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General knowledge for competitive exams
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General Knowledge India Economy
Industries in India
1 Cotton Textile
Most important industry in terms of employment and production of export goods. In Maharashtra (Mumbai, Sholapur, Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, Wardha, Hajipur), Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Surat, Bhavnagar), Tamil Nadu (Coimbatore Manchestor of South India). Tamil Nadu has the largest number of cotton textile mills in India
2 JuteIndia manufactures the largest quantity of jute goods in the world. Mainly located in West Bengal, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, UP, MP
3 Silk TextileThe location of silk industry is governed by two factors - prevalence of sericulture practices and availability of skilled labour. Karnataka is the leading producer, followed by West Bengal, Bihar, etc
4 Woollen Textiles In Punjab (Dhariwal, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Ferozpur), Maharashtra (Mumbai), UP (Kanpur, Mirzapur, Agra, Tanakpur), etc
5 Iron and steel
Located near the sources of raw materials and fuel (coal). In Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), Durgapur, Burnpur (W.B.), Bhadrwati (Karnataka), Bokaro (Jharkhand), Rourkela (Orissa), Bhilai (Chhatisgarh), Salem (T.N.), Vishakhapatnam (A.P.)
6 Aluminium Smelting
Located mainly near the sources of raw materials, means of transport and cheap electricity. In Hirakud, Koraput (Orissa), Renukoot (UP), Korba (MP), Ratnagiri (Maharashtra), Mettur (TN), Alwaye
7 Copper Smelting In Khetri, Alwar, Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan), Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Agnigundala (A.P.)
8Heavy Machinery Machine Tools Industry
In Ranchi, Vishakapattnam, Durgapur, Tiruchirapalli, Mumbai, Naini it forms the basis for the manufacturing of industrial, defence equipments, automobiles, railway engines and electrical machinery. In Bangalore, Pinjore (Haryana), Kalamassery (Kerala), Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Srinagar, Ajmer.
9Heavy Electrical Equipments
Power generation equipments. In Bhopal, Tiruchirapalli, Jammu, Ramchandrapuram (Hyderabad), Hardwar, Bangalore, and Jagdishpur (UP).
10 Railway EquipmentsLocomotives: In Chittaranjan (WB), Varanasi, Jamshedpur, Bhopal. Coaches: Perambur(TN), Kapurthala (Punjab), also at Bangalore and Kolkata.
11 Ship BuildingHindustan Shipyard at Vishakhapatnam, Cochin Shipyard, Mumbai (Mazgaon Dock) and Kolkata (Garden Reach Workshop). For Indian Navy, only at Mazgaon
12 Cycles In Mumbai, Asansol, Sonepat, Delhi, Chennai, Jalandhar and Ludhiana
13 Tractors At Faridabad, Pinjore, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai
14 Fertilizers
The location of fertilizer industry is closely related to petro-chemicals. About 70% of the plants producing nitrogenous fertilizers use naphtha as raw material Naphtha is a by-product of oil refiners. Phosphate plants are dependent on mineral phosphate found in UP and MP. Now natural gas based fertilizer plants are also being set up. The Fertilizer Corporation of India (FCL) was setup up in 1961. National Fertilizer Limited (NFL) was set up in 1974. In Sindri (Bihar), Nangal, Trombay, Gorakhpur, Durgapur, Namrup, Cochin,
Five Year Plans
1First Plan (1951 - 56)
It was based on Harrod-Domar Model.Community Development Program was launched in 1952.Emphasized on agriculture, price stability, power & transport.It was more than a success, because of good harvests in the last two years.
2Second Plan (1956 - 61)
Also called Mahalanobis Plan after its chief architect.Its objective was rapid industrialization.Advocated huge imports which led to emptying of funds leading to foreign loans. It shifted basic emphasis from agriculture to industry far too soon. During this plan, price level increased by 30%, against a decline of 13% during the First Plan.
3 Third Plan (1961 - 66)
At its conception time, it was felt that Indian economy has entered a take-off stage. Therefore, its aim was to make India a 'self-reliant' and 'self-generating' economy.Also, it was realized from the experience of first two plans that agriculture should be given the top priority to suffice the requirement of export and industry.Complete failure due to unforeseen misfortunes, viz. Chinese aggression (1962), Indo-Pak war (1965), severest drought in 100 years (1965-66).
4Three Annual Plans (1966-69)
Plan holiday for 3years. The prevailing crisis in agriculture and serious food shortage necessitated the emhasis on agriculture during the Annual Plans.During these plans a whole new agricultural strategy involving wide-spread distribution of High-Yielding Varieties of seeds, the extensive use of fertilizers, exploitation of irrigation potential and soil conservation was put into action to tide-over the crisis in agricultural production.During the Annual Plans, the economy basically absorbed the shocks given during the Third Plan, making way for a planned growth.
5 Fourth Plan (1969 - 74)
Main emphasis on agriculture's growth rate so that a chain reaction can start.Fared well in the first two years with record production, last three years failure because of poor monsoon.Had to tackle the influx of Bangladeshi refugees before and after 1971 Indo-Pak war.
6Fifth Plan(1974-79)
The fifth plan prepared and launched by D.D. Dhar proposed to achieve two main objectives viz, 'removal of poverty' (Garibi Hatao) and 'attainment of self reliance', through promotion of high rate of growth, better distribution of income and a very significant growth in the domestic rate of savings. The plan was terminated in 1978 (instead of 1979) when Janta Govt.came to power.
7Rolling Plan (1978 - 80)
There were 2 Sixth Plans. One by Janta Govt. (for 78-83) which was in operation for 2 years only and the other by the Congress Govt. when it returned to power in 1980.
8Sixth Plan (1980 - 85)
Objectives: Increase in national income, modernization of technology, ensuring continuous decrease in poverty and unemployment, population control through family planning, etc.
9Seventh Plan (1985 - 90)
The Seventh plan emphasized policies and programs which aimed at rapid growth in food-grains production, increased employment opportunities and productivity within the framework of basic tenants of planning.It was a great success, the economy recorded 6% growth rate against the targeted 5%.
Growth During Five Year Plans
Plan Target Actual
First Plan (1951 - 56) 2.9% 3.6%
Second Plan (1956 - 61) 4.5% 4.3%
Third Plan (1961 - 66) 5.6% 2.8%
Fourth Plan (1969 - 1974) 5.7% 3.3%
Fifth Plan (1974 - 79) 4.4% 4.8%
Sixth Plan (1980 - 85) 5.2% 6.0%
Seventh Plan (1985 - 90) 5.0% 6.0%
Eighth Plan (1992 - 97) 5.6% 6.8%
Ninth Plan (1997 - 2002) 6.5% 5.4%
Tenth Plan (2002 - 2007) 8.0% -
Important Antipoverty Employment Generation Programs
1Swaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGRY)
Started on April 1, 1999. It has replaced the following programs:Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP) : Started in 1978 - 79). Training Rural Youth for Self -Employment (TRYSEM): Started in 1978-79. Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA): Started in 1978 -79. Ganga Kalyan Yojana (GKY): Started in 1997. Million Wells Scheme (MWS): Started in 1989. Supply of Improved Tool-kits to Rural Artisans (SITRA). The yojana takes into account all the strengths and weaknesses of the earlier self-employment programs. Every assisted family will be brought above the poverty line. It is proposed to cover 30% of the rural poor in each block. To Target at atleast 50% Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, 40% women and 3% disabled.
2Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY)
It was introduced in 2000-01 with the objective of focusing on village level development in five critical areas I.e., primary health, primary education, housing, rural roads and drinking water and nutrition with the overall objective of improving the quality of life of people in rural areas. Rural electrification was added as an additional component from 2001-02. It has the following components: Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (Gramin Awas). Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (Rural Drinking Water Project).
3Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana (SGRY)
It was started on Sept. 25,2001, with the mergence of the Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS) and the Jawahar Gram Samriddhi Yojana (JGSY). Earlier Jawahar Rozgar Yojana, which started in 1989, was merged with Jawahar Gram Samriddhi Yojana. The objective of the program is to provide additional wage employment in rural areas and also to provide food security.
4Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY)
The SJSRY came into operation in Dec, 1997, through a restructuring and streamlining of the earlier urban poverty alleviation programs, the Nehru Rozgar Yojana (NRY), the Urban Basic Services for the Poor (UBSP) and the Prime Minister's Integrated Urban Poverty alleviation Program (PMIUPEP). It seeks to provide employment to the urban employed or underemployed living below poverty line and educated up to IX standard through encouraging the setting up of self-employment ventures or provision of wage employment.
5Antyodaya Anna Yojana
Launched on Dec. 25,2000. The scheme aims at providing food security to poor families. The scheme contemplates identification of 10 million 'poorest of the poor' families and providing the \m with 25kg of food grains per family per month at a low price of Rs.2 per Kg for wheat and Rs.3 per Kg for rice.
6 Annapurna Yojana
Inaugurated on March 19, 1999. Initially the scheme provided 10 kg food grains to senior citizens who were eligible fore old age pension but could not get it due to one reason or the other. Later on, it was extended to cover those people who get old age pensions. Food grains are provided to the beneficiaries at subsidized rates of Rs.2 per kg of wheat and Rs.3 per kg of rice.
General Knowledge Indian Geography
Indian States International Boundaries
1 Bordering Pakistan Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat.
2 Bordering ChinaJammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh.
3 Bordering Nepal Bihar, Uttaranchal, UP, Sikkim, West Bengal
4 Bordering Bangladesh
West Bengal, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, Assam
5 Bordering Bhutan West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam
6 Bordering Myanmar Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram
7 Bordering Afghanistan
Jammu and Kashmir (Pakistan - occupied area)
Moon Important Facts
Average distance from Earth 3,84,365 km
Diameter 3,476 km
Ratio of diameter of moon to that of earth
1 : 3.7
Rotation speed 27 days, 2hrs, 43 min & 11.47Sec.
Revolution Speed 27 days, 7hrs, 43 min & 11.47 Sec.
Time taken by moonlight to reach earth 1.3 Sec
Percent of surface visible from earth 59%
First man to reach moon Neil Armstrong and Edvin Aldrin on Apollo XI (1969)
Heights of Some Important Indian Peaks
SNo Peak Height in metres above mean Sea Level
1 K2 8,611
2 Kanchen Junga 8,598
3 Nanga Parvat 8,126
4 Gasher Brum 8,068
5 Broad Peak 8,047
6 Disteghil Sar 7,885
7 Masher Brum E 7,821
8 Nanda Devi 7,817
9 Masher Brum W 7,806
10 Rakaposhi 7,788
11 Kamet 7,756
12 Saser Kangri 7,672
13 Skyang Kangri 7,544
14 Sia Kangri 7,422
15 Chaukhamba (Badrinath Peak) 7,138
16 Trisul West 7,138
17 Nunkun 7,135
18 Pauhunri 7,128
19 Kangto 7,090
20 Dunagiri 7,066
Important Crops India
1 Rice West Bengal, Punjab, UP
2 Wheat UP, Punjab, Haryana
3 Maize Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka
4 Bajra Rajasthan, Gujarat, UP
5 Jowar Maharashtra, Karnataka, MP, AP
6TOTAL COARSE CEREALS
Maharashtra, Karnataka, UP
7 TOTAL PULSES MP, UP, Maharashtra
8 TOTAL FOOD GRAINS
UP, Punjab, West Bengal
9 Groundnut Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh
10Rapeseed And Mustard
Rajasthan, UP, Haryana
11 Soyabean Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan
12 Sunflower Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra
13TOTAL OIL SEEDS
MP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan
14 Sugarcane UP, Maharashtra, Karnataka
15 Cotton Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh
16 Jute and Mesta WB, Bihar, Assam
17 Tea Assam, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh
18 Coffee Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu
19 Rubber Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka
20 SilkKarnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh. In India all 4 varieties of silk are available; Mulberry, tussar, eri and muga. Mulberry is the main variety, while tussar is mainly found in Bihar.
21 Tobacco Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka
Important Indian Town Rivers
SNo Town River
1 Allahabad At the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna
2 Patna Ganga
3 Varanasi Ganga
4 Kanpur Ganga
5 Hardwar Ganga
6 Badrinath Alaknanda
7 Agra Yamuna
8 Delhi Yamuna
9 Mathura Yamuna
10 Ferozpur Satluj
11 Ludhiana Satluj
12 Srinagar Jhelum
13 Lucknow Gomti
14 Jaunpur Gomti
15 Ayodhya Saryu
16 Bareilly Ram Ganga
17 Ahmedabad Sabarmati
18 Kota Chambal
19 Jabalpur Narmada
20 Panji Mandavi
21 Ujjain Kshipra
22 Surat Tapti
23 Jamshedpur Swarnarekha
24 Dibrugarh Brahmaputra
25 Guwahati Brahmaputra
26 Kolkata Hooghly
27 Sambalpur Mahanadi
28 Cuttack Mahanadi
29 Serirangapatnam Cauvery
30 Hyderabad Musi
31 Nasik Godavari
32 Vijayvada Krishna
Important National Highways
SNo National Highways Connects
1 NH 1 New Delhi - Ambala - Jalandhar - Amritsar.
2 NH 2 Delhi - Mathura - Agra - Kanpur - Allahabad - Varanasi - Kolkata
3 NH 3 Agra - Gwalior - Nasik - Mumbai
4 NH 4 Thane and Chennai via Pune and Belgaun.
5 NH 5 Kolkata - Chennai
6 NH 6 Kolkata - Dhule
7 NH 7 Varanasi - Kanyakumari
8 NH 8 Delhi - Mumbai (Via Jaipur, Baroda and Ahmedabad)
9 NH 9 Mumbai - Vijaywada
10 NH 10 Delhi - Fazilka
Important Rivers India
SNo Name Origin From Falls into Length (km)
23 Tungabhadra Western Ghats Krishna river 640
1 Ganges Combined Sources Bay of Bengal 2525
2 Satluj Mansarovar Rakas Lakes Chenab 1050
3 Indus Near Mansarovar Lake Arabian Sea 2880
4 Ravi Kullu Hills near Rohtang Pass Chenab 720
5 Beas Near Rohtang Pass Satluj 470
6 Jhelum Verinag in Kashmir Chenab 725
7 Yamuna Yamunotri Ganga 1375
8 Chambal M.P. Yamuna 1050
9 Ghagra Matsatung Glacier Ganga 1080
10 Kosi Near Gosain Dham Peak Ganga 730
11 Betwa Vindhyanchal Yamuna 480
12 Son Amarkantak Ganga 780
13 Brahmaputra Near Mansarovar Lake Bay of Bengal 2900
14 Narmada Amarkantak Gulf of Khambat 1057
15 Tapti Betul Distt. In M.P. Gulf of Khambat 724
16 Mahanadi Raipur Distt. In Chhatisgarh Bay of Bengal 858
17 Luni Aravallis Rann of Kuchchh 450
18 Ghaggar Himalayas Near Fatehabad 494
19 Sabarmati Aravallis Gulf of Khambat 416
20 Krishna Western Ghats Bay of Bengal 0
21 Godavari Nasik Distt. In Maharashtra Bay of Bengal 1465
22 Cauvery Brahmagir Range of Western Ghats Bay of Bengal 805
Important River Valley Projects
Sno Project Name River Name
1 Bhakra Nangal ProjectOn Sutlaj in Punjab. Highest in India. Ht 226 m. Reservoir is called Gobind Sagar Lake.
2 Mandi Project On Beas in HP
3 Chambal Valley Project On Chambal in MP & Rajasthan. 3 dams are there: Gandhi Sagar Dam, Rana Pratap Sagar Dam and Jawahar Sagar Dam.
