Wednesday, July 25, 2012

India’s Five Year Plans at a Glance

The Five Year Plans
The development plans are drawn by the Planning Commission to establish India’s economy on a socialistic pattern in successive phases of five year Periods-called the Five Year Plans.

Major Bodies Behind the Making of Five Year Plans
The organisation was set up to formulate basic economic policies, draft plans and watch its progress and implementation. It consists of:
(I) Planning Commission of India
(ii) National Planning Council
(iii) National Development Council and State Planning Commissions
DETAILS OF THE FIVE YEAR PLANS
FIRST FIVE YEAR PLAN (1951-56)
In July 1951, the Planning Commission issued the draft outline of the First Five Year Plan for the period April 1951 to March 1956. It was presented to the Parliament in December 1952. In the First Plan, agriculture received the main thrust, for sustaining of growth and development of industries which would not be possible without a significant rise in the yield of raw materials and food.
Objectives:
i) To increase food production.
ii) To fully utilise available raw materials.
iii) To check inflationary pressure.
Outlay: The total proposed outlay was Rs. 3,870 crore.
SECOND FIVE YEAR PLAN (1956-61)
The main objective was to launch upon industrialisation and strengthen the industrial base of the economy. It was in this light that the 1948 Industrial Policy Resolution was revised and a new resolution of 1956 was adopted. The Second Plan started with an emphasis on the expansion of the public sector and aimed at the establishment of a socialistic pattern of society.

Objectives:
i) A sizeable increase in national income so as to raise the level of living.
ii) Rapid industrialisation of the country with particular emphasis on the development of basic and key industries.
Outlay: The Second Plan proposed a total public sector outlay of Rs. 4,800 crores though actual outlay was only Rs. 4,672 crore.
THIRD FIVE YEAR PLAN (1961-66)
In the third Plan, the emphasis was on long-term development. The Third Plan report stated that during the five-year period concerned, the Indian economy “must not only expand rapidly but, at the same time, become self-reliant and self-generating.”
Objectives:
i) An increase in national income of more than 5 per cent annually. The investment pattern laid down must be capable of sustaining this growth rate in the subsequent years.
ii) An increase in the agricultural produce and to achieve self sufficiency by increasing food grain production.
iii) Greater equality of opportunities, more even distribution of economic power and reducing wealth and income disparities.
FOURTH FIVE YEAR PLAN (1969-74)
After the ‘Plan Holiday’, the Fourth Plan was begun in 1969.
Objectives:
i) To achieve stability and progress towards self-reliance.
ii) To achieve an overall rate of growth of 5.7 per cent annually.
iii) To raise exports at the rate of 7 per cent annually.
Outlay: The total proposed outlay was Rs. 24,880 crore, which included Rs. 15,900 crores as public sector outlay and Rs. 8,980 crore as private sector outlay.
FIFTH FIVE YEAR PLAN (1974-79)
The Plan was formulated against the background of sever inflationary pressure.
Objectives: In addition to removal of poverty and attainment of self-reliance, the Fifth Plan had the following major objectives.
i) 5.5 per cent overall rate of growth in Gross Domestic objectives.
ii) Expansion of productive employment and fuller utilisation of existing skills and equipment.
iii) A national programme for minimum needs and extended programmes of social welfare.
Outlay: A total outlay of Rs. 53,410 crore was proposed for the Fifth Plan.
SIXTH FIVE YEAR PLAN (1980-85)
The draft of the Sixth Five Year Plan (1978-1983) was presented in 1978. However, the plan was terminated with the change of Government in January 1980. The new Sixth Five Year Plan was implemented in April 1980.

Objectives:
i) To eliminate unemployment and underemployment.
ii) To raise the standard of living of the poorest of masses.
iii) To reduce disparities in income and wealth.
Outlay: The proposed outlay for the Sixth Plan totalled Rs.1, 58, 710 crore.
SEVENTH FIVE YEAR PLAN (1985-90)
The draft of the Seventh Plan was approved on November 9, 1985 by the National Development Council. The plan was part of the long-term plan for the period of 15 years.

Objectives:
i) Decentralisation of planning and full public participation in development.
ii) The maximum possible generation of productive employment.
iii) Removal of poverty and reduction in income disparities.
EIGHTH FIVE YEAR PLAN (1992-97)
The Eighth Plan proposed a growth rate of 5.6 per cent per annum on an average during the plan period. The Eighth Plan focused on (i) clear prioritisation of sectors/projects for investment in order to facilitate implementation of the policy initiatives taken in the areas of fiscal, trade and industrial sectors and human development.

