Q.

WHO ARE THE NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS OF 2006

A. LITERATURE-ORHAN PAMUK
PEACE-YOUNUS KHAN AND GRAMEEN BANK
CHEMISTRY-ROGER KORNBERG
ECONOMICS-EDMUND PHELPS

Q. BOOKER PRIZE 2006

A. KIRAN DESAI

Q. BEST ATHELETE 2006 DOHA ASIAD

A. JASPAL RANA

Q. FIFA PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2006

A. FABIANO CANOVERA......

Q. PRESENT SECRETARY GENERAL,UN

A. BAN KI MOON (SOUTH KOREA)

Q.ICC PRESIDENT
A.PERCY SONN(SOUTH FRICA)

Q. FIRST DALIT CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA(PRESENTLY)

A. K.G.BALAKRISHNA

Q. RAMON MAGASAY AWARD 2006

A. ARVIND KEJRIWAL

Q. GANDHI PEACE PRIZE 2005

A. DESMOND TUTU(SOUTH AFRICA)

Q. NEXT AIR CHIEF MARSHALL

A. AIR MARSHALL FALI HOMI MAJOR (FROM 1ST APRIL)

sporting events
WORLD CUP CRICKET
2007-WEST INDIES AND USA
2011-INDIA SRI LANKA PAKISTAN BANGLADESH
2015-AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND
2019-ENGLAND

WORLD CUP FOOTBALL

2010-SOUTH AFRICA

OLYMPICS
2008-BIEJING
2012-LONDON
ASAID
2010-GUANGZHOU(CHINA)

COMMONWEALTH
2010-DELHI

UEFA EURO CUP 2008

SWITZERLAND AND AUSTRIA

First British Governor General - Warren Hastings

First British Governor General of Independent India - Lord Mountbatten
First Chief Justice of India- Hiralal J Kania
First Commander-in-Chief of Free India General K M Cariappa
First Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sir Thomos Elmhirst
First Indian Air Chief Air Marshal S Mukherjee
First Chief of Army Staff General M Rajendra Singh
First Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral R D Katari
First Cosmonaut Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma
First Female Graduates Kadambini Ganguly and Chandramukhi Basu
First Female Head of an Undergraduate Academic Institution Chandramukhi Basu
First Female Honours Graduate Kamini Roy
First Female Lawyer Cornelia Sorabjee
First Female Physician Kadambini Ganguly
First Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw
First Governor-General of Indian Union C Rajagopalachari
First Graduate in Medicine Soorjo Coomar Goodeve Chuckerbutty
First Indian to get an Oscar Bhanu Athaiya
First Indian to reach the South Pole Col I K Bajaj
First Indian to win a major literary award in the United States Dhan Gopal Mukerji
First Indian to win an Olympic medal Norman Pritchard
First Indian ICS Officer Satyendranath Tagore
First Indian Man to swim across the English Channel Mihir Sen
First Indian Woman to swim across the English Channel Miss Arati Saha
First Magsaysay Award Winner Acharya Vinod Bhave
First Nobel Prize Winner Rabindranath Tagore
First President of the Indian National Congress W C Bonnerjee
First President of the India Rajendra Prasad
First Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru
First Deputy Prime Minister of India Vallabhbhai Patel
First Talkie Film Alam Ara (1931)
First Woman President of the Indian National Congress Annie Besant
First Woman Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
First Woman Minister Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
First Woman Chief Minister of a State Sucheta Kripalani
First Woman Governor -Sarojini Naidu
First Woman central Minister - Vijayalakshmi Pandit
First Woman Speaker of a State Assembly - Mrs Sha

• Jawaharlal Nehru : Prime Minister and External Affairs

• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel : Home ministry
• Baldev Singh : Defence Minister
• R.K.Shanmugam Chettiar : Finance minister
• Maulana Azad : Education Minister
• Jagjivan Ram : Labour
• Babasaheb Ambedkar : Law
• Rafi Ahmed Kidwai : Communications
• S.P. Mookerjee : Industry
• Amrit Kaur : Health
• Mr. John Mathai: Railways

AN — Andaman & Nicobar Islands

AP — Andhra Pradesh
AR — Arunachal Pradesh
AS — Assam
BR — Bihar
CH — Chandigarh
CG — Chhattisgarh
DD — Daman and Diu
DL — Dilli (Delhi)
DN — Dadra and Nagar Haveli
GA — Goa
GJ — Gujarat
HP — Himachal Pradesh
HR — Haryana
JH — Jharkhand
JK — Jammu & Kashmir
KA — Karnataka
KL — Kerala
LD — Lakshadweep
MH — Maharashtra
ML — Meghalaya
MN — Manipur
MP — Madhya Pradesh
MZ — Mizoram
NL — Nagaland
OR — Orissa
PB — Punjab
PY — Pondicherry
RJ — Rajasthan
SK — Sikkim
TN — Tamil Nadu
TR — Tripura
UA — Uttaranchal
UP — Uttar Pradesh
WB — West Bengal

LEARN ALL THE CAPITALS OF THE WORLD............

CURRENCIES............
LANGUAGES......
MAJOR HAPPENINGS...........
MINERALS IN INDIA............
AGRICULTURE............

international
capitals,rivers, mountain ranges.......peaks............
important cities.............
national
minerals found............industries........
important cities...........
agriculture........what grows where...........
rivers.....ranges..........all this will suffice.........

nobel prize winners 2006

medicine..........
ANDREW FIRE & CRAIG MELLO.........

physics...........
SMOOT AND MATHER..........
1 Prime Minister and also In-Charge of the Ministries/Departments not specifically
allocated to the charge of any Ministry viz:

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions; Dr. Manmohan Singh

2 Ministry of Planning;

3 Department of Atomic Energy;

4 Department of Space;

5 Ministry of Coal

6 Ministry of External Affairs Shri Pranab Mukherjee

7 Ministry of Science & Technology and Ministry of State of the Department of Ocean
Development Shri Kapil Sibal

8 Ministry of Railways Shri Lalu Prasad

9 Ministry of Home Affairs Shri Shivraj V. Patil

10 Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Ministry of Steel Shri Ram Vilas Paswan

11 Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises Shri Sontosh Mohan Dev

12 Ministry of Defence Shri A.K.Antony

13 Ministry of Human Resource Development Shri Arjun Singh

14 Ministry of Company Affairs Shri Prem Chand Gupta

15 Ministry of Power Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde

16 Ministry of Urban Development Sri S. Jaipal Reddy

17 Ministry of Labour & Employment Fernandes Shri Oscar

18 Ministry of Agriculture, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution Shri
Sharad Pawar

19 Ministry of Mines Shri Sis Ram Ola

20 Ministry of Finance Shri P. Chidambaram

21 Ministry of Small Scale Industries and Ministry of Agro & Rural Industries Shri
Mahavir Prasad

22 Ministry of Tribal Affairs Shri P.R. Kyndiah

23 Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways Shri T.R. Baalu

24 Ministry of Textiles Shri Shankersinh Vaghela

25 Ministry of Commerce & Industry Shri Kamal Nath

26 Ministry of Law & Justice Shri H.R. Bhardwaj

27 Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs Shri Vayalar Ravi

28 Ministry of Minority Affairs Shri Abdul Rehman Antulay

29 Ministry of Rural Dev

fali homi major is the first helicoter pilot which will gonna be next chief of air staff
CHESS CHAMP 2006
VLADMIR KRMNIK(RUSSIA)

RAJIV GANDHI KHEL RATNA 2005

PANKAJ ADVANI

JNANIPATH AWARD 2003

VINDA KARINDIKAR

SAHITYA ACADEMY 2005

RUPA BAJWA.........

UN PEACE PRIZE 2006

BINDESWAR PATHAK

GOVERNER GENERERAL
NEW ZEALAND

ANAND SATYANAND

32nd G-8 SUMMIT

RUSSIA

33RD G-8 SUMMIT(to be held...)

GERMANY

two nations that recently joined european union

ROMANIA AND BULGARIA

2004 JAWAHAR LAL NEHRU AWARD

SULTAN OF OMAN

tennis 2006
wimbeldon
roger federer(switzerland)wins rafeal nadal(spain)
amelie mausmero(france)wins justine henin hardene(belgium)

US OPEN
ROGER FEDERER WINS ANDY RODDICK(US)
MARIA SHARAPPOVA WINS WINS JUSTINE HENIN HARDENE.......

FRENCH OPEN
RAFEAL NADAL WINS ROGER FEDERER
JUSTINE HENIN WINS SVETLANA KUZNESOVA..........
austrialian open
ROGER FEDERER WINS MARCOS BAGHDATIS(CYPRUS)
AMELIE MAUSEMERO WINS JUSTINE HENIN...........

