INDIA YEAR BOOK 2009-SELECTIVE READINGS

• Indian Army is world's second largest in terms of military personnel
• India shares land border with 7 countries( Bangladesh maximum) and martime border with 5 countries
• Hindustan Aeronautical Limited was established in 1964 with its corporate Headquarter in Bangalore
• NCC was established in 1948
• Total production of crops in 1007-08 2273.2 lakh tonnes
• ANNAPURNA SCHEME:Ministry of Rural Development launched this scheme in 2000-2001. Indigent senior bcitizens of 65 years of age or above who though eligible for old age pension under the National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS) but are not getting the pension are covered under the Scheme. 10 kg of foodgrains per person per month are supplied free of cost under the scheme. From 2002-2003, the scheme has been transferred to State Plan along with the National Social Assistance Programme comprising the National Old Age Pension Scheme and the National Family Benefit Scheme.
• TARGETTED PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM:
  In order to ensure availability of minimum quantity of foodgrains to the families
  living below the poverty line, the Government launched the TPDS in June 1997.From 1 April 2002, this allocation has been increased from 25 to 35 kg per family per month. The Central Issue Price (CIP) for BPL families is Rs 4.15 per kg for wheat and Rs 5.65 per kg of rice
• The soft drinks constitute the 3rd largest packaged foods regularly consumed after
  packed tea and packed biscuits. The aerated soft drinks industry in India comprises
  over 100 plants across all states.
• The Mid-Day Meal Scheme was launched by the Ministry of Human Resource
  Development (Department of Education) with effect from 15th August 1995 for the
  benefit of students in primary schools under Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS)/
  earlier Revamped Public Distribution System (RPDS) blocks (2368). The Scheme
  covers students (Class I-V) in the Government Primary Schools/Primary Schools
  aided by Government and in the Primary Schools run by local bodies.
• Indian Grain Storage Management and Research Institute (IGMRI), Hapur, is engaged
  in the training and R&D work relating to grain storage management.
• The State/UT wise forest cover in the country shows that Madhya Pradesh
  with 76.013 km2 has the largest area under forest cover, followed by Arunachal
  Pradesh (67,777 km2), Chhattisgarh (55,863 km2)
• Mangroves in India account for about 5 per cent of the World’s mangrove
  vegetation and are spread over an area of about 4500 km2 along the coastal
  States/UTs of the country. Sunderbans in West Bengal account for a little less
  than half of the total area under mangroves in India
• world forestry Day on 21st March
• The forest cover of the country in terms of percentage to the
  geographic area comes to 21.81%
• Out of the Fifteen Biosphere Reserves designated nationally, four Biosphere
  Reserves namely Sunderbans (West Bengal), Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu).
  Nilgiri (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka) and Nanda Devi, (Uttarakhand)
  have been included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves so far
• The Protected Area network in India includes 99 National Parks and 513 Wildlife
  Sanctuaries
• Kachchh Biosphere Reserve in Gujarat has been designated as 15th Biosphere Reserve in the country on 29th January, 2008.
• The Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘Project Tiger’ was launched in April, 1973 and Project Elephant was launched in February, 1992
• BEFORE 1976, education was the exclusive responsibility of the States. The
  Constitutional Amendment of 1976, which included education in the Concurrent
  List, was a far-reaching step.
• The Scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) a national flagship programme, is being
  implemented in all districts of the country. The aim of SSA is to provide useful and
  relevant elemantry education for all children in the 6-14 age group by 2010. The
  scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) was launched in 2001. The goals of SSA are
  as follows : (i) All 6-14 age children in school/EGS (Education Guarantee Scheme)
  centre/Bridge Course by 2005. (ii) Bridge all gender and social category gaps at
  primary stage by 2007 and at elementary education level by 2010. (iii) Universal
  retention by 2010. (iv) Focus on elementary education of satisfactory quality with
  emphasis on education for life.Here and 50:50 sharing thereafter between the Central Government and the State Government except for 8 NE states
• The literacy rate in 2001 has been recorded at 64.84 per cent as against 52.21 per
  cent in 1991. The 12.63 percentage points increase in the literacy rate during the
  period is the highest increase in any decade.
• Administering the Copyright Act, 1957, one of the several legislations in India in the
  area of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), is the responsibility of the Union Ministry
  of Human Resource Development, Department of Secondary and Higher Education.
• India is a member of the World Intellectual Property
  Organisation (WIPO), a specialised agency of the United Nations
• National Book Trust-1957
• UGC-1953 and became a statutory organisation by act of Parliament in 1986
• The Himachal Pradesh Assembly passed three Bills seeking to increase
  reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions, Municipal bodies and
  Shimla Municipal Corporation from existing 33 per cent to 50 per cent
• Jigmi Y Thinley has assumed office as Bhutan's Prime Minister after receiving
  the ceremonial scarf from King Jigme Khesar Namgyal.
• China has emerged as our second largest trade partner
• The EU is India’s largest trading partner and bilateral trade crossed Rs.
  270,000 crore in 2006