eneral Studies Notes on 2009

International Affairs 2009

Fijis president Ratu Josefa Iloilo repealed the countrys constitution and appointed himself head
of the State and set a 2014 election deadline.
Switerland e!panded its "order upto 1#0 meters into Italian territory "ecause of meltin$ $laciers
in the hi$h %lps.
&eneuelas Stefania Fernande "ecome 'iss (ni)erse 200*. +his is the 2nd consecuti)e year
'iss &eneuela has won the title. &eneuela has so far won the title for the record si! times. 'iss
%da de la ,ru -.ominican Repu"lic/ is 1st runner up. 'iss 'ari$ona .ra$usha is the 2nd runner
up. 'iss (ni)erse 200* contest was held in 0ahamas.
1atent ,ooperation +reaty-1,+/ is an a$reement that "inds 141 countries in a pact that facilitates
the process of see2in$ protection for an in)ention in multiple countries. +he 1,+ which is
administered "y 3I14 - 3orld Intellectual 1roperty 4r$aniation/ is particularly )alua"le option
for any company operatin$ internationally. It is a procedural treaty first launched in 1*56. Recently
1,+ is in news "ecause it is under modification7 reformation which India is opposin$.
1a2istan $o)t clears construction of the 8 6.# "illion .iamer90hasha power project of 4#00 '3
capacity on the Indus ri)er in the :il$it re$ion in 1a2istan occupied ;ashmir. (nder the Indus
water treaty si$ned with India< 1a2istan is free to "uild dams anywhere on the Indus ri)er. +he
treaty $i)es India first ri$ht o)er the waters of the Ra)i< Sutlej and 0eas ri)ers and 1a2istan the
same pri)ile$es o)er the Indus< ,hena" and Jhelum ri)ers.
50th anni)ersary of the "e$innin$ of 3orld 3ar II - 1 Sep 1*=*/ cele"rated on 1 Sep. 4S,>
-4r$aniation for Security and ,ooperation in >urope/ parliamentary assem"ly recently $rouped
:ermany and So)iet (nion< pronouncin$ them to "e e?ually responsi"le for 3orld 3ar II. @u2io
Aatoyama is appointed as ne!t 1rime 'inister of Japan. Ae is nic2named Bthe alien. For the first
time since last #4 years< C.1-Ci"eral democratic party/ ousted from formin$ :o)t in Japan.
Aatoyama "elon$s to .emocratic 1arty.
(S% ,ommission on International Reli$ious Freedom placed India on its Bwatch list for 200*
"ecause it found the Indian $o)t had failed to ta2e effecti)e measures to ensure the ri$hts of
reli$ious minorities.
+he summit of .ushan"e Four was held in 200*. It includes Russia< +aji2istan< 1a2istan and
%f$hanistan. +he official o"jecti)e to the summit was to discuss supply of electricity from
+aji2istan to %f$hanistan and 1a2istan.
Depal &ice 1resident 1armananda Jha who too2 oath in Aindi last year< has "een as2ed "y the
Depal Supreme ,ourt to reta2e the oath in Depali lan$ua$e or resi$n from the post.
Fiji was suspended from the ,ommonwealth after it failed to meet a deadline to ma2e pro$ress
towards esta"lishin$ democracy. Indias Reena ;aushal .haramsha2tu will "e part of an ei$ht
mem"er team that will s2i to the South 1ole to cele"rate the E0th anni)ersary of ,ommonwealth.
+he e!pedition is headed "y Felicity %ston and to "e fla$$ed off in Do) 200*.
,hina intrudes Cada2h re$ion on =1 July 200*.
Sri Can2a e!pels James >lder< ,ommunication chief with (DI,>F-(nited Dations ,hildrens
Fund/.
Farah 1andith an Indian %merican< has "een sworn in as the first (S Special Representati)e to
muslim communities in (S%.
%s per report of (D 3orld Food 1ro$ramme -3F1/< the num"er of hun$ry people will pass one
"illion this year for the first time. In the Food Security Ris2 Inde! 200*< India ran2ed at 2#th place.
+he (S is least at ris2 followed "y France< ,anada. +he inde! ran2 the nations on the "asis of
ris2 of food shorta$e faced "y the countries.
,ommunal )iolence erupted in ,hinas Dorth 3est Finjian$ pro)ince capital B (rum$i in July 0*.
S+%R+ - Strate$ic arms reduction treaty/ "etween (S% G Russia started on =1 July 1**1 came to
end on # .ec 200*. Shan$hai ,ooperation 4r$anisation -S,4/ met at @e2aterin"ur$ on June
200*. +he S,4 comprises of Russia< ,hina< ;aa2htan< ("e2istan< +aji2istan and ;yr$stan.
India< 1a2istan< 'on$olia and Iran ha)e o"ser)er status. %f$hanistans president attended the
summit as a special $uest. Sri Can2a had "een $ranted the status of dialo$ue partner. :oo$le
was shut down in ,hina.
+he first e)er summit of 0RI, countries was held at @e2aterin"ur$ in Russia in June 0*. 0RI,
countries include 0rail< Russia< India and ,hina.
India si$ned a 8 400 million a$reement with (2raine to up$rade its fleet of transport aircraft %D9=2
aimed at e!tendin$ its life and impro)in$ a)ionics.
+ipaimu2h dam project issue "etween India and 0an$ladesh.
Inter$o)ernmental %$reement on the +rans9%sian Detwor2 -+%R/ entered into force on June 11<
200* after ,hina ratified the treaty. +he other parties to the a$reement are ,om"odia< India<
'on$olia< ;orea< Russia< +aji2istan and +hailand.
