Parliamentary Form of Government

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Parliamentary form of Government is the system of government in which there exists an intimate and harmonious relationship between the executive and the legislative departments, and the stability and efficacy of the executive department depend on the legislature.Its a system of government in which the power to make and execute laws is held by a parliament.

Although the parliamentary government is broadly defined in the above way, in such a system the supremacy of the legislature has now been replaced by the supremacy of the Cabinet. Hence, such form of government is also called Cabinet Government.

In a Parliamentary form of government, the head of the state is usually a different person than the head of the government. A Monarch or a President is usually the head of the state. However, he or she is the head of state, but not the head of government. The functions of the head of the state is chiefly formal or ceremonial. The council of ministers or the cabinet exercises the real executive powers and authority to run the Government. In many countries, the Prime Minister is the the head of the council of ministers.

The Parliamentary or the Cabinet system originated in England. This form of government exists in countries like Britain, India and Canada. This Parliamentary form of government is also called Responsible government.

Features

 

The features of Parliamentary form of Government has been discussed below:

 

  1. Existence of a Titular or Constitutional Ruler: The first characteristic feature of the parliamentary system is the existence of a Titular of Constitutional Ruler. Legally the administration of all the affairs of the state is conducted by the head of the state. In reality, however, the administration is carried by the Council of Ministers. The Monarch or the President, as the case may be, is the head of the state, but not the head of the government.

 

  1. Absence of Separation of Powers: In the parliamentary system the principle of separation of powers is not adopted. Here the three departments of government work in close, intimate contact, sharing some of the powers and functions of one another.

 

  1. Main Role of the Lower House in Ministry-formation: In the parliamentary government the lower house of the legislature, i.e., the popular chamber plays a vital role in the formation of the ministry. The leader of the party or alliance which wins the majority in this house is appointed the Prime Minister or Chancellor. The constitutional ruler appoints the other members of the ministry on his advice.

 

  1. Responsibility to the Legislature: In such a system the Cabinet or Ministry has to remain responsible to the legislature for all its activities and policies. In countries having bi-cameral legislatures, the Cabinet remains responsible to the lower house composed of the people’s representatives.

 

  1. Collective Responsibility: The ministerial responsibility to the legislature may again be of two kinds:

 

Individual responsibility, andCollective responsibility.

Individual responsibility means that the minister in charge of a department must be answerable for the activities of his department. But when the ministers remain jointly or collectively responsible to the legislature for the policies and activities of the government, it is called ‘collective responsibility’. Since no individual minister can unilaterally perform any business of government without the consent of the Cabinet, the entire Ministry or Cabinet has to remain accountable for the errors of the minister concerned.

 

  1. Intimate relationship between the Legislature and the Executive: In the parliamentary system an intimate relationship exists between the executive and the legislative departments. So they can easily control each other. The leaders of the majority party or alliance in the legislature become the members of the Cabinet or Ministry. Naturally, the ministers can easily extend their influence on the legislature. Consequently, the programs and policies of the Cabinet are backed by a majority inside the legislature.

 

  1. Leadership of the Prime Minister: The leadership of the Prime Minister is another major feature of the parliamentary system. The leader of the majority party in the legislature becomes the Prime Minister. Though, in theory, he is ‘primus inter pares’, i.e. ‘first among equals’, in reality, he possesses much greater power and status than the other ministers. As the undisputed leader of the majority party or alliance in the legislature he plays the most vital role in the determination and execution of government policies. Indeed, the success of parliamentary democracy depends, to a great extent, on the personality, efficiency and charisma of the Prime Minister.

 

  1. Existence of a Strong Opposition: The existence of one or more strong and well-organized opposition party or parties is the hall-mark of the parliamentary system. By criticizing the errors of the government, the opposition can compel it to adopt welfare measures and prevent it from becoming despotic. Judged from this angle, the opposition can be called the life-force of parliamentary democracy.

 

  1. Cabinet Dictatorship: In the parliamentary system of government the cabinet has to perform manifold functions.

 

It is the Cabinet which:

 

formulates well-considered policies of the Government after reviewing both the national and international issues,takes necessary, arrangements for passing laws to implement the policies formulated by it,determines the matters to be included in the agenda of the central legislature,controls and directs the administrative departments so that laws, Government orders, etc. are to be implemented properly,co-ordinates the activities of different departments of the Government,prepares the draft budget in consultation with the Prime Minister and takes necessary initiative to get it passed in the legislature,formulates economic policies and takes necessary steps for implementing the same,advice’s the constitutional head to take necessary action during emergency or unforeseen situation, etc.In this way the Cabinet acts as ‘the keystone of the political arch’ or has become the ‘steering wheel of the ship of the state’. In fact, in the parliamentary system of government as the cabinet members are the leaders of the majoity party or alliance in the legislature. Some critics think that the Parliament is controlled by the Cabinet under the leadership of the Prime Minister giving rise to some sort of “Cabinet dictatorship”.

 

Advantages :

 

The Parliamentary form of Government offers a lot of: advantages. The close cooperation between the executive and the legislative organs leades to smooth functioning of government and avoids unnecessary confrontation between them. These two organs work as mutually complementary to each other.

 

The responsibility of the government ensures an open administration. The executive, conscious of its responsibility to remain responsible for all its actions and to answer the question of the legislature relating to administration to their satisfaction always tries to remain alert, because this influences its electoral prospects. The more the mistake the less the chance of popular support in the election.

 

The system is flexible. Flexibility is an asset in any system as it provides room for adjustment. The parliamentary form of government is highly adaptive to changing situation. For example in times of grave emergency the leadership can be changed without any hassles, to tackle the situations as it happened during II World War in England. Mr. Chamberlain made way for Mr. Winston Churchil to handle the war. Even the election can be deferred till normalcy is restored. Such flexibility in the system does not exist in Presidential form of government which is highly rigid.

 

Under this system it is easier to locate responsibility for the lapses in administration. There is a vast body of civil servants who constitute the permanent executive. In fact they help the political masters to formulate policies of administration and their implementation. But it is the political leadership or the cabinet who takes the responsibility for everything in administration. Therefore it is said that the bureaucracy thrives under the cloak of ministerial responsibility.

 

A great merit of the system, as painted by Lord Bryce, if its swiftness in decision making. The executive can take any decision and quickly implement that without any hindrance. Since the party in power enjoys majority support in the legislature it can act freely without the fear of being let down.

 

Disadvantages:

 

However no system is completely foolproof. Advantages and disadvantages are part of any system irrespective of its soundness. Under this system the liberty of the people are at a stake as the executive and legislative organs of the government work in close collaboration. This greatly affects the principle of separation of powers. In view of the legislative support and the formidable power at its disposal the cabinet virtually becomes dictatorial. It becomes whimsical in exercising its power without caring for liberty of the people.

 

Politicization of administration is another demerit of the system. Political consideration in policy formulation and implementation outweigh popular interest. In other words people’s interest suffers at the cost of political considerations. The leadership of the party by virtue of powers it enjoys mobilizes the administration to strengthen the party prospects in the election.

 

The same can be said of the opposition parties who oppose the party in power for political considerations. They hardly show interest in the activities of the government and offer constructive criticism.

 

Prof. Dicey points out another serious lacuna in the system. According to him the executive under a parliamentary system fails to take quick decision at the time of any crisis or war. The members of the cabinet always are not unanimous on all problems. The Prime Minister discusses with his colleagues in the cabinet and ultimately prevails over them to take unanimous decision. This is different from the Presidential system where he takes the decision himself and implements that.

 

This system is unsuitable in countries with more than two parties. Usually in a multi party system the electorate fail to support a particular party in the election as a result of that there is hardly any party which gets majority votes. This leads to instability, chaos and confusion in selecting a party or a leader to form the government. As we observe the large number of political parties in India have contributed to political instability. Countries like Great Britain do not demonstrate such state of affairs as dual party system is the true basis of parliamentary democracy.

 

A criticism leveled against the Parliamentary system is that the government is run by the novice, ‘without any administrative training, skill or background. They are elected from social field and therefore depend heavily on the civil servants for formulation and implementation of policies. The bureaucrats under the system assume greater authority and consolidate their own position to use their political masters as mere tools.

Our constitution provides for parliamentary form of government. We have borrowed the constitutional features of several democratic countries. But our parliamentary model is predominantly based on the British system. The Head of Government in our system, the Prime Minister, can hold office only so long as he commands the confidence  of  the  Lok  Sabha.  Confidence  of  the  House  is  reflected  in existence/continuance of majority support – whether it be of a single party or of a coalition of parties. This feature can, and does, cause instability in governance. In Presidential democracies, the Head of Government, the President is directly elected by the people and cannot be removed from office except in circumstances of high crimes  and  misdemeanour  established  through  impeachment  process.  Hence, Presidential democracies provide stable governance. In our parliamentary system, we have had changes of government through mid term elections or political realignments. Changes in government undoubtedly bring about disruptions in implementation of policies, development programmes and schemes.

 

 

Social and Cultural Awakening

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Raja Rammohan Roy:

RRM Roy was a social reformer and intellectual in the early nineteenth century Bengal. He is most widely known for founding the Brahmo Samaj and his relentless campaign against the practice of Sati and child marriage.

Debendranath Tagore:

Brahmo Samaj:

BS was founded in 1828 by Raja Ram Mohan Roy with the purpose of purifying Hinduism and to preach monotheism or belief in one God.

