Revison Capsule

Last Minute Revision Capsule
Land and the People

* India is the 7th largest country in the world
* India’s mainland extends between latitudes 8°4' and 37°6' north, longitudes 68°7' and 97°25' east and measures about 3,214 km from north to south between the extreme latitudes and about 2,933 km from east to west between the extreme longitudes.
* The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) is headquartered at Kolkatta
* India’s population as on 1 March 2001 stood at 1,028 million
* India accounts for a meagre 2.4 per cent of the world surface area of 135.79 million sq km. Yet, it supports and sustains a whopping 16.7 per cent of the world population.
* The population density of India in 2001 was 324 per sq km. Among major states, West Bengal is still the most thickly populated state with a population density of 903 in 2001. Bihar is now the second highest densely populated state pushing Kerala to the third place.
* The sex ratio in the country had always remained unfavourable to females. It was 972 at the beginning of the 20th century and thereafter showed continuous decline until 1941.
* For the purpose of census 2001, a person aged seven and above, who can both read and write with understanding in any language, is treated as literate. A person, who can only read but cannot write, is not literate.
* Kerala retained its position by being on top with a 90.86 per cent literacy rate, closely followed by Mizoram (88.80 per cent) and Lakshadweep (86.66 per cent).Bihar with a literacy rate of 47.00 per cent ranks last in the country preceded byJharkhand (53.56 per cent) and Jammu and Kashmir (55.52 per cent).

National Symbols

National flag

* THE National flag is a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (kesaria) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion.
* The ratio of width of the flag to its length is two to three.
* In the centre of the white band is a navy-blue wheel which represents the chakra.
* Its design is that of the wheel which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. Its diameter approximates to the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes.
* The design of the National Flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 22 July 1947.

STATE EMBLEM

* The state emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka.
* In the original, there are four lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a

frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and

a lion separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus. Carved out of a

single block of polished sandstone, the Capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law(Dharma Chakra).

* The state emblem was adopted by the Government of India on 26 January 1950

NATIONAL ANTHEM

* The song Jana-gana-mana, composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly as the National Anthemof India on 24 January 1950.
* It was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Kolkata Session of the Indian National Congress. The complete song consists of five stanzas.
* Playing time of the full version of the national anthem is approximately 52 seconds. A short version consisting of the first and last lines of the stanza (playing time approximately 20 seconds)

NATIONAL SONG

* The song Vande Mataram, composed in sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterji, was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom. It has an equal status with Jana-gana-mana. The first political occasion when it was sung was the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress.

NATIONAL CALENDAR

* The national calendar based on the Saka Era, with Chaitra as its first month and a normal year of 365 days was adopted from 22 March 1957 along with the Gregorian calendar for the following official purposes.

NATIONAL ANIMAL

* The magnificent tiger, Panthera tigris, a striped animal is the national animal of India, it has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes.

NATIONAL FLOWER

* Lotus (Nelumbo Nucipera Gaertn) is the National Flower of India.

NATIONAL TREE

* The Banyan Tree (Ficus benghalensis) is the National Tree of India.

NATIONAL FRUIT

* Mango (Manigifera indica) is the National fruit of India.

AGRICULTURE

* Agriculture and allied sectors contribute nearly 17.8 and 17.1 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP of India) during 2007-08 and 2008-09 respectively.
* Agriculture is a state subject.
* India has about 18% of world's population and 15% of livestock population to be supported from only 2% geographical area and 1.5% of forest and pasture lands.
* 1 Bale of Cotton- 170 kgs
* 1 Bale of Jute- 180 kgs
* Out of 328.7 million hectare of ge ographical area of India, about 141 million hectares as Net Cultivated Area. Of this, about 57 million hectare (40%) is irrigated and the remaining 85 million ha. (60%) is rainfed.
* The National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA) was launched in 1990-91 in 28 States and two Union Territories based on twin concepts of integrated watershed management and sustainable farming systems.
* The Union Government have constituted a National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) on 03-11-2006 to give focused attention to the problem of the rainfed areas of the country.
* Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institutes (FMT&TIs) have been established at Budni (Madhya Pradesh), Hissar (Haryana), Garladinne (Andhra Pradesh) and at Biswanath Chariali (Assam).
* CENTRAL INSTITUTE OF HORTICULTURE- MEDZIPHEMA, NAGALAND
* Government of India constituted a Task Force under the Chairmanship of Prof. A. Vaidyanathan in 2004 to suggest an implementable plan of action to revive the rural cooperative credit institutions.
* Centrally Sponsored Scheme on National Food Security Mission has been launched in the country to enhance the production of rice, wheat and pulses by 10, 8 and 2 million tonnes respectively by the end of the 11th Plan. The Mission covers 312 districts in 17 States and has become operational from Rabi 2007-08.
* India is the third largest producer and consumer of fertilizers in the world after China and the USA.
* The Technology Mission on Oilseeds was launched by the Central Government in 1986 to increase the production of oilseeds to reduce import and achieve self sufficiency in edible oils.
* Pulses, oil palm and maize were also brought within the purview of the Mission in 1990-91, 1992 and 1995-96.
* Kisan Call Centres have been functioning since 21st January, 2004 and working in 25 different locations covering almost all the States of the country. All KCC locations are accessible by dialing single toll free number 1551 & 1800-180-1551 from 6.00 A.M. to 10.00 P.M. on all 7 days a week nation-wide.
* Urea is the only fertiliser which is under Statutory Price Control.
* The Central Fertiliser Quality Control and Training Institute – Faridabad
* National Bio-fertiliser Development Centre- Ghaziabad
* National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP), Nagpur
* Locust Warning Organisation- Jodhpur
* National Plant Protection Training Institute-Hyderabad
* National Institute of Agricultural Marketing,- Jaipur
* Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI), Faridabad.
* Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC), New Delhi
* India is endowed with the largest livestock population in the world. It accounts for 57 per cent of the world’s buffalo population and 14 per cent of the cattle population.
* India ranks first in respect of buffalo, 2nd in cattle and goats, 3rd in sheep, 4th in ducks, 5th in chickens and 6th in camel population in the world.
* The first Livestock Census was conducted during 1919-1920 and since then it is being conducted

quinquennially by all States/UTs in India. So far 18 such Censuses have been conducted and the latest one if 18th Livestock Census in the series with 15/10/2007 as the date of reference.