Objectives:
i) Generation of adequate employment of achieve near full employment level by the turn of the century.
ii) Containment of population growth through people’s active co-operation and an effective scheme of incentives and disincentives.
iii) Universalisation of elementary education and complete eradication of illiteracy among the people in the age group of 15 to 35 years.
THE NINTH FIVE-YEAR PLAN (1997-2002)
It began on April 1, 1997. The Ninth Plan was the first concrete attempt to translate the programme of economic reforms and the New Economic Policy within the framework of an indicative Plan. The Approach Paper to the Ninth Plan (1997-2002) was approved by the N.D.C. on 16th January, 1997.
Objectives:
i.) Priority to agriculture and rural development
ii.) Accelerating growth rate of economy
iii.) Food and nutritional security for all
iv.) Containing growth rate of population
v.) Empowerment of women and socially disadvantaged groups such as SC/ST, backward classes and minorities.
vi.) Promoting and developing participatory institutions like “Panchayati Raj” institutions, co-operatives and self-help groups.
TENTH FIVE YEAR PLAN (2002-07)
On December 21, 2002, the Tenth Five Year Plan was approved by the National Development Council (NDC). The Plan has further developed the NDC mandated objectives, of doubling per capita income in 10 years, and achieving a growth rate of 8% of GDP per annum. An 8% growth rate is considered necessary for achieving the social and economic targets of Tenth Plan Keeping in mind decadal growth performance and the steady acceleration that the country has recorded in growth over the past two decades, it is a realisable target. The plan has a number of new features, such as, for the first time
(a) It recognises the rapid growth of labour force over the next decade
(b) Addresses the issue of poverty and the unacceptably low levels of social indicators
(c) Adopted a “differential development strategy” to equate national targets into balanced regional development as there is vast difference in the potentials and constraints of each state
(d) Recognises that the governance is perhaps one of the most important factors for ensuring realisation of the Plan
(e) Identifies measures to improve efficiency, unleash entrepreneurial energy, and promote rapid and sustainable growth
(f) Proposes major reforms for agricultural sector making ‘agriculture’ the core element of the Plan.
Since economic growth is not the only objective, the Plan aims at harnessing the benefits of growth to improve the quality of life of the people by setting the following key targets:
1. All children to be in school by 2003 and all children to complete five years of schooling by 2007
2. Reduction in poverty ratio from 26% to 21%
3. Growth in gainful employment to, at least, keep pace with addition to the labour force
4. Decadal population growth to reduce from 21.3% in 1991-2001 to 16.2% by 2001-11
5. Reducing gender gaps in literacy and wage rates by 50%
6. Literacy rate to increase from 65% in 1999-2000 to 75% in 2001
7. Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) to be reduced from 72 in 1999-2000, to 45 in 2007
8. .Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) to be reduced from 4 per 1000 in 1999-2000 to 2 per 1000 in 2007
9. Providing portable drinking water in all villages
10. Cleaning of major polluted river stretches
11. Increase in forest/tree cover from 19% in 1999-2000 to 25% in 2007
ELEVENTH PLAN (2007-2012)
The United Progressive Alliance government issued a paper in the eleventh plan titled “Towards faster and more inclusive growth.” According to the approach paper, the monitorable targets of five-year plan are:
1. GDP growth rate to be increased to 10% by the end of the plan;
2. Farm sector growth to be increased to 4%;
3. Creation of seven crore job opportunities;
4. Reduce educated unemployed youth to below 5 percent
5. Infant mortality rates to be reduced to 28 per 1000 births;
6. Maternal death rates to be reduced to 1 per 1000 births;
7. Clean drinking water to all by 2009;
8. Improve sex ratio to 935 by 2011-12 and to 950 by 2016-17;
9. Ensure electricity connection to all villages and broadband over power lines (BPL) households by 2009
10. Roads to all villages that have a population of 1000 and above by 2009;
11. Increase forest and tree cover by 5%;
12. Achieve the World Health Organization standard air quality in major cities by 2011-12;
13. Treat all urban wastewater by 2011-12 to clean river waters;
14. Increase energy efficiency by 20 percent by 2016-17

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

List of Languages in India State Wise

India has 22 languages which have been given the grade of National Languages.


Name of State/Union Territory Major Language Spoken Other Languages Spoken
Jammu and Kashmir Kashmiri Dogri and Hindi
Himachal Pradesh Hindi Punjabi and Nepali
Punjab Punjabi Hindi
Uttrakhand Hindi Urdu, Punjabi and Nepali
Haryana Hindi Punjabi and Urdu
Delhi Hindi Punjabi, Urdu and Bengali
Uttar Pradesh Hindi Urdu
Rajasthan Hindi Punjabi and Urdu
Madhya Pradesh Hindi Marathi and Urdu
Chhattisgarh Hindi Bengali and Oriya
Bihar Hindi Maithili and Urdu
Jharkhand Hindi Santali, Bengali and Urdu
West Bengal Bengali Hindi, Santali, Urdu, Nepali
Sikkim Nepali Hindi, Bengali
Assam Assamese Bengali, Hindi, Bodo and Nepali
Arunachal Pradesh Bengali Nepali, Hindi and Assamese
Nagaland Bengali Hindi and Nepali
Mizoram Bengali Hindi and Nepali
Tripura Bengali Hindi
Meghalaya Bengali Hindi and Nepali
Manipur Manipuri Nepali, Hindi and Bengali
Odisha Oriya Hindi, Telegu and Santali
Maharashtra Marathi Hindi, Urdu and Gujarati
Gujarat Gujarati Hindi, Sindhi, Marathi and Urdu
Daman and Diu Gujarati Hindi and Marathi
Dadra and Nagar Haveli Gujarati Hindi, Konkani and Marathi
Goa Konkani Marathi, Hindi and Kannada
Karnataka Kannada Urdu, Telugu, Marathi and Tamil
Andhra Pradesh Telugu Urdu, Hindi and Tamil
Kerala Malayalam None
Lakshadweep Islands Malayalam None
Tamil Nadu Tamil Telugu, Kannada and Urdu
Puducherry Tamil Telugu, Kannada and Urdu
Andaman and Nicobar Islands Bengali Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam

Different Types of Awards (India & World)

Nobel Prize
• It is the most coveted international award of the world.
• It was instituted by the inventor of dynamite, Alfred Bernard Nobel (1833-96)
• The award is given on Dec.10, which is the death anniversary of its founder.
• Nobel made a trust from the money that he earned through the patent of his invention whose interest is used to give the money for the Nobel Prizes.
• Nobel Prize is given every year to those eminent person who have made pioneering achievements in the field of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Peace, Literature and Economics.
• Apart from Economics, all other categories have been given since 1901. Economics Nobel Prize was in 1967 and was first given in 1969.

