National Disaster Management Authority

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), headed by the Prime Minister of India, is
the Apex Body for Disaster Management in India. The setting up of the NDMA and the creation of
an enabling environment for institutional mechanisms at the State and District levels is mandated
by the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
India envisions the development of an ethos of Prevention, Mitigation and Preparedness and will
strive to promote a National resolve to mitigate the damage and destruction caused by natural
and man-made disasters, through sustained and collective efforts of all Government agencies,
Non-Governmental Organisations and People’s participation, by adopting a Technology-Driven,
Pro-Active, Multi-Hazard and Multi-Sectoral Strategy for building a Safer, Disaster Resilient and
Dynamic India.
The Logo reflects the aspirations of this National Vision, of empowering all stakeholders for
improving the effectiveness of Disaster Management in India. The Map of India, embossed in
Gold, in the middle of the logo, circumscribed by the National Tricolour of Saffron, White and
Green represents the aspirations to contain the potential threat of natural and man-made
disasters through Capacity Development of all Stakeholders. The Outer Circle is a Golden Ring
of Partnership of all Stakeholders, whose holding of hands is an expression of their solidarity to
supplement the efforts of the Government. NDMA in the Inner Circle in tranquil blue integrates
the entire process by Empowering all Stakeholders at the local, district, state and national levels.
NDMA will catalyse this Community Empowerment through institutional capacity development,
strengthened public awareness and community resilience by mainstreaming disaster
management in India.

ORGANISATION:
National Disaster Management Authority has been constituted with the Prime Minister of India as
its Chairman, a Vice Chairman with the status of Cabinet Minister, and eight members with the
status of Ministers of State. Each of the members has a well defined functional domain covering
various states as also disaster specific areas of focus and concern To carry out the mandated
functions, NDMA has evolved a lean and professional organization which is IT-enabled and
knowledge based. Skills and expertise of the specialists are extensively used to address all the
disaster related issues. . A functional and operational infrastructure has been built which is
appropriate for disaster management involving uncertainties coupled with desired plans of action.
The concept of the organization is based on a disaster divisions-cum-secretariat system. Each
member of the Authority heads disaster-specific divisions for specific disaster and functional
domains. Each member has also been given the responsibility of specified states and UTs for
close interaction and coordination.
The NDMA Secretariat, headed by a Secretary is responsible to provide secretarial support and
continuity. It is proposed to have two Disaster Management Wings under the Secretariat. They
are :-

DM I wing dealing with mitigation, preparedness, plans, reconstruction, community awareness

and dealing with financial/administrative aspects.
 DM II wing is proposed to be composed of the National Disaster Management Operations
Centre with the state-of-the-art multi-redundant communication systems, to carry out the tasks of
capacity development, training and knowledge management.
Earthquakes

Earthquakes have caused huge damage to life and property worldwide and pose a significant
threat to India also because of falling of almost 59% of its geographical area in earthquake
vulnerable zones. The most clearly observable impacts of an earthquake are the loss of human
lives and property, economic & social losses and environmental degradation. Over the last
century, about 75% of fatalities attributed to earthquakes have been caused by the collapse of
buildings. A great number of victims die in the collapse of non-engineered weak masonry
buildings, which make up a large proportion in India’s existing building stock. India’s substantial
percentage of population of earthquake vulnerable zones continue to live in these structures due
to absence of knowledge in earthquake resistant construction & retrofitting techniques at the
grassroots and non-compliance of appropriate building regulations and town planning legislations
for earthquake safe guided physical development in towns. Besides, ignorance of basic tips of
earthquake survivability in the mindset of common people during shaking of earth increases the
casualty in many folds. Further, least expertise by rescuers in search & rescue in collapse
buildings and no knowledge of first-aid technique for earthquake victims make the situation worst
during any post earthquake scenario.

The above issues justify for launching of nationwide mass awareness generation
activities as a foundation layer of earthquake preparedness in the country.

In the absence of any early warning possibility of any earthquake, awareness generation strategy
for seismic risk reduction in the country would have no option but to concentrate more on
earthquake resistant construction techniques, appropriate techno-legal regime (building
regulations/acts), basic survivability tips during shaking of ground.

During 2002-2009 a national initiative namely Disaster Risk Management Programme was
implemented in collaboration with State Governments by Government of India and UNDP under
a multi-donor resource framework to reduce vulnerabilities of communities in some of the most
hazard prone districts of India. Under the programme, several resource materials were prepared
and widely circulated for disaster risk management. We are here posting several of such
resource materials that will contribute the communities, civil societies, policy/decision makers,
city managers for better preparedness and earthquake risk mitigation in the countries.

FLOODS

Floods are the most frequent natural calamity that India has to face almost every year in varying
magnitudes in some or other parts of the country. The annual precipitation including snow-fall is
estimated at 4000 Billion Cubic Metre (BCM). Out of this, the seasonal rainfall in monsoon is of
the order of 3000 BCM. Rainfall in India is mainly dependent on the South-West and North-East
monsoons, on cyclonic depressions and disturbances and on violent local storms. Most of the
rainfall in India (80%) takes place under the influence of South-West monsoon between June and
September (4 months). Remaining (20%) rainfall is received from North-east monsoon, cyclonic
storm, local storms and cloud bursts. Flooding is caused by the inadequate capacity within the
banks of the rivers to contain the high flows brought down from the upper catchment due to
heavy rainfall. Areas having poor drainage characteristic get flooded by accumulation of water
from heavy rainfall. According to the estimate of the National Commission on Flood, the area
prone to floods in the country was of the order of 40 million hectares, out of which it is considered
that 80%, i.e., 32 million hectares could be provided with reasonable degree of protection.

Cyclones

Cyclones are caused by atmospheric disturbances around a low-pressure area distinguished by

swift and often destructive air circulation. They are usually accompanied by violent storms and
bad weather. The air circulates inward in an anticlockwise direction in the northern hemisphere
and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. Cyclones are classified as: (i) extra tropical cyclones
(also called temperate cyclones); and (ii) tropical cyclones.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO, 1976) uses the term ‘tropical cyclone’ to cover
weather systems in which winds exceed ‘gale force’ (minimum of 34 knots or 63 Kph). Tropical
cyclones are the progeny of ocean and atmosphere, powered by the heat from the sea, driven by
the easterly trades and temperate westerlies, the high planetary winds and their own fierce
energy. In India, cyclones are classified due to the:

 Strength of the associated winds,

 Storm surge and
 Exceptional rainfall occurrences.

Extra tropical cyclones occur in temperate zones and high latitude regions, though they are
known to originate in the polar regions. Cyclones that developin the regions between the tropics
of Capricorn and Cancer are called tropical cyclones. Tropical cyclones are large-scale weather
systems developing over tropical or subtropical waters, where they get organized into surface
wind circulation. Cyclones are given many names in different regions of the world – they are
known as typhoons in the China Sea and Pacific Ocean; hurricanes in the West Indian islands in
the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean; tornados in the Guinea lands of West Africa and the
southern USA.; willy-willies in north-western Australia and tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean.
The word cyclone is derived from the Greek word `Cyclos’ meaning the coils of a snake. It was
coined by Henry Peddington because the tropical storms in the Bay of Bengal and in the Arabian
Sea appeared like the coiled serpents of the sea.

The criteria below has been formulated by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), which
classifies the low pressure systems in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea on the basis of the
capacity to damage, which is adopted by the WMO.
 Type of Disturbances Wind Speed in Km/h Wind Speed in Knots
Low Pressure Less than 31 Less than 17
Depression 31-49 17-27
Deep Depression 49-61 27-33
Cyclonic Storm 61-88 33-47
Severe Cyclonic Storm 88-117 47-63
Super Cyclone More than 221 More than 120
1 knot - 1.85 km per hour
Cyclones are classified into five different levels on the basis of wind speed. They are further
divided into the following categories according to their damage capacity.
Cyclone Category Wind Speed in Km/h Damage Capacity
01 120-150 Minimal
02 150-180 Moderate
03 180-210 Extensive
04 210-250 Extreme
05 250 and above Catastrophic
Storm surges (tidal waves) are defined as the rise in sea level above the normally predicted
astronomical tide. The major factors include:

 A fall in the atmospheric pressure over the sea surface

 The effect of the wind
 The influence of the sea bed
 A funnelling effect
 The angle and speed at which the storm approaches the coast
 The tides
The very high specific humidity condenses into exceptionally large raindrops and giant cumulus
clouds, resulting in high precipitation rates. When a cyclone makes landfall, the rain rapidly
saturates the catchment areas and the rapid runoff may extensively flood the usual water
sources or create new ones.
How Cyclones are formed
The development cycle of tropical cyclones may be divided into three stages:
i) Formation and Initial Development Stage
The formation/ initial development of a cyclonic storm depends upon various conditions. These
are:

 A warm sea (temperature in excess of 26 degrees Celsius to a depth of 60 m) with

abundant and turbulent transfer of water vapour to the overlying atmosphere by evaporation.
 Atmospheric instability encourages formation of massive vertical cumulus clouds due to
convection with condensation of rising air above ocean surface.
ii) Mature Tropical Cyclones
When the tropical storm intensifies, the air rises in vigorous thunderstorms and tends to spread
out horizontally at the tropopause level. Once air spreads out, a positive perturbation pressure at
high levels is produced, which accelerates the downward motion of air due to convection. With
the inducement of subsidence, air warms up by compression and a warm ‘eye’ is generated.
Generally, the ‘eye’ of the storms has three basic shapes: (a) circular; (b) concentric;
and (c) elliptical. The main physical feature of a mature tropical cyclone in the Indian Ocean is a
concentric pattern of highly turbulent giant cumulus thundercloud bands.
iii) Modification and Decay
A tropical cyclone begins to weaken in terms of its central low pressure, internal warmth and
extremely high speeds, as soon as its source of warm moist air begins to ebb, or is abruptly cut
off. This happens after the landfall or when it passes over cold waters. The weakening of a
cyclone does not mean the danger to life and property is over.

