Tag: Article

Happy Independence Day !!!

Dear Readers, here we are again all united in a uniform spirit to celebrate our 72nd Independence day. This is a day to pay homage to our great freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives to make India free from the British rule. This is a day to say thank you to our great leaders for their courage and wisdom to gift us a free India where we live in. This is not a day for a Hindu, Christian, Muslim or any other caste or religion. This is the day when we all are one, proud Indians.
The story of our freedom struggle is a commendable story of strength, freedom, courage, wisdom and determination. It is a story that proves that if we have a dream, we should work die hard for it and in the end it will definitely bear fruits. If we have a strong determination, then nothing is impossible. The freedom struggle was not easy and many lost their lives because they wanted a free India at any cost and they paid their lives for it. 
Good things always take a lot from you but in the end its worth it. On this day, remember our great leaders who sacrificed their lives for us to live in free India. Do your bit that can make your country a happy and prosperous one. Enjoy your day.
Happy Independence Day From the team of Adda247, Bankersadda, SSCadda, CTETadda, Defenceadda and Career Power. 

    

All You Need To Know About The ‘Parker Solar Probe’ | Humanity’s First Visit to a Star

All You Need To Know About The 'Parker Solar Probe' | Humanity’s First Visit to a Star

 Parker Solar Probe | A New Milestone In Space World

NASA’s ‘Parker Solar Probe’ has become the first-ever mission to “touch” the Sun. The spacecraft, about the size of a small car, will travel directly into the Sun’s atmosphere about 4 million miles from the surface. Parker Solar Probe launched aboard a Delta IV-Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral, the USA. 
Journey to the Sun: 
In order to unlock the mysteries of the Sun’s atmosphere, Parker Solar Probe will use Venus’ gravity during seven flybys over nearly seven years to gradually bring its orbit closer to the Sun. The spacecraft will fly through the Sun’s atmosphere as close as 3.8 million miles to our star’s surface, well within the orbit of Mercury and more than seven times closer than any spacecraft has come before. (Earth’s average distance to the Sun is 93 million miles.) 
“Launch: August 12, 2018
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Launch Vehicle: Delta IV-Heavy with Upper Stage“
Why Won’t Parker Solar Probe Melt?
Inside that part of the solar atmosphere, a region known as the corona, Parker Solar Probe will provide unprecedented observations of what drives the wide range of particles, energy and heat that course through the region — flinging particles outward into the solar system and far past Neptune. 
Parker Solar Probe has been designed to withstand the extreme conditions and temperature fluctuations for the mission. The key lies in its custom heat shield and an autonomous system that helps protect the mission from the Sun’s intense light emission but does allow the coronal material to “touch” the spacecraft.
One key to understanding what keeps the spacecraft and its instruments safe, is understanding the concept of heat versus temperature. Counterintuitively, high temperatures do not always translate to actually heating another object. 
In space, the temperature can be thousands of degrees without providing significant heat to a given object or feeling hot. Why? Temperature measures how fast particles are moving, whereas heat measures the total amount of energy that they transfer. Particles may be moving fast (high temperature), but if there are very few of them, they won’t transfer much energy (low heat). Since space is mostly empty, there are very few particles that can transfer energy to the spacecraft.
The corona through which Parker Solar Probe flies, for example, has an extremely high temperature but very low density. Think of the difference between putting your hand in a hot oven versus putting it in a pot of boiling water (don’t try this at home!) — in the oven, your hand can withstand significantly hotter temperatures for longer than in the water where it has to interact with many more particles. Similarly, compared to the visible surface of the Sun, the corona is less dense, so the spacecraft interacts with fewer hot particles and doesn’t receive as much heat.
That means that while Parker Solar Probe will be travelling through space with temperatures of several million degrees, the surface of the heat shield that faces the Sun will only get heated to about 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (about 1,400 degrees Celsius). 
The Shield That Protects It: 
Of course, thousands of degrees Fahrenheit is still fantastically hot. (For comparison, lava from volcano eruptions can be anywhere between 1,300 and 2,200 F (700 and 1,200 C)  And to withstand that heat, Parker Solar Probe makes use of a heat shield known as the Thermal Protection System, or TPS, which is 8 feet (2.4 meters) in diameter and 4.5 inches (about 115 mm) thick. Those few inches of protection mean that just on the other side of the shield, the spacecraft body will sit at a comfortable 85 F (30 C). 
Eugene Newman Parker, The person on whom the Mission name has been kept: 
In the mid-1950s, a young physicist named Eugene Parker proposed a number of concepts about how stars — including our sun — give off energy. He called this cascade of energy the solar wind, and he described an entire complex system of plasmas, magnetic fields and energetic particles that make up this phenomenon. 
About NASA in Brief: 
  • The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the executive branch of the Federal government of the United States responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. 
  • It was founded on 1958. 
  • Jim Bridenstine is the present Administrator of NASA. 

