GEOGRAPHY-GS-MINERALS,ENERGY

• Power development in India commenced at the end of the 19th century with the
  commissioning of electricity supply in Darjeeling during 1897, followed by the
  commissioning of a hydropower station at Sivasamudram in Karnataka during 1902.
• The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), the first multipurpose river valley project
  of the Government was set up in July 1948 for the unified development of Damodar
  Valley region spread over the States of Jharkhand and West Bengal
• The Oil and Natural Gas Commission was established on 14 August 1956
• GAIL ( India) limited, a ‘Navratana’ enterprise was established in the year 1984
  and is India’s principal nature gas transmission and marketing company.GAIL has also been operating its state-of-art telecommunication network.-GAILS’s telecom business unit- ‘GAILTEL’
• At present, there are 18 refineries operating in the country (17 in the Public Sector and one in the Private Sector).
• Anthracite coal found in Kalakot mine in J&K
• Koteswar is a sub project of the Tehri dam project
• NTPC established in 1975 and a Navratna company
• Imp coal mines

Namchik Namphuk-Arunachal Pradesh
Langrin and Maolong-Meghalaya
Neyveli and Jayamkondacholapuram-TN
Baruch and Umarsar-Gujarat
Parabhur-Kerala
Palana- Rajasthan
Bokaro,Jharia,Giridh and Karanpura- Jharkhand
Rewa, Umaria, Korba,Satna,Pench,Tawa,Kana-MP
Kamptee-Maharashtra
Koteh-UP
Kodagundam,Ramagundam,Tandur-Andhra Pradesh
Talcher,Sambhalpur,Denkanal-Orissa

• A project for setting up of a
  3.75 MW capacity demonstration tidal power project at Durgaduani Creek in the
  Sundarbans area of West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency
  (WBREDA) in February, 2008
• India ranks 5th in the production of wind energy
• Foreign Investment Implementation Authority (FIIA) was established in the
  Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
• Globally India is the second largest producer of silk and contriutes about 18% to the
  total world raw silk production. India has the unique distinction of being endowed
  with all the four varieties of silk, namely, Mulberry, Eri, Tasar, and Muga
• Globally, India is the largest producer and second largest exporter of jute goods
• Today, India is the fifth largest Crude steel producing country in the world
• India today is the third largest producer of nitrogenous fertilizers in the world
  only behind China & USA
• Coal is the main source of energy in the country and accounts for about 67 per cent of
  the country's commercial requirement
• National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), largest integrated Alumina-
  Aluminium Plant Complex in India, was incorporated on 7th January, 1981 with its
  registered office at Bhubaneswar
• Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) was incorporated on 27th November,
  1965 as a Central Public Sector Undertaking with an integrated Alumina/Aluminium
  Complex and a 270 MW Captive Power Plant at Korba presently in Chhattisgarh.
• As a result of the efforts of the Government in promoting the coir industry, India
  has retained its position as the largest producer and supplier of coir and coir products
  in the world market.
• Champion Reef in Karnataka is the deepest mine in the world.It is famous for gold mining
• Sagar Samriddhi is the Project by ONGC to drill oil in deep sea.Belford Dolphin is its drilling machine
• Administered Price Mechanism on petroleum was dismantled in 2002

Oil Production Zones

Assam-Digboy, Nahar Katiya,Galki,Sibsagar,Moran Higrijan,Rudrasagar
Gujarat-Ankleswar,Khambat,Aliabet,Lunej,Kalol
Mumbai-Bassein
HP-Dharmsala and Bilaspur

Main Copper belts
Madhya Pradesh-Balaghat( Malanjkhad,Teregaon)
Rajasthan-Khetri, Singhana
Jharkhand-Raka,Dhobani,Mosaboni
Sikkim-Rangpo
Maharastra-Tajola

Lead- TN, AP(Agnigundala,Khammam,Nalgonda)
Silver-Tundoo(JRK),Zarwar

Bauxite
KBK District(Orissa),Amarkantak(MP),Shevroy hills(TN)

• India produces 60% of world's mica.Main areas are Gaya,Bhagalpur,Giridh,Monghyr(Bihar) and Hazaribagh(JRK)
• Monazite, the ore of Thorium found in Kerala
• Jaduguda in Singhbhum, JRK, is famous for Uranium
• India has the largest reserve of Kyanite
• TN is the highest producer of Sulphur
• Granite is known as Black Lead

