CURRENT AFFAIRS MCQs FOR COMPETITIVE EXAMS

1-. Who scored the first century in the Xth Cricket World Cup (2011)?
(A). Virender Sehwag
(B). Virat Kohli
(C). Sachin Tendulkar
(D). Andrew Strauss

Ans. (A)

2-. Which state in January 2011 allowed six iron ore mines to restart?
(A). Orissa
(B). Gujarat
(C). Bihar
(D). Rajasthan

Ans. (A)

3-. India has finally woken up to the needs of the country's elderly. With the number of people in the 60-plus age group in India expected to increase to 100 million in 2013 and to 198 million in 2030, the health ministry is all set to roll out the ?
(A). National Programme for Health care for the Elderly
(B). National Programme for Senior Citizens
(C). National Programme for Old Aged
(D). Rashtriya Vriddha Swasthya Yojana

Ans. (A)

4-. Consider the following statements about Direct Tax:
A. Exemption limit for individual taxpayers raised from Rs. 1.6 lakh to Rs. 1.9 lakh.
B. Exemption limit raised for senior Citizens from Rs. 2.4 lakh to Rs. 2.5 lakh; the qualifying age of the rebate reduced from 65 to 60.
C. Higher exemption limit for very senior Citizens (80 years and above) at Rs. 5 lakh.

Which of the above statement are true?
(A). Only (a) and (b)
(B). Only (b) and (c)
(C). Only (c)
(D). All of the above

Ans. (B)

5-. Which of the following Academy Award winners for 2011 is wrongly matched
(A). Best Actor - Colin Firth
(B). Best Actress - Natalie Portman
(C). Best Supporting Actor - Christian Bale
(D). Best Supporting Actress - Kate Winslet

Ans. (D)

6-. Which among the following statements is/are correct?
(1). Non-resident Indians (NRIs) can now cast votes in their home constituencies in India.
(2). The NRI can cast his vote by postal balloting.

(A). 1 only
(B). 2 only
(C). Both 1 and 2
(D). Neither 1 nor 2

Ans. (A)

7-. Which of the following teams has won the Duleep Trophy in Visakhapatnam on Feb 5?
(A). East Zone
(B). West Zone
(C). South Zone
(D). North Zone

Ans. (C)

8-. In a landmark move, which of these State governments has set up a Savarna Aayog, a commission to identify the deprived and underprivileged families among upper castes?
(A). Uttar Pradesh
(B). Bihar
(C). Madhya Pradesh
(D). Rajasthan

Ans. (B)

9-. The environment ministry in February 2011 issued a notification banning the use of plastics for packaging ___________ products.
(A). Milk
(B). Tobacco
(C). Spicy
(D). Manure

Ans. (B)

10-. The Central government has revised wages of agricultural laborers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The base wage is revised once in ________.
(A). Two years
(B). Three years
(C). Four years
(D). Five years

Ans. (D)

11-. Corporate affairs minister murli Deora in February 2011 favoured making if mandatory for the private sector to spend ______ of its profits on corporate social responsibility projects.
(A). 0.5 percent
(B). 1 percent
(C). 1.5 percent
(D). 2 percent

Ans. (D)

12-. GR Sufi has been chosen as the first Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of
(A). J&K
(B). Assam
(C). Bihar
(D). Goa

Ans. (A)

13-. Mamata Banerjee announced additional mechanized laundry units will be set up at ______, Chandigarh and Bhopal for improving the quality of linen in trains.
(A). Kolkata
(B). Nagpur
(C). Raipur
(D). Kanpur

Ans. (B)

14-. As per UNO's declaration, the year 2011 is being celebrated as International Year of -
(A). Youth
(B). Women Empowerment
(C). Forests
(D). Global Economic Co-operation

Ans. (C)

15-. Government is committed to retaining at least_________ ownership and management control of central public sector undertakings.
(A). 41%
(B). 51%
(C). 55%
(D). 60%

Ans. (B)

16-. Which of these countries has announced one billion US dollar aid for the reconstruction of Nalanda University?
(A). Japan
(B). Singapore
(C). Malaysia
(D). China

Ans. (D)
17-. Satyanand Mishra has been appointed as the new-
(A). Chief Information Commissioners
(B). Chief Election Commissioner
(C). Chief of Research and Analysis Wing
(D). None of the above

Ans. (A)

18-. What is the name of the in-house magazine to be published by the Railways, to be distributed to the passengers?
(A). Rail Vishwa
(B). Rail Bandhu
(C). Rail Mail
(D). Rail Patra

Ans. (B)

19-. According to Union Budget (2011 -12), a substantial increase in allocation for Defence by 11.6% to Rs.__________ crore.
(A). 1,64,415
(B). 1,54,415
(C). 1,65,415
(D). 1,74,415

Ans. (A)

20-. According to Union Budget (2011-12), allocation for Bharat Nirman programme is up by Rs. ________ crore from Rs. 58,000 crore.
(A). 10,000
(B). 11, 000
(C). 12,000
(D). 13,000

Ans. (A)

21-. India's first Coast Guard Academy would be set up in ___________
(A). Karnataka
(B). Goa
(C). Kerala
(D). Tamil Nadu

Ans. (C)

22-. An anti-corruption tribunal of the ICC has banned former Pakistan captain Salman Butt for ______ years, Mohammad Asif for _______ years and Mohammad Amir for _____ years for their role in a spot-fixing betting scam.
(A). 10, 7, 5
(B). 7, 5, 3
(C). 7,5,10
(D). 5,7,10

Ans. (A)

23-. With which of these IT giants has Bharti Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Bharti Enterprises, has jointly announced an initiative to support the Satya Bharti schools?
(A). Wipro
(B). Rediff
(C). Yahoo
(D). Google

Ans. (D)

24-. Which of the following world cup cricket 2011 team and the captain leading it is wrongly matched?
(A). England - A. Strauss
(B). Pakistan - Shahid Afridi
(C). New Zealand - Brendon McCullum
(D). South Africa - G. Smith

Ans. (C)

25-. After a gap of 40 years, India hosted the 17th Common-wealth Law Conference, which was attended by 800 delegates from about 53 Common-wealth countries. The conference was held in.
(A). New Delhi
(B). Hyderabad
(C). Chennai
(D). Pune

Ans. (B)

26-. To which of these African countries did India hand over a Cheetah utility helicopter at the Aero India air show, recently held in Bangalore?
(A). Angola
(B). Zambia
(C). Kenya
(D). Namibia

Ans. (D)

27-. The Union Cabinet has approved the Coinage Bill 2009, in which the maximum punishment for melting or destruction of coins would be increased from_______ to _____ years of imprisonment.
(A). Five, ten
(B). Two, five
(C). One, two
(D). Five, seven

Ans. (D)

28-. Name the 17th Karmapa who has been questioned by the Himachal Pradesh Police about the huge recovery of unaccounted foreign and Indian currency from his monastery in Sidhbari.
(A). Ugyen Thinley Dorjee
(B). Karmapa Dorjee
(C). Dalai Lama
(D). Lama Rinchin Thondak

Ans. (A)

29-. Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announced _________ MW gas-based power plant at Thakurli in Maharashtra for meeting railway requirements.
(A). 400
(B). 500
(C). 700
(D). 900

Ans. (C)

30-. Which team has won the inaugural Hockey India Senior Women's National Championship?
(A). Haryana
(B). Railways
(C). Punjab
(D). Jharkhand

Ans. (B)

31-. Who has been appointed as the first chief of the National Green Tribunal (NGT)?
(A). Dhanendra Kumar
(B). Lokeshwar Singh
(C). Sushma Nath
(D). Sam Pitroda

Ans. (B)

32-. Central Excise Day is celebrated of
(A). February 24
(B). February 28
(C). March 31
(D). April 1

Ans. (A)

33-. Which of the following will be the capital of Southern Sudan, world's newest capital?
(A). Kigali
(B). Free Town
(C). Juba
(D). Khartoum

Ans. (C)

34-. Health Insurance Portability, in which holders of health insurance policies can now switch companies without fear of losing benefits, will be effective in India from:
(A). June 1, 2011
(B). August 1, 2011
(C). July 1, 2011
(D). October 1, 2011

Ans. (C)

35-. Which state in its assembly budget presented on February 10, 2010 has offered rice at Rs. 2 a kg to four million families in the below poverty line category?
(A). Kerala
(B). Uttar Pradesh
(C). Assam
(D). Meghalaya

Ans. (A)

36-. Consider the following statements about Economic Survey (2010-11):
A. Financial Inclusion: Broaden savings, integrate it into system to boost growth
B. Fiscal Deficit: Introduction of GST crucial to raise revenues, narrow gap.
C. Human Development: Strike free year of relative peace industrial relations

Which of the above statements are true ?
(A). Only (a)
(B). Only (b)
(C). Only (c)
(D). All of the above

Ans. (D)

37-. With which country India in February 2011 entered into a pact for exchange of information to check tax evasion and money laundering?
(A). British Virgin Islands
(B). Italy
(C). Denmark
(D). Mauritius

Ans. (A)

38-. Name the first woman Secretary-General of SAARC.
(A). Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed
(B). Mariana Babar
(C). Illina Khan
(D). Nirupama Rao

Ans. (A)

39-. Who has been appointed as an adviser to the Prime Minister on skills development with Cabinet rank?
(A). Kaushik Basu
(B). Subramaniam Ramadorai
(C). Jayati Ghosh
(D). Prabhat Patnaik

Ans. (B)

40-. Scientists at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, have successfully extended the life of Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) by another 20 years. This Centre is located in:
(A). Karnataka
(B). Gujarat
(C). Maharashtra
(D). Tamil Nadu

Ans. (D)

41-. 34th National Games in Feb 2011 was held in
(A). Goa
(B). Assam
(C). Jharkhand
(D). Kerala

Ans. (C)

42-. According to Union Budget (2011-12), from 1 April, 2011, remuneration for Anganwadi workers has been increased from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 3,000 a month and for Anganwadi helpers from Rs. 750 to Rs._________a month.
(A). 1,000
(B). 1,200
(C). 1,500
(D). 2,000

Ans. (C)

43-. Hosni Mubarak is associated with which country?
(A). Tunisia
(B). Sudan
(C). Libya
(D). None of these

Ans. (D)

44-. Government has decided to stop the circulation of 25 paise coin w.e.f. -
(A). April 1, 2011
(B). June 1, 2011
(C). June 30, 2011
(D). September 30, 2011

Ans. (C)

45-. Who was the Chairman of the panel constituted to study the recommendation of National Advisory Council (NAC) on the proposed Food Security Bill?
(A). Montek Singh Ahluwaliah
(B). Pranab Mukherjee
(C). C. Rangarajan
(D). Deepak Parikh

Ans. (C)

46-. The third summit of BRIC is scheduled to be organised in China in -
(A). April 2011
(B). May 2011
(C). June 2011
(D). July 2011

Ans. (A)

47-. India recently hosted the largest-ever gathering of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Ministers in New Delhi. According to United Nations, LDC status applies to how many countries at present?
(A). 45
(B). 46
(C). 47
(D). 48

Ans. (D)

48-. Citing health hazards, which State Government has banned use of the pesticide Endosulfan with immediate effect?
(A). Kerala
(B). Karnataka
(C). Maharashtra
(D). Andhra Pradesh

Ans. (B)

49-. The Asian development Bank (ADB) in February 2011 announced to extend _____ assistance to India for developing the country's infrastructure.
(A). $ 5 billion
(B). $ 5.9 billion
(C). $ 6.3 billion
(D). $ 7.4 billion

Ans. (D)

50-. Indian Army's Operation Saiyam (Patience) was related to -
(A). Kashmir
(B). Scrap Ammunition
(C). North East
(D). None of the above

Ans. (B)

51-. Who will be the first president of Southern Sudan?
(A). Salva Kiir Mayardit
(B). Dr Riek Machar
(C). Omar al-Bashir
(D). Johan Kufour

Ans. (A)

52-. With reference to the NRIs getting the voting rights in India, as per the law so far, the name of an NRI would be deleted from the voters' list if he or she did not stay at their residence in India for ________ at a stretch.
(A). Six months
(B). Eight months
(C). Ten months
(D). One year

Ans. (A)

53-. The Mascot of World Cup Cricket (2011) is
(A). Dumpy
(B). Stumpy
(C). Appy
(D). Buppy

Ans. (B)

54-. Recently, more than a dozen Indian students were radio tagged with tracking devices after being scammed by a dodgy university in US. The sham Tri-Valley University was located in which State of US?
(A). Ohio
(B). California
(C). Atlanta
(D). Washington

