Current Affairs English 12.09.092

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CURRENT AFFAIRSNATIONAL

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekara Reddy died in helicopter crashAndhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was on 03.09.2009 morning killed in a helicopter crash in a hilly

forest area. Helicopters, search parties and villagers had conducted the search in pouring rain for a whole day and night inthe forested hinterland for the wreckage, which was finally located about 40 nautical miles east of Kurnool town. After thathe has been killed, officials in the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) confirmed 04.09.2009, more than 24 hours after his helicopterwent missing in a densely forested Maoist stronghold of the state.

He was going to Chittoor, 588 km from this state capital Hydrabad, for a function when his helicopter went missing ininclement weather around 9.30 a.m. on 03.09.2009 in the Nallamalla forests. State finance minister K. Rosaiah, was swornin as the Interim Chief Minister. He will serve until the Congress party chooses a new leader.INS Arihant Nuclear warship inducted into Indian Navy

The indegenous nuclear powered submarine INS Arishant was inducted into Indian Navy on 26th July 2009 offVishakhapatnam coast. Keeping in tradition of warships being inaugurated by women, Mrs. Gurusharan Gaur, wife of ourPrime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, warship Arihant which means destroyer of enemies started its journey to commemoratethe 10th Anniversary of Kargil victory. With the launch of INS Arihant, India joins an execlusive club of five other nations - theUSA, Russia, China, Britain and France. USA has more than 100 nuclear submarines, while Russia, France and Britainpossess about a dozen, China has 6.

Kannada Poet Sarvajna statue was unveiled in ChennaiKannada saint-poet Sarvajna statue was unveiled by Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa at Jeeva Park

(Ayanavaram) in Chennai on 13 August 2009. Pramodini Deshpande, sculpted the 9 ft bronze statue of Sarvajna. It was amomentous occasion for both the states, which have been at the loggerheads over many issues. TamilNadu Chief MinisterM. Karunanidhi and scores of Kannadigas and Tamils, film personalities including Rajnikanth and B. Sarojadevi, writersDr. Chidanandamurthy, G.S. Siddalingaiah and Doddarange Gowda were witness to the historic event.Tamil Nadu Kalpana Chawla Awards - 2009

The Tamil Nadu government has selected the following women for the Kalpana Chawla Awards distributed by ChiefMinister M. Karunanidhi at the Independence Day celebrations on August 15, 2009.

Dr. N. Rajamaheswari, Professor and Head of the Department of Uro-gynaecology, Government Kasturba GandhiHospital, Triplicane, Chennai, is the first uro-gynaecologist in India to have established a department of uro-gynaecology. Rajalakshmi of Usilampatti, Madurai district, affected by polio, represented India in sports meets for the differently abled. Dr. Pushpanjali of Thirukkalukkundram, Kancheepuram district, is the mother of Hithendran, whose organs were harvestedafter he died in an accident. The award carries a medal worth Rs.5,000 and cash Rs.5 lakh.Independence Day Gallantry Awards - 2009

The following persons were conferred Gallantry Awards by President Pratibha Patil on August 15, 2009 in New Delhi.! Ashok Chakra : Major Mohit Sharma, the hero of the Kupwara encounter, was the first officer to be killed this

year in an anti-terrorist operation in Jammu and Kashmir and Major D. Sreeram Kumar, an alumnus of the Sainik School,Amravati Nagar in Tamil Nadu, was rewarded for making life miserable for terrorists in Manipur by killing 12 of them andcatching 23 alive. He is currently serving the 39 Assam Rifles and is posted in Arunachal Pradesh. ! Kirti Chakra : MajorAmit Oscar Fernandes, Major Deepak Tewari, Naik Rishikesh Gurjar and Paratrooper Shabir Ahmad Malik (posthumous).Independence Day Sports Awards - 2009

The Government of India announced the three of the most coveted awards to sports persons: Rajiv Gandhi Khel RatnaAward, Arjuna Awards and Dronacharya Awards for the year 2008.

! Rajiv Khel Ratna: M.C. Marykom (Women Boxing), Vijender Kumar (Boxing) and Sushil Kumar (Wrestling) ! ArjunaAward: Mangal Singh Champia (Archery), Sinimol Paulose (Athletics), Saina Nehwal (Badminton), L. Saritha Devi (WomenBoxing), Tania Sachdeva (Chess), Gautam Gambhir (Cricket), Ignatius Tirkey (Hockey), Surinder Kaur (Hockey), PankajShirsat (Kabaddi), B. Prabhu (Physically Challenged), Satish Joshi (Rowing), Ranjan Sodhi (Shooting), Poulami Ghatak (TableTennis), Yogeshwar Dutt (Wrestling) and G.L. Yadav (Yatching)! Dronacharya Award: Baldev Singh (Hockey), JaidevBisht (Boxing), Satpal (Wrestling), Pullela Gopichand (Badminton) and Udaikumar (Kabaddi).New UPA Government presented Railway / General Budget - 2009-10

The Railway Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, presented Railway budget, for the year 2009-10 in the Lok Sabha on03-07-2009 without increasing the passenger fares for all classes and the freight rates and parcel tariffs and still managedto shower concessions on women, labours and students. The Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the UnionBudget for 2009-10 in the Parliament on July 6, 2009.Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank sworn in as new Chief Minister of Uttarkhand

Uttarkhand Health Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank sworn as the new Chief Minister of the state in place ofB.C. Khanduri who resigned on June 23, 2009.

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Meira Kumar becomes first woman speaker of Lok SabhaMs. Meira Kumar made history in the Lok Sabha when she was unanimously elected its Speaker on June 3, 2009 and

thus became the first woman to occupy one of the high Constitutional posts. She elected from Sasaram Constituency in Biharin the recent elections, is the daughter of the late Jagjeevan Ram, Deputy Prime Minister of Morarji Desai Government. Veterantribal MP from Jharkhand Karia Munda was unanimously elected as the new deputy speaker of Lok Sabha on June 8, 2009.He belongs to Bharatiya Janatha Party.P.V. Naik is new chief of Indian Air Force

Air Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik assumed office as the Air Chief of Indian Air Force. He succeeds Air Chief Marshal FaliHomi Major, who has retired on May 31, 2009.Nirmal Kumar Verma named as new Indian Navy Chief

Vice Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma, the Chief of the Eastern Naval Command, assumed office as the next Indian NavyChief. He took over from incumbent Admiral Sureesh Mehta, who retires August 31, 2009.Karunanidhi makes Stalin Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhis son and Local Administration Minister, M.K. Stalin, has been re-designated asDeputy Chief Minister on May 29, 2009. On the advice of the Chief Minister, His Excellency the Governor has appointedM.K. Stalin, Minister for Rural Development and Local Administration, as Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The subjectsGeneral Administration, District Revenue Officers, Industries, Minorities Welfare, Passports, Special Initiatives and SocialReforms hitherto held by the Chief Minister are re-allocated to M.K. Stalin.UPA alliance parties vigorously won in 15th Lok Sabha Elections

The 15th Lok Sabha elections were held in five phases from April 16 to May 13, 2009. These elections are important atthe national level and it shows the strength of ruling party. The votes are counted and results were announced on May 16,2009. The details of Election Results : Indian National Congress - 206, BJP - 116, Others - 26, Samajwadi Party - 23,Bahujan Samaj Party - 21, Janata Dal (U) - 20, Trinamul Congress - 19, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - 18, CPI(M) - 17, BijuJanata Dal - 14, Shiv Sena - 11, AIADMK - 9, Nationality Congress Party - 9, Independent(s) - 9, Telugu Desam Party - 6.INC and DMK alliance vigorously won in Tamil Nadu

Central Chennai - Dayanidhi Maran(DMK); South Chennai - Rajendran (AIADMK); North Chennai - T.K.S. Elangovan(DMK); Thiruvalloor (Reserved) - Venugopal (AIADMK); Sriperumbudur - T.R. Balu (DMK); Arakkonam -Jegathratchagan (DMK); Coimbatore - Nataraj (CPM); Sivagangai - P. Chidambaram (INC); Arani - Krishnaswamy (INC);Chidambaram (Reserved) - Thirumavalavan (VC); Kanchipuram (Reserved) - P. Vishwanathan (INC); Kallakurichi -Adhi Shankar (DMK); Krishnagiri - Sugavanam (DMK); Nagappattinam (Reserved) - A.K.S. Vijayan (DMK); Thanjavur- S.S. Pazhanimanickam (DMK); Thenkasi (Reserved) - P.O. Lingam (CPI); Madurai - M.K. Azagiri (DMK); Thirunelveli -Rama Subbu (INC); Tirupur - Sivasamy (AIADMK); Thiruvannamalai - Venugopal (DMK); Trichy - P. Kumar (AIADMK);Tuticorin - S.R. Jayadurai (DMK); Vellore - Abdul Rahman (IUML); Villupuram (Reserved) - Anandhan (AIADMK);Mayiladuthurai - O.S. Manian (AIADMK); Cuddalore - Azhagiri (INC); Dharmapuri - Thamaraiselvan (DMK); Dindigul -N.S.V. Chithan (INC); Kanniyakumari - Helen Davidson (DMK); Karur - Thambidurai (AIADMK); Namakkal - Gandhi Selvan(DMK); Nilgiris - A. Raja (DMK); Perambalur - Napolean (DMK); Pollachi - Sugumar (AIADMK); Salem - Semmalai(AIADMK); Virudhunagar - Manick Tagore (INC); Erode - Ganeshamurthy (MDMK); Ramanathapuram - J.K. Ritheesh(DMK); Puducherry - Narayanasamy (INC).Manmohan Singh sworn in as second five-year term PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was sworn in on May 22, 2009 for a second five-year term with expectations hisstrengthened left-of-centre coalition could both reform a slowing economy and help millions of poor. Singhs Congress party-led coalition has a stronger parliamentary majority than his first administration, meaning the Government could last its full five-year term in a region otherwise beset by instability from Pakistan to Sri Lanka. President Pratibha Patil administered the oathof office to Dr. Manmohan Singh.SDF wins all seats in Sikkim Assembly

The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) swept back to power for the fourth time, winning all the 32 seats in the Assembly,elections to which were held on April 30, 2009. Its president Pawan Kumar Chamling sworn in as Chief Minister for a recordfourth time on May 20, 2009.BJD landslide in Orissa

The Biju Janata Dal, headed by Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, registered a landslide victory in the Assemblyelections. The party secured a majority in the 147-member House, bagging over 100 seats. It contested 129 seats, leaving17 to the NCP, the CPI(M) and the CPI, with which it had entered into a seat-sharing arrangement. The Congress finishedsecond, winning fewer than 30 Assembly segments, while the BJP got less than 10.PSLV-C12 launched successfully

Polar Satellite Launching Vehicle C-12 (PSLV-C12) was successfully launched on April 20, 2009 from the SatishDhavan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota. It carries a 545-kg Resat satellite designed by Israel and a 38-kg Annsat of AnnaUniversity into the orbit, began at 6.45 am on April 19, 2009, 48 hours before the launch. The PSLV-C12 will be the 14thexperiment in the PSLV series and the 25th space vehicle to be launched by ISRO from Sriharikota.


