CURRENT AFFAIRS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1.Name the country’s first sub-sonic cruise missile, which is going to be test launched in April 2012.
Nirbhay.
 
2.Which of the following organisations has been chosen for the Skoll Award, 2012 for Social Entrepreneurship by the Skoll Foundation in Oxford, England?
The National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) and Nidan.
 
3.Recently, who has been appointed as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand?
Vijay Bahuguna.
 
4.Recently, State-owned Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd. (KIOCL) has signed, a contract for exploration, development and mining in Akjoujt Iron Ore project at Mauritania in West Africa, with which of the following companies?
Curve Capital Ventures.
 
5.Which  female actor has been awarded best actress award in 59th National Film Awards?
Vidya Balan.
 
6.Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana(PMAGY) is going to be transferred from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to which of the following Ministry?
The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD).
 
7.Which of the following server chips has recently been launched by Intel Corp?
Xeon E5-2600.
 
8.Who ohas been chosen for Chameli Devi Jain award?
Tusha Mittal.
 
9.Recently, an Indian NGO, has been selected for the U.S.' first Innovation Award for the Empowerment of Women and Girls for training and organising waste-pickers and eliminating child labour from recycling. Name the NGO.
Chintan.
 
10.Who will take over as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of engineering conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) from April 1, 2012?
K. Venkataramanan.
 
11.Recently, which country has qualified for silver medal in the women's 4x400m relay of the last Asian athletics championships due to doping disqualifications of athletes from Kazakhstan and Iraq?
India.
 
12.Recently, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has chalked out several plans to increase gross enrolment ratio (GER) of students in higher education during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17) from present:
20 per cent to 30 per cent.
 
13.Union Minister for Rural Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Jairam Ramesh announced a national award for sanitation and water. This award has been instituted in the name of:
Sant Gadge Baba.
 
14.Which committee has recommended elimination of all level crossings from the railway landscape within the next five years as a measure of avoiding accidents and deaths?
Anil Kakodkar Committee.
 
15.Which  country is India’s second largest supplier of crude oil against whom, western countries have sanctioned to curtail import of oil?
Iran.
 
16.Who  sports personality recently won the All England Open badminton title 2012?
Lin Dan.
 
17.Who is the current chairman and chief executive officer of Pepsico?
Indira K. Nooyi.
 
18.The Central government proposes to convert the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) into a mission with changed name to provide health care to the urban poor also, in the course of the 12th Plan. What will be its new name?
National Health Mission.
 
19.Aamir Khan is national goodwill ambassador of which of the following organisations?
UNICEF.
 
20.Pajero Sports car is associated with which car manufacturing companies?
Hindustan Motor's Limited (HM).
 
21.Which oil company has recently agreed to pay $7.8 billion in a settlement reached with claimants affected by the spill from one of its wells in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010?
BP.
 
22.Who is the current Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Posco-India?
Yong-Won Yoon.
 
23.Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) is a partner of the Government of India in promoting India’s exports. Who is the current Director General & CEO of FIEO ?
Ajay Sahai.
 
24.'Bandar Abbas port' is located in which country?
Iran.
 
25.Recently, which California-based company has been acquired by Chip-maker AMD for $334 million?
SeaMicro.
 
26.Which Indian State has recently launched a scheme of free distribution of goats/sheep to the poorest of the poor?
Tamil Nadu.
 
27.Which among the following Motorcycle companies has launched its gearless scooter portfolio with the launch of its latest offering, ‘Swish 125'?
Suzuki Motor.
 
28.A.P. Choudhary is the current Chairman-cum-Managing Director of which company?
Rashtriya Ispat Nigal Limited (RINL).
 
29.Which among the following railway stations became the first railway network to offer BluFi, a combination of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi that will provide passengers with a wealth of information?
Bangalore City.
 
30.Recently, the Supreme Court has appointed Justice H.S. Bedi as Chairman of the Monitoring Authority to probe all cases of fake encounter deaths in Gujarat from 2003 to 2006. Justice Bedi replaces Justice:
M.B. Shah.
 
31.Who among the following is the present Prime Minister of Fiji?
Commodore Bainimarama.
 
32.Houses are constructed under the 'Griha Bhagya scheme' for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families in which of the following States?
Karnataka.
 
33.Who among the following personalities has recently won the 'Pritzker Architecture Prize 2012', considered as the Nobel prize in architecture?
Wang Shu.
 
34.The Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam has designed and developed the Torpedo Advanced Light (TAL). Torpedoes are:
Underwater Missiles.
 
35.Who is the following is the current Chairman and CEO of General Motors?
Daniel F. Akerson.
 
36.Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NIS) is Asia's largest Sports Institute located in which State?
Punjab.
 