4 Damodar Valley Project
On Damodar in Bihar. Based on Tennessee Valley Project, USA.
5 Hirakud Project On Mahanadi in Orissa. World's longest dam: 4801m
6 Rihand ProjectOn Son in Mirzapur, Reservoir is called Govind Vallabh Pant reservoir.
7 Kosi Project On Kosi in N.Bihar.
8 Mayurkashi Project On Mayrukashi in WB.
9 Kakrapara Project On Tapi in Gujarat.
10 Nizamsagar Project On Manjra in AP.
11Nagarjuna Sagar Project
On Krishna in AP
12 Tungabhadra Project On Tungabhadra in AP & Karnataka
13 Shivasamudram Project
On Cauvery in Karnataka. It is the oldest river valley project of India.
14 Tata Hydel Scheme On Bhima in Maharashtra
15Sharavathi Hydel Project
On Jog Falls in Karnataka
16Kundah & Periyar Project
In TN
17 Farakka ProjectOn Ganga in WB. Apart from power and irrigation it helps to remove silt for easy navigation.
18 Ukai Project On Tapti in Gujarat
19 Mahi Project On Mahi in Gujarat
20 Salal Project On Chenab in J & K
21 Mata Tila Multipurpose Project
On Betwa in UP & MP
22 Thein Project On Ravi, Punjab
23 Pong Dam On Beas, Punjab
24 Tehri Project On Bhgirathi, Uttaranchal
25 Sardar Sarovar Project On Narmada, Gujarat/MP.
Lengths of Some Important Indian Rivers
SNo River Length (km)
1 Indus 3,000
2 Brahmaputra 2,900
3 Ganga 2,510
4 Godavari 1,450
5 Narmada 1,290
6 Krishna 1,290
7 Mahanadi 890
8 Cauvery 760
Major Ports in India
SNo Western Coast Eastern Coast
1 Kandla (Child of partition) Kolkata - Haldia (riverine port)
2 Mumbai (busiest and biggest) Paradip (exports raw iron into Japan)
3 Jawahar Lal Nehru (fastest growing) Vishakhapatnam (deepest port)
4 Marmugao (naval base also) Chennai (oldest and artificial)
5 Mangalore (exports Kudremukh iron-ore) Ennore (most modern in private hands)
6 Cochin (natural Harbour) Tuticorin (southernmost)
Mineral Resources of India
1 Coal
West Bengal (Raniganj, Burdwan, Bankura, Purulia, Birbhum, Jalpaigudi, Darjeeling) Jharkhand (Jharia, Giridih, Kharhawadi, Bokaro, Hazaribagh, Karnapura, Rampur, Palamau), Orissa (Rampur, Hindgir, Talcher, Sambhal), Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh (Rewa, Pench valley, Umaria, Korba, Sohagpur, Mand river area, Kanha valley, Betul), etc. Power sector is the largest consumer of coal in India followed by steel industry, cement industry, etc.
2 ManganeseOrissa, Maharashtra (Nagpur, Bhandara, Ratnagiri), Madhya Pradesh (Balaghat, Chhindawara), Karnataka (Keonjhar, Bonai, Kalahandi), Andhra Pradesh (Kadur, Garibadi).
3 Copper Madhya Pradesh (Balaghat), Rajasthan (Khetri), Jharkhand (Singhbhum, Masobani, Surda), Karnataka (Chitradurg, Hussan)
4 Mica Jharkhand (Hazaribagh, Giridih, Kodarma, Bihar (Gaya, Bhagalpur), Andhra Pradesh (Guntur, Vizag, Kurnool), Rajasthan (Bhilwara, Udaipur, Jaipur)
5 Petroleum
Assam (Digboi, Naharkatiya, Badarpur, Masinpur and Pallharia), Gujarat (Ankleshwar, Khambat, Kalol), Mumbai High, Bassein (south of Mumbai High), etc. Recently oil has been discovered in Cauvery basin, Krishna and Godawari basin, Kharmbat basin, etc.
6 Oil Refineries
There are 18 refineries in India, 16 in public sector, one in joint sector and one in private sector. Public sector refineries are located at Digboi, Guwahati, Bongaigaon, Barauni, Haldia, Koyali, Mathura, Kochi, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam, Mumbai (2), Panipat, Narimanam, Numanigarh and Tatipaka. Joint sector refinery is at Mangalore. The private sector refinery of Reliance Limited is at Jamnagar.
7 Iron
India possesses Haematite, a very high-grade iron ore. In Madhya Pradesh (Bailadila, Jabalpur), Goa (North Goa), Karnataka (Bababudan hills, Chikmagalur, Hospet), Jharkhand (Singhbhum, Naomundi), Andhra Pradesh, Orissa India is the fifth largest exporter of Iron ore in the world. Japan is the biggest buyer accounting for about 3/4th of India's total exports. Major ports handling iron ore export are Vishakhapatnam, Paradip, Marmagao and Mangalore.
8 Bauxite
Chief ore for producing aluminium. In Orissa (Kalahandi, Koraput, Sundargarh, Bolangir, Sambalpur), Jharkhand (Lohardaga, Gumla), Madhya Pradesh (Jabalpur, Mandla, Shahdol, Katni, Balaghat), Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu
9 GoldKarnataka (Kolar, Hutti, Raichur), Andhra Pradesh (Ramgiri and Yeppamanna goldfields in Chittor and Anantapur districts
10Silver, Zinc and Lead
Rajasthan (Zawar mines near Udaipur), Andhra Pradesh (Mysore, Chitradurg), Karnataka (Kolar mines)
11 UraniumJharkhand (Jaduguda), Rajasthan (Ajmer), Andhra Pradesh (Nellore, Nalgonda), Karnataka (Gulbarga)
12 Thorium Kerala coast (From Monazite sand), rocks of Aravallis in Rajasthan
Earth Some Important Facts
Age 4,550 million years
Mass 5.976 x 10kg
Volume 1.083 x 10 litres
Mean Density 5.518 kg/lt
Total Surface Area 510 million sq.km
Land Area 29.2% of the total surface area
Water Area 70.8% of the total surface area
Equatorial Diameter 12,755 km
Polar Diameter 12,712 km
Escape Velocity 11.2 km/sec
Highest Land Point Mount Everest (8,852 m)
Lowest Land Point Dead Sea (396 m)
Greatest Ocean Depth Mariana Trench (11,033 m)
Equatorial Circumference 40,076 km
Polar Circumference 40,024 km
Mean Surface Temperature 14C
Maximum distance from sun (Aphelion) About 152 million km
Minimum distance from sun (Perihelion) About 147 million km
Rotation Speed 23 hrs, 56 min & 40.91 sec
Revolution Speed 365 days, 5hrs & 45.51 sec
Dates when days & nights are equal Mar,21 (Vernal Equinox); Sept. 23 (Autumnal Equinox)
Dates of longest days and shortest nights
June 21 (Summer Solstice); Dec, 22 (Winter Solstice)
National Parks and Wild Life Sanctuaries
1 Gir Forests Home of Asiatic lion. In Gujarat
2 Kaziranga Sanctuary One horned rhino. In Assam
3 Manas Sanctuary One horned rhino. In Assam
4 Chandraprabha Sanctuary II home of Asiatic Lion. In UP
5 Ghana of Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary In Bharatpur, Rajasthan
6 Dachigam Sanctuary For Hangul. In Kashmir
7 Corbett National Park In Uttaranchal. Home of tiger
8 Kanha National Park In MP
9 Shiv Puri National Park In MP
10 Hazaribagh National Park in Jharkhand
11 Periyar Game Sanctuary In Kerala
12 Dudhwa National Park In UP
13 Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary In TN
14 Nokrek National Park In Meghalaya
15 Sariska Sanctuary In Rajasthan
16 Ranthambhor National Park In Rajasthan
17 Namdapha National Park In Arunachal Pradesh
18 Keibul Lamjo Floating National Park In Manipur
19 Palamau Tiger Project In Bihar
20 Simlipal National Park In Orissa
21 Ranganthittoo Bird Sanctuary In Mysore, Karnataka
22 Nagarhole National Park In Karnataka
23 Mudumalai Sanctuary In TN
24 Balpakram Sanctuary In Meghalaya
25 Bandipur Sanctuary Along the Karnataka - Tamil Nadu border
26 Jaldapara Sanctuary In West Bengal. For rhinos
27 Wild Ass Sanctuary In Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. For wild ass.
Nuclear Power Stations
1 Tarapur In Maharashtra - India's oldest and biggest
2 Kalpakkam In Tamil Nadu, called Indira Gandhi Nuclear Power Station
3 Rawatbhata In Kota, Rajasthan
4 Narora In Uttar Pradesh
5 Kaiga In Karnataka
6 Kakrapara In Gujarat
7 Kudankulam In Tamil Nadu, under construction with the assistance of Russia
Railway Zones
SNo Railway Zones Head Quarters
1 Central Mumbai VT
2 Eastern Kolkata
3 Northern New Delhi
4 North Eastern Gorakhpur
5 North-East Frontier Maligaon - Guwahati
6 Southern Chennai
7 South Central Secunderabad
8 South Eastern Kolkata
9 Western Mumbai Churchgate
10 East Coast Bhubaneshwar
11 East Central Hajipur
12 North Central Allahabad
13 North Western Jaipur
14 South Western Bangalore (Hubli)
15 West Central Jabalpur
16 SouthEast Central Bilaspur
Sanctuaries and Parks in India
Name Location Reserves for
Achanakmar Sanctuary Bilaspur, ChhattisgarhTiger, bear, chital, sambar, bison
Bandhavgarh National ParkShahdol, Madhya Pradesh
Tiger, panther, chital, nilgai, wild bear
Bandipur SanctuaryBorder of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
Elephant, tigers, panther, sambar, deer, birds
Banarghatta Bangalore Elephant, chital, deer, gray
National Park Karnataka Partridges, green pigeon
Bhadra SancturaryChikmagalur, Karnataka
Elephant, chital, panther, sambar, wild bear
Bhimabandh Sanctuary Monghyr, BiharTiger, leopard, sambar, wild bear, chital, water birds
Bori SanctuaryHoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh
Tiger, panther, sambar, chital, wild boar, barking deer
Borivli National Park MumbaiPanther, sambar, langur, wild boar, chinkara
Chandraprabha SanctuaryNear Varanasi Uttar Pradesh
Famous for Gir lions, chital and sambar
Corbett National Park named in memory of Jim Corbett, famous sportsman
Nainital, UttaranchalTiger, leopards, elephants, sambar
Dachigam Sanctuary Dachigam, Kashmir Kashmiri stag
Datma Sanctuary Singbhum, UttaranchalElephants, leopard, wild bear, barking deer
Dandeli Sanctuary Dharwar, KarnatakaTiger, panther, elephant, chital, sambar, wild bear
Dudhwa National Park Lakhimpurkheri U.P.Tiger, panther, sambar, chital, nilgai, barking deer
Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary Mandsaur, M.P.Chital, sambar, chinkara, barking deer, wild birds
Garampani Sanctuary Diphu, AssamElephant, leopard, wild buffalo, langur
Ghana Bird Sanctuary Bharatpur, RajasthanWater birds, black-buck, chital, sambar
Gir Forest Junagarh, GujaratIndia's biggest wild life sanctuary famous for Gir lions
Gautam Buddha Sanctuary Gaya, Bihar Tiger, leopard, sambar, chital, barking deer
Hazaribagh Sanctuary Hazaribagh, Jharkhand Tiger, leopard, chital, nilgai, sambar, wild cat
General Knowledge Indian History
Buddhism
The Buddha:
• The Buddha also known as Sakyamuni or Tathagata.
• Born in 563 BC on the Vaishakha Poornima Day at Lumbini (near Kapilavastu) in Nepal.
• His father Suddhodana was the Saka ruler.
• His mother (Mahamaya, of Kosala dynastry) died after 7 days of his birth. Brought up by stepmother Gautami.
• Married at 16 to Yoshodhara. Enjoyed the married life for 13years and had a son named Rahula.
• After seeing an old man, a sick man, a corpse and an ascetic, he decided to become a wanderer.
• Left his palace at 29 in search of truth (also called ‘Mahabhinishkramana’ or The Great Renunication) and wandered for 6 years.
• Attained ‘Enlightenment’ at 35 at Gaya in Magadha (Bihar) under the Pipal tree.
• Delivered the first sermon at Sarnath where his five disciples had settled. His first sermon is called ‘Dharmachakrapracartan’ or ‘Turning of the Wheel of Law’.
• Attained Mahaparinirvana at Kushinagar (identical with village Kasia in Deoria district of UP) in 483 BC at the age of 80 in the Malla republic.
