POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN INDIA

Overview Poverty is widespread in India. India has about 33% of the world’s poor 42% of India’s population falls below the poverty line (BPL) of $1.25 per day, having reduced from 60% in 1980 Over the past decades the Government has initiated multiple poverty alleviation programmes that have helped substantially reduce poverty, prevent famines and increase literacy in the country National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) Launched 2006 The NREGA aims at two objectives: employment and rural development Provides a legal guarantee for employment of 100 days every year to adult members of rural households, who are willing...

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CHEMISTRY: SOAPS AND DETERGENTS

About soaps Soaps are anionic surfactants used for washing and cleaning. Surfactants are wetting agents that lower the surface tension of a liquid Soaps consist of sodium or potassium salts of fatty acids. They are obtained by reacting common oils or fats with a strong alkaline solution The earliest recorded evidence for use of soap is from Babylon c. 2800 BC Mode of action Soap molecules have both a hydrophilic end and a hydrophobic end The hydrophilic end dissolves in water, while the hydrophobic end dissolves dirt and oil molecules As a result, although water and oil don’t mix, soaps allow oil to dissolve in water, allowing them to be...

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PSLV C16: A great launch for ISRO

The new rocket launched today by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) comes with three satellites and costs Rs. 230 crores. One of the satellites - the ResourceSat-2 will help map forests glaciers, and monitor crop yields.   But is this what India really needs? Experts point out that India already has the largest constellation of 10 civilian remote sensing satellites in the world. And the government's auditor has reported that almost 90% of the photographs and images delivered by ISRO's satellites are not used. Many of these images are...

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General Studies - ROAD NETWORKS IN INDIA

ROAD NETWORKS IN INDIA Overview With over 3.3 million km of roadways, India has the third largest road network in the world (behind USA and China) India has about 65,500 km of National Highways, 130,000 km of State Highways and 4.67 million km of District Roads and 2.65 million km of rural and urban roads India has the highest density of highways in the world (0.66 km of highway per sq km of territory) India’s road networks carry nearly 65% of freight traffic and 85% of passenger traffic in the country Traffic on roads is growing at about 7-10% per annum while number of vehicles is growing about 12% per annum Grand Trunk Road The Grand...

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Some facts about FORESTS

Overview Forests are areas with a high density of trees Forests cover approximately 9.4% of the Earth’s surface i.e. about 30% of total land area, although they used to cover as much as 50% of land area Forests are differentiated from woodland by the extent of canopy coverage: in forests, the foliage of trees meet and interlock while in woodlands there is enough gap between trees allowing sunlight to penetrate to the ground Forests are one of the most important aspects of the Earth’s biosphere The functions of forests includeHabitat for organisms Hydrologic flow modulation Soil conservation Human factors affecting forest sustenance...

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EARLY MUSLIM CONQUESTS IN INDIA

Overview Muslim conquests in India started in the 12th century. However, periodical raids into India started as early as the 7th century The earliest Muslim foray into India occurred in 664 CE by Al Muhallab ibn Abi Suffrah, the governor of Khorasan (Iran) under the Ummayad Caliphate Invasions into India were carried out from the northwest over a period of centuries by Arabs, Turkic, Mongol and Turco-Mongol peoples Impact of Muslim conquests The presence of Islamic governments from Spain/Morocco to Indonesia facilitated trade and enabled the establishment of a common legal system Ceramic tiles were...

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A Deep Insight Into "JAN LOKPAL BILL"

In India, the Jan Lokpal Bill (Citizen's ombudsman Bill) is a draft anti-corruption bill that would create a Jan Lokpal, an independent body like the Election Commission, which would have the power to prosecute politicians and bureaucrats without government permission. The bill was drafted by Shanti Bhushan, former IPS Kiran Bedi, Justice N. Santosh Hegde, advocate Prashant Bhushan, former chief election commissioner J. M. Lyngdoh in consultation with the leaders of the India Against Corruption movement and the civil society. The bill proposes institution of the office of Lokpal (Ombudsman) at center and Lok Ayukta at state level. The Jan...

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