How to Face a UPSC Interview

“Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion you must set yourself on fire”

Hi friends we are in the last lap of the race –stage of interview. Facing the interview is the Biggest
hurdle in the road to success. .Unless and until you have a proper strategy you can’t come of with
flying colours in the interview . Face the interview with a cautious optimism. As the saying goes
Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.

Remember
Remember that there is no magic formula for success in an interview. Good preparation, judicious
application of common sense and self-confidence are the key factors that will help us in an
interview.

Interview is not an abominable cross examination but it is more like a personality assessment. The
board consists 3-4 members including UPSC representative, subject experts and representative of
the department of homoeopathy. Interview generally lasts for 20to 30 minutes. Be present at the
venue of interview in time. Dress up neatly and decently appropriate to the occasion.

Ensure that you are carrying call letter, certificates and other documents as demanded by UPSC.
Keep all your certificates in the folder in proper order (First matriculation then +2 like that so that if
the board ask you to show a particular certificate you can show it with no panic.). If you have any
published work or any thesis work carry a copy of that with you. (Remember you may get few
questions about your thesis so read it before interview and make a thorough idea on the topic).
Report at the reception and from there you will be taken to the waiting room. You will be given a
biodata form fill it carefully. From there officials will be verifying your documents. Latter you will be
taken to the interview hall when your turn comes.

We should be at the interview venue at least half-an-hour before the scheduled time. A candidate
who is not punctual even for his job interview, paints a hopeless picture of himself. If the venue is
in an unfamiliar city, do reach there the previous day and get to know the route/local railway
station/bus number or other relevant information.

Making a Great First Impression!

It takes just a quick glance, maybe three seconds, for someone to evaluate you when you meet for
the first time. In this short time, the other person forms an opinion about you based on your
appearance, your body language, your demeanor, your mannerisms, and how you are dressed.

These first impression can be nearly impossible to reverse or undo, making those first encounters
extremely important, for they set the tone for the all the relationships that follows. You will never
get a second chance for first impression.

Do’s and Don’ts

A) Enter the hall only after your name is called and Enter the hall with a beaming face after taking
permission from interview board .

B) Wish the board with a charming smile. If interview board members contains both male and
female members wish as “Good morning madams and Sirs”

C) Take your seat only after the board ask you to do so. Express thanks and sit comfortably.

D) Never keep your folders on the table unless and until the board ask you to do so.

E) Never go for arguments with board

F) If you don’t know the answer tell sorry I don’t know sir.
G) Listen carefully to the questions and if any question is not clear tell politely
to repeat the question.

H) Keep eye contact with board members while answering.

I) If the board complement you for an answer express thanks.
J) Be honest and never try to bluff the board
K) Read that day’s newspaper and look any relevant news regarding health sector is there.
L) Once interview is finished leave the hall after expressing thanks to the board.

Dress Code
A casual or indifferent style is not desirable. As we enter the interview room, the members should
feel that we are taking the test seriously.

Dazzling costumes, large checks and gaudy colours in general should be avoided. Imagine for a
moment what impression a candidate who wears dark goggles and a dark dress would create.
Conventional dressing in light colour shirts and dark trousers is fine.

Wearing a tie or a suit should not be your first experience in life, since you will feel uncomfortable in
such a situation. If you are not used to such a costume, never hesitate to practise before wearing it
to the interview. Comb your hair well. Button your shirt properly. Shave your face in the morning,
unless you sport a regular beard.

Women should avoid very tight clothing, plunging necklines or other revealing clothes, heavy
ornaments and strong perfumes. If you are wearing salwar-kameez, do take care to secure the
dupatta with pins. Long hair should be secured well.

A pleasant look and a pleasing smile will certainly help to make a good first impression. Neatness of
the body and dress is important. Fingernails should be trimmed and free from dirt.

FAQs
There are some frequently asked questions (faqs) in every interview. The first few questions will Be
based on your biodata. The interview begins like a friendly chat. You should expect questions about
Your name,(e.g. a candidate hose name is Anjana should expect a question about the mythological
character Anjana who is the mother of god Hanuman. A candidate whose name is Vijay should know
that Vijay is synonym of Arjun and also about well known football player I..M..Vijayan) educational
background, institution you studied (e.g., a student who passed out from JSPS college Hyderabad
should know that JSPS stand for Jaysoorya and Pottysreeramalu and who were they) previous job
(if any),present job and basic details (population, health related Satistics ) about your home state
and all.

You should be prepared to answer many questions about your present Job and why are you looking
for a new job. You can expect questions regarding epidemics prevailing at present like
dengue,chikungunya fever etc.You should have a very clear understanding about these diseases and
what you can offer as a homoeopath in managing it

General Knowledge
There could be questions of general nature even in interviews for technical jobs. The objective of
asking such questions is not the assessment of the candidate's precise knowledge in these areas,
but confirmation of his intellectual curiosity and interest in what happens around him, which is an
indicator of his total personality.

Gordian knot.
Generally in all interviews some difficult questions will be asked. Face the question with confidence
and try to answer if you don’t know the answer admit it. Even if you were not able to answer a
question don’t be disheartened and lose confidence. Try to prepare some rare question also. Once
this author was asked on sudamina,no.of aminoacids in insulin and so on.

SUBJECT
After first few minutes you can expect questions from subject .Generally if you are practicing
homoeopath they may ask about the cases that you see in your clinic and how you manage it.
Maximum questions are asked from clinical subjects. Read thoroughly medicine, gynecology,
surgery, materia medica and organon. From community Medicine also you can expect some
questions.- especially about health indictors like IMR,MMR etc and various national health
programmes. Basic questions on pharmacy is also expected. To put it straight the board can ask
anything from anatomy to medicine. But questions are asked usually from clinical subjects.

We are giving some clues to prepare for interview. You prepare a list of faqs and prepare answers
for that participating in mock interviews to perfect your skills also will be of advantage.

UPSC dictum: Look at what the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) states in relation to the
interview held in connection with the selection of doctors in the Union Government through the
Combined Medical Services Examination.

"The interview for the personality test will be intended to serve as a supplement to the written
examination for testing the general knowledge and ability of candidates in the fields of their
academic study and also in the nature of a personality test to assess the candidate's intellectual
curiosity, critical powers of assimilation, balance of judgment, and alertness of mind, ability for
social cohesion, integrity of character, initiative, and capability for leadership."

Expected Interview Questions 2009[New]

The Kothari Committee of the UPSC, has listed the qualities that should be
rated in the interview as, ''clarity of expression, grasp of narrative and
argument, reasoning ability, appreciation of different points of view, awareness
and concern for socio-economic problems, ranges and depth of interests and
personal attributes relevant to interaction with people.''
The Interview for the civil services examination also known as the Personality
Test is exactly that. It is aimed at assessing the candidate’s personality,
whether he is suitable to be a competent administrator or not. The candidate is
tested not only for his/her intelligence but also for his/her overall personality
development, his/her attentiveness, balance of judgement and qualities of
honesty, integrity and leadership. Therefore preparation for the Interview
requires proper planning.
The selectors look out for some attributes in the candidate and decide whether
he/she is suited for a career in civil services or not. For this,the candidate
should have a positive attitude, should have an alert mind with quick reflexes,
should be free from any sort of prejudice, should be good at making quick
decisions and should have the ability to act under stress and to handle difficult
situations.

Preparation for the Interview is a continuous process. This involves a wide

reading of books, journals, magazines and at least two newspapers. One
 should try to improve his/her conversational skills with the right pronunciation.
The candidate should be prepared to answer questions on his background,
hobbies and extra curricular activities. It is a good idea to discuss current
affairs and recent issues with friends. One good way of rehearsing possible
questions would be to have mock interviews and discussion groups. The
candidate should make a self analysis of his strengths and weaknesses and
make a conscious effort to play on his strengths.
Some useful tips for a successful interview at UPSC are:

1. To have a positive body language

2. To have a good personal turnout and ensuring the right posture
3. To answer questions clearly and confidently
4. Try to remain calm and composed even when faced with provocative
questions
5. Try not getting into long winded explanations and answer to the point.

