1. INDIA 2011 A REFERENCE ANNUAL Compiled byRESEARCH, REFERENCE AND TRAINING DIVISIONPUBLICATIONS DIVISION MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTINGGOVERNMENT OF INDIA

2. 2011 (Saka 1932)55th Edition Research, Reference and Training DivisionISBN : 978-81-230-1674-0REF-ENG-OP-045-2010-11Price : < 345.00Published by the Additional Director General (Incharge),Publications Division,Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,Government of India, Soochna Bhawan, CGO ComplexLodhi Road, New Delhi-110 003Website : www.publicationsdivision.nic.inPublications DivisionResearch, Reference and Training DivisionEditing :Compilation and CoordinationS. Manjula S. M. KhanDayawanti Srivastava L.R. VishwanathNitima Shiv Charan A.K. SrivastavaR. AnuradhaSimmi KumarCover Design : Asha SaxenaProduction : J. K. ChandraSales Centres : l Soochna Bhavan, C.G.O. Complex, Lodhi Road, New DelhiDelhi-110003 l Hall No. 196, Old Secretariat, Delhi Delhi-110054 l 701, B-Wing, KendriyaSadan, Belapur, Navi MumbaiMumbai-400614 l 8, Esplanade East, Kolkata Kolkata-700069 l AWing, Rajaji Bhawan, Besant Nagar, ChennaiChennai-600090 l Press Road, Near Govt.Press, Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram-695001 l Block 4, 1st Floor, Gruhakalpa Complex, M.G.Road, Nampally HyderabadHyderabad-500001 l 1st Floor, F Wing, Kendriya Sadan,Koramangala, BangaluruBangaluru-560034 l Bihar State Co-operative Bank Building, AshokaRajpath, Patna Patna-800004 l Hall No. 1, 2nd Floor, Kendriya Bhawan, Sector-H, Aliganj,Lucknow-226024 l Ambica Complex, 1st Floor, Paldi, AhmedabadLucknowAhmedabad-380007 l HouseNo. 7, New Colony, Cheni Kuthi, KKB Road Guwahati Guwahati-781003.Typesetter : Quick Prints, Naraina, New Delhi-110 028.Printed at : Tan Prints (India) Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi 3. Contents 1. Land and the People 1 2. National Symbols 22 3. The Polity 26 4. Agriculture66 5. Culture and Tourism 116 6. Basic Economic Data 137 7. Commerce164 8. Communications and Information Technology 182 9. Defence 22010. Education 24311. Energy27812. Environment 31813. Finance 34614. Corporate Affairs 43015. Food and Civil Supplies 44016. Health and Family Welfare 47617. Housing 52718. India and the World 54519. Industry59320. Justice and Law 67321. Labour69522. Mass Communication72123. Planning76424. Rural and Urban Development 79825. Scientific and Technological Developments 83326. Transport 92527. Water Resources 95428. Welfare 98229. Youth Affairs and Sports103530. States and Union Territories106031. Diary of National Events117032. General Information 1173Appendices 4. iv Blank 5. Land and the People 11 Land and the People"INDIA is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother ofhistory, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother of tradition. Our mostvaluable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up inIndia only."Mark TwainIndia has a unique culture and is one of the oldest and greatest civilizations of theworld. It stretches from the snow-capped Himalayas in the North to sun drenchedcoastal villages of the South, the humid tropical forests on the south-west coast, thefertile Brahamputra valley on its East to the Thar desert in the West. It covers an areaof 32,87,263 sq. km. It has achieved all-round socio-economic progress during thelast 63 years of its Independence. India is the seventh largest country in the worldand ranks second in population. The country stands apart from the rest of Asia,marked off as it is by mountains and the sea, which give her a distinct geographicalentity. Bounded by the Great Himalayas in the north, it stretches southwards and atthe Tropic of Cancer, tapers off into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal onthe east and the Arabian Sea on the west. Lying entirely in the northern hemisphere, the mainland extends betweenlatitudes 84 and 376 north, longitudes 687 and 9725 east and measures about3,214 km from north to south between the extreme latitudes and about 2,933 km fromeast to west between the extreme longitudes. It has a land frontier of about 15,200 km.The total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands andAndaman & Nicobar Islands is 7,516.6 km.PHYSICAL BACKGROUNDCountries having a common border with India are Afghanistan and Pakistan to thenorth-west, China, Bhutan and Nepal to the north, Myanmar to the far east andBangladesh to the east of West Bengal. Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrowchannel of sea formed by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar. The country can bedivided into six zones mainly North, South, East, West, Central and North-east zone.It has 28 states and seven union territories.PHYSICAL FEATURESThe mainland comprises four regions, namely, the great mountain zone, plains of theGanga and the Indus, the desert region and the southern peninsula.The Himalayas comprise three almost parallel ranges interspersed with largeplateaus and valleys, some of which, like the Kashmir and Kullu valleys, are fertile,extensive and of great scenic beauty. Some of the highest peaks in the world are foundin these ranges. The high altitudes admit travel only to a few passes, notably the JelepLa and Nathu La on the main Indo-Tibet trade route through the Chumbi Valley,north-east of Darjeeling and Shipki La in the Satluj valley, north-east of Kalpa(Kinnaur). The mountain wall extends over a distance of about 2,400 km with avarying depth of 240 to 320 km. In the east, between India and Myanmar and Indiaand Bangladesh, hill ranges are much lower. Garo, Khasi, Jaintia and Naga Hills,1Provisional as on 31 March 1982 6. 2India 2011running almost east-west, join the chain to Mizo and Rkhine Hills running north-south. The plains of the Ganga and the Indus, about 2,400 km long and 240 to 320 kmbroad, are formed by basins of three distinct river systems - the Indus, the Ganga andthe Brahmaputra. They are one of the worlds greatest stretches of flat alluvium andalso one of the most densely populated areas on the earth. Between the Yamuna atDelhi and the Bay of Bengal, nearly 1,600 km away, there is a drop of only 200 metresin elevation. The desert region can be divided into two parts - the great desert and the littledesert. The great desert extends from the edge of the Rann of Kuchch beyond the Luniriver northward. The whole of the Rajasthan-Sind frontier runs through this. Thelittle desert extends from the Luni between Jaisalmer and Jodhpur up to the northernwastes. Between the great and the little deserts lies a zone of absolutely sterile country,consisting of rocky land, cut up by limestone ridges. The Peninsular Plateau is marked off from the plains of the Ganga and theIndus by a mass of mountain and hill ranges varying from 460 to 1,220 metres inheight. Prominent among these are the Aravalli, Vindhya, Satpura, Maikala andAjanta. The Peninsula is flanked on the one side by the Eastern Ghats where averageelevation is about 610 metres and on the other by the Western Ghats where it isgenerally from 915 to 1,220 metres, rising in places to over 2,440 metres. Between theWestern Ghats and the Arabian Sea lies a narrow coastal strip, while between EasternGhats and the Bay of Bengal, there is a broader coastal area. The southern point ofplateau is formed by the Nilgiri Hills where the Eastern and the Western Ghats meet.The Cardamom Hills lying beyond may be regarded as a continuation of the WesternGhats.GEOLOGICAL STRUCTUREThe geological regions broadly follow the physical features and may be grouped intothree regions: the Himalayas and their associated group of mountains, the Indo-Ganga Plain and the Peninsular Shield.The Himalayan mountain belt to the north and the Naga-Lushai mountain inthe east, are the regions of mountain-building movement. Most of this area, nowpresenting some of the most magnificent mountain scenery in the world, was undermarine conditions about 60 crore years ago. In a series of mountain-buildingmovements commencing about seven crore years ago, the sediments and the basementrocks rose to great heights. The weathering and erosive agencies worked on these toproduce the relief seen today. The Indo-Ganga plains are a great alluvial tract thatseparate the Himalayas in the north from the Peninsula in the south.The Peninsula is a region of relative stability and occasional seismicdisturbances. Highly metamorphosed rocks of the earliest periods, dating back as faras 380 crore years, occur in the area; the rest being covered by the coastal-bearingGondwana formations, lava flows belonging to the Deccan Trap formation andyounger sediments.RIVER SYSTEMSThe river systems of India can be classified into four