Disputed Areas of the World

Abu Musa : Iran & UAE
Aksai Chin : India & China
Vozrozhdeniya Island : Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
Senkakku : Japan & China
Spratly Islands : China , Malaysia , Philippines and Vietnam
Bassas da India : France & Madagaskar
Bakassi : Nigeria & Cameroon
Chagos Archipelago
Hala'ib Triangle : Sudan & Egypt
Kuril Islands : Russia & Japan
Paracel Islands: China, Taiwan & Vietnam
Preah Vihear Temple : Thailand & Cambodia
Sabah : Malaysia, Indonesia & Phillipines
Shatt al-Arab : Iran & Irak

Abu Musa : Iran & UAE
Abu Musa is a 12-km² island in the eastern Persian Gulf, part of a six-island archipelago near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. The island is administered by Iran as part of the Iranian province of Hormozgan, but is also claimed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Aksai Chin : India & China
Aksai Chin, is a disputed region located in the northwestern region of the Tibetan Plateau just below the western Kunlun Mountains. It is administered by China , however, claimed by India as a part of its state of Jammu and Kashmir. The region contains the lake Aksayqin Hu and the river Aksayqin He. Aksai Chin is one of the two main border disputes between China and India, the other being the dispute over Arunachal Pradesh, which is administered by India and claimed by China as South Tibet. India claims Aksai Chin as the eastern-most part of the Jammu and Kashmir state. The line that separates Indian-administered areas of Kashmir from the Aksayqin is known as the Line of Actual Control . Aksai Chin is a vast high-altitude desert of salt that reaches heights up to 5,000 metres. It covers an area of 42,685 square kilometres of the disputed territory. Geographically part of the Tibetan Plateau, Aksai Chin is referred to as the Soda Plain. The region is almost uninhabited, has no permanent settlements, and receives little precipitation as the Himalayan and other mountains block the rains from the Indian monsoon.

Vozrozhdeniya Island : Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
Vozrozhdeniya Island, is a former island, now a peninsula, in the Aral Sea. It became a peninsula in 2002, due to ongoing shrinkage of the Aral Sea.It is now shared by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Located in the central Aral Sea, Vozrozhdeniya Island was one of the main laboratories and testing sites for the Soviet Union government’s Microbiological Warfare Group. In 1948, a top-secret Soviet bioweapons laboratory was established here. Word of the island's danger was further spread by Soviet defectors, including Ken Alibek, the former head of the Soviet Union's bioweapons program. It was here, according to just released documents, that anthrax spores and bubonic plague bacilli were made into weapons and stored. The main town on the island was Kantubek, which lies in ruins today, but once had approximately 1,500 inhabitants.

Senkakku : Japan & China
The Senkaku Islands also known as Diaoyutai Islands or the Pinnacle Islands, are a group of disputed, uninhabited islands currently controlled by Japan, but also claimed by the Republic of China (as part of Toucheng Township in Yilan County, Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China. The islands are located northeast of Taiwan, due west of Okinawa, and due north of the end of the Ryukyu Islands in the East China Sea. Their status has emerged as a major issue in foreign relations between the People's Republic of China and Japan and between Japan and the Republic of China. Japanese government regards these islands as a part of Okinawa prefecture. While the complexity of the PRC-ROC relation has affected efforts to demonstrate Chinese sovereignty over the islands, both governments agree that the islands are part of Taiwan province.

Spratly Islands : China , Malaysia , Philippines and Vietnam
The Spratly Islands are a group of more than 650 reefs, islets, atolls, cays and islands in the South China Sea between the Philippines and Vietnam. They comprise less than five square kilometers of land area, spread over more than 400,000 square kilometers of sea. The Spratlys, as they are called, are part of the three archipelagos of the South China Sea, comprising more than 30,000 islands and reefs and which so complicates geography, governance and economics in that region of Southeast Asia. Such small and remote islands have little economic value in themselves, but are important in establishing international boundaries. There are no native islanders but there are rich fishing grounds and initial surveys indicate the islands may contain significant oil and gas. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military forces from People's Republic of China, Republic of China, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing zone that overlaps a southern reef but has not made any formal claim.

Bassas da India : France & Madagaskar
Bassas da India is an uninhabited, roughly circular atoll about 10 km in diameter, which corresponds to a total size (including lagoon) of 80 km². It is located in the southern Mozambique Channel, about half-way between Madagascar (which is 385 km to the east) and Mozambique, and 110 km northwest of Europa Island. It rises steeply from the seabed 3000 m below. The reef rim averages around 100 m across and completely encloses a shallow lagoon that has a maximum depth of 15 m. Its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 123,700 km² is contiguous with that of Europa Island.

Bakassi : Nigeria & Cameroon
Bakassi is the peninsular extension of the African territory of Calabar into the Atlantic Ocean. It is currently ruled by Cameroon following the transfer of sovereignty from neighbouring Nigeria as a result of a judgment by the International Court of Justice. On 22 November 2007, the Nigerian Senate rejected the transfer, since the Green Tree Agreement ceding the area to Cameroon was contrary to Section 12(1) of the 1999 Constitution. Regardless, the territory was formally transferred to Cameroon on August 14, 2008.

Chagos Archipelago : UK , Mauritius & Seychelles
The Chagos Archipelago is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands roughly in the centre of the Indian Ocean. The Chagos lies about 500 km (300 miles) due south of the Maldives, its nearest neighbour, 1600 km (1000 miles) southwest of India, half way between Tanzania and Java. The Chagos group is a combination of different coralline structures topping a submarine ridge running southwards across the centre of the Indian Ocean, formed by volcanoes above the Réunion hotspot. Unlike in the Maldives there is not a clearly discernible pattern of arrayed atolls, which makes the whole archipelago look somewhat chaotic. Most of the coralline structures of the Chagos are submerged reefs. Officially part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Chagos were home to the Chagossians for more than a century and a half until the United Kingdom and the United States expelled them in the 1960s in order to allow the US to build a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the Chagos Islands. The deal was sanctioned by the then British Secretary of State for Defence, Denis Healey.

Hala'ib Triangle : Sudan & Egypt
The Hala'ib Triangle is an area of land measuring 20,580 km² located on the Red Sea's African coast, between the political borders of Egypt (at the 22nd circle of latitude - as per the 1899 treaty) and the administrative boundary (as per the 1902 treaty) . The major town in this area is Hala'ib. The only other populated place is Abu Ramad, 30 km northwest of Hala'ib town on the Red Sea coast. Alshalateen is an Egyptian town just on the northern administrative boundary. The closest Sudanese town south of the disputed area is Osief (Marsa Osief), located 26 km south of the 22nd circle of latitude, the political borders line claimed by Egypt.

Kuril Islands : Russia & Japan
Matua Island as seen from Raikoke.The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, is a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately 1,300 km (700 miles) northeast from Hokkaido, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands in total and many more minor rocks. All of the islands are under Russian jurisdiction, although the southernmost four are claimed by Japan as part of their territory.

Paracel Islands: China, Taiwan & Vietnam
The Paracel Islands consist of over 30 islets, sandbanks or reefs, occupy about 15,000 km2 of the ocean surface, and located in the South China Sea, also known as East Vietnam Sea or East Sea. Turtles live on the islands, and seabirds have left nests and guano deposits, but there are no permanent human residents except for a small number of troops. The archipelago is approximately equidistant from the coastlines of Vietnam and China, and about one-third of the way from central Vietnam to the northern Philippines. The islands comprise of two main groups. The Amphitrite group is in the northeast and the Crescent group is in the west, and about 70 km from one another. Subject to hot and humid climate, with abundant rainfall and frequent typhoons, the archipelago is surrounded by productive fishing grounds and potential oil and gas reserves. Notably, up until the early 18th century, the present-day Spratly Islands were still delineated as part of the Paracel archipelago, and that the sovereignty over the islands has been inflaming the century-old dispute.

Preah Vihear Temple : Thailand & Cambodia
The Preah Vihear Temple or Prasat Preah Vihear is a Khmer temple situated atop a 525-metre (1,720 ft) cliff in the Dângrêk Mountains, in the Preah Vihear province of northern Cambodia and near the border of the Kantharalak district (amphoe) in the Sisaket province of northeastern Thailand. In 1962, following a significant dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over ownership of the temple, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague awarded the ownership to Cambodia.

