Asian Games: A Fact File

The 2014 Asian Games were held in Incheon, South Korea from September 19 — October 4, 2014. China topped the medals table for the ninth time followed by South Korea and Japan. China won 151 gold medals ahead of the 79 won by host South Korea. Most Valuable Player award was won by Japanese swimmer Kosuke Hagino, who won seven medals including four individual gold medals. India finished eighth with 11 gold, 10 silver and 36 bronze. 

Some of the Highlights of Indian performances in Asian Games 2014:

• » India's performance in Incheon went slightly down from 14 gold medals to 11 compared to Guangzhou 2010.
• » Four of the gold medals came in athletics (two) and kabaddi (two) while archery, boxing, hockey, shooting, squash, tennis and wrestling accounted for the rest.
• » In shooting Jitu Rai won the first gold for India by beating the strong contenders like Wang Zhiwei of China and reigning world champion Jongoh of South Korea to win the gold.
• » Yogeshwar Dutt ended India's 28-year-old gold medal drought in the wrestling to win the men's freestyle 65kg gold.
• » In tennis Sania and Saketh Myneni won the a mixed doubles gold.
• » After 16 years India won the Gold medal in Asian Games men's hockey tournament, and consequently earned a direct berth to the 2016 Summer Olympics hockey tournament.
• » India completed a twin gold on the kabaddi after the men and women team defeated Iran.
• » Indian men's squash team won a historic Asian Games gold medal beating Malaysia 2-0.
• » In the closing ceremony the OCA flag were handed over to the people's representatives of the next Games in 2018 to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia.
• » Spotted seal siblings ‘Three Spotted Seal Siblings’ was the official mascot of the Games in Songdo Island, Incheon. The three seals, known as "Barame ", "Chumuro" and "Vichuon ", means wind, dance and light in Korean language, is in accordance with the theme of main venue.

Top Ten Countries Medal Tally-Asian Games 2014

Rank	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	China	151	108	83	342
2	Korea	79	71	84	234
3	Japan	47	76	77	200
4	Kazakhstan	28	23	33	84
5	Iran	21	18	18	57
6	Thailand	12	7	28	47
7	DPR Korea	11	11	14	36
8	India	11	10	36	57
9	Chinese Taipei	10	18	23	51
10	Qatar	10	0	4	14

17th ASIAN GAMES 2014Duration: September 19, 2014 - October 4, 2014 (16 days)
Venues: In and around Incheon Metropolitan City, South Korea
Participants: About 13,000 athletes and officials and about 7,000 media from the 45 OCA member states
Host: The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA)
Organizer: The 2014 Incheon Asian Games Organizing Committee (IAGOC)
No. of Sports: 36

ASIAN GAMES 2014 Sports:Aquatics, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Canoe and Kayak, Cycling, Equestrian, Fencing, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Modern Pentathlon, Rowing, Rugby, Sailing, Shooting, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Baseball, Bowling, Cricket, Kabaddi, Karate, Sepaktakraw, Squash, Wushu

ASIAN GAMES 2014: Indian Medal WinnersList of Gold Medalists for India: (11)

• » Jitu Rai: Men's 50 metre pistol shooting
• » Sandeep Kumar, Rajat Chauhan, Abhishek Verma: Men's compound team archery
• » Saurav Ghosal, Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu, Mahesh Mangaonkar, Kumar Kush: Men's team squash
• » Yogeshwar Dutt: Men's freestyle 65 kg wrestling
• » Seema Punia: Women's discuses throw athletics
• » Sania Mirza, Saketh Myneni: Mixed doubles tennis
• » M.C. Mary Kom: Women's 48-51 kg boxing
• » Indian team: Men's hockey
• » Priyanka Panwar, Tintu Luka, Mandeep Kaur, M. Poovamma: Women's 4X400m relay athletics
• » Indian team: Women's kabaddi
• » Indian team: Men's kabaddi

List of Silver Medalists for India: (10)

• » Saurav Ghosal: Men's singles squash
• » Pemba Tamang, Gurpreet Singh, Vijay Kumar: Men's 25m centre fire pistol team shooting
• » Dipika Pallikal, Joshna Chinappa, Anaka Alankamony: Women's team squash
• » Abhishek Verma: Men's individual compound archery
• » Khushbir Kaur: Women's 20 km race walk athletics
• » Saketh Myneni, Sanam Singh: Men's doubles tennis
• » Bajrang Kumar: Men's freestyle 61 kg wrestling
• » Vikas Gowda: Men's discus throws athletics
• » Tintu Luka: Women's 800m athletics
• » Manju Bala: Women's hammer throws athletics

List of Bronze Medalists for India: (36) 