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BSNL launches 3G ServicesThe state run operator BSNL launched the third generation (3G) services in 11 cities around the country on February

27, 2009. It also announced a rate of Re.1 a minute for a video call in the Rs.2,500 plan. Launching the services, it said in astatement that it had invested Rs.2,700 crore on rolling out 3G services and would cover all district headquarters andimportant commercial towns.

96th Indian Science CongressPrime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh inaugurated the 96th Session of Indian Science Congress in Shillong on January 2,

2009. The Indian Science Congress is annual gathering of Indian scientists with a focus on a particular scientific theme orissue. This year nearly about 4000 delegates from various parts of the country participated in the Conference. The ScienceCongress focussed on the issue and theme - "Science Education and Attraction of Talent for Excellence in Research". TheScience Congress offers scope for discussion on local action for stimulating Indian science education and seeking excellencein research.Bharat Ratna honour on Pandit Bhimsen Joshi

Prominent musicians of the country on 5.11.2008 hailed the countrys highest civilian award Bharat Ratna honour onPandit Bhimsen Joshi and described him as the tallest icon of Hindustani classical music.Chandrayaan-1 launched successfully

India's first unmanned lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 is successfully launched from Sriharikota on October 22, 2008.The Spacecraft carries eleven payloads of which five are from India and six payloads from the USA, Europe and Bulgaria.Chandrayaan-1 Spacecraft will be launched on board India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C11). TheChandrayaan-1 mission features a satellite orbiting the moon at an altitude of 100 km for two years mapping the topographyand the mineralogical content of the lunar soil. Chandrayaan-1 will also carry a moon impact probe payload for demonstratingthe technology needed towards accurate landing on the Moon's surface.

Though the communication between Chandrayaan - 1 and earth control station was lost on 29.08.2009 at 1.30 A.M., thelunar craft will continue to go around moon for about 1000 days. In the course of more than 3400 orbits the probe madearound the moon, its instruments closely scrutimised the surface of the moon. The mission originally planned to last 2 yearswas to be abandoneded after 312 days when the contact was lost. Chandrayaan-1 will be in orbit until 2012 until Chandrayaan-2mission slated to lift-off in 2013. After 1000 days, Chandrayaan-1 will crash on lunar surface. However, it has achieved 95%of the work assigned for the mission.

AWARDSPadma Awards - 2009

The President of India Smt. Pratibha Patil on Jan. 26, 2009 announced the Padma Awards for 2009. 10 persons wereselected for the Padma Vibhushan, 30 persons named for Padma Bhushan and 93 persons selected for Padma ShriAwards. The list of Padma awardees is given as follows -

Padma Vibhushan Awardees (10): Dr. Chandrika Prasad Srivastava (Civil Service); Sunderlal Bahuguna(Environment); Prof. D.P. Chattopadhyaya (Literature); Prof. Jasbir Singh Bajaj (Medicine); Dr. Purshotam Lal (Medicine);Govind Narain (Public Affairs); Dr. Anil Kakodkar (Science); G. Madhavan Nair (Science); Sister Nirmala (Social Work);Dr. A.S. Ganguly (Trade & Industry).

Padma Bhushan Awardees (30) : G. Sivarama Krishna Murthy (Art); Prof. Ramanlal C Mehta (Art); ShamshadBegum (Art); V.P. Dhananjayan & Shanta Dhananjayan (Art); Dr. Vaidyanathan Ganapathi Sthapati (Art); S.K. Misra (CivilService); Shekhar Gupta (Journalism); Prof. Alappat Sreedhara Menon (Literature); C.K. Prahlad (Literature); Jayakanthan(Literature); Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia (Literature); Kunwar Narain (Literature); Prof. Minoru Hara (Literature); RamachandraGuha (Literature); Dr. Brijendra Kumar Rao (Medicine); Vaidya Devendra Triguna (Medicine); Dr. Khalid Hameed (Medicine);Lt.Gen. (Retd.) Satish Nambiar (Security Affairs); Dr. Inderjit Kaur Barthakur (Public Affairs); Dr. Kirit Shantilal Parikh (PublicAffairs); Dr. Bhakta B. Rath (Science); Kanjeevaram Srirangachari Seshadri (Science); Dr. Gurdip Singh Randhawa(Science); Sam Pitroda (Science); Prof. (Dr.) Sarvagya Singh Katiyar (Science); Prof. Thomas Kailath (Science);Dr. Naganath Nayakawadi (Social Work); Dr. Sarojini Varadappan (Social Work); Abhinav Bindra (Sports); Anil ManibhaiNaik (Trade & Industry).

Padma Shri Awardees (93) : Thilakan (Art); A. Vivekh (Art); Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Art); Akshay Kumar (Art);Dr. Ameena Ahmed Ahuja (Art); Aruna Sairam (Art); Devayani Chaymotty (Art); Geeta Kapur (Art); Govind Ram Nirmalkar(Art); Gurumayum Gourakishor Sharma (Art); Hashmat Ullah Khan (Art); Helan Khan (Art); Hemi Bawa (Art); PanditHridaynath Mangeshkar (Art); Iravatham Mahadevan (Art); K.P. Udayabhanu (Art); Dr. Kanneganti Brahmanandam (Art);Prof. Kiran Seth (Art); Kumar Sanu Bhattacharjee (Art); Prof. Dr. Leela Omchery (Art); Mattannoor Sankarankutty Marar(Art); Niranjan Goswami (Art); Bhai Nirmal Singh Khalsa (Art); Penaz Masani (Art); Prakash N. Dubey (Art); Dr. PratapadityaPal (Art); Ram Kishore Chhipa (Art); Saoli Mitra (Art); Skendrowell Syiemlieh (Posthumous) (Art); Dr. SubrahmanyamKrishnaswamy (Art); Suresh Dutta (Art); Tafazzul Ali (Posthumous) (Art); Udit Narayan (Art); Vadakka Manalath Govindanalias Kalamandalam Gopi (Art); S.B. Ghosh Dastidar (Civil Service); Ameen Sayani (Broadcasting); Abhay Chhajlani(Journalism); Dr. A. Sankara Reddy (Literature); Alok Mehta (Literature); Dr. Bannanje Govindacharya (Literature);

4SURAS Current AffairsCurrent AffairsCurrent AffairsCurrent AffairsCurrent AffairsDr. Birendranath Datta (Literature); Prof. Geshe Ngawang Samten (Literature); Prof. Jalees Ahmed Khan Tareen (Literature);Jayanta Mahapatra (Literature); John Ralston Marr (Literature); Lalthangfala Sailo (Literature); Laxman Bapu Mane(Literature); Dr. Mathoor Krishnamurty (Literature); Norden Tshering (Literature); Dr. Panchapakesa Jayaraman (Literature);Prof. Ram Shankar Tripathi (Literature); Prof. Ranbir Chander Sobti (Literature); Dr. Ravindra Nath Srivastava (Literature);Shamsur Rahman Faruqi (Literature); Shashi Deshpande (Literature); Sunny Varkey (Literature); Suresh Gundu Amonkar(Literature); Dr. Utpal K. Banerjee (Literature); Dr. A.K. Gupta (Medicine); Dr. Alampur Saibaba Goud (Medicine); Dr. ArvindLal (Medicine); Dr. Ashok K. Vaid (Medicine); Dr. Ashok Kumar Grover (Medicine); Dr. Balswarup Choubey (Medicine);Dr. D. S. Rana (Medicine); Dr. Govindan Vijayaraghavan (Medicine); Dr. Kalyan Banerjee (Medicine); P.R. Krishna Kumar(Medicine); Dr. R. Sivaraaman (Medicine); Dr. Shaik Khader Noordeen (Medicine); Prof. (Dr.) Thanikachalam Sadagopan(Medicine); Dr. Yash Gulati (Medicine); K. Asungba Sangtam (Public Affairs); Dr. Shyamlha Pappu (Public Affairs);Prof. Syed Iqbal Hasnain (Research on Himalayan Glaciers); Goriparthi Narasimha Raju Yadav (Science); Prof. PramodTandon (Science); Bansilal Rathi (Social Work); Begum Bilkees I. Latif (Social Work); Cheril Krishna Menon (Social Work);Rev. Joseph H. Pereira (Social Work); K. Viswanathan (Social Work); Keepu Tshering Lepcha (Social Work); Prof. ShyamSunder Maheshwari (Social Work); Sunil Kanti Roy (Social Work); Balbir Singh Khullar (Sports); Harbhajan Singh (Sports);Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Sports); Pankaj Advani (Sports); Surinder Mehta (Technology Solutions); Arumugam Sakthivel(Trade & Industry); Dr. Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty (Trade & Industry); R.K. Krishna Kumar (Trade & Industry).

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards - 2009President Pratibha Patil presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards to the following on Jan. 9, 2009. Ramdien

Sardjoe, Vice-President, Republic of Suriname; Angidi Veeriah Chettiar, Vice-President, Republic of Mauritius; SomanBaby, Associate Editor, Gulf Daily News, Deepak Obhrai, Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary of ForeignAffairs, Canada; Ylias Akbaraly, prominent businessman from Madasgar; G. Vadiveloo, the only Malaysian-Indian to beelected as the President of the Malaysian Senate; Ram Lakhina, Chairman of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Foundation,Amsterdam; P.N.C. Menon, eminent philanthropist with a deep commitment to social service; Parmananthan Prema Naidoo,Member of the Mayoral Committee for Environment in the city of Johannesburg. J.R. Gangaramani, founder member ofIndian Business and Professional Group, Abu Dhabi; Baroness Shreela Flather, Member of the House of Lords; Prof.C.K. Prahalad, Professor, University of Michigan-Business School; Prof. Sumit Ganguly, Professor of Political Science atIndiana University, USA.Femina Miss India - 2009

The Pantaloons Femina Miss India 2009 patgeant final was held in the open-air setting of the Andheri Sports Complexon April 5, 2009. The 23 year old Ekta Chaudhary from Delhi was adjudged Pantaloons Femina Miss India (PFMI) Universe2009, the 23 year old Pooja Chopra from Pune was crowned PFMI World 2009 and the 22 year old Shriya Kishore fromMumbai was declared PFMI Earth 2009.10th IIFA Awards - 2009

Ashutosh Gowarikars historical love epic Jodhaa Akbar dominated the IIFA Awards in its 10th edition at Macau on June14, 2009. The movie bagged the trophies for best picture, best director and best actor. The list of the winners is:

Best Film: Jodhaa Akbar Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male): Hrithik Roshan (Jodhaa Akbar) Best Actorin a Leading Role (Female): Priyanka Chopra (Fashion) Best Director: Ashutosh Gowariker (Jodhaa Akbar) BestActor in a Supporting Role (Male): Arjun Rampal (Rock On!!) Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female): KanganaRanaut (Fashion) Best Actor in a Negative Role: Akshaye Khanna (Race) Best Debutant Star (Male): FarhanAkhtar Best Debutant Star (Female): Asin Outstanding Achievement by an Indian in International Cinema:Aishwarya Bachchan Best Actor in a Comic Role: Abhishek Bachchan (Dostana) Best Music: A.R. Rahman(Jodhaa Akbar) Best Lyrics: Javed Akhtar - Jashn-E-Bahara (Jodhaa Akbar) Best Playback Singer (Male): JavedAli -Jashn-e-Baharaa (Jodhaa Akbar) Best Playback Singer (Female): Shreya Ghoshal - Teri Ore (Singh is Kinng) Lifetime Achievement Award: Rajesh Khanna Director of the Decade: Rakesh Roshan Star of the Decade(Male): Shahrukh Khan Star of the Decade (Female): Aishwarya Bachchan Music Director of the Decade:A.R. Rahman Best Choreography: Farah Khan - Desi Girl (Dostana).Saraswati Samman Award - 2009

The prestigious Saraswati Samman Award for the year 2008 has been conferred on the novel Kayakalpa by notedAssamese writer Dr. Lakhmi Nandan Bora. The Samman, instituted in 1991 by the KK Birla Foundation, selects an outstandingliterary work written in any Indian language in schedule VIII of the Constitution and published within the last ten years.Dr. Boras novel, published in 2002 was published serially in Gariyoshi, Assams most prestigious literary magazine. It covers awide canvas, ranging from modern technology and science to the ancient thoughts and philosophy by the great rishis of India.Bharatiya Jnanpith Awards - 2008

The award for the years 2005 and 2006 were announced on November 22, 2008 and were awarded to the Hindi writerKunwar Narayan for 2005 and jointly to Konkani writer Ravindra Kelekar and Sanskrit scholar Satveet Shastri for 2006. Theaward carries a cheque for Rs. 5,00,000, a citation plaque and a bronze replica of Vagdevi.Sahitya Academy awards - 2008

Seven novelists, six poets, five short story writers and three critics are among 21 litterateurs were selected for theNational Sahitya Academy awards for 2008 on December 22, 2008.