Sabah : Malaysia, Indonesia & Phillipines
Sabah is a Malaysian state located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo . It is the second largest state in Malaysia after Sarawak, which it borders on its south-west. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south. In spite of its status as a Malaysian state, Sabah remains a disputed territory; the Philippines has a dormant claim over much of the eastern part of the territory. The capital of Sabah is Kota Kinabalu, formerly known as Jesselton. Sabah is known as "Sabah, negeri di bawah bayu", which means "Sabah, the land below the winds", because of its location just south of the typhoon-prone region around the Philippines.

Shatt al-Arab : Iran & Irak
The Shatt al-Arab is a river in Southwest Asia of some 200 kilometres in length, formed by the confluence of the Euphrates and the Tigris in the town of al-Qurnah in the Basra Governorate of southern Iraq. The southern end of the river constitutes the border between Iraq and Iran down to the mouth of the river as it discharges into the Persian Gulf. It varies in width from about 232 metres at Basra to 800 metres (2,600 ft) at its mouth. It is thought that the waterway formed relatively recently in geologic time, with the Tigris and Euphrates originally emptying into the Persian Gulf via a channel further to the west. The Karun river, a tributary which joins the waterway from the Iranian side, deposits large amounts of silt into the river; this necessitates continuous dredging to keep it navigable. The area is judged to hold the largest date palm forest in the world. In the mid-1970s, the region included 17 to 18 million date palms, an estimated one-fifth of the world's 90 million palm trees. But by 2002, war, salt, and pests had wiped out more than 14 million of the palms, including around 9 million in Iraq and 5 million in Iran. Many of the remaining 3 to 4 million trees are in poor condition.

India’s Export Development Centers

1. Agra:Leather Shoes
2. Aligarh :Brass Locks
3. Alleppi:Coconut and Coir
4. Ambala:Scientific Instruments
5. Batala:Machine Equipments
6. Bhagalpur:Weaving
7. Jalandhar :Sports Goods
8. Jamnagar :Brass Spare Parts
9. Kanchipuram :Silk
10. Khurja :Clay Pots
11. Ludhiana:Heavy machinery & Hosiery
12. Meerut :Sports Goods
13. Moradabad:Brass Ware Handicraft
14. Nagpur:Handmade Equipments
15. Panipat :Handloom textiles
16. Rajkot:Engine Pumps
17. Ranipat :Leather
18. Selam:Handmade Items
19. Sivakashi:Match boxes
20. Surat :Gems & Jewellery
21. Tirupur:Hosiery & weaving Industry
22. Vishakhapatnam:Fish & Fish Products
23. Wapi :Chemicals

Some International Environment Treaties

ACCOBAMS

• Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area .
• ACCOBAMS is a cooperative agreement for the conservation of marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution

• It is an environmental agreement signed in 2002 between all ASEAN nations to reduce haze pollution in Southeast Asia.
• As of June 2007, eight countries Viz.Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam , Myanmar , Viet Nam , Thailand , Lao PDR , Cambodia have ratified the agreement.

Aarhus Convention:

• Aarhus Convention, was signed on June 25, 1998 in the Danish city of Aarhus.
• As of July 2009, it had been signed by 40 (primarily European and Central Asian) countries and the European Community and ratified by 41 countries.

Bali Communiqué

• On 30 November 2007, the business leaders of 150 global companies published a communiqué at Bali Indonesia to world leaders calling for a comprehensive, legally binding United Nations framework to tackle climate change.
• It is a comprehensive, legally binding United Nations framework to tackle climate change emission reduction targets to be guided primarily by science those countries that have already industrialised to make the greatest effort world leaders to seize the window of opportunity and agree on a work plan of negotiations to ensure an agreement can come into force after 2012 (when the existing Kyoto Protocol expires)

Basel Convention:

• The Basel Convention is Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal.
• Its an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries (LDCs) (except radioactive waste)
• The Convention was opened for signature on 22 March 1989, and entered into force on 5 May 1992.

Bonn Convention:

• Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.
• To conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range was the onjective of this convention.
• It is an intergovernmental treaty, concluded under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), concerned with the conservation of wildlife and habitats on a global scale.
• The Convention was signed in 1979 in Bonn (hence the name) and entered into force in 1983.

CITES or Washington Convention

• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora or Washington Convention is an international agreement between governments, drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1973 at a meeting of members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival and it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 33,000 species of animals and plants.

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

• Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) or Biodiversity Convention, is an international legally binding treaty that was adopted in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992.
• The Convention was opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 5 June 1992 and entered into force on 29 December 1993.

ENMOD

• The Environmental Modification Convention (ENMOD) is an international treaty prohibiting the military or other hostile use of environmental modification techniques.
• It opened for signature on 18 May 1977 in Geneva and entered into force on October 5, 1978.

Kyoto Protocol

• The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
• It is an international environmental treaty with the goal of achieving "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
• The Kyoto Protocol establishes legally binding commitment for the reduction of four greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexafluoride), and two groups of gases (hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons).
• It was initially adopted for use on 11 December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan and entered into force on 16 February 2005.
• As of February 2009 183 parties (nations) have ratified the protocol.
• Under the Kyoto Protocol, industrialized countries agreed to reduce their collective green house gas (GHG) emissions by 5.2% from the level in 1990.
• National limitations range from the reduction of 8% for the European Union and others to 7% for the United States, 6% for Japan, and 0% for Russia.
• The treaty permitted the emission increases of 8% for Australia and 10% for Iceland.
• Participation in the Kyoto Protocol, where dark green indicates countries that have signed and ratified the treaty, yellow is signed, but not yet ratified, grey is not yet decided and red is no intention of ratifying.
• Kyoto includes defined "flexible mechanisms" such as
  Emissions Trading,
  Clean Development Mechanism
  Joint Implementation

Montreal Protocol:

• The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is a protocol to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer.
• It is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of a number of substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion.
• The treaty was opened for signature on September 16, 1987 and entered into force on January 1, 1989 followed by a first meeting in Helsinki, May 1989.
• Since then, it has undergone seven revisions, in 1990 (London), 1991 (Nairobi), 1992 (Copenhagen), 1993 (Bangkok), 1995 (Vienna), 1997 (Montreal), and 1999 (Beijing).
• It is believed that if the international agreement is adhered to, the ozone layer is expected to recover by 2050.
• Due to its widespread adoption and implementation it has been hailed as an example of exceptional international co-operation with Kofi Annan quoted as saying that "perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date has been the Montreal Protocol"

Sydney Declaration:

• The Sydney APEC Leaders' Declaration on Climate Change, Energy Security and Clean Development was adopted at APEC Australia 2007 on 8 September 2007.

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

• The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa is a Convention to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through national action programs that incorporate long-term strategies supported by international cooperation and partnership arrangements.
• It was adopted in Paris on 17 June 1994 and entered into force in December 1996.
• It is the first and only internationally legally binding framework set up to address the problem of desertification.
• The Convention is based on the principles of participation, partnership and decentralization - the backbone of Good Governance and Sustainable Development.
• It now has 193 country Parties to the Convention, making it truly global in reach.
• To help publicise the Convention, 2006 had been declared "International Year of Deserts and Desertification".

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC) is an international environmental treaty produced at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992.
• The treaty is aimed at stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
• It entered into force on March 21, 1994.
• Its stated objective is to achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a low enough level to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
• One of its first achievements was to establish a national greenhouse gas inventory, as a count of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals.
• Accounts must be regularly submitted by signatories of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
• The UNFCCC is also the name of the United Nations Secretariat charged with supporting the operation of the Convention, with offices in Haus Carstanjen, Bonn, Germany.
• Since 2006 the head of the secretariat has been Yvo de Boer.

Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer

• The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer is a multilateral environmental agreement.
• It was agreed upon at the Vienna Conference of 1985 and entered into force in 1988.
• It acts as a framework for the international efforts to protect the ozone layer.
• However, it does not include legally binding reduction goals for the use of CFCs (Choloro-Fluoro Carbons) the main chemical agents causing ozone depletion which are laid out in the accompanying Montreal Protocol.

International Kite Festival Ahmedabad 2011

International Kite Festival is held at Ahmedabad on January 14 every year, to coincide with the festival of Uttarayan or Makar Sankranti. Makar Sankranti is a festival that heralds a change of season marking the movement of the sun into the northern hemisphere - a celebration to mark the end of winter. The skies are blue and clear, a cool breeze blows and a feeling of anticipation, joy and jubilation grips all who celebrate the occasion.

In Gujarat, Makar Sankranti is celebrated as the kite-flying day. Kite-flying day in Gujarat is an extraordinary day, unlike at other places. Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s premier city, leads the way in the celebration of Uttarayani, and is the venue of the International Kite Festival.

