India at A Glance

India at a glance
A blend of the traditional and the modern, India is one of the oldest civilizations and the world's largest democracy. It is home to 1 billion-plus people professing various faiths and speaking in different tongues. But what binds them together is a sense of 'Indianness' which is hard to define, but could be sensed instinctively amid all this mind-boggling diversity. A vibrant multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-faith society, India is seen by many as a model pluralistic society based on its twin ethos of tolerance and mutual respect. Comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories, India is home to all major religions of the world. But the state makes no distinction between them, allowing each Indian citizen constitutional guarantees to pursue freedom in the broadest sense - freedom of expression and freedom to pursue the religion of one's choice. This dazzling diversity has spawned a unique composite culture and created an unmatched reservoir of talent and enterprise in the country. People are India's greatest resource and strength. And it can be seen in all-encompassing socioeconomic progress this nation has made during the last 61 years of its independence. The world has taken note and has been generous with its praise of the India Growth Story. Small wonder, India is now seen as an emerging Asian power and an important participant in the ongoing search for global solutions to global problems ranging from terrorism and poverty eradication to climate change and energy security. India has become self-sufficient in agricultural production and is now the tenth industrialised country in the world. It is the sixth nation to have gone into outer space, not to militarise it, but to create a better life for its people. Anybody coming to India for the first time or wishing to know it better will be struck by its sheer size and diversity. The country is spread over an area of 32,87,2631 square km, extending from the snow-covered Himalayan heights to the tropical rain forests of the south. As the 7th largest country in the world, India stands apart from the rest of Asia, marked off as it is by mountains and the sea, which give the country a distinct geographical entity. Bound by the Great Himalayas in the north, it stretches southwards and at the Tropic of Cancer, tapers off into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal on the east and the Arabian Sea on the west. GEOGRAPHY: Location: India, with an area of 3.3 million sq. km, is a subcontinent. The peninsula is separated from mainland Asia by the Himalayas. The country lies between 8 4' and 37 6' north of the Equator and is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean to the south. The mainland comprises four regions, namely the great mountain zone, plains of the Ganga and the Indus, the desert region, and the southern peninsula. The Himalayas form the highest mountain range in the world, extending 2,500 km over northern India. Bound by the Indus river in the west and the Brahmaputra in the east, the three parallel ranges, the Himadri, Himachal and Shivaliks have deep canyons gorged by the rivers flowing into the Gangetic plain. Indian Standard Time GMT + 05:30 Area 3.3 Million sq. km Telephone Country Code +91 Border: Countries Afghanistan and Pakistan to the north-west; China, Bhutan and Nepal to the north; Myanmar to the east; and Bangladesh to the east of West Bengal. Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea, formed by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar. Coastline: 7,516.6 km encompassing the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Climate: The climate of India can broadly be classified as a tropical one. But, in spite of much of the northern part of India lying beyond the tropical zone, the entire country has a tropical climate marked by relatively high temperatures and dry winters. There are four seasons: Winter (December-February) Summer (March-June) South-west monsoon season (June-September) Post monsoon season (October-November) River Systems The rivers may be classified as follows: (a) the Himalayan, (b) the Deccan, (c) the coastal and (d) the rivers of the inland drainage basin. The Himalayan rivers are generally snow-fed and flow throughout the year. During the monsoon months (June to September), the Himalayas receive very heavy rainfall and the rivers carry the maximum amount of water, causing frequent floods. The Deccan rivers are generally rain-fed and, therefore, fluctuate greatly in volume. A very large number of them are non-perennial. The coastal rivers, specially on the west coast, are short and have limited catchment areas. Most of these are non-perennial as
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well. The rivers on the inland drainage basin are few and ephemeral. They drain towards individual basins or salt lakes like the Sambhar or are lost in the sands, having no outlet to the sea. Natural Resources: Coal, iron ore, manganese ore, mica, bauxite, petroleum, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, magnesite, limestone, arable land, dolomite, barytes, kaolin, gypsum, apatite, phosphorite, steatite, fluorite, etc. Natural Hazards: Monsoon floods, flash floods, earthquakes, droughts, and landslides. PEOPLE: India is a country with probably the largest and most diverse mixture of races. All five major racial types - Australoid, Mongoloid, Europoid, Caucasian and Negroid - find representation among the people of India, who are mainly a mixed race. The people of India belong to diverse ethnic groups. At various periods of India's long history, successive waves of settlers and invaders, including the Aryans, Parthians, Greeks and Central Asians, came into the country and merged with the local population. This explains the variety of racial types, cultures and languages in India. Nationality: Indian POPULATION Indias population as on 1 March 2001 stood at 1,028 million (532.1 million males and 496.4 million females). India accounts for a meagre 2.4 per cent of the world surface area of 135.79 million sq km. Yet, it supports and sustains a whopping 16.7 per cent of the world population. The population of India, which at the turn of the twentieth century was around 238.4 million, increased to 1,028 million at the dawn of the twenty-first century. The population of India as recorded at each decennial census from 1901 has grown steadily except for a decrease during 1911-21. POPULATION DENSITY One of the important indices of population concentration is the density of population. It is defined as the number of persons per sq km. The population density of India in 2001 was 324 per sq km. The density of population increased in all States and Union Territories between 1991 and 2001. Among major states, West Bengal is still the most thickly populated state with a population density of 903 in 2001. Bihar is now the second highest densely populated state pushing Kerala to the third place. Ranking of the States and Union Territories by density is shown in table 1.3. LITERACY For the purpose of the Census 2001, a person aged seven and above, who can both read and write in any language, is treated as literate. A person, who can only read but cannot write, is not literate. In the censuses prior to 1991, children below five years of age were necessarily treated as illiterates. The results of 2001 census reveal that there has been an increase in literacy in the country. The literacy rate in the country is 64.84 per cent, 75.26 for males and 53.67 for females. Population Growth Rate: The average annual exponential growth rate stands at 1.93 per cent during 1991-2001. Birth Rate: The Crude Birth Rate according to the 2001 census is 24.8 Death Rate: The Crude Death Rate according to the 2001 census is 8.9 Life Expectancy Rate: 63.9 years (Males); 66.9 years (Females) (As of Sep 2005) Languages India has about 15 major languages and 844 different dialects. Hindi, spoken by about 45 per cent of the population, is the national language. English has also been retained as a language for official communication. GOVERNMENT Country Name: Republic of India; Bharat Ganrajya Government Type: Sovereign Socialist Democratic Republic with a parliamentary system of Government. Capital: New Delhi Administrative Divisions: 28 States and 7 Union Territories. Independence: August 15, 1947 (From British Colonial Rule) Constitution: The Constitution of India came into force on 26th January 1950. Legal System: The Constitution of India is the source of the legal system in the Country. Executive Branch: The President of India is the head of the state, while the Prime Minister is the head of the government, and runs it with the support of the council of ministers, who form the cabinet. Legislative Branch: The Indian legislature is a bi-cameral one, comprising the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and
the Rajya Sabha (Council of States). Judicial Branch: The Supreme Court of India is the apex body of the Indian legal system, followed by other High Courts and subordinate courts. National Flag : The National Flag is a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron at the top, white in the middle, and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. At the centre of the white band is a navy blue wheel, which is a representation of the Ashoka Chakra at Sarnath. National Days: 26th January (Republic Day) 15th August (Independence Day) 2nd October (Gandhi Jayanti; Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday) Religions: According to the 2001 census, out of the total population of 1.028 million in the country, Hindus constituted the majority with 80.5%, Muslims came second at 13.4%, followed by Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and others. Hinduism: The Hindu religion had its origin in the concepts of the early Aryans who came to India more than 4,000 years ago. It is not merely a religion but also a philosophy and a way of life. It does not originate in the teachings of any one prophet or holy book. It respects other religions, and does not attempt to seek converts. It teaches the immortality of the human soul, and three principal paths to ultimate union of the individual soul with the all pervasive spirit. The essence of the Hindu faith is embodied in the Bhagavad Gita, a philosophical poem that never ceases to surprise readers with new insights into life and man's fate in the world. "He who considers this(self) as a slayer or he who thinks that this(self) is slain, neither knows the Truth. For it does not slay, nor is it slain. This (self) is unborn, eternal, changeless, ancient, it is never destroyed even when the body is destroyed," says a verse in the Gita. Jainism and Buddhism: In the sixth century before Christ, Mahavira propagated Jainism. His message was asceticism, austerity and non-violence. At about the same time, Buddhism came into being. Gautama Buddha, a prince, renounced the world and gained enlightenment. He preached that "nirvana" was to be attained through the conquest of self. Buddha's teachings in time spread to China and some other countries of South-East Asia. Islam: Arab traders brought Islam to South India in the seventh century. After them came the Afghans and the Mughals. Akbar, seen as the most enlightened Mughal emperor, almost succeeded in founding a new religion Din-e-Elahi, based on a blend of different religions including Hinduism and Islam, but it failed to find many adherents. Islam has flourished in India through the centuries. Muslim citizens have occupied some of the highest positions in the country since independence in 1947. India today is the second largest Muslim country in the world, next only to Indonesia. Sikhism: Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism in the 15th century, stressed the unity of God and the brotherhood of man. Sikhism, with its affirmation of God as the one supreme truth and its ideals of discipline and spiritual striving, soon won many followers. It was perhaps possible only in this hospitable land that two religions as diverse as Hinduism and Islam could come together in a third, namely Sikhism. Christianity: Christianity reached India not long after Christ's own lifetime, with the arrival of St. Thomas, the Apostle. The Syrian Christian Church in southern India traces its roots to the visit of St. Thomas. With the arrival of St. Francis Xavier in 1542, the Roman Catholic faith was established in India. Today, Christians of several denominations practice their faith freely. Zoroastrianism: In the days of the old Persian empire, Zoroastrianism was the dominant religion in West Asia. In the form of Mithraism, it spread over vast areas of the Roman Empire, as far as Britain. After the Islamic conquest of Iran, a few intrepid Zoroastrians left their homeland and sought refuge in India. The first group is said to have reached Diu in about 766 A.D. Their total world population probably does not exceed 130,000. With the exception of some 10,000 in Iran, almost all of them live in India. The vast majority of Parsis are concentrated in Mumbai. The Parsis excel in industry and commerce, and contribute richly to the intellectual and artistic life of the nation. Judaism: The Jewish contact with the Malabar coast in Kerala, dates back to 973 BC when King Solomon's merchant fleet began trading for spices and other fabled treasures. Scholars say that the Jews first settled in Cranganore, soon after the Babylonian conquest of Judea in 586 BC. The immigrants were well received and a Hindu king granted to Joseph Rabban, a Jewish leader, a title and a principality. National Symbols STATE EMBLEM The state emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. In the original, there are four lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the Capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dharma Chakra). In the state emblem, adopted by the Government of India on 26 January 1950, only three lions are visible, the fourth
being hidden from view. The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the abacus with a bull on right and a horse on left and the outlines of other wheels on extreme right and left. The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted. The words Satyameva Jayate from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning 'Truth Alone Triumphs', are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script. NATIONAL ANTHEM The song Jana-gana-mana, composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly as the National Anthem of India on 24 January 1950. It was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Kolkata Session of the Indian National Congress. The complete song consists of five stanzas. (As published in Volume Eight of Sri Aurobindo Birth Centenary Library, Popular Edition 1972) Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya he Bharata-bhagya-vidhata. Punjab-Sindh-Gujarat-Maratha Dravida-Utkala-Banga Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga Uchchala-Jaladhi-taranga. Tava shubha name jage, Tava shubha asisa mange, Gahe tava jaya gatha, Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he Bharata-bhagya-vidhata. Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he, Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he! Playing time of the full version of the national anthem is approximately 52 seconds. A short version consisting of the first and last lines of the stanza (playing time approximately 20 seconds) is also played on certain occasions. The following is Rabindranath Tagores English rendering of the anthem : Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people, Dispenser of Indias destiny. Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sind, Gujarat and Maratha, Of the Dravida and Orissa and Bengal; It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas, mingles in the music of Jamuna and Ganges and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea. They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise. The saving of all people waits in thy hand, Thou dispenser of Indias destiny. Victory, victory, victory to thee. NATIONAL SONG The song Vande Mataram, composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterji, was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom. It has an equal status with Jana-gana-mana. The first political occasion when it was sung was the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. The following is the text of its first stanza :Vande Mataram! Sujalam, suphalam, malayaja shitalam, Shasyashyamalam, Mataram! Shubhrajyotsna pulakitayaminim, Phullakusumita drumadala shobhinim, Suhasinim sumadhura bhashinim, Sukhadam varadam, Mataram! The English translation of the stanza rendered by Sri Aurobindo in prose is : I bow to thee, Mother, richly-watered, richly-fruited, cool with the winds of the south, dark with the crops of the harvests,
The Mother! Her nights rejoicing in the glory of the moonlight, her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in flowering bloom, sweet of laughter, sweet of speech, The Mother, giver of boons, giver of bliss. NATIONAL CALENDAR The national calendar based on the Saka Era, with Chaitra as its first month and a normal year of 365 days, was adopted from 22 March 1957 along with the Gregorian calendar for the following official purposes: (i) Gazette of India, (ii) news broadcast by All India Radio, (iii) calendars issued by the Government of India and (iv) Government communications addressed to members of the public. Dates of the national calendar have a permanent correspondence with dates of the Gregorian calendar, 1 Chaitra falling on 22 March normally and on 21 March in leap year. NATIONAL ANIMAL The magnificent tiger, Panthera tigris, a striped animal is the national animal of India. It has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes. The combination of grace, strength, ability and enormous power has earned the tiger its pride of place as the national animal of India. Out of eight races of the species known, the Indian race, the Royal Bengal Tiger, is found throughout the country except in the north-western region, and also in neighbouring countries, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. NATIONAL BIRD
The Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus, the national bird of India, is a colourful, swansized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck. The male of the species is more colourful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green tail of around 200 elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male and lacks the tail. NATIONAL FLOWER Lotus (Nelumbo Nucipera Gaertn) is the National Flower of India. It is a sacred flower and occupies a unique position in the art and mythology of ancient India, and has been an auspicious symbol of Indian culture since time immemorial. NATIONAL TREE The Banyan Tree (Ficus benghalensis) is the National Tree of India. This huge tree towers over its neighbours and has the widest reaching roots of all known trees, easily covering several acres. NATIONAL FRUIT Mango (Manigifera indica) is the National fruit of India. Mango is one of the most widely grown fruits of the tropical countries. In India, mango is cultivated almost in all parts, with the exception of hilly areas. Mango is a rich source of Vitamins A, C and D. In India, we have hundreds of varieties of mangoes. They are of different sizes, shapes and colours. FLORA With a wide range of climatic conditions from the torrid to the arctic, India has a rich and varied vegetation, which only a few countries of comparable size possess. India can be divided into eight distinct-floristic-regions, namely, the western Himalayas, the eastern Himalayas, Assam, the Indus plain, the Ganga plain, the Deccan, Malabar and the Andamans. The Western Himalayan region extends from Kashmir to Kumaon. Its temperate zone is rich in forests of chir, pine, other conifers and broad-leaved temperate trees. Higher up, forests of deodar, blue pine, spruce and silver fir occur. The alpine zone extends from the upper limit of the temperate zone of about 4,750 metres or even higher. The characteristic trees of this zone are high-level silver fir, silver birch and junipers. The eastern Himalayan region extends from Sikkim eastwards and embraces Darjeeling, Kurseong and the adjacent tract. The temperate zone has forests of oaks, laurels, maples, rhododendrons, alder and birch. Many conifers, junipers and dwarf willows also occur here. The Assam region comprises the Brahamaputra and the Surma valleys with evergreen forests, occasional thick clumps of bamboos and tall grasses. The Indus plain region comprises the plains of Punjab, western Rajasthan and northern
Gujarat. It is dry and hot and supports natural vegetation. The Ganga plain region covers the area which is alluvial plain and is under cultivation for wheat, sugarcane and rice. Only small areas support forests of widely differing types. The Deccan region comprises the entire table land of the Indian Peninsula and supports vegetation of various kinds from scrub jungles to mixed deciduous forests. The Malabar region covers the excessively humid belt of mountain country parallel to the west coast of the Peninsula. Besides being rich in forest vegetation, this region produces important commercial corps, such as coconut, betelnut, pepper, coffee and tea, rubber and cashewnut. The Andaman region abounds in evergreen, mangrove, beach and diluvial forests. The Himalayan region extending from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh through Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Meghalaya and Nagaland and the Deccan Peninsula is rich in endemic flora, with a large number of plants which are not found elsewhere. India is rich in flora. Available data place India in the tenth position in the world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity. From about 70 per cent geographical area surveyed so far, over 46,000 species of plants have been described by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Kolkata. The vascular flora, which forms the conspicuous vegetation cover, comprises 15,000 species. The flora of the country is being studied by BSI and its nine circle/field offices located throughout the country along with certain universities and research institutions. Ethno-botanical study deals with the utilisation of plants and plant products by ethnic races. A scientific study of such plants has been made by BSI. A number of detailed ethno-botanical explorations have been conducted in different tribal areas of the country. More than 800 plant species of ethno-botanical interest have been collected and identified at different centres. Owing to destruction of forests for agricultural, industrial and urban development, several Indian plants are facing extinction. About 1,336 plant species are considered vulnerable and endangered. About 20 species of higher plants are categorised as possibly extinct as these have not been sighted during the last 6-10 decades. BSI brings out an inventory of endangered plants in the form of a publication titled Red Data Book. FAUNA The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), with its headquarters in Kolkata and 16 regional stations, is responsible for surveying the faunal resources of India. Possessing a tremendous diversity of climate and physical conditions, India has great variety of fauna numbering over 89,000 species. Of these, protista number 2,577, mollusca 5,070, anthropoda 68,389, amphibia 209, mammalia 390, reptilia 456, members of protochordata 119, pisces 2,546, aves 1,232 and other invertebrates 8,329. The mammals include the majestic elephant, the gaur or Indian bisonthe largest of existing bovines, the great Indian rhinoceros, the gigantic wild sheep of the Himalayas, the swamp deer, the thamin spotted deer, nilgai, the four-horned antelope, the Indian antelope or black-buck the only representatives of these genera. Among the cats, the tiger and lion are the most magnificent of all; other splendid creatures such as the clouded leopard, the snow leopard, the marbled cat, etc., are also found. Many other species of mammals are remarkable for their beauty, colouring, grace and uniqueness. Several birds, like pheasants, geese, ducks, mynahs, parakeets, pigeons, cranes, hornbills and sunbirds inhabit forests and wetlands. Rivers and lakes harbour crocodiles and gharials, the latter being the only representative of crocodilian order in the world. The salt water crocodile is found along the eastern coast and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A project for breeding crocodiles which started in 1974, has been instrumental in saving the crocodile from extinction. The great Himalayan range has a very interesting variety of fauna that includes the wild sheep and goats, markhor, ibex, shrew and tapir. The panda and the snow leopard are found in the upper reaches of the mountains. The depletion of vegetative cover due to expansion of agriculture, habitat destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, introduction of toxic imbalance in community structure, epidemics, floods, droughts and cyclones, contribute to the loss of flora and fauna. More than 39 species of mammals, 72 species of birds, 17 species of reptiles, three species of amphibians, two species of fish and a large number of butterflies, moth and beetles are considered vulnerable and endangered. (Source: India 2009, Ministry of Environment, Planning Commission, Ministry of Health, Press Information Bureau, Census of India, Ministry of External Affairs, Union Budget, Reserve Bank of India, India 2005 - A Reference Annual, www.indiainbusiness.nic.in)
Facts About India