Things To Be Avoided at the UPSC Interview

 Avoid the expression, 'I am sorry.'

 Avoid conversational cliches, like: 'as you know', 'that's correct', 'of
course', 'indeed', 'obviously', etc.
 Avoid technical jargon. However, if a member continues to probe you in
any technical field, you can use technical expressions.
 Maintain a cheerful disposition. Now and then you can appear serious; but
most of the time keep smiling or look cheerful and composed. One caution
here: if the board laughs, you should only smile. It is only when you
maintain some amount of distance that the board begins to wonder about
the depth of your personality.
 Do not give long introductions. Come straight to the heart of the matter.
 Show human concern whenever possible in your answers.
 You should be logically consistent and analyse things rationally while
talking. You are supposed to defend what you say, but with due respect to
the views of the board. Stop trying to defend an answer if it becomes
difficult to do so logically and fairly.
 Do not make hasty or sweeping generalisations.

According to UPSC report, it has been observed that from 1979 onwards, 90
percent of the candidates who qualify for interview hover around the minimal
percentage of 55 percent that is prescribed for the test. However to be assured of
a Class I service, one has to generally obtain about 58 percent marks. It has
been noticed that only those, securing 60 percent and above are sure of getting a
service of their own choice. The figures clearly reveal that the marks in the
interview test play a determining role in final selection of candidates.
More....
Types of questions asked at the UPSC interview.
  Relating to your name. Any famous personality who has a similar or
same name or surname.
 Your career choice. Why you want to opt for the civilservices.
 Your Hobbies. Why you pursue such a hobby or questions related to your
hobby. So reasearch well on your hobby.
 Hot topics of recent days like the Bird Flu and Tamiflu, Office of
Profit, Sahara airlines deal and the growing airlines,Terror attacks in
India, India US Nuclear deal, Commonwealth games, Saurav Ganguly
etc.Keep reading and watching the news. If the recent headlines have
something to do with your subject then specially revise those portions. For
example if you are a veterinary doctor, Bird flu may go on to other animal
diseases that can infect men. If you are an MBBS, then you might be
asked about human to human spread of epidemics or any other epidemics
and precautions etc. You may even be asked about the influence of MNC
or drug manufacturers responsible for the spread of fear etc. If you are
from an economy background, the same topic will veer towards the
economic implications of the Bird flu.
 How you are going to use your specific knowledge(like if you are a
doctor, lawyer, engineer etc) in the services.
 Situational questions. Like If you were the collector/SP of Varanasi, what
would you do after the Bomb Blast?
 Choice of services. The order of your choice of services can raise
questions too.
 About your institution and related.If you have studies at IIM you may be
asked about the rising salaries, if from IGNOU then even about Indira
Gandhi and so on.
 From your form. You must go through the form you have filled because
most questions will arise from there. If you have changed subjects,
mentioned anything out of the way, watch out for questions on them.
Interviewers take cue from the form you have filled.

Some actual questions asked of UPSC candidates.

 Don't you think you can serve your country better by remaining a
doctor and treating poor patients? Why do you want to be a civil
servant?"
It would be best to answer this question very practically rather than
emotionally saying you want to serve the country, because even a doctor
serves the people. A doctor from Kerala was asked this Question and her
reply was - "Because I want to treat the primary malady that afflicts our
country, that creates so many poor in India. As a doctor I can treat only
secondary maladies." She even came up with exact statistics and
suggestions on a rubber plantation for poverty alleviation indicating that
she had spent considerable time and thoughts on her future plans. She
was awarded a score of 85 per cent.
 "What are the problems faced by wheat cultivators in your state?" an
M.Sc. (Agriculture) student from Palanpur was once asked. "The problem
 is not so much to do with agronomy but with the lack of a seed bank in
Palanpur," came the reply and the candidate walked away with an 80 per
cent score.
 "Is there a law in physics, which is relevant to administration?" a law
graduate was prompted. "Yes. Newton's third law of motion: for every
action there is an equal and opposite reaction." He scored a cool 80 per
cent.

The above questions can give you an idea of how relevant questions
are asked from your subjects even as they are not directly from the
syllabus.

Expected Interview Questions 2009[New]

The Kothari Committee of the UPSC, has listed the qualities that should be
rated in the interview as, ''clarity of expression, grasp of narrative and
argument, reasoning ability, appreciation of different points of view, awareness
and concern for socio-economic problems, ranges and depth of interests and
personal attributes relevant to interaction with people.''
The Interview for the civil services examination also known as the Personality
Test is exactly that. It is aimed at assessing the candidate’s personality,
whether he is suitable to be a competent administrator or not. The candidate is
tested not only for his/her intelligence but also for his/her overall personality
development, his/her attentiveness, balance of judgement and qualities of
honesty, integrity and leadership. Therefore preparation for the Interview
requires proper planning.
The selectors look out for some attributes in the candidate and decide whether
he/she is suited for a career in civil services or not. For this,the candidate
should have a positive attitude, should have an alert mind with quick reflexes,
should be free from any sort of prejudice, should be good at making quick
decisions and should have the ability to act under stress and to handle difficult
situations.
 Preparation for the Interview is a continuous process. This involves a wide
reading of books, journals, magazines and at least two newspapers. One
should try to improve his/her conversational skills with the right pronunciation.
The candidate should be prepared to answer questions on his background,
hobbies and extra curricular activities. It is a good idea to discuss current
affairs and recent issues with friends. One good way of rehearsing possible
questions would be to have mock interviews and discussion groups. The
candidate should make a self analysis of his strengths and weaknesses and
make a conscious effort to play on his strengths.
Some useful tips for a successful interview at UPSC are:

1. To have a positive body language

2. To have a good personal turnout and ensuring the right posture
3. To answer questions clearly and confidently
4. Try to remain calm and composed even when faced with provocative
questions
5. Try not getting into long winded explanations and answer to the point.

Things To Be Avoided at the UPSC Interview

 Avoid the expression, 'I am sorry.'

 Avoid conversational cliches, like: 'as you know', 'that's correct', 'of
course', 'indeed', 'obviously', etc.
 Avoid technical jargon. However, if a member continues to probe you in
any technical field, you can use technical expressions.
 Maintain a cheerful disposition. Now and then you can appear serious; but
most of the time keep smiling or look cheerful and composed. One caution
here: if the board laughs, you should only smile. It is only when you
maintain some amount of distance that the board begins to wonder about
the depth of your personality.
 Do not give long introductions. Come straight to the heart of the matter.
 Show human concern whenever possible in your answers.
 You should be logically consistent and analyse things rationally while
talking. You are supposed to defend what you say, but with due respect to
the views of the board. Stop trying to defend an answer if it becomes
difficult to do so logically and fairly.
 Do not make hasty or sweeping generalisations.

According to UPSC report, it has been observed that from 1979 onwards, 90
percent of the candidates who qualify for interview hover around the minimal
percentage of 55 percent that is prescribed for the test. However to be assured of
a Class I service, one has to generally obtain about 58 percent marks. It has
been noticed that only those, securing 60 percent and above are sure of getting a
service of their own choice. The figures clearly reveal that the marks in the
interview test play a determining role in final selection of candidates.
 More....
Types of questions asked at the UPSC interview.

