| Dance Name | Type of Dance | State or region |
|---|---|---|
| Bagurumba | folk dance | Assam |
| Bardo Cham | folk dance | Arunachal Pradesh |
| Bhangra | folk dance | Punjab |
| Bharatnatyam | Classic | Tamilnadu |
| Bihu dance | folk dance | Assam |
| Dandia | folk dance | Gujarat |
| Garba | folk dance | Gujarat |
| Giddha | folk dance | North India |
| Kathak | classic | Uttar Pradesh |
| Kathakali | classic | Kerala |
| Krishnanattam | dance drama | Kerala |
| Kuchipudi | classical | Andhra Pradesh |
| Odissi aka Orissi | classical | Odisha |
| Panthi | folk dance | Chattisgarh |
| Raut Nacha | folk dance | Chattisgarh |
| Yakshagana | dance drama | Tamilnadu |
Online Free Tutorials, Notes, Questions, Objective questions,Descriptive solution for General Knowledge and General Awareness for Competitive Exams
Friday, January 24, 2014
List of Dances in India
Sunday, January 12, 2014
List of Constitutional ammendments in India
| Date of Enforcement | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st amendment | 18-Jun-51 | To fully secure the constitutional validity of zamindari abolition laws. |
| To place reasonable restriction on freedom of speech. | ||
| A new constitutional device, called Schedule 9 introduced to protect laws that are contrary to the Constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights. | ||
| These laws encroach upon property rights, freedom of speech and equality before law | ||
| 2nd amendment | 1-May-53 | A technical amendment to fix the size of each parliamentary constituency between 650,000 and 850,000 voters. |
| 3rd amendment | 22-Feb-55 | Limits maximum no of seats in lok Sabha up to 500 |
| States to be divided into constituencies such that one member of a constituency represents between 500000 and 750000 people | ||
| 4th amendment | 27-Apr-55 | Restrictions on property rights and inclusion of related bills in Schedule 9 of the constitution |
| 5th amendment | 24-Dec-55 | Provides for a consultation mechanism with concerned states in matters relating to the amendments to the territorial matters and in the re-naming of the state |
| 6th amendment | 11-Sep-56 | Amended the Union and State Lists with respect to raising of taxes |
| 7th amendment | 1-Nov-56 | Reorganization of states on linguistic lines |
| Abolition of Class A, B, C, D states | ||
| Introduction of Union Territories | ||
| 8th amendment | 5-Jan-60 | Clarify state's power of compulsory acquisition and requisitioning of private property |
| Include Zamindari abolition laws in Schedule 9 of the constitution | ||
| 9th amendment | 28-Dec-60 | Minor adjustments to territory of Indian Union consequent to agreement with Pakistan for settlement of disputes by demarcation of border villages, etc. |
| 10th amendment | 11-Aug-61 | Incorporation of Dadra, Nagar and Haveli as a Union Territory after acquisition from Portugal |
| 11th amendment | 19-Dec-61 | Election of Vice President by Electoral College consisting of members of both Houses of Parliament, instead of election by a Joint Sitting of Parliament. |
| Indemnify the President and Vice President Election procedure from challenge on grounds of existence of any vacancies in the electoral college | ||
| 12th amendment | 20-Dec-61 | Incorporation of Goa, Daman and Diu as a Union Territory, after acquisition from Portugal |
| 13th amendment | 1-Dec-63 | Formation of State of Nagaland, with special protection under Article 371A |
| 14th amendment | 28-Dec-62 | Incorporation of Pondicherry into the Union of India |
| Creation of Legislative Assemblies for Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur and Goa | ||
| 15th amendment | 5-Oct-63 | Raise retirement age of judges from 60 to 62 |
| Other minor amendments for rationalizing interpretation of rules regarding judges etc. | ||
| 16th amendment | 5-Oct-63 | Make it obligatory for seekers of public office to swear their allegiance to the Indian Republic and prescribe the various obligatory templates |
| 17th amendment | 20-Jun-64 | To secure the constitutional validity of acquisition of Estates and place land acquisition laws in Schedule 9 of the constitution |
| 18th amendment | 27-Aug-66 | Technical Amendment to include Union Territories in Article 3 and hence permit reorganisation of Union Territories |
| 19th amendment | 11-Dec-66 | Abolish Election Tribunals and enable trial of election petitions by regular High Courts |
| 20th amendment | 22-Dec-66 | Indemnify & validate judgments, decrees, orders and sentences passed by judges. |
| Validate the appointment, posting, promotion and transfer of judges except those not eligible for appointment under article 233. | ||
| Amendment was needed to overcome the effect of judgement invalidating appointments of certain judges in the state of Uttar Pradesh | ||
| 21th amendment | 10-Apr-67 | Included Sindhi as a National Language |
| 22nd amendment | 25-Sep-69 | Provision to form Autonomous states within the State of Assam |
| 23rd amendment | 23-Jan-70 | Extend reservation for SC / ST and nomination of Anglo Indian members in Parliament and State Assemblies for another ten years i.e. up to 1980 |
| 24th amendment | 5-Nov-71 | Enable parliament to dilute fundamental rights through amendments to the constitution |
| 25th amendment | 20-Apr-72 | Restrict property rights and compensation in case the state takes over private property |
| 26th amendment | 28-Dec-71 | Abolition of privy purse paid to former rulers of princely states which were incorporated into the Indian Republic |
| 27th amendment | 15-Feb-72 | Reorganization of Mizoram into a Union Territory with a legislature and council of ministers |
| 28th amendment | 29-Aug-72 | Rationalized Civil Service rules to make it uniform across those appointed prior to Independence and post independence |
| 29th amendment | 9-Jun-72 | Places land reform acts and amendments to these act under Schedule 9 of the constitution |
| 30th amendment | 27-Feb-73 | Changes the basis for appeals in Supreme Court of India in case of Civil Suits from value criteria to one involving substantial question of law |
| 31th amendment | 17-Oct-73 | Increased size of Parliament from 525 to 545 seats. |
| Increased seats went to the new states formed in North East India and minor adjustment consequent to 1971 Delimitation exercise | ||
| 32nd amendment | 1-Jul-74 | Protection of regional rights in Telangana and Andhra regions of State of Andhra Pradesh |
| 33rd amendment | 19-May-74 | Prescribes procedure for resignation by members of parliament and state legislatures |
| Prescribes procedure for verification and acceptance of resignation by house speaker | ||
| 34th amendment | 7-Sep-74 | Place land reform acts and amendments to these act under Schedule 9 of the constitution |
| 35th amendment | 1-Mar-75 | Terms and Conditions for the Incorporation of Sikkim into the Union of India |
| 36th amendment | 26-Apr-75 | Formation of Sikkim as a State within the Indian Union |
| 37th amendment | 3-May-75 | Formation of Arunachal Pradesh legislative assembly |
| 38th amendment | 1-Aug-75 | Enhances the powers of President and Governors to pass ordinances |
| 39th amendment | 10-Aug-75 | Negated the judgement of Allahabad High Court invalidating Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's election to parliament. |
| Amendment placed restrictions on judicial scrutiny of post of Prime Minister | ||
| 40th amendment | 27-May-76 | Enable Parliament to make laws with respect to Exclusive Economic Zone and vest the mineral wealth with Union of India. |
| Place land reform & other acts and amendments to these act under Schedule 9 of the constitution | ||
| 41th amendment | 7-Sep-76 | Raised Retirement Age Limit of Chairmen and Members of Union and State Public Commissions from sixty to sixty two. |
| 42nd amendment | 1-Apr-77 | Amendment passed during internal emergency by Indira Gandhi. |
| Provides for curtailment of fundamental rights, imposes fundamental duties and changes to the basic structure of the constitution by making India a "Socialist Secular" Republic | ||
| 43rd amendment | 13-Apr-78 | Amendment passed after revocation of internal emergency in the Country. |
| Repeals some of the more 'Anti-Freedom' amendments enacted through Amendment Bill 42 | ||
| 44th amendment | 6-Sep-79 | Amendment passed after revocation of internal emergency in the Country. |
| Provides for human rights safeguards and mechanisms to prevent abuse of executive and legislative authority. | ||
| Annuls some Amendments enacted in Amendment Bill 42 | ||
| 45th amendment | 25-Jan-80 | Extend reservation for SC / ST and nomination of Anglo Indian members in Parliament and State Assemblies for another ten years i.e. up to 1990 |
| 46th amendment | 2-Feb-83 | Amendment to negate judicial pronouncements on scope and applicability on Sales Tax |
| 47th amendment | 26-Aug-84 | Place land reform acts and amendments to these act under Schedule 9 of the constitution |
| 48th amendment | 1-Apr-85 | Article 356 amended to permit President's rule up to two years in the state of Punjab |
| 49th amendment | 11-Sep-84 | Recognize Tripura as a Tribal State and enable the creation of a Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council |
| 50th amendment | 11-Sep-84 | Technical Amendment to curtailment of Fundamental Rights as per Part III as prescribed in Article 33 to cover Security Personnel protecting property and communication infrastructure |
| 51th amendment | 16-Jun-86 | Provide reservation to Scheduled Tribes in Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assemblies |
| 52nd amendment | 1-Mar-85 | Anti Defection Law - Provide disqualification of members from parliament and assembly in case of defection from one party to other |
| 53rd amendment | 20-Feb-87 | Special provision with respect to the State of Mizoram. |
| 54th amendment | 1-Apr-86 | Increase the salary of Chief Justice of India & other Judges |
| Provisions for determining future increases without the need for constitutional amendment | ||
| 55th amendment | 20-Feb-87 | Special powers to Governor consequent to formation of state of Arunachal Pradesh |
| 56th amendment | 30-May-87 | Transition provision to enable formation of state of Goa |
| 57th amendment | 21-Sep-87 | Provide reservation to Scheduled Tribes in Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assemblies |
