rtant International Organizations Major International Organizations of the World

are as follows: (A)United Nations United Nations is world’s largest organization

which was formed on October 24, 1945. Since then October 24 is celebrated as the
United Nations Day. The main objective of the United Nations is to make the world a
better place to live in by maintaining peace and security all over the world. There
are 193 members at present in the UN and South Sudan is the last entrant. The
organisation headquartered at New York has got five countries as the permanent
members in its security council. They are China, UK, USA, Russia and France;
Besides this they have 10 non-permanent members. 1.Structure of the Organization:
The following principle bodies of United Nations Organization. (i)General Assembly:
It is headquartered at New York. Its members are all member states of the United
Nations Organization (UNO). (ii)Security Council: Headquartered at New York, it has
five permanent members (mentioned earlier) who enjoy veto power and 10 non-
permanent elected members. The non-permanent elected members are elected by the
General Assembly and retire on rotation, every two years. The main function is to
look after the international peace and security. (iii)The Economic and Social
Council: Headquartered at New York, it consists of representatives of 54 member
countries elected by two-third majority in the General Assembly. It functions in
international economic, social and culture-related matters. (iv)Trusteeship
Council: Headquartered at New York, it looks after the interests of inhabitants of
territories which are not yet fully self-governing and are governed by any
administrating country. The Trusteeship Council suspended its operations on 1
November 1994, a month after the independence of Palau, the last remaining United
Nations trust territory. (v)United Nations Human Rights Council, the Human Rights
Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible
for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and
for addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on
them. It has the ability to discuss all thematic human rights issues and situations
that require its attention throughout the year. It meets at the UN Office at
Geneva. The Council is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which are elected
by the UN General Assembly. The Human Rights Council replaced the former United
Nations Commission on Human Rights. (vi)International Court of Justice:
Headquarted at the Peace Palace The Hague, in Holland, it consists of 15 judges
elected by General Assembly and Security Council for a term of nine years. Its
function is to give legal advice on legal matters to the bodies and special
agencies of the UNO and considers the legal disputes which are brought before it.
Ronny Abraham is the current President of International Court of Justice. Note:
Four persons from India have been elected as Judges of International Court of
Justice till date. They are: 1.Sir Benegal Rau (1952-53) 2.Dr. Negendra Singh
(1985-88) 3.R. S. Pathak (1989-91) 4.Dalveer Bhandari (2012- till date)
Miscellaneous General Knowledge7.2Miscellaneous General Knowledge (vii)Secretariat:
It is headed by the Secretary - General who is the Chief Administrative Officer of
the UNO and supervises the activities of UNO. The Secretary - General is appointed
by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council. The term is
of five years and can be re-elected after the expiry of the term. 2.Secretary -
General of UNO: (i)First Secretary - General was Trygve Lie, from Norway. (ii)The
current Secretary-General of UN is António Guterres, appointed by the General
Assembly on 13 October 2016. 3.Official languages of the UNO: They are six in
number, viz.: (i)English(ii) Chinese(iii) French (iv)Spanish(v) Russian(vi)
Arabic 4.Important agencies related to United Nations Organization: Name of the
organizationHeadquartered at International Labour Organization (ILO)Geneva
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)Vienna United Nations Education,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)Paris World Metrological Organization
(WMO)Geneva World Health Organization (WHO)Geneva Food and Agricultural
Organization (FAO)Rome United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)New York United
Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)New York International
Development Association (IDA)Washington DC United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP)Nairobi International Monetary Fund (IMF)Washington DC United Nations Fund
for Population Activities (UNFPA)New York United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) Geneva GenevaGeneral Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
[Now known as World Trade Organization (WTO)] (B)North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) Primarily concerned with the individual as well as collective security of
the member nations, many countries signed the Treaty which gave birth to NATO on 4,
April 1949. The organization is headquartered at Brussels in Belgium and it has
currently 29 members. In 1949, there were 12 founding members of the Alliance:
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands,
Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. The other member
countries are: Greece and Turkey (1952), Germany (1955), Spain (1982), the Czech
Republic, Hungary and Poland (1999), Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania,
Slovakia and Slovenia (2004), Albania and Croatia (2009), and Montenegro (2017).
The present secretary general of NATO is Jens Stoltenberg (Norway) (from October
2014). (C)South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) It was formed on
December 8, 1985, at Dhaka but the idea for the organization was first mooted by
the former President of Bangladesh Zia-ur-Rahman. There are eight members in the
organization, i.e. (i) Nepal, (ii) Bangladesh, (iii) Sri Lanka, (iv) Maldives, (v)
Bhutan, (vi) Pakistan and (vii) India (viii) Afghanistan (the latest member). The
Secretariat of SAARC is at Kathmandu (Nepal). The current Secretary General of
SAARC is Esala Ruwan Weerakoon from Sri Lanka.Miscellaneous General Knowledge7.3
(D)The Commonwealth This is an association of independent states which originated
in 1947and formally made up the British Empire. The symbolic head of the
Commonwealth is the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. At present, there are over
50 countries which are the members of the Commonwealth. Patricia Janet Scotland was
elected the 6th Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations at the 2015
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and took office April 1, 2016. She is the
first and current woman Secretary General Commonwealth. The former Secretary -
General was Kamalesh Sharma. (E) Group of 77 The Group of 77 (G-77) was established
on 15 June 1964 by seventy-seven developing countries signatories of the “Joint
Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Developing Countries” issued at the end of the
first session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in
Geneva. Although the members of the G77 have increased to 134 countries, the
original name was retained due to its historic significance. (F)Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) For controlling the production and pricing of
crude oil, OPEC was established on September 14, 1960 by Republic of Iran, Iraq,
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. It is headquartered at Vienna, Austria was
founded in Baghdad, Iraq, with the signing of an agreement in September 1960 by
five countries namely Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and
Venezuela. They were to become the Founder Members of the Organization. These
countries were later joined by Qatar (1961), Indonesia (1962), Libya (1962), the
United Arab Emirates (1967), Algeria (1969), Nigeria (1971), Ecuador (1973), Gabon
(1975) and Angola (2007). Ecuador suspended its membership in December 1992, but
rejoined OPEC in October 2007. Indonesia suspended its membership in January 2009,
reactivated it again in January 2016, but decided to suspend its membership once
more at the 171st Meeting of the OPEC Conference on 30 November 2016. Gabon
terminated its membership in January 1995. However, it rejoined the Organization in
July 2016. The latest country to leave from OPEC is Qatar; it left the OPEC with
effect from January 2019. HE Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo is currently the Secretary
General of the OPEC. (G) Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) The concept of Non-Aligned
Movement was developed by Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of
Independent India. The former members of this movement were. President of Egypt –
G.A. Nasser President of Indonesia – Dr. Sukarno President of former Yugoslavia –
Marshal Tito Established in 1961 in Belgrade. As of 2019 it has 120 members and 17
observer countries. Ilham Aliyev is the current Secretary General of NAM. (H)Other
important organizations OrganizationYear of establishmentHeadquartered at
*SEATO (South East Asia Treaty Organization)September 4, 1954Bangkok in Thailand
OAU (Organization of African Union)May 25, 1963Adis Ababa in Ethiopia ASEAN
(Association of South East Asian Nations)August 9, 1967Jakarta in Indonesia *
Please note that SEATO was dissolved on June 30, 1977. (I)World Trade Organization
(WTO) By replacing General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), it came into
existence on January 1, 1995. It is the third important Economic Organization after
the World Bank and International Monetary Fund and it can settle trade disputes
between nations and encourages the principle of free trade to sectors such as
agriculture and services, etc. India was one of the founding members of
WTO.7.4Miscellaneous General Knowledge Afghanistan became the 164th member of the
Organization on 29 July,
2016. The present strength of WTO is 164 members (as on July 25, 2018);
headquartered at Geneva it is headed by Director General Roberto Azevedo (Brazil).
(J)The Group of 15 (G-15) It is an economic grouping of 15 nations of the world
which are Third World nations and was formed in 1989 in Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
summit at Belgrade. (K)Amnesty International It was established by a British lawyer
Peter Berenson on May 28, 1961 in London which is its headquarters also. It is
primarily concerned with the investigation in the violations of human rights. It
has more than 11 lakhs members in about 150 countries throughout the world.
(L)Interpole The current Secretary General is Kim Jong Yang, unanimously elected at
the 83rd INTERPOL General Assembly session in Monaco, November 2014. It is world
largest International Police Organization, with 190 member countries. It has seven
regional offices across the world, and a representative office at the united
Nations in New York and at European Union in Brussels. It’s an international
organization of police commissions of the member countries which are about 150 in
number and was established in 1923. Its headquarters are at Lyons, France. (M)
European Union (EU) It is a group of European countries which got united to become
strong — politically and economically, so that war would not be a threat any more.
This organization came into existence after Second World War, in 1957, having its
headquarters at Brussels, Belgium. At present, there are 28 members in the European
Union and the membership is open to any European country. The headquarters of EU is
at Brussels in Belgium. Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (Germany) is the 13th
President of the European Commission. She is the first woman to become President of
the European Commission. Charles Michel (Belgium) is current President of European
Council. The UK formally left the EU on 31 January 2020, following on a public
vote held in June 2016. As of December 2020, the United Kingdom is the only former
member state to have withdrawn from the European Union. The process to do so began
when the UK Government triggered Article 50 to begin the UK's withdrawal from the
EU on 29 March 2017 following a June 2016 referendum, and the withdrawal was
scheduled in law to occur on 29 March 2019. (N)Organization of Islamic Conference
(OIC) It is head quartered at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Having 57 muslim countries as
members, it was established after a historical summit on September 25, 1969. It
aims to promote Islamic co-operation and solidarity. Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-
Othaimeen is the current secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC), since November 2016. (O)Red Cross Formed by Swiss businessman
J.H. Durant in 1863, it is the pioneering organization in providing medical aid
throughout the world. Red Cross Day is celebrated on May 8; its symbol is red cross
on a white background. This organization has received Nobel Prize on three
occasions. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a private
humanitarian institution founded in 1863 in Geneva, Switzerland, by Henry Dunant
and Gustave Moynier. Its 25-member committee has a unique authority under
international humanitarian law to protect the life and dignity of the victims of
international and internal armed conflicts. The ICRC was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize on three occasions (in 1917, 1944 and 1963). The ICRC is governed by an
Assembly, an Assembly Council (a subsidiary body with certain delegated powers) and
a Directorate (the executive body). Both the Assembly, with up to 25 co-opted
members of Swiss nationality, and the Assembly Council areMiscellaneous General
Knowledge7.5 chaired by Peter Maurer, who has been President of the ICRC since 1
July 2012. He is assisted by a VicePresident, Christine Beerli. The Directorate,
with five members, is chaired by the Director-General, Mr. Yves Daccord. (P)The
Group of Eight (G-8) It is basically a group of eight countries (as the name
indicates). These are world’s richest industrialized nations, i.e. Italy, Canada,
USA, UK, Japan, Germany, France and Russia. The forum primarily works to resolve
issues of either mutual concern or of global concern. The G8 reformatted as G7 from
2014 due to Russia’s suspension. It was an inter-governmental political forum from
1997 until 2014, with the participation of the major industrialized countries in
the world that viewed themselves as democracies. (Q)Medicin Sans Frontieres (MSF)
It was formed in 1971 by a small group of French doctors who believed that all
people have the right to medical care. It is a private, non-profit organization.
This organization is also known as Doctors without Borders. This delivers emergency
aid to the needy. This organization won the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 1999.
