Saturday, 28 March 2015

Today's Top Headlines 28-03-2015

Top Headlines 28-03-2015

1. Nobel Laureate John Nash won Abel Prize 2015 for work on partial differential equations
Nobel Laureate John F Nash Jr. won the Abel Prize 2015 for his work on partial differential equations. The prize was announced by the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters. They will receive the Abel Prize from His Majesty King Harald at a ceremony in Oslo on 19 May 2015.
He will share the Prize with Louis Nirenberg, Professor Emeritus at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. They both will share the prize money of 760000 US dollar.Nash and Nirenberg won the prize for striking and seminal contributions to the theory of nonlinear partial differential equations and its applications to geometric analysis. Partial differential equations are important in both pure math and describing natural phenomena.
John Nash is a senior research mathematician at Princeton University. He won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1994 for his work in game theory as dramatized in the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind in which he was portrayed by actor Russell Crowe.

2. CNN IBN announced Indian of the Year Award 2014

i. CNN-IBN announced the Indian of the Year Award 2014 on 18 March 2015. The award recognises the remarkable achievements and contributions of Indians who worked tirelessly towards strengthening India’s foundation in 2014.

ii. The CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Award is presented annually to various Indians for their work in their respective fields. The awards are presented in various categories of Politics, Sports, Business, Entertainment, Public Service and Global Indian.

iii. List of the Winners of CNN-IBN Award 2014:

Narendra Modi - Indian of the Year 2014
Arun Jaitley - Indian of the Year 2014: Politics
Jitu Rai - Indian of the Year 2014: Sports
N Chandrasekaran - Indian of the Year 2014: Business
Chetan Bhagat - Indian of the Year 2014: Entertainment
Tongam Rina - Indian of the Year 2014: Public Service
Satya Nadella - Indian of the Year 2014: Global Indian
K Chandrasekhar Rao - Indian of the Year 2014: Popular Choice
P Vijayan - Indian of the Year 2014: Popular Choice
Kangana Ranaut - Indian of the Year 2014: Special Achievement
Pankaj Advani - Indian of the Year 2014: Special Achievement
Kailash Satyarthi - Indian of the Year 2014: Outstanding Achievement
Azim Premji - Indian of the Year 2014: Outstanding Achievement
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) - Indian of the Year 2014: Lifetime Achievement

3. Saina Nehwal scales historic World No.1 ranking
Saina Nehwal created history today as she became the first Indian woman shuttler to attain the world No.1 ranking after her closest challenger for the spot, Spain’s Carolina Marin, lost in the India Open Super Series semi-final here.
Though the official rankings will be out only on Thursday next week, the 25—year—old Indian has been assured of her ascent to the top owing to Marin’s loss in the last-four stage.
The reigning world champion, who was seeded second, lost to third seed Thai Ratchanok Intanon 21—19 21—23 22—20.
Prakash Padukone had the distinction of being the No. 1 men’s badminton player but Saina became the first Indian woman to achieve this feat.
Saina plays Japan’s Yui Hashimoto in the second semi-final but the Indian ace will be No.1 irrespective of her result today.
The London Olympic bronze—medallist has won a staggering 14 international titles in her glorious career, and most recently she became the first Indian woman to make the finals of the prestigious All England Championships in Manchester.

4. ADB sanctioned 300 million US dollars under SCRIP for road construction in NBNE region

i. The abbreviation SCRIP (SASEC Road Connectivity Investment Program) was in news as a loan agreement of 300 million US dollars under the programme was signed between the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Union Ministry of Finance on 26 March 2015.

ii. Under this multi-tranche programme, about 500 km of roads will be constructed in the North Bengal-North East (NBNE) region. ADB is providing 500 million US dollars for the execution of the programme.

iii. SRCIP is a strategic initiative that aims to achieve regional integration among the members of the South Asia Sub regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) group by improving road connectivity within the North Bengal-North Eastern Region in India. The members of this group are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal.

