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Showing posts from March, 2020

Naropa Festival.

the annual week long Buddhist carnival Naropa festival, which was held near the Hemis Monastery. The Hemis Monastery is 11th-century world-famous monastary in Ladakh Ladakhi Shondol dance has created history by breaking into Guinness book of world records as the largest Ladakhi dance. -  royal dance of Ladakh Naropa Festival: 'Kumbh of Himalayas'  themed ‘Environmental sustainability of Ladakh and the Himalayan region’ Naropa  (11th century saint)was an Indian Scholar-Saint, who heralded the beginning of a rich tradition in Buddhist philosophy. His teachings of the Six Yogas of Naropa are one of the fundamental pillars of  Vajrayana Buddhist  tradition. It is also believed that Naropa was the gatekeeper of  Nalanda University  and posed questions on theology and philosophy to people who came for admission before deciding whether they deserved entrance or not. Highlights of the Festival  : The rare public display of six bone ornaments and the unfurling of the an

Tiger Triumph

The  first-ever India-US joint tri services Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise,  named  ‘Tiger Triumph’ , is being held from 13 th -21 st  November, 2019. The exercise will be conducted off  Visakhapatnam and Kakinada coasts  in Andhra Pradesh. It aims to develop interoperability for conducting HADR operations. Other joint exercises: Military training:  Yudh Abhyas and Vajra Prahar Air Forces:  Cope India Naval Exercise  along with Japan: Malabar India has previously only held tri-service exercises with Russia.-  Indra wargames 2017

Shramana tradition

Shramana means “seeker, one who performs acts of austerity, ascetic”. Shramana is a wandering monk in certain austere traditions of ancient India, including Jainism, Buddhism, and ajvika religion. The Shramana tradition gave rise to Jainism and Buddhism. The Shramanas adopted a path that is alternate to the Vedic rituals to achieve salvation, while renouncing domestic life. The Shramana tradition was responsible for the related concepts of saṃsāra (the cycle of birth and death) and moksha (liberation from that cycle). The Shramanas typically engaged three types of activities like austerities, meditation, and associated theories. Śramaṇas held a view of samsara as full of suffering (Dukka). They practiced Ahimsa and rigorous ascetism. They believed in Karma and Moksa and viewed rebirth as undesirable.

Statutory Civil Service

Lord Lytton introduced the Statutory Civil Service in 1878-79. one-sixth of covenanted posts to be filled by Indians of high families through nominations by local governments subject to approval by the secretary of State and the viceroy. Members of Statutory Civil Service had lower status and lower salary and this became the subject to criticism. Aitcheson Commission 1886 on Civil Services recommended for its abolition and finally it was abolished in 1887-88. Recommendations of Aitchision Commission: ▪ The two-tier classification of civil services into covenanted and uncovenanted should be replaced by a three-tier classification (Imperial, provincial and subordinate civil services). ▪ The maximum age for entry into civil services should be 23 years. ▪ The statutory civil service system of recruitment should be abolished. ▪ The competitive exam should not be held simultaneously in England and India ▪ Certain percentage of posts in the imperial civil service should be filled

Mughal Administration

Under the Mughal rule there were the Faujdars who helped in maintaining law and order, and Amils who were basically revenue collectors but had to contend with rebels, if any. The kotwal was responsible for maintenance of law and order in the cities. • In 1774, Warren Hastings restored the institution of faujdars and asked the zamindars to assist them in suppression of dacoits, violence and disorder. • In 1808, Lord Mayo appointed a Superintendent of Police (SP) for each division helped by a number of spies (goyendas) but these spies committed depredations on local people.

Anglo French Wars in India - Carnatic wars

As a result of these military contests, the British East India Company established its dominance among the European trading companies within India.  The French company was pushed to a corner and was confined primarily to  Pondichéry .  The East India Company's dominance eventually led to control by the British Company over most of India and eventually to the establishment of the   British Raj . First Carnatic War (1746–1748) Battle of Adyar In the  Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) , Madras was given back to the British in exchange for the French fortress of  Louisbourg  in  North America , which the British  had captured .  The war was principally notable in India as the first military experience of  Robert Clive , who was taken prisoner at Madras but managed to escape, and who then participated in the defence of Cuddalore and the siege of Pondicherry. Second Carnatic War (1749–1754) [ edit ] In 1751, however,  Robert Clive  led British troops to capture  Arcot