• » Shweta Chaudhary: Women's 10 metre pistol shooting
• » Jitu Rai, Samaresh Jung, Prakash Nanjappa: Men's 10 metre air pistol team shooting
• » Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, P.C. Thulasi, Pradnya Gadre, N. Siki Reddy, Ashwini Ponnappa, Tanvi Lad: Women's team badminton
• » Rahi Sarnobat, Anisa Sayyed, Heena Sidhu: Women's 25 metre pistol team shooting
• » Dipika Pallikal: Women's singles squash
• » Abhinav Bindra, Ravi Kumar, Sanjeev Rajput: Men's 10 metre air rifle team shooting
• » Abhinav Bindra: Men's 10 metre air rifle shooting
• » Yumnam Sanathoi Devi: Women's sanda -52 kg wushu
• » Narendra Grewal: Men's sanda -60 kg wushu
• » Dushyant Chauhan: Men's lightweight single sculls rowing
• » Sawarn Singh: Men's single sculls rowing
• » Kapil Sharma, Ranjit Singh, Bajrang Lal Thakhar, Robin Ulahannan, Sawan Kumar Kalkal, Mohammad Azad, Maninder Singh, Davinder Singh, Mohammed Ahmed: men's eight rowing
• » Shagun Chowdhary, Shreyasi Singh, Varsha Varman: Women's double trap team shooting
• » Sandeep Sejwal: Men's 50m breaststroke swimming
• » Purvasha Sudhir, Surekha Vennam, Trisha Deb: Women's compound team archery
• » Chain Singh: Men's 50m rifle 3 positions shooting
• » Trisha Deb: Women's individual compound archery
• » Vinesh Phogat: Women's freestyle 48 kg wrestling
• » Geetika Jakhar: Women's freestyle 63 kg wrestling
• » Lalita Babar: Women's 3,000m steeplechase athletics
• » Yuki Bhambri: Men's singles tennis
• » Yuki Bhambri, Divij Sharan: Men's doubles tennis
• » Sania Mirza, Prarthana Thombare: Women's double tennis
• » M. Poovamma: Women's 400m athletics
• » Arokia Rajiv: Men's 400m athletics
• » O.P. Jaisha: Women's 1,500m athletics
• » Narsingh Pancham Yadav: Men's freestyle 74 kg wrestling
• » Naveen Kumar: Men's 3,000m steeplechase athletics
• » L. Sarita Devi: Women's 57-60 kg boxing
• » Pooja Rani: 75 kg boxing
• » Varsha Gautam, Aishwarya Nedunchezhiyan: Women's 29er two person dinghy sailing
• » India: Women's hockey
• » Annu Rani: Women's javelin throw athletics
• » Satish Kumar: Men's +91 kg boxing
• » Vikas Krishan: Men's 75 kg boxing
• » Inderjeet Singh: Men's shot put athletics

First Asian Games: 

• » The first Asian Games began on March 4, 1951 in New Delhi.
• » The Asian Games Association has choosen shining sun as its symbol.
• » The AGF (Asian Games Federation) adopted 'Ever Onward', given by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, as the motto of the Asian Games.
• » The emblem of Asian Games is a 'bright full rising sun' with interlocking rings.
• » The Maharaja of Patiala presented the Torch and the flag for the first Asian Games and since then they have been carried from country to country.

History of Asian Games: The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, described as the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games have been organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), and are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 

Asian Games Federation in 1949, succeeding the Far Eastern Championship Games held in Manila, the Philippines, in 1913 and the West Asian Games held in New Delhi, India, in 1934. 

The West Asian Games were held in New Delhi, India, in 1934, and were participated in by India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Palestine. In 1948, when the 14th London Olympic Games were held, six countries including Korea, the Philippines, Myanmar, India, Taiwan and Sri Lanka gathered and decided to host a combined Asian games. This led to the establishment of the AGF (Asian Games Federation) operated by National Olympic Committees in 1949.

Asian Games Host Cities: 

No.	Host Country	Host City	Year Held
16	China	Guangzhou	2010
15	Qatar	Doha	2006
14	Korea	Busan	2002
13	Thailand	Bangkok	1998
12	Japan	Hiroshima	1994
11	China	Beijing	1990
10	Korea	Seoul	1986
9	India	New Delhi	1982
8	Thailand	Bangkok	1978
7	Iran	Tehran	1974
6	Thailand	Bangkok	1970
5	Thailand	Bangkok	1966
4	Indonesia	Jakarta	1962
3	Japan	Tokyo	1958
2	Philippines	Manila	1954
1	India	New Delhi	1951

Nobel Prizes 2014

2014 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences
The 2014 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to Jean Tirole "for his analysis of market power and regulation".
The economics prize – whose formal name is the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel – was created in 1968, while the physics, chemistry, physiology, literature and peace prizes were first awarded in 1901.
Jean Tirole, born in August 9, 1953 at Troyes, France is a professor of economics. He works on industrial organization, game theory, banking and finance, and economics and psychology. After receiving his PhD from MIT in 1981, he worked as a researcher at l'Ecole nationale des ponts et chaussees until 1984. From 1984-1991 he worked as a Professor of Economics at MIT. He was president of the Econometric Society in 1998 and of the European Economic Association in 2001. Tirole was affiliated to Toulouse 1 Capitole University, Toulouse, France at the time of the award of Nobel Prize.

2014 Nobel Peace PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize 2014 was awarded jointly to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzay "for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education".

Kailash SatyarthiBorn:11 January 1954, Vidisha, India
Residence at the time of the award: India
Prize share: 1/2
Showing great personal courage, Kailash Satyarthi, maintaining Gandhi’s tradition, has headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain. He has also contributed to the development of important international conventions on children’s rights.
Malala YousafzayBorn:12 July 1997, Mingora, Pakistan
Residence at the time of the award: United Kingdom
Despite her youth, Malala Yousafzay has already fought for several years for the right of girls to education, and has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations. This she has done under the most dangerous circumstances. Through her heroic struggle she has become a leading spokesperson for girls’ rights to education.

2014 Nobel Prize in LiteratureThe Nobel Prize in Literature 2014 was awarded to Patrick Modiano "for the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the occupation".

Patrick Modiano was born on July 30, 1945, in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb of Paris. Modiano made his debut as a writer with La place de l’etoile, a novel that attracted much attention. His works centre on topics such as memory, oblivion, identity and guilt.

“Modiano best known work is called Missing Person. It’s the story about a detective who has lost his memory and his final case is finding out who he really is; he is tracing his own steps through history to find out who he is.”

2014 Nobel Prize in ChemistryThe Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2014 was awarded jointly to Eric Betzig, Stefan W. Hell and William E. Moerner "for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy".

Eric Betzig, U.S. citizen born 1960 in Ann Arbor, MI, USA, Ph.D. in 1988 from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA and Group Leader at Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA.

Stefan W. Hell, German citizen born 1962 in Arad, Romania, Ph.D. in 1990 from the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Presently Director at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, and Division head at the German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.

William E. Moerner, U.S. citizen born 1953 in Pleasanton, CA, USA, Ph.D. in 1982 from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.