| 58th amendment | 9-Dec-87 | Provision to publish authentic Hindi translation of constitution |
| Provision to publish authentic Hindi translation of future amendments | ||
| 59th amendment | 30-Mar-88 | Article 356 amended to permit President's rule up to three years in the state of Punjab |
| Articles 352 and Article 359A amended to permit imposing emergency in state of Punjab or in specific districts of the state of Punjab | ||
| 60th amendment | 20-Dec-88 | Professional Tax increased from a maximum of Rs. 250/- to a maximum of Rs. 2500/- |
| 61th amendment | 28-Mar-89 | Reduce age for voting rights from 21 to 18 |
| 62nd amendment | 20-Dec-89 | Extend reservation for SC / ST and nomination of Anglo Indian members in Parliament and State Assemblies for another ten years i.e. up to 2000 |
| 63rd amendment | 6-Jan-90 | Emergency powers applicable to State of Punjab, accorded in Article 359A as per amendment 59 repealed |
| 64th amendment | 16-Apr-90 | Article 356 amended to permit President's rule up to three years and six months in the state of Punjab |
| 65th amendment | 12-Mar-92 | National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes formed and its statutory powers specified in The Constitution. |
| 66th amendment | 7-Jun-90 | Place land reform acts and amendments to these act under Schedule 9 of the constitution |
| 67th amendment | 4-Oct-90 | Article 356 amended to permit President's rule up to four years in the state of Punjab |
| 68th amendment | 12-Mar-91 | Article 356 amended to permit President's rule up to five years in the state of Punjab |
| 69th amendment | 1-Feb-92 | To provide for a legislative assembly and council of ministers for Federal National Capital of Delhi. Delhi continues to be a Union Territory |
| 70th amendment | 21-Dec-91 | Include National Capital of Delhi and Union Territory of Pondicherry in electoral college for Presidential Election |
| 71th amendment | 31-Aug-92 | Include Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali as National Languages |
| 72nd amendment | 5-Dec-92 | Provide reservation to Scheduled Tribes in Tripura State Legislative Assembly |
| 73rd amendment | 24-Apr-93 | Statutory provisions for Panchayat Raj as third level of administration in villages |
| 74th amendment | 1-Jun-93 | Statutory provisions for Local Administrative bodies as third level of administration in urban areas such as towns and cities |
| 75th amendment | 15-May-94 | Provisions for setting up Rent Control Tribunals |
| 76th amendment | 31-Aug-94 | Enable continuance of 69% reservation in Tamil Nadu by including the relevant Tamil Nadu Act under 9th Schedule of the constitution |
| 77th amendment | 17-Jun-95 | A technical amendment to protect reservation to SC/ST Employees in promotions |
| 78th amendment | 30-Aug-95 | Place land reform acts and amendments to these act under Schedule 9 of the constitution |
| 79th amendment | 25-Jan-00 | Extend reservation for SC / ST and nomination of Anglo Indian members in Parliament and State Assemblies for another ten years i.e. up to 2010 |
| 80th amendment | 9-Jun-00 | Implement Tenth Finance Commission recommendation to simplify the tax structures by pooling and sharing all taxes between states and The Centre |
| 81th amendment | 9-Jun-00 | Protect SC / ST reservation in filling backlog of vacancies |
| 82nd amendment | 8-Sep-00 | Permit relaxation of qualifying marks and other criteria in reservation in promotion for SC / ST candidates |
| 83rd amendment | 8-Sep-00 | Exempt Arunachal Pradesh from reservation for Scheduled Castes in Panchayati Raj institutions |
| 84th amendment | 21-Feb-02 | Extend the usage of 1971 national census population figures for state wise distribution of parliamentary seats |
| 85th amendment | 4-Jan-02 | A technical amendment to protect seniority in case of promotions of SC/ST Employees |
| 86th amendment | 12-Dec-02 | Provides Right to Education until the age of fourteen and Early childhood care until the age of six |
| 87th amendment | 22-Jun-03 | Extend the usage of 1971 national census population figures for state wise distribution of parliamentary seats |
| 88th amendment | 15-Jan-04 | To extend statutory cover for levy and utilization of Service Tax |
| 89th amendment | 28-Sep-03 | The National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was bifurcated into The National Commission for Scheduled Castes and The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes |
| 90th amendment | 28-Sep-03 | Reservation in Assam Assembly relating to Bodoland Territory Area |
| 91th amendment | 1-Jan-04 | Restrict the size of council of ministers to 15 % of legislative members & to strengthen Anti Defection laws |
| 92nd amendment | 7-Jan-04 | Enable Levy of Service Tax |
| Include Bodo, Dogri, Santali and Maithili as National Languages | ||
| 93rd amendment | 20-Jan-06 | To enable provision of reservation for other backward classes (O.B.C.) in government as well as private educational institutions |
| 94th amendment | 12-Jun-06 | To provide for a Minister of Tribal Welfare in newly created Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh States |
| 95th amendment | 25-Jan-10 | Extended the reservation of seats in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for SC and ST from sixty to seventy years |
| 96th amendment | 23-Sep-11 | Substituted "Odia" for "Oriya" |
| 97th amendment | 12-Jan-12 | Added the words "or co-operative societies" in Article 19(l)(c) and inserted article 43B i.e, Promotion of Co-operative Societies and added Part-IXB i.e, THE CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES |
List of High courts and their chief justices
| Sno | Court name | Established | Act established | Jurisdiction | Seat | Benches | Jud. | Chief Justice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allahabad High Court | 1866-06-11 | High Courts Act, 1861 | Uttar Pradesh | Allahabad | Lucknow | 95 | Hon'ble Shri Shiv Kriti Singh |
| 2 | Andhra Pradesh High Court | 7/5/1954 | Andhra State Act, 1953 | Andhra Pradesh | Hyderabad | 39 | Hon'ble The Chief Justice P.C. Ghose | |
| 3 | Bombay High Court | 1862-08-14 | High Courts Act, 1861 | Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu | Mumbai | Nagpur, Panaji, Aurangabad | 60 | Hon'ble Shri Justice Mohit Shah |
| 4 | Calcutta High Court | 14 August 1862 | High Courts Act, 1861 | West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Kolkata | Port Blair (circuit bench) | 63 | Hon'ble Shri Justice Arun Mishra |
| 5 | Chhattisgarh High Court | 1/11/2000 | Madhya Pradesh Re-organisation Act, 2000 | Chhattisgarh | Bilaspur | 12 | Hon'ble Shri Justice Yatindra Singh | |
| 6 | Delhi High Court | 10/31/1966 | Delhi High Court Act, 1966 | National Capital Territory of Delhi | New Delhi | 43 | Hon'ble Shri Justice D. Murugesan | |
| 7 | Gauhati High Court | 3/1/1948 | Government of India Act, 1935 | Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram | Guwahati | Kohima, Aizwal, Itanagar | 27 | Hon'ble Shri Justice A K Goel |
| 8 | Gujarat High Court | 5/1/1960 | Bombay Reorgansisation Act, 1960 | Gujarat | Ahmedabad | 42 | Hon'ble Shri Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya | |
| 9 | Himachal Pradesh High Court | 1971 | State of Himachal Pradesh Act, 1970 | Himachal Pradesh | Shimla | 9 | Hon'ble Mr. Justice Ajay Manikrao Khanwilkar | |
| 10 | Jammu and Kashmir High Court | 8/28/1943 | Letters Patent issued by the Maharaja of Kashmir | Jammu & Kashmir | Srinagar & Jammu | 14 | Hon'ble Shri Justice Mahesh Mittal Kumar | |
| 11 | Jharkhand High Court | 11/15/2000 | Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000 | Jharkhand | Ranchi | 12 | Hon'ble Shri Justice Prakash Tatia | |
| 12 | Karnataka High Court | 1884 | Mysore High Court Act, 1884 | Karnataka | Bengaluru | Circuit Benches at Hubli-Dharwad & Gulbarga | 40 | Hon'ble Shri Chief Justice D.H.Waghela |
| 13 | Kerala High Court | 1956 | States Reorganisation Act, 1956 | Kerala, Lakshadweep | Ernakulam | 40 | Hon'ble Smt Justice Manjula Chellur | |
| 14 | Madhya Pradesh High Court | 1/2/1936 | Government of India Act, 1935 | Madhya Pradesh | Jabalpur | Gwalior, Indore | 42 | Hon'ble Shri Justice Sharad Arvind Bobade |
| 15 | Madras High Court | 1862-08-15 | High Courts Act, 1861 | Tamil Nadu, Puducherry | Chennai | Madurai | 47 | Hon'ble Thiru. Justice Rajesh Kumar Agrawal |
| 16 | Manipur High Court | 3/25/2013 | North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Act, 2012 | Manipur, | Imphal | 3 | Hon'ble Shri Justice Laxmi Kanta Mohapatra | |
| 17 | Meghalaya High Court | 3/25/2013 | North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Act, 2012 | Meghalaya, | Shillong | 3 | Hon'ble Shri Justice T. Meena Kumari | |
| 18 | Orissa High Court | 4/3/1948 | Orissa High Court Order, 1948 | Odisha | Cuttack | 27 | Hon'ble Shri Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel | |
| 19 | Patna High Court | 9/2/1916 | Government of India Act, 1915 | Bihar | Patna | 43 | Hon'ble Ms Justice Rekha Doshit | |
| 20 | Punjab and Haryana High Court | 11/8/1947 | High Court (Punjab) Order, 1947 | Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh | Chandigarh | 53 | Hon'ble Shri Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul | |
| 21 | Rajasthan High Court | 6/21/1949 | Rajasthan High Court Ordinance, 1949 | Rajasthan | Jodhpur | Jaipur | 40 | Hon'ble Shri Justice Amitava Roy |
| 22 | Sikkim High Court | 1975 | The 38th amendment to the Constitution of India | Sikkim | Gangtok | 3 | Hon'ble Shri Acting Chief Justice Sonam Phintso Wangdi | |
| 23 | Tripura High Court | 3/26/2013 | North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Act, 2012 | Tripura | Agartala | 4 | Hon'ble Chief Justice Laxmi Kanta Mohapatra | |
| 24 | Uttarakhand High Court | 11/9/2000 | Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000 | Uttarakhand | Nainital | 9 | Hon'ble Shri Justice Barin Ghosh |
Friday, January 10, 2014
List of Nobel Prize winners in Literature
On 27 November 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament,
giving the largest share of his fortune to a series of prizes, the Nobel
Prizes. As described in Nobel's will one part was dedicated to “the
person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most
outstanding work in an ideal direction”.