Kite-flying festival is being held in important cities of Gujarat each year. The festival draws expert kite-makers and flyers not only from cities of India but also from around the world. Designer’s Kites of infinite variety are displayed at the venue.

UNO International Year of Forests 2011

The International Year of Forests 2011 (Forests 2011) logo is designed to convey the theme of “Forests for People” celebrating the central role of people in the sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of our world’s forests. The iconographic elements in the design depict some of the multiple values of forests and the need for a 360‐degree perspective: forests provide shelter to people and habitat to biodiversity; are a source of food, medicine and clean water; and play a vital role in maintaining a stable global climate and environment. All of these elements taken together reinforce the message that forests are vital to the survival and well being of people everywhere, all 7 billion of us.

The complex way forward

The Srikrishna Committee has accomplished its task with competence and professionalism. However, for the ruling Congress the road ahead is riddled with political landmines.

A crisis triggered by conflicting political interests can be solved only through political intervention. This realisation has so far inhibited any knee-jerk reaction to the option suggested by the Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee that keeping Andhra Pradesh united with constitutional safeguards for Telangana would be the “best way forward.”

On the shoulders of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) now lies the responsibility of choosing among the two key options — a united State with a model for Telangana's development, or a bifurcation with Hyderabad as the capital of Telangana.

The adverse implications of bifurcation have been enunciated unambiguously. It would give a fillip to similar demands outside Andhra Pradesh. Also, it would be for the first time after the re-organisation of the States that a political demand to divide a State constituted on linguistic lines would have been conceded, by the creation of two Telugu-speaking states. The Committee wanted the issue of whether a region could be allowed to decide for itself its political status, to be viewed in the larger context.

What stands out in the Srikrishna Committee's report is its sagacity in debunking, on the basis of facts, certain dubious and time-worn theories that were in circulation. The report showed that Rayalaseema, a region rich in mineral resources, was more backward than Telangana. The growth in per capita Gross District level Domestic Product (GDDP) between 2000-01 and 2007-08 was 58.4 per cent in all of Andhra Pradesh, while it was 63 per cent in Telangana including Hyderabad, 60.3 per cent excluding Hyderabad, 58 per cent in Rayalaseema and 54.1 per cent in Coastal Andhra.

The Committee was pragmatic in acknowledging that the demand for Telangana was not unjustified. In fact, it did not flinch in saying that a separate Telangana state would be viable economically as its Gross Domestic State Product (GDP) would be above that of even smaller States such as Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, though this was a neutral factor in its decision-making relating to Telangana. Telangana's per capita income would in fact be a notch higher than the all-India average.

The Committee put the record straight on the extent of support in Telangana for a bifurcation of the State. Strong pro-Telangana elements existed in Warangal, West Khammam, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, southern Adilabad, Siddipet area of Medak, parts of Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar and some areas of Ranga Reddy. The most vociferous and agitating sections were students, unemployed youth, lawyers and non-gazetted government employees.

An appreciable segment of the population was neutral. It included the original population of Hyderabad; people living in villages bordering Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema; people from the ‘settler' villages in the Telangana heartland (migrants from Andhra); and the migrant population in Hyderabad. A large section of the tribal people, particularly those belonging to the hill tribes, even favoured a separate State of ‘Manyaseeema' comprising parts of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The Scheduled Castes, the Backward Classes and the minorities had their own aspirations for political space, economic development and reservation benefits. This incisive observation is borne out by the clear caste divisions witnessed among the Telangana joint action groups, including those on the Osmania University campus.

Also, the Committee placed on record what everyone knew but hesitated to articulate — the exploitation of educated youth by politicians, causing inter-regional and inter-community disaffection. The mismatch between the skills of many of the graduates with those required by employers, given the poor quality of private colleges (engineering colleges in particular), was resulting in graduates being able to find only low-paying jobs, or no jobs at all. Their frustration was being exploited by politicians, ascribing their problems to discrimination against the people of Telangana.

Addressing a genuine concern of the people of Telangana, the Srikrishna Committee advocated steps to strike a regional balance in making appointments to key posts such as that of the Advocate-General, and to positions in administrative tribunals. It wanted the government to provide fair representation to all regions while making choices for senior positions in the Secretariat and the Directorates, a safeguard not available in the Presidential Order of 1975.

The Committee, though, was not correct, politically or factually, on every score. Suggesting ‘Rayala-Telangana' as an option and then ruling it out was seen as a red-herring aimed to give the impression that it had reached its final conclusion after weighing all options. Not many people had treated this demand seriously and it was voiced by a minuscule section. The Committee erred in recommending a medical college for North Telangana; one already exists in Adilabad.

The question of the future status of Hyderabad apparently influenced the “optimal solutions/options” furnished by the five-member panel. It finds a mention in four out of the six options. A bifurcation of the State without Hyderabad going to them is not acceptable to the people of either region, because of sound economic reasons as well as sentimental factors.

The destabilisation of the economy of, or flight of capital from, or erosion of business confidence in India's fifth biggest city would be to the detriment of all regions of the present State, considering their economic inter-linkages with Hyderabad. In fact, the information technology industry in Hyderabad was connected more to the national (through investment) and global (through the market) economies than it was to the regional economy. The IT industry accounted for 15 per cent of India's software exports in 2008-09.

The Committee drew a distinction between the situation in Hyderabad and in Brussels, the Belgian capital. In 1968, riots broke out in Belgium on the question of who had the claim to Brussels as three languages are spoken in the country — Flemish, French and German. The capital region of Brussels was, therefore, organised as a separate bilingual capital region with a separate administrative set-up and jurisdiction. However, Andhra Pradesh by and large has a common culture.

A significant observation was that Telangana with or without Hyderabad was likely to experience a spurt in Maoist activity. The report did not furnish further details beyond saying that a note was submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs in a separate cover.

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram convened a meeting of eight recognised political parties on January 5, 2010, which paved the way for the constitution of the Srikrishna Committee. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) was one of them. It was well understood then that the Committee's recommendations would mark the way forward, though the final decision would rest with the Centre.

None of the parties to that decision, including the Central government, the Congress and the TRS, can now disown the report just because the ‘best way forward' is either not politically inconvenient or because sections or the whole of the parts are not in its favour. This is especially so of the Congress, which should not be influenced by the argument that the panel has no statutory backing.

Conscious of the opposition that its last option would inevitably encounter, the Committee noted that the initial reaction to it would be one of total rejection. It may fuel violent agitations in Telangana and put pressure on MLAs, MLCs and MPs to resign and lead to the demand for a Regional Council in Rayalaseema and the other backward sub-regions of the State.

The Srikrishna Committee has accomplished its assignment with competence and professionalism as claimed, but the road ahead for the Congress is riddled with political landmines. Exercising the option to keep the State united may mean erosion of its already weak base in Telangana. Dividing the State will not enhance its popularity as it has to contend with competition from N. Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party and from former Kadapa MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy in the ‘Seemandhra' region.

It can emerge from this zero sum game only through “firm political and administrative management” of the unfolding situation, as suggested by the Srikrishna Committee. High expectations rest on Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, who has given every indication of being resolute in the face of pressure. Much is expected also from the all-party meeting convened by Mr. Chidambaram towards the end of January to discuss the 461-page report.

PRATIYOGITA DARPAN JANUARY 2011

FOR PRATIYOGITA DARPAN JANUARY 2011 MAGAZINE CLICK HERE

Naxalism Problem in India

The problem of Naxalism is more dangerous than any other form of violence in India, either terrorism or religion or caste related violence. The number of people died in Naxalite violence is more than the deaths caused by insurgents in Kashmir and north-eastern states. Naxalism is an informal name given to communist groups that were born out of the Sino-Soviet split in the Indian communist movement. Ideologically they belong to various trends of Maoism. Initially the movement had its centre in West Bengal.

In recent years, Naxalites have spread into less developed areas of rural central and eastern India, such as Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh through the activities of underground groups like the Communist Party of India (Maoist). They are conducting an insurgency, the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency. They now have a presence in 40% of India’s geographical area, and are especially concentrated in an area known as the ‘Naxal Belt,’ comprising 92,000 square kilometers. According to India’s intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, 20,000 insurgents are currently in operation, and their growing influence prompted Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to declare them as the most serious threat to India’s national security.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
The term comes from Naxalbari, a small village in West Bengal, where a section of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) led by Charu Majumdar and Kanu Sanyal led a violent uprising in 1967, trying to develop a ‘revolutionary opposition’ in opposition to the CPI(M) leadership. The insurrection started on May 25, 1967 in Naxalbari village when a peasant was attacked by hired hands over a land dispute. Local peasants retaliated by attacking the local landlords and the violence escalated. Majumdar greatly admired Mao Zedong of China and advocated that Indian peasants and lower classes must follow in his footsteps and overthrow the government and upper classes whom he held responsible for their plight. He engendered the Naxalite movement through his writings, the most famous being the ‘Historic Eight Documents’ which formed the basis of Naxalite ideology. In 1967 ‘Naxalites’ organized the All India Coordination Committee of Communist Revolutionaries (AICCCR), and later broke away from CPI (M). Uprisings were organized in several parts of the country. In 1969 AICCCR gave birth to Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist).

