Thursday, January 20, 2011

List of 'reshuffled' Council of Ministers

In the first major revamp of his Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh January 19, inducted three new ministers of state and promoted three to Cabinet rank while reshuffling some portfolios. Here is the list of the changes:

Cabinet ministers:
1. Praful Patel: Heavy industries and public enterprises
2. Sriprakash Jaiswal: Coal
3. Salman Khursheed: Water resources and additional charge of minority affairs

Minister of state (independent charge) :
1. Ajay Maken: Youth affairs and sports
2. Beni Prasad Verma: steel
3. KV Thomas: Consumer affairs, food and public distribution

Ministers of state:
1. Ashwani Kumar: Planning and parliamentary affairs, science and technology, and earth sciences
2. KC Venugopal: Power

The portfolios of the following ministers have also been changed:

Cabinet ministers:
1. Sharad Pawar: Agriculture and food processing industries
2. Virbhadra Singh: Micro, small and medium enterprises
3. Vilasrao Deshmukh: Rural development and additional charge of Panchayati Raj
4. S Jaipal Reddy : Petroleum and natural gas
5. Kamal Nath: Urban development
6. Vayalar Ravi: Overseas Indian affairs and additional charge of civil aviation
7. Murli Deora: Corporate affairs
8. Kapil Sibal: Human resource development and additional charge of communications and information technology
9. BK Handique: Development of north-eastern region
10. CP Joshi: Road transport and highways
11. Kumari Selja: Housing and urban poverty alleviation and additional charge of culture
12. Subodh Kant Sahay: Tourism
13. M.S. Gill: Statistics and programme implementation
14. Pawan Kumar Bansal: Parliamentary affairs and additional charge of science and technology and earth sciences

Minister of state (independent charge):
1. Dinsha Patel: Mines

Ministers of state:
1. E Ahamed: External affairs
2. Harish Rawat: Agriculture and food processing industries
3. V Narayanasamy: Parliamentary affairs and personnel, public grievances and pensions and Prime Minister's Office
4. Gurudas Kamat: Home affairs
5. A. Sai Prathap: Heavy industries and public enterprises
6. Bharatsinh Solanki: Railways
7. Jitin Prasada: Road transport and highways
8. Mahadev S Khandela : Tribal affairs
9. RPN Singh: Petroleum and natural gas and corporate affairs
10. Tusharbhai Chaudhary: Road transport and highways
11. Arun Yadav: Agriculture and food processing industries
12. Pratik Prakashbapu Patil: coal
13. Vincent Pala: Water resources and minority affairs

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

First Rupee 150 coin issued by India



India’s highest denomination commemorative coin released on 9th may 2010 at New Delhi by Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee to mark 150th birth centenary of Nobel Prize winner Gurudev Rabindra Nath Tagore. There were two coins with denominations of rupees 5 and rupees 150 in a beautiful presentation set.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Indian Cricketers Nick Name

The Harayana Hurricane
Kapil Dev
The Wall
Rahul Dravid
Gauti
Gautam Gambhir
Dada, Prince of Kolkata
Sourav Ganguly
The Turbanator, Bhajji
Harbhajan Singh
Jumbo
Anil Kumble
Very Very Special
VVS Laxman
Bachcha
Parthiv Patel
Muscles
Venkatapathy Raju
Venu
Venugopal Rao
Sanu
Suresh Raina
Viru, Prince of Najafgarh
Virendra Sehwag
Ishu, Lambu
Ishant Sharma
Shaz
Ravi Shastri
Sherry, Jonty Singh,
Sixer Sidhu
Navjot Singh Sidhu
Babu, Mysore Express
Javagal Srinath
Dada, The Bengal Tiger,
The Prince of Kolkata
Sourav Ganguly
Master Blaster, God of Cricket
Sachin Tendulkar
Robbie
Robin Uthappa
Colonel
Dilip Vengsarkar
Venkat
Venkataraghavan
Vishy
Gundappa Viswanath
J.P
Jai Yadav
Yuvi,
Maharaja of Indian Cricket
Yuvraj Singh

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Top 10 global weather events in 2010

A panel of experts has ranked the top 10 global weather and climate events of 2010 as follows.

According to Christian Science Monitor, voters considered the scope and unusualness of the event, its immediate human and economic impact, and whether it is emblematic of climate trends or variability:

1. Russian-European-Asian heat waves

The heat waves of summer 2010 spawned drought, wildfires, and crop failures across western Russia, where over 15,000 people died. All-time high temperatures occurred in many cities and nations across the Northern Hemisphere. China faced locust swarms during July.

Temperatures hovered from four to eight degrees Celsius above average in Russia during June and July. On July 30th, Moscow recorded its highest temperature ever 39 degrees Celsius breaking the previous record of 37 degrees Celsius set just four days earlier. Prior to July 2010, the record hadn't been broken for 90 years.

2. Warmest year on record (probably)

According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the globally averaged temperature for 2010 will finish among the two warmest, and likely the warmest, in the 130-year-climate record.

(The current record was set in 2005, and so far the two years are in a statistical tie, which may be resolved as data compilation continues.)

2001-2010 is the warmest 10-year period since the start of weather records in 1850, the UN weather agency said Dec 2.

3. Flooding in Pakistan

Monsoon rains fall in Pakistan every summer, but the rains in June and July 2010 were unusually heavy, bringing over a foot of rain.