106 Nobel Prizes in Literature have been awarded since 1901.
It was not awarded on seven occasions: in 1914, 1918, 1935, 1940, 1941,
1942, and 1943.Why were the Literature Prizes not awarded in those years? In
the statutes of the Nobel Foundation it says: "If none of the works
under consideration is found to be of the importance indicated in the
first paragraph, the prize money shall be reserved until the following
year. If, even then, the prize cannot be awarded, the amount shall be
added to the Foundation's restricted funds." During World War I and II,
fewer Nobel Prizes were awarded.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
List of all Nobel Peace Prizes awarded
The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 94 times to 126 Nobel Laureates
between 1901 and 2013, 101 individuals and 25 organizations. Since the
International Committee of the Red Cross has been awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize three times (in 1917, 1944 and 1963), and the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize two times (in 1954 and 1981), there are 22 individual
organizations which have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
| Year | Awardee | Country | Given for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | Henry Dunant | Switzerland | For his role in founding the International Committee of the Red Cross |
| 1901 | Frédéric Passy | France | "[For] being one of the main founders of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and also the main organizer of the first Universal Peace Congress" |
| 1902 | Élie Ducommun | Switzerland | "[For his role as] the first honorary secretary of the International Peace Bureau" |
| 1902 | Charles Albert Gobat | "[For his role as the] first Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union" | |
| 1903 | William Randal Cremer | United Kingdom | "[For his role as the] the 'first father' of the Inter-Parliamentary Union" |
| 1904 | Institute of International Law | Belgium | "[F]or its efforts as an unofficial body to formulate the general principles of the science of international law" |
| 1905 | Bertha von Suttner | Austria-Hungary | For authoring Lay Down Your Arms and contributing to the creation of the Prize |
| 1906 | Theodore Roosevelt | United States | " his successful mediation to end the Russo-Japanese war and for his interest in arbitration, having provided the Hague arbitration court with its very first case" |
| 1907 | Ernesto Teodoro Moneta | Italy | "[For his work as a] key leader of the Italian peace movement" |
| 1907 | Louis Renault | France | "[For his work as a] leading French international jurist and a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague" |
| 1908 | Klas Pontus Arnoldson | Sweden | "[For his work as] founder of the Swedish Peace and Arbitration League" |
| 1908 | Fredrik Bajer | Denmark | "[For being] the foremost peace advocate in Scandinavia, combining work in the Inter-Parliamentary Union with being the first president of the International Peace Bureau" |
| 1909 | Auguste Beernaert | Belgium | "[For being a] representative to the two Hague conferences, and a leading figure in the Inter-Parliamentary Union" |
| 1909 | Paul Henri d'Estournelles de Constant | France | "[For] combined diplomatic work for Franco-German and Franco-British understanding with a distinguished career in international arbitration" |
| 1910 | Permanent International Peace Bureau | Switzerland | "[For acting] as a link between the peace societies of the various countries" |
| 1911 | Tobias Asser | Netherlands | "[For being a] member of the Court of Arbitration as well as the initiator of the Conferences on International Private Law" |
| 1911 | Alfred Fried | Austria-Hungary | "[For his work as] founder of the German Peace Society" |
| 1912 | Elihu Root | United States | "[F]or his strong interest in international arbitration and for his plan for a world court" |
| 1913 | Henri La Fontaine | Belgium | "[For his work as] head of the International Peace Bureau" |
| 1914 | |||
| 1915 | |||
| 1916 | |||
| 1917 | International Committee of the Red Cross | Switzerland | "[For undertaking] the tremendous task of trying to protect the rights of the many prisoners of war on all sides [of World War I], including their right to establish contacts with their families" |
| 1918 | |||
| 1919 | Woodrow Wilson | United States | "[F]or his crucial role in establishing the League" |
| 1920 | Léon Bourgeois | France | "[For his participation] in both the Hague Conferences of 1899 and 1907" and for his work towards "what became the League to such an extent that he was frequently called its 'spiritual father'" |
| 1921 | Hjalmar Branting | Sweden | "[F]or his work in the League of Nations" |
| 1921 | Christian Lange | Norway | "[For his work as] the first secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee" and "the secretary-general of the Inter-Parliamentary Union" |
| 1922 | Fridtjof Nansen | Norway | "[For] his work in aiding the millions in Russia struggling against famine" and "his work for the refugees in Asia Minor and Thrace" |
| 1923 | |||
| 1924 | |||
| 1925 | Austen Chamberlain | United Kingdom | For work on the Locarno Treaties |
| 1925 | Charles G. Dawes | United States | "[F]or [work on] the Dawes Plan for German reparations which was seen as having provided the economic underpinning of the Locarno Pact of 1925" |
| 1926 | Aristide Briand | France | For work on the Locarno Treaties |
| 1926 | Gustav Stresemann | Germany | |
| 1927 | Ferdinand Buisson | France | "[For] contributions to Franco-German popular reconciliation" |
| 1927 | Ludwig Quidde | Germany | |
| 1928 | |||
| 1929 | Frank B. Kellogg | United States | "[F]or the Kellogg-Briand pact, whose signatories agreed to settle all conflicts by peaceful means and renounced war as an instrument of national policy" |
| 1930 | Nathan Söderblom | Sweden | "[F]or his efforts to involve the churches not only in work for ecumenical unity, but also for world peace" |
| 1931 | Jane Addams | United States | "[F]or her social reform work" and "leading the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom" |
| 1931 | Nicholas Murray Butler | "[For his promotion] of the Briand-Kellogg pact" and for his work as the "leader of the more establishment-oriented part of the American peace movement" | |
| 1932 | |||
| 1933 | Norman Angell | United Kingdom | For authoring The Great Illusion and for being a "supporter of the League of Nations as well as an influential publicist [and] educator for peace in general" |
| 1934 | Arthur Henderson | United Kingdom | "[F]or his work for the League, particularly its efforts in disarmament" |
| 1935 | Carl von Ossietzky | Germany | "[For his] struggle against Germany's rearmament" |
| 1936 | Carlos Saavedra Lamas | Argentina | "[F]or his mediation of an end to the Chaco War between Paraguay and Bolivia" |
| 1937 | Robert Cecil | United Kingdom | For his work with the League of Nations |
| 1938 | Nansen International Office for Refugees | League of Nations | For its work in aiding refugees |
| 1939 | |||
| 1940 | |||
| 1941 | |||
| 1942 | |||
| 1943 | |||
| 1944 | International Committee of the Red Cross | Switzerland | "[F]or the great work it has performed during the war in behalf of humanity" |
| 1945 | Cordell Hull | United States | "[For] his fight against isolationism at home, his efforts to create a peace bloc of states on the American continents, and his work for the United Nations Organization" |
| 1946 | Emily Greene Balch | United States | "Formerly Professor of History and Sociology; Honorary International President, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom" |
| 1946 | John Raleigh Mott | "Chairman, International Missionary Council; President, World Alliance of Young Men's Christian Associations" | |
| 1947 | Friends Service Council | United Kingdom | "compassion for others and the desire to help them" |
| 1947 | American Friends Service Committee | United States | |
| 1948 | |||
| 1949 | The Lord Boyd-Orr | United Kingdom | "Physician; Alimentary Politician; Prominent organizer and Director, General Food and Agricultural Organization; President, National Peace Council and World Union of Peace Organizations" |
| 1950 | Ralph Bunche | United States | "Professor, Harvard University Cambridge, MA; Director, division of Trusteeship, U.N.; Acting Mediator in Palestine, 1948" |
| 1951 | Léon Jouhaux | France | "President of the International Committee of the European Council, vice president of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, vice president of the World Federation of Trade Unions, member of the ILO Council, delegate to the United Nations" |
| 1952 | Albert Schweitzer | France | "Missionary surgeon; Founder of Lambaréné (République de Gabon)" |
| 1953 | George Catlett Marshall | United States | "General President American Red Cross; Former Secretary of State and of Defense; Delegate U.N.; Originator of [the] 'Marshall Plan'" |
| 1954 | United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees | United Nations | "An international relief organization founded by the U.N. in 1951" |
| 1955 | |||
| 1956 | |||
| 1957 | Lester Bowles Pearson | Canada | "former Secretary of State for External Affairs of Canada; former President of the 7th Session of the United Nations General Assembly";["for his role in trying to end the Suez conflict and to solve the Middle East question through the United Nations." |
| 1958 | Georges Pire | Belgium | "Father in the Dominican Order; Leader of the relief organization for refugees "L'Europe du Coeur au Service du Monde"" |
| 1959 | Philip J. Noel-Baker | United Kingdom | "Member of Parliament; lifelong ardent worker for international peace and co-operation" |
