Useful Resources

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Aadhaar Number




What is an Aadhaar Number?
Ans: Aadhaar Number is accepted name of Unique Identification Number to be issued by UIDAI (Nandan Nilekani). It is based on print of all ten fingers, Iris scan and face scan.
For a related news check the hitched link:



Link to be used:
IT and UIDAI tie up for PAN cards

Fingerprint Car Security System with GSM AlertsBiometric Fingerprint Identification Keypad lock DL220 DL220AT AAdvances in Biometrics: Sensors, Algorithms and SystemsBehavioral Biometrics For Human Identification: Intelligent Applications (Premier Reference Source)Biometrics: Personal Identification in Networked SocietySecurity, Risk and the Biometric State: Governing Borders and Bodies (PRIO New Security Studies)Audio- and Video-based Biometric Person Authentication: First International Conference, AVBPA '97, Crans-Montana, Switzerland, March 12 - 14, 1997, Proceedings (Lecture Notes in Computer Science)Vein Pattern Recognition: A Privacy-Enhancing BiometricArmy Biometric Applications: Identifying and Addressing Sociocultural ConcernsHuman Identification Based on Gait (International Series on Biometrics)

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Eyjafjallajökull - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption has caused the air traffic disruption over Europe. It is one of the natural calamity which has effected all the continents. A brief study can be made from the contents of Wikipedia below:

Eyjafjallajökull - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Iceland's Favourite PlacesFissure Vent with Spatter Cones, Laki Volcano, Iceland, Polar Regions Photographic Poster Print by Tony Waltham, 12x16Volcanism of Iceland: Volcano, History of Iceland, Iceland, Mid- Atlantic Ridge, Submarine Volcano, List of Volcanoes in IcelandIceland; Its Volcanoes, Geysers, and GlaciersCosmos Global Documentaries FIRE & ICE IcelandNature Wonders WATERFALLS OF NORTHERN ICELAND Iceland


BRIC and IBSA



BRIC: Brazil, Russia, India and China: The probable world leading economies by 2050: A Theory discussed elsewhere on this blog.

Similarly, IBSA: India, Brazil and South Africa another economic group expected to influence the world economy.

These two non-European Economic groups (different from regional group) are being watched and pursued with great expectations. No doubt, our present government is also giving lot of significance to these economic group relations. BRIC has been included on this blog even for 2009. BRIC and IBSA remain important probable questions for 2010 Prelims as well as in Mains and even in ongoing interviews. It should be prepared with preparing small notes on each economic group (Good material is already available on Wikipedia), the core description of the state heads, the governments, the capitals of the countries and main economic ratios of these countries should be included. (Again take help of Wikipedia and CIA fact books: A better way than what you can buy from market. Most of them are merely recycling of what is given there expect for one or two publications.)

The hitched report is included which does not give much peep into the topic but discusses different angles. It is intently chosen because it is on one hand required higher understanding of the international relation to which Siddarth Varadaranjan refers to and on the hand given a glimpse of opinions of tricky international relations. A person who does not have taste for international relations and is an aspirant for Civil Services examinations, it can be a provocative introduction.

Apart from that I have included a link to a list of similar reports. However, take help of Wikipedia for main search option namely BRIC (already available on this blog) and IBSA.


Hitched Links:
The Hindu : Front Page : From IBSA to CHIBSA? BRIC to BRICS? Not yet
Dump of related news Items


Investing in BRIC Countries: Evaluating Risk and Governance in Brazil, Russia, India, and China2008 Global Conference: BRIC Real Estate: Investment Opportunities and ChallengesTrinity of the South: Potential of India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Partnership7 Items Premium Accessory Bundle Combo For Sony Walkman Series X NWZ-X1050 / NWZ-X1051 / NWZ-X1060 / NWZ-X1061 16GB 32GB Video MP3 Player includes: Green Silicone Skin case, Car Charger, Wall / Travel Charger, USB Straight data cable, Adjustable Armband, Belt Clip and Fishbone style Keychain

Friday, April 16, 2010

Objectives of GSLV-D3 Mission:

Objectives of GSLV-D3 Mission:

As the The Hindu Report, there are three main objectives of GSLV - D3 Mission which is reproduced below.

