MOTHER INDIA SO INDIA not THE INDIA
THE USA
1. India is the seventh largest country in the world in terms of area.
2. Indian mainland extends between latitudes 8
degree 4′ and 37 degree 6′ north, longitudes 68 degree 7′ and 97 degree
25′ east and measures about 3,214 km from north to south between the
extreme latitudes and about 2,933 km from east to west between the
extreme longitudes.
3. India has land frontier of about 15,200 km. The
total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands and
Andaman and Nicobar Islands is 7,516.6 km.
4. Countries having common border with India are:
Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Sri
Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea formed by the
Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.
5. Aravalli, Vindhya, Satpura, Maikala and Ajanta
are prominent hill ranges that lie between the Peninsular India and the
plains of Ganga.
6. The Eastern and Western Ghats meet at the southern part of the Indian Peninsula which is formed by the Nilgiri Hills. .
7. Ghagra, Gomti, Gandak, Kosi and Yamuna are the
major Himalayan rivers that join the Ganga. Chambal, Betwa and Sone are
major rivers flowing north from central India that join Yamuna/Ganga.
8. After Ganga, Godavari has the second largest
basin covering 10 per cent of the area of India. Next to it is Krishna,
followed by the Mahanadi basin.
9. The climate of India can be
described as Tropical monsoon type.
10. India is in tenth position in the world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity.
11. Botanical Survey of India, (BSI), Kolkata is the
nodal agency that is studying the flora of the country. BSI brings out
an inventory of the endangered plants in the form of a publication
titled “Red Data Book”.
12. The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata
and its 16 regional stations are responsible for surveying the faunal
resources of India.
13. India has a great variety of fauna, numbering 89,451 species.
14. The design of the National Flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on July 22,1947.
15,The
State emblem of India is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capitol of
Ashoka. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the Capitol
is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dizaram Chakra). There are four
lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a frieze
carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a
bull and a lion, separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped
lotus.
16. In the State emblem, adopted on January 26,1950,
only three lions are visible. The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted.
The words, SatyamevaJayate, from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning ‘truth alone
triumphs’, are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagiri script.
17. The song Jana-gana-mana, composed by
Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent
Assembly, as the National Anthem of India, on January 24, 1950. It was
first sung on December 27, 1911, at the Calcutta session of Indian
National Congress. The complete song consists of five stanzas. The first
stanza contains the full version of the National Anthem.
18. The national calendar of India is based on the
Saka Era, with Chaitra as its first month. A normal year of 365 days was
adopted from March 22, 1957, along with the Gregorian Calendar for the
following purposes: (1) Gazette of India; (2) news broadcast by All
India Radio; (3) calendars issued by Government of India; and (4)
Government communications addressed to the members of the public.
19. Agriculture sector of India contributes 25 per
cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and about 70 per cent of the
population is dependent on it.
20. There are three main crop seasons in India, namely, kharif, rabi and summer.’
21. Major kharif crops are: rice, jowar, bajra, maize, cotton, sugarcane, soyabean, and groundnut.
22. Major rabi crops are: wheat, barley, gram,
linseed, rapeseed, and mustard. Rice, maize and groundnut are grown in
summer season also.
23. In Indian agriculture, oilseeds are next to food
grains in area coverage, production and value. India is,one of the
largest oilseeds growing countries, contributing about 15 per cent to
the acreage under oilseeds in the world.
24. The Ministry of Agriculture, Government of
India, set up a Technology Mission on Oilseeds in May 1986 with the
objective to increase the production of oilseeds, reduce the import of
edible oils and to achieve self-sufficiency in edible oils.
25. India is the third largest producer and consumer
of fertilizers in the world, after China and USA. It contributes to 9.5
per cent of world production and 10.6 per cent of world consumption of
NPK nutrients, but sustains one-sixth of the world population.
26. The National Biofertiliser Development Centre is
located at Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Its six regional centres are
located at .labalpur, Nagpur, Bangalore, Bhubaneshwar, Hissar and
Imphal.
27. The Central Fertiliser Quality Control and
Training Institute is located in Faridabad, Haryana. Its three regional
centres are located at Mumbai, Chennai and Kalyani.
28. India accounts for about 10 per cent of the production of fruits in the world.
29. Mango is the most important fruit produced in
India, covering about 39 per cent of the total area used for fruit
production and accounting for 23 per cent of total fruit production of
India.
30. India occupies first position in the total production of banana in the world.
31. India is next only to China in the area and
production of vegetables. India contributes about 13 per cent of the
world vegetable production and occupies first position in production of
cauliflowers, second in onion and third in cabbage in the world.