KNOW ALL THIS BY HEART

Ist 5yr plan

First plan (1951-1956)

The first Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru presented the first five-year plan to the
Parliament of India on December 8, 1951. The total plan budget of 206.8 billion INR
(23.6 billion USD in the 1950 exchange rate) was allocated to seven broad areas:
irrigation and energy (27.2 percent), agriculture and community development (17.4
percent), transport and communications (24 percent), industry (8.4 percent), social
services (16.64 percent), land rehabilitation 4.1 percent), and other (2.5 percent).

The target growth rate was 2.1 percent annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth; the
achieved growth rate was 3.6 percent. During the first five-year plan the net domestic
product went up by 15 percent. The monsoons were good and there were relatively high
crop yields, boosting exchange reserves and per capita income, which went up 8 percent.
Lower increase of per capita income as compared to national income was due to rapid
population growth. Many irrigation projects were initiated during this period, including
the Bhakra Dam, Hirakud Dam, and Mettur Dam in South India. The World Health
Organization, with the Indian government, addressed children's health and reduced infant
mortality, contributing to population growth.

At the end of the plan period in 1956, five Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) were
started as major technical institutions. University Grant Commission was set up to take
care of funding and take measures to strengthen the higher education in the country.

Contracts were signed to start five steel plants; however these plants did not come into
existence until the middle of the next five-year plan.

2nd 5yr plan

Second plan (1956-1961)

The second five-year plan focused on industry, especially heavy industry. Domestic
production of industrial products was encouraged, particularly in the development of the
public sector. The plan followed the Mahalanobis model, an economic development
model developed by the Indian statistician Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in 1953. The
plan attempted to determine the optimal allocation of investment between productive
sectors in order to maximise long-run economic growth .
Hydroelectric power projects and five steel mills at Bhilai, Durgapur, and Jamshedpur
were established. Coal production was increased. More railway lines were added in the
north east.

The Atomic Energy Commission was formed in 1957 with Homi J. Bhabha as the first
chairman. The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research was established as a research
institute. In 1957 a talent search and scholarship program was begun to find talented
young students to train for work in nuclear power.

3rd 5yr plan

Third plan (1961-1966)

The third plan stressed on agriculture and improving production of rice, but the brief
Sino-Indian War in 1962 exposed weaknesses in the economy and shifted the focus
towards defense. In 1965-1966, the Green Revolution in India advanced agriculture. The
war led to inflation and the priority was shifted to price stabilization. The construction of
dams continued. Many cement and fertilizer plants were also built. Punjab begun
producing an abundance of wheat.

Many primary schools were started in rural areas. In an effort to bring democracy to the
grassroot level, Panchayat elections were started and the states were given more
development responsibilities.

State electricity boards and state secondary education boards were formed. States were
made responsible for secondary and higher education. State road transportation
corporations were formed and local road building became a state responsibility.Gross
Domestic Product rate during this duration was lower at 2.7% due to 1962 Sino-Indian
War and Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.[citation needed]

4th and 5th 5yr plan

Fourth plan (1969-1974)

At this time Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister. The Indira Gandhi government
nationalized 19 major Indian banks. In addition, the situation in East Pakistan (now
independent Bangladesh) was becoming dire as the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and
Bangladesh Liberation War took place.

Funds earmarked for the industrial development had to be used for the war effort. India
also performed the Smiling Buddha underground nuclear test in 1974, partially in
response to the United States deployment of the Seventh Fleet in the Bay of Bengal to
warn India against attacking West Pakistan and widening the war.
Fifth plan (1974-1979)
Stress was laid on employment, poverty alleviation, and justice. The plan also focused on
self-reliance in agricultural production and defense. In 1978 the newly elected Morarji
Desai government rejected the plan. Electricity Supply Act was enacted in 1975, which
enabled the Central Government to enter into power generation and transmission.[citation
needed]

6th 5yr plan

Sixth plan (1980-1985)

Called the Janata government plan, the sixth plan marked a reversal of the Nehruvian
model.

When Rajiv Gandhi was elected as the prime minister, the young prime minister aimed
for rapid industrial development, especially in the area of information technology.
Progress was slow, however, partly because of caution on the part of labor and
communist leaders.

The Indian national highway system was introduced for the first time and many roads
were widened to accommodate the increasing traffic. Tourism also expanded.

The sixth plan also marked the beginning of economic liberalization. Price controls on
prices was eliminated and ration shops were closed. This led to an increase in food prices
and an increased cost of living.

Family planning also was expanded in order to prevent overpopulation. In contrast to

China's harshly-enforced one-child policy, Indian policy did not rely on the threat of
force. More prosperous areas of India adopted family planning more rapidly than less
prosperous areas, which continued to have a high birth rate.

7th and 8th 5yr plan

Seventh plan (1985-1989)

The Seventh Plan marked the comeback of the Congress Party to power. The plan lay
stress on improving the productivity level of industries by upgradation of technology.

Period between 1989-91

1989-91 was a period of political instability in India and hence no five year plan was
implemented. Between 1990 and 1992, there were only Annual Plans. In 1991, India
faced a crisis in Foreign Exchange (Forex) reserves, left with reserves of only about $1
billion (US). Thus, under pressure, the country took the risk of reforming the socialist
economy. P.V. Narasimha Rao)(28 June 1921 – 23 December 2004) also called Father of
Indian Economic Reforms was the twelfth Prime Minister of the Republic of India and
head of Congress Party, and led one of the most important administrations in India's
modern history overseeing a major economic transformation and several incidents
affecting national security. At that time Dr. Manmohan Singh (currently, Prime Minister
of India) launched India's free market reforms that brought the nearly bankrupt nation
back from the edge. It was the beginning of privatization and liberalization in India.

Eighth plan (1992-1997)

Modernization of industries was a major highlight of the Eighth Plan. Under this plan, the
gradual opening of the Indian economy was undertaken to correct the burgeoning deficit
and foreign debt. Meanwhile India became a member of the World Trade Organization
on 1 January 1995.This plan can be termed as Rao and Man mohan model of Economic
development. The major objectives include

Containing population growth,poverty reduction,employment generation,strengthening

the infrastructure,Institutional building,HUMAN RESOURCE
DEVELOPMENT,Involvement of Panchayat raj,Nagarapalikas,N.G.OSand
Decentralisation and peoples participation.
Energy was given prority with 26.6% of the outlay. An average annual growth rate of
6.7%against the target 5.6% was achieved.

9th 5yr plan

Ninth plan (1997-2002)

During the Ninth Plan period, the growth rate was 5.35 per cent, a percentage point lower
than the target GDP growth of 6.5 per cent.

10th 5yr plan

Tenth plan (2002-2007)

The main objectives of the 10th Five-Year Plan are:

Reduction of poverty ratio by 5 percentage points by 2007;

Providing gainful and high-quality employment at least to the addition to the labour
force;
All children in india in school by 2003; all children to complete 5 years of schooling by
2007;
Reduction in gender gaps in literacy and wage rates by at least 50% by 2007;
Reduction in the decadal rate of population growth between 2001 and 2011 to 16.2%;
Increase in Literacy Rates to 75 per cent within the Tenth Plan period (2002-3 to 2006-7);

Reduction of Infant mortality rate (IMR) to 45 per 1000 live births by 2007 and to 28 by
2012;
Reduction of Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) to 2 per 1000 live births by 2007 and to 1
by 2012;
Increase in forest and tree cover to 25 per cent by 2007 and 33 per cent by 2012;
All villages to have sustained access to potable drinking water within the Plan period;
Cleaning of all major polluted rivers by 2007 and other notified stretches by 2012;
Economic Growth further accelerated during this period and crosses over 8% by 2006.

11th 5yr plan

Eleventh plan (2007-2012)

The eleventh plan has the following objectives:

Income & Poverty

Accelerate GDP growth from 8% to 10% and then maintain at 10% in the 12th Plan in
order to double per capita income by 2016-17
Increase agricultural GDP growth rate to 4% per year to ensure a broader spread of
benefits
Create 70 million new work opportunities.
Reduce educated unemployment to below 5%.
Raise real wage rate of unskilled workers by 20 percent.
Reduce the headcount ratio of consumption poverty by 10 percentage points.
Education
Reduce dropout rates of children from elementary school from 52.2% in 2003-04 to 20%
by 2011-12
Develop minimum standards of educational attainment in elementary school, and by
regular testing monitor effectiveness of education to ensure quality
Increase literacy rate for persons of age 7 years or more to 85%
Lower gender gap in literacy to 10 percentage points
Increase the percentage of each cohort going to higher education from the present 10% to
15% by the end of the plan
Health
Reduce infant mortality rate to 28 and maternal mortality ratio to 1 per 1000 live births
Reduce Total Fertility Rate to 2.1
Provide clean drinking water for all by 2009 and ensure that there are no slip-backs
Reduce malnutrition among children of age group 0-3 to half its present level
Reduce anaemia among women and girls by 50% by the end of the plan
Women and Children
Raise the sex ratio for age group 0-6 to 935 by 2011-12 and to 950 by 2016-17
Ensure that at least 33 percent of the direct and indirect beneficiaries of all government
schemes are women and girl children
Ensure that all children enjoy a safe childhood, without any compulsion to work
Infrastructure
Ensure electricity connection to all villages and BPL households by 2009 and round-the-
clock power.
Ensure all-weather road connection to all habitation with population 1000 and above (500
in hilly and tribal areas) by 2009, and ensure coverage of all significant habitation by
2015
Connect ever

Q-1 They have never attended ……………my counsel.