* The Central Frozen Semen Production and Training Institute (CFSP&TI) located at Hessarghatta (Bangaluru)
* National Veterinary Biological Products Quality Control Centre (National Institute of Animal Health) has been set up at Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh.
* Disease Investigation Laboratory, Pune
* Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals, Kolkata,
* Institute of Animal Health & Biologicals, Bangalore.
* Animal Health Institute, Jalandhar
* Institute of Velerinary Biological- Khanapara,Guwahati
* The Central Institute of Fisheries, Nautical and Engineering Training- Kochi
* Central Institute of Coastal Engineering for Fisheries, Bangalore.
* Central Agricultural University at Imphal
* High Security Animal Disease Lab, Bhopal.
* The Centre for Animal Disease Research and Diagnosis (CADRAD) of Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar is functioning as Central Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.
* Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal
* Vivekananda Paravatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan (VPKAS), Almora
* India continues to be the largest producer of milk in the world.
* National Fisheries Development Board- Hyderabad
* Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology, Ludhiana
* Central Institute of Research on Cotton Technology, Mumbai
* National Institute for Research on Jute and Allied Fibres, Kolkata
* Indian Institute for Natural Resins and Gums, Ranchi


ART AND CULTURE

ORGANISATION

FIELD



*NSD was set up Sangeet Natak Akademi, later it became an autonomous organization in 1975.,totally financed by Department of Culture.

*
* Two main schools of classical music—Hindustani and Carnatic.
* The Jawaharlal Nehru Manipuri Dance Academy in Imphal, the premier institution in Manipuri dance and music established in 1954, is the first of these institutions.
* The Sangeet Natak Akademi’s ongoing projects of national importance are in Kutiyattam theatre of Kerala, which commenced in 1991 received recognition from UNESCO as a Master piece of oral and intangible heritage of Humanity in 2001.
* The project in Chhau dance of Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal began in 1994.
* The project support to Sattriya music, dance, theatre and allied arts of Assam was started in 2002.
* The National School of Drama has made a significant contribution in promoting children’s theatre. The Theatre-in-Education Company (renamed as Sanskar Rang Toli) was founded in 1989 and has been actively involved in production of plays for children, organising summer theatre workshops in the schools of Delhi and also promoting children’s theatre through Saturday Club.
* Since 1998, the National School of Drama has organised National Theatre Festival for Children christened ‘Jashne Bachpan’ every year.
* The first ever National Theatre Festival christened Bharat Rang Mahotsav was held from 18 March to 14 April 1999 to commemorate the 50th year of India’s Independence. Encouraged by the success of the first Bharat Rang Mahotsav, it has been made an annual feature.
* Sahitya Akademi has recognised 24 languages
* The highest honour conferred by the Sahitya Akademi on a writer is by electing him its Fellow. This honour is reserved for the ‘Immortals of Literature’ and limited to 21 at any given time.
* The Anthropological Survey of India is a premier research organisation under the Ministry of Culture.
* The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was established in 1861. It functions as an attached office of the Department of Culture
* The ASI has taken up the conservation project of Ta Prohm, Cambodia under the ITEC programme of Ministry of External Affairs.
* The National Archives of India (NAI), New Delhi known until Independence as Imperial Record Department was originally established in Kolkatta on 11 March 1891. It is the official custodian of all non-current record of permanent value to the Government of India and its predecessor bodies.
* The National Museum Institute of History of Art, Conservation and Museology – New Delhi. This is the only Museum University in India.
* The National Library, Kolkatta
* The Central Secretariat Library (CSL) originally known as Imperial Secretariat Library, Kolkata was established in 1891. Since 1969 the Library has been housed at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi.
* The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi
The National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLC)- Lucknow


COMMUNICATIONS

*
* The postal system, established by Lord Clive in the year 1766, was further developed by Warren Hastings by establishing the Calcutta G.P.O. under a Postmaster General in the year 1774.
* The statute presently governing the postal services in the country is the Indian Post Office Act, 1898.
* On an average in India, a post office serves an area of 21.16 sq km, and a population of 6623
* India is a member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) since 1876 and of the Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU) since 1964.
* India has the largest postal network in the world.
Department of Posts has been entrusted with the responsibility of disbursing wages of National

Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) beneficiaries through Post Offices (including HOs/SOs/BOs).

*
* India has money order services with 27 countries.
India has two way money order service with Bhutan and Nepal, wherein money orders can be sent to and received from these countries.


Postal Life Insurance (PLI) was introduced in 1884

* The Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) operates the Small Savings Schemes of Govt. of India, Ministry of Finance, on an agency basis. In terms of its existing mandate, the POSB is fully geared to meet the banking requirements of small investors, particularly those who cannot readily access the commercial banks.
International Money Transfer Service: This service, operated in association with a multinational company, Western Union Financial Services International, provides to customers the facility of receiving remittances from 205 contries and territories on a real time basis. The Department received the award in the years 2004 and 2005 for “Highest Growth in Transactions”.

· The Telecommunication services were introduced in India soon after the invention of telegraphy and telephone. The first Telegraph line between Kolkatta and Diamond Harbour was opened for traffic in 1851. By March 1884, telegraph messages could be sent from Agra to Kolkatta.

*
* The Department of Posts has launched "Project Arrow" to revitalize its core operations and to provide new technology enabled services to the common man. The objective of the scheme is to give a new outlook to post offices by modernizing exterior and interior designs of the Post Office, upgrading infrastructure and enhancing core operation including IT enabled services and processes.
* Under the Project Arrow, a New Logo for India Post has been launched on 23 rd September 2008 at New Delhi. The new logo presents India Post as a forward looking and modern organisation, carrying emotion and expressions across physical distance.
* The first Telegraph line between Kolkata and Diamond Harbour was opened for traffic in 1851. By March 1884, telegraph messages could be sent from Agra to Kolkata. By 1900, telegraph and telephone had started serving Indian Railways. As in the case of telegraph, telephone service was also introduced in Kolkata in 1881-82, barely six years after the invention of telephone.
* The first automatic exchange was commissioned at Shimla in 1913-14 with a capacity of 700 lines.
* Indian telecommunications network with about 494 million connections as on 31st August, 2009 is the third largest in the world.
* Indian telecommunications network with about 494 million connections (overall tele-density 42.27%) is the second largest wireless network in the world.
* The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was established under the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997 to regulate the telecommunications services and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto
* The country is divided into 19 (Nineteen) Telecom Circles Service areas and 4 (Four) Metro Service areas for the Cellular Mobile Telephone Service (CMTS) as well as Unified Access Services (UAS).
* Grameen Sanchar Sevaks (GSSs) carry a mobile fixed wireless terminal (FWT) with display unit and visit door to door to provide telephone facility franchisee basis. It is implemented in whole country except in A&N, Haryana & Punjab which are already having sufficient/full coverage.
* Advance level Training Centre- Ghaziabad
* Bharat Ratna Bhim Rao Ambedkar Institute of Telecom Training – Jabalpur
* National Academy of Telecom Finance and Management –Hyderabad
* Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) Wing, established in 1952, is the national radio regulatory authority responsible for coordination and regulation of radio spectrum usages in the country. It is a nodal agency for all matters concerning International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a specialized agency of the United Nations for all telecommunication matters and Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT),an inter-governmental organization of the region.
* Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) came into existence in 2000. BSNL is a 100% Govt. of India owned PSU.
* MTNL came into existence in the year 1986. MTNL is one of the few PSU’s that is listed in NYSE. MTNL is entrusted with the management, control and operation of telecom services (excluding public telegraph service) in metropolitan limits of Mumbai & New Mumbai (including Kalyan, and Thane for mobile service) and Delhi (including four towns Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad & Ghaziabad for mobile service).
Telecommunications Consultants India Limited was established in 1978, is a multidisciplinary telecom organization which provides complete telecom solutions from concept to completion.