32. India is the largest producer, processor,
consumer and exporter of cashew nut in the world. India produces 45 per
cent of the global production of cashew.
33. The Centrally-sponsored scheme of soil
conservation in the catchments of River Valley Project (RVP) was started
in the third Five-year Plan. Another scheme of FloodProne Rivers (FPR)
was started in the sixth Plan. Both the schemes were clubbed during the
ninth Plan and further subsumed under Macro Management Mode in November
2000.
34. The Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) is located in Jodhpur.
35. Seed sector in India consists of two national
level corporations: National Seed Corporation (NSC) and State Farm
Corporation of India (SFCI). The Seeds Act, 1966 provides for the
legislative framework for regulation of quality of seeds sold in India.
36. The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation
(DAC) launched a Central Sector Scheme during the ninth Plan to make
available seeds for any contingent situation arising out of natural
calamity.
37. Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI)
advises the Central and State governments on agricultural marketing
policies and programmes. It is located in Faridabad, Haryana.
38. The National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM) is located in Jaipur.
39. Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institutes
are located at Budni (Madhya Pradesh), Hissar (Haryana), Garladinne
(Andhra Pradesh) and BiswanathChariali (Assam).
40. India accounts for 57 per cent of the world’s
buffalo population and 15 per cent of the cattle population. India
possesses 27 acknowledged indigenous breeds of cattle and 7 breeds of
buffaloes.
41. The present availability of animal protein in an Indian diet is 10 gm per person per day, as against a world average of 25 gm.
42. India is the largest producer of milk in the world and ranks fifth in egg production.
43. Central Sheep Breeding Farm is located in Hissar.
44. Reishi or Ling Zhi is a medicinal mushroom which has been successfully grown in India.
45. For rehabilitation of calcareous soils Tamarix
articulate, Acadia nilotica, ProsopisJuliflora, Eucalyptus tereticornis,
Acacia tortills, Cassia siamea and Feronialimonia have been found
promising for plantation with furrow planting methods in arid and
semi-arid regions. Salvadorapersica proved the ideal species for soil
and water management in saline black soils.
46. Karzat 4, Indryani, Panvel 2, Palgarh 1 and 2 are names of various rice varieties sown in India.
47. Kankrej, Ponwar, Gangatiri and Kherigah are names of various cattle breeds in India.
48. Jalauni, Kheri, Mandya, Hassan and Mecheri are names of various sheep breeds of India.
49. C-ELISA is an indigenously developed kit for
rinderpest which has been validated by the International Atomic Energy
Agency, Vienna.
50. Feedbase-2001 is a data base that provides information on feed resources and feed balance sheet.
51. Okara is a by-product of soymilk.
52. Vivekananda ParvatiyaKrishiAnusandhanSansthan is located in Almora, Uttaranchal.
53. The Lalit Kala Academy (National Academy of Fine
Arts) is located in New Delhi. It has regional centres, called
RashtriyaLalit Kala Kendras, located at Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai,
Garhi(New Delhi) and Bhubaneswar.
54. BharataNatyam is a dance form of Tamil Nadu.
Kathakali is a dance form of Kerala. Kathak is a classical dance form
revitalised as a result of Mughal influence on Indian culture. Manipuri
is a dance form of Manipur, while Kuchipudi owes its origin to Andhra
Pradesh. Odissi, once practised as temple dance, has its origins in
Odisha.
55. Kathak Kendra, Delhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru
Manipur Dance Academy, Imphal, are training institutes run by
SangeetNatak Academy, the National Academy of. Music, Dance and Drama.
The Academy also supports training programmes in Chhau dance of
Mayurbhanj and Seraikella, as also Koodiyattam of Kerala.
56. The National School of Drama (NSD) is one of the
foremost theatre institutions in the world and the only one of its kind
in India. It was set up by SangeetNatak Academy in 1959 and in 1975 it
became an autonomous organization.
57. The Theatre-in education Company (renamed as
Sanskar Rang Toli was founded by NSD in 1989. Since 1998, NSD has
organized National Theatre Festival for Children, christened
JashneBachpan, every year.
58. The first-ever National Theatre Festival,
christened Bharat Rang Mahotsav, was held in March-April, 1999 to
commemorate the 50th year of India’s Independence.
59. Sahitya Academy has its Head Office in New
Delhi. Besides, it has four offices in Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore and
Chennai. It also has four translation centres at Bangalore, Delhi,
Ahmedabad and Kolkata, besides a project office at Vadodra for promotion
of oral and tribal literature and an Archives of Indian literature. It
also maintains a multilingual library at New Delhi, Bangalore and
Kolkata, stocking books in over 25 languages.