5. Nobel Laureate John Nash won Abel Prize 2015 for work on partial differential equations

i. Nobel Laureate John F Nash Jr. won the Abel Prize 2015 for his work on partial differential equations.

ii. The prize was announced on 25 March 2015 by the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters. They will receive the Abel Prize from His Majesty King Harald at a ceremony in Oslo on 19 May 2015.

iii. He will share the Prize with Louis Nirenberg, Professor Emeritus at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. They both will share the prize money of 760000 US dollar.

About the Abel Prize

The Abel Prize is an international prize presented annually by the King of Norway to one or more outstanding mathematicians. The prize was named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel.
The award was established in 2001 by the Government of Norway and complements the Holberg Prize in the humanities.
The Abel Prize has often been described as the mathematician's Nobel Prize, competing in that respect with the much older Fields Medal. It comes with a monetary award of 6 million Norwegian kroner (NOK).

6. Mizoram Governor Aziz Qureshi sacked
Mizoram Governor Aziz Qureshi, who has had a running feud with the Centre and even approached the Supreme Court against attempts to ease him out, was sacked on Saturday.
A brief statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said that “Qureshi shall cease to hold the office of the Governor of Mizoram.” Governor of West Bengal Keshari Nath Tripathi has been asked to discharge the functions of the Mizoram Governor, in addition to his own duties, until regular arrangements are made.

7. Book titled Food for All written by Uma Lele

i. The book will be published by Oxford University Press. The book surveys the food and agricultural development assistance delivered by five major international organizations since their establishment to gauges their relevance, effectiveness, and impacts in a dramatically changed world.

ii. The five organisations surveyed by the book are: the World Bank Group, Food and Agriculture Organization, World Food Programme, International Fund for Agricultural Development and Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research.

iii. The book is the result of a meeting convened at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in October 2010 to explore how to address the challenges and opportunities of the global food and agriculture system.

About the Author

Uma Lele is Ph.D from Cornell University and has four decades of experience in agricultural research, project design and implementation, policy analysis, and program evaluation.
She is a former senior adviser to the World Bank and has published notable works on agricultural and rural development.

8. Russia joins Asian infrastructure bank

Russia has decided to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the latest country to sign up as the application deadline draws close, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Shuvalov said on Saturday.
He made the announcement at the 2015 annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia in the coastal town of China’s southern island province of Hainan, Xinhua reported.
According to the Asia Development Bank (ADB) data, Asia’s infrastructure demand is expected to reach some $730 billion per year by 2020, but the supply of investment funds from the World Bank and the ADB falls far short of the demand.
Thus, the AIIB aims to strengthen economic and financial cooperation among countries in the region and pioneer economic development by focusing on providing funds for regional development, the Ministry said.

9. ISRO won Gandhi Peace Prize 2014

i. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 27 March 2015 won Gandhi Peace Prize 2014. The award was selected by the jury under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

ii. Besides Prime Minister, other members of the Jury that selected the ISRO for the award were Justice H L Dattu, Chief Justice of India; Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the single largest Opposition Party in the Lok Sabha; LK Advani, Member of Parliament and Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

iii. The Indian space agency successfully launched Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) and at a very cost effective price of 450 crore rupees.

About the Award

The Gandhi Peace Prize for social, economic and political transformation through non-violence was instituted in the year 1995 on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
It is given to individual or organisation for making social, economic and political transformation through non-violence means.
The award comprises an amount of one crore rupees and a citation.

10. PM Narendra Modi launches PRAGATI platform for redressal of grievances

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 March 2015 launched Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) platform.

ii. PRAGATI is a multi-purpose and multi-modal platform aimed at addressing grievances of common man. It also aims at simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important Union government programmes and projects as well as projects flagged by State Governments.

iii. It is an innovative project in e-governance and good governance and accountability with real-time presence and information exchange among the key stakeholders.

Key features of PRAGATI

Designed in-house by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) team with the help of National Informatics Center (NIC).
Uniquely bundles three latest technologies including Digital data management, geo-spatial technology and video-conferencing.
Three-tier system that brings PMO, Union Government Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries of the States at one stage.

iv. Thus, offers a unique combination in the direction of cooperative federalism.

v. Prime Minister can directly discuss the issues with the concerned Central and State officials with full information and latest visuals of the ground level situation.

vi. On a monthly basis, Prime Minister will interact with bureaucrats i.e. on fourth Wednesday of every month at 3.30 PM- called as PRAGATI Day.

vii. Issues to be flagged before the PM will be picked up from the available database regarding Public Grievances, pending Projects and on-going Programmes. These issues will uploaded seven days prior to the PRAGATI day.