(R) World Bank Established as a result of Bretton Woords Conference in 1944 with
the objective of assisting the member nations in their reconstruction and
development. The bank is headquartered at Washington D.C. World Bank as an
International Financial Institution comprises of only two instititutions (a)
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. (b) International
Development Association. Its present President is David Malpass. (S)International
Monetary Fund (IMF) It provides loans to member nations to tide over their balance
of payment (lack of foreign exchange to pay for imports) problems. It is
headquartered in Washington D.C. It is also called the twin organisation of World
Bank. Both of them are popularly referred to as Bretton Wood Twins. Andorra has
joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to become its 190th member. The
International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an organization of 190 countries, working to
foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate
international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and
reduce poverty around the world. Created in 1945, the IMF is governed by and
accountable to the 190 countries that make up its near-global membership.
Kristalina Ivanova Georgieva-Kinova (Kristalina Georgieva) is a Bulgarian
economist, who is the current managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
Christine Lagarde served as Chair and Managing Director (MD) of the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), between July 2011 and November 2019. Gita Gopinath was
appointed as Chief Economist of IMF from 1 October 2018. Prior to her IMF
appointment she was economic adviser to the Chief Minister of Kerala, India.
(T)World Social Forum (WSF) World social forum was started in Porto Alegre in
Brazil. It is an antiglobalization movement, and its annual meets are held parallel
to the annual sessions of World Economic Forum (at Davos). Heads of Important
International Organizations 1.United Nations Secretary General: António Guterres
2.President of the International Court of Justice: Ronny Abraham 3.Director-General
of International Labor Organization (ILO): Guy Ryder 4.Director-General of Food &
Agriculture Organization (FAO): Dr QU Dongyu 5.Director-General of World Health
Organization (WHO): Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus 6.Head of United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF): Henrietta H. Fore7.6Miscellaneous General Knowledge
7.United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): Flippo Grandi 8.Director-
General of United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO): Audrey Azoulay 9.President of the World Bank (WB): David Malpass
10.Managing Director the International Monetary Fund (IMF): Kristalina Georgieva
11.Director-General of World Trade Organization (WTO): Robert Azevedo 12.Head
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): Rafael Mariano Grossi 13.Secretary-
General of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM): Ilham Aliyev 14.Secretary-General of
South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC): Esala Ruwan Weerakoon
15.Head of the Commonwealth of Nations: Queen Elizabeth-II 16.Secretary General of
the Commonwealth of Nations: Patricia Scotland 17.Secretary General of Amnesty
International: Julie Verhaar (Acting) 18.Secretary-General of Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): Jose Angel Gurria 19.Secretary
General of Organization of Petroleum Exporting countries (OPEC): HE Mohammad Sanusi
Barkindo 20.President of European Commission: Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen
21.President International Olympic Committee (IOC): Thomas Bach 22.Chairman of
International Cricket Council (ICC): Greg Barclay 23.Chief Executive Officer of
International Cricket Council: Manu Sawhney 24.President of FIFA: Gianni infantino
25.Chairman of Federal Reserve Bank of America: Jerome Powell 26.President of the
Asian Development Bank (ADB): Masatsugu Asakawa Important Awards The Nobel Prizes
2020 The Nobel Prize in Physics 2020: The Nobel Prize in Physics 2020 was divided,
one half awarded to Roger Penrose "for the discovery that black hole formation is a
robust prediction of the general theory of relativity", the other half jointly to
Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez "for the discovery of a supermassive compact object
at the centre of our galaxy." The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020: The Nobel Prize in
Chemistry 2020 was awarded jointly to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna
"for the development of a method for genome editing." The 2020 Nobel Prize in
Chemistry, awarded for the discovery of one of gene technology's sharpest tools:
the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors. The Nobel Prize in Literature 2020: The Nobel
Prize in Literature 2020 was awarded to Louise Gluck "for her unmistakable poetic
voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal." The 2020
Nobel Peace Prize: The Nobel Peace Prize 2020 was awarded to World Food Programme
(WFP) "for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering
conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting
as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and
conflict." The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred
Nobel 2020: The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred
Nobel 2020 was awarded jointly to Paul R. Milgrom and Robert B. Wilson "for
improvements to auction theory and inventions of new auction formats." Pulitzer
Prizes 2020 The 2020 Pulitzer Prize winners in 15 Journalism and seven Book, Drama
and Music categories were announced on Monday, May 4 at 3 p.m. Eastern. A Special
Citation was also awarded. Breaking News Reporting Staff of The Courier-Journal,
Louisville, Ky. For its rapid coverage of hundreds of last-minute pardons by
Kentucky's governor, showing how the process was marked by opacity, racial
disparities and violations of legal norms. (Moved by the jury from Local Reporting,
where it was originally entered.)Miscellaneous General Knowledge7.7 Investigative
Reporting Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times For an exposé of New York City's
taxi industry that showed how lenders profited from predatory loans that shattered
the lives of vulnerable drivers, reporting that ultimately led to state and federal
investigations and sweeping reforms. Explanatory Reporting Staff of The Washington
Post For a groundbreaking series that showed with scientific clarity the dire
effects of extreme temperatures on the planet. Local Reporting Staff of The
Baltimore Sun For illuminating, impactful reporting on a lucrative, undisclosed
financial relationship between the city's mayor and the public hospital system she
helped to oversee. National Reporting T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert
Faturechi of ProPublica For their investigation into America's 7th Fleet after a
series of deadly naval accidents in the Pacific. Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich,
Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times For groundbreaking stories that
exposed design flaws in the Boeing 737 MAX that led to two deadly crashes and
revealed failures in government oversight. International Reporting Staff of The New
York Times For a set of enthralling stories, reported at great risk, exposing the
predations of Vladimir Putin's regime. Feature Writing Ben Taub of The New Yorker
For a devastating account of a man who was kidnapped, tortured and deprived of his
liberty for more than a decade at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, blending
on-the-ground reporting and lyrical prose to offer a nuanced perspective on
America's wider war on terror. (Moved into contention by the Board.) Commentary
Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times For a sweeping, provocative and personal
essay for the ground-breaking 1619 Project, which seeks to place the enslavement of
Africans at the center of America's story, prompting public conversation about the
nation's founding and evolution. Criticism Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles
Times For work demonstrating extraordinary community service by a critic, applying
his expertise and enterprise to critique a proposed overhaul of the L.A. County
Museum of Art and its effect on the institution's mission. Editorial Writing
Jeffery Gerritt of the Palestine (Tx.) Herald Press For editorials that exposed how
pre-trial inmates died horrific deaths in a small Texas county jail-reflecting a
rising trend across the state-and courageously took on the local sheriff and
judicial establishment, which tried to cover up these needless tragedies. Editorial
Cartooning Barry Blitt, contributor, The New Yorker For work that skewers the
personalities and policies emanating from the Trump White House with deceptively
sweet watercolor style and seemingly gentle caricatures. (Moved into contention by
the Board.)7.8Miscellaneous General Knowledge Breaking News Photography Photography
Staff of Reuters For wide-ranging and illuminating photographs of Hong Kong as
citizens protested infringement of their civil liberties and defended the region's
autonomy by the Chinese government. Feature Photography Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan
and Dar Yasin of Associated Press For striking images captured during a
communications blackout in Kashmir depicting life in the contested territory as
India stripped it of its semi-autonomy. Audio Reporting Staff of This American Life
with Molly O'Toole of the Los Angeles Times and Emily Green, freelancer, Vice News
For "The Out Crowd," revelatory, intimate journalism that illuminates the personal
impact of the Trump Administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy. Public Service
Anchorage Daily News with contributions from ProPublica For a riveting series that
revealed a third of Alaska's villages had no police protection, took authorities to
task for decades of neglect, and spurred an influx of money and legislative
changes. Letters, Drama and Music Drama A Strange Loop, by Michael R. Jackson A
meta?ctional musical that tracks the creative process of an artist transforming
issues of identity, race, and sexuality that once pushed him to the margins of the
cultural mainstream into a meditation on universal human fears and insecurities.
History Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America,
by W. Caleb McDaniel (Oxford University Press) A masterfully researched meditation
on reparations based on the remarkable story of a 19th century woman who survived
kidnapping and re-enslavement to sue her captor. Biography Sontag: Her Life and
Work, by Benjamin Moser (Ecco) An authoritatively constructed work told with pathos
and grace, that captures the writer's genius and humanity alongside her addictions,
sexual ambiguities and volatile enthusiasms. Poetry The Tradition, by Jericho Brown
(Copper Canyon Press) A collection of masterful lyrics that combine delicacy with
historical urgency in their loving evocation of bodies vulnerable to hostility and
violence. General Nonfiction The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine,
Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care, by Anne Boyer (Farrar,
Straus and Giroux) An elegant and unforgettable narrative about the brutality of
illness and the capitalism of cancer care in America. The End of the Myth: From the
Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America, by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan
Books) A sweeping and beautifully written book that probes the American myth of
boundless expansion and provides a compelling context for thinking about the
current political moment. (Moved by the Board from the History
category.)Miscellaneous General Knowledge7.9 Music The Central Park Five, by
Anthony Davis Premiered on June 15, 2019 at the Long Beach Opera, a courageous
operatic work, marked by powerful vocal writing and sensitive orchestration, that
skillfully transforms a notorious example of contemporary injustice into something
empathetic and hopeful. Libretto by Richard Wesley. Fiction The Nickel Boys, by
Colson Whitehead (Doubleday) A spare and devastating exploration of abuse at a
reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida that is ultimately a powerful tale of human
perseverance, dignity and redemption. Special Citation Ida B. Wells For her
outstanding and courageous reporting on the horrific and vicious violence against
African Americans during the era of lynching. The citation comes with a bequest by
the Pulitzer Prize board of at least $50,000 in support of her mission. Recipients
will be announced at a later date. Man Booker International Prize 2020 The
International Man Booker Prize for the year 2020 awarded to Marieke Lucas Rigneveld
for her debut novel The Discomfort of Evening, translated from Dutch by Michele
Hutchison. The book centres around a 10-year-old girl Jas who is infuriated with
her brother Matthies for not being permitted to go for ice-skating with him. This
occurs at the onset of the novel. Her wish turns true and he dies. The debut novel
then is a fascinating case study of grief. Booker Prize 2020 The Booker Prize of
the 2020 has been announced and the coveted honour has been bestowed on Douglas
Stuart's Shuggie Bain. In his debut work, Stuart presents a tightly-cut portrait of
the working class during the 1980s in Glasgow. But at its heart, it is about a
family struggling to survive and children loving damaged parents amidst all the
struggle. Ramon Magsaysay Awards 2020 Ramon Magsaysay awards, known as Asia's
version of the Nobel Prize, have been cancelled this year due to the COVID-19
pandemic. The Manila-based foundation issued a statement on June 9, 2020 saying
that it has no choice but to cancel the 2020 awards with COVID-19 almost
immobilizing the world. This is the third time that the annual awards have been
cancelled in the last six decades, the first time was due to a financial crisis in
1970 and the second time when a disastrous earthquake hit the Philippines in 1990.