Indus Valley Artefacts

Harappa by Daya Ram Sahini in 1921Situated on the bank of river Ravi in Montgomery district of Punjab (Pakistan). Sandstone statues of Human anatomy Male Torso Granaries Bullock carts Mohenjodaro (Mound of Dead) R.D Banerjee in 1922Situated on the Bank of river Indus in Larkana district of Punjab (Pakistan). Great bath Granary Bronze dancing girl bronze bull mother goddess Seal of Pasupathi Mahadeva Steatite statue of beard man A piece of woven cotton Sutkagendor Stein in 1929In southwestern Balochistan province, Pakistan on Dast river A trade point between Harappa and Babylon Chanhudaro N.G Majumdar in 1931Sindh on the Indus river Bead makers shop Footprint of a dog chasing a cat Amri N.G Majumdar in 1935On the bank of Indus river Antelope evidence Kalibangan Ghose in 1953Rajasthan on the bank of Ghaggar river Fire altar Camel bones Wooden plough Lothal R.Rao in 1953Gujarat on Bhogva river near Gulf of Cambay First manmade port Do

Swathi

The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) formally handed over an indigenously developed Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) system dubbed as ‘Swathi to Indian Army t has been developed by DRDO’s Bangalore based laboratory, LRDE and the Government owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). It has a range of 50 km which brings all artillery guns presently in service worldwide. Performs two roles i.e. Weapon Location Mode for enemy Artillery and Direction of Own artillery Fire (DOOAF) Mode for Artillery.

CITES

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an  international agreement  to which States and regional economic integration organizations adhere voluntarily. CITES was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963  at a meeting of members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). CITES entered into force in July 1975.  Currently there are 183 Parties (include countries or regional economic integration organizations). The CITES Secretariat  is administered by UNEP (The United Nations Environment Programme) and is  located at Geneva, Switzerland. Although CITES is  legally binding on the Parties,  it does not take  the place of national laws. Rather,  it provides a framework to be respecte d by each Party, which has  to adopt its own domestic legislation  to ensure that CITES is implemented at the national level. Appendix I It lists species that are the  most endangered  among CITES-listed animals and

Red Pandas

Endangered– IUCN  state animal of Sikkim Native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It is arboreal, feeds mainly on bamboo, but also eats eggs, birds, and insects It is a solitary animal, mainly active from dusk to dawn, and is largely sedentaryduring the day.  Protection CITES — Appendix I a) Protected areas Kanchendzonga National Park (NP) — Sikkim Neora Valley NP – West Bengal Namdapha National Park – Arunachal Pradesh Singalila National Park – West Bengal On February 29, 2020, the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered that the red panda species are actually two separate species.  The Yalu Zangbu river marks the geographical boundary between the two species.

Woods dispatch

Charles Wood was a British Liberal politician and Member of Parliament. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1846 to 1852. Later he became the President of the Board of Control of the East India Company. • In 1854 he sent the “Wood’s dispatch” to the Governor General Lord Dalhousie. • Following are the recommendations of Woods dispatch ▪ Establish Universities at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras with departments of English, Arabic, Sanskrit, Persian, Law and Civil engineering. ▪ Grant-in-aid system to encourage private enterprises. ▪ Promote women education by establishing girl schools. ▪ Encourage professional education –medical, law and engineering ▪ Establishment of teacher training schools in each of the provinces English as well as Indian languages should be used as media of instruction and Promote mass education by establishing colleges,

OECD

The  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development  ( OECD ; is an  intergovernmental economic organisation  with 36 member countries, [1]  founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade. Most OECD members are  high-income economies  with a very high  Human Development Index  (HDI) and are regarded as  developed countries .  OECD originated in 1948, as the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC).  led by  Robert Marjolin  of France, to help administer the  Marshall Plan  (which was rejected by the  Soviet Union  and its  satellite states ).  The OECD's headquarters are at the  Château de la Muette  in Paris, France. OECD is an official United Nations observer and is referred to as a think-tank or as a monitoring group. The OECD also maintains a “ blacklist ” of nations that are considered uncooperative tax havens. India and  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)  has signed an agreement to enable India’s

Brahmputra

Source:  Chemayungdung glacier (Kailas Range)  at an elevation of about 5,150 m. It’s source is very close to the sources of Indus and Satluj. Mariam La  separates the source of the Brahmaputra from the Manasarovar Lake. Brahmaputra flows eastwards in Southern Tibet for about 1,800 km. In Tibet it passes through the  depression formed by the Indus-Tsangpo Structure Zone  between the Great Himalayas in the south and the Kailas Range in the north. Inspite of the exceptionally high altitude, the Tsangpo has a  gentle slope.  The river is sluggish and has a wide navigable channel for about 640 km. It receives a large number of tributaries in Tibet. The first major tributary is the Raga Tsangpo meeting the Tsangpo near  Lhatse Dzong . Towards the end of its journey in Tibet, its course abruptly takes a south ward turn around  Namcha Barwa (7,756 m)(Syntaxial Bend). Here it cuts across the eastern Himalaya through the  Dihang or Siang Gorge  and emerges from the mountains near  Sa

Allahabad treaty

The Allahabad Treaty marked the political and constitutional involvement and the beginning of British rule in India. • With this treaty, East India Company got a strong political footing in India. Before the treaty, the British only had a strong trading relation with Indian rulers. • This treaty was one of the factors that made sure that they would rule India for two centuries. The Treaty of Allahabad was signed on August 12, 1765 between Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II and Robert Clive as a result of the Battle of Buxar. The treaty gave the Company access to nearly 40,000 square kilometres of taxable fertile land. British were entitled to collect tax directly in lieu of Rs 26 lakhs tribute to be paid annually to the Mughal. Dual System of Government was established in Bengal with Nawab of Bengal retained the judicial functions but the Company had the power to collect revenue.

