Rajasthan

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India's Five-Year Plans (Historical Policy Overview) ​

  • First Five-Year Plan (1951-1956):
    • Started: April 1, 1951.
    • Model: Harrod-Domar.
    • Drafted by: K.N. Raj.
    • Primary Focus: Agriculture.
    • Growth: Target 2.1%, Achieved 3.6%.
  • Second Five-Year Plan (1956-1961):
    • Model: P.C. Mahalanobis.
    • Primary Focus: Heavy Industries.
    • Key Establishments: Iron and steel plants in Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), Rourkela (Odisha), and Durgapur (West Bengal).
    • Growth: Target 4.5%, Achieved 4.27%.
  • Third Five-Year Plan (1961-1966):
    • Model: Sukhamoy Chakravarty.
    • Focus: Agriculture and Industry (both).
    • Major Events: India-China War (1962), India-Pakistan War (1965).
    • Outcome: Plan failure due to wars.
    • Key Slogan: "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" (by Lal Bahadur Shastri).
    • Establishment: Food Corporation of India (1965).
  • Plan Holiday (1966-1969):
    • Duration: Three annual plans due to economic crisis.
    • Key Initiative: Launch of Green Revolution to achieve food self-sufficiency.
  • Fourth Five-Year Plan (1969-1974):
    • Model: Ashok Rudra / D.R. Gadgil.
    • Objective: Growth with Stability and Self-Reliance.
    • Growth: Target 5.5-5.7%, Achieved 3.3%.
    • Major Events: Nationalization of 14 banks (1969), India-Pakistan War (1971), First Nuclear Test (Operation Smiling Buddha) in Pokhran (1974).
  • Fifth Five-Year Plan (1974-1978):
    • Duration: Terminated one year early (1978), the only plan to do so.
    • Model: D.P. Dhar.
    • Main Objective: Poverty Eradication ("Garibi Hatao").
    • Growth: Target 4.4%, Achieved 4.8%.
  • Rolling Plan (1978-1980):
    • Introduced by: Janata Party government (Morarji Desai).
    • Concept Origin (Global): Gunnar Myrdal.
    • Concept Implementer (India): D.T. Lakdawala.
  • Sixth Five-Year Plan (1980-1985):
    • Model: Input-Output Model.
    • Objectives: Employment Generation and Poverty Eradication.
    • Establishment: NABARD (1982).
    • Nationalization: 6 more banks (1980).
    • Major Events: Operation Blue Star, Operation Meghdoot (Siachen acquisition, 1984), Indira Gandhi's assassination (1984).
  • Seventh Five-Year Plan (1985-1990):
    • Objective: Social Justice with Modernization.
    • Slogan: "Roti, Rozgar aur Utpadakta" (Food, Work, and Productivity).
    • Growth: Target 5%, Achieved 6%.
    • Establishment: SEBI (1988).
  • Plan Holiday (1990-1992):
    • Duration: Two annual plans due to economic instability and foreign exchange crisis.
    • Key Policy Change: New Economic Policy (LPG reforms - Liberalization, Privatization, Globalization) in 1991 under PM P.V. Narasimha Rao and FM Dr. Manmohan Singh.
  • Eighth Five-Year Plan (1992-1997):
    • Model: John W. Miller.
    • Objective: Human Resource Development (influenced by Human Development Index).
    • Major Events: 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments (Panchayati Raj and Nagarpalika, 1992), WTO establishment (January 1, 1995).
  • Ninth Five-Year Plan (1997-2002):
    • Objective: Social Justice and Economic Growth with Equality.
    • Key Initiatives: Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY, Dec 25, 2000).
    • Major Events: Kargil War (1999).
  • Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-2007):
    • Model: Input-Output Model.
    • Objective: Social Justice and Economic Growth with Equality.
    • Highest Growth Rate (until then): 7.6%.
    • Key Legislation: NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) in 2005 (implemented Feb 2, 2006).
  • Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-2012):
    • Objective: Rapid and Inclusive Growth.