MENSURATION

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Mensuration is the branch of mathematics which deals with the study of different geometrical shapes, their areas and Volume. In the broadest sense, it is all about the process of measurement. It is based on the use of algebraic equations and geometric calculations to provide measurement data regarding the width, depth and volume of a given object or group of objects

  • Pythagorean Theorem (Pythagoras’ theorem)

In a right angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides

c2 = a2 + b2 where c is the length of the hypotenuse and a and b are the lengths of the other two sides

  • Pi is a mathematical constant which is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. It is denoted by π

π≈3.14≈227

  • Geometric Shapes and solids and Important Formulas
Geometric Shapes Description Formulas
Rectangle

l = Length

b = Breadth

d= Length of diagonal

 Area = lb

Perimeter = 2(l + b)

d = √l2+b2
Square

a = Length of a side

d= Length of diagonal

 Area= a*a=1/2*d*d

Perimeter = 4a

d = 2√a
Parallelogram

b and c are sides

b = base

h = height

                                  Area = bh

Perimeter = 2(b + c)
Rhombus

a = length of each side

b = base

h = height

d1, d2 are the diagonal

 Area = bh(Formula 1)

Area = ½*d1*d2 (Formula 2 )

Perimeter = 4a
Triangle

a , b and c are sides

b = base

h = height

 Area = ½*b*h (Formula 1) Area(Formula 2)                         = √S(S−a)(S−b)(S−c              where S is the semiperimeter
S  =(a+b+c)/2 (Formula 2 for area          -Heron’s formula) Perimeter = a + b + c

Radius of incircle of a triangle of area A =AS
where S is the semiperimeter
=(a+b+c)/2
Equilateral Triangle

a = side

 Area = (√3/4)*a*a               Perimeter = 3a

Radius of incircle of an equilateral                                                                  triangle of side a = a/2*√3

Radius of circumcircle of an equilateral triangle
of side a = a/√3

 
Base a is parallel to base b Trapezium(Trapezoid in American English)

h = height

 Area = 12(a+b)h

 
Circle

r = radius

d = diameter

 d = 2r

Area = πr2 = 14πd2

Circumference = 2πr = πd

 
Sector of Circle

r = radius

θ = central angle

 Area  = (θ/360) *π*r*r
Arc Length, s = (θ/180)* π*r

In the radian system for angular measurement,
2π radians = 360°
=> 1 radian = 180°π
=> 1° = π180 radians
Hence,
Angle in Degrees
= Angle in Radians × 180°π
Angle in Radians
= Angle in Degrees × π180°

 
Ellipse

Major axis length = 2a

Minor axis length = 2b

 Area = πab

Perimeter ≈
Rectangular Solid

l = length

w = width

h = height

 Total Surface Area
= 2lw + 2wh + 2hl
= 2(lw + wh + hl)

Volume = lwh
Cube

s = edge

 Total Surface Area = 6s2

Volume = s3
Right Circular Cylinder

h = height

r = radius of base

 Lateral Surface Area
= (2 π r)h

Total Surface Area
= (2 π r)h + 2 (π r2)

Volume = (π r2)h
Pyramid

h = height

B = area of the base

 Total Surface Area = B +                 Sum of  the areas of the triangular sides

Volume = 1/3*B*h
Right Circular Cone

h = height

r = radius of base

 Lateral Surface Area=πrs
where s is the slant height =√r*r+h*h
Total Surface Area
                                =πrs+πr2
Sphere

r = radius

d = diameter

  d = 2r

Surface Area =4πr*r=πd*d

Volume =4/3πr*r*r=16πd*d*d
     
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

  • Important properties of Geometric Shapes
    1. Properties of Triangle
      1. Sum of the angles of a triangle = 180°
      2. Sum of any two sides of a triangle is greater than the third side.
  • The line joining the midpoint of a side of a triangle to the positive vertex is called the median
  1. The median of a triangle divides the triangle into two triangles with equal areas
  2. Centroid is the point where the three medians of a triangle meet.
  3. Centroid divides each median into segments with a 2:1 ratio
  • Area of a triangle formed by joining the midpoints of the sides of a given triangle is one-fourth of the area of the given triangle.
  • An equilateral triangle is a triangle in which all three sides are equal
  1. In an equilateral triangle, all three internal angles are congruent to each other
  2. In an equilateral triangle, all three internal angles are each 60°
  3. An isosceles triangle is a triangle with (at least) two equal sides
  • In isosceles triangle, altitude from vertex bisects the base.

 

  1. Properties of Quadrilaterals
  2. Rectangle
    1. The diagonals of a rectangle are equal and bisect each other
    2. opposite sides of a rectangle are parallel
  • opposite sides of a rectangle are congruent
  1. opposite angles of a rectangle are congruent
  2. All four angles of a rectangle are right angles
  3. The diagonals of a rectangle are congruent
  4. Square
  • All four sides of a square are congruent
  • Opposite sides of a square are parallel
  1. The diagonals of a square are equal
  2. The diagonals of a square bisect each other at right angles
  3. All angles of a square are 90 degrees.
  • A square is a special kind of rectangle where all the sides have equal length
  1. Parallelogram
  • The opposite sides of a parallelogram are equal in length.
  • The opposite angles of a parallelogram are congruent (equal measure).
  1. The diagonals of a parallelogram bisect each other.
  • Each diagonal of a parallelogram divides it into two triangles of the same area
  1. Rhombus
  • All the sides of a rhombus are congruent
  • Opposite sides of a rhombus are parallel.
  • The diagonals of a rhombus bisect each other at right angles
  1. Opposite internal angles of a rhombus are congruent (equal in size)
  • Any two consecutive internal angles of a rhombus are supplementary; i.e. the sum of their angles = 180° (equal in size)
  • If each angle of a rhombus is 90°, it is a square

Other properties of quadrilaterals

  • The sum of the interior angles of a quadrilateral is 360 degrees
  • If a square and a rhombus lie on the same base, area of the square will be greater than area of the rhombus (In the special case when each angle of the rhombus is 90°, rhombus is also a square and therefore areas will be equal)
  • A parallelogram and a rectangle on the same base and between the same parallels are equal in area.
  • Of all the parallelogram of given sides, the parallelogram which is a rectangle has the greatest area.
  • Each diagonal of a parallelogram divides it into two triangles of the same area
  • A square is a rhombus and a rectangle.
  1. Sum of Interior Angles of a polygon
    1. The sum of the interior angles of a polygon = 180(n – 2) degrees where n = number of sides Example 1 : Number of sides of a triangle = 3. Hence, sum of the interior angles of a triangle = 180(3 – 2) = 180 × 1 = 180 ° Example 2 : Number of sides of a quadrilateral = 4. Hence, sum of the interior angles of any quadrilateral = 180(4 – 2) = 180 × 2 = 360.

 

 

Solved Examples

Level 1

  1. An error 2% in excess is made while measuring the side of a square. What is the percentage of error in the calculated area of the square?
  2. 4.04 %
  3. 2.02 %
  4. 4 %
  5. 2 %

Answer : Option A

Explanation :

Error = 2% while measuring the side of a square.

Let the correct value of the side of the square = 100
Then the measured value = (100×(100+2))/100=102 (∵ error 2% in excess)

Correct Value of the area of the square = 100 × 100 = 10000
Calculated Value of the area of the square = 102 × 102 = 10404

Error = 10404 – 10000 = 404
Percentage Error = (Error/Actual Value)×100=(404/10000)×100=4.04%

 

  1. A towel, when bleached, lost 20% of its length and 10% of its breadth. What is the percentage of decrease in area?
  2. 30 %
  3. 28 %
  4. 32 %
  5. 26 %

Answer : Option B

Explanation :
Let original length = 100 and original breadth = 100
Then original area = 100 × 100 = 10000

Lost 20% of length
=> New length =( Original length × (100−20))/100
=(100×80)/100=80

Lost 10% of breadth
=> New breadth= (Original breadth × (100−10))/100
=(100×90)/100=90

New area = 80 × 90 = 7200

Decrease in area
= Original Area – New Area
= 10000 – 7200 = 2800

Percentage of decrease in area
=(Decrease in Area/Original Area)×100=(2800/10000)×100=28%

  1. If the length of a rectangle is halved and its breadth is tripled, what is the percentage change in its area?
  2. 25 % Increase
  3. 25 % Decrease
  4. 50 % Decrease
  5. 50 % Increase

Answer : Option D

Explanation :
Let original length = 100 and original breadth = 100
Then original area = 100 × 100 = 10000

Length of the rectangle is halved
=> New length = (Original length)/2=100/2=50

breadth is tripled
=> New breadth= Original breadth × 3 = 100 × 3 = 300

New area = 50 × 300 = 15000

Increase in area = New Area – Original Area = 15000 – 10000= 5000
Percentage of Increase in area =( Increase in Area/OriginalArea)×100=(5000/10000)×100=50%

  1. The area of a rectangle plot is 460 square metres. If the length is 15% more than the breadth, what is the breadth of the plot?
  2. 14 metres
  3. 20 metres
  4. 18 metres
  5. 12 metres

Answer : Option B

Explanation:

lb = 460 m2 ——(Equation 1)

Let the breadth = b
Then length, l =( b×(100+15))/100=115b/100——(Equation 2)

From Equation 1 and Equation 2,
115b/100×b=460b2=46000/115=400⇒b=√400=20 m

 

  1. If a square and a rhombus stand on the same base, then what is the ratio of the areas of the square and the rhombus?
  2. equal to ½
  3. equal to ¾
  4. greater than 1
  5. equal to 1

Answer : Option C

Explanation :

If a square and a rhombus lie on the same base, area of the square will be greater than area of the rhombus (In the special case when each angle of the rhombus is 90°, rhombus is also a square and therefore areas will be equal)

 

Hence greater than 1 is the more suitable choice from the given list

================================================================
Note : Proof

Consider a square and rhombus standing on the same base ‘a’. All the sides of a square are of equal length. Similarly all the sides of a rhombus are also of equal length. Since both the square and rhombus stands on the same base ‘a’,

Length of each side of the square = a
Length of each side of the rhombus = a

Area of the sqaure = a2 …(1)

From the diagram, sin θ = h/a
=> h = a sin θ

Area of the rhombus = ah = a × a sin θ = a2 sin θ …(2)

From (1) and (2)

Area of the square/Area of the rhombus= a2 /a2sinθ=1/sinθ

Since 0° < θ < 90°, 0 < sin θ < 1. Therefore, area of the square is greater than that of rhombus, provided both stands on same base.

