1About India

Capital : New DelhiArea : 3,287,263 sq. kmPopulation (2001) : 1,027,015,247

State (28): Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.Union Territories (6): Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Pondicherry.

National Capital Territory (1): DelhiECONOMIC INDICATORS:Gross Domestic Product: Rs.18,95,843 crores.Per Capita Income: Rs.16,486GDP (in $ term, 2000): 476 billion approx.

Capitals, Area and Population of States(According to Senses 2001)

States Capitals AreaSq. K.M.

Population

Andhra Pradesh Hyderabad 275,045 75,727,541Arunachal Pradesh Itanagar 83,743 1,091,117Assam Dispur 78,438 26,638,407Bihar Patna 94,164 82,878,796Chhattisgarh Raipur 135,237 20,795,956Goa Panaji 3,720 1,343,998Gujarat Gandhinagar 196,024 50,596,9992Haryana Chandigarh 44,212 21,082,989Jammu & Kashmir Srinagar (summer)

Jammu (winter)222,236 10,069,917

Himachal Pradesh Simla / Dharamshala 55,673 6,077,248Jharkhand Ranchi 79,261 26,909,428Karnataka Bangalore 191.791 52,733,958Kerala Thiruvananthapuram 38,863 31,838,619Madhya Pradesh Bhopal 308,144 60,385,118Maharashtra Mumbai 307,713 96,752,247Manipur Imphal 22,327 2,388,634Meghalaya Shilong 22,429 2,306,069Mizoram Aizawl 21,081 891,058Nagaland Kohima 16,579 1988636

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Orissa Bhubaneswar 155,707 36,706,920Punjab Chandigarh 50,362 24,289,296Rajasthan Jaipur 342,239 56,473,122Sikkim Gangtok 7096 540,493Tamil Nadu Chennai 130,058 62,110,839Tripura Agartala 10492 3,19,168Uttar Pradesh Lucknow 294,000 16,60,52,859Uttarakhand Dehradun 53,566 8,479,562West Bengal Kolkata 88,750 80,221,171Delhi Delhi 1483 13,782,976Andaman & Nicobar Port Blair 8,249 13,782,976Chandigarh Chandigarh 114 900,914Dadra & Nagar Haveli

Silvassa 491 220,451

Daman and Diu Daman 112 158059Lakshadweep Kavaratti 32 60,595Pondicherry Pondicherry 192 973,829

The National FlagThe National Flag of India is a tri-colour with three equal horizontal stripes – (i) Saffron (Kesari) at the top (ii) White in the middle and (iii) dark green at the bottom. A Chakra, dark blue in colour and having 24 spokes – is super-imposed on the middle white stripe. This Emblem on the flag is an exact reproduction of the Dharma Chakra on the capital of Ashoka’s pillar at Sarnath. The ratio of the width to length of the flag is two to three. The National Flag of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on the 22nd July, 1947 and it was presented to the nation on behalf of the women of India at the midnight session of the Assembly on the 14th August, 1947.

Use of the Flag(i) The dipping of the Flag to any person or things is prohibited.(ii) No other flag or emblem is to be placed above or to the right of the National Flag.

It hung in a line all other flags are to be placed on the left of the National Flag. When flown or raised with other Flags, the National Flag must be the highest.

(iii) The flag is not to be carried flat or horizontally but always aloft and free when carried in a procession it is to be borne high on the right shoulder of the standard bearer and carried in front of the procession.

National Animal, Bird, FlowerNational Animal of India: Tiger (Lion has been replaced by tiger as the National Animal of India) National Bird of India: Peacock National Flower of India: Lotus.

Principal Religions, Place of Worship and Religious Books

Principal Religions Placed of Worship Religious BooksChristianity Church BibleHinduism Temple Vedas, The Bhagabat Gita,

Ramayana, Mahabharata.Islam Masque Qoran

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ABOUT INDIA

Principal Religions Placed of Worship Religious BooksJews Synagogue TorahSikhism Gurudwara The Granth SahibZoroastrianism (Parsi religion) Fire Temple: Zend Avesta.

National SongThe song “Vande Mataram” is the national song of India. It is older than “Jana-Gana-Mana” and was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee appeared in his novel Anandamath, published 1882. It was first sung at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress.

National AnthemThe song Jana-Gana-Mana was adopted as the National Anthem of India on 24th January 1950.The song Jana-Gana-Mana was composed by Rabindranath Tagore and it was first published in January 1912. Under the title Bharat Vidhata in the Tatva-Bodhini Patrika edited by Tagore himself. The song was translated into English by Tagore in 1919 under the title Morning Song of India. The complete song consists of five stanzas and only the first stanza has been adopted by the Defence Forces and is usually sung on ceremonial occasion.

Indian ConstitutionThe task of framing the Constitution of India was given to the Constituent Assembly, formed under the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946. The inaugural meeting of the Constituent Assembly was held on December 9, 1946. Dr. Sachidananda was the first Chairman of the Constituent Assembly. On December 11, 1946, Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected President of the Constituent Assembly. The Constituent Assembly then appointed a Drafting Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the then Law Minister and the Leader of the Scheduled Castes. The Constitutional Advisor was Shri B. N. Rao. The first draft of the Constitution was published in February 1948.

Adopted: The Constitution on India was enacted, signed and adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949.

Commencement of the Constitution: On January 26, 1950, the Constitution of India came into force (this date is also referred to as ‘date of the commencement’ of the Constitution), on which date India also became a Republic. The Constitution finally passed by the Constituent Assembly had 395 Articles and only 8 Schedules. Now it has over 400 Articles and 10 Schedules. The Constitution of India now consists of:

(i) The Preamble(ii) Pars I to XXII, covering Articles Kore than 400(iii) Schedules 1-10(iv) An Appendix.

Salient Features(1) It is the longest, written Constitution in the world. (2) Consisting of 22 Chapters, Mare than 400 Articles and 10 Schedules.(3) The proclaims India a Sovereign Democratic Republic. (4) Fundamental Rights are guarantied to all citizens of India. (5) Directive Principles of State Policy are incorporated. (6) It is federal in form (in normal times), but unitary in spirit (in emergencies)

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(7) It is neither too rigid (as some provisions can be amended by a simple majority) nor flexible (as some provisions require special majority for amendment).

(8) It established an independent judiciary; the Supreme Court acts as a guardian of the Constitution in place of the Privy Council.

(9) It guarantees single citizenship to all citizens. (10) It declares India a secular state.

Articles of the Constitution

Part/Article Deals withPart IArticles 1-4

Territory of India, admission, establishment or formation of new states.

Part IIArticles 5-11

Citizenship.

Part IIIArticles 12-35

Fundamental Rights.

Part IVArticles 36-51

Directive Principles of State Policy.

Part IV-AArticles 52-A

Duties of a citizen of India. It was added by 42nd Amendment in 1976.

Part VArticles 52-151

Government at the Union Level.

Part VIArticles 152-237

Government at the State Level.

Part VIIArticle 238

Deals with states in Part B of the First Schedule. it was repealed by 7th Amendment in 1956.

Part VIIIArticles 239-241

Administration of Union Territories.

Part IXArticles 242-243

Territories in Part D of the First Schedule and other territories. It was repealed by 7th Amendment in 1956.

Part XArticles 244-244A

Scheduled and tribal areas.

Part XIArticles 245-263

Relation between the Union and States.

Part XIIArticles 264-300

Finance, Property, Contracts and Suits.

Part XIIIArticles 301-307

Trade, Commerce and Travel within the Territory of India.

Part XIVArticles 308-323

Services under the Union and States.

Part XIV-AArticles 323A-323B

Added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976 and deals with administrative tribunals to hear disputes and other complaints.

Part XVArticles 324-329

Election and Election Commission.

Part XVIArticles 330-342

Special provision to certain classes ST/SC and Anglo-Indians.

Part XVIIArticles 343-351

Official Languages.

Part XVIII Emergency Provisions.

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Articles 352-360Part XIXArticles 361-367

Miscellaneous provisions regarding exemption of the President and Governors from criminal proceedings.

Part XXArticles 368

Amendment of Constitution.

Part XXIArticles 369-392

Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions.

Part XXIIArticles 393

Short title, Commencement and Repeat of the Constitution.

The President There shall be a President of India; the executive power of the Union vested in him, exercised by him directly or through officials subordinate to him in accordance with the Constitution of India. The President is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. He is liable to act on the advice of ministers who are responsible to the legislature (Parliament). Election: elected by an electoral college consisting of:

(i) elected members of Parliament (both Houses) (ii) elected members of the State Legislatures.

The election is conducted by secret ballot in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.

Position: He is the Constitutional head of a parliamentary system of government. He represents the nation but does not rule it. The real power vests in the council of ministers.

Qualifications: (i) He must be a citizen of India.(ii) He must not be less than 35 years of age.(iii) He must be qualified to be an elected member of the Lok Sabha but shall not be a

member. (iv) He must not be holding any office of profit under the Government of India or any

other Government. A governor of state, or a minister of the Union or State or Vice-President of the Union will not, however, be considered as persons holding office of profit and as such they are eligible for election.

Tenure: Elected for five years but is eligible for immediate re-election and can serve any member of terms.

Procedure for Removal of President: May be removed from office for violation of the Constitution before the expiry of his term by impeachment. Such impeachment can be moved in either House of Parliament by means of a resolution of 14 days notice in writing, duly signed by at least one-fourth of the total membership of the House concerned, is given. The charges must be investigation. If the charges are sustained by a resolution adopted by a two-thirds majority, the President can be removed from office.

Prime MinisterThe office of the Prime Minister is recognised in Article 74(1) in the constitutions India. The President appoints that man as Prime Minister, who enjoys majority support in the House of the

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People. While the President is the Head of the State, the Prime Minister is the head of the Government.

Functions: (a) He recommends the names of persons for the Council of Minister, (b) he presides over the meetings of the cabinet, (c) he communicates to the President all decisions of the Council of Ministers relating to the administration of the Union and proposal for legislation, (d) he allocates business among his colleagues, (e) he coordinates the policies of the several Ministers, (f) he acts as the leader of the House of the people, (g) he recommends to the president the names for major appointments like those of Ambassadors, Judges, Attorney General, Comptroller General, Governors etc.

Election Commission The Constitution provides for an independent Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections to the Parliament, the State Legislatures and the offices of President and Vice-President. The Election Commission consists of a Chief Election Commissioner and such other Election Commissioners as the President may decide from time to time. They are appointed by the President for a terms of 5 years. The term can be cut short on account of registration or removal by the President on grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity on the recommendation of the Parliament.