ITI Limited, a Public Sector Undertaking under Department of Telecommunication has six manufacturing units at Bangalore, Rae Bareili, Naini, Mankapur, Srinagar and Palakkad

DEFENCE

*
INDIA shares land borders with seven countries.

Bangladesh (4096 kms),

China (3439 kms),

Pakistan (3325 kms)

and Myanmar (1643 kms) and maritime borders with five countries.

*
* The Indian Army is the world's second largest army in terms of military personnel.
The past 75 years have been an eventful journey for the Indian Air Force (IAF) from a

flight of 'Wapitis' in 1932, to the fourth largest, professionally acclaimed, strategic Air

Force responsible for guarding Nation's vital interests.

*
* Indigenously built INS Kesari was commissioned into the Indian Navy in April 2008. Two Water Jet - Fast Attack Crafts Chetlat and Car Nicobar were commissioned into the Indian Navy in February 2009.
* India sits astride the major sea routes of the world. It has a coastline of 7,516 km with a total of 1,197 island territories in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. India has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 2.01 million sq. km. 90 per cent by volume and 77 per cent of total value of India’s trade comes from the seas. The resource rich EEZ provides 68 per cent of its oil production and fish production of 2.82 million tonnes.
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) came into existence with the enactment of the Coast Guard Act, 1978 on 18 August 1978. The Coast Guard is responsible for surveillance of the Indian territorial waters and the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone to prevent poaching, smuggling and other illegal activities; to conduct search and rescue operations; to protect and preserve marine environment.


*
The National Cadet Corps (NCC) was established under the NCC Act, 1948. It has completed 60 years of existence.


EDUCATION

*
* Education is in the Concurrent list.
* National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986 and the Programme of Action (POA) 1986 as updated in 1992.
* In order to facilitate donations including smaller amounts from India and abroad for implementing projects/programmes connected with the education sector, the Government has constituted ‘‘Bharat Shiksha Kosh’’ as a Society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. It was launched officially on 9 January 2003 during the celebrations of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas.
* 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 groupe by 2010. The scheme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) was launched in 2001.
* Education Guarantee Scheme and Alternative and Innovative Education (EGS and AIE) is an important component of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) to bring out-ofschool children in the fold of Elementary Education. The scheme envisages that child-wise planning is undertaken for each out-of-school children.
* Mid Day Meals Scheme was launched in the year 1995.
* District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) was launched in1994 as a major initiative to revitalise the primary education system and to achieve the objective of universalisation of primary education.
* Mahila Samakhya Scheme was started in 1989, to translate the goals enshrined in the NPE into a concrete programme for the education and empowerment of women in rural areas particularly those from socially and economically marginalized groups. The MS scheme recognizes the centrality of edcuation in empowering women to achieve equality. The Mahila Sanghas or women's collectives at the village level provide the women a space to meet, reflect, ask questions and articulte their thoughts and needs and make informed choices. The Mahila Samakhya Scheme is currently being implemented in nine States viz., Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnatka, Kerala, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
* The National Bal Bhavan is an autonomous organisation fully funded by the Ministry of Human Resources Development. Department of School Education and Literacy. Since its inception in 1956.
* National Bal Bhavan has also launched a scheme to identify, honour and nurture the creative children of India irrespective of their socio-economic status. The rationale behind this scheme - 'The Bal Shree Scheme', is that creativity is a human potential that directly relates to self expression and self-development.
* National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) was established in August 1995
* The National Literacy Mission set up in May 1988 aims to attain a sustainable threshold level of 75 per cent literacy by 2007 by imparting functional literacy to nonliterates in the age group of 15-35 years, which is the productive and reproductive age group and constitutes a major segment of the work force.The Total Literacy Campaign is the principal strategy of NLM for eradication of illiteracy.
* As per Census, 2001, 47 districts in the country have a female literacy rate below 30 per cent.
* Satyen Maitra Memorial Award is given every year to selected TLC/PLP/CE districts for their best performing and significant achievements in literacy programmes.
* UNESCO's Confucius Prize for Literacy has been awarded to Directorate of Literacy & Continuing Education, Government of Rajasthan for its Useful Learning through Literacy and Continuing Education Programme in Rajasthan.
* The theme for award for this year was "Literacy for Sustainable Development". The Directorate of Literacy & Continuing Education of Rajasthan received this award for this literacy programmes specifically targeted at illiterate women.
* Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore
* National Population Education Project was launched in April 1980 with the overarching objective of institutionalizing population education in the school education and teacher education systems to contribute to the attainment of population and development goals of the country.
The Centrally sponsored scheme of Integrated Education for Disabled Children (IEDC) was launched in 1974 by the then Department of Social Welfare and was later transferred to the Department of Education in 1982-83.