Indian Context
The Indian subcontinent is one of the worst affected regions in the world. The subcontinent with a
long coastline of 8041 kilometre is exposed to nearly 10 per cent of the world’s tropical cyclones.
Of these, the majority have their initial genesis over the Bay of Bengal and strike the east coast
of India. On an average, five to six tropical cyclones form every year, of which two or three could
be severe. More cyclones occur in the Bay of Bengal than the Arabian Sea and the ratio is
approximately 4:1. Cyclones occur frequently on both the coasts (The west coast - Arabian Sea;
and the east coast - Bay of Bengal). An analysis of the frequency of cyclones on the east and
west coasts of India between 1891 and 1990 shows that nearly 262 cyclones occurred (92
severe) in a 50 km wide strip on the east coast. Less severe cyclonic activity has been noticed
on the west coast, with 33 cyclones occurringin the same period, out of which 19 of these were
severe.
Tropical cyclones occur in the months of May-June and October-November. The cyclones of
severe intensity and frequency in the north Indian Ocean are bi-modal in character, with their
primary peak in November and secondary peak in May. The disaster potential is particularly high
at the time of landfall in the north Indian Ocean (Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea) due to the
accompanying destructive wind, storm surges and torrential rainfall. Of these, storm surges are
the greatest killers of a cyclone, by which sea water inundates low lying areas of coastal regions
and causes heavy floods, erodes beaches and embankments, destroys vegetation and reduces
soil fertility.
Cyclones vary in diameter from 50 to 320 km but their effects dominate thousands of square
kilometers of ocean surface and the lower atmosphere. The perimeter may measure 1,000 km
but the powerhouse is located within the 100-km radius. Nearer the eye, winds may hit 320
kmph. Thus tropical cyclones, characterized by destructive winds, torrential rainfall and storm
surges disrupt normal life with accompanying the phenomena of floods due to the exceptional
level of rainfall and storm surge inundation into inland areas. Cyclones are characterized by their
devastating potential to damage structures, viz. houses; lifeline infrastructure-power and
communication towers; hospitals; food storage facilities; roads, bridges and culverts; crops etc.
The most fatalities come from storm surges and the torrential rain flooding the lowland areas of
the coastal territories.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT - LANDSLIDES

India has a sensational record of catastrophes due to landslides, unique and unparalleled.
Landslides & Avalanches are among the major hydro-geological hazards that affect large parts of
India, especially the Himalayas, the Northeastern hill ranges, the Western Ghats, the Nilgiris, the
Eastern Ghats and the Vindhyas, in that order. In the Himalayas alone, one could find landslides
of every fame, name and description- big and small, quick and creeping, ancient and new. The
northeastern region is badly affected by landslide problems of a bewildering variety. Landslides
in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal as also those in Sikkim, Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam,
Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh pose chronic problems causing recurring losses. There are
landslides in the Western Ghats in the south, along the steep slopes overlooking the Konkan
coast. Landslides are also very common in the Nilgiris, characterized by a lateratic cap, which is
highly landslide prone.

CHEMICAL DISASTER
India is developing as a key global player in the industrial and technology sector. Rapid
industrialization has increased the hazard, risk and vulnerability to the industry and the
environment. Major Chemical (Industrial) disasters are low in frequency but are very significant in
the terms of loss of lives, injuries, environmental impact and property damage. Frequency and
severity of chemical disasters has increased in last few years due to rapid development of
chemical and petrochemical industries and increase in size of plants, storage and carriers,
specifically in densely populated areas. There are more than 1500 MAH units and other small
and medium–sized industries all across the nation and new industries are also establishing at a
rapid rate. Chemical accidents can occur due to lack of safety measure, technical break down, or
due to a human error. It, thereby, initiates a series of uncontrolled physiochemical phenomenon
such as runaway chemical reactions, large spills, fires and explosions. These phenomenon
eventually targets both human and non-human in the form of immediate and residual or long
term consequences. Thus, it is imperative to develop preventive measures like adoption of safer
engineering practices, improved performance of safety device and reduction of human errors by
regular checks.

With the renewed emphasis of the Government on disaster management and the paradigm shift
in focus from rescue, relief & rehabilitation to prevention/mitigation, and preparedness a need to
revisit the management of Chemical Disaster has been felt to establish an institutionalized
mechanism so that the chemical disaster can be prevented and if occurred can be effectively
managed. The main stakeholders in the management of Chemical (Industrial) Disasters are the
Chemical Industries, Ministry of Environment and Forests (the nodal Ministry), Ministry of Home
Affairs, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Surface Transport
and Highways, Ministry of Defence, Department of Atomic Energy, Ministry of Chemicals and
Fertilizers, Ministry of Petroleum and Gas, Central and State Pollution Control Board and State
Governments.

After the enactment of National Disaster Management Act, 2005, National Disaster Management
Authority is required to prepare Guidelines, based on which, the Nodal Ministry will prepare a
detailed Action Plan for the better and effective management of Chemical disasters. In view of
achieving this objective, a meeting on Chemical (Industrial) Disaster Management was convened
by NDMA on 17th Feb 2006 with various Ministries of Government of India and all other
stakeholders. In this workshop the present status of the Chemical (Industrial) Disaster
Management in the country was discussed and the critical gaps were identified. It was decided to
articulate the CDM guidelines through a document called the National Disaster Management
Guidelines – Chemical Disaster (NDMG-CD). A Core Group of the experts from the various fields
related to chemical disaster management was constituted under the chairmanship of Lt. Gen
(Dr.) J.R. Bhardwaj, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, PHS (Retd) to assist NDMA in the preparation of
NDMG-CD. Several meetings were held to review the draft versions of the document and wider
consultations with industries, regulatory bodies, along with concerned ministries was also held to
evolve a consensus on the various issues of the Guidelines. A meeting to critically analyze and
update by more than 150 industrial and other experts from all across the nation was also held on
7-8 September, 2006 at Bhopal in collaboration with Disaster Management Institute, Bhopal. The
concepts of On-Site and Off-Site Disaster Management Plans were also evaluated by a mock
drill at Hindustan Petroleum Company Limited, Greater Noida on 6th Oct, 2006. The guidelines
has the major objective to evolve an attainable, achievable and a practical approach with due
diligence of community, industry and all other governmental agencies for chemical disaster
management in India. At present, the guideline document is under finalization and would be
issued soon.

Friday, February 17, 2012Disaster Reduction Day

 NIDM will be observing the Day for Disaster Reduction on 12 October, 2011. This day
offers an opportunity to focus national attention on this important issue and to create
awareness about disasters and their
management. Further to enhance awareness among the students and to sensitize them
towards disasters and their management a number of activities will be organized at School and
college levels.

Strengthening Disaster Management in India

SAARC DISASTER MANAGEMENT CENTRE
SAARC Disaster Management Centre (SDMC) was set up in October 2006 at the premises of National
Institute of Disaster Management in New Delhi. The Centre has the mandate to serve eight Member
Countries of South Asia Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) - Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - by providing policy advice and facilitating
capacity building services including strategic learning, research, training, system development and
exchange of information for effective disaster risk reduction and management in South Asia.
The Centre is a sleek body of professionals working on various dimensions of disaster risk reduction
and management in South Asia. The Centre is networking through the National Focal Points of the
Member Countries with the various Ministries, Departments and Scientific, Technical, Research and
Academic institutions within and outside the Government working on various aspects of disaster risk
reduction and management.
The Centre conducts studies and research, organizes workshops and training programmes, publishes
its reports and documents provides various policy advisory services to the Member Countries.
The Centre has the Vision to be recognized as a vibrant Centre of Excellence for knowledge, research
and capacity building on disaster management in South Asia and in the rest of the world.

NIDM at a Glance
The National Institute of Disaster Management constituted under the Disaster
Management Act 2005 has been entrusted with the nodal national responsibility for
human resource development, capacity building, training, research, documentation and
policy advocacy in the field of disaster management. Upgraded from the National Centre
for Disaster Management of the Indian Institute of Public Administration on 16th
October, 2003, NIDM is steadily marching forward to fulill its mission to make a disaster
resilient India by developing and promoting a culture of prevention and preparedness at
all levels.