1. India is the seventh largest country in the world in terms of area. 2. Indian mainland extends between latitudes 8 degree 4' and 37 degree 6' north, longitudes 68 degree 7' and 97 degree 25' east and measures about 3,214 km from north to south between the extreme latitudes and about 2,933 km from east to west between the extreme longitudes. 3. India has land frontier of about 15,200 km. The total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands and Andaman and Nicobar Islands is 7,516.6 km. 4. Countries having common border with India are: Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea formed by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar. 5. Aravalli, Vindhya, Satpura, Maikala and Ajanta are prominent hill ranges that lie between the Peninsular India and the plains of Ganga. 6. The Eastern and Western Ghats meet at the southern part of the Indian Peninsula which is formed by the Nilgiri Hills. . 7. Ghagra, Gomti, Gandak, Kosi and Yamuna are the major Himalayan rivers that join the Ganga. Chambal, Betwa and Sone are major rivers flowing north from central India that join Yamuna/Ganga. 8. After Ganga, Godavari has the second largest basin covering 10 per cent of the area of India. Next to it is Krishna, followed by the Mahanadi basin. 9. The climate of India can be described as Tropical monsoon type. 10. India is in tenth position in the world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity. 11. Botanical Survey of India, (BSI), Kolkata is the nodal agency that is studying the flora of the country. BSI brings out an inventory of the endangered plants in the form of a publication titled "Red Data Book". 12. The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata and its 16 regional stations are responsible for surveying the faunal resources of India. 13. India has a great variety of fauna, numbering 89,451 species. 14. The design of the National Flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on July 22,1947. 15. The State emblem of India is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capitol of Ashoka. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the Capitol is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dizaram Chakra). There are four lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion, separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus. 16. In the State emblem, adopted on January 26,1950, only three lions are visible. The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted. The words, Satyameva Jayate, from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning 'truth alone triumphs', are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagiri script. 17. The song Jana-gana-mana, composed by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly, as the National Anthem of India, on January 24, 1950. It was first sung on December 27, 1911, at the Calcutta session of Indian National Congress. The complete song consists of five stanzas. The first stanza contains the full version of the National Anthem. 18. The national calendar of India is based on the Saka Era, with Chaitra as its first month. A normal year of 365 days was adopted from March 22, 1957, along with the Gregorian Calendar for the following purposes: (1) Gazette of India; (2) news broadcast by All India Radio; (3) calendars issued by Government of India; and (4) Government communications addressed to the members of the public. 19. Agriculture sector of India contributes 25 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and about 70 per cent of the population is dependent on it. 20. There are three main crop seasons in India, namely, kharif, rabi and summer.' 21. Major kharif crops are: rice, jowar, bajra, maize, cotton, sugarcane, soyabean, and groundnut. 22. Major rabi crops are: wheat, barley, gram, linseed, rapeseed, and mustard. Rice, maize and groundnut are grown in summer season also. 23. In Indian agriculture, oilseeds are next to food grains in area coverage, production and value. India is,one of the largest oilseeds growing countries, contributing about 15 per cent to the acreage under oilseeds in the world. 24. The Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, set up a Technology Mission on Oilseeds in May 1986 with the objective to increase the production of oilseeds, reduce the import of edible oils and to achieve self-sufficiency in edible oils.
25. India is the third largest producer and consumer of fertilizers in the world, after China and USA. It contributes to 9.5 per cent of world production and 10.6 per cent of world consumption of NPK nutrients, but sustains one-sixth of the world population. 26. The National Biofertiliser Development Centre is located at Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Its six regional centres are located at .labalpur, Nagpur, Bangalore, Bhubaneshwar, Hissar and Imphal. 27. The Central Fertiliser Quality Control and Training Institute is located in Faridabad, Haryana. Its three regional centres are located at Mumbai, Chennai and Kalyani. 28. India accounts for about 10 per cent of the production of fruits in the world. 29. Mango is the most important fruit produced in India, covering about 39 per cent of the total area used for fruit production and accounting for 23 per cent of total fruit production of India. 30. India occupies first position in the total production of banana in the world. 31. India is next only to China in the area and production of vegetables. India contributes about 13 per cent of the world vegetable production and occupies first position in production of cauliflowers, second in onion and third in cabbage in the world. 32. India is the largest producer, processor, consumer and exporter of cashew nut in the world. India produces 45 per cent of the global production of cashew. 33. The Centrally-sponsored scheme of soil conservation in the catchments of River Valley Project (RVP) was started in the third Five-year Plan. Another scheme of FloodProne Rivers (FPR) was started in the sixth Plan. Both the schemes were clubbed during the ninth Plan and further subsumed under Macro Management Mode in November 2000. 34. The Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) is located in Jodhpur. 35. Seed sector in India consists of two national level corporations: National Seed Corporation (NSC) and State Farm Corporation of India (SFCI). The Seeds Act, 1966 provides for the legislative framework for regulation of quality of seeds sold in India. 36. The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC) launched a Central Sector Scheme during the ninth Plan to make available seeds for any contingent situation arising out of natural calamity. 37. Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI) advises the Central and State governments on agricultural marketing policies and programmes. It is located in Faridabad, Haryana. 38. The National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM) is located in Jaipur. 39. Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institutes are located at Budni (Madhya Pradesh), Hissar (Haryana), Garladinne (Andhra Pradesh) and Biswanath Chariali (Assam). 40. India accounts for 57 per cent of the world's buffalo population and 15 per cent of the cattle population. India possesses 27 acknowledged indigenous breeds of cattle and 7 breeds of buffaloes. 41. The present availability of animal protein in an Indian diet is 10 gm per person per day, as against a world average of 25 gm. 42. India is the largest producer of milk in the world and ranks fifth in egg production. 43. Central Sheep Breeding Farm is located in Hissar. 44. Reishi or Ling Zhi is a medicinal mushroom which has been successfully grown in India. 45. For rehabilitation of calcareous soils Tamarix articulate, Acadia nilotica, Prosopis Juliflora, Eucalyptus tereticornis, Acacia tortills, Cassia siamea and Feronia limonia have been found promising for plantation with furrow planting methods in arid and semi-arid regions. Salvadora persica proved the ideal species for soil and water management in saline black soils. 46. Karzat 4, Indryani, Panvel 2, Palgarh 1 and 2 are names of various rice varieties sown in India. 47. Kankrej, Ponwar, Gangatiri and Kherigah are names of various cattle breeds in India. 48. Jalauni, Kheri, Mandya, Hassan and Mecheri are names of various sheep breeds of India. 49. C-ELISA is an indigenously developed kit for rinderpest which has been validated by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna. 50. Feedbase-2001 is a data base that provides information on feed resources and feed balance sheet. 51. Okara is a by-product of soymilk. 52. Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan is located in Almora, Uttaranchal. 53. The Lalit Kala Academy (National Academy of Fine Arts) is located in New Delhi. It has regional centres, called Rashtriya Lalit Kala Kendras, located at Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Garhi(New Delhi) and Bhubaneswar. 54. Bharata Natyam is a dance form of Tamil Nadu. Kathakali is a dance form of Kerala. Kathak is a classical dance form revitalised as a result of Mughal influence on Indian culture. Manipuri is a dance form of Manipur, while
Kuchipudi owes its origin to Andhra Pradesh. Odissi, once practised as temple dance, has its origins in Orissa. 55. Kathak Kendra, Delhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, Imphal, are training institutes run by Sangeet Natak Academy, the National Academy of. Music, Dance and Drama. The Academy also supports training programmes in Chhau dance of Mayurbhanj and Seraikella, as also Koodiyattam of Kerala. 56. The National School of Drama (NSD) is one of the foremost theatre institutions in the world and the only one of its kind in India. It was set up by Sangeet Natak Academy in 1959 and in 1975 it became an autonomous organization. 57. The Theatre-in education Company (renamed as Sanskar Rang Toli was founded by NSD in 1989. Since 1998, NSD has organized National Theatre Festival for Children, christened Jashne Bachpan, every year. 58. The first-ever National Theatre Festival, christened Bharat Rang Mahotsav, was held in March-April, 1999 to commemorate the 50th year of India's Independence. 59. Sahitya Academy has its Head Office in New Delhi. Besides, it has four offices in Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. It also has four translation centres at Bangalore, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Kolkata, besides a project office at Vadodra for promotion of oral and tribal literature and an Archives of Indian literature. It also maintains a multilingual library at New Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata, stocking books in over 25 languages. 60. The highest honour conferred by Sahitya Academy on a writer is by electing him/her its Fellow. The honour is limited to 21 at any given moment. 61. The Sahitya Academy holds a 'Festival of Letters' every year, usually in February. 62. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) functions as an attached office of the Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and Culture. 63. The National Museum was established on August 15, 1949 in the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.It was formally inaugurated on December 18, 1960 on its present premises. 64. The National Council of Science Museums is located in Kolkata. 65. The Allahabad Museum is famous for its collection of Bharhut, Bhumara and Jamsot sculptors and for the terracotta from Kausumbi, Bhita, Jhusi, Patliputra, Sarnath, Rajghat and Ahichhatra. The Museum also has paraphernalia and family heirlooms of Nehrus, including manuscripts of' An Autobiography' by J.L. Nehru. 66. The National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLC) is located in Lucknow. 67. The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) was founded in 1954 to promote and develop contemporary Indian Art. 68. The National Archives of India (NAI), New Delhi, known until independence as Imperial Record Department, was originally established in Kolkata in March 1891. It is the official custodian of all non-current records of permanent / value to the government of India and its predecessor bodies. It has a regional office at Bhopal and three record centres at Bhubaneswar, ]aipur and Pondicherry. 69. Marine Archeology Centre has been established in the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa. Major exploration are being undertaken in the waters of ancient Dwarka, Poompuhar waters (Tamil Nadu) and around Lakshadweep. 70. National Library, Kolkata serves as a permanent repository of all reading and information material produced in India, as well.as printed material written by Indians and concerning India written by foreigners, wherever published and in whatever language. 71. Under the Delivery of Books and Newspapers (Public Libraries) Act, 1954, four libraries-National Library, Kolkata, Central Library, Mumbai, Connemara Public Library, Chennai, and Delhi Public Library, Delhi-are entitled to receive a copy of new books and magazines published in the counuy. 72. Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna has a rich collection of over 20,000 'Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Turkish, Pali and Sanskrit manuscripts. 73. The Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji's Saraswati Mahal (TMSSM) Library, Thanjavur is one of the few medieval libraries that exist in the world. 74. The Rampur Raza Library, housed in Hamid Manzil in the fort of Rampur, is a treasure house of Indo Islamic learning and art. 75. Asiatic Society in Kolkata was founded by Sir William Jones in 1784, with the objective of inquiring into the history, science, arts and literature of Asia. 76. The Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies is located in Varanasi. It was established with the objective of preservation of Tibetan culture and tradition, restoration of ancient Indian literature preserved in Tibetan language and to provide higher education in Buddhist studies. 77. The Central Institute of Buddhist Studies is located, in Leh.
