Census 2011

• Census History & Administration:

  • First census in India: 1872, during Viceroy Mayo's tenure.
  • First decennial (scientific basis) census: 1881, during Viceroy Ripon's tenure.
  • Chief Census Officer: Census Commissioner.
  • First Census Commissioner of India: W.C. Plowden.
  • 2011 Census: 15th overall, 7th since independence (starting 1951), and 14th decennial.
  • 2011 Census Commissioner: C. Chandramouli.
  • 2011 Census Motto: "Our Census, Our Future."
  • "Great Divide" Decade: 1911-1921, due to population decrease caused by famine and epidemics; 1921 is called the "Year of Great Divide."

• Population Data (2011):

  • India's total population: 121.09 crore (second globally after China at the time; currently India is first).
  • Decadal population growth (2001-2011): 17.7%.
  • Female population: 48.53%; Male population: 51.47%.

• Geographical Distribution (2011):

  • Largest State by Area: Rajasthan.
  • Smallest State by Area: Goa.
  • Largest Union Territory (UT) by Area: Ladakh.
  • Smallest UT by Area: Lakshadweep.

• Population by State/UT (2011):

  • States by Highest Population (descending):
    1. Uttar Pradesh (16.51% of India's population)
    2. Maharashtra (9.28%)
    3. Bihar (8.6%)
    4. West Bengal (7.54%)
  • States by Lowest Population (ascending):
    1. Sikkim (0.05%)
    2. Mizoram (0.09%)
    3. Arunachal Pradesh (0.11%)
    4. Goa (0.12%)
  • UT with Highest Population: Delhi.
  • UT with Lowest Population: Lakshadweep.

• Population Growth (2011):

  • States by Highest Decadal Growth (2001-2011):
    1. Meghalaya (27.9%)
    2. Arunachal Pradesh
    3. Bihar
    4. Mizoram
  • States by Lowest/Negative Decadal Growth:
    1. Nagaland (-0.6%) - the only state with negative growth.
    2. Kerala
    3. Goa
    4. Andhra Pradesh

• Population Density (2011):

  • India's Population Density: 382 persons per sq km.
  • States by Highest Population Density:
    1. Bihar (1106 persons per sq km)
    2. West Bengal
    3. Kerala
    4. Uttar Pradesh
  • States by Lowest Population Density:
    1. Arunachal Pradesh (17 persons per sq km)
    2. Mizoram (52)
    3. Sikkim (86)
    4. Manipur (115)
  • Highest Population Density Overall (including UTs): Delhi (higher than any state).

• Sex Ratio (2011):

  • India's Sex Ratio: 943 females per 1000 males.
  • States by Highest Sex Ratio:
    1. Kerala (1084 females per 1000 males) - the only state with a ratio above 1000.
    2. Tamil Nadu
    3. Andhra Pradesh
    4. Manipur
  • States by Lowest Sex Ratio:
    1. Haryana (879 females per 1000 males)
    2. Sikkim
    3. Punjab
    4. Uttar Pradesh

• Child Sex Ratio (0-6 years, 2011):

  • Highest: Arunachal Pradesh (972).
  • Lowest: Haryana (834).

• Literacy Rate (2011):

  • India's Literacy Rate: 73% (for population aged 7+).
  • Male Literacy: 80.09%.
  • Female Literacy: 64.60%.
  • States by Highest Literacy Rate:
    1. Kerala (94%)
    2. Mizoram
    3. Goa
    4. Tripura
  • States by Lowest Literacy Rate:
    1. Bihar (61.80%)

• Rural & Urban Population (2011):

  • States by Highest Rural Population (percentage):
    1. Himachal Pradesh (90% rural)
    2. Bihar (88.7%)
    3. Assam
    4. Odisha
  • States by Highest Urban Population (percentage):
    1. Goa (62.2% urban)
  • States by Highest Urban Population (numbers):
    1. Maharashtra (5.08 crore)
    2. Uttar Pradesh

• Scheduled Caste (SC) Population (2011):

  • States by Highest SC Population (numbers):
    1. Uttar Pradesh (approx. 5.25 crore)
    2. West Bengal
  • States by Highest SC Population (percentage of state population):
    1. Punjab (31.9% SC)

• Scheduled Tribe (ST) Population (2011):

  • States by Highest ST Population (numbers):
    1. Madhya Pradesh (approx. 1.5 crore)
  • States by Highest ST Population (percentage of state population):
    1. Mizoram (94% ST)

Daily Current Affairs (As of August 2025)

• Important Days:

  • World Humanitarian Day: August 19 (commemorates 2003 UN bombing in Baghdad).
  • World Photography Day: August 19.
  • Elephant Day: August 12.
  • Lion Day: August 10.

• Awards & Competitions:

  • Miss Universe India 2025: Manika Viswakarma (Ganganagar, Rajasthan) won, will represent India at Miss Universe 2025 (74th edition) in Thailand.
    • Previous Indian Miss Universe winners: Sushmita Sen (1994), Lara Dutta (2000), Harnaaz Sandhu (2021).
  • Miss World 2025 (72nd edition): Held in Hyderabad, won by Opal Suchata (Thailand). India's representative: Nandini Gupta (Kota, Rajasthan).
    • First Indian Miss World: Reita Faria (1966).
  • Cincinnati Open 2025 (Tennis): Held in Ohio, USA.
    • Men's Singles Winner: Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) - his first Cincinnati Open title.
    • Women's Singles Winner: Iga Świątek (Poland).
  • ITTF World Para Championships: Held in Washington, USA.
    • Bhavina Patel won gold and silver medals, achieving World No. 1 ranking in her category (Class 1-5, wheelchair women's singles), becoming the first Indian to do so.
  • International Challenger Title (Malaysia): Won by Devika Sihag.