Disaster Prevention & Mitigation

The Yokohama message emanating from the international decade for natural disaster
reduction in May 1994 underlined the need for an emphatic shift in the strategy for disaster
mitigation. It was inter-alia stressed that disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and
relief are four elements which contribute to and gain, from the implementation of the
sustainable development policies. These elements along with environmental protection and
sustainable development, are closely inter related. Therefore, nations should incorporate
them in their development plans and ensure efficient follow up measures at the community,
sub-regional, regional, national and international levels. The Yokohama Strategy also
emphasized that disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness are better than disaster
response in achieving the goals and objectives of vulnerability reduction. Disaster
response alone is not sufficient as it yields only temporary results at a very high
cost. Prevention and mitigation contribute to lasting improvement in safety and are essential
to integrated disaster management.
The Government of India have adopted mitigation and prevention as essential components
of their development strategy. The Tenth Five Year Plan document has a detailed chapter
on Disaster Management. The plan emphasizes the fact that development cannot be
sustainable without mitigation being built into developmental process. Each State is
supposed to prepare a plan scheme for disaster mitigation in accordance with the approach
outlined in the plan. In brief, mitigation is being institutionalized into developmental planning.
The Finance Commission makes recommendations with regard to devolution of funds
between the Central Government and State Governments as also outlays for relief and
rehabilitation. The earlier Finance Commissions were mandated to look at relief and
rehabilitation. The Terms of Reference of the Twelfth Finance Commission have been
changed and the Finance Commission has been mandated to look at the requirements for
mitigation and prevention apart from its existing mandate of looking at relief and
rehabilitation. A Memorandum has been submitted to the Twelfth Finance Commission after
consultation with States. The Memorandum proposes a Mitigation Fund.
The Government of India have issued guidelines that where there is a shelf of projects,
projects addressing mitigation will be given a priority. It has also been mandated that each
project in a hazard prone area will have disaster prevention/mitigation as a term of reference
and the project document has to reflect as to how the project addresses that term of
reference.
Measures for flood mitigation were taken from 1950 onwards. As against the total of 40
million hectares prone to floods, area of about 15 million hectares have been protected by
construction of embankments. A number of dams and barrages have been
constructed. The State Governments have been assisted to take up mitigation programmes
like construction of raised platforms etc. Floods continue to be a menace however mainly
because of the huge quantum of silt being carried by the rivers emanating from
the Himalayas . This silt has raised the bed level in many rivers to above the level of the
countryside. Embankments have also given rise to problems of drainage with heavy rainfall
leading to water logging in areas outside the embankment. To evolve both short-term and
long-term strategy for flood management/erosion control, Government of India have recently
constituted a Central Task Force under the Chairmenship of Chairman, Central Water
Commission. The Task Force will examine causes of the problem of recurring floods and
erosion in States and region prone to flood and erosion; and suggest short-term and long-
term measures. The Task Force will submit its report by December 2004.
Due to erratic behaviour of monsoons, both low and medium rain fall regions, which
constitute about 68% of the total area, are vulnerable to periodical droughts. Our
experience has been that almost every third year is a drought year. However, in some of
the States, there may be successive drought years enhancing the vulnerability of the
population in these areas. Local communities have devised indigenous safety mechanisms
and drought oriented farming methods in many parts of the country. From the experience of
managing the past droughts particularly the severe drought of 1987, a number of
programmes have been launched by the Government to mitigate the impact of drought in the
long run. These programmes include Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP), Desert
Development Programme (DDP), National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed
Areas (NWDPRA), Watershed Development Programme for Shifting Cultivation (WDPSC),
Integrated Water Development Project (IWDP), Integrated Afforestation and Eco-
development Project Scheme (IAEPS).
Flood preparedness and response
In order to respond effectively to floods, Ministry of Home Affairs have initiated National Disaster
Risk Management Programme in all the flood-prone States. Assistance is being provided to the
States to draw up disaster management plans at the State, District, Block/Taluka and Village
levels. Awareness generation campaigns to sensitize all the stakeholders on the need for flood
preparedness and mitigation measures. Elected representatives and officials are being trained in
flood disaster management under the programme. Bihar Orissa, West Bengal, Assam and Uttar
Pradesh are among the 17 multi-hazard prone States where this programme is being
implemented with UNDP. USAID and European Commission.
Earthquake Risk Mitigation
A comprehensive programme has been taken up for earthquake risk mitigation. Although, the
BIS has laid down the standards for construction in the seismic zones, these were not being
followed. The building construction in urban and suburban areas is regulated by the Town and
Country Planning Acts and Building Regulations. In many cases, the Building regulations do not
incorporate the BIS codes. Even where they do, the lack of knowledge regarding seismically safe
construction among the architects and engineers as well as lack of awareness regarding their
vulnerability among the population led to most of the construction in the urban/sub-urban areas
being without reference to BIS standards. In the rural areas, the bulk of the housing is non-
engineered construction. The mode of construction in the rural areas has also changed from
mud and thatch to brick and concrete construction thereby increasing the vulnerability. The
increasing population has led to settlements in vulnerable areas close to the river bed areas
which are prone to liquefaction. The Government have moved to address these issues.
National Core Group for Earthquake Risk Mitigation
A National Core Group for Earthquake Risk Mitigation has been constituted consisting of
experts in earthquake engineering and administrators. The Core Group has been
assigned with the responsibility of drawing up a strategy and plan of action for mitigating the
impact of earthquakes; providing advice and guidance to the States on various
aspects of earthquake mitigation; developing/organizing the preparation
of handbooks/pamphlets/type designs for earthquake resistant construction; working out
systems for assisting the States in the seismically vulnerable zones to
adopt/integrate appropriate Bureau of Indian Standards codes in their building byelaws;
evolving systems for training of municipal engineers as also practicing architects and engineers
in the private sector in the salient features of Bureau of Indian Standards codes and the
amended byelaws; evolving a system of certification of architects/engineers for testing their
knowledge of earthquake resistant construction; evolving systems for training of masons and
carry out intensive awareness generation campaigns.