11. Scientist Murty Kambhampati chosen for U.S. presidential award

An Indian-American biology professor is among 15 scientists, who have been selected for a prestigious U.S. presidential award for excellence in the field of science, mathematics and engineering mentoring. Murty S Kambhampati, a professor of biology at Southern University at New Orleans will receive the award at a White House ceremony later this year.

12. Cyrus Vandrevala, Jasminder Singh bag Asian Business Award

Investor Cyrus Vandrevala and hotelier Jasminder Singh were the prominent winners at an Asian Business Awards ceremony in London. Mr. Vandrevala, formerly a resident of Mumbai and co-founder of investment company Intrepid Capital Partners (ICP), received the Global Investor of the Year Award at the ceremony on Friday night.
ICP recently announced a Rs.1,000-crore facility for the housing and infrastructure sectors in western India. The company promises to in due course raise the lending to Rs. 5,000 crore.
Earlier this month, the Hinduja brothers featured as the wealthiest Indians in the Global India Rich List.
Present at Friday’s function was British Home Minister Theresa May who was recently named by the British Prime Minister David Cameron as one of three potential successors to him, if and after he serves a second term in office.

NABARD Mains Exam- Call Letter Out

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Some Insurance Terms for NICL AO Exam

●Some Insurance terms to know●

Insurance:

Indian Contract Act 1872, “A Contract may be defined as an agreement between two or more parties to do or to abstain from doing an act, with an intention to create a legally binding relationship.” It is a contract in which the insurer pays a fixed some after occurrence of an event and the insured have o pay the monthly payments for this which is called the premium.

Banccasurance

It is defined as a process of selling of insurance policy by the banking system. Banks often sell the insurance policy to its existing customers which are called the Banccasurance. It helps in selling more policy to the customers.

Actuary

This term is defined for a person who is expert in economics, math etc and can access the risk effectively which is involved in the payment of premiums etc. there people are hired by the insurance and other industries to improve their efficiency.

Actuarial science

It is a science of studying the risks which are involved in the insurance policies and the companies and industries follow this to minimize their risk factors. This uses a concept of statistics and mathematics to access the various risks.

Third party administrators

This party administrators are the persons/ companies who maintains the link between the policy holder, health insurance companies etc. they maintain the database of the person who is nursed against the health insurance and also issue them the identity card etc.

Mortality charge

This is the payment made by the insurance companies upon the death event of the policy holder. this insurance is generally done by the life based insurance companies.

Maturity date:

It is date after which you will get the principal amount that you have invested in a policy. After the completion of this period, the insured will get a fixed amount fulfilling the eligibility and norms of the company.

Agent

An agent is person who generally sells the insurance policy to the customers and he helps in the penetration of insurance in the country.

Agent can be of two types

Captive agent: it is the agent who sales insurance policy of specific types to the customers.Independent agent: it is the agent who can sell the insurance policy of any company to the customers.

Broker:

A broker is also a person who is experience and has gained expertise in the insurance policy and their risks and he/ she advises the client before buying an insurance policy regarding its risk factors.

Annuity:

It is along term contact which is designed to provide the payment to the insured after a regular interval of time which is called the annuity.

AD &D in the insurance

It is a policy of the insurance companies which is called the “accidental death dismemberment” policy in which the company will pay the insured only when the death is caused by the accident.

Lapsed policy

It is policy which has been discontinued and ceased by the company on the account of non payment of the insurance premium at regular interval or even after the grace period provided to the customers. Such policies are called the lapsed policies.

Surrender value:

This is the value/ amount of the policy that the insured will get from the company if he \ she decides to exit the policy before the maturity of the policy.