78. The Sikkim Research Institute of Tibetology is located in Sikkim. It has done significant work in promoting research in CHHO (Tibetan for Dharma). 79. Anthropological Survey of India is located in Kolkata. 80. Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sanghrahalaya (National Museum of Mankind) is located in Bhopal. It is dedicated to the depiction of an integrated story of humankind in global perspective, with special focus on India. 81. The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) has its headquarters in New Delhi and two regional Centres at Udaipur and Hyderabad. 82. With the aim of projecting in India cultural kinships transcending territorial boundaries, seven zonal cultural centres have been established at Patiala, Kolkata, Thanjavur, Udaipur, Allahabad, Dimapur and Nagpur. 83. Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is a premier national institute engaged in the pursuit of knowledge on arts and culture. It is also the nodal agency for the setting up of a national data bank on arts, humanities and cultural heritage. 84. Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti has been set up primarily to maintain and look after the national memorial where Gandhiji was assassinated, now called Gandhi Smriti, and a permanent photo exhibition at Rajghat, called Gandhi Darshan. 85. The Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) is responsible for formulation and maintenance of statistical standards, work pertaining to national accounts, industrial statistics, consumer price indices, conduct of economic census and surveys and liaising with international agencies in statistical matters. It is located in New Delhi. 86. National income is defined as the sum of incomes accruing to factors of production, supplied by normal residents of the country before deduction of direct taxes. It is equal to net national product at factor-cost. 87. The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) has been set up to conduct large scale surveys to meet the data needs of India as also for the estimation of national income and other aggregates. It has four divisions: (i) Survey Design and Research Division (SDRD), with headquarters in Kolkata; (ii) Field Operations Division (FOD) having its headquarters in Delhi; (iii) Data Processing Division (DPD) with headquarters in Kolkata; and (iv) Coordination and Publication Division (CPD), located in Delhi. 88. Summary results of NSSO surveys are published in the biannual technical journal Sarvekshana. 89. India has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 2.02 million sq km. The EEZ provides India with more than 60 per cent of its oil and gas production and fishing valued at $ 1.15 billion. 90. The Army War College, earlier known as College of Combat, is located in Mhow. 91. The Infantry School, Mhow is the largest and oldest military training centre of Indian Army. This institute also trains the National Shooting team, under the aegis of Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU). 92. The Institute of Defence Management is located in Secunderabad. 93. The Defence Services Staff College is located in Wellington. It imparts training to middle level officers (Major and equivalent) of Army, Air Force and Navy. 94. The High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) is located in Gulmarg. 95. The National Defence College is located in Delhi. It is the only institute of India that imparts knowledge on all aspects of national security and strategy. 96. Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, located in Hyderabad, was incorporated with the primary objective of ushering in self-reliance in special metals and alloys for strategic sectors like Defence, Space and Atomic energy. 97. The 86th Constitution Amendment Act, 2002, makes elementary education a Fundamental Right for children in the age-group of 6-14 years. 98. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme evolved I from the recommendations of the State Education Ministers' Conference held in October 1998. The main goals of SSA are: (a) All 6-14 age children complete fiveyear primary education by 2007; (b) Bridge all gender and social category gaps at primary stage by 2007 and at elementary education level by 2010; (c) Focus on elementary education of satisfactory quality with emphasis on education for life; and (d) Universal retention by 2010. 99. The National programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education is commonly known as Mid Day Meal Scheme. It was launched in August 1995. 100. Operation Blackboard was launched in 1987 with the aim of improving human and physical resources available in primary schools of India. 101. Janshala Programme is a collaborative effort of the government of India, and five UN agencies-UNDP, UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF and UNFPA-to provide programme support to the ongoing efforts towards achieving Universal Elementary Education (UEE). 102. The National Council for Teacher Education was established by an Act of the Parliament in August 1995.
103. The University Grants Commission (UGC) serves as a coordinating body between the Union and State governments and the institutions of higher learning. 104. The National Literacy Mission (NLM) aims to attain a sustainable threshold level of 75 per cent literacy by 2007, by imparting functional literacy to non-literates in the age-group of 15-35 years. 105. The Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages is located in Hyderabad. 106. The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) system was introduced in India in 1985 by the Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Agency for ISBN. ISBN is a unique international publisher's identifier number. 107. Administering the Copyright Act, 1957 is the responsibility of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Secondary and Higher Education. 108. The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) was the first multipurpose river valley project to be undertaken after Independence. It was set up in July 1948. 109. The National Power Training Institute (NPTI) is located at Faridabad. 110. The Central Power Research Institute (CPRI) has its headquarters located at Bangalore. Other units are located at Bhopal, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Ghaziabad, Thiruvanthapuram and Raichur. 111. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is the nodal agency to promote efficient use of energy and its conservation in all sectors of economy of India. 112. Coal is the main source of energy in India and account for about 67 per cent of India's commercial requirement. 113. The coal reserves of India, as on January 1, 2003 were 2,40,748 million tonnes. 114. The Botanical Survey of India and the Zoological Survey of India both have their headquarters in Kolkata. 115. The Forest Survey of India has its headquarters in Dehradun and has four regional offices at Bangalore, Kolkata, Nagpur and Shimla. 116. Biosphere reserves are multi-purpose protected areas to preserve the genetic diversity in representative ecosystem. 13 Biosphere reserves have been set up in India. These are: Nilgiri, Nanda Devi, Nokrek, Great Nicobar, Gulf of Mannar, Manas, Sundebans, Similipal, Dibru, Daikhowa, Dehong Deband, Pachmarhi, Kanchunjunga and Agasthyamalai. Out of these, Nilgiri, Sunderbans and Gulf of Mannar have been recognized on World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO. 117. India is one of the 12 mega-biodiversity countries of the world. 118. The forest cover of India constitutes 20.55 per cent of its geographical area. Of this, dense forest constitutes 12.68 per cent and open forest 7.87 per cent. The mangrove cover occupies 0.14 per cent of geographical area. The total tree/forest cover is estimated as 81,472 sq km or about 2.48 per cent of the country. 119. G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development is located at Kosi-Katarmal, Almora, Uttaranchal. 120. The Environmental Information System (ENVIS) network brings out a quarterly journal, Paryavaran Abstracts, which contains information about environmental research in the Indian context. 121. The ENVIS has been designated as National Focal Point (NFP) and Regional Service Centre (RSC) for South Asia sub-regional countries by INFOTERRA (a global information system on environment) of UN Environment Programme (UNEP). 122. The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) consists of nine main divisions, namely, (i) Economic; (ii) Banking; (iii) Insurance; (iv) Budget; (v) Foreign Trade and Investment; (vi) External Finance; (vii) Capital market; (viii) Fund Bank; and (ix) Currency and Coinage. 123. All revenues received, loans raised and money received in repayment of loans by the Union government form the Consolidated Fund of India. No money can be withdrawn from this Fund except under the authority of an Act of Parliament. 124. The Indian Constitution provides for the establishment of a Consolidated Fund, a Public Account and a Contingency Fund for each State. 125. The first bank of limited liability, managed by Indians, was Oudh Commercial Bank. It was founded in 1881. Punjab National Bank was established in 1894. 126. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was established under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 on April 1, 1935 and nationalized on January 1,1949. 127. RBI is the sole authority for issue of currency notes in India, other than one-rupee coins and subsidiary coins and notes. 128. India ranks third in the world, after China and USA, in terms of production of coal. 129. The three important gold fields of India are: Kolar (Karnataka), Hutti in Raichur district (Karnataka) and
Ramgiri in Anantapur district (Andhra Pradesh). 130. Mains reserves of Tungsten are located at Degana, Rajasthan. 131. The Mangampet deposits, occurring in Cuddapah district of Andhra Pradesh is the single largest deposit of Barytes in the world. 132. The main diamond-bearing areas in India are Panna belt in Madhya Pradesh, Munimadugu-Banganapalle conglomerate in Kurnool district, Wajrakarur Kimberlite pipe in Anantapur district and Krishna river basin in Andhra Pradesh. 133. Orissa is a major producer of Graphite in India. 134. Judges of the Supreme Court of India hold office until they attain the age of 65 years. Judges of the High Court hold office until they attain the age of 62 years. 135. The National Judicial Academy is located in Bhopal with its registered office in New Delhi. 136. V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, Noida, is an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Labour. It is engaged in research pertaining to labour and training of labour administrators, trade unions, public sector managers and other government functionaries concerned with labour. 137. The first radio programme was broadcast in India in 1923 by the Radio Club of Bombay. 138. All India Radio (AIR) operates on motto Bahujana Hitaya; Bahujana Sukhya (to promote the happiness and welfare of the masses through information, education and entertainment. 139. Cyan Darshan is the educational channel run by Doordarshan. 140. Press Trust of India (PTI) is India's largest news agency. 141. United News of India (UNI) became the first agency in India to launch a full-fledged Hindi wire service Univarta in 1982. In early 1990s, it launched the first-ever wire service in Urdu. 142. The Press Council of India has been established under the Act of Parliament for the purpose of preserving the freedom of the press, and of maintaining and improving the standards of newspapers and news agencies in India. 143. India has one of the largest road networks in the world, aggregating to about 3.3 million kilometres. 144. Golden Quadrilateral comprises of National Highways connecting the four metro cities. 145. Shipping Corporation of India Limited (SCI) is the biggest shipping line of India. 146. Indian Institute of Maritime Studies (IIMS) is located in Mumbai. 147. India has 12 major ports and about 184 other ports. 148. Mumbai, Nhava Sheva, Kandla, Mormugao, New Mangalore and Cochin are the major ports on west coast. 149. Kolkata/Haldia, Para dip, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Ennore and Tuticorin are major ports on the east coast. 150. Command Area Development (CAD) Programme was launched in 1974-75 with main objective of improving the utilization of created irrigation potential and optimizing agriculture production and productivity from irrigated lands on sustainable bases.
List of Various Committees & Their Focus Area