GK & CA-SELECTED QUESTIONS -PART II

• Teem Berners Lee invented WWW
• Paul Allens is the co founder of Microsoft
• The first Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs conference was held in July 1957 in Pugwash, Nova Scotia, hence the organization's name. It was organized by Joseph Rotblat.
• In Chennai India's Global Automative Research Centre is being built
• Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, Tamil Nadu is also known as Top Slip
• Raghu Rai is an eminent photo journalist
• 15th NAM Summit was held in Tehran
• Bangkok has hosted Asian Games maximum number of times
• Piers Sellers is an eminent space walker
• Foreign Intelligence Service is the Spy Agency of Russia, Ministry of State Security is of China and Secret Intelligence Service is of Britain
• Montenegro is the latest entrant to UN and Cape Verde is the latest entrant to WTO
• Shourya, a ballistic surface to surface missile, with 600 km range was launched from Balasore,Orissa
• Operation Seabird is new Indian naval base at Kharwar
• Kishan Chaupal is a Rural Development scheme in Haryana
• Cricket was a part of 1900 Olympics and UK won the gold by defeating France
• The Universal Product Code (UPC) is a barcode symbology (i.e., a specific type of barcode), that is widely used in the United States and Canada for tracking trade items in stores.
• The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to October 26, 1973 by a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel. The Camp David Accords, which came soon after, led to normalized relations between Egypt and Israel—the first time any Arab country had recognized the Israeli state. Egypt, which had already been drifting away from the Soviet Union, then left the Soviet sphere of influence entirely.
• The Banana Wars were a series of occupations, police actions, and interventions involving the United States in Central America and the Caribbean. This period started with the Spanish-American War in 1898 and the subsequent Treaty of Paris, which gave the United States control of Cuba and Puerto Rico. It ended with the withdraw of troops from Haiti and President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Good Neighbor Policy in 1934.
• Himachal Pradesh became India's first carbon free state and it was also the first state to start a government e-gazette
• Jugnu India's first nano satellite developed by students of IIT Kanpur
• India's first nano lab in JNCASR,Bangalore
• Bisophenol A is used in packaging food materials
• Tauvex is Indo- Israel mission for UV Imaging satellite
• Global Economic Prospects and Investment Climate Index are developed by World Bank
• The only Cabinet meeting to be held outside Delhi-Sariska,1986
• Only Olympic event with age limit-Boxing
• Hashim Thaci is the Kosovo Prime Minister and Pristina is the capital
• Recently Caterpillar emergency was launched in Liberia
• Byalulu is a small village in Karnataka.From here the Chandryaan mission is being monitored
• Richar S Fuld is the CEO of Lehman Bros
• Goods and Services Tax to be implemented from 1st April, 2010
• Konkan 2008- Indo-UK joint naval exercise
• Vivek Kundra is the Chief Information Officer of the Obama Government
• Blue Card is the EU version of Us Green card to attract professionals
• 2009 G-8 Summit-Italy
• Future Gen Project- World's first coal fuelled zero emission project by USA.India has a stake in it
• 28TH GCC Summit-Doha,Qatar
• Mexico to host 2009 World Environment Day Celebrations
• First overseas Indian Tourism Office was launched in China
• Income ceiling for the creamy layer has been increased to 5.5 lakh per annum from 2.5 l per annum
• Recently Himachal Pradesh started Green Tax
• X RED FLAG-International Defence Exercise
• Algal Bloom was recently found in the Gulf of Mannar
• Habitat of the Olive Ridley turtles-Gahirmatha island,Orissa
• Shenzhou-VII -China's manned moon mission
• Recently Iceland suffered from national bankruptcy
• John Key is the new PM of New Zealand
  

HISTORY OPTIONAL-MODERN INDIA-INDEPENDENT KINGDOMS AND ANGLO WARS

• Sadat Khan's original name was Mir Md Amin and he got the title Burhaan Ul Mulk
• He was a Faujdar of Bayana
• The highest post under Safdarjung was held by a Hindu Nawab Rai
• Zeech Mohammed Shahi or the Movement of astronomical bodies was a famous astronomical table of Maharaja Swai Jai Singh of Jaipur.He founded Jaipur in 1728
• Mir Kasim gave the British Midnapore,Chittagong and Burdwan
  
• Mir Kasim transferred his capital to Monghyr in 1762
• Hector Munro led the British Army in the Battle of Buxar
• Surajmal was known as The Plato of Jat tribe
• Ghulam Hussein wrote Siyar ul Mukkharein
• Siraj renamed Calcutta as Alinagar
• In Feb 1757, Siraj Concluded the Treaty of Alinagar with the British
• By the Treaty of 1760 Mir Kashim promised to give the British a sum of 5 lakh rupees
• Shaukat Jung was defeated by Siraj in the Battle of Manihari
• Amin Chand threatened Clive to leak the conspiracy against Siraj and thus Clive forged a copy of agreement with Amin
• Ahmad Shah Abdali gave Badan Singh the title Mahendra
• Haider Ali set up an Arsenal in Dindigul
• In 1780 Hyder Ali captured Arcot
• Eyre Coote led English troops in the Battle of Porto Novo in 1780
• Tipu sanctioned grants for repairing the image of Godess Sarada of the Sringeri Temple
• Tipu assumed the title Padshah in 1787
• Battle of Saint Thome was an important event of the First Anglo Carnatic War.There the French troop was led by Capt Paradise whereas the troops of the nawab of Carnatic Anwar ud Din was led by Mahfooz Khan
• British troops tried to capture Pondicherry during the first Anglo Carnatic War under Rear Admiral Boscawen
• In 1754 Godeheu replaced Dupleix as the Governor General of all French possessions in India
• The trio Chanda Sahib,Muzaffar Jung and Dupleix killed Anwar ud Din at the battle of Ambar
• Eyre Coot led the British troops in the third Anglo Carnatic War whereas Cont de Lally led the French troops.British navy was led by Pocock and French navy by D'Ache
• One notable military advance championed by Tipu Sultan was the use of mass attacks with rocket brigades, called kushoons, in the army
• During his rule, Tippu Sultan laid the foundation for a dam where the famous Krishna Raja Sagara Dam across the river Cauvery was later built.
• During the first Anglo Mysore war the British troops were led by Colonel Smith and during the second war they were led by Eyre Coote whereas Lord Cornwallis led in the third battle
• Tipu was well versed in Arabic,Urdu,Persian and Kannada
• The Battle of Bedara (25 November 1759) was fought between the British & Mir Jafar along with the help of Dutch (for financial obligations to East India Company). In this battle, latter was completely & decisively defeated by the British