Foreign factories

Portuguese factories: Calicut (Kozhikode), Cochin, Cannanore (Kannur), Goa, Daman. English factories: Surat (1613), Agra, Ahmedabad and Broach, Bombay, Madras and Calcutta. French factories: Surat, Masulipatnam, Pondicherry. Dutch factories: Masulipatnam (1605), Pulicat (1610), Surat (1616), Bimlipatam (1641), Karikal (1645), Chinsurah (1653), Cassimbazar (Kasimbazar), Baranagore, Patna, Balasore, Nagapatam (1658) and Cochin (1663).

E-2020 initiative

In May 2015, the World Health Assembly endorsed a new  Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030 , setting ambitious goals aimed at dramatically lowering the global malaria burden over this 15-year period, with milestones along the way to track progress.  A key milestone for 2020 is the elimination of malaria in at least 10 countries that had the disease in 2015. To meet this target, countries must report zero indigenous cases in 2020. According to a WHO analysis published in 2016, 21 countries have the potential to eliminate malaria by 2020.  Together, these 21 malaria-eliminating countries are part of a concerted effort known as the E-2020 initiative, supported by WHO and other partners, to eliminate malaria in an ambitious but technically feasible time frame.

GAMA Portal

The Department of Consumer Affairs has launched this portal for registering online complaints for Grievances Against Misleading Advertisements (GAMA ). It is a portal where complaints relating to misleading advertisements can be lodged. Any advertisement or promotion through Television, Radio, or any other electronic media, Newspapers, Banners, Posters, Handbills, wall-writing etc. to misrepresent the nature, characteristics, qualities or geographic origin of goods,services or commercial activities so as to mislead the consumer could be broadly defined as a misleading advertisement.

Financial Benchmark Administrators

FBA shall be a company incorporated in India. • FBAs shall maintain a minimum net worth of ₹ 1 crore at all times. FBAs control the creation, operation and administration ‘benchmarks’ like prices, rates, indices, values or a combination thereof related to financial instruments that are calculated periodically and used as a reference for pricing or valuation of financial instruments or any other financial contract.

Tax information exchange agreements (TIEA)

Tax information exchange agreements (TIEA) provide for the exchange of information on request relating to a specific criminal or civil tax investigation or civil tax matters under investigation. A model TIEA was developed by the OECD Global Forum Working Group on Effective Exchange of Information. This Agreement, which was released in April 2002, is not a binding instrument but contains two models for bilateral agreements.

Barak River - surma - meghna

The  Barak River  is a 900-kilometre-long (560 mi) [1] [2]  river flowing through the states of  Manipur ,  Nagaland ,  Mizoram  and  Assam  in  India  and into the  Bay of Bengal  via  Bangladesh . Of the 900 km, 524 km is in India, 31 km on Indo – Bangladesh border and the rest is in Bangladesh. The navigable portion of Barak River in India, the 121 km stretch between  Lakhipur  and Bhanga has been declared as  National Waterway 16, (NW-16)  in the year 2016. [3] [4]   The principal tributaries of the Barak are all in India and are the  River Sonai  (Tuirial River), the Jiri, the Tlawng (Dhaleswari / Katakal), the Longai, and the Madhura.  Tipaimukh Dam  is a proposed embankment dam on the Barak River. Flows into Bangladesh as the Surma river, and becomes the  Meghna  river before the  Ganga - Brahmaputra  river system. The  Padma River  joins it and flows into the  Bay of Bengal  as the Meghna river. The proposed   Tipaimukh Dam   on the Barak River in northeast India

IMF

Created in 1945, the IMF is governed by and accountable to the 189 countries that make up its near-global membership.  The United Nations is the parent organisation that handles the proper functioning and administration of the IMF. The IMF's  primary purpose  is to ensure the stability of the international monetary system—the system of exchange rates and international payments that enables countries (and their citizens) to transact with each other. The Fund's mandate was updated in 2012 to include all macroeconomic and financial sector issues that bear on global stability. It also provides periodic assessments of global prospects in its  World Economic Outlook   ,  of financial markets in its  Global Financial Stability Report   , of public finance developments in its  Fiscal Monitor   , and of external positions of the largest economies in its  External Sector Report   ,  in addition to a series of regional economic outlooks. SDRs:  The IMF issues an international rese