Review of building bye-laws and their adoption

Most casualties during earthquakes are caused by the collapse of structures. Therefore
structural mitigation measures are the key to make a significant impact towards earthquake
safety in our country. In view of this the States in earthquake prone zones have been requested
to review, and if necessary, amend their building bye-laws to incorporate the BIS seismic codes
for construction in the concerned zones. Many States have initiated necessary action in this
regard. An Expert Committee appointed by the Core Group on Earthquake Risk Mitigation has
already submitted its report covering appropriateamendments to the existing Town & Country
Planning Acts, Land Use Zoning Regulation, Development Control Regulations & Building
Bylaws, which could be used by the State Governments & the local bodies there-under to
upgrade the existing legal instruments. The Model Building Bylaws also cover the aspect of
ensuring technical implementation of the safety aspects in all new constructions & upgrading the
strength of existing structurally vulnerable constructions. To facilitate the review of existing
building byelaws and adoption of the proposed amendments by the State Governments & UT
administrations, discussion workshops at regional level in the country are being organized. It is
expected that all planning authorities and local bodies will soon have development control
regulations and building byelaws which would include multi-hazard safety provisions.
Development and Revision of Codes
There are Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) codes which are relevant for multi-hazard
resistant design and construction. These codes have to be regularly updated. An action plan
has been drawn up for revision of existing codes, development of new codes and
documents/commentaries, and making these codes and documents available all over the
country including on-line access to these codes. An Apex committee consisting of
representatives of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, BIS and MHA has been constituted to
review the mechanism and process of development of codes relevant to earthquake risk
mitigation and establish a protocol for revision by BIS.
Hazard Safety Cells in States
The States have been advised to constitute Hazard Safety Cells (HSC) headed by the Chief
Engineer (Designs), State Public Works Department with necessary engineering staff so as
to establish mechanism for proper implementation of the building codes in all future Govt.
constructions, and to ensures the safety of buildings and structures from various
hazards. The HSC will also be responsible for carrying out appropriate design review of all
Government buildings to be constructed in the State, act as an advisory cell to the State
Government on the different aspects of building safety against hazards and act as a
consultant to the State Government for retrofitting of the lifeline buildings. Rajasthan, West
Bengal and Chhatisgarh have already constituted these cells and other States are in the
process.
National Programme for Capacity Building of Engineers and Architects in Earthquake
Risk Mitigation
Two National Programmes for Capacity Building in Earthquake Risk Mitigation
for Engineers and Architects respectively, have been approved to assist the State Govts in
building capacities for earthquake mitigation. These two programmes are being implemented
for training of 10,000 engineers and 10,000 architects in the States in seismically safe
building designs and related techno-legal requirements. Assistance is being provided to the
State/UTs to build the capacities of more than 125 State Engineering Colleges and
110 Architecture Colleges to be able to provide advisory services to the State Govts to put in
place appropriate techno-legal regime, assessment of building and infrastructures and their
retrofitting. These institutions will function as State Resource Institutions. Twenty-one
National level Engineering and Architecture Institutions have been designated as National
Resource Institutes to train the faculty members of selected State Engineering and
Architecture colleges. 450 engineering faculty members and 250 architecture faculty
members of these State Resource Institutions will be trained during the current year.
Training of rural masons
A programme to assist the States/UTs in training and certification of 50000 masons has
been formulated in conultation with Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO)
and the Ministry of Rural Development. The training module for masons to include multi-
hazard resistant construction has also been prepared by an expert committee, and revised
curriculum will be introduced in the vocational training programme of Ministry of Human
Resource Development.
Earthquake Engineering in Undergraduate Engineering/Architecture Curricula
The role of engineers and architects is crucial in reducing earthquake risks by ensuring that
the construction adhere to the norms of seismically safety. In view of this, the elements of
earthquake engineering is being integrated into the undergraduate engineering and
architecture courses. The model course curricula for adoption by various technical
institutions and universities have been developed and circulated to the Universities and
Technical Institutions for adoption in the under graduate curricula. Ministry of Home
Affairs is working with All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and Council of
Architecture (COA) for introduction of revised curricula for engineering and architecture
course from 2005-2006.
Hospital Preparedness and Emergency Health Management in Medical Education
Hospital preparedness is crucial to any disaster response system. Each hospital should have
an emergency preparedness plan to deal with mass casualty incidents and the hospital
administration/ doctor trained for this emergency. The curriculum for medical doctors does
not include Hospital Preparedness for emergencies. Therefore capacity building through in-
service training of the current heath managers and medical personnel in Hospital
Preparedness for emergencies or mass causality incident management is essential. At the
same time, the future health managers must acquire these skills systematically through the
inclusion of health emergency management in the undergraduate and post graduate medical
curricula. In consultation with Medical Council of India(MCI), two committees have been
constituted for preparation of curriculum for introduction of emergency health management in
MBBS curriculum, and preparation of in-service training of Hospital Managers and
Professionals. Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences Karnataka have been identified as
the lead national resource institution for the purpose.
Retrofitting of Lifeline buildings
While these mitigation measures will take care of the new constructions, the
problem of unsafe existing buildings stock would still remain. It will not be possible to
address the entire existing building stock, therefore the life line buildings like hospitals,
schools or buildings where people congregate like cinema halls, multi-storied apartments are
being focussed on. The States have been advised to have these buildings assessed and
where necessary retrofitted. The Ministries of Civil Aviation, Railways, Telecommunication,
Power and Health and Family Welfare have been advised to take up necessary action for
detailed evaluation and retrofitting of lifeline buildings located in seismically vulnerable zones
so as to ensure that they comply with BIS norms, Action plan have been drawn up by these
Ministries for detailed vulnerability analysis and retrofitting/ strengthening of buildings and
structures. The Ministry of Finance have been requested to advise the financial institutions
to give loans for retrofitting on easy terms. Accordingly the Ministry of Finance had advised
Reserve Bank of India to issue suitable instructions to all the Banks and Financial Institutions
to see that BIS codes/bye laws are scrupulously followed while financing/refinancing
construction activities in seismically vulnerable zones.
National Earthquake Risk Mitigation Project
An Earthquake Mitigation Project has been drawn up, with an estimated cost of Rs.1132
crore. The project has been given in-principle clearance by the Planning Commission. The
programme includes detailed evaluation and retrofitting of lifeline buildings such
as hospitals, schools, water and power supply units, telecommunication buildings,
airports/airport control towers, railway stations, bus stands and important administrative
buildings in the States in seismic zones IV and V. The programme also includes training
of masons in earthquake resistant constructions. Besides, assistance will be
provided under this project to the State Governments to put in place appropriate techno
legal regime. Startup activities for implementation of this project have already been initiated.
Acceleration Urban Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction Programme
An accelerated urban earthquake vulnerability reduction programme has been taken up
in 38 cities in seismic zones III, IV & V with population of half a million and above. 474
Orientation programmes have been organized for senior officers and representatives of the
local planning and development bodies to sensitize them on earthquake preparedness and
mitigation measures. The training programme for engineers and architects are being
organized to impart knowledge about seismically safe construction and implementation of
BIS norms. So far 1088 engineers and 825 architects have been trained. For enhanced
school safety, education programmes have been organized in schools, colleges and other
educational institutions. This programme will be further extended to 166 earthquake prone
districts in seismic zones IV & V. Awareness generation programmes, community and
neighbourhood organizations have been started in these cities. These cities are also being
assisted to review and amend their building bye-laws to incorporate multi hazard safety
provisions. City Disaster Management Plans are being developed under the project. Nine
Cities have prepared city Disaster Management Plans.
Mainstreaming Mitigation in Rural Development Schemes
Rural housing and community assets for vulnerable sections of the population are created
at a fairly large scale by the Ministry of Rural Development under the Indira Awas
Yojna(IAY) and Sampooran Grameen Rojgar Yojna(SGRY). About 250 thousand small but
compact housing units are constructed every year, besides community assets such
as community centres, recreation centres, anganwadi centres etc. Technology support is
provided by about two hundred rural housing centres spread over the
entire country. The Ministry of Home Affairs is working with the Ministry of Rural
Development for changing the guidelines so that the houses constructed under IAY or
school buildings/community buildings constructed under SGRY are earthquake/cyclone/flood
resistant; as also that the schemes addressing mitigation are given priority under
SGRY. Ministry of Rural Development are carrying out an exercise for this purpose. This
initiative is expected to go a long way in popularization of seismically safe construction at
village/block level .
National Cyclone Mitigation Project
A project for Cyclone Mitigation (estimated cost Rs. 1050 crore) has been drawn up in
consultation with the cyclone prone States. This project envisages construction of cyclone
shelters, coastal shelter belt plantation in areas which are prone to storm surges, strengthening
of warning systems, training and education etc. This project has also been given in-principle
clearance by the Planning Commission and is being taken up with World Bank assistance.
Landslide Hazard Mitigation