1. Abhijit Sen Committee (2002) : Long Term Food Policy 2. Abid Hussain Committee: On Small Scale Industries 3. Ajit Kumar Committee : Army Pay Scales 4. Athreya Committee: Restructuring Of IDBI 5. Basel Committee: Banking Supervision 6. Bhurelal Committee : Increase In Motor Vehicle Tax 7. Bimal Julka Committee : Working Conditions ATCOS 8. C B Bhave Committee : Company Information 9. C Babu Rajiv Committee : Reforms In Ship Act 1908 & Ship Trust Act 1963 10. Chakravarty Committee : Working Of The Monetary System And Suggest Measure For Improving The Effectiveness Fo Monetary Policy In Promoting Economic Development 11. Chandra Shekhar Committee : Venture Capital 12. Chandrate Committee: Delisting In Sharemarket 13. Chore Committee : Review The Operation Of The Cash Credit System 14. Dave Committee (2000) : Pension Scheme For Unorganized Sector 15. Deepak Parikh Committee : To Revive Unit Trust If India (UTI) 16. Dhanuka Committee : Simplification Of Transfer Rules In Security Markets 17. G V Ramakrishna Committee : On Disinvestment 18. Goiporia Committee : Improvement In The Customer Service At Primary (Urban) Cooperative Banks 19. Hanumant Rao Committee: Fertilizers 20. J R Varma Committee: Current Account Carry Forward Practice 21. Jankiramanan Committee : Securities Transactions 22. JJ Irani Committee : Company Law Reforms 23. K Kannan Committee : To Examine The Relevance Of The Concept Of Maximum ermissible Bank Finance (MPBF) As A Method Of Assessing The Requirements Of Bank Credit For Working Capital And To Suggest Alternative Methods. 24. Kelkar Committee : Tax Structure Reforms 25. Khan Working Group :Development Finance Institutions 26. Khusro Committee : Agricultural Credit System 27. Kumarmanglam Birla Report: Corporate Governance 28. Mahajan Committee (1997): Sugar Industry 29. Malegam Committee : Reforms In The Primary Market & Repositioning of UTI 30. Malhotra Committee : Broad Framework Of Insurance Sector 31. Marathe Committee: Recommendation For Urban Co-operative Banks 32. Mashelkar Committee 2002 : Auto Fuel Policy 33. Mckinsey Report: Merger Of 7 Associate Banks With SBI 34. Meera Seth Committee: Development Of Handlooms 35. Narismhan Committee: Banking Reforms 36. NN Vohra Committee : Relations (Nexus) Of Politicians With Criminals 37. Parekh Committee : Infrastructure Financing 38. Percy Mistry Committee: Making Mumbai An International Financial Center 39. Prasad Panel : International Trade And Services 40. R V Gupta Committee : Small Savings 41. Raja Chelliah Committee: Tax Reforms
42. Rekhi Committee : Indirect Taxes 43. RV Gupta Committee : Agricultural Credit 44. S P Talwar Committee: Restructuring Of Weak Public Sector Bank 45. S Tendulkar Committee: Redefining Poverty Line And Its Calculation Formula 46. Sapta Rishi Committee (July 2002) : Development Of Domestic Tea Industry 47. Shah Committee : Reforms Relating To Non Banking Financial Companies (NFBC) 48. SL Kapoor Committee : Credit & Flow Problems Of Ssis 49. SN Verma Committee (1999) : Restructuring The Commercial Banks 50. Tandon Committee : System Of WORKING CAPITAL Financing By Banks 51. Tarapore Committee: Report On Capital Account Convertibility 52. Udesh Kohli Committee: Analyze Fund Requirement In Power Sector 53. UK Sharma Committee : NABARD's Role In RRB 54. Vaghul Committee : Money Market In India 55. Vasudev Committee: NBFC( Non Banking Finance Corp) Sector Reforms 56. Y B Reddy Committee :2001 : Review Of Income Tax Rebates 57. A C Shah Committee:NBFC 58. A Ghosh Committee:Final Accounts 59. A Ghosh Committee:Modalities Of Implementation Of New 20 PointProgramme 60. A Ghosh Committee:Frauds & Malpractices In Banks 61. Abid Hussain Committee:Development Of Capital Markets 62. Adhyarjuna Committee:Changes In NI Act And Stamp Act 63. AK Bhuchar Committee:Coordination Between Term Lending InstitutionsAnd Commercial Banks 64. B Eradi Committee:Insolvency And Wind Up Laws 65. B Sivaraman Committee:Institutional Credit For Agricultural & Rural Development 66. B Venkatappaiah Committee:All India Rural Credit Review 67. BD Shah Committee:Stock Lending Scheme 68. BD Thakar Committee:Job Criteria In Bank Loans (Approach) 69. Bhagwati Committee:Unemployment 70. Bhagwati Committee:Public Welfare 71. Bhave Committee:Share Transfer Reforms 72. Bhide Committee:Coordination Between Commercial Banks And SFC's 73. Bhootlingam Committee:Wage, Income & Prices 74. C Rao Committee:Agricultural Policy 75. CE Kamath Committee:Multi Agency Approach In Agricultural Finance 76. Chatalier Committee:Finance To Small Scale Industry 77. Chesi Committee:Direct Taxes 78. Cook Committee (On Behalf Of BIS - Under Basel Committee ):Capital Adequacy Of Banks 79. D R Mehta Committee:Review Progress And Recommend ImprovementMeasures Of IRDP 80. Damle Committee:MICR 81. Dandekar Committee:Regional Imbalances 82. Dantwala Committee:Estimation Of Employments 83. Dave Committee:Mutual Funds (Functioning) 84. Dharia Committee:Public Distribution System 85. DR Gadgil Committee:Agricultural Finance
86. Dutta Committee:Industrial Licensing 87. G Lakshmai Narayan Committee:Extension Of Credit Limits On Basis OfConsortium 88. G Sundaram Committee:Export Credit 89. Gadgil Committee (1969):Lead Banking System 90. Godwala Committee:Rural Finance 91. Goiporia Committee:Customer Service In Banks 92. GS Dahotre Committee:Credit Requirements Of Leasing Industry 93. GS Patel Committee:Carry Forward System On Stock Exchanges 94. Hathi Committee:Soiled Banknotes 95. Hazari Committee (1967):Industrial Policy 96. IT Vaz Committee:Working Capital Finance In Banks 97. J Reddy Committee:Reforms In Insurance Sector 98. James Raj Committee:Functioning Of Public Sector Banks 99. Jankiramanan Committee:Securities Transactions Of Banks & Financial Institutions 100. 101. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106. 107.
JV Shetty Committee:Consortium Advances K Madhav Das Committee:Urban Cooperative Banks Kalyansundaram Committee:Introduction Of Factoring Services In India Kamath Committee:Education Loan Scheme Karve Committee:Small Scale Industry KB Chore Committee:To Review The Symbol Of Cash Credit Q Khanna Committee:Non Performing Assets Khusrau Committee:Agricultural Credit
108. KS Krishnaswamy Committee:Role Of Banks In Priority Sector And 20 Point Economic Programme 109. 110. 111. 112. 113. 114. 115. 116. 117. 118. 119. 120. 121. 122. 123.
L K Jha Committee:Indirect Taxes LC Gupta Committee:Financial Derivatives Mahadevan Committee:Single Window System Mahalanobis Committee:Income Distribution Marathe Committee:Licensing Of New Banks ML Dantwala Committee:Regional Rural Banks Mrs. KS Shere Committee:Electronic Fund Transfer Nadkarni Committee:Improved Procedures For Transactions In PSU Bonds And Units Nariman Committee:Branch Expansion Programme Narsimham Committee:Financial System Omkar Goswami Committee:Industrial Sickness And Corporate Restructuring P R Nayak Committee:Institutional Credit To SSI Sector P Selvam Committee:Non Performing Assets Of Banks PC Luther Committee:Productivity, Operational Efficiency & Profitability Of Banks PD Ojha Committee:Service Area Approach
124. Pendarkar Committee:Review The System Of Inspection Of Commercial, RRB And Urban Cooperative Banks 125. 126. 127. 128.
Pillai Committee:Pay Scales Of Bank Officers PL Tandon Committee:Export Strategy PR Khanna Committee:Develop Appropriate Supervisory Framework For NBFC Purshottam Das Committee:Agricultural Finance And Cooperative Societies
129. 130. 131. 132. 133. 134. 135. 136. 137. 138. 139. 140. 141. 142. 143. 144. 145. 146. 147. 148. 149. 150. 151. 152. 153. 154. 155. 156. 157. 158. 159. 160. 161. 162. 163. 164. 165. 166. 167. 168. 169.
170.
R Jilani Banks:Inspection System Of Banks R S Saria Committee:Agricultural Finance And Cooperative Societies Raghavan Committee:Competition Law Raja Chelliah Committee:Tax Reforms Rajamannar Committee:Centre - State Fiscal Relationships Rajamannar Committee:Changes In Banking Laws , Bouncing Of Cheques Etc. Rakesh Mohan Committee:Petro Chemical Sector Ram Niwas Mirdha Committee (JPC):Securities Scam Rangrajan Committee:Computerization Of Banking Industry Rangrajan Committee:Public Sector Disinvestment Rashid Jilani Committee:Cash Credit System Ray Committee:Industrial Sickness RG Saraiya Committee (1972):Banking Commission RH Khan Committee:Harmonization Of Banks And Ssis RK Hajare Committee:Differential Interest Rates Scheme RK Talwar Committee:Customer Service RK Talwar Committee:Enactment Having A Bearing On Agro Landings By Commercial Banks RN Malhotra Committee:Reforms In Insurance Sector RN Mirdha Committee:Cooperative Societies RV Gupta Committee:Agricultural Credit Delivery S Padmanabhan Committee:Onsite Supervision Function Of Banks S Padmanabhan Committee:Inspection Of Banks (By RBI) Samal Committee:Rural Credit SC Choksi Committee:Direct Tax Law Shankar Lal Gauri Committee:Agricultural Marketing SK Kalia Committee:Role Of NGO And SHG In Credit SL Kapoor Committee:Institutional Credit To SSI Sodhani Committee:Foreign Exchange Markets In NRI Investment In India SS Kohli Committee:Rehabilitation Of Sick Industrial Units SS Kohli Committee:Rationalization Of Staff Strength In Banks SS Kohli Committee:Willful Defaulters SS Nadkarni Committee:Trading In Public Sector Banks SS Tarapore Committee:Capital Account Convertibility Sukhmoy Chakravarty Committee:To Review The Working Of Monetary System Tambe Committee:Term Loans To SSI Tandon Committee:Follow Up Of Bank Credit Tandon Committee:Industrial Sickness Thakkar Committee:Credit Schemes To Self Employed Thingalaya Committee:Restructuring Of RRB Tiwari Committee:Rehabilitation Of Sick Industrial Undertakings UK Sharma Committee:Lead Bank Scheme (Review) Usha Thorat Panel: Financial Inclusion Vaghul Committee:Mutual Fund Scheme Varshney Committee:Revised Methods For Loans (>2 Lakhs)
171. 172.
173. 174. 175. 176. 177. 178. 179. 180.
Venketaiya Committee:Review Of Rural Financing System Vipin Malik Committee:Consolidated Accounting By Banks VT Dehejia Committee:To Study Credit Needs Of Industry And Trade Likely To Be Inflated Vyas Committee:Rural Credit Wanchoo Committee:Direct Taxes WS Saraf Committee:Technology Issues In Banking Industry Y H Malegam Committee:Disclosure Norms For Public Issues YV Reddy Committee:Reforms In Small Savings
Some Recent Working Groups & Committees by RBI & Their Focus Area:(Name of Chairmen is given)
1. Working Group on Benchmark Prime Lending Rate (BPLR): Deepak Mohanty