 Relating to your name. Any famous personality who has a similar or

same name or surname.
 Your career choice. Why you want to opt for the civilservices.
 Your Hobbies. Why you pursue such a hobby or questions related to your
hobby. So reasearch well on your hobby.
 Hot topics of recent days like the Bird Flu and Tamiflu, Office of
Profit, Sahara airlines deal and the growing airlines,Terror attacks in
India, India US Nuclear deal, Commonwealth games, Saurav Ganguly
etc.Keep reading and watching the news. If the recent headlines have
something to do with your subject then specially revise those portions. For
example if you are a veterinary doctor, Bird flu may go on to other animal
diseases that can infect men. If you are an MBBS, then you might be
asked about human to human spread of epidemics or any other epidemics
and precautions etc. You may even be asked about the influence of MNC
or drug manufacturers responsible for the spread of fear etc. If you are
from an economy background, the same topic will veer towards the
economic implications of the Bird flu.
 How you are going to use your specific knowledge(like if you are a
doctor, lawyer, engineer etc) in the services.
 Situational questions. Like If you were the collector/SP of Varanasi, what
would you do after the Bomb Blast?
 Choice of services. The order of your choice of services can raise
questions too.
 About your institution and related.If you have studies at IIM you may be
asked about the rising salaries, if from IGNOU then even about Indira
Gandhi and so on.
 From your form. You must go through the form you have filled because
most questions will arise from there. If you have changed subjects,
mentioned anything out of the way, watch out for questions on them.
Interviewers take cue from the form you have filled.

Some actual questions asked of UPSC candidates.

 Don't you think you can serve your country better by remaining a
doctor and treating poor patients? Why do you want to be a civil
servant?"
It would be best to answer this question very practically rather than
emotionally saying you want to serve the country, because even a doctor
serves the people. A doctor from Kerala was asked this Question and her
reply was - "Because I want to treat the primary malady that afflicts our
country, that creates so many poor in India. As a doctor I can treat only
secondary maladies." She even came up with exact statistics and
suggestions on a rubber plantation for poverty alleviation indicating that
 she had spent considerable time and thoughts on her future plans. She
was awarded a score of 85 per cent.
 "What are the problems faced by wheat cultivators in your state?" an
M.Sc. (Agriculture) student from Palanpur was once asked. "The problem
is not so much to do with agronomy but with the lack of a seed bank in
Palanpur," came the reply and the candidate walked away with an 80 per
cent score.
 "Is there a law in physics, which is relevant to administration?" a law
graduate was prompted. "Yes. Newton's third law of motion: for every
action there is an equal and opposite reaction." He scored a cool 80 per
cent.

The above questions can give you an idea of how relevant questions
are asked from your subjects even as they are not directly from the
syllabus.

Current affairs, is the mainstay of the civil service examination, what with one
portion of the exam dedicated to general studies. The current affairs of india
and international current event affairs, are an important part of the general
studies paper, both in the mains and the prelims. At the interview current
affairs news rules and decides the rank of the candidate and even whether
s/he will get through or not. In such a scenario the coverage of current affairs
in india as well as current world affairs, becomes an important part of your
preprations.
People in the News
Discuss Current Affairs
Current Affairs Quiz - new
For the very purpose of getting you ready for the challenge that is Current
Affairs In India, we are covering the 2010 current affairs including politics
current affair, current affair news, science current affairs, general knowledge
current affair, current government affair and international current affairs. Only
studying India's current affairs or political current affairs is not sufficient as you
have to cover international events and current affairs along with the Indian
current affairs, as well as those in the field of science and sports.

International Current Affairs 2010

 Gilgit Baltistan region elected its first Chief Minister Mehdi Shah on the
basis of Gilgit Baltistan Empowerment & Self Governance Order 2009.
The new appointed CM declare the Gilgit Baltistan region as 5th province
 of Pakistan. The Indian Govt has, however, of the view that the region was
part of J & K, and thus objected to the remarks of CM.
 Venezuela devalued it currency ‘Bolivar’.
 A massive earthquake strike Haiti, the Carribbean nation. Capital of Haiti
is Port-au-Prince.
 Mahinda Rajapaksa won a second term as Sri Lanka’s President. He
belongs to Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

International Affairs 2009

National Current Affairs 2010

 Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visit India in Jan 2010. She
belongs to Awami League Party. The two countries signed five
agreements – on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, on transfer
of sentenced persons and on combating international terrorism, organized
crime & illicit drug trafficking besides MOU on cooperation in the power
sector and on cultural exchanges. India give Bangladesh a $ 1 billion line
of credit, the biggest it has given to any country so far.
 South Korea President Lee Myung Bak visit India in Jan 2010. The two
countries decided to double the bilateral trade to $ 30 billion by 2014. Four
facts were signed between two countries – cooperation in peaceful use of
outer space, IT, science & technology for the year 2010-12 and transfer of
sentenced persons. South Korean President was also the chief guest at
2010 Republic Day Parade.
 Gujarat Local Authorities Law (amendment) Bill 2009- The Bill makes it
the duty of a qualified voter to vote during elections to local bodies. Voting
is compulsory, but the Bill allows voters to cast their vote in favour of none
of the candidates. Election officers will declare those who fail to vote
defaulter, and serve them a notice.
 India and China has decided to start joint military exercise from 2011.
 Najib Razak, Malaysia Prime Minister visit India in Jan 2010.
 Govt launched Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. Key highlights of
the mission are :
o To create an enabling policy framework for the deployment of
20,000 MW of solar power by 2020.
o To create favourable conditions for solar manufacturing capability
for indigenous production and market leadership.
o To promote programmes for off grid applications, reaching 1000
MW by 2017 and 2000 MW by 2022.
o To achieve 15 million sq. meters solar thermal collector area by
2017 and 20 million by 2022.
o To deploy 20 million solar lighting systems for rural areas by 2022.
  New Governors appointed : a) M K Narayanan – West Bengal, b)Shivraj
Patil – Punjab, c) Mohsina Kidwai – Jharkhand, d) Shekhar Dutt –
Chhattisgarh, e) E S L Narasimhan – Andhra Pradesh.
 Govt plans to create a National Gas Highway Development Authority. The
present Gas Pipeline Density in India is 3.29 Km per 1000 Sq.Km.
 Govt plans to set up a National Green Tribunal to control Carbon
Emissions and pollution. It will be responsible for implementing the low
carbon roadmap to be set forth in the 12th Five Year Plan.

National Affairs 2009

Sports Current Affairs 2010

 U-19 World Cup 2010 held in New Zealand from 15 – 30 Jan 2010.
Javagal Srinath from India appointed as one of the match referee for the
tournament.
 Australia won the U-19 World Cup for the third time defeating Pakistan.
India is placed at 6th rank. Australia won the cup for the third time.
 Rafael Nadal won the Capitala World Tennis Championsip, held at Abu
Dhabi defeating Robin Soderling.
 Magnus Carlsen becomes the youngest World No.1 chess player at the
age of 19 years breaking the Garry Kasparov’s record when he became
the world’s top ranked chess player at the age of 22 years in 1985.
Magnus Carlsen is the 5th player after Kasparov, Kramnik, Topalov and
V.Anand (India) to cross the 2800 ELO rating. In the Jan 2010 FIDE
ranking, Carlsen stood at 1st place, Topalov at 2nd place and V Anand at
3rd place.
 Marin Cilic defeated Staniglas Wawrinka to won Men’s singles title of
Aircel Chennai Open.
 Pakistan’s cricketer Shahid Afridi was banned for two T20 internationals
after he was found guilty of ball tempering in a ODI against Australia.
 Corus Chess Grandmaster Tournament won by Magnus Carlsen. V.Anand
of India ranked at 4th place. Hopman Cup 2010- Spain defeated Great
Britain.
 Australian Open 2010 : Women’s Single- Serena William defeated Justin
Henin. It is Serena’s 5th Australian Open title. It is also Serena’s 12th
Grand Slam title equaling the record of Billie Jean King.
 Men’s Single- Roger Federer(Swiss) defeated Andy Murray(Britain). It is
Federer’s 4th Australian Open title. It is Federer’s 16th Grand Slam title.
 Men’s Double- Mike Bryan & Bob Bryan defeated Daniel Nestor & Nenad
Zimonjic.
 Women’s Double – Serena Williams & Venus Williams defeated Cara
Black & L Huber.
  Mixed Double – Laender Paes (India) & Cara Black (Zimbabwe) defeated
Ekterina Makasova & Jaroslav Levinsky. It is Paes’s 11th Grand Slam title.