37.'Bhavani Island' is located in which of the following States?
Andhra Pradesh.
38.Who is the current chairman of the Asian organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI)?
Vinod Rai.
 
39.Which of the following railway stations has bagged ‘Best Tourist Friendly Railway Station' award for 2010-11?
New Delhi railway station.

HISTORY OF DISASTERS IN ANDHRA PRADESH

 Vulnerability of the state

Andhra Pradesh is exposed to cyclones, storm surges, floods and droughts. A moderate to severe intensity cyclone can be expected to make landfall every two to three years. About 44 percent of the state is vulnerable to tropical storms and related hazards.

In India, the cyclones develop in the pre-monsoon (April to May) and post-monsoon seasons (October to December), but most of them tend to form in the month of November.

Cyclones on the east coast originate in the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman Sea or the South China Sea, and usually reach the coastline of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal, which are the most vulnerable to these types of hazards. Two of the deadliest cyclones of this century, with fatalities of about 10,000 people in each case, took place in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh during October 1971 and November 1977 respectively. The super cyclone of Orissa in 1999 caused large scale damage to life and property.

Along the Andhra coast, the section between Nizampatnam and Machilipatnam is the most prone to storm surges. Vulnerability to storm surges is not uniform along Indian coasts. The following segments of the east coast of India are most vulnerable to high surges

1.     North Orissa, and West Bengal coasts.

2.     Andhra Pradesh coast between Ongole and Machilipatnam.

3.     Tamil Nadu coast, south of Nagapatnam.

The states bordering the Arabian Sea on the west coast are not completely safe either, as Kerala, Gujarat - and to a lesser extent Maharashtra - are also prone to cyclones. With a frequency of four cyclones per year, one of which usually becomes severe, the Bay of Bengal accounts for seven percent of the annual tropical cyclone activity worldwide.

Despite this relatively low percentage, the level of human and property loss that cyclones cause around the Bay is very high. Once the cyclones enter the mainland, they give way to heavy rains which often translate into floods, as it was the case with the damaging cyclone-induced floods in the Godavari delta, in August of 1986.

Many drought prone areas adjacent to coastal districts in eastern maritime states are thus vulnerable to flash floods originated by the torrential rains induced by the cyclonic depression. In addition to cyclones and its related hazards, monsoon depressions over the north and central areas of the Bay of Bengal move until reaching north and central India, including portions of Andhra Pradesh, bringing heavy to very heavy rains and causing floods in the inland rivers between June and September.

In Andhra traditionally, the flood problem had been confined to the flooding of smaller rivers. But the drainage problem in the coastal delta zones has worsened, multiplying the destructive potential of cyclones and increasing flood hazards. A critical factor is maintenance of irrigation systems. On several occasions, deaths have been caused by breaches in tanks and canals as well as over-flooding caused by silting and growth of weeds.

Effect of Repeated Disasters

The regular occurrence of Disasters both Natural and Man made in Coastal Andhra Pradesh in India has had a series of repercussions on the state country’s Economy, its development policies and political equilibrium and daily life of millions of Indians.

Andhra Pradesh is battered by every kind of natural disaster: cyclones, floods, earthquakes and drought. The coastal region suffers repeated cyclones and floods. The 1977 cyclone and tidal wave, which resulted in great loss of life, attracted the attention of the central and state Governments of India and the international donor communities, as did those of 1979, 1990 and 1996. The floods in the Godavari and Krishna Rivers caused havoc in the East and West Godavari and Krishna districts.

Earthquakes in the recent past have occurred along and off the Andhra Pradesh coast and in regions in the Godavari river valley. Mild tremors have also hit the capital city of Hyderabad, for example in September 2000.

Social and economic life of AP's population is characterized by recurring natural disasters. The state is exposed to cyclones, storm surges, floods, and droughts. According to the available disaster inventories, AP is the state that has suffered the most from the adverse effects of severe cyclones. It has been estimated that about 44 percent of AP's total territory is vulnerable to tropical storms and related hazards, while its coastal belt is likely to be the most vulnerable region in India to these natural phenomena. Khamman district, in the Telengana region, is affected by monsoon floods, along with five districts in Coastal AP. Four districts in Rayalaseema and five in Telengana experience drought. Along the coastline, the section between Nizampatnam and Machilipatnam is the most prone to storm surges. The fertile Delta areas of the Godavari and the Krishna rivers, which contribute substantially to the state's economic prosperity, face flood and drainage problems, and more so in the aftermath of cyclones.