A National Core Group has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Border
Management and comprising of Secretary, Department of Science and Technology,
Secretary, Road Transport & Highways, and the Heads of Geological Survey of India and
National Remote Sensing Agency for drawing up a strategy and plan of action for mitigating
the impact of landslides, provide advise and guidance to the State Governments on various
aspects of landslide mitigation, monitor the activities relating to landslide mitigation including
landslide hazard zonation and to evolve early warning systems and protocols for
landslides/landslide risk reduction. The Government have designated Geological Survey of
India (GSI) as the nodal agency responsible for coordinating/ undertaking geological studies,
landslides hazard zonation, monitoring landslides/avalanches, studying the factors
responsible and suggesting precautionary and preventive measure. The States/UTs have
been requested to share the list of habitation close to landslide prone areas in order to
supplement GSI’s on going assessment of such areas based on the Survey of India’s
Toposheet and their existing data base on landslide for the purpose of landslide hazard
zonation being carried out by them. A national strategy for mitigating landslide hazard in the
country is being drawn up in consultation with all the agencies concerned.
Disaster Risk Management Programme
A Disaster Risk Management Programme has been taken up in 169 districts in 17 multi-
hazard prone States with the assistance from UNDP, USAID and European Union. Under
this project, the States are being assisted to draw up State, district and Block level disaster
management plans; village disaster management plans are being developed in conjunction
with the Panchayati Raj Institutions and disaster management teams consisting of village
volunteers are being trained in various preparedness and response functions such as search
and rescue, first aid, relief coordination, shelter management etc. Equipment needs for
district and State Emergency Operation Centres have been identified by the State nodal
agencies and equipment is being provided to equip these EOCs. Orientation training of
masons, engineers and architects in disaster resistant technologies have been initiated in
these districts and construction of model demonstration buildings will be started soon.
Under this programme Disaster Management Plans have been prepared for 8643 villages,
1046 Gram Panchayat, 188 blocks and 82 districts. More than 29000 elected
representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions have already been trained, besides imparting
training to members of voluntary organizations. About 18000 Government functionaries have
been trained in disaster mitigation and preparedness at different levels. 865 engineers and
425 architects have been trained under this programme in vulnerability assessment and
retrofitting of lifeline buildings. 600 master trainers and 1200 teachers have already been
trained in different districts in disaster preparedness and mitigation. Disaster Management
Committees consisting of elected representatives, civil society members, Civil Defence
volunteers and Government functionaries have been constituted at all levels including
village/urban local body/ward levels. Disaster Management Teams have been constituted in
villages and are being imparted training in basic functions of first aid, rescue, evacuation and
related issues. The thrust of the programme is to build up capabilities of the community since
the community is invariably the first responder. During the recent past, it has been
experienced that the capacity building of the community has been very helpful even in
normal situations when isolated instances of drowning, burns etc. take place. With the
creation of awareness generation on disaster mitigation, the community will be able to
function as a well-knit unit in case of any emergency. Mock drills are carried out from time to
time under the close supervision of Disaster Management Committees. The Disaster
Management Committees and Disaster Management Teams have been established by
notifications issued by the State Governments which will ensure that the entire system is
institutionalized and does not disintegrate after the conclusion of the programme. The key
points being stressed under this programme are the need to ensure sustainability of the
programme, development of training modules; manuals and codes, focused attention to
awareness generation campaigns; institutionalization of disaster management committees
and disaster management teams, disaster management plans and mock-drills and
establishment of techno-legal regimes.
Awareness generation
Recognizing that awareness about vulnerabilities is a sine qua non for inducing a mindset of
disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness, the Government has initiated a nation-
wide awareness generation campaign as part of its overall disaster risk management
strategy. In order to devise an effective and holistic campaign, a steering committee for
mass media campaign has been constituted at the national level with due representation of
experts from diverse streams of communication. The Committee has formulated a campaign
strategy aimed at changing peoples’ perception of natural hazards and has consulted the
agencies and experts associated with advertising and media to instill a culture of safety
against natural hazards.
Apart from the use of print and electronic media, it is proposed to utilize places with high
public visibility viz. hospitals, schools, railway stations and bus terminals, airports and post
offices, commercial complexes and municipality offices etc. to make people aware of their
vulnerabilities and promote creation of a safe living environment.
A novel method being tried is the use of government stationery viz. postal letters, bank
stationery, railway tickets, airline boarding cards and tickets etc. for disseminating the
message of disaster risk reduction. Slogans and messages for this purpose have already
been developed and have been communicated to concerned Ministries/agencies for printing
and dissemination. The mass media campaign will help build the knowledge, attitude and
skills of the people in vulnerability reduction and sustainable disaster risk management
measures.
Disaster Awareness in School Curriculum
Disaster management as a subject in Social Sciences has been introduced in the school
curriculum for Class VIII & IX. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) which has
introduced the curriculum runs a very large number of schools throughout the country and
the course curriculum is invariably followed by the State Boards of Secondary Education.
Teachers are being trained to teach disaster management Syllabus for Class X is being
finalized and will be introduced in the course curriculum soon. The State Governments have
been advised to take similar steps vis-à-vis their school boards. Several Provincial
Governments have already introduced the same curriculum in Class VII. Ministry is working
with the Council of Board of School Education (COBSE) to facilitate inclusion of disaster
management in public education in all 39 School Boards in the country.
Information, Education and Communication
In order to assist the State Governments in capacity building and awareness generation
activities and to learn from past experiences including sharing of best practices, the Ministry
of Home Affairs has compiled/prepared a set of resource materials developed by various
organisations/institutions to be replicated and disseminated by State Governments based on
their vulnerabilities after translating it into the local languages. The voluminous material
which runs in about 10000 pages has been divided into 4 broad sections in 7 volumes.
These sections cover planning to cope with disasters; education and training; construction
toolkit; and information, education and communication toolkit including multi-media
resources on disaster mitigation and preparedness. The Planning section contains material
for analyzing a community’s risk, development of Preparedness. Mitigation and disaster
management plans, coordinating available resources and implementing measures for risk
reduction. The model bye-laws, DM Policy, Act and model health sector plan have also been
included. Education and Training includes material for capacity building and upgradation of
skills of policy makers, administrators, trainers, engineers etc. in planning for and mitigating
against natural disasters. Basic and detailed training modules in disaster preparedness have
been incorporated along with training methodologies for trainers, for community
preparedness and manuals for training at district, block, panchayat and village levels. For
creating a disaster-resistant building environment, the Construction Toolkit addresses the
issue of seismic resistant construction and retrofitting of existing buildings. BIS Codes,
manuals and guidelines for RCC, Masonry and other construction methodologies as also for
repair and retrofitting of masonry and low-rise buildings have been included.
IEC material seeks to generate awareness to induce mitigation and preparedness measures
for risk reduction. Material and strategies used by various States and international
organizations, including tips on different hazards, have been incorporated along with multi-
media CDs on disasters. The material has been disseminated to all the State
Governments/UT Administrations with the request to have the relevant material, based on
the vulnerability of each district, culled out, translated into local languages and disseminate it
widely down to the village level.
Special Focus to Northeastern States
A special focus is being given to North-Eastern States and the Andaman & Nicobar
Islands. The North-Eastern Council has been made the nodal agency for the NE States.
The NEC has been provided with a resource person/advisor in disaster management. A
detailed presentation on the vulnerabilities of the NE region and the need for comprehensive
disaster management plan has been made in the Governing Body of NE Council. An action
plan has been drawn up by NEC and a declaration namely “Shillong Declaration” has been
adopted by States in the NE region for integrating disaster management with development
planning. 140 officials and non-officials have been trained in disaster management to act as
resource persons for the NE region. State and district level sensitization and training
programmes are being carried out.
The various prevention and mitigation measures outlined above are aimed at building up the
capabilities of the communities, voluntary organisations and Government functionaries at all
levels. Particular stress is being laid on ensuring that these measures are institutionalized
considering the vast population and the geographical area of the country. This is a major
task being undertaken by the Government to put in place mitigation measures for
vulnerability reduction. This is just a beginning. The ultimate goal is to make prevention and
mitigation a part of normal day-to-day life. The above mentioned initiatives will be put in
place and information disseminated over a period of five to eight years. We have a firm
conviction that with these measures in place, we could say with confidence that disasters
like Orissa cyclone and Bhuj earthquake will not be allowed to recur in this country; at least
not at the cost, which the country has paid in these two disasters in terms of human lives,
livestock, loss of property and means of livelihood.
Tips on Earthquake Resistant Building
Essential Earthquake resistant Provisions in Masonry Buildings
Short Guide for home Owners for Building Houses using Reinforced Concrete framed
Construction
Short Guide for home Owners for Building Houses using Load Bearing Masonry
Construction