Sports Affairs 2009

Science and Technology Current Affairs 2010

 97th Indian Science Congress held at Tiruvananthapuram in Jan 2010.

The theme of this year congress was ‘ Science & Technology of 21st
Century- National Perspective’.
 The longest annular solar eclipse on the third millennium occur on 15 Jan
2010. The next annular solar eclipse will be visible in year 3043. Annular
eclipse is occurred when the sun is visible like a ring of fire, with the moon
darkening its centre. The last annular solar eclipse visible from India was
occurred in 1976. In July 2010 also, a total solar eclipse will be occurred.
 There are three strains of wild Polio virus namely P1, P2 & P3. Type 2 wild
Polio virus (P2) was eliminated from the world in 1999.
 First public hearing on the introduction of Bt Brinjal (First Genetically
Modified Food Crop in India) was held in Kolkatta. Seven such public
hearing are being organized by Centre for Environment Education, for
opinion of public in respect of introduction of Bt Brinjal. 2nd hearing was
held at Hyderabad.
 50th anniversary of creation of LASER is being celebrated in 2010.
Theodore Maiman constructed the first LASER in May 1960. LASER
stands for Light Amplification for Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
Charles H Townes was father of MASER.

Science and Technology Affairs 2009

Books & their Authors

 ‘All that you can’t leave behind’ written by Soumya Bhattacharya.

 ‘We Must Have No Price’ written by Arun Sourie.
 ‘Train to India- Memories of another Bengal’ written by Maloy kumar Dhar.
 ‘Not by Reason alone : The Politics of Change’ written by N K Singh.
 ‘Five Point Someone’ written by Chetan Bhagat.
 ‘Nehru : The invention of India’ written by Shashi Tharoor.
 ‘The Museum of Innocence’ written by Orhan Panuk.
 ‘Thoughts on Linguistic States’ written by B R Ambedkar.
Persons in News 2010

 Billy Arjan Singh, wildlife conservationist and Padma Shri awardee died.
 P D Dinakaran, Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court faces
impeachement motion. The process was initiated in the Parliament. He is
the first High Court Chief Justice against whom impeachment motion have
been initiated. Justice V Ramaswami is the only judge to have faced
impeachment proceedings in parliament.
 Justice V S Sirpurkar appointed to head a three member panel to look into
allegation of land grab and misconduct against Chief Justice P D
Dinakaran in the wake of impeachment motion initiated against him in
Parliament.
 Fahmida Mirza is the first woman Speaker of Pakistan National Assembly.
 Ricky Ponting, Australian cricket team captain, has been named as ESPN
Cricinfo Player of the Decade for 2000.
 Jyoti Basu, former West Bengal Chief Minister, died.
 Mrinal Pande, appointed as Chairman, Prasar Bharti Board.
 Lee Myung Bak, South Korea President was the Chief Guest at 2010
Republic Day Parade.
 Shiv Shankar Menon is appointed as National Security Advisor.
 Vikram Srivastava appointed as Director General of CRPF(Central
Reserve Police Force).
 Ranjit Kumar Bhatia appointed as Director General of ITBP (Indo Tibetan
Border Police).