60. The highest honour conferred by Sahitya Academy
on a writer is by electing him/her its Fellow. The honour is limited to
21 at any given moment.
61. The Sahitya Academy holds a ‘Festival of Letters’ every year, usually in February.
62. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
functions as an attached office of the Department of Culture, Ministry
of Tourism and Culture.
63. The National Museum was established on August
15, 1949 in the Durbar Hall of the RashtrapatiBhawan.It was formally
inaugurated on December 18, 1960 on its present premises.
64. The National Council of Science Museums is located in Kolkata.
65. The Allahabad Museum is famous for its
collection of Bharhut, Bhumara and Jamsot sculptors and for the
terracotta from Kausumbi, Bhita, Jhusi, Patliputra, Sarnath, Rajghat and
Ahichhatra. The Museum also has paraphernalia and family heirlooms of
Nehrus, including manuscripts of’ An Autobiography’ by J.L. Nehru.
66. The National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLC) is located in Lucknow.
67. The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) was founded in 1954 to promote and develop contemporary Indian Art.
68. The National Archives of India (NAI), New Delhi,
known until independence as Imperial Record Department, was originally
established in Kolkata in March 1891. It is the official custodian of
all non-current records of permanent / value to the government of India
and its predecessor bodies. It has a regional office at Bhopal and three
record centres at Bhubaneswar, ]aipur and Pondicherry.
69. Marine Archeology Centre has been established in
the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa. Major exploration are
being undertaken in the waters of ancient Dwarka, Poompuhar waters
(Tamil Nadu) and around Lakshadweep.
70. National Library, Kolkata serves as a permanent
repository of all reading and information material produced in India, as
well.as printed material written by Indians and concerning India
written by foreigners, wherever published and in whatever language.
71. Under the Delivery of Books and Newspapers
(Public Libraries) Act, 1954, four libraries-National Library, Kolkata,
Central Library, Mumbai, Connemara Public Library, Chennai, and Delhi
Public Library, Delhi-are entitled to receive a copy of new books and
magazines published in the counuy.
72. KhudaBakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna has a
rich collection of over 20,000 ‘Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Turkish, Pali
and Sanskrit manuscripts.
73. The Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji’sSaraswatiMahal
(TMSSM) Library, Thanjavur is one of the few medieval libraries that
exist in the world.
74. The Rampur Raza Library, housed in Hamid Manzil in the fort of Rampur, is a treasure house of Indo Islamic learning and art.
75. Asiatic Society in Kolkata was founded by Sir
William Jones in 1784, with the objective of inquiring into the history,
science, arts and literature of Asia.
76. The Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies
is located in Varanasi. It was established with the objective of
preservation of Tibetan culture and tradition, restoration of ancient
Indian literature preserved in Tibetan language and to provide higher
education in Buddhist studies.
77. The Central Institute of Buddhist Studies is located, in Leh.
78. The Sikkim Research Institute of Tibetology is
located in Sikkim. It has done significant work in promoting research in
CHHO (Tibetan for Dharma).
79. Anthropological Survey of India is located in Kolkata.
80. Indira Gandhi RashtriyaManavSanghrahalaya
(National Museum of Mankind) is located in Bhopal. It is dedicated to
the depiction of an integrated story of humankind in global perspective,
with special focus on India.
81. The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training
(CCRT) has its headquarters in New Delhi and two regional Centres at
Udaipur and Hyderabad.
82. With the aim of projecting in India cultural
kinships transcending territorial boundaries, seven zonal cultural
centres have been established at Patiala, Kolkata, Thanjavur, Udaipur,
Allahabad, Dimapur and Nagpur.
83. Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts
(IGNCA) is a premier national institute engaged in the pursuit of
knowledge on arts and culture. It is also the nodal agency for the
setting up of a national data bank on arts, humanities and cultural
heritage.
84. Gandhi Smriti and DarshanSamiti has been set up
primarily to maintain and look after the national memorial where
Gandhiji was assassinated, now called Gandhi Smriti, and a permanent
photo exhibition at Rajghat, called Gandhi Darshan.
85. The Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) is
responsible for formulation and maintenance of statistical standards,
work pertaining to national accounts, industrial statistics, consumer
price indices, conduct of economic census and surveys and liaising with
international agencies in statistical matters. It is located in New
Delhi.