%"u .ha"i< capital of (%> was elected as head?uarter of the International Renewal >ner$y
%$ency -IR>D%/< a $roupin$ of 12* countries. 'ini 1ra)asi Indian .ay was held at Aa$ue
-Detherland/ in Sep 200*.
France 1resident has recently remar2ed that B the "ur?a is a si$n of female su"ser)ience.
Cord Swaraj 1aul "ecame the first India "orn 0riton to "e appointed a 1ri)y ,ouncillor in 0ritain.
'ilan has "een named as the worlds top fashion city. 'um"ai is placed at 1Eth place and .elhi
at 15th place.
Japans finance minister Shoichi Da2a$awa resi$ned after he was accused to attendin$ the : 5
summit in Rome in drin2in$ condition.
,hina "ecame worlds lar$est $reen house $as emitter in 2005. (S% at 2nd position. Russia at
=rd position. India at 4th position with one tone of ,ar"on .io!ide per person per year emission.
Duclear armed su"marines from 0ritain and France collided in the %tlantic 4cean.
(S% $o)t appro)ed 8 565 "illion economic stimulus pac2a$e initiated "y 0arac2 4"ama.
&eneualaa 1resident Au$o ,ha)e won a referendum )ote that lets him stay in power as lon$
as he 2eeps winnin$ elections.
From 1 %pril 200* D%+4 mem"ership was enlar$ed to 26 with the entrance of %l"ania and
,roatia. D%+4 -Dorth %tlantic +reaty 4r$aniation/ also called the Dorth %tlantic %lliance is a
military alliance esta"lished "y the si$nin$ of the Dorth %tlantic +reaty on 4 %pril 1*4*. 1Eth
S%%R, Summit was held in 'aldi)es in 200*.
>('% - >nd (ser 'onitorin$ %$reement/9 India has si$ned >('% with (S% which allows (S
inspectors to )erify the end use of (S sourced hi$h technolo$y e?uipment to dual use. >('% is
desi$ned to facilitate hi$h end dual use technolo$y transfer to India.
3orlds first commercial passen$er fli$ht powered "y natural :as operated "etween Condon and
Hatar in 4ct 0*. Shell company de)eloped and produced the #09#0 "lend of synthetic :as to
Ci?uid -:+C/ 2erosene and con)entional oil "ased 2erosene fuel. Hatar will "ecome the worlds
leadin$ producer of :+C 2erosene "y 2012.
+ur2ey and %rmenia si$ned a landmar2 accord to restore ties and open their shared "order after
a century of hostility stemmin$ from 3orld 3ar I.
B4peration Rah > Dijat or 1ath to Sal)ation9 It is the name of operation conducted "y 1a2istan
army a$ainst stron$holds of +ehree29e9 +ali"an -also called 1a2istan +ali"an/ soldiers.
(S% has declared national emer$ency in )iew of increasin$ num"er of death due to Swine flu.
0an$ladesh decided to ad)ance its time an hour to :'+ I 5. >)ery 1# de$ree means an hour.
France ha)e 12 time ones< Russia ha)e 11 times ones< (S% has nine time ones. India has
one time one "ased on its 62J=0 >ast near %llaha"ad.
India and ,anada si$ned a ci)il nuclear cooperation deal . ,anada "ecame the 6th country with
which India has reached a ci)il nuclear a$reement.
,ommonwealth has admitted Rwanda< central %frican country< as its #4th mem"er.
Depal ca"inet meet at ;ala 1atthar< situated at 15<1*2 ft a"o)e sea le)el in Do) 0* and the "ase
camp of 'ount >)erest. It adopted 't >)erest declaration which allow settin$ up of :auri
Shan2ar ,onser)ation %rea near 't >)erest.
,411#< the official term for the ,openha$en meetin$< the 1#th conference of parties to ne$otiate
a new $lo"al climate treaty to replace or e!tend the 1**5 ;yoto 1rotocol "eyond 2012 in .ec
200*. ,openha$en is the capital of .enmar2.
India and Russia si$n ci)il nuclear a$reement in .ec 200*.
National Affairs 2009
(nion $o)t cleared a constitutional amendment to increase the reser)ation for woman in
1anchayat to #0 K from present == K. +he 1anchayati Raj 'inistry amend %rt 24= . of the
,onstitution of India accordin$ly. +he proposed amendment will increase reser)ations for woman
to #0 K in Lila 1arishads< 1anchayat Samitis and :ram 1anchayats at .istrict< 0loc2 and &illa$e
le)el respecti)ely. India has a"out 26.16 la2h elected representati)es in panchayats. Four states9
0ihar< (ttara2hand< Aimachal 1radesh G 'adhya 1radesh already ha)e #0 K reser)ation for
woman in 1anchayat. ;erala also announced #0 K reser)ation for woman in 1anchayat. 0ihar
was the first state to $i)e #0 K reser)ations to woman in 1anchayat in 200#.
:o)t clear settin$ up of Dational 'ission %$ainst ,orruption %uthority -D'%,/. +he aim of the
authority will "e to ensure "etter coordination amon$ the ,0I and State7(+ anti corruption
)i$ilance "ureaus.
:o)t has declared 252 districts out of E1E districts as drou$ht stric2en in 200* due to rainfall
shorta$e.