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K.P. Appan (Malayalam - Madhuram Ninte Jeevitham); Govind Mishra (Hindi - Kohre Mein Kaid Rang); Rita Choudhury(Assamese); Vidya Sagar Narzary (Bodo); Srinivas B. Vaidya (Kannada); Ashok Kamat (Konkani); Shyam Manohar (Marathi);Mitter Sain Meet (Punjabi); Sarat Kumar Mukhopadhyay (Bengali); Champa Sharma (Dogri); A.O. Memchoubi (Manipuri);Pramod Kumar Mohanty (Oriya); Om Prakash Pande (Sanskrit); Jayant Parmer (Urdu); Suman Shah (Gujarati); Kirat (Nepali);Dinesh Panchal (Rajasthani); Badal Hembam (Santhali); Melanmai Ponnusamy (Tamil); Nabi Aatash (Kashmiri); Hiro Shewkani(Sindhi). This award carrying a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and an engraved copper plaque.Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize - 2008

The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh presented the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize to 10 bright mindsfrom all over India for their outstanding contributions in the field of science on December 21, 2008 for the year 2008.

Biological Sciences: Dr. L.S. Shasidhara (Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, CSIR, Hyderabad)) &Dr. Gajendra Pal Singh Raghava (Institute of Microbial Technology CSIR, Chandigarh) Chemical Sciences: Dr. PradeepThalappil (Dept. of Chemistry and Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facility, IIT Madras, Chennai) & Dr. Jarugu NarasimhaMoorthy (Dept. of Chemistry, IIT, Kanpur) Mathematical Sciences: Dr. Jaikumar Radhakrishnan (School of Technologyand Computer Science, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai) Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and PlanetarySciences: Dr. P.N. Vinayachandran (Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore) Medical Sciences: Dr. Ravinder Goswami (Dept. of Endocrinology and Metobolism, All India Institute of Medical Sciences,New Delhi) Engineering Sciences: Dr. Ranjan Kumar Malik (Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology,New Delhi) Physical Sciences: Dr. Srikanth Sastry (Theoretical Sciences Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for AdvancedScientific Research, Bangalore) & Dr. Raghunathan Srianand (Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics,Pune)Golden Peacock Awards - 2008

Renowned Kazakh film maker Sergei Dvortsvoy's film Tulpan won the Golden Peacock award and a cash prize ofRs. 4 million on the closing day of the 39th International Film Festival of India in Panaji on December 2, 2008.

Dvortsevoy also pocketed the most promising directors award. The special jury award at the film festival - the SilverPeacock and a cash award of Rs.15 lakh - was presented to Sri Lankan actress Malini Fonseca for her role in the Sinhalesefilm Akasa Kusum (Flowers in the Sky). The festival, which opened on November 22, 2008 with the screening of theChinese film The Warlords by filmmaker Peter Chan, ended with the screening of Iranian film The Song of the sparrowsdirected by Majid Majidi.Dadasaheb Phalke Awards - 2009

The prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke awards were given out to film personalities on May 4, 2009 in Mumbais BhaidasAuditorium in suburban Vile Parle.

! Dada Saheb Phalke Ratan Award : Manoj Kumar ! Phalke Kalpataru Award : Prithviraj Kapoor ! PhalkeGolden Singer Award : Shamshad Begum

54th Filmfare Awards - 2009These awards were presented on Feb. 28, 2009, at the Yashraj Studio in Andheri, Mumbai.! Best Film : Jodha Akhbar ! Best Actor : Arjun Rampal (Rock On!) ! Best Actress : Kangana Ranaut

(Fashion) ! Best Director : Aamir Khan (Taare Zameen Par) ! Best Story : Abhishek Kapoor (Rock On!) ! Best MalePlayback Singer : Sukhwinder Singh (Rab Ne Bana di Jodi)! Best Female Playback Singer : Shreya Ghoshal (Singhis King) ! Best Newcomer: Farhan Akhtar and Imraan Khan ! Best Fresh Face : Asin Thottumkal ! Best MusicDirector : A.R. Rahman (Jodha Akhbar) ! Best Lyricist : Javed Akhtar (Jodha Akhbar) ! Best Dialogue : Mano Rishi(Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!) ! Best Screenplay : Yogendra Joshi, Bhupendra (Mumbai Meri Jaan) ! Best Costume :Manoshi Nath (Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!) ! Best Action: Peter Hein (Ghajini) ! Best Cinematography: Jason West(Rock On!) ! Lifetime Achievement Award : Rishi Kapoor ! R.D. Burman Award : Benny Dayal (Ghajini)! Power Awards : Yash Chopra and Aditya Chopra.Zee Cine Awards - 2008

Chak De! India walked away with the Best Film Award at the Zee Cine Awards - 2008 ceremony held in London onApril 26, 2008.

! Best Film : Chak De! India ! Best Director : Amir Khan (Taare Zameen Par) ! Best Actor : Shah Rukh Khan(Chak De! India) ! Best Actress: Kareena Kapoor (Jab We Met) ! Critics Award for Best Film : Gandhi My Father! Critics Award for Best Actor : Darsheel Safary (Taare Zameen Par) ! Critics Award for Best Actress : ShifaliShah (Gandhi My Father) ! Best Actor in a Supporting Role : Govinda (Partner) ! Best Actress in a SupportingRole : Shilpa Shetty (Life In A ... Metro) ! Best Playback Singer (Male) : ShanJab Se Tere Naina (Saawariyan) ! BestPlayback Singer (Female) : Shreya GhosalBarso Re Megha (Guru) ! Best Music : A.R. Rahman (Guru) ! BestLyrics : Prasoon JoshiMaa (Taare Zameen Par) ! Most Promising Debut (Male) : Ranbir Kapoor (Saawariyan)! Most Promising Debut (Female) : Deepika Padukone (Om Shanti Om) ! Most Promising Debut (Child Artiste) :Darsheel Safary (Taare Zameen Par) ! Best Choreographer : Farah Khan (Om Shanti Om) ! Best Story: AmolGupta (Taare Zameen Par) ! Best Screenplay : Imtiyaz Ali (Jab We Met) ! Best Dialogue : Jaideep Sahani (Chak De!India) ! Best Background Music : A.R. Rahman (Guru) ! Best Cinematography : Sandip Chatterjee (Chak De! India)! Best Costume : Manish Malhotra & Karan Johar (Om Shanti Om) ! Lifetime Achievement : Zeenat Aman & FerozKhan.

6SURAS Current AffairsCurrent AffairsCurrent AffairsCurrent AffairsCurrent Affairs55th National Film Awards given in 2009

The 55th National Film Awards for 2007 were announced on September 7, 2009.

! Best Feature Film : Kanchivaram (Tamil) ! Best Film for wholesome Entertainment : Chak De! India (Hindi)! Best Film on Family Welfare : Taare Zameen Par (Hindi)! Best Director : Adoor Gopalakrishnan (Naalu Pennungal- Malayalam)! Best Actor : Prakash Raj (Kanchivaram - Tamil) ! Best Actress : Umashree (Gulabi Talkies - Kannada)! Best Supporting Actor : Dharshan Jariwala (Gandhi My Father - English) ! Best Supporting Actress : Shefali Shah(The Last Lear - English) ! Best Playback Singer (Male) : Shankar Mahadevan for Taare Zameen Par (Hindi)! BestPlayback Singer (Female) : Shreya Ghoshal for Jab We Met (Hindi) ! Best Music Director : Ouseppachan for OreKadal (Malayalam)! Best Screenplay : Feroz Appas Khan (Gandhi My Father - Hindi)! Indira Gandhi Award for BestFirst Film : Shivaji Chandrabhusan for Frozen (Hindi) ! Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on NationalIntegration : Sheethal V. Talwar & Bhavana Talwar for Dharm (Hindi) ! Best Film in English : Gandhi My Father ! BestSpecial Visual Effects : Shivaji (Tamil).

SPORTSCricket

Deccan Chargers is the Champion of IPL Tournament - 2009Hyderabad Deccan Chargers beat Royal Challengers Bengalooru by six runs in the thrilling grand final to lift the 2nd

Indian Premier League on May 24, 2009 in Wanderes stadium at Johannesburg, South Africa. After 36 days of mind-bogglingaction and no-holds-barred feud among eight franchisee teams, Deccan Chargers emerged Champions. Anil Kumble (RoyalChallengers) was adjudged Player of the Match, Gill Christ was adjudged Player of the Series, Mathew Hayden wasadjudged Batsman of the Series while R.P. Singh was adjudged Bowler of the Series. The credit of victory goes to AdamGill Christ for his brilliant captaincy and his whole squad he brought the whole Hyderabad team together.

Duleep Trophy - 2009West Zone wrapped up the formalities after lunch on the final day at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on

February 9, 2009, completing a 274 run win over South Zone to lift the Duleep Trophy. West dismissed South for 403, thanksin large measure to Mumbai off-spinner Ramesh Powar, who returned figures of seven for 140.

Rest of India won Irani Trophy - 2009Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh ran through Delhis batting order and completed a 187-run win for Rest of India in the

Irani Cup final in Vadodara. Delhi resumed on 113 for 3 but the collapse started in the second over of the day when AakashChopra was bowled by Zaheer Khan for a duck. Gambhir resisted at one end, scoring 91, but Delhi lost seven wickets for77 runs and were bowled out before lunch on the fourth day.

Deodhar Trophy - 2009West Zone (362/5) emerged winner of the Deodhar Trophy though its final round match against East Zone (144). West

Zone won by 218 runs at Cuttack on March 18, 2009.

Ranji Trophy - 2009Mumbai won the 38th title of Ranji Trophy when they defeated Uttar Pradesh by 243 runs at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in

Hyderabad on January 7, 2009.

FootballSantosh Trophy - 2009

Goa registered a 4-2 win over Bengal via tie-break in the final and lifted the Santosh Trophy in the 63rd edition of theNational football championship at Nehru Stadium in Chennai on June 14, 2009.