By Aug 1, whole villages had washed away, over 1,600 people had died, six million had lost their homes, and about 20 million people were affected. The flooding in northwestern Pakistan was the worst since 1929, officials said.

4. El Nino to La Nina transition

Spring 2010 saw an enormous swing from El Nino to La Nina. Flooding in Indonesia, Colombia and Australia has all been tied to this phenomenon.

They are associated with opposite extremes in sea-surface temperature across the Pacific, and with opposite extremes in rainfall, surface air pressure, and atmospheric circulation from Indonesia to South America (approximately half the distance around the globe).

5. Negative Arctic Oscillation

The Arctic Oscillation influences winter weather in the Northern Hemisphere: when it is negative, arctic air slides south. In February, the index reached -4.27, the lowest value since records began in 1950.

6. Brazilian drought

A severe drought parching northern Brazil shrunk the Rio Negro (Black river) one of the most important tributaries of the Amazon River to its lowest level in over a century. At their point of confluence, the Amazon's depth fell more than 12 feet below its average.

Nearly half of Amazonias 62 municipalities declared a state of emergency. The drought affected over 60,000 families.

7. (tie) Northeast Pacific hurricane (non-)season

The Northeast Pacific Hurricane Season was one of the least active on record. This dud of a hurricane season produced the fewest named storms and hurricanes of the modern era and had the earliest cessation of tropical activity Sep 23 on record.

7. (tie) Historic snow retreat

December 2009 had the second-largest snow cover of the satellite record (since the mid-1960s), followed by a ferocious spring snowmelt season. The rapidly melting snow contributed to spring floods across the Northern US and Canada.

Following the early and pronounced snow melt, the North American, Eurasian, and Hemispheric snow cover was the smallest on record for May and June 2010.

9. Shrinking Arctic sea ice

Arctic sea ice, the floating ice sheet that covers most of the Arctic ocean, shrunk to its third smallest extent ever, measuring only 4.9 million sq. km. The last four years (2007-2010) are the four smallest on record.

For the first time in modern history, the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route were simultaneously ice-free in September.

10. China drought

A persistent drought, described as the worst in a century, covered parts of southern, southwestern and central China from January through April.

Centered in Yunnan province, the drought destroyed several million hectares of crops and dried up drinking water sources, affecting over 50 million people.

2010 was the warmest year since 1901: IMD

India Meteorological Department has declared that 2010 was the warmest year since 1901.

According to the department, the annual mean temperature averaged over the country as a whole was 25.8023 degrees Celsius last year. This translates to an increase of 0.93 degrees over the average for the 30-year period from 1961-1990.

The previous record was achieved in 2009, when the annual mean temperature averaged over the country in its entirety was 25.7876 degrees Celsius.

Above normal

Releasing the annual climate summary for the country for 2010 on Thursday, IMD Director-General Ajit Tyagi said an analysis showed that the mean annual temperatures were generally above normal throughout the country during the year, with the departure from the normal being more pronounced in north and central India.

The departures from the normal were more than one degree Celsius over most parts of northern and central India, while they were between zero and one degree over the rest of the country.

More significantly, the temperatures were generally above normal both in terms of maximum [day] temperature and minimum [night] temperature.

Records broken

Month-wise, however, records were broken only thrice — in March, April and November. The mean monthly temperature over the country as a whole for March was 2.27 degrees Celsius above the 1961-90 average, 2.02 degrees Celsius for April and 1.17 degrees Celsius for November.

An analysis as part of the annual climate summary of decadal variations in temperatures shows that they had gone up significantly: the average temperature for 2001-10 was 0.6 degrees above that for 1901-10. But, there is no discernible pattern in year-wise temperatures. After 2010 and 2009, the third warmest year was 2002, the fourth 2006, fifth 2003, sixth 2007, the seventh 2004, the eighth 1998, the ninth 1941, the 10th 1999, the 11th 1958, the 12th 2001, the 13th 1987 and so on.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Indian Gold Medalists at 16th Asian Games 2010

Pankaj Advani (Billiards) – The only player to have won both point and time formats in World Billiards gave India their first gold. In the final, he had to come from behind to win.

Ashwini Akkunji (Athletics)- This was least expected the 400 m hurdles is a tough event, but Akkunji with her long graceful and rhythmic strides pulled off an upset victory timing 56.15 sec.

Bajrang Lal Takhar (Rowing) – The armyman won the first individual rowing gold for India at the Asiad. He times 7.04 78s, 0.03 ahead of nearest rival. Takhar won a silver in 2006 Games.

Joseph Abraham (Athletics)- The athlete timed 49.52 to win in photo-finish. His time also become a national record in the event.

Sudha Singh (Athletics)
- The 3000m Steeplechaser won the race in a tight finish against Chinese rival. Sudha, won hold the national record, finished with a time of 9:55.67.

Vikas Krishna (Boxing)
- The 60kg pugilist is another product of the famed Bhiwani school. In winning the gold, he became the youngest to win a boxing gold for India.

Preeja Sreedharan (Athletics) – Led India to 1-2 finish in the 10000 m. Kavita Raut came in second. The two were way ahead of their rivals. Incidentally Kavita had beaten Preeja at CWG.

Men’s Team (Kabaddi)
– Six out of six in this sport for India at the Asiad. Once they had opened up a huge lead lead in the first half against Iran in the final the gold was theirs again.

