India at a Glance

Image by Shashwat_Nagpal via Flickr

BACKGROUND
The civilization of India is one of the oldest civilizations in the World, spanning more than 4000 years and witnessing the rise and fall of several Empires, and projecting a unique assimilation of various cultures and heritage. The Country has always been portrayed as a land of spiritual integrity with professors of Philosophy, who have engineered the magnanimity of its nationalism. One of the oldest scriptures in the World, the four-volume Vedas that many regard as the repository of national thoughts, which have anticipated some of the modern scientific discoveries, has been created in the orb of this myth oriented Country. This strong affinity with religion and mythology has been reflected time and again through various art forms and performing arts, which are symbolical of the composite culture of India. Unity in diversity is another facet of the Country’s inherent nationalism, which had been fused by the feeling of national fervour incited by various foreign invasions that ever made its way to the Indian shores. Religious tolerance and cultural amalgamation have given shape to a uniquely secular Nation, which has created an impressive status of itself in the global arena.
GEOGRAPHY
Location:   The Indian peninsula is separated from mainland Asia by the Himalayas. The Country is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west, and the Indian Ocean to the south.        Geographic Coordinates:   Lying entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, the Country extends between 8° 4' and 37° 6' latitudes north of the Equator, and 68°7' and 97°25' longitudes east of it.       Indian Standard Time:   GMT + 05:30       Area:   3.3 Million sq km       Border Countries:   Afghanistan and Pakistan to the north-west; China, Bhutan and Nepal to the north; Myanmar to the east; and Bangladesh to the east of West Bengal. Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea, formed by Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.       Coastline:   7,516.6 km encompassing the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.       Climate:   The climate of India can broadly be classified as a tropical monsoon one. But, in spite of much of the northern part of India lying beyond the tropical zone, the entire country has a tropical climate marked by relatively high temperatures and dry winters. There are four seasons - winter (December-February), (ii) summer (March-June), (iii) south-west monsoon season (June-September), and (iv) post monsoon season (October- November).       Terrain:   The mainland comprises of four regions, namely the great mountain zone, plains of the Ganga and the Indus, the desert region, and the southern peninsula.       Natural Resources:   Coal, iron ore, manganese ore, mica, bauxite, petroleum, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, magnesite, limestone, arable land, dolomite, barytes, kaolin, gypsum, apatite, phosphorite, steatite, fluorite, etc.       Natural Hazards:   Monsoon floods, flash floods, earthquakes, droughts, and landslides.       Environment – Current Issues:   Air pollution control, energy conservation, solid waste management, oil and gas conservation, forest conservation, etc.       Environment – International Agreements:   Rio Declaration on environment and development, Cartagena Protocol on biosafety, Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on climatic change, World Trade Agreement, Helsinki Protocol to LRTAP on the reduction of sulphur emissions of nitrogen oxides or their transboundary fluxes (Nox Protocol), and Geneva Protocol to LRTAP concerning the control of emissions of volatile organic compounds or their transboundary fluxes (VOCs Protocol).       Geography – Note:   India occupies a major portion of the south Asian subcontinent.
PEOPLE
Population:   India's population, as on 1 March 2001 stood at 1,028 million (532.1 million males and 496.4 million females).       Population Growth Rate:   The average annual exponential growth rate stands at 1.93 per cent during 1991-2001.        Birth Rate:   The Crude Birth rate according to the 2001 census is 24.8        Death Rate:   The Crude Death rate according to the 2001 census is 8.9        Life Expectancy Rate:   63.9 years (Males); 66.9 years (Females) (As of Sep 2005)       Sex Ratio:   933 according to the 2001 census        Nationality:   Indian       Ethnic Groups:   All the five major racial types - Australoid, Mongoloid, Europoid, Caucasian, and Negroid find representation among the people of India.       Religions:   According to the 2001 census, out of the total population of 1.028 million in the Country, Hindus constituted the majority with 80.5 %, Muslims came second at 13.4%, followed by Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and others.       Languages:   22 languages have been recognized by the Constitution of India, of which Hindi is the official national language. Besides these, there are 844 different dialects that are practiced in various parts of the Country.        Literacy:   According to the provisional results of the 2001 census, the literacy rate in the Country stands at 64.84 per cent, 75.26% for males and 53.67% for females.
GOVERNMENT
Country Name:   Republic of India; Bharat Ganrajya       Government Type:   Sovereign Socialist Democratic Republic with a Parliamentary system of Government.       Capital:   New Delhi       Administrative Divisions:   29 States and 6 Union Territories.       Independence:   15th August 1947 (From the British Colonial Rule)       Constitution:   The Constitution of India came into force on 26th January 1950.       Legal System:   The Constitution of India is the fountain source of the legal system in the Country.       Executive Branch:   The President of India is the Head of the State, while the Prime Minister is the Head of the Government, and runs office with the support of the Council of Ministers who form the Cabinet Ministry.       Legislative Branch:   The Indian Legislature comprises of the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) forming both the Houses of the Parliament.       Judicial Branch:   The Supreme Court of India is the apex body of the Indian legal system, followed by other High Courts and subordinate Courts.       Flag Description:   The National Flag is a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (kesaria) at the top, white in the middle, and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. At the centre of the white band is a navy blue wheel, which is a representation of the Ashoka Chakra at Sarnath.
ECONOMY
Economy – Overview:   Half a Century after gaining its independence, India has overcome all odds and achieved phenomenal standards of economic stability, courtesy the indomitable contributions of various sectors such as agriculture, tourism, commerce, power, communications, science & technology, etc., which have acted as the pillars of the Indian economy. India is today one of the six fastest growing economies of the world. The country is ranked fourth in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) in 2001. The business and regulatory environment is evolving and moving towards constant improvement.       GDP – Real Growth Rate:   The second quarter (July-September) of the financial year 2005-06 registers a growth rate of 8 percent.       GDP – Purchasing Power Parity:   India is the fourth largest economy, with US$ 3 trillion GDP in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) after USA, China, and Japan.       GDP – Per Capita:   As of September 2005, the GDP per capita of the Country stood at US$ 543.       GDP – Composition by Sector:   Services 56%, Agriculture 22%, and Industry 22% (As of September 2005).        Labour Force:   According to the Report of the Committee on India Vision: 2020, India’s labour force has reached approximately 375 million in 2002.       Unemployment Rate:   9.1% (As of Sep 2005)       Population below Poverty Line:   26.10% as on 1999-2000        Inflation Rate:   4.1% as on July 2005.        Public Debt:   The total Debt as on 31st March 2002 stands at Rs. 1372117.58 crores.       Exchange Rates:   Indian Rupee/ 1 US$ - 45.3700; Indian Rupee/ 1 Euro – 53.8600; Indian Rupee/ 1 Pound Sterling – 79.7100 (Latest rates).       Agriculture Products:   Rice, wheat, tea, cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, jute, oilseed, poultry, etc.       Industries:   Steel, garments, petroleum, cement, machinery, locomotive, food processing, pharmaceutical products, mining, etc.       Currency (Code):   Indian Rupee (INR)       Fiscal Year:   1st April to 31st March.