Buddhist Councils:
• First Council: At Rajgriha, in 483 BC under the Chairmanship of Mehakassaapa (king was Ajatshatru). Divided the teachings of Buddha into two Pitakas-Vinaya Pitaka and Sutta Pitaka.
• Second Council: At Vaishali, in 383 BC under Sabakami (King was Kalasoka).Followers divided into Sthavirmadins and Mahasanghikas.
• Third Council: At Pataliputra, in 250 BC under Mogaliputta Tissa (King was Ashoka) In this, the third part of the Tripitaka was coded in the Pali language.
• Fourth council: At Kashmir (Kundalvan), in 72 AD under Vasumitra (King was Kanishka, Vice-Chairman was Ashwaghosha). Divided Buddhism into Mahayana and Hinayana sects.
Buddist Literature: In Pali language.
Vinaya Pitaka: Rules of discipline in the Buddhist monasteries.
Sutta Pitaka: Largest, contains collection of Buddha’s sermons.
Abhidhamma Pitaka: Explanation of the philosophical principles of the Buddhist religion
Constitutional Development
Regulating Act, 1773:
• End of Dual govt.
• Governor of Bengal to be the Governor – General of British territories of India.
• Establishment of Supreme Court in Calcutta.
Pitts Act of 1784:
This Act gave the British Government a measure of control over the company’s affairs. In fact, the company became a subordinate department of the State.
Act of 1786:
• Governor General given the power to over-ride the Council and was made the Commander-in-chief also.
Charter Act of 1793:
• Company given monopoly of trade for 20 more years.• It laid the foundation of govt. by written laws, interpreted by courts.
Charter Act of 1813:
• Company deprived of its trade monopoly in India except in tea and trade with China.
Charter Act of 1833:
• End of Company’s monopoly even in tea and trade with China. Company was asked to close its business at the earliest.
• Governor General of Bengal to be Governor General of India (1st Governor General of India was Lord William Bentinck).
Charter Act of 1853:
• The Act renewed the powers of the Company and allowed it to retain the possession of Indian territories in trust of the British crown.
• Recruitment to Civil Services was based on open annual competition examination (excluding Indians).
Government of India Act, 1858:
• Rule of Company in India ended and that of the Crown began.
• A post of Secretary of State (a member of the British cabinet) for India created. He was to exercise the powers of the Crown.
• Secretary of State governed India through the Governor General.
• Governor General received the title of Viceroy. He represented Secretary of State and was assisted by an Executive Council, which consisted of high officials of the Govt.
Indian Council Act, 1861:
• The Executive Council was now to be called Central Legislative Council.
Indian Council Act, 1892:
• Indians found their way in the Provincial Legislative Councils.
Indian Council Act, 1909 or Morley-Minto Act: It envisaged a separate electorate for Muslims.
Government of India Act, 1919 Or Montague-Chelmsford Reforms:
• Dyarchy system introduced in the provinces. The Provincial subjects of administration were to be divided into 2 categories: Transferred and Reserved. The Transferred subjects were to be administrated by the Governor with the aid of ministers responsible to the Legislative Council. The Governor and the Executive Council were to administer the reserved subjects without any responsibility to the legislature.
• Indian legislature became bicameral for the first time, it actually happened after 1935 Act.
Government of India Act, 1935:
• Provided for the establishment of All-India Federation consisting of the British Provinces and the Princely States. The joining of Princely States was voluntary and as a result the federation did not come into existence.
• Dyarchy was introduced at the Centre (Eg, Department of Foreign Affairs and Defence were reserved for the Governor General). Provincial autonomy replaced Dyarchy in provinces. They were granted separate legal identify.
• Burma (now Myanmar) separated from India.
Governor Generals of India
Lord William Bentinck (1828 – 1835):
• Carried out the social reforms like Prohibition of Sati (1829) and elimination of thugs (1830).
• Made English the Medium of higher education in the country (After the recommendations of Macaulay).
• Suppressed female infanticide and child sacrifice.
• Charter Act of 1833 was passed; made him the first Governor General of India. Before him, the designation was Governor General of Bengal.
Sir Charles Metcalfe (1835 – 1836): Abolished all restrictions on vernacular press (called Liberator of the Press).
Lord Auckland (1836 – 1842): The most important event of his reign was the First Afghan War, which proved to be a disaster for the English.
Lord Ellenborough (1842 – 1844)
Lord Hardinge I (1844 – 1848)
Lord Dalhousie (1848 – 1856):
• Opened the first Indian Railway in 1853 (from Bombay to Thane).
• Laid out the telegraph lines in 1853 (First was from Calcutta to Agra).
• Introduced the Doctrine of Lapse and captured Satara (1848), Jaipur and Sambhalpur (1849), Udaipur (1852), Jhansi (1853) and Nagpur (1854).
• Established the postal system on the modern lines through the length and breadth of the country, which made communication easier.
• Started the Public Works Department. Many bridges were constructed and the work on Grand Trunk Road was started. The harbors of Karachi, Bombay and Calcutta were also developed.
• Made Shimla the summer capital.
• Started Engineering College at Roorkee.
• Encouraged science, forestry, commerce, mineralogy and industry.
• In 1854, “Wood’s Dispatch’ was passed, which provided for the properly articulated system of education from the primary school to the university.
• Due to Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s efforts, remarriage of widows was legalized by Widow Remarriage Act, 1856).
Newspaper Journals
Newspaper/Journal Founder/Editor
Bengal Gazette(1780) (India’s first newspaper)
J.K.Hikki
Kesari B.G.Tilak
Maharatta B.G.Tilak
Sudharak G.K.Gokhale
Amrita Bazar Patrika Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh
Vande Mataram Aurobindo Ghosh
Native Opinion V.N.Mandalik
Kavivachan Sudha Bhartendu Harishchandra
Rast Goftar (First newspaper in Gujarati) Dadabhai Naoroji
New India (Weekly) Bipin Chandra Pal
Statesman Robert Knight
Hindu Vir Raghavacharya and G.S.Aiyar
Sandhya B.B.Upadhyaya
Vichar Lahiri Krishnashastri Chiplunkar
Hindu PatriotGirish Chandra Ghosh (later Harish Chandra Mukherji)
Som Prakash Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Yugantar Bhupendranath Datta and Barinder Kumar Ghosh
Bombay Chronicle Firoze Shah Mehta
Hindustan M.M.Malviya
Mooknayak B.R.Ambedkar
Comrade Mohammed Ali
Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq Sir Syyed Ahmed Khan
Al-Hilal Abdul Kalam Azad
Al-Balagh Abdul Kalam Azad
Independent Motilal Nehru
Punjabi Lala Lajpat Rai
New India (Daily) Annie Besant
Commonweal Annie Besant
Pratap Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi
Essays in Indian Economics M.G.Ranade
Samvad Kaumudi (Bengali) Ram Mohan Roy
Mirat-ul-Akhbar Ram Mohan Roy (first Persian newspaper)
Indian Mirror Devendra Nath Tagore
Nav Jeevan M.K.Gandhi
Young India M.K.Gandhi
Harijan M.K.Gandhi
Prabudha Bharat Swami Vivekananda
Udbodhana Swami Vivekananda
Indian Socialist Shyamji Krishna Verma
Talwar (in Berlin) Birendra Nath Chattopadhyaya
Free Hindustan (in Vancouver) Tarak Nath Das
Hindustan Times K.M.Pannikar
Kranti Mirajkar, Joglekar, Ghate
Jainism
• Jainism founded by Rishabha.
• There were 24 Tirthankaras (Prophets or Gurus), all Kshatriyas. First was Rishabhnath (Emblem: Bull).
• The 23rd Tirthankar Parshwanath (Emblem: Snake) was the son of King Ashvasena of Banaras.
• The 24th and the last Tirthankar was Vardhman Mahavira (Emblem: Lion). He was born
in kundagram (Distt Muzaffarpur, Bihar) in 599 BC.
• His father Siddhartha was the head of Jnatrika clan.
• His mother was Trishla, sister of Lichchavi Prince Chetak of Vaishali.
• Mahavira was related to Bimbisara.
• Married to Yashoda, had a daughter named Priyadarsena, whose husband Jamali became his first disciple.
• At 30, after the death of his parents, he became an ascetic.
• In the 13th year of his asceticism (on the 10th of Vaishakha), outside the town of Jrimbhikgrama, he attained supreme knowledge (kaivalya).
• From now on he was called Jaina or Jitendriya and Mahavira, and his followers were named Jains. He also got the title of Arihant, i.e., worthy.
• At the age of 72, he attained death at Pava, near Patna, in 527 BC.
• Mahavira preached almost the same message as Parshvanath and added one more, Brahmcharya (celibacy) to it.
Social and Cultural Uprising
Brahmo Samaj:
• Founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1828.
• Criticized Sati Pratha, casteism and advocated widow remarriage.• He was opposed to Sanskrit system of education, because he thought it would keep
the country in darkness.• Other important leaders were Devendranath Tagore (father of Rabindranath Tagore)
and Keshap Chandra Sen.
Arya Samaj:
• Founded by Swami Dayanand (or, Moolshankar) in 1875.• His motto was ‘Go back to the vedas’ & ‘India for the Indians’. He disregarded Puranas,
idol worship, casteism and untouchability. He advocated widow remarriage.• Dayanand’s views were published in his famous work, Satyarth Prakash. He also wrote
Veda Bhashya Bhumika and Veda Bhashya.
Ramakrishna Mission:
• Founded by Vivekanand (earlier, Narendranath Dutta) (1863 – 1902) in 1897, 11 years after the death of his guru Ram Krishna Paramhans.
• Vivekanand attended the Parliament of Religion at Chicago in 1893.• Irish woman Margaret Nobel (Known as sister Nivedita) popularized it.
Young Bengal Movement:
• Founded by Henry Louis Vivian Derozio (1809-31). He was a teacher in Hindu College in Calcutta.
• He urged the students to live and die for truth. He also supported women’s education and their rights.
Veda Samaj:
• Veda Samaj called Brahmo Samaj of South. Started by Sridharalu Naidu.• He translated books of Brahmo Dharma into Tamil and Telegu.
Dharma Sabha:
• Initiated by Radhakant Deb in 1830.• Was opposed to reforms and protected orthodoxy, but played an active role in
promoting western education even to girls.
Lokahitawadi:
• Started by Gopal Hari Deshmukh. Advocated western education and a rational outlook. He advocated female education for the upliftment of women.
• As a votary of national self-reliance, he attended Delhi durbar in 1876, wearing handspun khadi cloth.
Servants of India Society:
• Formed by Gopal Krishna Gokhale in 1915.
• It did notable work in providing famine relief and in improving the condition of the tribal.
Radhaswami Movement:
• Founded in 1861 by a banker of Agra, Tulsi Ram, popularly known as Shiv Dayal Saheb or Swami Maharaj.
• The sect preached belief in one supreme being, the Guru’s supreme position and a simple social life for the believers (the Satsangis).
Theosophical Society:
• Founded by Westerners who drew inspiration from Indian thought and culture.• Madam H P Blavatsky laid the foundation of the movement in US in 1875. Later,
Col.M.S. Olcott of the US Army joined her.• In 1882, it was shifted to India at Adyar (Tamil Nadu).
• Annie Besant was elected its president in 1907. She founded the Central Hindu College in 1898, which became Banaras Hindu University in 1916.
Viceroys Of India
Lord Canning (1856 – 1862):
• The last Governor General and the first Viceroy.• Mutiny took place in his time.• On Nov, 1858, the rule passed on to the crown.• Withdrew Doctrine of Lapse.• The Universities of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras were established in 1857.• Indian Councils Act was passed in 1861.
Lord Elgin (1862 – 1863)
Lord Lawrence (1864 – 1869):
• Telegraphic communication was opened with Europe.• High Courts were established at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras in 1865.• Expanded canal works and railways.• Created the Indian Forest department.
Lord Mayo (1869 – 1872):
• Started the process of financial decentralization in India.• Established the Rajkot college at Kathiarwar and Mayo College at Ajmer for the Indian
princes.• For the first time in Indian history, a census was held in 1871.• Organised the Statistical Survey of India.• Was the only Viceroy to be murdered in office by a Pathan convict in the Andamans in
1872.
Lord Northbrook (1872 – 1876):
Lord Lytton (1876 – 1880):
• Known as the Viceroy to reverse characters.• Organised the Grand ‘Delhi Durbar’ in 1877 to decorate Queen Victoria with the title of
‘Kaiser – I – Hind’.• Arms Act(1878) made it mandatory for Indians to acquire license for arms.• Passed the infamous Vernacular Press Act (1878).
Lord Ripon (1880 – 1884):
• Liberal person, who sympathized with Indians.• Repeated the Vernacular Press Act (1882)• Passed the local self – government Act (1882)• Took steps to improve primary & secondary education (on William Hunter
Commission’s recommendations).• The I Factory Act, 1881, aimed at prohibiting child labour.• Passed the libert Bill (1883) which enabled Indian district magistrates to try European
criminals. But this was withdrawn later.
Lord Dufferin (1884 – 1888):
• Indian National Congress was formed during his tenure.
Lord Lansdowne (1888 – 1894):
• II Factory Act (1891) granted a weekly holiday and stipulated working hours for women and children, although it failed to address concerns such as work hours for men.
• Categorization of Civil Services into Imperial, Provincial and Subordinate.• Indian Council Act of 1892 was passed.• Appointment of Durand Commission to define the line between British India and
Afghanistan.
Lord Elgin II (1894 – 1899):
• Great famine of 1896 – 1897. Lyall Commission was appointed.
Lord Curzon (1899 – 1905):
• Passed the Indian Universities Act (1904) in which official control over the Universities was increased.
• Partitioned Bengal (October 16, 1905) into two provinces 1, Bengal (proper), 2.East Bengal & Assam.
• Appointed a Police Commission under Sir Andrew Frazer to enquire into the police administration of every province.
• The risings of the frontier tribes in 1897 – 98 led him to create the North Western Frontier Province(NWFP).
• Passed the Ancient Monuments Protection Act (1904), to restore India’s cultural heritage. Thus the Archaeological Survey of India was established.
• Passed the Indian Coinage and Paper Currency Act (1899) and put India on a gold standard.
• Extended railways to a great extent.