Ans. (B)

55-. The Union Government has recently approved Project-15 B which is related toll
(A). Defence Proramme
(B). Social Programme
(C). Initiating Dialogue with J&K separatists
(D). Telangana Issue

Ans. (A)

56-. With more than 99% of voters in the south opting to secede from the Sudan's north, how many countries will constitute the African continent after July 9, 2011?
(A). 53
(B). 54
(C). 55
(D). 56

Ans. (B)

57-. Name the Hezbollah-backed man who has been appointed as the new PM of Lebanon.
(A). Wajib Mikati
(B). Rafik Hariri
(C). Omar Suleiman
(D). Asma Mahfouz

Ans. (A)

58-. The government in February 2011 banned the export of milk powder and its product to –
(A). Check rising price
(B). protect domestic Industry
(C). check quality
(D). All of these

Ans. (A)

59-. Which country has emerged as the top Migrant Destination Country?
(A). U.S.A.
(B). Russia
(C). Japan
(D). Australia

Ans. (A)

60-. President Ali Abdullah Saleh, ruling since 1978, is under pressure as violent protests are raging in capital Sanaa. The country in question is:
(A). Bahrain
(B). Yemen
(C). Algeria
(D). Tunisia

Ans. (B)

61-. The government in February 2011 setup a task force to create a way to directly transfer cash to the ultimate beneficiaries of various Subsidy schemes. The task force will be headed by –
(A). Nandan Nilekani
(B). Apoorva Sinha
(C). Sangam Chitra
(D). All of these

Ans. (A)

62-. Which of the following Academy Award winners for 2011 is wrongly matched
(A). Best Director - Tom Hooper
(B). Best Music Score - A.R. Rahman
(C). Best Motion Picture - The King's Speech
(D). Best Foreign Film - A Better World

Ans. (B)

63-. 'WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy" is the biography of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, written by journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding. These two journalists are associated with which of the following newspapers?
(A). Guardian
(B). Los Angeles Times
(C). Washington Post
(D). The Times

Ans. (A)

64-. Consider the following statements:
A. Muammar Gaddafi came to power in a bloodless military coup in 1959
B. Tripoli is the capital of Libya.

Which of the above statements are true?
(A). Only (a)
(B). Only (b)
(C). Both (a) and (b)
(D). Neither (a) nor (b)

Ans. (C)

65-. Which of these countries has been added in the 'BRIC (Brazil-Russia-lndia-China) grouping of emerging economies?
(A). South Korea
(B). Venezuela
(C). South Africa
(D). Russia

Ans. (C)

66-. Who has been appointed as the head of the reconstituted National Security Advisory Board (NSAB)?
(A). Shyam Saran
(B). Anil Kakodkar
(C). C Rajamohan
(D). Naresh Chandra

Ans. (D)

67-. The Upper House of Egyptian Parliament is known as which among the following?
(A). Shura Council
(B). Majilis Al-Sha'ab
(C). Dewan Rakyat
(D). Majlis al-Nuwaab

Ans. (A)

68-. State run Nuclear Power Corp. of India Ltd. has set up a joint venture company with ________ for developing atomic power projects in the country.
(A). ONGC
(B). NTPL
(C). SAIL
(D). RIL

Ans. (B)

69-. Civil Aviation Ministry has declared to celebrate its Centenary Year during
(A). 2010-11
(B). 2011-12
(C). 2012-13
(D). 2011

Ans. (B)

70-. Railway minister has proposed non-lapsable fund for socially desirable projects under the name of
(A). Pradhan Mantri Rail Vikas Yojana
(B). Sonia Gandhi Rail Vikas Yogana
(C). Mamta Banerjee Rail Vikas Yojana
(D). Rajeev Gandhi Rail Vikas Yojana

Ans. (A)

71-. India's Youngest Grand Master (Chess) is
(A). Sourav Ghosal
(B). Parimarjan Negi
(C). S.P. Sethuraman
(D). None of the above

Ans. (C)

72-. 'Nomadic Elephant' was the Joint military exercise recently held In India between India and -
(A). Malaysia
(B). Mongolia
(C). Indonesia
(D). Sri Lanka

Ans. (B)

73-. What is India's position in current FIFA rankings?
(A). 120th
(B). 132nd
(C). 144th
(D). 150th

Ans. (C)

74-. Thousands of people, inspired by the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, have taken to the streets of Algiers to protest against their own regime and to call for the removal of their President. The President of Algeria is
(A). Abdelaziz Bouteflika
(B). Ahmed Ouyahia
(C). Ali Osman
(D). Omar Bashir

Ans. (A)

75-. Wages paid to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has now been linked with -
(A). Wholesale Price Index
(B). Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labour
(C). Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers
(D). Food Inflation

Ans. (B)

76-. The International Press Institute (IPI), India Chapter, has conferred their Excellence in Journalism award for the year 2010 to________. The award was given to the magazine for the expose on the cold-blooded killing of a young man by the security forces in Manipur.
(A). Tehelka
(B). Cobra Post
(C). Outlook
(D). India Today

Ans. (A)

77-. "Pro-democracy activists are camping at Pearl Square in capital Manama". The country in question is:
(A). Jordon
(B). Morocco
(C). Bahrain
(D). Yemen

Ans. (C)

78-. Who has been appointed as India's first woman finance secretary?
(A). Sushma Nath
(B). Kavita Choudhry
(C). Chokila Iyer
(D). Arundhati Ghosh

Ans. (A)

79-. Consider the following statements are true ?
A. Direct cash transfers may help check leakage of subsidy
B. Pitches for no cap on micro-finance institutions
C. Supports Bill to boost pensions business, wants government to push new Pension Scheme

Which of the above statements are true ?
(A). Only (a)
(B). Only (a) and (b)
(C). Only (a) and (c)
(D). All of the above

Ans. (C)

80-. A _____ physicist and two USA Scientists have solved a 400 year old mystery on the working of the Sun offering a solution that could help predict space weather and plan space missions.
(A). Delhi
(B). Patna
(C). Kolkata
(D). Chennai

Ans. (C)

81-. On March 11, 2011, a ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquake ever recorded slammed Japan's ________ coast, killing thousands of people.
(A). Northern
(B). Eastern
(C). Southern
(D). Western

Ans. (B)

82-. Which of the following Trophy has been given to the winner of 34th National Games?
(A). Raja Bhalendra Trophy
(B). Raja Ranjeet Singh Trophy
(C). Birsa Munda Trophy
(D). Arjun Gaurav Samman

Ans. (A)

83-. India recently applied to the European Organization for Nuclear Research at Geneva in _________ for associate membership.
(A). Switzerland
(B). France
(C). Germany
(D). Poland

Ans. (A)

84-. David Paget, a London Court judge has sentenced _________, a law student who posted Islamic terrorist propaganda on the Internet to five years in jail.
(A). Amir Akhtar
(B). Imran Butt
(C). Suleiman Farid
(D). Mohammed Gul

Ans. (D)

85-. Yoweri Museveni, the long-time president of________, on February 20, 2011, won another term in Kampala, allowing him to extend his 25-year hold on power.
(A). Uganda
(B). Botswana
(C). Cameroon
(D). Congo

Ans. (A)

86-. Which woman politician is the member of the JPC on the 2G spectrum scam from the Rajya Sabha.
(A). Mohsina Kidwai
(B). Jayanthi Natarajan
(C). Mamta Banerjee
(D). Jaya Bachan

Ans. (B)

87-. Environment Ministers of Brazil, South Africa, India and China met at the sixth BASIC Ministerial meeting on Climate Change in ____
(A). Beijing
(B). Rio de Janeiro
(C). New Delhi
(D). Cape Town

Ans. (C)

88-. Nursultan Nazarbayev has been re-elected president of which of the following countries for the third term?
(A). Kazakshtan
(B). Ukraine
(C). Kyrgyzstan
(D). Syria

Ans. (A)

89-. Which of the following country was the host of First Asian Yoga Championship held recently?
(A). Thailand
(B). Cambodia
(C). Vietnam
(D). Laos

Ans. (D)

90-. The World Bank in March 2011 approved financial assistance of ___ to India.
(A). $10billion
(B). $12billion
(C). $13billion
(D). $14billion

Ans. (D)

91-. The third National Convention on the Right to Information Act was held in _____ in March 2011?
(A). Dispur
(B). Kohima
(C). Shillong
(D). Aizawl

Ans. (C)

92-. The ASEAN agreed to deploy _______ observers in Cambodia and Thailand along their border near the mediaeval Preah Vihear Hindu temple.
(A). Malaysian
(B). Indonesian
(C). Philippine
(D). Singapore

Ans. (B)

93-. Christine Lagarde, who recently headed the G-20 meeting of Finance Ministers and Governors of central Banks is Finance Minister of which among the following countries?
(A). France
(B). Australia
(C). Brazil
(D). South Africa

Ans. (A)

94-. Which state in 2009-10 recorded the highest per capita income?
(A). Goa
(B). Delhi
(C). Kerala
(D). Punjab

Ans. (A)

95-. Eminent astrophysicist _____ known for his work on pulsars, passed away in Bangalore on March 2, 2011?
(A). Shekhar Kartik
(B). Murli Davangere
(C). Venkatraman Radhakrishnan
(D). Venkitaraman Pillai

Ans. (C)

96-. The Securities and Exchange Board of India in March 2011 decided to allow _____ to visit Sebi Bhavan to help them learn about the capital market regulator.
(A). Students
(B). Foreign Investors
(C). Tourists
(D). Press

Ans. (A)

97-. The High Court of Bangladesh, on March 8, 2011, dismissed the challenge of ____ to the Bank of Bangladesh's order removing him as MD of the Grameen Bank.
(A). Ismail Farooq
(B). Muhammad Yunus
(C). Ismail Sheikh
(D). Yawar Khan

Ans. (B)

98-. India the world's second biggest wheat grower in March 2011 decided to donate 100,000 tonnes to grains to ____.
(A). Pakistan
(B). Bangladesh
(C). Afghanistan
(D). Bulgaria

Ans. (C)

99-. Kuno Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary, which is being proposed as a new home for some relocated Gir lions from Gujarat, is located in which among the following states?
(A). Maharashtra
(B). Orissa
(C). Madhya Pradesh
(D). Rajasthan

Ans. (C)

100-. Which Indian city hosted the second Vishwa Kannada Sammelan in March 2011?
(A). Bangalore
(B). Mangalore
(C). Belgaum
(D). New Delhi

Ans. (C)

101-. The United States government finally imposed unilateral sanctions against the regime of Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi on______2011 ?
(A). March 16
(B). February 28
(C). March 1
(D). February 25

Ans. (D)

102-. ______ was, on March 1, 2011, selected for the prestigious Vyas Samman for 2010 for his collections of poems, 'Phir Bhi Kuch Rah Jayega'.
(A). Abhijit Shukla
(B). Manish Pandey
(C). Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari
(D). Ashok Dhingra

Ans. (D)

103-. Russia successfully launched _________, its next-generation navigation satellite for its Glonass global communication system from the northern space centre.
(A). Vladivostok
(B). Kursk
(C). Plesetsk
(D). Moscow

Ans. (C)

104-. The Supreme Court, in March 2011, appealed to Pakistan to consider granting remission to ____ an Indian prisoner detained in the Lahore central jail for about 27 years.
(A). Hiresh Duggal
(B). Manoj Sharma
(C). Akhil Kohli
(D). Gopal Dass

Ans. (D)

105-. Benga got the better of ____ in the final of the men's football event of the 34th National Games at the Birsa Munda Stadium in Ranchi.
(A). Goa
(B). Nagaland
(C). Punjab
(D). Uttar Pradesh

Ans. (C)

106-. Name the former Nepal Prime Minister and founding member of the Nepali Congress who died recently.
(A). Girija Prasad Koirala
(B). Ganesh Man Singh
(C). Krishna Prasad Bhattarai
(D). Madhav Kumar Nepal

Ans. (C)

107-. Which of the following Academy Award (s) was/were won by the King's Speech at the 82nd Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 28,2011?
(A). Best Picture
(B). Best Director
(C). Best Actor
(D). All of the above

Ans. (D)

108-. Haryana, in March 2011, constituted an Inquiry Commission under retired Justice________to inquire into the killing of Sikhs in the November 1984 riots;
(A). T. P. Garg
(B). A.S. Dahlya
(C). P.N. Parmar
(D). S.N. Dabas