During the 1970s, the movement was fragmented into several disputing factions. By 1980, it was estimated that around 30 Naxalite groups were active, with a combined membership of 30 000. A 2004 Home Ministry estimate puts numbers at that time as ‘9,300 hardcore underground cadre…( holding) around 6,500 regular weapons beside a large number of unlicensed country-made arms’. More recent figures put the strength of the movement at 15,000, and claim the guerrillas control an estimated one fifth of India’s forests, as well as being active in 160 of the country’s 604 administrative districts.’ India’s Research and Analysis Wing believed in 2006 that 20,000 Naxals are currently involved in the growing insurgency.

Today some groups have become legal organisations participating in parliamentary elections, such as Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation. Others, such as Communist Party of India (Maoist) and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Janashakti are engaged in armed guerrilla struggles.

Naxalite-Maoist insurgency
The Naxalite-Maoist insurgency is a low-level war of maoists against the Indian government. The insurgency started as a peasant rebellion in the eastern Indian village of Naxalbari in 1967 and has now spread to a large swath in the central and eastern parts of the country. In 2004 the Maoist rebel organisation People’s War Group and the Maoist Communist Centre of India merged to form the Communist Party of India (Maoist). In 2006 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called the Naxalites “The single biggest internal security challenge ever faced by our country.” In 2009 Manmohan Singh said the country was “losing the battle against Maoist rebels”.

Naxalites claim to be supported by poorest rural population, especially Dalits and Adivasis. They have frequently targeted tribals, police and government workers in what they say is a fight for improved land rights and more jobs for neglected agricultural labourers and the poor and follow a strategy of rural rebellion similar to that of protracted people’s war against the government.

Region affected
The rebels claim to operate in 182 districts in India, mainly in the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal. The area affected by Naxalism stretches from the border with Nepal to Karnataka in the South (2006). In West Bengal areas west of Howrah are affected by the insurgency. Chhattisgarh is the epicenter of the conflict (2007).

THE RED CORRIDOR
The Red Corridor is a term used to describe an impoverished region in the east of India that experiences considerable Naxalite maoist militant activity. These are also areas that suffer from the greatest illiteracy, poverty and overpopulation in modern India, and span parts of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal states.

According to Judith Vidal-Hall (2006), “More recent figures put the strength of the movement at 15,000, and claim the guerrillas control an estimated one fifth of India’s forests, as well as being active in 180 of the country’s 630 administrative districts.

There exists the pro-democratic and anti-Maoist Salwa Judum, which is a government sponsored self defense force which was constituted after the maoists unleashed a campaign of violence against the tribals of Chhattisgarh.The Ranvir Sena, a caste-supremacist paramilitary of the upper-caste landlords and proscribed terrorist organisation by the Indian government, is anti-communist and has been known to kill Dalit civilians in retaliation to Naxalite activity.

Similar self-defense groups have emerged in Andhra Pradesh during the last decade. Some of these groups are Fear Vikas, Green Tigers, Nalladandu, Red Tigers, Tirumala Tigers, Palnadu Tigers, Kakatiya Cobras, Narsa Cobras, Nallamalla Nallatrachu (Cobras) and Kranthi Sena. Over ground activists of maoists were axed to death by the Nayeem gang in 1998 and 2000. On 24 August 2005, alleged members of the self-styled Narsi Cobras killed a maoist activist in Mahbubnagar district.

Urbanization in India and issues

It is more than half of a century that India became independent. The country has evolved and emerged a lot from pre independence to post independence era. At the time of independence, the country was poverty stricken, impoverished and a rural agrarian society. In 1947, only 15 per cent of the population in cities and towns were classified under urban areas. The rapid development and economic growth helped the country achieve the status of emerged nations.

The country is now one of the leading nations among the developing countries and the progress has made the country leave behind many developed nations as well. As per recent United Nations development reports on urbanization, India has achieved 30 per cent urbanization in 2010. The urbanization in India increased from meager 10 per cent in 1901 to more than 30 per cent. However it was much lesser in terms of rank when compared to other nations that have achieved a higher rate of urbanization and much less below the world urbanization population of 50 per cent (UNPD World Urbanization Prospects: The2009 Revision).

Urbanization implicates increase in population living in urban areas. An urban area, according to the Census definition, is one that has (i) a minimum population of 5,000; (ii) at least 75 per cent of the male working population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits; and (iii) a density of population of at least 400 per square kilometre (1,000 per square mile). With increase in population, the country’s urban population also increased. The Census 2001 reports that almost 29 percent of Indians in urban India.

Apart from increase in population the other factors that have contributed to rapid urbanization are migration from rural sector to urban. This happened mainly on account of the increasing infrastructural development to facilitate growth for corporate sector. While the major factor in initiating migration from rural areas to urban sector was increased landlessness in agricultural sector, reduced livelihood potentials in rural sector and increasing employment opportunities in the urban sector with the growth of industries. The high level of income in urban areas, education, availabilities of basic amenities, improved infrastructural facilities and increase in medical facilities were some other factors that helped increase rapid urbanization.

Among the states, Tamil Nadu is the most urbanized in large states with almost half of its population living in more than 600 towns. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka and Haryana are the other states where the urban population exceeds 30 per cent of the total. In terms of absolute number of people living in urban areas, Maharashtra led with 41 million in 2001, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Orissa, Assam and Bihar are very low in terms of urbanization and remained largely agricultural states, where less than 20 per cent of the population lives in urban areas. These are also the states with low per capita incomes since their residents have little recourse to the opportunities in cities.

The basic features of urban development is increasing infrastructural facilities, access to improved communication and information technologies, qualitative living standard, high income spending, consumerism and improvement in other socio economic parameters. These areas are also distinguished from the rural counterpart in terms of demographic indicators like low birth rate, low mortality, increased longevity, etc. the issues of migration, unemployment are linked to increasing the urbanization in the country. The seasonal unemployment, disguised unemployment and other factors that reduce the rural livelihood potential leads to increased migration towards urban sector. Improvements in connectivity through better communication and transport facilities have also made the migration, which was transitory in nature to permanent migration.

Besides, the increase in population the other factors that increased the urbanization in India are the development of the sub urban areas that got upgraded to the urban sector. Thus the peripheral areas got the status of urban sector. Some other semi urban areas also got upgraded to urban sector with increased amenities and setting up of institutions. Increase in village population with improved civic amenities also made these villages get the status.

Along with increased urbanization some issues emerged with the urbanization in India. The increase in slums in urban sector became a major problem. Unplanned growth of residential and commercial structures, inadequate supply of drinking water facility and increase in traffic were some other adverse effects that emerged with increase in urbanization. Also increasing urban population in absence of proportionate increase in employment opportunities also increased urban rate of unemployment.

The civic amenities were also curtailed with more persons to benefit from the existing ones. Some of the cities across India are failing to provide essential resources to the residents. Some states have managed their cities better than others. Karnataka is now reportedly the first state to plan for night shelters for the urban homeless. To address some of the issues, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and multiple government schemes were initiated by the central and state governments. Still the urban infrastructure is inadequate to cope even with the present rate of urbanization, with many cities turning into haphazard concrete jungles, grappling with growing problems of traffic, garbage, water and power supply.

The increase in property and assets prices is some other repercussions of the urban development. Increase in essential commodity price and non essential commodities price resulted as the demands from urban sector grew. However issues on inflation and increasing prices pertained to whole of India which has failed to increase the supply in tandem with growing population.

Conclusion:
Urbanization in India increased rapidly in post independence era. Despite the rapid growth rate the country was ranked much lower as compared to other developing nations of South East Asia. The major factors that affected urbanization were increase in population, migration from rural areas and peripheral suburban and semi-urban areas getting the urban status. However with the urban growth issues related to development also emerged. There has been increase in slums, reduction in civic amenities, increase in property prices, increase in prices of other essentials and non essential commodities.

