CLATGYAN | STATIC GENERAL KNOWLEDGE - 2

Palme d'Or

The Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film
Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to
1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film. In
1964 it was replaced once again by the Grand Prix du Festival before being
reintroduced in 1974. In 1955, the first Palme d'Or was awarded to Delbert
Mann for Marty.
-

For a list of firsts in the international arena, visit

http://www.knowledgepublisher.com/article-653.html

Ramsar Convention

The Ramsar Convention (formally, the Convention on Wetlands of International

Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat) is an international treaty for the
conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands. It is named after the city of
Ramsar in Iran, where the Convention was signed in 1971.
-

National Film Awards

The National Film Awards is one of the most prominent film award ceremonies
in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the
International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian
government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973. The National Film
Awards are presented in two main categories: Feature Films and Non-Feature
Films.
-

Orange Prize

The Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (previously Orange Prize for Fiction) is
one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes, annually awarded
to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel

written in English, and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year.
The prize was originally sponsored by Orange, a telecommunications company.
In May 2012, it was announced Orange would be ending its sponsorship of the
prize and the Baileys Irish Cream liquor brand then sponsored it.
-

Grameen Bank

The Grameen Bank is a microfinance organization and community development

bank founded in Bangladesh. It makes small loans (known as microcredit or
"grameencredit") to the impoverished without requiring collateral. The name
Grameen is derived from the word gram which means "rural" or "village" in the
Bengali language. The Bank originated in 1976, in the work of Professor
Muhammad Yunus who launched a research project to study how to design a
credit delivery system to provide banking services to the rural poor. In 2006, the
bank and its founder, Muhammad Yunus, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize.
-

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a scientific

intergovernmental body under the auspices of the United Nations set up at the
request of member governments. It was first established in 1988 by two United
Nations organizations, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Membership of the IPCC is
open to all members of the WMO and UNEP. The IPCC is chaired by Rajendra
K. Pachauri. The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize was shared, in two equal parts,
between the IPCC and Al Gore
-

Sulabh International

Sulabh International is an Indian based social service organization which works

to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, non-conventional sources of
energy, waste management and social reforms through education. It is the
largest non-profit organization in India. It was founded by Dr. Bindeshwar
Pathak in 1970.

Anandwan

Anandwan is located and is an ashram and a community rehabilitation centre

for leprosy patients and the disabled from downtrodden sections of society. It was
founded in 1948 by noted social activist, Baba Amte. He developed Anandwan to
be a self-contained ashram where residents are self-sufficient in terms of basic
subsistence through agriculture. Land fertility in the region has been revived
and is maintained by using organic farming techniques and micro-water
management.
-

Revolutions in the field of agriculture in India

Grey Revolution- Fertilizer Revolution

Pink Revolution- Onion production/Pharmaceutical (India)/Prawn production
Red Revolution- Meat & Tomato Production
Round Revolution- Potato Revolution
White Revolution- Milk/Dairy production (In India - Operation Flood)
Yellow Revolution- Oil Seeds production
Evergreen Revolution- Overall development of Agriculture
Black Revolution- Petroleum Production
Blue Revolution- Fish Production
-

Verghese Kurien

Verghese Kurien was a renowned Indian social entrepreneur and is best known
as the "Father of the White Revolution", for his 'billion-litre idea' (Operation
Flood) the world's biggest agricultural development programme. The
operation took India from being a milk-deficient nation, to the largest milk
producer in the world, surpassing the United States of America in 1998, with
about 17 percent of global output in 201011.

A key achievement of his brainchild, Amul was the invention of milk powder
processed from buffalo milk, as opposed to that made from cow-milk. His
achievements with the Amul dairy led Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri to
appoint him as the founder-chairman of National Dairy Development Board
(NDDB) in 1965. He also received the World Food Prize and the Magsaysay
Award for community leadership. The Man Who Made The Elephant Dance is
the name of his autobiography.
-