(a) Upon (b) Out (c) In (d) to
Q-2 The doctor was called ………………..at once
(a) At (b) Out(c) In d) For
Q-3 Malaria has carried ……………a quarter of the population of the village.
(a) Away b) Out c) On d) Off
Q-4 A drowning man catches……………a straw.
(a) At(b) Form(c) with(d) by
Q-5 It is very difficult to bring …………..a large family.
(a) Up(b) Out c) For(d) In
Q-6 This ship is bound ………..England
(a) To (b) For(c) Formd) On
Q-7 Write…………ink
(a) In b) with(c) From d) by
Q-8 He is related ………….me.
(a) With(b) To (c) Of d) None
Q-9 This road leads …………Delhi.
(a) In(b) Formc) At (d) T9o
Q-10 Do not stare…………the girl.
(a) At(b) On(c) Into (d) In
Q-11 The doctor warned me………..drinking.
(a) On (b) At c) From (d) Against
Q-12 It has been raining…………..Monday.
(a) On(b) For(c) At (d) Since
Q-13 Don’t put ………….the light
(a) Out(b) Off(c) Of (d) on
Q-14 He was invited………….tea.
(a) For(b) To(c) Over(d) At
Q-15 You must lay……………something for future.
(a) For(b) Out(c) Down (d) Of
Q-16 Men are called ……………for military service
(a) At(b) To(c)Of (d) Up
Q-17 Cholera broke …….in the neighourhood claiming fifty
(a) Off(b) Away(c) Over(d) Out
Q-18 Buddha abstained ………….indulgence in luxuries.
(a) Of (b) By(c) Form d) Off
Q-19 They were beware …………falling into the bed company
(a) Off(b) Ofc) For(d) On
Q-20 He could not carry ………….his mother s last wish.
(a) Out(b) On(c) Off d) Away
Q-21 He has set………..a new factory
(a) Down (b) Up c) Out (d) In
Q-22 He has copied it word …….word
(a) For(b) By c) Through (d) To
Q-23 Birds lives………..trees.
(a) Upon (b) On(c)In (d) At
Q-24 This is a saying ………the hindus.
(a) For (b) In (c)) Between(d) Among
Q-25 She acted……..my advice.
(a) For(b) At(c) Upon(d) Into

Answers
d,c,d,a,a,b,a,b,d,a,d,d,a,b,a,d, d,c,b,a,b,d,c,c,c

Indian Army HQ: New Delhi

Operational Commands: Northern Command - HQ in Udhampur, Jammu & Kashmir.
..................................Western Command - HQ in Chandimandir, Chandigarh.
..................................South Western Command - HQ in Pathankot, Punjab(OR).HQ in
Jaipur,Rajasthan.........NOT SURE ABT THIS.....CAN ANY1 PLS CONFIRM ABT
THIS.....
..................................Central Command - HQ in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
..................................Eastern Command - HQ in Kolkota, West Bengal.
..................................Southern Command - HQ in Pune, Maharashtra.
Functional Commands: Training Command (ARTRAC)-HQ in Shimla,Himachal Pradesh

52nd film fare awards

Filmfare Awards: Rang De Basanti won the Award for Best Film at the 52nd Filmfare
Awards ceremony held in Mumbai, Maharashtra on February 24, 2007. The list of
winners included:

Best Film: Rang De Basanti

Best Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (Rang De Basanti)
Best Actor: Hrithik Roshan (Dhooml)
Best Actress: Kajol (Fanaa)
Critic’s Award for Best Film: Lage.Jlaho Munnabhai
Critic's Award for Best Actor: Aamir Khan (Rang De Basanti)
Critic's Award for Best Actress: Kareena Kapoor (Omkara)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Abhishek Bachchan (Kabhi Alvida Na hhnd)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Konkona Sen Sharma (Omkara)
Best Actor in a Comic Role: Arshad Warsi (Lage Raho Munnabhai)
Best Actor in a Villainous Role: Saif Ali Khan (Omkara)
Best Playback Singer (Male): Shaan, Kailash Kher—'Chand $ifarishy (Fanad)
Best Playback Singer (Female): Sunidhi Chauhan—lBeedi Jalai Le' [Omkara)
Best Music Award: A.R. Rahman {Rang De Basanti)
Best Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi—Chand Sifarish (Fanad)
Best Debut: Kangana Ranaut
R.D. Burman Award: Naresh Iyer (Rang De Basanti)

awards

Gandhi International Peace Prize, 2006:

Noted Bollywood actress Us. Shabana Azmi has been awarded the Gandhi International
Peace Prize for the year 2006. The prestigious award is given by the London-based
Gandhi Foundation.

Indian Science Congress Awards:

On the occasion of the 94th Indian Science Congress held in Chidambaram (Tamil Nadu)
from January 3-7, 2007, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh gave away various awards
to some of the eminent scientists of the country. The awardees are as follows :

Jamnalal Bajaj Awards 2007:

Mr. Yashpal Mittal, Dr. Anand Karve, Ms. Ashoka Gupta and Prof. Michael Xangler
were announced as the winners of the Jamnalal Bajaj Awards for 2007 in Mumbai
(Maharashtra) on October 16, 2007.

Jnanpith Award, 2004:

Eminent Kashmiri poet Mr. Rehman Rahi was chosen for the Jnanpith Award for 2004.
Mr. Rahi, 82, is one of the most eminent poets and critics of the Kashmiri anguage. His
notable creations include Subbuk Soda, Kalami Rahi and Siyah Rode ]aren Manz.

Khel Ratna Award 2006 for Manavjit:

Ace trap shooter Manavjit Singh Sandhu was conferred the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi
Khel Ratna Award for 2006 by Hon'ble President Ms. Pratibha Patil on August 29, 2007
at the Ashoka Hall in the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.

Moortidevi Award:

Bharatiya Jnanpith has chosen eminent Gujarati writer Mr. Narayan Mahadev Desai's
'Maroon Jeewan Aj Mari Vaani' for the 18th Moortidevi Award for 2004 and eminent
Hindi scholar Dr. Rammurti Sharma's 'Bharatiya Darshan Ki Chintandhara' for the 19th
Moortidevi Award for 2005.

Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards:

Hon'ble President Ms. Pratibha Patil presented the Oustanding Parliamentarian Awards to
Union Agriculture Minister Mr. Sharad Pawar (2003), BJP leader Ms. Sushma Swaraj
(2004), Union Finance Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram (2005) and Mr. Mani Shankar
Aiyar, Minister of Panchayati Raj, Youth Affairs and Sports (2006) in New Delhi on
September 13, 2007.

Phalke Ratna Award: Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar was conferred the Phalke Ratna
Award on April 30, 2007 in Mumbai on the occasion of 138th birth anniversary of Dada
Saheb Phalke, the father of Indian cinema.

Pravasi Samman Awards: The 5th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas came to a close with the
conferment of the Pravasi Samman Awards to 15 outstanding people of Indian origin
associated with different fields by the then President Dr. A.PJ. Abdul Kalam at Vigyan
Bhavan in New Delhi on January 9, 2007.

The awardees included Mr. Gopal Raju (US), Lord Diljit Rana, MBE and member of
Britain's House of Lords, Mr. Dave Sukhdip Singh Hayer (Canada), Dr. M. Anirudhan
(US), Mr. Billy Nair (South Africa), Mr. Pheroze Nowrojee (Kenya), Mr. Nirmal K.
Sinha (US), Dr. K. R. Somasundram (Malaysia), Mr. Kenneth Benjamin (Jamaica), Mr.
Sibabrata Roy (Germany), Mr. Syed M. Salahuddin (UAE), Dr. B. R. Shetty (Abu
Dhabi), Mr. Moti Tikaram (Fiji), Mr. Abdul Magid Abdool Karim Vakil (Portugal) and
Dr. P. Jayaraman (US). Two of the awardees—Mr. Billy Nair and Mr. Sibabrata Roy—
were unable to make it to the presentation. The annual three-day summit was started in
2002 to give the Indian. diaspora a platform to interact and to forge and revive ties with
the land of their origin.

cont.

Shanti Swatup Bhatnagar Prize: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
announced the winners of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize to 11 scientists for their
oustanding contributions in various disciplines of science in New Delhi on September 26,
2007. The list of awardees included Narayanaswamy Srinivasan, Pundi Narasimham
Rangarajan, Rama Govindarajan, B.V. Rajarama Bhat, Budaraju Srinivasa Murthy, A.
Ajayaghosh, Anil Bhardwaj, Upinder Singh Bhalla, Amalendu Chandra, Yashwant Gupta
and Pinaki Majumdar.