17th Senior National Women's Football Championship - 2009Manipur won the 17th Senior National Women's Football Championship beating West Bengal 2-0 in the final at Neyveli

in Tamil Nadu on March 15, 2009. This was Manipur's 15th title and 12th in a row.

Shooting52nd National Championship - 2009

Chandigarh NCC cadets bagged 13 medals in the 52nd National Shooting Championship at Thodupuzha (Kerala) onJanuary 17, 2009. Chandigarhs Shikha Dall won individual Silver medal scoring 561 points out of 600 in 50 mtr 3 Position.The Chandigarh shooters also won silver medal in the team event of 50 mtr Rifle Junior Women. Bronze medals were baggedin 50 mtr Prone Junior Men team event, 50 mtr Sports Rifle Prone Women and in 50 mtr Prone Sports Rifle Women.


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INTERNATIONALPresidential Election in Iran: Ahmadinejad Re-elected

Presidential elections in Iran were held on June 12, 2009 and the election results were declared on June 14, 2009. IransPresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad secured a landslide victory trouncing his nearest rival Mir Hossein Mousavi. Mr. Ahmadinejadsecured 62.6 per cent of the votes in the election. Mr. Mousavi got only 33.75 per cent of the votes belying expectations ofa much better performance generated by his high voltage campaign.BRIC Summit at Yekaterinburg - 2009

The first ever summit of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) was held in Russian town Yekaterinburg onJune 16, 2009. The summit was attended by Brazilian President Luis Inacio LuIa da Silva, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev,Chinese President Hu Jintao and Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Unveiling a collective agenda ranging from foodsecurity and reform of international financial institutions to the creation of a more diversified monetary system and a justmultipolar world order, the BRIC countries launched a new strategic vector that is likely to influence global affairs in the yearsahead.The legendary Pop Music Star Michael Jackson died

The legendary pop music star Michael Jackson whose life and career were the stuff of both popular music recordbooks and tabloid television, died on June 25, 2009 at the Ronald Reagan. UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles. The death ofMichael Jackson brought a tragic end to a long, turbulent and often bizarre career, marked by legal and financial problems,charges of child molestation and failed comeback attempts. In the 1980s he became the worlds most popular entertainerthanks to a series of hit records - Beat It, Billie Jean, Thriller - and dazzling music videos. Perhaps the best dancer of hisgeneration, he created his own iconographs . He was rightly described as the King of Pop. His Thriller earned him recordbreaking eight Grammy Awards. His fans all over the world were stunned by the news of his death and lamented that thevoid he has left is impossible to be filled.

Swine flu a pandemic declared by WHOThe World Health Organisation told its member nations, it was declaring a swine flu pandemic - the first global flu

epidemic in 41 years - as infections climbed in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and elsewhere. It decidedto raise the pandemic warning level from phase 5 to 6 - its highest alert - after holding an emergency meeting with its fluexperts. The long-awaited pandemic decision is scientific confirmation that a new flu virus has emerged and is quicklycircling the globe. It will trigger drug-makers to speed up production of a swine flu vaccine and prompt governments to devotemore money toward efforts to contain the virus.Madhav Kumar Nepal sworn in as Nepal new Prime Minister

Veteran Nepalese communist leader Madhav Kumar Nepal has been sworn in as the countrys new prime minister onMay 24, 2009. President Ram Baran Yadav administered the oath of office to Mr. Madhav Kumar Nepal at the presidentsoffice in Kathmandu. The former Maoist Prime Minister, Prachanda, resigned on 4 May following a dispute with the countryspresident. Mr. Nepal, the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), was elected as prime minister.With his swearing in, Mr. Nepal becomes the second prime minister of the democratic Republic of Nepal. The ceremony at thepresidents office was attended by the speaker of the Constituent Assembly and diplomats of different countries based inNepal.Najib Tun Razaq as a Malaysian New Prime Minister

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmed Badawi announced his resignation on April 2, 2009. After that MalaysianDeputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razaq sworn in as new Prime Minister of Malaysia on April 3, 2009. In a ceremony held atIstana Negera (National Place) in Kuala Lumpur. He was sworn in by Malaysias Supreme Head Mizan Zainal Abidin. Alsoattending were outgoing Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and othersenior ministers.Zuma sworn in as South Africas New President

Jacob Zuma has been sworn in as South Africas new president after a remarkable political comeback. Jacob Zumatakes his presidential oath Mr. Zuma, is faced with an in-tray bursting with social and political challenges. He has promisedto speed up the pace of change in the nation and transform the lives of the poor. South Africas economy is starting to feelthe effects of the global slow down and unemployment is running close to 24%. Millions of people are still waiting for properhousing and the number living below the poverty line has actually increased in the 15 years since the end of apartheid. Asa politician, Mr. Zuma has played on his own humble roots as a goatherd, building his powerbase among South Africaspoorest and creating huge expectations for dramatic changes under his rule.Tsvangirai sworn in as Zimbabwes new Prime Minister

Thousands of festive, cheering Zimbabweans converged on the center of Harare to celebrate the swearing onFebruary 11, 2009 of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister in a power-sharing government with PresidentRobert Mugabe. Tsvangirai, was sworn into office by a stern-faced Mugabe, in a ceremony that was broadcast on statetelevision. Also attending were former South African president Thabo Mbeki, who brokered the agreement to form thetransitional government of national unity and Swazilands King Mswati III.

8SURAS Current AffairsCurrent AffairsCurrent AffairsCurrent AffairsCurrent Affairs

Thailand Parliament selects new Prime MinisterBritish born, Eton and Oxford educated, Abhisit Vejjajiva was selected Thailands new prime minister on December 15,

2008. He is Thailands fourth prime minister of this year.14th ASEAN Summit

The 14th ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit was held from February 27 to March 1, 2009 in HuaHin, Thailand. Southeast Asian ministers signed a major free trade deal with Australia and New Zealand on February 27,2009. On the concluding day of the summit, leaders called for coordinated action and reform of international financial systemso as to tackle world financial crisis.LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran death

LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran killed by Sri Lankan army Wanni operation on May 19, 2009. The bodies of MathivathaniErambu, identified as Prabhakarans wife and a girl Duvaraka and a young boy Balachandran identified as Prabhakaranschildren were found in the vicinity of the body of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, according to a report qouting the SriLankan army.New Bangaladesh Govt to take oath under Sheikh Hasina

Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, led her grand alliance to a landslide victory in Bangladesh polls. Under theconstitution, the president is to invite the winning party to form the government after the official gazette notification of theresults. Hasinas Awami League-led grand alliance bagged three-fourth majority 262 seats with AL getting 230 alone in the 300-member Parliament while her arch rival Khaleda Zias Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led four-party groupingreceived only 32 in its worst poll performance.G-8 Summit - 2009

The G8 Summit was held in LAquila, Italy the country that currently holds the G8 Presidency from 8 to 10 July,2009. The G8 groups member countries are Canada, Russia, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, U.K., and USA, together withthe European Union represented by the European Councils duty President and by the President of the European Commission.A response to the global economic and financial crisis; the restoration of grassroots confidence and a boost to growth ona more solid and balanced basis, also through the definition of new, shared ground rules for economic activities; a focus onthe social aspect of employment, to help the weaker sectors of society both in the industrially advanced countries and in thepoorer countries; the struggle against protectionism and the deregulation of world trade for everyones benefit; the resolutionof regional crises; food security and safety; and the struggle against climate changes.

Kalka-Shimla Railway on World Heritage StatusThe Kalka-Shimla Railway considered an engineering marvel of the 10th century, has become a World Heritage Site,

with the UN approving it for inclusion in the World Heritage List. Acknowledging its outstanding universal value, the committeeof the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural organization (UNESCO) in its meeting on July 7, 2008 in Quebecgranted the inscription of the 96 km long Kalka-Shimla Railway as World Heritage Site. With the Kalka-Shimla Railway gettinginto UNESCOs heritage site list, Indian Railways now have World Heritage Sites in all the four regions in the country, with theDarjeeling Himalayan Railway in the East, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal in the West and Nilgiri mountain Railway in the South.Various International Year names announced UNO

UN General Assembly declared 2008 as the International Year of the Potato on October 18, 2007. The move to "increaseawareness of the importance of the Potato as a food in developing nations" was proposed by Food and AgricultureOrganization and adopted by the General Assembly in 2005. The 60th session of the General Assembly accepted the draftresolution in Dec., 2005 and invited FAO to facilitate the implementation of 'International Year of the Potato-2008'. 2009 -International Reconciliation Year, 2010 - International Biodiversity Year, 2011 - International Forests Year.

AWARDSWorld Food Prize-2009

Ethiopian scientist Gebisa Ejeta on June 11, 2009 was named the winner of the 2009 Wodd Food Prize in an event atthe U.S. State Department. Gebisa Ejeta is a faculty member at Purdu University in the Midwestern U.S. State of Indiana. Hewas honoured for his work on drought and weed-resistant varieties of sorghum. He will receive the award in October 2009.

Indira Gandhi Peace, Disarmament and Development Prize - 2008Mohammad ElBaradei, Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has been chosen for the 2008

Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development on November 19, 2008.The International Jury of the Prize, at meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, decided to confer the honour

on ElBaradei for his impassioned opposition to the use of nuclear energy for military purposes and his steadfast espousalof the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, sustained over many years.Gandhi Peace Prize - 2008

Iconic former South African president Nelson Mandela was on July 23, 2008 honoured with Mahatma Gandhi InternationalAward for Reconciliation and Peace-2008 for touching hearts of people across the world.


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Nehru Award for International UnderstandingThis award carries an amount of fifteen lakh rupees in cash and a citation which is presented to the recipient at a

special ceremony in India. It is awarded to those who have contributed for international peace and understanding.The Recipients of Nehru Award : U.Thant (Secretary General of the UNO) (1965), Dr. Martin Luther King (Posthumous)

(1966), Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Frontier Gandhi) (1967), Yehudi Menuhin (Violinist) (1968), Mother Teresa (Nun) (1969),Kenneth David Kaunda (President of Zambia) (1970), Marshal Tito (President of Yugoslavia) (1971), Andre Malraux (FrenchStatesman) (1972), Julius Nyrere (President of Tanzania) (1973), Paul Prebisch (1974), Jonas Salk (Inventor-Vaccination)(1975), Giuseppe Tucci (1976), Tulsi Mehrji Shrestha (1977), Nichidatsu Fuji (1978), Nelson R.Mandela (ANC President)(1979), Mrs. Barbara Ward (Economist) (1980), Gunnar Myrdal and Alva Myrdal (Economists) (1981), Dr. Leopold SedarSenghor (Ex-President, Senegal) (1982), Dr. Bruno Kreisky (1983), Mrs.Indira Gandhi (Posthumous) (1985), Olof Palme(Prime Minister of Sweden) (1986), Perez de Cuellar (Secretary General of the UNO) (1987), Yasser Arafat (PLO Leader)(1988), Robert Mugabe (President of Zimbabwe) (1989), Helmut Kohl (Chancellor of Germany) (1990), Aruna Asaf Ali (SocialWorker, India) (1991), Maurice F.Strong (environmentalist, Canada) (1992), Ms. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (Myanmar) (1993),Dr. Mahathir-bin-Mohammed (Prime Minister, Malaysia)(1994), Md.Hosni Mubarak (President, Egypt)(1995), Goh Chock Tong(Prime Minister, Singapore)(2003), Julius Namrai (Princess of Tanzania)(2004), Wangari M. Maathai (Environmentalist,Kenya)(2005), Luiz Nacio Lula Da Silva (President of Brazil)(2006), Dr. Olafur Ragnar Grimson, President of Republicof Iceland (2007).