(Note that, when each angle of the rhombus is 90°, rhombus is also a square (can be considered as special case) and in that case, areas will be equal.

 

  1. The breadth of a rectangular field is 60% of its length. If the perimeter of the field is 800 m, find out the area of the field.
  2. 37500 m2
  3. 30500 m2
  4. 32500 m2
  5. 40000 m2

Answer : Option A

Explanation :

Given that breadth of a rectangular field is 60% of its length
⇒b=(60/100)* l =(3/5)* l

perimeter of the field = 800 m
=> 2 (l + b) = 800
⇒2(l+(3/5)* l)=800⇒l+(3/5)* l =400⇒(8/5)* l =400⇒l/5=50⇒l=5×50=250 m

b = (3/5)* l =(3×250)/5=3×50=150 m

Area = lb = 250×150=37500 m2

 

  1. What is the percentage increase in the area of a rectangle, if each of its sides is increased by 20%?
  2. 45%
  3. 44%
  4. 40%
  5. 42%

Answer : Option B

Explanation :
Let original length = 100 and original breadth = 100
Then original area = 100 × 100 = 10000

Increase in 20% of length.
=> New length = (Original length ×(100+20))/100=(100×120)/100=120

Increase in 20% of breadth
=> New breadth= (Original breadth × (100+20))/100=(100×120)/100=120

New area = 120 × 120 = 14400

Increase in area = New Area – Original Area = 14400 – 10000 = 4400
Percentage increase in area =( Increase in Area /OriginalArea)×100=(4400/10000)×100=44%

  1. What is the least number of squares tiles required to pave the floor of a room 15 m 17 cm long and 9 m 2 cm broad?
  2. 814
  3. 802
  4. 836
  5. 900

Answer : Option A

Explanation :

l = 15 m 17 cm = 1517 cm
b = 9 m 2 cm = 902 cm
Area = 1517 × 902 cm2

Now we need to find out HCF(Highest Common Factor) of 1517 and 902.
Let’s find out the HCF using long division method for quicker results

902)  1517  (1

 

-902

—————–

615)  902  (1

 

  • 615

————–

 

287)  615 (2

 

-574

—————–

 

41)  287  (7

 

-287

————

0
————

Hence, HCF of 1517 and 902 = 41

Hence, side length of largest square tile we can take = 41 cm
Area of each square tile = 41 × 41 cm2

Number of tiles required = (1517×902)/(41×41)=37×22=407×2=814

 

Level 2

  1. A rectangular parking space is marked out by painting three of its sides. If the length of the unpainted side is 9 feet, and the sum of the lengths of the painted sides is 37 feet, find out the area of the parking space in square feet?
  2. 126 sq. ft.
  3. 64 sq. ft.
  4. 100 sq. ft.
  5. 102 sq. ft.

Answer : Option A

Explanation :

Let l = 9 ft.

Then l + 2b = 37
=> 2b = 37 – l = 37 – 9 = 28
=> b = 282 = 14 ft.

Area = lb = 9 × 14 = 126 sq. ft.

 

  1. A large field of 700 hectares is divided into two parts. The difference of the areas of the two parts is one-fifth of the average of the two areas. What is the area of the smaller part in hectares?
  2. 400
  3. 365
  4. 385
  5. 315

Answer : Option D

Explanation :

Let the areas of the parts be x hectares and (700 – x) hectares.

Difference of the areas of the two parts = x – (700 – x) = 2x – 700

one-fifth of the average of the two areas = 15[x+(700−x)]2
=15×7002=3505=70

Given that difference of the areas of the two parts = one-fifth of the average of the two areas
=> 2x – 700 = 70
=> 2x = 770
⇒x=7702=385

Hence, area of smaller part = (700 – x) = (700 – 385) = 315 hectares.

 

  1. The length of a rectangle is twice its breadth. If its length is decreased by 5 cm and breadth is increased by 5 cm, the area of the rectangle is increased by 75 sq.cm. What is the length of the rectangle?
  2. 18 cm
  3. 16 cm
  4. 40 cm
  5. 20 cm

Answer : Option C

Explanation :

Let breadth = x cm
Then length = 2x cm
Area = lb = x × 2x = 2x2

New length = (2x – 5)
New breadth = (x + 5)
New Area = lb = (2x – 5)(x + 5)

But given that new area = initial area + 75 sq.cm.
=> (2x – 5)(x + 5) = 2x2 + 75
=> 2x2 + 10x – 5x – 25 = 2x2 + 75
=> 5x – 25 = 75
=> 5x = 75 + 25 = 100
=> x = 1005 = 20 cm

Length = 2x = 2 × 20 = 40cm

 

  1. The ratio between the length and the breadth of a rectangular park is 3 : 2. If a man cycling along the boundary of the park at the speed of 12 km/hr completes one round in 8 minutes, then what is the area of the park (in sq. m)?
  2. 142000
  3. 112800
  4. 142500
  5. 153600

Answer : Option D

Explanation :

l : b = 3 : 2 —-(Equation 1)

Perimeter of the rectangular park
= Distance travelled by the man at the speed of 12 km/hr in 8 minutes
= speed × time = 12×860     (∵ 8 minute = 860 hour)
= 85 km = 85 × 1000 m = 1600 m

Perimeter = 2(l + b)

=> 2(l + b) = 1600
=> l + b = 16002 = 800 m —-(Equation 2)

From (Equation 1) and (Equation 2)
l = 800 × 35 = 480 m
b = 800 × 25 = 320 m (Or b = 800 – 480 = 320m)

Area = lb = 480 × 320 = 153600 m2

 

  1. It is decided to construct a 2 metre broad pathway around a rectangular plot on the inside. If the area of the plots is 96 sq.m. and the rate of construction is Rs. 50 per square metre., what will be the total cost of the construction?
  2. Rs.3500
  3. Rs. 4200
  4. Insufficient Data
  5. Rs. 4400

Answer : Option C

Explanation :
Let length and width of the rectangular plot be l and b respectively
Total area of the rectangular plot = 96 sq.m.
=> lb = 96

Width of the pathway = 2 m
Length of the remaining area in the plot = (l – 4)
breadth of the remaining area in the plot = (b – 4)
Area of the remaining area in the plot = (l – 4)(b – 4)

Area of the pathway
= Total area of the rectangular plot – remaining area in the plot
= 96 – [(l – 4)(b – 4)] = 96 – [lb – 4l – 4b + 16] = 96 – [96 – 4l – 4b + 16] = 96 – 96 + 4l + 4b – 16
= 4l + 4b – 16
= 4(l + b) – 16

We do not know the values of l and b and hence area of the pathway cannot be found out. So we cannot determine total cost of the construction.

 

  1. A circle is inscribed in an equilateral triangle of side 24 cm, touching its sides. What is the area of the remaining portion of the triangle?
  2. 144√3−48π cm2
  3. 121√3−36π cm2
  4. 144√3−36π cm2
  5. 121√3−48π cm2

Answer : Option A

Explanation :
Area of an equilateral triangle = (3/√4)*a *a where a is length of one side of the equilateral triangle
Area of the equilateral Δ ABC = (3/√4)*a *a = (3/√4)*24*24=144√3 cm2⋯ (1)

Area of a triangle = 12bhwhere b is the base and h is the height of the triangle
Let r = radius of the inscribed circle. Then
Area of Δ ABC
= Area of Δ OBC + Area of Δ OCA + area of Δ OAB
= (½ × r × BC) + (½ × r × CA) + (½ × r × AB)
= ½ × r × (BC + CA + AB)
= ½ x r x (24 + 24 + 24)
= ½ x r x 72 = 36r cm2 —-(2)

From (1) and (2),
144√3=36r⇒r=144√3/36=4√3−−−−(3)

Area of a circle = πr2 where = radius of the circle
From (3), the area of the inscribed circle = πr2=π(4√3)* (4√3)=48π⋯(4)

Hence, area of the remaining portion of the triangle
= Area of Δ ABC – Area of inscribed circle
144√3−48π cm2

 

  1. What will be the length of the longest rod which can be placed in a box of 80 cm length, 40 cm breadth and 60 cm height?
  2. √11600 cm
  3. √14400 cm
  4. √10000 cm
  5. √12040 cm

Answer : Option A

Explanation :
The longest road which can fit into the box will have one end at A and other end at G (or any other similar diagonal).
Hence the length of the longest rod = AG

Initially let’s find out AC. Consider the right angled triangle ABC

AC2 = AB2 + BC2 = 402 + 802 = 1600 + 6400 = 8000
⇒AC = √8000 cm

Consider the right angled triangle ACG

AG2 = AC2 + CG2
(√8000) 2+602=8000+3600=11600
=> AG = √11600 cm
=> Length of the longest rod = √11600cm

 

  1. A rectangular plot measuring 90 metres by 50 metres needs to be enclosed by wire fencing such that poles of the fence will be kept 5 metres apart. How many poles will be needed?
  2. 30
  3. 44
  4. 56
  5. 60

Answer : Option C

Explanation :

Perimeter of a rectangle = 2(l + b)
where l is the length and b is the breadth of the rectangle

Length of the wire fencing = perimeter = 2(90 + 50) = 280 metres
Two poles will be kept 5 metres apart. Also remember that the poles will be placed along the perimeter of the rectangular plot, not in a single straight line which is very important.
Hence number of poles required = 280/5 = 56

Natural Resources of India

by

 


What are natural resources ?

Natural resources are useful raw materials that we get from the Earth. They occur naturally, which means that humans cannot make natural resources. Instead, we use and modify natural resources in ways that are beneficial to us. The materials used in human-made objects are natural resources. Some examples of natural resources and the ways we can use them are:

 

Natural resources                                                                Products and services

Air                                                                                         Wind energy

Animals                                                                                Foods ( Milk, Steak, Bacon etc.),

Clothing ( wool, silk etc.