HISTORY-ROAD TO A RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT

Provisions of 1773 Act

• Court of Directors hitherto elected every year would be elected for 4 years
  
• Total number of Directors 24,one fourth retiring every year
• A Governor General in Bengal with four members to assist him and the quorum was 3
• The member of Governor Generals EC to hold office for 5 years
• The Governor General will have authority over Madras and Bombay
• Supreme court was created
• The court was given both original and appellate jurisdiction

Provisions of 1784 Act

• A Board of Control with 6 members
• Court of Directors retained real executive power and patronage and Board of control no power of patronage
• The members of Governor Generals EC was reduced to 3
• Only Covenanted servants will be appointed as members of the Council of Governor General
• The Presidencies of Bombay and Madras were subordinated to the Governor General
• Prohibition of aggressive wars and treaties with Indian princes

Provisions of 1813 Act

• Company was deprived of monopoly of trade except trade with China and trade in tea
• Rs 1 lakh for education in India

Provisions of 1833 Act

• Centralized government in India and the Governor General of Bengal was made the Governor General of India
• Bombay and Madras completely subordinated to the Governor General
• A new member, a Law member in the Governor General's EC
• Company lost its monopoly of tea trade and trade with China
• "No Indian or natural born subject of the Crown resident in India by reason of birth,colour,descent, be disqualified for any employment under the company
• Government of India to take serious measures to ameliorate the condition of slaves
  

Provisions of 1853 Act

• The law member was made a full member
• The number of Court of Directors reduced to 18, 6 nominated by the Crown and the quorum was fixed at 10
• The power of patronage of the Directors was curbed
• Services thrown to open competition

Provisions of 1858 Act

• A Secretary of State for India and he will be assisted by 15 members of which 8 to be nominated by the Crown whereas 7 to be nominated by the Court of Directors
• Half of the members must have worked in India for at least 10 years
• Governor General was made Viceroy
• Appointment to the Covenanted servants to be made by open competitive examination

Provisions of 1861 Act

• Introduction of Portfolio system
• A fifth member added to Viceroy's EC and he has to be a gentleman of legal profession
• For legislative purpose Viceroy's EC was expanded by the addition of not less than 6 and not more than 12 members half of which must be non officials
• Their tenure for 6 months
• Power of Bombay and Madras Presidencies restored

Provisions of 1892 Act

• Two fifth of the members of the council to be non officials
• Principle of election introduced
• Members could ask questions and general discussion on budget was allowed

Some points to remember

• PSC introduced by the act of 1919
• The preamble of the Act of 1919 was based on the August declaration of 1917
• The income qualification of Hindu candidates was much more than that of Muslim candidates by the Act of 1909
• Introduction of election by the Act of 1909
• The details of electoral qualification and seat allocation was left to local authorities by the act of 1909
• The Act of 1919 was the most short lived act
• An Indian was appointed to the Viceroy's EC for the first time by the Act of 1909
• By the Act of 1909 Executive Councils were created for Bengal,Bihar,Orissa and UP
• By the Act of 1935, Council of States to have 250 members and Federal Assembly 375 members wherein Princely states to send 104 and 125 nominated candidates respectively
• Provincial autonomy was granted by the Act of 1935.
• A Federation by the Act of 1935 could not be formed unless states sent not less than 104 members to the Council of the States
  

Population Geography and Transport

• Khasa, Tharu and Bhotia tribes in UP
• Highest % of SC in Punjab and highest % of ST in Mizoram whereas highest SC in absolute numbers is in UP and in absolute number highest ST population in MP
• Dangs tribe in Gujarat
• Major tribes in India- Gond-Bhil-Santhal-Meena
• European+Indian= Mestizo
• Sex ratio among UTs highest in Pondicherry and lowest in Daman & Diu
• Child sex ratio among UTs highest in Dadra& Nagar Haveli and lowest in Chandigarh
• Highest decadal growth rate of population in Nagaland, then Sikkim
• Lowest decadal growth rate of population in Kerala and then Tamil Nadu
• Highest literacy rate among UTs in Lakshadweep and lowest in D &NH
• Highest IMR in India in OrissaKanis and Uralis tribes in Kerala
• Sahariya and Koli tribes in Rajasthan
• Buksa tribe can be found in UP and Warli tribe in Mahrashtra.Warlis can be found in Gujarat as well
  