*
* 40th International Literacy Day celebration was held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 8th, 2006.
* The National Population Education Project was launched in April 1980 with the overarching objective of institutionalizing population education in the school education and teacher education systems to contribute to the attainment of population and development goals of the country
* National Book Trust, India an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, was established in 1957.
* India is a member of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a specialised agency of the United Nations which deals with copyright and other intellectual property rights and plays an important role in all its deliberations.
GATS prescribes the following four modes of Trade in Services including Education Services:

Cross-Border Supply of a service includes any type of course that is provided through distance education or the internet, any type of testing service, and educational materials which can cross national boundaries;

Consumption Abroad mainly involves availing services abroad, i.e., students going abroad and is the most common form of trade in educational services;

Commercial Presence refers to the actual presence of foreign investors in a host country. This would include foreign universities setting up courses or entire institutions in another country; and

Presence of Natural Persons refers to the ability of people to move between countries to provide educational services.
ENVIRONMENT

*
* Botanical Survey of India was established in 1890 with headquarters at Kolkatta
* Zoological Survey of India was established in 1916 with headquarters at Kolkatta .ZSI has16 Regional Centers
* Forest Survey of India was established in 1981 at Dehradun
* According to State of Forests Report 2005, the total forest cover of the country as per 2005 assessment is 677.088 km2 and this constitutes 20.60 per cent of the total geographic area of the country. Of this, 54,569 km2 (1.66%) is very dense forest, 332.647 km2 (10.12%) is moderately dense forest, while 289.872 km2 (8.82%) is open forest cover. The scrub accounts for 38,475 km2(1.17%)
* The State/UT wise forest cover in the country shows that Madhya Prad esh with 76.013 km2 has the largest area under forest cover, followed by Arunachal Pradesh (67,777 km2), Chhattisgarh (55,863 km2).
* The Ministry launched Mangrove Conservation Programme in 1987 and, has so far, identified 38 mangrove areas for intensive conservation and management.
*
* 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.
The four major coral reefs areas identified for intensive conservation and management

are:

l Gulf of Mannar

l Gulf of Kachchh

l Lakshadweep and

l Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

*
The Indian reef area is estimated to be 2,375 km2. Recognizing that the year 2008 was the International Year of Coral Reefs, the Ministry sponsored a workshop entitled ‘Status of Coral Reefs in India’ jointly organized by UT Administration of Lakshadweep and National Institute of Oceanography, Goa from 21-23 January, 2008 at Kadamat Islands, Lakshadweep.

*
* India is a producer-member of the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) which was established by the International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA), 1983. At present there are 59 Member countries in ITTO, out of which 33 are Producer- Member countries and 26 are Consumer-Member countries.
* Fifteen Biosphere Reserves have been set up. These are: Nilgiri, Nanda Devi, Nokrek, Great Nicobar, Gulf of Mannar, Manas, Sunderbans, Similipal, Dibru Daikhowa, Dehong Deband, Panchmarhi, Kanchanjanga, Agasthyamalai, Achanakmar-Amarkantak and Kachchh Biosphere Reserve(Gujarat)
* Out of these fifteen Biosphere Reserves, four have been recognized on World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO, namely, Nilgiri, Sunderbans, Gulf of Mannar and Nanda Devi Biosphere of Uttarakhand.
* The Ramsar Convention defines Wetlands, as areas of marsh or fen, peat-land or water, whether artificial or natural, permanent or temporary, with the water that is static or flowing, fresh brackish or salt including areas of marine water, and the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters.
* The Indian reef area is estimated to be 2,375 km.
* Recognizing that the year 2008 is the International Year of Coral Reefs, the Ministry has sponsored a Workshop entitled ‘Status of Coral Reefs in India’ jointly organized by UT Administration of Lakshadweep and National Institute of Oceanography. Goa from 21-23 January, 2008 at Kadamat Islands, Lakshadweep.
* National Coral Reef Research Centre -Port Blair
The convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is the first comprehensive global agreement which addresses all aspects relating to biodiversity. The CBD which has near universal membership with 189 countries as its partners.

India is a Party to the CBD.

*
The ‘ECO-MARK’ scheme was launched by the Ministry in 1991 for labelling of environment-friendly consumer products which meet certain environmenal criteria along with quality requirements of the Bureau of India Standards (BIS).

*
To combat wildlife related crimes, a Wildlife Crime Control Bureau under the Director, Wildlife Preservation has been constituted with five Regional Offices viz., Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Jabalpur and three Sub-regional offices at Amritsar, Guwahati and Cochin.

*
These include Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially Waterfowl habitat, Vienna Convention for the protection of the Ozone Layer, Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the Ozone Layer, Conventions on Biological Diversity, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol, the Basel Convention on Trans-boundary Movement of Hazardous Substances, Convention to Combat Desertification and Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, etc.

*
Vienna Convention on Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) in 1985 and the Montreal Protocol in 1987. India acceded to the Montreal protocol, along with its London Amendment in 1992.

· India is party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

*
India acceded to the Kyoto Protocol in August 2002.

*
In pursuance of the announcement made by the Hon’ble Finance Minister while presenting the Union Budget 2007-08, the Government set up the Expert Committee on Impacts of Climate Change on 7th of May 2007 under the Chairmanship of Dr. R. Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Adviser to Government of India.

*
India has joined hands with United States of America and other partners against the illegal Wildlife crime/trafficking by joining Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CWAT).

· Established in 1982, Wildlife Institute of India (VII) is an autonomous institution under the administrative control of the Ministry and has been recognized as a country’s premier training and research institution in the field of wildlife conservation. The Institute was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Conservation Award in 1999 in the Institutional Category by the MoEF for its outstanding performance and activities.

· The 12th World Lake Conference (Taal 2007), a biennial event under the aegis of international Lake Environment Committee (ILEC) Foundation, was organized by the Ministry, at Jaipur, Rajasthan from 28th October to 2nd November, 2007.

*
The National Museum of National History (NMNH), a subordinate organization of the Ministry, was opened to public in 1978 to create public awareness in preservation and conservation of environment and nature.

Corporate Affairs

*
There were about 30 thousand registered companies at work in 1957, i.e. initial year of 2nd five year plan and this

number has increased to about 788 thousand registered companies at work at the end of March, 2008.

*
* The corporate sector in India is dominated by small and medium sized companies as they constitute 92% of the sector. These companies have authorized capital of less than Rs. one crore. The remaining 8% companies have authorized capital of more than Rs. one crore. Only 1% companies have authorized capital of more than Rs. 25 crores.
* The three largest states constituting 54% of the corporate sector are Maharashtra, Delhi and West Bengal.
MAJOR PROGRAMMES OF THE MINISTRY
*
* Investor Education and Protection Fund
* National Foundation for Corporate Governance
* Serious Frauds Investigation Office (SFIO)s
* Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA)
MCA21 e-Governance Project- The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has implemented an e-Governance initiative known as 'MCA21 e-Governance Project'. It is built on the Government's vision to

introduce a service-oriented approach in the design and delivery of Government Services.

*
* The MCA 21 programme of the Ministry has been conferred the "National Award for e-Governance - 2007-08" by the Government of India. The award is in the Gold category for excellence in Government Process Re-engineering.
The First international Summit on Corporate social Responsibility (CSR) was held on January 29-30, 2008 at New Delhi. It was cosponsored by the Ministry of corporate Affairs under the aegis of National Foundation for corporate Governance (NFCG) aand organized by ASSOCHAM.

