President Vladimir Putin	Russia
2008	President Nicolas Sarkozy	France
2009	President Nursultan Nazarbayev	Kazakhstan
2010	President Lee Myung Bak	Republic of Korea
2011	President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono	Indonesia

Monday, January 24, 2011

LIST OF INDIAN STATE FLOWERS

State	Common name	Scientific name
Andhra Pradesh	Nelumbo Water lily
Arunachal Pradesh	Lady's Slipper
Assam	Foxtail Orchids	Rhynchostylis gigantea
Bihar	White Orchid-tree	Bauhinia acuminata


Gujarat	MARIGOLD (GALGOTA)
Haryana	Lotus	Nelumbo nucifera
Himachal Pradesh	Rhododendron
Jammu and Kashmir	Common Rhododendron	Rhododendron ponticum
Jharkhand	Parrot Tree	Butea monosperma
Karnataka	Lotus	Nelumbo nucifera
Kerala	Golden Shower Tree	Cassia fistula

Meghalaya	Lady's Slipper
Madhya Pradesh	Parrot Tree	Butea monosperma
Maharashtra	Jarul	Lagerstroemia speciosa
Manipur	Siroi Lily	Lilium mackliniae
Mizoram	Red Vanda
Nagaland	Rhododendron
Orissa	Lotus	Nelumbo nucifera


Rajasthan	Rohira	Tecomella undulata
Sikkim	Noble orchid	Cymbidium goeringii
Tamil Nadu	Glory lily	Gloriosa superba
Tripura	Nag Kesar	Mesua ferrea
Uttarakhand	Brahma Kamal	Saussurea obvallata
Uttar Pradesh	Brahma Kamal	Saussurea obvallata
West Bengal	Night-flowering Jasmine	Nyctanthes arbor-tristis