.raft of Dational Food Security %ct to "e presented in parliament in winter session -Jan 2010/. %s
per the proposed %ct< e)ery family li)in$ "elow the po)erty line in rural and ur"an areas will "e
entitled for 2# ;$ of rice or wheat per month at Rs. = per ;$.
:o)t plans to "uilt =21 feet Shi)aji statue in 'um"ai. It is 1E feet taller that Dew @or2s Statue of
Ci"erty and on completion< it "ecame the tallest statue in the world.
Jaswant Sin$h "oo2 Jinnah9India partition Independence was "anned in :ujarat state. +he "an
howe)er <was lifted after the Ai$h court jud$ment. +he "oo2 is a "io$raphy of Jinnah. Jaswant
Sin$h also earlier write B % ,all to Aonour.
State %ssem"ly >lection was held in 4ct 200* in three states namely Aaryana -seats 9*0/<
'aharashtra -seats 9266/ and %runachal 1radesh -seats 9E0/.
:o)t has decided that DR>:S -Dational Rural >mployment :uarantee Scheme/ will now pro)ide
employment for 200 days instead of 100 days. 1arliament adopted the ,onstitution 10*th
amendment 0ill 0* pro)idin$ reser)ation of seats for S, G S+ in the Co2 Sa"ha and le$islati)e
assem"lies of the states for another 10 years.
Dami"ia president Aifi2epunye 1oham"e )isit India in Sep 20*.
Russia pro)ides nuclear su"marine Derpa to India in 200*. It is %2ula92 su"marine series.
3omens will "e e!empted from payin$ any fees for (1S,7SS, etc e!amination.
S%F uni)ersity to "e set up in .elhi. It will "e started from 2010911 academic session. India "ear
5* K of its e!penditure.
In the se)en natural 3onders list< Indias only entry is that of Sunder"an. It is a joint entry from
India and 0an$ladesh.
&ision9201# For ,onsumer Satisfaction and 0eyond M +he paper is pu"lished "y 4il G 1etroleum
ministry in which it is proposed to pro)ide ,D: in 200 cities "y 201#.
'on$olia president +sa2hia$iin >l"a$dorj )isited India in Sep 200*. India and 'on$olia si$ned a
,i)il Duclear pact. India already has ci)il nuclear a$reement with (S%< Russia< ;aa2hstan and
France.
Indian Dational ,on$ress party will completes 12# years on .ec 200*. ,on$ress was formed on
.ec 166#.
Indias first non9stop super fast passen$er train B.uronto +rain inau$urated from Sealdah station
to .elhi. +otal of 14 such trains will "e launched this year.
@ashpal ,ommittee was set up to $i)e recommendation on Ai$her education sector.
(nder ;isan %"himan Scheme. ;erala :o)t has $ranted Rs =00 per month as pension to farmers
a"o)e E0 years of a$e.
Ramesh 1o2hriyal Dishan2 appointed as fifth ,hief 'inister of (ttra2hand.
Railway ministry has appointed %mit 'itra to prepare &ision 92020 document for the railways.
0 Sudershan Reddy appointed as chairman of panel to loo2 into the impeachment proceedin$
a$ainst Justice Soumitra Sen. India is fundin$ 1alaly project in Sri Can2a.
%re)a< French ,ompany and Duclear power corporation of India Ctd si$n an a$reement to set up
two 1E#0 '3 nuclear plants in 'aharastra state. :o)t launched BRaji) %was @ojna under which
$o)t plans to formulate for slum dwellers and the ur"an poor in an effort to promote a slum free
India in ne!t fi)e years.
Ramalin$am ,handrashe2eram appointed as head of parliamentary special committee that loo2
into the matter of $rantin$ citienship and other facilities for Sri Can2ans in refu$ee camps in
+amil Dadu.
Indian Railway proposed a South %sian Re$ional +rain ser)ice lin2in$ .ha2a< Dew .elhi and
Cahore.
Justice Ci"erhan ,ommission which pro"ed the se?uence of e)ents that led to the 0a"ri 'asjid
demolition in %yodhya on .ec 1**2< su"mitted its report. It has =** sittin$s and 46 e!tensions.
:o)t increases minimum support price -'S1/ for su$arcane to Rs. 105.5E for 200*910. +he 'S1
for the paddy crop for current year is Rs.*#0. Rajasthan will host the 3orld +i$er Summit in
Rantham"ore in 2010.
%ppointment of new :o)ernors M . D .wi)edi - :ujarat/< 'ar$arat %lwa -(ttara2hand/<
Ja$annath 1ahadia -Aaryana/. +atas first Dano car was $i)en to %sho2 &ichare of 'um"ai.
.ilip .onde will try to circumna)i$ate the world solo - on his own/ in "oat B'hadei under 1roject
Sa$ar 1ari2rama from 1* %u$ 200*. Rajasthan "ecame the first state in the country to si$n a
tripartite a$reement with ,entral :o)t promisin$ accounta"ility and ade?uate utiliation of funds
in the two ti$er reser)e of Saris2a at %lwar and Rantham"ore at Sawai 'adho pur in Rajasthan.
Jawahar lal Dehru (r"an renewal mission -JDD(R'/ a centrally $o)t funded ur"an renewal
mission is implemented in E= cities out of a total of #1E1 cities< towns and ur"an a$$lomerations
in India.
Ri$ht to >ducation 0ill passed "y the 1arliament. 1arliament made the ri$ht to education a
fundamental ri$ht throu$h the *=rd ,onstitution amendment. +he "ill earmar2s 2# K seats to
wea2er sections in schools< see2s to do away with the practice of schools ta2in$ capitation fees
"efore admission< su"jectin$ the child or parents to a screenin$ procedure and $i)in$ powers to
child ri$hts panels to loo2 into $rie)ances of parents a$ainst schools.
