APPSC Official Revised Final Key for Junior Accountant, Junior Assistant, Junior Stenographers and Typists in A.P. Vaidya Vidhana Parishad

Key for Notification No. 53/2011 Dt: 31/12/2011 , J.As/JR.STENOS / TYPISTS IN V.V. PARISHAD(53/2011)  Paper-1

Key for Notification No. 53/2011 Dt: 31/12/2011 , J.As/JR.STENOS / TYPISTS IN V.V. PARISHAD(53/2011) :: Paper-2

Justice Kabir to be the new Chief Justice of India

Justice Altamas Kabir will be the new Chief Justice of India. He will assume the new charge on 29th September. Born on July 19, 1948 at Kolkata, Justice Kabir did his LLB and MA from University of Calcutta. He was enrolled at the Bar on August 1, 1973 and was made a permanent judge of Calcutta High Court on August 6, 1990. Justice Kabir assumed the office of acting Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court on January 11, 2005. He was elevated as Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court on March 01, 2005 and was made a judge of the Supreme Court of India on September 09, 2005. 
Justice Kabir was responsible for the computerization of the Calcutta High Court and the City Civil Court and other Courts in Kolkatta. He was appointed as Executive Chairman of National Legal Services Authority on January 14, 2010. 

MPSC Employment and Self Employment Officer Gr-B Screening Test-2012 Solved Paper

ISRO scores a centum

A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C21) blasted off from Sriharikota on September 9 and placed two foreign satellites in orbit, accomplishing the Indian Space Research Organisation’s 100th mission, a milestone in the country’s space journey.

After a 51-hour countdown, the PSLV lifted off at 9.53 a.m., two minutes behind schedule, to avoid any collision with space debris.

In the textbook launch, it carried SPOT-6, a 712-kg French earth observation satellite and injected it into an orbit of 655-km altitude, inclined at 98.23 degrees to the equator. Proiteres, a 15-kg Japanese microsatellite, was put into orbit as an additional payload. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a host of dignitaries watched the flight path on electronic screens, as the 44-metre tall PSLV accomplished its task, reinforcing the fact that it is the ISRO’s workhorse, with 21 successful missions in a row.

The four-stage ignition and the injection of the satellites into the orbit took 18 minutes and 37 seconds. As Proiteres separated at the final moment, the scientists erupted into joyous applause.

SPOT-6, an optical remote-sensing satellite capable of imaging the earth with a 1.5-metre resolution, is built by Astrium SAS, a European space technology company.

Proiteres is meant to study the powered-flight of a small satellite by an electric thruster and to observe Japan’s Kansai district with a high-resolution camera.

With Sunday’s mission, the ISRO has launched 62 satellites and 38 rockets. It has so far injected 28 foreign satellites into orbit, beginning with Germany’s 45-kg DLR-TUBSAT aboard the PSLV-C2 in 1999. SPOT-6 is the the PSLV’s biggest commercial lift so far. At a press conference, Dr. Radhakrishnan said the financial matters relating to the launch could not be disclosed, but the cost of the vehicle was recovered. The ISRO also sent its own payload, ‘Mini Resins,’ for demonstration of an instrument called Redundant Strap down Inertial Navigation System.
Manmohan Singh watched the historic 100th mission of the Indian space agency and scientists at Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) rocket's mission control room kept an eye on the rocket that escaped the earth's gravitational pull.

ISRO officials are hoping that the agency's 100th space mission will turn out to be a grand success.
The PSLV-C21 rocket is expected to deliver SPOT 6 and Proiteres into a 655 km polar orbit.
Remote sensing satellites send back pictures and other data. The SPOT and Indian remote sensing satellites are the two leading earth observation satellite series.
Interestingly SPOT 6 is the heaviest foreign satellite to be carried by a PSLV rocket since 1999 when ISRO started launching satellites owned by foreign agencies.
ISRO has been carrying foreign satellites since 1999 initially as an add-on luggage to its own satellite.
It was with Agile, a 350 kg Italian satellite, that ISRO started flying a full commercial rocket. Till date ISRO has launched 27 foreign satellites successfully and the Sunday mission would take the tally to 29.
The successful launch of SPOT 6 would make ISRO's PSLV rocket a strong contender to carry SPOT 7 planned by French company Astrium SAS soon.
According to ISRO, the satellite launch agreement between Antrix and Astrium is part of the long-term agreement signed between the two agencies in September 2008.
The space agency has also jointly built two heavy satellites - 3,453 kg W2M and 2,541 kg Hylas - for the French agency.
India has the largest constellation of remote sensing satellites in the world providing imagery in a variety of spatial resolutions, from more than a metre ranging up to 500 metres, and is a major player in vending such data in the global market.
With 12 remote sensing/earth observation satellites orbiting in the space, India is a world leader in the remote sensing data market. The 12 satellites are TES, Resourcesat 1, Cartosat 1, 2, 2A and 2B, IMS 1, Risat-2, Oceansat 2, Resourcesat-2, Megha-Tropiques and Risat-1. 

India’s first multi-lateral Social Science research collaboration with four European Nations

India has managed to enter into its first multi-lateral Social Science research collaboration with four European Nations by the approval of projects for networking and social science research cooperation in between the researchers of these nations on 5 September 2012. The French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) are the four bodies with which India has been successful in created tie-ups.

The social scientists will get national funds for creating collaborations with European Partners via a scheme. This is help in eradication of bureaucratic restrictions and obstacles. It’s expected to economise and rationalize the efforts of Europe towards production of high impact and quality research on social science that can address to the challenges forwarded by the global arena in terms of growth, economy, development, climate change, well being and health. As per the scheme the proposal can be made on any hemisphere of social science that can be of a help in understanding the social and individual behavior of a person and influence the policies beyond the boundaries. The targeted six proposals that have been awarded with the funds after being mapped in the month of May 2011, will deal in the aspects of wellbeing, ageing, bullying, mapping the cultural authority of science, globally accessible medicine, climate governance and pupil-safety.

APPSC REVISED SCHEDULE OF EXAMS

Setting up of Commissions For Minorities

The National Commission for Minorities was established under the “National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992” on 5th July 1993 to look after the welfare of the five notified minorities. Further, as a follow up of the Sachar Committee recommendation for setting up of an Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) to look into the grievances of the deprived groups, the Government constituted an Expert Group to recommend the structure, scope and functions along with advice on an appropriate legislative framework of the proposed Equal Opportunity Commission. Giving this information in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Shri Salman Khurshid, Minister of Minority Affairs, said that the Expert Group submitted its Report along with a Draft Bill. The Report of the Expert Group was examined and a proposal for setting up of an Equal Opportunity Commission was considered. The Draft Equal Opportunity Commission Bill, 2011 has been circulated to various Ministries/Departments and comments of most of the Ministries have been received and the proposal is being processed.