Prime Minister's Shram Vir Award 2005: Mr. M. Balachandran of Vikram Sarabhai
Space Centre (VSSC) has been awarded the prestigious Prime Minister's Shram Vir
Award for the year 2005 in recognition of his contribution towards production, cost
savings and for showing exemplary zeal and enthusiasm in discharging duties.

Yashwantrao Chavan Award, 2006: Infosys co-founder Mr. Narayana Murthy and his
wife Sudha Murthy have been conferred the Yashwantrao Chavan Award for 2006.

Oscar Award (2008)

Oscar for Indian Movie: Sekhar Kapur's "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
The Indian Movie “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” directed by Sekhar Kapur bagged Oscar
for “The Best Costume Design. The movie “No country for old Men” bagged several
Oscar awards for the Best Movie, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, and Best
Adapted Screenplay. The awards were presented in 80th Oscar Awards grand function at
Kodak Theatre on the eve of Sunday, 24th February, 2008.
List of Oscar Award Winners

Best picture: No Country For Old Men

Best director: Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men
Best actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Best actress: Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
Best supporting actress: Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Best supporting actor: Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
Best foreign language film: The Counterfeiters (Austria)
Best animated feature film: Ratatouille
Best adapted screenplay: No Country For Old Men
Best original screenplay: Juno
Best music (score): Atonement
Best music (song): Falling Slowly, Once
Best documentary feature: Taxi To The Dark Side
Best documentary short subject: Freeheld
Best visual effects: The Golden Compass
Best Cinematography: There Will Be Blood
Best art direction: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
Best animated short film: Peter And The Wolf
Best short film: Le Mozart Des Pickpockets
Best costume design: Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Best make-up: La Vie En Rose
Best sound mixing: The Bourne Ultimatum
Best sound editing: The Bourne Ultimatum
Best film editing: The Bourne Ultimatum
NATIONAL AWRADS

C.V. Raman award for Natarajan:

M. Natarajan, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, received the Sir C.V. Raman
birth centenary award-2008 and a gold medal from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at
the inaugural function of the 95th Indian Science Congress held in Visakhapatnam on
January 3.

Defence Awards 2008:

President confers four Ashok Chakras posthumously, four Kirti chakras, 424 gallantry
and Defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel on the occasion of republic day.
Major Raman was decorated with Ashok Chakra, the highest peacetime award, and Vinay
with Kirti Chakra. Major Shatrujeet Kotwal, Jat regiment/34 Rashtriya Rifles and Major
Subhash Chand Punia, 21 Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) have also been honoured
with Kirti Chakra.

Sahitya Academy Awards 2007:

Smt. Malathi Rao was selected for Sahitya Academy Award 2007 for her writing in
English, “Disorderly Women”. The Author of “Satha Patram” Late Gadiyaram
Ramakrishna Sharma (Alampur, Mahabunagar Distrit, A.P) and the author of “Arayan”
Shri K.Virabhadrappa (Anathapur, A.P.) are also selected for Sahithya Academy Awards.

Raman Magsaysay Award, 2007, for Sai Nath:

The Hindu Journalist and writer Shri Sai Nath along with six others has been elected for
prestigious Raman Magsaysay Award for 2007.
M.F.Hussain was awarded with Raja Ravi Varma Award 2007:
M.F. Hussain was felicitated with Raja Ravi Varma Award 2007 by Kerala Government
for his contributions in paintings. This was announced by Kerala Minister for culture and
education M.M. Bebi. Rs.1.25 lakhs will be given along with certificate and momento.

cont.

Santhi Swarup Bhatnagar Awards:

Eleven scientists who shown exemplary performance in the fields of science and
technology are selected for Shanthi Swarup Bhatnagar Awards. The selected will be
given Rupees Two lakhs, certificate and memento. The scientists under the age of 45
years are selected for these awards. Upender Sing Bhalla (Biological Sciences), Narayana
Swamy Srinivasan (Biological Sciences,), Amalendu Chandra (Chemistry), Ajay Ghosh
(Chemistry), Anil Bharadwaj (Space and Astronomy), Rama Govinda Rajan
(Engineering), Budaraju Srinivasa Murthy (Engineering), B.V. Raja Rama Bhat
(Mathematics), Pundi Narasimhan Ranga Rajan (Medical), Yaswanth Gupta (Physics),
Pinaki Majundar (Physics) are the eminent scientists selected for this years.

Param Vishist Sewa Medal_07:

Vice Admiral Punitha Arora has been conferred with Param Vishist Sewa Medal by the
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Jnana Pith Award 2004:

The famous Kasmiri Poet Sri Rehman Rahi has been selected for Jnana Pith Award for
2004 by the panel lead by L.M Sanghvi for his work in development of Kashmiri
Language. It is the first time A Kashmiri to win this prestigious award. He also got the
"Kendra Sahithya Academy Award" .He was also felicitated with "Padma Sri".

N.T.R. Awards 2003 to 2005:

Government of Andhra Pradesh has announced the N.T.R national awards: Shri G.
Krishna famous Telugu Actor for 2003, Shri Ilaya Raja famous Music Director for 2004
and Shri Ambarish famous Kannada Actor and Central Minister, for 2005 are selected by
the jury. N.T.R. awards are given in memory of Shri Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao
famous Telugu Star and Ex. Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. He is founder Telugu
Desam Party. His rolls Shri Krishna, Sri Rama are gods on silver screen.

contd..

Basava Award 2006-07:

Ex. President of India Shri Abdul Kalam is honored with Basava Award for 2006-07 by
the Karnataka State Government. This award is given in the name of famous philosopher
Srhi Basaveswarudu

Best Parliamentarian Awards:

The jury headed by Speaker Shri Somanath Chaterji announced the best Parliamentarian
Awards, Shri Sarad Pawar for 2003, Smt. Sushma Swaraj for 2004, Shri P. Chidambaram
for 2005 and Shri Mani Sankar Ayer for 2006. Previously Shri Manmohan Singh was
given for 2002. Shri Sarad Pawar having 40 years of experience as a political leader and
four times Chief Minister for Maharastra and also as Minister in Central Government.
Smt. Sushma Swaraj, B.J.P. leader having 30years of experience as a political leader. She
worked as C.M. for Delhi. Shri P.Chidambaram presently working as Minister for
Finance. Shri Manisankar Ayer is presently working as Minister for Panchayath Raj.

Dada Saheb Phalke Award for Shyam Benagal:

The eminent director Shri Shyam Benagal has been selected for Dada Saheb Award (The
prestigious Award) for 2005 for his contribution for the development of film industry.
President Prathiba Patil will hand over the award at the end of this year. He has directed
for many films. His first movie was Ankur (Hindi, 1974). He was given Padmasri in 1976
and Padma Bushan in 1991. He directed Tele Serials Kadha Sagar, Bharath ki Yatra, Ek
Khoj. He has born in the year 1934 and completed education in Hyderabad
Jawaharlal Nehru Award

Sultan Qaboos Bin Said al Said 2004

Prof. Wangari M. Maathai 2005
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil 2006
Mr. Olafan Rognar Greemans 2007

NTERNATIONAL AWARDS, HONOURS AND MEDALS (2008)

Taslima conferred Simon de Beauvoir honour

Smt. Benazir Bhutto who was assassinated was selected for Irish Peace Prize for the
year2007

Invisible wings bagged the Golden Elephan directed by Pheng Jhen Jhi.

G.D. Birla Award 2007:Shri Santanu Bhattacharya (49Y) has been selected for G.D.
Birla Award for 2007.

CNN-IBN AWARDS

CNN-IBN Indian of the year 2007 – Global Indian:Mr. Arun Sarin, Voda Phone C.E.O.,

CNN-IBN Indian of the year 2007 – Public Service: Shri E.Sridharan

CNN-IBN Indian of the year 2007 – Sports:Grand Master Viswanath Anand

CNN-IBN Indian of the year 2007 – Entertainment:Shimit Amin and Jaideep Sahni

CNN-IBN Indian of the year 2007 – Business:O. P. Bhatt, Chairman of State Bank of
India

CNN-IBN Indian of the year 2007 – Politics: P Chidambaram, Finance Minister

international awards

92nd Pulitzer Awards

92nd Pulitzer Awards treated as international highest honors in Journalism are
announced. The journalist team of Washington Post, Mr. Ann Hall, Dana Priest, and
Michel Dusile is selected for 2008. Washington Post won prizes also for “Breaking
News” and “National News”. These awards are started in 1911 in the Name of American
Journalist Mr.Joseph Pulitzer.
Nobel Prizes for 2007:

Chemistry :Professor Gerhard Ertl of Germany.