Dowry: a social stigma

In spite of modernization and the increasing role of women in all walks of life, the practice of the dowry in India is becoming widespread, and the value of dowry is increasing. Now the dowry has become a great criterion in the marriages instead of a proper bride. If a bride’s family fails to pay the amount of dowry demanded by the prospective groom’s family, the bride will be cruelly treated by the in-laws, and in many cases will be burnt to death.

“No dowry, no marriage,” is a widespread fear in present day society. There has also been an emergence of a feudal mindset with a materialistic attitude in a new globalized economy. The price tag for the groom is now bigger and bolder. The emergence of an affluent middle class, the torchbearer of social change in modern India, is the main factor for the perpetuation of the dowry system.

Dowry is derived from the ancient Hindu customs of “kanyadan” and “stridhan”. In “kanyadan”, the father of the bride offers the father of the groom money or property, etc. whereas for “stridhan”, the bride herself gets jewelry and clothes at the time of her marriage, usually from her relatives or friends. In “varadakshina”, the father of the bride presents the groom cash or kind. All of these could be done voluntarily and out of affection and love. Payment of a dowry, gift—often financial, has a long history in many parts of the world. In India, the payments of a dowry was prohibited in 1961 under Indian civil law and subsequently by Sections 304B and 498a of the Indian Penal Code were enacted to make it easier for the wife to seek redress from potential harassment by the husband’s family. Dowry laws have come under criticism as they have been misused by women and their families.

It has become politically fashionable to attribute all forms of violence and discrimination against women, including female infanticide and female foeticide to the economic burden of dowry that a daughter is said to represent.

Dowry requirements are used as another excuse for considering daughters a burden. The anti-dowry movement, by limiting itself to the constant repetition of 'dowry abolition' as a panacea for women's empowerment and as the primary strategy for ending their oppression, has only helped give further legitimacy to the conventional belief that daughters are an economic liability.

We need to combat the culture of disinheritance if we wish to effectively combat the growing hold of dowry culture.

There is little mention of exorbitant dowries causing the ruin of families in the literature of pre-British India. Ruin due to exorbitant dowry payments became a major theme in nineteenth century literature because this period witnessed an unprecedented erosion of women's economic importance and inheritance rights due to the manner in which the colonial rulers carried out land settlement operations in India.

In conformity with Victorian norms that they were familiar with in their home country, land entitlements were given to 'male heads of the family', bypassing our customary laws that allowed various categories of entitlements to women. This concentrated property in the hands of men in an unprecedented way and paved the way for the disinheritance of women. In addition, the rapacious land revenue demands drained large amounts of the economic surplus from the rural economy. It made the peasants extremely cash poor.

However, with rural society and artisan groups becoming extremely cash poor, the tradition of ‘stridhan’ seems to have become burdensome. The traditional view of daughters as ‘paraya dhan’ got a new and deadlier meaning. The term ‘paraya dhan’ had the connotation of viewing women as wealth. This is an apt description in a society in which women carried their ‘stridhan’ with them, that is, property that is theirs by right Traditionally, the entry of a bride into her new family would be referred to as the coming of Lakshmi (Lakshmi aayi hai). Even today vestiges of that tradition remain in most communities. A young bride enters her marital home with haldi (turmeric) soaked feet, leaving auspicious marks on the floor, marks associated with Lakshmi, goddess of wealth.

Thus, our modem inheritance laws have increasingly moved in favour of men and against the interests of women. All those communities that practiced matrilineal inheritance, such as the Nairs in Kerala, have also been forced through legislation to move towards patrilineal inheritance. Systems that provided reasonable or adequate protection of women's economic rights have been steamrollered out of existence

This can only be accomplished through a fundamental shift in Indian social attitudes about both marriage and women. Perceptions about appropriate roles for women must evolve to include education and employment, the current requirement that brides surrender all future assets to in-laws must be changed so that parents can depend on daughters as well as sons in their old age, and finally, the government must undertake sustained action to prevent employment and wage discrimination against women in the labor market. Unfortunately, there was an enormous period of lag time between the time when calls for social change are actually made and the time when societal beliefs and customs actually began to transform. Today, dowry continues to be a socially accepted and rational outcome of the current Indian marriage market. True progress in the elimination of the dowry system will only come through endeavors to create awareness among Indian communities about the negative effects of dowry, through programs and government sanctions that endorse education and employment for women of all ages, and through a fundamental change in the attitudes of Indian peoples.

The laws enacted to eradicate the evil system of dowry from the society should be supported and backed by the public opinion. If progressive legislations lacks the support of public opinion it is no more than a waste bundle of papers and are regarded as dead law; as is case with the Indian Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, it must be asserted that a social reform should be done in consonance with social thinking, behaviour and after creation of a strong public opinion, as laws could only be effective when they are hacked by major section of the society. Moreover, law can only catalyze change in social behaviour, but the real change in society can be brought through the creation of new values and aspirations and willingness of the people to change their centuries old attitude. The massive task of social engineering cannot be achieved as long as the centuries old attitude and thinking remains deep rooted in the prevailing society. Apart, from this public awareness through education, media and through other means should be created; political will and commitment combined with efficient administrative support are needed to tackle the problem of dowry. Social legislations must be backed by the social awareness and must match the letter and spirit of law. As it is rightly said by Pluto, No law or ordinance is mightier than understanding.

Mid-day Meal: A Social Equity Program

All social equity programs are started with a view to make an impact on the social problems at grassroots levels. However their effectiveness depends on the program structure and strategies adopted to address the issue. In a country like India with wide cultural diversity, no single program can make a substantial dent at grassroots level without the dedication of the implementing agencies. One such project that is being undertaken by the government to address the social issues related to education in India is Mid-day Meal Scheme.

The Mid-day meal scheme can be traced for its origin way back to pre-independent India in 1925 when some school authorities in Madras district implemented the noon meal program to take care of the students need. Similar program was started in Kolkata in 1927 and Kerala in 1941. This scheme was formally adopted by the government in 1958 in independent India. However it was only in 1982 that the government undertook serious step to promote the scheme. It was then implemented with the objective to universalize the scheme in all the states with decentralized features. It was implemented in all government run primary school with the help of local authorities playing the role of implementing agencies. This was further expanded from primary age group to cover the students between the 6-14 years. By 1995, most of the South Indian states had implemented the scheme.

In 1995, the government reoriented its strategy when the stress was paid on the spread of literacy drive making it apt time to reorient the strategy. The scheme provided the government with the best alternative method to not only increase the enrolment of school going children but also addressing the other social problems such as eradication of poverty, eradication of malnourishment and undernourishment among the children. It also provided the government with the opportunity to increase the coverage of the social program with minimal cost incurred which the other poverty schemes failed to do as it was implemented through the primary school. Another benefit it entailed was giving the opportunity to address the issues at the grass root level.

The objectives and strategies of the program have been changed to suit and adjust to the national policy objectives. Initially the scheme sought to integrate the noon meals schemes that were being already implemented by some States and to cover all the States. Under the scheme, the children were given free supply of 100 grams of food grain per child per day. The State governments were required to meet the costs of infrastructure and the cooking cost. Initially, the scheme was introduced in the 2,368 blocks where the RPDS or Employment Guarantee Schemes (EGS) were being implemented and in forty low female literacy (LFL) blocks all over India. Local bodies were declared to be the implementing agencies, with supervision from the district and State levels of the government’s administrative machinery. However with the initial success of the program, the government was encouraged to implement it in all the states.

In 2000, the government’s national policies were focused on making the education and access to education a basic right of its citizen. Thus, literacy drive was launched and the government increased spending on educational infrastructure substantially. A number of primary schools were opened especially in rural areas. The existing one got the fund for improving the infrastructure by setting up buildings. The middle schools and high schools were also covered under the national literacy mission. Despite much spending, the government could not increase the literacy rate as it only helped in increasing the enrollment without substantial decrease in dropout rates.

Thus the re-strategizing of Mid-day meal scheme was done. The authorities combined it with the National Literacy Mission. Also the form was changed as now the school authorities were given the responsibility of providing the cooked food based on nutritional norms prescribed by the UN. This strategy was implemented with the twin objective. First it helped increase in enrolment and retention at the same time it also addressed the issue related to reduce the chronic hunger and malnourishment among the school going age group of children. The Mid-day meal scheme helped in increasing the learning capabilities of the children. Also the parents did not have to bear the additional cost of food.

Initially, the State governments were advised to derive finance from poverty alleviation schemes such as JRY for providing necessary infrastructure and meeting the costs. But, from April 1999 onwards, responsibility for raising their share of funding was transferred to States and Union Territories. In December 2003, Planning Commission of India asked the States to earmark a minimum of 15 per cent of additional Central assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY) for the financial requirements of converting grains into cooked meals.