Friday, 27 March 2015

Today's Top Headlines 27-03-2015

Top Headlines 27-03-2015

1. Dasharath Reddy elected Treda president

P Dasharath Reddy has been elected as the President of Telengana Real Estate Developers’
Association (Treda) for a two-year term during its 19th annual general body meeting held here today. While P Dasharath Reddy was yet again elected as the President, Chalapathi Rao and B Sunil Chandra Reddy were chosen as Executive Vice-Presidents. The general body has elected M Vijaya Sai as Secretary General and K Gopalakrishna as Treasurer of Treda.
Addressing the members, Dasharath Reddy said, “Today, the real estate industry is in a transition period and Treda has always been taking proactive steps to support and serve the builder and developers community. We need to find innovative approaches to solve challenges and look at benefiting the larger community.”
Dasharath Reddy is a member of the Institute of Engineers and a founder member of Treda, Naredco TS as well as Credai (Hyderabad).

2. NASA's Opportunity Rover completed 11 years of marathon on Mars

i. NASA's Opportunity Rover on Mars is the first human-made vehicle that has completed 11 years marathon in a record time.
ii. It is the first time that a robot has exceeded the distance of a marathon on another world's surface.

iii. The robot which is accessed by solar power arrived at the Mars' Eagle Crater in January 2004 and in these 11 years it completed 153-foot drive.

3. Delhi HC became the first court in India to set up commercial courts for speedy disposal of cases
Delhi High Court (HC) became the first court in India to set up dedicated commercial courts within it to ensure speedy disposal of cases.
Chief Justice of Delhi HC G Rohini designated four benches to act as commercial courts. Out of this, two single judge benches with original jurisdiction will deal with the suits involving commercial disputes relating to intellectual property rights, arbitration, insurance, banking, taxation, company cases etc.The other two benches with appellate jurisdiction will hear appeals against the commercial disputes cases.
Further out of the four benches, two benches – one each from original and appellate jurisdiction – will be e-courts, that is, they will function as paperless courts.The HC also designated 11 courts of civil judges in the district courts -- one in each of the 11 districts of NCR of Delhi – to deal with commercial disputes.
Till now, only one commercial court at the district level has been working in Tis Hazaari Court complex, which was created in 1990s.
The move will streamline civil judicial system and is in line with the recommendation of 20th Law Commission of India. The 20th Law Commission headed by Justice (retd) AP Shah in its 253rd report titled Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts and Commercial Courts Bill, 2015 had recommended setting up commercial courts in high courts to settle any high value commercial suits in a time-bound manner. The report was submitted to the Union Government in January 2015.

5. Ministry of Railways constituted Ajay Shankar Committee to review PPP Cell functioning
The Ministry of Railways appointed Ajay Shankar committee on 25 March 2015 to review the performance of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) cell functioning under the Railway Board.
Ajay Shankar is a former Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.The Committee will recommend measures to make the cell more effective, customer friendly and result oriented.
The Infrastructure Directorate of Railway Board will be the Nodal Directorate for functioning of the Committee and Executive Director/Traffic (PPP) Railway Board will be the Secretary to the Committee.
The ministry’s decision is in tune with the announcement made by the Union Railway minister Suresh Prabhu in his Rail budget speech on 26 February 2015.

6. Reliance Communications acquires spectrum in 11 circles

i. Reliance Communications, part of the Anil Ambani-led group, has acquired new and top-up 800/850 MHz spectrum in 11 circles.

ii. The company with this acquisition, has become India’s first and only operator with nationwide footprint of contiguous 800/850 MHz spectrum.

iii. The company bought 900 MHz spectrum in Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh and won 1800 MHz spectrum in Odisha and northeast.

iv. It has re-acquired spectrum in 900 and 1800 bands in four of the seven 2G spectrum expiry circles.

7 . KM Mani appointed as chairman of the Empowered Committee of State FM’S on GST

i. Kerala Finance Minister KM Mani was appointed as the Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on Goods and Services Tax (GST) by the Union Finance Ministry on 24 March 2015.

ii. The post was vacant since the former Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Finance Minister Abdul Rahim quit the position after the defeat of National Conference in the J&K Assembly elections held in December 2014.

iii. GST is intended to be implemented from 01 April 2016 as announced by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his 2015-16 budget speech. The Constitution (122nd Amendment) (GST) Bill, 2014 has been pending in the Lok Sabha since December 2014.

