Empowerment of Panchayati Raj Institutions

The national level plan for improving the functioning of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) is chalked out in the Roadmap for Panchayati Raj (2011-2017). The Roadmap logically delineates the issues and specific action plans within the larger governance framework for creating an effective Panchayati Raj structure. It highlights key aspects for empowerment, enablement and accountability of the PRIs for better governance and faster development, includes devolution of functions, funds and functionaries as envisaged in the Constitution, Capacity Building of the Panchayats and Functionaries, decentralized planning, effective implementation of Panchayats (Extention to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), empowered elected village councils in the Sixth Scheduled Areas and changes in the constitutional and legal framework. This national Roadmap is enabled and assisted by the Government by the provision of funds under several schemes, the most important of which are

• The Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) provides untied grants to the Panchayats in the backward regions in order to reduce development deficits of the country, with the requirement that the District Plans for utilization of the grant be prepared by the involvement of the Gram Sabhas.

• The Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana (RGSY) which aims at capacity building and training of the elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions as well as the Functionaries.

The Central Government also provides funds to the State Governments under the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) to redress regional imbalances in development of backward districts in the country. The strategy aims at promoting the performance and capacity of Panchayats, in planning, decision, making, implementation and monitoring. In addition to the BRGF, the following schemes for empowerment of Panchayats are being implemented:

• Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana: Funds are released to States for training and capacity building of Panchayati Raj Institutions in districts uncovered by the BRGF.

• Rural Business Hubs: This Scheme aims to assist the Panchayats to empower rural labour productivity by providing forward backward linkages with technical assistance in Public-Private-Partnership.

• Panchayat Manila`Evam Yuva Shakti Abhiyan:. It aims to enable women and youth Panchayat leaders to come together to articulate their problems as women Panchayat Leaders. 

• E-Panchayat: For computerizing the databases, accounts and other functions of the Gram Panchayats for accountability and transparency.

• Panchayat Empowerment & Accountability Incentive Scheme: To recognize and incentivize the efforts of Panchayats with respect to transparency, accountability and efficiency and of States with respect to devolution of funds, functions and functionaries to Panchayats.

List of Appointments In Year 2011

Sudhir Chandra
New Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes appointed on January 1, 2011
• N. Anil Kumar Browne
New Vice Chief of Indian Air Force(IAF) appointed on January 1, 2011
• Dilma Rousseff
First woman President of Brazil elected on January 1, 2011
• Rajiv Takru
Officiating CEO of Prasar Bharati appointed on January 3, 2011
• Nicky Helle
Govenrner of South Carolina ( USA) 1st women Governer of Indian Origin in USA elected on January 12, 2011
• Anand Sinha
New deputy governor of RBI appointed on January 18, 2011
• Alexander Lukashenko
4th times as President of Belarus elected on January 21, 2011
• Sushma Nath
First Indian Woman appointed as Finance Secretary on February 3, 2011
• S Ramadorai
Advisor to the Prime Minister in the Prime Minister’s National Skill Development Council appointed on February 1, 2011
• Jhalanath Khanal
34th Prime Minister of Nepal elected on February 6, 2011
• Amarjit ChopraNew president of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). appointed on February 13, 2011
• Upendra Kumar Sinha
8th Chairman of market watchdog, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), appointed on February