2. Working Group on Surveys: Deepak Mohanty 3. High Level Committee to Review Lead Bank Scheme: Usha Thorat
4. Working Group to Review the Business Correspondent Model: P Vijaya Bhaskar Rao
5. High Level Group on Systems and Procedures for Currency Distribution: Usha Thorat 6. G20 Working Group on Enhancing Sound Regulation and Strengthening Transparency: Dr. Rakesh Mohan and Mr. Tiff Macklem 7. Committee on Financial Sector Assessment: Dr. Rakesh Mohan 8. High Level Committee on Estimation of Savings and Investment: Dr. C. Rangarajan 9. Committee on the Global Financial System (CGFS) on Capital Flows and Emerging Market Economies: Dr. Rakesh Mohan 10. Task Force For Diamond Sector: A K Bera
11. Technical Advisory Group on Development of Housing Start-Up Index in India: Prof. Amitabh Kundu
12. Working Group on Defraying Cost of ICT Solutions for RRBs: Shri G. Padmanabhan 13. Working Group on IT support for Urban Cooperative Banks: R Gandhi 14. Working Group on Technology Upgradation of Regional Rural Banks: Shri G. Srinivasan 15. Interest Rate Futures: Shri V.K. Sharma 16. Internal Working Group to Study the Recommendations of the NCEUS Report: KUB Rao 17. Working Group on Improvement of Banking Services in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep: S. Ramaswamy 18. Working Group on Rehabilitation of Sick SMEs: Dr. K. C. Chakrabarty 19. Working Group on Improvement of Banking Services In Jharkhand: V.S.Das 20. Working Group on Improvement of Banking Services in Himachal Pradesh: Dr. J. Sadakkadulla 21. Internal Technical Group on Seasonal Movements in Inflation: Dr. Balvant Singh 22. Working Group to Examine the Procedures and Processes of Agricultural Loans: C P Swarankar 23. Task Force on Empowering RRB Boards for Operational EfficiencyDr. K.G. Karmakar 24. Technical Group Set up to Review Legislations on Money Lending: Shri.S. C. Gupta 25. Working Group To Suggest Measures To Assist Distressed Farmers: Shri. S. S. Johl 26. Technical Group on Statistics for International Trade in Banking Services: Shri K.S.R.Rao 27. Technical Advisory Group On Development Of Leading Economic Indicators For Indian EconomyDr. R B Barman 28. Working Group on Savings for the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-08 to 2011-12): Dr.Rakesh Mohan 29. Working Group on Compilation of State Government Liabilities: Dr. N.D. Jadhav 30. Working Group on Improvement of Banking Services in Uttaranchal: V.S. Das 31. Working Group on Cost of NRI Remittances: P. K. Pain
32. Working group to formulate a scheme for Ensuring Reasonableness of Bank Charges: N. Sadasivam 33. Committee on Fuller Capital Account Convertibility: S.S.Tarapore 34. Committee on Financial Sector Plan for North Eastern Region: Smt. Usha Thorat 35. Survey on Impact of Trade Related Measures on Transaction Costs of Exports: Balwant Singh 36. Advisory Committee on Ways and Means Advances to State Governments: M.P.Bezbaruah 37. Need and Use Behavior for Small Denomination Coins: Sanal Kumar Velayudhan 38. Debt Sustainability at State Level in India: Indira Rajaraman, Shashank Bhide and R.K.Pattnaik 39. Internal Group to Examine Issues Relating to Rural Credit and Microfinance: Shri H.R.Khan 40. Working Group to Review Export Credit: Shri Anand Sinha 41. Internal Working Group on RRBs: Shri A V Sardesai 42. Working Group on Warehouse Receipts and Commodity Futures: Shri Prashant Saran 43. Internal Group to Review Guidelines on Credit Flow to SME Sector: Shri C.S.Murthy 44. Working Group on Regulatory Mechanism for Cards Shri R.Gandhi 45. Group on Model Fiscal Responsibility Legislation at State Level: Shri H R Khan 46. Task Force on Revival of Cooperative Credit Institutions: Prof.A.Vaidyanathan 47. Special Group for Formulation of Debt Restructuring Mechanism for Medium Enterprises: Shri G.Srinivasan 48. Working Group on Screen Based Trading In Government Securities: Dr.R.H.Patil 49. Expert Group on Internet Deployment of Central Database Management System (CDBMS): Prof.A.Vaidyanathan 50. Report on Monitoring of Financial Conglomerates: Smt.Shyamala Gopinath 51. Working Group on Development Financial Institutions: Shri N. Sadasivan 52. Advisory Committee to Advise on the Administered Interest Rates and Rationalisation of Saving Instruments: Dr.Rakesh Mohan 53. Advisory Committee on Flow of Credit to Agriculture: Prof.V.S.Vyas 54. Working Group on Flow of Credit to SSI Sector: Dr.A.S.Ganguly 55. Group to Study the Pension Liabilities of the State Governments: B. K. Bhattacharya 56. Rupee Interest Rate Derivatives: Shri G. Padmanabhan 57. Working Group on Instruments of Sterilisation: Smt. Usha Thorat 58. Working Group on Information on State Government Guaranteed Advances and Bonds: Shri.G.Padmanabhan 59. Working Group on Cheque Truncation and E-cheques: Dr.Barman, ED 60. Working Group on Introduction of Credit Derivatives in India: Shri B. Mahapatra 61. Group to Assess the Fiscal Risk of State Government Guarantees: Smt. Usha Thorat 62. Advisory Committee on Ways and Means Advances to State Governments: Shri C.Ramachandran 63. Working Group on Rupee Derivatives: Shri Jaspal Bindra 64. Committee on Computer Audit: Shri A.L. Narasimhan 65. Committee on Payment Systems: Dr R H Patil 66. Review Group on The Working of The Local Area Bank SchemeShri G.Ramachandran 67. Technical Group on Statistics of International Trade in Services: Shri Deepak Mohanty 68. Working Group for Suggesting Operational and Prudential Guidelines on STRIPS (Separately Traded Registered Interest and Principal of Securities): Shri M.R.Ramesh 69. Working Group on Electronic Money: Mr.Zarir J. Cama 70. Working Group on Economic Indicators Dr. R.B. Barman
71. Working Group to Examine the Role of Credit Information Bureaus in Collection and Dissemination of Information on Suit-filed Accounts and Defaulters: Shri S.R. Iyer 72. Information systems audit policy for the banking and financial sector: Dr. R.B.Burman 73. Working Group on Consolidated Accounting and Other Quantitative Methods to Facilitate Consolidated Supervision: Shri Vipin Malik 74. Expert Committee to Review the System of Administered Interest Rates and Other Related Issues: Dr.Y.V. Reddy 75. Inter-Departmental Group to study the Rationalisation of Current account Facility with Reserve Bank of India: Shri K.W. Korgaonkar 76. The Expert Committee on Legal Aspects of Bank Frauds: Dr.N.L. Mitra 77. The Standing Committee on International Financial Standards and Codes Standing Committee on International Financial Standards and Codes: Dr. Y.V.Reddy 78. Technical Group on Market Integrity: Shri C.R. Muralidharan 79. Technical Group on Phasing Out of Non-banks from Call/Notice Money Market (March 2001): Dr.Y.V.Reddy 80. Core Group on Voluntary Disclosure Norms for State Governments: Dr.Y.V.Reddy 81. Task Force to Study the Cooperative Credit System and Suggest Measures for its Strengthening: Shri Jagdish Kapoor 82. Internal Group to Review the Guidelines Relating to Commercial Paper: Dr.Y.V.Reddy 83. High Power Committee on Urban Cooperative Banks: Shri Madhav Rao 84. Working Group for setting up Credit Information Bureau in India: Shri N.H.Siddiqui 85. Committee for Redesigning of Financial Statements of Non-Banking Financial Companies: Shri V.S.N. Murthy 86. Working Group on Restructuring Weak Public Sector Banks: Shri M.S.Verma Working Group for Working Out Modalities on Dissemination of Information in Electronic Form: Shri Y.S.P. Thorat and Shri C.R. Gopalasundaram 87. Committee on Technology Upgradation in the Banking Sector: Dr A.Vasudevan ] 88. Working Group of EURO: Shri V.Subrahmanyam 89. New Monetary Aggregates: Dr. Y.V. Reddy 90. Committee on Capital Account Convertibility: Shri S.S.Tarapore
International Organisations
UN had its origin in August, 1944 at Dumbarton Oaks Conference where the representatives of USA, UK, USSR and China met to form an association for the maintenance of international peace and security. Finally, on June 26, 1945, the charter of the United Nations was signed in a conference called at San Fransisco, which included the representatives of 51 states. The charter then came into force on 24 Octobar, 1945; thus 24 October has been celebrated as the UN day. Headquarters, Flag, Languages: United Nations Headquarter is situated in Manhattan Island of New York and the European office at Geneva.The Flag of the UNO was adopted in Octobar 1947. The flag includes white UN emblem (two bent olive branches, open at the top and between them is the world map) on a light blue background. the flag was adopted by the UNO in Octobar, 1947. Official Language of UNO are French, Chinese, English, Russian, Arabic and Spanish. While the working languages are only French and English. Aims and Objectives of UNO: The main objectives of UNO are: To maintain international peace and security. To develop spirit of co-operation and friendly relations among the nations. To promote respect for human rights, dignity and freedom. To solve international problems of social, economic, agricultural and humanitarian character. To employ international machinery for the promotion of economic and social advancement of all people.
Organs of the UN:

There are six main organs of UN:1. General Assembly : It is the main body of UN and consists of the representatives of all the states. Each state may send 5 representatives in the general assembly but has only 1 vote. It meets regularly once a year, special and emergency sessions can also be sumoned at the request of Security Council. Decisions of an important matter are taken by the 2/3rd majority, while in simple matters, only simple majority is enough. The assembly may discuss any matter within the scope of charter except those already referred to the Security Council. The assembly generally discusses ways of preserving peace, economic development and social progress, well being of people, peaceful use of atomic energy, human right etc. It elects its own President & Vice-President every year.
Functional of General Assembly:

. . The membership of new states is done by the general assembly on the recommendation of Security Council. The Judges of the International Court of Justice are elected by general assembly. c
. It elects the non-permanent members of security council, members of Economic and Social Council, and certain members of Trusteeship Council. . It passes entire budget of UNO.
2. Security Council : It is the executive body of UN which is responsible for maintaining international peace in the
world. Its session can be summoned at 24 hour notice and if functions almost continuously. the council consists of 15 members5 permanent (USA, UK; Russia, France and China) and 10 non- ermanent members which are elected for a term of 2 years by the General Assembly. the distribution of the numbers of non-permanent members are (1) Five members from Asian and African countries (2) two from latin American countries (3) two from western Europes and other (which implies commonwealth countries) (4) and one from east European countries. Each member of the Security Council has one vote. The approval of all permanent members is necessary. If any permanent member casts a Veto to show its disagreement, then no decision can be taken. The number of affirmative votes needed for a decision are atleast nine which includes the vote of 5 permanent members. In the event of a threat to peace or occurence of war between two or more countries, the security council has the power to take appropriate measures to restore peace and security.
3. Economic and Social Council : The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is the welfare council which
coordiantes the economic and social activities of the United Nations and its specialised agencies and other organisations. This council meets at least thrice a year. It is composed of 54 members. General Assembly elects one-third members of ECOSOC every year for a period of 3 years. ECOSOC takes decision by a majority of those members present and voting. ECOSOC seeks to build a world of greater prosperity, stability and justice.
4. The Trusteeship Council : The Prime responsibility of this council is to supervise the administration of those
territories which were placed under the International Trusteeship System. This council of UNO is also known as Protector of Dependent People who are not yet able to Govern themselves. It consists of member of states administering trust territories and permanent members of the security council nto administering territories. Under the charter, the member states have to accept certain obligations to promote their development and to protect their interest and security so long as the trustee territories are not able to govern themselves.
At present, USA is the only administering trust territory. So, the Trusteeship Council consists of only permanent members. This council meets at least once in a year.
5. Secretariat : All day today functions of the UN are performed by the Secretariat. the Secretariat is headed by
the Secretary-General who is the chief Administrative Officer, and he is appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of Security Council for a five-year term, which is renewable. It is his duty to implement all resolutions passed by the Security Council or the General Assembly. He makes the annual report of General Assembly and also bring to the notice of security council about any matter threatening the maintenance of international peace and Security.
Secretary General : Ban Ki Moom