• Most populous cities of India Mumbai-Delhi-Bangalore-Kolkata
  
• Denotified tribes are those which were earlier criminal
• Literacy rate wise Jains-Christians-Buddhists-Sikhs-Hindus-Muslims
• Valmiki, Nayak,Lambada tribes in Andhra Pradesh
• Munda-Koli languages belong to Austro-Asiatic type
• Toda,Irula,Badaga,Paliyan and kadar tribes in Tamil Nadu
• Birhol tribe in Jharkhand
• Konyak tribe in Nagaland
• Between 15 degree North to 45 deg North 45 % of the world population lives
• NH 17 runs entirely through desert(Pathankot to Shamiakhiali)
• Ennore in Tamil Nadu is the first corporate port in India
• Chennai port is an artificial port and it is the oldest port in India
• Maharashtra has highest number of ports in India
• Indian Railways is now reorganized into 16 Zones
• The Research, Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) at Lucknow is the R&D
  wing of Indian Railways. It functions as a consultant to the Indian Railways in
  technical matters
• Since 1924-25, railway finances remain separated from general revenues
• Though
  the National Highways, which is the responsibility of the Central Government, has
  about 66,590 km (Annexure-I) length and comprises only 2 per cent of the total
  length of roads, carries over 40 per cent of the total traffic
• The NHDP is the largest highway project ever undertaken
  in the country. The NHDP is being implemented by National Highways Authority of India
• Approximately, 90 per cent of the country’s trade by volume (70 per cent in terms of
  value) is moved by sea. India has the largest merchant shipping fleet among the
  developing countries and ranks 20th amongst the countries
• Presently 13 major ports and 200 other ports in India
• Cochin Shipyard is the largest shipyard in the country
• First private airport in Cochi
• Kandala is a tidal port.So is Kolkata
• Vizag port is the deepest port in India
• Highest % of National Highways in UP and the MP
• Rural and other roads constitute the highest % of roads in India
• India has bilateral Air Services Agreements with 103 countries
• India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) came into existence in October 1966
• The Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) located in Gwalior
• Gujarat has highest number of ports
• Dufferin, Indias first training ship.Chanakya-India's present training ship
• Length of road highest in Maharashtra
• Mundra Port, a newly developed minor port in the state of Gujarat registered a cargo traffic of around 28.8 million tonnes per annum during the financial year of 2008, which is higher than that of many major ports
• Bhopal Shatabdi is the train in India with highest speed
• Maximum airports in Gukarat
• Maximum major ports in Tamil Nadu
• 23% of the total railway route electrified
• Konkan railway passes through Maharshtra, Goa and Karnataka

Courtesy:India Year Book 2009,Wikipedia

HISTORY-GOVERNOR GENERALS

• Collectors were appointed during Warren Hastings
• When Hastings resigned Clavering was to become his successor.He even took oath.
  
• Cole brook and William Jones codified the Hindu Law
• With the help of Colonel Sleeman Bentinck suppressed the Thuggis
• In 1850 Sikkim was annexed by Dalhousie
• Annexation of Lower Burma or Pegu in 1852
• Lord Amherst captured Bharatpur in 1826
• Wasil, Chitu and Karim Khan led the Pindaris.They were suppressed by Hastings
• Dalhousie concluded a treaty with the Nizam in 1853 by which Berar was ceded to the company
• Anglo Bhutanese war during Lord Lawrence
• State Railways were started during Lord Mayo
• Dept of Agriculture and Commerce was started during Mayo
• Initially railway was started by private parties
• Lytton started Statutory Civil Service
• In 1886 during the tenure of Lord Duffin,Aichinson Commission was appointed on Civil Services
• Rendition of Mysore by Ripon
• Bentinck created the post of Commissioners
• Indian Post and Telegraph Act-1854
• Abolition of Slavery by Ellenbrough
• Lord Hardinge-ban on female infanticide and human sacrifice,First Anglo sikh war
• First Anglo Afghan War- During Lord Auckland and Second during Lord Lytton
• PWD was formed during Dalhousie
• Cornwalis separated Revenue from administration and abolished the judicial power of the collectors
• During Warren Hastings treasury was transferred to Calcutta from Murshidabad
• Rohilla war in 1774.Their leader Hafiz Rehmat KhanThe decisive battle was fought in Miranpur
• Warren Hastings was expert in Arabic,Persian and could speak in Bengali.He patronised oriental Learning
• During Cornwalis provincial courts were established in Valcutta,Dacca,Murshidabad and Patna.In certain cases such courts even had original jurisdiction
• John Shore and James Grant helped Cornwallis in evolving the Permanent Settlement
• Wellesley called himself Bengal tiger
• Wellesley sent Mehdi Ali Khan as envoy to Persia
• Bentinck regularised and licensed opium trade and export
• Bentick signed a treaty of perpetual friendship with Ranjit Singh
• Lytton patronised free trade and abolished duties on many products like sugar,clothings,drills etc.
  