2014 Nobel Prize in PhysicsThe Nobel Prize in Physics 2014 was awarded jointly to Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura "for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources".

Isamu Akasaki, Japanese citizen, born 1929 in Chiran, Japan, Ph.D. in 1964 from Nagoya University, Japan. Professor at Meijo University, Nagoya, and Distinguished Professor at Nagoya University, Japan.

Hiroshi Amano, Japanese citizen, born 1960 in Hamamatsu, Japan. Ph.D. in 1989 from Nagoya University, Japan, currently Professor at Nagoya University, Japan.

Shuji Nakamura, American citizen, born 1954 in Ikata, Japan, Ph.D. in 1994 from University of Tokushima, Japan, currently Professor at University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.

2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineThe Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2014 was divided, one half awarded to John O'Keefe, the other half jointly to May-Britt Moser and Edvard I. Moser "for their discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain".

John O’Keefe, holds both American and British citizenships, was born in 1939 in New York City, USA, doctoral degree in physiological psychology from McGill University, Canada in 1967, currently Director of the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre in Neural Circuits and Behaviour at University College London.

May-Britt Moser, Norwegian citizen, born in Fosnavag, Norway in 1963, Ph.D. in neurophysiology in 1995, currently Director of the Centre for Neural Computation in Trondheim.

Edvard I. Moser, Norwegian citizen, was born 1962 in Alesund, Ph.D. in neurophysiology from the University of Oslo in 1995, currently Director of the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience in Trondheim.

About the Nobel Prize:
On 27 November 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the largest share of his fortune to a series of prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace - the Nobel Prizes. In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden's central bank) established The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
At the Nobel Prize Award Ceremonies the Nobel Laureates receive three things: a Nobel Diploma, a Nobel Medal and a document confirming the Nobel Prize amount.
Between 1901 and 2013, the Nobel Prizes and the Prize in Economic Sciences were awarded 561 times which include 45 times to women.

Nobel Laureates from India:
Ronald Ross, India, Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology 1902
Har Gobind Khorana, India, Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology 1968
Rudyard Kipling, British India (now India), Nobel Prize in Literature 1907
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, India, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009
Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, India, Nobel Prize in Physics 1930
Rabindranath Tagore, India, Nobel Prize in Literature 1913
Amartya Sen, India, Prize in Economic Sciences 1998

Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Prize in Peace 2014

The Youngest Nobel Laureates Category wise

Category	Name	Year of Award	Age of Nobel Laureate
Physics	William Lawrence Bragg	1915	25
Chemistry	Frederic Joliot	1935	35
Physiology or Medicine	Frederick Banting	1923	32
Literature	Rudyard Kipling	1907	42
Peace	Malala Yousafzay	2014	17
Economic Sciences	Kenneth J. Arrow	1972	51

CONSTITUTION OF INDIA : ARTICLES

Union Government launched Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana

Union government on 25 September 2014 launched Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana. The Yojana was launched by Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Rural Development during the National Convention on Skills for Rural and Urban Poor held in New Delhi.

The Yojana was launched during the 98th birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. Earlier the Yojana was known as Aajeevika Skills Development Programme (ASDP).

Main Highlights of the Yojana

• The Yojana aims at training 10 lakh (1 million) rural youths for jobs in three years, that is, by 2017.
• The minimum age for entry under the Yojana is 15 years compared to 18 years under the Aajeevika Skills Programme.
• Skill development training centres to be launched so as to address the unemployment problem in the rural area.
• The skills imparted under the Yojana will now be benchmarked against international standards and will complement the Prime Minister’s Make In India campaign.
• The Kaushalya Yojana will also the address the need for imparting training to the differently-able persons and chip in private players including international players to impart the skills to the rural youths.

The Rationale for launching the Yojana

The Yojana was launched in the light of huge problem of unemployment among the rural youths despite the fact that they have merits. In order to correct this match, Union government decided to launch skill development scheme.

Further, in light of the fact that, by 2020 developed countries will have a shortfall of over 57 million semi-skilled workers while India by 2020 will have 47 million surplus of workers. This effectively means that there will be high demand for skilled manpower in developed countries, where Indian rural youth can be absorbed after they acquire industry-specific training.

Status of Skilled workers in India

In India as against 12 million people entering the workforce every year during the last 10 years only 1 million youths were trained. Further out of 12 million people, only 10 percent were skilled ones, while the percentage in European Union is 75 and in China it is 50 percent. Also, as compared to 4500 skills in China, India only has 1600 skills, a huge gap indeed.

About the Aajeevika Skill Development Programme (ASDP)

Aajeevika Skills Development Programme (ASDP) was launched in June 2011 as a sub-mission under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). It was launched to cater to the occupational aspirations of the rural youth who are poor and to diversify incomes of the rural poor.

The ASDP aimed at skilling and placing 50 lakhs youth in the formal sector by 2017.

Union Government launched Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana for urban and rural poor

Union Government on 25 September 2014 launched Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana for urban and rural poor. The Yojana aims at alleviating urban and rural poverty through enhancement of livelihood opportunities through skill development and other means.

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana has two components one for urban India and other for rural India. The Urban component will be implemented by the Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation while rural component named as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana will be implemented by the Union Ministry of Rural Development.

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana
Under the Yojana, the Union Ministry of Rural Development will launch skill development training centres on a large scale to address the problem of unemployment particularly in rural India.

Main Highlights of the Rural Scheme
• The Yojana aims at training 10 lakh (1 million) rural youths for jobs in three years, that is, by 2017.
• The minimum age for entry under the Yojana is 15 years compared to 18 years under the Aajeevika Skills Programme.
• Skill development training centres to be launched so as to address the unemployment problem in the rural area.
• The skills imparted under the Yojana will now be benchmarked against international standards and will complement the Prime Minister’s Make In India campaign.
• The Kaushalya Yojana will also the address the need for imparting training to the differently-able persons and chip in private players including international players to impart the skills to the rural youths.

