Census 2011

• Overall Overview

  • Census in India started in 1872 during Viceroy Mayo's tenure.
  • Decennial census started in 1881 during Viceroy Ripon's tenure.
  • The supreme official for census is called the Census Commissioner. W.C. Plowden was the first Census Commissioner of India.
  • The 2011 Census was the 15th overall, 14th decennial, and 7th since India's independence (from 1951).
  • The 1911-1921 decade, especially 1921, is known as the "Great Divide" year due to population decline caused by famines and epidemics.
  • 2011 Census Commissioner: C. Chandramouli.
  • 2011 Census Motto: "Our Census, Our Future."
  • India's population in 2011 was 121.09 crore, ranking second globally after China.
  • Decadal growth rate (2001-2011): 17.7%.
  • Gender distribution (2011): Males 51.47%, Females 48.53%.

• Area-wise Rankings

  • Largest state by area: Rajasthan.
  • Smallest state by area: Goa.
  • Largest UT by area: Ladakh.
  • Smallest UT by area: Lakshadweep.

• Population Rankings (2011)

  • States - Highest Population:
    • Uttar Pradesh (16.51% of India's population).
    • Maharashtra (9.28%).
    • Bihar (8.6%).
    • West Bengal (7.54%).
  • States - Lowest Population:
    • Sikkim (0.05%).
    • Mizoram (0.09%).
    • Arunachal Pradesh (0.11%).
    • Goa (0.12%).
  • UTs - Population:
    • Highest Population UT: Delhi.
    • Lowest Population UT: Lakshadweep.

• Decadal Growth Rate (2001-2011)

  • Highest Growth: Meghalaya (27.9%).
  • Lowest/Negative Growth: Nagaland (-0.6%) - only state with negative growth.

• Population Density (2011)

  • Overall India: 382 persons/km².
  • States - Highest Population Density:
    • Bihar (1106 persons/km²).
    • West Bengal (2nd highest).
  • States - Lowest Population Density:
    • Arunachal Pradesh (17 persons/km²).
  • Overall (including UTs) - Highest Population Density: Delhi (much higher than Bihar).

• Sex Ratio (2011)

  • Overall India: 943 females per 1000 males.
  • States - Highest Sex Ratio:
    • Kerala (1084 females per 1000 males) - only state with >1000 ratio.
    • Tamil Nadu (2nd highest).
  • States - Lowest Sex Ratio: Haryana (879 females per 1000 males).
  • Child Sex Ratio (0-6 years):
    • Highest: Arunachal Pradesh (972).
    • Lowest: Haryana (834).

• Literacy Rate (2011)

  • Overall India: 73%.
  • Males: 80.09%.
  • Females: 64.60%.
  • States - Highest Literacy Rate: Kerala (94%).
  • States - Lowest Literacy Rate: Bihar (61.80%).

• Rural and Urban Population (2011)

  • Rural Population - Highest Percentage (of state's population): Himachal Pradesh (90%).
  • Urban Population - Highest Percentage (of state's population): Goa (62%).
  • Urban Population - Highest in Absolute Numbers: Maharashtra (5.08 crore), followed by Uttar Pradesh.

• SC and ST Population (2011)

  • SC Population - Highest in Absolute Numbers: Uttar Pradesh (~5.25 crore).
  • SC Population - Highest Percentage (of state's population): Punjab (31.9%).
  • ST Population - Highest in Absolute Numbers: Madhya Pradesh (~1.5 crore).
  • ST Population - Highest Percentage (of state's population): Mizoram (94%).

Current Affairs Headlines

• NASA-ISRO's first joint mission NISAR was scheduled for launch on July 30, 2025.
• DRDO successfully tested Ballistic Missile Pralay in Odisha.
• World Tiger Conservation Day was celebrated on July 29.
• The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) received statutory recognition under the revised Disaster Management Act 2025.
• Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated the Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum and Memorial Stupa in Vaishali, Bihar.
• Tamil Nadu hosted Hockey India's 15th Congress.
• Prime Minister Modi launched the Gyan Bharatam Mission for digitizing ancient manuscripts.
• India's first Hindi medium MBBS college is set to commence in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
• Jharkhand government changed the name of Atal Mohalla Clinic to Mother Teresa Advanced Health Clinic.
• The Indian Army conducted a high-tech drone exercise 'Drone Prahar' in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Remona Evette Pereira of Bengaluru, Karnataka, set a Golden Book of World Record for 170 hours of Bharatanatyam performance.