:o)t appro)ed renamin$ of state of 4rissa as B4disha and the 4riya lan$ua$e as B4dia.
%ssem"ly election was held in Jhar2hand which is under 1resident Rule since Jan 200* in .ec
0*. +otal num"er of seats are 61.
RI, - Russia< India G ,hina/. It is a $roup of three nations. Second meetin$ of RI, is held at
0an$alore in 4ct 0*.
1resident 1rati"ha 1atil )isit 0ritain in 4ct 0* to in)ite Hueen >lia"eth to inau$urate 2010
,ommonwealth :ames to "e held ne!t year. +his is the first state )isit "y an Indian 1resident to
0ritain after S Rada2rishnan and R &en2ataraman in 1*E= G 1**0 respecti)ely.
Separation plan M India has notified its separation plan to International %tomic >ner$y %$eny.
India will place 14 reactors under ISS% - India Specific Safe$uards %$reement/ of the
International nuclear watchdo$ "y 2014. (nder the plan< India has decided to permanently shut
down the ,IR(S research reactor located inside 0%R,< countries strate$ic la"oratory in 2010.
:o)t has announced fi)e new sites for settin$ up of li$ht water reactors. +he plants will come up
at Jaitapur -'aharastra/< ;udan2ulam -+amil Dadu/< Aaripur -3est 0en$al/< ,hhayamithi &irdi
-:ujarat/ and ;o))ada -%ndhra 1radesh/.
Indian 1resident 1rati"ha 1atil )isits ,yprus -,apital9 Dicosia/ in Do) 200*.
:o)t started B4peration :reen Aunt to tac2le the 'aoists in fi)e Indian states.
0hutans ;in$ Ji$me ;hesar Dam$yel 3an$ehuc2 )isit India on a # day )isit in .ec 0*. Ae is the
#th 2in$ of 0hutan.
D%+:RI.9 Dational Intelli$ence :rid to "e esta"lished "y 'ay 2011. +he $rid will pro)ide real
time access into 21 cate$ories of data"ases such as credit card transaction< dri)in$ license<
telephone< internet< passport< 1%D details< "an2 %7c details etc.
Impeachement motion has "een initiated a$ainst Justice 1 . .ina2aran in the parliament on
char$es of amassin$ disproportionate assets and land $ra".
Sports Affairs 2009
Shootin$ champion of India< Samresh Jun$ is 2nown as B:old fin$er.
Aeinrich Aaussler won +our de France 200* tournament.
Ranji +rophy cele"rated 1latinum Ju"ilee after completin$ 5# years in 200*. Ranji trophy will also
"e started in Ireland.
=6th Ranji +rophy was won "y 'um"ai defeatin$ (1 in Jan 200*.
1ullela :opichand -0adminton champion/ is the only person to ha)e "een awarded with %rjuna
award< .ronacharya award and Raji) :andhi ;hel Ratna award.
0inish ; Shahji of India won sil)er medal in 3orld School %thletics in >stonia held in June 200*.
Wimbledon 2009
'ens Sin$le M Ro$er Federer defeated %ndy Roddic2. Federer "rea2 the record of 1ete
Sampras record of 14 $rand slams.
3omens Sin$le M Serena 3illiam defeated &enus 3illiam. She claimed third 3im"ledon
title.
3omens dou"les MSerena and &enus 3illiam defeated Rennae Stu""s and Samantha
Stosur.
'i!ed .ou"les9 'ar2 ;nowles and %nna Cena :roenefeld defeated Caender 1aes-India/
and ,ara 0lac2.
'ens .ou"les9 .anial Destor G Dened Jimonjic defeated 0o" 0ryan G 'i2e 0ryan.
French Open 2009
'ens sin$le M Ro$er Federer defeated Ro"in Soderlin$.
'ens dou"le M Caender 1aes and Cu2as .louhy defeated 3esley 'oodie and .ic2
Dorman.
3omens sin$le M S)etlana ;uenletso)a defeated .inara Safina.
Australian Open 2009
'i!ed .ou"le 9 'ahesh 0hupati and Sania 'ira defeated Dathalic .echy and %ndy
Ram. Sania 'ira "ecame the first Indian women to won a :rand slam title.
'ens sin$les9 Rafael Dadal defeated Ro$er Federer. Ae "ecame the first Spaniard to
won the title.
3omens sin$les9 Serena 3illiam defeated .inara Safina.
Indias @u2i 0ham"ri won Junior %ustralian 4pen Sin$le title 200* defeatin$ % F
:eor$oudes.
US Open 2009
3omens sin$les M ;im ,lijsters-0el$ium/ defeated ,aroline 3oniac2i.
'ens sin$les9 %r$entinas Juan 'artin del 1otro defeated Ro$er Federer.
'ens .ou"les9 Caender 1aes -India/ and Cu2as .louhy defeated 'ahesh 0hupathi G
'ar2 ;nowles. +his is 1aes 10th :rand Slam title.
3omens .ou"les M &enus 3illiams G Serena 3illiams defeated ,ara 0lac2 G +icel
Au"er.
'i!ed dou"le M ,arly :ullic2son and +ra)is 1arrott defeated ,ara 0lac2 G Caender
1aes-India/.