Person and their field of work

• Aparajita Dutta- Botany
• Usha Chammar- Sanitation and Hygiene
  
• Craig ventor -Human Genome Project
• Darshan -Majhi Mountaineering
• Martha Nassabaum- HDI
• Raman Ray -Outsourcing
• Samuel Wood- Human Cloning
• Pramod Karan- Artificial Limb
• Richuard Stallman- Freeware
• Yuki Bhambri -Tennis
• Rakesh Khurana- Management
• Kishor Biyani -Retail
• Bernerd Feliden- Conservation of Buildings
• V Prabhakar -Photography/Journalism
• Albert Howard- Organic farming
• Indra Sinha -Novelst
• Ajit Bhattacharya- Author
• Wegener -Continental Drift Theory
• Edwin Hubble- Big Bang theory
• Manjit Bawa -Artist
• Arthur C Clarke- Science Fiction
• Vinod Mehta- Journalism
• Amy Winehouse- Singer
• O Sullivan-Snooker
• Martin Cooper-Mobile phone invention
• Chery Bart and Nikki Bart-Mountaineering
• Saurav Ghoshal-Squash
• Dola Banerjee-Archery
• Mark Zukerberg-Social Networking
• Charles Simoyi-Space Traveller
• Chandra Shekhar Ghosh-Micro credit

World Geography PART IV (CONCLUDING PART)-ASIA & Others

• In Borobudur(Java) worlds largest Buddhist monastry
• Parliament of Japan- Diet and of Israel-Knesset
• Igorot is a tribe in Philippines
  
• Honshu is the largest Japanese Island
• La Perouse strait between Hokkaido island and Sakhalin
• Caspian sea is bordered by Iran,Kazakhstan,Russia,Turkmenistan,Azerbaijan
• Jordan is the only land locked west Asian nation
• Mt Mayon is an active Volcano in Luzon,Philippines
• Tatar strait separates Russia and Sakhalin
• Sunda strait separates Java and Sumatra
• Malacca strait separates Sumatra and Malaysia
  
• Dasht e Kavir-Largest salt desert in the world(Iran)
• South China Sea is the largest sea in the world and the largest water body after 5 oceans
• Hwang Ho is also known as Yellow river
• Pynmana is the new capital of Myanmar
• Bangkok is on Chao Phraya river
• Laos is the only landlocked nation of West Asia
• Baghdad is on the bank of Tigris river
• Kirkuk in Iraq is the largest oil field in the world
• Majlis is the parliament of both Maldives and Iran
• Tatar is the narrowest strait
• Malaysia is the largest producer of palm oil
• Nigeria largest producer of Ground nut oil
• Veddas is a tribe in Sri Lanka
• Ainu is a tribe in Japan
• Maginot line separates Germany and France
• Rub Ul Khail is the largest continuous stretch of desert in Saudi Arabia
• Famous Karaganda coal mine is in Kazakhstan
• Negev desert in Israel
• Upper Volta is the earlier name of Burkino Fuso
• 38 parallel separates North and South Korea
• Yawata is the largest iron & steel plant in Japan
• Andorra has the highest life expectancy in the world, 85 years
• Area wise continents Asia-Africa,N America,S America,Europe,Australia
• Big Inch Pipeline bet'n Gulf of Mexico and NE Part of America
• Trans Arabian Pipeline-Ras Tanura to Sidon
• Torres strait separates Australia and New Guinea
• Downs-Temperate grassland in AustraliaFoveux starit separates Southern NewZealand and Steward Island
• COMECON pipeline-Volga basin to East European countries
  
• Mexico is the highest producer of Sulphur
• Ashanti is a tribe in Ghana
  
• Canary Islands belong to Spain
• Tamanithi HEP bet'n India and Myanmar, on Chindwin river
  
• El Al is the airlines of Israel
• Cathay Pacific-Airlines of HongKong
• Macao is governed by China.Earlier it was governed by Portugal

Weekend Dose-Current Affairs and GK

• Ram Mynampati is the new CEO of Satyam
• Richard Holbrook is the US Adviser on Pakistan and Afghanistan
• Himachal Pradesh became India's first carbon free state
• India's first baby from frozen egg born in Chennai
  
• Chandrayaan 2 will be a joint project of India and Russia
• Shipping Corporation of India Ltd is the 17th Navratna company
• Aurora borealis occurs in Ionosphere
• New 4 tiger reserves in the country are in Pilbhit(UP),Sunabeda(Orissa),Sahyadri(Maharashtra) and Ratapani(MP)
• Navanetham Pillai is UN's Human Rights Commissioner
• SB Mathur is new LIC Chairman
• Internet Governance Forum took place in Hyderabad
  