Ans. (A)

109-. Which state government, on March 7, 2011, announced to undertake a detailed census of cancer patients in the state?
(A). Delhi
(B). Haryana
(C). Punjab
(D). Orissa

Ans. (C)

110-. ____ of the IISER, Kolkata, in March 2011, used a computer model of solar activity to explain how the sun lost its spots and solar storms for a long period.
(A). Rohit Dey
(B). Ashish Ranjan
(C). Subhajit Saha
(D). Dibyendu Nandi

Ans. (D)

111-. Name Pakistan's Minister for Minority Affairs who was gunned down near his residence. The assassination is being linked to the blasphemy issue that consumed the life of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer.
(A). Rahmat Masih
(B). Shahbaz Bhatti
(C). Yusuf Masih
(D). Isa Yakoob

Ans. (B)

112-. Which among the following sports is NOT a part of the London Olympics?
(A). Triathlon
(B). Taekwondo
(C). Table Tennis
(D). Baseball

Ans. (D)

113-. What is the Budget 2011 projections for inflation during 2011-12?
(A). 10 percent
(B). 8 percent
(C). 7 percent
(D). 5 percent

Ans. (D)

114-. Name the state govt which accepted eight of the 14 demands Maoists made for the release of Malkangiri Collector R. Vineel Krishna and Junior Engineer Pabitra Majhi.
(A). Orissa
(B). Jharkhand
(C). Chhattisgarh
(D). Maharashtra

Ans. (A)

115-. The Central Government, In March 2011, took an initiative to set up separate High Courts In
(A). Tripura
(B). Manipur
(C). Meghalaya
(D). All of the above

Ans. (D)

116-. Name the first country to announce that it is officially recognising the Libyan National Council as the sole representative of the Libyan people.
(A). US
(B). France
(C). Britain
(D). Germany

Ans. (B)

117-. Budget 2011 has allotted _________ as a subsidy on major heads such as food, fertilizers and fuel.
(A). Rs. 80000 crore
(B). Rs. 100000 crore
(C). Rs. 143570 crore
(D). Rs. 150000 crore

Ans. (C)

118-. The targeted gauge conversion in Railway Budget 2011-12 is ?
(A). 900 km
(B). 950km
(C). 990 km
(D). 1017 km

Ans. (D)

119-. The Chief Minister of which Indian state, on March 4, 2011, asked the state legislators to move a resolution for setting up a Truth and reconciliation commission?
(A). Chhattisgarh
(B). Manipur
(C). Goa
(D). Jammu & Kashmir

Ans. (D)

120-. Who among the following has been defeated by Saina Nehwal, who has won the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold title recently, becoming the First Indian to do so?
(A). Ji Hyun Sung
(B). Wang Lin
(C). Kamilla Rytter Juhl
(D). Shinta Mulia Sari

Ans. (A)

121-. Which country has successfully launched a next-generation navigation satellite for its Glonass global communication system?
(A). China
(B). Poland
(C). Germany
(D). Russia

Ans. (D)

122-. Which West African state was witness to fighting in March 2011, with thousands of people fleeing across the border to Liberia?
(A). Senegal
(B). Morocco
(C). Ivory Coast
(D). Guinea Coast

Ans. (C)

123-. A special fast track court in Ahmedabad sentenced 11 convicts to death and 20 others to life imprisonment in the 2002 ________ train burning case on March 1, 2011?
(A). Godhra
(B). Bareilly
(C). Raipur
(D). Kolkatta

Ans. (A)

124-. Name the former President who will be awarded Russia's highest medal, Order of St Andrew, for his service as the last Soviet leader.
(A). Mikhail Gorbachev
(B). Boris Yeltsin
(C). Vladimir Putin
(D). Dmitry Medvedev

Ans. (A)

125-. The 35th National Games will be held in?
(A). Kerala
(B). Goa
(C). Tamil Nadu
(D). Punjab

Ans. (A)

126-. On March 6, 2011, the Supreme Court held that __________ has ample powers to enact legislation with respect to extra-territorial aspects for the security of India?
(A). President
(B). Prime Minister
(C). Supreme Court
(D). Parliament

Ans. (D)

127-. Name one of the last of the mighty men who fought all odds to protect the tiger and who was conferred a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Worldwide Fund for Nature in Jaipur.
(A). Fateh Singh Rathore
(B). Sunita Narain
(C). Vandana Shiva
(D). Deep Joshi

Ans. (A)

128-. Jharkhand men's team lost to ______ in the hockey finals of the 34th Jharkhand National Games in Ranchi.
(A). Tamil Nadu
(B). Kerala
(C). Punjab
(D). Delhi

Ans. (C)

129-. Who is the Libyan leader who has been fighting against the NATO forces to save his reign?
(A). Hosni Mubarak
(B). Zainul Abeden Ben Ali
(C). Muammar Qadhafi
(D). Hafiz Al Basher

Ans. (C)

130-. In which city were twenty-one Roman Catholic priests suspended after being linked to an investigation into widespread child molestation.
(A). Denver
(B). Darwin
(C). Philadelphia
(D). Toronto

Ans. (C)

131-. Lee Chong Wei on March 13, 2011, won the All-England Open men's singles title, beating ________ , the Olympic champion from China.
(A). Ming Sung
(B). Tai Lin
(C). Jet Chang
(D). Un Dan

Ans. (D)

132-. On March 3, 2011, the Union Cabinet cleared the Protection of _______ from Sexual Offences Bill, 2011?
(A). Children
(B). Sex-workers
(C). Working Women
(D). Minors

Ans. (A)

133-. Which country has appointed Brigadier General Ravinder Singh as its next Army chief, the first Sikh in nearly 30 years to be given the force's batton.
(A). Thailand
(B). Singapore
(C). Malaysia
(D). Indonesia

Ans. (B)

134-. Arjun Singh, who died recently, was the former Chief minister of
(A). Chhattisgarh
(B). MP
(C). UP
(D). Rajasthan

Ans. (B)

135-. Anant Pai, better known as 'Uncle Pai' , who recently died was the creator of which among the following comic series?
(A). Chacha Chaudhary
(B). Chandamama
(C). Indrajaal
(D). Amar Chitra Katha

Ans. (D)

136-. Name the retired diplomat who has replaced the late Richard Holbrooke as the United States special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
(A). Phillip Adams
(B). Marc Grossman
(C). Mark Zukerburg
(D). Julian Assange

Ans. (B)

137-. John Davison of _________ who became an overnight household name in 2003 by breaking the record for the fastest World Cup hundred, announced his retirement on March 2011 ?
(A). Ireland
(B). The Netherland
(C). Canada
(D). Zimbabwe

Ans. (C)

138-. Who has been appointed as the new chairman of the National Minorities Commission (NCM)?
(A). Salman Khurshid
(B). Rahman Khan
(C). Wajahat Habibullah
(D). Najeeb Jung

Ans. (C)

139-. Martin Kaymer of ____ became the new World number one is golf on March 1, 2011, taking over from Lee Westwood who deposed Tiger Woods on October 31, 2011 ?
(A). Britain
(B). Switzerland
(C). Germany
(D). Russia

Ans. (C)

140-. Who is the author of the book Matters of Discretion?
(A). IK Gujral
(B). HD Devegowda
(C). Manmohan Singh
(D). AB Vajpayee

Ans. (A)

141-. Oil and Natural Gas Crop. Ltd. in March 2011 made a significant gas discovery in___.
(A). Tripura
(B). Assam
(C). Meghalaya
(D). Orissa

Ans. (A)

142-. Which country, on March 5, 2011, advocated a closer security relationship with India to check money-laundering and drug-trafficking?
(A). Myanmar
(B). Thailand
(C). Indonesia
(D). Nepal

Ans. (B)

143-. The Centre, on March 8, 2011, approved a grant of Rs. 5 crore to the ASI to make five of its World Heritage Sites accessible to ________
(A). Children
(B). Old people
(C). Persons with disabilities
(D). All of the above

Ans. (D)

144-. India during 2006-10 overtook China, as the world's largest arms importer, receiving ____ of the volume of global arms transfers.
(A). 2 percent
(B). 4 percent
(C). 6 percent
(D). 9 percent

Ans. (D)

145-. According to the provisional data of Census 2011 released on March 31, 2011 India's population is
(A). 1.12 billion
(B). 1.21 billion
(C). 1.32 billion
(D). 1.26 billion

Ans. (B)

146-. Name the country in which the king has ordered that each family in the tiny Gulf monarchy be given $3,000 to mark the 10th anniversary of a national charter for reforms.
(A). Oman
(B). Bahrain
(C). Jordan
(D). Saudi Arabia

Ans. (B)

147-. Which among the following state has been selected for The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)?
(A). Tamil Nadu
(B). Karnataka
(C). Kerala
(D). Andhra Pradesh

Ans. (A)

148-. Alberto Granado, who accompanied ______________ on a motorcycle in 1952 on a journey of discovery across Latin America, died in Cuba on March 5, 2011 ?
(A). Fidel Castro
(B). Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara
(C). Both of these
(D). None of these

Ans. (B)

149-. In the Review of the economy 2010-11 released in New Delhi by C. Rangarajan, the Indian economy was projected to grow by _____ percent in 2010-11 ?
(A). 7.2
(B). 8.1
(C). 8.6
(D). 9.6

Ans. (C)

150-. Which state, in March 2011, banned the practice of "bartan" system under which upper caste families extract work from barbers and washermen during family occasions?
(A). Orissa
(B). Bihar
(C). Uttar Pradesh
(D). West Bengal

Ans. (A)

151-. Who among the following was appointed Chairperson of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)?
(A). Andre Betallie
(B). Javerd Alam
(C). A Niigcshwnra Rao
(D). Sukhdeo Thorat

Ans. (D)

152-. The _____ Cabinet, on March 9, 2011, gave its nod to increase in local body polls from 33 to 50 percent.
(A). West Bengal
(B). Maharashtra
(C). Bihar
(D). Orissa

Ans. (B)

153-. Which was the sole nation to veto a U.N. resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem recently?
(A). India
(B). Canada
(C). USA
(D). Britain

Ans. (C)

154-. Strengthening its missile prowess, India on Mar 11 successfully test-fired two indigenously developed, nuclear-capable _____and ________ballistic missiles, both having 350-km strike range, from separate locations off the Orissa coast.
(A). Agni II, Akash-II
(B). Nag, Surya
(C). Dhanush, Prithvi-II
(D). Trishul, Nag

Ans. (C)

155-. A tri-nation monitoring group of diplomats was established in __on March 15, 2011, to brain storm ways of rescuing sailors on board ships that Somali pirates had hijacked.
(A). New Delhi
(B). Beijing
(C). Dubai
(D). Cairo

Ans. (C)

156-. 2011-12 has been declared by Railways as
(A). Year of Passenger Safety
(B). Year of Green Energy
(C). Year of Safety and Sanitation
(D). Year of Energy Saving

Ans. (B)

157-. Who is the captain of Sahara's Pune Warriors that has made its debut in the fourth IPL season?
(A). Yuvraj Singh
(B). Gautam Gambhir
(C). Kumar Sangakkara
(D). Zaheer Khan

Ans. (A)

158-. Tax incentives have been extended to attract foreign funds for the financing of
(A). Consumer sector
(B). Defence
(C). Infrastructure
(D). Health

Ans. (C)

159-. Women's SHGs (Self-Help Groups) Development Fund is to be created with a corpus of
(A). Rs. 100cr
(B). Rs. 200cr
(C). Rs. 500cr
(D). Rs. 700cr

Ans. (C)

160-. Government is committed to retaining at least ______ownership and management control of Central Public Sector Undertakings.
(A). 26%
(B). 49%
(C). 51%
(D). 74%

Ans. (C)

161-. Which of these has surpassed McDonald's to become the largest restaurant chain on the planet and is now spread out more globally than McDonald's?
(A). Pizza Hut
(B). Subway
(C). Domino's
(D). China Town

Ans. (B)

162-. Who won the Malaysia Grand Prix Gold Badminton tournament in Alor Setar in May, 2011?
(A). Saina Nehwal
(B). Xiang Xing
(C). Lin den
(D). Xin Wang

Ans. (B)

163-. Name the first woman army officer who has been selected for gallantry award.
(A). Rekha Singh
(B). Anju Bhatia
(C). Suman Rawat
(D). Mitali Madhumita

Ans. (D)

164-. The winner of Asia Cup (Football) this year is
(A). North Korea
(B). South Korea
(C). Japan
(D). Indonesia