groups viz., (i) Himalayan rivers,(ii) Deccan rivers, (iii) Coastal rivers, and (iv) Rivers of the inland drainage basin. TheHimalayan rivers are formed by melting snow and glaciers and therefore,continuously flow throughout the year. During the monsoon months, Himalayas 7. Land and the People 3receive very heavy rainfall and rivers swell, causing frequent floods. The Deccanrivers on the other hand are rainfed and therefore fluctuate in volume. Many of theseare non-perennial. The Coastal streams, especially on the west coast are short inlength and have limited catchment areas. Most of them are non-perennial. The streamsof inland drainage basin of western Rajasthan are few and far apart. Most of them areof an ephemeral character. The main Himalayan river systems are those of the Indus and the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna system. The Indus, which is one of the great rivers of theworld, rises near Mansarovar in Tibet and flows through India and thereafter throughPakistan and finally falls into the Arabian sea near Karachi. Its important tributariesflowing in Indian territory are the Sutlej (originating in Tibet), the Beas, the Ravi, theChenab and the Jhelum. The Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna is another importantsystem of which the principal sub-basins are those of Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda,which join at Dev Prayag to form the Ganga. It traverses through Uttarakhand, UttarPradesh, Bihar and West Bengal states. Below Rajmahal hills, the Bhagirathi, whichused to be the main course in the past, takes off, while the Padma continues eastwardand enters Bangladesh. The Yamuna, the Ramganga, the Ghaghra, the Gandak, theKosi, the Mahananda and the Sone are the important tributaries of the Ganga. RiversChambal and Betwa are the important sub-tributaries, which join Yamuna before itmeets the Ganga. The Padma and the Brahmaputra join at Bangladesh and continueto flow as the Padma or Ganga. The Brahmaputra rises in Tibet, where it is known asTsangpo and runs a long distance till it crosses over into India in Arunachal Pradeshunder the name of Dihang. Near Passighat, the Debang and Lohit join the riverBrahmaputra and the combined river runs all along the Assam in a narrow valley. Itcrosses into Bangladesh downstream of Dhubri. The principal tributaries of Brahmaputra in India are the Subansiri, Jia Bhareli,Dhansiri, Puthimari, Pagladiya and the Manas. The Brahmaputra in Bangladesh fedby Tista, etc., finally falls into Ganga. The Barak river, the head stream of Meghna,rises in the hills in Manipur. The important tributaries of the river are Makku, Trang,Tuivai, Jiri, Sonai, Rukni, Katakhal, Dhaleswari, Langachini, Maduva and Jatinga.Barak continues in Bangladesh till the combined GangaBrahmaputra join it nearBhairab Bazar. In the Deccan region, most of the major river systems flowing generally in eastdirection fall into Bay of Bengal. The major east flowing rivers are Godavari, Krishna,Cauvery, Mahanadi, etc. Narmada and Tapti are major West flowing rivers. The Godavari in the southern Peninsula has the second largest river basincovering 10 per cent of the area of India. Next to it is the Krishna basin in the region,while the Mahanadi has the third largest basin. The basin of the Narmada in theuplands of the Deccan, flowing to the Arabian Sea and of the Kaveri in the south,falling into the Bay of Bengal are about the same size, though with different characterand shape. There are numerous coastal rivers, which are comparatively small. While onlyhandful of such rivers drain into the sea near the delta of east coast, there are as manyas 600 such rivers on the west coast. A few rivers in Rajasthan do not drain into the sea. They drain into salt lakesand get lost in sand with no outlet to sea. Besides these, there are the desert riverswhich flow for some distance and are lost in the desert. These are Luni, Machhu,Rupen, Saraswati, Banas, Ghaggar and others. 8. 