Ronjan Sodhi (Shooting) – The double trap shooter followed his World Cup win earlier this Year with a gold here. The Indian shooter provided the only high point in shooting campaign.

Women’s Team (Kabaddi) – After a gruelling and gutwrenching fight against Iran in the semis, the final against Thailand was easy. This was the first women’s event was included.

Somdev and Sanam (Tennis) – White the big guns, Paes and Bhupathi were missing, the young duo made sure India never missed the legends. The tow teamed up to beat their Taipei rivals.

M Relay Team (Athletics) – The Quartet of Manjeet Kaur, Sini Jose, Ashwini Akkunji and Mandeep Kaur staved off a fight from the Kazakhs to defend title. The team had won at CWG too.

Somdev Devvarman (Tennis) – After the double gold, Somdev backed it up with a gold in the singles. He beat a much-higher ranked opponent in Uzbekistan’s Dennis Istomin.

Vijender Singh (Boxing) – The Olympic bronzemedallist tamed his Uzbek rival in the final after overcoming a tough Iranian rival in the semi final. He is undoutably India’s leading boxer.

Indian Silver Medalists at 16th Asian Games 2010

Name of Indian Silver Medalists and Winners at recently held 16th Asian games 2010 in Guangzhou City, China from November 12 to 27.

Name Sports Event
Gagan Narang, Abhinav bindra, Sanjeev Rajput Shooting Men’s 10m Air Rifle Team
Gagan Narang Shooting Mne’s 10m Air Rifle
Sonia Rai, Heena Sidhu, Annu Raj Singh Shooting Woman’s 10m Air Pistol Team
Yasin Merchant, Aditya Mehta, Brijesh Dammani Cue Sports Men’s Snooker Team ‘
Sandhyarani Devi Wangkhem Wushu Woman’s Sanshou 60kg
Anil Kumar, Saji Thomas, Ranjit Singh, Jenil Krishna Rowing Men’s Four
Lokesh Kumar, ManjeetSingh, Rajesh Kumar Yadav , Satish Joshi Rowing Lightweight Men’s Four
Anil Kumar, Girraj Singh, Saji Thomas, Lokesh Kumar, Manjeet Singh, Rajesh Kumar Yadav, Ranjit Singh, Satish Josi, Jenil Krishna Rowing Men’s Eight
Abhinav Lohan, Abhijit Singh Chanda, Rahul Bajaj, Rashid Khan Golf Men’s Team
Balraj Trunal Balkrishna Helegaonkar, Atool Sinha, Farokh Faramroze, Tarapore Shekhar Singh Yadav Sailing Open Match Racing
Kavita Raut Athletics Woman’s 10,000m
Sina Mirza, Vishnu Vardhan Tennis Mixed Doubles
Tarundeep Rai Archerry Men’s Individual
Dinesh Kumar Boxing Men’s 81kg
Preeja Sreedharam Athletics Woman’s 5,000m
V.Santosh Kumar Boxing Men’s 64kg
Manpreet Singh. Boxing Men’s 91kg

Indian Bronze Medalists at 16th Asian Games 2010

Name of Indian Bronze Medalists and Winners at recently held 16th Asian games 2010 in Guangzhou City, China from November 12 to 27.

Name Sports Event
Vijay Kumar Shooting Men’s 10m Air Pistol
Vijay Kumar Shooting Men’s 25m Center Fire Pistol
Alok Kumar Cue Sports Men’s 8 Ball Pool Singles
Somdev Devvarman, Sanam Singh, Vishnu Vardhan, Karan Rastogi Tennis Men’s Team
Virdhawal Khade Swimming 50m Butterfly
Harika Dronavalli Chess Women’s Individual
Ashish Kumar Gymnastics Men’s Floor
M.Bimoljit Singh Wushu Men’s Sanshou 60kg
Pratima Puhan, Pramila Prava Minz Rowing Women’s Pair
Manavjit Singh Sandhu, Mansher Singh, Zoravar Singh, Sandhu Shooting Men’s Trap Team
Aditya Mehta Cue Sports Men’s Snooker Singles
Saurav Ghosal Squash Men’s Individual
Asher Noria, Ronjan Sodhi, Vikaram Bhatnagar Shooting Men’s DobleTrap
Deepika Kumari, Dola Banerjee, Rimil Buriuly Archery Women’s Team
Ravinder Singh Wrestling Men’s Greco- Roman 60kg
Sunil Kumar Rana Wrestling Men’s Greco- Roman 66kg
Sania Mirza Tennis Women’s Singles
Rahul Benerjee, Tarundeep Rai, Mangal Singh Champia Archery Men’s Team
Krishna Poonia Athletics Women’s Discus throw
G.G.Pramila Athletics Women’s Heptathlon
Joshna Chinappa, Dipika Pallikal, Anaka Alankamony, Anwesha Reddy Squash Women’s Team
Harinder Sandhu, Sidhartha Suchde, Sandeep Ghosal Squash Men’s Team
Suranjoy Singh Boxing Men’s 52Kg
Paramjeet Samota Boxing Men’s +91Kg
M.C. Mary Kom Boxing Women’s 48-51Kg
Kavita Goyar Boxing Women’s 69-75Kg
India Hockey Men
Mausam Khatri Wrestling Men’s Freestyle 96 Kg
Tintu Lukka Athletics Women’s 800m
Anup Kumar Yama Roller Sports Men’s SingleFree Skating
Anup Kumar Yama, Avani Bharat, Kumar Panchal Roller Sports Pairs Skating
Kavita Raut Athletics Women’s 5,000m
P.Harikrishna Krishnan Sasikiram, Surya Shekhar Ganguly, G.N. Gopal B.Adhiban Chess Men’s Team

Indian Gold Medalists at XIX Commonwealth Games 2010

India won more Gold medals than it had won before in one games. It took 38 Gold Medals, its previous record was 30 in 2002. With its 101 medals in total, India finished runner-up in the medal tally and became the fourth Commonwealth Games Association to reach the century mark in one games. Every host nation of the Commonwealth Games has beaten its previous record number of medals, and India has joined that list in 2010.