Ans. (C)

165-. Overruling the Centre's objection, the Supreme Court has appointed UU Lalit as special public prosecutor in the
(A). Commonwealth Games scam case
(B). 2G scam case
(C). TPDS scam case
(D). Adarsh housing scam case

Ans. (B)

166-. India recently finalized deal on the sharing of Teesta and Feni River water with-
(A). Myanmar
(B). Bangladesh
(C). Pakistan
(D). Nepal

Ans. (B)

167-. Who among the following well known economists is the Chairperson of the International Advisory Panel (IAP) that reviewed the functioning of the National Rural Health Mission recently?
(A). Amartya Sen
(B). Paul Krugman
(C). Hemando de Soto
(D). Jeffery D Sachs

Ans. (D)

168-. Which of the following World's top golfer and his home country is wrongly matched?
(A). Martin Kaymer - Germany
(B). Lee Westwood - Canada
(C). Phil Mickelson - US
(D). Ernie Els - South Africa

Ans. (B)

169-. Name the Indian novelist who has been chosen for the 2011 International Indu Sharma Katha Samman for his novel McCluskieganj.
(A). Prabhat Kumar Jha
(B). Mamta Kalia
(C). Vikas Kumar Jha
(D). Ravindra Kalia

Ans. (C)

170-. The best male FIFA football player for the year 2010 is
(A). Didier Drogba
(B). Lionel Messi
(C). Diego Forlan
(D). Iker Casillas

Ans. (B)

171-. With which of the following G7 countries has India signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) recently?
(A). Italy
(B). UK
(C). Japan
(D). France

Ans. (C)

172-. Which of the following has decided to collaborate with the National Skill Development Council (NSDC) to create jobs for over five lakh employable graduates in the country over the next 10 years, recently ?
(A). NIIT
(B). Gyanodaya
(C). TeamLease Services Pvt. Ltd.
(D). Talent Management International

Ans. (D)

173-. Name the country whose leader Alassane Ouattara's forces, backed by French and UN troops, captured his besieged rival Laurent Gbagbo at the climax of a deadly months-long crisis.
(A). Nigeria
(B). Sudan
(C). Ivory Coast
(D). Tanzania

Ans. (C)

174-. According to the latest edition of The Times Higher Education, the world reputation ranking report, which University has come at the top?
(A). Harvard
(B). California Institute of Technology
(C). Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(D). Stanford University

Ans. (A)

175-. Which of the following is the greenest city in Asia as per the Asian Green City Index unveiled recently?
(A). Taipei
(B). Singapore
(C). Tokyo
(D). Hong Kong

Ans. (B)

176-. The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has chosen one of the living legends of mathematics, John Willard Milnor of the Institute for Mathematical Sciences in the University of Stony Brook, USA, for the award of its presitigious __________ for the year 2011 ?
(A). Abel Prize
(B). Alternative Nobel Prize
(C). Ramanujam Award
(D). Newton Award

Ans. (A)

177-. India summoned the ___________ ambassador in New Delhi and conveyed its "serious unhappiness" over golfer Jeev Milkha Singh's coach being asked to take off his turban during a security check.
(A). US
(B). British
(C). French
(D). Italian

Ans. (D)

178-. Which of the following statements about India's production of iron and steel is/are correct?
I. India produced over 75 million tonnes of steel in 2010.
II. India is the fifth largest producer of steel in the world
III. India is the largest producer of sponge iron in the world

(A). I only
(B). I and II only
(C). II and III only
(D). I, II and III only

Ans. (C)

179-. Which of the following statements about the report titled "Adolescence : An Age of Opportunity" is/are correct ?
I. The report has been prepared by UNICEF
II. India has the highest number of adolescents in the world.
III. More than half among adolescent girls in India are anemic.

(A). I only
(B). I and II only
(C). II and III only
(D). I, II and III

Ans. (D)

180-. Which country holds the Presidency of G20 in 2011 ?
(A). South Africa
(B). Mexico
(C). Argentina
(D). France

Ans. (D)

181-. Which state has been able to improve enrollment of girls in schools because of its "Mukhya Mantri Balika Cycle Yojana" that gives Rs. 2,000 to every girl to buy herself a bicycle ?
(A). Rajasthan
(B). Bihar
(C). Jharkhand
(D). Chhattisgarh

Ans. (B)

182-. Arunachal Pradesh Chief minister ________ died in a chopper crash on Apr 30, 2011 ?
(A). Tarun Gogoi
(B). Mukul Sangma
(C). Lal Thanhawla
(D). Dorjee Khandu

Ans. (D)

183-. The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) has projected a growth rate of _______ for 2011-12 in its latest review of the country's economy recently.
(A). 7.4%
(B). 8.2%
(C). 8.8%
(D). 9.2%

Ans. (C)

184-. Which state had the highest and lowest growth in gross state domestic product (GSDP) among the states and union territories in the country in 2009-10 ?
(A). Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan
(B). Mizoram, Andaman and Nicobar
(C). Goa, Karnataka
(D). Gujarat, Orissa

Ans. (A)

185-. Name the noted poet who has been selected for the Bihari Puraskar for 2010 for his poetry collection. He was chosen for his collection of poems Anta Ke Sanshaya.
(A). Uday Prakash
(B). Abdul Bismillah
(C). Girdhar Rathi
(D). Asghar Wajahat

Ans. (C)

186-. Recently in news, Maheshwar Dam is related to ?
(A). Bihar
(B). Uttar Pradesh
(C). Madhya Pradesh
(D). Rajasthan

Ans. (C)

187-. Which country has conferred one of its highest honours, Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and the Key of the Indian Ocean (GCSK), on Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed?
(A). Sri Lanka
(B). Myanmar
(C). Fiji
(D). Mauritius

Ans. (D)

188-. Abidjan is the capital of ?
(A). Ivory Coast
(B). Nigeria
(C). Libya
(D). Syria

Ans. (A)

189-. The Union Cabinet has approved amendments in the Coinage Bill 2009 that seeks to amalgamate four existing Acts relating to coin age recently. Which of the following Acts is the oldest ?
(A). The Indian Coinage Act
(B). The Small Coins (Offences) Act
(C). The Metal Token Act
(D). The Bronze Coin (Legal Tender) Act

Ans. (C)

190-. 'Swabhiman' scheme launched is associated with —
(A). Rural Women Rights
(B). Rural Old People Care
(C). Rural Banking
(D). Rural Food Security

Ans. (C)

191-. US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley resigned after criticising the Pentagon's treatment of the man accused of leaking secret cables to WikiLeaks. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said he would be replaced by ______.
(A). Michael Hammer
(B). Robert Gates
(C). Ross Stein
(D). Kenneth Hudnut

Ans. (A)

192-. The government unveiled two new coins to commemorate an anniversary of the Income Tax department recently. Which of the following statements is/are correct ?
I. The coins were issued to commemorate 125 years of Income Tax in India.
II. The coins are in denomination of Rs. 150 and Rs. 5.
III. The reverse faces of the coins bear the portrait of "Chanakya'.

(A). I only
(B). I and II only
(C). II and III only
(D). III and I only

Ans. (C)

193-. Name the prominent cleric and Jamat Ahle Hadees President who was assassinated in Srinagar recently. He had been critical of stone-pelters, calling their action un-Islamic.
(A). Shabbir Shah
(B). Showket Ahmad Shah
(C). Umar Farooq
(D). Ghulam Shah Jilani

Ans. (B)

194-. The provisional data of the 2011 census released recently gave the country good tidings on the literacy front, as the literacy level has increased by 9.21 percentage points in the past decade to touch
(A). 70.4 percent
(B). 7(D).4 percent
(C). 78.1 percent
(D). 8(A).7 percent

Ans. (B)

195-. Joseph Lelyveld's book Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and his struggle with India created a furore and was banned in
(A). Gujarat
(B). Maharashtra
(C). Gujarat and Maharashtra
(D). All over India

Ans. (C)

196-. In a path-breaking judgement, the Supreme Court has allowed 'passive euthanasia' of withdrawing life support to patients in permanently vegetative state. Which was the first country to legalise euthanasia?
(A). Mexico
(B). Netherlands
(C). Switzerland
(D). Belgium

Ans. (B)

197-. Who has been presented Yashwantrao Chavan National award recently?
(A). Mannu Bhandari
(B). Rajendra Yadav
(C). Ashok Vajpeyi
(D). Mahasweta Devi Verma

Ans. (D)

198-. Name the first president of the CPM's student outfit SFI who died recently.
(A). Prakash Karat
(B). Sitaram Yechuri
(C). Mohammad Salim
(D). C Bhaskaran

Ans. (D)

199-. In order to mitigate cyclonic impact in India, India recently signed a pact with -
(A). IMF
(B). World Bank
(C). Asian Development Bank
(D). None of the above

Ans. (A)

200-. Cisse Mariam Kaidama has been appointed the first female prime minister of ________ .
(A). Ghana
(B). Mali
(C). Angola
(D). Namibia

Ans. (B)

201-. To mark the 100th anniversary of International Women's day, the United Nations Women has announced a new regional programme to address the needs of widows in three Asian countries. Which of these countries is not one of those?
(A). Sri Lanka
(B). Nepal
(C). India
(D). Pakistan

Ans. (D)

202-. Recently in news, Bhatta-Parsaul village situated in ______
(A). Noida, Uttar Pradesh
(B). Mehrauly, Delhi
(C). Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh
(D). Gaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

Ans. (A)

203-. Name the former German chancellor who has been chosen for the Henry A Kissinger Prize for his role in the reunification of Germany.
(A). Angela Merkel
(B). Rory-Cellan Jones
(C). Helmut Kohl
(D). John Major

Ans. (C)

204-. US President Barack Obama appointed Indian-American ________, Associate Professor of Law at University of Wisconsin Law School, as member of the Foreign Claims Settlement Committee.
(A). Anuj C Desai
(B). Vikram Pandit
(C). Sanjay Jha
(D). Sara Mathew

Ans. (A)

205-. Russia has successfully launched a next-generation navigation satellite for its Glonass global communication system. Which among the following statements in this reference is/ are correct?
A. Glonass will not be integrated with the US Global Positioning System (GPS).
B. Under an accord, Russia has agreed to share the Glonass Signal with India.

(A). A only
(B). B only
(C). Both A nor B
(D). Neither A nor B

Ans. (B)

206-. The International Magicians Society, US, has conferred the Merlin Award on Gopinath Muthukad. He is the second Indian magician to receive the honour after ?
(A). PC Sorcar Sr
(B). PC Sorcar Jr
(C). KC Paul
(D). Badal Sorcar

Ans. (B)

207-. India is the ________most powerful country in the world, says the latest National Security Index (NSI) designed by the country's foremost security and economic experts.
(A). Second
(B). Fifth
(C). Sixth
(D). Tenth

Ans. (B)

208-. Which of these nuclear plants of India is located in the highly sensitive Seismic Zone IV?
(A). Narora, Uttar Pradesh
(B). Kakrapur, Gujarat
(C). Tarapur, Maharashtra
(D). Kaiga, Karnataka

Ans. (A)

209-. Nursultan Nazarbayev has been re-elected as the President of
(A). Uzbekistan
(B). Tajikistan
(C). Kazakhstan
(D). Armenia

Ans. (C)

210-. Where was the G20 annual Finance Minister and Central Bank Governors Meeting organised recently?
(A). Mexico City
(B). Canberra
(C). Paris
(D). London

Ans. (C)

211-. Name the founder of the New Archaeology movement and one of the senior most figures in the world of archaeology who passed away recently at the ago of 80 ?
(A). William F Albright
(B). Robert Bruce
(C). Robert Gates
(D). Lewis Binford

Ans. (D)

212-. Fisheries and aquaculture provide livelihood to what percentage of world population, according a report of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) unveiled recently ?
(A). 3%
(B). 8%
(C). 12%
(D). 15%

Ans. (B)

213-. Which of the following has been chosen to head the recently appointed UN Counter Terrorism Committee?
(A). Japan
(B). India
(C). USA
(D). Australia

Ans. (B)

214-. Name the close aide of the former Communication Minister A Raja who allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself on Mar 16, 2011 ?
(A). Hassan Ali
(B). Shahid Balwa
(C). Sadiq Batcha
(D). Abdul KarimTelgi

Ans. (C)

215-. O.N.V. Kurup who was recently honoured with Padma Vibhushan this year is a famous poet of
(A). Tamil language
(B). Kannad language
(C). Malyalam Language
(D). Gujarati Language

Ans. (C)

216-. The District Information System for Education (DISE) report on Universal Elementary Education (UEE) was released recently. Which of the following statements is/are correct ?
I. More than 70% schools had Pucca Building
II. More than 60% schools had Girl's Toilets
III. More than 15% schools had Com¬puter Facilities

(A). I only
(B). I and II only
(C). II only
(D). I and III only

Ans. (D)

217-. Name the co-founder and former managing director of the weekly newspaper Le Journal Hebdomadire who was presented the 2010 Gebran Tueni Award in Beirut on April 12, 2011 ?
(A). Aboubakr Jamal
(B). Najam Sethi
(C). Abdullah Bakr
(D). Riz Khan

Ans. (A)

218-. Kannada writer SL Bhyrappa has been chosen for the prestigious ________for his novel Mandra.
(A). Bihari Puraskar
(B). Saraswati Samman
(C). Kabir Samman
(D). Tulsi Samman

Ans. (B)

219-. Who is the Chairman of Public Accounts Committee of the Union Parliament?
(A). Murli Manohar Joshi
(B). Jashwant Singh
(C). Saifudin Soj
(D). Mohan Singh

Ans. (A)

220-. Which of the following statements about growth estimates in the Review of the Economy 2010-11 by Economic Advisory Council is/are correct?
I. Indian economy will have a higher growth rate in 2011-12 than 2010-12 .
II. Agriculture will have a lower growth rate in 2011 -12 than 2010-11 .
III. Industry and Services will have a higher growth rate in 2011-12 than 2010-11 .