Other Awards and Prizes
Pulitzer Prize
• It was instituted in 1970 and named after the US Publisher Joseph Pulitzer.
• It is conferred annually in the USA for accomplishments in journalism, literature and music.

Magsaysay Awards
• They were instituted in 1957 and named after Ramon Magsaysay, the late President of Philippines, who died in an air crash.
• This award is given annually on August 31, for outstanding contributions to Public service, community leadership, journalism, literature and creative arts and international understanding.
• They are often regarding as the Nobel Prize of Asia.

Booker Prize
• It is the highest literary award given to the authors of British, Irish and Commonwealth countries.
• It is instituted in 1968 by the Booker Company and the British Publishers Association along the lines of Pulitzer Prize of US.
• Booker Prize has been renamed as Man Booker Prize, as the sponsorship has been taken by the Man Group, an international stockbroker.

Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding
• It was instituted in 1965 by the Government of India.
• It is given annually to persons for outstanding contributions to the promotion of international understanding and goodwill among the people of the world.

Oscar Awards
• These awards were instituted in 1929 and conferred annually by the Academy of Motion Pictures in USA.
• These are considered the most prestigious award in the cinema world.
• The first Indian to get an Oscar was Bhanu Athaiya for the movie ‘Gandhi’.
• Satyajit Ray was the First Indian who was awarded Oscar for lifetime achievements in cinema in 1992.

Right Livelihood Award
• It was instituted in 1980 by the Right Livelihood Society, London.
• It is renowned as alternate Nobel Award to promote and contribute in the field of environment and social justice.

Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize
• It was instituted in 1995 by the Government of India.
• It is presented for international peace on the lines of Nobel Prize.

UNESCO Peace Prize
• It is presented by United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for extraordinary contribution for international peace.

UNESCO Human Right Award
• It is also presented by UNESCO for contributions in the field of Human Rights Awareness.
• It is given every alternate year.

UN Human Right Award
• It is presented by United Nation (UN) for personal contribution for the cause of human rights.
• It is presented every sixth year.

World Food Prize
• It is presented by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), one of the branches of UNO, for the cause of agriculture and food development.

Olympic Gold Order
• It is presented by the International Olympic Committee for distinguished services in the development of the OLYMPIC MOVEMENT.

Indira Gandhi Award for International Peace, Disarmament and Development
• It is presented by Indira Gandhi Memorial Fund for specialized contribution in the filed of International disarmament and development.

Bharat Ratna
• It is the highest civilian award of India. It is presented by the Government of India.
• It is presented for exceptional public service and rarest achievements in the field of art, literature and science.
• It was instituted in 1954 and the first recipient was Dr. Radhakrishnan.
Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award for distinguished services in any field including Government service.
Padma Bhushan and Padma Shree are the other important civilian awards.

Bhartiya Jnanpeeth Awards
• It was instituted in 1965 and is given for distinguished works in any reconised language by a scholar.

Sahitya Akademi Award
• It was instituted in 1955 and is given for any exclusive writing in any of the 22 languages including English literature during last 5 years.

Murtidevi Award
• It was constituted in 1948 and is given in any Indian language or English literature, for distinguished contribution to Indian values.

Saraswati Samman
• It was instituted in 1991 by the K. K. Birla Foundation and is given for any distinguished literary work made during last 10 years in any of the Indian language.

Tansen Awards
• These awards are given by the Government of Madhya Pradesh for the outstanding contribution in the field of music.

Vyas Samman
• It was instituted in 1992 by K. K. Birla Foundation for outstanding contribution to Hindi literature.

Iqbal Samman
• These awards are given by the Government of Madhya Pradesh for the outstanding contribution in the field of literature.

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards
• These awards are given to the Indian scientist for their exceptional performance.

R. D. Birla Award
• These awards are given in the field of medical sciences.

Dhanvantri Award
• These awards are given for the extra ordinary performance in medical sciences.

Arjuna Awards
• These were instituted in 1961and given by Sports Ministry, Government of India.
• These are given for the special achievements in different types of sports.

Dronacharya Awards
• These were instituted in 1985 and given by Sports Ministry, Government of India.
• These are given to sports coaches.

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
• It was instituted in 1962 and is presented for commendable display by the players.

Gallantry Awards
Param Vir Chakra : It is India’s highest award for bravery.
Mahavir Chakra : It is the second highest gallantry award.
Vir Chakra : It is the third highest gallantry award.
Ashok Chakra : It is the highest peace-time gallantry award.