Powers: The Chief Election Commissioner cannot be removed by the President except as a consequence of the passing of a resolution by the Parliament on the grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity.

Functions:1. To superintend, direct and control the preparation of the electoral rolls for

election.2. To conduct all elections to parliament and state legislatures and elections of

the President and Vice-President. 3. To advise the President regarding disqualification of the members of

Parliament etc. 4. To examine the return of election expenses filled by the candidates.

The Chief MinisterIs the leader of the party that commands a majority in the Legislative Assembly, and is invited by the Governor to become the Chief Minister and form his cabinet.

The AppointmentHe is appointed by the Governor of the concerned state on the basis of his leadership of the majority party in the Legislative Assembly.

A Non-member as Chief MinisterA person, who is not a member of the State Legislature, can be appointed as Chief Minister. In case of such an appointment, the persons concerned is required to get himself elected as a member of the State Legislature within six months of his appointment, failing which he is removed form office.

Appointment of MinistersThe Chief Minister recommends the names of ministers together with proposed portfolios for them to the Governor who then appoints them.

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The Comptroller and Auditor General of India The President appoints the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to perform all duties and exercise power in connection with the accounts of the Union and States. His main duty is to keep a vigilant watch on the finances of the Union and the States, to submit reports to the President and the Governors of the States, and to ensure that the money voted by the Legislature is spent under appropriate heads and not exceeded or varied. He holds office for a term of 5 years or till he attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. The President can remove his (CAG) from the office before the expiry of his term on grounds of proved misbehaviour and incapacity. In short, the CAG acts as the custodian and trustee of public money. He ensures regularity of expenditure and looks into the wisdom of the expenditure.

The GovernorThe Governor is the nominal executive head of the state and all executive authority of the state is vested in him.

Qualification:(i) must be citizen of India(ii) must have completed 35 years of age.(iii) must posses the qualifications prescribed for membership of the state legislature(iv) must not hold any office of profit.

Appointment: Governors of states are appointed by the President of India.

Why Appointed and Not Elected? There are several considerations which prompted the Constituent Assembly to have the Governor appointed and not elected; important among them being:

(i) an elected Governor may be considered superior to the Chief Minister because the latter is elected only from one constituency;

(ii) to have a strong Central Government to counter the separatist tendencies in the country, it is better to have the Governor appointed by the President and not elected.

Tenure:A Governor is appointed for a term of 5 years and holds office with the consent of the President.

The Attorney-General of India The President appoints the Attorney General. The persons should be qualified to be appointed a judge of the Supreme Court. His duties include providing to expert legal advice to the Government of India and other legal tasks as are assigned to him by the President. He is entitled to such salary and allowances as may be determined by the President. The Attorney-General is entitled to audience in all courts in the country and can take part in the proceedings of the Parliament and its committees. However, he is not given the right to vote.

Finance Commission Under Article 280 of the Constitution, provision has been made for the Constitution of a Finance Commission within two years of the commencement of the Constitution and thereafter at the expiration of every 5th year. It consists of a Chairman and four other members appointed by the

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President. The Chairman is selected from amongst persons who have had experience in public affairs, while the members are selected from amongst persons who:

(i) are or have been, or are qualified to be appointed judges of the high court, or(ii) have special knowledge of the finance and accounts of the government, or (iii) have had wide experience in financial matters and its administration , or (iv) have special knowledge of economics.

Functions1) Distribution of the net proceeds of the taxes, which are divisible between the Union and the

States. 2) To recommended the principles, which should govern the grant-in-aid of the revenues of

the states out of the consolidated funds of India.3) To tender advice to the President on any other matter referred to the Commission in the

interest of sound finance.

Planning Commission The necessity for planning was advocated in India much before Independence by individuals like M. Visvesvarayya, the Congress Party as well as the Government. It was, however, after independence that the Government of India set up a Planning Commission in March 1950 to prepare a plan for the most effective and balanced utilisation of the country’s resources. The Commission issued a draft outline of the first five-year plan in July, 1951 which was finalised and submitted to Parliament in December, 1952.

Objective of Planning Commission: The chief objective of Planning was defined as initiating a process of development, which will raise living standards and open out to the people new opportunities for a richer and more varied like. Another objective in view was to stabilize the growth of population over a reasonable period. Yet another main objective before the planning commission was to ensure that the country could after a period of ten years or so, reduce substantially dependence on assistance from abroad.

Functions of Planning Commission: The main functions of the Planning Commission are: 1) Assessment of the material, capital and human resources of the country

including technical, personnel, and formulation of proposal for augmenting such of these resources as are found to be deficient.

2) Formulation of Plans for the most effective and balanced utilisation of the country’s resources.

3) Definition of stages in which the plan should be carried out or a determination of priorities and allocation of resources for completion of each stage.

4) Determination of the nature of the machinery necessary for the implementation of the plan in all its aspects.

5) Appraisal from time to time of the progress achieved in the execution of each stage of the plan.

6) Public co-operation in national development7) Perspective planning.

The Planning Commission is concerned broadly with technical questions relating to planning and the planning organisation itself. The policy and details of specific schemes included in the plan are now dealt with by the Central Administrative Ministers and State Governments.

Miscellaneous Superlatives – India

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Scheduled Tribes : Madhya Pradesh

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Largest Auditorium : Sri Shanmukhananda Hall, MumbaiLargest Botanical Garden : National Botanical Garden in KolkataLongest Sea Bridge : Anna Indira Gandhi Bridge connecting the island

of Rameswaram with Mandapam in Tamil Nadu (2.34 km long)

Longest Canal : Indira Gandhi Canal or Rajasthan Canal (959 km long)

Largest Cave Temple : Ellora (Maharashtra)Largest Church : St. Cathedral at Old Goa, 10 km from Panaji.Longest Corridor : Corridor in Ramanathaswamy Temple at

Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu (1220 m/4002 ft. long)

Faster Train : Shatabdi Express between New Delhi and Bhopal at a speed on 140 kmph.

Largest Refinery : IOC Refinery at Koyah (Gujarat)Community : ChamarLongest Road : Grand Trunk Road from Kolkata to DelhiLargest State in area : RajasthanMost populated State : Uttar PradeshMost Densely populated State : West BengalMost Literate State : KeralaTallest Statue : Statue of Jain Saint Gomateswara at

Sravanabelagola in Karnataka.Largest Tunnel : Jawahar Tunnel, Banihal Pass (Jammu and

Kashmir)Smallest Union Territory in area

: Lakshadweep (32 sq. km)

Most population Union Territory

: Delhi (94,20,644)

Highest Airport : Leh Airport in Laddakh (3256 m/16080 ft high)Largest Public Sector Bank : State Bank of IndiaLongest Rivet Bridge : Mahatma Gandhi Setu over the Ganga at Patna

(5,575 m/18286 ft long)Biggest Cantilever Bridge : Rabindra Setu (also called Howrah Bridge),

Hooghly river in Kolkata.Largest Cave : Amaranth (about 44 km from Pahalgaon in

Jammu and Kashmir.Oldest Church : St. Thomas Church at Palayar in Trichur district

in Kerala built in 52 A.D.Most Populous City : Mumbai.Highest Dam : Bhakra Dam on Sutlej river in Punjab (226m/738

ft high and 518 m/1699 ft long).

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Most Literate Union Territory : LakshadweepLargest Zoo : Zoological Gardens KolkataLongest River : Ganga (2640 km long)Highest Road : Road at Khardungla in the Leh-Manali SectorSmallest State in Area : Goa.Least Populated State : Sikkim.Least Densely Populated State : Arunachal Pradesh.Most Women State : Kerala.Largest Stupa : Great Stupa of Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh.Largest Union Territory in area : Andaman and Nicobar Island (8,249 sq. km)Least Populated Union Territory

: Lakshadweep (51,707)

Highest Water Fall : Jog Waterfall, KarnatakaLargest Delta : Sundarban (75,000 sq. km. formed by the Ganga

and Brahmaputra in West Bengal and Bangladesh)

Highest Gateway : Buland Darwaza at Fatepur Sikri near Agra. Built by Akbar (53.5m/175 ft high)

Largest Gurudwara : Golden Temple at Amritsar.Largest Lake : Wular Lake, Kashmir.Largest Library : National Library, KolkataLargest Mosque : Jama Masjid, Delhi (built by Shah Jahan in 1644-

58).Largest Museum : Indian Museum, Kolkata.Largest Prison : Tihar Jail, DelhiLongest Passenger Train Route : Jammu Tawai – Kanyakumari (3730 km)Longest Railway Platform : Kharagpur in West Bengal (833 m/2733 ft). Also

world’s longest.Largest Tribe : GondLongest Dam : Hirakund Dam on Mahanadi river in Orissa (24.4

km long)Largest Dome : Gol Gambuz, Bijapur in KarnatakaLongest Glacier : Siachen Glacier on the Indo-Pakistan border

(75.6 km long and 2.8 km wide)Highest Hydel Power Station : Rongtong Hydel Project in Kinnaur district of

Himachal Pradesh.Largest Freshwater Lake : Kollern in Andhra Pradesh.Oldest Monastery : Buddhist Monastery (situated at an altitude of

3,048 m/10,000 ft) at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

Highest Mountain Peak : KanchanjunghaLargest Planetarium : Birla Planetariums, KolkataLongest Railway Bridge : Dehri-on-Sone Railway bridge over the Sone

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river near Sasaram on Kolkata-Delhi main line.

Citizenship

(a) Indian Constitution provides for a single and uniform citizenship i.e., a person residing in any State in India docs not need to acquire a separate citizenship of the Union in addition. A citizen of India cannot acquire citizenship of any foreign country simultaneously and also a person of Indian origin who voluntarily acquires the citizenship of any foreign State is not entitled to Indian citizenship.(b) An Indian citizen is not entitled to vote if he is less than years of age on a fixed date and/or is otherwise disqualified under the Constitution or any law of the appropriate Legis-lature on the ground of non-residence, unsoundness of mind, crime or corrupt or illegal practice.