The scheme also helped in impacting the social problem associated with the rural infrastructure. Thus the gender equity issue and social equity was also addressed as the scheme helped in making the children learn the sharing basis by sitting together and eating from the common kitchen. The school enrolment improved substantially as both the genders entering the literacy drive. This also increased the school enrolment for irrespective of the caste and cultural groups. At the level of India as a whole, the number of children covered under the MDMS rose gradually from 10.36 crore in 2001 – 02 to10.87 crore in 2004 – 05, and then registered a sharp increase to 11.94 crore in 2005 – 06.

MDMS also has the potential for creating awareness among the children about hygiene and clean environment. The Mid-day meal scheme in school provided an opportunity to educate students about the importance of washing hands and plates, of hygienic toilets and of maintaining a clean environment in and around the school. Similarly, a participatory MDMS, where parents will be involved in monitoring the programme, can play an indirect role in improving basic knowledge about nutrition and elementary education among the parents of school-going children.

Despite massive achievement, the scheme is marked with a number of weaknesses and limitations. The scheme lacks the onus to cover the children out of school and drop outs. This is major issue in making the right to education and right to food a fundamental right of the citizen. Another problem associated is resource to fund the scheme is limited. Most of the states failed to meet the cost incurred to provide the cooked food. Also in absence of adequate infrastructure, the scheme could not be provided to many schools. The infrastructural problems associated with the scheme were in terms of not only physical infrastructure as most schools did not even have the proper building and shades to carry out the project. Moreover the human laborer required for cooking the food also lacked, for which the government paid a meager amount.

Thus some of these limitations and weaknesses are being looked into and adequate measures are being taken to step up efforts to make the scheme a big success.

Modern History Sample Questions

1). The Indian Association and National Conference both were founded by-
a) Surendranath Bannerjee
b) Ananda Mohana Bose
c) Both (a) and (b)
d) Sisir kumar Ghosh

2). Who of the following founded a National society, a national paper, a national school and a national Gymnasium and made the word “ National “ popular in the later half of 19^th century?
a) Jothindranath Tagore
b) Rajanarayan Bose
c) Nabagopal mitra
d) Satyendranath Tagore

3). Balagangadhar Tilak was given the epithet of “ LOKMANYA “ during:
a) Swadeshi movement
b) Revolement
c) Home rule movement
d) His imprisonment in 1908

4). Who was instrumental in founding the National Committee in 1938 for drawing up a plan for economic development on the basis of industrialization?
a) Subhas Chandra Bose
b) Jawaharlal Nehru
c) Mahatma Gandhi
d) Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad

5). Madan lal Dhingra murdered Curzon Wyllie in London, who was a ____________
a) Sec. of State for India
b) Advisor to the Sec of State for India
c) Law member of Viceroy’s exe council
d) Former Governor of Punjab

6). The day Mahatma Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation movement, a great national leader died. He was_________
a) Gopala Krishna Gokhale
b) Pherozshah Mehta
c) C R Das
d) Balagangadhar Tilak

7). After the partition of Bengal, two new provinces which came into existence were?
a) East Bengal & West Bengal
b) East Bengal & Bengal
c) West Bengal & Assam
d) West Bengal & Bengal

8). Mahatma Gandhi presided over the annual session of INC for only once at:
a) Kakinada 1923
b) Belgaum 1924
c) Kanpur 1925
d) Gaulhathi 1926

9). The historic Lucknow session of INC in 1916 was presided over by_________
a) Mrs. Annie Besant
b) R N Mudhokar
c) Ambika Charan Majumdar
d) Madan Mohan Malviya

10). Subhas Chandra Bose was re-elected president of INC at the Tripuri session in 1939 by defeating:
a) Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya
b) Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad
c) Dr. Rajendra Prasad
d) Jawaharlal Nehru

11). The 1^st satyagrahi selected by Mahatma Gandhi to launch the Individual Satyagraha in oct 1940 was:
a) C Rajagopalachari
b) Vallabhai Patel
c) J B Kriplani
d) None of the above

12). The brain behind the bomb attack an Viceroy Lord Hardinge at Chandni chowk, Delhi in Dec 1912 was:
a) Rash Bihari Bose
b) Bhai Paramanda
c) Sachindranath Sanyal
d) Shohanal Pathak

13). The earliest public association to be formed in modern India in 1837 was:
a) The Bengal British Indian Society
b) The British Indian Society
c) The Landholders Society
d) The Madras Native Association

14). The word “Congress” was borrowed form:
a) The Congress of USA
b) North American History, to cannote an assembly of people
c) The Congress of Trade Unions
d) The Congress of World Religions

15). The most important international event which influenced the course of the Indian National Movement during the early 20^th century was:
a) The Russian Revolution 1917
b) The Russo-Japanese War 1905
c) The World War-I <1914-1918>
d) Boer War 1899

16). The historic importance of the second session of INC held in Calcutta 1886 was that:
a) There was merger of INC and National Conference
b) It was presided over by Dadabhai Naoroji
c) Mass participation
d) All the above

17). Through which of the following was the partition of Bengal subsequently annualled?
a) Minto-Morley Reforms 1909
b) Hunter Commission 1918
c) Delhi Darbar 1911
d) Montague-Chelmsford Reforms 1919

18). Match of the following INC presidents with their respective Firsts and select correct answers from the codes given below:

INC Presidents Firsts
I. W C Bannerjee 1) 1^st Anglo-Christian
II. Dadabhai Naoroji 2) 1^st Muslim President
III. Badaruddin Tyabji 3) English President
IV. George Yule 4) Parsi President

Codes

I II III IV
a) 1 4 2 3
b) 1 2 3 4
c) 2 3 1 4
d) 3 4 1 2

19). On the suggestion of Ravindranath Tagore The date of partition of Bengal oct 16, 1905 was celebrated as:
a) Solidarity Day
b) Rakhsha Bandhan Day
c) Black Day
d) Brotherhood Day

20). Who organized the Satyagraha Sabha whose members took a pledge to disobey the Rowlatt Act?
a) Madan Mohan Malaviya
b) Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew
c) Mahatma Gandhi
d) Mazhar-ul-Haq

21). Why did the crowd had gathered at JallianwalahBagh, Amritsar on Apr 13, 1919:
a) To protest against the passing of the Rowlatt’s Act
b) To organize a satyagraha against the general rude behavior of Gen. Dyer
c) To protest against the arrest of their popular leaders, Dr.Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satyapal
d) To mourn the death of a local leader in police custody

22). Chittagong Armory raid was organized by
a) Jathin Das
b) Surya Sen
c) Ganesh Ghosh
d) Ambika Choudary

23). The objective of the new policy of “Council Entry” proposed by the Swarajists was:
a) To give a trial to the 1919 Act
b) To wreck the reform from within by ‘uniform consistent and continuous obstruction’
c) To expose No Changers
d) To provide better administration

24). The provision for separate electorate for which of the following communities “ in the communal Award<1932> made Gandhiji undertake a fast unto death:
a) Depressed classes
b) Backward classes
c) Europeans
d) Christians

25). As a result of the Poona Pact the number of seats reserved for the Depressed classes out of general electorate seats were:
a) Increased
b) Decreased
c) Retained at the same level
d) Abolished

26). Quit India Movement was carried on the overall leadership of:
a) Gandhiji
b) Jawaharlal Nehru
c) Ram Manohar Lohia
d) None of the Above

27). Which of the following was responsible for the large scale communal riots during and after August 1946 especially “ Great Calcutta Killings”?
a) Failure of the Cabinet Mission
b) Uncompromising attitude of Muslim League
c) Unilateral offer made by Viceroy to Nehru to form interim govt
d) The observance of Direct Action Day by Muslim League

28). What did the Mountbatten plan relate to?
a) Creation of federal govt
b) Guidelines for the formation of a constitution for India by the constituent assembly
c) The method by which power was to be transferred from British to Indian hands
d) A plan for controlling the constituent riots raging all over India at that time

29). The HSRA movement ended with the death of
a) Bhagat Singh
b) Ram Prasad Bismil
c) Chandrashekhar Azad
d) Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee

30). A women revolutionary, who while receiving her degree at the convocation of the university of Calcutta from the Governor of Bengal was:
a) Kalpana Datta
b) Bina Das
c) Preetilata Wadeyar
d) Lila Nag

