CURRENT AFFAIRS:

1. WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY: March, 31. The tobacco products must

display a scorpion and lungs as warnings. India is a signatory of WHO-
FCTC. World Health Organization Frame Work Convention on Tobacco
Control. The warning must cover at least 40 percent of the display
area.

2. Impeachment proceedings against Soumitra Sen a Judge of Calcutta

High Court. This is pending in front of Rajya Sabha.

A 3 member committee was constituted by Rajya Sabha Chairman

comprising Justice D.K. Jain of Supreme Court, T.S Thakur Chief Justice
of Punjab and Haryana High Court (it’s a common court for both the
states) and Fali S. nariman , senior advocate Supreme court.

3. 18th LAW COMMISSION CHAIRMAN: Justice A.R. Lakshmanan.

4. The Number of Ministers in the Central Government is 79. The

Constitutional provision is that the total number of Ministers including the
Prime Minister in the Council of Ministers shall not exceed 15 percent of
the Total members of the house of the People (Lok Sabha).

This was made through 91st Constitutional amendment, 2003.

This is also same for the state Government. Not more than 15% of the
total strength of Assembly. But should not be less than 12.

Note: For small states like Sikkim, Goa, Mizoram the minimum is 7 ministers.

5. The youngest of the Council of Ministers is Agatha Sangma. She is 28

years. She is the daughter of P A Sangma former Lok Sabha Speaker.
She is a lawyer by profession. She won on Nationalist Congress Party
(NCP) ticket from Meghalaya. She was appointed as the Minister of state
for Rural Development.

6. Varun Gandhi is BJP MP from Pilibhit in UP. He was in the news for
his controversial speech during elections.

7. Chief Justice Of India : K.G. Balakrishanan.

8. Prime Minister is the Chairman for Ganga River Basin Authority.

Ganga Basin states are Uttaranchal, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and West
Bengal.
9. Congress and BJP formed an alliance United Democratic Alliance
(UDF) in SIKKIM to fight against Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF). But
could not succeed and SDF won the election and Pawan Kumar Chamling
became the Chief Minister

10. East-west Metro corridor project (KOLKATTA): This links the Salt lake
city Kolkata and Howrah Maidan. It’s the first metro transit system to pass
through a tunnel beneath Hooghly river.

11. On February 19, Police resort to a lathicharge on Lawyers in the

premises of Madras High Court. A commission was appointed under
the Chairmanship of Justice B.N. SRIKRISHNA to enquire and sublit
a report.

12. Chairman Atomic Energy Commission – Anil kakodkar.

13. H1-B visa was introduced in 1990.

14. G-20 Meeting was held in London in April 2009.

15. A9 Highway: The only road link between Jaffna peninsula to the rest of
the Island. It was shutdown by the Government in the year 2006 on the
plea that it became central point for the tigers to collect the cash in the
form of taxes on goods and services.

16. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is the highest profit making
Public Sector Unit in India for the year 2007-08.

NOTE: Newly formed holding company National Aviation Company of India

Ltd (Air India and Indian Air Lines) is the biggest looser for the year 2007-08.

17. The Government reduced Service Tax by 2%. Now it is 10 %.

18. The Excise duty reduced to 8 %.

19. Interceptor was successfully tested by Defence Research and

Development Organization. It proved that India can successfully shield
itself against ballistic missiles from enemy countries.

20. CHANDRAYAAN-1, Moon Mission, Successfully Launched by INDIAN

SPACE RESEARCH ORGANIZATION (ISRO).

21. Chang’e-1 – China’s first Lunar Probe Landed on March 1, 2009.

22. BrahMos is the super sonic missile meant to attack a particular
target out of a group. It was tested successfully on March,4 2009.

23. The NATIONAL AEROUNATICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

(NASA) launched Global warming satellite to track CO2 emissions world
wide. It was halted because of technical snag.

24. President’s Rule is imposed by the President on the recommendation of

the Governor or Otherwise. The latest state which experienced the
Presidents Rule is Jharkhand.

SALARIES:

25. PRESIDENT : 1,50,000/-

26. VICE PRESIDENT : 1,25,000/-
27. GOVERNOR : 1,10,000/-
28. CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA : 1,00,000/-
29. JUDGE OF SUPREME COURT : 90,000/-
30. CHIEF JUSTICE OF HIGH COURT 90,000/-
31. JUDGE OF HIGH COURT : 80,000/-

32. The number of Supreme Court Judges 30+1 (Including Chief Justice).

33. REPO RATE: This is the rate at which Reserve Bank of India (RBI) lends
short term loans to the banks. The current Repo rate is 5%.