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana for urban areas
Under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana (DAY) for urban areas extends the coverage to all the 4041 statutory cities and towns, there by covering almost the entire urban population. Currently, all the urban poverty alleviating programmes covered only 790 towns and cities.
Main Highlights of the Urban Scheme 
The scheme will focus on 
• Imparting skills with an expenditure of 15000 rupees to 18000 rupees on each urban poor
• Promotion of self-employment through setting up individual micro-enterprises and group enterprises with interest subsidy for individual projects costing 2lakhs rupees and 10 lakhs rupees for group enterprises. Subsidized interest rate will be 7 percent.
• Training urban poor to meet the huge demand from urban citizens by imparting market oriented skills through City Livelihood Centres. Each Centre would be given a capital grant of 10 lakhs rupees.
• Enabling urban poor form Self-Help Groups for meeting financial and social needs with a support of 10000 rupees per each group who would in turn would be helped with bank linkages.
• Development of vendor markets besides promotion of skills of vendors 
• Construction of permanent shelters for urban homeless and provision of other essential services.

Union Cabinet approved Swachh Bharat Mission for Urban Areas

The Union Cabinet on 24 September 2014 approved Swachh Bharat Mission for Urban Areas. The mission will begin from 2 October 2014 and will be implemented over a period of five years.

The mission will be implemented in over 4041 statutory towns of the country and will cost around 62009 crore rupees of which 14623 crore rupees will be borne by the Union Government.

The Mission is the urban component of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and will be implemented by Union Ministry of Urban Development. The rural component of the Mission will be implemented by Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Main elements of the Mission

• The Mission includes elimination of open defecation, conversion of insanitary toilets to pour flush toilets, eradication of manual scavenging, Municipal Solid Waste Management.
• The Programme consists of components for providing (i) Individual household toilets; (ii) Community and public toilets; and (iii) Municipal Solid Waste Management in all 4041 statutory towns
• It would cover 1.04 crore households, provide 2.5 lakh seats of community toilets, 2.6 lakh seats of public toilets and solid waste management facility for all towns.

Aim of the Mission

• It aims towards bringing a behavioural change in people regarding healthy sanitation practices and generating awareness among citizens about sanitation and its linkages with public health.
• It also aims at strengthening of urban local bodies to design, execute and operate systems to fulfill these objectives and creating an enabling environment for private sector participation in capital expenditure and operational expenditure.

Background

The plan of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was mentioned in the Union Budget 2014-15 by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 10 July 2014. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was proposed in the Union Budget under Drinking Water & Sanitation plan. As proposed, the Abhiyan will cover every household with sanitation facility by the year 2019

Schemes/Projects Mentioned Under Union Budget 2014-15

1. Kissan Vikas Patra - Kisan Vikas Patra is a saving scheme that was announced by the Government of India to encourage small savings in the country

2. One Rank One Pension - The allotment of Rs. 1,000 crore for implementing ‘One Rank, One Pension’ (OROP) scheme will bring justice to scores of armed forces personnel struggling with meagre pensions.

3. NAMAMI GANGE - sets up an integrated Ganga conservation mission

4. Digital India - a Pan India programme to be launched with an outlay of 500 crore rupees

5. E-Visa - New visa power, five tourist circuits

6. National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) — for conserving and preserving the heritage characters of these cities.

7. Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects— provided to States of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Laddakh

8. Ultra-Modern Super Critical Coal Based Thermal Power Technology Scheme

9. Jal Marg Vikas—Project on Ganges called Jal Marg Vikas to be developed between Allahabad and Haldia

10. Pashmina Promotion Programme(P-3) -- for the development of other crafts of Jammu & Kashmir\

11. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojna-– to improve access to irrigation

12. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana-– for rural electricity.

13. Varishtha Pension Bima Yoja–- revived for 1 year from Aug 15, 2014.

Relaxation of Upper Age Limit from 34 to 40 years for recruitments through A.P. Public Service Commission and other Recruiting Agencies

CURRENT AFFAIRS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

లేటెస్ట్ కరెంట్ అఫైర్స్

1. ఇటీవల రాజీనామా చేసిన మహరాష్ట్ర గవర్నర్‌ ఎవరు? - కె. శంకర నారాయణన్‌

2. భారత రక్షణ పరిశోధన, అభివృద్ధి సంస్థ(డిఆర్‌డిఒ) ప్రస్తుత డైరెక్టర్‌ జనరల్‌ ఎవరు? - అవినాశ్‌ చందర్‌

3. యుపిఎ ప్రభుత్వ హయాంలో అమలైన నిర్మల్‌ భారత్‌ అభియాన్‌ స్థానంలో ప్రస్తుత ఎన్డీఎ ప్రభుత్వం ఏ పేరుతో కొత్త పథకాన్ని రూపొందించింది? - స్వచ్ఛ భారత్‌ అభియాన్‌

4. ఇథనాల్‌తో నడిచే పర్యావరణహిత బస్సును కేంద్ర రవాణ మంత్రి నితిన్‌ గడ్కరి ఎక్కడ ప్రారంభించారు? - నాగ్‌పూర్‌

5. ఇటీవల విశాఖలో 18 గంటల 18 నిమిషాల 18 సెకండ్లబాటు నిర్విరామంగా క్యారమ్స్‌ ఆడిన హైదరాబాద్‌ బాలిక ఎవరు? - షేక్‌ హుస్నా సమీర

6. కేంద్ర సాహిత్య అకాడమీ యువ పురస్కారాన్ని 2014కిగాను అనంతపురానికి చెందిన అప్పిరెడ్డి హరినాథరెడ్డికి ఇచ్చారు.  అయితే ఈ పురస్కారం ఏ విమర్శ సంకలనానికి లభించింది? - సీమ సాహితీస్వరం-శ్రీ సాధన పత్రిక

7. ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌ పరిపాలన ట్రిబ్యునల్‌ చైర్మన్‌గా నియమితులైనది ఎవరు? - జస్టిస్‌ గోవిందరాజులు

8. ఇటీవల బ్రిటన్‌ ట్రెజరీ మంత్రిగా నియమితురాలైన భారత సంతతి మహిళ ఎవరు? - ప్రీతి పటేల్‌

9. అమెరికా నౌకాదళ ఫోర్‌స్టార్‌ అడ్మిరల్‌గా 2014 జూలైలో నియమితురాలైన తొలి మహిళ ఎవరు? - మిషెల్‌ హోవర్డ్‌

10. ఇటీవల యునెస్కో ప్రపంచ వారసత్వ సంపద జాబితాలో స్థానం సంపాదించిన తొలి ప్రదేశం ఏది? - మలేషియాలోని ప్రాచీన ప్యూ పిటీస్‌

11. బోర్‌ వన్యప్రాణి సంరక్షణ కేంద్రం ఏ రాష్ట్రంలో ఉంది? - మహరాష్ట్ర

12. ఐక్యరాజ్య సమితి మానవ హక్కుల కొత్త హై కమిషనర్‌గా నవీ పిళ్ళై (దక్షిణాఫ్రికా)స్థానంలో నియమితులైన జోర్డాన్‌ యువరాజు ఎవరు? - జీద్‌ అల్‌ -హుస్సేన్‌

13. ఇటీవల జరిగిన భారత్‌ -బంగ్లా వన్డే సిరీస్‌లో మ్యాన్‌ ఆఫ్‌ ద సిరీస్‌గా ఎంపికైనది ఎవరు? - భారత బౌలర్‌ స్టువర్ట్‌ బిన్నీ

14. ప్రపంచ ఫుట్‌బాల్‌ కప్‌ను అధికంగా అయిదుసార్లు గెలుచుకొన్న దేశం ఏది? - బ్రెజిల్‌

15. కేంద్ర మాజీ మంత్రి, బిజెపి సీనియర్‌ నేత చెన్నమనేని విద్యాసాగర రావు(తెలంగాణ) ఏ రాషా్ట్రనికి గవర్నర్‌గా నియమితులయ్యారు? - మహరాష్ట్ర

16. ఉత్తరప్రదేశ్‌ మాజీ ముఖ్యమంత్రి కల్యాణ్‌సింగ్‌ ఏ రాషా్ట్రనికి నూతన గవర్నర్‌గా నియమితులయ్యారు? - రాజస్థాన్‌

17. గుజరాత్‌ రాష్ట్ర శాసనసభ స్పీకర్‌గా పనిచేసిన వాజూభాయ్‌ రూఢాభాయ్‌ వాలా, ఏ రాషా్ట్రనికి నూతన గవర్నర్‌గా నియమితులయ్యారు? - కర్ణాటక

18. గోవా నూతన గవర్నర్‌గా నియమితులైనది ఎవరు? - మృదుల సిన్హా

19. ఉద్యోగుల భవిష్య నిధి మొత్తాలపై 2014-15కిగాను ఎంత శాతం వడ్డీ చెల్లించాలని ఉద్యోగుల భవిష్యనిధి సంస్థ నిర్ణయించింది?- 8.75

20. ప్రస్తుత కేంద్ర కార్మిక శాఖ మంత్రి ఎవరు? - నరేంద్ర సింగ్‌ తోమార్‌

21. ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌ రాష్ట్ర దేవాదాయ శాఖ మంత్రి ఎవరు? - పి. మాణిక్యాల రావు

22. ప్రస్తుత పాకిస్థాన్‌ సైన్యాధిపతి ఎవరు? - జనరల్‌ రహీల్‌ షరీఫ్‌

23. తమిళనాడు ప్రభుత్వాసుపత్రుల్లో ప్రసవాలను ప్రోత్సహించేందుకుగాను ముఖ్యమంత్రి జయలలిత ఏ పథకాన్ని ప్రవేశ పెట్టారు? - అమ్మ బేబీకేర్‌ కిట్‌

24. పేద ప్రజలను బ్యాంకింగ్‌ సేవల రంగంతో అనుసంధానించడమే లక్ష్యంగా 2014 ఆగస్టు 15న ప్రధానమంత్రి నరేంద్రమోడీ ప్రకటించిన పథకం ఏది? - ప్రధానమంత్రి జన్‌ధన్‌ యోజన

25. తూర్పు ఆసియా విదేశాంగ మం త్రుల నాలుగో సదస్సు 2014 ఆగస్టు 10 న ఎక్కడ జరిగింది? - మయన్మార్‌ రాజధాని న్యేపిడా

26. ప్రపంచంలోని నిరుపేదల్లో మూడోవంతుమంది ఎక్కడ ఉన్నారని ఐక్యరాజ్యసమితి సహస్రాబ్ది అభివృద్ది లక్ష్యాల తాజా నివేదిక వెల్లడించింది? - భారతదేశం

27. తెలంగాణ రాష్ట్ర ఉన్నత విద్య మండలికి చైర్మన్‌గా నియమితులైనది ఎవరు? - టి. పాపిరెడ్డి

28. తెలంగాణ ప్రభుత్వ పాలన వ్యవహారాల నిబంధనల రూపకల్పనకుగాను ప్రభుత్వం ఏర్పాటు చేసిన ఉన్నత స్థాయి కమిటీకి చైర్మన్‌గా నియమితులైనది ఎవరు? - వి. నాగిరెడ్డి

29. శాసీ్త్రయ విధానాన్ని రైతులకు అందుబాటులోకి తెచ్చి తక్కువ పెట్టుబడితో ఎక్కువ ఆదాయం పొందడమే లక్ష్యంగా విశాఖ జిల్లా చోడవరంలో ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌ ముఖ్యమంత్రి నారా చంద్రబాబునాయుడు ప్రారంభించిన కార్యక్రమం ఏది? - పొలం పిలుస్తోంది

30. ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌ను అయిదేళ్లలో కరవు రహిత ప్రాంతంగా తీర్చిదిద్దేందుకుగాను ప్రభుత్వం  ఏ కార్యక్రమాన్ని ప్రారంభించనుంది? - నీరు-చెట్టు

31. భారత పౌరసత్వ చట్టాన్ని ఎప్పుడు ప్రవేశపెట్టారు?  - 1955

32. విటి కల్చర్‌ అనేది వ్యవసాయానికి సంబంధించి దేనిని సూచిస్తుంది? - ద్రాక్షపండ్ల ఉత్పత్తి

33. భారతదేశంలో స్పేస్‌ సిటీగా ఏ నగరాన్ని పరిగణిస్తారు? - బెంగళూరు

34. ప్రతి పార్లమెంటు సభ్యుడు తన నియోజక వర్గంలో కనీసం ఒక గ్రామాన్ని 2016లోపు ఆదర్శంగా రూపొందించేందుకు కృషి చేయాలంటూ కేంద్ర ప్రభుత్వం ప్రారంభించనున్న పథకం ఏది? - సంసద్‌ ఆదర్శ గ్రామ యోజన

35. టర్కీ నూతన అధ్యక్షుడిగా ఇటీవల ఎన్నికైనది ఎవరు? - రిసెప్‌ తయ్యిప్‌ ఎర్దోగన్‌

36. టర్కీ రాజధాని ఏది? - అంకారా

37. కామిక్‌ పుస్తకాల్లో పుట్టి, ఆ తరవాత వెండితెరకు వచ్చిన బ్యాట్‌మెన్‌  పాత్ర ఇటీవల ఎన్నేళ్లు పూర్తి చేసుకొంది? - 75 ఏళ్లు

38. భారత్‌కు మూడేళ్ళుగా ఏ దేశం అతిపెద్ద ఆయుధ సరఫరాదారుగా ఉందని కేంద్ర రక్షణ మంత్రి అరుణ్‌జైట్లీ 2014 ఆగస్టు 12న లోక్‌సభలో వెల్లడించారు? - అమెరికా

39. జార్ఖండ్‌లో రూ.22 వేల కోట్ల విలువైన ఇనుము, మాంగనీస్‌ ముడిఖనిజాన్ని అక్రమంగా తవ్వి పలు కంపెనీలు సొమ్ము చేసుకొన్నాయని ఇటీవల ఏ కమిషన్‌ తన నివేదికలో తెలిపింది? - జస్టిస్‌ ఎం.బి.షా

40. ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌ అభివృద్ధిని వేగవంతం చేసేందుకుగాను అవసరమైన వనరుల సమీకరణకు ప్రభుత్వం ఎవరి నేతృత్వంలో రిసోర్స్‌ మేనేజ్‌మెంట్‌ కమిటీని నియమించింది? - రాజ్యసభ సభ్యుడు వై. సుజనా చౌదరి

41. ఇటీవల ముంబైలో జరిగిన ఇండియా అఫైర్స్‌ ఆఫ్‌ బిజినెస్‌ అవార్డు-2014 కార్యక్రమంలో ఇండియాస్‌ మోస్ట్‌ అడ్మైర్‌ కార్డియాలజిస్ట్‌ అవార్డుకు ఎంపికైనది ఎవరు? - కేర్‌ ఆసుపత్రుల చైర్మన్‌ డా. బి. సోమరాజు

42. ప్రపంచ ప్రసిద్ధి పొందిన చాచా చౌదరి కార్టూన్‌ పాత్ర సృష్టి కర్త 2014 ఆగస్టు 5న హర్యానాలోని గుర్గావ్‌లో మరణించారు. అయితే ఆయన పేరు ఏమిటి? - ప్రాణ్‌కుమార్‌ శర్మ

43. అరవై ఏళ్లు అంతకంటే ఎక్కువ వయసున్న వృద్దులకు ఆర్థిక భద్రత కల్పించేందుకుగాను పింఛన్‌తో కూడిన బీమా పథకాన్ని కేంద్ర ప్రభుత్వం ప్రారంభించింది. ఈ పథకం పేరేమిటి? - విరిష్ఠ పింఛను బీమా యోజన

44. కోడెడ్‌ కాన్‌స్పిరసీ అనే నవలకు గాను అమెరికన్‌ లిటరరీ సొసైటీ పురస్కారానికి ఎంపికైనది ఎవరు? - నిఖిల్‌ చంద్వానీ

45. భారతదేశంలో ఇటీవల సార్వత్రిక ఎన్నికల్లో అత్యధికంగా ఖర్చు చేసిన రాజకీయ పార్టీగా అగ్రస్థానంలో నిలిచినది ఏది? - శిరోమణి అకాలీదళ్‌

46. బ్రెజిల్‌, దక్షిణాఫ్రికా, భారత్‌, చైనా దేశాల మంత్రుల స్థాయీ సమావేశం  2014 ఆగస్టు 7,8 తేదీల్లో ఎక్కడ జరిగింది? - న్యూఢిల్లీ

47. ఇటీవల అంతర్జాతీయ ఫుట్‌బాల్‌కు రిటైర్మెంట్‌ ప్రకటించిన జర్మనీ క్రీడాకారుడు ఎవరు? - మిరోస్లావ్‌ క్లోజ్‌

48. వ్యవసాయం, అనుబంధ రంగాల్లో చేసిన కృషికి గుర్తింపుగా 2014 ఆగస్టు 21న పాకిస్థాన్‌లోని ఫైసలాబాద్‌ వ్యవసాయ విశ్వవిద్యాలయం ఏ శాస్త్రవేత్తకు(భారత్‌)కు గౌరవ డాక్టరేట్‌ను ప్రదానం చేసింది? - ఎం.ఎస్‌ స్వామినాథన్‌