Lord Minto (1905 – 1910):
• There was great political unrest in India. Various acts were passed to curb the revolutionary activities. Extremists like Lala Laipat Rai and Ajit Singh (in May, 1907) and Bal Gangadhar Tilak (in July, 1908) were sent to Mandalay jail in Burma.
• The Indian Council Act of 1909 or the Morley – Minto Reforms was passed.
Lord Hardinge (1910 – 1916):
• Held a durbar in dec, 1911 to celebrate the coronation of King George V.• Partition of Bengal was cancelled (1911), capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi (1911).• A bomb was thrown at him; but he escaped unhurt (Dec 23, 1912).• Gandhiji came back to India from S.Africa (1915).• Annie Besant announced the Home Rule Movement.
Lord Chelmsford (1916 – 1921):
• August Declaration of 1917, whereby control over the Indian government would be gradually transferred to the Indian people.
• The government of India Act in 1919 (Montague – Chelmsford reforms) was passed.• Rowlatt Act of 1919; Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (April 13, 1919).• Non – Cooperation Movement.• An Indian Sir S.P.Sinha was appointed the Governor of Bengal.• A Women’s university was founded at Poona in 1916.• Saddler Commission was appointed in 1917 to envisage new educational policy.
Lord Reading (1921 – 1926):
• Rowlatt act was repeated along with the Press act of 1910.• Suppressed non-cooperation movement.• Prince of Wales visited India in Nov.1921.• Moplah rebellion (1921) took place in Kerala.• Ahmedabad session of 1921.• Formation of Swaraj Party.• Vishwabharati University started functioning in 1922.• Communist part was founded in 1921 by M.N.Roy.• Kakory Train Robbery on Aug 9, 1925.• Communal riots of 1923 – 25 in Multan, Amritsar, Delhi, etc.• Swami Shraddhanand, a great nationalist and a leader of the Arya Samajists, was
murdered in communal orgy.
Lord Irwin (1926 – 1931):
• Simon Commission visited India in 1928.• Congress passed the Indian Resolution in 1929.• Dandi March (Mar 12, 1930).
• Civil Disobedience Movement (1930).• First Round Table Conference held in England in 1930.• Gandhi – Irwin Pact (Mar 5, 1931) was signed and Civil Disobediance Movement was
withdrawn.• Martydorm of Jatin Das after 64 days hunger strike (1929).
Lord Willington (1931 – 1936):
• Second Round Table conference in London in 1931.• On his return Gandhiji was again arrested and Civil Disobedience Movement was
resumed in Jan 1932.• Communal Awards (Aug 16, 1932) assigned seats to different religious communities.
Gandhiji went on a epic fast in protest against this division.• Third Round Table conference in 1932.• Poona Pact was signed.• Government of India Act (1935) was passed.
Lord Linlithgow (1936 – 1944):
• Govt. of India Act enforced in the provinces. Congress ministries formed in 8 out of 11 provinces. They remained in power for about 2 years till Oct 1939, when they gave up offices on the issue of India having been dragged into the II World War. The Muslim League observed the days as ‘Deliverance Say’ (22 December)
• Churchill became the British PM in May, 1940. He declared that the Atlantic Charter (issued jointly by the UK and US, stating to give sovereign rights to those who have been forcibly deprived of them) does not apply to India.
• Outbreak of World War II in 1939.• Cripps Mission in 1942.• Quit India Movement (August 8, 1942).
Lord Wavell (1944 – 1947):
• Arranged the Shimla Conference on June 25, 1945 with Indian National Congress and Muslim League; failed.
• Cabinet Mission Plan (May 16, 1946).• Elections to the constituent assembly were held and an Interim Govt. was appointed
under Nehru.• First meeting of the constituent assembly was held on Dec. 9, 1946.
Lord Mountbatten (Mar.1947 – Aug.1947):
• Last Viceroy of British India and the first Governor General of free India.• Partition of India decided by the June 3 Plan.• Indian Independence Act passed by the British parliament on July 4, 1947, by which
India became independent on August 15, 1947.• Retried in June 1948 and was succeeded by C.Rajagopalachari (the first and the last
Indian Governor General of free India).
Important National Activities
The Indian National Congress:
• Formed in 1885 by A.O.Hume, an Englishman and a retired civil servant.• First session in Bombay under W.C.Banerjee in 1885 (72 delegates attended it).• In the first two decades (1885 – 1905), quite moderate in its approach and confided in
British justice and generosity.• But the repressive measures of the British gave rise to extremists within Congress like
Bipin Chandra Pal, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai (Lal, Bal, Pal).
Partition of Bengal:
• By Lord Curzon on Oct 16, 1905, through a royal Proclamation, reducing the old province of Bengal in size by creating East Bengal and Assam out of rest of Bengal.
• The objective was to set up a communal gulf between Hindus and Muslims.• A mighty upsurge swept the country against the partition. National movement found
real expression in the movement against the partition of Bengal in 1905.
Swadeshi Movement (1905):
• Lal, Bal, Pal, and Aurobindo Ghosh played the important role.• INC took the Swadeshi call first at the Banaras Session, 1905 presided over by
G.K.Gokhale.• Bonfires of foreign goods were conducted at various places.
Formation of Muslim League (1906):
• Setup in 1906 under the leadership of Aga Khan, Nawab Salimullah of Dhaka and Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk.
• It was a loyalist, communal and conservative political organization which supported the partition of Bengal, opposed the Swadeshi movement, demanded special safeguards to its community and a separate electorate for Muslims.
Demand for Swaraj:
• In Dec 1906 at Calcutta, the INC under Dadabhai Naoroji adopted ‘Swaraj’ (Self-govt) as the goal of Indian people.
Surat Session of Indian National Congress (1907):
• The INC split into two groups – The extremists and The moderates, at the Surat session in 1907. Extremists were led by Bal, Pal, Lal while the moderates by G.K.Gokhale.
Indian Councils Act or Minto Morley Reforms (1909):
• Besides other constitutional measures, it envisaged a separate electorate for Muslims.• Aimed at dividing the nationalist ranks and at rallying the Moderates and the Muslims
to the Government’s side.
Ghadar Party (1913):
• Formed by Lala Hardayal, Taraknath Das and Sohan Singh Bhakna. • HQ was at San Francisco.
Home Rule Movement (1916):
• Started by B.G.Tilak(April, 1916) at Poona and Annie Besant and S.Subramania Iyer at Adyar, near Madras (Sept, 1916).
• Objective: Self – government for India in the British Empire.• Tilak linked up the question of Swaraj with the demand for the formation of Linguistic
States and education in vernacular language. He gave the slogan: Swaraj is my birth right and I will have it.
Lucknow Pact (1916):
• Happened following a war between Britain and Turkey leading to anti-British feelings among Muslims.
• Both INC and Muslim League concluded this (Congress accepted the separate electorates and both jointly demanded for a representative government and dominion status for the country).
August Declaration (1917):
• After the Lucknow Pact, a British policy was announced which aimed at “increasing association of Indians in every branch of the administration for progressive realization of responsible government in India as an integral part of the British empire”. This came to be called the August Declaration.
Rowlatt Act (March 18, 1919):
• This gave unbridled powers to the govt. to arrest and imprison suspects without trial for two years maximum. This law enabled the Government to suspend the right of Habeas Corpus, which had been the foundation of civil liberties in Britain.
• Caused a wave of anger in all sections. It was the first country-wide agitation by Gandhiji and marked the foundation of the Non Cooperation Movement.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (April 13, 1919):
• People were agitated over the arrest of Dr. Kitchlu and Dr. Satyapal on April 10, 1919.• General O’ Dyer fires at people who assembled in the Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar.• As a result hundreds of men, women and children were killed and thousands injured.• Rabindranath Tagore returned his Knighthood in protest. Sir Shankaran Nair resigned
from Viceroy’s Executive Council after this.• Hunter Commission was appointed to enquire into it.• On March 13, 1940, Sardar Udham Singh killed O’Dyer when the later was addressing
a meeting in Caxton Hall, London.
Khilafat Movement (1920):
• Muslims were agitated by the treatment done with Turkey by the British in the treaty that followed the First World War.
• Two brothers, Mohd.Ali and Shaukat Ali started this movement.
Non-cooperation Movement (1920):
• It was the first mass-based political movement under Gandhiji.
• Congress passed the resolution in its Calcutta session in Sept 1920.
Chauri –Chaura Incident (1922):
• A mob of people at Chauri – Chaura (near Gorakhpur) clashed with police and burnt 22 policemen on February 5, 1922.
• This compelled Gandhiji to withdraw the Non Cooperation movement on Feb.12, 1922.
Simon Commission (1927):
• Constituted under John Simon, to review the political situation in India and to introduce further reforms and extension of parliamentary democracy.
• Indian leaders opposed the commission, as there were no Indians in it.• The Government used brutal repression and police attacks to break the popular
opposition. At Lahore, Lala Lajpat Rai was severely beaten in a lathi-charge. He succumbed to his injuries on Oct.30, 1928.
Lahore Session (1929):
• On Dec.19, 1929 under the President ship of J.L.Nehru, the INC, at its Lahore Session, declared Poorna Swaraj (Complete independence) as its ultimate goal.
• On Dec.31, 1929, the newly adopted tri-colour flag was unfurled and an.26, 1930 was fixed as the First Independence Day, was to be celebrated every year.
Revolutionary Activities:
• The first political murder of a European was committed in 1897 at Poona by the Chapekar brothers, Damodar and Balkishan. Their target was Mr.Rand, President of the Plague Commission, but Lt.Ayerst was accidentally shot.
• In 1907, Madam Bhikaiji Cama, a Parsi revolutionary unfurled the flag of India at Stuttgart Congress (of Second international).
• In 1908, Khudiram Bose and Prafulla chaki threw a bomb on the carriage of kingford, the unpopular judge of Muzaffapur. Khudiram, Kanhaiyalal Dutt and Satyendranath Bose were hanged. (Alipur Case).
• In 1909, M L Dhingra shot dead Col.William Curzon Whyllie, the political advisor of “India Office” in London.
• In 1912, Rasbihari Bose and Sachindra Nath Sanyal threw a bomb and Lord Hardinge at Delhi. (Delhi Conspiracy Case).
• In Oct, 1924, a meeting of revolutionaries from all parts of India was called at Kanpur. They setup Hindustan Socialist Republic Association/Army (HSRA).
• They carried out a dacoity on the Kakori bound train on the Saharanpur-Lucknow railway line on Aug. 9, 1925.
• Bhagat Singh, with his colleagues, shot dead Saunders (Asst. S.P. of Lahore, who ordered lathi charge on Lala Lajpat Rai) on Dec.17, 1928.
• Then Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw a bomb in the Central Assembly on Apr 8, 1929. Thus, he, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged on March. 23,1931 at Lahore Jall (Lahore Conspiracy Case) and their bodies cremated at Hussainiwala near Ferozepur.
• In 1929 only Jatin Das died in Lahore jail after 63 days fast to protest against horrible conditions in jail.
• Surya Sen, a revolutionary of Bengal, formed the Indian Republic Army in Bengal. In 1930, he masterminded the raid on Chittagong armoury. He was hanged in 1933.
• In 1931, Chandrashekhar Azad shot himself at Alfred Park in Allahabad.
Dandi March (1930):
• Also called the Salt Satyagraha.• Along with 78 followers, Gandhiji started his march from Sabarmati Ashram on March
12, 1930 for the small village Dandhi to break the salt law.• He reached the seashore on Apr.6, 1930.• He picked a handful of salt and inaugurated the Civil Disobedience Movement.
First Round Table conference (1930):
• It was the first conference arranged between the British and Indians as equals. It was held on Nov.12, 1930 in London to discuss Simon commission.
• Boycotted by INC, Muslim League, Hindu Mahasabha, Liberals and some others were there.
Gandhi Irwin Pact (1931):
• Moderate Statesman, Sapru, Jaikar and Srinivas Shastri initiated efforts to break the ice between Gandhiji and the government.
• The two (government represented by Irwin and INC by Gandhiji) signed a pact on March 5, 1931.
• In this the INC called off the civil disobedience movement and agreed to join the second round table conference.
• The government on its part released the political prisoners and conceded the right to make salt for consumption for villages along the coast.
Second Round Table Conference (1931):
• Gandhiji represented the INC and went to London to meet British P.M. Ramsay Macdonald.
• However, the session was soon deadlocked on the minorities issue and this time separate electorates was demanded not only by Muslims but also by Depressed Classes, Indian Christians and Anglo – Indians.
The Communal Award (Aug 16,1932):
• Announced by Ramsay McDonald. It showed divide and rule policy of the British.• Envisaged representation of Muslims, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo Indians, women
and even Backward classes.• Gandhiji, who was in Yeravada jail at that time, started a fast unto death against it.
Poona Pact (September 25, 1932):
• After the announcement of communal award and subsequent fast of Gandhiji, mass meeting took place almost everywhere.
• Political leaders like Madan Mohan Malviya, B.R.Ambedkar and M.C.Rajah became active.
• Eventually Poona pact was reached and Gandhiji broke his fact on the sixth day (Sept 25, 1932).
• In this, the idea of separate electorate for the depressed classes was abandoned, but seats reserved to them in the provincial legislature were increased.
Third Round Table Conference (1932):
• Proved fruitless as most of the national leaders were in prison. The discussions led to the passing of the Government of India Act, 1935.
Demand For Pakistan:
• In 1930, Iqbal suggested that the Frontier Province, Baluchistan, Sindh and Kashmir be made the Muslim State within the federation.
• Chaudhary Rehmat Ali gave the term Pakistan in 1923.• Mohd. Ali Jinnah of Bombay gave it practicality.• Muslim League first passed the proposal of separate Pakistan in its Lahore session in
1940.
The Cripps Mission – 1942:
• In Dec. 1941, Japan entered the World War – II and advanced towards Indian borders. By March 7, 1942, Rangoon fell and Japan occupied the entire S E Asia.
• The British govt. with a view to getting co-operation from Indians sent Sir Stafford Cripps, leader of the House of Commons to settle terms with the Indian leaders.
• He offered a draft which proposed dominion status to be granted after the war.• Rejected by the Congress as it didn’t want to rely upon future promises.• Gandhiji termed it as a post dated cheque in a crashing bank.