Ramon Magsaysay Awards 2019 Senior Indian journalist Ravish Kumar was awarded this
year's Ramon Magsaysay Award, regarded as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize. He
is NDTV India's senior executive editor is one of India's most influential TV
journalists, the award citation by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation said. The
four other winners of the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award are Ko Swe Win from Myanmar,
Angkhana Neelapaijit from Thailand, Raymundo Pujante Cayabyab from Philippines and
Kim Jong-Ki from South Korea. The Abel Prize 2020 The Abel Prize 2020 has been
awarded to Hillel Furstenberg and Gregory Margulis "for pioneering the use of
methods from probability and dynamics in group theory, number theory and
combinatorics". The prize, which has been awarded since 2003, is one of the highest
honours in maths and carries a prize money of around $400,000. 2020 Right
Livelihood Award 2020 Laureates of the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the
"Alternative Nobel Prize," are honoured, December 3, 2020 in a live virtual Award
Presentation. The 2020 Laureates honoured are: Iranian
human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, US civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson,
Indigenous rights and environmental activist Lottie Cunningham Wren of Nicaragua,
and Belarusian human rights activist Ales Bialiatski and the non-governmental
organisation Human Rights Center "Viasna." As part of the Award, the four Laureates
are each receiving 1 million SEK to further their work. World Food Prize 2020
Indian-American soil scientist - Dr. Rattan Lal - has been declared the winner of
the World Food Prize 2020. He played a major role in developing and mainstreaming a
soil-centric approach to increasing food production that7.10Miscellaneous General
Knowledge conserves natural resources and mitigates climate change. Three separate
United Nations Climate Change Conferences have adopted his strategy of restoring
soil health as a means to sequestering carbon. In 2007, he was among those
recognised with a Nobel Peace Prize Certificate for his contributions to the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, when the IPCC was named
co-recipient of the Nobel Prize. Jnanpith Award (2019) Noted Malayalam poet
Akkitham Achuthan Namboodiri, popularly known as Akkitham, was declared the
recipient of the 55th Jnanpith Award, the country's highest literary honour.
Saraswati Samman (2019) Noted Sindhi writer Vasdev Mohi was honoured with 29th
Saraswati Samman. He has been selected for his short stories collection:-
Chequebook, published in 2012. This short stories collection talks about the
agonies and sufferings of marginalized sections of the society. He has authored 25
books of poetry, stories and translations. He has also received the Sahitya Akademi
Award. Academy Awards or “Oscars Awards” The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony,
presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films
released in 2019 and took place on February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in
Hollywood, Los Angeles, and beginning. During the ceremony, the AMPAS presented
Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories. The ceremony,
televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Stephanie Allain and Lynette
Howell Taylor and was directed by Glenn Weiss. Parasite won four awards including
Best Picture, the first nonEnglish language film to win that award. Oscars 2020
winner list Best Picture: "Parasite" Best Director: Bong Joon Ho, "Parasite" Best
Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, "Joker" Best Actress: Renée Zellweger, "Judy" Best
Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt, "Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood" Best Supporting
Actress: Laura Dern, "Marriage Story" Best Original Screenplay: "Parasite" Best
Adapted Screenplay: "Jojo Rabbit" Best International Feature: "Parasite" (South
Korea) 67th National Film Awards The 67th National Film Awards ceremony is an
upcoming event during which the Directorate of Film Festivals presents its annual
National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2019 in the Indian cinema. The
ceremony was supposed to held on 3 May 2020 but they were postponed indefinitely
due to COVID-19 pandemic. 66th National Film Awards Ayushmann Khurrana-Radhika Apte
starrer Andhadhun has won the ‘Best Film’ award in the 66th National Film Awards
announced. Aditya Dhar-directorial debut Uri: The Surgical Strike has bagged four
awards - best actor, best background music, best sound design and best direction in
the 66th National Film Awards 2019. Best Actor: Ayushmann Khurrana, Andhadhun, and
Vicky Kaushal, Uri Best Actress: Keerthy Suresh for Mahanati Best Direction: Aditya
Dhar for Uri Best Feature Film: Hellaro (Gujarati) Best Children's Film: Sarkari.
Hi. Pra. Shale Kasaragodu, Koduge Best Film on Environment Conservation: Paani
Nargis Dutt Award for National Integration: Ondanya Eradalu Best Popular Film
Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Badhaai Ho Jury Awards: Kedara (Bengali),
Hellaro (Gujarati)Miscellaneous General Knowledge7.11 Indira Gandhi Award for Best
Debut Film of A Director: Sudhakar Reddy Yakanthi for Naal Best Female Playback
singer: Bindu Mani for Mayavi Manave from Nathicharami Best Male Playback Singer:
Arijit Singh for Binte Dil from Padmaavat Best film on social issues: Pad Man Best
music director: Padmaavat Best Rajasthani Film: Turtle Best Panchanga Film: In The
Land Of Poisonous Women Best Garo Film: Anna Best Marathi Film: Bhonga Best Tamil
Film: Baram Best Hindi Film: Andhadhun Best Urdu Film: Hamid Best Bengali Film: Ek
Je Chhilo Raja Best Malayalam Film: Sudani From Nigeria Best Telugu Film: Mahanati
Best Kannada Film: Nathicharami Best Konkani Film: Amori Best Assamese Film: Bulbul
Can Sing Best Punjabi Film: Harjeeta Best Gujarati Film: Reva Dada Saheb Phalke
Award The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in cinema. It is
presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film
Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
First presented in 1969, the award was introduced by the Government of India to
commemorate Dadasaheb Phalke's contribution to Indian cinema. Bollywood's megastar
Amitabh Bachchan has been selected for Dada Saheb Phalke award this year. Amitabh
Bachchan to be honoured with Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2019. At the 65th National
Film Awards, late actor Vinod Khanna was posthumously honoured with the Dadasaheb
Phalke Award. This award is considered as the highest honour in Indian cinema and
is presented annually by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The award is
given for a personality’s “outstanding contribution to the growth and development
of Indian cinema”. Vinod Khanna is the 49th recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke
Award. 65th Filmfare Awards 2020 The 65th Filmfare Awards ceremony, presented by
The Times Group, honored the best Indian Hindi-language films of 2019. The
ceremony was held on 15 February 2020 in Guwahati and broadcast on Colors TV the
following day. This is the first time in six decades that a Filmfare ceremony was
held outside Mumbai. Karan Johar and Vicky Kaushal were hosts of the award
ceremony. Best Film: 'Gully Boy' Best Director: Zoya Akhtar ('Gully Boy') Best Film
(Critics): 'Article 15' (Anubhav Sinha), 'Sonchiriya' (Abhishek Chaubey) Best Actor
In A Leading Role (Male): Ranveer Singh ('Gully Boy') Best Actor (Critics):
Ayushmann Khurrana ('Article 15') Best Actor In A Leading Role (Female): Alia Bhatt
('Gully Boy') Best Actress (Critics): Bhumi Pednekar ('Saand Ki Aankh'), Taapsee
('Saand Ki Aankh') Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Female): Amruta Subhash ('Gully
Boy') Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Male): Siddhant Chaturvedi ('Gully Boy')
Best Music Album: 'Gully Boy' l Zoya Akhtar-Ankur Tewari, 'Kabir Singh' I Mithoon,
Amaal Mallik, Vishal Mishra, Sachet-Parampara and Akhil Sachdeva Best Lyrics:
Divine and Ankur Tewari - Apna Time Aayega - 'Gully Boy'7.12Miscellaneous General
Knowledge Best Playback Singer (Male): Arijit Singh…Kalank Nahi…'Kalank' Best
Playback Singer (Female): Shilpa Rao…Ghungroo…'War' Best Debut Director: Aditya
Dhar - 'Uri: The Surgical Strike' Best Debut Actor: Abhimanyu Dassani - 'Mard Ko
Dard Nahi Hota' Best Debut Actress: Ananya Pandey - 'Student Of The Year 2', 'Pati
Patni Aur Woh' Best Original Story: 'Article 15' - Anubhav Sinha and Gaurav Solanki
Best Screenplay: 'Gully Boy' - Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar Best Dialogue: 'Gully
Boy'- Vijay Maurya Lifetime Achievement Award: Ramesh Sippy Excellence In Cinema:
Govinda RD Burman Award For Upcoming Music Talent: Sashwat Sachdev- URI 66th Jio
Filmfare Awards (South) 2019 Best Film: Mahanati Best Director: Nag Ashwin
(Mahanati) Best Actor In A Leading Role Male (Popular): Ram Charan (Rangasthalam)
Best Actor Critics: Dulquer Salman (Mahanti) Best Actor In A Leading Role Female
(Popular): Keerthi Suresh (Mahanati) Best Actress Critcs: Rashmika Mandanna(Geetha
Govindam ) Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Male): Jagapati Babu (Aravinda Sametha
Veera Raghava) Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Female): Anasuya Bharadwaj
(Rangasthalam) Best Music Album: Devi Sri Prasad - (Rangasthalam) Best Lyrics:
Chandrabose - Yentha Sakkagunnaave (Rangasthalam) Best Playback Singer (Male): Sid
Sriram - Inkem Inkem Inkem Kaavaale (Geetha Govindam) Best Playback Singer
(Female): Shreya Ghoshal -- Mandaraa Mandaraa (Bhaagamathie) Tennis Grand Slams
2020 Australian Open Champions: Men's Singles: Novak Djokovic Women's Singles:
Sofia Kenin Men's Doubles: Rajeev Ram / United Kingdom Joe Salisbury Women's
Doubles: Tímea Babos / France Kristina Mladenovic Mixed Doubles: Barbora Krejcikova
/ Nikola Mektic 2020 French Open Champions: Men's Singles: Rafael Nadal Women's
Singles: Iga Swiatek Men's Doubles: Kevin Krawietz / Germany Andreas Mies Women's
Doubles: Tímea Babos / France Kristina Mladenovic 2020 Wimbledon Champions The 2020
Wimbledon Championships was a cancelled Grand Slam tennis tournament scheduled to
be played at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London,
United Kingdom, between 29 June and 12 July. It was never played because of the
COVID-19 pandemic. The cancellation of the tournament was announced on 1 April
2020. Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep were the defending champions in the men's and
women's singles draw. 2020 US Open Champions Men's Singles: Dominic Thiem Women's
Singles: Naomi Osaka Men's Doubles: Mate Pavic / Brazil Bruno Soares Women's
Doubles: Laura Siegemund / Russia Vera ZvonarevaMiscellaneous General Knowledge7.13
List of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awardees Year Name of the Sportsperson(s) Sport