How it is acquired?The citizenship of India is acquired (i) by birth or (ii) by descent or (iii) by naturalization. Except in the case of children born in India to foreign diplomats accredited to this country or to enemy aliens, every person born in India on or after the 26th of January, 1950, is a citizen of India by birth.A person born outside India on or after the 26th of January, 1950, is a citizen of India by descent if his or her father happened to be a citizen of India at the time of his or her birth. Citizenship can be acquired by naturalization by (i) persons of Indian origin ordinarily living outside India and Pakistan, (a) by women married to citizens of India, (iii) by minor children of persons who arc citizens of India or (iv) by persons belonging to other countries who fulfil certain conditions laid down in the citizenship Act of 1955.Citizenship can be terminated, if a person makes a declaration renouncing it and such declaration is registered-by prescribed authority. All Indians who voluntarily acquired the citizenship of another country between 26th January, 1950, and 30th December, 1955 (when the Citizenship Act came into force) automatically ceased to be citizens of India.The Central Government can deprive a naturalized citizen of his citizenship by an order in that behalf, if the said citizen appears to be disloyal or is known to have engaged in trade with an enemy or has been sentenced to imprisonment for not less than-two years in another country or has been living outside India for a continuous period of seven years.

BudgetThe Budget is a Programme of action with a financing plan and an expenditure plan and can be termed as annual financial statement. It gives detailed proposals as to how much is to be spent on what and how much of it is to be contributed by whom and from where.Budget is presented to the Lok Sabha normally at 5 PM on the last working day of February every year when The Stock Exchanges close for the day. Simultaneously a copy of it is placed on the table of the Rajya Sabha.The Parliament is not competent to discuss the provision made in the Budget for the emoulments and allowances of the President. Article 113 of the constitution enjoins that such sums as are charged on The Consolidated Fund like the salary, allowances etc of the President, The Presiding officers of the Parliament, Judges of The Supreme Court etc, need not be voted upon.

Deficit FinancingWhen a Finance Minister resorts to deficit financing, the gap between The State resorts and expenditure is bridged up by drawing upon reserves with the Government or by resort to

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borrowing. This process is known as deficit financing by which money is created without productive resources being augmented to back the money supply.

InflationA phenomenon that occurs when the supply of money and of bank deposits circulating through cheques increases relatively to the demand for medium of exchange, so as to bring about a rise in general price level, developing into a spiral where in costs and prices chase each other. In short, it is an increase in the amount of paper money, which tends to raise general price-level commodities.Consolidated Fund of IndiaAll revenues received by the Government of India, all loans raised by The Government by the issue of treasurey bills, loans or ways and means, advances and all money received by that Government in repayment of loans form one consolidated fund called “Consolidated fund of India”

Finance CommissionUnder Article 280 of the Constitution, provision has been made for the Constitution of a Finance Commission within two years of the commencement of the Constitution and thereafter at the expiration of every 5th year. It consists of a Chairman and tour other members appointed by the President. The Chairman is selected from amongst persons who have had experience in public affairs, while the members are selected from amongst persons who:(i) are or have been, or arc qualified to be appointed judges of the high court, or (ii) have special knowledge of the finance and accounts of the government, or (iii) have had wide experience in financial matters and its administration, or(iv) have special knowledge of economics.

Functions1) Distribution of the net proceeds of the taxes which are divisible between the Union and the States.2) To recommended the principles which should govern the grant-in-aid of the revenues of the stales out of the consolidated funds of India.3) To tender advice to the President on any other matter referred to the Commission in the interest of sound finance.

Planning CommissionThe Planning Commission in India was set up on March 1950 to promote a rapid rise in the standard of living of the people by utilizing the resources of the country, increasing production and offering employment opportunities to all. The Planning Commission has the responsibility for formulating plans as to how the resources can be used in the most effective way. The Planning Commission has to make periodic assessment of all resources in the country, boost up insufficient resources and formulate plans for the most efficient and judicious utilization of resources.Jawaharlal Nehru was the first chairman of the Planning Commission.

Structure of the Planning Commission:The Prime minister is the chairman of the Planning Commission. The Deputy Chairman and the full time members give advice and guidance for the formulation of Five Year Plan, Annual Plans, State Plans, Projects and Schemes etc. Currently the structure of the planning commission is like this:1. Chairman - Dr. Manmohan Singh

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2. Deputy Chairman- Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia3. Minister of State- Shri M.V. Rajshekharan4. Members - Dr. Kirit Parikh,Prof. Abhijit Sen, Dr. V. L. Chopra ,Dr. Bhalchandra

Mungekar, Dr.(Ms.) Syeda Hameed,Shri B.N.Yugandhar, Shri Anwar-ul-Hoda, Shri B. K. Chaturvedi

5. Secretary- Dr. Subhas Pani

Functions of the Planning Commission India:Following are the functions of the Planning Commission of India: To make an assessment of the resources of the country and to see which resources are

deficient. To formulate plans for the most effective and balanced utilization of country's resources

To indicate the factors which are hampering economic development. To determine the machinery, that would be necessary for the successful implementation

of each stage of plan. Periodical assessment of the progress of the plan. With the changing times, the Planning commission is preparing itself for long term vision

for the future. The commission is seeing to maximize the output with minimum resources.

From being a centralized planning system, the Indian economy is slowly progressing towards indicative planning wherein the Planning Commission has set the goal of constructing a long term strategic vision for the future.

It sets sectoral targets and provides the catalyst to the economy to grow in the right direction.

The Planning Commission plays an integrative role in the development of a holistic approach to the formulation of policies in critical areas of human and economic development.

The 1950 resolution setting up the Planning Commission outlined its functions as to:a. Make an assessment of the material, capital and human resources of the country, including technical personnel, and investigate the possibilities of augmenting such of these resources as are found to be deficient in relation to the nation's requirement;b. Formulate a Plan for the most effective and balanced utilisation of country's resources,c. On a determination of priorities, define the stages in which the Plan should be carried out and propose the allocation of resources for the due completion of each stage;d. Indicate the factors which are tending to retard economic development, and determine the conditions which, in view of the current social and political situation, should be established for the successful execution of the Plan;

e. Determine the nature of the machinery which will be necessary for securing the successful implementation of each stage of the Plan in all its aspects;

f. Appraise from time to time the progress achieved in the execution of each stage of the Plan and recommend the adjustments of policy and measures that such appraisal may show to be necessary; and

g. Make such interim or ancillary recommendations as appear to it to be appropriate either for facilitating the discharge of the duties assigned to it, or on a consideration of prevailing economic conditions, current policies, measures and development programmes or on an examination of such specific problems as may be referred to it for advice by Central or State Governments.

Evolving Functions

16

ABOUT INDIA

From a highly centralised planning system, the Indian economy is gradually moving towards indicative planning where Planning Commission concerns itself with the building of a long term strategic vision of the future and decide on priorities of nation. It works out sectoral targets and provides promotional stimulus to the economy to grow in the desired direction.Planning Commission plays an integrative role in the development of a holistic approach to the policy formulation in critical areas of human and economic development. In the social sector,schemes which require coordination and synthesis like rural health, drinking water, rural energyneeds, literacy and environment protection have yet to be subjected to coordinated policy formulation. It has led to multiplicity of agencies. An integrated approach can lead to better results at much lower costs.The emphasis of the Commission is on maximising the output by using our limited resources optimally. Instead of looking for mere increase in the plan outlays, the effort is to look for increases in the efficiency of utilisation of the allocations being made.With the emergence of severe constraints on available budgetary resources, the resource allocation system between the States and Ministries of the Central Government is under strainThis requires the Planning Commission to play a mediatory and facilitating role, keeping in viewthe best interest of all concerned. It has to ensure smooth management of the change and helpin creating a culture of high productivity and efficiency in the Government.The key to efficient utilisation of resources lies in the creation of appropriate self-managed organisations at all levels. In this area, Planning Commission attempts to play a systems change role and provide consultancy within the Government for developing better systems. In order to spread the gains of experience more widely, Planning Commission also plays an information dissemination role.

Fundamental Right(i) Right to Equality: Prohibits discrimination against any citizen on grounds or race, religion, caste, sex or place of birth; equality of opportunity in matters of public employment; social equality by prohibition of the practice of untouchability in any form and abolition of titles, except those which seek to confer military or academic distinctions.(ii) Right to freedom of speech etc: Freedom of speech and expression; freedom to assemble peacefully and without arms; to form associations or unions; freedom to move freely throughout India; to reside and settle in any part of India; to acquire, hold and dispose of properties; and freedom to practice any profession, trade or business.(iii) Right against exploitation: It prohibits traffic in human beings, begar or other forms of forced labour; prohibition of employment of children below 14 years of age in any factory or mine or in other risky occupations.(iv) Right to freedom of religion: complete freedom of conscience and right to profess, practice, or propagate any religion, subject only to public order, mortality, health and some other essential provisions.(v) Cultural and Educational rights: right of every community to protect its language, script or culture. Right of the minorities to establish and administer their own educational institutions.(vi) Right to Constitutional remedies: Right of every citizen to protect these Fundamental Rights against encroachment by the executive and the right to move the Supreme Court or a High Court for the enforcement of these rights.This right can, however, be suspended during the operation of proclamation of emergency by the President.

Property Right

17

Chapter 1

The Right to Property, which used to be one of the Fundamental Rights, ceases to be a Fundamental Right and becomes only a legal right according to the Constitution 44th Amendment.It is, however, ensured that the removal of the Property Right from the list of Fundamental Rights would not affect the right of the minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. Besides, a provision has been made, as before that no person will be deprived of his property except in accordance with law.

First in India

First Woman Minister : Vijayalakshmi Pandit of U.P.