• dVirendra Pralbhakar is an eminentr photographer joournalist
• Recently World Bank developed Investment Climate Index
• Rod Laver was popular by the nickname Rocket.He is from Australia
• Chakib Khelil is OPEC President
• 1 barrel equals to 158 ltr (approx)
• Recently Claudia Castillo of Spain came in news because of the first tracheal transplant
  in the world
• Jmnagar , world's biggest greenfield refineary,cowned by Relieance is in controversy because of its close proximity to Pakistan border
• India is the 11th largest energy producer and 6th largest energy consumer
• Headquarter of OIC-Jeddah, GCC-Riyadh,Arab League-Cairo
• Operation Desert Storm-US Invasion of Iraq in 1990
• Operation Orchard-Israeli invasion of Syrian airbase
• Steve Balmer is the CEO of Microsoft
• Raju Josefa Olilo- President of Fiji
• Kishan Chaupal is a Rural Development scheme in Haryana
• FBI Chief-Robert Mueller
• Operation Chammar Sar- By indian Army in Bandipore district in North Kashmir in Harmukh range
• Nagpur will have India's largest social thermal power plant
• April 22- World Water Day
• BND- Spy Agency Of Germany
• Mossad- Spy Agency of Israel
• Savitri Jindal is India's richest woman
• Contries not part of UNFCC-Somalia, Iraq,Vatican City and Andorra
• International AIDS Conference was recently held in Mexico City
• World Water Convention-Stockholm
• NATO HQ-Brussels
• Tauvex-Indo Israel joint mission on UV imaging satellite
• LM Singhvi Committee on Indian Diaspora
• Leila Seth, Chief Justice of Delhi High Court is the first woman Chief Justice of any high court in India
• World Water Forum was recently held at Istanbul
• Leander Paes and Cara Black(Zimbabwe) won US Mixed Doubles 2008
• Now CRAR is 12%
• In the Global Competitiveness Report by World Economic Forum India ranks 50th
• India purchased Barak Anti Missile from USA
• Megan Mylan directed Oscar Winning docufil Smile Pinky
• Sri BN Srikrishna will head the committee on Mumbai Terror Attack
• JJ Irani Committee-Company Law
• Chaturvedi Committee- Oil Pricing
• The shape of the beast-Arundhati Roy
• Bio Diesel Mission is monitored and implemented by Ministry of R&D
• Recently Currency Swap Deal took place bet'n India and Japan
• Chennai started Online birth registration
• RS Sharma is the new Chairman NTPC
  
• OP Bhat-Chairman SBI
  
• At Kuthalam, India's first Helium extraction plant
• R Venkatraman, Former Indian President was a member of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution
• India and France plan to develop Maitri in the Brahmos line
• 
  

Early Medieval India

• Amoghvarsha patronised Jinasena the author of Adipurana
• The gahdwalah ruler Chndradeva imposed a tax on the Muslims called Turushkadana
• Dantidurga performed Hiranyagarbhadana
• Al Masudi wrote the book "Muruj uj jahan"
• Yashovarman the Chandella ruler built the Khajuraho temple
• The chahamans of Shakambri had several other branches in places like Pratapgarh,Lata, Satvapura, Naddula,Dwalapuri and Ranthambore
• The term Afghan means "To Cry"
• Malatimadhava of Bhabavuti was an important work to know about the kapalikas
• The famous uthor Kshemendra lived in Kashmir
• Dhanyaloka was a work on poetics
• The Chandella rulers revived the gold coins during the medieval period
• The capital of the Hindushahis was Udabandha or Undh
• Harikeli nataka written by Chahamana king Vigraharaja, is inscribed on the slabs of Adhai din ka jhopda
• Pratihara kings had the finest cavalry in the contemporary time
• Nannuka was the founder of the Chandella dynasty and Dhanga was the greatest ruler
• Govindachandra's court was adorned by Lolla Lakshmidhara the author of Kritya kalpataru
• Jaydeva wrote Prasanna Raghava
• Prithviraja Vijaya was written by Jayanka whereas Prithviraja Raso by Chand Vardai
• Govardhanacharya wrote"Aryaprasasti", an erotic poem
• Bilhana wrote Karnasundari
• Krishna I, the Rashtrakuta ruler founded Kailasha temple at Ellora
• Amoghavarsha wrote "prasnottarmalika" and "Kavirajamarga", the earliest work on poetics
• Hindushahis were known as Lallyiah Shahi in Rajtarangini
• Great poet Dhananjay, the author of "Dasarup" adorned the court of Vakpai Munja
• Samantasena was known as Brahma Kshatriya
• Dhoyi wrote Pandavadutam
• Devpala transferred the capital to Monghyr
• During the Pala ruler Rampala Sandhakar Nandi wrote "Ramcharita Manasa" and it was during this time kaivarta rebelion took place
• Dharmapala built the Vikramshila university at Patharghata
• Under the ruler Harsha, Kalhana wrote Rajtarangini in the 12th century
• During the Karkota ruler Durlabh Vardhan, Hieu-en-Tsang visited Kashmir
• The Karkota ruler Lalitaditya Muktadipa built the Sun temple at Martand
• Queen Dida who ruled between 958-1003 AD was of the Utpala dynasty and the wife of Kshemagupta
• Chandellas were the first to use Hindi in Devnagari script
• Al Mashahar went to Benaras to study Sanskrit and astronomy for decade
• The famous image of Bagdevi which is the insignia of Jnanpith award is taken from the symbol prevailing during King Bhoja
• Life science was not taught at Nalanda
• Dhara was a great centre of Sanskrit learning
• Somnath temple was dedicated to Vishnu
• Medhatithi wrote commentaries on Manu
• Chandella king Dhanga sacrificed his life at Prayag at old age
• Chalukya kings were great patrons of Jainism
• Mukteshwara temple was built in the 9th century
• Bhabhavuti author of Malatimadhava and Uttaramacharita was patronised by Yahovarman of Kanauj
• The temples within Khajuraho complex-Duladeo,Kaunarya Mahadeva,Lakshmana,Viswanath,Parshanath and Devi Jagadamba
• Bana wrote Harshacharita, Kadambari and Parvatiparinaya
• In Ellora Brahmanism,Buddhism and Jainism works are found
  