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South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s Visit To India: Complete Highlights

South Korean President Moon Jae-in was in India on a four-day visit from July 8 to July 11, 2018. This was his first visit to India. He was accompanied by First Lady Kim Jung-sook. 

Here are the main events that took place during the visit: 

1. President Moon attended the India-Korea business forum:
Korean President Moon Jae-in spoke at the India-Korea Business Forum. This was organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). 
2. Inaugurated World’s Largest Mobile Factory In Noida:
PM Narendra Modi and South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited Noida and inaugurated the New Mobile Manufacturing Plant of Samsung at Noida. Notably, it is the world’s largest mobile factory. Samsung has Invested close to 5,000 Crore Rupees in this plant and aims to Manufacture 12 Crore Mobile Handsets annually which will result in massive job creation. 
3. India & South Korea Signed 5 MoUs In Field Of Science and Technology:
India and South Korea have signed five MoUs in the field of Science and Technology in New Delhi. Science and Technology Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan and his South Korean counterpart You Young Min signed three MoUs which are Programme of Cooperation 2018-21, Establishment of Future Strategy Group and Cooperation in Biotechnology and Bio-economy. 
4. India, South Korea Ink 11 MoUs:
India and South Korea signed 11 MOUs during South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s visit to India. The MoUs signed between the two countries are: 
i. Upgraded Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was signed to facilitate ongoing negotiations on upgrading the India-RoK (Republic of Korea) CEPA by identifying key areas for trade liberalization (including shrimp, molluscs and processed fish).
ii. An MoU on trade remedies was signed for cooperation in the area of trade remedies such as anti-dumping, subsidy, countervailing and safeguard measures through consultations and exchange of information.
5. India-Korea Technology Exchange Centre Inaugurated: 
The India-Korea Technology Exchange Centre was inaugurated by the Minister of State (I/C) MSME Giriraj Singh and Minister of SMEs and Start-ups of Republic of Korea, Hong Jong- hak in New Delhi. The purpose of the Technology Exchange Centre is to create a platform for micro, small and medium enterprises of India and Korea where they can be assisted to identify and exchange latest technologies, share management expertise, product development and technology applications for product development.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for SBI PO/Clerk Exam 2018-
  • South Korea Capital- Seoul, Currency- South Korean won. 

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018: Complete Highlights

It has been the season full of ups and downs for the 11th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018. Chennai Super Kings beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets in the final of the 2018 Indian  Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. It was the sensational knock of 117 runs off 57 balls by the experienced Shane Watson that led CSK to lift their third IPL trophy. Reinstated into the IPL after a two-year ban for their team management’s role in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal, CSK won their third IPL trophy after a gap of seven years.

With this, Chennai Super Kings equalled Mumbai Indians’ record for winning the most number of Indian Premier League titles. Notably, Chennai Super Kings defeated SunRisers Hyderabad in each of their four encounters this season.
Here is the complete list of Awards that were announced at the closing ceremony of IPL 2018:

S. No Award Winner (Team)
1. Man of the Match (Final) Shane Watson (CSK)
2. Orange Cap (Most Runs) Kane Williamson (SRH)
3. Purple Cap (Most Wickets) Andrew Tye (KXIP)
4. Emerging Player Rishabh Pant (DD)
5. Stylish Player Rishabh Pant (DD)
6. Perfect Catch Trent Boult (DD)
7. Super Striker Sunil Narine (KKR)
8. Valuable Player Sunil Narine (KKR)
9. Fairplay Award Mumbai Indians