First Woman to Climb the Mount Everest : Bachendri Pal

First Woman Prime Minister : Indira Gandhi

First Woman Speaker of a State Assembly : Shano Devi

First Woman Airline Pilot : Durba Banerjee

First Woman to win an Asiad Gold : Kamaljit Sandhu

First Woman Judge of the Supreme Court : Meera Sahib Fatima Bibi

First Woman IPS Officer : Kiran Bedi

First Indian in the British Parliament : Dadabhai Naoroji

First Indian to win Miss Universe Title : Sushmita Sen

First Indian Woman Congress President : Sarojini Naidu (1925)

Woman President of UN (First) : Vijayalakshmi Pandit (1953)

First Woman to win the Nobel Prize : Mother Teresa (1979)

The First Beyond Visual Range air-to-air Missile (Bvraam) : Astra

The First free internet-based Indian Language Electronic

Mail : GIST-mail

The First network-based fully computerised used post

office was set-up at : New Delhi

The First Central Jail for Women was set-up at : New Delhi

The First Army Institute of Information Technology is

established at : Hyderabad

The First e-business newspaper : Financial Express

The First Internet Mutual Fund for all : Kothari Pioneer

On-line banking customers launched by : Mutual Fund

The first Virtual Card launched : Citi Bank E-card

The first luxury taxi service was launched in : Delhi

The first all-composite twin seater trainer aircraft : Hansa

First British Governor in 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 Indian : General K. M. Cariappa

18

ABOUT INDIA

First Chief of Air Staff : Air Marshall Sir Thomas

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. Leader Rakesh Sharma

First Emperor of Mughal Dynasty in India : Babur

First Field Marshal : SPFJ Manekshaw

First Governor-General of Indian Union : C. Rajagopalachari

First Train Steamed off from : Mumbai to Thane (1853)

First Electric Train : Mumbai VT to Kurla (1925)

First Silent Movie : Raja Harish Chandra made by

Dada Saheb Phalke (1913)

First Coloured Cinemascope Film : Pyar Ki Pyas (1961)

First Satellite launched : Aryabhatta (1975)

First indigenously built satellite : INSAT-2A (1992)

First atomic device exploded at : Pokharan in Rajasthan (1974)

First large-scale nuclear reactor : Apsara (1956)

First Hydroelectric Station set-up at : Darjeeling (1898)

First indigenously designed and built missile : Prithvi (1988)

First member of the Dalit Community to become the

President of India : K.R. Narayanan

First Solar Thermal Parabolic through power station was

established at. : Mathania (Rajasthan)

First infrastructure project completed on a build operate-

transfer basis without any foreign borrowing : Konkan Railway

First Indian writer to win the Booker Prize : Arundhati Roy

First Musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna : M.S. Subhalakshmi

First Indian Woman to go into space : Kalpana Chawla

First Extra Fast Attach craft on the Navy : T-80

First Chairman of the Prasar Bharati Board : Nikhil Chakravarthy

First Indian Institution to be awarded Gandhi Peace Prize : Ramakrishna Mission

The First CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) run bus was

started in : Delhi

The First Solar City is developed at : Anandpur Sahib

First Magsaysay Award Winner : Acharya Vinoba Bhave

(1958)

First Novel Prize Winner : Rabindranath Tagore

First President of the Indian National Congress : W.C. Banerjee

19

Chapter 1

First Woman President of the Indian National Congress : Annie Besant

First President to die in office : Dr. Zakir Hussain

First Prime Minister to lose an Election : Indira Gandhi

First Prime Minister to Resign form Office : Morarji Desai

First Deputy Prime Minister : Ballavbhai Patel

First Talkie Film : Alam Ara (1931)

First test-tube baby : Indira (Baby Harsha)

First Viceroy : Lord Canning

First Woman Central Minister : Rajkumari Amrit Kaur

First Woman Chief Minister of a State : Sucheta Kripalani

First Woman Governor : Sarojini Naidu

First Woman to become ‘Miss World’ : Rita Faria

First Speaker of Lok Sabha : G.V. Mavalankar (1952-57)

First Chairman, Rajya Sabha : S.V. Krishnamoorthy (1952)

First Indian to pass ICS : Surendra Nath Banerjee

(1862)

First Indian Pilot : JRD Tata (1929)

First to reach Antarctica : Lt. Ramcharan (1960)

First judge to face impeachment proceedings in Lok Sabha : Justice V. Ramaswami (1993)

First Newspaper : Bengal Gazette (1781)

First Vernacular Daily : Samachar Darpan (1818)

First Post Office opened at : Kolkata (1727)

First Telegraph Line installed : Between Diamond Harbour

and Kolkata (1851)

Lokpal Bill was introduced first in the Parliament in : 1968

First Mobile Police Station was set-up at : Hoshiarpur

First Export Promotion Industrial park was opened at : Sitapura (near Jaipur)

First DNA typing forensic laboratory set-up at : Kolkata

First Electric Train started between : Ludhiana and New Delhi

First Science City was inaugurated in : Kolkata

First Oceanarium was set-up in : Goa

First Indian Author to get the Anderson Award : Ruskin Bond

First Actress of Indian Cinema : Kamalbai Gokhale

First Woman Pilot of IAF : Harita Deal

First Indian to reach the deep sea floor in the mid-Atlantic : P. S. Rao

First Indian to get an Oscar : Bhanu Athaiya

First Indian to reach the South Pole : Col. I. K. Bajaj.

First Indian ICS Officer : Satyendra Nath Tagore

First Indian Member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council : Sri S. P. Sinha

20

ABOUT INDIA

First Indian Man to Swim across the English Channel : Mihir Sen

First Indian Woman to Swim across the English Channel : Arati Saha

First Indian Woman to Swim across the Strait of Gibraltar : Arti Pradhan

First Man to Climb Mount Everest : Tenzing Norgay

First Man to Climb Mount Everest without oxygen : Phu Dorjee

First man to climb Mount Every twice : Nawang Gombu

First Muslim woman to sit on the throne of Delhi : Razia Sultana

Newspapers-India Name Place of Publication Language Mid-Day Mumbai English The Hitavada Nagpur English Deccan Herald Bangalore English

Akali Patrika Jullundhur Punjabi

Aaj Kanpur/Varanasi/Agra Hindi

Hindustan Standard Kolkata EnglishSearchlight Patna EnglishTimes of India New Delhi/Mumbai/Ahmedabad etc. English Nav Bharat Times New Delhi/Mumbai HindiMatribhoomi Cuttack Oriya

Tej Delhi UrduAmar Ujala Agra/Bareilly/Meerut/Jhansi/Allahabad/

Aligarh/KanpurHindi

Pioneer Lucknow EnglishEconomic Times Mumbai/Delhi EnglishThe Tribune Chandigarh EnglishThe Indian Nation Patna English

The Eastern Times Cuttack EnglishThe Telegraph Kolkata English

Ananda Bazar Patrika Kolkata Bengali

The Statesman New Delhi/Kolkata English

Vishwamitra Kolkata/Mumbai/Kanpur/Patna Hindi

Indian Express New Delhi / Mumbai / Chennai / Cochin / Madurai / Vijayawada / Chadigarh / Hyderabad / Vijainagaram / Ahmedabad / Pune / Bangalore

English

Dinamani Madurai/Chittur Tamil

Hindustan Times Delhi/Patna EnglishHindustan Delhi/Patna HindiNational Herald Lucknow/Delhi English

Financial Express Mumbai English

The Hindu Mumbai/Coimbatore/Bangalore/Hyderabad/ English

21

Chapter 1

Madurai and New Delhi.

Presidents of India

From To1. Dr. Rajendra Prasad Jan. 26, 1950 May 13, 19622. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan May 13, 1962 May 13, 19673. Dr. Zakir Hussain May 13, 1967 May 3, 19694. V. V. Giri (Acting) May 3, 1969 July 20, 19695. M. Hidayatullah (Acting) July 20, 1969 Aug. 24, 19696. V. V. Giri Aug. 24, 1969 Aug. 24, 19747. Fakhruddin Ali Ahamed Aug. 24, 1974 Feb. 11, 19778. B. D. Jatti (Acting) Feb. 11, 1977 July 25, 19779. Neelam Sanjiva Readdy July 25, 1977 July 25, 198210. Gyani Zail Singh July 25, 1982 July 25, 198711. R. Venkataraman July 25, 1987 July 25, 199212. Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma July 25, 1992 July 25, 199713. Mr. K. R. Narayanan July 25, 1997 July 25, 200214. Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam July 25, 2002 July 25, 200715. Prativa Devisingh Patil July 25, 2007 Till date

Vice-Presidents of India

Dr. S. Radhakrishnan 1952-1962Dr. Zakir Hussain 1962-1967V.V. Giri 1967-1969G. S. Pathak 1969-1974B.D. Jatti 1974-1979Justice M. Hidayatullah 1979-1984R. Venkataraman 1984-1987Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma 1987-1992K. R. Narayanan 1992-1997Krishna Kant 1997-2002V.S. Sekhawat 2002-2007Md. Hamid Ansary 2007-till date

Prime Ministers of India

Jawaharlal Nehru Aug. 15, 1947 — May 27, 1964

Gulzari Lal Nanda (Acting) May 27, 1964 — June 9, 1964

Lal Bahadur Shastri Jun. 9 1964 — Jan. 11, 1966

Gulzari Lal Nanda (Acting) Jan. 11, 1966 — Jan. 24, 1966

Indira Gandhi Jan. 24, 1966 — March 24, 1977Morarji Desai March 24, 1977 — July 28, 1979

Charan Singh July 28, 1979 — Jan. 14, 1980

Indira Gandhi Jan. 14, 1980 — Oct. 31, 1984

Rajiv Gandhi Oct. 31, 1984 — Dec. 1 1989

V.P. Singh Dec. 2, 1989 — Nov. 10, 1990

22

ABOUT INDIA

Chandra Shekhar Nov. 10, 1990 — Jan. 21, 1991P.V. Narasimha Rao Jun. 22, 1991 — May 15, 1996Atal Behari Vajpayee May 16, 1996 — May 31, 1996H.D. Deve Gowda Jun. 1, 1996 — April 20, 1978Indar Kumar Gujral April 21, 1997 — March 18, 1998Atal Behari Vajpayee March 19, 1998 —May 21, 2004Manomohan Singh May 22, 2004 — till date.

Commander in Chief

Gen. Sir Roy Buchar Jan 1, 1948 — Jan. 14, 1949

Gen. (Field Marshal) K. M. Cariappa Jan. 15, 1949 — Jan. 14, 1953

Gen. Maharaj Rajenda Sinhji Jan. 15, 1953 — Mar. 31, 1955

Women Chief Ministers in India

Name State Period Party

Sucheta Kripalani U.P. Oct. 1963 – March 1967 Congress

Nandini Satpati Orissa June 1972 – March 1974

& March 1974 – Dec.

1976

Congress

Sashikala Khadokar Goa Aug. 13, 1973 – June 7,

1977 & June 7, 1977 –

April 28, 1979

Maharashtrawadi

Gomantak Party

Syeda Anwara Taimur Assam Dec. 1980 – June 1981 Congress

Janaki Ramchandran Tamil Nadu Jan. 7, 1988 – Jan. 30,

1988

A.D.M.K. (J)

J. Jayalalitha Tamil Nadu June 1991 – May 1996

& May 14, 2001 – Sep.

21 2001

A.D.M.K. (J)

Mayawati U.P. June 1995 – Oct. 1995,

March 1997 – Sep. 1997

& May 3, 2002 – Aug.