(A). I only
(B). I and II only
(C). II and III only
(D). I, II and III

Ans. (D)

221-. Who among the following is the winner of Pantaloons Femina Miss India (PEMI) World 2011?
(A). Kanishtha Dhankhar
(B). Ankita Shorey
(C). Hasleen Kaur
(D). Surabhi Rao

Ans. (A)

222-. The Supreme Court has extended by six months the tenure of the Justice Wadhwa Committee formed to probe into issues in the
(A). 2G scam
(B). Fake stamp paper scam
(C). Commonwealth Games
(D). Public Distribution System

Ans. (D)

223-. Which of these States recorded the highest per capita income among all States and Union Territories during 2009-10?
(A). Punjab
(B). Gujarat
(C). Goa
(D). Karnataka

Ans. (C)

224-. The 16th National Youth Festival was held in_____
(A). Jaipur
(B). Udaipur
(C). Hyderabad
(D). Gandhinagar

Ans. (B)

225-. Name the country which on Apr 14 joined Russia in vaguely backing India's quest for a permanent Security Council seat but there was no promise that it would vote for New Delhi's inclusion on UN high table.
(A). Brazil
(B). South Africa
(C). China
(D). Britain

Ans. (C)

226-. A five-membered committee has submitted final draft of National Policy on Senior Citizens 2011 to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Who headed this committee?
(A). Dr. Abha Sharma
(B). Dr. V Mohini Giri
(C). Dr. Madhu Gupta
(D). Dr. S Malathi Rao

Ans. (B)

227-. The Government constituted a Task Force to evolve a suitable mechanism for direct subsidies to individuals/families recently. Which of the following will be covered ?
I. Kerosens & LPG
II. Foodgrains
III. Petrol & diesel
IV. Fertilisers

(A). I and II only
(B). II and III only
(C). II and IV only
(D). I and IV only

Ans. (D)

228-. Salman Bashir is the foreign secretary of ________
(A). Iran
(B). Egypt
(C). Pakistan
(D). Afghanistan

Ans. (C)

229-. Ambati Rayudu is related to
(A). Mumbai Indians
(B). Deccan Chargers
(C). Pune Warriors
(D). Punjab Kings XI

Ans. (A)

230-. INS Deepak which was recently commissioned into the Navy is -
(A). The Italian built fleet tanker
(B). American built fleet tanker
(C). Japanese built fleet tanker
(D). Chinese built fleet tanker

Ans. (A)

231-. The person who has been elected by the Sangeet Natak Akademi as its fellow is
(A). Girija Devi
(B). Nataraj Ramakrishna
(C). Both of the above
(D). None of the above

Ans. (C)

232-. As a part of the wildlife conservation efforts in Nepal and India, a new association by the name SAVE was launched recently. The objective of SAVE is to conserve:
(A). Vultures
(B). Tigers
(C). Parrots
(D). Elephants

Ans. (A)

233-. Which state government has decided to honour two players from the state in the victorious World Cup cricket team with the state's highest sports award "Eklavya Puraskar"?
(A). Maharashtra
(B). Kamataka
(C). Gujarat
(D). Tamil Nadu

Ans. (C)

234-. 'Inside Central Asia' is a book written by
(A). Tony Blair
(B). Dilip Hiro
(C). Khushwant Singh
(D). Hillary Clinton

Ans. (B)

235-. Which among the following statements is/ are correct?
A. NASA's Messenger spacecraft created history when it entered the orbit of Mercury.
B. The spacecraft was launched in the year 2006.

(A). A only
(B). B only
(C). Both A and B
(D). Neither A nor B

Ans. (A)

236-. The Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change has approved the Green India Mission, which aims at increasing India's forest cover by _________ hectares over the next 10 years.
(A). two million
(B). five million
(C). eight million
(D). ten million

Ans. (B)

237-. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati won the Miami Masters (Tennis) for the first time as a team in
(A). 1995
(B). 1999
(C). 2003
(D). 2011

Ans. (D)

238-. The Indian Nuclear Society's Homi Bhabha Lifetime Achievement Award has been conferred on___
(A). Anil Kakodkar
(B). Madhavan Nair
(C). APJ Abdul Kalam
(D). None of the above

Ans. (A)

239-. Which of the following won the Ranji Trophy of circket recently?
(A). Uttar Pradesh
(B). Rajasthan
(C). Tamil Nadu
(D). Karnataka

Ans. (B)

240-. According to a latest study by the researchers of Stanford University, modern humans may have originated from ______ challenging the age-old view that people came from the eastern Africa.
(A). Western Africa
(B). Eastern Asia
(C). Northern Asia
(D). Southern Africa

Ans. (D)

Civil Services (Main) Exam, 2011 Result Announced

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) have announced the result of Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2011 and Roll Numbers of the candidates who  have qualified for Personality Test for selection to the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service and other Central Services (Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’). Personality Tests of these candidates will commence from 19^th March, 2012. Personality Tests will be held at UPSC. The date and time of Personality Test is being intimated to the qualified candidates individually. The date and time of Personality Tests of candidates being called for Personality Test from 19^th March, 2012 will be displayed on the Commission’s Website at http://www.upsc.gov.in. The candidates who do not receive any communication regarding their Personality Test, should immediately contact the office of the Commission through letter or on Phone, Nos. 011-23385271, 011-23381125, 011-23098543 or Fax Nos. 011-23387310, 011-23384472.

No request for change in the date and time of the Personality Test intimated to the candidates will be entertained. The candidates are advised to notify change(s) in their address, if any, to the Commission immediately through letter or Fax at Telephone numbers indicated above.

Candidature of these candidates is provisional subject to their being found eligible in all respects. The candidates will be required to produce the original certificates in support of their claims pertaining to age, educational qualifications, community, physical handicap and other documents such as Questionnaire, Attestation Form, TA form, etc. at the time of their Personality Test. The formats of SC/ST/OBC/PH certificates and Questionnaire, Attestation Form and TA form can be downloaded from the website of the Commission. They are, therefore advised to keep the said documents ready with them.

Result is available on PIB website i.e www.pib.nic.in and also on the U.P.S.C. website i.e. www.upsc.gov.in.

            The mark-sheets of candidates who have not qualified, will be put on the Commission’s Website within 15 days from the date of publication of the final result (after conducting Personality Test) and will remain available on the Website for a period of 60 days.

Click here to see Result

84th Academy Awards

The 84th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2011. The ceremony took place at the Hollywood and Highland Center in Hollywood, California and was televised live in the United States on ABC on February 26, 2012.
The ceremony was hosted by Billy Crystal, marking his ninth time as host, and produced by Brian Grazer. Eddie Murphy was originally scheduled to be the host, and Brett Ratner was to be producer. However, Murphy stepped down after Ratner resigned, following Ratner's use of a gay slur when discussing rehearsals.
The Artist and Hugo each won five awards, with the former winning Best Picture and its star Jean Dujardin winning Best Actor. The Iron Lady won two awards, including Best Actress for Meryl Streep. The Artist became the first silent motion picture in 83 years (after Wings, which won Best Picture at the 1st Academy Awards) and the first French film to win Best Picture.
Best Picture: The Artist
Actress in Leading Role: Meryl Streep
Actor In Leading Role: Jean Dujardin
Actress in Supporting Role: Octavia Spencer for ‘The Help’
Actor in Supporting Role: Christopher Plummer for ‘Beginners’
Animated Feature Film: Rango
Cinematography: Hugo
Art Direction: Hugo
Costume Design: The Artist
Directing: The Artist
Documentary Feature: Undefeated
Documentary Short: Saving Face
Film Editing: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Foreign Language Film: Iran ‘A Separation’
Makeup: The Iron Lady
Music (Original Score): The Artist
Music (Original Song): Man or Muppet from The Muppets
Short Film (Animated): The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore
Short Film (Live Action): The Shore
Sound Editing: Hugo
Sound Mixing: Hugo
Visual Effects: Hugo
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): The Descendants
Writing (Original Screenplay): Midnight in Paris

National Disaster Management Authority

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), headed by the Prime Minister of India, is the Apex Body for Disaster Management in India. The setting up of the NDMA and the creation of an enabling environment for institutional mechanisms at the State and District levels is mandated by the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
India envisions the development of an ethos of Prevention, Mitigation and Preparedness and will strive to promote a National resolve to mitigate the damage and destruction caused by natural and man-made disasters, through sustained and collective efforts of all Government agencies, Non-Governmental Organisations and People’s participation, by adopting a Technology-Driven, Pro-Active, Multi-Hazard and Multi-Sectoral Strategy for building a Safer, Disaster Resilient and Dynamic India.
The Logo reflects the aspirations of this National Vision, of empowering all stakeholders for improving the effectiveness of Disaster Management in India. The Map of India, embossed in Gold, in the middle of the logo, circumscribed by the National Tricolour of Saffron, White and Green represents the aspirations to contain the potential threat of natural and man-made disasters through Capacity Development of all Stakeholders. The Outer Circle is a Golden Ring of Partnership of all Stakeholders, whose holding of hands is an expression of their solidarity to supplement the efforts of the Government. NDMA in the Inner Circle in tranquil blue integrates the entire process by Empowering all Stakeholders at the local, district, state and national levels. NDMA will catalyse this Community Empowerment through institutional capacity development, strengthened public awareness and community resilience by mainstreaming disaster management in India.

ORGANISATION:
National Disaster Management Authority has been constituted with the Prime Minister of India as its Chairman, a Vice Chairman with the status of Cabinet Minister, and eight members with the status of Ministers of State. Each of the members has a well defined functional domain covering various states as also disaster specific areas of focus and concern To carry out the mandated functions, NDMA has evolved a lean and professional organization which is IT-enabled and knowledge based. Skills and expertise of the specialists are extensively used to address all the disaster related issues. . A functional and operational infrastructure has been built which is appropriate for disaster management involving uncertainties coupled with desired plans of action.
The concept of the organization is based on a disaster divisions-cum-secretariat system. Each member of the Authority heads disaster-specific divisions for specific disaster and functional domains. Each member has also been given the responsibility of specified states and UTs for close interaction and coordination.
The NDMA Secretariat, headed by a Secretary is responsible to provide secretarial support and continuity. It is proposed to have two Disaster Management Wings under the Secretariat. They are :-

    DM I wing dealing with mitigation, preparedness, plans, reconstruction, community awareness and dealing with financial/administrative aspects.
    DM II wing is proposed to be composed of the National Disaster Management Operations Centre with the state-of-the-art multi-redundant communication systems, to carry out the tasks of capacity development, training and knowledge management.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes have caused huge damage to life and property worldwide and pose a significant threat to India also because of falling of almost 59% of its geographical area in earthquake vulnerable zones. The most clearly observable impacts of an earthquake are the loss of human lives and property, economic & social losses and environmental degradation. Over the last century, about 75% of fatalities attributed to earthquakes have been caused by the collapse of buildings. A great number of victims die in the collapse of non-engineered weak masonry buildings, which make up a large proportion in India’s existing building stock. India’s substantial percentage of population of earthquake vulnerable zones continue to live in these structures due to absence of knowledge in earthquake resistant construction & retrofitting techniques at the grassroots and non-compliance of appropriate building regulations and town planning legislations for earthquake safe guided physical development in towns. Besides, ignorance of basic tips of earthquake survivability in the mindset of common people during shaking of earth increases the casualty in many folds. Further, least expertise by rescuers in search & rescue in collapse buildings and no knowledge of first-aid technique for earthquake victims make the situation worst during any post earthquake scenario.

