Jawaharlal Nehru was born on l4th November, 1989, at Allahabad. He was the son of Pt. Moti Lal Nehru and Swoop Rani. Moti Lal was a rich lawyer. As such, Jawaharlal was born with a silver spoon in his month. Jawaharlal received his early education at home. He went to England in 1905 for higher studies. He studied at the Public School at Harrow. Later, he received education at Cambridge. He was called to the bar. He returned to India in 1912 and started practice at the Allahabad High Court. He, however, came under the influence of Mahatma Gandhi. He joined the Indian National Congress and jumped into the National Independence movement.  He spent the prime of his life in the jail. It was in the jail that he did most of his writing work He is known not only as a great patriot and statesman but also as a more...

A sustained rise in the prices of commodities that leads to a fall in the purchasing power of a nation is called inflation. Although inflation is part of the normal economic phenomena of any country, any increase in inflation above a predetermined level is a cause of concern. India's inflation rate remains far higher than in many other big emerging economies. In June 2011, inflation accelerated to 9.44 percent, as compared to around 5 per cent during 2003-08. The worry is that the inflation is expected to remain high in the coming months, till December-end 2011. Sadly, inflation in India is much higher than other emerging markets, such as China, Korea and Indonesia, where inflation is close to 3-5 per cent. The causes of inflation are many. While it is often cited that a drop in India's agricultural output lead to the decline in supply, figures tell a different story. more...

Dr. Rajendra Prasad (December 3, 1884 -February 28, 1963) was the first President of India. Prasad was born in Zeradei, in the Siwan district of Bihar. His father, Mahadev Sahai, was A Persian and Sanskrit language scholar; his mother, Kamleshwari Devi, was a devout lady who would tell stories from the Ramayana to her son. At the age of five, the young Rajendra Prasad was sent to a Maulavi for learning Persian. After that he was sent to Chhapra Zilla School for further primary studies. He was married at the age of 12 to Rajvanshi Devi. He then went on to study at R.K. Ghosh's Academy in Patna to bewitch his older brother Mahendra Prasad. Soon afterward, however, he rejoined the Chhapra Zilla School, and it was from there that he passed the entrance examination of Calcutta University, at the age of 18. He stood first in the first division more...

Decentralization can be defined as "the dispersion of decision making governance or distribution of functions and powers from a central authority to regional and local authorities." There are various forms of decentralization; and privatization is a type of decentralization. Privatization and deregulation means shifting responsibility for functions from the public to the private sector. Privatization can range from public-private partnerships to allowing private enterprises to perform functions that had previously been monopolized by government. Usually, though not always, privatization and deregulation are accompanied by economic liberalization and market development policies. Due to India's size and diversity, decentralization is very important for the country's growth. From the first central initiative to establish local governments in 1957 to the amendments in constitution that established mandatory provisions for decentralization-the concept of decentralization is not new to the country. The subsequent State and Municipal Acts created'a policy conducive to decentralized governance, and these are more...

CHANDRASEKHARA VENKATA RAMAN was born at Trichinopoly in Southern India on November 7th, 1888. His father was a lecturer in mathematics and physics so that from the first he was immersed in an academic atmosphere. He entered Presidency College, Madras, in 1902, and in 1904 passed his B.A. examination, winning the first place and the gold medal in physics; in1907 he gained his M.A. degree, obtaining the highest distinctions. His earliest researches in optics and acoustics - the two fields of investigation to which he has dedicated his entire career - were carried out while he was a student. Since at that time a scientific career did not appear to present the best possibilities, Raman joined the Indian Finance Department in 1907; though the duties of his office took most of his time, Raman found opportunities for carrying on experimental research in the laboratory of the Indian Association for the more...

Banking in India has its origin in the Vedic period. It is believed that the transition from money lending to banking must have occurred even before Manu, the great Hindu Jurist, who has devoted a section of his work to deposits and advances and laid down rules relating to rates of interest. During the Mughal period, the indigenous bankers played a very important role in lending money and financing foreign trade and commerce. The first bank in India, though elemental, was established in 1786. From 1786 till today, the journey of Indian Banking System can be segregated into three distinct phases. They are—Early Phase from 1786 to 1969 of commerical banks; Nationalization of Commerical Banks and up to 1991, prior to Indian banking sector reforms; and New Phase of Indian Banking System with the advent of Indian Financial & Banking Sector Reforms after 1991. The General Bank of India was set more...

Shivaji was one of the greatest patriots of India whom the coun- try men will not forget as long as the sun is there in the sky. He was born on February 19, 4630. The name of his father was Shahaji Bhosle and the name of his mother was Jijabai. He was greatly influenced by his mother who was a highly religious lady Dada KondaDev was his guru. Shivaji was a lover of martial arts and riding, Wrestling, etc. even in his early boyhood. He also loved reading and writing. He was very fond of religious discourse and he daily listened to the sweet, enlightening religious hymns. He was a great patriot who rejected the cruel Mughal rulers. The fanatic Aurangzeb was then the emperor. He was a very brave boy and even at the age of eighteen, he wrested the control of the Torna Fort from the Bijapur rulers. more...

Minerals are valuable natural resources being finite and non-renewable. They constitute the vital raw materials for many basic industries and are a major resource for development. Management of mineral resources has, therefore, to be closely integrated with the overall strategy of development; and exploitation of minerals is to be guided by long-term national goals and perspectives. India with diverse and significant mineral resources is the leading producer of some of the minerals. Of the 89 minerals produced in the country, 4 are fuel minerals, 11 metallic, 52 non-metallic and 22 minor minerals. India is the largest producer of mica blocks and mica splittings; ranks second in the production of chromite, barytes, talc and steatite; ranks third in the production of coal and lignite, and bauxite; 4th in iron ore, fifth in steel, seventh in zinc, eight in copper, 10th in aluminium and 11th  in mica. Iron-ore, copper-ore, chromite ore, zinc more...

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891-1956) was an Indian social reformer and politician who devoted himself to improving the life of untouchables, particularly of his own caste, the Mahars. Bhimrao Ambedkar was born at Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. He attended Columbia University during 1914-1916 and received a doctorate in19 2 6. While at Columbia, John Dewey and other prominent teachers inspired Ambedkar and reinforced his commitment to social reform. Two avenues existed for altering the conditions of Hindu untouchables in the early 20th century. Ambedkar rejected the more traditional approach of changing a caste's habits and image so that they resembled the norms associated with high castes. Instead, he tried to supplant such norms with the Western-based notion that all men, including Mahars, have rights of liberty and equality Ambedkar made it his mission to create circumstances in which those rights could become fact. Sophisticated, articulate, with a political sense and an independent more...

Agriculture in India is the means of livelihood of almost two-third of the workforce in the country. It has always been India's most important economic sector. Before 1947, Indian history was replete with famine, drought and food shortages. Between 1770 and 1880, as many as 27 food scarcities and famines were recorded. At least 20 million lives were lost in India in about 20 famines that had struck since 1850. Much of this loss was because of misplaced colonial policies, which dimed to derive maximum economic gain at the cost of human suffering and misery. After the British had created a transport infrastructure in the first half of the 19th century, they began encouraging farmers to grow crops that could be exported. The boom in export and trade accompanied by rising prices forced farmers to shift to cash crops like cotton, indigo, poppy and sugarcane. The area under food grains subsequently more...