Detailed Current Affairs

NISAR Mission

• Full Form: NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar.
• Launch: Scheduled for July 30, 2025, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
• Developers: NASA and ISRO (first joint mission).
• Weight: 2392 kg.
• Launch Vehicle: GSLV F16 (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle).
• Purpose: Earth observation satellite for monitoring oceans, continents, melting ice, glaciers, and sea level rise.
• Radar Systems: Dual-frequency radar with L-band (NASA) and S-band (ISRO).
• Significance: ISRO's first mission using GSLV to place a satellite in a Sun-synchronous orbit.

Pralay Missile

• Developer/Launcher: DRDO.
• Recent Test: Successful tests conducted on July 28-29, 2025 (assumed year), from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha.
• Type: Ballistic Missile.
• Fuel: Solid Propellant.
• Warhead: Surface-to-surface.
• Range: 150-500 km.
• Payload Capacity: 500-1000 kg.
• Deployment: Intended for deployment at the Line of Actual Control (LAC - India-China) and Line of Control (LoC - India-Pakistan).
• Context: Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP) started in 1983 by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, which developed five ballistic missiles: Prithvi, Agni, Trishul, Nag, and Akash (PATNA).

World Tiger Conservation Day

• Date: Celebrated annually on July 29.
• Origin: Commemorates the St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation (July 29, 2010), where 13 tiger range countries aimed to double the tiger population by 2022.
• India's Status:
  • Indian Environment Minister: Dr. Bhupender Yadav (also the first head of the Big Cat Alliance).
  • Tiger/Big Cat Population in India: 3682 (Big Cats).
  • Highest Tiger Population in India: Madhya Pradesh (followed by Uttarakhand).
  • Tiger Reserves in India: 58 (as of mentioned update).
  • Latest Tiger Reserves: 58th - Madhav Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh), 57th - Ratapani Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh), 56th - Guru Ghasidas Tiger Reserve (Chhattisgarh), 55th - Dholpur-Karauli Tiger Reserve (Rajasthan).
  • Project Tiger: Started in 1973.
  • Project Elephant: Started in 1992.

National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC)

• Full Form: National Crisis Management Committee.
• Status: Granted statutory recognition under the Amended Disaster Management Act 2025.
• Statutory Basis: Section 8A (2) of the Amended Disaster Management Act 2025. (Original Act: Disaster Management Act 2005).
• Head: Cabinet Secretary of India (currently T.V. Somanathan).
• Power: Supreme decision-making authority for disaster crises in India.

Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum and Memorial Stupa

• Inauguration: Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum and Memorial Stupa.
• Location: Vaishali, Bihar.
• Inaugurated by: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
• Area & Cost: Spread over 72 acres with a cost of ₹550 crore.
• Construction: Built with pink stones from Rajasthan. The idol of Lord Buddha was created by artists from Odisha. No cement or lime was used to join the stones.
• Historical Context: Second Buddhist Council was held in Vaishali, presided over by Emperor Kalashoka.

Hockey India's 15th National Congress

• Event: Hockey India's 15th National Congress/Meeting.
• Location: Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu.
• Previous Congress: 14th Congress was held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
• Hockey India: Formed in 2009. Current Head: Dilip Tirkey.
• Mahabalipuram Significance: Famous for the Shore Temple (also known as Coastal Temple), built by the Pallava dynasty.
• Related Event: World AI Summit 2025:
  • February session was held in Paris (PM Modi was co-chair).
  • July session was held in Shanghai, China, with the theme "Global Solidarity in the Era of AI."

Gyan Bharatam Mission

• Origin: Announced in the Union Budget 2025-26.
• Launch: Prime Minister Modi launched it during the 124th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat'.
• Objective: Digitization and preservation of ancient manuscripts.
• Outcome: Creation of a national digital repository for ancient manuscripts.

India's First Hindi Medium MBBS College

• Location: To open in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
• Academic Session: Starting from 2027-28.
• Curriculum: The entire syllabus, study materials, and exams will be in Hindi.
• Jabalpur Significance: Location of Madhya Pradesh High Court; situated on the banks of the Narmada River.