Physics.:Peter Grunberg (Germany) and Albert Fert (France)
physiology or medicine:Mario R. Capecchi and Oliver Smithies and Martin J. Evans.
literature:Doris Lessing (Swedon)
Nobel Prize for peace:U.S. Vice president Al Gore.
Economic Sciences:Leonid Hurwicz, Eric S. Maskin and Roger B. Myerson.

national awards

Padma Awards 2008

Government of India announced Padma Awards 2008 of which 13 are Padma Vibhushan,
35 are Padma Bushan, and 71 are Padma Sri. Padma Awards are civilian awards
announced by Government of India every year. Government has not been declaring
Bharatna the highest civilian award since 2001.

Padma Vibhushan:
Sachin Tendulkar (cricket), Viswanath Anand (Chess), Pranab Mukherji (Central
Minister), I. Sridharan (Engineer), Edmand Hillary (Everest Mountaineer), R.K. Pachouri
(Recipient of Nobel Peace Prize), P.R.O.S. Oberay (Hotel Industrialist), Ratan Tata
(Industrialist), Justice A.S. Anand (Chairman of Human Rights Commission),A.L.N.
Mittal (Industrialist) Narayana Murthy (INFOSYS), P.N. Dhar (P.S to Indira Gandhi) and
Asha Bonsle (Singer) are the recipient of Padma Vibhushan Awards. Shri Pranab
Mukherji is the first man to receive Padma Vibhushan as a Central Cabinet Minister.

Padma Bhushan:
P.Susila (Singer), Sunitha Williams (Astronaut), Shri K.V. Kamat (Chairman of I.C.I.C.I
Bank), Siva Nadar (Chairman H.C.L. Technologies), Baba N. Kalyani (C.M.D. Bharath
Forge, Suresh Kumar Niotia (Chairman Gujarat Ambuja Cements), Shri Vikram Pandit
(Chairman of City Bank), Jas Dev Sing (Commentator) Shri Padma Nabhaiah (I.A.S.
Officer), Dominic Lapiar (International Journalist for Paris Mach Magazine and author),
are among the recipients of Padma Bushan Awards.

contd

Padma Sri:
Bollywood Star Madhuri Dixit, Hollywood Producer Manoj Night Syamalan, Actor Tom
Alter, Foot Ball Captain (India) Bichung Bhutia, Swimmer Bula Choudary, Rajdeep
Sardesai (C.N.N.I.B.N.), Barkha Dutt (Political Editor, N.D.T.V), Vinod Duva
(N.D.T.V), Ella Venkateswara Rao (Mridungam), Dr. Kutikuppala Surya Rao (Efforts
made for controlling AIDS), Dr. Amit Mithra (FICCI) Colet Madhur (World Economic
Forum) and Jonnala Gadda Gurrappa Chetty (Arts) are among the recipients of Padma Sri
Awards for 2008.

FAMOUS PLACES OF INDIA

# Ajanta = Aurangabad
# Amarnath Cave = Kashmir
# Akbar's Tomb = Sikanara, Agra
# Amber palace = Jaipur
# Anand bhawan = Allahabad
# Bhakra dam = Punjab
# Bibida Maqbra= Aurangabad
# Birla Planitorium = Calcutta
# Black Pagoda = Konark
# Bodhisatva = Ajanta caves
# Brihadeshwara temple = Tanjavur, Tanjor
# Brindaban gardens = Mysore
# Buland darwaza = Fathepur Sikri
# Charminar = Hyderabad
# Chennakeshava temple = Belur
# Chilka lake = east coast of India near Bhubhaneshwar
# Dal lake = Srinagar
# Dilwara temple = Mt.Abu
# elephanta caves = Bombay
# Ellora caves = Aurangabad
# Gateway of India = bombay
# Golden temple = Amritsar
# Golgumbaz = Bijapur, Karnataka
# Hanging gardens = Bombay
# HAwa Mahal = Jaipur
# Howrah Bridge = Calcutta
# Island palace = Udaipur
# Itmaad-ud-Daulatis tomb = Agra
# Jaganatha temple = Puri
# Jahaz Mahal = Delhi
# Jantar Mantar = New Delhi
# Gersoppa falls now famously called as Jog Falls = Shimoga, Karnataka
# Kailsa temple = Ellora
# Kanyakumari = Kanyakumari
# Khajuraho = Madhya Pradesh
# Kirti Stambha = Chittogarh
# Konark = Orissa
# Laxshmi vilas palace = Baroda
# Lalbagh gardens = Bengalooru
# Lalgarh palace = Bikaner
# Mahakaleshwar = Ujjain, MP
# Maheshmuri = Elephanta caves
# Malabar hills = Bombay
# Manmandir palace = Gwalior Fort
# Marble Rocks = Jabalpur
# Marina beach = Madras
# Meenakshi temple = Madurai
# Mt.girnar = Junagadh
# Nogin lake = Srinagar
# Nishat bagh = Srinagar
# Padmanabha temple = Trivandrum
# Palitana = Junagadh
# Panch Mahal = Fathepur Sikri
# Pichola lake = Udaipur
# Price of Wales Museum = Bombay
# Qutub Minar = Delhi
# Rajghat = New Delhi
# Red Fort = New Delhi
# Sanchi stupa = Sanchi
# Sahar = Bombay
# Sarnatha temple = Varnasi
# Sidi Sayyid m = Ahmadabad
# Shalimar bagh = Srinagar
# Shanthivana = New Delhi
# Shahi Chashma = Srinagar
# Shore temple = Mahabalipuram
# Somnath temple = Gujarat
# Statue of Gomateshwara = Karnataka
# Statue of UgraNarasimha = Hampi, Karnataka
# Sundarbans = West Bengal
# Sun temple = Konark
# Taj Mahal = Agra
# Tirupathi temple = Andhra Pradesh
# Tower of Silence = Bombay
# Victoria Memorial = Calcutta
# Victoria garden = Bombay
# Vijay ghat = delhi

INDIA IN WORLD HERITAGE LIST

* 1983 = Ajantha caves

* 1983 = Ellora caves
* 1983 = Agra fort
* 1983 = Taj Mahal
* 1984 = Sun Temple , Konark
* 1985 = Mahabalipuram monuments
* 1985 = Kaziranga National Park
* 1985 = Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
* 1985 = Keoladeo National Park
* 1986 = Churches & Convents of monuments
* 1986 = Khajuraho Group of monuments
* 1986 = Fathepur sikri
* 1987 = Group of monuments of Pattadakal
* 1987 = Elephanta caves, Maharashtra
* 1987 = Brihadishvara temple monuments Thanjavur
* 1987 = Sundarbans National Park
* 1988 = Nanda Devi National Park
* 1989 = Buddhist monuments at Sanchi
* 1993 = Humayun's tomb, Delhi
* 1993 = Qutab Minar & its monuments
* 1999 = Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
* 2002 = Mahabodhi temples at Bodh gaya
* 2004 = Brihadishvara temple of Gangaikondacholapuram
* 2004 = Airavatesvara temple of Darasuram
* 2004 = Champaner-Pavagadh Archeological Park, Gujarat
* 2004 = Chhatrapathi Shivaji Railway Station, Mumbai.

Cultural sites

1.Agra Fort (1983)

2.Ajanta Caves (1983)
3.Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi (1989)
4.Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (2004)
5.Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) (2004)
6.Churches and Convents of Goa (1986)
7.Elephanta Caves (1987)
8.Ellora Caves (1983)
9.Fatehpur Sikri (1986)
10.Great Living Chola Temples (1987)
11.Group of Monuments at Hampi (1986)
12.Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (1984)
13.Group of Monuments at Pattadakal (1987)
14.Humayun's Tomb, Delhi (1993)
15.Khajuraho Group of Monuments (1986)
16.Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya (2002)
17.Mountain Railways of India (1999)
18.Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi (1993)
19.Red Fort Complex (2007)
20.Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (2003)
21.Sun Temple, Konârak (1984)
22.Taj Mahal (1983)

Some rare facts of India.