The Reserve Bank of India | 83rd Establishment Day

Dear Aspirants,
The Reserve Bank of India | 83rd Establishment Day
Today is the 83rd Establishment Day of the apex monetary institution, the Reserve Bank of India. One of the primary regulators of the Indian Financial sector RBI was set up on the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Indian Currency and Finance (Hilton Young Commission). Celebrating its 83rd establishment day let’s go ahead and know more about the central bank of the country which is an integral topic of General Awareness section of all Banking Exams.
The Reserve Bank of India was established on April 1, 1935, in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.The Central Office of the Reserve Bank was initially established in Calcutta but was permanently moved to Mumbai in 1937. The Central Office is where the Governor sits and where policies are formulated. Though originally privately owned, since nationalization in 1949, the Reserve Bank is fully owned by the Government of India.
The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 sets out the objectives of the Reserve Bank:
“to regulate the issue of Bank notes and keeping of reserves with a view to securing monetary stability in India and generally to operate the currency and credit system of the country to its advantage; to have a modern monetary policy framework to meet the challenge of an increasingly complex economy, to maintain price stability while keeping in mind the objective of growth.”
Appointed by the GOI as according to the Reserve Bank of India Act, a central board of directors govern the affairs of RBI. The present Governor Mr. Urjit Patel and Deputy Governors (not more than four) viz NS Vishwanathan, Dr. Viral V Acharya and BP Kanugno constitute the official directors body. Apart from this, there are 10 non-official directors from various fields and two Government officials.
The primary functions of RBI can be summarized as:
1    1) Monetary Policy formulation, implementation and monitoring.
2    2) Prescribing parameters of Banking Operations.
3      3) Managing the Foreign Exchange Management Act,1999.
4       4) Issuing/Exchanging/Destroying Currency and Coins as required.
5       5) Merchant Banking function for the Central & State Government
To carry out these functions efficiently RBI has established offices at 31 locations across the country till date. Since its very inception, the Bank has been seen as playing a special role in the context of development, especially Agriculture. The developmental role of the Bank came into focus, especially in the sixties when the Reserve Bank, in many ways, pioneered the concept and practice of using finance to catalyze development. The Bank was also instrumental in institutional development and helped set up institutions like the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation of India, the Unit Trust of India, the Industrial Development Bank of India, the National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Discount and Finance House of India etc. to build the financial infrastructure of the country.
With liberalization, the Bank’s focus has shifted back to core central banking functions like Monetary Policy, Bank Supervision and Regulation, and Overseeing the Payments System and onto developing the financial markets. The endeavor of the Reserve Bank has been to develop a robust, efficient and diversified financial system so as to anchor financial stability and to facilitate efficient transmission of monetary policy.  In addition, the Reserve Bank pursues operational objectives in the context of its core function of issuance of bank notes and currency management as well as its agency functions such as banker to Government (Centre and States) and management of public debt; banker to the banking system including regulation of bank reserves and the lender of the last resort.
The Reserve Bank of India communicates with various types of audiences. In order to reach out to the common person, the Reserve Bank releases information in 11 regional languages spoken by a large section of the population, apart from in English and in Hindi.
In all in its 83 years of round the clock efforts the Reserve Bank of India has done a commendable job in providing the nation with modern banking practices and building a solid credit structure. Cheap remittance facilities, stable structure of interest rates, stability in exchange value of rupee, successful management of Public Debt, development of a sound bill market and rational allocation of credit are a few achievements of the Banker’s Bank over the years which has not only contributed to economic development but also has enhanced public confidence in banking sector.

Union Budget 2018-19: Complete Analysis

Dear Readers,

Union Budget 2018-19:

Will you be appearing for Banking, Insurance and other Government Job Examinations in 2018? Then to score in General Awareness section it is very important for you to get updates on The Union Budget 2018-19. This will be the last full Union Budget to be presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the session of Parliament and it will be unlike his previous four such exercises because of the complete overhaul of the indirect tax regime affected by implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) last year.

Candidates who will be appearing for Syndicate Bank PO, Canara Bank PO, SBI Clerk 2018 Exams and all other Competitive Exam should carefully read the Budget Analysis because there is a high possibility that you might face questions from this year’s Union Budget in the General Awareness Section. The highlights and analysis of budget are not only important for exam point of view but also this can help you to prepare for the interview of this year’s government job recruitment process.
The Budget, to be the last for this government in view of the general elections due in the first half of 2019, may have two main components: The first part deals with new schemes and outlays for various existing schemes and sectors for the coming fiscal, while the second contains announcements on direct and indirect taxes. With the implementation of single tax regime GST, this year’s budget is believed to take into account only those items that still remain outside the purview of GST. It is highly expected that 2018-19 budget could contain changes in customs and excise duties on these remaining products, which for most others have been subsumed under GST. For the rest, you’ll have to watch this space for the review of Union Budget 2018-19.
We will be covering The Union Budget from Examination’s Point of View to help you remember all the important points in a simple and easy manner.