Famous Historical Monuments of India

NamePlaceBuilt by
Ajanta- Ellora CavesAurangabad (Maharashtra) Gupta rulers
Aram BaghAgra (UP) Babur
Agra FortAgra (UP) Akbar
Akbar’s Mausoleum Sikandra (UP) Akbar
Itmad-ud-daula FortAgra (UP) Noorjahan
Anand BhawanAllahabad (UP) Motilal Nehru
Bada ImambaraLucknow (UP) Asaf-ud-daula
Bharatpur FortBharatpur (Rajasthan) Raja Surajmal Singh
Bibi Ka MaqbaraAurangabad (Maharashtra) Aurangzeb
CharMinarHyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) Quli Qutub Shah
Charar-e- SharJammu & KashmirZainul Abedin
Chhota ImambaraLucknow (UP) Muhammad Ali Shah
Dargah Ajmer SharifAjmer (Rajasthan) Sultan Shyasuddin
Dilwara’s Jain TempleMount Abu (Rajasthan) Siddharaja
Deewan-e- KhasAgra Fort (UP) Shahjahan
Adhai Din Ka JhopraAjmer (Rajasthan) Qutubuddin Aibak
Elephanta’s caveMumbai (Maharashtra) Rashtrakuta rulers
Fatehpur SikriAgra (UP) Akbar
Ferozshah KotlaDelhiFerozshan Tughlaq
GolgharPatna (Bihar) British Govt.
Gateway of IndiaMumbai (Maharashtra) British Govt.
Hauz KhasDelhiAlauddin Khilji
Hawa MahalJaipur (Rajasthan) Maharaja Pratap Singh
Humayun’s TombDelhiHumayun’s wife
Jama MasjidAgra (UP) Shahjahan
Jama masjidDelhiShahjahan
Jagannath TemplePuri (Odisha) Anantvarman Ganga
Jantar-MantarDelhiSawai Jai Singh
Jaigarh FortJaipur (Rajasthan) Sawai Jai Singh
Jim Corbett ParkNainital (Uttarakhand) Sir Malcom Hailley
Jodhpur FortJodhpur (Rajasthan) Rao Jodhaji
Kanheri’s FortMumbai (Maharashtra) Buddhists
Khirki MasjidDelhiGhyasuddin Tughlaq
Lal BaghBangaluru (Karnataka) Hyder Ali
Lakshmi Narayan TempleDelhiBirla Family
Makka MasjidHyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) Quli Qutub Shah
Moti MasjidAgra Fort (UP) Shahjahan
Moti MasjidDelhi FortAurangzeb
Nahargarh FortJaipur (Rajasthan) Sawai Jai Singh
Nishat GardenSrinagar (J & K) Asaf Ali
Purana QilaDelhiShershan Suri
Pathar Ki MasjidPatna (Bihar) Pervez Shah
President HouseDelhiBritish Govt.
Qutub MinarDelhiQutubuddin Aibak
Red FortDelhiShahjahan
Safdar Jung TombDelhiShuja-ud-daula
Sabarmati AshramAhmadabad (Gujarat) Mahatma Gandhi
ShantiniketanWest BengalRabindra Nath Tagore
Shish MahalAgra (UP) Shahjahan
Shalimar GardenSrinagar (J & K) Jahangir
Shershah’s TombSasaram (Bihar) Shershah’s son
Saint George FortChennai (Tamil Nadu) East India Company
Sati BuriMathura (UP) Raja Bhagwan Das
Sun TempleKornak (Odisha) Narsimhadeva I
Swarna Mandir (Golden Temple) Amritsar (Punjab)Guru Ramdas
TajmahalAgra (UP) Shahjahan
Vellure MathKolkata (West Bengal) Swami Vivekanand
Victoria MemorialKolkata (West Bengal) British Govt.
Vishnupad TempleGaya (Bihar) Rani Ahiliabai
Vijaya StambhaChittorgarh (Rajasthan) Maharana Kumbha