Coal                                                                                       Electricity

Minerals                                                                                Coins, wire, Steel, Aluminium etc.

Natural gas                                                                             Electricity and Heating

Oil                                                                                           Electricity, Fuel for vehicles

Plants                                                                                      Wood, Paper, Cotton etc.

Sunlight                                                                                   Solar power, Photosynthesis

Water                                                                                       Hydroelectricity, Drinking, Cleaning

 

INDIA : NATURAL RESOURCES

  1. Land Resources: In terms of area India ranks seventh in the world with a total area of 32, 87.263 sq. km. (32.87 crore hectare). It accounts for 2.42% of total area of the world. In absolute terms India is really a big country. However, land man ratio is not favourable because of the huge population size.

Land utilisation figures are available for about 92.9% of total geographical area, that is, for 3,287.3 lakh hectare. Forest constitutes 24.01 % of the total geographical area of country. Out of a total land area of 304.2 million hectares about 170.0 million hectares is under cultivation. Food grains have preponderance in gross cropped areas as compared to non food grains. According to Agricultural Census, the area operated by large holdings (10 hectares and above) has declined and area operated under marginal holdings (less than one hectare) has increased. This indicates that land is being fragmented.

  1. Forest Resources: India’s forest cover is 78.92 million hectare which is 24.01 % of the geographical area of the country. The per capita forest in India (0.5 hectare) is much less than that in the world (1.9 hectares). According to the National Policy on Forests (1988), one-third (33%) of the country’s area should be covered by forests in order to maintain ecological balance.
  2. 3. Mineral Resources :

Iron-Ore: India possesses high quality iron-ore in abundance. The total reserves of iron-ore in the country are about 14.630 million tonnes of haematite and 10,619 million tonnes of magnetite. Haematite iron is mainly found in Chbattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Goa and Karnataka. The major deposit of magnetite iron is available at western coast of Karnataka. Some deposits of iron ore arc also found in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Coal reserves : India has the fifth largest coal reserves in the world. As on 31 March 2015, India had 306.6 billion metric tons (338.0 billion short tons) of the resource. The known reserves of coal rose 1.67% over the previous year, with the discovery of an estimated 5.04 billion metric tons (5.56 billion short tons). The estimated total reserves of lignite coal as on 31 March 2015 was 43.25 billion metric tons (47.67 billion short tons). The energy derived from coal in India is about twice that of the energy derived from oil, whereas worldwide, energy derived from coal is about 30% less than energy derived from oil. Coal deposits are primarily found in eastern and south-central India. Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra accounted for 99.08% of the total known coal reserves in India. As on 31 March 2015, Jharkhand and Odisha had the largest coal deposits of 26.44% and 24.72% respectively .

The top producing states are:

Other notable coal-mining areas are as follows :

 

Bauxite:

Bauxite is a main source of metal like aluminium. It is not a specific mineral but a rock consisting mainly of hydrated aluminium oxides. It is clay-like substance which is pinkish whitish or reddish in colour depending on the amount of iron content.

The total reserves of bauxite in India are estimated at 27.40 crores tonnes. The major bauxite producing states in India are Orissa, Jharkhand, Gujrat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Goa in a descending order of importance.

Large amount of bauxite comes from:

Orissa : Sambalpur, Koraput, Kalahandi and Ganjam,

Jharkhand : Lohardaga near Ranchi and Palamau districts,

Maharashtra: Ratnagiri and Kolaba, Thane, Satara of Kolhapur district,

Madhya Pradesh:  Chhattisgarh – Balaghat, Rajgarh and Bilashpur,

Gujarat : Bhavanagar, Junagarh and Amreli,

Karnataka: Belgaum and Bababudan hills,

Tamil Nadu: Salem.

Uranium deposits : Jaduguda in Singhbhum Thrust Belt (in the state of Jharkhand, formerly part of Bihar) is the first uranium deposit to be discovered in the country in 1951. The Singhbhum Thrust Belt (also known as Singhbhum Copper belt or Singhbhum shear Zone) is a zone of intense shearing and deep tectonization with less than 1km width and known for a number of copper deposits with associated nickel, molybdenum, bismuth, gold, silver etc. It extends in the shape of an arc for a length of about 160 km. This discovery of uranium at Jaduguda in this belt paved the way for intensive exploration work and soon a few more deposits were brought to light in this area. Some of these deposits like Bhatin, Narwapahar and Turamdih are well known uranium mines of the country. other deposits like Bagjata, Banduhurang and Mohuldih are being taken up for commercial mining operations. Some of the other areas like Garadih, Kanyaluka, Nimdih and Nandup in this belt are also known to contain limited reserves with poor grades. Apart from discoveries in the Singhbhum Thrust Belt, several uranium occurrences have also been found in Cuddapah basin of Andhra Pradesh. These include Lambapur-Peddagattu, Chitrial, Kuppunuru, Tumallapalle, Rachakuntapalle which have significantly contributed towards the uranium reserve base of India. In the Mahadek basin of Meghalaya in NorthEastern part of the country, sandsyone type uranium deposits like Domiasiat, Wahkhyn, Mawsynram provide near-surface flat orebodies amenable to commercial operations. Other areas in Rajsthan, Karnataka and Chattishgarh hold promise for developing into some major deposits.

 

 

 

 

Thorium

The IAEA’s 2005 report estimates India’s reasonably assured reserves of thorium at 319,000 tonnes, but mentions recent reports of India’s reserves at 650,000 tonnes. A government of India estimate, shared in the country’s Parliament in August 2011, puts the recoverable reserve at 846,477 tonnes. The Indian Minister of State V. Narayanasamy stated that as of May 2013, the country’s thorium reserves were 11.93 million tonnes (monazite, having 9-10% ThO2, with a significant majority (8.59 Mt; 72%) found in the three eastern coastal states of Andhra Pradesh (3.72 Mt; 31%), Tamil Nadu (2.46 Mt; 21%) and Odisha (2.41 Mt; 20%). Both the IAEA and OECD appear to conclude that India may possess the largest share of world’s thorium deposits.

 

Iron reserves : Iron ore is a metal of universal use. It is the backbone of modern civilisation. It is the foundation of our basic industry and is used all over the world. four varieties of iron ore are generally recognized.

(i) Magnetite: This is the best quality of iron ore . It possesses magnetic property and hence is called magnetite. It is found in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

 

(ii) Haematite:

It contains 60 % to 70 % pure iron and is found in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

(iii) Limonite:

It contains 40 per cent to 60 per cent pure iron. It is of yellow or light brown colour. Damuda series in Raniganj coal field, Garhwal in Uttarakhand, Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh and Kangra valley of Himachal Pradesh.

(iv) Siderite:

It contains many impurities and has just 40 to 50 per cent pure iron. However, due to presence of lime, it is self fluxing.

 

(4) Oil reserves : India had about 750 Million metric tonne of proven oil reserves as April 2014 or 5.62 billion barrels as per EIA estimate for 2009, which is the second-largest amount in the Asia-Pacific region behind China. Most of India’s crude oil reserves are located in the western coast (Mumbai High) and in the northeastern parts of the country, although considerable undeveloped reserves are also located in the offshore Bay of Bengal and in the state of Rajasthan. The combination of rising oil consumption and fairly unwavering production levels leaves India highly dependent on imports to meet the consumption needs. In 2010, India produced an average of about 33.69 million metric tonne of crude oil as on April 2010 or 877 thousand barrels per day as per EIA estimate of 2009. As of 2013 India Produces 30% of India’s resources mostly in Rajasthan.

India’s oil sector is dominated by state-owned enterprises, although the government has taken steps in past recent years to deregulate the hydrocarbons industry and support greater foreign involvement. India’s state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation is the largest oil company. ONGC is the leading player in India’s upstream sector, accounting for roughly 75% of the country’s oil output during 2006, as per Indian government estimates. As a net importer of all oil, the Indian Government has introduced policies aimed at growing domestic oil production and oil exploration activities. As part of the effort, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas crafted the New Exploration License Policy (NELP) in 2000, which permits foreign companies to hold 100% equity possession in oil and natural gas projects. However, to date, only a handful of oil fields are controlled by foreign firms. India’s downstream sector is also dominated by state-owned entities, though private companies have enlarged their market share in past recent years.

The Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve (ISPR) is an emergency fuel store of total 5 MMT (million metric tons) or 36.92 MMbbl of strategic crude oil enough to provide 10 days of consumption which are maintained by the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited.

Strategic crude oil storages are at 3 underground locations :  in Mangalore, Visakhapatnam and Padur(nr Udupi). All these are located on the east and west coasts of India which are readily accessible to the refineries. These strategic storages are in addition to the existing storages of crude oil and petroleum products with the oil companies and serve in response to external supply disruptions .

In the 2017-18 budget speech by the Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley, it was announced that two more such caverns will be set up Chandikhole in Jajpur district of Odisha and Bikaner in Rajasthan as part of the second phase. This will take the strategic reserve capacity to 15.33 million tons.

Apart from this,India is planning to expand more strategic crude oil facilities in second phase at Rajkot in Gujarat, Padur in and Udupi district of Karnataka.

(5)  Natural gas reserves : Natural gas consists primarily of methane .Propane , butane, pentane and hexane are also present . KG basin, Assam, Gulf of Khambhat, Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, Barmer in Rajasthan etc. are natural gas reserves of India.

 

 

 

 

Wind energy resources : The development of wind power in India began in the 1990s, and has significantly increased in the last few years. Although a relative newcomer to the wind industry compared with Denmark or the US, domestic policy support for wind power has led India to become the country with the fourth largest installed wind power capacity in the world.

As of March 31, 2016 the installed capacity of wind power in India was 26,769.05 MW, mainly spread across Tamil Nadu (7,269.50 MW), Maharashtra (4,100.40 MW), Gujarat (3,454.30 MW), Rajasthan (2,784.90 MW), Karnataka (2,318.20 MW), Andhra Pradesh (746.20 MW) and Madhya Pradesh (423.40 MW) Wind power accounts for 14% of India’s total installed power capacity. India has set an ambitious target to generate 60,000 MW of electricity from wind power by 2022.