4India 2011CLIMATEThe climate of India may be broadly described as tropical monsoon type. There arefour seasons: (i) winter (January-February), (ii) hot weather summer (March-May);(iii) rainy south-western monsoon (June-September) and (iv) post-monsoon, alsoknown as north-east monsoon in the southern Peninsula (October-December).Indias climate is affected by two seasonal winds - the north-east monsoon and thesouth-west monsoon. The north-east monsoon commonly known as winter monsoonblows from land to sea whereas south-west monsoon known as summer monsoonblows from sea to land after crossing the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Bayof Bengal. The south-west monsoon brings most of the rainfall during the year in thecountry.FLORAIndia is rich in flora. Available data place India in the tenth position in the world andfourth in Asia in plant diversity. From about 70 per cent geographical area surveyedso far, over 46,000 species of plants have been described by the Botanical Survey ofIndia (BSI), Kolkata. The vascular flora, which forms the conspicuous vegetationcover, comprises 15,000 species.With a wide range of climatic conditions from the torrid to the arctic, India hasa rich and varied vegetation, which only a few countries of comparable size possess.India can be divided into eight distinct-floristic-regions, namely, the westernHimalayas, the eastern Himalayas, Assam, the Indus plain, the Ganga plain, theDeccan, Malabar and the Andamans.The Western Himalayan region extends from Kashmir to Kumaon. Its temperatezone is rich in forests of chir, pine, other conifers and broad-leaved temperate trees.Higher up, forests of deodar, blue pine, spruce and silver fir occur. The alpine zoneextends from the upper limit of the temperate zone of about 4,750 metres or evenhigher. The characteristic trees of this zone are high-level silver fir, silver birch andjunipers. The eastern Himalayan region extends from Sikkim eastwards and embracesDarjeeling, Kurseong and the adjacent tract. The temperate zone has forests of oaks,laurels, maples, rhododendrons, alder and birch. Many conifers, junipers and dwarfwillows also grow here. The Assam region comprises the Brahamaputra and theSurma valleys with evergreen forests, occasional thick clumps of bamboos and tallgrasses. The Indus plain region comprises the plains of Punjab, western Rajasthanand northern Gujarat. It is dry, hot and supports natural vegetation. The Ganga plainregion covers the area which is alluvial plain and is under cultivation for wheat,sugarcane and rice. Only small areas support forests of widely differing types. TheDeccan region comprises the entire table land of the Indian Peninsula and supportsvegetation of various kinds from scrub jungles to mixed deciduous forests. The Malabarregion covers the excessively humid belt of mountain country parallel to the westcoast of the Peninsula. Besides being rich in forest vegetation, this region producesimportant commercial crops, such as coconut, betelnut, pepper, coffee, tea, rubberand cashewnut. The Andaman region abounds in evergreen, mangrove, beach anddiluvial forests. The Himalayan region extending from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradeshthrough Sikkim, Meghalaya and Nagaland and the Deccan Peninsula is rich inendemic flora, with a large number of plants which are not found elsewhere.The flora of the country is being studied by BSI and its nine circle/field officeslocated throughout the country along with certain universities and research institutions. 9. Land and the People 5Ethno-botanical study deals with the utilisation of plants and plant productsby ethnic races. A scientific study of such plants has been made by BSI. A number ofdetailed ethno-botanical explorations have been conducted in different tribal areasof the country. More than 800 plant species of ethno-botanical interest have beencollected and identified at different centres.Owing to destruction of forests for agricultural, industrial and urbandevelopment, several Indian plants are facing extinction. About 1,336 plant speciesare considered vulnerable and endangered. About 20 species of higher plants arecategorised as possibly extinct as these have not been sighted during the last6-10 decades. BSI brings out an inventory of endangered plants in the form of apublication titled Red Data Book.FAUNA1The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), with its headquarters in Kolkata and 16 regionalstations is responsible for surveying the faunal resources of India. Possessing atremendous diversity of climate and physical conditions, India has great variety offauna numbering over 90,000 species. Of these, protista number 