More than sixty cyclones have affected AP this century. The incidence of cyclones seems to have increased in the past decades, to the extent that severe cyclones have become a common event occurring every two to three years, repeatedly and severely affecting the state's economy while challenging its financial and institutional resources3. Almost2 9 million people are vulnerable to cyclones and their effects in Coastal AP, 3.3 million of who belong to communities located within five km of the seashore. The deadliest cyclone in the last twenty years took place in November 1977 killing about 10,000 people. More recently, the May 1990 cyclone, with a death toll close to 1,000 people, caused about US$1.25 billion in damage in ten districts, including the entire coast. Between 1977 and 1992, about 13,000 lives and 338,000 cattle were lost due to cyclones and floods, and nearly 3.3 million houses damaged.

May cyclones are relatively rare in the region, and only about 13 have affected AP in this month this century. However, when they badly hit the Delta areas, as it happened in 1979 in the Krishna district - where 80 percent of the casualties occurred - the population in danger may be higher than usual. May is rice harvesting season, and a good number of itinerant laborers come to the delta from less fertile areas of AP in search of work. Since they lack awareness of the area's most prevalent hazards, this migrant population is more vulnerable than the permanent delta residents. Similarly, entire families have come to the delta districts to engage in activities related to shrimp farming, which has taken off recently in the area. They are involved in the collection of fingerlings, living for several months a year in makeshift shelters along the marshes. The warnings may not reach them on time, and even when they do, their inexperience renders them highly vulnerable.

The Godavari and the Krishna rivers have well-defined stable courses, and their natural and man-made banks have usually been capable of carrying flood discharges, with the exception of their delta areas. Traditionally, the flood problem in AP had been confined o the spilling of smaller rivers and the submersion of marginal areas surrounding Kolleru Lake. However, the drainage problem in the delta zones of the coastal districts has worsened, thereby multiplying the destructive potential of cyclones and increasing flood hazards. Moreover, when a storm surge develops, as it was the case during the severe November 1977, May 1990 and November 1996 cyclones, threats to humans and property multiply as the sea water may inundate coastal areas which are already being subjected to torrential rains. Finally, a critical additional factor affecting the flood management and the irrigation systems is the lack of maintenance. On several occasions, such as the May 1979 cyclone, most of the deaths were occasioned by breaches to the chains of tanks and canals, and over-flooding due in part to the choking of drains by silting and growth of weeds.

IMPORTANT LINKS:

National Links
• Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction
• Central Arid Zone Research Institute
• Central Building Research Institute
• Central Ground Water Board
• Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture
• Central Water Commission
• Digital Vulnerability Atlas of India
• Geological Survey of India
• India Meteorological Department
• Indian Agricultural Research Institute
• Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education
• Indian Space Research Organisation
• Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy
• Institute of Insurance and Risk Management
• Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration
• Ministry of Home Affairs
• National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting
• National Disaster Management Authority
• National Disaster Management, Govt. of India
• National Fire Service College
• National Institute of Hydrology
• National Institute Of Oceanography
• National Portal of India
• National Remote Sensing Centre
• Tata Institute of Social Sciences
• The Energy and Resources Institute

International Links
• ActionAid
• Alertnet
• Asian Disaster Reduction Center
• Canadian Association for Earthquake Engineering
• Center For Snow and Avalanche Studies
• Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
• Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
• Disaster & GIS related Information
• Disaster related News Service
• Dundee Satellite Recieving Station
• Earthquake related News from World news Service
• Emergency Management Institute
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• HelpAge
• Information about Tropical Cyclones
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• International Association of Emergency Managers
• International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
• International Consortium on Landslides
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
• International Labour Organization
• Japan International Cooperation Agency
• National Institute of Urban Search & Rescue
• National Memorial Institute for Prevention of Terrorism
• National Society for Earthquake Technology
• SAARC Disaster Management Centre
• Save the Children
• SEEDS
• South Asia Digital Vulnerability Atlas
• South Asian Disaster Knowledge Network
• The National Emergency Management Association
• United Nations Children's Fund
• United Nations Development Programme
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization
• United Nations Information Centres
• United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
• United Nations Population Fund
• United Nations World Food Programme
• United States Agency for International Development
• US Geological Survey
• US Navy
• World Bank
• World Health Organization
• World Wildlife Fund

SDMA/Revenue/DM Dept. of State Govt. of India
• Andhra Pradesh
• Assam
• Bihar SDMA
  Bihar DM Dept.
• Delhi
• Gujarat
• Haryana
• Himachal Pradesh
• Jharkhand
• Kerala
• Madhya Pradesh
• Maharashtra
• Manipur
• Mizoram
• Nagaland
• Odisha
• Punjab
• Rajasthan
• Tripura
• Uttar Pradesh
• West Bengal

 

National Policy on Disaster Management(NPDM)

INDIAN INSTIRUTE OF SURVEYING & MAPPING SURVEY OF INDIA

APPSC ASO GENERAL STUDIES SOLVED PAPER

Supplementary Notification for the Direct Recruitment of Junior Assistant(LDC) in APCPDCL

In addition to the earlier Notified 100 Nos vacancies of Junior Assistants, another 149 posts of Junior Assistants i.e total of 249 posts of Junior Assistants are proposed for filling-up by way of Direct recruitment. Applications are invited through On-line from the eligible candidates for filling-up of the above posts of Junior Assistants in APCPDCL.