The above issues justify for launching of nationwide mass awareness generation activities as a foundation layer of earthquake preparedness in the country.

In the absence of any early warning possibility of any earthquake, awareness generation strategy for seismic risk reduction in the country would have no option but to concentrate more on earthquake resistant construction techniques, appropriate techno-legal regime (building regulations/acts), basic survivability tips during shaking of ground.

During 2002-2009 a national initiative namely Disaster Risk Management Programme was implemented in collaboration with State Governments by Government of India and UNDP under a multi-donor resource framework to reduce vulnerabilities of communities in some of the most hazard prone districts of India. Under the programme, several resource materials were prepared and widely circulated for disaster risk management. We are here posting several of such resource materials that will contribute the communities, civil societies, policy/decision makers, city managers for better preparedness and earthquake risk mitigation in the countries.

FLOODS

Floods are the most frequent natural calamity that India has to face almost every year in varying magnitudes in some or other parts of the country. The annual precipitation including snow-fall is estimated at 4000 Billion Cubic Metre (BCM). Out of this, the seasonal rainfall in monsoon is of the order of 3000 BCM. Rainfall in India is mainly dependent on the South-West and North-East monsoons, on cyclonic depressions and disturbances and on violent local storms. Most of the rainfall in India (80%) takes place under the influence of South-West monsoon between June and September (4 months). Remaining (20%) rainfall is received from North-east monsoon, cyclonic storm, local storms and cloud bursts. Flooding is caused by the inadequate capacity within the banks of the rivers to contain the high flows brought down from the upper catchment due to heavy rainfall. Areas having poor drainage characteristic get flooded by accumulation of water from heavy rainfall. According to the estimate of the National Commission on Flood, the area prone to floods in the country was of the order of 40 million hectares, out of which it is considered that 80%, i.e., 32 million hectares could be provided with reasonable degree of protection.

Cyclones

Cyclones are caused by atmospheric disturbances around a low-pressure area distinguished by swift and often destructive air circulation. They are usually accompanied by violent storms and bad weather. The air circulates inward in an anticlockwise direction in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. Cyclones are classified as: (i) extra tropical cyclones (also called temperate cyclones); and (ii) tropical cyclones.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO, 1976) uses the term ‘tropical cyclone’ to cover weather systems in which winds exceed ‘gale force’ (minimum of 34 knots or 63 Kph). Tropical cyclones are the progeny of ocean and atmosphere, powered by the heat from the sea, driven by the easterly trades and temperate westerlies, the high planetary winds and their own fierce energy. In India, cyclones are classified due to the:

• Strength of the associated winds,
• Storm surge and
• Exceptional rainfall occurrences.

Extra tropical cyclones occur in temperate zones and high latitude regions, though they are known to originate in the polar regions. Cyclones that developin the regions between the tropics of Capricorn and Cancer are called tropical cyclones. Tropical cyclones are large-scale weather systems developing over tropical or subtropical waters, where they get organized into surface wind circulation. Cyclones are given many names in different regions of the world – they are known as typhoons in the China Sea and Pacific Ocean; hurricanes in the West Indian islands in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean; tornados in the Guinea lands of West Africa and the southern USA.; willy-willies in north-western Australia and tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean. The word cyclone is derived from the Greek word `Cyclos’ meaning the coils of a snake. It was coined by Henry Peddington because the tropical storms in the Bay of Bengal and in the Arabian Sea appeared like the coiled serpents of the sea.

The criteria below has been formulated by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), which classifies the low pressure systems in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea on the basis of the capacity to damage, which is adopted by the WMO.

Type of Disturbances Wind Speed in Km/h Wind Speed in Knots Low Pressure Less than 31 Less than 17 Depression 31-49 17-27 Deep Depression 49-61 27-33 Cyclonic Storm 61-88 33-47 Severe Cyclonic Storm 88-117 47-63 Super Cyclone More than 221 More than 120

1 knot - 1.85 km per hour

Cyclones are classified into five different levels on the basis of wind speed. They are further divided into the following categories according to their damage capacity.

Cyclone Category Wind Speed in Km/h Damage Capacity 01 120-150 Minimal 02 150-180 Moderate 03 180-210 Extensive 04 210-250 Extreme 05 250 and above Catastrophic

Storm surges (tidal waves) are defined as the rise in sea level above the normally predicted astronomical tide. The major factors include:

• A fall in the atmospheric pressure over the sea surface
• The effect of the wind
• The influence of the sea bed
• A funnelling effect
• The angle and speed at which the storm approaches the coast
• The tides

The very high specific humidity condenses into exceptionally large raindrops and giant cumulus clouds, resulting in high precipitation rates. When a cyclone makes landfall, the rain rapidly saturates the catchment areas and the rapid runoff may extensively flood the usual water sources or create new ones.
How Cyclones are formed
The development cycle of tropical cyclones may be divided into three stages:
i) Formation and Initial Development Stage
The formation/ initial development of a cyclonic storm depends upon various conditions. These are:

• A warm sea (temperature in excess of 26 degrees Celsius to a depth of 60 m) with abundant and turbulent transfer of water vapour to the overlying atmosphere by evaporation.
• Atmospheric instability encourages formation of massive vertical cumulus clouds due to convection with condensation of rising air above ocean surface. 

ii) Mature Tropical Cyclones
When the tropical storm intensifies, the air rises in vigorous thunderstorms and tends to spread out horizontally at the tropopause level. Once air spreads out, a positive perturbation pressure at high levels is produced, which accelerates the downward motion of air due to convection. With the inducement of subsidence, air warms up by compression and a warm ‘eye’ is generated. Generally, the ‘eye’ of the storms has three basic shapes: (a) circular; (b) concentric; and (c) elliptical. The main physical feature of a mature tropical cyclone in the Indian Ocean is a concentric pattern of highly turbulent giant cumulus thundercloud bands.
iii) Modification and Decay
  A tropical cyclone begins to weaken in terms of its central low pressure, internal warmth and extremely high speeds, as soon as its source of warm moist air begins to ebb, or is abruptly cut off. This happens after the landfall or when it passes  over cold waters. The weakening of a cyclone does not mean the danger to life and property is over.

Indian Context

The Indian subcontinent is one of the worst affected regions in the world. The subcontinent with a long coastline of 8041 kilometre is exposed to nearly 10 per cent of the world’s tropical cyclones. Of these, the majority have their initial genesis over the Bay of Bengal and strike the east coast of India. On an average, five to six tropical cyclones form every year, of which two  or three could be severe. More cyclones occur in the Bay of Bengal than the Arabian Sea and the ratio is approximately 4:1. Cyclones occur frequently on both the coasts (The west coast - Arabian Sea; and the east coast - Bay of Bengal). An analysis of the frequency of cyclones on the east and west coasts of India  between 1891 and 1990 shows that nearly 262 cyclones occurred (92 severe) in a 50 km wide strip on the east coast. Less severe cyclonic activity has been noticed on the west coast, with 33 cyclones occurringin the same period, out of which 19  of these were severe.

Tropical cyclones occur in the months of May-June and October-November. The cyclones of severe intensity and frequency in the north Indian Ocean are bi-modal in character, with their primary peak in November and secondary peak in May.  The disaster potential is particularly high at the time of landfall in the north Indian Ocean (Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea) due to the accompanying destructive wind, storm surges and torrential rainfall.  Of these, storm surges are the greatest killers of a cyclone, by which sea water inundates low lying areas of coastal regions and causes heavy floods, erodes beaches and embankments, destroys vegetation and reduces soil fertility.

Cyclones vary in diameter from 50 to 320 km but their effects dominate thousands of square kilometers of ocean surface and the lower atmosphere. The perimeter may measure 1,000 km but the powerhouse is located within the 100-km radius. Nearer the eye, winds may hit 320 kmph. Thus tropical cyclones, characterized by destructive winds, torrential rainfall and storm surges disrupt normal life with accompanying the phenomena of floods due to the exceptional level of rainfall and storm surge inundation into inland areas. Cyclones are characterized by their devastating potential to damage structures, viz. houses; lifeline infrastructure-power and communication towers; hospitals; food storage facilities; roads, bridges and culverts; crops etc. The most fatalities come from storm surges and the torrential rain  flooding  the lowland areas of the coastal territories.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT - LANDSLIDES

India has a sensational record of catastrophes due to landslides, unique and unparalleled. Landslides & Avalanches are among the major hydro-geological hazards that affect large parts of India, especially the Himalayas, the Northeastern hill ranges, the Western Ghats, the Nilgiris, the Eastern Ghats and the Vindhyas, in that order. In the Himalayas alone, one could find landslides of every fame, name and description- big and small, quick and creeping, ancient and new. The northeastern region is badly affected by landslide problems of a bewildering variety. Landslides in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal as also those in Sikkim, Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh pose chronic problems causing recurring losses. There are landslides in the Western Ghats in the south, along the steep slopes overlooking the Konkan coast. Landslides are also very common in the Nilgiris, characterized by a lateratic cap, which is highly landslide prone.

CHEMICAL DISASTER

India is developing as a key global player in the industrial and technology sector. Rapid industrialization has increased the hazard, risk and vulnerability to the industry and the environment. Major Chemical (Industrial) disasters are low in frequency but are very significant in the terms of loss of lives, injuries, environmental impact and property damage. Frequency and severity of chemical disasters has increased in last few years due to rapid development of chemical and petrochemical industries and increase in size of plants, storage and carriers, specifically in densely populated areas. There are more than 1500 MAH units and other small and medium–sized industries all across the nation and new industries are also establishing at a rapid rate. Chemical accidents can occur due to lack of safety measure, technical break down, or due to a human error. It, thereby, initiates a series of uncontrolled physiochemical phenomenon such as runaway chemical reactions, large spills, fires and explosions. These phenomenon eventually targets both human and non-human in the form of immediate and residual or long term consequences. Thus, it is imperative to develop preventive measures like adoption of safer engineering practices, improved performance of safety device and reduction of human errors by regular checks.

With the renewed emphasis of the Government on disaster management and the paradigm shift in focus from rescue, relief & rehabilitation to prevention/mitigation, and preparedness a need to revisit the management of Chemical Disaster has been felt to establish an institutionalized mechanism so that the chemical disaster can be prevented and if occurred can be effectively managed. The main stakeholders in the management of Chemical (Industrial) Disasters are the Chemical Industries, Ministry of Environment and Forests (the nodal Ministry), Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Surface Transport and Highways, Ministry of Defence, Department of Atomic Energy, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Ministry of Petroleum and Gas, Central and State Pollution Control Board and State Governments.

After the enactment of National Disaster Management Act, 2005, National Disaster Management Authority is required to prepare Guidelines, based on which, the Nodal Ministry will prepare a detailed Action Plan for the better and effective management of Chemical disasters. In view of achieving this objective, a meeting on Chemical (Industrial) Disaster Management was convened by NDMA on 17th Feb 2006 with various Ministries of Government of India and all other stakeholders. In this workshop the present status of the Chemical (Industrial) Disaster Management in the country was discussed and the critical gaps were identified. It was decided to articulate the CDM guidelines through a document called the National Disaster Management Guidelines – Chemical Disaster (NDMG-CD). A Core Group of the experts from the various fields related to chemical disaster management was constituted under the chairmanship of Lt. Gen (Dr.) J.R. Bhardwaj, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, PHS (Retd) to assist NDMA in the preparation of NDMG-CD. Several meetings were held to review the draft versions of the document and wider consultations with industries, regulatory bodies, along with concerned ministries was also held to evolve a consensus on the various issues of the Guidelines. A meeting to critically analyze and update by more than 150 industrial and other experts from all across the nation was also held on 7-8 September, 2006 at Bhopal in collaboration with Disaster Management Institute, Bhopal. The concepts of On-Site and Off-Site Disaster Management Plans were also evaluated by a mock drill at Hindustan Petroleum Company Limited, Greater Noida on 6th Oct, 2006. The guidelines has the major objective to evolve an attainable, achievable and a practical approach with due diligence of community, industry and all other governmental agencies for chemical disaster management in India. At present, the guideline document is under finalization and would be issued soon.