2009

International Affairs 2009

Fiji’s president Ratu Josefa Iloilo repealed the country’s constitution and
appointed himself head of the State and set a 2014 election deadline.
Switzerland expanded its border upto 150 meters into Italian territory because
of melting glaciers in the high Alps.
Venezuela’s Stefania Fernandez become Miss Universe 2009. This is the 2nd
consecutive year Miss Venezuela has won the title. Venezuela has so far won
the title for the record six times. Miss Ada de la Cruz (Dominican Republic) is
1st runner up. Miss Marigona Dragusha is the 2nd runner up. Miss Universe
2009 contest was held in Bahamas.
Patent Cooperation Treaty(PCT) is an agreement that binds 141 countries in a
pact that facilitates the process of seeking protection for an invention in
multiple countries. The PCT which is administered by WIPO ( World
Intellectual Property Organization) is particularly valuable option for any
company operating internationally. It is a procedural treaty first launched in
1978. Recently PCT is in news because it is under modification/ reformation
which India is opposing.
Pakistan govt clears construction of the $ 8.5 billion Diamer-Bhasha power
project of 4500 MW capacity on the Indus river in the Gilgit region in Pakistan
occupied Kashmir. Under the Indus water treaty signed with India, Pakistan is
free to build dams anywhere on the Indus river. The treaty gives India first right
over the waters of the Ravi, Sutlej and Beas rivers and Pakistan the same
privileges over the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum rivers.
70th anniversary of the beginning of World War II ( 1 Sep 1939) celebrated on
1 Sep. OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe)
parliamentary assembly recently grouped Germany and Soviet Union,
pronouncing them to be equally responsible for World War II. Yukio Hatoyama
is appointed as next Prime Minister of Japan. He is nicknamed ‘the alien’. For
the first time since last 54 years, LDP(Liberal democratic party) ousted from
forming Govt in Japan. Hatoyama belongs to Democratic Party.
USA Commission on International Religious Freedom placed India on its
‘watch list’ for 2009 because it found the Indian govt had failed to take effective
measures to ensure the rights of religious minorities.
The summit of Dushanbe Four was held in 2009. It includes Russia, Tajikistan,
Pakistan and Afghanistan. The official objective to the summit was to discuss
supply of electricity from Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Nepal Vice President Parmananda Jha who took oath in Hindi last year, has
been asked by the Nepal Supreme Court to retake the oath in Nepali language
or resign from the post.
Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth after it failed to meet a deadline
to make progress towards establishing democracy. India’s Reena Kaushal
Dharamshaktu will be part of an eight member team that will ski to the South
Pole to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Commonwealth. The expedition is
headed by Felicity Aston and to be flagged off in Nov 2009.
China intrudes Ladakh region on 31 July 2009.
Sri Lanka expels James Elder, Communication chief with UNICEF(United
Nations Children’s Fund).
Farah Pandith an Indian American, has been sworn in as the first US Special
Representative to muslim communities in USA.
As per report of UN World Food Programme (WFP), the number of hungry
people will pass one billion this year for the first time. In the Food Security Risk
Index 2009, India ranked at 25th place. The US is least at risk followed by
France, Canada. The index rank the nations on the basis of risk of food
shortage faced by the countries.
Communal violence erupted in China’s North West Xinjiang province capital ‘
Urumgi’ in July 09.
START ( Strategic arms reduction treaty) between USA & Russia started on 31
July 1991 came to end on 5 Dec 2009. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
(SCO) met at Yekaterinburg on June 2009. The SCO comprises of Russia,
China, Kazakhtan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgzstan. India, Pakistan,
Mongolia and Iran have observer status. Afghanistan’s president attended the
summit as a special guest. Sri Lanka had been granted the status of dialogue
partner. Google was shut down in China.
The first ever summit of BRIC countries was held at Yekaterinburg in Russia in
June 09. BRIC countries include Brazil, Russia, India and China.
India signed a $ 400 million agreement with Ukraine to upgrade its fleet of
transport aircraft AN-32 aimed at extending its life and improving avionics.
Tipaimukh dam project issue between India and Bangladesh.
Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian Network (TAR) entered into
force on June 11, 2009 after China ratified the treaty. The other parties to the
agreement are Combodia, India, Mongolia, Korea, Russia, Tajikistan and
Thailand.
Abu Dhabi, capital of UAE was elected as headquarter of the International
Renewal Energy Agency (IRENA), a grouping of 129 countries. Mini Pravasi
Indian Day was held at Hague (Netherland) in Sep 2009.
France President has recently remarked that ‘ the burqa is a sign of female
subservience’.
Lord Swaraj Paul became the first India born Briton to be appointed a Privy
Councillor in Britain.
Milan has been named as the world’s top fashion city. Mumbai is placed at
16th place and Delhi at 17th place.
Japan’s finance minister Shoichi Nakagawa resigned after he was accused to
attending the G 7 summit in Rome in drinking condition.
China became world’s largest green house gas emitter in 2007. USA at 2nd
position. Russia at 3rd position. India at 4th position with one tone of Carbon
Dioxide per person per year emission.
Nuclear armed submarines from Britain and France collided in the Atlantic
Ocean.
USA govt approved $ 787 billion economic stimulus package initiated by
Barack Obama.
Venezuala’a President Hugo Chavez won a referendum vote that lets him stay
in power as long as he keeps winning elections.
From 1 April 2009 NATO membership was enlarged to 28 with the entrance of
Albania and Croatia. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) also called the
North Atlantic Alliance is a military alliance established by the signing of the
North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. 16th SAARC Summit was held in
Maldives in 2009.
EUMA ( End User Monitoring Agreement)- India has signed EUMA with USA
which allows US inspectors to verify the end use of US sourced high
technology equipment to dual use. EUMA is designed to facilitate high end
dual use technology transfer to India.
World’s first commercial passenger flight powered by natural Gas operated
between London and Qatar in Oct 09. Shell company developed and produced
the 50-50 blend of synthetic Gas to Liquid (GTL) kerosene and conventional oil
based kerosene fuel. Qatar will become the world’s leading producer of GTL
kerosene by 2012.
Turkey and Armenia signed a landmark accord to restore ties and open their
shared border after a century of hostility stemming from World War I.
‘Operation Rah E Nijat or Path to Salvation’- It is the name of operation
conducted by Pakistan army against strongholds of Tehreek-e- Taliban (also
called Pakistan Taliban) soldiers.
USA has declared national emergency in view of increasing number of death
due to Swine flu.
Bangladesh decided to advance its time an hour to GMT + 7. Every 15 degree
means an hour. France have 12 time zones, Russia have 11 times zones, USA
has nine time zones. India has one time zone based on its 82*30’ East near
Allahabad.
India and Canada signed a civil nuclear cooperation deal . Canada became the
8th country with which India has reached a civil nuclear agreement.
Commonwealth has admitted Rwanda, central African country, as its 54th
member.
Nepal cabinet meet at Kala Patthar, situated at 17,192 ft above sea level in
Nov 09 and the base camp of Mount Everest. It adopted Mt Everest
declaration which allow setting up of Gauri Shankar Conservation Area near Mt
Everest.
COP15, the official term for the Copenhagen meeting, the 15th conference of
parties to negotiate a new global climate treaty to replace or extend the 1997
Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012 in Dec 2009. Copenhagen is the capital of
Denmark.
India and Russia sign civil nuclear agreement in Dec 2009.
National Affairs 2009
Union govt cleared a constitutional amendment to increase the reservation for
woman in Panchayat to 50 % from present 33 %. The Panchayati Raj Ministry
amend Art 243 D of the Constitution of India accordingly. The proposed
amendment will increase reservations for woman to 50 % in Zila Parishads,
Panchayat Samitis and Gram Panchayats at District, Block and Village level
respectively. India has about 28.18 lakh elected representatives in panchayats.
Four states- Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh
already have 50 % reservation for woman in Panchayat. Kerala also
announced 50 % reservation for woman in Panchayat. Bihar was the first state
to give 50 % reservations to woman in Panchayat in 2005.
Govt clear setting up of National Mission Against Corruption Authority (NMAC).
The aim of the authority will be to ensure better coordination among the CBI
and State/UT anti corruption vigilance bureaus.
Govt has declared 272 districts out of 616 districts as drought stricken in 2009
due to rainfall shortage.
Draft of National Food Security Act to be presented in parliament in winter
session (Jan 2010). As per the proposed Act, every family living below the
poverty line in rural and urban areas will be entitled for 25 Kg of rice or wheat
per month at Rs. 3 per Kg.
Govt plans to built 321 feet Shivaji statue in Mumbai. It is 16 feet taller that
New York’s Statue of Liberty and on completion, it became the tallest statue in
the world.
Jaswant Singh book’ Jinnah-India partition Independence was banned in
Gujarat state. The ban however ,was lifted after the High court judgment. The
book is a biography of Jinnah. Jaswant Singh also earlier write ‘ A Call to
Honour’.
State Assembly Election was held in Oct 2009 in three states namely Haryana
(seats -90), Maharashtra (seats -288) and Arunachal Pradesh (seats -60).
Govt has decided that NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme) will now provide employment for 200 days instead of 100 days.
Parliament adopted the Constitution 109th amendment Bill 09 providing
reservation of seats for SC & ST in the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies
of the states for another 10 years.
Namibia president Hifikepunye Pohambe visit India in Sep 209.
Russia provides nuclear submarine’ Nerpa’ to India in 2009. It is Akula-2
submarine series.
Women’s will be exempted from paying any fees for UPSC/SSC etc
examination.
SAF university to be set up in Delhi. It will be started from 2010-11 academic
session. India bear 79 % of its expenditure.
In the seven natural Wonders list, India’s only entry is that of Sunderban. It is a
joint entry from India and Bangladesh.
Vision-2015 For Consumer Satisfaction and Beyond – The paper is published
by Oil & Petroleum ministry in which it is proposed to provide CNG in 200 cities
by 2015.
Mongolia president Tsakhiagiin Elbagdorj visited India in Sep 2009. India and
Mongolia signed a Civil Nuclear pact. India already has civil nuclear agreement
with USA, Russia, Kazakhstan and France.
Indian National Congress party will completes 125 years on Dec 2009.
Congress was formed on Dec 1885.
India’s first non-stop super fast passenger train ‘Duronto Train’ inaugurated
from Sealdah station to Delhi. Total of 14 such trains will be launched this year.
Yashpal Committee was set up to give recommendation on Higher education
sector.
Under Kisan Abhiman Scheme. Kerala Govt has granted Rs 300 per month as
pension to farmers above 60 years of age.
Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank appointed as fifth Chief Minister of Uttrakhand.
Railway ministry has appointed Amit Mitra to prepare Vision -2020 document
for the railways.
B Sudershan Reddy appointed as chairman of panel to look into the
impeachment proceeding against Justice Soumitra Sen. India is funding Palaly
project in Sri Lanka.
Areva, French Company and Nuclear power corporation of India Ltd sign an
agreement to set up two 1650 MW nuclear plants in Maharastra state. Govt
launched ‘Rajiv Awas Yojna’ under which govt plans to formulate for slum
dwellers and the urban poor in an effort to promote a slum free India in next
five years.
Ramalingam Chandrashekeram appointed as head of parliamentary special
committee that look into the matter of granting citizenship and other facilities
for Sri Lankans in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu.
Indian Railway proposed a South Asian Regional Train service linking Dhaka,
New Delhi and Lahore.
Justice Liberhan Commission which probed the sequence of events that led to
the Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya on Dec 1992, submitted its report. It
has 399 sittings and 48 extensions.
Govt increases minimum support price (MSP) for sugarcane to Rs. 107.76 for
2009-10. The MSP for the paddy crop for current year is Rs.950. Rajasthan will
host the World Tiger Summit in Ranthambore in 2010.
Appointment of new Governors – D N Dwivedi ( Gujarat), Margarat Alwa
(Uttarakhand), Jagannath Pahadia (Haryana). Tata’s first Nano car was given
to Ashok Vichare of Mumbai.
Dilip Donde will try to circumnavigate the world solo ( on his own) in boat
‘Mhadei’ under Project Sagar Parikrama from 19 Aug 2009. Rajasthan became
the first state in the country to sign a tripartite agreement with Central Govt
promising accountability and adequate utilization of funds in the two tiger
reserve of Sariska at Alwar and Ranthambore at Sawai Madho pur in
Rajasthan.
Jawahar lal Nehru Urban renewal mission (JNNURM) a centrally govt funded
urban renewal mission is implemented in 63 cities out of a total of 5161 cities,
towns and urban agglomerations in India.
Right to Education Bill passed by the Parliament. Parliament made the right to
education a fundamental right through the 93rd Constitution amendment. The
bill earmarks 25 % seats to weaker sections in schools, seeks to do away with
the practice of schools taking capitation fees before admission, subjecting the
child or parents to a screening procedure and giving powers to child rights
panels to look into grievances of parents against schools.
Govt approved renaming of state of Orissa as ‘Odisha’ and the Oriya language
as ‘Odia’.
Assembly election was held in Jharkhand which is under President Rule since
Jan 2009 in Dec 09. Total number of seats are 81.
RIC ( Russia, India & China). It is a group of three nations. Second meeting of
RIC is held at Bangalore in Oct 09.
President Pratibha Patil visit Britain in Oct 09 to invite Queen Elizabeth to
inaugurate 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held next year. This is the first
state visit by an Indian President to Britain after S Radakrishnan and R
Venkataraman in 1963 & 1990 respectively.
Separation plan – India has notified its separation plan to International Atomic
Energy Ageny. India will place 14 reactors under ISSA ( India Specific
Safeguards Agreement) of the International nuclear watchdog by 2014. Under
the plan, India has decided to permanently shut down the CIRUS research
reactor located inside BARC, countries strategic laboratory in 2010.
Govt has announced five new sites for setting up of light water reactors. The
plants will come up at Jaitapur (Maharastra), Kudankulam (Tamil Nadu),
Haripur (West Bengal), Chhayamithi Virdi (Gujarat) and Kovvada (Andhra
Pradesh).
Indian President Pratibha Patil visits Cyprus (Capital- Nicosia) in Nov 2009.
Govt started ‘Operation Green Hunt’ to tackle the Maoists in five Indian states.
Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangehuck visit India on a 5 day visit in
Dec 09. He is the 5th king of Bhutan.
NATGRID- National Intelligence Grid to be established by May 2011. The grid
will provide real time access into 21 categories of databases such as credit
card transaction, driving license, telephone, internet, passport, PAN details,
bank A/c details etc.
Impeachement motion has been initiated against Justice P D Dinakaran in the
parliament on charges of amassing disproportionate assets and land grab.
Sports Affairs 2009
Shooting champion of India, Samresh Jung is known as ‘Gold finger’.
Heinrich Haussler won Tour de France 2009 tournament.
Ranji Trophy celebrated Platinum Jubilee after completing 75 years in 2009.
Ranji trophy will also be started in Ireland.
38th Ranji Trophy was won by Mumbai defeating UP in Jan 2009.
Pullela Gopichand (Badminton champion) is the only person to have been
awarded with Arjuna award, Dronacharya award and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
award.
Binish K Shahji of India won silver medal in World School Athletics in Estonia
held in June 2009.
Wimbledon 2009