8. Vice president released book title Faces and Places written by Prof. Deepak Nayyar
Faces and Places: Prof. Deepak Nayyar

The Vice President of India M Hamid Ansari on 25 March 2015 released a book titled Faces and Places written by Prof. Deepak Nayyar, noted economist and former Vice Chancellor of Delhi University.The book brings together a selection of the author’s photographs that have been taken over the past four decades. Its title captures the essential idea of its dual theme. The focus is on people in their daily lives and on places that are of interest to visitors.
About Deepak Nayyar
Deepak Nayyar is a Professor of Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has taught at the University of Oxford, the University of Sussex, the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM-C), and the New School for Social Research, New York. He was Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi from 2000 to 2005.

9. Ruth Porat appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Google

i. Ruth Porat has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of world’s largest search engine giant Google.
ii. She will succeed Patrick Pichette who had announced his retirement on 10 March 2015 and assume charge on 26 May 2015.
iii. As CFO of Google she will directly report to Larry Page, CEO and Co-Founder of Google.
iv. Prior to this appointment Ruth was working as CFO at Morgan Stanley.

10. India and ADB signed 300 million US dollar loan agreement to improve connectivity in NE RegionThe Union Ministry of Finance and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a loan agreement for 300 million US dollars to improve road connectivity along the North Bengal-North Eastern (NB-NE) Region. The agreement was signed in New Delhi.The funds will be utilized to improve road connectivity and efficiency of the international trade corridors by expanding roads in NB-NE region of the country.

Tarun Bajaj, Joint Secretary (Multilateral Institutions) in the Department of Economic Affairs of Ministry of Finance and Teresa Kho, ADB’S country Director in India, signed the Agreement on behalf of the Government of India and ADB respectively.
Details of the Agreement
• The loan is the first tranche under 500 million US dollar South Asian Sub-Regional Economic Cooperation Road Connectivity Investment Program (SRCIP). Under this multi-tranche program, about 500 km of roads will be constructed in the NB-NE region.
• The funds will be utilized to construct two national highways totaling about 150 km in West Bengal and State roads totaling about 180 km in Manipur, which will be extended till the Myanmar Border.
• The loan amount makes-up nearly 71 percent of the total project cost of about 425 million US dollars with the central and state governments providing counterpart finance of about 125 million US dollars.
• The loan has a 25-year repayment term, including a five-year grace period with an annual interest rate determined in accordance with ADB's LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate)-based lending facility.
• The project is expected to be completed by 31 December 2021.

NABARD Officers Main (Descriptives) Examination Schedule 2015 Out

NATIONAL BANK FOR AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Schedule of Main (Descriptive) Examination

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SSC CGL 2014 Tier I Marks Declared

Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has declared the scores of qualified as well as non qualified candidates for SSC CGL 2014 Tier I Exam. The PDF contains the marks of candidates from Northern, Central and Northern West Regions.

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SSC Special Gk - Introduction of Indus Valley Civilisation

Indus Valley Civilisation – Introduction I

– What is meant by the term culture or civilization? – Archaeologists use the term ‘culture’ or ‘Civilization’ for a group of objects, distinctive in style, that are usually found together within a specific geographical area and period of time.

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– The Indus Valley Civilisation is known by which other name? – Harappan Culture or Harappan Civilization

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– Why the Indus Valley Civilisation is also known as the Harappan Civilisation? – Because Harappa was the first Indus Valley Civilisation site to be discovered

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– The Indus Valley Civilisation is listed among the three early civilizations of the Old World. Which are the other two civilizations listed in this elite list? – Mesopotamian Civilization and the Egyptian Civilization (Some historians also add Chinese civilization in this elite list)

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– Among the three early civilizations of the Old World (Mesopotamia, Egypt and Indus Valley), which was spread over the largest area? – Indus Valley Civilization (It was spread over 1.25 million kms)

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– What was the broader span of the Indus Valley Civilisation? – From 3300 B.C. to 1300 B.C.

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– What was the mature period of the Indus Valley Civilisation, i.e., the period during which this civilization reached its zenith as far as its development is concerned? – From 2600 B.C. to 1900 B.C.