| 1960 | Albert Lutuli | South Africa | "President of the African National Congress," "was in the very forefront of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa." |
| 1961 | Dag Hammarskjöld | Sweden | "Secretary General of the U.N.," awarded "for strengthening the organization." |
| 1962 | Linus Carl Pauling | United States | "for his campaign against nuclear weapons testing" |
| 1963 | International Committee of the Red Cross | Switzerland | For their work in the protection of human rights in the ICRC's 100 years of existence. |
| 1963 | League of Red Cross Societies | ||
| 1964 | Martin Luther King, Jr. | United States | Campaigner for civil rights, "first person in the Western world to have shown us that a struggle can be waged without violence." |
| 1965 | United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) | United Nations | "An international aid organization." |
| 1966 | |||
| 1967 | |||
| 1968 | René Cassin | France | "President of the European Court for Human Rights" |
| 1969 | International Labour Organization | United Nations | |
| 1970 | Norman E. Borlaug | United States | "International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center;" "for his contributions to the "green revolution" that was having such an impact on food production particularly in Asia and in Latin America." |
| 1971 | Willy Brandt | West Germany | "Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany; for West Germany's Ostpolitik" |
| 1972 | |||
| 1973 | Henry Kissinger | United States | "For the 1973 Paris agreement intended to bring about a cease-fire in the Vietnam war and a withdrawal of the American forces" |
| 1973 | Le Duc Tho | North Vietnam | |
| 1974 | Seán MacBride | Ireland | "President of the International Peace Bureau; President of the Commission of Namibia.""For his strong interest in human rights: piloting the European Convention on Human Rights through the Council of Europe, helping found and then lead Amnesty International and serving as secretary-general of the International Commission of Jurists" |
| 1974 | Eisaku Satō | Japan | "Prime Minister of Japan," "for his renunciation of the nuclear option for Japan and his efforts to further regional reconciliation" |
| 1975 | Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov | Soviet Union | "[for his] struggle for human rights, for disarmament, and for cooperation between all nations" |
| 1976 | Betty Williams | United Kingdom/Ireland | "Founder[s] of the Northern Ireland Peace Movement (later renamed Community of Peace People)" |
| 1976 | Mairead Corrigan | ||
| 1977 | Amnesty International | United Kingdom | "[for] protecting the human rights of prisoners of conscience" |
| 1978 | Mohamed Anwar Al-Sadat | Egypt | "for the Camp David Agreement, which brought about a negotiated peace between Egypt and Israel" |
| 1978 | Menachem Begin | Israel | |
| 1979 | Mother Teresa | India | "Founder of Missionaries of Charity" |
| 1980 | Adolfo Pérez Esquivel | Argentina | "Human rights leader;" "founded non-violent human rights organizations to fight the military junta that was ruling his country (Argentina)." |
| 1981 | United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees | United Nations | "An international relief organization founded by the U.N. in 1951" |
| 1982 | Alva Myrdal | Sweden | "[for] their magnificent work in the disarmament negotiations of the United Nations, where they have both played crucial roles and won international recognition" |
| 1982 | Alfonso GarcÃa Robles | Mexico | |
| 1983 | Lech Wałęsa | Poland | "Founder of Solidarność; campaigner for human rights" |
| 1984 | Desmond Tutu | South Africa | "Bishop of Johannesburg; former Secretary General, South African Council of Churches" |
| 1985 | International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War | United States | For "authoritative information and by creating an awareness of the catastrophic consequences of atomic warfare. The committee believes that this in turn contributes to an increase in the pressure of public opposition to the proliferation of atomic weapons and to a redefining of priorities, with greater attention being paid to health and other humanitarian issues." |
| 1986 | Elie Wiesel | United States | "Chairman of "The President's Commission on the Holocaust"" |
| 1987 | Óscar Arias | Costa Rica | "for his work for peace in Central America, efforts which led to the accord signed in Guatemala on August 7 this year" |
| 1988 | United Nations Peace-Keeping Forces | United Nations | "[for] their efforts [that] have made important contributions towards the realization of one of the fundamental tenets of the United Nations" |
| 1988 | 14th Dalai Lama | In his struggle for the liberation of Tibet [he] consistently has opposed the use of violence. He has instead advocated peaceful solutions based upon tolerance and mutual respect in order to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of his people. | |
| 1990 | Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev | Soviet Union | President of the Soviet Union, "for his leading role in the peace process which today characterizes important parts of the international community" |
| 1991 | Aung San Suu Kyi | Burma | "for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights" |
| 1992 | Rigoberta Menchú | Guatemala | "for her work for social justice and ethno-cultural reconciliation based on respect for the rights of indigenous peoples" |
| 1993 | Nelson Mandela | South Africa | "for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa" |
| 1993 | Frederik Willem de Klerk | ||
| 1994 | Yasser Arafat | Palestine | "to honour a political act which called for great courage on both sides, and which has opened up opportunities for a new development towards fraternity in the Middle East." |
| 1994 | Yitzhak Rabin | Israel | |
| 1994 | Shimon Peres | ||
| 1995 | Joseph Rotblat | United Kingdom | "for their efforts to diminish the part played by nuclear arms in international politics and, in the longer run, to eliminate such arms" |
| 1995 | Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs | Canada | |
| 1996 | Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo | East Timor | "for their work towards a just and peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor." |
| 1996 | José Ramos-Horta | ||
| 1997 | International Campaign to Ban Landmines | Switzerland | "for their work for the banning and clearing of anti-personnel mines" |
| 1997 | Jody Williams | United States | |
| 1998 | John Hume | Ireland | "for their efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland" |
| 1998 | David Trimble | United Kingdom | |
| 1999 | Médecins Sans Frontières | Switzerland | "in recognition of the organization's pioneering humanitarian work on several continents" |
| 2000 | Kim Dae-jung | South Korea | "for his work for democracy and human rights in South Korea and in East Asia in general, and for peace and reconciliation with North Korea in particular" |
| 2001 | United Nations | United Nations | "for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world" |
| 2001 | Kofi Annan | Ghana | |
| 2002 | Jimmy Carter | United States | "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development" |
| 2003 | Shirin Ebadi | Iran | "for her efforts for democracy and human rights. She has focused especially on the struggle for the rights of women and children." |
| 2004 | Wangari Muta Maathai | Kenya | "for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace" |
| 2005 | International Atomic Energy Agency | United Nations | "for their efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way" |
| 2005 | Mohamed ElBaradei | Egypt | |
| 2006 | Muhammad Yunus | Bangladesh | "for advancing economic and social opportunities for the poor, especially women, through their pioneering microcredit work" |
| 2006 | Grameen Bank | ||
| 2007 | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change | United Nations | "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change" |
| 2007 | Al Gore | United States | |
| 2008 | Martti Ahtisaari | Finland | "for his efforts on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts" |
| 2009 | Barack Obama | United States | "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." |
| 2010 | Liu Xiaobo | China | "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China" |
| 2011 | Ellen Johnson Sirleaf | Liberia | "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work" |
| 2011 | Leymah Gbowee | ||
| 2011 | Tawakkul Karman | Yemen | |
| 2012 | European Union (EU) | Europe | "for [having] over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe." |
| 2013 | Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons | International | "for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons." |
List of Vice Presidents of India
| No | Name of Vice President | From | to | President at that time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan(1888-1975 | 13-May-52 | 12-May-62 | Dr. Rajendra Prasad |
| 2 | Dr. Zakir Hussain(1897-1969) | 13-May-62 | 12-May-67 | Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan |
| 3 | Sh. Varahagiri Venkata Giri(1894-1980) | 13-May-67 | 3-May-69 | Dr. Zakir Hussain |
| 4 | Gopal Swarup Pathak(1896-1982) | 31-Aug-69 | 30-Aug-74 | Sh. Varahagiri Venkata Giri |
| 5 | Basappa Danappa Jatti(1912-2002) | 31-Aug-74 | 30-Aug-79 | Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed |
| 6 | Justice Muhammad Hidayatullah(1905-1992) | 31-Aug-79 | 30-Aug-84 | Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy |
| 7 | Ramaswamy Venkataraman(1910-2009) | 31-Aug-84 | 24-Jul-87 | Giani Zail Singh |
| 8 | Shankar Dayal Sharma(1918-1999) | 3-Sep-87 | 24-Jul-92 | Ramaswamy Venkataraman |
| 9 | Kocheril Raman Narayanan(1920-2005) | 21-Aug-92 | 24-Jul-97 | Shankar Dayal Sharma |