 Men’s Single – Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick. Federer break the
record of Pete Sampras record of 14 grand slams.
 Women’s Single – Serena William defeated Venus William. She claimed
third Wimbledon title.
 Women’s doubles –Serena and Venus William defeated Rennae Stubbs
and Samantha Stosur.
 Mixed Doubles- Mark Knowles and Anna Lena Groenefeld defeated
Laender Paes(India) and Cara Black.
 Men’s Doubles- Danial Nestor & Nened Jimonjic defeated Bob Bryan &
Mike Bryan.

French Open 2009

 Men’s single – Roger Federer defeated Robin Soderling.

 Men’s double – Laender Paes and Lukas Dlouhy defeated Wesley Moodie
and Dick Norman.
 Women’s single – Svetlana Kuzenletsova defeated Dinara Safina.

Australian Open 2009

 Mixed Double - Mahesh Bhupati and Sania Mirza defeated Nathalic Dechy
and Andy Ram. Sania Mirza became the first Indian women to won a
Grand slam title.
  Men’s singles- Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer. He became the first
Spaniard to won the title.
 Women’s singles- Serena William defeated Dinara Safina.
 India’s Yuki Bhambri won Junior Australian Open Single title 2009
defeating A F Georgoudes.

US Open 2009

 Women’s singles – Kim Clijsters(Belgium) defeated Caroline Wozniacki.

 Men’s singles- Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro defeated Roger Federer.
 Men’s Doubles- Laender Paes (India) and Lukas Dlouhy defeated Mahesh
Bhupathi & Mark Knowles. This is Paes 10th Grand Slam title.
 Women’s Doubles – Venus Williams & Serena Williams defeated Cara
Black & Ticzel Huber.
 Mixed double – Carly Gullickson and Travis Parrott defeated Cara Black &
Laender Paes(India).