    • Highest Growth Rate Achieved (overall): 8%.
    • Key Legislation: Right to Education (RTE) Act in 2009 (implemented April 1, 2010).
  • Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2012-2017):
    • Objective: Faster, More Inclusive, and Sustainable Growth.
    • Final Five-Year Plan.
    • Growth: Target 8%, Achieved 6.7-6.9%.
    • Specific Targets: 4% agricultural growth, Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1%.

Recent Current Affairs ​

  • Russia Earthquake (July 31, 2025):
    • Location: Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia.
    • Magnitude: 8.8.
    • Impact: Caused displacement of 2 million people; Tsunami alert issued in Japan.
    • Historical Context: World's most powerful earthquake (9.5 magnitude) occurred in Chile in 1960.
    • Terminology: Focus (origin point of earthquake), Epicenter (point on surface directly above focus).
  • Australia Bans YouTube for Minors:
    • Policy: Australia banned YouTube for children under 16 years.
    • Reason: To protect children from harmful online content.
    • Precedent: Australia was the first country to enact a law restricting social media (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) for children under 16.
  • New SSB Director General:
    • Appointment: Sanjay Singhal appointed as the new Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
    • Appointment Authority: Ministry of Home Affairs.
    • SSB Deployment: Guards India-Nepal and India-Bhutan borders.
    • Related Forces: ITBP (India-China border), BSF (India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders).
    • State-Specific Record: Yogi Adityanath became the longest-serving Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (8 years, 135 days as of July 31, 2025).
  • Sustainable Agriculture Day Declared:
    • Declaration: Maharashtra government to observe August 7 as 'Sustainable Agriculture Day'.
    • Reason: To honor Dr. M.S. Swaminathan on his birth centenary.
    • Dr. M.S. Swaminathan:
      • Awarded Bharat Ratna in 2024.
      • Known as the "Father of Green Revolution in India" (especially for wheat).
      • Referred to as the "Father of Economic Ecology" by the UN.
      • Advocated for Minimum Support Price (MSP) to be 1.5 times the cost of production.
      • Recipient of the first World Food Prize.
    • Other Observances on August 7:
      • National Handloom Day (commemorates Swadeshi Movement of 1905).
      • Javelin Throw Day (commemorates Neeraj Chopra's Olympic gold).
    • Commemorative Coin: Government of India to issue a ₹100 coin for Dr. M.S. Swaminathan.
      • Minted in: Kolkata.
      • Weight: 35 grams.
      • Composition: Silver, Copper, Nickel, Zinc.
      • Features: Swaminathan's photo and "Satyamev Jayate".
    • Global Green Revolution: Norman Borlaug (Father), William Gaud (Coined the term).
  • World's Most Beautiful Airport Award 2025 (Prix Versailles):
    • Awarded to: Yantai Penglai International Airport, China.
    • Award Background: Conferred by UNESCO since 2015 for architectural beauty in airports.
  • Tiger Density Ranking (as of July 29):
    • Global Top 3 Tiger Reserves by Density:
      1. Bandipur Tiger Reserve (Karnataka, India)
      2. Corbett Tiger Reserve (Uttarakhand, India)
      3. Kaziranga Tiger Reserve (Assam, India) - noted for significant growth.
    • Kaziranga National Park: UNESCO World Heritage site (1985), famous for one-horned rhinoceros.
    • New Study at Kaziranga: First-ever grassland bird census in India conducted here.
    • Latest Tiger Reserve in India: 58th - Madhav Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh).
    • India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites: 44 total (7 natural, 36 cultural, 1 mixed).
  • US Tariffs on India (Donald Trump):
    • Announcement: US President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on India for purchasing crude oil and weapons from Russia.
    • Context: This policy aims to encourage India to procure these goods from the US and/or generate revenue through tariffs.
    • Bilateral Trade Target: Despite this, the US aims to increase bilateral trade with India to $500 billion by 2030.