FOOD AND CIVIL SUPPLIES

*
* The Essential Commodities Act, 1955 was enacted to ensure the easy availability of essential commodities to consumers and to protect them from exploitation by unscrupulous traders. The number of essential commodities that stood at 70 in the year 1989 has been brought down to 7 at present.
* The Prevention of Black-marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1980 is being implemented by the State Governments/UT Administrations for the prevention of unethical trade practices like hoarding and black-marketing, etc.
* National Co-operative Consumers Federation of India Ltd. - New Delhi.
* Forward Markets Commission (FMC) is a statutory body set up under Forward Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1952 and functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. There are 24 exchanges including three ‘national level’ Exchanges which have been recognized for conducting futures/forward trading in India and all the commodities have been permitted for trading.
* 'Jago grahak jago' — an Initiative towards consumer Education and Awareness
* The Department, in consultation with Department of Posts has disseminated consumer awareness messages through Meghdoot Postcards to reach far-flung rural areas including north-east states.
* The Department has re-printed a folder entitled "Consumer Awareness Mission" containing the salient features of Consumer Protection Act 1986
* The Department in consultation with Song & Drama division of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has organized more than 1000 programmes- Nukkad Nataks (Street Plays) in all the States/UTs to create awareness at grass root level.
* The Department has launched National Helpline and the Toll Free Number 1800-11- 4000 which is being operated by Delhi University for counselling the Consumers to redress their grievaness. The toll free number facility is available to consumers from 9.30 A.M. to 5.30 P.M. on all working days
* Every year 24th of December is celebrated as National Consumer Day commemorating the coming into effect of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. The theme for National Consumer day in 2007 was 'Enlightened Consumer is the Empowered Consumer.'
* India is a signatory to World Trade Organisation (WTO). The WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures makes it obligatory to adopt the standards, guidelines and recommendations issued by Codex Alimentarius Commission, which advocates the adoption of HACCP.
* Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) came into existence, through an Act of Parliament on 1 April 1987
BIS launched Environmental Management Systems Certification Scheme in 1997 as per IS/ISO 14001.

o BIS launched Occupational Health and Safety Management System Certification (OH&SM) as per IS 18001:2000.

*
* BIS has recently launched Food Safety Management System Certification Scheme as per IS/ISO 22000:2005.
* Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery started in April 2000 on voluntary basis under BIS Act 1986.
* Bureau of Indian Standards has prepared an Indian Standard on Quality Management Systems – Requirement for Service quality by Public Service Organizations (IS 15700:2005) on top priority.
* Since its inception in 1947, the then ISI and now BIS has been an active member of International Organisations namely: International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and International Electro-technical Commission (IEC).
* With a view to encourage manufacturers and service organizations to strive for excellence, Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award was instituted by the Bureau in 1991.
* National Institute of Training for Standardisation –NOIDA
* The Ministry of Rural Development launched the Annapurna scheme in 2000-2001. Indigent senior citizens 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.
* A Pilot Project – ‘‘Nutritional Programme for Adolescent Girls" (NPAG) was launched by the Planning Commission initially for a period of two years, i.e. 2002- 03 and 2003-04 in 51 identified districts. This scheme was restarted in 2005-06.
* Emergency Feeding Programme is a food-based intervention targeted for old, infirm and destitute persons belonging to BPL households to provide them food security in their distress conditions. This was introduced in May 2001.
A Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Village Grains Banks in Tribal villages was launched during 1996-97 by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in 11 States. During 1996-97 to 2004-05 Ministry of Tribal Affairs released Rs. 10.26 crores for establishing 4858 Grain Banks. Now the scheme has been transferred to the Ministry of Food & Public Distribution.

*
The Targeted Public Distribution Scheme was launched in 1997 in order to ensure availability of minimum quantity of food grains to the families living below the poverty line.

o The "Antyodaya Anna Yojana" (AAY) was launched in December, 2000 in order to make TPDS more focused and targeted towards the poorest section of population, for one crore poor families. Initially AAY contemplated identification of one crore poorest of the poor families from amongst the BPL families covered under TPDS within the States and providing them food grains at a highly subsidized rate of Rs. 2/- per kg for wheat and Rs. 3/- per kg for rice.

*
India is a member of the following International Organisations:

1. International Grains Council

2. International Sugar Organisation

*
* Indian Grain Storage Management and Research Institute (IGMRI), Hapur.
* Vegetable Oil Industry was delicensed in July 1991.
* Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MFPI) was set up in July 1988.
* National Institute of Food technology Entrepreneurship & Management- Kundli,Haryana
* India is the 5th largest exporter of bovine meat in the world.
* India is the third largest market for alcoholic beverages in the world.
* India ranks first in the world in terms of milk production
* The Forty-second Amendment of the Constitution brought the subject of ‘Enforcement of Weights and Measure’ from the ‘State List’ to the ‘Concurrent List’.
* India is a member of the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML). This Organization was set up in order to realize worldwide uniformity in laws relating to legal metrology (weights and measure) and to make international trade smooth and practical.
* Indian Institute of Legal Metrology, Ranchi,
The National Test House (NTH) Kolkata

LABOUR

*
* The Minimum Wages Act, 1948 provides for fixation, review, revision and enforcement of minimum wage, both by the Central Government and the State Government, in respect of scheduled employments in their respective jurisdictions. There are 46 scheduled employments in the Central sphere whereas the number of these employments in the State sphere is 1542.
* A National Policy on Child Labour was announced in August, 1987.
* The National Child Labour Project Scheme (NCLP) is a Central sector scheme.
* The International Programme on elimination of Child Labour is a global programme launched by the International Labour Organistion in December, 1991. India was the first country to join it in 1992.
* The Government of India and the US Department of Labour have also initiated a US$ 40 million joint project aimed at eliminating child labour in 10 hazardous sectors across 21 districts in five States namely, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi. This project, popularly known as INDUS Project, is being implemented in coordination with ILO.
* The Census of India (2001) has registered 25.60 per cent of female population as workers numbering 127.22 million in absolute terms out of a total female population of 496 million. The majority of women workers are employed in the rural areas. Amongst rural women workers, 87 per cent are employed in agriculture as labourers and cultivators. Amongst the women workers in the urban areas, 80 per cent are employed in unorganized sectors like household industries, petty trades and services building and construction, etc. The employment of women in the organized sector (both public and private sectors) as on 31.03.2002 was about 4.935 million. This constitutes of 17.8 per cent of the total organized sector employment in the country.
* The term ‘unorganized labour’ has been defined as those workers who have not been able to organize themselves to pursue their common interests due to certain constraints like casual nature of employment, ignorance and illiteracy, small and scattered size of establishments, etc.
* The Government had constituted a National Commission on Enterprises in the Unorganized/Informal Sector under the chairmanship of Dr. Arjun Sengupta to look into the problems of the enterprises in the unorganized sector.
* The Government enacted the Unorganised Workers' Social Security Act, 2008. TheAct provides for constitution of National Social Security Board at the Central level and State Social Security Boards at the State level which shall recommend formulation of social security schemes for unorganised workers.
* The Labour Bureau, Chandigarh/Shimla
* It also constructs, maintains and publishes Consumer Price Index Numbers for: (i) Industrial Workers (Base 2001=100), (ii) Rural Labourers (Base 1986-87=100) and (iii) Agricultural Labourers (Base 1986-87=100)
* V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, NOIDA
* The Directorate General, Factory Advice Service and Labour Institute (DGFASLI), Mumbai.
Prime Minister’s Shram Awards are given to workmen working in the departmental undertakings and the public sector undertakings of the Central Government and State Governments in recognition of their outstanding contribution in the field of productivity and for showing exemplary zeal and enthusiasm in the discharge of

their duties.