31 2003

B. S. P.

Rajinder Kaur Bhattal Punjab April 1996 – Feb. 1997 Congress

Rabri Devi Bihar July 25, 1997 – Feb. 12,

1999 & March 9, 1999 –

March 3, 2000

R.J.D.

Sushma Swaraj Delhi Dec. 3, 1998 – Dec. 15

2003

B.J.P.

Sheila Dixit Delhi Dec. 3, 2003 – Dec. 15,

2003

Congress

23

Chapter 1

Uma Bharati M.P. Dec. 8, 2003 – Aug. 23,

2004

B.J.P.

Vasundhara Raje

Sindhia

Rajasthan Dec. 8, 2003 B.J.P.

Mamata Banerjee West Bengal 2011 A.I.T.M.C

Speakers of Lok Sabha

G. V. Mavalankar 1952-56 K. S. Hedge 1977-79

M.Ananthasayanam Ayyangar 1956-62 Balram Jhakar 1980-89

Sardar Hukam Singh 1962-67 Rabi Roy 1989-91

Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy 1967-69 Shivraj Patil 1991-96

Gurudayal Singh Dhillion 1969-75 P. A. Sangma 1996-98

Bali Ram Bhagat 1976-77 G. M. C. Balayogi 1998-2002

Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy 1977 (Mar –

July)

Monohar Joshi 2002-2004

Somnath Chatterjee 2004-2010 Mrs. Mira Kumar 2010-till

date

Chief Election Commissioners of India

Sukumar Sen Mar 21, 1950 – Dec. 19, 1958

K.V. K. Sundaram Dec. 20, 1958 – Sept. 3, 1967

S. P. Sen Verma Oct 1, 1967 – Sept. 30, 1972

Dr. Nagendra Singh Oct. 1, 1972 – Feb. 6, 1973

T. Swaminathan Feb. 7, 1973 – Jun. 17, 1977

S. L. Shakdhar Jun. 18, 1977 – Jun. 17, 1982

R. K. Trivedi Jun. 18, 1982 – Dec. 31, 1985

R.V. S. Peri Sastri Jan. 1, 1986 – Nov. 25, 1990

V. S. Ramadevi Nov. 26, 1990 – Dec. 11, 1990

T. N. Seshan Dec. 12, 1990 – Dec. 11, 1996

M. S. Gill Dec. 12, 1996 – June 13, 2001

J. M. Lyngdoh June 14, 2001 – Feb. 7, 2004

T. S. Krishnamurty Feb. 8, 2004 – May 15, 2005

B. B. Tandon May 16, 2005 – June 29, 2006

N. Gopalswami June 30, 2006 – April 20, 2009

Navin Chawla April 21, 2009 – July 29, 2010

Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi July 30, 2010 - till date

Chief Justices of India

Hiralal J. Kania Jan 26, 1950 – Nov. 6, 1951

24

Updated

Updated

ABOUT INDIA

M. Patanjali Sastri Nov. 7, 1951 – Jan. 3, 1954

Mehar Chand Mahajan Jan. 4, 1954 – Dec. 22, 1954

B. K. Mukherjee Dec. 23, 1954 – Jan. 31, 1956

S. R. Das Feb. 1, 1956 – Sep 30 1959

B. P. Sinha Oct. 1, 1959 – Jan 31, 1964

P. B. Gajendragadkar Feb. 1, 1964 – Mar. 15, 1966

A. K. Sarkar Mar. 16, 1966 – Jun. 29, 1966

K. Subba Rao Jun. 30, 1966 – April 11, 1967

K. N. Wanchoo Apr. 12, 1967 – Feb. 24, 1968

M. Hidayatullah Feb. 25, 1968 – Dec. 16, 1970

J. C. Shah Dec. 17, 1970 – Jan 21, 1971

S. M. Sikri Jan 22, 1971 – Apr. 25, 1973

A. N. Ray Apr. 26, 1973 – Jan 27, 1977

M. H. Beg Jan. 28, 1977 – Feb. 21, 1978

Y. V. Chandrachud Feb. 22, 1978 – Jan. 11, 1985

P. N. Bhagwati July 12, 1985 – Dec. 20, 1986

R. S. Pathak Dec. 21, 1986 – Jan. 18, 1989

E. S. Venkataramia Jun 19, 1989 – Dec. 18, 1989

S. Mukherjee Dec. 19, 1989 – Sep. 25, 1990

Ranganath Mishra Sep. 26, 1990 – Nov. 24, 1991

K. N. Singh Nov. 25, 1991 – Dec. 12, 1991

M. H. Kania Dec. 13, 1991 – Nov. 17, 1992

L. M. Sharma Nov. 18, 1992 – Feb. 11, 1993

M.N. Venkatachaliah Feb. 12, 1993 – Oct. 24, 1994

A. M. Ahmadi Oct. 25, 1994 – Mar. 24, 1997

J. S. Verma Mar. 25, 1997 – Jan. 17, 1998

Madan Mohan Punchi Jan. 18, 1998 – Oct. 9, 1998

Adrash Sein Anand Oct. 10, 1998 – 2002

V. N. Khare 2002 – April 30, 2004

S. Rajendrababu May 2, 2004 – June 1, 2004

Ramesh Chandra Lahoti June 2, 2004 – Oct 31. 2005

Y. K. Sabharwal Nov. 1, 2005 – Jan. 14, 2007

K. G. Balakrishnan Jan. 14, 2007 – May 11, 2010

S. H. Kapadia May 12, 2010 – Till Date

Chief of Army Staff

Gen. Maharaj Rajendra Singhi Apr. 1, 1955 – May 14, 1955

Gen. S. M. Srinagesh May 15, 1956 – May 7, 1957

Gen. K. S. Thimayya May 8, 1957 – May 7, 1961

25

Updated

Chapter 1

Gen. S. N. Thapar May 8, 1961 – Nov. 19, 1962

Gen. J. N. Choudhuri Nov. 20, 1962 – Jan. 7, 1966

Gen. P. P. Kumaramaglam Jun. 8, 1966 – Jan. 7, 1969

Gen. SHFJ Manekshaw Jun. 8, 1969 – Dec. 7, 1972

Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw Jan. 1, 1973 – Jan 14, 1973

Gen. G. G. Bewarr Jan. 15, 1973 – May 31, 1975

Gen. T. N. Raina Jun. 1, 1975 – May 31, 1978

Gen. O. P. Malhotra Jun. 1, 1978 – May 31, 1981

Gen. K. V. Krishna Rao Jun. 1, 1981- Jul 31, 1983

Gen. A. S. Vaidya Aug. 1, 1983 – Jan 31, 1986

Gen. K. Sunderji Feb. 1, 1986 – Apr. 30, 1988

Gen. V. N. Sharma May 1, 1988 – Jun. 30, 1990

Gen. S. F. Rodrighes July 1, 1990 – Jun 30, 1993

Gen. B. C. Joshi July 1, 1993 – Nov. 18, 1994

Gen. S. Roy Chowdhury Nov. 22, 1994 – Sept. 30, 1997

Gen. V. P. Malik Oct. 1, 1997 – 2002

Gen. N. C. Vij 2002 – January 31, 2005

Gen. J. J. Singh January 31, 2005 – September 30, 2007

Gen. Deepak Kapoor September 30, 2007 – March 31, 2010

Gen. Vijay Kumar Singh March 31, 2010 – till date

Chief of the Air Staff

Air Marshal Sir Thomas Elmhirst 15, Aug. 1947 – Feb. 21, 1950

Air Marshal Sir Ronald Lvelaw Chapman Feb. 22, 1950 – Dec. 9, 1951

Air Marshal Sir Gerald Gibbs Dec. 10, 1951 – Mar. 31, 1954

Air Marshal S. Mukherjee Apr. 1, 1954 – Nov. 8 1960

Air Marshal A. M. Engineer Dec. 1, 1960 – Jul 31, 1964

Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh Aug. 1, 1964 – Jul. 15, 1969

Air Chief Marshal P. C. Lal Jul. 16, 1970 – Jul. 15, 1973

Air Chief Marshal O. P. Mehra Jan 16, 1973 – Jan. 31, 1976

Air Chief Marshal H. Moolgavkar Feb. 1, 1976 – Aug. 31, 1978

Air Chief Marshal I. H. Latif Sep. 1, 1978 – Aug. 31, 1981

Air Chief Marshal Dilbagh Sing Sep. 1, 1981 – Sep. 3, 1984

Air Chief Marshal L. M. Kalre Sep. 4, 1984 – July 1, 1985

Air Chief Marshal D. A. La Fontains July, 2, 1985 – July 31, 1988

Air Chief Marshal S. K. Mehra Aug. 1, 1988 – July 31, 1991

Air Chief Marshal N. C. Suri Aug. 1, 1991 – July 31, 1993

Air Chief Marshal S. K. Kaul Aug. 1, 1993 – Dec. 31, 1995

26

Updated

ABOUT INDIA

Air Chief Marshal S. K. Sareen Jan. 1, 1995 – Dec. 30, 1998

Air Chief Marshal Anil Y. Tipnis Dec. 31, 1999 – 2001

Air Chief Marshal S. Krishna Swamy 2001 – 2005

Air Chief Marshal S. P. Tyagi 2005 – 2007

Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major 2007 – till date

Chief of the Naval Staff

Vice-Admiral R. D. Katari Apr. 22, 1958 – Jun 4, 1962

Vice-Admiral B. S. Soman Jun. 5, 1962 – Mar. 3, 1966

Admiral A. K. Chatterjee Mar. 4, 1966 – Feb. 27, 1970

Admiral S. M. Nanda Mar. 1, 1970 – Feb. 28, 1973

Admiral S. N. Kohli Mar. 1, 1973 – Feb. 28, 1976

Admiral J. L. Cursetji Mar. 1, 1976 – Feb. 28, 1979

Admiral R. L. Pereira Mar. 1, 1980 – Feb. 28, 1982

Admiral O. S. Dawson Mar. 1, 1982 – Nov. 30, 1984

Admiral R. H. Tahiliari Dec. 1, 1984 – Nov. 30, 1987

Admiral J. G. Nadkarni Dec. 1, 1987 – Nov. 30, 1990

Admiral L. Ramdas Dec. 1, 1990 – Sep. 30, 1992

Admiral V. S. Shekhawat Oct. 1, 1992 – Sept. 30 1996

Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat Oct. 1, 1996 – Dec. 30 1999

Admiral Sushi Kumar Dec. 31, 1999 – 2001

Admiral Madhuvendra Singh 2001 – 2004

Admiral Arun Prakash 2004 – 2006

Admiral Saresh Mehata 2006 – till date

Indian Languages at a Glance

Language Family/Group Official Language of

Assamese Indo-Aryan Assam

Hindi Indo-Aryan Government of India and the six northern

states i.e. HP, UP, MP, Bihar, Haryana,

Rajasthan.

