Tits - Bits

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• The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), French/Spanish acronym ONUDI, is a specialized agency in the United Nations system, headquartered in Vienna, Austria. The Organization's primary objective is the promotion and acceleration of industrial development in developing countries and countries with economies in transition and the promotion of international industrial cooperation.
• (A)Haile Gebrselassie - Athletics
  (B)Aleksandra Wozniak - Tennis
  (C)Fernando Torres - Football
  (D)Syed Muazam Ali - Cricket           (persona related to particular area)
• The Indian Navy presently has one Aircraft Carrier in active service, INS Viraat, which is planned for decommissioning after the induction of the first domestically built Vikrant class aircraft carrier.
• The Indian Navy (Devanāgarī: भारतीय नौ सेना, Bhartiya Nāu Senā) is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. It currently has approximately 55,000 personnel on active duty, including 5,000 members of the naval aviation branch and 2,000 marine commandos, making it the world's fifth largest navy.
• Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma is the current Chief of the Indian Navy, having taken office on August 31, 2009.
• The world's first major film festival was held in Venice in 1938; the other major film festivals of the world (Berlin, Edinburgh, Cannes, Moscow, and Karlovy Vary) date back to the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.
• Nehru Cup International Football Tournament 2009 Champion 
  India
  Second title(India's rank after winning that cup is 149)
• The Life Insurance Corporation of India (Hindi: भारतीय जीवन बीमा निगम) (LIC) is the largest life insurance company in India and also the country's largest investor.; it is fully owned by the Government of India. It also funds close to 24.6% of the Indian Government's expenses.It has assets estimated of 5 Trillion Rupees. It was founded in 1956.
  Headquartered in Mumbai 
• The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) is an international community of experts committed to expanding the frontiers of space. It is a non-governmental organisation established in Stockholm (Sweden) on August 16, 1960. Dr. G. Madhavan Nair, the chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation has been elected as the new president of the International Academy of Astronautics in August 2009. He is the only Indian and the first non-American to head the IAA. Nair will be the IAA president till 2011. 
• The Nokia Booklet 3G is a "mini laptop" announced by the Finnish company Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, on 24 August 2009. When released, it will be Nokia's first computer offering in almost two decades. The company says it will offer a 12-hour battery life, high-definition video, and high-speed wireless internet access.  

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GK bits

A.
Organisations HQ

1.UN New York
2.Int’ l Court of Justice The Hague
3.UNDP,UNICEF New York
4.UNEP Nairobi
5.UNHCR Geneva
6.IAEA,UNIDO Vienna
7.FAO Rome
8.UNESCO,ESRO Paris
9.IMF Paris & Geneva
10.World Bank (IBRD) Washington DC
11.WIPO,WTO Geneva
12.IMO London
13.UPU Berne
14.ICAO Montreal
15.ADB Manila
16.ASEAN Djakarta
17.CARICOM Georgetown (Guyana)
18.CIS Minsk(Belarus)

B. Rivers
Brahmaputra – 2900 km
Indus - 2900 km
Ganga - 2510 km
Godavari – 1450 km
Narmada – 1290 km
Krishna – 1290 km
Mahanadi – 890 km
Kaveri – 760 km

Ranking of rivers on the basis of length and direction (west to east ,north to south etc) is a frequently asked question in UPSC prelims. One should also have a good idea about the important international rivers. Ensemble’s Geography through Maps is a good book to follow even for non-geography optional students.

C. Information on important straits :
1.Gibraltar strait separates Spain and Morocco.
2.Magellan strait separates Chile and Tierra del Fugeo.
3.Bass strait separates Australia and Tasmania.
4.Torres strait separates Australia and Papua New Guinea.
5.Bab-al-Mandab strait separates Yemen and Djibouti.
6.Strait of Hormuz separates Iran and UAE.
7.Strait of Malacca separates Malaysia and Sumatra.
8.Selat-sunda strait separates Sumatra and Java.

One should look up all important straits in Atlas and in fact referring atlas should become an important part of reading newspaper.Whenever and wherever one encounters the name of any place or country that one cannot place geographically ,one must immediately look it up in Atlas and don’t stop there,go a step further by looking up nearby countries,mountain ranges,rivers and also whether any tropic or equator is passing through it.This will make the learning more complete and can very well make make the difference.

D.Random Information
1.Oxalic Acid – used to remove ink spots.
2.Sulphuric Acid – dehydrating agent.
3.Hydrogen Peroxide – bleaching agent.
4.Haber’s Process – Ammonia.
5.Ostwald’s Process – Nitric Acid.
6.Solvay Process – Sodium Carbonate.
7.Parke’s Process – Silver.