The Revolt of 1942 & The Quit India Movement:
• Called the Vardha Proposal and Leaderless Revolt.• The resolution was passed on Aug.8, 1942, at Bombay. Gandhiji gave the slogan ‘Do
or Die’.• On Aug 9, the Congress was banned and its important leaders were arrested.• The arrests provoked indignation among the masses and, there being no program of
action, the movement became spontaneous and violent. Violence spread throughout the country.
• The movement was however crushed.• The Indian National Army:
Founded by Rasbehari Bose with Captain Mohan Singh.• S.C.Bose secretly escaped from India in Jain 1941, and reached Berlin. In July 1943,
he joined the INA at Singapore. There, Rasbehari Bose handed over the leadership to him.
• The soldiers were mostly raised from Indian soldiers of the British army who had been taken prisoners by the Japanese after they conquered S.E.Asia.
• Two INA head quarters were Rangoon and Singapore (formed in Singapore).• INA had three fighting brigades named after Gandhiji, Azad and Nehru. Rani Jhansi
Brigade was an exclusive women force.
The Cabinet Mission Plan (1946):
• The struggle for freedom entered a decisive phase in the year 1945-46. The new Labour Party PM.Lord Attlee, made a declaration on March 15, 1946, that British Cabinet Mission (comprising of Lord Pethick Lawrence as Chairman, Sir Stafford Cripps and A.V.Alexander) will visit India.
• The mission held talks with the INC and ML to bring about acceptance of their proposals.
• On May 16, 1946, the mission put towards its proposals. It rejected the demand for separate Pakistan and instead a federal union consisting of British India and the Princely States was suggested.
• Both Congress and Muslims League accepted it.
Formation of Interim Government (Sept 2, 1946):
• Based on Cabinet Mission Plan, an interim government consisting of Congress nominees was formed on Sept.2, 1946. J.L.Nehru was its Vice-President and the Governor-General remained as its President.
Jinnah’s Direct Action Resolution (Aug 16, 1946):
• Jinnah was alarmed at the results of the elections because the Muslim League was in danger of being totally eclipsed in the constituent assembly.
• Therefore, Muslim League withdrew its acceptance of the Cabinet Mission Plan on July 29, 1946.
• It passed a ‘Direct action’ resolution, which condemned both the British Government and the Congress (Aug 16, 1946). It resulted in heavy communal riots.
• Jinnah celebrated Pakistan Day on Mar 27, 1947.
Formation of Constituent Assembly (Dec 9, 1946):
• The Constituent assembly met on Dec 9, 1946 and Dr.Rajendra Prasad was elected as its president.
Mountbatten Plan (June 3, 1947):
• On June 3, 1947, Lord Mountbatten put forward his plan which outlined the steps for the solution of India’s political problem. The outlines of the Plan were:
• India to be divided into India and Pakistan.• Bengal and Punjab will be partitioned and a referendum in NEFP and Sylhet district of
Assam would be held.• There would be a separate constitutional assembly for Pakistan to frame its
constitution.• The Princely states would enjoy the liberty to join either India or Pakistan or even
remain independent.• Aug.15, 1947 was the date fixed for handing over power to India and Pakistan.• The British govt. passed the Indian Independence Act of 1947 in July 1947, which
contained the major provisions put forward by the Mountbatten plan.
Partition and Independence (Aug 1947):
• All political parties accepted the Mountbatten plan.• At the time of independence, there were 562 small and big Princely States in India.• Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, the first home minister, used iron hand in this regard. By
August 15, 1947, all the States, with a few exceptions like Kashmir, Hyderabad and Junagarh had signed the Instrument of Accession. Goa was with the Portuguese and Pondicherry with the French.
Venue, Year and Presidents of India National Congress (INC)
Year Venue President
1885, 1882
Bombay, Allahabad
W.C.Bannerji
1886 Calcutta Dadabhai Naoroji
1893 Lahore "
1906 Calcutta "
1887 Madras Badruddin Tyyabji (fist Muslim President)
1888 Allahabad George Yule (first English President)
1889 Bombay Sir William Wedderburn
1890 Calcutta Sir Feroze S.Mehta
1895, 1902
Poona, Ahmedabad
S.N.Banerjee
1905 Banaras G.K.Gokhale
1907, 1908
Surat, Madras Rasbehari Ghosh
1909 Lahore M.M.Malviya
1916 Lucknow A.C.Majumdar (Re-union of the Congress)
1917 Calcutta Annie Besant (first woman President)
1919 Amritsar Motilal Nehru
1920Calcutta (sp.session)
Lala Lajpat Rai
1921,1922Ahmedabad, Gaya
C.R.Das
1923Delhi (sp.session)
Abdul Kalam Azad (youngest President)
1924 Belgaon M.K.Gandhi
1925 Kanpur Sarojini Naidu (first Indian woman President)
1928 Calcutta Motilal Nehru (first All India Youth Congress Formed)
1929 Lahore J.L.Nehru (Poorna Swaraj resolution was passed)
1931 KarachiVallabhbhai Patel (Here, resolution on Fundamental rightsand the National Economic Program was passed)
1932, 1933
Delhi, Calcutta (Session Banned)
1934 Bombay Rajendra Prasad
1936 Lucknow J.L.Nehru
1937 Faizpur J.L.Nehru (first session in a village)
1938 Haripura S.C.Bose (a National Planning Committed set-up underJ.L.Nehru).
1939 TripuriS.C.Bose was re-elected but had to resign due to protestby Gandhiji (as Gandhiji supported Dr.Pattabhi Sitaramayya). Rajendra Prasadwas appointed in his place.
1940 Ramgarh Abdul Kalam Azad
1946 Meerut Acharya J.B.Kriplani
1948 Jaipur Dr.Pattabhi Sitaramayya.
General Knowledge India Politics
The Governor
1 Qualification
Citizen of India Completed 35 yrs of age. Shouldn't be a member of either house of parliament or the State
legislature. Must possess the qualification for membership of State Legislature. Mustn't hold any office of profit.
2 Status
Nominal executive in States.
Normally each State has its own Governor, but under the Seventh Amendment Act 1956, the same person can be appointed as Governor of one or more States or Lt. Governor of the Union Territory.
Appointed by the President on the recommendations of Union Council of Ministers.
His usual term of office is 5 yrs but he holds office during the pleasure of the President. He can be asked to continue for more time until his successor takes the charge.
Can give his resignation or can be removed earlier by the President. The legislature of a State or a High Court has no role in the removal of a Governor.
Salary from the Consolidated Fund of the State (Rs.36,000 per month) and is not subject to the vote of the State Legislature. When the same person is appointed as the Governor of two or more States, the emoluments and allowances payable to him shall be allocated among the States in such proportion as determined by the President of India.
His oath is administrated by the Chief Justice of the concerned State High Court and in his absence, the senior - most of that Court.
3 Powers
Appoints Chief Minister, Council of Ministers, Chairman & members of State Public Service Commission, Advocate General of the State and Election Commissioner of the State.
Summons, Prorogues & dissolves the State Legislature.
President consults Governor while appointing Chief Justice and other judges of High Court. Appoints judges of courts below the High Court.
Reports to the President if the State Government is not running constitutionally and recommends the President's rule (Article 356). When the President's Rule is in progress, he becomes the 'Agent of the Union Government in the State'. He takes over the reigns of administration directly into his own hands and runs the State with the aid of the Civil Servants
President
1 Qualification
Must be a citizen of India.Completed 35 yrs in age.Eligible to be a member of Lok Sabha.Must not hold any Government post. Exceptions:President and Vice-President.Governor of any State.Minister of Union or State.
2 Election
Indirectly elected through 'Electoral College' consisting of Elected members of both the Houses of Parliament & Elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States. (No nominated members).Security deposit - 15,000/-Supreme Court inquires all disputes regarding President's election.Takes OATH in presence of Chief Justice of India, or in his absence, senior most judge of Supreme Court.
3Term & Emoluments
5 year termArticle 57 says that there is no upper limit on the no. of times a person can ecome President.Can give resignation to Vice President before full-term.Present Salary - 50,000/month (including allowances & emoluments).
4 Impeachment
Quasi-judicial procedure.Can be impeached only on the ground of violation of Constitution.The impeachment procedure can be initiated in either House of the Parliament.
5 Vacancy
In case the office falls vacant due to death, resignation or removal, the Vice-President acts as President. If he is not available then Chief Justice, if not then senior-most judge of Supreme Court shall act as the President of India.The election is to be held within 6 months of the vacancy.
7 Powers
Appoints PM, ministers, Chief Justice & Judges of Supreme Court & High courts, Chairman & members of UPSC, Comptroller and Auditor General, Attorney General, Chief Election Commissioner and other members of Election Commission, Governors, Members of Finance Commission, Ambassadors, etc.Can summon & prorogue the sessions of the 2 houses & can dissolve Lok Sabha.Appoints Finance Commission (after every 5 yrs) that recommends distribution of taxes between Union & State govts.Appoints the Chief Justice and the judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts.The President can promulgate 3 types of Emergencies:National Emergency (Article 352)State Emergency (President's Rule) (Article 356)Financial Emergency (Article 360)He is the Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces of India.President appoints Chiefs of Army, Navy & Air Force.Declares wars & concludes peace subject to the approval of the Parliament.
Prime Ministers of India
Jawahar Lal Nehru 15.08.1947 27.05.1964
Gulzari Lal Nanda 27.05.1964 09.06.1964
Lal Bahadur Shastri 09.06.1964 11.01.1966
Gulzari Lal Nanda 11.01.1966 24.01.1966
Indira Gandhi 24.01.1966 24.03.1977
Morarji Desai 24.03.1977 28.07.1979
Charan Singh 28.07.1979 14.01.1980
Indira Gandhi 14.01.1980 31.10.1984
Rajiv Gandhi 31.10.1984 01.12.1989
V.P.Singh 02.12.1989 10.11.1990
Chandra Shekhar 10.11.1990 21.06.1991
P.V.Narsimha Rao 21.06.1991 16.05.1996
Atal Bihari Vajpayee 16.05.1996 01.06.1996
H.D. Deve Gowda 01.06.1996 21.04.1997
I.K.Gujral 21.04.1997 18.03.1998
Atal Bihari Vajpayee 19.03.1998 12.10.1999
Atal Bihari Vajpayee 13.10.1999 21.05.2004
Dr.Manmohan Singh 22.05.2004 Till Date
Strength of State Legislatures
SNo State / UTs Legislative Assembly Legislative Council
1 Andhra Pradesh 294 Nil
2 Arunachal Pradesh 40 Nil
3 Assam 126 Nil
4 Delhi 70 Nil
5 Bihar 243 75
6 Jharkhand 81 Nil
7 Goa 40 Nil
8 Gujarat 182 Nil
9 Haryana 90 Nil
10 Himachal Pradesh 68 Nil
11 Jammu & Kashmir 76 36
12 Karnataka 224 75
13 Kerala 140 Nil
14 Madhya Pradesh 230 Nil
15 Chhatisgarh 90 Nil
16 Maharashtra 288 78
17 Manipur 60 Nil
18 Meghalaya 60 Nil
19 Mizoram 40 Nil
20 Nagaland 60 Nil
21 Orissa 147 Nil
22 Pondicherry 30 Nil
23 Punjab 117 Nil
24 Rajasthan 200 Nil
25 Sikkim 32 Nil
26 Tamil Nadu 234 Nil
27 Tripura 60 Nil
28 Uttar Pradesh 403 104
29 Uttaranchal 70 Nil
30 West Bengal 294 Nil
Supreme Court of India
1 Status Stands at the apex of the judicial system of India. Consists of Chief Justice & 25 other judges.
2 Appointment
The senior most judge of the Supreme Court is appointed as the Chief Justice of India. Other judges are appointed by the President after consultation with such judges of the Supreme Court and of the High Court as the President may deem necessary.
3 Qualification
Citizen of India Have been a judge of High Court for 5 yrs or An advocate of High
Court for 10 yrs minimum or In President's view, a distinguished jurist of the country.
4 Term & Salary
The Chief Justice & other judges hold office till 65 yrs of age. Can give resignation to President. Can be removed by the Parliament. After retirement, a judge of Supreme Court cannot plead or act
before any authority. Salary: Chief Justice - 33,000/- per month, Other Judges -
30,000/- per month
5Removal of Judges
A motion seeking the removal of the judge can be preferred before either House of the Parliament.
The resolution should be supported by a majority of total membership of both houses & by 2/3 majority of the members present & voting.
6Jurisdiction of The Supreme Court
Original Jurisdiction: The Supreme Court settles all disputes between Centre - State, State - State, etc.
Writ Jurisdiction: Every individual has the right to move the Supreme Court directly by appropriate proceedings for the enforcement of his Fundamental Rights.
Advisory Jurisdiction: If the President seeks the advice of
Supreme Court, it is duty bound to give its opinion. (Its opinion isn't a binding of President).
Revisory Jurisdiction: The Supreme Court under Article 137 is empowered to review any judgement or order made by it with a view to removing any mistake or error that might have crept in the judgement or order.
It is a court of record as its decisions are of evidentiary value & cannot be questioned in any court.
The Supreme Court also enjoys the power of Judicial review as it can ensure that the laws passed by legislature and orders issued by the executive do not contravene any provision of the Constitution.
The Supreme Court decides disputes regarding the election of the President and the Vice President.
The Supreme Court recommends the removal of members of UPSC to the President.
Attorney General of India
Status:
• Highest legal officer of the Union Govt.
• Appointed by the President.
• The person should be qualified to be appointed a judge of the Supreme Court.
• He is entitled to audience in all courts of the country & can take part in the proceedings of the Parliament & its committees. However, he is not given the right to vote.
• He is also allowed to take up private practice provided the other party is not the State. Because of this, he is not paid salary but a retainer to be determined by the President.
• In England, the Attorney General is a member of the Cabinet, but in India he is not. It is a political appointment and therefore, whenever there is a change in the party in power, the Attorney General resigns from his post to enable the new Government to appoint a nominee of his choice.
• The Attorney General is assisted by two Solicitors-General and four Additional Solicitors - General.