Science & Technolo! Affairs 2009
200* is cele"rated as International @ear of %stronomy. 200* is also cele"rated as 400th
anni)ersary of the first recorded astronomical o"ser)ations with the telescope used "y the Italian
physicist. 200* is also cele"rated as N Datural Fi"re @ear "y (D< International :urilla @ear "y
conser)ationists G en)ironmentalists< International @ear of Reconciliation.
Con$est total solar eclipse of 21st century occurred on 22nd July 200*. It lasted E min 44 sec at
+are$ana in 0ihar.
:'- :enetically 'odified/ crops are those in which the $enetic material-.D%/ is altered so that
there is some percei)ed ad)anta$e either to the producer or consumer. 0t ,otton -0acillius
+hurin$einsis/ is only commercially appro)ed "iotech crop in India. :o)t plans to introduce :'
foods particularly +omatoes< 0rinjals and ,auliflower to held meet food production tar$et in three
years time. +ill date< India has only allowed the use of :' ,otton< a non food crop. India is
worlds second lar$est cotton producer. Indias own 0t cotton )ariety N 0i2aner Darma. .eep
Space Detwor2 Facility is located at 0yalalu< ;arnata2a.
,handrayan II a lander ro)er mission of ISR4 is scheduled to "e launched in 2012. ISR4 plans
to hoist a capsule with two Indians on "oard to the 'oon "y 201#. Su"s?uently< an Indian will "e
launched to set foot on the 'oon in 2020.
B%ditya satellite will "e sent "y India to carry out studies on the Sun in 2012. S4A4 stands for
Solar and Aeliospheric 4"ser)atory. 1ro"e 1lus of D%S% to study Sun System will "e launched in
2016.
Indias first nuclear powered "allistic missile su"marine%rihant was launced on 2E July 200*. It
will "e commissioned "y 2011. It was "uilt with the help of Russian consultants. 3ith the launch<
India join elite clu" of fi)e nations (S%< Russia< ,hina< 0ritain and France ha)in$ nuclear
powered su"marine capa"ility.
0lue 0rain project in Switerland is under pro$ress under which scientist attempt to BRe)erse
en$ineer the mammalian "rain. Do)o9:< worlds fastest and most powerful supercomputer
"ecame operational. Do)o9: $ot the first part of its name from the Catin term to Bma2e anew<
chan$e< alter and the second word : from B:enesis.
3orld Forestry .ay cele"rated on 21 'arch. +heme for 200* was BSustaina"le Forest
'ana$ement. India currently has 2=.=* K of forest area a$ainst == K re?uired. India presently
has =5 +i$er reser)es< ** national par2s and #1# wildlife sanctuaries.
>arth Aour 200* is a $lo"al e)ent e)ery year which will see landmar2s around the world to $o
dar2 for an hour. >arth .ay cele"rated on 22 %pril.
>i$ht 'illenium .e)elopment :oals -'.:/ were set in 'illenium Summit 2000. It has a deadline
of 201#. ;erala has already achie)e the tar$ets in 2006.
India launched a Israel de)eloped spy satellite BRIS%+ 2 pro)idin$ all weather 24 hour
sur)eillance. %lso launched e!perimental communication micro satellite %D(S%+ "uilt "y
,hennai "ased %nna (ni)ersity.
International Space .e)elopment ,onference was held at 4rlando in 'ay 200*.
Scientist ha)e disco)ered 45 million year old primate fossil named BIda -Scientific name9
.arwinius masillae/ which forms a crucial missin$ lin2 "etween our e)olutionary "ranch of life and
rest of animal 2in$dom.
1er capita consumption of electricity is E=0 (nits in India in 200*.
D.RI ;arnal cloned worlds 2nd cloned "uffalo B:arima. It also produced worlds 1st cloned
"uffalo calf in Fe" 200* "ut it could not sur)i)e. >l Dino9 is a shift in ocean temperatures and
atmospheric conditions in the tropical pacific. It is a periodic warmin$ of the 1acific oceans that
leads to e!tremes of weather.
Ca Dino9 It follows an >l Dino. It is also called the Cittle :irl. It is anti >l9Dino or simply a cold
e)ent. It is the coolin$ of water in the 1acific 4cean.
S4I - Southern 4scillation Inde!/ is a major indicator of >l Dino< measures the pressure
difference "etween the 1acific islands of +ahiti and .arwin in %ustralia. % consistently ne$ati)e
S4I indicates to a de)elopin$ >l Dino. %n >l Dino is formally declared when a"o)e normal temp
909# de$ree celcius or hi$her are recorded o)er eastern 1acific surface for three strai$ht months.
.efinition of po)erty as per 1lannin$ ,ommission9 %)era$e per capita spendin$ "elow Rs. =#E
per month in rural areas and Rs. #=* per month in ur"an areas.
=6th 3orld >n)ironment .ay was cele"rated on #th June 200*. +heme for 200* chosen "y
(D.1 is B@our 1lanet Deeds @ou. 3orld >n)ironment .ay was esta"lished "y (D :eneral
%ssem"ly in 1*52 to mar2 the openin$ of the Stoc2holm ,onference on the human en)ironment.
0.6 de$ree celcius rise in a)era$e temperature around the world since 1660. India is the #th
lar$est emitter of :reenhouse :ases. 2 of the 12 "iodi)ersity hotspots of the world are in India
i.e. Dortheastern re$ion and 3estern :hats.
(S Space %$encys +hemis 'ission M to study the colourful display of hi$h latitude s2ies.
1hoeni! 'ars Cander found 1erchlorate su"stance on 'ars surface.