United Nations in India


The United Nations in India is led by the UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Patrice Coeur-Bizot, who is the designated representative of the UN Secretary General and leader of the UN Country Team.   The UN Country Team, which consists of Heads of UN Agencies, steers the work of the UN within India.  The Resident Coordinator mechanism focuses on Joint Programmes, Teams (security, disaster, operations, AHI), Advocacy with national and provincial elected representatives, UNDAF common programming, planning and monitoring, resource mobilization, HACT and popularizing and localizing MDGs.
The UN in India has harmonized the UNDAF with national goals as articulated in the 11th Five-year Plan of the Government of India to facilitate ‘inclusive growth’.   Accordingly, the UNDAF India 2008-2012 focuses on delivering results to the excluded groups, especially women and girls, and was approved by the Planning Commission, Government of India in February 2007.
The following is a brief note on individual UN entity’s priority areas in India. 
APCTT: The APCTT works on technology transfer services, technology capacity-building, promotion and management of innovation as well as sub-regional and regional networking.
ESCAP: UNESCAP is the regional development arm of the UN and serves as the main economic and social development centre for the UN in Asia and the Pacific. The mandate of UNESCAP is to foster cooperation between its 53 members and nine associate members. In December 2011, ESCAP set up its sub-regional office for South and South West Asia (SRO-SSWA) in New Delhi, launched with a high-level policy dialogue on development challenges facing the sub-region. The SRO-SSWA strives to facilitate regional economic cooperation and the sharing of development experiences in support of MDG achievement with a focus on least developed countries within the sub-region. It serves 10 countries in the sub-region, namely: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Turkey.
FAO: FAO focuses on technical assistance in facilitating multi-lateral cooperatio0n to reduce the risk to food security and economic growth, offering support to the national government in strengthening the implementation of national missions and programmes aimed at reducing poverty and piloting innovative approaches and piloting innovative approaches with governments, NGOs and private sector in agricultural and rural development. 
IFAD: IFAD’s focus is on providing access to improved livelihood opportunities for tribal communities in semi-arid areas, microfinance services, and use of new technologies for agriculture to help reduce poverty.
IFC:   IFC has doubled its budget in the area of its main focus- infrastructure- to $600 million.  Areas of work are natural gas, wind power, port services, and developing PPP in infrastructure sector.
ILO: The overarching goal of ILO work is Decent Work (DW), i.e., promoting opportunities for all women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and dignity. ILO’s Programme has been finalized jointly with its partners – Government, employers and workers.
IMF: The focus of IMF's work is to facilitate the flow of information between the Government of India, the Reserve Bank of India and the IMF and train officials from RBI, national and state governments.
UNAIDS: The UNAIDS in India coordinates technical support with all development partners for implementation of  the third five-year phase of the National AIDS Control Programme. It also generates strategic information to track and monitor the epidemic.
UNODC: UNODC activities in India focus on drug abuse awareness, preventing transmission of HIV, precursor chemical control, human trafficking and in new areas such as prison reforms, migrants and anti corruption.
UNDP:  UNDP works to support Government at all levels and communities in villages and towns on inclusive governance, livelihoods promotion, stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS. In areas prone to natural disasters, UNDP helps further efforts aimed at building the resilience of communities at risk. UNDP is committed to help India achieve MDGs as well as the national objectives articulated in consecutive Five-Year Plans.
UNESCO: UNESCO’s work in India focuses on capacity building in the areas of education, natural, social and human sciences, heritage sites, culture and strengthening communication and information capacities
UNIC: The UNIC was the first United Nations office to be established in India and also covers Bhutan.  UNIC's work includes informing media, governments, NGOs, academia and general public about the work of the United Nations. 
UNFPA: UNFPA works within the SWAP on the Reproductive and Child Health programme (RCH II) within the rubric of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) till 2010.  UNFPA, in addition, provides support for addressing pre-natal sex selection and gender based violence, improving adolescent sexual and reproductive health, promoting safe sexual behaviour, mainstreaming RH and gender in disaster response, and promoting population and development strategies.
UNHCR: The UNHCR protects and assists some 11,500 refugees in India.   While India is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its Protocol of 1967, it has been a member of UNHCR’s Executive Committee in Geneva since 1996. 
UNICEF: The India Country Programme is UNICEF’s largest country programme of cooperation. The overall goal of the Country Programme is to advance the fulfillment of the rights of all women and children in India to survival, development, participation and protection by reducing social inequalities based on gender, caste, ethnicity or region.
UNIDO: The UNIDO’s Regional Office for South Asia acts to mobilize knowledge, information, skills and technology to promote competitive industry, productive employment and sound environment.
UN Women: Advancement of women’s rights being the centre of all its efforts, UN Women focuses its activities on three strategic areas: i) Enhancing women’s economic security and rights; ii)  Reducing prevalence of violence against women and HIV/AIDS  iii) Advancing gender justice in democratic governance and iv) capacity building of women elected representatives.
UNMOGIP: The UNMOGIP observes developments pertaining to the adherence of the cease-fire of December 1971 and report these to the Secretary-General. Based in both India and Pakistan, UNMOGIP has field stations , Liaison Office in New Delhi (India) administrative and Logistics HQ in Rawalpindi (Pakistan), and Operational HQ (alternates six-Monthly between Rawalpindi (Pakistan) and Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir).
UNOPS: UNOPS’ India Procurement Office (IPO) has been operating from New Delhi since September 2007.  It operates, currently, as a procurement agent for Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
WB: The World Bank’s Country Strategy for 2009-2012 focuses on helping the country to fast- track the development of much needed infrastructure and to support the seven poorest states achieve higher standards of living. 
WFP: The World Food Programme’s Country Programme (2008-12) has three major components I) capacity development to improve the performance of food based schemes ii) Improving nutritional status of women and children through fortification initiatives and support to the ICDS and iii) )Improving food security by creating assets and reducing vulnerability through food for work projects.
WHO: In India, WHO provides technical assistance and collaborates with the Government of India and major stakeholders in health development efforts. It assists notably in Policy Development; Capacity Building and Advocacy. The four main strategic objectives of WHO in India are:  (i)  reduce the burden of communicable and emerging diseases;  (ii) promote maternal and child health;  (iii) scale up prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) ; and  (iv) strengthen health systems development within the national and global environment, with a focus on human resources.
UNCTAD: UNCTAD assists Indian policy makers (the Ministry of Commerce, area focus ministries like textiles, small scale industry, women and child development and local governments) and other stakeholders (industry, civil society) in understanding the developmental dimension of key trade issues, as they relate to negotiations in the WTO and other trading arrangements.
UN HABITAT: The Programme focuses on: i) Pro-poor Urban Water Governance, ii) Urban Water Demand Management, iii) Integrated Urban Environmental Sanitation, and iv) Creation of income generation opportunities for the urban poor by involving them in the management and delivery of community-based water and sanitation services.
UN Millennium Campaign: The UNMC works in close collaboration with the UNRC mechanism for promoting MDGs, especially focusing on civil society initiatives.
ITC, Geneva: International Trade Centre, Geneva has operations in India and works as a Non Resident Agency.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Prime Ministers of India

Name Tenure Party
Dr. Manmohan Singh May 22, 2004 - till date INC
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee March 19, 1998 - May 22, 2004 Bharatiya Janata Party
Shri Inder Kumar Gujral April 21, 1997 - March 19, 1998 Janata Dal
Shri H. D. Deve Gowda June 1, 1996 - April 21, 1997 Janata Dal
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee May 16, 1996 - June 1, 1996 Bharatiya Janata Party
Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao June 21, 1991- May 16, 1996 Congress (I)
Shri Chandra Shekhar November 10, 1990 - June 21, 1991 Janata Dal (S)
Shri Vishwanath Pratap Singh December 2, 1989 - November 10, 1990 Janata Dal
Shri Rajiv Gandhi October 31, 1984 - December 2, 1989 Congress (I)
Mrs. Indira Gandhi January 14, 1980 - October 31, 1984 Congress (I)
Shri Charan Singh July 28, 1979 - January 14, 1980 Janata Party
Shri Morarji Desai March 24, 1977 - July 28, 1979 Janata Party
Mrs. Indira Gandhi January 24, 1966 - March 24, 1977 Congress
Shri Gulzari Lal Nanda January 11, 1966 - January 24, 1966 Congress
Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri June 9, 1964 - January 11, 1966 Congress
Shri Gulzari Lal Nanda May 27, 1964 - June 9, 1964 Congress
Shri Jawaharlal Nehru August 15, 1947 - May 27, 1964 Congress

Friday, July 13, 2012

World Heritage Sites

World Heritage Sites are extremely exceptional cultural and natural properties nominated voluntarily by signatory nations, which have been approved for inclusion in the List by the World Heritage Committee.