Source :	Ministry of Environment, Planning Commission, Ministry of Health, Press Information Bureau, Census of India , Minestry of External Affairs, Union Budget, Reserve Bank of India, India 2005 - A Reference Annual, www.indiainbusiness.nic.in

GK watch

Short Name	Full Form or Abbreviations
3G	Third Generation
AAA	Asian Athletics Association
AAFI	The Amateur Athletics Federation of India
AC	Ante Christum (Before Christ), Ashok Chakra, Air Conditioner
ADB	Asian Development Bank
AFI	Athletics Federation of India
AFMC	Armed Forces Medical College
AI	Artifical Intelligence, Air India
AICTE	All India Council for Technical Education
AIFF	All India Football Federation
AIIMS	All India Institute of Medical Science
AITUC	All India Trade Union Congress
ALGOL	Algebric Oriented Language
AM	Ante Meridiem (before Noon), Amplitude Modulation
APEC	Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
ARPANET	Advanced Research Project Agency Network
ASCII	American Standard Code for Informa­tion Interchange
ASEAN	Association of South East Asian Na­tions
ASLV	Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle
AT&T	American Telegraphic and Telephone Co. Ltd.
ATC	Air Traffic Control
ATM	Automated Teller Machine
AVSM	Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
B2B	Busines to Business
B2C	Business to Consumer
BARC	Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
BBC	British Broadcasting Corporation
BBS	Bulletin Board Service
BC	Before Christ
BHEL	Bharat Heavy Electri-cals Ltd
BIOS	Basic Input Output System
BIT	Binary Digit
BPL	Below Poverty Line
BPO	Business Process Outsourcing
BPR	Business Process Re-engineering
bps	bytes per second
BSE	Bombay Stock Exchange
BSF	Border Security Force
BSNL	Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
C2C	Consumer to Consumer
CA	Chartered Accountant
CAD	Com­puter Aided Design
CAT	Common Admis­sion Test
CBI	Central Bureau of Investigation
CBSE	Central Board of Secondary Education
CDAC	Centre for the Development of Ad­vanced Computing
CDMA	Code Division Multiple Access
CEO	Chief Executive Officer
CFSL	Central Forensic Science Laboratory
CGI	Common Gateway Interface
CIA	Central Intelligence Agency
CID	Criminal Investigation Department
CISC	Complex instruction-set computing
CITU	Centre of Indian Trade Unions
CNN	Cable News Network
COMSAT	Communications Satellite Corporation
COPRA	Consumer Protection Act
CORBA	Common Object Request Broker Architecture
CPI(M)	Communist Party of India / Marxist
CPWD	Central Public Works Department
CRIS	Centre for Railway Information System
CSIR	Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
CTBT	Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
CYMK	Cyan, Yellow, Magenta, Kinda
D.Litt.	Doctor of Literature
D.Phil.	Doctor of Philosophy
D.Sc	Doctor of Science
DC	Direct Current
DIG	Deputy Inspector General
DMA	Direct Memory Access
DMK	Dravida Munetra Kazhagam
DNA	Deoxyribo-nucleic Acid
DTP	Desktop Publishing
DVC	Damodar Valley Corporation
DVD	Digital Versatile/Video Disc

