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Showing posts from November 4, 2012

Bio-toilets / ELOO / Bio-digester / Bapu Toilets

Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has launched its Bio-digester, christened as bio-toilets from Dhamara (Odisha) near the Wheeler Island test facility from where it used to test launch long-range missiles like Agni and AAD interceptors. The Bio-digester , named as ELOO (eco-friendly loo) is said to be the perfect alternative to the current ‘Flush and forget’ toilets. It is expected that bio-toilets can save billions of dollars for any government in waste management and to ensure good health for all.   It degrades and converts the human waste into usable water and gasses in an eco-friendly manner. The generated gas can be utilized for energy/cooking and water for irrigation purposes. The process involves the bacteria, which feed upon the faecal matter inside the tank, through anaerobic process which finally degrades the matter and releases methane gas that can be used for cooking, along with the treated water.

Saving The Tiger

    FEATURE Env . & Forests                                                                                            The country level tiger population, estimated once in every four years using the refined methodology, has shown an increasing trend with a population estimate of 1706, lower and upper limits being 1520 and 1909 respectively in the recent all India estimation (2010), as compared to the last country level estimation of 2006, with an estimate of 1411, lower and upper limits being 1165 and 1657 respectively.

Project Arrow

FEATURE Post Project Arrow is an initiative to transform India Post into a vibrant and responsive organization and to make a visible and positive difference in postal operations to benefit the customers.  It has been launched with objective of modernizing the post and makes visible, tangible and noteworthy differences in the post office operations that matter to “Aam Aadmi”.

FDI in Multi-Brand Retail: Advantage All

    FEATURE Commerce                                                                                            Amit   Guin * The Government of India opened the floodgates for foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail trading, on September 14, 2012; thereby boosting the investors’ confidence  towards  the Indian market and economy. The government, thus, decided to give green signal to FDI up to 51 per cent, under the government route, in multi-brand retail trading. It was clearly stated that at least 50 per cent of the total FDI shall be invested in backend infrastructure within three years of the first tranche of FDI. The government also specifically mentioned that at least 30 per cent of the procurement of manufactured or processed products shall be directed from ‘small industries’ which have a total investment in plant and machinery, not exceeding USD 1 million. The government also allayed the state’s fears by clarifying that it is an enabling pol

Auto Industry – India in Changing World Order

   FEATURE   Heavy Industry               Change is the only universal constant.  This is also quite evident in the global automotive industry and can be seen with regards to the products, consumer choice, markets, technology and the competitive paradigms that govern this sector.  The changing world order in the automotive space can be categorized around a few important broad themes – “emergence of new markets and opportunities”, “enhanced concerns over sustainable growth”, “the competitive paradigms of the future”.

Antarchakshu: an Initiative to Open the Eyes of the Sighted to the World of Visually Challenged

    FEATURE SJE Sarita Brara*       “I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” said poet Maya Angellou.        And this is what Antarchakshu seeks to do through a programme aimed at sensitizing the general public as well policy makers about the issues related to the mainstreaming of the visually challenged.  In a novel initiative Antarakshu seeks to engages people from all walks of life in different activities and tasks blindfolded for about half an hour to open the eyes of the sighted to the world of the visually challenged. The aim of this awareness programme is to remove the prejudices, myths and misconceptions about the capabilities of the visually challenged with or without technical aides in the areas of education and employment and financial transactions and give them firsthand experience of the challenges that confront the visually handicapped

Faster than the Speed of Sound

FEATURE Science He is about as close as it gets for humans to being a batman or a superman.  He has jumped off the Petronas Tower in Kuala Lumpur and even flown across the English Channel, with the help of carbon fibre wings. Meet Fearless Felix – the Austrian sky-diver, who has just set a world record to become the first man to break the sound barrier.

Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram

FEATURE H&FW B.   Narzary * Reducing the maternal and infant mortality rate is the key goal feature of the Reproductive and Child Health Programme under the National Rural Health Mission. Several initiatives have been launched by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare under the Mission including  Janani   Suraksha   Yojana , a key intervention that has resulted in phenomenal growth in institutional deliveries with more than one  crore  women  beneficiaries  annually. JSY was launched to promote institutional deliveries so that skilled attendance at birth is made available  and  mothers and new born babies can be saved from pregnancy related complications and deaths.

Is Indian Economy Turning Around?

FEATURE Commerce                                                                                                                                                                  Ashok Handoo* For a few months now, the Indian economy appears to be on a recovery path. At least there are enough indications to that. Foremost is the performance of various sectors of the economy.            Industrial output has been gathering some pace since August. It rose by 2.7 % in August this year compared to a fall of 0.2 % in July. But the hike has been less if we compare it with August last year when it stood at 3.4%. The manufacturing sector grew 2.9% in August but again less than 3.9 % growth it recorded in the same month last year. The mining sector recorded an increase by 2.9% in August when it actually declined by 5.5 % in the same month last year. The growth recorded by the manufacturing sector is significant since it accounts for about 76 % of the index of industr

(Download) UPSC: IAS Mains 2012 Question Papers

Download UPSC Mains 2012 Question Papers Question Papers General Studies Question Paper - I Question Paper - II Compulsory Hindi Essay English Optional Subjects Public Administration - Question Paper - I Public Administration - Question Paper - II Political Science - Question Paper - I Political Science - Question Paper - II Geography Question Paper‐I Geography Question Paper‐I Sociology Paper‐I Sociology Paper‐II Anthropology Paper-I Anthropology Paper-II History Paper-I History Paper-2 Language - Pali -Paper -1 Language - Pali -Paper -2 Language - Maithili -Paper -1 Language - Maithili -Paper -2 Sanskrit Paper - 1 Sanskrit Paper - 2 Psychology Paper‐I Psychology Paper‐II Philosophy Paper‐I Philosophy Paper‐II Botany Paper-1 Botany Paper-2 Mathematics Paper‐I/Statistics Paper‐I/Zoology Paper‐I ( Coming Soon ) Mathematics Paper‐II/Statistics Paper‐II/Zoology Paper‐II ( Coming Soon ) Civil Engg. Paper‐I/Electrical Engg. Paper‐I/

IMRAN BABA: AN ARTICLE ON CONTEMPORARY POLITICS AND ROBERT VAD...

MY ARTICLES: AN ARTICLE ON CONTEMPORARY POLITICS AND ROBERT VAD... :                      कुंवर फंस गए भंवर में !                         एक प्रतिष्ठित जागीरदार अपने संस्मरण में लिखते हैं , स्वतंत्रता क...

Highlights of the Report - Children in India 2012

Highlights of the Report ‘Children in India 2012 - A Statistical Appraisal’  *  • While an absolute increase of 181 million in the country’s  population has been  recorded during the decade 2001-2011, there is a reduction of 5.05 millions in the  population of children aged 0-6 years during this period. The decline in male  children is 2.06 million and in female children is 2.99 millions.  • The share of Children (0-6 years) in the total population has showed a decline of 2.8  points in 2011, compared to Census 2001 and the decline was sharper for female  children than male children in the age group 0-6 years. 

National Policy on Electronics 2012

The Union Cabinet today approved the National Policy on Electronics 2012. The draft National Policy on Electronics was released for public consultation and it has now been finalized based on comments from various stakeholders.

Mains answer writing format

LENGTH OF  ANSWERS 60 marks: 600 – 700 words 40 marks: 400 – 450 words 30 marks: 300 – 330 words 20 marks: 200 – 220 words 15 marks: 150 – 170 words 10 marks: 100 – 110 words Required writing speed 22 words/minute 60 MARKS: 50 words – Basic concept (explain) 50 words – Causes of origin (background) 300 words – Body (in detail) 150 words – Evaluation, Comparison, Contrast, Criticism, suggestion 50 words – Balanced Conclusion (Depending upon the demand of the Question) 600 WORDS + DIAGRAMS 40 MARKS: 40 words – Basic concept (explain) 20 words – Causes of origin (background) 200 words – Central theme (in detail) 100 words – Evaluation, Comparison, Contrast, Criticism, Suggestion 40 words – Balanced Conclusion 400 WORDS + DIAGRAMS 30 MARKS: 25 words – Basic concept (briefly) 25 words – Causes of origin (background) 150 words – Central theme (in detail) 75 words – Evaluation, Comparison, Contrast, Criticism, Suggestion 25 wo