2,577, mollusca5,072, anthropoda 69,903, amphibia 240, mammalia 397, reptilia 460, members ofprotochordata 119, pisces 2,546, aves 1,232 and other invertebrates 8,329.The mammals include the majestic elephant, the gaur or Indian bisonthe largestof existing bovines, the great Indian rhinoceros, the gigantic wild sheep of theHimalayas, the swamp deer, the thamin spotted deer, nilgai, the four-horned antelope,the Indian antelope or black-buck the only representatives of these genera. Amongthe cats, the tiger and lion are the most magnificent of all; other splendid creaturessuch as the clouded leopard, the snow leopard, the marbled cat, etc., are also found.Many other species of mammals are remarkable for their beauty, colouring, grace anduniqueness. Several birds, like pheasants, geese, ducks, myanahs, parakeets, pigeons,cranes, hornbills and sunbirds inhabit forests and wetlands.Amongst the crocodiles and gharials, the salt water crocodile is found along theeastern coast and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A project for breedingcrocodiles which started in 1974, has been instrumental in saving the crocodile fromextinction.The great Himalayan range has a very interesting variety of fauna that includesthe wild sheep and goats, markhor, ibex, shrew and tapir. The panda and the snowleopard are found in the upper reaches of the mountains.Depletion of forest cover due to expansion of agriculture, habitat destruction,over-exploitation, pollution, introduction of toxic imbalance in communitystructure, epidemics, floods, droughts and cyclones, contribute to the loss of floraand fauna.DEMOGRAPHIC BACKGROUNDCENSUSThe Census of India 2001, is historic and epoch making, being the first census of thetwenty-first century and the third millennium. It reveals benchmark data on the stateof abundant human resources available in the country, their demography, culture1As per information available upto January 2007 on the ZSI Website. 10. 6 India 2011and economic structure at a juncture, which marks a centennial and millenialtransition.The population enumeration of 2001 census was undertaken from 9 to 28February 2001 with a revisional round from 1 to 5 March 2001. The census moment,the referral time at which the snapshot of the population is taken was 00.00 hours of1 March 2001. Until the 1991 Census, the sunrise of 1 March was taken to be thecensus moment. The houseless population, as has been the usual practice, wasenumerated on the night of 28 February 2001.POPULATIONIndias population as on 1 March 2001 stood at 1,028 million (532.1 million malesand 496.4 million females). India accounts for a meagre 2.4 per cent of the worldsurface area of 135.79 million sq km. Yet, it supports and sustains a whopping 16.7per cent of the world population.The population of India, which at the turn of the twentieth century was around238.4 million, increased to reach 1,028 million at the dawn of the twenty-first century.The population of India as recorded at each decennial census from 1901 has grownsteadily except for a decrease during 1911-21. Decadal growth of population from1901 is shown in table 1.1.Table 1.2 gives the selected indicators of population growth in different Statesand Union Territories. The per cent decadal growth of population in the inter-censalperiod 1991-2001 varies from a low of 9.43 in Kerala to a very high 64.53 in Nagaland.Delhi with 47.02 per cent, Chandigarh with 40.28 per cent and Sikkim with 33.06 percent registering very high growth rates. In addition to Kerala, Tamilnadu and AndhraPradesh registered low growth rates during 1991-2001.POPULATION DENSITYOne of the important indices of population concentration is the density of popula-tion. It is defined as the number of persons per sq km. The population density of Indiain 2001 was 324 per sq km. The density of population increased in all States and Union Territories between1991 and 2001. Among major states, West Bengal is still the most thickly populatedstate with a population density of 903 in 2001. Bihar is now the second highestdensely populated state pushing Kerala to the third place. Ranking of the States andUnion Territories by density is shown in table 1.3.SEX RATIOSex ratio, defined as the number of females per thousand males is an important socialindicator to measure the extent of prevailing equality between males and females ina society at a given point of time. The sex ratio in the country had always remainedunfavourable to females. It was 972 at the beginning of the 20th century and thereaftershowed continuous decline until 1941. The sex ratio from 1901-2001 is given intable 1.4.LITERACYFor the purpose of census 2001, a person aged seven and above, who can both readand write with understanding in any language, is treated as literate. A person, whocan only read but cannot write, is not literate. In the censuses prior to 1991, childrenbelow five years of age were necessarily treated as illiterates. 