DAILY DOSE

• The 1st world Punjabi Conference was held in Chandigarh in Mrach 2008
• The first weekday after Christmas is known as Boxing Day
• Venezuela means little Venice
• Benazir Bhutto's posthumous memoir"Reconciliation:Islam, Democracy and the west"
• 7th IIM is now functional at Shillong and it is named after Rajiv Gandhi
• Monopsony is the situation when there is just one buyer in the market
• Smallest nation in the world after Vatican City is Monaco
• Arthur C Clark was a citizen of SriLanka
• World's first Youth Olympics will be hosted in Singapore in 2010
• USA gave the women the Right to Vote in 1920
• BHP Billiton is the world's biggest mining company
• Martin Luther King made his famous "Mountaintop" speech on the day before being assassinated
• World's biggest sea bridge on Yangtze River,China
• Recently Virgin Airlines started flights run on biofuel
• Recently Rabbit fever hit Thailand
• Europe's largest IT Farm- Capgemini
• Asteroids are located between Mars and Jupiter
• UK will soon introduce migration tax
• Apart from Tibet Lamaism is practiced in Mongolia as well
• Theodore Roosevelt was the first American to win Nobel Peace Prize
• Urban VII, the Pope held office for just 12 days
• Cheryl Bart and Nykki became the first Mother daughter in the world to climb Mt.Everest
• Martin Cooper invented Mobile phone
  

Daily Dose-GK & CURRENT AFFAIRS

• Ramanujan was the first Indian to be elcted fellow of Trinity College, Cambidge
• Sir J.C.Bose was the first from the Indian subcontinent to get a US patent back in 1904
• Churchil won Nobel Prize in literature in 1953.
• Lewis Hamilton(UK) recently became world's youngest F 1 Racing Champion.
• Igiby Bank(Babylon, 605 BC) was the earliest bank of the world
• Anoushesh Ansari(Iran) was the first woman space tourist
• John Adams was the first US president to reside in the White House
• Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya was led by the Kikuyu tribe against British rule
• Monroe Doctrine(1823)- European countries no longer vto colonize in America or interfere with existing colonies.Propounded by US President James Monroe.
• Camp Delta, Camp Echo and Camp X-Ray are all parts of Guantanamo Bay prison
• Battle of Dien Bien Phu ended French participation in the affairs of Vietnam
• US-Vietnam war was also known as Second Indo-China War
• Ralph Bunche was the first Black to win a Nobel(1950)
• The Jazz Singer was the first talkie in the world
• Y.V.Chnadrachud had the longest tenure as the Chief Justice of India(1978-1985)
• The 17th Parallel separates North and South Vietnam
• Domino Theory-If a country succumbs to communist regime, the neighbouring countries will follow.It was developed during Eisenhower administration
• 055 Brigade-Organisation of Al Qaida terrorists
  
• Santa Catarina flood affected Brazil in 2008
• David Cameron is the Leader of Opposition in UK
• Operation Cyclone-Anti communist operation in Afghanistan by USA in late 70s and early 80s
• 40th Army- Soviet Army which invaded Afghanistan
• Mohd Zahir Shah ruled Afghanistan from 1933 to 1973
• Space X Falcon was the world's first privately developed space launch vehicle to successfully make orbit
• Albania and Croatia joined NATO in 2008
• Operation Mongoose-Operation by Kennedy Administration to overthrow Fidel Castroin late 1961
• Three Gorges Dam, China is the largest Hydroelectric project in the world
  