Discipline 1991-92 Viswanathan Anand Chess 1992-93 Geet Sethi Billiards 1993-94 Not
Conferred* - 1994-95 Cdr. Homi D. Motivala (Joint) Yachting (Team Event) 1994-95
Lt. Cdr. P. K. Garg (Joint) Yachting (Team Event) 1995-96 Karnam Malleswari
Weightlifting 1996-97 Nameirakpam Kunjarani (Joint) Weightlifting 1996-97 Leander
Paes (Joint) Tennis 1997-98 Sachin Tendulkar Cricket 1998-99
Jyotirmoyee Sikdar Athletics 1999-2000 Dhanraj Pillay Hockey 2000-01 Pullela
Gopichand Badminton 2001-02 Abhinav Bindra Shooting 2002-03 Anjali Ved Pathak
Bhagwat (Joint) Shooting 2002-03 K. M. Beenamol (Joint) Athletics 2003-04 Anju
Bobby George Athletics 2004-05 Lt. Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Shooting 2005-06
Pankaj Advani Billiards and Snooker 2006-07 Manavjit Singh Sandhu Shooting 2007-08
Mahendra Singh Dhoni Cricket 2008-09 Mary Kom (Joint) Boxing 2008-09 Vijender Singh
(Joint) Boxing 2008-09 Sushil Kumar (Joint) Wrestling 2009-10Saina NehwalBadminton
2010-11Gagan Narang Shooting 2011-12Vijay Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt (Joint)Shooting,
Wrestling 2012-13Ranjan SodhiShooting 2013-14 2014-15Ms Sania MirzaTennis 2015-
16P.V. SindhuBadminton 2015-16Sakshi MalikWrestling 2015-16Dipa KarmakarGymnastics
2015-16Jitu RaiShooting 2016-17Devendra JhajhariaAthletics 2016-17Sardara
SinghHockey 2017-18Mirabai ChanuWeightlifting 2017-18Virat KohliCricket 2018-
19Deepa MalikShot Put 2018-19Bajrang PuniaWrestling 2019-20Rohit SharmaCricketer
2019-20Vinesh PhogatWrestler 2019-20Manika BatraTable Tennis 2019-20Mariyappan
ThangaveluParalympic High Jumper No sportsperson has been named for the prestigious
award. This is the third time no sportsperson has been named since its inception of
the country’s heighest sporting award in 1991.7.14Miscellaneous General Knowledge
List of all Bharat Ratna awardees so far: S.No.Name Birth Year Death Year Awarded
Year About 1Shri Chakravarti Rajagopalachari 187819721954Independence Activist,
Last Governor General 2Sir C.V Raman 188819701954Physicist , Nobel Prize Winner
(1930) 3Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan 188819751954 Philosopher, India’s First Vice
President (1952-1962), and India’s Second President (1962-1967) 4Bhagvan Das
186919581955Independence activist, author 5Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya
186119621955Civil engineer, Diwan of Mysore 6Jawaharlal Nehru
188919641955Independence activist, author, First Prime Minister (1947-1964) 7Govind
Ballabh Pant 188719611957Independence activist, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh,
Home Minister 8Dhondo Keshav Karve 185819621958Educator, social reformer 9Bidhan
Chandra Roy 188219621961Physician, Chief Minister Of West Bengal 10Purushottam Das
Tandon 188219621961Independence activist, educator 11Rajendra Prasad
188419631962Independence activist, jurist, First President (1950-1962) 12Zakir
Hussain 189719691963Independence activist, Scholar, Third President (1967-1969)
13Pandurang Vaman Kane 188019721963Indologist and Sanskrit scholar 14Lal Bahadur
Shastri 190419661966Posthumous, independence activist, Second Prime Minister (1964-
1966) 15Indira Gandhi 191719841971Third Prime Minister (1980-1984) 16V.V. Giri
189419801975Trade unionist and Fourth President (1969) 17K. Kamaraj
190319751976Posthumous, independence activist, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu State
18Mother Teresa 191019971980Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of Charity
19Vinoba Bhave 189519821983Posthumous, social reformer, independence activist
20Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan 189019881987First non-citizen, independence activist
21M.G. Ramchandran 191719871988Posthumous, film actor, Chief Minister of Tamil
NaduMiscellaneous General Knowledge7.15 S.No.Name Birth Year Death Year Awarded
Year About 22B.R. Ambedkar 189119561990 Posthumous, chief architect of the Indian
Constitution, politician, economist, and scholar 23Nelson Mandela 191820131990
Second non-citizen and nonIndian recipient, Leader of the Anti-Apartheid movement
24Rajiv Gandhi 194419911991Posthumous, Sixth Prime Minister (1984-1989)
25Vallabhbhai Patel 187519501991Posthumous, independence activist, first Home
Minister (1947-1950) 26Morarji Desai 189619951991Independence activist, fourth
Prime Minister (1977-1979) 27Abul Kalam Azad 188819581992Posthumous, independence
activist, first Minister of Education 28J. R. D. Tata 190419931992Industrialist and
philanthropist 29Satyajit Ray 192219921992Bengali Filmmaker 30A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
193120151997Aeronautical Engineer,11th President of India 31Gulzarilal Nanda
189819981997Independence activist, interim Prime Minister 32Aruna Asaf Ali
190819961997Posthumous, independence activist 33M.S. Subbulakshmi
191620041998Carnatic classical singer 34Chidambaram Subramaniam
191020001998Independence activist, Minister of Agriculture 35Jayaprakash Narayan
190219791999Posthumous, independence activist and politician 36Ravi Shankar
192020121999Sitar Player 37Amartya Sen 19331999Economist 38Gopinath Bardoloi
189019501999Posthumous, independence activist, Chief Minister of Assam 39Lata
Mangeshkar 19292001Playback singer 40Bismillah Khan 191620062001Hindustani
Classical Shehnai Player 41Bhimsen Joshi 192220112008Hindustani Classical Singer
42Sachin Tendulkar 19732013Indian Cricketer, First Sportsman and Youngest Indian
who got Bharat Ratna 43Prof. C.N.R Rao 19342013Chemist 44Madan Mohan Malaviya
186119462014Educationist and politician 45Atal Bihari Vajpayee 192420182014Former
Prime Minister of India (1996), (1998), (1999-2004) 46Pranab Mukherjee
19352019Former President of India (2013-17) 47Bhupen Hazarika 192620112019Indian
playback singer, lyricist, musician 48Nanaji Deshmukh 191620102019Social Activist
7.16Miscellaneous General Knowledge Important Days International DateName of the
Day January 26International Customs Day March 8International Women’s Day March
15World Consumers’ Day March 21World Forestry Day March 22World Day for Water March
23World Meteorological Day April 7World Health Day April 17World Haemophilia Day
April 18World Heritage Day April 22World Earth Day May 1International Labour Day
May 3International Press Freedom Day May 8World Red Cross Day May 31Anti-tobacco
Day/World No Tobacco Day June 5World Environment Day June 21International Yoga Day
June 26International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking July 11World
Population Day August 12International Youth Day September 8World Literacy Day
September 16World Ozone Day September 27World Tourism Day October 3World Habitat
Day October 14World Standards Day October 16World Food Day December 1World AIDS Day
December 10World Human Rights DayMiscellaneous General Knowledge7.17 National
DateName of the Day January 12National Youth Day (birth anniversary of Swami
Vivekananda) January 15Army Day January 23Netaji S.C. Bose’s Birth Anniversary
January 26Republic Day January 30Martyr’s Day (Mahatma Gandhi’s Death Anniversary)
February 24Central Excise Day February 28National Science Day May 21Antiterrorism
Day (Rajiv Gandhi’s Death Anniversary) August 15Independence Day August 29National
Sports Day September 5Teachers’ Day October 2Gandhi Jayanti/International Day for
Non-Violence October 8Indian Air Force Day November 14Children’s Day December 4Navy
Day December 23Kisan Divas (Farmers’ Day)7.18Miscellaneous General Knowledge
Important Sobriquets Distinctive NameCountry / Place Bengal’s SorrowDamodar river
Blue MountainsNilgiris City of Arabian NightsBaghdad City of PalacesKolkata City of
Seven Hills/Eternal cityRome City of Skyscrapers /Empire city / Big AppleNew York
City of the Golden GateSan Francisco City of JoyKolkata Commercial Capital of
IndiaMumbai Dairy of Northern EuropeDenmark Dark ContinentAfrica Forbidden
CityLhasa (Tibet) Garden of EnglandKent Garden City of IndiaBangalore Gate of
TearsBab-el-Mandab, Jerusalem Gateway of IndiaMumbai Gift of the NileEgypt Golden
CityJohannesburg Great White WayBroadway (New York) Hermit’s KingdomKorea Holy
LandPalestine Island of PearlsBahrain Key to the MediterraneanGibraltar Land of
Five RiversPunjab Land of a Thousand LakesFinland Land of CakesScotland Land of
KangaroosAustralia Land of Lillies /Lady of SnowCanada Land of Morning
CalmKoreaMiscellaneous General Knowledge7.19 Distinctive NameCountry / Place Land
of the Golden FleeceAustralia Land of the Golden PagodaMyanmar Land of the Midnight
SunNorway Land of the Rising SunJapan Land of ThunderboltBhutan Land of White
ElephantsThailand Manchester of South IndiaCoimbatore Mother-in-Law of
EuropeDenmark Never, Never LandPrairies (North America) Pink City of IndiaJaipur
Playground of EuropeSwitzerland Queen of the Arabian SeaCochin (India) Roof of the
WorldPamir (Tibet) Sick Man of EuropeTurkey Sorrow of China /Yellow riverRiver
Hwang Ho Spice Garden of IndiaKerala Sugar Bowl of the WorldCuba Sugar Bowl of
IndiaUttar Pradesh The Battlefield of Europe Belgium The Down UnderAustralia The
Imperial CityRome The Promised LandCanaan The Saw Mill of EuropeSweden The Sea of
MountainsBritish Colombia The Spice Island of the WestGrenada Twin CityBudapest
Valley of KingsThebes White CityBelgrade White Man’s GraveGuinea Coast (West
Africa) Windy CityChicago Workshop of EuropeBelgium World’s Bread BasketPrairies of
North America7.20Miscellaneous General Knowledge Important Books and Authors Name
of the bookAuthor A Adventures of Sherlock HolmesSir Arthur Conan Doyle Adventures
of Tom Sawyer, The Mark Twain Ain-i-AkbariAbul Fazal Alchemist, The Paulo Colelho
Alice in WonderlandLewis Carroll All’s Well that Ends WellWilliam Shakespeare An
American TragedyTheodore Dreiser An Idealist View of LifeDr S. Radhakrishnan Anand
MathBankim Chandra Chatterjee Androcles and the LionGeorge Bernard Shaw Ape and
EssenceA. Huxley Apple CartGeorge Bernard Shaw Arabian NightsSir Richard Burton
Area of DarknessV. S. Naipaul ArthashastraKautilya Arms and the ManGeorge Bernard
Shaw Around the World in Eighty DaysJules Verne As You Like itWilliam Shakespeare
Autobiography of an Unknown IndianNirad C. Choudhury B Babur-namaBabur Between the
LinesKuldip Nayar Bharat BharatiMaithili Sharan Gupt Bitter SweetNoel Coward Brave
New WorldAldous Huxley Broken WingSarojini Naidu Bunch of Old Letters, AJawaharlal
NehruMiscellaneous General Knowledge7.21 Name of the bookAuthor C Caesar and
CleopatraGeorge Bernard Shaw Canterbury TalesGeoffrey Chaucer ChitraRabindranath
Tagore Comedy of ErrorsWilliam Shakespeare
CoolieMulk Raj Anand Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoevsky D Das KapitalKarl Marx
David CopperfieldCharles Dickens Descent of ManCharles Darwin Dilemma of Our
TimeHarold Joseph Laski Discovery of IndiaJawaharlal Nehru Divine LifeSwami
Sivananda Doctor’s DilemmaGeorge Bernard Shaw Doctor ZhivagoBoris Pasternak Don
JuanLord Byron E Ends and MeansAldous Huxley F Farewell to Arms, A Ernest Hemingway