In 1972, worldwide concern over the potential destruction of the Earth’s cultural and natural heritage led the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to establish an international treaty called the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. More commonly known as the World Heritage Convention, it aims to identify, celebrate and protect the Earth’s irreplaceable natural and cultural heritage, and to ensure it is conserved for all people, for all time.

For the purposes of the World Heritage Convention, the following are considered as "cultural heritage":

a) Monuments: architectural works, works of monumental sculpture and painting, elements or structures of an archaeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings and combinations of features, which are of outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, art or science;
b) Groups of buildings: groups of separate or connected buildings which, because of their architecture, their homogeneity or their place in the landscape, are of outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, art or science;
c) Sites: works of man or the combined works of nature and of man, and areas including archaeological sites which are of outstanding universal value from the historical, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological points of view.

For the purposes of the World Heritage Convention, the following are considered as "natural heritage":

a) Natural features consisting of physical and biological formations or groups of such formations, which are of outstanding universal value from the aesthetic or scientific point of view;
b) Geological and physiographical formations and precisely delineated areas which constitute the habitat of threatened species of animals and plants of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation;
c) Natural sites or precisely delineated natural areas of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty.

Benefits

A key benefit of ratification, particularly for developing countries, is access to the World Heritage Fund. Annually, about US$4 million is made available to assist States Parties in identifying, preserving and promoting World Heritage sites. Emergency assistance may also be made available for urgent action to repair damage caused by human-made or natural disasters. In the case of sites included on the List of World Heritage in Danger, the attention and the funds of both the national and the international community are focused on the conservation needs of these particularly threatened sites.

Sites inscribed on the World Heritage List also benefit from the elaboration and implementation of a comprehensive management plan that sets out adequate preservation measures and monitoring mechanisms. In support of these, experts offer technical training to the local site management team.

Finally, the inscription of a site on the World Heritage List brings an increase in public awareness of the site and of its outstanding values, thus also increasing the tourist activities at the site.

The Convention sets out the duties of States Parties in identifying potential sites and their role in protecting and preserving them. By signing the Convention, each country pledges to conserve not only the World Heritage sites situated on its territory, but also to protect its national heritage. The States Parties are encouraged to integrate the protection of the cultural and natural heritage into regional planning programmes, set up staff and services at their sites, undertake scientific and technical conservation research and adopt measures which give this heritage a function in the day-to-day life of the community.

The Convention stipulates the obligation of States Parties to report regularly to the World Heritage Committee on the state of conservation of their World Heritage properties. These reports are crucial to the work of the Committee as they enable it to assess the conditions of the sites, decide on specific programme needs and resolve recurrent problems. It also encourages States Parties to strengthen the appreciation of the public for World Heritage properties and to enhance their protection through educational and information programmes.

Western Ghats has been declared as World Heritage

A cluster of sites from the Western Ghats in peninsular India has been inscribed in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The clusters of sites are in the landscapes of Agasthyamalai, Periyar, Anamalai, Nilgiris, and Upper Cauvery in Kodagu, Kudremukh, and Sahyadri. These constitute the thirty nine sites in seven sub-clusters of the Western Ghats, identified and proposed as a potential UNESCO World Natural Heritage Cluster Site, in 2006.  The proposal was made by the Ministry of Environment and Forests based on expert inputs from ATREE, Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun.

The Western Ghats are a biological hotspot harbouring 60 Important Bird Areas (IBA), 325 globally threatened species, many endemic species and sacred groves, across six states (Gujarat, Maharashtra,  Goa,  Karnataka,  Tamil Nadu and Kerala).

The area of 150,000 km2 boasts a varied ecosystem with a historical Gondwanaland origin and significant global value. The Ghats can lay claim to a unique landform and biodiversity; however they are also under threat of increased developmental pressure from energy needs. Coffee, tea and rubber plantations too have grown over the years, leaving the area with less undisturbed space.

Under the title of a Natural Heritage Site, it is expected that areas of the Western Ghats pronounced World Natural Heritage sites will be able to restrict some development, allowing these areas to be better conserved.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

list of Presidents of India


 
S.No. Name Took Office Left Office Political Party
 1 Rajendra Prasad 26 Jan 1950 13 May 1962 Indian National Congress
 2 Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan 13 May 1962 13 May 1967 Independent
 3 Zakir Hussain 13 May 1967 3 May 1969 Independent
  Varahagiri Venkata Giri* 3 May 1969 20 July 1969 Independent
  Muhammad Hidayatullah 20 July 1969 24 Aug 1969 Independent
 4 Varahagiri Venkata Giri 24 Aug 1969 24 Aug 1974 Independent
 5 Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed 24 Aug 1974 11 Feb 1977 Indian National Congress
  Basappa Danappa Jatti* 11 Feb 1977 25 July 1977 Independent
 6 Neelam Sanjiva Reddy 25 July 1977 25 July 1982 Janata Party
 7 Giani Jail Singh 25 July 1982 25 July 1987 Indian National Congress
 8 Ramaswamy Venkataraman 25 July 1987 25 July 1992 Indian National Congress
 9 Shankar Dayal Sharma 25 July 1992 25 July 1997 Indian National Congress
 10 Kocheril Raman Narayanan 25 July 1997 25 July 2002 Independent
 11 A.P.J. Abdul Kalam 25 July 2002 25 July 2007 Independent
 12 Pratibha Patil  25 July 2007 Incumbant Indian National Congress
* denotes Acting Presidents

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Battles And Wars In India

Battle of Hydaspes 326 B.C.—Alexander the Great, defeated Porus, the Paurava king. Impressed by the valour of Porus, ultimately Alexander returned his kingdom to him.