*
* The Government instituted in 1965 the National Safety Awards. This is applicable to factories, docks and Nuclear Power Projects & Nuclear Power Stations.
* Shram Vir Awards, now known as Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar were instituted in 1965. These are meant for workers of factories, mines, plantations and docks, and are given to them in recognition of their meritorious performance, which leads to high productivity or economy or higher efficiency.
* The Government has launched the National Health Insurance Scheme namely, the 'Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana' for BPL families (a unit of five) in unorganised sector on 1st October, 2007. The estimated number of 6 crore BPL families are proposed to be covered in five years upto 2012-13.
The Government in collaboration with the Government of Republic of Germany has set up the Central staff Training and Research Institute, Kolkata in 1968.

*
* The National Safety Council was set up in 1966 to promote safety consciousness among workers to prevent accidents, minimize dangers and mitigate human suffering, arrange programmes, lectures and conferences on safety, conduct educational campaigns to arouse consciousness among employers and workers and collect educational and information data, etc.
* National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) for Women, NOIDA.
National Instructional Media Institute (NIMI), Chennai.

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

*
* The ‘National Rural Employment Guarantee Act’ (NREGA) was enacted in September 2005 and brought into force w.e.f. 2 February 2006 in 200 most backward districts with the objective of providing 100 days of guaranteed unskilled wage employment to each rural household opting for it. After oct 2,2009, NREGA has been rechristened as Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act(MNREGA).
* The Rozgar Jagrookta Puruskar award has been introduced to recognize outstanding Contributions by Civil society Organizations at State, District, Block and Gram Panchayat levels to generate awareness about provisions and entitlements and ensuring compliance with implementing processes of MNREGA
* The Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) was launched in, 2001 by merging the on-going schemes of EAS and the JGSY with the objective of providing additional wage employment and food security, alongside creation of durable community assets in rural areas.
* The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was launched in 2000 as a fully funded Centrally Sponsored Scheme. The primary objective of the PMGSY is to provide connectivity to all the eligible unconnected habitations of more than 500 persons in the rural areas (250 persons in the hilly and desert areas) by good quality all-weather roads.
* The Ministry of Rural Development is implementing Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) with a view to providing financial assistance to the rural poor living below povertyline for construction of pucca house. It is being implemented as an independent scheme since 1 January 1996 and is the flagship programme for rural housing.
* The Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) was launched as an integrated programme for self-employment of the rural poor with effect from 1 April 1999. The objective of the scheme is to bring the assisted poor families above the poverty line by organising them into Self Help Groups (SHGs) through the process of social mobilisation, their training and capacity building and provision of income generatingassets through a mix of bank credit and government subsidy.
* the Government of India introduced in 1995 the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) to lay foundation to a National Policy for Social Assistance for the poor. At present NSAP comprises Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) and Annapurna.
* A Centrally-sponsored scheme, District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) Administration was launched on 1 April 1999 with the objective of strengthening the DRDAs and making them more professional in their functioning.
* The Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Rural Development. It was set up in September 1986, as a supporting and funding agency for the voluntary organisations. Its primary objective is to promote voluntary action through community participation and to propagate appropriate rural technologies for the benefit of rural masses.
* The Department of Land Resources in the Ministry of Rural Development is administering three area-based watershed programmes for development of wastelands/degraded lands namely Drought Prone Areas Programmes (DPAP), Desert Development Programme (DDP) and Integrated Wastelands Development Programme (IWDP) to check the diminishing productivity of wasteland and loss of natural resources.
* Drought Prone Areas Programme(DPAP) was launched in the year 1973-74
* The Department of Land Resources has brought out a new initiative called Hariyali with an objective of empowering PRIs both financially and administratively in implementation of Watershed Development Programmes. Under this initiative, all ongoing area development programmes namely, Integrated Wastelands Development Programme (IWDP), Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP) and Desert Development Programme (DDP) are to be implemented through the PRIs.
* Clean drinking water is a basic necessity of life. Supply of clean drinking water in the rural areas has always been one of the highest priorities of the government. A Technology Mission on drinking water named “National Drinking Water Mission” (NDWM) was launched in 1986, which subsequently was rechristened as “Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission” (RGNDWM) in 1991.
* Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP). The ARWSP was launched during 1972-73. It is currently being implemented through the Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission.
* Swajaldhara launched on 25 December 2002. A notable feature of Swajaldhara is involvement of Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC)/Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in planning, implementation, operation and maintenance.
* Rural Sanitation is a State subject.
* Government of India has separately launched an award scheme ‘Nirmal Gram Puraskar’(NGP) for fully sanitised and open defecation free Gram Panchayats, block and districts.
Sikkim has become first Nirmal State of the country.