Kaushik Basu appointed as World Bank Chief Economist

On 5 September 2012, The World Bank appointed Kaushik Basu, as its chief economist and senior vice president. Basu, an Indian national and a Cornell University professor most recently served as chief economic adviser of the India's Union Ministry of Finance. He has to take over as the chief economist at the World Bank on October 1.

Kaushik Basu, 60, holds a doctorate from the London School of Economics and has also founded the Centre for Development Economics at the Delhi School of Economics in 1992 is also a founding member of the Madras School of Economics.
He had his wide contributions in the field span development economics, welfare economics, industrial organisation and public economics

He has earlier served as chairman of Cornell's economics department and was a director of its Center for Analytic Economics. He was awarded with one of the country's highest civilian awards, the Padma Bhushan in May 2008.

In his two-and-a-half-year stay in the Union finance ministry, Basu gave some constructive thoughts on food coupons and innovative ways to tackle corruption among other advices.

India ranked to be 59th in the report released by World Economic Forum

India slipped down with 3 ranks to 59th position from its previous year ranking in the Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013 released on 5 September 2012 by the World Economic Forum. The identified reason for this downfall is India’s disappointing performance in satisfying competitiveness for the basic factors.

Previously, India was far ahead to the nations like South Africa and Brazil has trailed down by 10 ranks and is 30 ranks behind the China. As per the details released by the forum, India still is strong in term of competitiveness on many other sections of comparison.

Switzerland managed to be on top of the list for consecutive four years followed by Singapore that ranked second and Finland was placed at third position. Among the members of BRICKS Nations, Russia was placed at 67th Position, South Africa got 52nd position and Brazil remained to be the 48th Nation.

INDIA IN FIGURES 2012

SAARC Social Charter India Country Report 2012

ReSchedule of Various APPSC Exams

AE’s in A.P. PH & MAE Sub-Service, Notification No. 49/2011, AE’s in Ground Water Department. AE’s in MAE A.P. MAE Sub-Service. Deputy Inspector of Survey in A.P. Survey & land Records Sub-service. (P.C.No.09), Notification No.11/12(Limited), Accounts Officer, Junior Accounts Officer, Senior Accountant  Notification No.7/12 written examinations  to be held on 23/09/2012 and 24/09/2012 are postponed to 03/11/2012 and 04/11/2012

CURRENT AFFAIRS PRACTICE MCQs

  1.  India and Pakistan have agreed to increase their bilateral trade from existing  USD 2   billion   to     ____________ dollars by 2014.
        a) USD 4 billion
       b) USD 6 billion
       c) USD 7 billion
       d) USD 8 billion
       e) None of the above
 
  2.  Prithvi-II, India’s medium range surface-to-surface ballistic missile is capable of carrying nuclear warheads in a range of up to ________.
       a) 300 km
       b) 350 km
       c) 400 km
       d) 450 km
       e) None of the above

  3.  Which is the amount of subsidy provided by the governemnt on 14.2-kg LPG cylinder?
       a) Rs. 22.58 /-per cylinder
       b) Rs. 21.62 /-per cylinder
       c) Rs. 24.54 /-per cylinder
       d) Rs. 28.38 /-per cylinder
       e) None of the

  4.  The rate of duty on import of crude oils is:
       a) 1%
       b) 2%
       c) 3%
       d) 5%
       e) zero percent

  5.  Which one of following is the maximum speed limit (km/h) for cars over Yamuna Expressway highway?
       a) 100
       b) 110
       c) 115
       d) 120
       e) None of the above

  6.  In a bid to normalize the trade relations between India and Pakistan, the Indian banking regulator RBI gave its nod to which of the followings bank(s) to set up their branches in Pakistan?
       1. Bank of India
       2. Punjab National Bank
       3. State Bank of India
      a) Only 1      
      b) Only 2      
      c) Only 3      
      d) Both 1 & 2      
      e) Both 1 & 3

  7.  Presently, which bank is the largest issuer of credit cards in the country?
       a) SBI
       b) PNB
       c) IDBI
       d) HDFC
       e) ICICI

Tehran hosted the 16th NAM(Non-Aligned Movement) Summit

The 16th NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) summit was held at Tehran, Iran on 30-31 August 2012.The theme of the summit was Lasting Peace through Joint Global Governance. At the Tehran Summit , the Chairmanship of NAM was passed on from Egypt to Iran in accordance with the NAM’s practice of regional rotation.The NAM meeting in Tehran was held in three phases: preparatory senior officials meeting on 26-27 August, ministerial level meeting on 28-29 August, and the summit on 30-31 August. Heads of the government from over 100 countries participated in the Tehran Summit to discuss the new global challenges.

Venezuela was selected the host for the 17th NAM Summit in 2015. India expressed support for popular aspirations for a democratic order in Syria while cautioning against external intervention. India urged NAM to take a clear stand on Syria.

Girisha bags silver at Paralympic Games

Girisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda gave India its first medal at the Paralympic Games after bagging silver in the men’s high jump F42 event in London. The 24-year-old from Karnataka, who has an impairment in his left leg, sailed over a height of 1.74m using scissors technique in the final of the event to finish second in the presence of an 80,000 capacity crowd.

Iliesa Delana of Fiji won the gold, while Lukasz Mamczarz of Poland settled for bronze. Although Delana finished on the same height of 1.74m as Girisha and Mamczarz but won gold on the basis of taking less jumps. 