UTTAR PRADESH PSC GENERAL STUDIES SOLVED

PAPER 2011
*1. The earliest evidence of agriculture in Indian sub-continent is found at—
(A) Lothal
(B) Harappa
(C) Mehrgarh
(D) Mundigak
Ans : (C)
2. During the Rig Vedic period Niska was an ornament of—
(A) Ear
(B) Neck
(C) Arm
(D) Wrist
Ans : (B)
3. Which of the following were regarded as the hub of Aryan culture during the later Vedic
period ?
(A) Anga, Magadh
(B) Kosal, Videha
(C) Kuru, Panchal
(D) Matsya, Surasena
Ans : (C)
4. Who among the following was the first to take initiative for water resource management in the
Girnar region ?
(A) Chandragupta Maurya
(B) Asoka
(C) Rudradaman
(D) Skandagupta
Ans : (A)
5. That Lumbini was the birth place of Gautama Buddha, is confirmed by an inscription of—
(A) Asoka
(B) Kanishka
(C) Harsha
(D) Dharmapala
Ans : (A)
6. Who among the following Gupta Kings had another name Devagupta ?
(A) Samudragupta
(B) Chandragupta II
(C) Kumaragupta
(D) None of the above
Ans : (B)
7. Kumaradevi, a queen of Govinda Chandra Gahadavala, constructed Dharma-Chakra Jina
Vihara at—
(A) Bodha Gaya
(B) Rajgrih
(C) Kushinagar
(D) Sarnath
Ans : (D)
8. Which of the following dynasties frequently assigned to the ladies high ranking positions in
administration ?
(A) Chola
(B) Chalukya
(C) Pala
(D) Sena
Ans : (B)
9. Who among the following Rajput rulers is known to have written a book on music ?
(A) Jayachandra Gahadavala
(B) Prithviraj Chauhan
(C) Rana Kumbha
(D) Man Singh
Ans : (C)
10. Which Sultan of Delhi was a contemporary of the Mongol leader Chengiz Khan ?
(A) Iltutmish
(B) Razia
(C) Balban
(D) Alauddin Khalji
Ans : (A)
11. Who among the following was the continuing link between Sher Shah and Akbar in the field
of land revenue administration ?
(A) Birbal
(B) Todar Mal
(C) Bhagwan Das
(D) Bhar Mal
Ans : (B)
12. With which medieval ruler would you associate the statement ‘I would have lost the empire
just for a handful of millet’ ?
(A) Alauddin Khalji
(B) Muhammad Tughlaq
(C) Sher Shah
(D) Aurangzeb
Ans : (C)
13. The Maratha King became a nonentity and the Peshwa the virtual ruler from the time of—
(A) Balaji Vishwanath
(B) Baji Rao I
(C) Balaji Rao
(D) Madnav Rao I
Ans : (B)
14. Thomas Roe was received in audience by Jehangir at—
(A) Agra
(B) Ajmer
(C) Delhi
(D) Fatehpur Sikri
Ans : (A)
15. Which one of the following musical instruments was mastered by Aurangzeb ?
(A) Sitar
(B) Pakhawaj
(C) Veena
(D) None of the above
Ans : (C)
16. Which son of Aurangzeb revolted against his father, weakening the latter’s position against
the Rajputs ?
(A) Azam
(B) Akbar
(C) Muazzam
(D) Kam Baksh
Ans : (B)
17. Who were the first Europeans to come to India for trade ?
(A) Dutch
(B) English
(C) French
(D) Portuguese
Ans : (D)
18. What did the Act V of 1843 make illegal ?
(A) Child marriage
(B) Infanticide
(C) Sati
(D) Slavery
Ans : (D)
19. Who among the following was the leader of the revolution of 1857 in Assam ?
(A) Diwan Maniram Dutta
(B) Kandarpeshwar Singh
(C) Purandar Singh
(D) Piali Barua
Ans : (A)
20. Which of the following Acts transferred the Government of India from East India Company to
the Crown ?
(A) Government of India Act 1858
(B) Indian Councils Act 1861
(C) Royal Titles Act 1876
(D) Indian Councils Act 1892
Ans : (A)
21. The first meeting of Indian National Congress was held at—
(A) Bombay
(B) Poona
(C) Madras
(D) Calcutta
Ans : (A)
22. The paper ‘Indian Mirror’ was published during 1861 from—
(A) Bombay
(B) Calcutta
(C) Madras
(D) Pondicherry
Ans : (B)
23. Name the organization formed by Surendranath Banerjee which merged with the Indian
National Congress in 1886—
(A) East India Association
(B) London India Society
(C) Indian Association
(D) Indian National Conference
Ans : (C)
24. Who among the following introduced the Vernacular Press Act ?
(A) Lord Lytton
(B) Lord Ripon
(C) Lord Curzon
(D) Lord Hastings
Ans : (A)
25. The President of Surat Session of Indian National Congress, 1907 was—
(A) R. B. Ghosh
(B) B. G. Tilak
(C) Annie Besant
(D) G. K. Gokhale
Ans : (A)
26. Who among the following had started Indian Home Rule Society in London ?
(A) Annie Besant
(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
(C) Shyamji Krishna Varma
(D) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Ans : (C)
27. The first Trade Union was founded in India in the year 1918 by—
(A) N. M. Joshi
(B) B. P. Wadia
(C) V. V. Giri
(D) S. A. Dange
Ans : (B)
28. Who resigned from the membership of Viceroy’s Executive Council as a protest against
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre ?
(A) Mahatma Gandhi
(B) Rabindranath Tagore
(C) Shankaran Nair
(D) Jamnalal Bajaj
Ans : (C)
29. Who had opposed the Champaran Satyagraha of Mahatma Gandhi ?
(A) Rabindranath Tagore
(B) N. G. Ranga
(C) Rajkumar Shukla
(D) Rajendra Prasad
Ans : (A)
30. In which one of the following languages was the first issue of the Journal Ghadar published ?
(A) Urdu
(B) Hindi
(C) English
(D) Marathi
Ans : (A)
31. Who was the author of the book ‘Bandi Jiwan’ ?
(A) Dinabandhu Mitra
(B) Hema Chandrakar
(C) Ram Prasad Bismil
(D) Sachindra Sanyal
Ans : (D)
32. Consider the following events connected with Indian National Movement :
1. Gandhi-Irvin Pact
2. Execution of Bhagat Singh
3. Karachi Session of Indian National Congress, 1931
4. Martyrdom of Chandra Shekhar Azad
Find the correct chronological order of the events from the codes given below—
Codes :
(A) 4, 1, 2, 3
(B) 1, 2, 3, 4
(C) 2, 3, 4, 1
(D) 4, 1, 3, 2
Ans : (A)
33. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer from the codes given below the lists :
List-I
(a) Annie Besant
(b) Dr. Rajendra Prasad
(c) Jawahar Lal Nehru
(d) Ambika Charan Majumdar
List-II
1. Home Rule Movement
2. Champaran Satyagraha
3. Lucknow Session of Indian
National Congress, 1916
4. Lahore Session of Indian
National Congress, 1929
Codes :
(a) (b) (c) (d)
(A) 1 2 4 3
(B) 1 2 3 4
(C) 4 3 2 1
(D) 3 2 1 4
Ans : (A)
34. Who among the following said about the Act of 1935 “a car which has brake but no engine” ?
(A) Jawahar Lal Nehru
(B) C. Rajgopalachari
(C) Mahatma Gandhi
(D) S. C. Bose
Ans : (A)
35. Who formed the Radical Democratic Party in 1940 ?
(A) Indrasen
(B) M. N. Roy
(C) Somendranath Tagore
(D) Shachindranath Sanyal
Ans : (B)
36. Who started the individual Satyagraha ?
(A) Mahatma Gandhi
(B) Pattabhi Sitaramayya
(C) Jawahar Lal Nehru
(D) Vinoba Bhave
Ans : (D)
37. Who among the following called the movements of Gandhiji as ‘political blackmail’ ?
(A) Lord Chelmsford
(B) Lord Wavel
(C) Lord Linlithgow
(D) Lord Montague
Ans : (C)
38. Muslim League observed the ‘Direct Action Day’ on—
(A) 12 August 1942
(B) 16 August 1943
(C) 16 August 1946
(D) 14 August 1947
Ans : (C)
39. Arrange in chronological order the following events which occurred during post-
independence period :
1. Liberation of Goa
2. Dalai Lama fled to India
3. Chou En-Lai visited India
4. India visit of Khrushchev and Bulganin
Select the correct answer from the codes given below—
Codes :
(A) 1, 3, 2, 4
(B) 2, 1, 4, 3
(C) 3, 4, 1, 2
(D) 4, 2, 3, 1
Ans : (D)
40. Who among the following were responsible for the creation of Ratha monuments at
Mamallapuram ?
(A) Cholas
(B) Pallavas
(C) Pandyas
(D) Chalukyas
Ans : (B)
41. The ancient monuments of Elephanta are mostly
1. Buddhist
2. Jain
3. Saivite
4. Vaishnavite
Select the correct answer from the code given below—
Code :
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 1 and 3
Ans : (C)
42. Which of the following temples is considered as a wonder of rock-cutarchitecture ?
(A) Brihadisvara Temple, Tanjavur
(B) Lingaraja Temple, Bhubaneshwar
(C) Kailash Temple, Ellora
(D) Kandaria Mahadeva Temple, Khajuraho
Ans : (C)
43. Ruins of which of the following represent the old capital of Vijayanagar ?
(A) Ahmadnagar
(B) Bijapur
(C) Golconda
(D) Hampi
Ans : (D)
44. Which one of the following is not correctly matched ?
(A) Akbar’s Tomb —Sikandara
(B) Jahangir’s Tomb —Sahdara
(C) Tomb of Shaikh Salim Chishti —Fatehpur Sikri
(D) Tomb of Shaikh Nizamuddin Aulia —Ajmer
Ans : (D)
45. Which of the following was the birth place of Guru Nanak ?
(A) Amritsar
(B) Nabha
(C) Nankana
(D) Nander
Ans : (C)
46. Where did Maharaja Jaisingh II built observatories ?
1. Delhi
2. Jaipur
3. Ujjain
4. Varanasi
Select the correct answer from the codes given below—
Codes :
(A) 1 and 2
(B) 1 and 3
(C) 2 and 3