RBI -------------------- Banks

34. Reverse Repo Rate: The rate at which the RBI borrows money from
banks. It is 3.5% now.

RBI --------------------- Banks

35. CRR: It is cash Reserve Ratio. It is the amount of funds that banks have
to deposit with RBI.
Present CRR is 5.5%.

36. SLR: STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO. It is the amount that a commercial

bank needs to maintain in the form of cash, gold or Government security
deposits before providing credit to its customers.
Present SLR is 24%.
37. Inflation means continuous raise of prices of goods and services over a
period of time. This leads to fewer products available at more rates.
38. Deflation means continuous decrease in the price of goods and services.
This leads to more products available at cheaper rates.
39. SHILLONG, Meghalaya – Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Management is
Located.
40. Veerappa Moily, the former CM of Karnataka is the Chairman for
second Administrative Reforms Commission.
41. Babubhai Katara was a BJP MP in the 14th Loksabha who was
disqualified on the charges of human trafficking.
42. The PUNHANA town of MEWAT district in Haryana has the first mobile
court in country.
43. ASHOK CHAKRA is the Logo for the Common Wealth games of 2010.

44. Christian community has the highest literacy rate and sex ratio.

45. Soli Sorabjee is the chairman for committee on Police Reforms.

46. SAM PITRODA is the chairman for National Knowledge commission.

47. Karnataka is the first state to introduce Insurance scheme for HIV
positive persons.
48. INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY started SMS service
for its students and staff to keep them updated about various
programmes.
49. NURSULTAN NAZARBAYEV, the President of Kazakhstan was the chief
guest for 2009 Republic day celebrations.
50. The President can consult Supreme Court under article 143.
51. Article 169 talks about the abolition or creation of Legislative Councils in
states.
52. Article 123. Power of the President to promulgate ordinances.
53. Article 213. Power of the Governor to promulgate ordinances.
54. Article 32. Power of Supreme Court to issue writs.
55. Article 226. Power of High Court to issue writs.
56. Article 280. Finance Commission.
57. Article 315. Public Service Commission for the Union and the States.
58. Article 324. Election Commission.
59. Article 330. Reservation of seats for SC and ST for House of people.
60. Article 352. National Emergency.
61. Article 356. Presidents Rule.
62. Article 360. Financial Emergency.
63. Article 368. Power of Parliament to amend the constitution and the
procedure to amend.
64. Article 370. Special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

65. The states Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Manipur and

Nagaland were exempted from Delimitation of the constituencies.
66. Singur is the controversial site Hoogly district in West Bengal.
67. Nanavati commission was appointed to probe into Godhra violence.
68. Kishore Chandra Deo is the chairman for parliamentary panel for ‘Office of
Profit’.
69. The Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic
Summit (BIMST-EC) was held in New Delhi in 2008.
70. The POSTAL LIFE INSURANCE, the oldest life insurance scheme
completed its 125th existence.
71. The ‘BLUE EARTH’ cell phone is the worlds first solar mobile. It’s
manufactured by Samsung.
72. WORLD WATER DAY – MARCH 22, 2009.
73. Mrs. Meira Kumar is the first Women speaker in the Lok Sabha. She
is the daughter of Sri Babu Jagjeevan Ram the Deputy Prime minister of
India during 1979.
74. Panchayat Raj was first introduced in Rajastan in the year 1959.
75. Manik Rao Gavit is appointed as the protem speaker by the
President for 15th Lok Sabha.
76. In the Elections for 15th Lok Sabha 369 parties have contested in the
elections. Only 37 parties could get into the Lok Sabha.
77. 92nd amendment – Included four more languages in the 8th schedule.
Bodo, Dogri or Dongri, Maithilli or Maithili and Santhali. The total
number of Languages in the 8th schedule is 22.
78. P.N. Bhagwati was the CJI when Public Interest Litigation was
introduced to the judicial system in India.
79. Jawaharlal Nehru was the chairman for Union Constitution
committee of the constituent assembly.
80. Asif Ali Zardari the leader of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was
elected as the President of Pakistan in 2008.