India at Paralympics

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1960 Rome	did not participate
1964 Tokyo	did not participate
1968 Tel Aviv	0	0	0	0
1972 Heidelberg	1	0	0	1
1976 Toronto	0	0	0	0
1980 Arnhem	0	0	0	0
1984 Stoke Mandeville/New York	0	2	2	4
1988 Seoul	0	0	0	0
1992 Barcelona	0	0	0	0
1996 Atlanta	0	0	0	0
2000 Sydney	0	0	0	0
2004 Athens	1	0	1	2
2008 Beijing	0	0	0	0
2012 London	0	1	0	1
Total	2	3	3	8

COMPUTER DRAUGHTSMAN GRADE - II SELECTION LIST

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REVISED SCHEDULE of APPSC GROUP-I MAIN EXAMS

APPOINTMENTS IN INDIA 2012

• Parvin Sinclair appointed as  Director of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Jan 2, 2012.
• Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar  appointed as President, Indian Economic Association.
• Samir K. Brahmachari reappointed as Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He got extension for a period of two years.
• Arvind Gupta appointed as Director General, Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA).
• Vice Admiral M.P. Muralidharan  appointed as Director General, Indian Coast Guard in Jan 2012. Earlier served as the first Commandant fo the Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala.
• M. Rafeeque Ahmed  appointed as  President, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) in Jan 2012, he is chairman of the Farida Group; was FIEO President from 2002 to 2004
•  

CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQs

1. Pranab Mukherjee has been recently elected as the ____ th President of India?
A) 12th
B) 13th
C) 15th
D) 14th
Answer- B) 13th
2. Which Indian Bank has taken step to form India’s first Mortgage guarantee entity just like other developed countries?
A) SBI
B) National Housing Bank
C) LIC Housing
D) HDFC
Answer- B) National Housing Bank
3. Which only Indian President won the Presidential Election without any contest?
A) APJ Abdul Kalam
B) Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy
C) Rajendra Prasad
D) Pratibha Patil
Answer- B) Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy
4. Eminent Freedom Fighter and social activist Captain Lakshmi Sehgal passed away in Kanpur on 23 July 2012. She was one of the most important members of S C Bose’s Indian National Army. She contested Presidential election in 2002 against whom?
A) APJ Abdul Kalam
B) Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy
C) Rajendra Prasad
D) Pratibha Patil
Answer- A) APJ Abdul Kalam
5. Which Country is the largest producer of Cocoa, which is mainly used for Chocolate?
A) Ghana
B) Ivory Coast
C) Kenya
D) Zimbabwe
Answer- B) Ivory Coast
6. Leader of National Advisory Council, responsible for monitoring the implementation of the UPA government’s manifesto, the Common Minimum Programme (CMP)?
A) Sonia Gandhi
B) Kausik Basu
C) Pranab Mukherjee
D) Manmohan Singh
Answer- A) Sonia Gandhi
7. Who has been elected as the new Prime Minister of Egypt?
A) Hosni Mubarak
B) Hisham Kandil
C) Mohamed Morsi
D) None of these
Answer- B) Hisham Kandil
8. International donor conference on Afghanistan was held recently to donate funding for Afghanistan development. It was held in?
A) Kabul
B) Tokyo
C) Hong Kong
D) Singapore
Answer- B) Tokyo
9. Which country will host the 4th Champions League T20 in October this year?
A) India
B) Australia
C) South Africa
D) England
Answer- C) South Africa
10. QFI (Qualified Foreign Investment) is regulated in India by?
A) RBI
B) Financial Action Task Force
C) SEBI
D) IRDA
Answer- B) Financial Action Task Force

GROUP-I SERVICES RECRUITEMNT NEW CUT OFF MARK

The APPSC has conducted the Group-I prelims examination on 27th May 2012 and announced the list of eligible candidates qualified for the Mains Exam. Subsequently as per orders of Hon’ble APAT, the key was published and there were objections to this key. After verification of all objections received the final answer key was published on 2nd Sep 2012. As per this key the Cut off mark is 91 and total of 845 candidates are proposed to be deleted from the list of eligible candidates announced earlier as they failed to secure the cut off marks as per the final answer key.

For More Details Click Here

India beat Cameroon to lift Nehru Cup for the third consecutive time

India lifted the Nehru Cup for the third consecutive time beating Cameroon 5-4 in a penalty shootout at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at New Delhi on September 2. This is India's third consecutive Nehru Cup title, infact they have just won the three.
For the Indian football team, this is a matter of pride since the Cameroon side is ranked much higher to them in the FIFA rankings. India is ranked a lowly 168 while their,  opponents are 59 in the world. Cameroon football team also took part in the Beijing Olympics 2008.

Group-I Services Notifn. No. 15/2011 and 18/2011 ltd. & General - Screening Test - Final Key

Key for Notification No. 18/2011 , Group-I Services Notifn. No. 15/2011 and 18/2011 ltd. & General - Screening Test - Final Key

GROUP-I SERVICES RECRUITMENT NOTFN.NOS. 15/2011 and 18/2011 LIMITED & GENERAL- List of Reg.Nos. of the Additional Candidates qualified for Main Examination after application of Final Answer Key

GROUP-I SERVICES RECRUITMENT NOTFN.NOS. 15/2011 and 18/2011 LIMITED & GENERAL- List of Reg.Nos. of the Additional Candidates qualified for Main Examination after application of Final Answer Key 

National Monsoon Mission

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today approved the implementation of the programme of the National Monsoon Mission at the Earth System Science Organisation (ESSO) for a period of five years.

The main objectives of the National Monsoon Mission are:

(i) To build a working partnership between the academic and R&D organisations both national and international and the operational agencies to improve the operational monsoon forecast skill over the country.

(ii) To set up a state of the art dynamic modelling framework for improving the prediction skill of:

a. Seasonal and extended range prediction system (16 days to one season)

b. Short to medium range prediction system (up to 15 days).

The Mission has a budget of Rs.400 crore for five years to support the research work related to the mission.

The National Monsoon Mission after its implementation will help to implement a dynamic prediction system for the prediction of monsoon in all time scales, short range to seasonal time scale at appropriate spatial scales with improved prediction skill. The forecasts based on this prediction system will cater to the needs of various sectors like agriculture, water resources management, power generation, disaster management, tourism and transport.

The programme will be undertaken through two sub-missions on two different time scales, (i) extended range to seasonal time scale to be coordinated by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune/ESSO and (ii) short to medium range scale, to be coordinated by the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF)/ESSO. The Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS)/ESSO will provide the ocean observations for assimilation and the India Meteorological Department/ESSO will implement the research outcome of the efforts in operational mode. The Mission will support focused research by national and international research groups with definitive objectives and deliverables to improve the models in the short, medium, extended and seasonal range scales at appropriate spatial scales. The Mission will also support observational programmes that will result in better understanding of the processes. The progress of the National Monsoon Mission will be reviewed and monitored by two committees. The Scientific Review and Monitoring Committee (SRMC) will review the research proposals from different research groups and monitor the progress of the research work. The Scientific Steering Committee (SSC), which is the apex body will steer the programme, advise and direct midcourse corrections, if any.

Background:

Prediction of monsoon rainfall variability in all spatial and time scales is very important for many sectors like agriculture, water resources management, power generation and natural ecosystems and thus economy of the country. The present statistical methods being used by the India Meteorological Department have some constraints to meet specific user requirements for forecasts on finer spatial and temporal scale. Therefore, it is necessary to make use of the state of the art dynamic models to improve monsoon prediction skills.