(D) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Ans : (D)
47. Who among the following transformed the traditional Ganapati festival of Maharashtra into a
national festival and gave it a political character ?
(A) Ramdas
(B) Shivaji
(C) Mahadev Govind Ranade
(D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Ans : (D)
48. Who among the following had founded the ‘Indian Society of Oriental Art’ to revive ancient art
traditions of India ?
(A) Abanindra Nath Tagore
(B) Nand Lal Bose
(C) Asit Kumar Haldhar
(D) Amrita Shergill
Ans : (A)
49. Who among the following was offered Membership of the Royal Asiatic Society of Paris ?
(A) Dadabhai Naoroji
(B) Michael Madhusudan Dutta
(C) Raja Rammohan Roy
(D) Vivekanand
Ans : (B)
50. The first University Chair of Sanskrit was founded in—
(A) England
(B) France
(C) Germany
(D) Russia
Ans : (C)
51. Who among the following had said, ‘God intended me to look upon all religions with one eye,
that is why he took away the light from the other’ ?
(A) Maharaja Ranjit Singh
(B) Maharaja Sher Singh
(C) Maharaja Dalip Singh
(D) None of the above
Ans : (A)
52. Who among the following deities is represented in art as holding a plough ?
(A) Krishna
(B) Balarama
(C) Kartikeya
(D) Maitreya
Ans : (B)
53. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?
(A) Jawahar Lal Nehru —Hind Swaraj
(B) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad —India Wins Freedom
(C) Subhash Chandra Bose —Indian Struggle
(D) Lala Lajpat Rai —Unhappy India
Ans : (A)
54. Which one of the following will be the year of Saka Samvat in December 2009 ?
(A) 1931
(B) 1952
(C) 2066
(D) 2087
Ans : (A)
55. The smallest million city of India is—
(A) Amritsar
(B) Allahabad
(C) Rajkot
(D) Vijayawada
Ans : (C)
56. Why is Dhanbad most densely inhabited district of Chhota Nagpur plateau ?
(A) Fertile soil and irrigational facilities by canals from the Damodar
(B) Availability of coal, iron ore, mica, copper etc.
(C) Development of mining industries and industrialization
(D) All the above
Ans : (D)
57. Which one of the following classes of towns are included in the category of small towns by
the Census of India ?
(A) Class VI
(B) Class V and VI
(C) Class IV, V and VI
(D) Class III, IV, V and VI
Ans : (D)
58. In India maximum number of cities reporting slums are found in—
(A) Andhra Pradesh
(B) Maharashtra
(C) Tamil Nadu
(D) Uttar Pradesh
Ans : (B)
59. The coast areas of which of the following oceans are called ‘ring of fire’ ?
(A) Atlantic Ocean
(B) Pacific Ocean
(C) Indian Ocean
(D) None of the above
Ans : (B)
60. ‘Operation Green’ was launched in Uttar Pradesh on—
(A) July 1, 2001
(B) October 2, 2001
(C) July 1, 2005
(D) June 6, 2006
Ans : (C)
61. The country which has the finest system of protected lands in the world is—
(A) China
(B) Costa Rica
(C) India
(D) Switzerland
Ans : (D)
62. In India maximum alkali area is found in the State of—
(A) Gujarat
(B) Haryana
(C) Punjab
(D) Uttar Pradesh
Ans : (A)
63. In India Project Elephant was launched in the year—
(A) 1968
(B) 1970
(C) 1972
(D) 1974
Ans : Project Elephant was started in 1992
64. Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched ?
(A) Simlipal —Assam
(B) Nokrek —Meghalaya
(C) Dehong Debang —Sikkim
(D) Agasthyamalai —Karnataka
Ans : (B)
65. According to the 2001 Census Report, male female ratio in India is—
(A) 1000 : 930
(B) 1000 : 934
(C) 1000 : 926
(D) 1000 : 933
Ans : (D)
66. Which State of India has the largest Muslim population according to the 2001 Census ?
(A) Assam
(B) Bihar
(C) Uttar Pradesh
(D) West Bengal
Ans : (C)
67. Among the following States which one has the highest sex ratio, according to 2001 Census ?
(A) Andhra Pradesh
(B) Chhattisgarh
(C) Himachal Pradesh
(D) Jharkhand
Ans : (B)
68. The State which recorded the minimum population growth rate during 1991-2001 is—
(A) Andhra Pradesh
(B) Kerala
(C) Tamil Nadu
(D) West Bengal
Ans : (B)
69. In which year was the first regular Census held in India ?
(A) 1921
(B) 1881
(C) 1911
(D) 1931
Ans : (B)
70. Which of the following countries are included in the ‘Golden Crescent’ ?
1. Afghanistan
2. Iran
3. Iraq
4. Pakstan
Select the correct answer from the codes given below—
Codes :
(A) 1 and 2
(B) 3 and 4
(C) 1, 2 and 3
(D) 1, 2 and 4
Ans : (D)
71. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?
(A) Kimberley —Diamond
(B) Witwatersrand —Gold
(C) Katomga —Copper
(D) Saar —Iron ore
Ans : (D)
72. Which one of the following countries has the highest birth rate ?
(A) Afghanistan
(B) Bangladesh
(C) India
(D) Pakistan
Ans : (D)
73. Alexandria is a port of—
(A) Egypt
(B) Israel
(C) Jordan
(D) Libya
Ans : (A)
74. Which one of the following South Asian countries has the highest population density ?
(A) Sri Lanka
(B) India
(C) Nepal
(D) Pakistan
Ans : (B)
75. Persian Gulf does not form border with—
(A) Bahrain
(B) Iraq
(C) Kuwait
(D) Oman
Ans : (D)
76. Which one of the following countries is the third largest economy of the world ?
(A) Japan
(B) Malaysia
(C) India
(D) China
Ans : (A)
77. The Equator passes through—
(A) Central African Republic
(B) Kenya
(C) Sarawak
(D) Venezuela
Ans : (B)
78. Which of the following pairs is correctly matched ?
Minerals—Producing Areas
(A) Copper—Arizona
(B) Coal—Carajas
(C) Iron Ore—Rastanura
(D) Petroleum—Donbas
Ans : (A)
79. Which of the following are active volcanoes ?
1. Aconagua
2. Cotopaxi
3. Etna
4. Fujiyama
Select the correct answer from the code given below—
Code :
(A) 1 and 2
(B) 3 and 4
(C) 1, 2 and 3
(D) 2, 3 and 4
Ans : Incorrect Options
80. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?
(A) Ghana—Accra
(B) Kenya—Nairobi
(C) Namibia—Windhooks
(D) Nigeria—Rabat
Ans : (D)
81. Through which of the following straits does a tunnel connect the United Kingdom and
France ?
(A) Davis Strait
(B) Denmark Strait
(C) Strait of Dover
(D) Strait of Gibralter
Ans : (C)
82. In which of the following group of countries maize is used as staple food ?
(A) Western Europe
(B) Russia
(C) Middle Africa
(D) South-East Asia
Ans : (C)
83. The biggest port in India is—
(A) Vishakhapatnam
(B) Mumbai
(C) Tuticorin
(D) Kandla
Ans : (B)
84. Sankosh river forms boundary between—
(A) Bihar and West Bengal
(B) Assam and Arunachal Pradesh
(C) Assam and West Bengal
(D) Bihar and Jharkhand
Ans : (B)
85. Pir Panjal range lies in—
(A) Arunachal Pradesh
(B) Jammu and Kashmir
(C) Punjab
(D) Uttarakhand
Ans : (B)
86. Which of the following city of Uttar Pradesh is not joined by Nationla Highway 2 ?
(A) Agra
(B) Allahabad
(C) Lucknow
(D) Varanasi
Ans : (C)
87. Which of the following rivers is an example of the superimposed drainage ?
(A) Alaknanda
(B) Kosi
(C) Chambal
(D) Godawari
Ans : (C)
88. Which factors have facilitated the locational shift of the sugar industry from North India to
South India ?
1. Per acre higher yield of sugar cane
2. Higher sucrose content of sugar cane
3. Longer crushing season
4. Cheap labour
Select the correct answer from the codes given below—
Codes :
(A) 1 and 2
(B) 2 and 3
(C) 1, 2 and 3
(D) 2, 3 and 4
Ans : (C)
89. Which of the following crops are grown mostly under subsistence farming ?
(A) Millets and Rice
(B) Cotton and Tobacco
(C) Tea and Coffee
(D) Vegetables and Fruits
Ans : (A)
90. Teak and Sal are the products of—
(A) Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests
(B) Tropical Evergreen Forests
(C) Tropical Thorn Forests
(D) Alpine Forests
Ans : (A)
91. On which one of the following rivers is ‘Tulbul’ Project located ?
(A) Chenab
(B) Ravi
(C) Beas
(D) Jhelum
Ans : (D)
92. Which one of the following is the actual source of the Son river ?
(A) Amarkantak in Shahdol district
(B) Son Muda in Shahdol district
(C) Son Bachharwar in Bilaspur district
(D) Mandla plateau
Ans : (A)
93. Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched ?
Nuclear Plant—Year of Commissioning
(A) Kota—1989
(B) Kakrapar—1984
(C) Kaiga—1999
(D) Kalpakkam—1995
Ans : (C)
94. Rubber industry in India is located at—
(A) Panjim
(B) Bangalore
(C) Puducherri
(D) Aurangabad
Ans : (B)
95. In March 2009 the BrahMos Missile was tested at—
(A) Pokharan
(B) Chandipur
(C) Cape Canveral
(D) Sri Harikota
Ans : (A)
96. The countries, which participated in Malabar-2009 exercises, were—
(A) China, England, Russia
(B) China, India, Russia
(C) India, USA, Japan
(D) Japan, England, USA
Ans : (C)