Malayalam Dravidian Kerala

Urdu – Jammu & Kashmir

Punjabi Indo-Aryan Punjab

Tamil Dravidian Tamil Nadu

Konkani – Goa

Bengali Indo-Aryan West Bengal

Kannada Dravidian Karnataka

Marathi Indo-Aryan Maharashtra

27

Chapter 1

Manipuri – –

Sanskrit Indo-Aryan –

Telegu Dravidian Andhra Pradesh

Nepali – –

Gujarati Indo-Aryan Gujarat

Kashmiri Indi-Aryan –

Oriya Indo-Aryan Orissa

Sindhi Indo-Aryan –

Famous Quotations

- “Truth and non-violence are my God”- “Untouchability is a crime against God and mankind.” - “Do or Die” — Mahatma Gandhi - “ I am restless, I thirst for the distant, the far away.” —Rabindranath Tagore - “Freedom is in peril. Defend it with all your might.” - “Aram Haram Hai”- “Play the game in the sprit of the game” — Jawaharlal Nehru- “Knowledge is Power.” — Hobbes- “Direct Action” — Mohd. Ali Jinnah - “Blood and iron” — Bismarck - “Whom the gods love die young” — Lord Byron- “Give me blood, I will give you freedom.”- “Dilli Chalo.”- “Jai Hind” — Subhas Chandra Bose - “Jai Jawan Jai Kishan” — Lal Bahadur Shastri- “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.”- “Beauty is truth, truth beauty.”- “I would sooner fail than not be among the greatest.” — John Keats - “The more things a man is ashamed of, the more respectable he is.”

— Barnard Shaw- “Swaraj is my birthright and I will have it.” — Tilak- “The living need charity more than the dead.” — George Arnold- “Our Sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.” — Shelly- “Know them thyself, presume not God to scan.” — Pope

28

ABOUT INDIA

Types of ForestsI. Moist Tropical Forests Tropical Wet Evergreen – Western Ghats (Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra) Tropical Semi Evergreen – Lower hills of Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala) Tropical Moist Deciduous – Dehradun, Mahabaleswar (Maharashtra) and Eastern Ghats (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu). Littoral and Swamp Forests – Sundarban, Andamans, Bengal Delta.

II. Dry Tropical Forests Tropical Dry Deciduous – MP, UP. Tropical Thorn Forest – Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat Tropical Dry Evergreen – Eastern Ghats (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu)

III. Montane Sub-Tropical Forests Sub-Tropical broad – Shilong, Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu) Sub-Tropical Pine Forests – Khasia (Arunachal Pradesh) Kashmir, Punjab (Western Himalayas) Sub-Tropical Dry Evergreen - Jammu, foothill of Himalayas

IV. Montane Temperature Forests Montane Wet Temperature – Nilgiris, Palni Hills (Tamil Nadu) Himalayan Wet Temperate – Assam, Himachal Pradesh Himalayan Dry Temperate – NW Kashmir.

V Sub-Alpine Forests Sub-Alpine Forest – Laddakh, Sikkim

VI Alpine Scrubs Moist Alpine Scrub High Himalayan Dry Alpine Scrub – Sikkim

Total Forest Cover

States Sq. km. States Sq. Km.Andhra Pradesh 47,112 Mizoram 18,576Arunachal Pradesh 68,621 Nagaland 14,291Assam 24,061 Orissa 47,107Bihar 26,561 Punjab 1,342Goa 1,250 Rajasthan 13,280Gujarat 12,320 Sikkim 3,127Haryana 603 Tamil Nadu 17,766Himachal Pradesh 12,501 Tripura 5,538Jammu & Kashmir 20,433 Uttar Pradesh 33,986Karnataka 32,382 West Bengal 8,276Kerala 10,336 Andaman & Nicobar 7,615Madhya Pradesh 135,164 Chandigarh 7Maharashtra 43,843 Dadra and Nagar Haveli 204Manipur 17,558 Daman and Diu 3Meghalaya 15,714 Delhi 26

Total 6,40,107

29

Chapter 1

Important River Projects

Name of the Project Location State PurposeTawa Project River Tawa (Narmada) MP Irrigation Banasagar Project River Son MP, UP and

BiharIrrigation

Upper Krishna Project River Krishna Karnataka Irrigation Kothagudam Project Singareni coalfields AP Thermal

PowerMahi Project River Mahi Gujarat Irrigation Jayakwadi Project River Godavari Maharashtra Irrigation Nagpur Power Station Koradi, near Nagpur Maharashtra Thermal

Power Kundah Project River Kundah Tamil Nadu Hydro-

electricity Malaprabha Project River Malaprabha Karnataka Irrigation Chambal Project River Chambal Rajasthan, MP Irrigation

Hydro-electricity

Bhakra-Nangal River Sutlej Rajasthan Irrigation Multipurpose Project in Punjab Headwork’s

PunjabTungabhadra River Tungabhadra Karnataka, AP Irrigation Multipurpose Project Hydro-

electricityMotatilla Multipurpose Project

River Betwa UP, MP Irrigation

Bhima Project River Bhima Maharashtra Irrigation Dul Hasti Project River Chenab J&K Hydro-

electricity Sat Pura Power Station Patharkada Coalfields MP Thermal

Power Kosi Project River Kosi Bihar Flood

Control, Irrigations, Hydro-electricity

Ramganga Multipurpose Projects

Chuisor Steam near Kalagarh

UP Irrigation Hydro-electricity

Ghataprabha Project River Ghataprabha AP & Karnataka

Irrigation

Neyveli Power Station Neyveli Tamil Nadu Thermal Power

Koyana Project River Koyna Maharashtra Hydro-electricity

Gandak Project River Gandak UP, Bihar IrrigationHydro-electricity

Rajasthan Canal Project River Sutlej in Punjab Rajasthan Irrigation

30

ABOUT INDIA

Headwork’s Punjab

Salal Projects River Chenab J & K Hydro-electricity

Hirakund Multipurpose Project

River Mahanadi Orissa Irrigation Hydro-electricity

Idukki Project Rivers Periyar Cherutheni, Idukki

Kerala Hydro-electricity

Nagarjuna Sagar River Krishna AP Irrigation Hydro-electricity

Sardar Sarovar Project River Narmada Gujarat and MP

Irrigation

Mayurakshi Project River Mayurakshi West Bengal Hydro-electricity

Pochampad Project River Godavari AP Irrigation Kakarpara Project River Tapi Gujarat Irrigation Sharda Shayak River Ghaghra UP Irrigation Sharavati Project River Sharavati Karnataka Hydro-

electricitySabarigiri Project (Pamba Kakki)

River Pamba-Kakki Kerala Hydro-electricity

Ukai Project River Tapi Gujarat Irrigation Talcher Power Station Near Talcher Orissa Thermal

Power Thein Dam Project River Ravi Punjab Irrigation

Hydro-electricity

Mahanadi Delta Project River Mahanadi Orissa Irrigation Korba Project Near Korba Coalfields MP Thermal

PowerLower Sileru Project River Sileru (Godavari) AP Hydro-

electricityBeas Project River Beas Punjab &

HaryanaHydro-electricity

Damodar Valley Project River Damodar Bihar, shared with WB

Flood control, Irrigation, Hydro-electricity

Dhuvaran Power Station Kheda district Gujarat Thermal Power

Rihand Scheme River Rihand UP Hydro-electricity.

31

Chapter 1

Important Sanctuaries and Parks

Name and Location Important Species Kaziranga National Park, Jorhat (Assam)

Elephant, one-horned rhinoceros, leopard, wild buffalo, wild bear.

Similipal Sanctuary, Mayurbhang (Orissa)

Tiger, elephant, gaur, chital, mouse-deer flying squirrel, mugger barking dear, himalayan bear, tiger, elephant, sambar, gaur.

Dampa Sanctuary, Aizawl (Mizoram)

Barking bear, Himalayan Bear, tiger, elephant, sambar, gaur, king cobra, python.

Rohla National Park, Kulu (Himachal Pradesh)

Brown bear, musk dear, snow leopard, snow pigeon, snow cock.

Ghana Bird Sanctuary Bharatpur (Rajasthan)

Black-buck, sambar, wild bear, chital, coot, quails, teal herson, spoon bill.

Tadoba National Park Chandrapur (Maharashtra)

Chital, chinkara, panther, tiger, sloth bear, gaur, nilgai, sambar.

Gir National Park Junagarh (Gujarat)

Asiatic Lion, panther, chital, nilgai, four-horned antelope, wild boar, sambar, chinkara.

Corbett National Park Garhwal (Uttar Pradesh)

Four horned antelope, elephant, tiger, panther, sambar, chital, sloth bear, nilgai.

Palamau Sanctuary Daltonganj (Bihar)

Barking deer, gaur, chital, elephant, panther, leopard, sambar, wild bear

Kanha National Park Mandla and Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh)

Chital, gaur, tiger, panther, bear-king deer, mouse-deer, nilgai, sambar, barasingha, chows singha.

Bandipur National Park Mysore (Karnataka)

Chital, elephant, panther, barking deer, four-horned antelope, tiger, sambar.

Manas Sanctuary Barpet (Assam)

One-hourned rhinoceros, gaur, elephant, tiger, wild buffalo, sambar, wild bear.

Periyar Sanctuary Idukki (Kerala)

Elephant, chital, nilgai, sambar, tiger, panther, gaur, sloth bear, wild bear, barking deer.

Bhimbandh Sanctuary Monghyr (Bihar)

Leopard, tiger, wild bear, wolf, chital, water birds.

Namdapha Sanctuary Tirap (Arunachal Pradesh)

Elephant, tiger, panther, gaur, snow leopard, clouded leopard, wild buffalo, hog beer, king python.

Wild Ass Sanctuary Little Runn of Kutch (Gujarat)

Wild ass, wolf, nilgai, chinkara, sambar, panther, tiger.

Chandraprabha Sanctuary Varansai (Uttar Pradesh)

Nilgai, tiger, panther, sambar, sloth bear, peafowl.

32

ABOUT INDIA

Hazaribagh Sanctuary Hazaribagh (Bihar)

Chital, nilgai, sambar, tiger, leopard, wild bear, wild cat.