Atal Mohalla Clinic Name Change

• Original Name: Atal Mohalla Clinic.
• New Name: Mother Teresa Advanced Health Clinic.
• State: Jharkhand.
• Initiator of Change: Chief Minister Hemant Soren (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha).
• Background: Atal Mohalla Clinics (140 in Jharkhand) were originally launched in 2019 by then-BJP CM Raghubar Das to provide primary healthcare facilities.

Drone Prahar Exercise

• Exercise Name: Drone Prahar.
• Conducted by: Indian Army.
• Location: Raying, Arunachal Pradesh.
• Focus: High-tech drone/UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) usage.
• Arunachal Pradesh Statehood: 1987.
• Important Passes in Arunachal Pradesh: Yangyap Pass (Brahmaputra river enters India), Bomdila Pass, Diphu Pass.

Bharatanatyam World Record

• Record Holder: Remona Evette Pereira (Bengaluru, Karnataka).
• Record: Set a Golden Book of World Record for 170 hours of continuous Bharatanatyam performance.
• Bharatanatyam: Oldest classical dance of India.
• Other Names: Sadir Attam, Dasi Attam, Agni Attam.
• Origin State: Tamil Nadu.

Miscellaneous Current Events

• IIM Ahmedabad announced its first international campus in Dubai.
• International Yoga Day 2025 theme: "Yoga for One Earth, One Health." (Location: Visakhapatnam).
• SpaceX successfully launched the first human mission to orbit Earth's poles: "Fram Two" mission.
• Shirley Botchwey, first African woman to become Commonwealth Secretary-General, is from Ghana.
• Ministry of Education banned the use of asbestos in KVs and JNVs.
• RBI Deputy Governor: Poonam Gupta.
• "School Chale Hum Abhiyan 2025": Madhya Pradesh.
• Central government launched Jubin Portal to monitor anti-rabies and anti-snake venom stock.
• PM Modi watched Ramakien (Thai Ramayana) performance in Thailand during the BIMSTEC meeting.
• "Zero Poverty P4 Policy" initiative launched by Andhra Pradesh.
• Maharashtra government partnered with Microsoft to establish AI centers in Nagpur, Mumbai, and Pune.
• First European nation to withdraw from International Criminal Court: Hungary.
• Rangoli Bihu (festival for agricultural prosperity): Assam.
• PM Modi received the 22nd International Mitra Vibhushan Award from Sri Lanka.
• Asian Cricket Council President: Mohsin Naqvi.
• BIMSTEC Presidency: Thailand (current), Bangladesh (next).
• PM Modi inaugurated India's first vertical lift sea bridge, New Pamban Bridge, in Tamil Nadu.
• Hitesh Gulia won gold in World Boxing Cup 2025 in Brazil, becoming the first Indian.
• Tamil Nadu achieved the highest real economic growth rate (9.69%) in FY 2024-25.
• National Maritime Day: April 5.
• 150th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Summit: Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
• Mithathal and Tighrana Harappan sites declared protected archaeological sites by Haryana.
• President Droupadi Murmu honored with 'City of Honors' by Lisbon, Portugal.
• Indian government launched nuclear submarine base INS Varsha in Andhra Pradesh.
• First Indian cricketer to score 13,000 runs in T20 cricket: Virat Kohli.
• India's neighboring country to sign Artemis Accords: Bangladesh.
• Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to set up a world-class petrochemical complex in Odisha with an investment of ₹61,000 crore.
• 10,000-year-old dire wolf from Ice Age revived in USA.
• Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated India's first Himalayan Climate Center in Jammu & Kashmir.
• India's first Unicorn company in 2025: Jpay (a startup valued over $1 billion).
• First Indian film to be established in London's "Scenes in the Square": Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ).
• 9th Global Technology Summit: Delhi.
• Uttar Pradesh Police received the Skoch Award for its investigation, prosecution, and conviction portal.
• First African country to sign the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Country Partnership Framework: Mauritius.
• World's first 3D-printed train station (built in 6 hours): Japan.
• Buenos Aires Shooting World Cup 2025: India ranked 2nd (China 1st).
• Central government approved the purchase of 26 Rafale M (Marine) jets from France for the Navy.