86. National income is defined as the sum of incomes
accruing to factors of production, supplied by normal residents of the
country before deduction of direct taxes. It is equal to net national
product at factor-cost.
87. The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO)
has been set up to conduct large scale surveys to meet the data needs of
India as also for the estimation of national income and other
aggregates. It has four divisions: (i) Survey Design and Research
Division (SDRD), with headquarters in Kolkata; (ii) Field Operations
Division (FOD) having its headquarters in Delhi; (iii) Data Processing
Division (DPD) with headquarters in Kolkata; and (iv) Coordination and
Publication Division (CPD), located in Delhi.
88. Summary results of NSSO surveys are published in the biannual technical journal Sarvekshana.
89. India has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of
2.02 million sq km. The EEZ provides India with more than 60 per cent of
its oil and gas production and fishing valued at $ 1.15 billion.
90. The Army War College, earlier known as College of Combat, is located in Mhow.
91. The Infantry School, Mhow is the largest and
oldest military training centre of Indian Army. This institute also
trains the National Shooting team, under the aegis of Army Marksmanship
Unit (AMU).
92. The Institute of Defence Management is located in Secunderabad.
93. The Defence Services Staff College is located in
Wellington. It imparts training to middle level officers (Major and
equivalent) of Army, Air Force and Navy.
94. The High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) is located in Gulmarg.
95. The National Defence College is located in
Delhi. It is the only institute of India that imparts knowledge on all
aspects of national security and strategy.
96. Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, located in
Hyderabad, was incorporated with the primary objective of ushering in
self-reliance in special metals and alloys for strategic sectors like
Defence, Space and Atomic energy.
97. The 86th Constitution Amendment Act, 2002, makes
elementary education a Fundamental Right for children in the age-group
of 6-14 years.
98. The SarvaShikshaAbhiyan (SSA) scheme evolved I
from the recommendations of the State Education Ministers’ Conference
held in October 1998. The main goals of SSA are: (a) All 6-14 age
children complete five-year primary education by 2007; (b) Bridge all
gender and social category gaps at primary stage by 2007 and at
elementary education level by 2010; (c) Focus on elementary education of
satisfactory quality with emphasis on education for life; and (d)
Universal retention by 2010.
99. The National programme of Nutritional Support to
Primary Education is commonly known as Mid Day Meal Scheme. It was
launched in August 1995.
100. Operation Blackboard was launched in 1987 with
the aim of improving human and physical resources available in primary
schools of India.
101. Janshala Programme is a collaborative effort of
the government of India, and five UN agencies-UNDP, UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF
and UNFPA-to provide programme support to the ongoing efforts towards
achieving Universal Elementary Education (UEE).
102. The National Council for Teacher Education was established by an Act of the Parliament in August 1995.
103. The University Grants Commission (UGC) serves
as a coordinating body between the Union and State governments and the
institutions of higher learning.
104. The National Literacy Mission (NLM) aims to
attain a sustainable threshold level of 75 per cent literacy by 2007, by
imparting functional literacy to non-literates in the age-group of
15-35 years.
105. The Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages is located in Hyderabad.
106. The International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
system was introduced in India in 1985 by the Raja Ram Mohan Roy
National Agency for ISBN. ISBN is a unique international publisher’s
identifier number.
107. Administering the Copyright Act, 1957 is the
responsibility of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development,
Department of Secondary and Higher Education.
108. The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) was the
first multipurpose river valley project to be undertaken after
Independence. It was set up in July 1948.
109. The National Power Training Institute (NPTI) is located at Faridabad.
110. The Central Power Research Institute (CPRI) has
its headquarters located at Bangalore. Other units are located at
Bhopal, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Ghaziabad, Thiruvanthapuram and Raichur.
111. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is the
nodal agency to promote efficient use of energy and its conservation in
all sectors of economy of India.
112. Coal is the main source of energy in India and account for about 67 per cent of India’s commercial requirement.
113. The coal reserves of India, as on January 1, 2003 were 2,40,748 million tonnes.
114. The Botanical Survey of India and the Zoological Survey of India both have their headquarters in Kolkata.
115. The Forest Survey of India has its headquarters
in Dehradun and has four regional offices at Bangalore, Kolkata, Nagpur
and Shimla.
116. Biosphere reserves are multi-purpose protected
areas to preserve the genetic diversity in representative ecosystem. 13
Biosphere reserves have been set up in India. These are: Nilgiri, Nanda
Devi, Nokrek, Great Nicobar, Gulf of Mannar, Manas, Sundebans,
Similipal, Dibru, Daikhowa, DehongDeband, Pachmarhi, Kanchunjunga and
Agasthyamalai. Out of these, Nilgiri, Sunderbans and Gulf of Mannar have
been recognized on World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO.