International Monetary Fund (IMF) : HQ Washington, D.C. The IMF came into existence in December 1945, as one among the Bretton Wood twins when the first 29 countries signed its Articles of Agreement. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international organisation that oversees the global financial system by observing exchange rates and balance of payments. An unwritten rule establishes that the IMFs managing director must be non-Italian European and that the president of the World Bank must be from the United States. IMF describes itself as an organisation of 185 countries, Montenegro being the 185th as of January 18th, 2007. World Bank Group : HQWashington, D.C. The World Bank Group is a group of five international organisations responsible for providing finance and advice to countries for the purposes of economic development and eliminating poverty. The Bank came into formal existence on 27 December, 1945 following international ratification of the Bretton Woods agreements, it approved its first loan to France for postwar reconstruction. The World Bank Group consists of:
. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), established in 1945, which provides debt financing on the basis of sovereign guarantees; . The International Finance Corporation (IFC), established in 1956, which provides various forms of financing without sovereign guarantees, primarily to the private sector; . The International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, which provides concessional financing (interest-free loans or grants), usually with sovereign guarantees; . . The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), established in 1988, which provides insurance against certain types of risk, including political risk, primarily to the private sector; and The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), established in 1966, which works with governments to reduce investment risk. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) : HQRome, Italy. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO was founded on 16 October 1945, in Quebec City, Canada. In 1951 its hadquarters were moved from Washington, D.C., United States, to Rome, Italy. As of 17 November 2007, it had 191 members (plus one member organisation, the European Community and one associate member, the Faroe Islands). International Labour Organisation (ILO) : HQ-Geneva, Switzerland. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues. Founded in 1919, it was formed through the negotiations of the Treaty of Versailles, and was initially an agency of the League of Nations. The ILO hosts the International Labour Conference in Geneva every year in June. The organisation received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1969. Its secretariat is known as the International Labour Office. Its a tripartite intergovernmental body of governments, employers and workers. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) : HQ-Paris, France. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. Its stated purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through education, science, and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the UN Charter. As of October 2007, UNESCO had 193 member states and 6 associate members. International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) : HQMontreal, Canada. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations set up in 1944, codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. The ICAO defines the protocols for air accident investigation, followed by transport safety authorities in countries signatory to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, commonly known as the Chicago Convention. World Health Organisation (WHO) : HQ-Geneva, Switzerland. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordianting authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health
Organization, which had been an agency of the League of Nations. WHO complies the widely followed International Classification of Diseases (ICD). International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) : HQ-Vienna, Austria. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established as an autonomous organisation on July 29, 1957. It seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for military purposes. United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower envisioned, in his Atoms for Peace speech before the UN General Assembly in 1953, the creation of this international body to control and develop the use of atomic energy. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) : HQParis, France. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is an international organisation established to standardise and regulate international radio and telecommunications. It was founded as the International Telegraph Union in Paris in May 17, 1865, and is today the Worlds oldest international organisation. Its main tasks include standardization, allocation of the radio spectrum, and organising interconnection arrangements between different countries to allow international phone calls. Universal Postal Union (UPU) : HQBerne, Switzerland The Universal Postal Union (UPU) is an international organisation that coordiantes postal policies between member nations, and hence the worldwide postal system. Each member country agrees to the same set of terms for conducting international postal duties. It is the second oldest, international organisation (after the ITU). It was created in 1874, under the name General Postal Union, as a result of the Treaty of Berne signed on 9 October 1874. In 1878, the name was changed to Universal Postal Union. International Maritime Organisation (IMO) : HQLondon, U.K The International Maritime Organisation (IMO), formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO), was established in 1948, through the United Nations to coordinate international maritime safety and related practices. However the IMO did not enter into full force until 1958. The IMO promotes cooperation among government and the shipping industry to improve maritime safety and to prevent marine pollution. World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) : HQGeneva, Switzerland. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It is the UN systems authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of the Earths atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, and the climate produces or the resulting distribution of water resources. It originated from the International Meteorological Organisation (IMO), which was founded in 1873. Established in 1950, WMO became the specialized agency of the United Nations for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences. The WMO helped create the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It is also directly responsible for the creation of the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW). Interpol (International Criminal Police Organisation) : HQLyon, France Established as International Criminal Police Commission in 1923 to assist international criminal police cooperation. Its work focuses primarily on public safety, terrorism, organised crime etc. It is the worlds third largest international organisation after UN and FIFA. International Court of Justice (ICJ) : HQ-The Hague, The Netherlands The International Court of Justice (known colloquially as the World Court or ICJ) is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. Established in 1945 by the Charter of the United Nations, the Court began work in 1946 as the successor to the Permanent Court of International Justice. The ICJ is composed of 15 judges elected to nine year terms by the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council from a list of persons, nominated by the national groups in the Permanent Court of Arbitration. All 192 UN members are automatically parties to the Courts statute. Article 94 establishes the duty of all UN members to comply with decisions of the Court involving them. If parties do not comply, the issue may be taken before the Security Council for enforcement action. It conducts its business in English and French. International Criminal Court (ICC) : HQThe Hague, The Netherlands. It is a court created under the Rome Statute of 2002 as an independent, permanent court that tries persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The ICC is based on a treaty, joined by 104 countries. The ICC s a court of last resort. It will not act if a case is investigated or prosecuted by a national judicial system unless the national proceedings are not genuine. In addition, the ICC only tries those accused of the gravest crimes. Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) : HQThe Hague, The Netherlands. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an international agency. Its mission is to promote membership of the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty which entered into force in 1997 and mandated the elimination of the scourge of chemical weapons forever and to verify the destruction of the declared chemical weapons stockpiles within stipulated deadlines. United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) : HQNew York City, USA The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) was created on December 11, 1946. In 1953, its name was shortened from United Nations
International Childrens Emergency Fund. UNICEF provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries. UNICEF was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1965. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) : HQVienna, Austria. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is a United Nations agency which was founded in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention with the intent to fight drugs and crime on an international level. This intent is fulfilled through three primary functions: research, lobbying state government to adopt various crime and drug based laws and treaties and assistance of said governments on the ground level. In October 2002, the United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) was merged into the UNODC. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) : HQGeneva, Switzerland. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was established in 1963 as a permanent intergovernmental body, UNCTAD is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment and development issues. UNCTAD has 191 member States. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) : HQGigiri, Nairobi, Kenya. It was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in 1973. The World Meteorological Organisation and the UNEP established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. UNEP is also one of several implementing agencies for the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The year 2007 has been declared as International Year of the Dolphin by the United Nations and UNEP. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) : HQNew York City, USA. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations global development network, is the largest multilateral source of development assistance in the world. The UNDP is an executive board within the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The UNDP Administrator is the third highest ranking member of the United Nations after the United Nations Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General. UNDP publishes an annual Human Development Report to measure and analyze developmental progress. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) : HQGeneva, Switzerland. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (established December 14, 1950) protects and supports refugees at the request of a government or the United Nations and assists in their return or resettlement. It succeeded the earlier International Refugee Organisation and the even earlier United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. UNHCR was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1954 and 1981. UNHCR presently has major missions in Lebanon, South Sudan, Chad/Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan as well as Kenya to assist and provide services to IDPs and refugees. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) :HQNairobi, Kenya. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It was established in 1978. It is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) : HQVienna, Austria. The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDCO), is a specialized agency in the United Nations system. UNIDO was established as a UN programme in 1966 and became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1985. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) : HQNew York, USA. The United Nations Fund for Population Activities was started in 1969 and renamed the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 1987. The United Nations Population Fund is the worlds largest international source of funding for population and reproductive health programs. World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) : HQGeneva, Switzerland. The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) is one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations. WIPO was created in 1967 with the stated purpose of encouraging creative activity and promoting the protection of intellectual property throughout the world. WIPO currently has 184 member states and administers 23 international treaties. Vatican City and almost all UN members are member of the WIPO. The predecessor to WIPIO was the BIRPI (French acronym for United International Bureau for the Protection of Intellectual Property), which had been set up in 1893 to administer the Berne Convention for the Protection of Library and Artistic Works and the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property. WIPO was formally created by the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organisation (signed at Stockholm on July 14, 1967 and as amended on September 28, 1979). World Trade Organisation (WTO) : HQGeneva, Switzerland. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is an international organisation that establishes rules for international trade through consensus among its member states. It also resolves disputes between the members, which are all signatories to its set of trade agreements. Uruguay Round of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), negotiations culminating in the Marrakesh Agreement that established the WTO. There are 151
member states in the organisation, the latest to join being Tonga on July 27, 2007. Since its inception in 1995, the WTO has been a major focus for protests by civil society groups in many countries. International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement : HQGeneva, Switzerland. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement founded in 1863, whose stated mission is to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for the human being, and to prevent and alleviate human suffering, without any discrimination based on nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. It adopted a new symbol a hollowed out red crystal on a white background in addition to the present symbols of red cross (1863) and red cresent (1876). Red star of David was used by Israel till now. Awarded the Nobel Peace prize in three times 1917, 1944 and 1963. World Social Forum (WSF) The World Social (WSF) is an annual meeting held by members of the anti-globalisation movement to coordiante world campaigns, share and refine organizing strategies, and inform each other about movements from around the world and their issues. It tends to meet in January when its great capitalist rival, the World Economic Forum is meeting in Davos, Switzerland. World Economic Forum (WEF) The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Geneva-based foundation whose annual meeting of top business leaders, national political leaders (presidents, prime ministers and others), and selected intellectuals and journalists is usually held in Davos, Switzerland. There are also regional meetings throughout the year. It was founded in 1971 by Klaws M. Schwab, a business professor in Switzerland. Global Water Partnership (GWP) It is a network created by stakeholders including Sweden, The UNDP, World Bank and committee of Economic development of Australia. It has been established to ensure optimum use of scrace water resources in an integrated manner to benefit the world community. Asian Development Bank (ADB) : HQManila, Philippines. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established in 1966 to promote economic and social development in Asian and Pacific countries through loans and technical assistance. It is a multilateral development financial institution owned by 66 members, 47 from the region and 19 from other parts of the globe. ADBs vision is a region free of poverty. Its mission is to help its developing member countries reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of their citizens. The highest policy-making body of the bank is the Board of Governors composed of one representative from each member state. The Board of Governors also elect the banks President who is the chairperson of the Board of Directors and manages ADB. Traditionally, and because Japan is one of the largest shareholders of the bank, the President has always been Japanese. African Development Bank (ADBP): HQAbidjan, Cote DIvoire. Established officially in 1964 as a result of Monorovian Conference of 1961, under the auspices of the Economic Commission for Africa, the ADBP began operation in 1966 with. With the statute of a regional multilateral development bank, the African Development Bank engaged in promoting the economic development and social progress of its Regional Member Countries (RMCs) in Africa. The African Development Bank Group has two other entities: the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF) The UN Democracy Fund will be a voluntary fund housed in the UN Fund for International Partnerships (UNFIP), but with its own Executive Head who will report to an Advisory Board of Member States on substantive matters. In order to ensure transparency and accountability, a dedicated support office will arrange for monitoring, evaluation and auditing of the program. The idea for the Fund was first articulated by President Bush in a speech before the UN General Assembly last fall and has been embraced by the 141 nations that attended the third ministerial meeting of the Community of Democracies in Santiago, Chile in April 2005.
UN Secretaries General
Year 1946 1953 1961 1972 1982 1992 Name Trygve Lie Dag Hammarskjold U Thant Kurt Waldheim Javier Peres De Cuellar Dr. Boutros Boutros Ghali Nation Norway Sweden Burma Austria Peru Egypt
1997 2007
Kofi Annan Ban Ki Moom
Ghana S. Korea
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) : HQJakarta, Indonesia. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a geopolitial and economic organisation of 10 countries, located in Southeast Asia. ASEAN was established on 8 August, 1967 in Bangkok by the five original Member Countries namelyIndonesia, Malaysia, Phillippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined on 8 January 1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999.
ASEAN Plus Three (APT)

APT is a forum that functions as a coordinator of cooperation between Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the three East Asian nations of China, Japan, and South Korea. The first leaders meeting was held in 1997 and the groups significance and importance was stregthened by the Asian Financial Crisis. The grouping was institutionalised by 1999.
ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)

ASEAN Regional Forum is an informal multilateral dialogue of 25 members that seeks to address security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. ARF met for the first time in 1994. The current participants in the ARF are as follows: ASEAN, Australia, Canada, Peoples Republic of China, European, Union, India, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Russia, East Timor, and the Unites States. Bangladesh was added to ARF as the 26th member, starting from July 28, 2006. European Union (EU) The European Union (EU) is a supranational and intergovernmental union of 27 democratic member states in Europe. It was established under that name by the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht Treaty) signed on February 7, 1992 in Maastricht, Netherlands. The Union has a single market consisting of a customs union, a currency called the euro (adopted by 13 member states), a Common Agricultural Policy, a common trade policy and a Common Fisheries Policy. The Schengen Agreement abolished passport control and customs checks for most member states within EUs internal borders, creating, to some extent, a single area of free movement for EU citizens to live, travel, work and invest. A Common Foreign and Security Policy, and the Police and Judicial Co-operation in criminal matters have been initiated. Important EU institutions and bodies include the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Council, the European Central Bank, the European Court of Justice, and the European Parliament which is directly elected by EU citizens once every five years.
Location of European Union Institutions

Brussels Strasbourg seat of the European Commission and the Council of Ministers. Seat of the European Parliament.
Seat of the European Court of Justice, the European Court of Auditors, the Luxembourg Secretariat of the European Parliament and the European Investment Bank. Frankfurt Seat of the European Central Bank.
Council of European Union