49. ప్రపంచంలో ఎత్తయిన శిఖరాల్లో ఒకటైన 6,125 మీటర్ల స్టాక్‌ కంగ్రిని అధిరోహించిన హైదరాబాద్‌ బాలిక(12 ఏళ్లు)ఎవరు? - జాహ్నవి

50. ఆఫ్ఘనిస్థాన్‌లో 95 వ స్వాతంత్ర దినోత్సవాన్ని ఎప్పుడు నిర్వహించారు? - 2014 ఆగస్టు 19

51. పార్లమెంటరీ ఒబిసి సంక్షేమ కమిటి చైర్మన్‌గా ఇటీవల బాధ్యతలు స్వీకరించింది ఎవరు?  - బండారు దత్తాత్రేయ

52. సేవలపై పన్నును సిఫార్సు చేసిన కమిటి ఏది? - రాజా చెల్లయ్య

53. 13వ ఆర్థిక సంఘ సిఫార్సు ప్రకారం కేంద్ర ప్రభుత్వ పన్నుల రాబడిలో ఎంత శాతాన్ని గరిష్ఠంగా రాషా్ట్రలకు బదిలీ చేయాలి? - 39.5 శాతం

54. పబ్లిక్‌ ప్రావిడెంట్‌ ఫండ్‌, నెలసరి ఆదాయ ఖాతా, పోస్టాఫీస్‌ సేవింగ్స్‌ అకౌంట్‌ వంటి డిపాజిట్‌ స్కీమ్‌లపై పొదుపు పరిమితిని పెంచాలని సిఫార్సు చేసిన కమిటి ఏది? - గుప్తా కమిటి

55. దేశంలో మొదటి కాంగ్రేసేతర ప్రధానమంత్రి ఎవరు? - మొరార్జీ దేశాయ్‌

56. ప్రపంచ ఆరోగ్య సంస్థ ప్రధాన కార్యాలయం ఎక్కడ ఉంది? - స్విట్జర్లాండ్‌లోని జెనీవా

57. ప్రపంచ ఆరోగ్య సంస్థ ఎప్పుడు ఏర్పడింది? - 1948 ఏప్రిల్‌ 7

58. ప్రస్తుత ప్రపంచ ఆరోగ్య సంస్థ డైరెక్టర్‌ జనరల్‌ మార్గరెట్‌ చాన్‌ ఏ దేశానికి చెందినవారు? - చైనా

59. ప్రపంచ ఆరోగ్య సంస్థ డైరెక్టర్‌ జనరల్‌గా పనిచేసిన తొలి భారతీయ మహిళ ఎవరు? - రాజ్‌కుమారి  అమృత్‌కౌర్‌

60. ఇటీవల ఏ వైరస్‌ వ్యాప్తి కారణంగా పశ్చిమ ఆఫ్రికా దేశాల్లో ఆరోగ్య అత్యవసర పరిస్థితిని విధించారు? - ఎబోలా

61. భారతదేశంలో సమాచార హక్కు చట్టం ఎప్పుడు అమల్లోకి వచ్చింది? - 2005 అక్టోబరు 12

62. చెర్నోబిల్‌ అణు కర్మాగార ప్రమాదం ఎక్కడ సంభవించింది? - రష్యా

63. మణిపూర్‌లో సాయుధ దళాల ప్రత్యేక అధికార చట్టాన్ని రద్దు పరచడానికి ఉన్న అవకాశాలను పరిశీలించడానికి కేంద్ర ప్రభుత్వం ఏ కమిటీని నియమించింది? - జస్టిస్‌ బిపి. జీవన్‌రెడ్డి

CENSUS – 2011 ABSTRACT

1st Census Started India	-	1872; Present Census in India - 15th.
Total Population of India	-	1.21 Billions (World's Population -7Billions).
Population of India has increased by 181 Million during the decade 2001	-	2011 i.e. percentage of growth in 2001- 2011 is 17.64% = 181 Millions.
Sex Ratio	-	940:1000 (Female: Male); AP - 992:1000.
Highest Sex Ratio	-	Kerala (1084 : 1000)
Least Sex Ratio	-	Daman&Dayyu (618:1000).
Literacy Rate.	-	74.04% (Male - 82.14%; Female - 65.46%).
Highest Literacy State	-	Kerala (93.91%).
Lowest Literacy State	-	Bihar (63.82%).
Highest Literacy District	-	Serchip, Mijoram (98.76%)
Lowest Literacy District	-	Alirajpur", MP (37.22%).
Density of India	-	382 per Sq KM (2001 324).
Highest Density State	-	Bihar (1102 per Sq KM).
Lowest Density State	-	Arunachal Pradesh (17 per Sq KM).
Highest Density U.T.	-	Mew Delhi (11,297 per Sq KM).
Lowest Density U.T.	-	Andaman& Nicobar (46 per Sq KM).
Highest Density District	-	North East Delhi (37,346 per Sq KM).
Lowest Density District	-	Dibang, Arunachal Pradesh (1 per Sq KM).
The most Populous States	-	1. Uttar Pradesh, 2. Maharashtra, 3. Bihar, 4. West Bengal, 5. Andhra Pradesh.
The least Populous State	-	Sikkim.
Highest Populous District	-	Thane (Mumbai).
Lowest Populous District	-	Dibang (Arunachal Pradesh).
100% Literacy District in India	-	Palakkad (Kerala).
100% Banking District in India	-	Palakkad (Kerala).
100% Banking State in India	-	Kerala.
2011 Census Motto	-	OUR CENSUS OUR FUTURE.
Highest Urban population	-	Maharashtra
No of villages covered in 2011 Census	-	6,40,867
Rural population in India comprises	-	68.84% of the total population
940:1000 (Female: Male); AP	-	992:1000. Kerala (1084:1000).
India's Populations is equal to the combined Population of US, Brazil, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Japan.
Present Register General and Census Commissioner

6th Economic Census Report

As per the the 6th Economic Census Report 2013, Arunachal Pradesh has the maximum percentage of hired workers amongst all states, including in segments like education and health.