# First ever train was flagged off from Bombay to Thane on Apr 16 1853.
# It is now one of the world's largest transportation systems.
# India has 7617 km long coastline.
# There r 12 major ports in India.
# There r 185 minor international ports.
# About 43 ports handle cargo.
# India has vast road network of about 3.3million km that includes National
Highways,State Highways,major districts roads & rural roads.
# AAI owns & manages 92 airports. 28 r civil enclaves at defence airfields

IN INDIA LARGEST, SMALLEST, TALLEST, HIGHEST, LONG

# Biggest Hotel = Oberai-Sheraton on the sea shore of Arabian sea in the South Bombay.
# Highest mountain Peak = K2 8611 mts
# Largest Populated city = Mumbai
# Longest River flows in India = Ganga 2510 kms
# Highest Waterfalls = Gersoppa Waterfalls (Karnataka) 830 ft
# Largest Lake = Wular Lake , Kashmir
# Longest Electric Railway Line = Kolkata to Delhi
# Largest State in Area Wise = Rajasthan 4,43,446 sq.kms
# Longest River Bridge = Mahatma Gandhi Setu, Patna 5.75 kms long
# Highest Gateway = Buland Darwaja 54 mts(Fathepur Sikri, Agra)
# Wettest Place / Heaviest Rainfall = Masinarm(Meghalaya)
# Tallest Statue = State of Gomateshwara,(Karnataka) 58 ft high
# Largest Tunnel = Jawahar Tunnel (J & K State) 1 1/2 km Banihal Pass)
# Largest Museum = Indian Museum(Kolkata)
# Densest Population = West Bengal, 904 persons per sq.kms
# Largest Zoo = Zoological Gardens, Alipur, Kolkata
# Largest Forest State = Assam
# Largest Road = Grand Trunk Road 2400 kms
• Largest Delta = Sunderban 12,872 sq.kms
* Largest Cave Temple = Ellora(KailashNatha Temple, Maharashtra)
* Largest Cantilever Span Bridge = Howrah Bridge (Kolkata)
* Highest Tower = Qutub Minar , Delhi
* Largest Domb = Gol Gumbaz ,(Bijapur, Karnataka State)
* Largest Mosque = Jama Masjid, Delhi
 * Highest Straight Gravity Dam = Bhakra Nangal Dam
* Smallest State in Area wise = Goa
* Smallest State in terms of Population = Sikkim
* Largest Desert = Thar (Rajasthan)
* Largest Man-Made Lake = Govind Sagar(Bhakra)
* Largest Corridor = Rameshwaram Temple Corridor (121 mts long)
* Largest Animal Fair = Sonepur Fair, Bihar

Ancient Texts, Authors

Book & Author

Panchatantra : VishnuGupta

Hitopadesha : Narayan Pandit

Ravan Vadha : Battin

Kiratarjuniyam : Bharvi

Dasakumara Charita : Dandin

Aryabhattiyam : Aryabhatta

MudraRakshasa : Vishakha Datta

Meghaduta (poetry) : Kalidasa

Sakuntala (Drama) : Kalidasa

Malavikagnimitram (drama) : Kalidasa

Vikramorvasiyam (drama) : Kalidasa

one liners..

* Operation Blue Star - (June 1 to June 6, 1984) - Indian military operation ordered by
Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, to flush out Sikh militants from Golden
Temple in Amritsar. As an outburst to this, Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh assassinated
Indira. Satwant and Kehar were hanged to death.

* First deputy chairman of the Planning Commission - Gulzarilal Nanda.

* The first Five-Year Plan was launched in 1951.
* Original name of Sony Ã* Totsuken

Malabar Naval Exercise was conducted in 2007 in Bay of Bengal in whic five countries
took part. These countries were India, the U.S.A., Australia, Japan and Singapore.

india also conducts joint naval exercises with russia (indra series) and with France
(varuna series)

TecSar is the Israel satelite accused to be a spy satelite by Iran which has been launched
by ISRO.

Vijay Kelkar is the new Chairman of Planning Commission. He is an engineer urned

economist. He is the person behind GST.

Ela Bhatt is the person heading the SEWA movement all over the country

Radcliffe Line became the border between India and Pakistan on 17 August 1947 after
the Partition of India. The line was decided by the Border Commissions chaired by Sir
Cyril Radcliffe, who was to equably divide 175,000 square miles of territory with 88
million people.

Durand Line is the term for the poorly marked 2,640 km (1,610 mile) border between
Afghanistan and Pakistan. Durand Line is sometimes referred to as the "Zero Line"

India’s /Asia’s fastest super computer - Tata supercomputer is called EKA, the
system uses 14240 Intel’s high-speed (3 giga hertz) ‘quad-core’ Clovertown
(Xeon 53xx) processors in nearly 1,800 computing nodes put together on a Hewlett-
Packard Cluster Platform 3000 BL460c system.(In world – 4th fastest)

Passing of the 1807 Slave Trade Act made UK the first nation to prohibit slave trade.

Who's who (India)

1. Chief of the Army Staff : General Deepak Kapoor

2. Chief of the Naval Staff : Admiral Sureesh Mehta
3. Chief of the Air Staff : Air Chief Marshal Fali H. Major
4. Chief Justice of India : K. G. Balakrishnan
5. Attorney General of India : Milon Kumar Banerjee
6. President of India : Pratibha Devisingh Patil
7. Vice-President of India : Mohammad Hamid Ansari
8. Speaker, Lok Sabha : Somnath Chatterjee
9. Deputy Speaker, Lok Sabha : Charanjit Singh Atwal
10. Chairman, Rajya Sabha : Mohammad Hamid Ansari
11. Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha : K. Rahman Khan
12. Chairman, Planning Commission : Dr. Manmohan Singh
13. Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission : Montek Singh Ahluwalia
14. Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha : L. K. Advani
15. Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha : Jaswant Singh
16. Chief Election Commissioner : N. Gopalaswamy
17. Home Minister : Shivraj Patil
18. Defence Minster : A.K. Antony
19. External Affairs Minster : Pranab Mukherjee
20. Human Resource Development (HRD) Minster : Arjun Singh
21. Finance Minster : P. Chidambaram
22. Railways Minster : Lalu Prasad Yadav
23. Agriculture Minster : Sharad Pawar
24. Chemicals & Fertilizers : Ram Vilas Paswan
25. Commerce & Industry : Kamal Nath
26. Law & Justice : H. R. Bhardwaj
27. Information & Broadcasting : Priyaranjan Dasmunsi
28. Science & Technology : Kapil Sibal
29. Communications & Information Technology : A. Raja
30. Tourism & Culture : Ambika Soni

committees and their Heads

1. Sacchar Committee
-Chairman: Rajender Sacchar
-for Minority Affairs

2. Oversight Committee on OBC Reservation

-Chairman: M. Veerappa Moily
-27% OBC reservation in educational institutions

3. Sunder Committee
-Chairman: S. Sunder
-on Road safety and Traffic Management

4. Dawar Committee
-Chairman: Capt. N. K. Dawar
-for immediate requirements in infrastructure of IGRUA(Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran
Akademy)

5. Madhava Menon Committee

-Chairman: N. R. Madhava Menon
-on Criminal Justice system
6. Committee on Spectrum
-Chairman: R. Bandhopadhyay
-to review the subscriber linked spectrum allocation criteria

7. Ramarao Committee
-Chairman: P. Ramarao
-on functioning of DRDO

8. R. K. Raghavan Committee
-to look into issue of ragging

9. Committee on Sethusamudram
-Chairman: S. Ramachandran

10. Committee on climate change

-Chairman: R. Chidambram

11. Deepak Parekh Committee

-Infrastructure financing

12. Prabir Sengupta Committee

-to identify "Raksha udyog Ratnas" which would enable them all benefits availed by state
run defence PSU's.

13. T. L. Shankar Committee

-to restructure Coal India Ltd.

14. Jasraj chopra committee

-gujjar reservation in Rajasthan

15. Radhakrishnan Committee

-Chairman: R. Radhakrishnan
-on Agricultural indebtness issues

16. Wadhwa Committee

-Chairman: G. D. Wadhwa
-for Pakistan occupied Kashmir and problems of Pakistani refugees in J&K.

17. Committee on financial sector Reforms

-Chairman: Raghuram G. Rajan

18. Parthasarthy committee

-to review watershed programmes

19. Lyngdoh Committee

-Chairman: J.M. Lyngdoh
-to control money expenditure in student elections

Comonly used proverbs :

A ___ penny always turns up.

Answer-bad

A bird in the hand is worth ___ in the bush.

Answer-two

A chain is no stronger than its weakest ___.

Answer-link

A fool and his money ___ soon parted.

Answer-are

A friend in need is a ___ indeed.

Answer-friend

A man is known by ___ friends.

Answer-his

A man is known by the company ___ keeps.

Answer-he

A man's home ___ his castle.

Answer-is

A rolling stone gathers ___ moss.

Answer-no

A stitch ___ time saves nine.

Answer-in

A woman's place is in the ___.

Answer-home

A woman's ___ is never done.

Answer-work

Absence makes the heart ___ fonder.

Answer-grow
Actions speak louder ___ words.
Answer-than

After a storm comes ___ calm.

Answer-a

All good things must come to an ___.

Answer-end

All is fair in love ___ war.

Answer-and

All roads lead ___ Rome.

Answer-to

All that glitters is ___ gold.

Answer-not

All the world ___ a lover.

Answer-loves

All work and no play makes Jack a dull ___.

Answer-boy

All's well that ends ___.

Answer-well

An apple a ___ keeps the doctor away.

Answer-day

Appearances ___ deceptive.

Answer-are

April showers brings ___ flowers.

Answer-May

As soon as man is born ___ begins to die.

Answer-he

As you make your bed, so must ___ lie in it.

Answer-you

As you sow, so shall ___ reap.

Answer-you
Ask no questions and hear ___ lies.
Answer-no

Bad news travels ___.

Answer-fast

Barking ___ seldom bite.