National Mission on Food Processing

Government has approved the launching of National Mission on Food Processing (NMFP) main scheme through States/UTs during 2012-13. The basic objective of NMFP is decentralization of implementation of Ministry’s schemes, which will lead to substantial participation by State Governments/UTs. The NMFP is likely to add significantly to the Ministry’s outreach in terms of planning, supervision and monitoring of assistance through this scheme.

The major Progrmme/Schemes to be covered under NMFP during 2012-13 are:

(i) Scheme for Technology Up-gradation / Establishment /modernisation of Food Processing Industries.

(ii) Scheme for Cold Chain, Value Addition and Preservation Infrastructure for Non Horticultural Products.

(iii) Scheme for Modernisation of Abattoirs (no targets for 2012-13 & 2013-14)

(iv) Scheme for Human Resource Development (HRD)

a) Creation of Infrastructure Facilities for Running Degree/ Diploma / Certificate Courses in Food Processing Technology.

b) Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP)

c) Food Processing Training Centre (FPTC)

(v) Scheme for Promotional Activities

a. Organizing Seminars/Workshops

b. Conducting Studies/Surveys

c. Support to Exhibitions/Fairs

d. Advertisement & Publicity

Aamir Khan on Time magazine cover

Superstar Aamir Khan, fresh from the success of his debut TV show ‘Satyamev Jayate’, has been featured on the cover of Time magazine.

Aamir Khan features on the cover of the Asia edition of the magazine, which will be out next week. With a close-up picture of his face, the title for the cover reads: “Khan’s Quest” – He is breaking the Bollywood mold by tackling India’s social evils. Can an actor change a nation?”

The 47-year-old actor’s show, which wrapped up on August 15, highlighted social evils like female foeticide, sexual abuse and domestic violence. 

Other Indian actors to feature on the cover of the magazine are Parveen Babi and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. 

Mahatma Gandhi Suraksha Yojana

The Government has launched a scheme called ‘Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana’ (MGPSY) for Indian workers holding Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports and a valid work permit in an ECR country. This scheme encourages and enables Overseas Indian Workers to save for their return and resettlement and to save for their old age by providing a co-contribution from the Government. This also provides a free Life Insurance Cover against natural death during the period of coverage, under this scheme. However, there is no proposal to introduce a special package for Indian workers returning to India from conflict-ridden countries. There is also no plan to start a “Pravasi Bank” for Overseas Indians by the Ministry.

World’s Highest Railway Bridge Over Chenab River

The Railway bridge being constructed over the Chenab River in Jammu & Kashmir is planned to have a height of 359 meters from river bed level which, as per available information, is the highest railway bridge in the world.

            The railway bridge over river Chenab is a part of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla new line project which, on completion, is expected to connect Anantnag, Pulwama, Sopian, Badgam, Srinagar and Baramulla districts of Jammu & Kashmir State to the Railway network.

            Special quality structural steel is being used in the construction of the bridge involving very high degree of precision and latest welding technology.  Special painting scheme is being used for arch portion which is designed considering a number of additional parameters such as fatigue, seismic effect, blast load, global stability and composite action.  Various latest safety measures like measuring wind velocity, ground acceleration in case of earthquake, temperature monitor etc. are also being planned.

            The estimated cost of the bridge as per the contract agreement of 2004 is Rs. 512.74 crore.  The bridge falls in the Katra-Banihal section of the project which is targeted to be completed by December 2017.

APPSC GROUP-I SERVICES (18/2011) CUT OFF MARK

APPSC GROUP-I SERVICES (18/2011) SCREENING TEST 

  Answer Key for 4 Series & Cut Off Mark

CUT OFF MARK IS : 88

SERIES: A

Q.Nos. 6,8,10,69 & 104 Cancelled. Five marks added to each candidate.
Q.No. 17 having two answers (1&2) as per Commn's Orders in C.No. 298/CD/2012, dated: 13/06/2012.

SERIES: B
Q.Nos. 14,36,38,40 & 99 Cancelled. Five marks added to each candidate.
Q.No. 47 having two answers (1&2) as per Commn's Orders in C.No. 298/CD/2012, dated: 13/06/2012. 

SERIES: C
Q.Nos. 9,74,126,128 & 130 Cancelled. Five marks added to each candidate.
Q.No. 137 having two answers (1&2) as per Commn's Orders in C.No. 298/CD/2012,dated:13/06/2012.  

SERIES: D
Q.Nos. 39,96,98,100 & 134 Cancelled. Five marks added to each candidate.
Q.No. 107 having two answers (1&2) as per Commn's Orders in C.No. 298/CD/2012, dated:13/0/2012.  

Cabinet nod for ban on child labour below 14

The Union Cabinet on August 28 approved a proposal for amending the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, to ban employment of children aged up to 14 in any form of industry.

It will be an offence to employ such children not only in factories or industries but also in homes or on farms, if their labour is meant to serve any commercial interest.

The Ministry of Labour is likely to introduce the amendment bill in Parliament soon.

Quoting the National Sample Survey Organisation’s figures, official sources said the amendment would benefit 46 lakh children, who have been working in various industries now, and they can concentrate on education.

The Cabinet also approved another amendment to define children aged 14-18 as “adolescents” and prohibit their employment in mines, explosives industries, chemical and paint industries and other hazardous establishments.

The government’s decision is in line with the convention of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which prohibits any form of child labour until the age of 14.

Since the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or RTE now stipulates compulsory and free education of children up to the age of 14, the upper age limit in the Child Labour Act has been kept at 14.

The RTE, which makes education the fundamental right of a child, was passed by Parliament on August 4, 2009. It sets forth the modalities of free and compulsory education for children aged 6-14. The Act came into effect on April 1, 2010.

APPSC ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN A.P TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING EXAM G.S. SOLVED PAPER

MPSC ASSISTANT PRELIMINERY EXAMINATION- 2012 SOLVED PAPER

Reservation to Women in the Legislature

During the years several steps have been taken for empowerment of women and one such step was to provide reservation for women in Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies. The Government put a step forward and introduced a Bill, namely, the Constitution (One Hundred Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2008 in the Rajya Sabha on the 6th May, 2008 to provide inter alia for, as nearly as may be, one-third (including the number of seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes) of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election to the House of People and to the State Legislative Assemblies and the Legislative Assembly of National Capital Territory of Delhi shall be reserved for the women. Afterwards, the Chairman, Rajya Sabha on the 8th May, 2008 referred the Bill to the Departmental Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, and Law and Justice for examination and report. Giving this information in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Shri Salman Khurshid, Minister of Law & Justice, said that the Committee presented its 36th Report on the Bill to the Rajya Sabha/ laid in the Lok Sabha on the 17th December, 2009. The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill on 9th March, 2010. The Bill is to be passed by the Lok Sabha and is also required to be ratified by the Legislatures of not less than one-half of the States by resolution.