E.Research Institutes Locations
1.Potato - Shimla
2.Leather - Chennai
3.Poultry - B’lore
4.Tobacco - Rajamundry
5.Rice - Cuttack
6.Sugarcane - Lucknow
7.Jute - Barrackpore
8.Botanical Survey - Kolkata
9.Dairy Institute - Karnal
10.Dairy Corporation - Anand
11.Coffee - Chikmaglur
12.Tea - Jorhat
13.Bee - Pune
14.Cotton - Thane

F.Winds
1.Haboob - Sudan
2.Harmattan – West Africa
3.Khamsin – North Africa
4.Bora – Adriatic Coast
5.Zonda – Argentina

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Changed Names of Important Countries, States & Places

OLD NAME	CHANGED NAME
Abyssinia	Ethiopia
Angora	Ankara
Basutoland	Lesotho
Batavia	Djakarta
Burma	Mayanmar
Bechuanaland	Botswana
British Guiana	Guyana
Combodia	Kampuchea
Cape Canaveral	Cape Kennedy
Ceylon	Sri Lanka
Christina	Oslo
Congo	Zaire
Constantinople	Istanbul
Dacca	Dhaka
Dutch East Indies	Indonesia
Dutch Guiana	Surinam
Formosa	Taiwan
Gold Coast	Ghana
Hollad	The Netherlands
Japan	Nippon
Malaya	Malaysia
Manchukuo	Manchuri
Mesopotamia	Iraq
Northern Rhodesia	Zambia
Nyasaland	Malawi
Peking (China)	Beijing
Persia	Iran
Rangoon	Yongon
Rhodesia	Zimbabwe
Salisbury	Harare
Sam	Thailand
South-West Africa	Namibia
Thanganyika Zanzibar	Tanzania

National income

Concept of national income National income is calculated by CSO – CENTRAL STATISCAL ORGANISATION FROM 2005 BASE YEAR FOR ANY CALCULATION OF NATIONAL INCOME IS TAKEN AS 1999-2000 BEFORE 2005 BASE YEAR WAS 1993-94 GDP- GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCTION GNP-GROSS NATIONAL PRODUTION NNP NET NATIONAL PRODUTION NDP NET DOMESTIC PRODUTION GDP- GDP IS THE SUM TOTAL OF MARKET VALUE OF ALL FINAL GOODS & SERVICES PRODUCED INSIDE THE NATINAL TERRITORY GNP=GDP+INCOME FROM ABROAD DEPRECIATION VALUE OF CONSUMPTION OF FIXED CAPITAL =GDP-NDP NNP=GNP- DEPRECIATION NATIONAL INCOME =GDP-NET TAXES NET TAXES =INDIRECT TAXES –SUBSIDIES NATIONAL INCOME IS CALCULATED IN TWO WAYS ON CURRNT PRICES IN THIS YEAR PRODUTION IS ALCULATED BY CONSIDRING PRESENT PRICE OF GOODS AND SERVICES ON CONSTANT PRICES IN THIS PRICE ON THE BASE YEEAR IS TAKEN AS THE REFERANCE TO CALCULATE THE NATIONAL INCOME PER CAPITA INCOME = NATIONAL INCOME/ POPULATION PPP PURCHASING POWER PARTY INDEX IS CONSTRUCTED BY TAKING INTO ACCOUNT WHAT A UNIT CURRNCY CAN PURCHASE IN ITS OWN COUNTRY PLANNING IN INDIA HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 1. 1934 M.VISVESHVARYA WROTE THE BOOK PLLANED ECONMY 4 INDIA 2. 1938 NATIONAL PLANNING COMMETEE SET UP 3. 1944 BOMBAY PLAN BY 8 INDUSTRIALIST IN BOMBAY 4. 1945 PEOPLE’S PLAN BY MN ROY 5. 1950 SARVODYA PLAN BY JP NARAYAN PLANNING COMMISSION 15 MARCH 1950 CONSTITUTED BY GOI NON CONSTITUTIONAL AND NON STATURY BODY PRIME MINISTER IS EX OFFICO HEAD OF THIS FORMULATES FIVE YEAR PLAN