 Budget 2018 Takeaways-

  • As per the FM in the Union Budget, India is expected to become the fifth largest economy very soon. 
  • The Growth rate is expected between 7.2-7.5% in the second half of 2017-18.
  • Exports are expected to grow 15% in 2018.
  • As per the FM, India is a Rs2.5 trillion economy.
  • MSP to increase at least 1.5 times that of production cost.
  • Minimum Support Price (MSP) of all crops shall increase to at least 1.5 times that of the production cost. 
  • The government will set up a fund of Rs 2,000 crore for developing agricultural markets.
  • Our focus is on productive and gainful on-farm and non-farm employment for farmers and landless families, says Jaitley.
  • MSP for Kharif cost will be 1.5 times the cost of production.
  • As per the FM, APMCs will be linked with ENAM. 
  • The government will develop 22,000 Gramin agricultural markets. 
  • The cluster-model approach will be adopted for agricultural production.
  • Allocation in food production sector doubled to Rs 1400 crore.
  • Minimum Support Price shall be increased by 1.5 times. Operation Green will be launched for agriculture and the Minister allocates Rs500 crore for this.
  • Agricultural corpus worth Rs 2000 crore will be set up. 470 APMCs have been connected to eNAM network, the rest to be connected by March 2018.
  • A fund for the fishery, aquaculture development and animal husbandry will be set up with a total corpus to be Rs 10,000 crore. We will also allocate Rs 1290 crore for a bamboo mission, as it is green gold. 
  • In all, we are providing Rs 10 lakh crore to Rs 11 lakh crore as credit for agricultural activities.
  • Jaitley proposes to increase the target of providing free LPG connections to 8 crore to poor women.
  • Ujjwala Yojana, the free LPG connection scheme expanded to eight crore households.
  • Six crore toilets have been built already, and in the next year, two crore additional toilets will be constructed.
  • The government will provide 4 crore electricity connections to the poor under Saubhagya Yojana.
  • Kisan credit card to be extended to fisheries,animal husbandry farmers.
  • The government will establish a dedicated affordable housing fund.
  • Loans to self-help groups will increase to Rs75,000 crore.
  • Govt. allocated Rs5,750 crore to National Livelihood Mission and Rs2,600 crore to the groundwater irrigation scheme.
  • Ayushman Bharat program discussed.
  • Eklavya schools for tribal children.
  • 24 new government medical colleges.
  • Government is implementing a comprehensive social security scheme.
  • Govt. will initiate an integrated B-Ed programme for teachers.
  • Government proposes to launch the Revitalising of Infrastructure and Systems of Education (RISE) by next year. 
  • Govt. proposed to set up two new full-fledged schools of planning and architecture. 
  • 18 new schools of planning and architecture will be set up in the IITs and NITs.
  • Rs. 1 lakh crore over 4 years for initiative for Infrastructure Devt. in education.
  • 2 major initiatives as part of Ayushman Bharat program.
  • Eklavya schools to be open for tribal children.
  • National health protection scheme to cover 10 cr poor families. Health cover of up to 5 lakh per family per year for poor & vulnerable. National health protection scheme to benefit 50 crore people.
  • 24 new govt medical college & hospitals.
  • Rs. 600 crore for nutritional support to all TB patients.
  • Rs. 1200 crore for health and wellness centres.
  • Loans to women self-help groups of women to be increased to 75,000 cr by March 19. 
  • Govt. is launching a new national health protection scheme – Rashtriya Samaj Beema Yojana. This will have 50 crore beneficiaries and 10 crore families will get 5 lakh per year for their families to cover secondary and tertiary hospital expenses. This is the world’s largest government-funded healthcare program. 
  • A Rs 600 crore corpus is being set up to help Tuberculosis patients. This will build a new India in 2022 and enhance productivity and will also generate lakhs of jobs for women. 
  • PM Jeevan Beema Yojana benefitted more than 2 crore families. 
  • Jan Dhan Yojana will be extended to all 60 crore bank accounts. 
  • The government increased allocation for SC-ST earmarked programmes: Rs 56,000 crore for SCs and Rs 39,000 crore for STs. 
  • By 2022, every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal people will have ‘Ekalavya’ school at par with Navodaya Vidyalas.
  • The government will announce measures to address non-performing assets of MSMEs. 
  • As per the FM, Rs. 3 lakh crore for lending under is being allocated in FY 19 for PM’s MUDRA Yojana.
  • Smart city Mission and AMRUT discussed.
  • Smart city command control centre discussed.
  • Govt to contribute 12% of wages of new employees to EPF for 3 yrs.
  • Rs. 7148 crore allocation for the textile sector.
  • Govt. will launch a scheme for Galvanising Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBARDHAN).
  • Under the Smart City mission, 99 cities selected with the outlay of Rs. 2.04 lakh crores.
  • EPF contribution has been reduced to 8% for the first 3 years of employment and 12% government contribution to EPF in sectors employing a large number of people, however, there will be no changes in employer contribution.
  • 10 tourist cities to be developed into iconic tourist destinations.
  • 600 railway stations to be redeveloped.
  • Over 3600 km railway track renovation targeted in the current year.
  • Scheme for revitalizing school infrastructure, with an allocation of 1 lakh crore rupees over four years. Called RISE – Revitalizing Infrastructure in School Education.
  • The Bharatmala project has been approved and we are confident of completing 9000 km of highway construction. 
  • In Railways, 18,000 kms of doubling of tracks would eliminate capacity constraints. 
  • We are moving towards optimum electrification of railway. Over 3,600 km of track renewal is being targeted in 2018-19.
  • 150 km additional suburban railway network at the cost of Rs. 40,000 cr.
  • Regional air connectivity scheme shall connect 56 unserved airports.
  • Airport capacity to be hiked to handle 1 billion trips per year.
  • Training for 50 lakh youth by 2020.
  • Customs duty increased on mobile phones from 15% to 20%.