Science & Technology Affairs 2009

2009 is celebrated as International Year of Astronomy. 2009 is also celebrated
as 400th anniversary of the first recorded astronomical observations with the
telescope used by the Italian physicist. 2009 is also celebrated as : Natural
Fibre Year by UN, International Gurilla Year by conservationists &
environmentalists, International Year of Reconciliation.
Longest total solar eclipse of 21st century occurred on 22nd July 2009. It
lasted 6 min 44 sec at Taregana in Bihar.
GM( Genetically Modified) crops are those in which the genetic material(DNA)
is altered so that there is some perceived advantage either to the producer or
consumer. Bt Cotton (Bacillius Thuringeinsis) is only commercially approved
biotech crop in India. Govt plans to introduce GM foods particularly Tomatoes,
Brinjals and Cauliflower to held meet food production target in three years
time. Till date, India has only allowed the use of GM Cotton, a non food crop.
India is world’s second largest cotton producer. India’s own Bt cotton variety :
Bikaner Narma. Deep Space Network Facility is located at Byalalu, Karnataka.
Chandrayan II a lander rover mission of ISRO is scheduled to be launched in
2012. ISRO plans to hoist a capsule with two Indians on board to the Moon by
2015. Subsquently, an Indian will be launched to set foot on the Moon in 2020.
‘Aditya’ satellite will be sent by India to carry out studies on the Sun in 2012.
SOHO stands for Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. Probe Plus of NASA to
study Sun System will be launched in 2018.
India’s first nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine’Arihant’ was launced
on 26 July 2009. It will be commissioned by 2011. It was built with the help of
Russian consultants. With the launch, India join elite club of five nations USA,
Russia, China, Britain and France having nuclear powered submarine
capability.
Blue Brain project in Switzerland is under progress under which scientist
attempt to ‘Reverse engineer’ the mammalian brain. Novo-G, world’s fastest
and most powerful supercomputer became operational. Novo-G got the first
part of its name from the Latin term to ‘make anew, change, alter’ and the
second word G from ‘Genesis’.
World Forestry Day celebrated on 21 March. Theme for 2009 was ‘Sustainable
Forest Management’. India currently has 23.39 % of forest area against 33 %
required. India presently has 37 Tiger reserves, 99 national parks and 515
wildlife sanctuaries.
Earth Hour 2009 is a global event every year which will see landmarks around
the world to go dark for an hour. Earth Day celebrated on 22 April.
Eight Millenium Development Goals (MDG) were set in Millenium Summit
2000. It has a deadline of 2015. Kerala has already achieve the targets in
2008.
India launched a Israel developed spy satellite ‘RISAT 2’ providing all weather
24 hour surveillance. Also launched experimental communication micro
satellite’ ANUSAT’ built by Chennai based Anna University.
International Space Development Conference was held at Orlando in May
2009.
Scientist have discovered 47 million year old primate fossil named ‘Ida’
(Scientific name-Darwinius masillae) which forms a crucial missing link
between our evolutionary branch of life and rest of animal kingdom.
Per capita consumption of electricity is 630 Units in India in 2009.
NDRI Karnal cloned world’s 2nd cloned buffalo ‘Garima’. It also produced
world’s 1st cloned buffalo calf in Feb 2009 but it could not survive. El Nino- is a
shift in ocean temperatures and atmospheric conditions in the tropical pacific. It
is a periodic warming of the Pacific oceans that leads to extremes of weather.
La Nino- It follows an El Nino. It is also called the Little Girl. It is anti El-Nino or
simply a cold event. It is the cooling of water in the Pacific Ocean.
SOI ( Southern Oscillation Index) is a major indicator of El Nino, measures the
pressure difference between the Pacific islands of Tahiti and Darwin in
Australia. A consistently negative SOI indicates to a developing El Nino. An El
Nino is formally declared when above normal temp -0-5 degree celcius or
higher are recorded over eastern Pacific surface for three straight months.
Definition of poverty as per Planning Commission- Average per capita
spending below Rs. 356 per month in rural areas and Rs. 539 per month in
urban areas.
38th World Environment Day was celebrated on 5th June 2009. Theme for
2009 chosen by UNDP is ‘Your Planet Needs You’. World Environment Day
was established by UN General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the
Stockholm Conference on the human environment. 0.8 degree celcius rise in
average temperature around the world since 1880. India is the 5th largest
emitter of Greenhouse Gases. 2 of the 12 biodiversity hotspots of the world are
in India i.e. Northeastern region and Western Ghats.
US Space Agency’s Themis Mission – to study the colourful display of high
latitude skies.
Phoenix Mars Lander found Perchlorate substance on Mars surface.
Carbon Credits : It provide a way to reduce green house emissions on
industrial scale by capping total annual emissions and allowing the market to
assign a monetary value to any shortfall through trading. India has earned
4,64,45,282 carbon credits, second only to China in the world. Per capita
carbon dioxide emission for India is 1.02 metric tones, while USA stood at first
place with 20.01 metric tones. Super Earth : It is a large extrasolar terrestrial
planet, which is atleast twice the mass of earth but less than ten earth masses.
European researcher found three super earths recently.
Asia’s first and world’s second DNA bank is opened in Lucknow.
Pluto, the 9th planet of solar system, was demoted from planet status in 2006
is now called’ Plutoids’. Jason-2, a French- USA satellite was launched in
2009. It will monitor rising sea levels and current movement. ‘Gegeneiphis
Seshachari’ first viviparous ( those that do not lay eggs) was discovered in
western Ghat. It is the first viviparous creature to be found in Asia.
International Lunar Network, is a initiative that provide new insights into the
Moon’s surface and its interior composition- critical inputs for the future
colonialist. India has signed for the mission to put together a network of robotic
science stations on the Moon. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea,
UK, USA and India have joined hands for six to eight stations of the Lunar
Network. USA places first two Lunar Network Landers on the lunar surface in
2013-14. India has also scheduled to launched Chardrayaan-II in collaboration
with Russia in 2012-13.
LHC Project : Large Hadron Collidor Project is operated by European
Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) at Geneva on 10 Sep, 2008, at
Franco- Swiss border. In actual CERN stand for Conseil European pour la
Recharche Nucleaire, in French language. CERN was founded in 1954. Under
this experiment, scientist recreate the conditions just after the Big Bang to
understand the creation and workings of the Universe. It is the most expansive
scientific experiment to date, it cost $ 3.8 billion or Rs.16,340 crore. . CERN
has 20 nations as member. India, Japan, Russia and US are the observer
countries.
Hadron : A particle with mass made up of smaller units called quarks that are
bound together. Protons and Electrons are types of hadron. Higgs Boson : A
theoretical particle which is thought to give matter its mass, known as the ‘God
Particle’. First proposed by Peter Higgs in 1964. The particle was named after
an Indian physicists S.N.Bose. The LHC experiment should confirm whether it
exists or not. Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) operates the 17 reactors in six
states, to produce 4120 MW of electricity.
Brain Fingerprinting : It is an electronic test of a specific kind of brain wave that
can identify incriminating information despite an individual’s attempt to conceal
the knowledge. It is a type of signal in the brain kwown as P300 wave, so
called because it is an involuntary response to a recognized object or piece of
information that happens within 300 milliseconds.
Carbon Footprint : It is a measure of the impact human activites have on the
environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured
in units of Carbon Dioxide.
Global Positioning System Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) : It is a
satellite based process developed jointly by the ISRO and the Airport Authority
of India. Govt recently approved the system that will help airlines to choose the
best and most fuel saving routes. GAGAN would be in place by 2011 and
make flying much safer.
Govt set a ten year deadline for the blending of petrol and diesel with 20 % bio-
fuel. Govt approved the implementation of National Biofuel Policy that has set
an indicative target of blending 20 % ethanol in petrol and non-edible oil from
plants like Jatropha in diesel by 2017. At present, 5% ethanol blending in petrol
is mandatory across the country except J&K, NE states. India is the world’s
second largest producer of sugar after Brazil. Ethanol is produced from
molasses, a sugar by product.
10th planet discovered called ‘Xena’ or 2003 UB 313.
A new ozone hole discovered over Tibet.
Anoushah Ansari is the first woman space tourist in the world.
Namira Salim, first Pakistani women astronaut, sent in space by NASA in
2008.
Agni 5 missile is in design stage. It has a maximum range of 5000 Km as an
ICBM ( Inter Continental Ballistic Missile). Range of Agni I -700 Km, Agni-II-
2500 Km, Agni-III- 3500Km
Virgin Mothership ‘Eve’ is designed to reach an altitude of 50000 feet and
release space Ship Two, which will transport passengers to space.
S-500 – Russia is developing a fifth generation surface to air rocket which is
cabable of engaging ballistic hypersonic targets flying at a speed of 5 Km per
second.
