India Year Book (2018) Volume - I INDEX 1. National Symbols ....... 01-03 2. Agriculture ....... 04-09 3. Culture and Tourism ....... 10-17 4. Basic Economic Data ....... 18-21 5. Communications & Information Technology ....... 22-31 6. Defence ....... 32-38 7. Education ....... 39-48 8. Energy ....... 49-56 9. Environment ....... 57-75 10. Finance ....... 76-91 11. Corporate Affairs ....... 92-97 12. Miscellaneous Content from Different Chapters ..... 98-105 1 www.iasscore.in India Year Book (2018) 1 Chapter NATIONAL SYMBOLS The Republic of India has several official national symbols. These symbols are intrinsic to the Indian identity and heritage. These are discussed as follows: A. National Flag Features • The National Flag is a horizontal tricolor of deep saffron (kesaria) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. • The ratio of width of the flag to its length is 2:3. In the centre of the white band is a navy- blue wheel which represents the chakra. • Its design is that of the wheel which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. Its diameter approximates to the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes. • The design of the National Flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on July 22, 1947. • The flag is based on the Swaraj flag, a flag of the Indian National Congress designed by Pingali Venkayya. • The flag, by law, is to be made of khadi, a special type of hand-spun cloth, or silk made popular by Mahatma Gandhi. • The manufacturing process and specifications for the flag are laid out by the Bureau of Indian Standards. The right to manufacture the flag is held by the Khadi Development and Village Industries Commission. Constitutional & Statutory Provisions Related to National Flag Art 51A(a) - To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem. Statutes Governing Use of Flag • Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 • Prevention of Insults to National Honor Act, 1971 • Flag Code of India, 2002 Notes India Year Book (2018) 1 www.iasscore.in There is no restriction on the display of the National Flag by members of general public, private organizations, educational institutions, etc., except as provided for by the above statutes. Half-mast: The flag should be flown at half-mast as a sign of mourning. The decision to do so lies with the President of India, who also decides the period of such mourning. Significance Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who later became India’s first Vice President and second President, clarified the adopted flag and described its significance as follows: • The saffron color denotes renunciation or disinterestedness. Our leaders must be indifferent to material gains and dedicate themselves to their work. • The white in the centre is light, the path of truth to guide our conduct. • The green shows our relation to the soil, our relation to the plant life here, on which all other life depends. • The “Ashoka Chakra” in the centre of the white is the wheel of the law of dharma. The wheel denotes motion - India should no more resist change, it must move and go forward. The wheel represents the dynamism of a peaceful change. B. State Emblem Features • It is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capitol of Ashoka. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the Capitol is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dharma Chakra). • In the state emblem, adopted by the Government of India (by Madhav Sawhney) in 1950 on January 26, 1950, only 3 lions are visible. The wheel appears in the centre of the abacus with a bull on right and a horse on left. • The outlines of other wheels on extreme right and left. The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted. • The words Satyameva Jayate from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning ‘Truth Alone Triumphs’, are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script. • The use of the state emblem of India, as the official seal of the Government of India, is regulated by the State of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005. No individual or private organisation is permitted to use the emblem for official correspondence. C. National Anthem • The song Jana-gana-mana, composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version as the National Anthem of India on January 24, 1950. • It was first sung on December 27, 1911 at the Kolkata Session of the Indian National Congress. • It has five stanzas with first stanza containing the full version of the National Anthem. • The duration of the National Anthem is approximately 52 seconds. A short version consisting of the first and last lines of the stanza (playing time approximately 20 seconds) is also played on certain occasions. Notes 2 India Year Book (2018) www.iasscore.in D. National Song • The song Vande Mataram, composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterji, was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom. • It has an equal status with Jana-gana-mana. It was first sung at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. E. National Calendar • The National Calendar based on the Saka Era, with Chaitra as its first month and a normal year of 365 days was adopted from March 22, 1957 along with the Gregorian calendar for: (i) Gazette of India, (ii) News broadcast by All India Radio, (iii) Calendars issued by the Government of India, and (iv) Government communications addressed to the public. • Dates of the National Calendar have a permanent correspondence with dates of the Gregorian calendar, 1 Chaitra falling on March 22 normally and on March 21 in leap year. F. National Flower: Indian Lotus: Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is a sacred flower and occupies a unique position in the art and mythology of ancient India and has been an auspicious symbol of Indian culture. G. National Fruit: Mango: Mango (Mangifera indica) originated in India and the country is home to more than 100 varieties of the fruit. H. National River: Ganga: Ganga is the longest river of India with the most heavily populated river basin in the world. The river is revered by Hindus as the most sacred river on earth. I. National Tree: Indian Banyan: Indian banyan (Ficus bengalensis) roots themselves to form new trees and grow over large areas. Because of this characteristic and its longevity, this tree is considered immortal and is an integral part of the myths and legends of India. J. National Animal: Royal Bengal Tiger: Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), the largest carnivore is found only in the Indian subcontinent and can be found in most regions of the country. K. National Aquatic Animal: River Dolphin: Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica) is said to represent the purity of the holy Ganga River as it can only survive in pure and fresh water. L. National Bird: Indian Peacock: Indian peacock (Pavo cristatus) is designated as the national bird of India. A bird indigenous to the subcontinent, peacock represents the unity of vivid colors and finds references in Indian culture. M. National Currency: Indian Rupee: Indian Rupee (ISO code: INR) is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India. The Indian rupee symbol is derived from the Devanagari consonant (ra) and the Latin letter “R” was adopted in 2010. Notes India Year Book (2018) 3 www.iasscore.in India Year Book (2018) 2 Chapter AGRICULTURE Agriculture plays a vital role in India’s economy. 54.6 per cent of the population is engaged in agriculture and allied activities (census 2011) and it contributes 17 per cent to the country’s Gross Value Added (current price 2015-16, 2011-12 series). Given the importance of this sector, Government of India took several steps for its sustainable development. These have been taken to improve soil fertility on a sustainable basis through the soil health card scheme, to provide improved access to irrigation and enhanced water efficiency through Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), to support organic farming through Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and to support for creation of a unified national agriculture market to boost the income of farmers. Further, to mitigate risk in agriculture sector a new scheme Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was also launched for implementation from Kharif 2016. Production Notwithstanding the setback in kharif crops 2015-16 due to bad monsoon and rabi crops due to warm winter, total foodgrain production in the country increased marginally in 2015-16. As per 4th Advance Estimates for 2015-16, total production of rice is estimated at 104.32 million tonnes which is lower by 1.17 million tonnes than the production of 105.48 million tonnes during the preceding year. • Production of wheat, estimated at 93.50 million tonnes, is higher by 6.97 million tonnes than the production of 86.53 million tonnes achieved during 2014-15. • Total production of coarse cereals estimated at 37.94 million tonnes is lower by 4.38 million tonnes than their production during 2014-15. • Total foodgrain production in the country is estimated at 252.22 million tonnes which is marginally higher by 0.20 million tonnes than the previous year’s foodgrain production of 252.02 million tonnes. • Production of pulses estimated at 16.47 million tonnes is lower by 0.68 million tonnes than their production during 2014-15. National Policy for Farmers Government of India approved the National Policy for Farmers (NPF) in 2007. The policy provisions, inter alia, include asset reforms in respect of land, water, livestock,