Answer-dogs

Beauty is ___ skin-deep.

Answer-only

Beggars can't ___ choosers.

Answer-be

Better late ___ never.

Answer-than

Better ___ safe than sorry.

Answer-be

Better die with honor than live ___ shame.

Answer-with

Better the devil you know ___ the devil you don't know.
Answer-than

Better to ___ alone than in bad company.

Answer-be

Birds ___ a feather flock together.

Answer-of

Blood ___ thicker than water.

Answer-is

Boys will ___ boys.

Answer-be
Business ___ pleasure.
Answer-before

Business ___ business.

Answer-is

Charity begins ___ home.

Answer-at
Christmas comes but ___ a year.
Answer-once

Cleanliness is next ___ godliness.

Answer-to

Crime does ___ pay.

Answer-not

Curiosity killed ___ cat.

Answer-the

Dead men have ___ friends.

Answer-no

Dead men tell ___ tales.

Answer-no

Death is the ___ leveler.

Answer-great

Diligence is the mother of ___ fortune.

Answer-good

Discretion is the better part ___ valor.

Answer-of

Divide ___ rule.

Answer-and

Do as I say, and ___ as I do.

Answer-not

Do not wear out ___ welcome.

Answer-your

Do unto others as you would like ___ to do unto you.

Answer-them

Don't count your chickens ___ they are hatched.

Answer-before

Don't cut off your nose to spite ___ face.

Answer-your
Don't go near the water until you learn ___ to swim.
Answer-how

Don't put all your eggs in ___ basket.

Answer-one

Don't wash ___ dirty linen in public.

Answer-your

Early to bed and early to ___, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
Answer-rise

Easier said ___ done.

Answer-than

Every bird loves to ___ himself sing.

Answer-hear

Every dog ___ his day.

Answer-has

Every family has a skeleton ___ the cupboard.

Answer-in

Every man ___ his faults.

Answer-has

Every man ___ his price.

Answer-has

Every man ___ his own worst enemy.

Answer-is

Every picture tells a ___.

Answer-story

Experience is the ___ teacher.

Answer-best

Experience is the mother ___ wisdom.

Answer-of

Failure ___ success.

Answer-teaches

Faith will ___ mountains

Answer-move

Familiarity ___ contempt.

Answer-breeds

Fear is stronger ___ love.

Answer-than

Fear of death is worse ___ death itself.

Answer-than

Fight fire ___ fire.

Answer--with

Finders keepers, ___ weepers.

Answer-losers

First come, ___ served.

Answer-first

First things ___.

Answer-first

First think, and ___ speak.

Answer-then
Fools rush ___ where angels fear to tread.
Answer-in

Garbage in, garbage___.

Answer-out

Give credit ___ credit is due.

Answer-where

Give him an inch and he'll ___ a yard.

Answer-take

Give ___ devil his due.

Answer-the

God helps them ___ help themselves.

Answer-that

Good fences ___ good neighbors.

Answer-make
Goodness is better ___ beauty.
Answer-than

Great minds ___ alike.

Answer-think

He is the ___ general who makes the fewest mistakes.

Answer-best

He that is master of himself, will soon be master of ___.

Answer-others

He that ___ nothing, doubts nothing.

Answer-knows

He that plants a tree plants ___ posterity.

Answer-for

He who hesitates ___ lost.

Answer-is

Honesty is the ___ policy.

Answer-best

If a job's worth doing, it's worth ___ well.

Answer-doing

Ignorance ___ bliss.

Answer-is

Ignorance of the law excuses ___ man.

Answer-no

In for a penny, ___ for a pound.

Answer-in

It is ___ to be on the safe side.

Answer-best

It is no use crying ___ spilt milk.

Answer-over

It never rains, but ___ pours.

Answer-it

It takes ___ to tango.

Answer-two

Jack of ___ trades, master of none.

Answer-all

Keep your mouth shut and your ___ open.

Answer-ears

Laughter is the ___ medicine.

Answer-best

Let bygones ___ bygones.

Answer-be

Let sleeping dogs ___.

Answer-lie

Let ___ buyer beware.

Answer-the

Let the dead ___ their dead.

Answer-bury

Life is just a ___ of cherries.

Answer-bowl

Lightning never strikes ___ in the same place.

Answer-twice
Like father, like ___.
Answer-son

Like mother, like ___.

Answer-daughter

Live ___ learn.

Answer-and

Live and ___ live

Answer-let

Look after number ___.

Answer-one

Look before ___ leap.

Answer-you
Look on ___ bright side.
Answer-the

Love conquers ___.

Answer-all

Love ___ blind.

Answer-is

Love makes the ___ go round.

Answer-world

Love sees ___ faults.

Answer-no

Love will ___ a way.

Answer-find
Make hay while the ___ shines.
Answer-sun

Man cannot ___ by bread alone.

Answer-live

Many hands ___ light work.

Answer-make

Marriages ___ made in heaven.

Answe-rare

Might ___ right.

Answer-is

Mind your ___ business.

Answer-own

Money is the root of ___ evil.

Answer-all

Money ___ everything.

Answer-isn't

Necessity is the ___ of invention.

Answer-mother

Never judge ___ appearances.

Answer-from
Never ___ a gift horse in the mouth.
Answer-look

Never ___ your liquor.

Answer-mix

Never ___ die.

Answer-say

Never speak ___ of the dead.

Answer-ill

Never too ___ to learn.

Answer-late

Never too late ___ repent.

Answer-to

No man can serve ___ masters.

Answer-two

No man ___ indispensable.

Answer-is

No news ___ good news.

Answer-is

No pain, ___ gain.

Answer-no

Nothing is certain ___ death and taxes.

Answer-but

Nothing succeeds ___ success.

Answer-like

Nothing ventured, ___ gained.

Answer-nothing

Old habits ___ hard.

Answer-die

Old soldiers never ___, they simply fade away.

Answer-die
One ___ turn deserves another.
Answer-good
One man's loss is another man's ___.
Answer-gain

Opportunity seldom knocks ___.

Answer-twice

Out of sight, ___ of mind.

Answer-out

Patience ___ a virtue.

Answer-is

Penny wise, ___ foolish.

Answer-pound

Practice ___ perfect.

Answer-makes

Practice what ___ preach.

Answer-you

Prevention is better ___ cure.

Answer-than

Rain, rain, go away, come ___ another day.

Answer-again

Rats desert a sinking ___.

Answer-ship

Revenge ___ sweet.

Answer-is

Robbing Peter ___ pay Paul.

Answer-to

Scratch my back and ___ scratch yours.

Answer-I'll

Seeing ___ believing.

Answer-is

Silence ___ golden.

Answer-is
Something is better ___ nothing.
Answer-than

Spare the rod and spoil ___ child.

Answer-the

Speak when you ___ spoken to.

Answer-are

Still waters run ___.

Answer-deep

Strike while the iron is ___.

Answer-hot
Sweet things are ___ for the teeth.
Answer-bad

The best ___ first.

Answer-go

The best of friends ___ part.

Answer-must

The best things in life are ___.

Answer-free

The bigger they are, the ___ they fall.

Answer-harder

The burnt ___ dreads the fire.

Answer-child

The early bird catches ___ worm.

Answer-the

The end justifies ___ means.

Answer-the

The female of the species is more deadly than the ___.

Answer-male

The ___ step is the hardest.

Answer-first

The grass is always greener on the ___ side of the fence.

Answer-other

The last straw breaks the camel's ___.

Answer-back

The more one knows, the ___ one believes.

Answer-less

The more you get, the more you ___.

Answer-want

The pot calls the kettle ___.

Answer-black

The proof of the pudding ___ in the eating.

Answer-is

There are only twenty-four hours in a ___.

Answer-day

There are two sides to ___ question.

Answer-every

There is a time and a place ___ everything.

Answer-for

There ___ no honor among thieves.

Answer-is

There is more than one ___ to skin a cat.

Answer-way

There is safety ___ numbers.

Answer-in

There's a black sheep in ___ flock.

Answer-every

There's no fool like an ___ fool.

Answer-old

There's no place ___ home.

Answer-like

There's no ___ without fire.

Answer-smoke
There's one law for the rich, and another for the ___.
Answer-poor

They that dance must ___ the fiddler.

Answer-pay

Things are not always ___ they seem.

Answer-what

Those who live in glass houses should not ___ stones.

Answer-throw

Time cures ___ things.

Answer-all

Time ___.
Answer-flies

Time is ___ great healer.

Answer-a

Time is ___.
Answer-money

To err is ___.
Answer-human

Tomorrow is ___ day.

Answer-another

Too ___ cooks spoil the broth.

Answer-many

True love ___ grows old.

Answer-never

Trust is the mother ___ deceit.

Answer-of

Turn the ___ cheek.

Answer-other
Two heads are ___ than one.
Answer-better

Two is company, ___ is a crowd.

Answer-three

Two wrongs do not ___ a right.