Norman Borlaug

Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American biologist, humanitarian and Nobel

laureate who has been called "the father of the Green Revolution", "agriculture's
greatest spokesperson" and "The Man Who Saved A Billion Lives. He is one of
seven people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of
Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal and was also awarded the Padma
Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour.
During the mid-20th century, Borlaug led the introduction of high-yielding
varieties of seeds combined with modern agricultural production techniques to
Mexico, Pakistan, and India. Between 1965 and 1970, wheat yields nearly
doubled in Pakistan and India, greatly improving the food security in those
nations. These collective increases in yield have been labelled the Green
Revolution, and Borlaug is often credited with saving over a billion people
worldwide from starvation.
The World Food Prize was created in 1986 by Norman Borlaug, as a way to
recognize personal accomplishments, and as a means of education by using the
Prize to establish role models for others. The first prize was given to Borlaug's
former colleague, M. S. Swaminathan, in 1987, for his work in India. The next
year, Swaminathan used the US$250,000 prize to start the MS Swaminathan
Research Foundation for research on sustainable development.
Records

Animal, Tallest Giraffe

Archipelago, Largest Indonesia

Bird, Fastest- Swift

Bird, Largest Ostrich

Bird, Smallest Humming Bird

Canal, Longest Suez Canal

Capital, Highest La Paz (Boliva)

City, Largest in Population Tokyo

City, Costliest Tokyo

Continent, Largest Asia

Continent, Smallest Australia

Country, Biggest (Area) Russia

Country, Largest (Population) China

Country, Largest (Electorate) India

Creature, Largest Blue Whale

Delta, Largest Sunderban (Bangladesh & India)

Desert, Largest (World) Sahara (Africa)

Desert, Largest (Asia) Gobi

Epic, Largest Mahabharat

Island, Largest Greenland

Sea, Largest Mediterranean sea

Lake, Deepest Baikal (Siberia)

Lake, Highest Titicaca (Bolivia)

Lake, Largest (Fresh water) Superior

Lake, Largest (Salt water) Caspian

Library, Largest United State Library of Congress, Washington D.C.

Mountain Peak, Highest Everest (Nepal)

Mountain Range, Longest Andes (S. America)

Ocean, Largest Pacific

Palace, Biggest Vatican (Italy)

Park, Largest Yellow Stone National Park (U.S.A.)

Place, Coldest (Habitated) Verkhoyank (Siberia)

Place, Dryest Iqique (In Atacama Desert, Chile)

Place, Hottest Azizia (Libya, Africa)

Place, Rainiest Mausinram (Meghalaya, India)

Planet, Biggest Jupiter

Planet, Brightest Venus

Plateau, Highest Pamir (Tibet)

Platform, Longest Gorakhpur (India) (Kharagpur is the 2nd longest)

Railway, Longest Trans-Siberian railway

Railway Station, Longest Grand Central Terminal, Chicago (U.S.A.)

River, Longest Nile (Africa)

River, Largest Amazon (S. America)

Star, Brightest Sirius

Waterfall, Highest Angel (Venezuela)

Water, Lowest body Dead Sea

Zoo, Largest Kruger National Park, South Africa

National Sports Awards

-Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna- Indias highest honour given for achievement
in sports.

-Arjuna Award Recognises outstanding achievement in National sports.

-Dronacharya award- an award presented by the government of India for

excellence in sports coaching.

-Dhyan Chand Award- India's highest award for lifetime achievement in

sports and games.

Patriotic Awards

i) Wartime Gallantry awards

Param Vir Chakra : Highest military award for valour.

Maha Vir Chakra- The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) is the second highest
military decoration in India.

Vir Chakra-It is third in precedence in the war time gallantry.

ii) Peacetime Gallantry awards

Ashok Chakra Award- an Indian military decoration awarded for valour,

courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. It is the
peace time equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra.

Kirti Chakra-It is second in order of precedence of peacetime gallantry

awards.

Shaurya Chakra-It is third in order of precedence of peacetime gallantry.

Civilian Awards

Bharat Ratna- Highest honour

Padma Vibhushan Second highest honour.

Padma Bhushan Third highest honour.

Padma Shri Fourth highest honour.

Cropping Seasons in India

(a) Kharif:
Sowing seasons-May to July
Harvesting season-September to October
Important crops: Jowar, bajra, rice, maize, cotton, groundnut, jute, hemp,
sugarcane, tobacco, ete.

(b) Rabi:
Sowing season-October-December
Harvesting season-February-April
Important crops: wheat, barley, gram, linseed, mus-tard, masoor, pea~ and
potatoes.