• The Attorney General gets a retainer equivalent to the salary of a judge of the Supreme Court.
• Gives advice on all such legal matters which may be referred or assigned to him by the President.
• Appears before the Supreme Court and various High Courts in cases involving the govt. of India.
Vice President
1 Election
• Elected by both the houses (Electoral College) in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote and the vote being secret. Nominated members also participate in his election.
• The Supreme Court has the final and exclusive jurisdiction for resolving disputes and doubts relating to the election of the Vice-President.
2 Criteria
• Citizen of India.
• More than 35 yrs of age
• Possess the qualification for membership of Rajya Sabha.
• Not hold any office of profit under union, state or local authority. However, for this purpose, the President, Vice-President, Governor of a State and a Minister of the Union or a State, are not held to be holding an office of profit.
3Other Points
• Holds office for 5 yrs. Can be re-elected.
• Term can be cut short if he resigns or by a resolution of the Raja Sabha passed by a majority of all the then members of the Rajya Sabha and agreed to by the Lok Sabha.
• He is the ex-officio chairman of Rajya Sabha. Since he is not a member of Rajya Sabha, he has no right to vote.
• Being the Vice President of India, he is not entitled for any salary, but he is entitled to the salary and allowances payable to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
• All bills, resolution, motion can be taken in Rajya Sabha after his consent.
Vice Presidents of India
SNo Name Year
1 1952 - 1962 S. Radhakrishnan
2 1962 - 1977 Zakir Hussain
3 1967 - 1969 V.V.Giri
4 1969 - 1974 G.S. Pathak
5 1974 - 1979 B.D. Jatti
6 1979 - 1984 Md. Hidayatullah
7 1984 - 1987 R. Venkataraman
8 1987 - 1992 Dr. S.D. Sharma
9 1992 - 1997 K.R. Narayanan
10 1997 - 2002 Krishna Kanth
11 2002 - Bhairon Singh Shekawat
Parts of the Constitution
Part - I (Article 1 - 4)
Deals with territory of India formation of new states, alterations, names of existing states.
Part - II (Art. 5 - 11)
Deals with various rights of citizenship.
Part - III (Art. 12 - 35)
Deals with fundamental rights of Indian citizens. (Art. 31 - dealing with the right to property was deleted by 44th amendment).
Part - IV (Art. 36-51)
Deals with Directive Principles of State Policy.
Part - IV - A (Art. 51A)
Added by 42nd amendment in 1976. Contains the duties of the citizens.
Part - V (Art. 52 - 151)
Deals with govt. at the Union Level. (Duties & Function of PM, Ministers, Presidents, Attorney General, Parliament - Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha, Comptroller & Auditor General).
Part - VI (Art. 152 - 237)
Deals with govt. at the State Level. (Duties & functions of Chief Minister & his ministers, Governor, State legislature, High Court, Advocate General of the State).
Part - VII (Art. 238)
Deals with States, was replaced in 1956 by the 7th amendment.
Part - VIII (Art. 239 - 241)
Deals with Union Territories.
Part - IX
Consists of 2 parts:1. Added by 73rd amendment in 1992. Contains a new schedule 'SCHEDULE ELEVEN'. It contains 29 subjects related to Panchayati Raj. (They have been given administrative powers). 2. Added by 74th amendment in 1992. Contains a new schedule 'SCHEDULE TWELVE'. It contains 18 subjects related to Municipalities. (They have been given administrative powers).
Part - X (Art. 244, 244A)
Deals with Scheduled & Tribal Areas.
Part - XI (Art. 245 - 263)
Deals with relation between Union & States.
Part - XII (Art. 264 - 300A)
Deals with distribution of revenue between Union & States, appointment of Finance Commission (Article 280), contracts, liabilities etc.
Part - XIII (Art.301 - 307)
Relates to trade, commerce & intercourse within the Territory of India.
Part - XIV (Art.308 - 323)
Deals with UPSC and Public Service Commissions.
Part - XV (Art.324 - 329)
Deals with elections (Also Election Commission)
Part - XVI (Art.330 - 342)
Deals with special provisions for Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribed & Anglo - Indian Representation.
Part - XVII (Art. 343 - 351)
Relates to official language.
Part, XVIII (Art.352 - 360)
Deals with emergency provisions.
Parliament of India
LOK SABHA:
Maximum strength - 550 + 2 nominated members. (530 - States/ 20 - Union Territories)
Present strength of Lok Sabha - 545.
The Eighty Fourth Amendment, 2001, extended freeze on Lok Sabha and State Assembly seats till 2026.
The normal tenure of the Lok Sabha is five years, but it may be dissolved earlier by the President. The life of the Lok Sabha can be extended by the Parliament beyond the five year term, when a proclamation of emergency under Article 352 is in force. But the Parliament cannot extend the normal life of the Lok Sabha for more than one year at a time (no limit on the number of times in the Constitution).
The Candidate must be: (a) Citizen of India. (b) Atleast 25 yrs of age. (c ) Mustn't hold any office of profit. (d) No unsound mind/ insolvent. (e) Has registered as voter in any Parliamentary Constituency.
Oath of MPs is conducted by the Speaker. Can resign, by writing to Speaker.
Presiding officer is Speaker (In his absence Deputy Speaker). The members among themselves elect him.
The Speaker continues in office even after the dissolution of the Lok Sabha till a newly elected Lok Sabha meets.
Usually the Speaker, after his election cuts-off all connection with his party & acts in an impartial manner. He does not vote in the first instance, but exercises his casting vote only to remove a deadlock.
Charges his salary from Consolidated Fund of India.
Speaker sends his resignation to deputy Speaker.
The Majority of the total membership can remove Speaker after giving a 14 days notice. (During this time, he doesn't preside over the meetings). After his removal, continues in office till his successor takes charge.RAJYA SABHA
• Maximum Strength - 250 {Out of these, President nominates 12 amongst persons having special knowledge or practical experience in the fields of literature, science, art and social service}.
• Presently, the Parliament, by law, has provided for 233 seats for the States and the Union Territories. The total membership of Rajya Sabha is thus 245.
• All the States and the Union Territories of Delhi and Pondicherry are represented in the Rajya Sabha.
• Representatives of the State are elected by members of State legislative assemblies on the basis of proportional representation through a single transferable vote.
• There are no seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Rajya Sabha.
• The candidate must be: (a) Citizen of India. (b) 30 yrs of age. (c ) Be a parliamentary elector in the State in which he is seeking election. (d) Others as prescribed by parliament from time-to-time.
• The Rajya Sabha MPs are elected for a term of 6 years, as 1/3rd members retire every 2 years.
• Vice-President is the ex-officio chairman of Rajya Sabha. He presides over the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha as long as he does not act as the President of India during a vacancy in the office of the President of India.
• Also a deputy chairman is elected from its members.
• In Rajya Sabha any bill can originate, apart from money bill (including budget).
The New States Created After 1950
1 Andhra Pradesh Created by the State of Andhra Pradesh Act, 1953 by carving out some areas from the State of Madras
2 Gujarat and Maharashtra
The State of Bombay was divided into two States, I.e., Maharashtra and Gujarat by the Bombay (Reorganisation) Act, 1960
3 Kerala Created by the State Reorganisation Act, 1956. Te comprised Travancor and Cochin areas.
4 Karnataka Created from the Princely State of Mysore by the State Reorganisation Act, 1956. It was renamed Karnataka in 1973.
5 Nagaland It was carved out from the State of Assam by the State of Nagaland Act, 1962.
6 Haryana It was carved out from the State of Punjab by the Punjab (Reorganisation) Act, 1966
7 Himachal Pradesh
The Union Territory of Himachal Pradesh was elevated to the status of State by the State of Himachal Pradesh Act, 1970
8 Meghalaya
First carved out as a sub-State within the State of Assam by 23rd Constitutional Amendment, 1969. Later in 1971, it received the status of a full-fledged State by the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act. 1971
9 Manipur and Tripura
Both these States were elevated from the status of Union Territories by the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971.
10 SikkimSikkim was first given the Status of Associate State by the 35th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1974. It got the status of a full State in 1975 by the 36th Amendment Act, 1975.
11 MizoramIt was elevated to the Status of a full State by the State of Mizoram Act, 1986.
12Arunachal Pradesh
It received the status of a full State by the State of Arunachal Pradesh Act, 1986.
13 Goa
Goa was separated from the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu and was made a full-fledged State by the Goa, Daman and Diu Reorganisation Act, 1987. But Daman and Diu remained as Union Territory
14 ChhattisgarhFormed by the Constitutional Amendment Act, 2000 by dividing Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 2000
15 UttaranchalFormed by the Constitutional Amendment Act, 2000 by dividing Uttar Pradesh on November 9, 2000
16 JharkhandFormed by the Constitutional Amendment Act, 2000 by dividing Bihar on November 15,2000.
Important Constitutional Amendments
1 First Amendment 1951
Added Ninth Schedule.
2Seventh Amendment 1956
Necessitated on account of reorganisation of States on a linguistic basis
3Eighth Amendment 1959
Extended special provisions for reservations of seats for SCs, STs and Anglo-Indian in Lok Sabha and Leg. Assemblies for a period of 10 years from1960 to 1970.
4The Ninth Amendment 1960
Gave effect to transfer certain territories to Pakistan following the 1958 Indo-Pak agreement.
5The Tenth Amendment 1961
Incorporated Dadra & Nagar Haveli as a UT.
6Twelfth Amendment 1962
Incorporated Goa, Daman & Diu as a UT.
7Thirteenth Amendment 1962
Created Nagaland as a State.
8Fourteenth Amendment 1963
Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam, the former French territories were included in the I schedules as UT of Pondicherry.
9Eighteenth Amendment 1966
Reorganised Punjab into Punjab, Haryana and UT of Chandigarh.
10Twenty first Amendment 1967
Included Sindhi as the Fifteenth Regional language.
11Twenty second Amendment 1969
Created a sub-state of Meghalaya with in Assam.
12Twenty third Amendment 1969
Extended the reservation of seats for SC/ST and nomination of Anglo-Indians for a further period of 10 years (till 1980).
13Twenty sixth Amendment 1971
Abolished the titles and special privileges of former rulers of princely states.
14Twenty seventh Amendment 1971
Established Manipur and Tripura as States and Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh as UTs.
15Thirty first Amendment 1973
Increased the elective Strength of LS from 525 to 545. The upper limit of representatives of States went up from 500 to 525.
16Thirty sixth Amendments 1975
Made Sikkim a State
Jurisdiction and Seats of High Courts
High Court
Status:
• Each State has a High Court; it is the highest judicial organ of the State.
• However, there can be a common High Court like Punjab, Haryana & Union Territory of Chandigarh.
• Presently there are 21 High Courts in India.
• Consists of Chief Justice & other such judges as appointed by the President.
• The Constitution, unlike in the case of the Supreme Court, does not fix any maximum number of judges for a High Court. (Allahabad High Court has 37 judges while J & K High Court has only 5).
• A judge of a High Court can be transferred to another High Court without his consent by the President. In this the Chief Justice of India is also consulted. The opinion provided by him shall have primacy and is binding on the President.
Appointment of Judges:
The appointment of Chief Justice is made after consultation with the Chief Justice of Supreme Court & the Governor of the State by the President. In case of appointment of a judge, the chief justice of the High Court concerned is also consulted in addition to chief Justice of Supreme Court & Governor of the State concerned.
Qualifications:
• Must be a citizen of India
• Should have been an advocate of a High Court or of two such Courts in succession for atleast 10 yrs; or should have held judicial office in India for a period of atleast 10yrs.
Term:
A judge of High Court continues his office till 62 yrs of age. Term can be cut short due to
resignation or removal by the President.
Removal:
• The President can remove a judge of High Court only if the Parliament passes the resolution by a 2/3 majority of its members present & voting in each house.
• The conduct of the judges of the High Court cannot be discussed in Parliament, except on a motion for the removal of a judge.
Jurisdiction Seats High Courts:
Name Estd.in the year
Territorial Jurisdiction Seat
Allahabad 1866 Uttar Pradesh Allahabad (Bench at Lucknow)
Andhra Pradesh
1954 Andhra Pradesh Hyderabad
Mumbai 1862Maharashtra, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Goa, Daman and Diu
Mumbai (Bench at Nagpur, Panaji and Aurangabad)
Kolkata 1862West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar
Kolkata (Circuit Bench at Port Blair)
Delhi 1966 Delhi Delhi
Guwahati 1948Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh
Guwahati (Bench at Kohima and Circuit Benches at Imphal, Agartala & Shillong)
Gujarat 1960 Gujarat Ahmedabad
Himachal Pradesh
1971 Himachal Pradesh Shimla
J & K 1957 J & K Srinagar and Jammu
Karnataka 1884 Karnataka Bangalore
Kerala 1956 Kerala and Lakshadweep Ernakulam
Madhya Pradesh
1956 Madhya PradeshJabalpur (Benches at Gwalior and Indore)
Chennai 1862 Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry Chennai
Orissa 1948 Orissa Cuttack
Patna 1916 Bihar Patna
Punjab & Haryana
1966 Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh Chandigarh
Rajasthan 1950 Rajasthan Jodhpur (Bench at Jaipur)
Sikkim 1975 Sikkim Gangtok
Bilaspur 2000 Chhattisgarh Bilaspur
Nainital 2000 Uttaranchal Nainital
Ranchi 2000 Jharkhand Ranchi
Fundamental Rights
Right to Equality
Article 14 Equality before law and equal protection of law
Article 15Prohibition of discrimination on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
Article 16 Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment.
Article 17 End of untouchability
Article 18 Abolition of titles, Military and academic distinctions are, however, exempted.
Right to Freedom of Religion
Article 25 Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion.
Article 26 Freedom to manage religious affairs
Article 27 Prohibits taxes on religious grounds
Article 28Freedom as to attendance at religious ceremonies in certain educational institutions
Right Against Exploitation
Article 23 Traffic in human beings prohibited
Article 24 No child below the age of 14 can be employed
Right to Freedom of Religion
Article 25 Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion.
Article 26 Freedom to manage religious affairs
Article 27 Prohibits taxes on religious grounds
Article 28 Freedom as to attendance at religious ceremonies in certain educational institutions
Cultural and Educational Rights
Article 29 Protection of interests of minorities
Article 30 Right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions.