List of all Indian Gold Medalists winners at XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi:

Name of Players/Winners Game/Sports
1. Gagan Narang & Abhinav Bindra (Pairs) Shooting -10m Air Rifle
2. Anisa Sayyed & Rahi Sarnobat Shooting – 25m Pistol (pairs)
3. Ravinder Singh wrestling – 60 kg .
4. Sanjay Wrestling – 74 Kg. .
5. Anil Kumar wrestling – 96 kg .
6. Gagan Narang shooting – 10m Air Rifle
7. Anisa Sayyed Shooting – 25m Pistol
8. Omkar Singh shooting – 50m Pistol
9. Renu bale Chanu Weightlifiting - 58 kg
10. Rajinder Kumar wrestling – 55 Kg.
11. Ravi Kumar Weightlifting - 175 kg
12. Vijay Kumar & Gurpreet S. Shooting 25m Rapid Fire Pistol
13. Gurpreet Singh & Omkar Singh Shooting 10m Air Pistol
14. Geeta Phogat wrestling 55 kg
15. Recurve Team Women Archery
16. Gagan Imran H Khan shooting 50 m Rifle
17. Vijay Kumar shooting 25 m Rapid Fire Pistol
18. Alka Tomar wrestling 59 kg
19. Anita wrestling 67 kg FS
20. Omkar Singh Shooting 10m Airpistol
21. Vijay Kumar + Harpreet Singh Shooting 25m Centre Fire Pistol Pairs
22. Gagan Narang Shooting 50m Rifle
23. Yogeshwar Dutt Wrestling 60 kg
24. Narsingh Pancham Wrestling 74 kg
25. Deepika Kumari Archery (Women-Recurve individual)
26. Harpreet Singh Shooting 25m Centrefire Pistol
27. Rahul Banerjee Archery
28. Sushil Kumar wrestling (66 kg)
29. Somdev Burman Tennis (Singles)
30. Krishna Poonia Athletics – Discus (W)
31. Anuraj Singh + Heena Sidhu Shooting (Pairs 10m Air Pistol)
32. Women Relay Team Ashwini A.C./Chitra K. Soman/Sini Jose / Jauna Murmu Athletics – 4 x 400
33. Achanta + Saha Table Tennis (Doubles)
34. Suronjay S Boxing (52 kg )
35. Manoj Kumar Boxing (64 kg )
36. Paramjeet Samota Boxing (Super Heavy Weight)
37. Jawala G. + Ashwini P. Badminton – doubles
38. Sania Nehwal Badminton

National Organizations

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

This Organisation provides scientific and industrial research of value for India's sustained growth, strategic needs and nurturing of national human resource in science and technology.


Central Statistical Organisation (CSO)

It is responsible for formulation and maintenance of statistical standards, work pertaining to national accounts, industrial statistics, consumer price indexes for urban non-manual employees conduct of economic census and survey, training in official statistics, coordination of statistical activities undertaken within the country and liaisoning with international agencies in statistical matters.


Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)

It is the national apex body for assessment, monitoring and control of water and air pollution. It advises the Central Government on all matters concerning the prevention and control of air, water and noise pollution.


Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)

It was set up under the Cinematograph Act, 1952. Film can be publicly exhibited in India only after they have been certified by the Central Board of Film Certificate.


Central Ground Water Board

It was constituted as the national apex organisation in 1970. The main activities of the Board include macro-level hydrogeological investigations, deep exploratory drilling coupled with remote sensing studies, geophysical studies and pumping test to study the subsurface hydrogeological features and nation-wide monitoring of the behavior of water table and water quality through a network of 15,843 hydrograph stations.


Central Inland Water Transport Corporation (CIWTC)

With its headquarters at Kolkata, it was set up as a public sector undertaking in May 1967. It is mainly engaged in transportation of goods by inland waterways in the Ganga, Bhagirathi, Hooghly, Sunderbans and Brahmaputra rivers.


Export Inspection Council

It is an autonomous body and is responsible for the enforcement of quality control and compulsory pure-shipment inspection of various exportable commodities covered under the export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act, 1963.

Export Promotion Councils

There are at present ten Export Promotion Councils under the administrative control of the Department of Commerce. The Export Promotion Councils perform both advisory and executive functions.


Foreign Investment Implementation Authority (FIIA)

FIIA aims at facilitating quick translation of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) approvals into implementation, provide a proactive one-step after care service to foreign investors by helping them to obtain necessary approvals, sort out operational problems and meet with various Government agencies to find the solution to the problems of investors.


Geological Survey of India (GSI)

Established in 1851 it is a premier national scientific survey and research organisation and is also the principal provider of basic earth science information to the Government industry and general public as well as responsive participant in international geo-scientific era.


Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

It was constituted as an autonomous organisation responsible for the planning, organising, implementation and coordination of medical research in country.


Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA)

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999, notified on Dec. 29, 1999 provides for the establishment of a statutory Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority to protect the interest of holders of insurance policies and to regulate, promote and ensure orderly growth of the insurance industry.


Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

It is an autonomous apex body at national level, which promotes science and technology programmes in the area of agriculture research, education and extension education.


Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM)

Its main function is promotion of conservation of minerals, regulating the impact of mining on environment and scientific development of all the minerals resources of the country except coal, petroleums natural gas, atomic and minor minerals.


Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)

It came into existence on Oct. 27, 1986 as a statutory Body for development, maintenance, management and regulation of national waterways in the country and to act as advisor to the Central and State Governments on matters relating to Inland water transport.


Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)

It was established on Sept. 1, 1956 to spread the message of Life Insurance in the country and mobilise peoples savings for Nation building activities.


Medical Council of India (MCI)

It was established as a statutory body under the provisions of the Indian Medical Council Act, 1993. The main functions of the Council are maintenance of uniform standard of medical education both at the undergraduate and the post-graduate levels, maintenance of Indian Medical Registrar, reciprocity with foreign countries in the matter of mutual recognition of medical qualifications continuing medical education and granting of provisional/permanent registration of doctors with recognised medical qualifications.


National Safety Council

It was set up in 1966 to promote safety consciousness among workers to prevent accidents, minimise dangers and mitigate human suffering, arrange programmes, lectures and conferences on safety, conduct educational campaigns to arouse consciousness among employers and workers and collect educational and information data.


National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)

It is set up in September 1961. With headquarters at New Delhi, it assists and advises the Central and State Governments on academic matters related to school education.


National Scheduled Tribes Financial Development Corporation (NSTFDC)

It was set up in April 2001 by bifurcating the National Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Financial Development Corporation. It provides grants for skill development programme for STs.


National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC)

It was set up on Jan. 13, 1992 with the objective of providing concessional finance to the members of backward classes living below the poverty line for their socio-economic development by extending them loans for income generating schemes.


National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO)

It was set up in 1950 and reorganised in 1970. The activities of NSSO are guided by a governing council with the requisite independence and autonomy in matters relating to collection, processing and publication of NSS data.


National Film Development Corporation (NFDC)

It was restructured in 1980. Its primary objective is to foster excellence in cinema and to develop state of the art technology in audio-visual and related fields.


National Water Resources Council (NWRC)

It was set up in March 1983. It is an apex body to evolve national policies for development and uses of water resources in conformity with the highest national interest.


National Science and Techno-logy Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB)

Established in Jan. 1982 has been implemented several schemes and programmes on promotion of entrepreneurship and creation of sustainable employment through the application of Science and Technology. The Board has also been organising skill development programmes in various trades.


National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO)

It concentrates its attention in a number of areas to integrate resource map with other relevant socio-economic data and represent them in spatial forms, useful for developmental planning. NATMO is trying to develope the new technology of reverse printing for NATMO maps on experimental basis.


National Research Development Corporation (NRDC)

It was established in 1953 as a commercial company for promotion of inventive activity in the country and translating Research and Development results into marketable industrial products, processes and services. The corporation, a Public Sector Enterprise is playing a catalyst role in commercial applications of indigenous and foreign R & D results by transfer of technology from laboratories to industries. It also guides and assists entrepreneurs in realising their technical business plans.


National Afforestation and Eco-development Board (NAEB)

It was constituted in 1992 with the task of promoting afforestation, their plantation, ecological restoration and eco-development activities in the country with special attention to degraded forest areas and lands adjoining the forest areas, national parks, sanctuaries and other protected areas.


National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation

It was set up to provide economic and development activities for the benefit of backward sections among the minorities, preference being given to occupational groups and women among minorities.


National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC)

It was incorporated on Jan. 24, 1997 as a company, not for profit wholly owned by Government of India. Its aims to promote economic empowerment of the persons with disabilities through financing self employment ventures.


National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD)

It is an autonomous Organisation under the Department of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Human Resource Development. The objects of the Institute are to develop and promote voluntary action in social development; take a comprehensive view of child development and develop and promote in pursuance of the National Policy for children.


National Water Board

It was constituted by the Government in September 1990 to review the progress of implementation of the National Water Policy and to report to the National Water Resources Council for initiating effective measures for systematic development of the country's water resources.


Press Council of India

It has been established is 1966 for the purpose of preserving the freedom of the press and of maintaining and improving the standards of newspapers and news agencies in India.


Rehabilitation Council of India

It is a statutory body. It is responsible for regulating training policies and programmes for various categories of professional in the area of disability. Its functions include ( i ) Standardisation and regularisation of training courses at different levels, ( ii ) recognition of institutions/universities for their training courses within and outside the country on a reciprocal basis.


Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO)

It was set up in 1984, functions as an apex body in the formulation of policies and coordination of institutional activities both at the centre and the state level, for sustained and organised growth of small scale Industries.


Survey of India (SOI)

Survey of India, the national survey and mapping organisation under the Ministry of Science and Technology was set-up in 1767. The primary responsibility of SOI is to maintain topographical map coverage on 1 : 250 K, 1 : 50 K and 1 : 25 K scales.


Sports Authority of India (SAI)

It was established by the Government in Jan. 1984. It is now the nodal agency in the country for broad basing sports and for training of sports persons to achieve excellence in national and international sports.