 

 

 

Solar power : Solar power is attractive because it is abundant and offers a solution to fossil fuel emissions and global climate change. Earth receives solar energy at the rate of approximately 1,73,000 TW. This enormously exceeds both the current annual global energy consumption rate of about 15 TW, and any conceivable requirement in the future. India is both densely populated and has high solar insolation, providing an ideal combination for solar power in India. India is already a leader in wind power generation. In solar energy sector, some large projects have been proposed, and a 35,000 km² area of the Thar Desert has been set aside for solar power projects, sufficient to generate 700 to 2,100 GW.

With about 300 clear sunny days in a year, India’s theoretical solar power reception, just on its land area, is about 5 PWh/year (i.e. = 5 trillion kWh/yr ~ 600 TW). The daily average solar energy incident over India varies from 4 to 7 kWh/m2 with about 1500–2000 sunshine hours per year, depending upon location. This is far more than current total energy consumption. The India Energy Portal estimates that if 10% of the land were used for harnessing solar energy, the installed solar capacity would be at 8,000GW, or around fifty times the current total installed power capacity in the country. For example, even assuming 10% conversion efficiency for PV modules, it will still be thousand times greater than the likely electricity demand in India by the year 2015.

NATIONAL SOLAR MISSION

 

NTPC  Vidyut Vyapar Nigam(NVVN) ,the nodal agency for implementing the first phase of JNNSM , received 418 applications against a requirement of 650 MW(500 MW Solar Thermal and 150 MW Solar PV) for Batch I. Out of this 343 applications were for solar PV and 55 for Solar Thermal. The interest was high in the investor community for solar PV as applications worth 1715 MW (343*5 MW) were received as against a total of 150 MW. 30 bidders were selected through reverse bidding and projects were allocated to companies that offered highest discount to base tariff rate of Rs. 17.91/kWh. Projects totaling 610 MW were awarded with 145 MW under solar PV and 470 MW under Solar Thermal. The winning bids for solar PV varied from Rs. 10.95/kWh to Rs. 12.76/kWh and for Solar Thermal it was Rs. 11.14/kWh  in Phase I Batch I. Camelot Enterprises Private Ltd was the lowest bidder and other successful bidders included Mahindra Solar One, Azure Power, SunEdison Energy, Lanco Infratech.  The project capacity under Batch I is 5 MW for solar PV and minimum 5 MW and maximum 100MW for Solar Thermal. By July 2011, negotiations were concluded, PPAs awarded and financial closure achieved for 34 projects.

Under batch II, the project size has been increased up to 20 MW and the base price for solar PV projects is Rs. 15.39/kWh.  NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) received 154 applications for 1915 MW of solar PV projects against a requirement of 350 MW. The results of the bidding for solar PV projects indicate that the grid parity for solar power may not be too far off. The winning bids varied from Rs. 7.49/kWh to Rs. 9.41/kWh. The average bid price for both batch I and II was Rs. 12.15/kWh. French project developer Solairedirect emerged as the lowest bidder and Green Infra Solar the highest bidder. The other successful bidders included companies like Welspun Solar, Azure Power, SunBorne Energy  and Mahindra Solar One. Around 70% and 85% of the allocated capacity under Phase I Batch I and Phase I Batch II respectively is to be implemented in Rajasthan.

LAND RESOURCES : UTILIZATION PATTERN IN INDIA

Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as settlements and semi-natural habitats such as arable fields, pastures, and managed woods. It also has been defined as “the total of arrangements, activities, and input that people undertake in a certain land cover type.

Land is a scarce resource, whose supply is fixed for all practical purposes. At the same time, the demand for land for various competing purposes is continuously increasing with the increase in human population and economic growth.

Agricultural land: Agricultural land (also agricultural area) denotes the land suitable for agricultural production, both crops and livestock. It includes net sown area, current fallows and land under miscellaneous trees crops and groves. Agricultural land in India totals approx. 46 %  of the total geographical area in the country. This is the highest among the large and medium-sized countries of the world. This indicates The influence of favourable physical factors (like size, extent of plains and plateaus, etc.) and  The extension of cultivation to a large proportion of the cultivable land. But, because of the large population of the country, the per capita arable land (i.e. land suitable for agriculture) is low: 0.16 hectares against the world average of 0.24 hectares. About 15 per cent of the sown area is multi-cropped.

Non-agricultural land: This includes land under forests and permanent pastures, land under other non-agricultural uses (towns, villages, roads, railways, etc.) and  land classified as cultivable waste as well as barren and uncultivated land of mountain and desert areas.

 

The population continues to grow rapidly in India and great pressure is being placed on arable land resources to provide an adequate supply of food and energy requirements. Even if land resources are never exhausted, on a per capita basis they will decline significantly because they must be divided among more people. Land is one such natural resources of a nation on which the entire superstructure is created. Thus, land use is a synthesis of physical, chemical and biological systems and processes on the one hand and human/societal processes and behavior on the other hand. Land is important not only for producing food stuffs, cereals, fruits and vegetables for consumption but also for generating surpluses to meet the increasing demands created by rising population and developing industrial sector, for laying down the transport network, communication lines, for the construction of dwellings and public institutions, etc. Due to unprecedented population growth, man has made uses and misuses of land resources causing environmental degradation.

Again environmental degradation in developing countries like India, especially its manifestations in the form of soil erosion, deforestation etc, is often attributed to rapid population growth. It has however been increasingly realized that since these predominantly agricultural countries are undergoing the process of technological progress and development, many other factors also modify the relationship between population and land. Changing techniques of production, changes in the pattern of land utilization of natural as well as human resources, industrialization, urbanization, changing life styles, rising aspirations, change in consumption pattern are some of the macro level factors which make the relationship between population and land use much more complex.

 

 

 

Objective questions

 

Q 1. Which one of the following is an example of non-renewable resources?

  1. Wind
  2. Natural gas
  3. Solar energy
  4. Soil

Q 2. Consider the following statements regarding the reserves of natural resources in India ?

  1. Naharkatia and Kalol are famous for reserves of Crude oil .
  2. Kolar is source of Diamond .
  3. India’s forest cover is 14 % of the total geographical area .

Which of the statements given above is / are correct ?

  1. only 1
  2. only 1 and 2
  3. only 2 and 3
  4. only 1 and 3

Q 3. Which of the statements given below is / are correct ?

  1. Natural gas primarily consists of Butane and methane and propane are also present in minor amount .
  2. Barmer in Rajasthan is natural gas reserve.

Choose the correct answer from the code given below :

  1. only 1
  2. only 2
  3. 1 and 2 both
  4. Neither 1 nor 2

 

Q 4. Which of the following place is well known for Uranium reserves ?

  1. Narwapahar
  2. Koraput
  3. Ratnagiri
  4. Balaghat

 

Q 5. Consider the following statements regarding land use pattern in India :

  1. More than 50 % area is swon area in the country .
  2. Urbanization and industrialization are the factors changing India’s land use pattern

Which of the statements given above is / are correct :

  1. Only 1
  2. Only 2
  3. 1 and 2 both
  4. Neither 1 nor 2

Q 6. Which of the following statements is / are correct ?

  1. India’s geographical location is favourable for solar power .
  2. India ranks first in wind energy production.

Choose the correct answer from the code given below :

  1. Only 1
  2. Only 2
  3. 1 and 2 both
  4. Neither 1 nor 2

Q 7. Which the following is / are non-metallic mineral/s ?

  1. Limestone
  2. Mica
  3. Gypsum
  4. All of the above

 

Q 8. With reference to the Iron ore which of the following statement/s  is / are correct ?

 

  1. Limonite contains max. percentage of pure iron.
  2. Magnetite is not found in India.

Choose the correct answer from the code given below:

  1. Only 1
  2. Only 2
  3. 1 and 2 both
  4. Neither 1 nor 2

 

Q 9. Which of the following statement is correct ?

 

  1. Neyveli lignite mines are located in Jharkhand.
  2. Singrauli coalfield is in Uttar pradesh .
  3. Kalahandi is famous for Bauxite.
  4. Lohardaga bauxite mine is located in Karnataka.

 

Q 10. Siderite is an ore of :

 

  1. Aluminium
  2. Thorium
  3. Iron
  4. Uranium

 

 

ANSWER KEYS

  1. B
  2. A
  3. B
  4. A
  5. B
  6. A
  7. D
  8. D
  9. C
  10. C

PROFIT & LOSS

by

Profit and loss

 

IMPORTANT FACTS

Cost Price:

The price, at which an article is purchased, is called its cost price, abbreviated as C.P.

 

Selling Price:

The price, at which an article is sold, is called its selling prices, abbreviated as S.P.

 

Profit or Gain:

If S.P. is greater than C.P., the seller is said to have a profit or gain.

 

Loss:

If S.P. is less than C.P., the seller is said to have incurred a loss.