The Revised schedule of dates is given below:
· The last date for payment of fee is 1.00 PM of 08.05.2012
· The last date for submission of application through online is 5.00 PM of 09.05.2012.

On inclusion of another 149 posts of Junior Assistant to the existing 100 No notified posts, the candidates(both In-service contract workers and fresh candidates) who have already submitted the On-line Applications for the post of Junior Assistant (LDC) may access their Application forms, from the website
www.apcentralpower.com or http://apcentralpower.cgg.gov.in by entering the Journal No. and Date of birth, view their application form, edit the preferences if necessary and re-submit the On-line Application format.

For more Details click WEBSITE

DREDGING CORPORATION OF INDIA RECRUITMENT

DREDGING CORPORATION OF INDIA (DCI)

(A Government of India Undertaking)

Dredge House, Port Area, Vishakhapatnam-035 (AP)

Dredging Corporation of India Ltd, invites application for following posts from suitable candidates :

1. General Manager (OPS.) : 01 post 
2. General Manager (HR) : 01 post
3. General Manager (Finance) : 01 post 
4. General Manager (Tech.) : 01 post
5. General Manager (Project Engineering) : 01 post
6. General Manager (Marketing) : 01 post
7. Dy. General Manager (Technical) : 03 posts
8. Dy. General Manager (OPS/PROJ.) : 01 post
9. Manager (HR) : 01 post
10. Manager (Materials) : 02 posts
11. Manager (Tech.) : 02 posts
12. Manager (Finance) : 02 posts
13. Dy. Manager (Pr.) : 01 post 
14. Dy. Manager (HR) : 03 posts
15. Dy. Manager (Finance) : 02 posts
16. Dy. Manager (Materials) : 03 posts
17. Assistant Manager (HR) : 01 post
18. Assistant Manager (Finance) : 03 posts
19. Assistant Manager (OIC) : 04 posts
20. Surveyor : 10 posts
21. Assistant : 22 posts

How to Apply : Demand draft for Rs.200/- (Non-refundable) (Not applicable to SC/ST/PwD Candidates) drawn on “DREDGING CORPORATION OF INDIA LTD”, payable at Visakhapatnam.

How to Apply : Applications in the prescribed proforma should be sent to the following address, so as to reach on or before 08/05/2012.

Dy. Manager (HR) (CM/IR), Dredging Corporation of India Ltd.,  Dredge House, Port Area, Vishakhapatnam-530035 (AP)

Please view http://www.dredge-india.com/files/advt-se-2012.pdf  for details and application format.

AIRPORTS AUTHORITY OF INDIA RECRUITMENT

A.P. ADMINISTRATION TRIBUNAL RECRUITMENT

APSPDCL Jr. Assistant & Sub-Engineers Exams Key

Jr. Assistant KEY

Clickhere

Sub-Engineer's KEY

Clickhere

APTransco Junior Assistants (LDC) Recruitment

APTransco decided to fill up 24 No. of posts in the cadre of Junior Assistant (LDC) in addition to the earlier notified 16 No. of posts. Accordingly applications are invited online for the post of Junior Assistant (LDC) from 11.04.2012 to 25.04.2012 (24.04.2012 date for payment of fee). After clubbing the additional sanctioned posts the following are the total posts of Junior Assistant (LDC). However, candidates who have applied in pursuance of earlier notification dt:15.12.2011, need not apply again.

For more Details follow  Supplimentary Notification 

BHARAT DYNAMICS LIMITED RECRUITMENT

Recruitment for the posts of Welfare Officer & Assistant Welfare Officer
   Advertisement No. (BDL/C-P&A/PLG.&E.D./2012-1).

A.P. SOCIAL WELFARE RESIDENTIAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS SOCIETY RECRUITMENT

SC /ST Backlog Recruitment Detailed Notification 

SC/ST Backlog Recruitment Application form 

ACHARYA N.G. RANGA AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY ASST. EXEXUTIVE ENGINEERS RECRUITMENT

Application Form 

Detailed Instructions

JNTU HYDERABAD ADMISSION TO EXTERNAL Ph.D./M.S./M.Phil. RESEARCH PROGRAMMES-2012