Pachmarhi Sanctuary hoshangabad (Madhya Pradesh)

Barking deer, bison, bear, tiger, panther, spotted deer.

Kinnersani Sanctuary Khammam (Andhra Pradesh)

Chital, tiger, gaur, wolf, nilgai, sambar.

Dudwa National Park Lachimpur Kheri (Uttar Pradesh)

Barking deer, chital, sloth bear, tiger, panther, nilgai, sambar.

Indian Towns Associated with Industries

Town IndustryAgra Shoe and Leather goodsAhmedabad Cotton Textiles Ambernath Machine Tools Prototype Factory Bareilly Steel PlantBhilai Steel PlantBangalore Cotton Textiles, Aircraft, Motors. Moradabad Utensils, Calico FactoryKolkata Jute, Electric Bulbs and LampsMysore SilkBokaro Steel PlantPimpri Penicillin FactoryMumbai Cotton Textiles, FilmTitagarh PaperDelhi Textile, DDTDurgapur Steel PlantFirozabad Glass and BanglesGwalior Pottery and Textiles Jaipur Embroidery, Brassware Dhariwal Wollen goods Katni Cement Ludhiana Hosiery, Sewing machines Trombey Uranium, Thorium factory Visakhapattanam Ship Building

Tribal Groups in India

Tribal Groups Found in Tribal Groups Found in Abhars North-East Mundas BiharAO Nagaland Nagas Nagaland Baiga MP Pho North-EastBhotias UP (Garhwal and

Kumaon Region)Mompa North-East

Murias MP (Bastar Dist.) Murias MP (Bastar District)

33

Chapter 1

Change North-East Oarons Bihar and OrissaGaddis Himachal Pradesh Todas Tamil Nadu

(Nilgiri Hills)Gonds MP and Bihar Rengms North-East Jaintias Meghalaya Sangtam North-EastKatkari MP Shompers Andaman and Nicobar

IslandsKhas UP (Jaunsar Bhabar

Region)Wancho North-East

Kol MP Angami ManipurKuri Manipur Badagas Tamil NaduLushai Tripura Bhils MP and RajasthanMikris Assam Kolam Andhra PradeshBirnors MP and Bihar Santhals West Bengal

Orissa, Jharkhand and Bihar

Chutia Assam Khasis Assam and MeghalayaGaros Assam and

MeghalayaSentinelese Andaman & Nicobar

IslandsInula Tamil Nadu Uralis KeralaKarikar Tamil Nadu Yurva Tamil NaduKhond MP Adivasis MP (Bastar Dist.)Khords Orissa Apatamis Arunachal PradeshKotas Tamil Nadu

(Nilgiris Hills)Bakkarwals J & K

Lahaulas Himachal Pradesh Bhula MPLepchas Sikkim Chencuus Andhra Pradesh and

OrissaMinas Rajasthan Jarawas Little AndamansMoplahs Kerala (Muslims of

Malabar Dist.)Gallong North-East

Nishi North-East Gujjars J & K and HPOnges Andaman and

Nicobar IslandsKharia MP

Sabra MP Warlis MaharashtraSema Nagaland

Famous Sites (in India)

Site Location Site LocationAjanta Aurangabad Black Pagoda KonarakAkbar’s tomb Sikandra, Agra Bodhistava Ajanta CavesAmarnath Cave Kashmir Brihadeeswara Temple TanjoreAmber Palace Jaipur Brindaban Gardens Mysore Anand Bhawan Allahabad Bulandarwaja Farthepur SikriBhakra Dam Punjab Char Minar HyderabadBibi ka Maqbara Aurangabad Cheena Keswva Temple Bellur, East coast of IndiaBirla Planetarium Kolkata Chilka Lake Bhubaneswar

34

ABOUT INDIA

Major Crops

Barley - U.P., Rajasthan, Bihar Punjab and Haryana.Cardamom - Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu Cashew nut – Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Orissa.Coffee - Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.Cotton - Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, U.P., Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh. Gram and Pulses - U.P. Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka. Ground Nut - Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.Jute – Assam, West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Maize - U.P. , Bihar, Punjab and Rajasthan.Rice - West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, U.P. and Orissa.Rubber - Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andaman & Nicobar.Saffron - Jammu & Kashmir. Sugarcane - U.P. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat.Tobacco - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, U.P., West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka.Wheat – U.P., Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra.

Major Minerals – Where found in IndiaAluminium - Kerala, U.P., M.P.Antimony - Punjab and Karnataka.Asbestos - Bihar, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.Bantonite - Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir.Bauxite - Bihar, Orissa, Maharashtra and M.P.Beryllium - Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Kashmir and Bihar.Carborundum - Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kashmir.Cement - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand.China clay - Kerala, Rajasthan Hills, Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. Chromite - Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Bhagalpur (Bihar), Ratnagiri (Maharashtra), Salem (Tamil Nadu), Shimoga and Chitradurg (Karnataka), Keonjhar (Orissa), Laddakh (Kashmir).Coal - Raniganj (West Bengal), Jharia, Bokaro, Karanpura (Jharkhand), Punch Valley and Chanda (Madhya Pradesh), Singareni (Andhra Pradesh) and Mukum (Assam).Cobalt - Rajasthan and Kerala.Copper - Singhbhum and Hazaribagh (Jharkhand), Khethri (Rajasthan) and Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh).Diamond - Panna, Chhatarpur and Satna district of Madhya Pradesh and Kernool of Andhra Pradesh. Felsper - Rewa (Madhya Pradesh), Burdwan (West Bengal), Alwar and Ajmer (Rajasthan), Tiruchirapally (Tamil Nadu).Fuller’s Earth - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.Gold - Kolar and Hatti gold-fields (Karnataka) and Andhra Pradesh.Graphite - Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Orissa and Kerala.Gypsum – Bikaner and Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Tiruchirapally (Tamil Nadu), Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.Heavy Water - Talcher (Orissa), Kota (Rajasthan), Baroda (Gujarat), Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu) Illemenite - Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu Iron-Ore - Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj (Orissa), Durg, Belladila (Chhattisgarh) and Karnataka.

35

Chapter 1

Limestone - Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil NaduLead - Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. Manganese - Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Goa and Karnataka. Mica - Kodarma in Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand, Nellore (A.P.), Bhilwara (Rajasthan), Tirunal Valley (Tamil Nadu) Monazite Sands - Travancore coast (Kerala)Petroleum - Digboi, Badarpur, Musimpur and Patharia fields of Assam, Jawalamukhi (Himachal Pradesh), Cambay, Ankleshwar (Gujarat), Mumbai High.Salt - Sambhar Lake (Rajasthan), Rann of Kutch (Gujarat).Salt Petre - Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar.Silmanite - Assam, Madhya Pradesh.Silver - Chitradurg, Balari (Karnataka), Singhbhum, Santhal Parganas (Jharkhand), Zawar (Rajasthan) and Cudappah (A.P.).Tin - Hazaribagh (Jharkhand).Thorium - Travancore (Kerala).Tungsten - Rajasthan, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Karnataka.Turmeric – Kerala, Andhra Pradesh.Uranium - Bihar and Rajasthan.Zinc – Zawar and Angucha mines in Udaipur and Bhilwara district of Rajasthan.Zircon - Occurs in the beach sands of Kerala and Cape Comorin (Tamil Nadu).

Indian RailwaysIntroductionThe first railway on Indian sub-continent ran over a stretch of 21 miles from Bombay to Thane. The idea of a railway lo connect Bombay with Thane, Kalyan and with the Thal and Bhore Ghats inclines first occurred to Mr. George Clark, the Chief Engineer of the Bombay Government, during a visit to Bhandup in 1843.The formal inauguration ceremony was performed on 16th April 1853, when 14 railway carriages carrying about 400 guests left Bori Bunder at 3.30 pm "amidst the loud applause of a vast multitude and to the salute of 21 guns." The first passenger train steamed out of Howrah station destined for Hooghly, a distance of 24 miles, on 15th August, 1854. Thus the first section of the East Indian Railway was opened to public traffic, inaugurating the beginning of railway transport on the Eastern side of the sub-continent.In south the first line was opened on 1st July, 1856 by the Madras Railway Company. It ran between Veyasarpandy and Walajah Road (Arcot), a distance of 63 miles. In the North a length of 119 miles of line was laid from Allahabad to Kanpur on 3rd March 1859. The first section from Hathras Road to Mathura Cantonment was opened to traffic on 19th October. 1875.These were the small beginnings which is due course developed into a network of railway lines all over the country. By 1880 the Indian Railway system had a route mileage of about 9000 miles. INDIAN RAILWAYS, the premier transport organization of the country is the largest rail network in Asia and the world's second largest under one management.

2. Railway GaugesIndian Railways is a multi-gauge, multi-traction system covering the following:

Track Kilometers

Broad Gauge (1676 mm)

Meter Gauge (1000 mm)

Narrow Gauge (762/610 mm)

Total

86,526 18,529 3,651 108,706

Route Kilometers

Electrified Total

16,001 63,028

36

ABOUT INDIA

Other Interesting facts of Indian RailwaysIndian Railways runs around 11,000 trains everyday, of which 7,000 are passenger trains

7566 - Locomotives

37,840 - Coaching vehicles

222,147-Freight wagons

6853-Stations

300-Yards 2300-Good shed 700-Repair shops1.54 million-Work force

A schematic map of the Indian Railways network, showing the various zones.

3. Head QuarterThe headquarters of the Indian Railways in New Delhi4. Railway ZonesIndian Railways is divided into zones, which are further sub-divided into divisions. The number of zones in Indian Railways increased from six to eight in 1951, nine in 1952, and finally 16 in 2003. Each zonal railway is made up of a certain number of divisions, each having a divisional headquarters. There are a total of sixty-seven divisions.The Kolkata Metro is owned and operated by Indian Railways, and is recently functioning an independent zone.Each of the sixteen zones, as well as the Kolkata Metro, is headed by a General Manager (GM) who reports directly to the Railway Board. The zones are further divided into divisions under the control of Divisional Railway Managers (DRM). The divisional officers of engineering, mechanical, electrical, signal and telecommunication, accounts, personnel, operating, commercial and safety branches report to the respective Divisional Manager and are in charge of operation and maintenance of assets. Further down the hierarchy tree are the Station Masters who control individual stations and the train movement through the track territory under their stations.