 

IMPORTANT FORMULAE

  1. Gain = (S.P.) – (C.P.)
  2. Loss = (C.P.) – (S.P.)
  3. Loss or gain is always reckoned on C.P.
  4. Gain Percentage: (Gain %)
    Gain % = Gain x 100
C.P.
  1. Loss Percentage: (Loss %)
    Loss % = Loss x 100
C.P.
  1. Selling Price: (S.P.)
    SP = (100 + Gain %) x C.P
100
         
  1. Selling Price: (S.P.)
    SP = (100 – Loss %) x C.P.
100
  1. Cost Price: (C.P.)
    C.P. = 100 x S.P.
(100 + Gain %)
  1. Cost Price: (C.P.)
    C.P. = 100 x S.P.
(100 – Loss %)
  1. If an article is sold at a gain of say 35%, then S.P. = 135% of C.P.
  2. If an article is sold at a loss of say, 35% then S.P. = 65% of C.P.
  3. When a person sells two similar items, one at a gain of say x%, and the other at a loss of x%, then the seller always incurs a loss given by:
    Loss % = Common Loss and Gain % 2 = x 2 .
10 10
  1. If a trader professes to sell his goods at cost price, but uses false weights, then
    Gain % = Error x 100 %.
(True Value) – (Error)

 

Questions:

Level-I:

 

 

1. Alfred buys an old scooter for Rs. 4700 and spends Rs. 800 on its repairs. If he sells the scooter for Rs. 5800, his gain percent is:
A.
4 4 %
7
B.
5 5 %
11
C. 10%
D. 12%

 

2. The cost price of 20 articles is the same as the selling price of x articles. If the profit is 25%, then the value of xis:
A. 15
B. 16
C. 18
D. 25

 

3. If selling price is doubled, the profit triples. Find the profit percent.
A.
66 2
3
B. 100
C.
105 1
3
D. 120

 

4. In a certain store, the profit is 320% of the cost. If the cost increases by 25% but the selling price remains constant, approximately what percentage of the selling price is the profit?
A. 30%
B. 70%
C. 100%
D. 250%

 

 

5. A vendor bought toffees at 6 for a rupee. How many for a rupee must he sell to gain 20%?
A. 3
B. 4
C. 5
D. 6

 

6. The percentage profit earned by selling an article for Rs. 1920 is equal to the percentage loss incurred by selling the same article for Rs. 1280. At what price should the article be sold to make 25% profit?
A. Rs. 2000
B. Rs. 2200
C. Rs. 2400
D. Data inadequate

 

7. A shopkeeper expects a gain of 22.5% on his cost price. If in a week, his sale was of Rs. 392, what was his profit?
A. Rs. 18.20
B. Rs. 70
C. Rs. 72
D. Rs. 88.25

 

8. A man buys a cycle for Rs. 1400 and sells it at a loss of 15%. What is the selling price of the cycle?
A. Rs. 1090
B. Rs. 1160
C. Rs. 1190
D. Rs. 1202

 

9. Sam purchased 20 dozens of toys at the rate of Rs. 375 per dozen. He sold each one of them at the rate of Rs. 33. What was his percentage profit?
A. 3.5
B. 4.5
C. 5.6
D. 6.5

 

10. Some articles were bought at 6 articles for Rs. 5 and sold at 5 articles for Rs. 6. Gain percent is:
A. 30%
B.
33 1 %
3
C. 35%
D. 44%
 

 

 

 

 

 

11.

  

 

 

Level-II:

 

 

On selling 17 balls at Rs. 720, there is a loss equal to the cost price of 5 balls. The cost price of a ball is:
A. Rs. 45
B. Rs. 50
C. Rs. 55
D. Rs. 60

 

 

12. When a plot is sold for Rs. 18,700, the owner loses 15%. At what price must that plot be sold in order to gain 15%?
A. Rs. 21,000
B. Rs. 22,500
C. Rs. 25,300
D. Rs. 25,800

 

13. 100 oranges are bought at the rate of Rs. 350 and sold at the rate of Rs. 48 per dozen. The percentage of profit or loss is:
A.
14 2 % gain
7
B. 15% gain
C.
14 2 % loss
7
D. 15 % loss

 

14. A shopkeeper sells one transistor for Rs. 840 at a gain of 20% and another for Rs. 960 at a loss of 4%. His total gain or loss percent is:
A.
5 15 % loss
17
B.
5 15 % gain
17
C.
6 2 % gain
3
D. None of these

 

 

15. A trader mixes 26 kg of rice at Rs. 20 per kg with 30 kg of rice of other variety at Rs. 36 per kg and sells the mixture at Rs. 30 per kg. His profit percent is:
A. No profit, no loss
B. 5%
C. 8%
D. 10%
E. None of these

 

  1. A man buys an article for Rs. 27.50 and sells it for Rs 28.60. Find his gain percent
  2. 1%
  3. 2%
  4. 3%
  5. 4%

 

 

  1. A TV is purchased at Rs. 5000 and sold at Rs. 4000, find the lost percent.
  2. 10%
  3. 20%
  4. 25%
  5. 28%

 

 

  1. In terms of percentage profit, which among following the best transaction.
    1. P. 36, Profit 17
    2. P. 50, Profit 24
    3. P. 40, Profit 19
    4. P. 60, Profit 29

 

 

 

 

Answer:1 Option B

 

Explanation:

Cost Price (C.P.) = Rs. (4700 + 800) = Rs. 5500.

Selling Price (S.P.) = Rs. 5800.

Gain = (S.P.) – (C.P.) = Rs.(5800 – 5500) = Rs. 300.

Gain % = 300 x 100 % = 5 5 %
5500 11

 

Answer:2 Option B

 

Explanation:

Let C.P. of each article be Re. 1 C.P. of x articles = Rs. x.

S.P. of x articles = Rs. 20.

Profit = Rs. (20 – x).

20 – x x 100 = 25
x

2000 – 100x = 25x

125x = 2000

x = 16.

 

 

Answer:3 Option B

 

Explanation:

Let C.P. be Rs. x and S.P. be Rs. y.

Then, 3(y – x) = (2y – x)    y = 2x.

Profit = Rs. (y – x) = Rs. (2x – x) = Rs. x.

 Profit % = x x 100 % = 100%

 

 

Answer:4 Option B

 

Explanation:

Let C.P.= Rs. 100. Then, Profit = Rs. 320, S.P. = Rs. 420.

New C.P. = 125% of Rs. 100 = Rs. 125

New S.P. = Rs. 420.

Profit = Rs. (420 – 125) = Rs. 295.

 Required percentage = 295 x 100 % = 1475 % = 70% (approximately).
420 21

 

 

Answer:5 Option C

 

Explanation:

C.P. of 6 toffees = Re. 1

S.P. of 6 toffees = 120% of Re. 1 = Rs. 6
5

 

For Rs. 6 , toffees sold = 6.
5

 

For Re. 1, toffees sold = 6 x 5 = 5.
6

 

 

Answer:6 Option A

 

Explanation:

Let C.P. be Rs. x.

Then, 1920 – x x 100 = x – 1280 x 100
x x

1920 – x = x – 1280

2x = 3200

x = 1600

 Required S.P. = 125% of Rs. 1600 = Rs. 125 x 1600 = Rs 2000.
100

 

 

Answer:7 Option C

 

Explanation:

C.P. = Rs. 100 x 392 = Rs. 1000 x 392 = Rs. 320
122.5 1225

Profit = Rs. (392 – 320) = Rs. 72.

 

Answer:8 Option C

 

Explanation:

S.P. = 85% of Rs. 1400 = Rs. 85 x 1400 = Rs. 1190
100

 

 

 

Answer:9 Option C

 

Explanation:

Cost Price of 1 toy = Rs. 375 = Rs. 31.25
12

Selling Price of 1 toy = Rs. 33

So, Gain = Rs. (33 – 31.25) = Rs. 1.75

 Profit % = 1.75 x 100 % = 28 % = 5.6%
31.25 5

 

 

 

Answer:10 Option D

 

Explanation:

Suppose, number of articles bought = L.C.M. of 6 and 5 = 30.

C.P. of 30 articles = Rs. 5 x 30 = Rs. 25.
6

 

S.P. of 30 articles = Rs. 6 x 30 = Rs. 36.
5

 

 Gain % = 11 x 100 % = 44%.
25

 

 

Answer:11 Option D

 

Explanation:

(C.P. of 17 balls) – (S.P. of 17 balls) = (C.P. of 5 balls)

C.P. of 12 balls = S.P. of 17 balls = Rs.720.

 C.P. of 1 ball = Rs. 720 = Rs. 60.
12

 

 

Answer:12 Option C

 

Explanation:

85 : 18700 = 115 : x

 x = 18700 x 115 = 25300.
85

Hence, S.P. = Rs. 25,300.

 

Answer:13 Option A

 

Explanation:

C.P. of 1 orange = Rs. 350 = Rs. 3.50
100

 

S.P. of 1 orange = Rs. 48 = Rs. 4
12

 

 Gain% = 0.50 x 100 % = 100 % = 14 2 %
3.50 7 7

 

 

 

Answer:14 Option B

 

Explanation:

C.P. of 1st transistor = Rs. 100 x 840 = Rs. 700.
120

 

C.P. of 2nd transistor = Rs. 100 x 960 = Rs. 1000
96

So, total C.P. = Rs. (700 + 1000) = Rs. 1700.

Total S.P. = Rs. (840 + 960) = Rs. 1800.

 Gain % = 100 x 100 % = 5 15 %
1700 17

 

 

 

Answer:15 Option B

 

Explanation:

C.P. of 56 kg rice = Rs. (26 x 20 + 30 x 36) = Rs. (520 + 1080) = Rs. 1600.

S.P. of 56 kg rice = Rs. (56 x 30) = Rs. 1680.

 Gain = 80 x 100 % = 5%.
1600

 

Answer:16 Option D

 

Explanation:

So we have C.P. = 27.50
S.P. = 28.60

Gain = 28.60 – 27.50 = Rs. 1.10

Gain%=(Gain/Cost∗100)%=(1.10/27.50∗100)%=4%

 

 

 

 

Answer:17 Option B

 

Explanation:

We know, C.P. = 5000
S.P. = 4000
Loss = 5000 – 4000 = 1000
Loss%=(Loss/Cost∗100)%=(1000/5000∗100)%=20%

 

 

Answer:18 Option D

 

Explanation:

Hint: Calculate profit percent as

Profit% = (profit/cost) * 100

Spread of Modern Education

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1781: Hastings set up the Calcutta Madrasah for the study and teaching of Muslim law and related subjects

1791: Jonathan Duncan started a Sanskrit College at Varanasi for the study of Hindu law and philosophy.

1813: Charter of 1813 directed the Company to spend Rs. 1 lakh for promoting modern sciences in the country. This sum was however made available only in 1823.