11. TABLE 1.1 : POPULATION 1901-2001 Average Decadal GrowthChange in decadalannualProgressiveCensus growthexponential growth rateyears Populationgrowth rateover 1901 Absolute Per centAbsolute Per cent(per cent) (per cent) 1234 56 78 Land and the People190123,83,96,327 191125,20,93,390 1,36,97,063 5.75 0.56 5.75192125,13,21,213 -7,72,177-0.31 -1,44,69,240 -6.05-0.03 5.42193127,89,77,238 2,76,56,02511.00 2,84,28,202 11.311.0417.02194131,86,60,580 3,96,83,34214.22 1,20,27,3173.221.3333.671951 136,10,88,090 4,24,27,51013.31 27,44,168 -0.911.2551.471961 143,92,34,771 7,81,46,68121.64 3,57,19,1718.331.9684.25197154,81,59,65210,89,24,88124.80 3,07,78,2003.162.22129.941981 268,33,29,09713,51,69,44524.66 2,62,44,564 -0.142.20186.641991 384,64,21,03916,30,91,94223.87 2,79,22,497 -0.792.14255.052001 41,02,87,37,436 18,23,16,397 21.54 1,92,24,455 -2.331.95331.47Notes : 1. In working out Decadal Growth and Percentage Decadal Growth for India 1941-51 and 1951-61 the population of Tuensang districtfor 1951 (7,025) and the population of Tuensang (83,501) and Mon (5,774) districts for 1961 Census of Nagaland state have not beentaken into account as the areas went in for census for the first time in 1951 and the same are not comparable. 2. The 1981 Census could not be held owing to disturbances in Assam. Hence the population figures for 1981 of Assam have been workedout by interpolation. 3. The 1991 Census could not be held owing to disturbances in Jammu and Kashmir. Hence the population figures for 1991 of Jammuand Kashmir have been worked out by interpolation. 4. The population figures of 2001 includes estimated figures for those of the three sub-divisions, viz., Mao Maram, Paomata and Puralof Senapati district of Manipur as census result of 2001 in these three sub-divisions were cancelled due to technical and administrativereasons. 7 12. 8TABLE 1.2 : TOTAL POPULATION AND POPULATION GROWTH DURING 1991-2001, INDIA/STATE/UNION TERRITORYSl. No. India State/Union territoryTotal PopulationPopulation growth199120011991-2001PersonMales FemalesPersonMalesFemales1 2 3 4 5 67 8 9India**846,421,039 439,358,440 407,062,5991,028,737,436532,223,090496,514,346 21.541.Jammu and Kashmir* 7,837,051 4,142,082 3,694,96910,143,7005,360,926 4,782,774 29.432.Himachal Pradesh 5,170,877 2,617,467 2,553,4106,077,900 3,087,940 2,989,960 17.543.Punjab20,281,96910,778,034 9,503,93524,358,999 12,985,04511,373,954 20.104.Chandigarh642,015 358,614 283,401 900,635506,938 393,69740.285.Uttarakhand7,050,634 3,640,895 3,409,7398,489,349 4,325,924 4,163,425 20.416.Haryana 16,463,648 8,827,474 7,636,17421,144,564 11,363,953 9,780,611 28.437.Delhi9,420,644 5,155,512 4,265,13213,850,5077,607,234 6,243,273 47.028.Rajasthan 44,005,99023,042,78020,963,21056,507,188 29,420,01127,087,177 28.419.Uttar Pradesh132,061,65370,396,06261,665,591 166,197,921 87,565,36978,632,552 25.8510. Bihar 64,530,55433,838,23830,692,31682,998,509 43,243,79539,754,714 28.6211. Sikkim406,457 216,427 190,030 540,851288,484 252,36733.0612. Arunachal Pradesh 864,558 465,004 399,5541,097,968 579,941 518,02727.0013. Nagaland 1,209,546641,282 568,2641,990,0361,047,141942,89564.5314. Manipur**1,837,149938,359 898,7902,293,8961,161,952 1,131,944 24.8615. Mizoram 689,756358,978330,778 888,573459,109 429,46428.8216. Tripura2,757,205 1,417,930 1,339,2753,199,203 1,642,225 1,556,978 16.0317. Meghalaya1,774,778907,687 867,0912,318,8221,176,087 1,142,735 30.6518. Assam 22,414,32211,657,98910,756,33326,655,528 13,777,03712,878,491 18.9219. West Bengal 68,077,96535,510,63332,567,33280,176,197 41,465,98538,710,212 17.77India 2011 13. 