117. India is one of the 12 mega-biodiversity countries of the world.
118. The forest cover of India constitutes 20.55 per
cent of its geographical area. Of this, dense forest constitutes 12.68
per cent and open forest 7.87 per cent. The mangrove cover occupies 0.14
per cent of geographical area. The total tree/forest cover is estimated
as 81,472 sq km or about 2.48 per cent of the country.
119. G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development is located at Kosi-Katarmal, Almora, Uttaranchal.
120. The Environmental Information System (ENVIS)
network brings out a quarterly journal, Paryavaran Abstracts, which
contains information about environmental research in the Indian context.
121. The ENVIS has been designated as National Focal
Point (NFP) and Regional Service Centre (RSC) for South Asia
sub-regional countries by INFOTERRA (a global information system on
environment) of UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
122. The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA)
consists of nine main divisions, namely, (i) Economic; (ii) Banking;
(iii) Insurance; (iv) Budget; (v) Foreign Trade and Investment; (vi)
External Finance; (vii) Capital market; (viii) Fund Bank; and (ix)
Currency and Coinage.
123. All revenues received, loans raised and money
received in repayment of loans by the Union government form the
Consolidated Fund of India. No money can be withdrawn from this Fund
except under the authority of an Act of Parliament.
124. The Indian Constitution provides for the
establishment of a Consolidated Fund, a Public Account and a Contingency
Fund for each State.
125. The first bank of limited liability, managed by
Indians, was Oudh Commercial Bank. It was founded in 1881. Punjab
National Bank was established in 1894.
126. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was established
under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 on April 1, 1935 and
nationalized on January 1,1949.
127. RBI is the sole authority for issue of currency notes in India, other than one-rupee coins and subsidiary coins and notes.
128. India ranks third in the world, after China and USA, in terms of production of coal.
129. The three important gold fields of India are:
Kolar (Karnataka), Hutti in Raichur district (Karnataka) and Ramgiri in
Anantapur district (Andhra Pradesh).
130. Mains reserves of Tungsten are located at Degana, Rajasthan.
131. The Mangampet deposits, occurring in Cuddapah district of Andhra Pradesh is the single largest deposit of Barytes in the world.
132. The main diamond-bearing areas in India are
Panna belt in Madhya Pradesh, Munimadugu-Banganapalle conglomerate in
Kurnool district, WajrakarurKimberlite pipe in Anantapur district and
Krishna river basin in Andhra Pradesh.
133. Odisha is a major producer of Graphite in India.
134. Judges of the Supreme Court of India hold
office until they attain the age of 65 years. Judges of the High Court
hold office until they attain the age of 62 years.
135. The National Judicial Academy is located in Bhopal with its registered office in New Delhi.
136. V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, Noida, is
an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Labour. It is engaged in
research pertaining to labour and training of labour administrators,
trade unions, public sector managers and other government functionaries
concerned with labour.
137. The first radio programme was broadcast in India in 1923 by the Radio Club of Bombay.
138. All India Radio (AIR) operates on motto
BahujanaHitaya; BahujanaSukhya (to promote the happiness and welfare of
the masses through information, education and entertainment.
139. Cyan Darshan is the educational channel run by Doordarshan.
140. Press Trust of India (PTI) is India’s largest news agency.
141. United News of India (UNI) became the first
agency in India to launch a full-fledged Hindi wire service Univarta in
1982. In early 1990s, it launched the first-ever wire service in Urdu.
142. The Press Council of India has been established
under the Act of Parliament for the purpose of preserving the freedom
of the press, and of maintaining and improving the standards of
newspapers and news agencies in India.
143. India has one of the largest road networks in the world, aggregating to about 3.3 million kilometres.
144. Golden Quadrilateral comprises of National Highways connecting the four metro cities.
145. Shipping Corporation of India Limited (SCI) is the biggest shipping line of India.
146. Indian Institute of Maritime Studies (IIMS) is located in Mumbai.
147. India has 12 major ports and about 184 other ports.
148. Mumbai, NhavaSheva, Kandla, Mormugao, New Mangalore and Cochin are the major ports on west coast.
149. Kolkata/Haldia, Para dip, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Ennore and Tuticorin are major ports on the east coast.
150. Command Area Development (CAD) Programme was
launched in 1974-75 with main objective of improving the utilization of
created irrigation potential and optimizing agriculture production and
productivity from irrigated lands on sustainable bases.