1835: Macaulay’s minute.

English was made the medium of instruction in schools. Education of masses was however neglected. British advocated the ‘downward filtration theory’ for education. As per this theory, since the allocated funds could educate only a handful of Indians, it was decided to spend them in educating a few persons from the upper and middle classes who were expected to assume the task of educating the masses and spreading modern ideas among them.

1844: Compulsion for applicants for government employment to possess knowledge of English. This made the English medium schools more popular.

1854: Wood’s Dispatch asked the government of India to assume responsibility for the education of the masses. It thus repudiated the ‘downward filtration theory’. As a result, Departments of Education were instituted in all provinces and universities were setup in 1857 at Madras, Calcutta and Bombay.

The main reason why British adopted some measures towards education in India was because:

  1. They needed educated people to man their system of administration. It was not possible to get enough Englishmen to man all the posts.
  2. Another important motive was the belief that educated Indians would help expand the market for British manufactures in India.
  3.  Lastly, it was expected to reconcile the people of India to British rule.

Major drawbacks of the English education system:

  1. Neglect of mass education. Mass literacy in India was hardly better in 1921 than in 1821. High fees in schools and colleges led to the education becoming a monopoly of the rich.
  2. Almost total neglect of the education of girls. As late as 1921 only 2 percent Indian women could read and write.
  3. Neglect of scientific and technical education.
  4. The government was never willing to spend more than a scanty sum on education.

Development of Education

 

  • Charter act of 1813
    • Sanctioned 1 lakh rupees annually for promoting education and modern sciences
    • Not made available till 1823
  • Orientalist-Anglicist Controversy
  • Lord Macaulay’s minute (1835)
  • Wood’s Despatch (1854)
    • Rejected the downward filtration theory
    • Asked the government of India to assume the responsibility of education of the masses
    • English as medium for higher studies and vernaculars at school level
  • 1857: University of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras
  • Hunter Commission (1882-83)
    • State care required for promotion and spread of primary and secondary education
    • Transfer control of primary education to district and municipal boards
  • Raleigh Commission, 1902
  • Universities Act 1904
  • Saddler Education Commission (1917-19)
    • School course should cover 12 years
    • Less rigidity in framing university regulations
  • Hartog Committee (1929)
    • No hasty expansion or compulsion of education
  • Wardha Scheme of basic education (1937)
    • Vocation based education

 

Administrative Setup and Administrative Culture in Rajasthan.

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Within a state there is generally a four-tier structure of ad- ministration – division, district, taluka/tehsil/block, and village. The district has been so far the most important unit of administration. Some of the states have introduced the system of Panchayati Raj, generally a three-tier structure of local self- government in rural areas at the vil- lage, block and district levels. Two recent constitutional amendments have bestowed on the local bodies in rural and urban areas constitutional status and specific functions including education, covering education upto secondary level, technical training and vocational education, adult and non-formal education. These amendments will strengthen decentralised management of educa- tion at the grass-root level.

 

 

For the administrative ease rajasthan has been devided into following seven devisions:-

 

1          Ajmer Division

2          Bharatpur Division

3          Bikaner Division

4          Jaipur Division

5          Jodhpur Division

6          Kota Division

7          Udaipur Division

 

 

 

Districts of Rajasthan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Citizen’s Charter is a document which represents a systematic effort to focus on the commitment of the Organisation towards its Citizens in respects of Standard of Services, Information, Choice and Consultation, Non-discrimination and Accessibility, Grievance Redress, Courtesy and Value for Money.

The main objective of the exercise to issue the Citizen’s Charter of an organisation is to improve the quality of public services. This is done by letting people know the mandate of the concerned Ministry/ Department/ Organisation, how one can get in touch with its officials, what to expect by way of services and how to seek a remedy if something goes wrong. The Citizen’s Charter does not by itself create new legal rights, but it surely helps in enforcing existing rights. This website provides the details of Citizen’s Charter of various Ministries/ Departments/ Organistions of the Government of India.

The basic objective of the Citizen’s Charter is to empower the citizen in relation to public service delivery. The six principles of the Citizen’s Charter movement as originally framed were:

 

(i) Quality: Improving the quality of services;

 

(ii) Choice: Wherever possible;

 

(iii) Standards: Specifying what to expect and how to act if standards are not met;

 

(iv) Value : For the taxpayers’ money;

 

(v) Accountability: Individuals and Organisations; and

 

(vi) Transparency: Rules/Procedures/Schemes/Grievances.

 

These were later elaborated by the Labour Government as the nine principles of Service Delivery (1998), which are as follows:-

 

  1. Set standards of service

 

  1. Be Open and provide full information

 

  1. Consult and involve

 

  1. Encourage access and the promotion of choice

 

  1. Treat all fairly

 

  1. Put things right when they go wrong

 

  1. Use resources effectively

 

  1. Innovate and improve

 

  1. Work with other providers

Government of Rajasthan(Administrative Reforms and Coordination Department, Jaipur, Rajasthan) manages the citizen charters in the state Following departments have issued there separate charters, which could be accessed from their websites.

 

  1. Registration and Stamps Department, Rajasthan, Ajmer

 

  1. Food and Civil Supplies Department, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Revenue Department

 

  1. Local Bodies

 

  1. Transport Department

 

  1. Medical & Health & Associate Hospitals

 

  1. SMS Medical College & Hospital, Jaipur

 

  1. Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College, Ajmer

 

  1. Psychiatry Centre & Mental Hospital, Jaipur

 

  1. Sir Padampat Mother & Child Health Institute , Jaipur

 

  1. Chest & T.B. Hospital, Jaipur

 

  1. Mahila Chikitsalaya, Jaipur

 

  1. Zenana, Hospital, Jaipur

 

  1. Medical & Health Services (E.S.I) Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Police Department

 

  1. Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation, Jaipur

 

  1. Labour Deprtment

 

  1. Factories & Boilers Department

 

  1. Land & Buildings Taxes Department

 

  1. Commercial Taxes Department

 

  1. Bureau of Anticorruption, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Command Area Development & Water Utilization Department

 

  1. Mines & Geology Department

 

  1. Literacy & Adult Education Department, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Irrigation Department, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Animal Husbandry Department

 

  1. Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd, Jaipur (Jaipur DISCOM)

 

  1. State Insurance & General Provident Fund Department

 

  1. Home Guard & Civil Aviation Department

 

  1. Colonization Department

 

  1. Jaipur Development Authority

 

  1. Women & Child Development Department

 

  1. Secondary Education Department

 

  1. Citizen’s Charter for Divisional Commissioners’ Office

 

  1. Higher Education, Jaipur

 

  1. Panchayati Raj Department

 

  1. Technical Education Department

 

  1. Public Works Department

 

  1. Agriculture Marketing Department

 

  1. Settlement Department

 

  1. Rural Development Department

 

  1. Directorate of Water Shed Development & Soil Conservation Department

 

  1. Fisheries Department

 

  1. Cooperative Department

 

  1. Employment Department

 

  1. Agriculture Marketing Board

 

  1. Public Health Engineering Department

 

  1. Rajasthan State Industrial Development & Investment Corporation Ltd., Jaipur

 

  1. Industries Department, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Rajasthan Finance Corporation (RFC)

 

  1. Small Savings Department

 

  1. Vidut Nirikshanalaya Rajasthan, Jaipur (Electrical Inspector, Rajasthan, Jaipur)

 

  1. Agriculture Department, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Forest Department

 

  1. Director, Elementary Education, Rajasthan, Bikaner

 

  1. Director, Prosecution, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Jail Department, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Tourism, Art and Culture Department, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Devasthan Department, Rajasthan, Udaipur

 

  1. Excise Department, Rajasthan, Udaipur

 

  1. Director, Horticulture Department, Rajasthan, Jaipur

 

  1. Town Planning Department, Jaipur (JLN Marg).

 

 

The Rajasthan Guaranteed Delivery of Public Services Act, 2011

The Rajasthan Guaranteed Delivery of Public Services Act, 2011 guarantees the delivery of 108 services in 53 areas concerning 15 departments. The time period kept for the delivery of services ranges from one day in the case of removal of animal carcasses from public places to two days for driving licences, 75 days for land use conversion and a maximum of 90 days for sanction of old age pension. Issue of birth/death certificates has been promised in 7-15 days and new ration card in seven days.

 

Right To Information

RTI stands for Right To Information and has been given the status of a fundamental right under Article 19(1) of the Constitution. Article 19 (1) under which every citizen has freedom of speech and expression and have the right to know how the government works, what role does it play, what are its functions and so on.

Right to Information Act empowers every citizen to seek any information, take notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records, take certified samples of material.

Current Geopolitical Conflicts

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Geopolitical Conflict is the Military engagements and diplomatic crises between nations with global implications and which even threatens in extreme circumstance to the survival of humanity.Various types of Geopolitical Conflicts are as follows:-

Ø  Conventional War:-The engagement of two or more nations in military conflict, using conventional weapons to target military infrastructure and invade/defend sovereignty

Ø  Asymmetric War:- Military action, insurgency and violent resistance carried out between combatants of significantly different power, resources, and interests

Ø  Nuclear War:- Military Conflict pursued using nuclear weapons

Ø  Civil War:- Internal conflict within a country, including wars of succession and coups d’etat

Ø  External Force:- Blockades, No-Fly zones, missile attack or other military action by external forces to prevent national authorities pursuing internal policies deemed harmful or repugnant

 

Currently several geopolitical conflict zones across the globe are observed , Few of them are:-

  • Syrian Civil WarThe Syrian civil war is an ongoing multi-sided armed conflict in Syria in which international interventions] have taken place. The war grew out of the unrest of the 2011 Arab Spring and escalated to armed conflict after President Bashar al-Assad’s government violently repressed protests calling for his removal. The war is now being fought among several factions: the Syrian Government, a loose alliance of Syrian Arab rebel groups, the Syrian Democratic Forces, Salafi jihadist groups (including al-Nusra Front) who often co-operate with the rebels, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The factions receive substantial support from foreign actors, leading many to label the conflict a proxy war waged by both regional and global powers.