| 10 | Krishan Kant(1927-2002) | 21-Aug-97 | 27-Jul-02 | Kocheril Raman Narayanan |
| 11 | Bhairon Singh Shekhawat | 19-Aug-02 | 21-Jul-07 | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam |
List of India Loksabha Speakers
| Sno | Name of the Speakers | Term from | Term to | Total years | Which Loksabha | Party Beelongs to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ganesh Vasudev Mavlankar | 15-May-52 | 27-Feb-56 | 3 years, 288 days | 1st | Indian National Congress |
| 2 | M. A. Ayyangar | 8-Mar-56 | 10-May-57 | 1 year, 63 days | 1st | Indian National Congress |
| M. A. Ayyangar | 11-May-57 | 16-Apr-62 | 4 years, 340 days | 2nd | Indian National Congress | |
| 3 | Sardar Hukam Singh | 17-Apr-62 | 16-Mar-67 | 4 years, 333 days | 3rd | Indian National Congress |
| 4 | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy | 17-Mar-67 | 19-Jul-69 | 2 years, 124 days | 4th | Indian National Congress |
| 5 | Gurdial Singh Dhillon | 8-Aug-69 | 19-Mar-71 | 1 year, 221 days | 4th | Indian National Congress |
| Gurdial Singh Dhillon | 22-Mar-71 | 1-Dec-75 | 4 years, 254 days | Indian National Congress | ||
| 6 | Bali Ram Bhagat | 15-Jan-76 | 25-Mar-77 | 1 year, 69 days | 5th | Indian National Congress |
| -4 | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy | 26-Mar-77 | 13-Jul-77 | 0 years, 109 days | 6th | Janata Party |
| 7 | K. S. Hegde | 21-Jul-77 | 21-Jan-80 | 2 years, 184 days | 6th | Janata Party |
| 8 | Balram Jakhar | 22-Jan-80 | 15-Jan-85 | 4 years, 359 days | 7th | Indian National Congress |
| Balram Jakhar | 16-Jan-85 | 18-Dec-89 | 4 years, 336 days | 8th | Indian National Congress | |
| 9 | Rabi Ray | 19-Dec-89 | 9-Jul-91 | 1 year, 202 days | 9th | Janata Dal |
| 10 | Shivraj Patil | 10-Jul-91 | 22-May-96 | 4 years, 317 days | 10th | Indian National Congress |
| 11 | P. A. Sangma | 23-May-96 | 23-Mar-98 | 1 year, 304 days | 11th | Indian National Congress |
| 12 | G. M. C. Balayogi | 24-Mar-98 | 20-Oct-99 | 1 year, 210 days | 12th | Telugu Desam Party |
| G. M. C. Balayogi | 22-Oct-99 | 3-Mar-02 | 2 years, 132 days | 13th | Telugu Desam Party | |
| 13 | Manohar Joshi | 10-May-02 | 2-Jun-04 | 2 years, 23 days | 13th | Shiv Sena |
| 14 | Somnath Chatterjee | 4-Jun-04 | 30-May-09 | 4 years, 360 days | 14th | Communist Party of India (Marxist) |
| 15 | Meira Kumar | 30-May-09 | Incumbent | 4 years, 224 days | 15th | Indian National Congress |
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Functions and roles of RBI
- Monetary Authority
- Issuer of Currency
- Banker and Debt Manager to Government
- Banker to Banks
- Regulator of the Banking System
- Manager of Foreign Exchange
- Maintaining Financial Stability
- Regulator and Supervisor of the Payment
- and Settlement Systems
- Developmental Role
List off National Banks and their Head Qaurters
| S.No | Nationalised Banks | Head Office |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allahabad Bank | calcutta |
| 2 | Bank of Baroda | Mumbai |
| 3 | Bank of Maharashtra | Pune |
| 4 | Central Bank of India | Mumbai |
| 5 | Dena Bank | Mumbai |
| 6 | Indian Overseas Bank | Chennai |
| 7 | Punjab National Bank | New Delhi |
| 8 | Union Bank of India | Mumbai |
| 9 | Punjab & Sind Bank | New Delhi |
| 10 | Vijaya Bank | Banglore |
| 11 | Andhra Bank | Hyderabad |
| 12 | Bank of India | Mumbai |
| 13 | Canara Bank | Banglore |
| 14 | Corporation Bank | Manglore |
| 15 | Indian Bank | Chennai |
| 16 | Oriental Bank of Commerce | New Delhi |
| 17 | Syndicate Bank | Manipal |
| 18 | United Bank of India | Calcutta |
| 19 | UCO Bank | Calcutta |
What is Human Development Index ?
human development index (HDI)
Global index utilize to rank the development of countries by examining the achievements of the inhabitants of the country. The index factors in three important elements: standard of living, life expectancy, and literacy level. The index is not 100% accurate in its determinations due to inconsistencies and lack of data in certain parts of the world. The index was established in 1990 by the United Nations.
List of Cabinet Minister of India as on 08-01-2013
| S.No. | Name | Portfolio |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr. Manmohan Singh | Prime Minister and also in-charge of the Ministries |
| (i) Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions; | ||
| (ii) Ministry of Planning; | ||
| (ii) Department of Atomic Energy; and | ||
| (iv) Department of Space. | ||
| 2 | Shri A.K. Antony | Minister of Defence. |
| 3 | Shri Sharad Pawar | Minister of Agriculture, and Minister of Food Processing Industries. |
| 4 | Shri P. Chidambaram | Minister of Finance. |
| 5 | Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad | Minister of Health and Family Welfare. |
| 6 | Shri Sushilkumar Shinde | Minister of Home Affairs. |
| 7 | Shri M. Veerappa Moily | Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Minister of Environment and Forests. |
| 8 | Dr. Farooq Abdullah | Minister of New and Renewable Energy. |
| 9 | Shri S. Jaipal Reddy | Minister of Science and Technology, and |
| Minister of Earth Sciences. | ||
| 10 | Shri Kamal Nath | Minister of Urban Development, and |
| Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. | ||
| 11 | Shri Ajit Singh | Minister of Civil Aviation. |
| 12 | Shri Vayalar Ravi | Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs. |
| 13 | Shri Mallikarjun Kharge | Minister of Railways. |
| 14 | Shri Oscar Fernandes | Minister of Road Transport and Highways, and Minister of Labour and Employment. |
| 15 | Shri Kapil Sibal | Minister of Communications and Information Technology, and Minister of Law and Justice. |
| 16 | Shri Anand Sharma | Minister of Commerce and Industry. |
| 17 | Kumari Selja | Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment. |
| 18 | Dr. Girija Vyas | Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. |
| 19 | Shri G.K. Vasan | Minister of Shipping. |
| 20 | Shri Praful Patel | Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. |
| 21 | Shri Shriprakash Jaiswal | Minister of Coal. |
| 22 | Shri Salman Khurshid | Minister of External Affairs. |
| 23 | Shri V. Kishore Chandra Deo | Minister of Tribal Affairs, and |
| Minister of Panchayati Raj. | ||
| 24 | Shri Beni Prasad Verma | Minister of Steel. |
| 25 | Shri Jairam Ramesh | Minister of Rural Development. |
| 26 | Shri K. Rahman Khan | Minister of Minority Affairs. |
| 27 | Shri Dinsha J. Patel | Minister of Mines. |
| 28 | Shri M.M. Pallam Raju | Minister of Human Resource Development. |
| 29 | Shri Harish Rawat | Minister of Water Resources. |
| 30 | Smt. Chandresh Kumari Katoch | Minister of Culture. |
| 31 | Dr. Kavuru Samba Siva Rao | Minister of Textiles. |
List of Dada Bhai Phalke Cinema Awards and Awardees
| Year | Name of the awardee | Award given for Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Devika Rani Chaudhuri Roerich | Actress |
| 1970 | B. N. Sircar | Producer |
| 1971 | Prithviraj Kapoor | Actor, Director, Producer(Awarded posthumously) |
| 1972 | Pankaj Mullick | Music Director |
| 1973 | Ruby Myers (Sulochana) | Actress |
| 1974 | Bommireddy Narasimha Reddy | Director |
| 1975 | Dhirendranath Ganguly | Actor, Director |
| 1976 | Kanan Devi | Actress |
| 1977 | Nitin Bose | Cinematographer, Director, Screenwriter |
| 1978 | Raichand Boral | Music Director, Director |
| 1979 | Sohrab Modi | Actor, Director, Producer |
| 1980 | Paidi Jairaj | Actor, Director |
| 1981 | Naushad Ali | Music Director |
| 1982 | L. V. Prasad | Actor, Director, Producer |
| 1983 | Durga Khote | Actress |
| 1984 | Satyajit Ray | Director |
| 1985 | V. Shantaram | Actor, Director, Producer |
| 1986 | Bommireddy Nagi Reddy | Producer |
| 1987 | Raj Kapoor | Actor, Director, Producer |
| 1988 | Ashok Kumar | Actor |
| 1989 | Lata Mangeshkar | Playback singer |
| 1990 | Akkineni Nageswara Rao | Actor |
| 1991 | Bhalji Pendharkar | Director, Producer, Screenwriter |
| 1992 | Bhupen Hazarika | Musician, singer, poet, filmmaker, lyricist |
| 1993 | Majrooh Sultanpuri | Lyricist |
| 1994 | Dilip Kumar | Actor |
| 1995 | Rajkumar | Actor, Singer |
| 1996 | Sivaji Ganesan | Actor |
| 1997 | Pradeep | Lyricist |
| 1998 | B. R. Chopra | Director, Producer |
| 1999 | Hrishikesh Mukherjee | Director |
| 2000 | Asha Bhosle | Playback Singer |
| 2001 | Yash Chopra | Director, Producer |
| 2002 | Dev Anand | Actor, Director, Producer |
| 2003 | Mrinal Sen | Director |
| 2004 | Adoor Gopalakrishnan | Director |
| 2005 | Shyam Benegal | Director |
| 2006 | Tapan Sinha | Director |
| 2007 | Manna Dey | Playback singer |
| 2008 | V. K. Murthy | Cinematographer |
| 2009 | D. Ramanaidu | Producer, Director |
| 2010 | K. Balachander | Director |
| 2011 | Soumitra Chatterjee | Actor |
| 2012 | Pran | Actor |
| 2013 | Gulzar | Lyricist |
| 2014 | shashi Kapoor | Actor |
| 2015 | Manoj Kumar | Actor |
| 2016 | K. Vishwanath | Actor |
List of Indias Five Year Plans
| S.No | Five year plan | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | First Five Year Plan | 1951-56 |
| 2 | Second Five Year Plan | 1956-61 |
| 3 | Third Five Year Plan | 1961-66 |
| 4 | Fourth Five Year Plan | 1969-74 |
| 5 | Fifth Five Year Plan | 1974-79 |
| 6 | Sixth Five Year Plan | 1980-85 |
| 7 | Seventh Five Year Plan | 1985-90 |
| 8 | Eighth five Year Plan | 1992-97 |
| 9 | Ninth five Year Plan | 1997-2002 |
| 10 | Tenth Five Year Plan | 2002-2007 |
| 11 | eleventh Five Year Plan | 2007-2012 |
| 12 | Twelth five Year Plan | 2012-2017 |
List of Indian Railway zones and Divisions with theit Head qaurters
| S/No. | Name of the Railway Zone | Zonal Headquarter | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central Railway | Mumbai | 1) Mumbai |
| 2) Nagpur | |||
| 3) Bhusawal | |||
| 4) Pune | |||
| 5) Sholapur | |||