Schemes for Slum Dwellers and Urban Poor

The Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja has said that the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) is implementing the following schemes for slum dwellers and urban poor across the country:

(i) Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) launched on 3^rd December, 2005, the Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) and Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programmes (IHSDP) are being implemented which focus on basic services to the urban poor and integrated development of slums. Under BSUP, 65 select cities in the country are covered and the remaining cities are covered under IHSDP. Under BSUP scheme, 527 projects have been approved with total project cost of Rs. 30188.69 crores for construction of 1017252 Dwelling Units (DUs). Under IHSDP scheme, 1084 projects in 928 cities have been approved with total project cost of Rs. 12048.50 crores for construction of 570951 Dwelling Units (DUs).

(ii) Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) aims at providing gainful employment to the urban unemployed and under-employed poor, through encouraging the setting up of self employment ventures by the urban poor living below the poverty line, skills training and also through providing wage employment by utilizing their labour for construction of socially and economically useful public assets. This scheme is applicable to all cities and towns in the country. During the 2011-12, 353,803 beneficiaries were covered under   skills training and 79,804 beneficiaries under urban self employment programme components of SJSRY.

(iii) In pursuance of the Government’s vision of creating a Slum-free India, a new scheme ‘Rajiv Awas Yojana’ (RAY) has been launched on 02.06.2011.Under the Scheme financial assistance is being provided to States that are willing to assign property rights to slum dwellers for provision of decent shelter and basic civic and social services for slum redevelopment, and for creation of affordable housing stock. The scheme is expected to cover above 250 cities, across the entire country by the end of 12^th plan (2017).The States would be required to include all the mission cities of JNNURM, preferably cities with more than 3 lakh population as per 2001 Census; and other smaller cities, with due consideration to the pace of growth of the city, of slums, predominance of minority population, and areas where property rights are assigned. Funds have been released to 34 States/UTs under Slum Free City Planning Scheme - the preparatory phase of Rajiv AwasYojana. The list of 185 cities in which preparatory activities are being undertaken are as per Annexure-I. In addition, 8 pilot projects with total project cost of Rs. 446.22 Crores involving Central Assistance of Rs. 197.09 Crores have been approved under RAY for construction of 8400 dwelling units. The first installment of Rs. 65.69 Crores has been released to the concerned states as per Annexure-II.

 (iv) The Affordable Housing in Partnership Scheme, which is intended to encourage public private partnerships for the creation of affordable housing stock has been dovetailed with RAY. Under this scheme, central support will be provided at the rate of Rs 50,000 per unit of rental/affordable dwelling unit or 25% of the cost of civic infrastructure (external and internal), whichever is lower. Under this Scheme, which is applicable to all cities covered under RAY, 8 projects have been sanctioned with a central assistance of Rs. 7.2 Crore for construction of 5776 Affordable dwelling units.

(v) To enable the urban poor to obtain credit for home loans at affordable rates, the Interest Subsidy Scheme for Housing the Urban Poor (ISHUP), which provides 5 % interest subsidy on loans up to Rs. one lakh, is being implemented. This scheme has been dovetailed with RAY.  As on date, 10,215 beneficiaries have been benefitted.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha  Kumari Selja said, for proper utilization of funds under these schemes, the Ministry of HUPA is regularly monitoring the progress through quarterly/monthly physical and financial reports, periodic review meeting at state/regional/city level and field visits by Ministry’s officers and monitoring agencies.

Click here to see Annexures

Implementation of SJSRY in Andhra Pradesh

The Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) Kumari Selja has said that the revamped Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) has five major components:-

(i)           Urban Self Employment Programme (USEP)-Targeting individual urban poor for setting up of micro-enterprises.

(ii)        Urban Women Self-help Programme (UWSP)-Targeting urban poor women self-help groups for setting up of group-enterprises and providing them assistance through a revolving fund for thrift & credit activities.

(iii)      Skill Training for Employment Promotion amongst Urban Poor (STEP-UP)-Targeting urban poor for imparting quality training so as to enhance their employability for self-employment or better salaried employment.

(iv)      Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP) -Assisting urban poor by utilizing their labour for construction of socially and economically useful public assets, in towns having population less than 5 lakhs as per 1991 census.

(v)        Urban Community Development Network (UCDN)-Assisting the urban poor in organizing themselves in self- managed community structures so as to gain collective strength to address the issues of poverty facing them and participate in the effective implementation of urban poverty alleviation programmes.

          In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha  Kumari Selja said, the scheme is implemented through the State Governments. Ministry monitors their performance regularly to ensure that benefits of the scheme reach to all sections of the urban poor. Regular training of the functionaries of State, District and Urban Local Bodies are held to orient them towards better implementation of this scheme. Statement showing year-wise, State-wise achievement of SJSRY during the last two plans are at Annexure-I & II. The Statement showing physical targets set and achieved under the Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) in the State of Andhra Pradesh during the last five years is at Annexure-III.  The Ministry does not set district-wise targets.

Click here to See Annexure

Thorium Reserve in the Country

Exploration activities carried out by Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent unit of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), has resulted in establishing 3.74 million tones of Monazite in Andhra Pradesh which contains about 3,36,600 tonnes of thorium oxide equivalent to 2,96,000 tonnes of thorium metal. 
These reserves are explored and established. 
Indian three stage nuclear power programme is aimed at long term energy independence including use of thorium resources in the third stage. In order to realize this goal, presently, the first stage of programme is accomplished through the nuclear reactors based on natural uranium fuel. The second stage envisages setting up of Fast Breeder Reactors. A Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor is planned at Kalpakkam. The utilization of thorium would be technically possible only in the third stage. Since the country is still in the first stage of the nuclear power programme, the requirement of Thorium by 2020 is quite modest.

Location of Nuclear Reactors in India

In India, nuclear power reactors are set up and operated on twin unit concept with dedicated safety and process systems, operating personnel and the management for operating these units. Each reactor has independent safety and process systems. At the same site, additional twin units module with independent safety and security of operating island are considered to reduce requirement of land for exclusion zone. This also helps in meeting the objective of minimizing the displacement of population.