Disaster Reduction Day

 NIDM  will  be  observing  the  Day  for  Disaster  Reduction  on  12   October,  2011.  This day offers an opportunity  to focus national attention on  this important issue and to create  awareness about disasters and their
management.  Further to enhance  awareness among the students and to sensitize them towards disasters and their management a number of  activities will be organized at School and college levels.

Strengthening Disaster Management in India

SAARC DISASTER MANAGEMENT CENTRE

SAARC Disaster Management Centre (SDMC) was set up in October 2006 at the premises of National Institute of Disaster Management in New Delhi. The Centre has the mandate to serve eight Member Countries of South Asia Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - by providing policy advice and facilitating capacity building services including strategic learning, research, training, system development and exchange of information for effective disaster risk reduction and management in South Asia.

The Centre is a sleek body of professionals working on various dimensions of disaster risk reduction and management in South Asia. The Centre is networking through the National Focal Points of the Member Countries with the various Ministries, Departments and Scientific, Technical, Research and Academic institutions within and outside the Government working on various aspects of disaster risk reduction and management.

The Centre conducts studies and research, organizes workshops and training programmes, publishes its reports and documents provides various policy advisory services to the Member Countries.

The Centre has the Vision to be recognized as a vibrant Centre of Excellence for knowledge, research and capacity building on disaster management in South Asia and in the rest of the world.

NIDM at a Glance

The National Institute of Disaster Management constituted under the Disaster Management Act 2005 has been entrusted with the nodal national responsibility for human resource development, capacity building, training, research, documentation and policy advocacy in the field of disaster management. Upgraded from the National Centre for Disaster Management of the Indian Institute of Public Administration on 16th October, 2003, NIDM is steadily marching forward to fulill its mission to make a disaster resilient India by developing and promoting a culture of prevention and preparedness at all levels.

Disaster Prevention & Mitigation

The Yokohama message emanating from the international decade for natural disaster reduction in May 1994 underlined the need for an emphatic shift in the strategy for disaster mitigation.  It was inter-alia stressed that disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and relief are four elements which contribute to and gain, from the implementation of the sustainable development policies.  These elements along with environmental protection and sustainable development, are closely inter related.  Therefore, nations should incorporate them in their development plans and ensure efficient follow up measures at the community, sub-regional, regional, national and international levels.  The Yokohama Strategy also emphasized  that disaster  prevention, mitigation and preparedness  are better than disaster response in achieving  the goals and objectives of vulnerability  reduction.  Disaster response alone is not sufficient as it yields only temporary results at a very high cost.  Prevention and mitigation contribute to lasting improvement in safety and are essential to integrated disaster management.

The Government of India have adopted mitigation and prevention as essential components of their development strategy.  The Tenth Five Year Plan document has a detailed chapter on Disaster Management.  The plan emphasizes the fact that development cannot be sustainable without mitigation being built into developmental  process.  Each State is supposed to prepare a plan scheme for disaster mitigation in accordance with the approach outlined in the plan.  In brief, mitigation is being institutionalized into developmental planning.

The Finance Commission makes recommendations with regard to devolution of funds between the Central Government and State Governments as also outlays for relief and rehabilitation.  The earlier Finance Commissions were mandated to look at relief and rehabilitation.  The Terms of Reference of the Twelfth Finance Commission have been changed and the Finance Commission has been mandated to look at the requirements for mitigation and prevention apart from its existing mandate of looking at relief and rehabilitation.  A Memorandum has been submitted to the Twelfth Finance Commission after consultation with States. The Memorandum proposes a Mitigation Fund. 

The Government of India have issued guidelines that where there is a shelf of projects, projects addressing mitigation will be given a priority.  It has also been mandated that each project in a hazard prone area will have disaster prevention/mitigation as a term of reference and the project document has to reflect as to how the project addresses that term of reference.

Measures for flood mitigation were taken from 1950 onwards.  As against the total of 40 million hectares prone to floods, area of about 15 million hectares have been protected by construction of embankments.  A number of dams and barrages have been constructed.  The State Governments have been assisted to take up mitigation programmes like construction of raised platforms etc.  Floods continue to be a menace however mainly because of the huge quantum of silt being carried by the rivers emanating from the Himalayas .  This silt has raised the bed level in many rivers to above the level of the countryside.  Embankments have also given rise to problems of drainage with heavy rainfall leading to water logging in areas outside the embankment. To evolve both short-term and long-term strategy for flood management/erosion control, Government of India have recently constituted a Central Task Force under the Chairmenship of Chairman, Central Water Commission.  The Task Force will examine causes of the problem of recurring floods and erosion in States and region prone to flood and erosion; and suggest short-term and long-term measures.   The Task Force will submit its report by December 2004.

Due to erratic behaviour of monsoons, both  low and medium rain fall regions, which constitute about 68%  of the total area, are vulnerable  to periodical droughts.  Our experience has been that  almost  every third year is a drought year.  However, in some of the States, there may be  successive  drought years  enhancing the  vulnerability  of the population  in these  areas.  Local communities have devised indigenous safety mechanisms and drought oriented farming methods in many parts of the country.  From the experience of managing the past droughts particularly the severe drought of 1987, a number of programmes have been launched by the Government to mitigate the impact of drought in the long run.  These programmes include Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP), Desert Development Programme (DDP), National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA), Watershed Development Programme for Shifting Cultivation (WDPSC), Integrated Water Development Project (IWDP), Integrated Afforestation and Eco-development Project Scheme (IAEPS).

Flood preparedness and response

In order to respond effectively to floods, Ministry of Home Affairs have initiated National Disaster Risk Management Programme in all the flood-prone States. Assistance is being provided  to the States to draw up disaster management plans at the State, District, Block/Taluka and Village levels. Awareness generation campaigns to sensitize all the stakeholders on the need for flood preparedness and mitigation measures. Elected representatives and officials are being trained in flood disaster management under the programme. Bihar Orissa, West Bengal, Assam and Uttar Pradesh are among the 17 multi-hazard prone States where this programme is being implemented with UNDP. USAID and European Commission.  

Earthquake Risk Mitigation

A comprehensive programme has been taken up for earthquake risk mitigation.  Although, the BIS has laid down the standards for construction in the seismic zones, these were not being followed.  The building construction in urban and suburban areas is regulated by the Town and Country Planning Acts and Building Regulations.  In many cases, the Building regulations do not incorporate the BIS codes. Even where they do, the lack of knowledge regarding seismically safe construction among the architects and engineers as well as lack of awareness regarding their vulnerability among the population led to most of the construction in the urban/sub-urban areas being without reference to BIS standards.  In the rural areas, the bulk of the housing is non-engineered construction.  The mode of construction in the rural areas has also changed from mud and thatch to brick and concrete construction thereby increasing the vulnerability.  The increasing population has led to settlements in vulnerable areas close to the river bed areas which are prone to liquefaction.  The Government have moved to address these issues.

National Core Group for Earthquake Risk Mitigation

A National Core  Group for Earthquake  Risk Mitigation has been constituted  consisting of experts in earthquake engineering and administrators.  The  Core Group  has been assigned  with the responsibility  of drawing up  a strategy and plan of action for mitigating the impact  of earthquakes; providing advice and guidance  to the States  on various aspects  of  earthquake mitigation; developing/organizing  the preparation of  handbooks/pamphlets/type designs for  earthquake  resistant  construction; working out systems for assisting the States in the seismically vulnerable  zones to adopt/integrate  appropriate  Bureau of Indian Standards codes in their building byelaws; evolving systems for training  of municipal engineers as also practicing  architects and engineers in the private sector in the salient features  of Bureau of Indian  Standards codes  and the amended byelaws; evolving a system  of certification of architects/engineers  for testing their knowledge  of earthquake resistant construction; evolving systems for training of masons  and carry out intensive  awareness  generation  campaigns.

Review of building bye-laws and their adoption

Most casualties during earthquakes are caused by the collapse of structures.  Therefore structural mitigation measures are the key to make a significant impact towards earthquake safety in our country.  In view of this the States in earthquake prone zones have been requested to review, and if necessary, amend their building bye-laws to incorporate the BIS seismic codes for construction in the concerned zones. Many States have initiated necessary action in this regard. An Expert Committee appointed by the Core Group on Earthquake Risk Mitigation has already submitted its report covering appropriateamendments to the existing Town & Country Planning Acts, Land Use Zoning Regulation, Development Control Regulations & Building Bylaws, which could be used by the State Governments & the local bodies there-under to upgrade the existing legal instruments. The Model Building Bylaws also cover the aspect of ensuring technical implementation of the safety aspects in all new constructions & upgrading the strength of existing structurally vulnerable constructions. To facilitate the review of   existing building byelaws and adoption of the proposed amendments by the State Governments & UT administrations, discussion workshops at regional level in the country are being organized.  It is expected that all planning authorities and local bodies will soon have development control regulations and building byelaws which would include multi-hazard safety provisions. 

Development and Revision of Codes

There are Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) codes which are relevant for multi-hazard resistant design and construction. These codes have to be regularly updated. An action plan has been drawn up for revision of existing codes, development of new codes and documents/commentaries, and making these codes and documents available all over the country including on-line access to these codes. An Apex committee consisting of representatives of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, BIS and MHA   has been constituted to review the mechanism and process of development of codes relevant to earthquake risk mitigation and establish a protocol for revision by BIS.

Hazard Safety Cells in States

The States have been advised to constitute Hazard Safety Cells (HSC) headed by the Chief Engineer (Designs), State Public Works Department with necessary engineering staff  so as to establish mechanism for proper implementation of the building codes in all future Govt. constructions, and to ensures the safety of buildings and structures from various hazards.  The HSC will  also be responsible for carrying out appropriate design review of all Government buildings to be constructed in the State, act as an advisory cell to the State Government on the different aspects of building safety against hazards and act as a consultant to the State Government for retrofitting of the lifeline buildings.  Rajasthan, West Bengal and Chhatisgarh have already constituted these cells and other States are in the process.   

National Programme  for Capacity Building of Engineers and Architects in Earthquake Risk Mitigation

Two National Programmes for Capacity Building in Earthquake Risk Mitigation for Engineers and Architects respectively, have been approved to assist the State Govts in building capacities for earthquake mitigation. These two programmes are being implemented for training of 10,000 engineers and 10,000 architects in the States in seismically safe building designs and related techno-legal requirements. Assistance is being provided to the State/UTs to build the capacities of more than 125 State Engineering Colleges and 110 Architecture Colleges to be able to provide advisory services to the State Govts to put in place appropriate techno-legal regime, assessment of building and infrastructures and their retrofitting.  These institutions will function as State Resource Institutions. Twenty-one National level Engineering and Architecture Institutions have been designated as National Resource Institutes to train the faculty members of selected State Engineering and Architecture colleges. 450 engineering faculty members and 250 architecture faculty members of these State Resource Institutions will be trained during the current year.

Training of rural masons

A programme to assist the States/UTs in training and certification of 50000 masons has been formulated in conultation with Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) and the Ministry of Rural Development. The training module for masons to include multi-hazard resistant construction has also been prepared by an expert committee, and revised curriculum will be introduced in the vocational training programme of Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Earthquake Engineering in Undergraduate Engineering/Architecture  Curricula

The role of engineers and architects is crucial in reducing earthquake risks by ensuring that the construction adhere to the norms of seismically safety. In view of this, the elements of earthquake engineering is being integrated into the undergraduate engineering and architecture courses.  The  model course curricula for adoption by various technical institutions and universities have been developed and circulated to the Universities and Technical Institutions for adoption in the under graduate curricula.  Ministry of Home Affairs  is working with All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and Council of Architecture (COA)  for introduction of revised curricula for engineering and architecture course from 2005-2006.   

Hospital Preparedness and Emergency Health Management in Medical Education

Hospital preparedness is crucial to any disaster response system. Each hospital should have an emergency preparedness plan to deal with mass casualty incidents and the hospital administration/ doctor trained for this emergency. The curriculum for medical doctors does not include Hospital Preparedness for  emergencies. Therefore capacity building through in-service training of the current heath managers and medical personnel in Hospital Preparedness for emergencies or mass causality incident management is essential. At the same time, the future health managers must acquire these skills systematically through the inclusion of health emergency management in the undergraduate and post graduate medical curricula. In consultation with Medical Council of India(MCI), two committees have been constituted for preparation of curriculum for introduction of emergency health management in MBBS curriculum, and preparation of in-service training of Hospital Managers and Professionals. Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences Karnataka have been identified as the lead national resource institution for the purpose.