DO YOU KNOW----

1. Doris Lessing is the oldest to win a nobel prize.
2. Suzlon, the wind energy major is the largest manufacturing site in the world.It is the first case where India invested in China.
3. Cricket was a part of Olympics in 1900 when UK won gold by defeating France.
4. Jessica Cox lost her two arms in an accident and later on became the first person to fly an aeroplane using only her feet.
5. Google actually means a number with millions of zeroes in it.
6. No Olympics were held in 1916,1940 and 1944 due to World Wars.
7. BOSS or Bharat Operating System Solutions, is India's first own PC Operating system.
8. Beijing is the third Asian country to host Olympics after Tokyo and Seoul.
9. Colgate in Spanish menas"Go Hang Yourself".So you can figure out the sales statistics of Colgate in Spain.
10. Neel Kashkari, an Indian has been given the charge of rescuing US from financial crisis.

Answers to History Quiz Part 1 Delhi Sultanate Special

1>Zia Nakshbandi.He wrote Tuti Namah,a persian translation of Sukha Saptati
2>Cooking.
3>Qutubuddin Aibak
4>Sikander Lodhi
5>Turkallah
6>Sikander Lodhi's tomb
7>Khwajah Isami's Futuh-us Salatin
8>Firuz Shah Tughlak
9>Fakr i Mudabbir
10>Alauddin Khalji.Minister for collection of arrear
11>Alauddin Khalji.Minister for maintaining record of revenue and expenditure
12>Khasrau Shah.He was a shudra.
13>Tair. During Behram Shah' rule(1241-42)
14>Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah.In 1398.
15>Iltutmish for his son Nasiruddin mahmud.
16>Khizerabad, in the name of his son Khizer Khan
17>Mohd Bin Tughlak
18>Mohd Bin Tughlak
19>Iltutmish and Tajuddin Yaldoz, 1215-16
20>Balban.
21>Alauddin Khalji
22>Kutlugh Khaja in 1298
23>Firuz Shah Tughlak
24>Utbi
25>Mahmood of Ghazni.

Mega Quiz 1

1>Which is the world's first certified green airport?

2>Who holds the record for delivering the longest speech in history?

3>Which country has recently decided to come out of OPEC?

4>What is the name of India's research station at Arctic?

5>Which is the only floating national park in the world?

6>"Project Arrow"- aims at revamping the ____ system of the country>Fill in the blanks.

7>Who was the highest scorer in Euro 2008?

8>Which is presently the fastest super computer in the world?

9>What is "Seigniorage"?

10>Name India's only amphibian warship.

11>What is Magitti?

12>Which national park in India boasts of the highest tiger population density?

13>Who is presently India's envoy to USA?

14>Name the first Indian to win grammy award.

15>Name Iran's first satellite launched recently.

16>Who is credited for developing Human Development Index?

17>Which is the oldest stock exchange in the world?

18>Which tennis player won all the grand slams in a year twice?

19>Which tennis player won the Golden Grand Slam?

20>Who was the first black tennis player to win Wimbledon?

21>Name India's first cloned animal.

22>Which is the smallest country in EU?

23>Which is the most populous country in EU?

24>What is the new name of Pretoria?

25>Who along with Sabeer Bhatia developed Hotmail?

QUIZ 3

1>Along with quranic sayings, there is only one name of a person in Kutub Minar.What is that?

2>Name the only single mosque in India named after a Hindu goddess.

3>Along with India 15th August is the independence day of another Asian country.Name it.

4>Name the country with highest population density.

5>Who is the present Director of Amnesty International?

6>Who is the first asian to be the Dy chairperson of the House of the Lord in UK?

7>Which day is celebrated as Mount Everest Day?

8>World's biggest refinery is being set up where and by whom?

9>Which is the only book written by Gandhiji in two languages?

10>Name the oldest surviving paliament in the world.

Day 1

Hi guys, hope u like my articles in my other blog@ saptarshinag.blogspot.com.Any suggestion from you is always welcome and from now onwards I'll start a different approach while catering to your needs.I will write a weekly article in my other blog whereas I'll try to present 10 interesting questions here regularly.This questions will help you to hone your GK skills and might be useful for various competitive exams.I'll put some current affairs questions as well so that you can keep in touch with the current events.Please help me to improve this blog by giving constructive suggestions.The answers of the questions asked will be given in the next day.So here we go...

1>Name the person who is the recipient of both Bharat Ratna and Nishan-e-Pakistan , the highest civilian awards of the two countries respectively?

2>Which is the Indian state with no home guards?

3>Footsie is the Stock market index of which stock market?

4>In 2008 where was World Social Forum held?

5>Name the Nobel Prize winner to star in world cup football?

6>Who was the first British PM to come to India?

7>Which port in India is the top traffic handler?

8>Which is the largest circulated daily in the world?

9>Where and when was the first telecom exchange in India established?

10>Bobby Fischer, the famosu Chess player hailed from which country?