Battle of Kalinga 261 B.C.—Ashoka defeated the king of Kalinga. Ashoka embraced Buddhism and preached it during the rest of his life after this war.

First Battle of Tarain or Thaneswar A.D. 1191  Prithvi Raj Chauhan defeated Mohammed Ghori. Second Battle of Tarain A.D. 1192—Mohammed Ghori defeated Prithvi Raj Chauhan. Ghori’s victory paved the way for the establishment of Muslim rule in India.

First Battle of Panipat 1526—Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodhi. This laid the foundation of the Mughal rule in India.

Battle of Khanwah 1527— Babar defeated Rana Sanga of Mewar. This battle resulted in the defeat of the powerful Rajput confederacy.

Second Battle of Panipat 1556—Bairam Khan (Akbar’s General) defeated Hemu (the Hindu General and right-hand man of Mohd. Adil Shah). It also ended the Afghan Rule and Mughal Rule began instead.

Battle of Talikota 1564- 65—United alliance between Bijapur, Bidar, Ahmednagar and Golkonda under Hussain Nizam Shah defeated Ram Raja of Vijayanagar. It destroyed the Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar.

Battle of Haldighati 1576—Akbar’s forces headed by Raja Man Singh defeated Rana Pratap, the brave Rajput king. Though defeated, Rana Pratap refused to accept Mughal authority and carried on warfare till his death.

Battle of Plassey 1757— The English under Lord Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah.It brought Muslim Rule in Bengal to an end and laid foundations of the British Rule in India.

Battle of Wandiwash 1760—The English defeated the French. The battle sealed the fate of the French in India and paved the way for English rule in India.

Third Battle of Panipat 1761—Ahmed Shah Abdali defeated Marathas. It gave a terrible blow to the Maratha power. It made the field clear for the English.

Battle of Buxar 1764— Fought in 1764 between the forces of the English and the combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah (Nawab of Oudh) and the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam. The English victory at Buxar finally riveted the shackles of the Company’s rule upon Bengal.

First Mysore War (1767- 68)—In 1768, Haider Ali was defeated by the English relinquishing all his rights over Mysore in favour of the English.

Second Mysore War 1780— A grand alliance between Haider Ali, the Nizam and the Marathas was formed and Haider Ali. He defeated the English and took possession of Arcot and became the undisputed master of the Carnatic.

Third Mysore War 1790- 92—Fought between the English and Tipu Sultan. Tipu Sultan had to submit and was compelled to sign the Treaty of Seringapattam stripped him of half his territory.

Fourth Mysore War 1799— The British forces under Arthur Wellesley defeated Tipu Sultan, which brought the end of the Tipu Sultan. Maratha War 1803-05—It weakened the Maratha power. The English annexed Tanjore, Surat and Carnatic.

Fourth Maratha War 1817- 18—The British forces defeated Marathas and this campaign finally extinguished the Maratha Empire.

Battle of Cheelianwala 1849—Forces of the East India Company under Lord Hugh Gough defeated the Sikhs under Sher Singh.

Burmese War 1885—As a result of this War, the whole of Burma was occupied by the English and made a part of India.

Afghan War III 1919—As a result of this War, Treaty of Rawalpindi was signed by which Afghanistan was recognised as an independent State.

lndo-Pak War 1965—This was Pakistan’s second attack on India. While India had the upper hand, the fighting was brought to a stop by a call for ceasefire issued by the Security Council. Later on, Tashkent accord was signed between the two nations. lndo-

Pak War Dec 1971— Pakistan started the war attacking India on Dec 3. India defeated Pakistan on all fronts. Pakistani occupation forces, numbering about one lakh, in East Bengal (Bangladesh) surrendered. Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Famous Cities and River Banks

City Country River
Adelaide Australia Torrens
Amsterdam Netherlands Amsel
Alexandria Egypt Nile
Ankara Turkey Kazil
Allahabad India At the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna
Agra India Yamuna
Ayodhya India Saryu
Ahmedabad India Sabarmati
Badrinath India Alaknanda
Bareilly India Ram Ganga
Bangkok Thailand Chao Praya
Basra Iraq Euphrates and Tigris
Baghdad Iraq Tigris
Berlin Germany Spree
Bonn Germany Rhine
Budapest Hungary Daunbe
Bristol U. K. Avon
Buenos Aires Argentina Laplata
Cuttack India Mahanadi
Curnool India Tungabhadra
Chittagong Bangladesh Majyani
Canton China Si-Kiang
Cairo Egypt Nile
Chung King China Yang-tse-King
Cologne Germany Rhine
Delhi India Yamuna
Dandzing Germany Vistula
Dresden Germany Elve
Dibrugarh India Brahmaputra
Dublin Ireland Liffy
Ferozpur India Satluj
Guwahati India Brahmaputra
Hardwar India Ganga
Hyderabad India Musi
Hamburg Germany Elve
Jabalpur India Narmada
Jamshedpur India Swarnarekha
Jaunpur India Gomti
Kabul Afghanistan Kabul
Karachi Pakistan Indus
Kanpur India Ganga
Kota India Chambal
Kolkata India Hooghly
Khartoum Sudan Confluence of Blue and white Nile
Lahore Pakistan Ravi
Leningrad Russia Neva
Lucknow India Gomti
Lisbon Portugal Tagus
Liverpool England Messey
Ludhiana India Satluj
London England Thames
Mathura India Yamuna
Moscow Russia Moskva
Montreal Canada St. Lawrence
Nanking China Yang-tse-Kiang
New Orleans U.S.A. Mississippi
Nasik India Godavari
New York U.S.A. Hudson
Ottawa Canada Ottawa
Patna India Ganga
Paris France Seine
Philadelphia U.S.A. Delaware
Perth Australia Swan
Panjim India Mandavi
Prague Czech Republic Vitava
Quebec Canada St. Lawrence
Rome Italy Tiber
Rotterdam The Netherlands New Mass
Stalingrad Russia Volga
Shanghai China Yang-tse-Kiang
Sidney Australia Darling
Srinagar India Jhelum
Surat India Tapti
Sambalpur India Mahanadi
Serirangapatam India Cauvery
Saint Luis U.S.A. Mississippi
Tiruchurapalli India Cauvery
Tokyo Japan Arakava
Ujjain India Kshipra
Vijayvada India Krishna
Varanasi India Ganga
Vienna Australia Danube
Warsaw Poland Vistula
Washington D.C. U.S.A. Potomac
Yangoon Myanmar Irrawaddy