Ramon Magsaysay Awards - 2008The son and daughter-in-law of Baba Amte, Prakash and Mandakini Amte, who built a hospital and a school for a remote

tribe were declared winners of Ramon Magasaysay Awards 2008 among others on July 31, 2008.# Government Service : Grace Padaca (Phillippine Provincial Governor) # Community Leadership : Prakash and

Mandakini Amte (India) # Public Service : Centre for Agriculture and Rural Development (Phillippine) and Therdchai Jivacate(Thailand) # Journalism, Literature and Creative Communications : Akio Ishii (Japan) # Peace and InternationalUnderstanding : Ahmad Syafii Maarif (Indonesia) # Emergent Leadership : Ananda Galappatti (Sri Lanka).Alice Munro won the Man Booker International Prize - 2009

Canadian short story writer Alice Munro beat Mahasweta Devi, Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul and Mario Vargas Llosa, towin the 60,000 Man Booker International Prize for 2009.Man Booker Prize for Fiction - 2008

Indian debut novelist Aravind Adiga won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2008 for his work 'The White Tiger' in London.He told story of two Indians in his book. He is the third first-time novelist to win the 50,000-pound ($86,000) Booker Prize,which is awarded each year for the best novel in the British Commonwealth and the Republic of Ireland.

Nobel Prize Winners - 2008Peace : Martti Ahtisaari (Finland) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He has a long career of peace mediation

work including a 2005 accord between Indonesia and rebels in its Aceh province.Literature : French writer Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio won the Nobel Prize in Literature.Physics : U.S. citizen Yoichiro Nambu and Japanese researchers Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa for

their work on spontaneous broken symmetry in sub-atomic physics.Chemistry : Osamu Shimomura (Japan) was first isolated GFP from jellyfish drifting off the west coast of North

America and discovered that the protein glowed bright green under ultraviolet light. Martin Chalfie (US) abiology professor at Columbia University, picked up on the discovery to demonstrate the value of GFP asa luminous genetic tag for biological phenomena. Roger Tsien (US) a professor at the University ofCalifornia in San Diego, extended the colour palette beyond green, which allowed researchers to followseveral different biological processes at the same time.

Medicine orPhysiology : Dr. Harald zur Hausen (German physician-scientist) for his discovery of HPV, or the human papilloma

virus. Dr. Harald zur Hausen, for his discovery of HPV, or the human papilloma virus. He is belonged tothe German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg went against current dogma by postulating that thevirus caused cervical cancer. His discovery led to the development of two vaccines against cervicalcancer, the second most common cancer among women. An estimated 250,000 women die of cervicalcancer each year, mostly in poor countries. Dr. Franoise Barr-Sinoussi (France) and Dr. Luc Montagnier(France) for discovering HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

EconomicSciences : Princeton University professor Paul Krugman (USA) was awarded for Economics Nobel Prize. The

American academic and New York Times columnist won the prize for his analysis of international tradeand economic geography.

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Alternative Nobel Prize - 2008For more than a decade, Monika Hausers work to rehabilitate victims of wartime sexual abuse has earned her a raft

of awards. Now, shes won something bigger the Right Livelihood Award or Alternative Nobel Prize for 2008. TheSwiss-born gynaecologist knew from her own practice in Cologne that rape victims needed support and care, not justpublicity, and so in 1993 she left for Bosnia. Hauser, along with 20 local women, set up a trauma therapy center for rapevictims in the Bosnian city of Zenica.

93rd Pulitzer Prizes 2009The 93rd Pulitzer Prizes for Journalism were awarded to the following in New York on April 21, 2009.! Public Service : Las Vegas Sun and notably Alexandra Berzon ! International Reporting: The New York

Times Staff ! National Reporting : St. Petersburg Times Staff ! Investigative Reporting : David Barstow (The NewYork Times) ! Feature Writing: Lane DeGregory (St. Petersburg Times) ! Breaking News Reporting : The NewYork Times Staff ! Explanatory Reporting: Amy Harmon (The New York Times) ! Local Reporting : Detroit FreePress Staff and notably Jim Schaefer and M.L. Elrick ! Local reporting: Ryan Gabrielson and Paul Giblin (East ValleyTribune)! Commentary: Eugene Robinson (The Washington Post) !Criticism: Holl and Cotter (The New YorkTimes)!Editorial writing: Mark Mahoney (The Post-Star)! Editorial Cartooning: Steve Breen (The San DiegoUnion-Tribune) ! Breaking News Photography : Patrick Farrell (The Miami Herald) ! Feature Photography: DamonWinter (The New York Times).66th Annual Golden Globe Awards - 2009

The 66th annual Golden Globe Awards were announced in Beverly Hills, California on January 13, 2009. The awardeesare as follows :

! Best Film (Drama) : Slumdog Millionaire ! Best Film (Comedy or Musical) : Vicky Cristina Barcelona ! BestActor (Drama) : Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) ! Best Actor (Comedy or Musical) : Colin Farrel (In Bruges) ! BestActress (Drama) : Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road)! Best Actress (Comedy or Musical) : Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) ! Best Foreign Language Film : The Diving Bell and The Butterfly ! Best Supporting Actor : Heath Ledger(The Dark Knight) ! Best Supporting Actress : Kate Winslet (The Reader) ! Best Director : Danny Boyle (SlumdogMillionaire) ! Best Screenplay : Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) ! Best Original Score : A.R. Rehman (SlumdogMillionaire) ! Best Original Song : 'The Wrestler' from The Wrestler.

BAFTA Awards - 2009These Awards were announced in Los Angels on February 9, 2009. The awardees are as follows :! Best Film : Slumdog Millionaire ! Best Director : Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) ! Leading Actor : Mickey

Rourke (The Wrestler) ! Leading Actress : Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road)! Supporting Actor : Heath Ledger (TheDark Knight) !Supporting Actress : Penolpe Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)62nd Cannes Film Festival Awards - 2009

The Worlds most prestigious film festival 62nd Cannes Film Festival opened on May 14, 2009 with the screening inCannes (France). This festival came to an end on May 25, 2009.

Palme dOr (Top Cannes Award): "The White Ribbon" Grand Prix : "Un Prophte" Special Prizes : AlainResnais director of Wild Grass Best Director: Brillante Mendoza for Kinatay Jury Prize: Fish Tank directed byAndrea Arnold Best Actor : Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds Best Actress : Charlotte Gainsbourg inAntichrist Best Screenplay : Feng Mei for Lou Yes Spring Fever Camera dOr : Samson and Delilah directedby Warwick ThorntonCommonwealth Writers' Prize - 2009

Overall Best Book and Best First Book Winners announced at the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival in London onMay 16, 2009. Christos Tsiolkas of Australia wins Best Book for The Slap, Mohammed Hanif of Pakistan wins BestFirst Book for A Case of Exploding Mangoes.

51st Annual Grammy Awards - 2009These Awards given for excellence in music, held in Los Angels (USA) on February 8, 2009.# Record of the Year : Robert Plant and Alison Krauss : Please Read This Letter # Album of the Year : Robert

Plant and Alison Krauss: Raising Sand # Song of the Year : Coldplay : Viva la Vida # Best Female Pop VocalPerformance : Adele : Chasing Pavements # Best Male Pop Vocal Performance : Ne-Yo : Miss Independent # BestPOP Performance by A Duo or Group with Vocals : Coldplay : Viva la Vida # Best POP Collaboration with Vocals :Robert Plant and Alison Krauss : Rich Woman # Best POP Instrumental Performance : Eagles : I Dreamed There WasNo War # Best POP Instrumental Album : Bla Fleck and the Flecktones : Jingle All The Way # Best POP Vocal Album:Back To Black : Amy Winehouse # Best Dance Recording : Daft Punk : Harder Better Faster Stronger # Best Electronic/ Dance Album : Daft Punk : Alive 2007 # Best Traditional POP Vocal Album : Natalie Cole : Still Unforgettable # BestSolo Rock Vocal Performance : John Mayer : Gravity # Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals : IckyThump : The White Stripes # Best Hard Rock Performance : The Mars Volta : Wax Simulacra # Best Metal Performance:Metallica : My Apocalypse.


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81st Annual Academy Oscar Awards - 2009These Awards were presented in Hollywood, California (USA) on Feb. 22, 2009.

! Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire ! Actor in a leading role: Sean Penn (Milk) ! Actor in a supporting role:Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) ! Actress in a leading role: Kate Winslet (The Reader) ! Actress in a supportingrole: Penelope Cruz ! Animated Feature Film: Wall-E ! Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button! Cinematography : Slumdog Millionaire ! Costume Design: THE DUCHESS ! Direction: Slumdog Millionaire!Documentary feature: Man on Wire ! Documentary short: Smile Pinki ! Film editing: Slumdog Millionaire!Foreign language film: Departures ! Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ! Music (Score): SlumdogMillionaire ! Music (Song): Slumdog Millionaire ! Short film (animated): La Maison en Petits Cubes ! Short film(live action): SPIELZEUGLAND (Toyland) ! Sound editing: The Dark Knight ! Sound mixing: Slumdog Millionaire! Visual effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ! Writing (Adapted screenplay): Slumdog Millionaire! Writing (Original screenplay): MILK

Miss World - 2008Miss Ksenia Sukhinova of Russia was crowned Miss World 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg,

South Africa on December 13, 2008. Indian participant Miss Parvathi Omanakuttan took 2nd place. Miss World 2007, ZhangZilin of the Peoples Republic of China crowned her successor Ksenia Sukhinova of Russia as the brand new Miss World.

58th Miss Universe - 2009Miss Stefania Fernandez of Venezuela was crowned Miss Universe 2009 at the Atlantis Paradise Island, in Nassau,

Bahamas on August 23, 2009. Indian participant Miss Ekta Chowdhary took 15th place. Miss Universe 2008, DayanaMendoza from Venezuela, crown her successor at the end of this event as the brand new Miss Universe. Ms. StefaniaFernandez became the sixth Miss Universe from a South American country.

SPORTSArchery

World Cup - 2009Rahul Banerjee, Mangal Singh Champia and Jayanta Talukdar earned India the gold medal in the mens recurve team

championship at the World Cup Archery (State-1) on April 5, 2009 at Santo Domingo in the Dominician Republic.2nd Asian Grand Prix Championship - 2009

The Indian archery contingent returned home with three gold and four silver medals from the second Asian Grand Prixmeet at Tehran (Iran). The mens recurve team, consisting of Tarundeep Rai, Muni Ram Tirkey and Kapil, won the gold medalbeating Iran 217-211. Bangladesh took the bronze medal defeating Nepal. The womens recurve outfit, comprising ReenaKumari, V. Pranitha and Punya Prabha, also emerged the best at the expense of Iran 198-194. Iraq finished third. The thirdgold medal was earned by compound archer L. Haridas Singh in the individual event. Haridas stopped Hungarys Robert Bojtiin the tie-breaker after the two tied 109-109 in the final. Haridas shot a 10 as against Bojtis 9 in the tie-breaker. The mens andwomens compound teams finished second best to Iran in the final. The men lost 220-227 and the women went down207-208 to Iran. Tarundeep Rai got the third silver medal losing the final 107-108 to Irans Milad Vaziri Teymoorlooei in themens recurve individual event. Compound women archer Sweety Kumari too settled for silver going down 102-108 toSeyedeh Vida Halimian Avval of Iran. Tirkey and Sushma lost to Nadar M. and Zahara Nemati of Iran respectively in theindividual recurve bronze medal play-off.