Technology Development Board (TDB)

It was constituted in Sept. 1996. The Board provides financial assistance to industrial concerns and other agencies for attempting development and commercial application of indigenous technology or adapting important technology for wider domestic application.


The Central Groundwater Authority

It was set up on Jan. 14, 1997 under the Environmental Protection Act, 1986 and was given the mandate of regulation and control of the development and management of groundwater resources in the country.


The Central Board for Workers Education (CBWE)

With headquarters at Nagpur, it was established in 1958. The Board under takes training programmes, which cover workers from organised, unorganised, rural and informal sectors.

Important Sports Results of 2010

FOOTBALL
64th National Football Championship (Santosh Trophy)-2010 (August 2010, Kolkata)—Bengal defeated Punjab in the final.
Subroto Cup Junior (September 2008, New Delhi)—Boys Sports Company Bangalore beat Government Central Higher Secondary School.
FIFA World Cup 2010 (June/July, 2010, Johannesburg)—Spain beat Netherlands in the final.
UEFA European Football Championship 2008 (Eruo Cup) (June 2008, Vienna)—Spain beat Germany in the final.
Durand Cup (Sept. 2009, New Delhi)—Churchill Brothers defeated Mohun Bagan by 3–1.

TABLE TENNIS
19th Asian Table Tennis Championship (November 2009, Lucknow)—Male : Ma Long (China), Female—Ding Ning (China).

CHESS
World Junior Chess Championship (Nov. 2009; Puerto Madryn, Argentina)—Soumya Swaminathan (India).
World Chess Championship (Oct. 2008, Born, Germany)—India’s Vishwanathan Anand.
Maytas Vizag Challenger Trophy (Feb. 2008, Vishakhapatnam)—Koneru Humpy beat J. Deepan Chakravarthy.
Moreila Linares Chess Championship (March 2009, Linares, Spain)—Alexander Grischuk.
Chelyabinsk Regional Superfinal Chess Tournament (July 2006, Satka, Russia)— India’s 13-year old Parimargan Negi draws with Russian Grandmaster Ruslan Sherbakov and becomes the world’s youngest Grandmaster
Asian Girls Tournament (June 2005, Namangan, Uzbekistan)—Mary Ann Gomes (Kolkata, India).

CRICKET
Australia-India ODI Series (Oct. 2010, India)—India defeated Australia by 1–0.
India-New Zealand ODI Series (Feb.–Mar. 2009, New Zealand)—India won the series by (3–1).
ICC Under-19 World Cup Cricket (January 2010, Lincoln, New Zealand)—Australia defeated Pakistan.
ICC World Cup Cricket (March/April 2007, West Indies)—Australia defeated Sri Lanka in the final.
Twenty-20 World Cup Cricket 2010—(April/May 2010, South Africa) England beat Australia in final.
Ranji Trophy (Jan. 2010, Mysore)—Mumbai defeated Karnataka.
Women’s World Cup Cricket 2009 (March 2009 Australia)—England defeated New Zealand.
Duleep Trophy (2009-10, Hyderabad)—West Zone defeated South Zone.
India-Australia Test Series (Oct. 2010)—India won the series by (2–0).

TENNIS
AUSTRALIAN OPEN–January 2010
Men's Singles—Roger Federer (Switzerland)
Women's Singles—Serena Williams (USA)

Davis Cup (December 2009, Barcelona, Spain)—Spain defeated Czech Republic (5–0).
FRENCH OPEN—June 2010
Men's Singles—Rafael Nadal (Spain).
Women's Singles—Francesca Schiavone (Italy).
WIMBLEDON—July 2010
Men’s Singles—Rafael Nadal (Spain).
Women’s Singles—Serena Williams (USA)
U. S. OPEN—Sept. 2010
Men’s Singles—Rafael Nadal (Spain)
Women’s Singles—Kimclijsters (Belgium) beat Vera Zvonareva (Russia) in the final.
Kremlin Cup (Oct. 2009, Moscow)—Mikhail Youzhny defeated Janko Tipsarevic in the women’s final.
Fed Cup (Nov. 2009, Reggio, Italy)—Italy.

HOCKEY
Asia Cup Hockey Championship for women (November 2009, Bangkok)—China beat India.
29th Men’s Champions Trophy (August 2010, Germany)—Australia beat England.
Men’s World Cup Hockey 2010 (March 2010, New Delhi)—Australia defeated Germany (2–1)
Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament (April 2009, Ipoh, Malaysia)—India defeated Malaysia.

BILLIARDS/SNOOKER
World Billiards Championship (July 2008, Bengaluru)—Pankaj Advani beat Devendra Joshi.

BOXING
NWA World Middle Weight Title (Nov. 2007, Mexico City)—Averno.

BADMINTON
Four-Star Philippines Open Tournament—Sania Nehwal (India) defeated Julia Xiam Peiwong of Malaysia in the women’s single final.
All-England Open Badminton Championship (March 2010, Birmingham)—
Men’s singles : Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia)
Women’s singles : Rasmussen (Denmark)
National Inter-state Championship (Jan. 2006, Bangalore)—Team title Men : Petroleum Sports Promotion Board; Women : PSPB.
Thomas Cup (2010)—China defeated Indonesia.
Uber Cup (2010)—Korea defeated China.