First Among EqualsJeffrey Archer For Whom the Bell TollsErnest Hemingway Freedom at
MidnightLarry Collins and Dominique Lapierre Future ShockAlvin
Toffler7.22Miscellaneous General Knowledge Name of the bookAuthor G Geet GovindaJay
Deva GitanjaliRabindranath Tagore Gita RahasyaBal Gangadhar Tilak Glimpses of World
HistoryJawaharlal Nehru GodanMunshi Prem Chand Golden ThresholdSarojini Naidu
Golden Gate, TheVikram Seth Gone with the WindMargaret Mitchell GoraRabindranath
Tagore Grammar of PoliticsHarold Laski Great ExpectationsCharles Dickens Guide, The
R K. Narayan Gul-e-NaghmaRaghupati Sahai Firaq Gulliver’s TravelsJonathan Swift H
HamletWilliam Shakespeare Harsha CharitaBana Bhatt Heat and DustRuth P. Jhabwala
Hindu View of LifeDr S. RadhakrishnanMiscellaneous General Knowledge7.23 Name of
the bookAuthor I If I am AssassinatedZ. A. Bhutto IlliadHomer Importance of Being
EarnestOscar Wilde India DividedRajendra Prasad India Wins FreedomMaulana Abul
Kalam Azad Indian Home RuleM. K. Gandhi Indian PhilosophyDr S. Radhakrishnan
Invisible ManH. G. Wells Iron in the SoulJean Paul Sartre IvanhoeWalter Scott J
Judgement, The Kuldip Nayar Julius CaesarWilliam Shakespeare Jungle BookRudyard
Kipling K KadambariBana Bhatt KamasutraVatsyayan KamayaniJai Shankar Prasad King
LearWilliam Shakespeare Kumar SambhavaKalidas L Life DivineAurobindo Ghosh Letters
from a Father to his DaughterJawaharlal Nehru LolitaV. Nabakov Love StoryEric
Segal7.24Miscellaneous General Knowledge Name of the bookAuthor M MacbethWilliam
Shakespeare MahabharataVed Vyas Man and SupermanGeorge Bernard Shaw Man of
DestinyGeorge Bernard Shaw MeghdootKalidas Merchant of VeniceWilliam Shakespeare
Midnight’s ChildrenSalman Rushdie MotherMaxim Gorky Much Ado About NothingWilliam
Shakespeare Mudra RakshasVishakadutta My Experiments with TruthMahatma Gandhi My
Music, My LifeRavi Shankar My TruthIndira Gandhi N Natya ShastraBharat Muni Nine
Days WonderJohn Masefield O OdysseyHomer Oliver TwistCharles Dickens Origin of
SpeciesCharles Darwin OthelloWilliam Shakespeare P PanchatantraVishnu Sharma
Passage to England, A Nirad C. Choudhury Paradise LostJohn Milton Passage to India,
A E. M. Forster Patriot, The Pearl S. Buck Post OfficeRabindranath Tagore Pride and
PrejudiceJane AustenMiscellaneous General Knowledge7.25 Name of the bookAuthor R
RaghuvamsaKalidas Ram Charita ManasTulsidas RamayanaValmiki RatnavaliHarsha Vardhan
Ritu SamharaKalidas Romeo and JulietWilliam Shakespeare RubaiyatOmar Khayyam S
Sadar-i-RiyasatKaran Singh Satyartha PrakashSwami Dayanand Saraswati SavitriSri
Aurobindo Ghosh Sense and Sensibility Jane Austen Satanic Verses, TheSalman Rushdie
ShahnamaFirdausi ShakuntalaKalidas Shape of Things to ComeH.G. Wells ShameSalman
Rushdie Sohrab and RustumMathew Arnold Sunny DaysSunil Gavaskar T Tale of Two
Cities, ACharles Dickens Tempest, The William Shakespeare Three MusketeersAlexander
Dumas Time MachineH.G. Wells To Live or Not to LiveNirad C. Choudhury TriumphJohn
Kenneth Galbraith Twelfth NightWilliam Shakespeare Twenty Years AfterAlexander
Dumas Two Leaves and a BudMulk Raj Anand7.26Miscellaneous General Knowledge Name of
the bookAuthor U UlyssesJames Joyce Unto This LastJohn Ruskin UtopiaThomas Moore
Uttar RamcharitaBhavbhuti V Valley of DollsJacqueline Susann Vanity FairWilliam
Thackeray Vinay PatrikaTulsidas Virginians, The William Thackeray Vish
VrikshaBankim Chandra Chatterjee Voice of ConscienceV.V. Giri W Wake up IndiaAnnie
Beseant War and PeaceLeo Tolstoy Wealth of NationsAdam Smith Wonder that Was India,
The A.L. Basham Y YamaMahadevi VermaMiscellaneous General Knowledge7.27 Important
Abbreviations A AAFIThe Amateur Athletics Federation of India ABCAudit Bureau of
Circulation ACPCAgricultural Costs and Prices Commission AEZAgri Export Zone ADAnno
Domini AGMAnnual General Meeting ADBAsian Development Bank AFPAgence France Presse
ACAnte Christum; Alternating Current AIArtificial Intelligence; Air India
AGAccountant General ARMAdditional Resource Mobilisation AMAnte Meridiem
APMAdministered Price Mechanism ASLVAugmented Satellite Launch Vehicle AICTEAll
India Council for Technical Education ASEANAssociation of South East Asian Nations
ASPApplication Service Provider; Association of Shareware Professionals AIIMSAll
India Institute of Medical Sciences AITUCAll India Trade Union Congress
ASCIIAmerican Standard Code for Information Interchange AIDSAcquired Immuno
Deficiency Syndrome ANCAfrican National Congress APECAsia Pacific Economic
Cooperation AGMARKAgricultural Marketing Development ALGOLAlgebraic Oriented
Language (Algorithmic Language) ASSOCHAMAssociated Chamber of Commerce and Industry
AT&TAmerican Telegraphic and Telephone Co. Ltd. ATMAutomated Teller Machine
AWACSAirborne Early Warning and Control System7.28Miscellaneous General Knowledge B
B2BBusiness to Business BBCBritish Broadcasting Corporation BATBritish American
Tobacco BCBefore Christ BHELBharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. BIFRBoard for Industrial
and Financial Reconstruction BICPBureau of Industrial Cost and Prices B2CBusiness
to Consumer BIOSBasic Input Output System BISBureau of Indian Standards BOLTBombay
Stock Exchange On-Line Trading; Build-Operate-Lease-Transfer BoPBalance of Payment
BSEBombay Stock Exchange BIMARUBihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh
BSFBorder Security Force C CABECentral Advisory Board on Education C2CConsumer to
Consumer CACPCommission for Agricultural Costs and Prices C&WCable and Wireless
CAGComptroller and Auditor General of India CATComputed Axial Tomography
CBCCommonwealth Business Council CBDTCentral Board of Direct Taxes CCEACabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs CBMConfidence Building Measures CDACCentre for the
Development of Automatic Computing CEACentral Electricity Authority CEOChief
Executive Officer CERCCentral Electricity Regulatory Commission
CFCChlorofluorocarbonMiscellaneous General Knowledge7.29 CHOGMCommonwealth Heads of
Government Meeting CIACentral Intelligence Agency CBICentral Bureau of
Investigation CMACredit Monitoring Arrangement CIIConfederation of Indian Industry
CISCComplex Instruction-set Computing CRISILCredit Rating Information Services of
India Ltd. CNCComputer Numerical Control CSOCentral Statistical Organisation
CRMCustomer Relations Management COPRAConsumer Protection Act CMIECentre for
Monitoring the Indian Economy CISCommonwealth of Independent States COPUCommittee
on Public Undertakings CIDCriminal Investigation Department CSIRCouncil of
Scientific and Industrial Research CNNCable News Network CRRCash Reserve Ratio
CITUCentre of Indian Trade Unions CTBTComprehensive Test Ban Treaty D
DNADeoxyribonucleic Acid DFIsDevelopment Financial Institutions DMRCDelhi Metro
Rail Corporation DMZDemilitarised Zone DTPDesktop Publishing DMATDematerialized
Account7.30Miscellaneous General Knowledge E E-MAILElectronic Mailing
ECGElectrocardiography ECOSOCEconomic and Social Council (UN) EDIElectronic Data
Interchange EEGElectroencephalography EISExecutive Information System ELISAEnzyme
Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay EOUExport Oriented Unit EFTAEuropean Free Trade
Association EPZExport Processing Zone ESMAEssential Services Maintenance Act
ECGCExport Credit Guarantee Corporation of India EEZExclusive Economic Zone
EPABXElectronic Private Automatic Branch Exchange ESPExtra Sensory Perception F
FRSFellow of the Royal Society FAOFood and Agriculture Organisation FBIFederal
Bureau of Investigation FCIFood Corporation of India; Fertilizer Corporation of
India FCRAForeign Contribution Regulation Act FDAFood and Drug Administration
FDIForiegn Direct Investment FIIForeign Institutional Investors FRCPFellow of the
Royal College of Physicians FMFrequency Modulation FMCGFast Moving Consumer Goods
FERAForeign Exchange Regulation Act FEMAForeign Exhchange Management Act FRCSFellow
of the Royal College of Surgeons FMCTFissile Material Cut-off Treaty FIRFirst
Information Report FOREXForeign Exchange FICCIFederation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry FTIIFilms and Television Institute of IndiaMiscellaneous
General Knowledge7.31 G GATTGeneral Agreement on Tariffs and Trade GDPGross
Domestic Product GAILGas Authority of India Ltd. GDRGlobal Depository Receipt
GISGeographical Information System GMATGraduate Management Aptitude Test
GMOGenetically Modified Organisms GEGeneral Electric (USA) GMTGreenwich Mean Time
GNPGross National Product GICGeneral Insurance Corporation GPSGlobal Positioning
System GREGraduate Record Examination GMGeneral Motors (USA) GSIGeological Survey
of India GSMGlobal System for Mobile Communications GUIGraphical User Interface
GATEGraduate Aptitude Test in Engineering GSTPGlobal System of Trade Practices
GSLVGeo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GTOGeo-Synchronous Transfer Orbit H
HYVHigh Yielding Varieties HULHindustan Unilever Limited HIVHuman Immunodeficiency
Virus HANGSENGHong Kong Stock Exchange Index HMVHis Master’s Voice; Heavy Motor
Vehicle HDFCHousing Development Finance Corporation HTMLHypertext Markup Language
httphypertext transfer protocol HUDCOHousing and Urban Development Corporation
HDIHuman Development Index HINDALCOHindustan Aluminium Company
Limited7.32Miscellaneous General Knowledge I IAEAInternational Atomic Energy Agency
IARIIndian Agricultural Research Institute IBMInternational Business Machines
ICARIndian Council of Agricultural Research ICCInternational Cricket Council /
International Criminal Court INAIndian National Army ICCRIndian Council for
Cultural Relations ICJInternational Court of Justice
IDBIIndustrial Development Bank of India IPCIndian Penal Code IITIndian Institute
of Technology IJRYIntegrated Jawahar Rozgar Yojana IDRAIndustrial Development and
Regulation Act IBRDInternational Bank for Reconstruction and Development ICBMInter-
Continental Ballistic Missile ILOInternational Labour Organisation IGNOUIndira
Gandhi National Open University ICICIIndustrial Credit Investment Corporation of
India INDUIndian National Defence University INSATIndian National Satellite
IOCIndian Oil Corporation IPInternet Protocol IQIntelligence Quotient IRAIrish
Republican Army IRBMIntermediate Range Ballistic Missile IRDPIntegrated Rural
Development Programme ISBNInternational Standard Book Number ISIIndian Standards
Institution; Inter Service Intelligence IFCIIndustrial Finance Corporation of India
ISOInternational Standards Organisation ISTIndian Standard Time ITUInternational
Telecommunication Union IVFInvitro Fertilisation ISROIndian Space Research
OrganisationMiscellaneous General Knowledge7.33 IMFInternational Monetary Fund
IIPIndex of Industrial Production IDAInternational Development Agency
ICRAInvestment Information and Credit Rating Agency of India ITCIndian Tobacco
Company ICMRIndian Council of Medical Research INTUCIndian National Trade Union
Congress IOUI Owe You IPRIntellectual Property Rights ISDNIntegrated Services