Sl. No

Name Abbr. Date Established Headquarters Divisions

1. Central CR 1951, November 5 Mumbai Mumbai, Bhusawal, Pune, Solapur, Nagpur

2. East Central ECR 2002, October 1 Hajipur Danapur, Dhanbad, Mughalsarai, Samastipur, Sonpur

3. East Coast ECoR 2003, April 1 Bhubaneswar Khurda Road, Sambalpur, Visakhapatnam

4. Eastern ER 1952, April Kolkata Howrah, Sealdah, Asansol, Malda

5. North Central NCR 2003, April 1 Allahabad Allahabad, Agra, Jhansi6. North Eastern NER 1952 Gorakhpur Izzatnagar, Lucknow,

Varanasi7. North

WesternNWR 2002, October 1 Jaipur Jaipur, Ajmer, Bikaner,

Jodhpur8. Northeast

FrontierNFR 1958 Guwahati Alipurduar, Katihar,

Lumding, Rangia, Tinsukia

9. Northern NR 1952, April 14 Delhi Delhi, Ambala, Firozpur, Lucknow, Moradabad

10. South Central SCR 1966, October 2 Secunderabad Secunderabad,

37

Chapter 1

Sl. No

Name Abbr. Date Established Headquarters Divisions

Hyderabad, Guntakal, Guntur, Nanded, Vijayawada

11. South East Central

SECR 2003, April 1 Bilaspur Bilaspur, Rajpur, Nagpur

12. South Eastern SER 1955 Kolkata Adra, Chakradharpur, Kharagpur, Ranchi

13. South Western

SWR 2003, April 1 Hubli Hubli, Bangalore, Mysore

14. Southern SR 1951, April 14 Chennai Chennai, Madurai, Palakkad, Salem, Tiruchchirapalli, Thiruvanathapuram

15. West Central WCR 2003, April 1 Jabalpur Jabalpur, Bhopal, Kota16. Western WR 1951, November 5 Mumbai Mumbai Central,

Ratlam, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Vadodara

5. New Steps towards Safely and Security:Safety of 13 million passengers that Indian Railways serve every day is of paramount importance to the system. Over the years, apart from the regular safety norms followed, the network has taken a number of steps through innovative use of technology and stepped up raining to its manpower to enhance safety standards. Constitution of Rs. 17,000 crore non-lapsable Special Railway Safety Fund (SRSF) to replace the arrears to aging assets of Railways over the next six years has been a historical move in this direction. A number of distressed bridges, old tracks, signalling system and other safety enhancement devices will be replaced during this period. As far as budget allocation for safety is concerned, Rs. 1,400 crore was allocated in the revised estimate for the year 2001-02 and Rs.2,210 crore for the year 2002-2003. Extensive field trials of the Anti-Collision Device (ACD), indigenously developed by Konkan Railway, is going on and once deployed across the Zonal Railways, this innovative technology will help railways reduce accidents due to collision between trains.Security of railway passengers is at present a shared responsibility of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Reserve Police (GRP). Efforts are on to amend the Railway Act to give more powers to the RPF in ensuring security of passengers on trains, and within Railway premises. Deployment of women police Force has been made for security and assistance of women passengers.

6. Major Production Units1. Chittaranjan Locomotive works, Chittaranjan.2. Integral Coach Factory, Perambur (Madras)3. Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi4. Wheels and Axles Plant, Bangalore5. Research Designs and Standard Organizations (RDSO), Lucknow.

38

ABOUT INDIA

Indian Airport1. Existing Position

1. There are 449 airports/airstrips in the country. Among these, the AAI owns and manages 5 international airports, 87 domestic airports and 28 civil enclaves at Defence airfields and provides air traffic services over the entire Indian airspace and adjoining oceanic areas.

2. In 1998-99, these 120 airports/civil enclaves handled 4.20 lakh aircraft movements involving 24.17 million domestic and 12.83 million international passengers and 221 thousand metric tones of domestic cargo and 468 thousand metric tones of international cargo. 51 percent of traffic was handled at the international airports at Mumbai and Delhi. Presently various airlines are operating only through 61 airports. The remaining are lying unutilised at best handling occasional aircraft operations.

3. The turnover of the Authority was Rs. 1591.27 crores for the year ended March, 1999 and under audit figure of the Post Tax Profits for the year ended is Rs.208.41 crores as against Rs. 196.14 crores for the year ended March, 1998.

2. ClassificationAirports are presently classified in the following manner:

1. International Airports: - These are declared as international airports and are available for scheduled international operations by Indian and foreign carriers. Presently, Mumbai, Delhi. Chennai, Calcutta and Thiruvananthapuram are in this category.

2. Domestic Airports:a. Customs Airports with, limited international operations: - These have customs and

immigration facilities for limited international operations by national carriers and for foreign tourist and cargo charter flights. These include Bangalore (CE), Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Calicut, Goa (CE), Varanasi, Patna, Agra (CE), Jaipur, Amritsar, Tiruchirapally, Coimbatore, Lucknow.(CE - Civil Enclave)

b. Model Airports: - These domestic airports have minimum runway length of 7500 feet and adequate terminal capacity (400 passengers or more) to handle Airbus 320 type of aircraft. These can cater to limited international traffic also, if required. These include Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Nagpur, Vadodara, Imphal and Indore. Rest 6 Nos. of airports, developed under Model Airports concept have graduated to the classification of Customs Airports, given above.

c. Other Domestic Airports: - All other 71 domestic airports are covered in this category.d. Civil Enclaves in Defence Airport: - There are 28 civil enclaves in Defence airfields.

Twenty civil enclaves are in operation.

3. Operational airlinesList of airlines today in the market

AIRLINE ICAO IATA

CALLSIGN COMMENCED OPERATION

Headquarters

Jet Airways

JAI 9W JET AIRWAYS

May 1993 Mumbai International Airport

Jet Lite RSH S2 LITEJET April 2007 Mumbai International Airport

Kingfisher Airlines

KFR IT KINGFISHER May 2005 Bangalore International Airport

39

Chapter 1

AIRLINE ICAO IATA

CALLSIGN COMMENCED OPERATION

Headquarters

Kingfisher Red

DKN IT DECCAN August 2003 Bangalore International Airport

Air India AIC AI AIR INDIA October 1932 Indira Gandhi International Airport

Air-India Express

AXB IX EXPRESS INDIA

April 2005 Mumbai International Airport

Air India Regional

AXB IX EXPRESS INDIA

April 2005 Mumbai International Airport

GoAir GOW G8 GOAIR June 2004 Indira Gandhi International Airport

Indian Airlines

IAC IC INDIANAIR May 1953 Chennai International Airport

SpiceJet SEJ SG SPICEJET May 2005 Chennai International Airport

Jagson Airlines

JGN JA JAGSON November 1991 Indira Gandhi International Airport

IndiGo Airlines

IGO 6E IFLY August 2006 Indira Gandhi International Airport

MDLR Airlines

– 9H MDLR March 2007 Indira Gandhi International Airport

Paramount Airways

PMW 17 PARAWAY October 2005 Chennai International Airport

40

ABOUT INDIA

National HighwaysNational Highways are the main long distance Roadway in India. It builds a good transport network among the important cities of our Country. They play a significant role in Indian economy.

Indian Road Network Length in kmExpress Ways → 200National Highways → 66,754State Highways → 1,31,899Major District Roads → 4,67,763Rural and Other Roads → 26,50,000Total: 33.10 Lakh kms. (Approx).

Status of National Highways Development Project (NHDP) as on July 31, 2010GQ NS & EW Total

Total Length (km) 5,846 7,300 13,146

Completed Total Till Date (km) 5,796 5,205 11,001

Under Implementation- Length (km)- Contracts (NOS)

5013

1,207106

1,257119

Letter of Award Issued/Agreement signed & work to be started.–Length (km)–Contracts (NOS)

––

2366

2366

Total–Length (km)–Contracts (NOS)

5013

1,443112

1493125

Length to be awarded–Length (km) – 494 494

Details of some important National Highways are tabulized below–

NH No. Route Length in state (km) Total Length

5. Junction with NH 6 near Baharagora-Cuttak-Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada-Guntur-Ongole-Nellore-Gummidipoondi-Chennai

Orissa(488), Andhra Pradesh(1000), Tamil Nadu (60)

1533km (953mi)

6. Hazira-Surat-Dhule-Akola-Amaravati-Nagpur-Raipur-Sambalpur-Baharagora-Kolkata.

Maharabhtra(813), Chattisgarh(314), Orissa(462), Jharkhand(22), West Bengal(161), Gujrat(177)

1,949km (1,211mi)

60. Balasore-Kharagpur-Raniganj-Siuri-Maregram (Junction at NH 34)

Orissa(57), West Bengal(389)

446 km (277 mi)

4. Junction with NH3 near thane-Pune-Belgaum-Hubli-

Maharashtra(371), Karnataka(658), Andhra

1,235 km (767 mi)

41

Tabulized or tabulated ???

Chapter 1

Davangere-Bangalore-Kolar-Chittor-Ranipet-Chennai.

Pradesh(83), Tamil Nadu(123)

7. Varanasi-Mangawan-Rewa-Jabalpur-Lakhnadom-Nagpur-Hyderabad-Kurnool-Bangalore-Hosur-Krishnagiri-Dharmapuri-Salem-Namakkal-Karur-Dindigul-Madurai-Virudunagar-Tiruneveli-Kanyakumari

Uttar Pradesh(128), Madhya Pradesh(504), Maharashtra(232), Andhra Pradesh(753), Karnataka(125), Tamil Nadu(627)

2,369(km) (1,472 mi)

46. Krishnagiri-Ranipet Tamil Nadu(132) 132 km (82 mi)

8. Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer-Udaipur-Ahmedabad-Vadadara-Surat-Mumbai

Delhi(13), Haryana(101), Rajasthan(688), Gujrat(498), Maharashtra(128)

1,428 km (887 mi)

76. Pindwara-Udaipur-Mangalwar-Kota-Shivpuri-Jhansi-Banda-Allahabad

Madhya Pradesh(600), Uttar Pradesh(467), Rajasthan(480)

1,007 km (626 mi)

79. Ajmer-Nasirabad-Neemuch-Mandsaur-Indore

Madhya Pradesh(280), Rajasthan(220)

500 (km) (310 mi)

2. Delhi-Mathura-Agra-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi-Monania-Barni-Palasit-Dankoni.

Delhi(12), Haryana(74), Uttar Pradesh(752), Bihar(202), Jharkhand(190), West Bengal(235)

1465 km (910 mi)

42

ABOUT INDIA 43