GOLF
Australian Masters (Nov. 2009, Melbourne)—Tiger Woods.
US Master Tournament (April 2010, Georgia)—Phil Mickelson.
U.S. Open Golf Championship (June 2009, Long Island)—Lucas Glover.

Energy Security

With the domestically available uranium and without any additional import beyond Kundankulam I and II plants under construction we can set up no more than 48,000 MW of nuclear plants by 2031 and only about 2,08,000 MW by 2051. With additional import of 30,000 MW of uranium based plants by 2020, we can reach 4,70,000 MW of nuclear capacity by 2050 if the three-stage programme is fully developed.

Since India is short of Uranium, the first phase plants cannot exceed 10,000 MW unless imported uranium is available.

Facts Regarding Energy Security

  • Some 600 million Indians do not have access to electricity and about 700 million Indians use biomass as their primary energy resource for cooking and ensuring life line.

  • A sustained economic growth of at least 9 Percent over the next 25 years is necessary for India need to eradicate poverty and meet its larger human development goals.

Guiding principles of the integrated energy policy:

  • Energy markets should be competitive wherever possible for economic efficiency and for promoting optimal investment in energy.

  • Given the need to expand supplies of energy public sector investment in energy must be supplemented by private investors.

  • Subsidies are relevant but they must be transparent and targeted. Consideration should be given to alternative means of achieving the social objectives sought to be achieved by energy subsidies, through different methods including direct transfers to eligible households.

  • Energy efficiency is extremely important and can be promoted by setting appropriate prices and this is particularly important where energy prices are rising.

  • Public Sector Undertakings operating in the energy sector must operate with autonomy and also full accountability to ensure incentives for adequate investment through their own "resources and improvements in efficiency in energy production and distribution.

  • For the second stage of India nuclear programme, India has already developed fast breeder reactors and a 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is under construction at Kalpakam. It is expected to attain critically in 2011.

Growth in India's energy demand:

  • Various projections indicate that by 2031, India's energy requirements may increase to about 5 to 7 times at of 2001 levels. The Integrated energy Policy report brought out by the Planning Commission estimates that in an 8% GDP growth scenario, India's total commercial energy requirements would be in the range of 1514 mtoe (million tonnes of oil equivalent) to 1856 mtoe by 2031 under alternative scenarios (Planning Commission, 2006)

  • TERI estimates indicate an import dependency of 78% for coal. 91% for oil and 34% for gas by year 2031 with current estimates future availability of indigenous energy.

Lighting A Billion Lives

  • Over 1.6 6illion people in the world lac access to electricity; roughly 25% are in India alone.

  • Recognizing the need to change the existing scenario, TERI, with its version to work for global sustainable development and its commitment towards creating innovative solutions for a better tomorrow, has undertaken an initiative of Lighting a Billion Lives' (LaBL) through the use of solar lighting devices.

  • The Campaign aims to bring light into the live of one billion rural people by replacing the kerosene and paraffin lanterns with solar lighting devices. This wife facilitate education of children; provide better illumination and kerosene smoke –free environment for environment for women to do household chores; and provide opportunities for livelihoods both at the individual revel and at village level .

The RGGVY was launched in 2005 with the following goals.

  1. Provide access to electricity to remaining un-electrified households.

  2. Electrification of about 1.15 lakh un-electrified villages.

  3. Free electricity connection to 2.34 Below Poverty Household (BPL)

    The target year of achieving these targets is 2009 and under this scheme capital subsidy was given on basis of 90% grants and 10% loan. Rs. 33000 crore as capital subsidy would be provided by Government of India for projects.

BIOFUELS In India

  • Biofuel , or fuel derived from non-fossil plant sources is being seen today as a cleaner alternative to diesel. Biofuel development in India centers mainly around the cultivation and processing of Jatropha plant seeds to give biodiesel and producing ethanol from sugarcane. Ethanol can be blended with petrol for automobiles. Similarly, bio-diesel can be blended with high speed diesel for transport vehicles, generators, railway engines, irrigation pumps, etc. Large volumes of such oils can also substitute imported oil for making soap. In its National Biofuel Policy the Government of India has set a target of a minimum 20 per cent ethanol-blended petrol and diesel across the country by 2017. Bio-diesel plantations would be encouraged only on waste community / government / forest lands, and not on fertile land. Minimum Support Price (MSP) would be announced to provide fair price to the growers. Minimum Purchase Price (MPP) for the purchase of bio-ethanol by the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) would be based on the actual cost of production and import price of bio-ethanol. In case of bio-diesel, the MPP would be linked to the prevailing retail diesel price. The National Biofuel Policy also envisages bringing bio-diesel and bio-ethanol under the ambit of "Declared Goods" by the Government to ensure their unrestricted movement.

Important Points Of Climate Change

  1. India's per capita energy consumption (2006 figures) question is at 51 kg oil equivalent compared to the world average of 1818 kg oil equivalent. China has a per capita energy consumption of 1433 kg oil equivalent, which has been rapidly rising since 2002, and the US average of 7778 kg oil equivalent. The annual growth in India's per capita energy consumption has been minimal.

  2. India's submission to reduce the emission intensity of its economy by 20 to 25 per cent by 2020 can he bettered through these two options. India has already announced its national solar mission and an enhanced energy efficiency mission is in the works.

Point You Should Know

Carbon Storage and Sequestration Potential of India’s Forests and Tree Cover:-

  • India's Forest Cover accounts for 20.6% of the total geographical area of the country as of 2005. In addition, Tree Cover accounts for 2.8% of India’s geographical area2 .

