Civil Rebellions and Tribal Uprisings

The backbone of the rebellions, their mass base and striking power came from the rack-rented peasants, ruined artisans and demobilized soldiers CAUSES The major cause of the civil rebellions was the rapid changes the British introduced in the economy, administration and land revenue system. The revenues were enhanced by increasing taxes. Thousands of zamindars and … Read more Civil Rebellions and Tribal Uprisings

Spread of Modern Education

1781: Hastings set up the Calcutta Madrasah for the study and teaching of Muslim law and related subjects 1791: Jonathan Duncan started a Sanskrit College at Varanasi for the study of Hindu law and philosophy. 1813: Charter of 1813 directed the Company to spend Rs. 1 lakh for promoting modern sciences in the country. This … Read more Spread of Modern Education

Administrative Organization of the British

Army Army fulfilled four important functions: Instrument to conquer Indian powers Defended the British Empire in India against foreign rivals Safe-guarded against internal revolt Chief instrument for extending and defending the British Empire in Asia and Africa. Bulk of the army consisted of Indians. In 1857, of the total strength of 311400, about 265900 were … Read more Administrative Organization of the British

India in the Eighteenth Century

Bahadur Shah 1 (1707-12) Muzam succeeded Aurungzeb after latter’s death in 1707 He acquired the title of Bahadur Shah. Though he was quite old (65) and his rule quite short there are many significant achievements he made He reversed the narrow minded and antagonistic policies of Aurungzeb Made agreements with Rajput states Granted sardeshmukhi to … Read more India in the Eighteenth Century

GPS Aided Geo Augmentation Navigation (GAGAN)

It is a planned implementation of Satellite Based Navigation System (SBNS) developed by Airports Authority of India (AAI) and ISRO. GAGAN is expected to provide a civil aeronautical navigation signal consistent with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices as established by the Global Navigation Satellite System Panel. GAGAN was launched in August … Read more GPS Aided Geo Augmentation Navigation (GAGAN)

Chandrayaan-1

Launch: October 22, 2008             Site: Satish Dhavan Space Centre, Sriharikota

The objectives of the programme were:

  1. To develop and orbit a spacecraft around moon using an Indian-made launch vehicle.
  2. To prepare a three-dimensional atlas of both the near and the far side of the moon.
  3. Chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface.
  4. To study the impact of Moon Impact Probe on the surface of the moon as a fore-runner to future soft landing missions.

NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) had on Chandrayaan-1 had detected water on the surface of moon. The mission was expected to last two years. However, the communication with the satellite was lost on 29 August 2009 and the mission was declared over. It lasted for 312 days and achieved 95 percent of its objectives.

Chandrayaan-1 was selected by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) as one of the recipients of its annual AIAA SPACE 2009 awards for contributions to space science and technology.

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Role and Functions of Reserve Bank of India

Role of RBI Pre-reform Post-reform Developmental Role: the developmental role has increased in view of the changing structure of the economy with a focus on SMEs and financial inclusion Priority Sector Lending: Introduced from 1974 with public sector banks. Extended to all commercial banks by 1992 In the revised guidelines for PSL the thrust is … Read more Role and Functions of Reserve Bank of India

Indian Agriculture- Current Status, Issues & initiatives.

Indian Agriculture Mainstay of Indian Economy Since independence, undergone a change from being the sector contributing the highest share to the GDP to one contributing the lowest share. Agriculture is a state subject. GDP contribution (Agriculture and allied sector) 5 pc in 1950-51 7 pc in 2008-09 and 14.6 pc in 2009-10. It was 19 … Read more Indian Agriculture- Current Status, Issues & initiatives.

Salient features of Architecture – Forts and Monuments

The architecture of Rajasthan is mainly based on the Rajput school of architecture which was a blend of the Hindu and Mughal structural design. The stupendous forts, the intricately carved temples and the grand havelis of the state are integral parts of the architectural heritage of the state. The Rajputs were prolific builders. Some of … Read more Salient features of Architecture – Forts and Monuments

Fundamental Rights

Fundamental Rights Discrimination not on grounds only of Art 15: religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth Art 16: religion, race, caste, sex, descent, place of birth, residence Reservation First Backward Classes Commission: 1953, Kaka Kalelkar Second BCC: 1979, B P Mandal (by Morarji Desai govt) Article 340 Reasonable Restrictions Speech and Expression: sovereignty and … Read more Fundamental Rights