,ar"on ,redits N It pro)ide a way to reduce $reen house emissions on industrial scale "y cappin$
total annual emissions and allowin$ the mar2et to assi$n a monetary )alue to any shortfall
throu$h tradin$. India has earned 4<E4<4#<262 car"on credits< second only to ,hina in the world.
1er capita car"on dio!ide emission for India is 1.02 metric tones< while (S% stood at first place
with 20.01 metric tones. Super >arth N It is a lar$e e!trasolar terrestrial planet< which is atleast
twice the mass of earth "ut less than ten earth masses. >uropean researcher found three super
earths recently.
%sias first and worlds second .D% "an2 is opened in Cuc2now.
1luto< the *th planet of solar system< was demoted from planet status in 200E is now called
1lutoids. Jason92< a French9 (S% satellite was launched in 200*. It will monitor risin$ sea le)els
and current mo)ement. B:e$eneiphis Seshachari first )i)iparous - those that do not lay e$$s/
was disco)ered in western :hat. It is the first )i)iparous creature to "e found in %sia.
International Cunar Detwor2< is a initiati)e that pro)ide new insi$hts into the 'oons surface and
its interior composition9 critical inputs for the future colonialist. India has si$ned for the mission to
put to$ether a networ2 of ro"otic science stations on the 'oon. ,anada< France< :ermany< Italy<
Japan< ;orea< (;< (S% and India ha)e joined hands for si! to ei$ht stations of the Cunar
Detwor2. (S% places first two Cunar Detwor2 Canders on the lunar surface in 201=914. India has
also scheduled to launched ,hardrayaan9II in colla"oration with Russia in 201291=.
CA, 1roject N Car$e Aadron ,ollidor 1roject is operated "y >uropean 4r$anisation for Duclear
Research -,>RD/ at :ene)a on 10 Sep< 2006< at Franco9 Swiss "order. In actual ,>RD stand
for ,onseil >uropean pour la Recharche Ducleaire< in French lan$ua$e. ,>RD was founded in
1*#4. (nder this e!periment< scientist recreate the conditions just after the 0i$ 0an$ to
understand the creation and wor2in$s of the (ni)erse. It is the most e!pansi)e scientific
e!periment to date< it cost 8 =.6 "illion or Rs.1E<=40 crore. . ,>RD has 20 nations as mem"er.
India< Japan< Russia and (S are the o"ser)er countries.
Aadron N % particle with mass made up of smaller units called ?uar2s that are "ound to$ether.
1rotons and >lectrons are types of hadron. Ai$$s 0oson N % theoretical particle which is thou$ht
to $i)e matter its mass< 2nown as the B:od 1article. First proposed "y 1eter Ai$$s in 1*E4. +he
particle was named after an Indian physicists S.D.0ose. +he CA, e!periment should confirm
whether it e!ists or not. Duclear 1ower ,orporation -D1,/ operates the 15 reactors in si! states<
to produce 4120 '3 of electricity.
0rain Fin$erprintin$ N It is an electronic test of a specific 2ind of "rain wa)e that can identify
incriminatin$ information despite an indi)iduals attempt to conceal the 2nowled$e. It is a type of
si$nal in the "rain 2wown as 1=00 wa)e< so called "ecause it is an in)oluntary response to a
reco$nied o"ject or piece of information that happens within =00 milliseconds.
,ar"on Footprint N It is a measure of the impact human acti)ites ha)e on the en)ironment in
terms of the amount of $reenhouse $ases produced< measured in units of ,ar"on .io!ide.
:lo"al 1ositionin$ System %ided :eo %u$mented Da)i$ation -:%:%D/ N It is a satellite "ased
process de)eloped jointly "y the ISR4 and the %irport %uthority of India. :o)t recently appro)ed
the system that will help airlines to choose the "est and most fuel sa)in$ routes. :%:%D would
"e in place "y 2011 and ma2e flyin$ much safer.
:o)t set a ten year deadline for the "lendin$ of petrol and diesel with 20 K "io9fuel. :o)t
appro)ed the implementation of Dational 0iofuel 1olicy that has set an indicati)e tar$et of
"lendin$ 20 K ethanol in petrol and non9edi"le oil from plants li2e Jatropha in diesel "y 2015. %t
present< #K ethanol "lendin$ in petrol is mandatory across the country e!cept JG;< D> states.
India is the worlds second lar$est producer of su$ar after 0rail. >thanol is produced from
molasses< a su$ar "y product.
10th planet disco)ered called BFena or 200= (0 =1=.
% new oone hole disco)ered o)er +i"et.
%noushah %nsari is the first woman space tourist in the world.
Damira Salim< first 1a2istani women astronaut< sent in space "y D%S% in 2006.
%$ni # missile is in desi$n sta$e. It has a ma!imum ran$e of #000 ;m as an I,0' - Inter
,ontinental 0allistic 'issile/. Ran$e of %$ni I 9500 ;m< %$ni9II9 2#00 ;m< %$ni9III9 =#00;m
&ir$in 'othership B>)e is desi$ned to reach an altitude of #0000 feet and release space Ship
+wo< which will transport passen$ers to space.
S9#00 M Russia is de)elopin$ a fifth $eneration surface to air roc2et which is ca"a"le of en$a$in$
"allistic hypersonic tar$ets flyin$ at a speed of # ;m per second.
ISR4 un)eil B0hu)an< its )ersion of :oo$le >arth. It is a = . mappin$ tool.