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– The Indus Valley Civilisation is kept in which broader classification according to its era? – Bronze Age

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– What were the most distinct features of the Indus Valley Civilisation? – High level of urban planning, use of baked bricks in construction, highly efficient drainage and water supply systems and apart from presence of residential buildings the existence of large non-residential building too

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– Which was the first Indus Valley Civilisation site to be discovered? – Harappa

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– The ruins of Harappa were discovered for the first time by which British officer? – Charles Masson (in 1842)

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– What was the name of the first Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) who discovered large amount of brick quarries around Harappa? – Sir Alexander Cunningham (He discovered large deposits of baked bricks around Harappa during laying of the railway track between Karachi and Lahore in 1856)

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– Who is often known as the father of Indian archeology? – Sir Alexander Cunningham

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– Who discovered and published the first seal found around Harappa? – Sir Alexander Cunningham (During 1872-75)

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– The formal discovery of Harappa was done in which year? – 1921

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– Who was the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) when the discovery of Harappa was made? – Sir John Hubert Marshall

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– Harappa is situated on the banks of which river? – Ravi River (in Punjab Province of Pakistan)

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– Which Indian archaeologist is generally associated with the discovery of Harappa in 1921? – Daya Ram Sahni (along with another Indian archaeologist Madho Sarup Vats)

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– In which year was the city of Mohenjo-daro discovered? – in 1922

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– Which Indian archaeologist is generally associated with the discovery of Mohenjo-daro? – Rakhaldas Banerji (also known as Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyaya)

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Mohenjo-daro is situated on the banks of which river? – Indus River (Sindh province of Pakistan)

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– In which year a formal announcement about discovery of the highly urbanized civilization of Indus Valley was made by Sir John Hubert Marshall? – 1924 (This discovery mainly comprised of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro)

सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता (परिचय – 1)

“संस्कृति” (Culture) अथवा “सभ्यता” (Civilization) से क्या तात्पर्य होता है? – “संस्कृति” शब्द का प्रयोग प्राय: प्राचीन वस्तुओं के ऐसे समूह के लिए किया जाता है जो एक विशिष्ट शैली के होते हैं और प्राय: एक साथ एक विशेष भौगोलिक क्षेत्र एवं काल-खण्ड से सम्बन्धित पाए जाते हैं (उदाहरण के लिए सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता की विशिष्ट वस्तुएँ अफगानिस्तान, जम्मू, बलूचिस्तान व गुजरात जैसे परस्पर दूरस्थ स्थानों से मिलीं लेकिन इनका कालखण्ड तथा शैली समान होने के कारण इन्हें एक संस्कृति से सम्बद्ध माना जाता है)

– सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता (Indus Valley Civilisation) को अन्य किस नाम से भी जाना जाता है? – हड़प्पा संस्कृति अथवा हड़प्पा की सभ्यता (Harappan Civilization)

– सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता को हड़प्पा की सभ्यता के नाम से क्यों पुकारा जाता है? – क्योंकि हड़प्पा इस संस्कृति के तहत खोजा गया प्रथम स्थल था और नाम रखने की परंपरा के अनुसार उसे प्राय: हड़प्पा की सभ्यता भी कहा जाता है

– सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता को प्राचीन विश्व इतिहास की तीन महान सभ्यताओं में से एक माना जाता है। इन तीन में से शेष दो सभ्यताएं कौन सी थीं? – मेसोपोटामिया की सभ्यता (Mesopotamian Civilization) तथा मिस्र की सभ्यता (Egyptian Civilization) – हालांकि इतिहासकारों का एक बड़ा वर्ग सभ्यताओं की इस सूची में चीन की सभ्यता (Chinese Civilization) को भी रखता है)

– मेसोपोटामिया, मिस्र और सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता में से कौन सी सभ्यता सर्वाधिक विस्तृत क्षेत्र में फैली थी? – सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता (इसका कुल क्षेत्रफल 12.5 लाख वर्ग किलोमीटर से भी बड़ा माना गया है)

– सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता का विस्तृत कालखण्ड (broader span) क्या था? – 3300 ई.पू. से 1300 ई.पू. तक

– सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता का परिपक्व कालखण्ड (mature period) क्या माना जाता है, जिस समयावधि के दौरान यह सभ्यता विकास के मामले में अपने उत्कर्ष पर पहुँच गई थी? – 2600 ई.पू. से 1900 ई.पू. तक

– सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता को किस विस्तृत समय काल खण्ड के अंतर्गत रखा जाता है? – काँस्य युग (Bronze Age)

– सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता की सर्वाधिक विशिष्ट विशेषताएं क्या थीं? – अत्यंत उच्च स्तर का नगर नियोजन, पक्की ईंटों का भरपूर प्रयोग, अत्यंत परिष्कृत नाली एवं जल निकासी व्यवस्था तथा आवासी भवनों के अलावा तमाम बड़े गैर-आवासीय भवनों का अस्तित्व

– सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता के तहत खोजी गया पहला ऐतिहासिक स्थल कौन सा था? – हड़प्पा – Harappa (वर्तमान पाकिस्तान में स्थित)

– हड़प्पा के ध्वंसावशेषों (ruins) को खोजने वाला प्रथम अंग्रेज अधिकारी कौन था? – चार्ल्स मेसन – Charles Masson (जिसने वर्ष 1842 में पहली बार इनको देखा था)

– भारतीय पुरातत्व सर्वेक्षण विभाग (Archaeological Survey of India) के पहले महानिदेशक कौन थे जिन्होंने हड़प्पा के आसपास भारी मात्रा में ईंटों के भण्डार पाए थे? – सर एलेक्जेण्डर कनिंघम – Sir Alexander Cunningham (उन्होंने अत्यंत प्राचीन पक्की ईंटों का बड़ा भारी भण्डार वर्ष 1856 में उस समय खोजा था जब कराची से लाहौर के बीच रेलवे ट्रैक बिछाने का काम चल रहा था)

– किसे भारतीय पुरातत्वशास्त्र का पितामाह (Father of Indian Archeology) भी कहा जाता है? – सर एलेक्जेण्डर कनिंघम

– किसने हड़प्पा से प्राप्त पहली मुहर (seal) के बारे में पेपर प्रकाशित किया था जिससे इस ऐतिहासिक खोज के बारे में पूरी दुनिया को जानकारी मिली थी? – सर एलेक्जेण्डर कनिंघम (1872 से 1875 के दौरान)

– हड़प्पा की खोज के बारे में आधिकारिक घोषणा कब की गई थी? – 1921 ई. में

– हड़प्पा की आधिकारिक खोज का श्रेय प्राय: किस भारतीय पुरातत्वविद को दिया जाता है? – दया राम साहनी – Daya Ram Sahni (उन्होंने 1921 में हड़प्पा की आधिकारिक खोज की थी तथा इसमे एक अन्य पुरातत्वविद माधो सरूप वत्स (Madho Sarup Vats) ने उनका सहयोग किया था)

– 1921 में जब हड़प्पा की खोज की आधिकारिक घोषणा की गई थी तब भारतीय पुरातत्व सर्वेक्षण विभाग का महानिदेशक कौन था? – सर जॉन हुबर्ट मार्शल (Sir John Hubert Marshall)

– हड़प्पा किस नदी के किनारे स्थित है? – रावी नदी (पाकिस्तान के पंजाब प्रांत में)

– मोहनजोदड़ो (Mohenjo-daro) की आधिकारिक खोज किस वर्ष की गई थी? – 1922 ईं में

– किस भारतीय पुरातत्वविद को मोहनजोदड़ो की आधिकारिक खोज का श्रेय दिया जाता है? – राखलदान बनर्जी – Rakhaldas Banerji (उन्हें राखलदास बंदोपाध्याय के नाम से भी सम्बोधित किया जाता है)

– मोहनजोदड़ो किस नदी के किनारे स्थित है? – सिंधु नदी – Indus River (पाकिस्तान के सिंध प्रांत में)

– हड़प्पा और मोहनजोदड़ो को मिलाकर एक विस्तृत नगरीय सभ्यता यानि सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता की खोज किए जाने की आधिकारिक घोषणा सर जॉन हुबर्ट मार्शल ने किस वर्ष में की थी? – 1924