31). Gandhiji gave the title of “SARDAR” to Vallabhai Patel for his great organizational skills in:
a) Kheda Satyagraha
b) Salt Satyagraha
c) Individual Satyagraha
d) Bardolli Satyagraha

32). The most controversial measure of Viceroy Lord Mountbatten was:
a) Partitioning of Bengal & Punjab
b) Acceptance of Governor Generalship of Independent India Union
c) Advancing the date of transfer of power from June 1948 to August 1947
d) Holding referendum in NWFP

33). The popular movements in various princely states were launched by the local organizations known as:
a) Rajamandals
b) Princely States of Congress
c) Prajamandals
d) Prajatantramandals

34). In 1934, Gandhi withdrew from all political activities and made a country wide tour covering a distance of 12,504 miles. This tour is known as:
a) JanJagaran Yatra
b) Samaj Samatha Yatra
c) Harijan Yatra
d) Anti-Untouchability Yatra

35). A novel and remarkable feature of the Civil Disobedience movement was the widespread participation of:
a) Peasents
b) Students
c) Women
d) Industrialists

36). The unique contribution of Rani Gaidinlu;s Naga movement was that:
a) She gave considerable support to INC
b) It was the only Nationalist movement of tribals in North-East
c) For the first time the tribal if N-E demanded autonomy
d) She integrated the Tribal movement with civil disobedience movement

37). What is the correct chronological sequence of the following stages in the political life of Gandhiji?
1) Champaran (2) Ahmedabad mill strike (3) Kheda (4) Non-Cooperation Movement

a) 2 4 3 1
b) 1 3 2 4
c) 4 3 2 1
d) 3 4 2 1

38). The title given by British govt to the Mahatma Gandhiji which he surrendere during the Non-Cooperation Mov was:
a) Hind Kesari
b) Kaiser-e-Hind
c) Rai Bahadur
d) Rt.Honourable

39). Which of the following were the main objectives for the Khilafath Movement?
a) To rouse Anti-British feeling among the muslims of India
b) To reform the Muslim society
c) To demand separate electorates and preserve the Khalifate
d) To save the Ottoman empire and preserve the Khalifate

40). In the interim govt formed in 1946, the vice-president of executive council was:
a) Dr. Rajendra Prasad\
b) C. Rajagopalachari
c) Dr. RadhaKrishnan
d) Jawaharlal Nehru

41). Who discovered Balgangadhar Tilak as the Father of Indian Unrest?
a) Valentine Chirol
b) Disraeli
c) Minto
d) Chelmsford

42). Where did the rebels of 1857 revolt massacre alarge number of Englishmen and women after promising them safe conduct?
a) Lucknow
b) Kanpur
c) Delhi
d) Allahabad

43). Who was the famous Urdu poet who witnessed the massacre of male civilians of Delhi by the British soldiers ?
a) Firaq Gorakhpuri
b) Joshh Malihabadi
c) Mirza Galib
d) Mir Babar Ali Anis

44). The most important centre of Revolt of 1857 in Rajasthan was:
a) Kotah
b) Nasirabad
c) Jaisalmer
d) Ajmer

45). With the capture of which of the following rebels in April 1858, could be said as the end of 1857 revolt ?
a) Kunwar Singh
b) Nana Saheb
c) Tantia Tope
d) Begum Hazrat Mahal

46). The leader of the 1857 revolt in Assam was?
a) Diwan Maniram Putti
b) Kandar Paswar Singh
c) Purandar Singh
d) Piali Barwa

47). The army of emperor Bahadur Shah in Delhi was commanded by
a) Gen Bakth Khan
b) Khan Bahadur Khan
c) Babu Kunwar Singh
d) Azimulla

48). Match the following leaders with the centers of their rebellion

Leaders Centres
I. Begum Hazrat Mahal 1. Rohilkhand
II. Khan Bahadur Khan 2. Bihar
III. Kunwar Singh 3. Lucknow
IV. Dhondu Pant 4. Kanpur

Codes
I II III IV
a) 3 1 2 4
b) 2 3 4 1
c) 3 2 1 4
d) 3 4 2 1

49). Which of the following leaders of 1857 revolt escaped to Nepal and whose subsequent movements were never known thereafter?
a) Nana Saheb
b) Begum Hazrat Mahal
c) Tantia Tope
d) Both (a) & (b)

50). The modern Indian historian who has written “ it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the so called First National war of Independence was neither first nor national nor a war of independence” is:
a) S N Sen
b) Dr. Tarachand
c) Dr. R C Majumdar
d) Dr. K K Dutta

51). During 1857 revolt ,the British after capturing Delhi what was their most Brutal act( by General Hudson ,commander in chief of the English troops)?
a) Stripping of the clothes of the sons of Bahadur Shah
b) Imprisoning Emperor Zafar Bahadur Shah
c) Shooting down the sons of Bahadur Shah
d) Terrorising the people of Delhi

52). Lord Dalhousie tried to snatch away the remaining geory of the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah-II by:
a) Reducing his pension
b) Forcing him to disarm his body gaurds
c) Derecognising his imperial title
d) Asking him to vacate the Red Fort and move to a humber place

53). Where did the sepoys break out in revolt on 10^th May, 1857?
a) Kanpur
b) Barrackpore
c) Berhampore
d) Meerut

54). The leaders of the 1857 revolt who sent 3 letters to King Napolean III of France during the rebellion was:
a) Emperor Bahadur Shah
b) Nana Saheb
c) Rani Lakshmi Bai
d) Tantia Tope

55). Both the transfer of power and the partition of India were hurled through in____days.
a) 94
b) 86
c) 72
d) 68

56). The concept of national education was propounded during the course of the _______ movement/
a) Home Rule Movement
b) Swadeshi
c) Non-Cooperation
d) Civil Disobedience

57). After the passing of Govt of India Act 1935,the total number of provinces in British India became:
a) 10
b) 11
c) 12
d) 13

58). The revolutionaries who were arrested in the assembly bomb case were?
a) Bhagat Singh & Batukeshwar Dutt
b) Bhagat Singh & Chandrashekar Azad
c) Bhagat Singh & Sachindranath Sanyal
d) Jathin Bose & Bhagat Singh

59). According to the provisions of which of the following acts, Burma was separated from the British Indian Administration?
a) Govt of India Act 1919
b) Govt of India Act 1935
c) Minto-Morley Reforms 1909
d) Indian Independence Act 1947

60). The INC gave upits ideal of united India & accepted partition, because
a) The INC was Shrinking into a civil war
b) The INC leaders felt that ,partition is a lesser evil than civil war
c) The INC leaders sccumbled to the temptation of power and stuck a deal with Britishers
d) The Interim Govt has become an arena of struggle.

ANSWERS

1-c 2-c 3-c 4-a 5-b 6-d 7-b 8-b 9-c 10-a 11-d 12-a 13-c 14-b 15-b 16-a 17-c 18-a 19-b 20-c 21-c 22-b 23-b 24-a 25-a 26-d 27-d 28-c 29-c 30-b 31-d 32-* 33-c 34-c 35-c 36-d 37-b 38-b 39-d 40-c 41-a 42-b 43-c 44-a 45-c 46-a 47-a 48-a 49-d 50-c 51-c 52-d 53-d 54-b 55-c 56-b 57-b 58-a 59-b 60-b