• Technology & Infrastructure:

  • First Removable Solar Panel on Railway Tracks: Installed by Banaras Locomotive (BLW) in India. 70-meter track, 28 panels, 15 kW energy generation.
  • AI Startup 'Parallels': Launched by former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal to enhance AI agents' efficiency.
    • Ocelot chip: Amazon.
    • Majora chip: Microsoft.
    • Ironwood chip: Google.
  • Press Seva Portal: Launched by Press Maha Panjiyan (Registrar of Newspapers for India, current: Yogesh Bavija) to simplify newspaper/magazine registration and enhance transparency.
    • First Indian newspaper: Bengal Gazette (James Augustus Hicky).
    • First Hindi newspaper: Udant Martand (Pt. Jugal Kishore Sharma).
    • "Liberator of Indian Press": Charles Metcalfe.
    • Vernacular Press Act: 1878 (Lord Lytton); repealed by Lord Ripon.
  • Urban Extension Road (UER) Second, Delhi: Inaugurated by PM Modi on August 17.
    • Includes Dwarka Expressway (Rohini section) and UER Second.
    • Length: 66 km.
    • Objective: Reduce Delhi's traffic congestion by diverting traffic.
    • Connects NH-44, NH-9, and Dwarka Expressway, easing travel to Sonipat (Haryana), Uttarakhand, and Delhi Airport.
  • Patna-Purnia Expressway, Bihar: Designated as National Expressway 9 (NE-9).
    • Bihar's first expressway entirely within the state.
    • Length: 250 km.
    • Connects NH-22 and NH-27.
  • Green Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Model: First Indian state to adopt: Chhattisgarh.
  • Aerospace:
    • POEM4 Mission (ISRO): Sent Lobia seeds into space.
    • Aero India 2025: Held in Bengaluru.
  • First Private Semiconductor Manufacturing Facility (India): Indchip Semiconductors Limited, to be established in Andhra Pradesh.
  • First Private Satellite Constellation (India): Firefly, launched by Pixxel and SpaceX.
  • +20 to -60 Temperature Resilient 'Him Kavach': Developed by DRDO.
  • First Cloud Chamber under Mission Monsoon: Established in Pune.
  • First 300 MW Compressed Air Energy Storage Plant (Ngachu First): Started in China.
  • First Under Water Museum 'Guldar': Maharashtra.

• Politics & Governance:

  • Vice President Candidate (INDI Alliance): Former Supreme Court Justice V. Sudarshan Reddy.
  • Vice President Candidate (Ruling Party): C.P. Radhakrishnan (Governor of Maharashtra).
  • Chief Guest for 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2025: President of Trinidad and Tobago.
  • Bharat POL Portal: Related to CBI (similar to Interpol).
  • First Organic Fisheries Cluster (India): Launched by Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh in Sikkim.
  • Road Accident Victims Financial Aid: ₹1.5 lakh under nationwide cashless treatment scheme.
  • Judicial Bodies: Central government formed Atomic Energy Commission under A.K. Mohanty.
  • Samitwa Yojana: Related to Panchayati Raj (determining true ownership of property).

• Environment & Biodiversity:

  • New Palm Tree Species: Phoenix Roxburghii, found on Malabar Coast (Kerala). Named after William Roxburgh (Father of Indian Botany). It is a monocotyledonous, flowering, evergreen plant.
    • "Palm Oil Country": Nigeria (Niger River is "Palm Oil River").
  • Ban on Animal Painkiller 'Nimesulide': Due to its adverse effects on vultures.
  • Most Dangerous Spider Species 'Big Boy': Discovered in Australia.
  • Pink Fire Retardant for California Forest Fires: Ammonium Phosphate.

• Miscellaneous:

  • Generation Beta: New generation born between 2025-2039.
  • 31st National Children's Science Congress: Madhya Pradesh.
  • 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards 2025 (Best Motion Picture): 'The Brutalist'.
  • Anahat Singh (Squash): Won Under-17 Junior Squash Open 2025 in England.
  • Green Skill Domestic Product Model: Chhattisgarh adopted.
  • Cultural Arts Village (Kala Gram): Established by Central Culture Ministry in Prayagraj (during Mahakumbh).
  • Z-Mode Tunnel: Part of Zojila Tunnel, inaugurated in Ramban, Jammu & Kashmir (connecting Leh and Srinagar).
  • Future Minerals Forum 2025: Started in Riyadh.
  • Kudankulam Nuclear Plant (Tamil Nadu): Russia is helping with 1000 MW sixth unit.
  • Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Shipbuilding: Launched Indian Navy's second multipurpose vessel 'Utkarsh' in Chennai.
  • Olot Chip: Amazon.
  • Majrana Chip: Microsoft.
  • Ironwood Chip: Google.
  • 21st Third Eye Festival: Mumbai.
  • Global Ageing Index 2025 (Nature Aging): India ranked 123rd.
  • Blue Flag Certification: Awarded to Kapad and Chalbeach (Kerala).
  • Parliament Powers, Functions, and Privileges (Book): Authored by T.R.K.S. Chauhan, released by former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
  • Makaravilakku Festival: Kerala.
  • Indian Meteorological Department (IMD): Presented a tableau for the first time at Republic Day Parade 2025, celebrating 150 years (est. 1875, current head: Mrutyunjay Mohapatra).
  • Foxconn iPhone 17 plant: Bengaluru, India.
  • IBM India Client Experience Center (Computing): Established its first center in Mumbai.
  • Tata Second (Air Traffic Control Simulation): Arunachal Pradesh.