  • New Solar System Birth Discovery:
    • Discovery: Astronomers observed the birth of a new solar system around the star H.O.P.S. 315.
    • Telescopes Used: Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
    • JWST: World's largest space telescope, launched by NASA in 2021 (successor to Hubble Telescope), an infrared telescope.
    • Location: The newly observed star system is 1300 light-years away from Earth.
    • Significance: Provides insights into the formation process of solar systems, including our own.
  • Operation Shiv Shakti:
    • Launch: Indian Army and Jammu & Kashmir Police in the Poonch Sector, J&K (July 18).
    • Objective: Counter-terrorism and eliminate infiltrators along the Line of Control (LoC).
    • Related Operations: Operation Mahadev, Operation Keller, Operation Bahali (all counter-terrorism efforts in J&K).
    • Lunar Significance: "Shiv Shakti Point" is the name given to the Chandrayaan-3 landing site on the Moon's South Pole (August 23).
  • Coral Cover Decline in Lakshadweep:
    • Study: A 24-year study (since 1998) on Agatti, Kadmat, and Kavaratti islands in Lakshadweep.
    • Finding: Approximately 50% reduction in coral cover (from 37% in 1998 to 19.6%).
    • Cause: Coral bleaching, where corals lose their color and die due to rising sea temperatures, exacerbated by strong El Niño events (e.g., 1998, 2010, 2016).
    • Lakshadweep Facts: Consists of 36 islands, primarily formed by corals. Capital is Kavaratti. Northernmost island is Amini, southernmost is Minicoy. The 8-degree channel separates Minicoy from Maldives (10-degree channel separates Andaman and Nicobar). Kadmat and Minicoy islands have Blue Flag certified beaches.
  • Other Key Updates:
    • NISAR Mission: Launched using GSLV F16.
    • Santosh Trophy 2025: Won by Bengal (Football).
    • Republic Day 2025 Chief Guest: Subianto, President of Indonesia.
    • Project P75 Submarine: The sixth and final Scorpene-class submarine is INS Vagshir.
    • Interpol Notice: First-ever 'Silver Notice' issued to trace laundered assets.
    • National Turmeric Board: Located in Nizamabad, Telangana.
    • UNESCO Heritage Status (India): Moidam (Assam) is the 43rd site; Maratha Military Landscapes (12 forts) is the 44th site.
    • Bharavast: India's system developed to counter drone swarms.
    • 47th US President-elect: Donald Trump.
    • Economic Survey 2024-25: Forecasts India's real GDP to be 6.4% for FY25.
    • Axiom Mission 4: Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will be on this mission to the International Space Station.
    • Colonel C.K. Nayudu Award: Awarded to Sachin Tendulkar.
    • E-NAM Platform: 'Dragon Fruit' has been designated on this national e-trading portal for agricultural produce.
    • 100% FDI in Defense: SAAB (from Sweden) is a company leveraging 100% FDI in India's defense sector.
    • Corruption Perception Index: India ranked 96th.
    • 38th National Games: Held in Uttarakhand, 'Services' team won the most medals and the Raja Bhalindra Singh Trophy. The next games will be in Meghalaya.
    • President's Rule: Imposed in Manipur, with Ajay Kumar Bhalla appointed as Governor.
    • First Under Water Museum: Established in Maharashtra, associated with Indian Navy ship Guldaar.
    • Ranji Trophy 2025: Won by Vidarbha.
    • Hockey India National Congress: 15th session held in Tamil Nadu.
    • Gyan Bharatam Mission: Announced in 'Mann Ki Baat', related to manuscripts, and first mentioned in the budget.
    • New MBBS College: Established in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
    • Mother Teresa Advanced Health Clinic: Established in Jharkhand.
    • Drone Prahar: Launched in Arunachal Pradesh.
    • Rajendra Chola I Commemorative Coin: PM Modi launched a ₹1000 commemorative coin in honor of Rajendra Chola I (1000 years). This was part of the Adi Tiruvati Festival in Gangaikondacholapuram, Tamil Nadu.