| 2 | Eastern Railway | Kolkata | 1) Howrah-I |
| 2) Howrah-II | |||
| 3) Sealdah | |||
| 4) Malda | |||
| 5) Asansol | |||
| 6) Chitaranjan | |||
| 3 | East Central Railway | Hajipur | 1) Danapur |
| 2) Mugalsarai | |||
| 3) Dhanbad | |||
| 4) Sonpur | |||
| 5) Samastipur | |||
| 4 | East Coast Railway | Bhubaneshwar | 1) Khurda Road |
| 2) Waltair | |||
| 3) Sambhalpur | |||
| 5 | Northern Railway | Baroda House, New Delhi | 1) Delhi-I |
| 2) Delhi-II | |||
| 3) Ambala | |||
| 4) Moradabad | |||
| 5) Lucknow | |||
| 6) Firozpur | |||
| 6 | North Central Railway | Allahabad | 1) Allahabad |
| 2) Jhansi | |||
| 3) Agra | |||
| 7 | North Eastern Railway | Gorakhpur | 1) Izzatnagar |
| 2) Lucknow | |||
| 3) Varanasi | |||
| 8 | North Frontier Railway | Maligaon, Guwahati | 1) Katihar |
| 2) Alipurduar | |||
| 3) Rangiya | |||
| 4) Lumding | |||
| 5) Tinsukhia | |||
| 9 | North Western Railway | Jaipur | 1) Jaipur |
| 2) Jodhpur | |||
| 3) Bikaner | |||
| 4) Ajmer | |||
| 10 | Southern Railway | Chennai | 1) Chennai |
| 2) Madurai | |||
| 3) Palghat | |||
| 4) Trichy | |||
| 5) Trivendrum | |||
| 11 | South Central Railway | Secunderabad | 1) Secunderabad |
| 2) Hyderabad | |||
| 3) Guntakal | |||
| 4) Vijaywada | |||
| 5) Nanded | |||
| 12 | South Eastern Railway | Garden Reach, Kolkata | 1) Kharagpur |
| 2) Adra | |||
| 3) Chakradharpur | |||
| 4) Ranchi | |||
| 5) Shalimar | |||
| 13 | South East Central Railway | Bilaspur | 1) Bilaspur |
| 2) Nagpur | |||
| 3) Raipur | |||
| 14 | South Western Railway | Hubli | 1) Bangalore |
| 2) Mysore | |||
| 3) Hubli | |||
| 4) FA/F/YNK | |||
| 15 | Western Railway | Mumbai CST | 1) BCT |
| 2) Vadodara | |||
| 3) Ahemdabad | |||
| 4) Ratlam | |||
| 5) Rajkot | |||
| 6) Bhavnagar | |||
| 16 | West Central Railway | Jabalpur | 1) Jabalpur |
| 2) Bhopal | |||
| 3) Kota |
1. The heqad quarters of Eastern zone of Indian Railways is located at ( NDA 2017)
a)Bhubaneswar b)Kolkata c) Hajipur d) Guwahati
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Group of Five -G5 Nations
| Sno | Name of the country Capital | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India New Delhi | |||
| 2 | Brazil Brasilia | |||
| 3 | China Bejeing | |||
| 4 | Mexico Mexico city | |||
| 5 | South Africa Pretoria,Bloemfontien,Capetown | |||
List of ICC Twenty20 world Cups
| Year | Host country | Final venue | Winner | Runnerup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | South Africa | Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa | India | Pakistan |
| 2009 | England | Lord's, London, England | Pakistan | Sri Lanka |
| 2010 | West Indies | Kensington Oval, Barbados | England | Australia |
| 2012 | Sri Lanka | R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka | West Indies | Sri Lanka |
List of Cricket ICC world Cups
| Year | Champion | Outcome | Runner up | Final Location/Ground | Host country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | West Indies | West Indies won by 17 runs | Australia | Lord's, London | England |
| 1979 | West Indies | West Indies won by 92 runs | England | Lord's, London | England |
| 1983 | India | India won by 43 runs | West Indies | Lord's, London | England |
| 1987 | Australia | Australia won by 7 runs | England | Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India | India, Pakistan |
| 1992 | Pakistan | Pakistan won by 22 runs | England | MCG, Melbourne, Australia | Australia, New Zealand |
| 1996 | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets | Australia | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan | India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka |
| 1999 | Australia | Australia won by 8 wickets | Pakistan | Lord's, London | England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands |
| 2003 | Australia | Australia won by 125 runs | India | Wanderers, Johannesburg, South Africa | Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe |
| 2007 | Australia | Australia won by 53 runs | Sri Lanka | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | West Indies |
| 2011 | India | India won by 6 wickets | Sri Lanka | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India | Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka |
List of Indian Comissions and organizations of India
| Name of the Organization | established in | First Head | Present head |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Commission for Women (NCW) | 1992 | Ms. Jayanti Patnaik | Mrs. Mamta Sharma |
| National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) | 1993 | Justice Ranganath Misra | Justice K G Balakrishnan |
| National Commission for Minorities (NCM | 1992 | Justice Mohd. Sardar Ali Khan | Wajahat Habibullah - Chairman |
| National Commission for Scheduled Castes | 2004 | Suraj Bhan | P L Punia |
| Planning Commission of India | 1950 | Jawaharlal Nehru | Montek singh Ahluwalia |
| Finance Commission of India | 1950 | K. C. Neogy | Dr Y.V Reddy, Chairman |
| Election comission of India | 1950 | Sukumar Sen | V. S. Sampath, Chief Election Comissioner |
Powers and Functions of Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister occupies a unique position of power and prestige. His powers and functions are:
1. He prepares the list of the council of ministers. The president cannot drop any name from this list;
2. The Prime Minister distributes the work to the different ministers;
3. He can dismiss an erring minister;
4. He presides over the meetings of the Cabinet;
5. He supervises and co-ordinates the working of various departments;
6. He is the main spokesman of the ministry;
7. He is a link between the council of ministers and the President.
8. He advises the President on the issue of making appointments;
9. He advises the President to dissolve the Lok Sabha; and
10. He plays a leading role in making all policy statements as also the preparation of the annual budget.
1. He prepares the list of the council of ministers. The president cannot drop any name from this list;
2. The Prime Minister distributes the work to the different ministers;
3. He can dismiss an erring minister;
4. He presides over the meetings of the Cabinet;
5. He supervises and co-ordinates the working of various departments;
6. He is the main spokesman of the ministry;
7. He is a link between the council of ministers and the President.
8. He advises the President on the issue of making appointments;
9. He advises the President to dissolve the Lok Sabha; and
10. He plays a leading role in making all policy statements as also the preparation of the annual budget.
Powers of President of India according to the constitution
India's president is the titular head of the state, enjoys certain
powers and performs a variety of ceremonial functions.
Executive powers :
The executive powers of the Indian union, under Article 53 of the constitution, vest in the president. The president has a right to be informed of all of the nation's affairs, enjoys powers to appoint and remove high constitutional authorities, including the prime minister and the council of ministers. All appointments of the judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts, the state governors, the attorney general, the comptroller and auditor general (CAG), and the chief commissioner and members of the election commission are made in his name.
Executive powers :
The executive powers of the Indian union, under Article 53 of the constitution, vest in the president. The president has a right to be informed of all of the nation's affairs, enjoys powers to appoint and remove high constitutional authorities, including the prime minister and the council of ministers. All appointments of the judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts, the state governors, the attorney general, the comptroller and auditor general (CAG), and the chief commissioner and members of the election commission are made in his name.
Legislative powers :
The budget session of parliament always begins with the president's address and if there is a deadlock in legislation process between the two houses of parliament, the president summons a joint session to break the impasse. Under the Indian constitution, the government needs prior presidential sanction before introducing legislation such as for creating a new state or changes in the boundary of existing states or even a change in its name. Also, legislation dealing with fundamental rights under the constitution require the president's consent, similar to money bills introduced in the Lok Sabha. Besides, all bills passed by parliament need the president's nod before becoming law.
The president also promulgates ordinances or emergent legislation during parliament's recess. The president also nominates members to both the houses.
However, his powers are limited to the extent that he can ask the council of ministers to reconsider a bill they have sent him for signing, such as invoking of Article 356. But if the council of ministers sends back the bill, the president has no choice but to accept it.
Military powers :
The president is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces and all officers' appointments are made by him or her, including that of the chiefs. The country declares war in the name of the president and also concludes peace, all from the control and authority over parliament that the president enjoys.
Diplomatic roles :
India's president has wide-ranging roles to play when it comes to diplomacy for maintaining relations with other countries. The country's ambassadors and high commissioners are his representatives in foreign land. He also receives the credentials of diplomatic representatives of foreign countries. The president also negotiates treaties and agreements with other nations prior to ratification by parliament.