Just watch this space for all the updates!!

Current Affairs Just a Click Away | Adda247 Current Affairs – One Stop Point!

Dear Students,

Current Affairs Just a Click Away | Adda247 Current Affairs - One Stop Point!

Hope you all are preparing well for your upcoming examinations. Here we are again with a new and improved version of our current affairs page i.e. currentaffairs.adda247.com. This is a much lighter and quick opening version of our page that will update you with all the current awareness of the National as well as International happenings. The page not only covers the current affairs but also the General Awareness and the Static portion covered in the News itself.
In this page, we have different labels that segregate the different categories of questions asked in the various competitive examinations. For example, in the Banking Label, it covers all the news in the banking sector like appointments, agreements, Mergers, capital infusions etc. So you get all the news related to the banks under one label. Similarly, we have labels of National and International News that covers all the information across the world along with the Static Takeaways points. Few other important labels covered on the portal are of Business, Economy, Awards and News related to Sports.
These static takeaways points are really helpful for your exams because it covers the information directly/indirectly related to that particular news. So, along with the News information you can also get its static important points in the same news section. You need not to go to any other sources to find the static part. 
One other and very important aspect of this page is that you get very concise and crisp pieces of information related to the update. The News is edited in the way so that a student with a normal understanding of English can understand it very easily. You will also get the Most popular post on the side of the page that will cover the most important/viewed news of on the portal. This page also provides you the month wise news on the right side where you can revise all the current affairs monthwise.
So all the best for your preparation and be a step ahead with our current affairs Page…!!!!

Economic Survey 2018: Complete Analysis

Dear Readers,

Economic Survey 2018:

The Economic Survey, an annual publication of the Finance Ministry, is presented in both houses of Parliament during the Budget Session. It is a review of the developments in the country’s economy over the previous one year. It presents a summary of the performance of the government’s major development programmes undertaken during that period. It also details the main policy initiatives of the government.

We will be covering The Economic Survey from Examination’s Point of View to help you remember all the important points in a simple and easy manner.

Just watch this space for all the updates!!