Answer-make

United we ___, divided we fall.

Answer-stand

Variety is the spice of ___.

Answer-life

Virtue is its ___ reward.

Answer-own

Walls ___ ears.

Answer-have

Waste not, ___ not.

Answer-want

What you don't know ___ hurt you.

Answer-can't

When in doubt, ___ nothing.

Answer-do

When in Rome, do as the ___ do.

Answer-Romans

When the cat's away, the ___ will play.

Answer-mice

Where there is no ___ there is no love.

Answer-trust

Where there's a will there's a ___.

Answer-way

You can't make an omelette without ___ eggs.

Answer-breaking

You can't ___ everyone.

Answer-please

You can't take it with you when you ___.

Answer-die
You can't tell a ___ by its cover.
Answer-book

You can't win ___ all.

Answer-them

You cannot have it ___ ways.

Answer-both

You cannot have your ___ and eat it.

Answer-cake

You don't get something ___ nothing.

Answer-for

You win some, you ___ some.

Answer-lose

important dates

January 12 National Youth Day

January 15 Army Day
January 26 Republic Day Read More
January 30 Martyrs' Day
February 24 Central Excise Day
February 28 National Science Day
April 5 National Maritime Day
May 11 National Technology Day
August 9 Quit India Day
August 15 Independence Day
August 29 National Sports Day
September 5 Teachers' Day, Sanskrit Day
October 8 Indian Air Force Day
October 10 National Postal Day
November 14 Children's Day
December 18 Minorities Rights Day
December 23 Farmers Day [Kisan Divas]

Arjuna awards:

Jayanta Talukdar (Archery)♣

KM Binu (Athletics)♣
Chetan Anand (Badminton)♣
Vijender (Boxing)♣
Hari Krishna (Chess)♣
Anjum Chopra (Cricket)♣
Jyoti Sunita (Hockey)♣
Navneet Gautam (Kabaddi)♣
Saurav Ghoshal (Squash)♣
Subhajit Saha (Table Tennis)♣
Geeta Rani (Weightlifting)♣
Geetika Jakhar (Wrestling)♣
Rohit Bhaker (Badminton, disabled category♣

awards

Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement

Varinder Singh (Hockey)♣

Shamsher Singh (Kabaddi)♣
Rajendra Singh (Wrestling)♣
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award:¬
Palden Giachho (Land adventure)♣
Motuku Indra Kanth Reddy (Air adventure)♣
Tapas Chowdhury (Water adventure)♣
Gurdial Singh (Lifetime achievement)♣
Dronacharya awards:¬
RD Singh (Athletics)♣
Damodran Chandralal (Boxing)♣
K. Ashok (Chess)♣

Sports awards presented by our President

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna: Manavjit Singh Sandhu (Shooting)

Vijay Kelkar committee on sugar industry problems

The government has set up this committee to examine in detail all the problems being
faced by the sugar industry. It would set out a road map for rapid expansion and growth
of the sugar industry and suggest measures for developing a more transparent and open
market place. It would also look into developing a more transparent system of sugar
buffer stocks that takes care of market volatilities.

National Commission for Higher Education

The ministry of HRD has proposed setting up of this body. This would oversee the work
of existing regulatory bodies of higher education. There are 13 such bodies involved in
regulating higher education. Eg. Medical Council of India, ICAR, AICTE etc.

Karnataka’s answer to Palace on Wheels

Palace on Wheels is a luxury tourist train that operates in Rajasthan.¬
¬ Karnataka has come out with its version – the Golden Chariot. It covers two world
heritage sites – Hampi and Pattadakal. It is expected to hit the tracks in November 2007.

National Commission for SC’s and ST’s

Its Chairman is Mr. Buta Singh¬

Some important commissions that have gone into the education question in India and
submitted their reports are:
The Kothari Commission (1964-66)
The Chattopadhyaya Commission (1983-85)
Yashpal Committee (

Tata group is the largest tax payer in India

Ms. Qurratulain Haider passed away

She is a renowned Urdu writer and Jnanpith winner.
“Aag ki Darya” (River of Fire), a historical tale that moves from the 4th century to the
modern India and Pakistan, is considered her magnum opus.
She was awarded the Jnanpith in 1989 for her novel “Aakhir-e-Shab ke Hamsafar”
(Travelers unto the Night).

Sadbhavana Award
Was conferred on Hem Dutta, the 63 year old social activist from Assam for his
continued commitment to the cause of peace and non-violence in Assam. He has been
doing pioneering work to promote communal harmony among people living in Assam.

NRSMMSϖ
National Radio Spectrum Management and Monitoring System¬
World Badminton Championships
China won the Mens(Lin Dan) and Womens(Zhu Lin) titles, in the championships held
at Kuala Lumpur¬
Indian Air Force pilots create a record
They successfully flew around the world in 80 days in a microlight aircraft.¬
¬ Wing Commanders Rahul Monga and Anil Kumar achieved this feat. The aim was to
circumnavigate the earth (minimum distance of 36,889 km) in the shortest period of time.
What is Nisar trophy(Cricket) about?ϖ
It is a match between India’s Ranji Trophy winners and Pakistan’s Quaid Trophy
winners.♣
♣ Pakistan and India, who in 2004 resumed their high-profile bilateral cricket rivalry
after a four-year hiatus amid political tensions, had agreed to stage an annual match
between the winners of their respective domestic tournaments.
The match is played in memory of late♣ Mohammad Nisar who played six Tests for
India in the 1930’s before migrating to Pakistan in 1950’s. He died in Lahore in 1963.
19.08.2007 - World Photography Day

R. Radhakrishna committee’s study on rural indebtedness

It has identified two dimensions to this problem:¬
An agricultural crisis because of low growth and declining productivity; and
♣ An agrarian crisis characterized by the rural population’s high dependence on farm
income.♣

¬ There are reportedly only two certified projects that produce bio-dynamic coffee in the
world. One of them is in India at Poabs Organic group’s 350 acre Thuthampara Estate in
Palakkad district of Kerala.

PRIMARY NAMES SOBRIQUETS

Aberdeen, Scotland The Granite City
Africa The Dark Continent
Amristsar, India The City of the Golden Temple
Atlantic Ocean The Herring Pond
Australia The Land of the Golden Fleece,
The Land of the Kangaroo
Bab-el-mandab The Gate of Tears
Banrain Island of Pearls
Bangalore, India The Garden City of India
Belgium The Cockpit of Europe
Belgtade, Yugoslavia White City
Bombay, India The Gateway of India
Broadway, New York The Great White Way
Burma (Mayanmar) The Land of the Golden Pagoda
Calcutta, India The City of Palaces
Canada The Land of Lilies, The Land of Maple
Chicago, USA Windy City
Cochin, India The Venice of the East, The Queen of the Arabian Sea
Cuba The Pearl of the Antilles
Egypt The Gift of the Nile
Finland The Land of Thousand Lakes
Gibraltar The key of the Mediterranean
Guinea Coast White Man's Grave
River Hwang Ho, china The Sorrow of China
Ireland The Emerald Island
Jaipur The Rose Pink

Chiefs of the Indian Army :

1. Field Marshal KM Cariappa
(16 Jan 1949 to 14 Jan 1953)

2. General KS Rajendra Sinhiji

(15 Jan 1953 to 14 May 1955)

3. General SM Shrinagesh
(15 May 1955 to 07 May 1957)

4. General KS Thimayya
(08 May 1957 to 07 May 1961)

5. General PN Thapar
(08 May 1961 to 19 Nov 1962)

6. General JN Chaudhuri
(20 Nov 1962 to 07 Jun 1966)

7. General PP Kumaramangalam
(08 Jun 1966 to 07 Jun 1969)

8. Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw

(08 Jun 1969 to 15 Jan 1973)

9. General GG Bewoor
(16 Jan 1973 to 31 May 1975)

10. General TN Raina

(01 Jun 1975 to 31 May 1978)

11. General OP Malhotra

(01 Jun 1978 to 31 May 1981)

12. General KV Krishna Rao

(01 Jun 1981 to 31 Jul 1983)

13. General AS Vaidya

(01 Aug 1983 31 Jan 1985)

14. General K Sundarji

(01 Feb 1985 to 31 May 1988)

15. General VN Sharma

(30 Jun 1988 to 30 Jun 1990)

16. General SF Rodrigues

(01 Jul 1990 to 30 Jun 1993)

17. General BC Joshi

(01 Jul 1993 to 19 Nov 1994)

18. General S Roychowdhury

(22 Nov 1994 to 30 Sep 1997)

19. General VP Malik

(01 Oct 1997 to 30 Sep 2000)

20. General S Padmanabhan

(01 Oct 2000 to 30 Dec 2002)

21. General NC Vij

(31 Dec 2002 to 31 Jan 2005)

22. General JJ Singh

(01 Feb 2005 to 30 Sep 2007)

23. General Deepak Kapoor

(30 Sep 2007 to till date)