Digital Network IRDAInsurance Development and Development Authority L LACLine of
Actual Control LIBORLondon Inter Bank Offer Rate LCALight Combat Aircraft L&TLarsen
and Toubro LSDLysergic acid diethylamide LDCLeast Developed Countries LICLife
Insurance Corporation (of India) LPGLiquefied Petroleum Gas LPSCLiquid Propulsion
System Centre M MDCMovement for Democratic Change MCFMaster Control Facility
M&AMergers and Acquisitions MFNMost Favoured Nation MFMutual Fund MNCMultinational
Corporation MODVATModified Value Added Tax MRIMagnetic Resonance Imaging
MOUMemorandum of Understanding MRTPCMonopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices
Commission MSPMinimum Support Price MTCRMissile Technology Control Regime MULMaruti
Udyog Limited MODEMModulator / Demodulator7.34Miscellaneous General Knowledge N
NABARDNational Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development NCAERNational Council of
Applied Economic Research NCCFNational Consumers Cooperative Federation
NCFSENational Curriculum Framework for Secondary Education NAFTANorth American Free
Trade Agreement NASDAQNational Association of Securities Dealers Automated
Quotation NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organisation NCLNational Commission on Labour /
National Chemical Laboratory NCRWCNational Commission to Review the Working of the
Constitution NDCNational Development Council NGONon-Government Organisation; Non-
Gazetted Officer NMRNuclear Magnetic Resonance NPTNuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
NPCNational Productivity Council NPANon Performing Assets NASSCOMNational
Association of Software and Service Companies NAFEDNational Agricultural
Cooperative Marketing Federation NREPNational Rural Employment Programme
NTPCNational Thermal Power Corporation NCCNational Cadet Corps NMSNetwork
Management System NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration NAVNet Asset
Value NSICNational Small-scale Industries Corporation NCERTNational Council of
Educational Research and Training NWPNational Water Policy O OAPECOrganisation of
Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries OAUOrganisation of African Unity OBUOverseas
Banking Unit OECDOrganisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
OICOrganisation of Islamic Conference ONGCOil and Natural Gas Corporation
OPECOrganisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries OOPObject Oriented
ProgrammeMiscellaneous General Knowledge7.35 P PACPublic Accounts Committee
P&GProctor and Gamble Limited PANPermanent Account Number PALPremier Automobiles
Limited PFIPetroleum Federation of India Ph.D.Doctor of Philosophy PILPublic
Interest Litigation PGAProfessional Golf Association PINPostal Index Number PMPost
Meridiem; Prime Minister PPAPower Purchase Agreement PDSPublic Distribution System
PMRYPrime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana PPPPurchasing Power Parity; Point-to-Point
Protocol PROLOGProgramming Logic PRIPanchayati Raj Institution PSEPublic Sector
Enterprises PSLVPolar Satellite Launch Vehicle PTAPilotless Target Aircraft
PTOPlease Turn Over PAYEPay as You Earn PHDCCIPunjab, Haryana, Delhi Chamber of
Commerce and Industries PCAProfessional Chess Association PixelPicture element
POTAPrevention of Terrorism Act POTOPrevention of Terrorism Ordinance PSPost
Scriptum PTIPress Trust of India PSUPublic Sector Undertaking Q QRQuantitative
Restriction7.36Miscellaneous General Knowledge R R&DResearch and Develoment
RAMRandom Access Memory RAWResearch and Analysis Wing RBORiver Basin Organisation
RIDFRural Infrastructure Development Fund RPMRevolutions Per Minute RSSRashtriya
Swayam Sewak Sangh RBIReserve Bank of India RAFRapid Action Force RECRural
Electrification Corporation RISCReduced Instruction–Set Computing RRBsRegional
Rural Banks S SAILSteel Authority of India Limited SEBsState Electricity Boards
SAPTASouth Asian Preferential Trade Agreement SCIShipping Corporation of India
SCMSupply Chain Management SEASatellite Education Authority SFCsState Financial
Corporations SDRSpecial Drawing Rights SEBISecurities and Exchange Board of India
SENSEXSensitivity Index (of Share Price) SEZSpecial Export Zone SRTCsState Road
Transport Corporations SSISmall Scale Industries SCOPEStanding Committee of Public
Enterprise SLRStatutory Liquidity Ratio SPCASociety for Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals STCState Trading Corporation SUVSports Utility Vehicle STPSoftware
Technology Park SLVSatellite Launch Vehicle SPICSouthern Petrochemical Industries
Corporation SAISports Authority of India STDSubscriber Trunk Dialing; Sexually
Transmitted DiseasesMiscellaneous General Knowledge7.37 T TCPTransfer Call
Protocol; Transmission Control Protocol TELCOTata Engineering and Locomotive
Company TIFRTata Institute of Fundamental Research TISCOTata Iron and Steel Company
TNTTrinitrotoluene TQMTotal Quality Management TCSTata Consultancy Services
TRIMSTrade Related Investment Measures TRIFEDTribal Cooperative Marketing
Development Federation of India Ltd. TRIPSTrade Related Intellectual Property
Rights TADATerrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act TRYSEMTraining of
Rural Youth for Self-employment TWASThird World Academy of Science U UGCUniversity
Grants Commission UNCTADUnited Nations Conference on Trade and Development
UNESCOUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation UNFCCCUnited
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNIDOUnited Nations Industrial
Development Organisation UNFPAUnited Nations Population Fund UPSCUnion Public
Service Commission UNEPUnited Nations Environment Programme UFOUnidentified Flying
Objects UHFUltra-high Frequency UNIUnited News of India USPUnique Selling
Proposition UPSUninterrupted Power Supply UNICEFUnited Nations International
Children’s Emergency Fund (At present known as ‘United Nations Children’s
Fund’)7.38Miscellaneous General Knowledge V VANVirtual Area Network VDISVoluntary
Disclosure of Income Scheme VSATVery Small Aperture Terminal VATValue Added Tax W
WEFWorld Economic Forum WHOWorld Health Organisation WMOWorld Meteorological
Organisation WWWWorld Wide Web WPIWholesale Price Index WWFWorld Wildlife Fund (At
present known as Worldwide Fund for Nature) WWFWorld Wrestling Federation WTDCWorld
Telecommunication Development Conference WTOWorld Trade Organisation X
XMLExtensible Mark-up Language XMSExtended Memory System Important Facts about
World and India (A) World’s Largest, Longest and Highest Man-made Structures
StructureNameLocation Longest Rail LineTrans-Siberian line from Moscow to Nakhodka,
9,438 kilometres longRussia Largest Temple (Hindu)Angkor Vat Cambodia Longest
WallThe Great Wall of ChinaChina Longest Railway PlatformGorakhpur (1,366.33
m)Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh Largest CathedralDiocese of New YorkNew York Longest
Railway BridgeHuey P. Long BridgeMetairie, Louisiana, US Busiest AirportHartsfield-
Jackson Atlanta International Airport Georgia, USA Highest Road Bridge over
WaterRoyal GorgeRiver Arkanas, Colorado Largest LibraryThe Library of
CongressCapital Hill, Washington, DC (B) Important Natural Entities of the
WorldMiscellaneous General Knowledge7.39 Natural EntityNames Largest OceanPacific
Largest GulfGulf of Mexico Largest IslandGreenland (renamed Kalaatlit Nunaat)
Largest BayHudson Bay, Northern Canada Tallest AnimalGiraffe Largest BirdNorth
American Ostrich Largest AnimalBlue Whale Largest EggOstrich Egg Smallest BirdBee
Hummingbird Smallest River (shortest)Roe River in Montana Largest SeaSouth China
Sea Largest DeltaSunderbans Driest PlaceAtacama Desert, Chile Highest
WaterfallSalto Angel, Venezuela Largest DesertThe Sahara, North Africa Hottest
PlaceAziza, Libya Largest GlacierSiachen, Indo-Pak border Coldest PlaceVostok
Staion (Antarctica) (C)Important Facts of India. National Insignia and Other
Important Facts 1.National Flag: It was adopted by Constituent Assembly on July 22
1947. Ratio of width to length is 2 : 3 having three bands of equal width; lowest
is green, middle one is white and saffron is the colour at the top. A wheel is at
the centre of the flag of navy blue colour having 24 spokes. Madam Bhikaji Cama was
the first to unfurl the tri-colour at an international body. 2.National Anthem:
Composed by Rabindranath Tagore, have wordings: Jana Gana Mana..., in 1911. Adopted
on January 24, 1950, by the Constituent Assembly of India and takes about 52
seconds to sing it completely. It was first sung on 27th Dec. 1911 at Calcutta
session of Congress. 3.National Song: Composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee,
wordings: Vande Mataram ..., taken from ‘Anand Math’, a novel by him and was
adopted on January 24, 1950. 4.National Flower is Lotus. 5.National Animal is
Tiger. 6.National Bird is Peacock.
7.State Emblem of India The state emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion
Capital of Ashoka. In the original, there are four lions, standing back to back,
mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an
elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening wheels over
a bell-shaped lotus. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the
Capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dharma Chakra). In the state emblem,
adopted by the Government of India on 26 January 1950, only three lions are
visible, the fourth being hidden from view. The wheel appears in relief in the
centre of the abacus with a bull on right and a horse on left and the outlines of
other wheels on extreme right and left. The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted. The
words Satyameva Jayate from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning 'Truth Alone Triumphs', are
inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script.7.40Miscellaneous General Knowledge
(D)Important Boundaries and Lines of the World 1.Durand Line:It is the line which
separates India and Afghanistan. 2.MacMahon Line:It demarcates the boundries of
China and India. 3.Radcliffe Line:It demarcates the boundary between India and
Pakistan. 4.38th Parallel:It is the parallel separating North Korea and South
Korea. 5.49th Parallel:It is the boundary between USA and Canada. 6.Siegfried
Line:It is the line between Germany and France, from German side. 7.Maginot Line:It
is the line between Germany and France from French side. 8.17th parallel:It is the
parallel (latitude) which separated north Vietnam from south Vietnam. (E)States of
India and Their Capitals StatesCapitalsStatesCapitals 1. Andhra
PradeshHyderabad /Amaravati15. ManipurImphal 2. Arunachal PradeshItanagar16.
MeghalayaShillong 3. AssamDispur17. MizoramAizawl 4. BiharPatna18. Nagaland Kohima
5. ChhatisgarhRaipur19. OrissaBhubaneswar 6. GoaPanaji20. PunjabChandigarh 7.
GujaratGandhinagar21. RajasthanJaipur 8. HaryanaChandigarh22. SikkimGangtok 9.
Himachal PradeshShimla23. Tamil NaduChennai 10. JharkhandRanchi24.
TelanganaHyderabad 11. KarnatakaBangalore25. TripuraAgartala 12.