  • Progressive national forestry legislations and policies have transformed India's forests into a significant net sink of CO2, From 1995 to 2005, the carbon stocks stored in our forests and trees have increased from 6,245 million tones (mt) to 6,662 mt, registering an annual increment of 38 mt of carbon or 138 mt of CO2 equivalent.

Mitigation Service by India's Forest and Tree Cover:-

  • Estimates show that the annual CO2 removals by India's forest and tree cover is enough to neutralize 11.25% of India’s total GHG emissions (C02 equivalent) at 1994 levels.

  • This is equivalent to offsetting 100% emissions from all energy in residential and transport sectors; or 40% of total emissions from the agriculture sector. Clearly, India's forest and tree cover is serving as a major mode of carbon mitigation for India and the world.

Carbon Stocks in the Future:-

  • India is one of the few developing countries in the world that is making a net addition to its forest and tree cover over the last two decades. Based on actual and projected trends of investments in the forestry sector, we present three scenarios of the future carbon stocks in the forest and tree cover of India.

  • In the first scenario, the carbon stocks in India's forest and tree cover decrease at the rate of the world average and the total carbon stored in India's forests in 2015 will decrease to 6,504 mt.

  • In the second scenario, the carbon stocks continue to increase at the historical rate of the last decade (0.6% p.a.). And the total carbon stored in India's forests in 2015 will increase to 6,998 mt.

  • In the third scenario, the carbon stocks increase at a rate higher than the historical rate of increase and the total carbon stored in 2015 will increase to 7,283 mt. This is the path that we intend to tread in India.

  • Computations for the third scenario are based on a series policy initiatives on Sustainable Management of Forests (SMF) and A forestation and Reforestation (A&R), additional resources like Forest Restitution Fund5 with US$ 2.5b , a policy to include forestry related activities in the flagship employment scheme of the country and introducing new forestry related schemes on components such as capacity building in the forestry sector ..

Value of Mitigation

  • Putting a conservative value of US$ 5 per tonne of CO2 locked in our forests; this huge sink of about 24,000 mt of CO2 is worth US$ 120b, or Rs 6, 00,000 crores. Incremental carbon under scenario three will add a value of around US$ 1.2b, or Rs 6,000 cores every year to India's treasury of forest sink, assuming a value of US$ 7 per tonne.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

UN Agencies and their Headquarters

1.The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) - UNDP is the UN‘s global development network advocating change and connecting countries to share knowledge and resources which helps build a better life in countries across the globe. Presently it has offices in 166 member countries. UNDP is headquartered at New York, US.
2.The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) – UNICEF was initially set up in 1946 as an emergency fund to provide post-war relief to children in different countries. Today, as a children’s fund, UNICEF concentrates its activities on providing assistance to children and mothers in developing countries, aiming at improving their quality of life. UNICEF is headquartered at New York, US.
3.The United Nations Educational and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) – UNESCO was founded on 16 November 1945 to assist developing countries in their educational projects, to help the countries in scientific development and to build cultural understanding between the nations. UNESCO is headquartered at Paris, France.
4.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) – IMF is an international organisation having 184 member countries. It was established in 1945 to promote international monetary co-operation and exchange stability between nations which in turn would promote economic growth and increase employment opportunities. IMF also provides temporary financial assistance to its member countries to ease their balance of payment. IMF is headquartered at Washington DC, US.
5.The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, commonly known as the World Bank) – The ‘World Bank’ was formed after the Bretton Woods conference in 1944, but begun operations in 1946. It aims at providing financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the World. Presently World Bank has 184 member countries and is headquartered at Washinton DC, US.
6.The World Trade Organisation (WTO) – WTO was formed as an international trade body to replace General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) in 1995. WTO is the only international body dealing with rules of trade between the countries to help producers of goods and services, exporters and importers conduct their business. It is headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland. Cape Verde has been the most recent member of the WTO since 23 July 2008.
For the entire list of members go to
7.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – IAEA was set up in 1957. It is presently headquartered at Vienna, Austria.
8.The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) – FAO was set up in 1945. It is presently headquartered at Rome, Italy.
9.The World Health Organisation (WHO) – W.H.O was set up in 1946. It is presently headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland.
10.The International Finance Corporation (IFC) – IFC is an affiliate of the World Bank, and was set up in 1956. It is headquartered at Washinton DC, US.
11.The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – ITU was set up in 1932. It is headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland.
12.The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) – ICAO was set up in 1944. It is headquartered at Montreal, Canada.
13.The Universal Postal Union (UPU) – UPU was set up in 1875. It is headquartered at Berne, Switzerland.
14.The International Labor Organisation (ILO) – ILO was set uo in 1919. It is headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland.
15.The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) – IMO was set up in 1948. It is head quarter.

INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES AND THEIR HEADQUARTERS
1.The Asian Development Bank (ADB) – It is headquartered at Manila, Phillipines.
2.The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) – It is headquartered at Jakarta, Indonesia.
3.The European Union (EU) – It is headquartered at Brussels, Belgium.
4.The INTERPOL – It is headquartered at Lyon, France
5.The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) – It is headquartered at Brussels, Belgium.
6.The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) – It is headquartered at Vienna, Austria.
7.The Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) – It is headquartered at Kuwait.
8.The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) – It is headquartered at Kathmandu, Nepal.
9.The Red Cross – It is headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland.

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