(c) Zaid: Besides the kharif and rabi crops, there are certain crops which are
being raised throughout the year due to artificial irrigation.
Zaid kharif crops are sown in August-September and harvested in DecemberJanuary.
Important crops: rice, jowar, rapeseed, cotton, oilseeds.
Zaid rabi crops are sown in February-March. Harvesting is in April-May.
Important crops: watermelon, toris, cucumber, leafy and other vegetables.

National Symbols of India

-Tricolour designed by Pingali Venkayya

-National Emblem of India: Lion Capital of Asoka
-National Calendar: Saka calendar
-National anthem: Jana Gana Mana by Rabindranath Tagore
-National song: Vande Mataram by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
-National flower: Indian lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)

-National fruit: Mango (Mangifera indica)

-National river: Ganga River
-National tree: Indian Banyan or Indian fig tree
-National animal: Royal Bengal Tiger
-National aquatic animal: Gangetic Dolphin or Ganges River Dolphin
-National Currency Symbol: Indian Rupee (The symbol, conceptualised and
designed by D. Udaya Kumar

Top Crop Producing States in India

1

Rice

Wheat

West Bengal (15.22%)

Uttar
Pradesh (32.68%)

2
Andhra Pradesh (13.78%)

Punjab (20.01%)

Bajra

Rajasthan (42.33%)

Uttar Pradesh (13.44%)

Maize

Andhra Pradesh (19.09%)

Karnataka (17.14%)

Gram

Madhya Pradesh (30.26%) Maharashtra (19.48%)

Tur (Arhar)

Maharashtra (35.06%)

Karnataka (15.91%)

Lentil (Masur)

Uttar Pradesh (45.68%)

Madhya Pradesh (25.93%)

Ground nut

Gujarat (35.95%)

Andhra Pradesh (28.32%)

Mustard

Rajasthan (40.48%)

Uttar Pradesh (17.15%)

Soyabean

Madhya Pradesh (49.95%) Maharashtra (36.28%)

Sunflower

Karnataka (40.41%)

Andhra Pradesh (30.14%)

Cotton

Gujarat (31.99%)

Maharastra (25.40%)

Jute & mesta

West Bengal (73.95%)

Bihar (13.02%)

Potato

Uttar Pradesh (41.77% )

West Bengal (31.21%)

Onion

Maharashtra (28.44%)

Gujarat (24.52%)

Sugarcane

Uttar Pradesh (35.81%)

Maharashtra (25.40%)

Indian Army

The Indian Army is organised into seven commands:S.No.

Command

Headquarter

Western command

Chandigarh

Eastern command

Kolkata

Northern command

56 APO

Southern command

Pune

Central command

Lucknow

Army Training Command Shimla

South Western Command Jaipur

Indian Air Force

Indian Air Force is organised into seven commands:S.No.

Command

Headquarter

Western command

New Delhi

Central command

Allahabad

Eastern command

Shillong

South western command Jodhpur

Training command

Bangaluru

Maintenance command

Nagpur

Southern command

Thiruvananthapuram

Indian Navy

Indian Navy is organised into following commands:S.No.

Command

Headquarter

Eastern command Vishakhapatnam

Southern command Kochi

Western command Mumbai

Features of the Indian Constitution borrowed from other countries

From U.K.

Nominal Head President (like Queen)

Cabinet System of Ministers

Post of PM

Parliamentary Type of Govt.

Bicameral Parliament

Lower House more powerful

Council of Ministers responsible to Lowe

House

Speaker in Lok Sabha

Written Constitution

Executive head of state known as President

and his being the Supreme Commander of the
Armed Forces

Vice- President as the ex-officio Chairman of

Rajya Sabha

From U.S.

Fundamental Rights

Supreme Court

Provision of States

Independence of Judiciary and judicial review

Preamble

Removal of Supreme court and High court

Judges

From USSR

Fundamental Duties

Five year Plan

Concurrent list

Language of the preamble

Provision regarding trade, commerce and

From AUSTRALIA
intercourse

From JAPAN

From WEIMAR

Law on which the Supreme Court function

Suspension of Fundamental Rights during the

CONSTITUION OF

emergency

GERMANY

From CANADA

Scheme of federation with a strong centre

Distribution of powers between centre and the

states and placing. Residuary Powers with the
centre

Concept of Directive Principles of States

Policy(Ireland borrowed it from SPAIN)

From IRELAND

Method of election of President

Nomination of members in the Rajya Sabha by

Prez.