17, 2011
• B L Bagra
New CMD of National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO), appointed on February 28, 2011
• Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed
First woman and 10th Secretary General of SAARC, appointed on March 1, 2011
• Hema Malini
Elected to Rajya Sabha from Karnatka on March 3, 2011
• Milind Barve
New chairman of The Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) appointed on March 7, 2011
This position fell vacant after incumbent U K Sinha
• Shantanu Narayen
Appointed as a member of US President Barack Obama’s Management Advisory Board on March 11, 2011
• Mukesh Ambani
First non -American board member in Bank of America appointed on March 16, 2011
• Thein Sein
New President of Myanmar elected on March 30, 2011
• Leela SamsonNew Chairperson of the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) appointed on April 1, 2011
• Vishnu AgrawalNew Director (Finance) of Mangalore Refinery Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) appointed on April 4, 2011
• Pratip Chaudhuri
New chairman of State Bank of India appointed on April 7, 2011
• S.C.Chetal
New Director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) appointed on April 9, 2011
• B. Muthuraman
New President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for the year 2011-12 elected on April 11, 2011
• Rajendra S. Pawar
New chairman of NASSCOM appointed on April 27, 2011
• Jarbom Gamlin
Sworn in as the new chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh on May 5, 2011
• Ismail Omar Guelleh
New President of African country Djibouti elected on May 8, 2011
• Michel Martelly
Sworn in as the 56th President of Haiti on May 14, 2011
• J Jayalalithaa
Sworn-in as the 27th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 16, 2011
• N Rangaswamy
New Chief Minister of Puducherry appointed on May 16, 2011
• Tarun Gogoi
Consecutively third times sworn in as the Chief Minister of Assam on May 18, 2011
• Oommen Chandy
Sworn in as the 21st Chief Minister of Kerala on May 18, 2011
• Mamata Banerjee
Sworn in as the 11th Chief Minister of West Bengal on May 20, 2011
• Goodluck Jonathan
Re-elected as President of Nigeria on May 29, 2011
• Sunil Mitra
New Finance Secretary appointed on June 1, 2011
• Jose Graziano da Silva
8th Director General of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) elected on June 26, 2011
• Abu Muhammad Ayman al-ZawahiriNew amir (supreme leader) of the al-Qaeda appointed on 16 June 2011
• Ban Ki-moon
Re-elected as Secretary-General of the 193-member Organization UNO on June 21, 2011
• Nguyen Tan Dung
New Prime Minister of Vietnam elected on June 27, 2011
• Ranjan Mathai
New Foreign Secretary of India appointed on June 27, 2011
• Christine Lagarde
First women chief of International Monetary Fund (IMF) elected on June 28, 2011
• M V Tanksale
New Chairman and Managing Director of Central Bank of India appointed on June 28, 2011
• Nishi Vasudeva
First Woman Director of HPCL, an Oil PSU appointed on July 4, 2011
• Harun Rashid Khan
Deputy Governor of RBI succeeding Shyamala Gopinath appointed on July 4, 2011
• Pradeep Kumar
Sworn in as new Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) on July 14, 2011
• Hina Rabbani Khar
Pakistan’s first female Minister of Foreign Affairs appointed on July 18, 2011
• Rohinton Nariman
New Solicitor-General of India appointed on July 23, 2011
• Truong Tan Sang
New President of Vietnam elected on July 25, 2011
• Anil Kumar Browne
India’s 23rd Chief of the Air Staff appointed on July 31, 2011
• D V Sadananda Gowda
Sworn in as the 26th Chief Minister of Karnataka on August 2, 2011
• Shivraj V Patil
Sworn in as the new Lokayukta of Karnataka on August 3, 2011
• KV Kamath
New Chairman of Infosys appointed on August 21, 2011
• Chandra Mohan Prasad
Administered oath as Lokayukta of Bihar on August 25, 2011
• R A Mehta
Sworn in as the new Lokayukta of Gujarat on August 26, 2011
• Dr. Tony Tan
Seventh President of Singapore elected on August 27, 2011
• Baburam BhattaraiS
worn in as 35th Prime Minister of Nepal on August 29, 2011
• Yoshihiko Noda
Sixth Prime Minister of Japan elected on August 29, 2011
• R. N. Nayak
Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Power Grid Corporation of India appointed on Sept. 1, 2011
• Bhuvan Chander Khanduri
Sworn in as Chief Minister of Uttarakhand on September 11, 2011
• Helle Thorning-Schmidt
First female Prime Minister of Denmark elected on Sept 15, 2011
• N Srinivasan
Official President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) elected on September 19, 2011
• Serena Williams
UNICEF’s international Goodwill Ambassador appointed on September 20, 2011
• Pulok Chatterji
Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister appointed on October 1, 2011
• Sudhir Vasudeva
New Chairman of ONGC and its group of companies appointed on October 3, 2011
• Makarand Nene
New Director (Marketing) of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. appointed on October 5, 2011
• Markandey Katju
New Chairman of media regulator Press Council of India appointed on October 5, 2011
• Garry Conille
Sworn in as new Prime Minister of Haiti on October 18, 2011
• Michael D. Higgins
Nineth President of European country Ireland elected on October 29, 2011
• Abdul Raheem al-Keeb
Libya’s interim Prime Minister elected on November 1, 2011
• Nabam Tuki
Sworn as 7th Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh on Nov 1, 2011
• Ismail Omar Guelleh
New President of African country Djibouti elected on April 2, 2011
• Lucas Papademos
Sworn in as new Prime Minister of Greek on November 10, 2011
• Sushil Kumar
KBC winner Sushil Kumar appointed as ambassador of rural employment scheme MGNREGA on Nov 14, 2011
• Cyrus P. Mistry
Tata Sons named Shapoorji Pallonji Group MD Cyrus P Mistry as the head of TATA group on November 23, 2011. He will be the king of TATA empire , when Ratan N Tata formally retires.
• Kamlesh Sharma
Indian diplomat Kamlesh Sharma re-appointed Secretary General of the 54-nation Commonwealth group on November 27, 2011
• AK Garg
New Chairman and MD of telecom PSU MTNL appointed on Dec 1, 2011
• Vinod Rai (CAG)
New Chairman of the United Nations panel of external auditors elected on December 8, 2011
• Ajit Singh
New civil aviation minister in Union Cabinet appointed on Dec. l 8, 2011
• Mariano Rajoy
Sworn in as new Prime Minister of Spain on December 21, 2011
• B. A. Prabhakar
Chairman and Managing Director of public sector lender, Andhra Bank. appointed on December 21, 2011
• M. S. Raghavan
Chairman and Managing Director of public sector lender, Bank of India appointed on December 28, 2011
• Portia Simpson-Miller
First female Prime Minister of Jamaica elected on December 30, 2011