Economic Survey 2018
  • FM Jaitley tables Economic Survey in Parliament.
  • Economic Survey sees FY19 GDP growing 7-7.5% vs 6.75% in FY18.
  • Economic Survey sees average crude oil prices rising 12% in FY19.
  • Due to higher expected increase in imports, net exports of goods and services are slated to decline in 2017-18.
  • Exports biggest source of the boost to growth.
  • GVA growth seen at 6.1% vs 6.6% in FY17.
  • GST data shows growth of 50% in the number of indirect taxpayers.
  • Real GDP to clock 6.75% this FY.
  • Average FY18 CPI inflation seen at 3.3%.
  • Services Growth seen at 8.3%, Industries at 4.4%.
  • Agriculture, industry and services sectors are expected to grow at the rate of 2.1%, 4.4%, and 8.3% respectively in 2017-18.
  • It points out that the GDP growth has averaged 7.3% for the period from 2014-15 to 2017-18, which is the highest among the major economies of the world.
  • Demonetisation helped share of financial saving to rise. The ratio of domestic saving to GDP reached 29.2 percent in 2013 to a peak of 38.3 percent in 2007, before falling back to 29 percent in 2016. 
  • Sanitation coverage in rural India increased substantially from 39 percent in 2014 to 76 percent in January 2018. With the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) on October 2, 2014, the sanitation coverage in rural India increased substantially. So far, 296 districts and 307,349 villages all over India have been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF).
  • India is gradually improving its performance in Science and Technology. In 2013, India ranked 6th in the world in scientific publications. Its ranking has been increasing consistently. The growth of annual publications between 2009 to 2014 was almost 14%. This increased India’s share in global publications from 3.1% in 2009 to 4.4% in 2014 as per the Scopus Database.
  • The foreign exchange reserves grew by 14.1% on a year-on-year basis from the end of Dec 2016 to end of Dec 2017. The forex reserves as per 2016-17 were estimated at USD 370 billion. It grew to USD 409.4 billion in 2017-18.
  • For the first time in India‘s history, data on the international exports of states has been dwelt in the Economic Survey. Such data indicates a strong correlation between export performance and states‘ standard of living. States that export internationally and trade with other states were found to be richer. 
  • India’s exports are unusual in that the largest firms account for a much smaller share of exports than in other comparable countries. Top one percent of Indian firms account only for 38% of exports unlike in other countries where they account for substantially greater share – (72, 68, 67 and 55 percent in Brazil, Germany, Mexico and USA respectively).
  • Rs.20,339 crore has been approved by the Government in 2017-18 to meet various obligations arising from interest subvention being provided to the farmers on short-term crop loans, as also loans on post-harvest storages meet an important input requirement of the farmers in the country, specially small and marginal farmers who are the major borrowers.
  • FDI equity inflows to the services sector grew by 15% during 2017-18 (April-October). It has been possible because the Government has undertaken a number of reforms to ensure that India remains an increasingly attractive investment destination, which includes announcement of National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) policy, implementation of GST, reforms for ease of doing business.


Keep refreshing for more updates…

Know Your Republic Day – Here are Some Important and Interesting Facts

Dear Students,

It is well known that the day India acquired a written Constitution and became an independent Republic, is the day celebrated as Republic Day on January 26 every year. As India gears up to celebrate 69 years of being a Republic Country. The points will not only help you in preparation for your exams but it will also improve your awareness about the history of the nation.

Here’s a quick look at some interesting facts about one of the most important events in the country’s history:-
1. January 26 was earlier celebrated as India’s Independence Day or Purna Swaraj Day, when the Declaration of Independence was officially promulgated in 1930.

2. However, in 1947, since August 15 became the official Independence Day, the Indian Constitution was adopted on this day in 1950, to mark the 1930 declaration.

3. The original constitution of India was handwritten by Prem Behari Narain Raizada.

4. The Constituent Assembly met for the first time in New Delhi on 9 December, 1946.

5. Dr BR Ambedkar, the then Chairman of the Constitution Committee – completed the first draft of India’s Constitution in about two years and 11 months. During this period, it held eleven sessions covering a total of 165 days.

6. Among other influences, fundamental duties were taken from the Constitution of USSR, Directive Principles of State Policy was taken from Ireland, concepts of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity from the French Constitution, and fundamental rights were taken from the USA.

7. India has the longest written Constitution in the world with 448 articles in 22 Parts, 12 Schedules and 97 Amendments.’

8. There are two hand-written copies of the Constitution — in Hindi and in English which are kept in helium-filled cases in the Parliament’s library.

9. The calligraphy inside the book was done by Prem Behari Narain Raizda and published in Dehradun.

10. Indonesia’s President Sukarno was the first chief guest at the R-Day celebrations held on 26 January 1950.

11. On the same day, the first President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad took oath at Durbar Hall, New Delhi.

12. India adopted the Lion Head from the Ashoka Pillar in Sarnath, on Republic Day in 1950.

Direct Tax Collections for Financial Year 2017-18 show Growth of 14.4% upto November, 2017

The provisional figures of Direct Tax collections up to November, 2017 show that net collections are at Rs. 4.8 lakh crore which is 14.4% higher than the net collections for the corresponding period of last year. 

The Net Direct Tax collections represent 49% of the total Budget Estimates of Direct Taxes for the Financial Year. 2017-18 (Rs. 9.8 lakh crore).  Gross collections (before adjusting for refunds) have increased by 10.7% to Rs.5.82 lakh crore during April-November, 2017.
Source- The Economic Times