Judicial powers :
The president enjoys judicial powers, primarily to rectify judicial errors, grant pardons and reprieves from punishment. The president can also seek the opinion of the supreme court on legal and constitutional matters and on matters of national and people's interest.
Financial roles :
The president causes the presentation of audit reports before parliament and is to receive the report of the finance commission and to act on its recommendations. The Contingency Fund of India is also at the president's disposal.
Emergency powers :
Three kinds of emergencies are envisaged by the constitution. Under national emergency powers, the president can declare a state of emergency after satisfying that the country's security is at peril, either from external aggression or armed rebellion within. The national emergency is declared only after the prime minister and the cabinet recommends it in writing.
The state emergency is basically political emergency, resulting in president's rule or governor's rule, if there is a constitutional or law and order breakdown, under Article 356 of the constitution.
The financial emergency occurs when the financial stability of the country or any part of the country is seriously affected. The president can direct a state government to observe prudence in public expenditure. The financial emergency powers of the president have never been put to test ever in the last six decades.
Tennis 2013 Chennai Open
| About | Details |
|---|---|
| Aircel Chennai Open | 2013 ATP World Tour tennis tournament |
| Date | 31st Dec 2013-Jan 6th 2014 |
| Edition | 18th Edition |
| Location | SDAT Tennis Stadium in Chennai, India. |
| Type of Court | Outdoor hard courts |
| Champions (single) | Janko Tipsarević(Serbia) |
| Champions (doubles) | Benoît Paire(France), Stanislas Wawrinka(switzerland) |
Monday, January 6, 2014
List of India Presidents
| Term | Name | Period | Political party |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rajendra Prasad | 26-Jan-1950 to 13-May-1962 | Indian National Congress |
| 2 | Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan | 13-May-1962 to 13-May-1967 | Independent |
| 3 | Zakir Hussain | 13-May-1967 to 3-May-1969 | Independent |
| 3 | Varahagiri Venkata Giri | 3-May-1969 to 20-Jul-1969 | Independent |
| 3 | Muhammad Hidayatullah | 20-Jul-1969 to 24-Aug-1969 | Independent |
| 4 | Varahagiri Venkata Giri | 24-Aug-1969 to 24-Aug-1974 | Independent |
| 5 | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed | 24-Aug-1974 to 11-Feb-1977 | Indian National Congress |
| 5 | Basappa Danappa Jatti | 11-Feb-1977 to 25-Jul-1977 | Independent |
| 6 | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy | 25-Jul-1977 to 25-Jul-1982 | Janata Party |
| 7 | Giani Zail Singh | 25-Jul-1982 to 25-Jul-1987 | Indian National Congress |
| 8 | Ramaswamy Venkataraman | 25-Jul-1987 to 25-Jul-1992 | Indian National Congress |
| 9 | Shankar Dayal Sharma | 25-Jul-1992 to 25-Jul-1997 | Indian National Congress |
| 10 | Kocheril Raman Narayanan | 25-Jul-1997 to 25-Jul-2002 | Independent |
| 11 | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam | 25-Jul-2002 to 25-Jul-2007 | Independent |
| 12 | Pratibha Patil | 25-Jul-2007 to 25-Jul-2012 | Indian National Congress |
| 13 | Pranab Mukherjee | 25-Jul-2012 to Till now | Indian National Congress |
List of Prime Ministers of India
| Name | Tenure | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Manmohan Singh | May 22, 2004 - till date | INC |
| Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee | March 19, 1998 - May 22, 2004 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Shri Inder Kumar Gujral | April 21, 1997 - March 19, 1998 | Janata Dal |
| Shri H. D. Deve Gowda | June 1, 1996 - April 21, 1997 | Janata Dal |
| Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee | May 16, 1996 - June 1, 1996 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao | June 21, 1991- May 16, 1996 | Congress (I) |
| Shri Chandra Shekhar | November 10, 1990 - June 21, 1991 | Janata Dal (S) |
| Shri Vishwanath Pratap Singh | December 2, 1989 - November 10, 1990 | Janata Dal |
| Shri Rajiv Gandhi | October 31, 1984 - December 2, 1989 | Congress (I) |
| Mrs. Indira Gandhi | January 14, 1980 - October 31, 1984 | Congress (I) |
| Shri Charan Singh | July 28, 1979 - January 14, 1980 | Janata Party |
| Shri Morarji Desai | March 24, 1977 - July 28, 1979 | Janata Party |
| Mrs. Indira Gandhi | January 24, 1966 - March 24, 1977 | Congress |
| Shri Gulzari Lal Nanda | January 11, 1966 - January 24, 1966 | Congress |
| Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri | June 9, 1964 - January 11, 1966 | Congress |
| Shri Gulzari Lal Nanda | May 27, 1964 - June 9, 1964 | Congress |
| Shri Jawaharlal Nehru | August 15, 1947 - May 27, 1964 | Congress |
List of Major dams in India
| S.no | Name of the dam | Location | River |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nagarjuna sagar dam | Andhra Pradesh | Krishna |
| 2 | Srisailam Dam | Andhra Pradesh | Krishna |
| 3 | Pulichintala | Andhra Pradesh | Krishna |
| 4 | Sriram sagar Project | Andhra Pradesh | Godavari |
| 5 | Sardar sarovar Dam | Gujarat | Narmada |
| 6 | Dharoi dam | Gujarat | Narmada |
| 7 | Bhakranangal Dam | Himachal Pradesh | Sutlej |
| 8 | Maha Rana Pratap dam | Himachal Pradesh | Beas |
| 9 | Pandoh Dam | Himachal Pradesh | Beas |
| 10 | Ranjit Sagar(Thein) dam | Himachal Pradesh | Ravi |
| 11 | Baglihar dam | Jammu & Kashmir | chenab |
| 12 | Maithon dam | Jharkand | Barakar |
| 13 | Almatti Dam | Karnataka | Krishna |
| 14 | Tungabadhra Dam | Karnataka | Tunga badra |
| 15 | Hirakud | Odisha | Mahanadi |
| 16 | Mulla Periyar Dam | Kerala | Periyar |
| 17 | Bansagar Dam | Madhya Pradesh | Son |
| 18 | Mettur Dam | Tamil nadu | Kaveri |
| 19 | Tehri dam | Uttarakhand | Bhagirathi |
| 20 | Maithon Dam | West Bengal | Damodar |
Conservation of Bio Diversity
Conservation of Biodiversity
Life
has existed on Earth for over 3.5 billion years. Over 95% of the
species that ever existed have gone extinct. So why should we be
concerned about current extinction rates and conserving biodiversity?
Figure 1: "Pando" is a giant aspen clone in the Fish Lake National Forest, Utah.
"Pando" is one of the world’s largest organisms, weighing 13 million pounds and covering 106 acres. (Courtesy of Jeffry Mitton)
Currently
the planet is inhabited by several million species in about 100
different phyla (Dirzo & Raven 2003). About 1.8 million have been
described by scientists (Hilton-Taylor et al. 2008), but
conservative estimates suggest that there are 5–15 million species alive
today (May, 2000), since many groups of organisms remain poorly
studied. Over 15,000 new species are described each year (Dirzo &
Raven 2003), and new species are evolving during our lifetimes. However,
modern extinction rates are high, at 100 to 1000 times greater than
background extinction rates calculated over the eras (Hambler 2004).
Although new species appear, existing species go extinct at a rate 1000
times that of species formation (Wilson 2003). Many biologists agree
that we are in the midst of a mass extinction, a time when 75% or more
of species are lost over a short geological time scale (Raup 1994). The
last great mass extinction was 65 million years ago, at the end of the
Cretaceous, when the dinosaurs went extinct. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature
estimates that 22% of known mammals, 32% of amphibians, 14% of birds,
and 32% of gymnosperms (all well-studied groups) are threatened with
extinction (Hilton-Taylor et al. 2008). Species that were
abundant within the last 200 years have gone extinct. For example,
passenger pigeons, which numbered three to five billion in the mid 1800s
(Ellsworth & McComb 2003), are now extinct.
Why should we be concerned about this loss of biodiversity? The
answer lies in the fact that, for the first time in Earth’s history, a
single species, Homo sapiens, could cause a mass extinction,
precipitating its own demise. The primary cause of today’s loss of
biodiversity is habitat alteration caused by human activities.
Let’s think about the meaning of biodiversity. Most people
understand that biodiversity includes the great heterogeneous assemblage
of living organisms. This aspect of biodiversity is also known as
"species diversity." Biodiversity includes two other components as well-
genetic diversity and ecosystem diversity.
Species diversity
Figure 2: Over 15,000 new species are described each year.
This newly described gecko from Ecuador fits on the head of a pencil (Courtesy of Paul S. Hamilton/RAEI.org).
While people are generally most familiar with multicellular organisms such as plants and animals, these organisms form only small branches on the tree of life. The greatest metabolic diversity is found among the prokaryotic organisms of the Eubacteria and Archaea. Although some of these microbes use oxygen for respiration, or photosynthesize like plants, others have the extraordinary ability to derive energy from inorganic chemicals such as hydrogen sulfide or ammonia, and they use carbon dioxide as their only source of carbon for producing organic molecules. Organisms that we consider extremophiles can survive in saturated salt concentrations (36% compared to approximately 3% for seawater), or in superheated water in deep-sea vents and geysers.
Because people have ventured to all parts of the globe, one might expect that the new species being discovered each year would be microscopic organisms that can only be distinguished at the metabolic level. While it is true that most new species identified are insects, microbes and fungi, we are still discovering new vertebrates (Figure 2), even sizable new vertebrates such as a new species of baleen whale and a clouded leopard. Since 2000, 53 new species of primates have been described (IUCN 2008) including a new species of Brazilian monkey, Mura’s saddleback tamarin.