The nuclear reactors planned to be set up at Jaitapur are the Evolutionary Pressurized Water Reactors (EPRs). The EPR design has been based on the proven design, safety principles and manufacturing technologies employed in “N4” reactors in France and “KONVOI” reactors in operation in Germany. N4 & KONVOI reactors are under successful and safe operation for the last many years. The EPRs planned at Jaitapur incorporate the operational feedback from “N4” & “KONVOI” reactors. Currently, EPRs are under construction in Finland, France and China which may become operational in the next 2 to 4 years. The operational experience from these reactors will also be available before the commissioning of Jaitapur nuclear power project. As regards the cost, the discussions on the techno-commercial offer of AREVA. France are focused on arriving at mutually acceptable capital cost and tariff levels.

Following the Inter-Governmental Agreement between India & France in 2008, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and AREVA, France signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up Nuclear Power Reactors at Jaitapur on February 4, 2009. A General Framework Agreement (GFA) and Early Works Agreement (EWA) were signed between NPCIL and AREVA on December 6, 2010. The GFA covers installation of the initial set of 2x1650 MW EPR including scope of work, division of responsibility, design, materials, technology, services and life time fuel supplies. The EWA relates to preliminary works related to design, engineering and regulatory aspects.

PJ Kurien elected the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha

PJ Kurien was unanimously elected the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh moved the motion for the election of Kurien.
Kurien has been the member of national parliament for the last three decades representing Idukki, and Mavelikkara Lok Sabha constituencies. Since 2005 he is a member of the Rajya Sabha.
The Deputy Chairman is elected in the meeting of the Rajya Sabha as decided by Chairman of the Rajya Sabha from amongst the members of the Rajya Sabha. He is supposed to resign from his original party because as a Deputy Speaker, he has to remain impartial.
Deputy Chaiman of Rajya Sabha acts as the Presiding Officer in case of leave or absence of the Chairman of Rajya Sabha, the Vice-President of India.

PERSONS IN NEWS 2012 (International)

(Useful for UPSC Civil Services Mains)

Alana Seebarran

Alana Seebarran of Guyana has been crowned as the Miss India Worldwide 2012 in the 23rd edition of the pageant held in Suriname capital of Paramaribo. 

Alberto Contador

Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador on February 6, 2012 Received a two-year ban for doping during the 2010 Tour de France and was stripped of his victory in the race. Contador tested positive for the banned anabolic agent clenuterol.

Bosusco Paolo

Italian tour operator Bosusco Paolo was finally released by te Odisha State Organising Committee of the outlawed Communist Party of India  (Maoist) in Kandhamal district on April 12, 2012

Chandra Bahadur Dangi

Nepal's Chandra Bahadur Dangi was declared the world's shortest living  man at a ceremony in Kathmandu on February 26, 2012 Dangi, who measured at just 21.5 inches (54.6 centimetres), snatched the title from Junrey Balawing of the Philippines.

Christian Wulff

Germany's President Christian Wulff resigned on February 17, 2012 in a scandal over favours he allegedly received before becoming head of state, creating a major domestic distraction for Chancellor Angela Merkel as she grapples with Europe's debt crisis.

Charles Taylor

A U.N. –backed war crimes court sentenced the former President of Liberin, Charles Taylor, to 50 years in jail on May 30, 2012 for arming rebels in Sierra Leone in return for "blood diamonds" Taylor, 64 was earlier convicted of all 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for aiding and abetting Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front during the country's brutal 1991-2001 civil war.

SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

(Useful for UPSC Civil Services Mains)

OPEC Meet

The 160th Meeting of the Conference of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) convened in Vienna, Austria, on 14 December 2011, under the Chairmanship of its President, HE Eng Rostam Ghasemi, Minister of Petroleum of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Conference reviewed recent oil market devel-opments, as presented by the Secretary General, in particular supply/ demand projections, as well as the outlook for 2012. The Conference noted, further, that, although world oil demand is forecast to increase slightly during the year 2012, this rise is expected to be partially offset by a projected increase in non-OPEC supply. The Conference decided that its next Ordinary Meeting will convene in Vienna, Austria, on 14 June 2012.

International Conference on climate change, Sustainable agriculture and Public leaderhsip

A two-day International Conference on Climate Change, Sustainable Agriculture and Public Leadership was held in New Delhi. The main objective of this conference was to bring scientists, teachers, researchers, economists, managers and policy makers from around the w orld on a single platform to discuss various aspects of climate change, sustainable agriculture and public leadership and develop a consensus containing a set of valuable recommendations, as a way forward for addressing the issues related to the future climate scenario, Indian agriculture and food security.

First Interpol Global Programme on Anti-Corruption and Asset Recovery

The first Global Programme on Anti-Corruption and Asset licovery for Investigators and Prosecutors (13-18 February,-2012) hosted by the CBI, was at-tended by 39 police officers, Birvestigators and prosecutors from various INTERPOL member countries from across the world, including Australia, Afghanistan, China, Hongkong, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, jfcrcenesia, Fiji, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Philippines and facia

The main purpose of the Global Programme was to enhance knowledge and skills of investigators and prosecutors in nc icing assets of mass corruption, and making effective use rf 1 egal assistance in international and trans-border investigations. Of India Dr. Manmohan Singh, UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, and former Governor of California Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

NEWSMAKERS 2011-12

(Useful for Civil Services Mains Exam)

 

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, the renowned Indian-American scientist whose pioneering work in Molecular Biology won him the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has been knighted in the New Year Honours List 2012. He has been conferred knighthood “for services to Molecular Biology”. Ramakrishnan, a US citizen, is based at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. He was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2010.

Jordan Romero

Jordan Romero, a US teenager became the youngest person to successfully climb to the summit of the seven tallest mountains on Earth’s seven continents. He beat the record previously held by British climber George Atkinson, who completed the ascents at age 16.

Neha Shekhawat

Flight Lieutenant Sneha Shekhawat is the first woman pilot to lead an Air Force contingent at the 63rd Republic Day parade. She was assisted by three other women Flying Officers Heena Pore, Anupam Chaudhary and Pooja Negi. Shekhawat, from Sikar in Rajasthan, is at present posted with the IAF squadron at Hindon in Ghaziabad air base.

Sebastian Edathy

Indian-origin MP in Germany Sebastian Edathy will head 11- member parliamentary inquiry committee that will investigate the racist-motivated murders across the country by a neo-Nazi cell evading detection for more than a decade. It will be the highest assignment in the political career of Edathy, who became a Social Democratic Party (SPD) member of Bundestag in 1998.