AthleticsUsain Bolt creates new World Record

Jamaicas Usain Bolt obliterated his own 100 metres World record to win the World championship final in a breathtaking9.58 seconds in Berlin on 16 August 2009. The worlds fastest man took a staggering 0.11 seconds off the 9.69 mark he setwinning gold at the Beijing Olympics a year ago to the day, taking the event into a time zone undreamed of before his arrivalon the scene. American Tyson Gay, the 2007 World champion, ran the race of his life to finish second in 9.71, the third fastesttime ever. Jamaican Asafa Powell claimed bronze in 9.84.

BadmintonAsian Badminton Championships - 2009

China won three titles at the 2009 Asian Badminton Championships in Suwon on April 12, 2009. !Mens Singles: BaoChunlai (China) defeated Chen Long (China) ! Womens Singles: Zhu Lin (China) defeated Xie Xingfang (China)!Womens Doubles: Majin & Wang Xiaoli (China) beat Lee Hyo-Jung & Lee Ryung Won (Korea) !Mens doubles:Markis Kido & Hendra Setiawan (Indonesia) beat Ko Sung-Hyun & Yoo Yeon Seong (Korea).Thomas Cup - 2008

China defeated South Korea 3-1 on May 18, 2008 in Jakarta to win its third straight Thomas Cup title. Xie Zhong Bo andGuo Zhengdong sealed the win for China with a 21-12, 19-21, 21-12 win over Lee Jae-Jin and Hwang Ji-man in the seconddoubles match. Top ranked Lin Dan recovered from a slow start to defeat Park Sunghwan 10-21, 21-18, 21-8 in the firstsingles match of elite mens tournament. South Koreas doubles team of Jung Jae-sung and Lee Yong-dae tied the series at

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SURAS Current AffairsCurrent AffairsCurrent AffairsCurrent AffairsCurrent Affairs1-1 with a 25-23, 21-16 win over Chai Yun and Fu Haifeng. Chinas women team won the Uber Cup on May 17, 2008 afterdefeating the host Indonesia 3-0 for a sixth straight title. It may be noted that Thomas Cup (also called the Worlds Mens TeamChampionship) is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton WorldFederation (BWF) which is the sports global governing body.Uber Cup - 2008

Bao Chunlai gave China a 2-1 lead with a 28-26, 21-11 win over Lee Hyun-il, before Xie and Guo wrapped up thevictory in the second doubles match. Chinas women won the Uber Cup, defeating host Indonesia 3-0 for a sixth straight title.

ChessAsian Championship - 2009

Grandmaster Surya Shekhar Ganguly won the Asian chess championship following a draw against Chinas ZhouJianchao in the 11th and final round at Subic, in Philippines, on May 23, 2009.

Car RaceHamilton wins Formula One championship - 2008

Lewis Hamilton was crowned Formula One champion after finishing fifth in the Brazil Grand Prix in Sao Paulo onNovember 9, 2008. The McLaren driver became the youngest ever champion in Formula One history and the first Briton totake the title since Damon Hill in 1996. He pipped Felipe Massa to the title by one point after Massa won the season-endingrace in front of his home fans at the Interlagos circuit.

CricketPakistan won Twenty20 Cricket World Cup - 2009

Pakistans Shahid Afridi blasted an unbeaten 54 to power Pakistan to a fairytale eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka towon the ICC World Twenty20 at Lords (London - England). Score: Sri Lanka 138 - 6; Pakistan 139 - 2.India - West Indies ODI series - 2009

India won the ODI series against West Indies 2-1, after torrential rains washed out the fourth and final match of theseries at St. Lucia, West Indies on July 5, 2009. Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named the Man of the Series inrecognition of his consistent performance throughout the series.England win womens World Twenty20 - 2009

England won the womens World Twenty20 tournament at the Lords in London, England on June 21, 2009, defeatingNew Zealand in the final by six wickets.India won the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Series - 2009

India won the series 4-1 against Sri Lanka and won the Commonwealth Bank series. The five ODI cricket series inColombo and Dambulla. First 4 ODI's had won the India and final ODI won the Sri Lanka. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who madeit to the record books by becoming the first Indian captain to win nine ODIs on the trot and the flamboyant wicket-keeperbatsman would like to keep the winning momentum going in the last game. Yuvraj Singh declared man of the seires.Sachin Tendulkar Scores 43rd ODI Century

Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar scored a brilliant unbeaten 163 in the third ODI of the series against New Zealandin Christchurch on March 8, 2009. Riding on the excellent show of Sachin, Indian won the match by a comfortable 58 runmargin. With this century, which was the 43rd ODI hundred of his career, Sachin reaffirmed his supremacy as the all-timehighest century maker in cricket history. He is also the top century maker in Tests with a tally of 41 hundreds.Muttiah Muralidharan gets ODI Cricket World Record

Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralidharan on February 5, 2009 became the world's leading Wicket taker. He breaks Pakistan'sWasim Akram record (502 Wicket). Muralidharan takes Gautam Gambir wicket on 4th ODI against India, he gets new worldrecord (503 Wicket).

FootballSpain crowned champion of Euro-2008

Spain won the Euro 2008 title after beating Germany 1-0 in the final in Austria on June 29, 2008. Striker Fernando Torresstrike at the 33rd minute proved the winner of the match. It is the second time Spain won the European championship. Theironly other European title was won 44 years ago. Xavi Hernandez of Spain was declared the player of the tournament.

World Cup Football - 2010The World Cup Football 2010 will be held in South Africa, according to a decision taken by the executive meeting of the

FIFA at Zurich (Switzerland).

GolfWomen's World Cup - 2008

The Philippines won the Women's World Cup Golf defeating South Korea in Sun City (South Africa) on January 20, 2008.


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HockeyAsia Cup - 2009

South Korea won its third Asia Cup hockey title after beating three time champion Pakistan 1-0 in a hard-fought final atKuantan, Malaysia on May 16, 2009.Sultan Azlan Shah Championship - 2009

India ended a 13 year wait to clinch their fourth Azlan Shah hockey title, comprehensively defeating hosts Malaysia3-1 in the final of the five nation tournament in Ipoh on April 12, 2009. India won the glittering Sultan Azlan Shah Cup fourthtime, the three others coming in 1985, 1991 and 1995. This was the ninth medal in 13 appearances for India at the Azlan ShahCup.

SnookerWorld Championship - 2009

John Higgins won the World Championship snooker final with a commanding 18-9 victory over Shaun Murphy at theCrucible Theatre at Sheffield, England on May 5, 2009.Pankaj Advani won the Snooker World Championship - 2008

Advani won both the points and timed formats at the IBSF World Billiards 2008 Championships held in Bangalore onSeptember 5, 2008. He is the first and only player to have achieved a grand double of winning both the points and timedformats at the IBSF World Billiards Championships 2005. He won his first World Championship title in 2003 IBSF WorldSnooker Championship in China.

SwimmingMichael Phelps sets new 200 m World Record

Micheal Phelps set a new world record for the men's 200 metres freestyle clocking 1:42:96 minutes at the SummerOlympics 2008 Swimming in Beijing (China) on August, 2008. He beat the previous record of 1:43:86 minutes set by ownrecord.

TennisAustralian Open - 2009

! Men's Singles : Raefel Nadal of Spain won the Men's Singles final of the Australian Open Tennis Championshipdefeating Roger Federer of Switzerland 7-5, 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2 in Melbourne on January 28, 2009. ! Women's Singles :Serena Williams (USA) beat Dinara Safina of Russia 6-0, 6-3 to win the Women's Singles final. ! Men's Doubles : MaheshBhupati of India and M. Knowles of Israel defeated USA pair of B. Bryan and M. Bryan 6-2, 5-7, 0-6 ! Women's Doubles:USA pair of Serena Williams and Venus Williams won the Women's Doubles title defeating Ai Sugiyama of Japan and HanielaHantuchova of Slovakia. ! Mixed Doubles : In the Mixed Doubles final, Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupati of India beatNathalie Deachy and Andy Ram of Israel 6-3, 6-1Dubai Open Tennis Championship - 2009

Novak Djokovic of Serbia won his 12th career title at the Dubai Open on February 28, 2009. He defeated David Ferrer(Spain) 7-5, 6-3. Venus Williams (USA) beat Virginnie Razzano (France) 6-4, 6-2 in womens final.Wimbledon - 2009

Mens Singles: Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick Womens Singles: Serena Williams (USA) beat of her sisterVenus Williams (USA) Mens Doubles: Daniel Nester (Canada) and Nenad Zimonjic (Serbia) defeated Jonaas Bjorkman(Sweden) and Kevin Ullyett (Zimbabwe). Womens Doubles: Serena Williams (USA) and Venus Williams (USA) defeatedAustralian pairing of Sam Stosur and Rennae Stubbs Mixed Doubles: Mark Knowles (Bahamas) and Anne-LenaGroenefeld (Germany) beat Leander Paes(India) and Cara Black(Zimbabwe).French Open - 2009

Mens Singles: Roger Federer (Switzerland). Womens Singles: Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia). MensDoubles: Leander Paes (India) & Lukas Dlouhy (Czech Republic). Womens Doubles: Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain)& Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spain) . Mixed Doubles: Bob Bryan (USA) & Liezel Huber (USA).US Open-2008

Men's Singles: World's No. 1 tennis player Roger Federer of Switzerland won his fifrth consecutive US Open men'ssingles title overwhelming Andy Murray of England 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 in the final in New York (USA) on September 9, 2008. It wasthe 13th Grand Slam of his career. Women's Singles: Serena Williams of USA defeated Jelena Jankovic of Serbia6-4, 7-5 in the final on September 8, 2008. Men's Doubles: Bob Bryan (USA) and Mike Bryan (USA) defeated LukasDlouhy (CZE) and Leander Paes (India) 7-6, 7-6 in the final. Women's Doubles: Cara Black of Zimbabwe and Liezel Huberof USA defeated Lisa Raymond (USA) and Samantha Stosur (Australia) 6-3, 7-6 in the final. Mixed Doubles: Cara Black(Zimbabwe) and Leander Paes (India) beat Liezel Huber (USA) and Jamie Murray (England) 7-6, 6-4 in the final.