The GSLV-D3 mission had three objectives: to develop and launch an indigenous cryogenic stage with the engine and associated systems; to evaluate the performance of the indigenous cryogenic stage and engine; and to put the communication satellite GSAT-4 into orbit.



Source: The Hindu


Mission to Mars (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)Nasa: 'Astronaut Ice Cream' Nasa Space Treat developed for the early Apollo Space Missions' frozen -40 F, vacuum dried and ready to eat (no refrigeration required)Lesser Evil (Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Mission Gamma, Book 4)When We Left Earth - The NASA Missions (4-Disc Set) [Blu-ray]Space Mission PatchesSpace Missions black silk Tie


Sunday, March 28, 2010

Prithvi II and Dhanush



Prithvi III and Dhanush:

The following report on the test fires of Prithvi II and Dhanush in the Hindu is a good note on the above mentioned missiles system. DRDO achievements remain an important topic in General Studies papers at both the stages i.e. Prelims and and Mains. It also includes the names of important officials associated with the different DRDO projects. The Indian personalities section contains such names which are generally not part of active consciousness of general people. Hence, as a discerning aspirants and part of serious preparation, one should should must develop a list of such people who are contributing the development of Indian defense as well as Indian economy whether they are government officials or individual entrepreneurs.

Use the following link:
Dhanush and Prithvi II


Sunday, January 24, 2010

Chairperson of Prasar Bharti: Mirnal Pande




Mirnal Pande, editor of Hindi daily Hindustan has been appointed Chairperson of Parsar Bharti. She has replaced Arun Bhatnagar after his resignation. She will hold the new office up to April 30, 2011.


Remember, in GS the women personalities in news have been asked again and again.



Study the link:
The Hindu : News / National : Mrinal Pande appointed Prasar Bharati chief


The BASIC countries




Which are BASIC countries?

To find answer check the hitched link.



Link to be read:
The Hindu : News : Maintain BASIC unity, says Prime Minister


Saturday, January 16, 2010

India Year Book 2010 (Publication Division India)



The India Year Book 2010 published by Publication Division India is now available in digital form online. The Hindi version Bharat 2010 is also available online. The print cost of the English edition is 345/-.

One can access the English version from the links given on the sidebar on your left hand side.

The Publication Divsion India Site link is http://www.publicationsdivision.nic.in/




Update Source Acknowledgement: www.upscportal.com.
I am not their advertiser. I regularly check some of the major sites. However, this time, my attention to this release was directed by UPSC Portal. The book was released on January 15, 2010. Hence, I acknowledge the lead.



Sunday, January 10, 2010

What is Knesset?



Knesset is the legislative branch of Israeli government.

For more details check Wikipedia Article.

Kindly remember such type of teasers are always there. It is beyond the perceivable limits to learn everything. It is generally said that anything below sky and even beyond it can be asked in general studies. Therefore, from this point onwards I am introducing a new label Tit Bits. Read the hitched articles but do not strain much. However, the students with Political Science Option must take it seriously.


Thursday, January 07, 2010

India and R&D




The hinged link is an article by Shyamal Majumdar on Business Standard about the R&D scenario in India and future prospects. It is nicely written article with full of data. It can be used for preparing an essay topic for Mains as well gleaned for various research based organizations in India for Prelims as well as Mains 2010.
Check it below:



The Hinged article:
Shyamal Majumdar: The missing scientists

Saturday, January 02, 2010

Civil Services Examination, 2010: Examination Notification

The notification of the Civil Services Examination 2010 has been issued. The notification has been issued in the Gazette in India Extraordinary of Department of Personnel & Training. The number of the notification for Examination Notice No. 04/2010-CSP is Examination Notice No. 04/2010-CSP. It can be accessed at the site of Union Public Service Commission.