Article 31 Omitted by the 44th Amendment Act.
Right to Constitutional Remedies
Article 32
The right to move the Supreme Court in case of their violation (called Soul and heart of the Constitution by DR Ambedkar).
Election Commission (Article 324)
Status:
• The Constitution provides for an independent election commission to ensure free and fair election to the Parliament, the State legislature and the offices of President and Vice-President.
• Consists of Chief Election Commissioner +2 Election Commissioners. They all enjoy equal powers.
• The Chief Election Commissioner is appointed by the President and the other Election Commissioners are appointed by the President after consultation with the Chief Election Commissioner. Article 324 also provides for the appointment of Regional Commissioners at the time of General Elections after consultation with the Election Commission.
• Election Commissioners are appointed for a term of 5yrs.
• They are not eligible for re-appointment. Also, they cannot hold any office of profit after their retirement.
• The term of 5yrs can by cut short by resignation or removal by President on recommendation of the Parliament (Same as that of Judge of the Supreme Court).
Functions:
• Preparation of electoral rolls & keeping voters list updated.
• Preparation of code of conductor for all political parties.
• Recognition of various political parties & allotment of election symbols.
• Appointment of election officers to look into disputes concerning election arrangements.
• To examine the returns of election expenses filed by the candidate.
Comptroller Auditor General India CAG
Status:
• Appointed by the President.
• A person with long administrative experience & knowledge of accounts is appointed.
• Holds office for 6 yrs or till 65 yrs of age.
• The President can remove him only on the recommendation of the 2 houses of Parliament (as in case of judge of Supreme Court).
Powers:
• He is the guardian of the public purse. His duties are to audit the accounts of the Union and the States and to ensure that nothing is spent out of the Consolidated Fund of India or of the States without the sanction of the Parliament or the respective State Legislature.
• He submits an audit report of the Union to the President who shall lay it before the Parliamentary and the audit reports of the States to the respective Governors who shall lay it before the respective State Legislature.
• In short the CAG acts as the custodian & trustee of public money.
Chief Minister
Status
• Real executive head of the Govt at the State level.
• The position of Chief Minister at the State level is analogous to the position of the Prime Minister at the Centre.
• Appointed by Governor. Other Ministers are appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister.
• If CM resigns. Entire ministry resigns.
• Generally, the leader of the majority party is appointed.
• A person who is not a member of State Legislature can be appointed, but he has to get himself elected within 6 months otherwise he is removed.
Presidents of India
1 Dr. Rajendra Prasad 26.01.1950 13.05.1962
2 Dr. S. Radhakrishnan 13.05.1962 13.05.1967
3 Dr. Zakir Hussain 13.05.1967 03.05.1969
4 V.V.Giri (Vice President)# 03.05.1969 20.07.1969
5 Justice M. Hidayatullah*# 20.07.1969 24.08.1969
6 V.V. Giri 24.08.1969 24.08.1974
7 F. Ali Ahmed 24.08.1974 11.02.1977
8 B.D. Jatti# 11.02.1977 25.07.1977
9 N. Sanjiva Reddy 25.07.1977 25.07.1982
10 Gaini Jail Singh 25.07.1982 25.07.1987
11 R. Venkataraman 25.07.1987 25.071992
12 Dr.S.D. Sharma 25.07.1992 25.07.1997
13 K.R. Narayanan 25.07.1997 25.07.2002
14 Dr.A.P. J. Abdul Kalam 25.07.2002 Till Date
General Knowledge Science
Common and Chemical Names of Some Compounds
Common Name Chemical Name Chemical Formulae
Dry Ice Solid Carbondioxide CO2
slaked Lime Calcium Hydroxide Ca (OH)2
Bleaching Powder Calcium Oxychloride CaOCl2
Nausadar Ammonium Chloride NH4Cl
Caustic Soda Sodium Hydroxide NaOH
Rock Salt Sodium Chloride NaCl
Caustic Potash Potassium Hydroxide KOH
Potash Alum Potassium Aluminium Sulphate K2SO4 Al2 (SO4)3.24H2O
Epsom Magnesium Sulphate MgSO4.7H2O
Quick Lime Calcium Oxide CaO
Plaster of Paris Calcium Sulphate (CaSO4) ½ H2O
Gypsum Calcium Sulphate (CaSO4) .2H2O
Green Vitriol Ferrous Sulphate FeSO4.7H2O
Mohr's Salt Ammonium Ferrous Sulphate FeSO4 (NH4)2 SO4.6H2O
Blue Vitriol Copper Sulphate CuSO4.5H2O
White Vitriol Zinc Sulphate ZnSO4.7H2O
Marsh Gas Methane CH4
Vinegar Acetic Acid CH3COOH
Potash Ash Potassium Carbonate K2CO3
Hypo Sodium Thiosulphate Na2S2O3.5H2O
Baking Powder Sodium Bicarbonate NaHCO3
Washing Soda Sodium Carbonate Na2CO3.10H2O
Magnesia Magnesium Oxide MgO
Chalk (Marble) Calcium Carbonate CaCO3
Lunar Caustic Silver Nitrate AgNO3
Laughing Gas Nitrous Oxide N2O
Chloroform Tricholoro Methane CHCl3
Vermelium Mercuric Sulphide HgS
Borax Borax Na2B4O7.10H2O
Alcohol Ethyl Alcohol C2H5OH
Sugar Sucrose C12H22O11
Heavy Water Duterium Oxide D2O
Elements Symbols and Atomic Numbers
Name Symbol Atomic Number
Hydrogen H 1
Helium He 2
Lithium Li 3
Beryllium Be 4
Boron B 5
Carbon C 6
Nitrogen N 7
Oxygen O 8
Flourine F 9
Neon Ne 10
Sodium (Natrium) Na 11
Magnesium Mg 12
Aluminium Al 13
Silicon Si 14
Phosphorous P 15
Sulphur S 16
Chlorine Cl 17
Argon Ar 18
Potassium (Kalium) K 19
Calcium Ca 20
Titanium Ti 22
Vanadium V 23
Chromium Cr 24
Manganese Mn 25
Iron (Ferum) Fe 26
Cobalt Co 27
Nickel Ni 28
Copper (Cuprum) Cu 29
Zinc Zn 30
Germenium Ge 32
Bromine Br 35
Krypton Kr 36
Different Branches of Science
Branch Concerning Field
Aeronautics Science of flight of airplanes
Astronomy Study of heavenly bodies
Agronomy Science dealing with crop plants
angiology Deals with the study of blood vascular system
Anthology Study of flowers
Anthropology Study of apes and man
Apiculture Honey industry (Bee Keeping)
Araneology Study of spiders
Batracology Study of frogs
Biochemistry Deals with the study of chemical reactions in relation to life activities
BiotechnologyDeals with the use of micro-organism in commercial processes for producing fine chemicals such as drugs, vaccines, hormones, etc, on a large scale
Cardiology Study of heart
Craniology Study of skulls
Cryptography Study of secret writing
Cryogenics Study concerning with the application and uses of very low temperature
Cytology Study of cells
Dermatology Study of skin
Ecology The study of relationship between organisms and environment
Entomology Study of insects
Etiology Study of cause of disease
Eugenics Study of improvement of human race by applying laws of heredity. It is related with future generations
Evolution Deals with the study of origin of new from old
Exbiology Deals with life or possibilities of life beyond the earth
Floriculture Study of flower yielding plants
Geology Study of condition and structure of the earth
Genetics Study of heredity and variations
Gerontology Study of growing old
Gynaecology Study of female reproductive organ
Horticulture Study of garden cultivation
Haematology Study of blood
Hepatology Study of liver
Human Endocrine System
Gland Hormone Functions
Hypothalamus
Releasing and inhibiting hormones and factorsPosterior pituitary hormones produced here
Control of another pituitary hormones
Posterior pituitary gland
Receives hormones from hypothalamus no hormones synthesised herestores and secretes the following:OxytocinAntidiuretic hormone (ADH) (vasopressin)
Ejection of milk from mammary gland, contraction of uterus during birthReduction of urine secretion by kidney
Anterior pituitary gland
Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)Luteinising hormone (LH)ProlactinThyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)Adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH or corticotrophin)Growth hormone (GH)
In male, stimulate spermatogenesisIn female, growth of ovarian folliclesIn male testosterone secretionIn female secretion of oestrogen and progesterone, ovulation and maintenance of corpus luteumStimulates milk production and secretionSynthesis and secretion of thyroid hormones growth of thyroid glands.Synthesis and secretion of adrenal cortex hormones growth of glandProtein synthesis, growth, especially of bone of limbs
Parathyroid gland
Parathormone Increases blood calcium levelDecreases blood phosphate level
Thyroid glandTriiodothyronine (T3)and thyroxine (T4)Calcitonin
Regulation of basal metabolic rate, growth and developmentDecreases blood calcium level
Adrenal cortexGlucocorticoids (cortisol)Mineralocorticoids (aldosterone)
Protein breakdown, glucose/glycogen synthesis,adaptation to stress, anti-inflammatory/allergy effectsNa+ retention in kidney, Na+ and K+ ratios in extracellular and intracellular fluids, raises blood pressure
Adrenal medullaAdrenaline (epinephrine)Noradrenaline (norepinephrine)
Increase rate and force of heartbeat, constriction of skin and gut capillariesDilation of arterioles of heart and skeletal muscles, raising blood glucose levelGeneral constriction of small arteries, raising of blood pressure
Islets of Langerhans
Insulin (beta cells)Glucagon (alpha cells)
Decreases blood glucose level, increases glucose and amino acid uptake and utilisation by cellsIncreases blood glucose level, breakdown of glucogen to glucose in liver
stomachDuodenum
GastrinSecretinCholecystokinin (Pancreozymin)
Secretion of gastric juices Secretion of pancreatic juiceInhibits gastric secretionEmptying of gall bladder and release of
Medical Inventions and Discoveries
SNo Name Medical Inventions
1 Ronald Rose Malaria Parasite
2 Salk, Jonas E. Anti-polio Vaccine
3 Simpson and Harrison Chloroform
4 Waksman Streptomycin
5 Banting Insulin ( as a palliative for diabetes)
6 Barnard, Christian Replacing the human heart
7 Brahmachari, U.N. Cure of Kala-a-zar fever
8 Davy Isolation of metals by electricity; studied properties of chlorine
9 Domagk Sulpha drugs as bactericides
10 Eijkman Cause of Beri-Beri
11 Finsen Discovered curative effect of ultra violet rays; photography
12 Fleming, Alexander Penicillin (in 1929)
13 Harvey Circulation of blood
14 Hahnemann Homoeopathy (founder)
15 Hopkins, Frederick Gowland
Vitamin D
16 Jenner Smallpox Vaccination
17 Koch Tubercle Bacillus
18 Lainnec Stethoscope
19 Lister, Lord Antiseptic treatment
20 Pasteur, Louis Treatment of rabies; cure of hydrophobia
Milestones in Medicine
SNo Discovery / Invention Year Discoverer / Inventor Country
1 Adrenaline 1894 Schafer and Oliver Britain
2 Anesthesia, Local 1885 Koller Austria
3 Anesthesia, Spinal 1898 Bier Germany
4 Anti-toxins (Science of Immunity)
1890 Behring and Kitasato Germany, Japan
5 Aspirin 1889 Dreser Germany
6 Ayurveda2000-1000 BC
India
7 Bacteria 1683 Leeuwenhock Netherlands
8 Bacteriology 1872 Ferdinand Cohn Germany
9 Biochemistry 1648Jan Baptista Van Helmont
Belgium
10Blood Plasma storage (Blood bank)
1940 Drew U.S.A
11 Blood Transfusion 1625 Jean-Baptiste Denys France
12 Cardiac Pacemaker 1932 A.S Hyman U.S.A
13 CAT Scanner 1968 Godfrey Hounsfield Britain
14 Chemotherapy 1493-1541 Paracelsus Switzerland
15 Chloroform as anaesthetic 1847 James Simpson Britain
16 Chloromycetin 1947 Burkholder U.S.A
17 Cholera T.B germs 1877 Robert Koch Germany
18 Circulation of blood 1628 William Harvey Britain
19 Cryo-Surgery 1953 Henry Swan U.S.A
20 Diphtheria germs 1883-84 Klebs and Loffler Germany
21 Electro-Cardiograph 1903 Willem Einthoven Netherlands
22 Electro-encephalogram 1929 Hand Berger Germany
23 Embryology 1792-1896 Kari Ernest Van Baer Estonia
24 Endocrinology 1902 Bayliss and Starling Britain
25 First Test Tube Baby 1978 Steptoe and Edwards Britain
26 Gene Therapy on humans 1980 Martin Clive U.S.A
27 Genes associated with cancer 1982Robert Weinberg and others
U.S.A
28 Heart Transplant Surgery 1967 Christian Barnard S. Africa
29 Histology 1771-1802 Marie Bichat France
30 Hypodermic syringe 1853 Alexander wood Britain
National Laboratories and Research Institutions
SNo Name Place
1 Central Building Research Institute Roorkee, Uttaranchal
2 Central Drug Research Institute Lucknow, U.P
3Central Electro-Chemical Research Institute
Karaikudi, T.N
4Central Electronics Engineering research institute
Pilani, Rajasthan
5Central Food Technological Research Institute
Mysore, Karnataka
6 Central Fuel Research Institute Dhanbad, Jharkhand
7 Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute
Jadhavpur, W.B
8 Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
Lucknow, U.P
9 Central Leather Research Institute Chennai, T.N
10Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute
Durgapur, W.B
11 Central Mining Research Station Dhanbad, Jharkhand
12 Central Road Research Institute New Delhi, Delhi
13Central Salt and Marine Chemical Research Institute
Bhavnagar, Gujarat
14Central Scientific Instruments Organisation