Syrian opposition groups formed the Free Syrian Army and seized control of the area surrounding Aleppo and parts of southern Syria.

Read More

  • Russia and Turkey:-On 24 November 2015, Turkish F-16 combat aircraft shot down a Russian Su-24 during an airspace dispute close to the Turkish-Syrian border. In response, Russia imposed a number of economic sanctions on Turkey. These included the suspension of visa-free travel to Russia for Turkish citizens, limits on Turkish residents and companies doing business in Russia and restrictions on imports of Turkish products
  • Afghanistan and Pakisthan
  • India and Pakisthan
  • India and Nepal
  • South China Sea
  • Libyan Crisis
  • Sudan Internal ethnic conflict
  • Nigeria: Boko Haram terrorists
  • Iraq
  • Isreal and Palestine
  • EU: Inflow of refugees from West Asia & N.Africa
  • Iran and Saudi Arabia
  • Yemen
  • Russia and Ukraine
  • Greece and EU
  • Myanmar

Mazor Causes of Conflicts :-

Perhaps more than at any time in our history, our world is engaged in conflict. From the UK and USA engaged at war in Afghanistan and Iraq, through to insurgencies in Algeria, Burma and Columbia, civil wars in African nations, and conflict between people in China, Iran and Israel, we see that we are in a fragile landscape.

Over the past century, a number of facets of humanities development have contributed to this, including:

  • Economics: From early colonialism to modern capitalism, our western economic growth has often been at the detriment of other nations where, for example, we have aggressively acquired assets, created trade routes, or leveraged economic scale to source products, assets, and services artificially cheaply. These processes, while creating great wealth and development in Europe and the USA, have exacerbated poverty and economic inequality in many nations, creating a great deal of tension and potential for conflict.
  • Agriculture and Energy: Our world is hugely dependent on agriculture and energy. Both of these asset classes are in huge demand, with their protection and development becoming serious debate. Population and economic growth also puts huge strains on these assets, as our world comes close to consuming greater than is sustainable.
  • Technology: While technology has been a huge enabler for global development, it has also made our injustices and inequalities more visible to external and internal participants in any situation.
  • Climate Change: This is now becoming a real and significant issue with millions worldwide becoming displaced by climatic effects.
  • Religion, Governance, and Politics: These issues, and their allied topics of human rights, justice, and so forth have historically caused many of the world’s most significant conflicts, and continue to do so as often these issues are the most fundamental in the structure of a society.

 

 

Major Armed Uprising

by
Wahabi Shah Abdul Aziz & Saiyed Ahmad Raebarelvi. Objective was to reform the Muslim
Movement society& convert ‘Dur-ul-Harb’ (Non-Islamic community) into ‘Dar-ul-Islam’.
  Origianlly the movement was started in Arabia by Muhammad Ibn-Aba-e-Wahid.
  Its main centre was Patna, Sittana (NW province).
Kuka Bhai Ram Singh (Disciple of Bhai Balak Singh). It is also called Namdhari Mission.
Movement Bhai Ram Singh asked his followers to worship cow & run langars, wear white clothes
  & not use any foreign commodity or service. Bhai Ram Singh was deported to Burma.
Santhal Siddhu, Khanhu, Chand & Bhareo (four sons of Chulu Santhal of Raj Mahal district).
Rebellion Under the Permanent Settlement of 1793 the lands of Santhal passed to Zamidars &
1855-56 later to European Indigo planters. 10,000 santhals were killed in this rebellion. After
  this the area was put under the direct control of the Governor General & was named
  Santhal Paragana.

Vasudeo Balwant Phadke was born in Maharashtra. He left the army & became a revolutionary. Later deported to Aden & died in 1883. He may be justly called the father of militant nationalism in India.

 

Kisan Launched by Lala Lajpat Rai & Ajit Singh. The passing of the 1906 Punjab Land
Movements Revenue Act & heavy increase in water tax caused panic. The poem of Banke Dayal,
  ‘Pagri Sambhal O Jatta’ became famous. Lala & Ajit Singh were sentenced to 6 months
  prison. Later the DSP of Layalpur Clough was assassinated. Ajit Singh escaped to
  France while Bhai Parmanand’s house search yielded a book on bomb making.
Moplah Khilafat movement in Malabar incited communal feelings in Muslim peasants directed
Rebellion towards Hindu land holders.

07.02.18 Nagaland(NPSC) Current Affairs

by

NORTH-EASTERN STATES

 

  • New contraceptives launched in Arunachal Pradesh

 

  • Arunachal Pradesh government launched two new contraceptives – an injectable one and a pill – under separate programmes to expand people’s choice contraceptives.

 

  • The injectable contraceptive was launched under the ‘Antara’ programme and the pill under ‘Chhaya’.

 

  • Gynecologists of various districts of the state were also trained on the new contraceptives during a programme.

 

  • India was first country in the world to launch family planning programme as early as in 1952 with the aim of controlling its population.

 

  • The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched two new contraceptives in September last year.

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

·        SpaceX Launches Its Most Powerful Rocket Towards Mars

 

  • The US-based SpaceXsuccessfully launched the world’s most powerful operational rocket Falcon Heavy towards Mars.
  • The rocket, carrying a Tesla Roadster car, will revolve around the Sun in a way that will repeatedly bring it close to the Earth and Mars.
  • The Falcon Heavy’s thrust and capacity are the highest since NASA’s Saturn V, which carried astronauts to the Moon.
  • Falcon Heavy successfully lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

 

  • India-UAE to ink 12 pacts during PM Modi’s visit

 

  • As many as 12 agreements will be signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UAE later this week as India and the oil-rich Gulf nation look to intensify economic cooperation.

 

  • The agreements will include areas like finance and skills development.

 

  • Modi will start his visit to three West Asian countries – Palestine, the UAE and Oman – on February 9 with focus on cooperation in key areas of defence, security and counter- terrorism.

 

  • The Prime Minister will participate in the 6th World Government Summit in Dubai on February 10-11 in which India is a partner country.

 

  • This will be PM Modi’s second visit to the UAE. He first visited the country in August 2015.

 

·        Google launches #SecurityCheckKiya campaign

 

  • Search engine giant Google launched ‘#SecurityCheckKiya’ campaign in India to create awareness around Internet safety. It was launched on the ocean.
  • The campaign aims to protect first-time web users from account hijacking, safeguard Android devices from malicious apps and secure all their personal time.
  • Under the campaign, Google recommended three simple steps for Internet safety. It includes reviewing security settings and Google account activity.
  • Moreover ‘Google Play Protect’ service scans and checks Android devices for any harmful apps. Find My Device app from Google helps a user to easily long away.

 

NATIONAL

 

  • 60 Solar Cities to be developed across country

 

  • The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy under its scheme “Development of Solar Cities” has approved/sanctioned 60 Cities including 13 Pilot and 5 Model Cities up to 12th Five-year Plan period.

 

  • In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State (IC) for Power & New and Renewable Energy, Shri R K Singh informed that the master plans of 49 Solar Cities have been prepared.

 

  • The Stake-holders Committees have been constituted in 21 Cities and Solar City Cells have been created in 37 Solar Cities.

 

  • Solar PV projects with aggregate capacity of 8069.16 kWP and Solar Water Heating System with aggregate capacity of 7894 meter square collector area have been sanctioned under the programme.

 

  • While Rs. 101.64 crore has been sanctioned, Rs. 25.92 crore has been released under scheme “Development of Solar Cities” so far.

 

·        Assam Government and Ola Sign MoU For River Taxi Service

 

  • Cab-hailing startup Ola and the Government of Assam have signed a MoU to pilot an app-based river taxi service in Guwahati.
  • The river taxis will be machine-operated boats and users will be able to book the rides through Ola’s app.
  • It’ll bring commute time down to 2-5 minutes from 45 minutes by road. This MoU was signed during the Global Investors Summit: Advantage Assam.

 

 

 

·        Commerce Minister Kicks Off Consultations On The New Industrial Policy

 

  • Commerce and Industries Minister Mr. Suresh Prabhu set off a series of nation-wide consultations with the industry on the proposed new Industrial Policy.
  • The first consultation was held at Guwahati in February 2018.
  • The event, organized by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in partnership with Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), was attended by more than 120 industrialists from the North East in addition to government officials from the North Eastern States.

 

 

 

·        President Ram Nath Kovind Inaugurates Mahamastakabhisheka Utsav

 

  • The President of India Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 88th Mahamastakabhisheka Utsav of Lord Gomateshwarain Hassan district of Karnataka.
  • Mahamastakabhisheka of Gommateshwara, who is also known as Bahubali takes place once in 12 years.
  • It is an important Jain pilgrimage center and lakhs of tourists visit Shravanbelagola to see 57 feet tall monolithic stone statue that is anointed from head to feet during the Utsav.

 

 

 

·        Union Government launches Start-up-India ranking framework

 

  • The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP)under Commerce Ministry unveiled Start-up-India ranking framework to rank states/UTs based on measures regions that have taken to foster entrepreneurship.
  • It was launched by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry at a function held in New Delhi.
  • The framework aims to foster competitiveness and propel states/UTS to act proactively in startup matters.
  • This ranking will help states to bring progress made in their startup ecosystem and also make different states learn and replicate good practices.
  • Its objective is to encourage States/UTs to take proactive steps towards strengthening Startup ecosystems at the local level.

 

·        Sushma Swaraj Visit To Saudi Arabia Attends Opening Ceremony Of Al-Janadriyah Fest

 

  • External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj attended the opening ceremony of the 32nd Al Jana-driyah festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  • India has been invited as the Guest of Honour country for the festival.
  • Swaraj in her first engagement addressed Indian community members at a reception in Riyadh and spoke about the relations between the two countries.
  • During her three day visit, she will meet with the Saudi leadership to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.