TRANSPORT

*
* From a very modest beginning in 1853, when the first train steamed off from Mumbai to Thane, a distance of 34 kilometres Indian Railways have grown into a vast network of 7,133 stations spread over a route length of 63,465 kilometres with a fleet of 8,025 locomotives, 44,090 passenger service vehicles, 5,990 other coaching vehicles and 2,07,176 wagons as on 31st March, 2006.
* The Railway network is divided into 16 Zones.
* There are ten public undertakings under the administrative control of the Ministry of Railways, viz. (i) Rail India Technical & Economic Services Limited (RITES); (ii) Indian Railway Construction (IRCON) International Limited; (iii) Indian Railway Finance Corporation Limited (IRFC); (iv) Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR); (v) Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL). (vi) Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC); (vii) Railtel Corporation of India Ltd.(Rail Tel); (viii) Mumbai Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. (MRVNL); (ix) Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. (RVNL); and(x) Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL).
* Diesel Locomotives Works (DLW), Varanasi
* Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW), Chittaranjan.
* Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala
* Integral Coach Factory, (ICF), Perumbur
* Rail Wheel Factory (RWF), Bangalore
* Research, Design and Standards Organization (RDSO), the R&D Organisation of Railways is located in Lucknow.
* Since 1924-25, railway finances remain separated from general revenues.
* India has one of the largest road networks in the world, aggregating to about 33 lakh kilometres at present.
* The Central Government is responsible for development and maintenance of the National Highways system. The total length of the network, as of today, is 70,548 km.
* The Central Government has created a dedicated fund, called Central Road Fund from collection of cess from petrol & diesel. Presently, Rs. 2/- per litre is collected as cess on petrol and High Speed Diesel (HSD) Oil. The fund is distributed for development and maintenance of National Highways, State Roads, Rural Roads and for provision of road overbridges/under bridges and other safety features at unmanned Railway Crossings as provided in Central Road Fund Act, 2000.
* The State Highways and major district and rural roads are the responsibility of respective State governments.
* The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is a road construction executive force, integral to and in support of the Army. It started operations in May 1960 with just two projects, Project Tusker (renamed Project Vartak) in the east and Project Beacon in the west.
* India has the largest merchant shipping fleet among the developing countries and ranks 17th amongst the countries with the largest cargo carrying fleet with 7.07 million GT and the average of the fleet being 17 years.
* From 17 Lighthouses prior to Independence, the present strength of aids to Navigation consists of 167 Lighthouses, one Lightship, six Loran-C Chain Stations, 40 Racons, 21 Deep Sea Lighted Buoys and 22 installations under Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS). To cater to the needs of light stations in the islands and for maintaining the buoys, the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships is maintaining three launches, one mechanised boat and two large ocean going vessels, M.V. Sagardeep-II and M.V. Pradeep.
* The importance of organised training was recognised in the year 1927 when the Training Ship “Dufferin” was established.
* Marine Engineering and Research Institute (MERI), Kolkatta
* Marine Engineering & Research Institute (MERI), Mumbai
* LBS College of Advance Maritime Studies & Research, Mumbai.
* The Shipping Corporation of India Ltd (SCI) was formed on 2 October 1961. The SCI was conferred ‘Mini Ratna’ status by the Government of India on 24 February 2000. At present, the Government is holding 80.12 per cent of its share capital and the balance is held by financial institutions, public and others (NRIs, corporate bodies, etc.
* India LNG Transport Company No. 1 & 2 Ltd. : These two Joint Venture companies formed at Malta are promoted by the SCI and three Japanese companies viz M/s. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Limited (MOL), M/s. Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha Limited (NYK Lines) and M/s. Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Limited (K Lines) and M/s. Qatar Shipping Company (Q Ships), Qatar.
* India LNG Transport Company No. 3 Ltd. : The JVC also formed at Malta is promoted by the SCI and the above mentioned three Japanese companies
* Irano Hind Shipping Company (IHSC) : SCI has another Joint Venture in Iran, viz Irano Hind Shipping Company, which continues to operate successfully for over 3 decades.
* Maritime Training Institute (MTI) at Powai, Mumbai
* World Maritime University, Malmo (Sweden)
* Cochin Shipyard Limited was incorporated as a Company fully owned by Government of India in March 1972. The country's first indigenous aircraft carrier, the largest warship ever to be built in India is being constructed at this shipyard.
* The Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited was incorporated as a joint stock company in 1934, under the name M/s Garden Reach Workshop Limited (GRW). The Government of India acquired the company in 1960. It was renamed as ‘‘Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE)’’ on 01 January 1977.
GRSE’S significant achievements during FY 2006-07 have been:

(i) One Landing Ship Tank (Large), INS Shardul and two Fast Attack Crafts, INS Batti Malv & INS Baratang, have been delivered to the Indian Navy.

(ii) GRSE bagged orders for 10 Waterjet FACs from Indian Navy and 2 each of 65 Pax & 100 Pax boats from Andaman & Nicobar Islands Administration.

(iii) The company has acquired Rajabagan Dockyard with effect from 01 July 2006 from Central Inland Water Transport Corporation Ltd. (A Company under Ministry of Surface Transport).

(iv) Raksha Mantri’s ‘‘Award for Excellence’’ was presented to GRSE for design efforts for FY 2005-06 in respect of Waterjet FACs.

(v) Engineering Division obtained the patent rights on 09 February 2007 for designing and developing the 'Double Lane Modular Steel Bridge' effective from 16 January 2003.

*
* Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam was set up in 1941 in the private sector and was taken over by the Government in 1952. In 1962, the shipyard became a central public sector enterprise. HSL is the first shipbuilding yard in the country which was awarded ISO:9001 certification by Lloyds Register of Quality Assurance, London for international standard of quality assurance.
* Hooghly Dock and Port Engineers Limited (HDPEL), Kolkatta became a Central Public Sector Undertaking in 1984.
* The coastline of India is dotted with 12 major ports and about 200 non-major ports.
* The 12 major ports (including the Port of Ennore which is a corporate port setup under the Indian Companies Act, 1956) are evenly spread out on the Eastern and Western Coasts. The ports of Kolkata, Paradip, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Ennore and Tuticorin are on the Eastern Coast of India while the ports of Cochin, New Managalore, Mormugao, Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru at Jhavasheva and Kandla are on the Western Coast.
* India has about 14,500 km of navigable waterways which comprise rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks.
* The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) came into existence on 27 October 1986 for development and regulation of inland waterways for shipping and navigation. The head office of the Authority is located at Noida.
* The Ganga between Allahabad – Haldia (1620 km) the Sadiya- Dhubri stretch of river Brahmaputra (891 km) and the Kollam-Kottapuram stretch of West Coast Canal along with Champakara and Udyogmandal Canals (205 km) in Kerala have so far been declared as National Waterways and are being developed for navigation by IWAI.
* National Inland Navigation Institute (NINI), Patna,
* The Central Inland Water Transport Corporation (CIWTC) with its headquarters at Kolkata was set up as a public undertaking in May 1967. The CIWTC is mainly engaged in transportation of goods by inland waterways in the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly, Sunderbans and Brahmaputra rivers.
* India has been a member of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and is also on the Council of ICAO since its inception.
* Apart from Air India, Indian Airlines, Alliance Air and Air India Charters Ltd., there are at present eight private scheduled operators.
As on 30th June 2007, India has bilateral Air Services Agreements with 104 countries.