59TH NATIONAL FILM AWARDS

The prestigious 59th National Film Awards have been decided and their names would be revealed by chairpersons of the jury on March 7, 2012. Vidya Balan won Best Actress Award for her performance in Dirty Picture.  The Best Hindi Film award won by I Am.  The Awards will be given on 3rd May 2012. Marathi actor Girish Kulkarni bagged the Best Actor award for the movie ‘Deool’ while movie ‘I Am’ was declared Best Hindi Film. On the other hand, Kannada film Byari and Marathi film Devur were named the Best Feature Films. It is noteworthy here that Byari is the first film in the Beary language, spoken in coastal Karnataka. The film is based on ill-treatment of girls in Muslim community in the coastal Kannada region.

Best Film
Byari and Deool

Best Hindi Movie
I AM

Best Actor
Girish Kulkarni (deool)

Best Actress
Vidya Balan (The dirty picture)

Best Children’s Film
Chillar Party

Best Child artist
Partho Gupte (Stanley Ka Dabba),Child artist in Chillar Party


Best Director

Gurvinder Singh (Anhey Ghore da daan)

Best Make Up
Vijram Gaekwad (The Dirty Picture and Bal Gandharva)


Best Costume Designer

Niharika Khan (The Dirty Picture) and Neeta Lulla (Bal Gandharva)

Best Supporting role (Male)
Appu Kutty

Best Supporting role (Female)

Best Playback singer (Male)

Best Lyrics
Amitabh Bhattacharya

Best Playback singer (Female)
Rupa Ganguly


Best Cinematography
Satya Rai Nagpaul 


Best Choreography

Bosco Caesar (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) (Senorita Song)

Best special effects
Ra One 

Best Book

R.D. Burman:The Man,The Music


Best Malayalam Film
Indian Rupee

The Complete list of awards is as follows:

Best feature film: Shared by Deool (Marathi) and Byari(Kannada)
Best Actor: Girish Kulkarni for ‘Deool’
Best Actress: Vidya Balan for 'The Dirty Picture'
Best film critic: Manoj P Pujari
Best Children's Film: Chillar Party
Best Hindi Film: 'I AM' directed by Onir
Special Jury Award: Anjan Dutta
Best Book Award: Anirudha Bhattacharjee and Balaji Vittal for the title
'R.D. Burman The Man, The Music.'
Best Music Direction: Neel Dutt for Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona
Best Background Score: Mayookh Bhaumik for Bengali film Laptop
Best Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya for 'I AM'
Best Female Playback Singer: Rupa Ganguly
Best Male Playback Singer: Anand Bhate for 'Bal Gandharva'
Best Costume: Neeta Lulla for ‘Bal Gandharva’ (Marathi) and Niharika
Khan for 'The Dirty Picture' (Hindi)
Best Choreography: Bosco and Ceaser for 'Zindagi Naa Milegi Doobara'
Best Special Effects: 'RA.One'
Best Editing: Praveen KL for 'Aaranya Kaandam'
Best Marathi Film: 'Shala'
Best Bengali Film: 'Ranjana Ami Aar Ashbo Na' directed by Anjan Dutta
Best Dogri Film: Dille Ch Vasya Koi
Best Kannada Film: Kurmavatara
Best Manipuri film: Phijigee Mani
Best Punjabi Film: Anhe Ghorey Da Daan
Best Tamil Film: Vaagai Sooda Va
Best Non Feature Film: And We Play On
Best Debut Film of a Director: The Silent Poet (Manipuri)
Best film on Social Issues: Mindscapes...of Love and Longing shared with Inshallah, Football (Kashmiri, Urdu and English)
Best Film On Family Values: Red Building Where the Sun Sets (English)
Best Screenplay: Vikas Behl and Nitish Tiwari for 'Chillar Party'
Best Adapted screenplay writer: Avinash Deshpande
Best Dialogue: Girish Kulkarni
Best Child Artist: Partho Gupte for 'Stanley ka Dabba' and the Chillar Party Group
Indira Gandhi award for debut film director: Thiagarajan Kumararaja for 'Aaranya Kaandam'
Special Mention: Director Shari for 'Adi Madhyantam' (Malayalam Film) and Mallika for 'Byari' (Kannada Film)

APPSC ASST. DIRECTOR (RESEARCH) TRIBAL WELFARE SERVICE GENERAL STUDIES SOLVED PAPER

APPSC ASST. DIRECTOR (RESEARCH) TRIBAL WELFARE SERVICE GENERAL STUDIES SOLVED PAPER (EXAM HELD ON: 05-02-2012) CLICK HERE

GROUP- I SERVICES - MAIN EXAMINATION (CONVENTIONAL TYPE) SCHEDULE

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.