The last date of receiving application is February 1, 2010 at Union Public Service Commission, Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi - 110069 by hand or by Post/Speed Post or by Courier.

The Date of Preliminary Examination is May 23, 2010.

In case the aspirants find difficulty (as it had happened earlier in some regions) in obtaining Common Application Form of the Commission from the designated Head Post office as detailed in the above Examination Notice, they can contact UPSC's "FORMS SUPPLY MONITORING CELL" over Telephone No. 011-23389366/FAX No. 011-23387310.

The cost of form is Rs. 20/- which contains the form, envelop, and acknowledgement card.

The fees for General Category and OBC Male Candidates is Rs. 50/- payable through a single Central Recruitment Fee Stamp available from the post offices from where the forms can be procured.


There is no fees for Female and SC/ST candidates.

There will be negative marking in Preliminary Papers.

There are 965 vacancies. (This gossip of 1000 vacancies has come true. The commission should check how do some people get the prior information even when it as not been published in the Gazette of India.)

The Administrative Aptitude Test as recommended by D. P. Aggarwal has not been implemented this time.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Maharatna Status to Steel Authority of India (SAIL)




The following report has a brief description of the Maharatna Status, a fresh status to SAIL. There are 19 Navaratna PSUs.



Make a note of the following link and its contents:
Moneycontrol.com - Govt gives 'maharatna' status to PSU giants

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Wikipedia Reporting is fast




Wikipedia reporting is quite fast. The given link is about Miss World 2009 Kaiane Aldorino. The result was there by 10.57 pm IST (+5.30 GMT).

I am also watching Copenhagen UN Summit. The updates are coming regularly.

However, in case of BIMSTEC, the taking of Myanmar as the next chairman, was not updated even after 24 hours.

On the whole, the reporting is quite fast and must be giving the regular media run for their money.

I have found that even the bloggers are quite fast in reporting the new events. They are there with news just missing couple of seconds as compared to regular media. Wikipedia remains third but it is there within in couple of minutes.



Check the news item.
Miss World 2009 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


What is BIMSTEC




BIMSTEC stands for Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation.

The Member Countries are
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand sharing the Bay of Bengal.

The present chairman is Myanmar. In 2009, India was the chairman. In 2008, Bangladesh was the chairman.



Source used:
BIMSTEC ministerial meeting promotes subregional cooperation_English_Xinhua

Further Sources: Wikipedia Article


Sunday, November 15, 2009

Lessons on WPI and CPI.



In the following link of Economic Times, there is brief description of Wholesale Price Index and Consumer Price Index. There is a brief explanation on their respective significance. The new base year which is going to come into force in 2010 is also discussed. It explains that how many goods/companies are included calculating the ratio of WPI.

For non-economic candidates, it is a good write up. Keep a note of it.


For Wikipedia article on Wholesale Price Index (WPI) check HERE.


For Consumer Price Index (CPI) check HERE. It is more elaborate with US economy as it is pivotal economy. However, it can be skipped if not comprehensive as WPI is the basis of declaring the inflation for which Economic Times is giving this Lesson on Basics.The CPI is also used as such but as per ET, WPI is the basis in India. (Student with Economics background is requested to comment if the blogger is wrong. The blogger will be highly obliged.)


Thursday, November 12, 2009

Phyan cyclonic storm




Climatic changes are now important topics and expect a good coverage in 2010 prelims as well as mains. After Copenhagen submit in December, there will further issues on environment changes and natural disasters. In short surface and atmospheric geographical phenomena must be given attention.

Use the following two reports


Links to be used:
Phyan, first cyclonic storm to reach Mumbai in 43 years - Pune - City - The Times of India

The Hindu Report


General Information


UPSC has taken initiative to display Last Year Question Papers of CS, CDS, NDA, CMS, Engineering Service on its site. Check them out at www.upsc.gov.in. The files are PDF.


go to www.upsc.gov.in and check what is new.




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