National Highways in Andhra Pradesh

S. NO. HIGHWAY NO. HIGHWAY NAME ROUTE LENGTH (Km) 1 4 Junction with National Highways No 3 near Thane-Pune-Belgaum-Hubli-banglore-Ranipet-Chennai Karnataka Border-Palmaner-chittoor-Naraharipeta-upto Tamil Nadu Border 83 2 5 Junction with National HighWays No 6 near Baharagora -Cuttak-Bhubaneshwar-Vishakhapatnam-Vijaywada-Chennai From Orissa border Ichchapuram -Narasannapeta - Srikakulam-Bhimunipatnam -Vishakhapatnam - Prattipadu - Rajahmundry -Eluru - Vijaywada - Guntur -Ongal Neller - Gudur -upto Tamil Nadu Border 1000 3 7 Varanasi-Mangwan-Rewa-Jablpur-Lakhnadon-nagpur-Hydrabad-Kurnool-Banlore-Krishnagiri-Salem-Dindigul-Madurai-Cape-Commorin(Kanyakumari) From Maharashtra Border -Adilabad -Nirmal -Ramayampet - - Hyderabad - Kurnool -Gooty - Anantpur - Penukonda - Karnataka Border 753 4 9 PuneSSholapur-Hyderabad-Vijayawada-Machilipatnam From Kamataka Border-Zahirabad-Hyderabad-Suriapet-Vijaywada-Machillipatnam 430 5 16 Nijamabad-Macheral-agdalpur Nizamabad-Armur-Jagtial- Chinnur upto Maharashtra Border 220 6 18 Junction with National Highway No 7 near Kurnool Nandyal-cuddapah Junction with National Highway No 4 near Chittor Kumool-Nandyal-C uddapah- Rayachot-Chittoor- 369 7 43 Raipur-Vizianagar Junction With National Highway No 5 near Natavalsa From Orissa border-Ramahhadrapuram-Vizianagaram-Jn. with NH-5 near Natavalasa 83 8 63 Ankola-Hubli-Hospet-Gooty From Kamataka Border-Guntakal- Gooty 62 9 202 Hyderabad-Warangal-Venkatpuram-Bhopalpattnam Hyderabad-Warangal-Venkatpuram upto ChhaUisgarh Border 244 10 205 AnantpLir-Renugunta-Chennai Ananthapur-ICadiri-Madanapalle-Renigunta- upto T.N. Border 360 11 214 Kathipudi-Kakinada-Pamarru Kathipudi-Kakinada-Razole- Narasapur-Pamurru 270 12 214A Junction of NH-214 near Digamarru connecting Narasapur-Machilipatnam-ChaUapalle-Avanigadda-Repalle Bapatla-Chirala and terminating at its junction with NH-5 near Ongple The highway staning from the junction of NH-214 near Digamarru connecting Narasapur-Machillipatnam-Challapalle-Avanigadda-Repalle Bapatla-Chirala and terminating at its junction with NH-5 near Ongole 255 13 219 Madnapalli-Kuppam-Krishnagiri Madnapal 1 i -Punganuru- Palmaner-Kuppam- upto Tamil Nadu Border 128 14 221 Junction of NH 9 near Vijaywada connecting Kondapalli-Mailavaram- The Highways starting from the junction of NH-9 near Vijayawada connecting Kondapalh-Mailavaram-Tiruvuru-Penuballi-Kottagudam-Paloncha-Bhadrachalam-Nellipaka-Chinturu-Konta upto Chhattisgarh border 155 15 222 Junction of NH- 3 near Kalyan connecting Ahmadnagar-Pachegaon (NH 211) - From Maharashtra border to junction with NH-7 near Nirmal 60 TOTAL HIGHWAY LENGTH (Km) OF STATE 4472

River Water Disputes in India

As per the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 (ISRWD Act, 1956) when the water dispute arises among two or more State Governments, the Central Government receives a request under Section 3 of the Act from any of the basis States with regard to existence of water dispute. The status of such inter-State water disputes under ISRWD Act, 1956 is as follows:

Inter-State water disputes under Inter-State River Water Disputes Act (ISRWD), 1956

River(s)	States	Date of Constitution of Tribunal	Date of Award
Krishna	Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka	April 1969	May 1976
Godavari	Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa	April 1969	July 1980
Narmada	Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra	October 1969	December 1979
Cauvery	Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Union Territory of Pondicherry	June 1990	Report u/s 5(2) received 5.2.2007
Krishna	Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra	April 2004	30December 2010
Model/ Mandovi/Mahadayi/	Goa, Karnataka and	Under Construction	-
Vansadhara	Andhra Pradesh & Orissa	Under Construction	-

In accordance with the said Act, the Central Government is required to refer a dispute to a Tribunal after it is satisfied that the dispute cannot be settled through negotiations. Accordingly, the water disputes, related to Cauvery and Krishna were referred to the Tribunals for adjudication in 1990 and 2004 respectively.

The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) passed an interim order on 25th June, 1991 and further clarifying orders on the interim order in April 1992 and December 1995. CWDT submitted its report and decision under Section 5(2) of the ISRWD Act, 1956 on 5.2.2007. With submission of report and decision under Section 5(2) of the Act, Central Government and the State Governments have sought explanation and guidance from the Tribunal under Section 5(3) of the Act. The matter is under consideration of the Tribunal. Further, party States have also filed SLPs in the Hon'ble Supreme Court against the decision dated 5.2.2007 of the Tribunal and the matter is sub-judice at present.

The Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT) passed orders on June 9, 2006 on the Interim Relief Application filed by the party States of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh declining to give interim relief as sought in the application and at the same time indicating certain norms with a view to facilitate adjudication of the dispute before the Tribunal. Subsequently, State of Andhra Pradesh filed Interlocutory Application under Section 5(3) of the ISRWD Act, 1956 seeking further explanation/ guidance on the Order of the Tribunal of June 9, 2006 which is pending. The Tribunal in its hearing held in September and October 2006 has framed 29 issues for adjudication of the dispute before it. Further hearings of the Tribunal are continuing.

In respect of Mahadayi/Mandovi and Vansadhara water disputes, the requests were received from States of Goa and Orissa in July 2002 and February 2006. In respect of Mahadayi water dispute, a view has emerged in the Ministry that the dispute cannot be settled through negotiations and action has been initiated for establishment of a Tribunal. In respect of Vansadhara river water dispute, establishment of a Tribunal is in advanced stage of implementation.

Ravi & Beas Waters Tribunal (RBWT) set up in 1986 in pursuance of paragraphs 9.1 & 9.2 of Punjab Settlement (Rajiv-Longowal Accord, 1985) inter-alia to adjudicate the claims of Punjab and Haryana in Ravi-Beas waters, submitted its report on 30^th January 1987. The Tribunal is to submit its further report to the Government on the references made by the party States and the Central Government seeking further guidance on its report. The hearings of the Tribunal have now become dependent on the outcome of a Presidential reference made on 22.07.2004 before the Hon'ble Supreme Court on Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004.

Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal envisages delivering Haryana's share of Ravi-Beas waters. In the matter of non-completion of SYL Canal in Punjab portion, the Hon'ble Supreme Court in a judgment of 4^th June 2004, had directed the Central Government to carry out its action plan for completion of the canal. Central Government took necessary action. However, Punjab legislature on 12^th July 2004 enacted Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004 terminating all agreements relating to Ravi-Beas Waters and obligations thereunder. A Presidential reference in the matter of the above Act was filed before the Hon'ble Supreme Court on 22.07.2004, outcome of which is awaited.

Sri Krishna Committee Report On Telangana statehood Issue

Justice Srikrishna committee on the Telangana statehood issue submitted its report on the feasibility for carving out a separate state out of Andhra Pradesh to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on December 30.

Justice B N Srikrishna has handed over his report to the government – 10 months after he was appointed head of a special committee to talk to different political parties and “all sections of society.

Earlier this week, Justice Srikrishna, a former Supreme Court judge, said that he believes his report offers “a permanent solution” to the divisive Telangana debate. He said it is up to the Centre to decide what happens next.

Telangana region consists of 10 districts including Warangal, Adilabad, Khammam, Mahabubnagar (its biggest district), Nalgonda, Rangareddy, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Medak and Hyderabad.

The Congress has 21 MPs from Andhra Pradesh and 12 of them are from Telengana region. The state elects 33 Lok Sabha MPs.

The 12 Telengana MPs belonging to the Congress are under pressure to quit over the issue of a separate state for the region.

SIX ECLIPSES AT 2011

KRISHNA TRIBUNAL JUDGEMENT

Number of Players in Sports

Sports	Number of Players
Ice Hockey Baseball	6 9
Rugby football	15
Polo	4
Water Polo	7
Kho Kho	9
Kabaddi	7
Hockey	11
Football (Soccer)	11
Cricket	11
Netball	7
Volleyball	6
Badminton	1 or 2 (Singles & Doubles respectively)
Tennis	1 or 2 (Singles & Doubles respectively)
Table Tennis	1 or 2 (Singles & Doubles respectively)
Basketball	5
Gymnastic	Several individuals compete simultaneously
Billiards/Snooker	1
Boxing	1
Chess	1
Bridge	2
Croquet	13 or 15
Golf	Several individuals compete simultaneously
Lacrosse	12

Court/Campus/Field	Games/Sports
Court	Tennis, Badminton, Net Ball, Handball, Volleyball, Squash, Kho-Kho, Kabaddi
Diamond	Baseball
Ring	Sketing, Boxing
Course	Golf
Pool	Swimming
Board	Table Tennis
Mat	Judo, Karate, Taikwondo
Arena	Horse riding
Vellodrome	Cycling
Field	Polo, Football, Hockey
Track	Athletics
Pitch	Cricket
Greens	Bowls
Rink	Curling, Ice Hockey
Range	Shooting, Archery