KeralaThiruvananthapuram26. UttarakhandDehra Dun 13. Madhya PradeshBhopal27. Uttar
PradeshLucknow 14. MaharashtraMumbai28. West BengalKolkata National Capital
TerritoryCapital Delhi Delhi Union
TerritoriesCapitals 1. Andaman & Nicobar IslandsPort Blair 2. ChandigarhChandigarh
3. Dadra & Nagar Haveli & Daman & Diu (Come into effect on 26 January 2020)Daman
4. LakshadweepKavaratti 5. PuducherryPuducherry 6. Jammu and KashmirSrinagar
(Summer Capital) Jammu (Winter Capital) 7. LadakhLeh, Kargil *Please know that
there are 28 States and 8 Union Territories in India. Delhi is counted as a Union
territory. Islands: India possesses two groups of Islands, i.e. (i) Lakshadweep,
(ii) Andaman & Nicobar group. (i)Lakshadweep: It is a collection of 27 islands
present in the Arabian Sea lying about 300 kilometres west of Kerala.Miscellaneous
General Knowledge7.41 (ii)Andaman & Nicobar group: Nicobar consists of 19 small
islands and Andaman has a collection of 204 small islands. (iii)Indira point is the
Southmost extremity of India. (F) Important Indian Towns and Associated Industries
TownIndustryTownIndustry AligarhLocksMysoreSilk AnkleshwarOilNangalFertilizers
BhilaiSteel plantNepanagarNewsprint ChittaranjanLocomotivePeramburRailway coach
factory DigboiOilPimpri Penicillin factory DurgapurSteel plant RaniganjCoal mining
JhamshedpurSteelRourkelaSteel plant JhariaCoalSindriFertilizers
KatniCementSuratTextiles KhetriCopperTitagarhPaper LudhianaHosiery, cycles, sewing
machinesVishakhapatnamShip-building (G) Important Indian Cities on River Banks
CityRiverCityRiver AhmedabadSabarmatiLudhianaSutlej AyodhyaSarayuNashikGodavari
DelhiYamunaSrinagarJhelum GuwahatiBrahmaputraTiruchirapalliCauvery
HowrahHugliUjjainShipra HyderabadMusaVaranasiGanges KotaChambalVijayawadaKrishna
LucknowGomti (H) Important Indian Sites and Monuments and Their Locations
Site/Monument LocationSite/Monument Location Ajanta CavesAurangabadJantar
MantarDelhi Anand BhawanAllahabadKanyakumariTamil Nadu Buland DarwazaFatehpur Sikri
near AgraKhajurahoBhopal Char MinarHyderabadKranti MaidanMumbai Dilwara
TemplesMount Abu Minakshi TempleMadurai Elephanta CavesMumbaiRed FortDelhi Ellora
TemplesAurangabadSabarmatiAhmedabad Gol GumbazBijapurSanchiMadhya Pradesh Golden
TempleAmritsarSarnathVaranasi Gomateshwara StatueMysoreShantiniketanBirbhumi
Jallianwala BaghAmritsarVictoria MemorialKolkata Jama MasjidDelhi7.42Miscellaneous
General Knowledge (I)Major Indian Crops and Their Leading Producers Name of the
CropMain Proucer Cashew nutsTamil Nadu, Kerala ClovesKerala CoconutTamil Nadu,
Kerala CoffeeKarnataka, Kerala CottonGujarat, Maharashtra GroundnutGujarat, Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu JuteBihar, W. Bengal, Odisha MustardUttar Pradesh, Rajasthan
RiceWest Bengal, Tamil Nadu RubberKerala, Karnataka SaffronKarnataka, Tamil Nadu
SilkKarnataka, Kerala Sugar caneUttar Pradesh, Maharashtra TeaAssam, West Bengal,
Kerala TobaccoMaharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh WheatU.P., Punjab, Haryana
(J)Minerals and Their States of Abundance MineralsStates Bauxite Odisha is the
largest producer of bauxite in the country and contributes about one-third of the
total production. Jharkhand is the second largest producer of bauxite and produces
about 22% of India’s total. CoalBihar, West Bengal (Raniganj and Jharia) Copper
Major copper ore deposits are located in Singhbhum district (Jharkhand), Balghat
district (Madhya Pradesh) and Jhunjhunu and Alwar districts (Rajasthan).
DiamondMadhya Pradesh (Panna) IronOdisha (Mayurbhanj, Bonai, Keonjhar)
LigniteTamil Nadu (Neyveli fields) LimestoneMadhya Pradesh ManganeseOdisha Mica
India has monopoly in the production of mica, producing about 60% of the world’s
total production. About 95% of India’s mica is distributed in just three states of
Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.Miscellaneous General Knowledge7.43
(K)Important River-based Projects Name of the projectRiver Bhakra Nangal
ProjectSutlej Chambal ProjectChambal Damodar Valley ProjectDamodar Farakka
ProjectBhagirathi, Ganga Gandak River ProjectGandak Hirakud Dam ProjectMahanadi
Idukki ProjectPeriyar Kosi ProjectKosi Koyna ProjectKoyna Mayurakshi ProjectMurali
Nagarjunasagar ProjectKrishna Rihand SchemeRihand Tawa ProjectTawa Tehri Dam
ProjectBhilangana, Bhagirathi Tungabhadra ProjectTungabhadra Ukai ProjectTapti
(L)Important Dances of India Name of the danceState which it belongs to BihuAssam
BidesiaBihar BharatanatyamSouth India (Tamil Nadu) Bhangra, GiddaPunjab
ChirawMizoram Jatra, ChauWest Bengal Jhulan leela, Jhumar or GhumarRajasthan
KathakNorth India (Uttar Pradesh) Kuchipudi, KottamAndhra Pradesh Lota,
PandavaniMadhya Pradesh Mohiniattam, Kathakali,TheyyamKerala Manipuri,
MaharasaManipur NautankiUttar Pradesh OdissiOdisha BhavaiGujarat Tamasha,
LavaniMaharashtra YakshaganaKarnataka KathakaliKerala7.44Miscellaneous General
Knowledge (M) Important Indian Tribes and Their Habitats Name of the tribeHabitat
AborsAssam, Arunachal Pradesh BaigaMadhya Pradesh BhilsMadhya Pradesh, Rajasthan
BhotiasUttar Pradesh GarosMeghalaya GondsMadhya Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Andhra
Pradesh KhondsOdisha KhasisAssam, Meghalaya KukiManipur MinaRajasthan
MundasJharkhand MuriasChhattishgarh SanthalsWest Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh. Todas
(it is a polyandrous tribe)Tamil Nadu WarlisMaharashtra Important Demographic Facts
of India Census 2011 Following are few selected, important demographic facts, that
you should always keep on your finger tips. You can expect atleast one question
from them. The 15th Indian National census was conducted in two phases, house
listing and population enumeration. House listing phase began on April 1, 2010 to
collect of information on all buildings. Information for National Population
Register was also collected in the first phase, which will be used to issue a 12-
digit unique identification number (Aadhar) to all registered Indians by Unique
Identification Authority of India (UIAI). The second phase of population
enumeration was conducted between 9 to 28 February 2011. Census has been conducted
in India since 1872. In Census - 2011 biometric information was collected for the
first time. Shri C. Chandramouli is the Registrar General and commissioner of 2011
indian census. 1.Absolute population of India - 121.02 crores. It comprises 62.37
crores males and 58.65 crores females. 2.Population growth during the decade
remained 17.64 percent.  Total absolute increase in population during the decade
is 18.15 crores.  Sex ratio - 940 females per 1000 males. Child sex ratio for
females is 914 per 1000 males. 3.Highest sex ratio - Kerala 4.Lowest sex ratio -
Haryana 5.Most populous state - Uttar Pradesh 6.Least populous state - Sikkim
7.Most populous union territory - Delhi 8.Least populous union territory -
Lakshadweep 9.Population density (people living in one square km) of India - 382.
10.Highest population density - BiharMiscellaneous General Knowledge7.45 11.Lowest
population density - Arunachal Pradesh 12.Literacy rate of India - 74.04% (males:
82.14%, female: 65.46%). Literacy rate of India has gone up to 74.04 percent from
previous figure of 64.83 percent. 13.States with highest literacy - Kerala (93.9%)
14.State with lowest literacy - Bihar (63.82%) 15.Urbanization (% of population
living in urban areas) - 27.8% (India) 16.Most urbanised state (1991 census) -
Mizoram 17.Speakers of language (in descending order) - Hindi > Bengali > Telugu >
Marathi > Tamil > Urdu 18.Census commissioner of India for the census 2011 is Dr.
C. Chandramouli Different UN Agencies Name of AgencyAbbreviation Date of
EstablishmentHeadquarterPurposeHeads 1.International Labour OrganizationILO
1919Geneva To promote social justice, improve conditions and living standard of
workers and promote economic stability Guy Ryder 2.International Atomic Energy
AgencyIAEA 1957ViennaTo promote peaceful uses of atomic energy Rafael Mariano
Grossi 3.Food and Agriculture OrganizationFAO 1945Rome To raise nutritional levels,
living standards, production and distribution of food and agricultural products,
improving living conditions of rural population Dr QU Dongyu 4. United Nations
Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESC O 1946Paris To promote
collaboration among nations through education, science and culture in order to
further justice, human rights and freedom Audrey Azoulay (Director general) 5.World
Health OrganizationWHO 1948GenevaAttainment of the highest possible level of health
by all people Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus 6. International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development IBRD 1945Washington Development of economies of
members by facilitating investment of capital and foreign investment, through
provision of loans David Malpass 7.World Meteorological OrganizationWMO 1950Geneva
To promote international exchange of weather reports and other weather related
services Petteri Taalas (Head) 8.International Maritime OrganizationIMO 1958London
Promotes cooperation on technical matters of maritime safety, navigation and
encourages anti-pollution measures Kitack Lim (Head) 9. United Nations
International Children's Emergency Fund UNICEF 1946New YorkChildren's welfare all
over the worldHenrietta H. Fore (Ex.Directors) 10. General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade (from 1994 it is known as WTO) WTO 1948 - 1994Geneva Treaty setting rules for
world trade, to reduce tariffs and other barriers to international trade Rober
Azevedo 11. United Nations Development Programme UNDP 1965New York Help developing
countries increase the wealth producing capabilities and resources Achim Steiner
(Chairperson)7.46Miscellaneous General Knowledge 13. United Nations Fund for
Population Activities UNFPA 1967New YorkPromotes Population related
programmesNatalia Kanem 14. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR
1950GenevaProvides international protection to refugeesFilippo Grandi 15. United
Nationas Industrial Development Organization UNIDO 1967Vienna Extends assistance to
developing countries for development and modernisation of industries Li Yong
16.International Finance corporationIFC 1955Washington Promote economic development
by encouraging private enterprise in its member countries Philippe Le Houerou (CEO)
17International Monetary FundIMF 1945Washington Promotes international monetary
cooperation and expansion of international trade Kristalina Georgieva
18International Civil AviationICAO 1947Montreal Promotes safety of international
aviation and establishes international standards and regulations Dr. Fang Liu
19Universal Postal UnionUPU 1947BerneImproves various postal services and promotes
international collaboration Bishar Abdirahenan Hussein 20 International
Telecommunication Union ITU 1947Geneva Sets international regulations for radio,
telegraph, telephone and space radio communications Houlin Zhao 21 United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development UNCTA D 1964Geneva Promotes international trade
with a view to accelerate economic growth of developing countries Mukhisa Kituyi
(Secretary- General) 22 United Nations Institute for Training and Research UNITAR
1965New York Provides high priority training and of projects to help facilitate the
UN research objectives of world peace and security, and of economic and social
progress Nikhil Seth (Executive Director) 23 United Nations Relief and Work for
Palestine Refugees in the North East UNRWA 1949New York Provides food, health
services, education vocational training for those displaced in the Arab-Israel war
Pierre Krahenbuhl (Commissioner Gen) 24International Olympic
CommitteeIOC1894Lousanne Switzerland Responsible for Organizing Modern Summer &
Winter Olympic GamesThomas Bach Anti-Poverty And Employment Generation Programs A
list of programmes by Narendra Modi Government: Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
(PMJDY) It is a national mission for financial inclusion to ensure access to
financial services, namely Banking Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit,
Insurance, and Pension in an affordable manner. This financial inclusion campaign
was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 28 August 2014.He had announced
this scheme on his first Independence Day speech on 15 August 2014.Run by
Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, on the inauguration day, 1.5
Crore (15 million) bank accounts were opened under this scheme. Guinness World
Records recognises the achievements made under PMJDY, Guinness World Records
Certificate says "The most bank accounts opened in 1 week as a part of financial
inclusion campaign is 18,096,130 and was achieved by Banks in India from 23 to 29
August 2014". By 7 October 2015, 18.70 crore accounts were opened, with around Rs.