Mae Jemison

Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to go into space in 1992, has been chosen to head the 100-year Starship project. Jemison's project will explore what it would take for a multi-generational mission beyond the solar system.

Miss China crowned Miss World 2012

China's Yu Wenxia has been crowned the 2012 Miss World.

This is the second time Miss China has been awarded the title. The last time was in 2007 when Zhang Zilin took the honor.

The first runner-up is Sophie Elizabeth Moulds of Wales and the second runner-up is Jessica Michelle Kahawaty of Australia.

The 23-year-old Yu is a music student who says she wants to become a music teacher.

This is the first time for the Inner Mongolian city of Ordos to host the international beauty pageant.

The city is one of the richest regions in China thanks to its abundant natural resources. It hopes the world event will raise its profile for economic development and tourism.

Sanya, another Chinese city, has hosted the contest several times.

India's Vanya Mishra made it to the top seven spot but failed to progress further. She, however, did bag the titles of Miss Social Media and Miss Beauty with a Purpose.

In the semi-finals, the contestants were asked to perform on the music of their country and Vanya chose to dance on "Dil cheez kya hai" from 1981 film "Umrao Jaan", which landed her a spot in the top seven finalists.
Rita Faria was the first Indian to bag the title in 1966, followed by Aishwarya Rai (1994), Diana Hayden (1997), Yukta Mookhey (1999) and Priyanka Chopra (2000). China has already hosted the competition five times.

Miss World contest has several preliminary rounds, the winners of these major rounds of the pageant are:
1. Beach Fashion: Miss Wales
2. Talent Champion: Miss China
3. Top Model: Miss Sudan
4. Beauty with a Purpose: Miss India
5. Social Media Award: Miss India

Welfare Schemes for Women

Many welfare schemes for women are implemented by Government of India, State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. The details of major schemes under implementation by Ministry of Women and Child Development for the welfare of women are as under :

i. RAJIV GANDHI NATIONAL CRECHE SCHEME FOR THE CHILDREN OF WORKING MOTHERS (RGNCS) provides day care facilities to the children in the age group 0-6 years from families with monthly income of less than 12000/-. In addition to being a safe space for the children, the crèches provide services such as supplementary nutrition, pre-school education and emergency health care, etc.

ii. CENTRAL SOCIAL WELFARE BOARD: The main women welfare related schemes and programmes being implemented by CSWB are family counselling centres, awareness generation programme and condensed courses of education for women.

iii. NATIONAL MISSION FOR EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN (NMEW) is an initiative of the Government of India for empowering women holistically. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme sanctioned in April 2011 and acts as an umbrella Mission with a mandate to strengthen inter-sectoral convergence.

iv. WORKING WOMEN’S HOSTEL (WWH) Scheme envisages provision of safe and affordable hostel accommodation to working women, single working women, women working at places away from their home-towns and for women being trained for employment.

v. SUPPORT TO TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMME (STEP) for Women was launched as a Central Sector Scheme during 1986-87. It aims at making a significant impact on women by upgrading skills for self and wage employment. The target group includes the marginalized assetless rural women and urban poor.

vi. RASHTRIYA MAHILA KOSH (RMK) with a corpus of Rs.100 crore extends micro-finance services to bring about the socio-economic upliftment of poor women.

vii. INDIRA GANDHI MATRITVA SAHYOG YOJANA (IGMSY) is a Conditional Cash Transfer scheme for pregnant and lactating (P&L) women introduced in the October 2010 to contribute to better enabling environment by providing cash incentives for improved health and nutrition to pregnant and nursing mothers.

viii. SWADHAR SCHEME: The Ministry of Women and Child Development had been administering Swadhar scheme since 2001 for Women in difficult circumstances. Under the Scheme, temporary accommodation, maintenance and rehabilitative services are provided to women and girls rendered homeless due to family discord, crime, violence, mental stress, social ostracism. Another scheme with similar objectives/target groups namely Short Stay Home (SSH) is being implemented by Central Social Welfare Board.

ix. UJJAWALA is a comprehensive scheme for prevention of trafficking and rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.

LONDON OLYMPICS 2012 HIGHLIGHTS

On August 12, 2012, London bade a flamboyant and madcap farewell to the Olympic Games with a romp through British pop and fashion, bringing the curtain down on more than two weeks of action that ended with USA topping the sporting world with 46 gold medals.

During a special eight-minute segment, the stadium was bathed in the colours and sounds of Brazil, as the Olympics looked ahead to 2016 when Rio de Janeiro is the host city.

The Olympic flag was handed to Eduardo Paes, Rio’s Mayor, before International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge described the London Games as “happy and glorious” and declared them closed—the words taken from Britain’s national anthem to the queen.

The main stadium was the setting for some of the most spectacular moments of the Games, including Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt defending the 100, 200 and 4x100 metres titles he won in Beijing, the latter in a world-beating time.

British supporters will also cherish memories of the venue, where Somali-born runner Mo Farah won the 5,000 and 10,000 double to deafening roars and was celebrated as a symbol of the capital’s multi-culturalism.

The hosts won 29 golds to take third place in the rankings, their best result for 104 years, helping lift a nation beset by severe spending cuts and worried about social stability a year after violent riots swept parts of the capital.

Many will remember London 2012 for the record-breaking exploits of American swimmer Michael Phelps, who took his life-time medal haul to 22 including 18 golds, making him the most decorated Olympian in history. His tally helped the United States to the top of the Olympic table with 46 golds to second-placed China’s 38, reversing the order of the Beijing Games in 2008.

Opening Ceremony
On July 27, 2012, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth declared the London Olympics open after playing a cameo role in a dizzying ceremony designed to highlight the grandeur and eccentricities of the nation that invented modern sport.

Children’s voices, intertwining from the four corners of her United Kingdom, ushered in an exuberant historical pageant of meadows, smokestacks and digital wizardry before an audience of 60,000 in the Olympic Stadium, and a probable billion television viewers around the globe.

Many of them gasped at the sight of the 86-year-old queen, marking her Diamond Jubilee this year, putting aside royal reserve in a video where she stepped onto a helicopter with James Bond actor Daniel Craig to be carried aloft from Buckingham Palace.

A film clip showed doubles of her and Bond skydiving towards the stadium and, moments later, she made her entrance in person.

More than 10,000 athletes from 204 countries competed in 26 sports over 17 days of competition in the only city to have staged the modern Games three times.

Most of them were there for the traditional alphabetical parade of the national teams, not least the athletes from Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen competing in their first Olympics since their peoples overthrew autocrats in Arab Spring revolutions.