Retrofitting of Lifeline buildings

While  these mitigation measures will take care  of the new  constructions, the problem  of  unsafe  existing  buildings stock  would still  remain.  It will not be possible to address the entire existing building stock, therefore the life line buildings like hospitals, schools or buildings where people congregate like cinema halls, multi-storied apartments are being focussed on.  The States have been advised to have these buildings assessed and where necessary retrofitted.  The Ministries of Civil Aviation, Railways, Telecommunication, Power and Health and Family Welfare have been advised to take up necessary action for detailed evaluation and retrofitting of lifeline buildings located in seismically vulnerable zones so as  to ensure that they comply with BIS norms, Action plan have been drawn up by these Ministries for detailed vulnerability analysis and retrofitting/ strengthening of buildings and structures.   The Ministry of Finance have been requested to advise the financial institutions to give loans for retrofitting on easy terms. Accordingly the Ministry of Finance had advised Reserve Bank of India to issue suitable instructions to all the Banks and Financial Institutions to see that BIS codes/bye laws are scrupulously followed while financing/refinancing construction activities in seismically vulnerable zones. 

National Earthquake Risk Mitigation Project

An Earthquake Mitigation Project has been drawn up, with an estimated cost of Rs.1132 crore.  The project has been given in-principle clearance by the Planning Commission.  The programme includes  detailed evaluation and retrofitting  of  lifeline buildings such as  hospitals, schools, water and power supply  units, telecommunication buildings, airports/airport control towers, railway stations, bus stands and important administrative buildings in the States in seismic zones  IV and  V.    The programme also includes  training of masons in earthquake resistant   constructions.  Besides, assistance will be provided  under this project  to the State Governments to put in place  appropriate  techno legal regime. Startup activities for implementation of this project have already been initiated.

Acceleration Urban Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction Programme

An accelerated   urban  earthquake vulnerability reduction programme has been taken up in  38 cities in seismic  zones III, IV & V with population  of  half a million  and above. 474 Orientation programmes have been organized for senior officers and representatives of the local planning and development bodies to sensitize them on earthquake preparedness and mitigation measures. The training programme for engineers and architects are being organized to impart knowledge about  seismically  safe construction and implementation  of BIS  norms.  So far 1088 engineers and 825 architects have been trained. For enhanced school safety, education programmes have been organized in schools, colleges and other educational institutions. This programme will be further extended to 166 earthquake prone districts in seismic zones IV & V. Awareness generation programmes, community and neighbourhood organizations have been started in these cities. These cities are also being assisted to review and amend their building bye-laws to incorporate multi hazard safety provisions. City Disaster Management Plans are being developed under the project.  Nine Cities have prepared city Disaster Management Plans.

Mainstreaming Mitigation in Rural Development Schemes

Rural housing  and  community assets  for vulnerable  sections of the population are created at a fairly large scale  by the Ministry  of Rural Development under the Indira  Awas Yojna(IAY) and Sampooran Grameen Rojgar Yojna(SGRY).  About 250 thousand  small  but compact housing units are constructed every year,  besides community assets such as  community centres, recreation centres, anganwadi centres etc. Technology support  is provided  by about  two hundred  rural  housing  centres spread over the entire  country.  The Ministry of Home Affairs is working with the Ministry of Rural Development for changing the guidelines so that the houses constructed under IAY or school buildings/community buildings constructed under SGRY are earthquake/cyclone/flood resistant; as also that the schemes addressing mitigation are given priority under SGRY.  Ministry of Rural Development are carrying out an exercise for this purpose. This initiative is expected to go a long way in popularization of  seismically  safe construction  at village/block level .

National Cyclone Mitigation Project

A project for Cyclone Mitigation (estimated cost Rs. 1050 crore) has been drawn up in consultation with the cyclone prone States. This project envisages construction of cyclone shelters, coastal shelter belt plantation in areas which are prone to storm surges, strengthening of warning systems, training and education etc. This project has also been given in-principle clearance by the Planning Commission and is being taken up with World Bank assistance.

Landslide Hazard Mitigation

A National Core Group has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Border Management and comprising of Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Secretary, Road Transport & Highways, and the Heads of Geological Survey of India and National Remote Sensing Agency for drawing up a strategy and plan of action for mitigating the impact of landslides, provide advise and guidance to the State Governments on various aspects of landslide mitigation, monitor the activities relating to landslide mitigation including landslide hazard zonation and to evolve early warning systems and protocols for landslides/landslide risk reduction. The Government have designated Geological Survey of India (GSI) as the nodal agency responsible for coordinating/ undertaking geological studies, landslides hazard zonation, monitoring landslides/avalanches, studying the factors responsible and suggesting precautionary and preventive measure. The States/UTs have been requested to share the list of habitation close to landslide prone areas in order to supplement GSI’s on going assessment of such areas based on the Survey of India’s Toposheet and their existing data base on landslide for the purpose of landslide hazard zonation being carried out by them. A national strategy for mitigating landslide hazard in the country is being drawn up in consultation with all the agencies concerned.

Disaster Risk Management Programme

A Disaster Risk Management Programme has been taken up in 169 districts in 17 multi-hazard prone States with the assistance from UNDP, USAID and European Union. Under this project, the States are being assisted to draw up State, district and Block level disaster management plans;  village disaster management plans are being developed in conjunction with the Panchayati Raj Institutions and  disaster management teams consisting of village volunteers are being trained in various preparedness and response functions such as search and rescue, first aid, relief coordination, shelter management etc.    Equipment needs for district and State Emergency Operation Centres have been identified by the State nodal agencies and equipment is being provided to equip these  EOCs.  Orientation training of masons, engineers and architects in disaster resistant technologies have been initiated in these districts and construction of model demonstration buildings will be started soon.

Under this programme Disaster Management Plans have been prepared for 8643 villages, 1046 Gram Panchayat, 188 blocks and 82 districts. More than 29000 elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions have already been trained, besides imparting training to members of voluntary organizations. About 18000 Government functionaries have been trained in disaster mitigation and preparedness at different levels. 865 engineers and 425 architects have been trained under this programme in vulnerability assessment and retrofitting of lifeline buildings. 600 master trainers and 1200 teachers have already been trained in different districts in disaster preparedness and mitigation. Disaster Management Committees consisting of elected representatives, civil society members, Civil Defence volunteers and Government functionaries have been constituted at all levels including village/urban local body/ward levels. Disaster Management Teams have been constituted in villages and are being imparted training in basic functions of first aid, rescue, evacuation and related issues. The thrust of the programme is to build up capabilities of the community since the community is invariably the first responder. During the recent past, it has been experienced that the capacity building of the community has been very helpful even in normal situations when isolated instances of drowning, burns etc. take place. With the creation of awareness generation on disaster mitigation, the community will be able to function as a well-knit unit in case of any emergency. Mock drills are carried out from time to time under the close supervision of Disaster Management Committees. The Disaster Management Committees and Disaster Management Teams have been established by notifications issued by the State Governments which will ensure that the entire system is institutionalized and does not disintegrate after the conclusion of the programme. The key points being stressed under this programme are the need to ensure sustainability of the programme, development of training modules; manuals and codes, focused attention to awareness generation campaigns; institutionalization of disaster management committees and disaster management teams, disaster management plans and mock-drills and establishment of techno-legal regimes.

Awareness generation

Recognizing that awareness about vulnerabilities is a sine qua non for inducing a mindset of disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness, the Government has initiated a nation-wide awareness generation campaign as part of its overall disaster risk management strategy. In order to devise an effective and holistic campaign, a steering committee for mass media campaign has been constituted at the national level with due representation of experts from diverse streams of communication. The Committee has formulated a campaign strategy aimed at changing peoples’ perception of natural hazards and has consulted the agencies and experts associated with advertising and media to instill a culture of safety against natural hazards.

Apart from the use of print and electronic media, it is proposed to utilize places with high public visibility viz. hospitals, schools, railway stations and bus terminals, airports and post offices, commercial complexes and municipality offices etc. to make people aware of their vulnerabilities and promote creation of a safe living environment.

A novel method being tried is the use of government stationery viz. postal letters, bank stationery, railway tickets, airline boarding cards and tickets etc. for disseminating the message of disaster risk reduction. Slogans and messages for this purpose have already been developed and have been communicated to concerned Ministries/agencies for printing and dissemination. The mass media campaign will help build the knowledge, attitude and skills of the people in vulnerability reduction and sustainable disaster risk management measures.

Disaster Awareness in School Curriculum

Disaster management as a subject in Social Sciences has been introduced in the school curriculum for Class VIII & IX. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) which has introduced the curriculum runs a very large number of schools throughout the country and the course curriculum is invariably followed by the State Boards of Secondary Education. Teachers are being trained to teach disaster management Syllabus for Class X is being finalized and will be introduced in the course curriculum soon. The State Governments have been advised to take similar steps vis-à-vis their school boards.  Several Provincial Governments have already introduced the same curriculum in Class VII. Ministry is  working with the Council of Board of School Education (COBSE) to facilitate inclusion of disaster management in public education in all 39 School Boards in the country.

Information, Education and Communication

In order to assist the State Governments in capacity building and awareness generation activities and to learn from past experiences including sharing of best practices, the Ministry of Home Affairs has compiled/prepared a set of resource materials developed by various organisations/institutions to be replicated and disseminated by State Governments based on their vulnerabilities after translating it into the local languages. The voluminous material which runs in about 10000 pages has been divided into 4 broad sections in 7 volumes. These sections cover planning to cope with disasters; education and training; construction toolkit; and information, education and communication toolkit including multi-media resources on disaster mitigation and preparedness. The Planning section contains material for analyzing a community’s risk, development of Preparedness. Mitigation and disaster management plans, coordinating available resources and implementing measures for risk reduction. The model bye-laws, DM Policy, Act and model health sector plan have also been included. Education and Training includes material for capacity building and upgradation of skills of policy makers, administrators, trainers, engineers etc. in planning for and mitigating against natural disasters. Basic and detailed training modules in disaster preparedness have been incorporated along with training methodologies for trainers, for community preparedness and manuals for training at district, block, panchayat and village levels. For creating a disaster-resistant building environment, the Construction Toolkit addresses the issue of seismic resistant construction and retrofitting of existing buildings. BIS Codes, manuals and guidelines for RCC, Masonry and other construction methodologies as also for repair and retrofitting of masonry and low-rise buildings have been included.

IEC material seeks to generate awareness to induce mitigation and preparedness measures for risk reduction.  Material and strategies used by various States and international organizations, including tips on different hazards, have been incorporated along with multi-media CDs on disasters. The material has been disseminated to all the State Governments/UT Administrations with the request to have the relevant material, based on the vulnerability of each district, culled out, translated into local languages and disseminate it widely down to the village level.

Special Focus to Northeastern States

A special focus is being given to North-Eastern States and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.  The North-Eastern Council has been made the nodal agency for the NE States. The NEC has been provided with a resource person/advisor in disaster management.  A detailed presentation on the vulnerabilities of the NE region and the need for comprehensive disaster management plan has been made in the Governing Body of NE Council. An action plan has been drawn up by NEC and a declaration namely “Shillong Declaration” has been adopted by States in the NE region for integrating disaster management with development planning.  140 officials and non-officials  have been trained in disaster management to act as resource persons for the NE region.  State and district level sensitization and training programmes are being carried out.

The various prevention and mitigation measures outlined above are aimed at building up the capabilities of the communities, voluntary organisations and Government functionaries at all levels. Particular stress is being laid on ensuring that these measures are institutionalized considering the vast population and the geographical area of the country. This is a major task being undertaken by the Government to put in place mitigation measures for vulnerability reduction. This is just a beginning. The ultimate goal is to make prevention and mitigation a part of normal day-to-day life. The above mentioned initiatives will be put in place and information disseminated over a period of five to eight years. We have a firm conviction that with these measures in place, we could say with confidence that disasters like Orissa cyclone and Bhuj earthquake will not be allowed to recur in this country; at least not at the cost, which the country has paid in these two disasters in terms of human lives, livestock, loss of property and means of livelihood.  

Tips on Earthquake Resistant Building

Essential Earthquake resistant Provisions in Masonry  Buildings     

Short Guide for home Owners for Building Houses using Reinforced Concrete framed Construction

Short Guide for home Owners for Building Houses using Load Bearing Masonry Construction