25146.97 crore (US$3.8 billion) were deposited under the scheme.Miscellaneous
General Knowledge7.47 Digital India Digital India is an initiative by the
Government of India to ensure that Government services are made available to
citizens electronically by improving online infrastructure and by increasing
Internet connectivity. It was launched on July 1, 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi. The initiative includes plans to connect rural areas with high-speed internet
networks. Digital India has three core components. These include: The creation of
digital infrastructure, delivering services digitally and digital literacy. The
Government plans to complete this project in five years. That is, by 2019, the
Digital India project is expected to be fully functional. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan The
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was launched formally on October 2, 2014, the birth
anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The objective is to make India a clean India by
2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The plan is to provide toilet
and sanitation facilities in all rural and remote areas, to create public awareness
of cleanliness, to clean roads, streets, encroachments and make India one of the
cleanest countries of the world. Make in India Make in India is an initiative of
the Government of India to encourage multinational, as well as domestic companies
to manufacture their products in India. It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on 25 September 2014. India would emerge, after initiation of the programme in
2015, as the top destination globally for foreign direct investment, surpassing the
People's Republic of China as well as the United States. The Make in India campaign
is completely under the Central Government, in which the Government has identified
25 major sectors which have the potential of becoming a global leader. Saansad
Adarsh Gram Yojana Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana is a rural development programme
broadly focusing upon the development in the villages which includes social
development, cultural development and spread motivation among the people on social
mobilization of the village community. The programme was launched by the Prime
Minister of India, Narendra Modi on the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan,
on 11 October 2014. According to this yojana, each MP will take the responsibility
of developing three villages by 2019. The idea is to make India's villages to be
fully developed with physical and institutional infrastructure. There are certain
guidelines for this scheme, which has been formulated by the Department of Rural
Development. The Prime Minister released the guidelines on October 11, 2014 and
requested all MPs to develop one model village by year 2016 in their constituency
and two more by 2019. Atal Pension Yojana (APY) Atal Pension Yojana is a
government-backed pension scheme in India targeted at the unorganized sector. It
was originally mentioned in the 2015 Budget speech by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
in February 2015.It was formally launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 May
in Kolkata. As of May 2015, only 11% of India's population has any kind of pension
scheme, this scheme aims to increase the number. In Atal Pension Yojana, for every
contribution made to the pension fund, the government will contribute an equal
amount to his/her fund. Depending on the contribution made between 18 and 40, at
the age of 60 a sum of Rs. 1000 (US$15), Rs. 2000 (US$30), Rs. 3000 (US$45), Rs.
4000 (US$60), or Rs. 5000 (US$75) will be paid monthly. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti
Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana is a government-backed
Life insurance scheme in India. It was originally mentioned in the 2015 Budget
speech by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in February 2015. It was formally launched
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 May in Kolkata.As of May 2015, only 20% of
India's population has any kind of insurance, this scheme aims to increase the
number. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana is available to people between 18
and 50 years of age with bank accounts. It has an annual premium of Rs. 330
(US$5.00) excluding service tax, which is above 14% of the premium. The amount will
be automatically debited from the account. In case of death due to any cause, the
payment to the nominee will be 2 lakh (US$3,000).This scheme will be linked to the
bank accounts opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana scheme. Most of these
account had zero balance initially. The government aims to reduce the number of
such zero balance accounts by using this and related schemes.7.48Miscellaneous
General Knowledge Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) Pradhan Mantri
Suraksha Bima Yojana is a government-backed accident insurance scheme in India. It
was originally mentioned in the 2015 Budget speech by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
in February 2015.It was formally launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 May
in Kolkata.As of May
2015, only 20% of India's population has any kind of insurance, this scheme aims
to increase the number. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana is available to people
between 18 and 70 years of age with bank accounts. It has an annual premium of 12
(18¢ US) excluding service tax, which is about 14% of the premium. The amount will
be automatically debited from the account. In case of accidental death or full
disability, the payment to the nominee will be 2 lakh (US$3,000) and in case of
partial disability 1 lakh (US$1,500). Full disability has been defined as loss of
use in eyes, hands or feet. Partial disability has been defined as loss of use in
one eye, hand or foot. Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Scheme It is a Government of India
scheme that aims to generate awareness and improving the efficiency of welfare
services meant for women. The scheme was initiated with an initial corpus of Rs 100
crore. Prime Minister Modi launched the programme on January 22, 2015 from Panipat,
Haryana. This is being implemented through a national campaign and focussed multi
sectoral action in 100 selected districts low in CSR, covering all States and UTs.
This is a joint initiative of Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Human Resource Development. The
objectives of this initiative are: Prevention of gender biased sex selective
elimination, ensuring survival & protection of the girl child and ensuring
education and participation of the girl child. Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana Sukanya
Samriddhi Account (literally Girl Child Prosperity Account) in a Government of
India backed saving scheme targeted at the parents of girl children. The scheme
encourages parents to build a fund for the future education and marriage expenses
for their female child. The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
22 January 2015 as a part of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign. The scheme
currently provides an interest rate of 9.2% and tax benefits. The account can be
opened at any India Post office or a branch of some authorised commercial banks.
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana PMKSY is central scheme that aims at providing
irrigation facilities to every village in the country by converging ongoing
irrigation schemes implemented by various ministries. It will have an outlay of Rs.
50,000 crore over a period of five years (2015-16 to 2019-20). The allocation for
the current financial year is Rs. 5300 crore. The major objective of the PMKSY is
to achieve convergence of investments in irrigation at the field level, expand
cultivable area under assured irrigation (Har Khet ko pani), improve on-farm water
use efficiency to reduce wastage of water, enhance the adoption of precision-
irrigation and other water saving technologies (More crop per drop), enhance
recharge of aquifers and introduce sustainable water conservation practices by
exploring the feasibility of reusing treated municipal based water for peri-urban
agriculture and attract greater private investment in precision irrigation system.
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) This will be the flagship scheme for
skill training of youth to be implemented by the new Ministry of Skill Development
and Entrepreneurship through the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). The
scheme will cover 24 lakh persons. Skill training would be done based on the
National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) and industry led standards. Under the
scheme, a monetary reward is given to trainees on assessment and certification by
third party assessment bodies. The average monetary reward would be around Rs. 8000
per trainee. Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation The initiative
was announced by PM Narendra Modi on 25 June 2015, and is said to be aiming to
transform 500 cities and towns into efficient urban living spaces, with special
focus on a healthy and green environment for children. it was also reported that
Cabinet has approved Rs 50,000 crore for this mission which is to be spent over the
next five years. The purpose of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban
Transformation (AMRUT) is to (i) ensure that every household has access to a tap
with assured supply of water and a sewerage connection; (ii) increase the amenity
value of cities by developing greenery and well maintained open spaces (parks); and
(iii) reduce pollution by switching to public transport or constructing facilities
for non-motorized transport (e.g. walking and cycling).Miscellaneous General
Knowledge7.49 Smart Cities Project The government of India under Prime Minister,
Shri Narendra Modi has a vision of developing 100 smart cities as satellite towns
of larger cities and by modernizing the existing mid-sized cities. The government
plans to identify 20 smart cities in 2015, 40 in 2016 and another 40 in 2017. The
100 potential smart cities nominated by all the States and UTs based on Stage1
criteria will prepare Smart City Plans which will be rigorously evaluated in the
Stage2 of the competition for prioritizing cities for financing. In the first round
of this stage, 20 top scorers will be chosen for financing during this financial
year. The remaining would be asked to make up the deficiencies identified by the
Apex Committee in the Ministry of Urban Development for participation in the next
two rounds of competition. 40 cities each will be selected for financing during the
next rounds of competition. Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGRY) Started on
April 1, 1999. It has replaced the following programs. Integrated Rural
Development Programme (IRDP): 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) : Started in 1992. The Yojana takes into
account all the strengths and weaknesses of the earlier self-employment programs.
It aims at establishing a large number of micro-enterprises in the rural areas.
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 least 50% Scheduled Castes
and Scheduled Tribes, 40% Women and 3% disabled. Shared 75 : 25 by Centre and
States. Pradhan 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. 1.Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana
(PMGSY) It was launched on Dec 25, 2000 with the objective of providing road
connectivity through good all weather roads to all rural habitations with a
population of more than 1000 persons by the year 2003 and those with a population
of more than 500 persons by the year 2007. 2.Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana
(Gramin Awas) Launched on Apr 1, 2000. Based on the pattern of Indira Awas Yojana,
the scheme is being implemented in the rural areas throughout the country with the
objective of sustainable habitat development. 3.Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana
(Rural Drinking Water Project) National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS)
It was launched on Feb 2, 2006. The on-going programs of Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar
Yojana (SGRY) and National Food for Work Programme (NFFWP) were subsumed within the
NREGS in the 200 districts identified in the initial stage. All the districts in
the country are covered under the scheme now. The features of the scheme are:
(a)State Government to provide at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in
every financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do
unskilled manual work. (b)Until such time as a wage rate is fixed by the Central
Government, the minimum wage for agricultural laborers shall be applicable for the
scheme.7.50Miscellaneous General Knowledge (c)An applicant not provided employment
within fifteen days, to be entitled to a daily unemployment allowance as specified
by the State Government subject to its economic capacity, provided such rate is not
less than quarter of the wage rate for the first thirty days during the financial
year and not less than a half of the wage rate for the remaining period of the
financial year. Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) It was started on September.
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. This scheme has been
subsumed in National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Bharat Nirman Yojana
Accepting the policy ‘a step towards village’, Union Government launched a new
scheme, named ‘Bharat Nirman Yojana’ on Dec 16, 2005. This scheme aims at
developing rural infrastructure. The duration of implementing this scheme has been
determined for four years with the expected expenditure of Rs. 1,74,000 crore. The
major six sectors and their targets for next four years are Irrigation : To ensure
irrigation for additional one crore hectare of land by 2009. Roads : To link all
villages of 1,000 population with roads and also to link all ST and hilly villages
upto 500 population with roads. Housing : Construction of 60 lakh additional
houses for the poor. Water Supply : To ensure drinking water to all remaining
74,000 villages. Electrification : To supply electricity to all remaining 1,25,000
villages and to provide electricity connection to 2.3 crore houses. Rural
Communication : To provide telephone facility to all remaining 66,822 villages.
Swarnajayanti 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 Programme (PMIUPEP). It seeks to provide
employment to the urban employed or underemployed living below poverty line and
educate up to IX standard through encouraging the setting up of self-employment
ventures or provision of wage employment. It is funded by the Centre and States on
75 : 25 bases. Antyodaya 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 them with 35 kg of food
grains per family per month at a low price of Rs. 2 per kg of wheat and Rs. 3 per
kg for rice. Annapurna Yojana Inaugurated on Mar 19, 1999. Initially the scheme
provided 10 kg food grains to senior citizens who were eligible for old age pension
but could not get it due to one reason or the other. Later on, it was extended to
cover those people also 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.Miscellaneous General Knowledge7.51 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan The Scheme of Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) was launched in 2001. The goals of SSA are as follows: (i)
All 6-14 age children in school/Education Guarantee Scheme Centre/bridge course by
2003, (ii) All 6-14 age children complete five year primary education by 2007;
(iii) All 6-14 age children complete eight years of schooling by 2010; (iv) Focus
on elementary education of satisfactory quality with emphasis on education for
life; (v) Bridge all gender and social category gaps at primary stage by 2007 and
at elementary education level by 2010; and (vi) Universal retention by 2010. The
assistance under the program of SSA was on a 85:15 sharing arrangement during the
Ninth Plan, 75:25 sharing arrangement during the Tenth Plan, and 50:50 sharing
thereafter between the Central Government and State Government. SSA addresses the
needs of 194 million children in the age group of 6-14 years. Under the scheme,
9.72 lakh existing primary and upper primary schools and 36.95 lakh existing
teachers have been covered. Mid-Day Meal Scheme for School Children The National
Program of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NPNSPE), popularly known as
the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme, was formally launched on Aug 15, 1995. The objective
of the program is to give a boost to universalization of primary education by
increasing enrolment, attendance and retention, and also improving nutritional
status of children in primary classes. Under the MDM scheme, cooked mid-day meal
with a nutritional content of 450 calories and 12 grams protein is served to
children studying at primary level. About 12 crore children studying in over 9.50
lakh schools are presently covered under the scheme. In order to improve the
quality of meal, the scheme was last revised in June, 2006. The cooking cost norm
has been fixed at Rs. 2 per child per school day with Rs. 1.80 as Central
assistance for North East States and Rs. 1.50 for other States and UTs. Assistance
to States has been provided at the rate of Rs 5,000 per school to procure/ repair
kitchen devices.