:oo$le un)eiled a new )ersion of its search en$ine called B ,affeine.
B3e"lo$ first coined "y Jorn 0ar$er in 1**5. +he contracted name B"lo$ was coined in 1*** "y
1eter 'erhol.
+>RI launched campai$n BCi$htin$ a 0illion Ci)es which is "ased on the use of solar laterns
specially desi$ned and manufactured on a decentralied "asis.
:o)t appro)ed Dational Solar 'ission which aimed at Solar $eneration tar$et of 20<000 '3 "y
2020. %t present solar $eneration capacity of India is #00 '3. Dational Solar 'ission en)isa$es
an in)estment of Rs.*1<E64 crore o)er the ne!t =0 years. It proposes to add 20<000'3 of power
"y 2020 and 1<00<000 '3 "y 20=0. It aims to achie)e parity with coal "ased thermal power
$eneration "y 20=0.
%ccordin$ to latest findin$s< 'alaria was first transmitted to humans "y ,himpanees.
A1D1 a new influena )irus caused Swine flu. It is a $enetic code consists of 6 se$ments. +he
)irus $ets its name from a com"ination of two proteins M hema$$lutinin and neuraminidase.
Swine flu was first detected in 1*65. Just li2e humans< pi$s $et flu too< hence the name Swine flu.
% disease that spreads throu$hout the world is called 1andemic. Swine flu is termed as pandemic
disease.
:o)t formulate a technolo$y mission M 3ar for 3ater - 3innin$< %u$mentation and Reno)ation
for 3ater/. It sol)e pro"lem of water scarcity. ,.' -,lean .e)elopment 'echanism/ is a $lo"al
mechanism where $reen projects can "e re$istered to earn car"on credits for tradin$ in the
international mar2et. India has ma!imum num"er of ,.' projects in the world followed "y ,hina.
4ne ,ar"on ,redit is e?ual to a tone of car"on sa)ed from emission.
(D ,on)ention on ,limate ,han$e< the $lo"al "ody for certifyin$ clean projects was held at
0onn< in %u$ 200*.
('11 -(ltra 'e$a 1ower 1rojects/ are lar$e sied coal "ased power projects ha)in$ a capacity
of 4000 '3 in)ol)in$ an estimated in)estment of a"out 8 4 "illion. Four ('11 has "een
awarded so far in India. +hese are 'undra ('11< :ujarat< Sasan ('11< 'adhya 1radesh<
;rishnapatnam ('11< %ndhra 1radesh and +ilaiya ('11 at Jhar2hand.
%ntares .CR9A2 motor $lider is the first manned aircraft to "e powered e!clusi)ely with a
hydro$en fuel system.
I'. -Indian 'eteorolo$ical .eparment/ official definition of a drou$ht year is when more than 20
K of the country faces a deficit of atleast 2# K of normal rainfall.
3ind power $eneration in India as on 'arch 200* is 1024= '3.
S1%S>R9 It is the worlds smallest laser which amplifies surface plasmons9 tiny oscillations in the
density of free electrons on the surface of metals which in turn produce li$ht wa)es. C%S>R
amplifies li$ht usin$ a mirrored ca)ity to intensify it.
IIS+9 Indian Institute of Space Science G +echnolo$y set up at &aliamala< +hiru)anthapuram<
;erala is the only space uni)ersity in the world offerin$ courses at the under$ruate< $raduate<
doctoral and post doctoral le)el in space technolo$y.
+he %mino acid B:lycine a fundamental "uildin$ "loc2 of proteins has "een found for the first time
in a comet 3ild 2 "y the D%S% spacecraft BStardust sent in 2004. ,omet 3ild 2 was named after
astronomer 1aul 3ild.
ISR4 -Indian Space Research 4r$anisation/ launched first Swiss satellite "uilt "y students of
>cole 1olytechni?ue Federale de Causanne to study the upper atmosphere.
B+o"acco %tlas pu"lished "y %merican ,ancer Society and 3orld Cun$ Foundation< ran2s India at
Do.= in the top 20 female smo2in$ population across the $lo"e. First and second place is held "y
(S% and ,hina.
Former .R.4 -.efence Research G .e)elopment 4r$anisation/ scientist ; Santhanam claimed
that 1**6 Aydro$en "om" test at 1o2hran -Rajasthan/ has failed to deli)er the desired result.
ISR4 looses contact with ,handrayan I on 2* %u$ 200*. It was launched on 22 4ct 2006 and
was desi$ned for a two year mission in space. India has terminated the 400 crore moon mission
,handrayan I on =0 %u$ 200*. D%S%s 'oon 'ineralo$y 'apper placed a"road ,handrayan I
recorded presence of water molecules on 'oon.
Indias first national medical research par2 is "ein$ set up in the Sricity S>L on the +amil Dadu9
%1 "order.
3orlds first cloned wolf named BSnuwolf died in South ;orea.
Rid$e % in the %ntarctic plateau is the worlds coldest< driest and calmest place disco)ered so far.
,hina proposed "ase in %ntarctica is 2nown as B;unlun located at .ome %.
% new techni?ue called array ,omparati)e :enomic Ay"ridiation-,:A/ ma2es it possi"le to
ensure e$$s ha)e a normal num"er of chromosomes "oostin$ the li2elihood of a successful
pre$nancy. 0a"y 4li)er "ecame the first "a"y in the world usin$ this e$$ screenin$ techni?ue in
Condon.
,hina o)erta2e (S% in the internet user population. Internet users in 200* N ,hina 9 2*6 million<
(S% M 225 million< Japan M *4 million <India 961 million.