Brunei and Qatar were led in by their countries’ first ever female Olympians and so, along with Saudi Arabia, ended their status as the only countries to exclude women from their teams.

At the end of a three-hour extravaganza, David Beckham, the English soccer icon who had helped convince the IOC to grant London the Games, stepped off a speedboat carrying the Olympic flame at the end of a torch relay that inspired many ordinary people around Britain.

Past Olympic heroes including Muhammad Ali, who lit the cauldron at the 1996 Atlanta Games, and British rower Steve Redgrave, the only person to win gold at five successive games, welcomed the flame into the stadium.

Yet it was not a celebrity but seven teenage athletes who lit a spectacular arrangement of over 200 copper ‘petals’ representing the participating countries, which rose up in the centre of the stadium to converge into a single cauldron.

India’s Performance
   

     
India’s tally of two silver and 4 bronze medals was its best tally in Olympics. 81 athletes from India had competed in 13 sports.

Sushil Kumar became the first Indian to get back-to-back Olympic medals. He won silver medal in 66kg Freestyle Wrestling. He had won a bronze medal in the Beijing Olympics.

Subedar Vijay Kumar Sharma of 16 Dogra Regiment bagged silver medal in 25m rapid fire pistol event.

Yogeshwar Dutt, 2010 CWG gold winner, won India its fourth Bronze medal in 60kg freestyle Wrestling.

Five-time world champion MC Mary Kom won a bronze medal in women’s boxing (51 kg) event. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2009), Arjuna Award (2003) and Padamshree (2006) awardee, Mary Kom is the first Indian women boxer to qualify for Olympics. The 29-year-old boxer from Manipur came back from a two-year sabbatical after the birth of her twins to clinch her fourth successive world title in 2008, a feat that got her the sobriquet ‘Magnificent Mary’.

Ace marksman Gagan Narang opened India’s account in London Olympics by clinching a bronze medal in the men's 10 meter air. The burly Indian, who narrowly missed the final in Beijing, raised his gun above his head as his many compatriots in the crowd cheered loudly at the country's first medal of the Games.

Beijing Games gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, however, could not defend his title and crashed out of the event.

Saina Nehwal won women’s singles bronze in badminton when her opponent Wang Xin of China broke down with a knee injury after taking the opening game. Nehwal, ranked fifth in the world, became only the second Indian woman to win a medal in an individual Olympic sport.

22-year-old Irfan from Kerala did not win any medal but produced the best effort by an Indian in an Olympic walking event, finishing 10th in the 20km race, with a national record to boot.

In Hockey, India finished last in their group. This was the first time in Olympic history that India lost all their group matches.

History of India in Olympics
The first authentic Indian team took part at the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games in athletics and wrestling. A National Olympic Committee was finally formed in 1927.
India's greatest successes at the Olympics have come in men’s hockey. They won every men’s title from 1928 to 1956. In 1960 they reached the final but lost to Pakistan to end the sequence. India were an ever present on the men’s hockey medal podium until 1976 and their last gold medal success in this sport came at the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games.

Indian shooters have challenged for medals in the new millennium. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won silver in the men’s double trap in Athens 2004. Shooter Abinav Bindra became India’s first individual gold medalist when he won the 10m air rifle at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

At the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, Norman Pritchard had won silver medals in the men’s 200m and the now discontinued 200m hurdles. He was the first medal winner born in India but confusion surrounds his nationality as India was then under British rule.

Mascot
Wenlock was the official mascot of the Games. The mascot was created and designed by iris, a London-based creative agency. Wenlock is an animation depicting two drops of steel from a steelworks in Bolton. It was named after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock, which held a forerunner of the current Olympic Games.

APPSC Official Key for Junior Accountant, Junior Assistant, Junior Stenographers and Typists in A.P. Vaidya Vidhana Parishad

Key for Notification No. 53/2011 Dt: 31/12/2011 , Key : J.As/JR.STENOS / TYPISTS IN V.V. PARISHAD(53/2011) :: Paper-1




Key for Notification No. 53/2011 Dt: 31/12/2011 , Key : J.As/JR.STENOS / TYPISTS IN V.V. PARISHAD(53/2011) :: Paper-2

APPSC OFFICIAL KEY FOR JUNIOR ASSISTANT IN BOARD OF INTERMEDIATE EDUCATION

Key for Notification No. 51/2011 Dt:30/12/2011 , Key : JR.ASST. BOARD OF INTER.EDU.(51/2011) :: Paper-1 


Key for Notification No. 51/2011 Dt:30/12/2011 , Key : JR.ASST. BOARD OF INTER.EDU.(51/2011) :: Paper-2

APPSC GROUP-IV SECRETARIAL ABILITIES SOLVED PAPER (EXAM HELD ON: 11-08-2012)

APPSC GROUP-IV GENERAL STUDIES PAPER (EXAM HELD ON: 11-08-2012)

36th International Geological Congress to be held in India in 2020

The 36th International Geological Congress will come to India in 2020 after a period of 56 years. The last International Geological Congress was held in India in 1964 in Delhi. Dr. Vishwapati Trivedi, Secretary, Ministry of Mines today presented the bid before the International Union of Geological Science (IUGS) Council consisting of 121 member countries and 128 votes were cast in favour of India against 51 votes to Canada, which had offered Vancouver as the venue of IGC 2020.

Schemes to Save the Girl Child

The Government recognizes that the problem of declining child sex ratio in India is not an isolated phenomenon but must be seen in the context of the low status of women and the girl child as a whole, within the home and outside. While its immediate reasons can be traced to increasing son-preference as well as advances in technology that has encouraged sex selective abortions, concern of safety and security of the girl child along with the practice of dowry are no less responsible for it.

Accordingly, the Government has undertaken a number of measures to improve survival and status of girl children in the country. While programmes for improvement of nutrition benefit all children including girl children, like the Integrated Child Development Scheme, National Rural Health Mission, Mid-day meal scheme etc., specific interventions for girl children include implementing the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994, pilot cash transfer scheme of ‘Dhanlakshmi’, setting up a Sectoral  Innovation Council for improving child sex ratio and acting upon its recommendations, and the pilot scheme ‘Sabla’ for a comprehensive Intervention for adolescent girls in the age group of 11-18, with a focus on out of school girls in select 200 districts of the country.

Of these, ‘Dhanlakshmi’ provides conditional cash incentive, and the scheme does not discriminate on the basis of caste and economic status of parents. It is a pilot scheme being implemented in 11 blocks in seven States of the country.