National income

Concept of national income National income is calculated by CSO – CENTRAL STATISCAL ORGANISATION FROM 2005 BASE YEAR FOR ANY CALCULATION OF NATIONAL INCOME IS TAKEN AS 1999-2000 BEFORE 2005 BASE YEAR WAS 1993-94 GDP- GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCTION GNP-GROSS NATIONAL PRODUTION NNP NET NATIONAL PRODUTION NDP NET DOMESTIC PRODUTION GDP- GDP IS THE SUM TOTAL OF MARKET VALUE OF ALL FINAL GOODS & SERVICES PRODUCED INSIDE THE NATINAL TERRITORY GNP=GDP+INCOME FROM ABROAD DEPRECIATION VALUE OF CONSUMPTION OF FIXED CAPITAL =GDP-NDP NNP=GNP- DEPRECIATION NATIONAL INCOME =GDP-NET TAXES NET TAXES =INDIRECT TAXES –SUBSIDIES NATIONAL INCOME IS CALCULATED IN TWO WAYS ON CURRNT PRICES IN THIS YEAR PRODUTION IS ALCULATED BY CONSIDRING PRESENT PRICE OF GOODS AND SERVICES ON CONSTANT PRICES IN THIS PRICE ON THE BASE YEEAR IS TAKEN AS THE REFERANCE TO CALCULATE THE NATIONAL INCOME PER CAPITA INCOME = NATIONAL INCOME/ POPULATION PPP PURCHASING POWER PARTY INDEX IS CONSTRUCTED BY TAKING INTO ACCOUNT WHAT A UNIT CURRNCY CAN PURCHASE IN ITS OWN COUNTRY PLANNING IN INDIA HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 1. 1934 M.VISVESHVARYA WROTE THE BOOK PLLANED ECONMY 4 INDIA 2. 1938 NATIONAL PLANNING COMMETEE SET UP 3. 1944 BOMBAY PLAN BY 8 INDUSTRIALIST IN BOMBAY 4. 1945 PEOPLE’S PLAN BY MN ROY 5. 1950 SARVODYA PLAN BY JP NARAYAN PLANNING COMMISSION 15 MARCH 1950 CONSTITUTED BY GOI NON CONSTITUTIONAL AND NON STATURY BODY PRIME MINISTER IS EX OFFICO HEAD OF THIS FORMULATES FIVE YEAR PLAN

NTPC

National Thermal Power Corporation

• NTPC Limited (Formerly National Thermal Power Corporation) is the largest power generation company in India
• Forbes Global 2000 for 2009 ranked it 317th ^[1]in the world. It is an Indian public sector company listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange although at present the Government of India holds 89.5% of its equity.
• founded on November 7, 1975.
• NTPC's core business is engineering, construction and operation of power generating plants and providing consultancy to power utilities in India and abroad.

Capacity addition

Additional capacity under implementation in 10'th Five Year Plan (2002-2007)

#	Power Plant	State	Capacity (MW)	Projected Commissioning Date
1	Unchahar Stage-3	Uttar Pradesh	210	Sept 2006
2	Kahalgaon Phase-2 (Stage-1) Unit-5	Bihar	500	Nov 2006
3	Vindhyachal Stage-3 Unit-9	Madhya Pradesh	500	July 2006
4	Kahalgaon Phase-2 (Stage-2) Unit-7	Bihar	500	Mar 2007
5	Kahalgaon Phase-2 (Stage-1) Unit-6	Bihar	500	May 2007
6	Sipat Stage-2 Unit-1	Chattishgarh	500	Jun 2007
7	Bhilai (JV with SAIL) Unit-1	Chattishgarh	250	Jul 2007
8	Vindhyachal Stage-3 Unit-10	Madhya Pradesh	500	Mar 2007
9	Bhilai (JV with SAIL) Unit-2	Chattishgarh	250	Oct 2007
10	Sipat Stage-2 Unit-2	Chattishgarh	500	Dec 2007
		Total	4710 MW

• In November 2007, NTPC signed a joint venture with Indian Railways to set up a 1,000 megawatt (MW) power plant in Nabinagar in Bihar. The JV would be called Bharatiya Rail Bijlee Company.

Public Interest Litigation(PIL)

Public Interest Litigation

• Public Interest Litigation, in Indian law, means litigation for the protection of public interest.
• It is litigation introduced in a court of law, not by the aggrieved party but by the court itself or by any other private party.
• Public Interest Litigation is the power given to the public by courts through judicial activism.
• The court can itself take cognisance of the matter and proceed suo motu or cases can commence on the petition of any public-spirited individual.

Origins Of PIL

• Prior to the 1980s, only the aggrieved party could approach the courts for justice. However, post 1980s and after the emergency era, the apex court decided to reach out to the people and hence it devised an innovative way wherein a person or a civil society group could approach the supreme court seeking legal remedies in cases where public interest is at stake.
• Justice P. N. Bhagwati and Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer were among the first judges to admit PIL's in the court.

Examples of PIL

• The Bombay High Court on 31 August, 2006 directed the broadcasters to give an undertaking that they will abide by the Cable Television Network Act 1995 as well as the court's orders by tomorrow, in view of larger public interest.
• RECENTLY A PIL HAS BEEN FILED IN GUJRAT HIGH COURT AGAINST THE GUJ GOV DECISION TO BAN JASWANT SINGH'S JINNAH BK