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ECONOMYIndian Economy Grows at 6.7 per cent in 2008 - 09

The IndIan economy managed to dock a 6.7 per cent growth in 2008-09 despite the dismal performance of themanufacturing sector, according to official figures reIeased on May 29, 2009. A 5.8 per cent growth in the last quarter of thefiscal 2008-09 has put India among the top-most growing nations in the world. The GDP growth in the third quarter of 2008-09 has been revised to 5.8 per cent from 5.3 per cent estimated provisionally. However, compared to the previous fiscal2007-08, economic growth did exhibit a slow-down, triggered by sluggish manufacturing due to slackening demand. In fact,a sharp decline in demand overseas has led to shrinking of exports since October 2008. For the entire fiscal, manufacturinggrew by just 2.4 per cent against 8.2 per cent in 2007-08. Agriculture posted 1.6 per cent growth in 2008-09 against 4.9 percent in 2007-08. Only mining and quarrying, and community, social and personal services showed improved perrformancein 2008-09 over the previous fiscal 2007-08.Per Capita Income rises to Rs. 3,000 per month

The per capita monthly income of an average Indian has, for the first time, crossed the Rs. 3,000 mark on current pricelevels, as reported on May 29, 2009. The per capita figures may look a bit less impressive when adjusted for inflation. TheCentral Statistical Organisation (CSO) estimates showed that when adjusted for inflation, the per capita income reached onlyRs. 25,494 against Rs. 25,661 per annum estimated in February 2009. However, the real cause for worry for the Governmentwould come from the manufacturing sector, which continued to be hammered, registering a contraction of 1.4 per cent afterhaving clocked 0.9 per cent growth in previous three quarters.

SCIENCEWorlds First Battery that charges on Air

The worlds first battery fuelled by air, which could provide up to 10 times the energy storage of designs currentlyavailable and could power electric cars, mobile phones and laptops, has been unveiled, as reported on May 20, 2009. Scientistssay the revolutionary STAIR (St. Andrews Air) battery is charged in a traditional way but as power is used or discharged, anopen mesh section of the battery draws in oxygen from the surrounding air.

First Hotel in space to open in 2012The Galactic Suite, the first hotel in space, will open for business in 2012. There are many highlights of this hotel, which

will go into the Guiness Book of World Records. Galactic Suite will be built at a cost of $3 billion. Presently, it has privateinvestors from the UAE and Japan. It will be made of aluminium and will have five modules. The three boutique rooms will bedecorated with mini computers because of a lack of room and due to the fact that objects float in space because of theabsence of gravity. The hotel will allow the guests to travel around the world in 80 minutes. The space hotel will cost $4 millionfor a three day stay. It is estimated that there are 40,000 people in the world who could afford to stay at the hotel.

Census of India - 2001 (Revised)The census enumeration took place from 9th February to 28th February, with 00.00 hours of 1st March as the

reference date, and the revisional round was over on 5 March, 2001. No developed country can match this performance.In India this is possible because of a combination of manual tabulation and use of computers, fax and e-mail.Census coverage

The 2001 census covered the whole of India: 28 States, 7 Union Territories, 5,564 tahsils/talukas, 640,000 villages and5,161 towns and cities.

It may be noted that in 1991 the census enumeration could not take place in Jammu & Kashmir. In 2001 the censusenumeration did take place in Jammu & Kashmir in spite of the threat from militants. Another important aspect to be noted isthat 2001 census data are available for the three newly formed states of Chhatisgarh, Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal) & Jharkhand.The data are adjusted for previous census years (1991, 1981 etc) in order to enable the user to study past trends.

The decennial census of 2001 is in the 21st century and deserves special attention. The census is the most importantsingle source of information on the life of the people of India.$ A special postage stamp was released to commemorate the Census of 2001.$ A census logo with the motto people-oriented was introduced by the Census organisation.

Highlights of the final census 2001 Statistics

$ The population of India on the 1st March 2001 was 1027 million (102.7 crores) and it has reached 1028 million on10.5.2004 (102.8 crores) with 53.2 crore males and 49.6 crore females at an annual growth rate of 1.94. This includes thepopulation of J & K where the 1991 census could not be conducted while the enumeration was done in 2001. $ In the lastdecade (1991-2001) the population of India increased by 181 million. $ In percentage terms, the decadal growth rate was21.3 per cent compared to 23.9 per cent during the previous decade (1981-91). $ The decline in the decadal growth rate


15

was 2.5 percent points during 1991-2001 decade. $ Bihar recorded the highest decadal growth rate, which in factincreased from 23.4 per cent to 28.4 per cent. Andhra Pradesh recorded the sharpest decline in the decadal growth rate:13.9 per cent during 1991-2001 compared to 24.2 per cent during 1981-1991 or a decline of 10.3 per cent points. $ Thelowest growth rate was recorded by Kerala (9.4 per cent) followed by Tamil Nadu (11.2 per cent) and Andhra Pradesh(13.9 percent). $ Uttar Pradesh even after the new state of Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal) was carved out in 2000, continuesto be the most populous state in India with a population of 166 million (Uttarakhand population is 8.5 million). Thus UttarPradesh as of 1991 has a population of 175 million in 2001.$ Uttar Pradesh has 16.2 per cent of Indias population followedby Maharashtra (9.4 per cent) and Bihar 8.0 per cent. The density of India is 325 per sq km. in 2001 compared to 267 in 1991or an increase of 57 during the last ten years. $ West Bengal has the highest density (903) followed by Bihar (881). $ Thesex ratio (females per 1000 males) is 933 in 2001 compared to 927 in 1991 or an increase by 6 points during the last decade.$ Kerala has the highest sex ratio (1058) and Haryana the lowest (861). $ The child sex ratio (0-6 age group) was 927 in2001 compared to 945 in 1991 or a decline by 18 points. $ The sharpest decline in the sex ratio of the child population wasin Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Maharashtra. $ The literacy rate (for population 7 yearsand over) was 64.8 per cent in 2001. The male literacy rate was 75.2 per cent and the female literacy rate was 53.6 per cent.$ Compared to 1991 the overall literacy rate increased by 12.6 percentage points (52.2 in 1991 to 64.8 in 2001). Theincrease in the male and female literacy rate were 11.7 and 14.9 percentage points respectively. $ The gap between maleand female literacy rates has decreased from 28.8 percentage points in 1991 to 21.6 in 2001. $ For the first time sinceindependence there has been an absolute decline in the number of illiterate persons: the number of illiterates declined by32 million during the last decade. Among males the number declined by 21.5 million and among females by 10.5 million. $ Theliteracy rate was highest in Kerala (90.9 per cent) and lowest in Bihar (47.5 per cent).

India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of 1027 million (on 1st March 2001) and ithad reached 1028 million (102.8 crores) on 10-5-2004, compared to China which had a population of 1,278 million (on 1stFebruary 2000).

Railway Budget 2009-10The Railway Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, presented Railway budget, for the year 2009-10 in the Lok Sabha on

03-07-2009 without increasing the passenger fares for all classes and the freight rates and parcel tariffs and still managedto shower concessions on women, labours and students.

Highlights Passenger and freight rates left unchanged across the board. Railways earn net revenue of Rs. 8,121 crore in 2008-09. Railways to pay higher dividend of Rs. 5,479 crore to the Centre in FY 2010. Tatkal charges reduced from Rs. 150 to Rs.100. Ladies specials on suburban train routes during peak hours. Izzat monthly tickets of Rs. 25 (for up to 100 km travel) for people from the unorganised sector with an income of less

than Rs. 1,500 per month. New coach factory at Kanchrapara in West Bengal. Cold storage facilities for farmers to store vegetables and fruits. Talks to take over ailing wagon manufacturing units. 18,000 wagons to be acquired during the current year. Railway medical colleges and Rail hospitals on public-private partnership basis. Student concession will cover madrassa students. Special coaches for disabled and aged people. 50 stations to be developed along world-class standards. 375 stations to be upgraded as Adarsh stations, with basic facilities such as drinking water, toilets and ladies

dormitories. Availability of doctors on-board long-distance trains. On-board infotainment services to be provided. 6,560 staff quarters to be constructed in 2009-10. High-capacity double-decker A/C trains to be introduced. 57 new trains to be introduced. 12 non-stop trains to be introduced. Accredited journalists to get 50% rebate; also once a year with spouse. 1,000 MW power plant proposed in tribal area Adra.

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Cash surplus of Rs. 17,400 crore before dividend. Railways have investible surplus of Rs. 12,681 crore. Annual plan expenditure pegged at Rs. 36,336 crore.

57 Pairs of New Trains

$ Vishakhapatnam - Secunderabad -Mumbai Superfast (Bi-weekly)$ Sriganga Nagar- Delhi- Nanded Superfast (Weekly)$ New Jalpaiguri - Sealdah Superfast (Tri-weekly)$ Bangalore - Hubli -Solapur Superfast (Tri-weekly)$ Howrah - Bangalore Superfast (Weekly)$ Pune- Daund - Solapur Superfast (Daily)$ Ranchi - Howrah (3 days via Ghatshila- Kharagpur and 3 days via Asansol) Intercity (6 days a week)$ Kamakhya - Puri Express (Weekly)$ Jabalpur - Ambikapur Express (Tri- weekly)$ Gandhidham - Howrah Superfast (Weekly)$ Delhi - Sadulpur Express (Tri-weekly)$ Ajmer - Bhopal Express (by integration of 9655/56 Ajmer- Ratlam and 9303/04$ Ratlam - Bhopal express trains) (Daily)$ Bilaspur - Tirunelveli Jn. (Thiruvananthapuram) Superfast (Weekly)$ Mumbai - Karwar Superfast (Tri-weekly)$ Durg - Jaipur Express (Weekly)$ Dibrugarh Town - Chandigarh Express (Weekly)$ Delhi - Farakka Express (Bi-weekly)$ Hazrat Nizammudin -Bangalore Rajdhani Express (Tri-weekly) via Kacheguda$ New Jalpaiguri - Delhi Express (Bi-weekly) via Barauni$ Mumbai - Varanasi Superfast (Daily)$ Mysore - Yesvantpur Express (Daily)$ Koraput - Rourkela Express (Daily) via Rayagada$ Agra - Ajmer Intercity Superfast (Daily)$ Mumbai - Jodhpur - Bikaner Superfast (Bi -weekly)$ Agra- Lucknow Junction Intercity (Daily)$ Hapa - Tirunelveli Jn. Superfast (Bi-weekly) via Thiruvananthapuram$ Gwalior- Bhopal Intercity Express (5 days a week) via Guna$ Kanyakumari - Rameshwaram Express (Tri-weekly) via Madurai$ Howrah - Haridwar Superfast (5 days a week)$ Varanasi- Jammu Tawi Superfast (Daily)$ Gorakhpur - Mumbai Superfast (Daily)$ New Delhi - Guwahati Rajdhani Express (Weekly) via Muzaffarpur$ Veraval- Mumbai Link Service (Daily)$ Ranchi-Patna Jan Shatabadi Express (Daily)$ Jhansi - Chhindwara Express (Bi-weekly) via Bina - Bhopal$ Mumbai - Jodhpur Express (Weekly)$ Jamalpur- Gaya Passenger (Daily)$ Jhajha- Patna MEMU (Daily)$ Kanpur- New Delhi Shatabdi Express (6 days a week)$ Bhopal- Lucknow - Pratapgarh Superfast (Weekly)$ Lucknow- Rae Bareli -Bangalore Superfast (Weekly)$ Shimoga- Bangalore Intercity Express (Daily)$ Madurai - Chennai Express (Bi- Weekly)$ Guwahati - New Cooch Behar Express Intercity (Daily)$ Balurghat - New Jalpaiguri Express (Daily) via Kishanganj$ Alipurduar - New Jalpaiguri Express Intercity (Daily) via Siliguri$ Dharmanagar- Agartala Fast Passenger (Daily)$ Rewari - Phulera Passenger (Daily) via Ringus