*
* The Cape Town Convention has been acceded by the Government of India and it has come into force w.e.f. 1.7.2008. The principal objective of the Convention/Protocol is the efficient financing of mobile equipment. It is designed to establish an international legal regime for categories of high value and uniquely indentifiable mobile equipments.
* India has acceded to the Montreal Convention on 1st May, 2009. Accession to this Convention shall facilitate higher compensation and fifth State jurisdiction to international air passengers to/from India.
* The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the principal regulatory body in the field of civil aviation in India.
* The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is an attached office of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and is the regulator for civil aviation security in the country. The BCAS has its headquarters in New Delhi.
* The Airports Authority of India (AAI) was formed on 1 April 1995.
* National Institute of Aviation Management and Research (NIAMAR) at Delhi.
* Fire Service Training School at Narayanpur near Kolkatta
* Fire Training Centre at New Delhi
* GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation ‘‘Gagan’’ is an augmentation system to enhance the accuracy and integrity of GPS signals to meet precision approach requirements in Civil Aviation and is being implemented jointly by AAI and ISRO in three phases.
* Air India International launched its first service to London via Cairo and Geneva on 8th June 1984 with Constellation aircraft.
* On 1st May 1992, Air India Limited was incorporated as a public limited company under the Companies Act, 1956 with the main object of succeeding the undertaking of Air India.
* Air India has four subsidiary companies, viz. Hotel Corporation of India Ltd. (HCI), Air India Charters Ltd. (AICL), Air India Air Transport Services Ltd. (AIATSL), and Air India Engineering Services Ltd (AIESL).
* The Hotel Corporation of India Limited (HCI) is a Public Limited Company wholly owned by Air India Limited and was incorporated on July 8, 1971 under the Companies Act, 1956.
Indian Airlines was set up under the Air Corporations Act, 1953 with an initial capital of Rs. 3.25 crore with its Corporate Headquarters at Delhi. The undertaking of Indian Airlines was transferred to and vested in Indian Airlines Limited with effect from 1 March 1994 in pursuance of the Air Corporations (Transfer of

Undertakings and Repeal) Act, 1994.

*
The Cabinet in its meeting held on 1st March 2007 approved the proposal to merge Indian Airlines and Air India. Air India and Indian Airlines with their respective international and domestic network have a significant potential for achieving synergy. Accordingly, a new company, viz. National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL) has been incorporated on 30th March 2007 with its Headquarters at Mumbai. The brand name of the new airlines will be Air India and its logo will be Maharaja.

*
* Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd. (PHHL) an ISO 9001:2000 certified company, is one of India’s leading helicopter companies and is known for its reliable helicopter operations. The company was incorporated in 1985.
* The Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi located at Fursatganj (UP).
* Pilot training institute at Gondia, Maharashtra.
* The Commission of Railway Safety deals with matters pertaining to safety in rail travel and operations is under the administrative control of Ministry of civil Aviation.
* India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) came into existence in October 1966 with the objective of developing and expanding tourism infrastructure in the country and thereby promoting India as a tourist destination.
* Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) located in Gwalior
National Institute of Water Sports, Goa , under the administrative control of Ministry of Tourism.

YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS

*
* The new National Youth Policy, 2003 formulated by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, is designed to galvanize the youth to rise up to the new challenges, keeping in view the global scenario, and aims at motivating them to be active partners in national development.
* Every year, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has been celebrating the birthday of Swami Vivekananda, the great philosopher and thinker. Earlier, the National Youth Festival was celebrated from 12th - 16th January. It has been decided to celebrate the Festival from 8th to 12th January every year onwards. The opening ceremony of the National Youth Festival will be on the 8th January and closing on 12th January, the birth of Swami Vivekananda.
* The age group of the Youth, as per the National Youth Policy, 2003, is 13 to 35 years. The New Policy recognises four thrust areas viz., (i) Youth Empowerment; (ii) Gender Justice; (iii) Inter-Sectoral Approach; and (iv)Information and Research Network.
* # Under the Scheme of Promotion of Adventure, the National Adventure Awards, now renamed as Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards, are given as the highest national recognition of outstanding achievements in the field of adventure activities on land, sea and air.
* The National Service Scheme, popularly known as NSS, was launched in 1969, with its primary focus on the development of the personality of students through community service. Today, NSS has over 26 lakh student volunteers on its rolls spread over 198 universities, and 43 Senior Secondary Councils.
* The National Service Volunteer (NSV) Scheme was launched in 1969. This is one of the oldest and most successful scheme of the Ministry in providing a platform for the youth take up a leadership role in the spheres of the social and community service at grass roots level.
* The Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) is an autonomous organisation of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. NYKS has its offices in 500 districts of the country. It has become one of the largest grassroot level organisations in the world, catering to the needs of more than eight million non-student rural youth enrolled through 2.53 lakh village-based Youth Clubs.
* The erstwhile National Reconstruction Crops (NRC) Scheme was now replaced by the Rashtriya Sadbhavana Yojana and the Government of India has launched the Rashtriya Sadbhavana Yojana from 1 June 2005. Under the Scheme 10 to 20 Volunteers who will be known as Nehru Yuva Sathi would be deployed to participate in programmes for youth and community development.
* The Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD) set up at Sriperumbudur (Tamil Nadu)
* The National Sports Policy was initially formulated in 1984. In order to broad-base sports and to promote excellence, Government has formulated a New National Sports Policy, 2001.
* The Sports Authority of India (SAI) was established by the Government of India in January 1984 as a registered society primarily to ensure effective maintenance and optimum utilisation of the various sports infrastructure that were built in Delhi during Asiad, 1982.
* The Government has in March 2008 approved the introduction of a new Scheme entitled Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan(PYKKA) which aim at providing basis sports infrastructure at the panchayat level over a period of 10 years through concerted efforts of all stakeholders, particularly the State Governments, panchayats, educational institutes, sports promotion bodies and youth clubs.
* Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports (NSNIS), Patiala
* High Altitude Training Centre (HATC) at Shillaroo (H.P.)
* The Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education was established initially as a College on 17 August 1957, the centenary year of the first war of India’s Independence. The Institute is located at Gwalior.
* Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award was instituted in 1991-92
* The National Welfare Fund for sports persons was set up in March 1982 primarily to assist outstanding sportspersons of yesteryears, living in indigent circumstances.
* Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievements in sports and games instituted in the year 2002 is given to honour those sportspersons who have contributed to sports by their performance and continue to contribute to promotion of sports even after their retirement from active sporting career.
* The Arjuna Award was instituted in 1961.
* The Dronacharya Award, instituted in 1985.
With a view to recognizing the contribution made to sports develoment by entities other than sportspersons and coaches, Government has instituted a new award entitled Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar from the year 2009, which has four categories, namely, community sports development, promotion of sports academies of excellence, support to elite sportspersons and employment to sportspersons.