Chandigarh, Chandigarh
15 Indian Institute of Chemical Biology Kolkatta, W.B
16 Indian Institute of Petroleum Dehradun, Uttaranchal
17 Industrial Texicology Central Centre Lucknow, U.P
18 National Aeronautical Laboratory Bangalore, Karnataka
19 National Botanical Research Institute Lucknow, U.P
20 National Chemical Laboratory Pune, Maharashtra
21National Environment Engineering Institute
Napery, Maharashtra
22National Geophysical Research Institute
Hyderabad, A.P
23 National Institute of Oceanography Panjim, Goa
24 Bose Research Institute Kolkata, W.B
25 National Metallurgical Laboratory Jamshedpur, Jharkhand
26 National Physical Laboratory New Delhi, Delhi
Bhubaneshwer, Orissa; Jorhat, Assam; Jammu, J
Some Important Alloys
Name Composition Use
Brass Cu(60% to 80%), Zn (40 to 20%) For making household utencils
Bronze Cu (75 to 90%), Sn (25 to 10%) For making coins, idols, utencils
German Silver Cu (60%), Zn (25%), Ni (15%) For making utencils
Magnelium Mg (5%), Al (95%) For making aircraft frame
Rolled Gold Cu(90%), Ni (10%) For making cheap ornaments
Monel metal Cu (70%), Ni (30%) For making alkali resistant containers
Bell metals Cu (80%), Sn (20%) For making bells
Gun metal Cu (85%), Zn (10%), Sn(5%) Used for engineering purpose
Solder Sn(50-75%), Pb (50-25%) Soldering of metals
DuraliumAl (95%), Cu (4%), Mg (0.5%), Mn (0.5%)
In aircraft manufacturing
Steel Fe (98%), C (2%) For making nails, screws, bridges
Stainless Steel
Fe (82%) Cr, Ni (18%) for making cooking utencils, knives
Some Important Facts of Human Body
Length of alimentary canal Approximately 8 meters
BMR (Basal metabolic rate) 1600 K.cal/day
Number calls in body 75 trillion
Longest bone Femur (thigh bone)
Smallest bone Ear ossicle, stapes
Weight of brain 1400 gms
Blood volume 6.8 litres (in 70 kg body)
Normal B.P 120/80 mm Hg
Number of R.B.C (a) In male: 4.5-5.0 million/cubic mm(b) In female: 4.0-4.5 million/cubic mm
Life span of R.B.C 120 days
Normal W.B.C count 5000-10000/cubic mm
Life span of W.B.C 3-4 days
D.L.C (Differential leucocyte count)
(a) Basophils-0.5-1%(b) Eosinophils-1-3%(c) Monocytes-3-8%(d) Neutrophils-40-70%(e) Lymphocytes-2-25%
Blood platelets count 2,00,000-4,00,000/cubic mm
Haemoglobin(a) In male: 14-15.6 gm/100 c.c of blood(b) In female: 11-14 gm/100 c.c of blood
Hb content in body 500-700 gm
Universal blood donor O Rh-ve
Universal blood recipient AB
Blood clotting time 2-5 minutes
Average body weight 70 kg
Normal body temperature 98.4.F or 37.C
Breathing rate 16-20 minutes
Dental formula adult:2123/2123=32child: 2120/2120=22 milk teeth
Number of cranial nerves 12 pairs
Number of spinal nerves 31 pairs
Largest endocrine gland Thyroid
Gestation period 9 months (253-266 days)
Normal heart beat 72-75/ minutes
Largest gland Liver
Units of Measurement
Ampere Electric current
Angstrom Wave-length and also lengths of atomic dimensions
Bar Atmospheric pressure
Becquerel Radioactivity
Bel Intensity of Sound
Calorie Quantity of Heat
Candela Luminous intensity
Candle power Illuminating power of source of light
Celsius (Centigrade) Temperature
Coulomb Electric Charge
Decibel Intensity of sound (1/10th of Bel)
Dyne Force
Electron-volt Energy
Erg Work or Energy
Fahrenheit Temperature
Farad Electric Capacitance
Faraday Electric Charge
Fathom Depth of water
Foot Candle Brightness
Gauss Magnetic Induction
Henry Inductance
Hertz Frequency
Horse-power Power
Joule Work or Energy
Kelvin Thermodynamic temperature
Kilogram Mass
Knot Speed of Ship and Aircraft
Lambert Brightness
Light Year Stellar Distance
Lumen Luminous flux
Maxwell Magnetic flux
Metre Length
Mole Amount of Substance
Well Known Indian Scientists
Aryabhatta: He lived between 476 and 520 A.D. He was a great mathematician and an astronomer. His contributions include about the movement of earth around the Sun, determination of various physical parameters of various celestial bodies, such as diameter of Earth and Moon. He laid foundations of algebra and pointed out the importance of zero. The first Indian satellite was named after him.
Bhagavantam: His contribution to radio astronomy and cosmic rays in noteworthy. An associate of Sir C.V.Raman, Dr.S.Bhagavantam was scientific adviser in the Ministry of Defence and Director General of Defence Research Development Organisation.
Bhaskaracharya: Born in 1114 A.D., bhaskaracharya was a great Hindu mathematician and Astronomer. His work 'Sidhanta Siromain' consists of two parts of mathematics and two parts of astronomy. He had a foresight on the modern theory of conventions.
S.S. Bhatnagar: A great Indian Scientist who lived between 1895 and 1955. He was the first Director General of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. Under his directorship, many research laboratories were established throughout India.
J.C.Bose: He was an eminent Physicist and Botanist. He founded Bose Research Institute, Calcutta. He invented Crescograph and lived between 1858 and 1937.
S.N. Bose: He became well-known when he expounded the Bose Einstein theory which deals with the detection of a group of nuclear particles - named after him 'Boson'. His contribution to Planck's Law is laudable. He died in 1974.
Dr. S.Chandrasekhar: An Indian-born American, who won Nobel Prize for Physics in 1983. He is an Astrophysicist. His theory of Stellar Evolution - the birth and death of stars is 35 years old. His first discovery was laughed at. After three decades, it was recognised and today he is a Nobel Laureate. According to his theory, the old stars just collapse and disappear in the light of denser stars of low light popularly called Chandrasekhar Limit.
Charaka: He lived between 80 and 180 A.D. He was a court physician of King Kanishka. His writings on Hindu Medicine are invaluable
Dhanvantri: He was a great physician during the period of Chandragupta Vikramaditya. His period was between 375 and 413 A.D.
Hargobind Khorana: He created an artificial gene and deciphered genetic code. He was awarded Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1968.
Homi J.Bhaba: He largely contributed to the development of Atomic Physics and he was primarily responsible for setting up of Nuclear reactors in India. He published important papers on Quantum Theory, Cosmic Rays, Structure of atom, etc. He was the first Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission. He died in a plane crash in 1966 over Alps.
Joshi: Prof. S.S.Joshi's works on physical and chemical reaction under electrical discharge on active nitrogen, colloids, hydrogen peroxide are noteworthy
Nagarjuna: A great Buddhist Philosopher and Chemist. He mentioned about crecibles, sublimation, colouring process etc. His works are still available in China and Tibet. His theory
on extraction of copper and metallic oxides are mention-worthy.
Nag Chowdhury B.D: An eminent Indian Nuclear Physicist known all over the world.
Narlikar: J.V.Narlikar was the co-author of Hoyle-Narlikar theory of continuous creation which supplies missing links in Einstein's theory of Relativity. Hoyle and Narlikar have shown that the gravitation is always attractive and there is no gravitational repulsions.
Raja Ramanna: A great nuclear scientist, who was instrumental to stage India's first Nuclear explosion at Pokharan range in 1974.
Sir C.V. Raman: First Indian Scientist to receive Nobel prize for physics in 1929 for his invention 'Raman Effect'. His study of crystal structure is of unique importance. He founded Raman Research Institute at Bangalore.
Sir C.P.Roy: Author of 'Hindu Chemistry'. He founded Indian Chemical Society and Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceuticals Ltd. He has done good work on nitrous acid and its salts. He lived between 1861- 1944 AD.
Prof. V.Ramachandra Rao: Direction of Indian Scientific Satellite Project (ISSP) at Peenya near Bangalore
Saha Dr.Maghnad: Late Palit Prof.of Physics, University College of Scientific and Technology, Calcutta University well-known for his researches in nuclear physics, cosmic rays, spectrum analysis and other branches of theoretical physics. He lived from 1893 to 1956.
Srinivas Ramanujam: A mathematical wizard, contributed much to number theory, theory of partitions and theory of continuous fractions. He lived between 1887 to 1920 AD. His birth centenary was celebrated in 1987.
Satish Dhavan: He was chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation. He was instrumental to take India into space age by launching Aryabhatta in 1975.
Susruta: A fourth century Hindu Surgeon and Physician. He had written an important book on medicine and on medical properties of garlic.
Varahamihira: An Indian astronomer and astrologer of 6th Century A.D. He was a mathematician and philosopher. He was one of the nine gems of Vikramaditya.
General Knowledge Sports
Sports
Field Person
The first Indian woman to swim across the English Channel Miss. Arati Shah
The first Indian to win world Billiards Trophy Wilson Jones
The first to cross the Damelles by swimming Mihir Sen
The first to conquer Everest Sherpa Tenzing (1953)
The first to sail round the world Megellan
The first person to win Wimbledon title five times Bjorn Borg
The first woman who conquered Everest Jungo Table (Japan)
The first person to reach North Pole Robert Peary
First woman Olympic Medallist (Weight Lifting) Karnam Malleswari (2000)
The first person to reach South Pole Amundsen
The first Indian to win All England Badminton Championship Prakash Padukone
The first Indian woman to conquer Everest Bichendri Pal
The first an to climb Everest twice Nawang Gombu
The first person to complete solo walk to magnetic North pole David Hempleman Adam (UK)
The first woman to reach North pole Ann Bancroft
The first woman to sail non stop around the world alone Kaycottee
The first deaf & dumb to cross the strait of Gibraltar Taranath Shenoy (India)
The first woman to climb Mt. Everest twice Santosh Yadav (India)
The first black player to win the Wimbledon men's singles title Arthur Ashe (US)
The first person to win the Palk Strait ocean swimming contest
Baidyanath
World Athletics Records Men
S.No Athlete Name Nation Event Time Place Date
1 Tim Montgomery USA 100m 9.78 Paris 9/14/2002
2 Michael Johnson USA 200m 19.32 Atlanta, Ga 1/8/1996
3 Michael Johnson USA 400m 43.18 Sevilla 8/26/1999
4 Wilson Kipketer DEN 800m 01:41.1 Koln 8/24/1997
5Hicham El Guerrouj
MAR 1500m 03:26.0 Roma 7/14/1998
6 Kenenisa Bekele ETH 5000m 12:37.4 Hengelo 5/31/2004
7 Kenenisa Bekele ETH 10,000m 26.20.3 Ostrava 8/6/2004
8Saif Saaeed Shaheen
QAT3000m Steeple Chase
07:53.6 Bruxelles 3/9/2004
9 Colin Jackson GBR 110m Hurdles 12.91 Stuttgart 8/20/1993
10 Xiang Liu CHN 110m Hurdles 12.91 Athina 8/27/2004
11 Kevin Young USA 400m Hurdles 46.78 Barcelona 6/8/1992
12 Javier Sotomayor CUB High Jump 2.45 Salamanca 7/27/1993
13 Sergey Bubka UKR Pole Vault 6.14 Sestriere 7/31/1994
14 Mike Powell USA Long Jump 8.95 Tokyo 8/30/1991
15 Jonathan Edwards GBR Triple Jump 18.29 Goteborg 7/8/1996
16 Randy Barnes USA Short Put 23.12 Westwood 5/20/1990
18 Jurgen Schult GDR Discus 74.08Neubranden Burg
6/6/1986
19 Yuriy Sedykh RUS Hammer 86.74 Stuttgart 8/30/1986
20 Jan Zelezny CZE Javelin 98.48 Jena 5/25/1996
21 Roman Sebrle CZE Decathlon 9026 Gotzis 5/27/2001
22 Bernardo Segura MEX 20 km Race Walking
17:25.6 Bergen 7/5/1994
23 Thierry Toutain FRA 50 km Race Walking
40:57.9 Hericourt 9/29/1996
24 Paul Tergat KEN Marathon 2:04:55 Berlin 9/28/2003
World Athletics Records Women
S.No Athlete Name Nation Event Time Place Date
1 Florence G.Joyner USA 100M 10.49 Indianapolis 7/16/1988
2 Florence G.Joyner USA 200M 21.34 Seoul 9/29/1988
3 Marita Koch GDR 400M 47.6 Canberra 6/10/1985
4 Jarmila Kratochvilova
TCH 800M 01:53.3 Munchen 7/26/1983
5 Yunxia Qu CHN 1500M 03:50.5 Beijing 11/9/1993
6Elvan Abeylegesse
TUR 5000M 14:24.7 Bergen 11/6/2004
7 Junxia Wang CHN 10,000M 29:31.8 Beijing 8/9/1993
8 Gulnara Samitova RUS 3000M STEEPLECHASE
09:01.6 Iraklio 4/7/2004
9 Yordanka Donkova
BUL 100M HURDLES 12.21 Stara Zagora 8/20/1988
10 Yuliya Pechenkina RUS 400M HURDLES 52.34 Tula 8/8/2003
11Stefka Kostadinova
BUL HIGH JUMP 2.09 Roma 8/30/1987
12 Yelena Isinbayeva RUS POLE VAULT 4.92 Bruxelles 3/9/2004
13 Galina Chistyakova
URS LONG JUMP 752 Leningrad 11/6/1988
14 Inessa Kravets UKR TRIPLE JUMP 15.5 Goteborg 10/8/1995
15Natalya Lisovskaya
URS SHOT PUT 22.63 Moskva 7/6/1987
16 Gabriele Reinsch GDR DISCUS 76.8Neubran denburg
9/7/1988
17 Mihaela Melinte ROM HAMMER 76.07 Rudlingen 8/29/1999
18 Osleidys Menendez
CUB JAVELIN 71.54 Rethimno 1/7/2001
19 Jackie Joyner-Kersee
USA HEPTATHLON 7291 Seoul 9/24/1988
20 Nadezhda Ryashkina
URS 10 KM RACE WALKING
41:56.2 Seattle, WA 7/24/1990
21 Olimpiada Ivanova
RUS 20KM WALK 26:52.3 Brisbane 6/9/2001