read more--http://www.onlinegk.com/general-knowledge/acronym.aspx

Related articles by Zemanta

• GS sample paper (swapsushias.blogspot.com)
• 150 years of Indian Telecommunication (swapsushias.blogspot.com)

13 Indian firms make it to the Forbes Asia list

KUALA LUMPUR: As many as 13 Indian companies, including Reliance Industries, Infosys Technologies and Tata Steel, have made it to the list of Forbes’ 50 best-listed companies in the Asia-Pacific region.

"Our list is a mix of giant, established companies — this year that list includes Australian miner BHP Billiton, Hong Kong conglomerate Noble Group and Indian oil and gas heavyweight Reliance Industries — and smaller outfits such as Agile property Holdings, Anhui Conch Cement and digital China Holdings,” Forbes Asia said in a statement.

In the Forbes list, there are four Indian entities — Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel, Infosys Technologies and Tata Consultancy Services — among the top ten firms in terms of market value.

Reliance Industries and Tata Steel feature in the top ten league in terms of sales.

The Indian league has four newcomers this year.
They are: Adani Enterprises, Axis Bank, Jindal Steel & Power and Tata Consultancy Services.
 Among the Indian firms returning to the list include Bharat Heavy Electricals, Larsen & Toubro and Reliance Industries.

China has again outdone the rest of Asia Pacific with the most number of firms (16) represented in the league.
 
“The mainland firms together with five from Taiwan and three from Hong Kong account for almost half of the entries, giving Greater China the biggest regional representation on the list,” Forbes said.
Taiwan moved up the ranking this year and is in the third place with five companies on the list, all of which are from the technology sector. Japan and Australia share the fourth place with four companies each on the list.


Selection criteria
The list included companies that have revenue and market capitalisation of at least $3 billion and a five-year record of operating profitability and return on equity.
The other criteria for being in the list include long-term profitability, sales and earnings growth, stock price appreciation, projects earnings, quality of management and entrepreneurial skills. — PTI

Who's Who

Who's Who(click on links to know more)

Know more about the personalities holding the highest offices and important positions in Executive, Judiciary and Legislature in the country. View full profile by accessing Official's name and visit their website by accessing the image link.

President of India

Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil

Vice President of India

Shri Mohd. Hamid Ansari

Prime Minister of India

Dr. Manmohan Singh

Council of Ministers

• Cabinet Ministers
• Ministers of State (Independent Charge)
• Ministers of State

Governors of Indian States

Governors

Chief Ministers of Indian States

Chief Ministers

Lt. Governors & Administrators of Indian Union Territories

Lt. Governors & Administrators

Judges of Supreme Court

Sitting Judges (External website that opens in a new window)

Chiefs of Defence Forces

Defence Chiefs

Members of Parliament

Rajya Sabha | Search Rajya Sabha Members

Lok Sabha | Search Lok Sabha Members

State Legislative Assemblies

Vidhan Sabha

Book Watch

Image via Wikipedia

India: From Midnight to the Millennium is a 1997 nonfiction book written by Shashi Tharoor. In his usual rambling style he covers India from its independence in 1947 until the turn of the millennium.
Along the way he covers diverse topics like caste, Indian democracy, the legacy of Indira Gandhi, the partition of India and India’s transition from a socialist economy to a free market.
"India: From Midnight to the Millennium" is an eloquent argument for the importance of India to the future of the industrialized world. Shashi Tharoor shows compellingly that India stands at the intersection of the most significant questions facing the world at the end of the twentieth century. If democracy leads to inefficient political infighting, should it be sacrificed in the interest of economic well-being? Does religious fundamentaism provide a way for countries in the developing world to assert their identity in the face of western hegemony, or is there a case for pluralism and diversity amid cultural and religious traditions? Does the entry of Western consumer goods threaten a country's economic self-sufficiency, and is protectionism the only guarantee of independence? The answers to such questions will determine what kind of world the next century will bring. And since Indians will soon account for a sixth of the world's population, their choices will have repercussions throughout the globe.
A very catching book narrated in Shashi's smooth style,very attractive book