International 4one .ay is cele"rated on 1E Septem"er e)ery year. +heme of 200* is B(ni)ersal
1articipation94one protection unifies the world. 4one layer is a deep layer in the stratosphere <
encirclin$ the earth that has lar$e amounts of oone in it. +he oone layer protects all life on land
on the surface of the ocean. 4one molecules a"sor" the harmful ultra)iolet rays from the Sun.
+his protects us from radiation that can cause s2in cancer and other se)ere s2in disorders.
Scientist disco)ered first roc2y e!trasolar planet named B,orot95".
ISR4 launch 4ceansat92 satellite on 2= Septem"er 200*< which would help identify fishin$ ones
and help in coastal studies. +he *50 ;$ spacecraft is launched "y , 14 1SC& from Srihari2ota.
Si! other nano satellites from >uropean countries were also launched alon$with it.
B,opernicium is included in the 1eriodic ta"le as a new chemical element in July 0*. Its name
was done after the famous astronomer Dicolus ,opernicus.
:oo$le is testin$ a new ser)ice B Fast Flip that allows users to )iew news articles from doens of
major pu"lishers and flip throu$h them as ?uic2ly as they would the pa$es of a ma$aine.
1lanet Saturns E1st satellite disco)ered.
Scientist confirmed for the first time that %ustralia was once home to a dinosaur< after disco)ery of
B%ustralo)enator 3intonensis alias 0anjo.
% new class of "lac2 hole was disco)ered "y astronomers in 200*. % "lac2 hole is a ramnant of
the collapsed star with such a powerful $ra)itational field that it a"sor"s all the li$ht that passes
near it and reflects nothin$.
'ocro"iolo$ists in 'aharastras Conar la2e found ma$netic "acteria therein formed due to
meteorite impact.
1resent day ,ar"on dio!ide le)els in atmosphere ha)e touched the hi$hest mar2 in the past 2.1
million years.
3orlds first ero waste city is under construction in %"u .ha"i called 'asdar ,ity. It is to "e
completed "y 201E and will "e worlds first car"on neutral< ero waste city completely powered "y
renewa"le ener$y.
,'>RI has de)eloped a solar electric ric2shaw called B Solec2shaw which is pollution free.
:yroscopes are used to maintain orientation and pro)ide sta"ility in "oats< aircrafts and space
crafts.
+sunami is a Japanese word meanin$ har"our wa)e. % massi)e tsunami was unleased "y a
earth?ua2e in the pacific islands of Samoa on =0 Sep<200*. +he capital of Samoa is %pia.
Ci$ht com"at aircraft B+ejas successfully completes its 1000th fli$ht in Jan 0*.
Indi$enously "uilt B%stra air to air missile was successfully tested at ,handipur Ran$e< 4rissa in
'ay 0*.
,hinas ,han$e91 mission successfully landed on 'oon surface in 'arch 0*. It is ,hinas first
moon pro"e.
B1rincess >lia"eth is the name of research station esta"lished "y 0el$ium in %ntartica in Fe" 0*.
It is the first research station which does not emit any pollutant i.e. it is pollution free station.
,hina successfully conducted %rtificial Snowfall.
C,R4SS M Cunar ,rater 4"ser)ation and Sensin$ Satellite. D%S%s C,R4SS crashed two
spacecrafts into a lunar crater on * 4ct 200*< hopin$ to splash ice and find out possi"ility of water
on 'oon.
I4+3S -Indian 4cean +sunami 3arnin$ G 'iti$ation System/9 It was tested in 16 Indian ocean
nations on 14 4ct 200*.
B2 1allasis the name of one of the lar$est asteroid in the solar system.
James .yson has de)eloped a B.yson %ir 'ultiple Fan< a des2top coolin$ de)ice with no "lades.
Scientists ha)e identified a $ene B+'1RSSE which is responsi"le for causin$ anaemia.
Deutrinos are elementary particles 2ey to understandin$ how the uni)erse e)ol)ed. :o)t
proposed to set up Rs.*00 crore Deutrino o"ser)atory at 'udumalai +i$er Reser)e at 'asina$udi
in +amil Dadu.
>pi 9$enome are the pattern of chemical switches in 200 types of human cell. % team led "y
Joseph >c2er produce the first complete map of the human epi9 $enome.
D%S% launched %res 19F roc2et. It is first fli$ht test of D%S%s ne!t $eneration space craft and
launch )ehicle system which will replace shuttle system.
+here are E1 $reenhouse $ases that are to$ether called ,ar"on .io!ide e?ui)alent.
I,%R scientist disco)ered a new su" species of the Bmite )ariety of insect and named it
B'an$alaus.
International %ntartic +reaty >!pedition 200* was made from 1# to =0 Do) 200*. It started from
(shuaia. +he e!pedition was run "y Ro"ert Swan 4"e - only man to tra)el to "oth Dorth G South
1oles/. .ra2e passa$e is a thin "ody of water that connects the %tlantic and 1acific 4ceans.
Indian scientist at Institute for :enomics G Inte$rati)e 0iolo$y se?uenced the entire $enome of
human. +he human $enome contains =.1 "illions "ase pairs. India is the 6th country in the world
to se?uence the human $enome.
%stronomers disco)ered a planet :J 1214 " in the constellation called B 4phiuehus. +he planet is
almost entirely made of water. B%rdi which roamed %frican forests 4.4 million years a$o< has "een
named as the BScientific