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel wins Indian Grand Prix 2012

R ed Bull's Sebastian Vettel won Indian Grand Prix 2012 title. Fernando Alonso managed to get the Second place and Mark Webber got the Third Place . By winning this title, mr Vettel made his four consecutive wins for the first time in a season in his Formula One career to strengthen his grip on securing a third successive world title. Vettel led the Indian Grand Prix from lights to chequered flag to open up a 13-point lead over Fernando Alonso with three races remaining as the Ferrari star was forced to settle for second, albeit his best finish since a win in Germany in July. Not since Jenson Button in 2009 has a driver chalked up four wins in a row, with Vettel's run to the championship finish line seemingly perfectly timed. Harika Dungala

List of new Cabinet Ministers of India after Reshuffle - Guide 4 Bank Exams

I ndian Cabinet has been changed on October 28, 2012 . In this mega reshuffle, 22 Ministers , including seven of Cabinet rank, were inducted into the Manmohan Singh government in what is seen as the last such exercise by UPA-II before the 2014 general elections. Here is the Complete List of Cabinet ministers after the reshuffle :

Jal Satyagraha: Public Power

Oustees of the Omkareshwar Dam project called off their jal satyagraha after the Madhya Pradesh government accepted all their demands and constituted a ministerial committee to look into their grievances. On the 17th day of the protest, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan announced that the government had agreed to the key demands of the agitators — reducing the water level of the dam to 189 meters and providing land for land compensation to all those who had lost their land. “Compliance with the order given by the Grievances Redressal Authority about giving land for land to farmers surrendering 50 per cent [of their financial] compensation will be ensured within 90 days,” Mr. Chauhan said, after holding a “direct dialogue” with the affected farmers of Ghoghalgaon, Kewla Buzurg, Aikhand and Kamankhera at his residence. “A highlevel committee will hear problems of the dam-affected people,” he said. On September 10 the Madhya Pradesh Government partially accepted the demands of the

Civil Services Mentor Magazine November-2012

Free digital magazine from upscportal.com BOOK DETAILS Medium:  English Price: Rs. 90 (E-book is FREE) Pages:  128 Publisher:  UPSCPORTAL.COM Shipping Time:  8-12 Working days. TOPICS OF THE BOOK Articles Nirmal Bharat Yatra Jal Satyagraha: Public Power FDI in Retail: Back to Economic Reform Intellectual Property Rights Who should control the water resources? Selected Articles from Various Newspapers & Journals Current Affairs National Issues International Issues India & the World Economy Science and Technology Sports Award & Prizes In the News HELP LINE! For any Help: CALL us @  011-45151781 Or  Contact us © www.upscportal.com

Proposed DNA Profiling Bill, 2012

(From IAS OUR DREAM blog) The  UPA Government is coming with  the  DNA Profiling BIll this winter session ,,,letzz hav a look at what this bill will b like  ..!!!! The  bill has been in  the  offing since 2007.  What does  the  proposed bill provide for ? Once it becomes a law,  the  bill  will grant  the  authority to collect vast amount of sensitive DNA data of citizens even if  the y are  "suspects"  in a criminal case .  The  data will be held till  the  person is cleared by court. The  bill proposes  the  creation of a  national DNA data bank  that will be manned by a manager of  the  rank of a joint secretary to  the  government of India. For  act ivists, this will help  the  government assume  the  role of an alarming "Big Bro the r" collecting vast amount of sensitive data of citizens. The  data,  the  bill states, will also be used for  the  "creation  and maintenance" of population statistics  and  can be used for "identificat