ISRO unveil ‘Bhuvan’, its version of Google Earth. It is a 3 D mapping tool.
Google unveiled a new version of its search engine called ‘ Caffeine’.
‘Weblog’ first coined by Jorn Barger in 1997. The contracted name ‘blog’ was
coined in 1999 by Peter Merholz.
TERI launched campaign ‘Lighting a Billion Lives’ which is based on the use of
solar laterns specially designed and manufactured on a decentralized basis.
Govt approved National Solar Mission which aimed at Solar generation target
of 20,000 MW by 2020. At present solar generation capacity of India is 500
MW. National Solar Mission envisages an investment of Rs.91,684 crore over
the next 30 years. It proposes to add 20,000MW of power by 2020 and
1,00,000 MW by 2030. It aims to achieve parity with coal based thermal power
generation by 2030.
According to latest findings, Malaria was first transmitted to humans by
Chimpanzees.
H1N1 a new influenza virus caused Swine flu. It is a genetic code consists of 8
segments. The virus gets its name from a combination of two proteins –
hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. Swine flu was first detected in 1987. Just
like humans, pigs get flu too, hence the name Swine flu. A disease that
spreads throughout the world is called Pandemic. Swine flu is termed as
pandemic disease.
Govt formulate a technology mission – War for Water ( Winning, Augmentation
and Renovation for Water). It solve problem of water scarcity. CDM (Clean
Development Mechanism) is a global mechanism where green projects can be
registered to earn carbon credits for trading in the international market. India
has maximum number of CDM projects in the world followed by China. One
Carbon Credit is equal to a tone of carbon saved from emission.
UN Convention on Climate Change, the global body for certifying clean
projects was held at Bonn, in Aug 2009.
UMPP (Ultra Mega Power Projects) are large sized coal based power projects
having a capacity of 4000 MW involving an estimated investment of about $ 4
billion. Four UMPP has been awarded so far in India. These are Mundra
UMPP, Gujarat, Sasan UMPP, Madhya Pradesh, Krishnapatnam UMPP,
Andhra Pradesh and Tilaiya UMPP at Jharkhand.
Antares DLR-H2 motor glider is the first manned aircraft to be powered
exclusively with a hydrogen fuel system.
IMD (Indian Meteorological Deparment) official definition of a drought year is
when more than 20 % of the country faces a deficit of atleast 25 % of normal
rainfall.
Wind power generation in India as on March 2009 is 10243 MW.
SPASER- It is the world’s smallest laser which amplifies surface plasmons-
tiny oscillations in the density of free electrons on the surface of metals which
in turn produce light waves. LASER amplifies light using a mirrored cavity to
intensify it.
IIST- Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology set up at Valiamala,
Thiruvanthapuram, Kerala is the only space university in the world offering
courses at the undergruate, graduate, doctoral and post doctoral level in space
technology.
The Amino acid ‘Glycine’ a fundamental building block of proteins has been
found for the first time in a comet Wild 2 by the NASA spacecraft ‘Stardust’
sent in 2004. Comet Wild 2 was named after astronomer Paul Wild.
ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) launched first Swiss satellite built
by students of Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne to study the upper
atmosphere.
‘Tobacco Atlas’ published by American Cancer Society and World Lung
Foundation, ranks India at No.3 in the top 20 female smoking population
across the globe. First and second place is held by USA and China.
Former DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation) scientist K
Santhanam claimed that 1998 Hydrogen bomb test at Pokhran (Rajasthan)
has failed to deliver the desired result.
ISRO looses contact with Chandrayan I on 29 Aug 2009. It was launched on
22 Oct 2008 and was designed for a two year mission in space. India has
terminated the 400 crore moon mission Chandrayan I on 30 Aug 2009. NASA’s
Moon Mineralogy Mapper placed abroad Chandrayan I recorded presence of
water molecules on Moon.
India’s first national medical research park is being set up in the Sricity SEZ on
the Tamil Nadu-AP border.
World’s first cloned wolf named ‘Snuwolf’ died in South Korea.
Ridge A in the Antarctic plateau is the world’s coldest, driest and calmest place
discovered so far. China proposed base in Antarctica is known as ‘Kunlun’
located at Dome A.
A new technique called array Comparative Genomic Hybridization(CGH)
makes it possible to ensure eggs have a normal number of chromosomes
boosting the likelihood of a successful pregnancy. Baby Oliver became the first
baby in the world using this egg screening technique in London.
China overtake USA in the internet user population. Internet users in 2009 :
China - 298 million, USA – 227 million, Japan – 94 million ,India -81 million.
International Ozone Day is celebrated on 16 September every year. Theme of
2009 is ‘Universal Participation-Ozone protection unifies the world’. Ozone
layer is a deep layer in the stratosphere , encircling the earth that has large
amounts of ozone in it. The ozone layer protects all life on land on the surface
of the ocean. Ozone molecules absorb the harmful ultraviolet rays from the
Sun. This protects us from radiation that can cause skin cancer and other
severe skin disorders.
Scientist discovered first rocky extrasolar planet named ‘Corot-7b’.
ISRO launch Oceansat-2 satellite on 23 September 2009, which would help
identify fishing zones and help in coastal studies. The 970 Kg spacecraft is
launched by C 14 PSLV from Sriharikota. Six other nano satellites from
European countries were also launched alongwith it.
‘Copernicium’ is included in the Periodic table as a new chemical element in
July 09. It’s name was done after the famous astronomer Nicolus Copernicus.
Google is testing a new service ‘ Fast Flip’ that allows users to view news
articles from dozens of major publishers and flip through them as quickly as
they would the pages of a magazine.
Planet Saturn’s 61st satellite discovered.
Scientist confirmed for the first time that Australia was once home to a
dinosaur, after discovery of ‘Australovenator Wintonensis alias Banjo’.
A new class of black hole was discovered by astronomers in 2009. A black
hole is a ramnant of the collapsed star with such a powerful gravitational field
that it absorbs all the light that passes near it and reflects nothing.
Mocrobiologists in Maharastra’s Lonar lake found magnetic bacteria therein
formed due to meteorite impact.
Present day Carbon dioxide levels in atmosphere have touched the highest
mark in the past 2.1 million years.
World’s first zero waste city is under construction in Abu Dhabi called Masdar
City. It is to be completed by 2016 and will be world’s first carbon neutral, zero
waste city completely powered by renewable energy.
CMERI has developed a solar electric rickshaw called ‘ Soleckshaw’ which is
pollution free.
Gyroscopes are used to maintain orientation and provide stability in boats,
aircrafts and space crafts.
Tsunami is a Japanese word meaning harbour wave. A massive tsunami was
unleased by a earthquake in the pacific islands of Samoa on 30 Sep,2009. The
capital of Samoa is Apia.
Light combat aircraft ‘Tejas’ successfully completes its 1000th flight in Jan 09.
Indigenously built ‘Astra’ air to air missile was successfully tested at Chandipur
Range, Orissa in May 09.
China’s Chang’e-1 mission successfully landed on Moon surface in March 09.
It is China’s first moon probe.
‘Princess Elizabeth’ is the name of research station established by Belgium in
Antartica in Feb 09. It is the first research station which does not emit any
pollutant i.e. it is pollution free station.
China successfully conducted Artificial Snowfall.
LCROSS – Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. NASA’s LCROSS
crashed two spacecrafts into a lunar crater on 9 Oct 2009, hoping to splash ice
and find out possibility of water on Moon.
IOTWS (Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning & Mitigation System)- It was tested in
18 Indian ocean nations on 14 Oct 2009.
‘2 Pallas’is the name of one of the largest asteroid in the solar system.
James Dyson has developed a ‘Dyson Air Multiple Fan’, a desktop cooling
device with no blades.
Scientists have identified a gene ‘TMPRSS6’ which is responsible for causing
anaemia.
Neutrinos are elementary particles key to understanding how the universe
evolved. Govt proposed to set up Rs.900 crore Neutrino observatory at
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve at Masinagudi in Tamil Nadu.
Epi -genome are the pattern of chemical switches in 200 types of human cell.
A team led by Joseph Ecker produce the first complete map of the human epi-
genome.
NASA launched Ares 1-X rocket. It is first flight test of NASA’s next generation
space craft and launch vehicle system which will replace shuttle system.
There are 61 greenhouse gases that are together called Carbon Dioxide
equivalent.
ICAR scientist discovered a new sub species of the ‘mite’ variety of insect and
named it ‘Mangalaus’.
International Antartic Treaty Expedition 2009 was made from 15 to 30 Nov
2009. It started from Ushuaia. The expedition was run by Robert Swan Obe (
only man to travel to both North & South Poles). Drake passage is a thin body
of water that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Indian scientist at Institute for Genomics & Integrative Biology sequenced the
entire genome of human. The human genome contains 3.1 billions base pairs.
India is the 8th country in the world to sequence the human genome.
Astronomers discovered a planet GJ 1214 b in the constellation called ‘
Ophiuehus’. The planet is almost entirely made of water. ‘Ardi’ which roamed
African forests 4.4 million years ago, has been named as the ‘Scientific
breakthrough of 2009’.