Saturday, June 16, 2012

GENERAL AWARENESS MCQs

1. Kabir Puraskar is awarded for:
a) Hindi literature b) Promotion of Communal harmony
c) For contribution in culture development  d) None of the above

2. India’s first food bank has been established at:
a) Mumbai         b) Chennai
c) New Delhi d) Kolkata

3. Which among these islands in a bone of contention between U.K. & Argentina?
a) Spratly Island b) Shetland Island
c) Falkland Island d) Turks & Caicos Island

4. In which State the newly inaugurated Dhamra Port is situated?
a) Andhra Pradesh b) Maharashtra
c) Orissa         d) Goa

5. Kerala has the highest sex ratio according to the latest figures released by Census for 2001-2011. What is the sex ratio for that State?
a) 1099 b) 1091
c) 1084 d) None of the above
6. Which of the following countries has recently donated 1 million US dollars for construction of a library in Nalanda International University (NIU) to highlight the art and architecture? The fund will help in strengthening the relations between the two countries.
a) Thailand b) South Korea
c) Japan d) China

7. The U.S. has launched “Climate and clean Air condition”- a global initiative to combat climate change. Which of the following is the only Asian country to be part of this initiative?
a) India         b) Myanmar
c) Bangladesh d) Philippines

8. Which of the following countries has started imposing 'fat tax'?
a) Netherland b) Sweden
c) Serbia         d) Denmark

9. Recently the Union Cabinet of India has approved the reconstruction and repair of houses for the rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons in which country?
a) Myanmar  b) Bangladesh
c) Afghanistan d) Sri Lanka

10. Name the new President of France:
a) Lucas Papademos b) Nicolas Sarkozy
c) George Kirtos         d) François Hollande
11. Which of the following Gulf country has granted Voting rights to woman recently?
(a) Bahrain (b) Saudi Arabia
(c) Yemen (d) Qatar

12. Recently Amazon has launched its new wet browser for its new kindle Tablet. The same of the browser is–
(a) SILK         (b) SWIFT
(c) CORONA (d) QUICK

13. The Tagore University for the Liberal Arts, is the first institution to be established under the Human Resource Development Ministry as a University for Innovation Programme. The said university will be set up at–
(a) Kolkata         (b) Pune
(c) Bangalore (d) Guwahati

14. Who among the following has been awarded with International Jurists Award-2012 for the support to the development of the legal fraternity in the world?
(a) Mulayam Singh Yadav (b) Ram Jethamalani
(c) G.E Vahanvati                 (d) Sharad Yadav

15. There is an ongoing judicial inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press following the News International phone hacking scandal. Who among the following is head of the judicial panel?
(a) Brian Henry Leveson (b) Duncan Larcombe
(c) Sir David Bell         (d) Shami Chakrabarti
16. Which of the Pacific islands moved from east to west of the international date line on December 29, thereby skipping December 30, in order to align their time zone better with their main trading partner?
a) Samoa & Tokelau b) Samoa & Kiribati
c) Kiribati & Comoros d) Comoros & Tuvalu

17. The Boko Haram, islamist militant group is engaged in conflict with the government of which of the following countries?
a) South Sudan b) Ethiopia 
c) Nigeria d) Sierra Leon

18. Which of the following is the longest train service in India?
a) Himsagar Express b) Vivek Express
c) Dibrugarh-Chennai Express d) Trivandrum Rajdhani

19. Russia has set up world's first international atomic fuel bank as part of a global effort to curb the spread of nuclear arms to nations like North Korea and Iran. It has been established at:
a) Moscow         b) Angarsk
c) Omsk d) Irkutsk

20. "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of cancer", won Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction. The author of the book is-
a) Paul Theroux b) Siddhartha Mukherjee
c) Zareer Masani         d) Arvinda Adiga
21. NTR National Literary Award 2012 has been won by:
a) S. L Bhyrappa               b)  K Sachidanandan
c) Ashokamitran                d) A Soma Sundaram

22. Andhra Pradesh has set up its first Biosphere Reserve recently. What is the name of that?
a) Simlipal                                       b) Seshachalam 
c) Kasu Brahmananda Reddy               d) Mahavir Harina Vanasthali 

23. What is LAHAT?
a) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle          b) Surface to surface missile
c) Torpedo                               d) Anti Tank Guided missile

24. 38th G-8 Summit held at:
a) Camp David, Maryland                 b) Chicago
c) L'Aquila,Abruzzo                         d) Huntsville, Ontario

25. Which one of the following is not the latest district set up in Uttar Pradesh?
a) Prabuddhanagar                 b) Panchsheel Nagar 
c) Bhimnagar                         d) Sant Ravidas Nagar