. Main EU decision making body. . Also known as Council of Ministers. . Represents interests of individual member states. . Each member states represented by its own ministers. . Presidency rotates between member states on six-monthly basis.
European Commission
. Proposes legislation to Council and Parliament. . Manages implementation of EU legislation.
. Commissioners appointed on five-yearly basis by Council in agreement with member states. . Appointments confirmed by parliament to which commission is answerable.
European Parliament
1. Votes on and oversees implementation of EU budget. 2. Considers Commission proposals on legislation. 3. Works with Council on legislative decisions. 4. Caribbean Community (CARICOM) : HQGeorgetown, Guyana. The Caribbean Community and Common market or CARICOM was established by the Treaty of Chaguaramas which came into effect on August 1, 1973. The first four signatories were Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. CARICOM replaced the 19651972 Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA). Currently CARICOM has 15 full members, five associate members and seven observers. From March 2004, Haitis participation in CARICOM was suspended by its interim Prime Minister. But in early June 2006, Haiti was readmitted as a full member of the CARICOM. 5. Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) : HQAbuja, Nigeria. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional group initially of sixteen countries, founded on May 28, 1975 when sixteen West African countries signed the Treaty of Lagos. Its mission is to promote economic integration. 6. Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) : HQ-Bangui, Central African Republic. The Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) is an organisation of states of Central Africa established to promote economic integration among countries that share a common currency, the CFA franc. CEMAC is the successor of the Customs and Economic Union of Central Africa (UDEAC), which it completely superseded in June 1999 (through an agreement from 1994). Its six members states are Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Equatorial Guinea joined in January 1984. 7. Southern African Customs Union (SACU) : HQWindhoek, Namibia. SACU is the oldest customs union in the world. It was established in 1910 as a Customs Union Agreement between the then Union of South Africa and the High Commission Territories of Bechuanaland, Basutoland and Swaziland. With the advent of independence for these territories, the agreement was updated and on December 11, 1969 it was re-launched as the SACU was the signing of an agreement between the Republic of South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. The updated union officially entered into force on March 1, 1970. After Namibias independence in 1990, it joined SACU as its fifth member. 8. Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) : HQRiyadh. The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, formerly named and still commonly called Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a regional organisation involving the six Arab Gulf states with many economic and social objectives in mind. Created on May 25, 1981, the Council is comprised of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Not all of the countries neighboring the Persian Gulf are members of the council. Specifically, Iran and Iraq are not members. Yemen is currently (as of 2007) in negotiotions for GCC membership, and hopes to join by 2016. On the economic front, the GCC aims to create a common market by 2007 and to adopt a single currency, the Khaleeji, in 2010. 9. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) : HQKathmandu, Nepal. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the largest regional organisation in the world by population, covering approximately 1.5 billion people. SAARC is an economic and political organisation of eight countries in Southern Asia. The organisation was established on December 8, 1985 by India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan. Afghanistan became a member (eighth) on April 3, 2007. It declared 2006 2015 as theSAARC decade of poverty alleviation. It was agreed in principle to the desire of China and Japan to become SAARC obsevers. The Islamic Republic of Iran is the only country in Southern Asia that is not a part of SAARC. In April 2006, the United States of America and South Korea made formal requests to be granted observer status. The European Union has also indicated interest in being given observer status, and made a formal request for the same to the SAARC Council of Ministers meeting in July 2006. On August 2nd, 2006 Foreign ministers of SAARC countries agreed in principle to grant observer status to the US, South Korea and the European Union. 10.Group of 77 (G-77) : HQNew York, USA The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members collectives, economic and interest to create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organisation, but the organisation has since expanded to 130 member countries. It is modelled on the Group of 7, which now contains 8 countries. The group was founded on June 15, 1964 by the Joint Declaration of the Seventy Seven Countries issued at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). 11.Intergovernmental Group of Twenty Four (G-24) : HQWashington D.C., USA The Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four on International Monetary Affairs and Development (G-24) was
established in 1971. Its main objective is to concert the position of developing countries on monetary and development of finance issues. It consists of countries from three regions of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia. 12.North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) The Noth American Free Trade Area is the trade bloc created by the North American free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and its two supplements, the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC) and the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC) whose members are Canada, Mexico and the United States. It came into effect on 1 January 1994. It is the worlds largest free trade area. 13.Developing 8 (D-8) : HQ-Istanbul, Turkey.The Developing 8 (D-8) is a group of developing countries that have formed an economic development alliance. It consists of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey. 14.Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Co-operation (BIMSTEC) The organisation was formed in Bangkok, Thailand, on 6 June 1997. Initially, its name was BIST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand Economic Cooperation). At that time, Myanmar was an observer, but later joined the organisation as a full member at a special ministerial meeting, held in Bangkok on 22 December 1997. Consequently, the name of the organisation was changed to BIMST-EC. Nepal was granted observer status by the second ministerial meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh in December 1998. Later, full membership has been granted to Nepal and Bhutan in 2003. During the first summit in Bangkok on 31 July 2004, the organisations name was changed to its current name. 15.Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) : HQChateau de la Muette in Paris, France. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OCED) is an international organisation of those developed countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and a free market economy. It originated in 1948 as the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC) to help administer the Marshal Plan for the reconstruction of Europe after World War II. Later its membership was extended to non-European states, and in 1961 it was reformed into the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. There are currently thirty full members; of these, 24 are described as high-income countries by the World Bank. 16.Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) : HQVienna, Austria. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a permanent, intergovernmental Organisation, created at the Baghdad Conference on September 10-14, 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. The five Founding Members were later joined by nine other Members Indonesias membership currently under review as Indonesia is no longer considered by OPEC as a net oil exporter. Former Members are Gabon (full member from 1975 to 1995) and Ecuador (full member from 1963 to 1993). However Ecuador has expressed interest in rejoining. OPECs official language is English, although the official language of a majority of OPEC member-states is Arabic, as seven current members are Arab states. Only one member nation (Nigeria) has English as an official language. From 1976-2006 OPEC gained on new member nations. In November 2006, the Angolan Government announced its intention to apply for membership and subsequently joined on 1st January 2007. Sudan has also expressed intent for joining. Russia, though a net exporter of oil, has failed to gain membership into the grouping. 17.Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) : HQSingapore. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is an economic forum for a group of Pacific Rim countries to discuss matters on regional economy, cooperation, trade and investment. The current membership of APEC consists of 21 members, which includes most countries with a coasting on the Pacific Ocean. the last countries to have joined APEC, during its sixth leaders summit in Kualalumpur, November 1998 were Peru, Russia and Vietnam. 18.Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) : HQJeddah, Saudi Arabia. OIC is an inter-governmental organisation with a Permanent Delegation to the United Nations. It groups 57 mostly Islamic nations in the Middle East, North, West and Southern AFrica, Central Asia, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and South America. 19.African Union (AU) : HQ-Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The African Union (AU) is an organisation consisting of fifty-three African States. Established in 2001, the AU was formed as a successor to the amalgamated African Economic Community (AEC) and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The African Union was launched in Durban on July 9, 2002, by its first president, South African Thabo Mbeki, at the first session of the Assembly of the African Union. Eventually, the AU aims to have a single currency and a signle integrated defence force, as well as other institutions of state, including a cabinet for the AU Head of State. The AU covers the entire continent except for Morocco, which opposes the membership of Western Sahara/Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. However, Morocco has a special status within the AU and benefits from the services available to all AU states from the institutions of the AU. 20.League of Arab States: HQ-Cairo, Egypt. The League of Arab States, or Arab League, is a voluntary association of countries whose peoples are mainly Arabic speaking. It aims to strengthen ties among member states, coordiante their policies and direct them towards the common good. The idea of the Arab League was mooted in 1942 by the British, who wanted to rally Arab countries
against the Axis powers. However, idea did not take off until seven states formed the Arab League on March 22, 1945. It has 22 members, including Palestine, which the league regards as an independent state. In January 2003, Eritrea joined the Arab League as an observer. 21.North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) : HQBrussels, Belgium. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance, the Western Alliance, is a military alliance established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. The organisation establishes a system of collective security whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party. The Treaty of Brussels, signed on 17 March 1948 by Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and the United Kingdom is considered the precursor to the NATO agreement. The 2006 NATO summit was held in Riga, Latvia, which had joined the Atlantic Alliance two years earlier. It is the first NATO summit in a former COMECON country. Membership went on expanding with the accession of seven more European countries to NATOEstonia, Latvia and Lithuania and also Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania thereby taking the membership to 26. These 7 countries joined NATO on 29 march 2004. 22.Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) : HQMinsk, Belarus. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is the international organization, or alliance, consisting of 11 former Soviet Republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan and one associate member. Turkmenistan discontinued permanent membership as of August 26, 2005 and is now an associate member. The CIS is not a confederation. On December 21, 1991, the leaders of 11 of the 15 constituent republics of the Soviet Union met in Almata, Kazakhstan, and signed the charter, thus de facto ratifying the initial CIS treaty and launching the organisation. 23.ANZUS The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty (ANZUS or ANZUS Treaty) is the military alliance which binds Australia and the United States, and separately Australia and New Zealand to cooperate on defence matters in the Pacific Ocean area, though today the treaty is understood to relate to attacks in any area. The treaty was concluded at San Francisco on 1 September 1951, and entered into force on 29 april 1952. The treaty bound the signatories to recognize that an armed attack in the Pacific area on any of them would endanger the peace and safety of the others. 24.Mercosur : HQMontevideo, Uruguay. Mercosur or Mercosul is a Regional Trade Agreement (RTA) between Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela and Paraguay, founded in 1991 by the Treaty of Asuncion, which was later amended and updated by the 1994 Treaty of Ouro Preto. It is known as the Common Market of the South. Its purpose is to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, peoples, and currency. Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru currently have associate member status. 25.Shanghia Cooperation Organisation (SCO) : HQBeijing, China. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an intergovernmental organisation which was founded on June 14, 2001 by leaders of the China, Russia, Kazakhastan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Except for Uzbekistan, the other countries had been members of the Shanghai Five; after the inclusion of uzbekistan in 2001, the members renamed the organisation. 26.Benelux Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring monarchies. Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The treaty establishing the Benelux Customs Union was signed in 1944 by the governments in exile of the three countries in London, and entered into force in 1947. It ceased to exist in 1960, when it was replaced by the Benelux Economic Union. A Benelux Parliament (originally referred to as Interparliamentary Consultative Council) was created in 1955. The treaty establishing the Benelux Economic Union was signed in 1958 and came into force in 1960 to promote the free movement of workers, capital, services, and goods in the region. In 1965, the treaty establishing a Benelux Court of Justice was signed and it entered into force in 1975 with seat at Brussels. 27.Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) : HQMauritius. The IOR-ARC, initially known as the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative, is an international organization with 18 member states. It was first established in Mauritius on March 1995 and formally launched on 6-7 March 1997. Countries with the status of dialogue partners are China, Egypt, France, Japan and United Kingdom.

India at A Glance

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India at A Glance

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India at a glance

Facts About India

List of Various Committees & Their Focus Area

173. 174. 175. 176. 177. 178. 179. 180.

1. Working Group on Benchmark Prime Lending Rate (BPLR): Deepak Mohanty

Organs of the UN:

Functional of General Assembly:

Secretary General : Ban Ki Moom

Kofi Annan Ban Ki Moom

ASEAN Plus Three (APT)

ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)

Location of European Union Institutions

Council of European Union

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