Genetic Diversity
Genes are responsible for the traits exhibited by organisms and, as
populations of species decrease in size or go extinct, unique genetic
variants are lost. Since genes reside within species, why should we
consider genetic diversity as a separate category? Because they hold
"genetic potential." For example, many of the crops that we grow for
food are grown in monocultures of genetically homogeneous individuals.
Because all individuals are the same, a disease, insect pest, or
environmental change that can kill one individual can extirpate an
entire crop. Most of our high-yield varieties show significant
reductions in yield within about 5 years, as pests overcome the crops’
natural defenses. Plant breeders look to wild plant relatives and to
locally grown landraces to find new genetic varieties. They can then
introduce these genes into crops to renew their vigor. However,
according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, 96% of the 7,098
US apple varieties cultivated prior to 1904, 95% of the US cabbage
varieties, and 81% of tomato varieties, are extinct, and the genes that
made these varieties unique are gone.
Genetic variation allows species to evolve in response to diseases, predators, parasites, pollution, and climate change. The Red Queen Hypothesis, named for Lewis Carroll’s character who runs continually in order to stay in the same place, states that organisms must continually evolve, or succumb to their predators and parasites that will continue to evolve.
In addition to traditional breeding, advances in genetic engineering have allowed scientists to introduce beneficial genes from one species to another. For example, diabetics used to depend on insulin from human cadavers, or from cows or pigs. Human insulin was expensive, and non-human insulin could cause allergic reactions. Now we can isolate the gene that codes for human insulin, insert it into bacterial cells, and let the bacteria produce large quantities of human insulin. Other notable feats in genetic engineering include the introduction of genes that enhance the nutritive value of food, create crop resistance to insect pests, induce sheep to produce a protein for treating cystic fibrosis disease, and alter bacteria so that they can clean up toxic mine wastes through their metabolic activities. Many other genetic manipulations are currently in development.
Genetic variation allows species to evolve in response to diseases, predators, parasites, pollution, and climate change. The Red Queen Hypothesis, named for Lewis Carroll’s character who runs continually in order to stay in the same place, states that organisms must continually evolve, or succumb to their predators and parasites that will continue to evolve.
In addition to traditional breeding, advances in genetic engineering have allowed scientists to introduce beneficial genes from one species to another. For example, diabetics used to depend on insulin from human cadavers, or from cows or pigs. Human insulin was expensive, and non-human insulin could cause allergic reactions. Now we can isolate the gene that codes for human insulin, insert it into bacterial cells, and let the bacteria produce large quantities of human insulin. Other notable feats in genetic engineering include the introduction of genes that enhance the nutritive value of food, create crop resistance to insect pests, induce sheep to produce a protein for treating cystic fibrosis disease, and alter bacteria so that they can clean up toxic mine wastes through their metabolic activities. Many other genetic manipulations are currently in development.
Ecosystem Diversity
Ecosystems include all the species, plus all the abiotic factors
characteristic of a region. For example, a desert ecosystem has soil,
temperature, rainfall patterns, and solar radiation that affect not only
what species occur there, but the morphology, behavior, and the
interactions among those species (Figure 3). When ecosystems are intact,
biological processes are preserved. These processes include nutrient
and water cycling, harvesting light through photosynthesis, energy flow
through the food web, and patterns of plant succession over time. A
conservation focus on preserving ecosystems not only saves large numbers
of species (including non-charismatic species that do not receive
public support) but also preserves the support systems that maintain
life

Figure 3: Physical features of an ecosystem affect what species survive there.
(A)
In sharp contrast to desert habitats, this lush spruce-fir forest near
Berthoud Pass, in Colorado, receives an average of 38 inches of
precipitation per year, largely in the form of snow. (B) The sandstone
pinnacles of Goblin Valley, Utah occur in high desert in the San Rafael
Swell. The area receives less than 8 inches of annual precipitation.
(Courtesy of Jeffry Mitton)
Why Conserve Biodiversity?
From a selfish point of view, humans should be concerned about saving
biodiversity because of the benefits it provides us–biological
resources and ecosystem services. However, nature provides social and
spiritual benefits as well.
Biological Resources
Figure 4: The tensile strength of spider silk provided inspiration for engineering a similar synthetic fabric.
This
large female Argiope trifasciata spider has a male suitor, and dinner
waiting in her silken web. (Courtesy of Jeffry Mitton)
In addition, living organisms provide inspiration for engineers seeking better and more efficient products. The field known as biomimicry is the study of natural products that provide solutions to human needs. For example, shark skin provided the model for hydrodynamic swimming suits. The glue used by Sandcastle worms (Phragmatopoma californica) to cement together their sand particle shells was the inspiration for a glue that mends fractured bones in the aqueous internal environment of the body. Finally, scientists are using the chemical nature of spider’s silk to design strong, lightweight fibers (Figure 4).
Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem services are processes provided by nature that support
human life. These services include the decomposition of waste,
pollination, water purification, moderation of floods, and renewal of
soil fertility. Ecosystem processes are often overlooked, and are not
generally valued as part of the economy until they cease to function.
When economic value is assigned to these services, it is often
startlingly high. For example, insect pollinators help produce many
commercially important fruits such as almonds, melons, blueberries, and
apples. The global economic value of pollination services performed by
insects has been valued at $217 billion per year (Gallai et al. 2009).
How does a process like water purification work? Rain water is filtered by soil and by microbes that can break down nutrients and contaminants, and reduce metal ions, slowing their spread into the environment. Wetland and riparian plants absorb nitrogen, and trap sediments that decrease water quality.
Human construction and development disrupt natural environments, but most habitats have an extraordinary ability to recover when given the chance. This is because dormant seeds in the soil can germinate, stabilize the soil, and initiate successional events that restore vegetation which provides food and structure for other colonizing organisms. Native plants like fireweed can help revegetate an area after fire.
How does a process like water purification work? Rain water is filtered by soil and by microbes that can break down nutrients and contaminants, and reduce metal ions, slowing their spread into the environment. Wetland and riparian plants absorb nitrogen, and trap sediments that decrease water quality.
Human construction and development disrupt natural environments, but most habitats have an extraordinary ability to recover when given the chance. This is because dormant seeds in the soil can germinate, stabilize the soil, and initiate successional events that restore vegetation which provides food and structure for other colonizing organisms. Native plants like fireweed can help revegetate an area after fire.
Social and Spiritual Benefits
Throughout most of human history, conservation has involved
protecting nature for the spiritual gifts it provides, and protecting
sacred places in the local landscape. Stories of indigenous people
incorporate detailed knowledge of the animals and plants that make up
their world. The heterogeneity of the world’s mythology, folk art, and
folk dances show the effects of biodiversity on cultural development,
and contribute to the richness of global arts and literature (Figure 5)
Figure 5: The costumes and stances of these dancers illustrate cultural differences in depicting birds through dance.
(A)
Native American Kwakiutl ceremonial dancers from British Columbia
(1914) (Edward S. Curtis, Edward S. Curtis Collection/Library of
Congress, Washington, D.C. digital. id. cph 3c08464). (B) Alicia Alonso
of the Gran Tetro de la Habana as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake (1946).
Figure
6: People flock from around the world to see the bull elk bugling and
displaying during mating season at Rocky Mountain National Park.
Courtesy of Jeffry Mitton.
Different
cultures developed in different landscapes that influenced activities,
occupations, diet, language, and architecture. Cultures adapted to local
environmental challenges by growing local domestic crops, developing
irrigation and terracing systems, hunting, fishing, and gathering.
Biodiversity provides a sense of place. Countries and states have
flagship animals and plants that are a source of pride and highlight the
uniqueness of each habitat (Figure 6). Travel, which provides great
pleasure to many people, is motivated by the desire to see this
combination of cultural, landscape and biological diversity.
Ecotourism is travel with the desire to view, sustain, and support
natural ecosystems and local cultures. Support from ecotourism can
reduce habitat destruction, preserve species that suffer from poaching
and illegal trade in the pet market, plus provide jobs for the local
economy. For example, the Wasini Island Project
in Kenya has been a major ecotourism success story. Coral reefs and
mangrove forests were suffering degradation from development,
agriculture, and from exploitation of reef species. Support from the
Biodiversity Conservation Programme made it possible for the local
community to build boardwalks and other features that facilitate viewing
wildlife. Local people were trained as guides and in administration,
and they now run a profitable ecotourism operation. Money from tourism
helps the local economy, provides incentive to maintain the habitat,
provides funds for the local health clinic, and scholarships for local
students (Peopleandplanet.net 2009).
In recognition of the aesthetic value of nature, in 1892 the US
Congress set aside the first national park "for the benefit and
enjoyment of the people" (NPS 2010). Frederick Law Olmstead, who in the
1800s designed and managed park systems and urban parks such as Central
Park in New York City, believed in the rejuvenating powers of nature. He
felt that contemplating nature’s grandeur allowed man to put his life
into perspective. In modern times, with increasing urbanization, people
seek out local parks, open space and trails, and travel to national
parks and wild places where they can enjoy nature. Birding, hiking,
fishing, hunting, gardening, and other forms of recreation in nature are
popular activities, and are economically important.
While modern arguments often focus on the anthropocentric value of
biodiversity, nature writers such as Emerson, Thoreau, Leopold, Muir and
many others emphasized the intrinsic values of biodiversity. As Henry
David Thoreau said, "This curious world which we inhabit is more
wonderful than it is convenient; more beautiful than it is useful; it is
more to be admired and enjoyed than it is to be used" (1837).
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