97. Three ‘Phalcon AWACS’ supplied by Israel were received in India for the first time in—
(A) March 2009
(B) April 2009
(C) May 2009
(D) February 2009
Ans : (C)
98. The winner of Nobel Peace Prize for 2008 is—
(A) Al Gore
(B) Muhammad Yunus
(C) Martti Ahtisaari
(D) Wangari Maathai
Ans : (C)
99. Who among the following has been chosen for ‘Hoover Medal’ in March 2009 for his
contribution to the upliftment of the poor and the rural people ?
(A) Sam Patroda
(B) A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
(C) M. S. Swaminathan
(D) Baba Amte
Ans : (B)
100. In April 2009, G-20 Summit was held in—
(A) Geneva
(B) London
(C) Paris
(D) Rome
Ans : (B)
101. India was represented in the Annual Meet of the World Economic Forum, held in Davos
(Switzerland) in January 2009, by—
(A) Manmohan Singh
(B) Kamal Nath
(C) P. Chidambaram
(D) Kapil Sibbal
Ans : (B)
102. The first woman to be the Speaker of Lok Sabha is—
(A) Vijay Lakshmi Pandit
(B) Sarojini Naidu
(C) Indira Gandhi
(D) Meira Kumar
Ans : (D)
103. Which movie has been given the Best Movie Award in 66th Golden Globe Awards ?
(A) Mall E
(B) Slumdog Millionaire
(C) The Dark Night
(D) The Reader
Ans : (B)
104. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?
Recent Padma Awardees—Awards
(A) Bhimsen Joshi– Bharat Ratna
(B) Abhinav Bindra – Padma Vibhushan
(C) Shekhar Gupta – Padma Bhushan
(D) Aishwarya Rai – Padma Shri
Ans : (B)
105. Who among the following won the best actor award in the awards ceremony of International
Indian Film Academy held at Macau ?
(A) Amitabh Bachchan
(B) Hritik Roshan
(C) Abhishek Bachchan
(D) Salman Khan
Ans : (B)
106. Where did Prime Minsiter Manmohan Singh, having taken charge of the new government
after 2009 elections, meet Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari for the first time ?
(A) Cairo
(B) London
(C) Shanghai
(D) Yekaterinburg
Ans : (D)
107. Which among the following countries attended as observers the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) Summit held on 16 June 2009 ?
1. Russia
2. India
3. Pakistan
4. Iran
Select the correct answer from the codes given below—
Codes :
(A) 1 and 2
(B) 2 and 3
(C) 3 and 4
(D) 2, 3 and 4
Ans : (D)
108. Name the player who has been awarded the 2008 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award ?
(A) Sachin Tendulkar
(B) Anil Kumble
(C) Gautam Gambhir
(D) M. S. Dhoni
Ans : (D)
109. The only Indian Gold Medal Winner in Olympic 2008 is—
(A) Sudesh Kumar
(B) Pankaj Advani
(C) Mahesh Bhupati
(D) Abhinav Bindra
Ans : (D)
110. The winner of Asia Cup Hockey Tournament, 2009 was—
(A) China
(B) Malaysia
(C) Pakistan
(D) South Korea
Ans : (D)
111. The winner State of 17th Senior National Women’s Football Championship held in March
2009, was—
(A) Manipur
(B) Nagaland
(C) Tamil Nadu
(D) West Bengal
Ans : (A)
112. The two games, which have been excluded from the Olympic Games to be held in 2012 in
London, are—
(A) Badminton and Table Tennis
(B) Basketball and Volleyball
(C) Tennis and Wrestling
(D) Softball and Baseball
Ans : (D)
113. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched ?
(A) Sushil Kumar—Wrestling
(B) Anand Pawar—Badminton
(C) Arjun Rao—Archery
(D) Pankaj Advani—Shooting
Ans : (D)
114. The captain of the Indian Hockey Team which won Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament,
2009 was—
(A) Dilip Tirkey
(B) Rajpal Singh
(C) Sandeep Singh
(D) V. Raghunath
Ans : (C)
115. Asia Cup Hockey Tournament was held in May 2009 in—
(A) India
(B) Malaysia
(C) South Korea
(D) UAE
Ans : (B)
116. In which of the following States the National Games, 2011 will be held ?
(A) Delhi
(B) Goa
(C) Maharashtra
(D) Rajasthan
Ans : (B)
117. A cropping system where crops are grown in the inter spaces between rows of planted trees
is called—
(A) Relay cropping
(B) Mixed cropping
(C) Inter-cropping
(D) Alley cropping
Ans : (D)
118. Application of gypsum is required more in the crop of—
(A) Paddy
(B) Berseem
(C) Wheat
(D) Groundnut
Ans : (A)
119. The upper limit of available water in soil is determined at—
(A) 1/3 bar
(B) 1/2 bar
(C) 2/3 bar
(D) 1 bar
Ans : (A)
120. The place of origin of red gram is—
(A) America
(B) India
(C) South Africa
(D) Egypt
Ans : (C)
121. University of Horticulture and Forestry is located at—
(A) Coimbatore
(B) Solan
(C) Palampur
(D) Pant Nagar
Ans : (B)
122. Heroin is obtained from—
(A) Indian hemp
(B) Opium poppy
(C) Tobacco
(D) Arecanut
Ans : (B)
123. The leading producer of soybean in India is—
(A) Chhattisgarh
(B) Madhya Pradesh
(C) Maharashtra
(D) Uttar Pradesh
Ans : (B)
124. ‘Varuna’ is a variety of—
(A) Mustard
(B) Linseed
(C) Sunflower
(D) Sesamum
Ans : (A)
125. Farming of cloves is done in—
(A) Kerala
(B) Karnataka
(C) Tamil Nadu
(D) Uttar Pradesh
Ans : (A)
126. Consider the following statements—
Assertion (A) : West Bengal is the leading producer of fish in India.
Reason (R) : West Bengal has well developed fishing industry along the sea coast.
Select the correct answer from the codes given below—
Codes :
(A) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
(B) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
(C) (A) is true, but (R) is false
(D) (A) is false, but (R) is true
Ans : (C)
127. In India the largest area under rice cultivation lies in the State of—
(A) Andhra Pradesh
(B) Orissa
(C) Uttar Pradesh
(D) West Bengal
Ans : (C)
128. The most popular sport goods come from—
(A) Ludhiana
(B) Jalandhar
(C) Kanpur
(D) Agra
Ans : (B)
129. Which bank became the first bank to open its branch in China ?
(A) IDBI Bank
(B) HDFC Bank
(C) State Bank of India
(D) Punjab National Bank
Ans : (C)
130. After the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines, the new entity is now known as—
(A) Indian Airways
(B) India Airlines
(C) Air India
(D) Indo-Air
Ans : (A)
131. Which sector got high rate of growth in its cooperative units ?
(A) Sugar
(B) Cotton textile
(C) Jute
(D) Cement
Ans : (B)
132. The headquarters of the World Bank are at—
(A) Manila
(B) Washington
(C) New York
(D) Geneva
Ans : (B)
133. Inside trading is related to—
(A) Share market
(B) Horse racing
(C) Taxation
(D) International trade
Ans : (A)
134. Mixed Economy means—
(A) Co-existence of small and large industries
(B) Co-existence of public and private sectors
(C) Co-existence of rich and poor
(D) Promoting both agriculture and industry in the economy
Ans : (B)
135. Diesel Locomotive engines are manufactured in India at—
(A) Chitranjan
(B) Jamshedpur
(C) Varanasi
(D) Chennai
Ans : (C)
136. Invisible Export means export of—
(A) Services
(B) Prohibited goods
(C) Unrecorded goods
(D) Goods through smuggling
Ans : (A)
137. The headquarters of World Trade Organization are at—
(A) Doha
(B) Geneva
(C) Rome
(D) New York
Ans : (B)
138. The city of Jaunpur was founded by—
(A) Muhammad Tughlaq
(B) Firoz Shah Tughlaq
(C) Ibrahim Shah Sharqi
(D) Sikandar Lodi
Ans : (B)
139. The density of population of Uttar Pradesh according to 2001 Census, is—
(A) 689 per square km
(B) 589 per square km
(C) 489 per square km
(D) 389 per square km
Ans : (A)
140. In U.P. which one of the following tribes has the highest population ?
(A) Saharia
(B) Tharu
(C) Agaria
(D) Mahigir
Ans : (B)
141. The State of Uttar Pradesh accounts for—
(A) 60 Lok Sabha seats
(B) 70 Lok Sabha seats
(C) 80 Lok Sabha seats
(D) 90 Lok Sabha seats
Ans : (C)
142. Obra Thermal Power Plant was established with the help of—
(A) Soviet Russia
(B) Japan
(C) Germany
(D) America
Ans : (A)
143. According to 2001 Census the female literacy percentage in U.P. is—
(A) 38•87
(B) 43•53
(C) 33•12
(D) 42•22
Ans : (D)
144. Which is the highest Dam in U.P. ?
(A) Mata-Tila
(B) Meja
(C) Rihand
(D) Ram-Ganga
Ans : (D)
145. In U.P. Uranium is available in the district of—
(A) Lalitpur
(B) Jhansi
(C) Mirjapur
(D) Hamirpur
Ans : (A)
146. Firozabad is famous for producing—
(A) Bangles
(B) Locks
(C) Knives
(D) Shoes
Ans : (A)
147. Which one of the following is not a folk song of U.P. ?
(A) Birha
(B) Dhola Maru
(C) Kajri
(D) Rasia
Ans : (B)
148. Syed Salar Fair is held at—
(A) Bahraich
(B) Mankapur
(C) Barabanki
(D) Khalilabad
Ans : (A)
149. In U.P. Urdu Training and Research Centre is situated in—
(A) Barabanki
(B) Bareilly
(C) Lucknow
(D) Rampur
Ans : (C)
150. Central Institute of Subtropical Horticulture is located at—
(A) Jhansi
(B) Saharanpur
(C) Lucknow
(D) Varanasi
Ans : (C)