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$ Shoranur - Nilambur Road Passenger (Daily)$ Coimbatore- Shoranur Passenger (Daily)$ Mathura - Kasganj Passenger (Daily)$ Farakka- Katwa - Azimganj - Nawadwip DhamExpress (Daily)$ Bangalore - Kochuveli Superfast (Weekly)$ Kolkata-Rampurhat Express (Daily)$ New Jalpaiguri-Digha Express (Weekly)$ Purulia-Howrah Express (Bi-weekly)$ Kolkata-Bikaner Express (Weekly) via NagoreNon-Stop Duronto Train services1. New Delhi - Jammu Tawi Non stop (Tri-weekly)2. Howrah - Mumbai (A/C) Non stop (Bi-weekly)3. Mumbai - Ahmedabad (A/C) Non stop (Tri-weekly)4. Chennai - Delhi Non stop (Bi-weekly)5. New Delhi - Lucknow Non stop (Tri-weekly)6. Delhi - Pune (A/C) Non stop (Bi-weekly)7. Howarh - Delhi Non stop (Bi-weekly)8. New Delhi - Allahabad Non stop (Tri- weekly)9. Sealdah - New Delhi Non stop (Bi-weekly)10. Kolkata - Amritsar Non stop (Bi-weekly)11. Bhubaneswar - Delhi Non Stop (Weekly)12. Ernakulam - Delhi Non Stop (Weekly)

Trains Extended# 6517/6518 Bangalore - Mangalore to Kannur (Daily)# 329/330 Andal - Sainthia to Rampur Haat (Daily)# 1105/06 Jhansi - Barrackpore to Kolkata (Weekly)# 6787/6788 Madurai - Jammu Tawi to Tirunelveli (Weekly)# 7013/7014 Hyderabad - Usmanabad to Pune (Tri- weekly)# 2075/2076 Thiruvananthapuram - Ernakulam to Kozhikode (Daily)# 213/214 Mysore -Tirupati to Chamraj Nagar (Daily)# 2329/2330 Sealdah - New Delhi to Amritsar (Weekly)# 5761/5762 Ranchi - Alipurduar to Guwahati (Bi-weekly)# 9269/9270 Porbandar - Bapudham Motihari to Muzaffarpur (Bi-weekly)# 1471/1472 Jabalpur - Bhopal Express to Indore (Daily)# 6885/6886 Ernakulam - Tiruchchirappalli to Nagore (Daily)# 2177/2178 Howrah - Agra Cantt Chambal Express Mathura (Weekly)# 3113/3114 Kolkata - Murshidabad Hazarduari Express to Lalgola (Daily)# 2993/2994 Mumbai - Jaipur Express to Delhi (Tri-weekly)# 2555/2556 Gorakhpur- Bhiwani to Hissar (Daily)# 2685/2686 Mangalore- Chennai to Puducherry (Weekly)# 2143/2144 Nagpur - Gaya Deekshabhoomi Express to Chhatarpati Sahuji Maharaj terminal Kolhapur on one side and

to Dhanbad on the other side (Weekly)# 2725/2726 Bangalore - Hubli Intercity to Dharwar (Daily)# 8425/8426 Raipur - Bhubaneswar to Puri (Daily)# 8413/8414 Paradeep - Bhubaneswar to Puri (Daily)# 8415/8416 Puri - Kendujhargarh to Barbil (Daily)# 2173/2174 Mumbai - Kanpur Udyog Nagari Express to Pratapgarh (Bi-Weekly)# 1PR/2PR Pratapgarh - Rae Bareli Passenger to Lucknow (Daily)# 2821/2822 Howrah - Bhubaneswar Dhauli Express to Puri (Daily)# 4227/4228 Varanasi - Lucknow to Kanpur (Daily)# 2985/2986 Sealdah - Jaipur to Ajmer (Daily)

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Increase in Frequency# 2685/2686 Chennai - Mangalore from 3 days to daily# 2423/2424 New Delhi - Guwahati Rajdhani Express from 5 days to 6 days# 2443/2444 New Delhi - Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express from 2 days to 4 days# 7091/7092 Secunderabad - Patna from 2 days to daily# 2739/2740 Secunderabad - Vishakapatnam Express from 4 days to daily# 2111/2112 Amaravati - Mumbai Express from 3 days to daily# 2957/2958 Ahmedabad - New Delhi Rajdhani Express from 6 days to daily# 2149/2150 Pune - Patna Express from 4 days to daily# 2487/2488 Jogbani- Delhi Express from 5 days to daily# 2823/2824 Nizammudin-Durg Chhatisgarh Sampark Kranti from 2 days to 3 days# 2985/2986 Sealdah- Jaipur Express from 2 days to daily# 2905/2906 Porbander - Howrah (via Hapa) from 2 days to 3 days# 4207/4208 Delhi - Pratapgarh Padmavat Express from 3 days to dailyNew Lines1. Ghoramara - Dumka of Deogarh - Dumka2. Bishnupur - Gokulnagar of Tarakeshwar - Bishnupur3. Lanjigarh - Bhawanipatna of Lanjigarh - Junagarh4. Quazigund - Anantnag of Udhampur - Baramulla5. Rewari - Jhajjar of Rewari - Rohtak6. Kottur - Harihar7. Churaru Takrala - Amb Andaura of Nangal Dam - Talwara

Gauge ConversionDuring 2009-2010, a target of completion of gauge conversion of about 1300 km has been fixed including the following

sections:# Pandharpur - Miraj of Miraj - Latur # Saharsa - Dauram Madhepura of Mansi - Saharsa - Purnea # Sitamarhi -

Bairgania of Jaynagar - Narkatiaganj # Parlakimidi - Gunupur of Naupada - Gunupur # Mathura - Achnera # Aunrihar -Jaunpur # Fakiragram - Dhubri # Ratangarh - Degana of Sadulpur - Bikaner - Degana # Madanapalle Road - Dharamavaramof Dharmavaram - Pakala # Quilon - Punnalur # Baripada - Bangriposi of Rupsa - Bangriposi # Daboi - Chhota Udepur ofPratapnagar - Chhota Udepur #Wansjaliya - Jetalsar # Ajmer - Phulera # Bhildi - Samdari # Haibargaon - Mairabari # Vellore- Villupuram # Chhindwara - Nainpur - Mandla Fort # Ahmedpur - Katwa # Nagbhir - Nagpur

Doubling New LinesDuring 2008-09, 363 km of doublings were constructed whereas for 2009-10, target for doubling of 700 km has been

fixed. The work of doublings of # Phaphamau - Allahabad #Mansa - Bhatinda # Ghutiarisharif - Canning # Dakshin Barasat- Lakshmikantapur # Lohta - Badhoi # Jirat - Ambika Kalna # Magrahat - Diamond Harbour # Yesvantpur -Yelahanka # Yelahanka - Chennasandra # Brundamal - Jharsuguda Flyover # Gandhidham - Adipur # Gandhidham - KandlaPort and Nalikul - Tarakeshwar # Tala - Princepghat - Majerhat # Secunderabad - Mahboobnagar # Sahibganj -Bhagalpur #Mokama - Ara # Rampurhat - Ghumani 3rd Line # Rewari - Hissar # Dankuni - Bally 3rd line # Bibinagar -Nallapadu # Krishnanagar - Lalgola # Rajkot - Viramgam # Bandel - Saktigarh 3rd line # Jhansi - Kanpur # Shahganj -Unchahar via Sultanpur, Amethi, Salon # Bongaon - Bagdaha # Banspani - Bimalgarh - Barsuan # Dankuni - Jorgalpara -Furfura Sharif - Jangipara - Bargachia # Chikballapur - Sri Satya Sai Prashanthi Nilayam # Balurghat - Hilly # Alamatti -Koppal # Salboni - Jhargram via Lalgarh, Belpahari # Bolangir - Nawapara Road # Digha - Jaleswar - Puri # Yadgir -Shahapur - Shorapur - Muddebihal - Alamatti # Bishnupur - Mukutmonipur # Gadag - Haveri # Samsi - Dalkhola # Krishnanagar- Beharampore via Chapra, Karimpur # Gadag - Wadi # Tarakeshwar - Magra restoration # Shimoga - Harihar # Kaliyaganj- Buniadpur #Madhuban - Giridih # Panskura - Ghatal - Chandrakona and Ghatal - Arambagh # Anekal Road - Bidadi # Namkhana- Bakkhali # Pune - Nasik # Joynagar - Raidigi # Rajkharswan- Ranchi # Hasnabad - Samshemagar # Medak -Akkanapet # Arambagh - Khana # Dantewara - Malkangiri # Canning - Gosaba via Basanti # Vishnupuram -Venukonda # Kakdweep - Sagar - Kapilmuni # Dullabcherra - Cheraji # Mandir Bazar - Ramganga # Sambalpur -Behrampur # Chalsha - Jhaldhaka #Madurai - Ernakulam (Cochin) # Ghatakpukur - Minakhan # Bilara - Bar # Baruipara -Furfura Sharif - Arambagh # Ratlam - Banswara - Dungarpur # Krishnanagar - Nabadwipghat extension to BB loop # Ramnagar- Chaukhutiya Machhlandpur - Swarupnagar # Erumeli - Pathanamthitta - Punalur- Thiruvananthapuram # Ajmer -Sawaimadhopur via Tonk # Sainthia - Chowrigacha via Kandi # Yamuna Nagar - Chandigarh via Sadhaura,Naraingarh # Nanded - Bidar # Singur - Nandigram # Dabwali - Kalanwali via Sirsa # Mirik - Gangtok


19

78.7

79.6

76.3

89.9 92.5

73.00

74.00

75.00

76.00

77.00

78.00

79.00

80.00

81.00

82.00

2007-08 (Actual)

2008-09 (Budget)

2008-09(Revised)

2009-10(Interim)

2009-10 (Budget)

0 0

2000.0

4000.0

6000.0

8000.0

10000.0

12000.0

14000.0PassengerGoods

Note : Figures for 2008-09 are Revised Estimates and for 2009-10 are Budget Estimates

Railway Budget - At a Glance

Overall Position (Surplus) Railway Earnings

Operating Ratio

In per cent

Working Results

Rs. crore

2007-08 2008-09 2008-09 2009-10 2009-10(Actual) (Budget) (Revised) (Interim) (Budget)

2007-08

13431.09(Actual)

Rs. crore

2007-08(Actual)

2008-09(Budget)

2008-09(Revised)

2009-10(Budget)

1984

4.2

4743

4.9

2168

1.0

5270

0.0

2233

0.0

5429

3.0

2430

9.0 58

525.

0

Gross Traffic ReceiptsTotal Working Expenses

7172

0.1

5446

2.2

8190

1.0

6659

0.0

8239

3.0

7249

0.0

8841

9.0

8166

5.0

Rs. crore

2008-09 2008-09 2009-10

11786.74(Budget)

6355.56(Revised)

2642.26(Budget)

2500

0.0

5905

9.0

2009-10(Interim)2009-10

5572.26(InterimBudget)

9315

9.0

8359

0.0

How a rupee is earned?How a rupee is spent and earned

How a rupee is spent?

Paise 1. Staff Wages 25

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