• Percentage of female hired workers in Arunachal Pradesh: 30.3%
• Growth rate in the number of establishments over the 5th Economic Census is 34.09% and that of total employment is 17.73%
• Growth rate of total number of persons employed over 5th Economic Census 2005 has been recorded at all India level at 34.73% but at Arunachal Pradesh level it is 17.73%,.
• Total number of establishments in the Arunachal Pradesh is 36,602 with the 19,288 of them in rural and 17,314 in urban areas. The number of establishments in urban areas has increased at 83.22%, which is more than 3 times the population growth. This development is owing to the fact that in between the 5th and 6th Economic Census 10 districts or SDO headquarters having concentration of establishment has been notified as urban areas.
• But in rural areas, the increase of 8.08% is found to be 3 times less than the population growth.
• The average number of workers per establishments was found to be higher than the national average in spite of the having the lowest population density and scarce workers.

The 6th Economic census was organized by the Department of Economics and Statistics in association with the district administration in 2013. The activities covered in the 6th Economic Census have a share of about 86% in total GDP of the country.

Govt sets up panel to review environment laws

The Government has constituted a high-level committee to review various environment laws in order to bring them in line with current requirements.

The committee has been set up in the backdrop of government taking serious measures to fasten the environment clearance process for achieving economic growth without compromising green issues.  CABINET SECRETARY T S R SUBRAMANIAN TO HEAD THE PANEL  The four-member panel, headed by former Cabinet Secretary T S R Subramanian, has been asked to review five key green laws concerning protection and conservation of environment, forest, wildlife, water and air among others.  The Environment Ministry has asked the panel to submit its report in two months.  "Based on experience gained in the implementation of aforesaid Acts, it has been decided to constitute a high-level committee to review these Acts and suggest appropriate amendments to bring them in line with their objectives," said a Ministry order.  PANEL TO REVIEW GREEN LAWS ENACTED BETWEEN 1971 & 1986 The panel will review the important green laws enacted between 1971 and 1986.  These laws include Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.  According to the Terms of Reference, the committee will assess the status of implementation of each of the Acts vis-a-vis the objectives.  It will also examine and take into account various court orders and judicial pronouncements relating to these Acts.  "The panel has been asked to recommend specific amendments needed so as to bring them in line with current requirements. It has also been asked to draft proposed amendments in each of the aforesaid Acts to give effect to the proposed recommendations," the order said.  The members of the committee include former Environment Ministry secretary Viswanath Anand, Justice (Retd) A K Srivastav and senior advocate of Supreme Court K N Bhat.

India has second-highest number of child marriages: UN

India had the highest number of unregistered children under age five between 2000 and 2012 and the second-highest number of child marriages, according to a UN report which said the country still needs to improve immunisation coverage and stop gender-based sex selection.

The report 'Improving Childrens Lives, Transforming the Future 25 years of child rights in South Asia' by the United Nations' children agency UNICEF analyzes the progress made over the last quarter century on key issues that directly affect the lives of children in the region.  At 71 million, India had the largest number of children under the age of five whose births were not registered between 2000-2012.  The report said that birth registration levels in South Asia have increased since 2000, but progress has been slow.  India, along with Afghanistan, Bangladesh and the Maldives, has been recording"significant improvements" in birth registration but about 100 million children in the region are still not registered at birth.  India has the greatest disparity between the poorest and richest households, with children in the poorest households being three times less likely to be registered than those in the richest.  Religion also appears to play a role as Muslims have the lowest level of birth registration in India (39 per cent) followed by Hindus (40 per cent) while the Jains have the highest (87 per cent). The highest rate of child marriage is in Bangladesh (where two out of every three girls marry before age 18), followed by India, Nepal and Afghanistan. Almost half of all girls in South Asia marry before the age of 18.  One in five girls are married before the age of 15. These are the highest rates in the world.  "These figures confirm that child marriage is rooted in gender norms and in expectations about the value and roles of girls," the report added. In India, 43 per cent of women aged 20-24 were first married by the age of 18 between 2005-2013.  Girls with no education are 5.5 times more likely to marry or enter into union as those with at least 10 years of education.  On gender-biased sex selection, the report said the practice is more prevalent in the west and northwest part of the country.  The child sex ratio, which is the number of girls per 1,000 boys, among children aged 0-4 in India was 924. On immunisation coverage, it said some countries in South Asia, particularly Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, have made significant improvements since 1990 but coverage is still far too low in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan.

Oxford Award for Chancellor of MS University

Dr Mrunalinidevi Puar, Chancellor of Maharaja Sayajirao University at Vadodara, has been conferred with the "Best Manager" award by the Oxford Summit of Leaders (Science and Education) in UK, according to University Registrar Amit Dholakia.

Dr Mrunalinidevi Puar is known for her research in availability of zinc in Indian food and was also awarded PhD by a Hyderabad based university, he said.  In a letter, Irina Bright, event manager EBA said, "Socrates Committee of Europe Business Assembly (EBA Oxford, UK) has selected you (Puar) for this award based on the criteria that includes the university in the field of quality educational services rendering, implementation of up-to-date technologies and social focus."  Dr Puar will get this award at the summit of leaders and International Socrates Award ceremony to be held in Oxford UK on October 14. Participants from 50 countries will attend it.  The MS University was eastblished as Baroda College in 1881 and it was converted into a university in 1949 after merger of erstwhile princely state of Baroda.  Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, father of the Indian constitution and Maharshi Aurbindo Ghosh were known personalities associated with this college.  Union Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Smriti Irani has assured the Gujarat government to convert it into a central university as this university has signed number of MoUs with its counterparts in UK, USA, Canada and France.