1 2 34 567 8 920. Jharkhand21,843,911 11,363,853 10,480,05826,945,829 13,885,037 13,060,79223.3621. Orissa 31,659,736 16,064,146 15,595,59036,804,660 18,660,570 18,144,09016.2522. Chhattisgarh 17,614,928 8,872,620 8,742,30820,833,803 10,474,218 10,369,58518.2723. Madhya Pradesh 48,566,242 25,394,673 23,171,56960,348,023 31,443,652 28,904,37124.2624. Gujarat41,309,582 21,355,209 19,954,37350,671,017 26,385,577 24,285,44022.6625. Daman and Diu 101,586 51,595 49,991 158,204 92,512 65,69255.73Land and the People26. Dadra and Nagar Haveli138,477 70,953 67,524 220,490121,666 98,82459.2227. Maharashtra78,937,187 40,825,618 38,111,56996,878,627 50,400,596 46,478,03122.7328. Andhra Pradesh 66,508,008 33,724,581 32,783,42776,210,007 38,527,413 37,682,59414.5929. Karnataka44,977,201 22,951,917 22,025,28452,850,562 26,898,918 25,951,64417.5130. Goa 1,169,793594,790575,003 1,347,668687,248660,42015.2131. Lakshadweep51,707 26,618 25,08960,650 31,131 29,51917.3032. Kerala 29,098,518 14,288,995 14,809,52331,841,374 15,468,614 16,372,760 9.4333. Tamilnadu55,858,946 28,298,975 27,559,97162,405,679 31,400,909 31,004,77011.7234. Puducherry807,785408,081399,704 974,345486,961487,38420.6235. Andaman and 280,661154,369126,292 356,152192,972163,18026.90Nicobar IslandsNote :*The 1991 census figures of Jammu & Kashmir are interpolated as no census was conducted there due to disturbances.** India and Manipur figures include estimated figures for those of the three sub-divisions viz., Mao Maram, Paomata and Puru of Senapati district of Manipur as census results of 2001 in these three sub-divisions were cancelled due to technical and administrative reasons.Source : Office of the Registrar General, India9 14. 10India 2011The results of 2001 census reveal that there has been an increase in literacy inthe country. The literacy rate in the country is 64.84 per cent, 75.26 for males and 53.67for females. The steady improvement in literacy is apparent from the table 1.5.Kerala retained its position by being on top with a 90.86 per cent literacy rate,closely followed by Mizoram (88.80 per cent) and Lakshadweep (86.66 per cent).Bihar with a literacy rate of 47.00 per cent ranks last in the country preceded byJharkhand (53.56 per cent) and Jammu and Kashmir (55.52 per cent). Kerala alsooccupies the top spot in the country both in male literacy with 94.24 per cent andfemale literacy with 87.72 per cent. On the contrary, Bihar has recorded the lowestliteracy rates both in case of males (59.68 per cent) and females (33.12 per cent). Table1.6 shows the literacy rate among persons, male and female in States and UTs, andtheir ranking.TABLE 1.3 : STATES AND UNION TERRITORIES BY DENSITY RankState/ DensityRankin 2001Union territories20011991in 19911 23 45 1.Delhi9,340 6,352 1 2.Chandigarh 7,900 5,632 2 3.Puducherry 2,034 1,683 5 4.Lakshadweep1,895 1,616 3 5.Daman and Diu1,413 907 4 6.West Bengal903 767 6 7.Bihar881 685 7 8.Kerala 819 749 9 9.Uttar Pradesh690 548 810.Punjab 484 4031011.Tamilnadu480 4291112.Haryana478 3721213.Dadra and Nagar Haveli 449 2821414.Goa364 3161315.Assam340 2861516.Jharkhand338 2741717.Maharashtra315 2571618.Tripura305 2631819.Andhra Pradesh 277 2421920.Karnataka276 2352021.Gujarat258 2112122.Orissa 236 2032223.Madhya Pradesh 196 1582324.Rajasthan165 1292425.Uttarakhand159 1332526.Chhattisgarh 154 1302627.Nagaland 120732728.Himachal Pradesh 109932829.Manipur* 111823030.Meghalaya103792931.Jammu and Kashmir100773132.Sikkim76573233.Andaman and Nicobar Islands 433433 15. Land and the People 11 34 .Mizoram 42 3334 35. Arunachal Pradesh 13 1035Notes :* Manipur figures include estimated figures for those of the three sub-divisions, viz., MaoMaram, Paomata and Purul of Senapti district of Manipur as census results of 2001 in thesethree sub-divisions were cancelled due to technical and administrative reasons. TABLE 1.4 : SEX RATIO : 1901-2001 Census Year Sex Ratio (females per 1,000 males)1 9019721911 9641921 9551931 9501941 9451951 9461961 9411971 9301981 9341991 9262001 933Notes :1. For 1981, interpolated figures for Assam have been used.2. For 1991, interpolated figures based on final population of 2001 census for Jammu and Kashmir have been used.3. India figures for 2001 census exclude those of the three sub-divisions, viz., Mao Maram, Paomata and Purul of Senapati district of Manipur as population Census results of 2001 in these three sub-divisions were cancelled due to technical and administrative reasons.TABLE 1.5 : LITERACY RATE : 1951-2001 Census Year PersonsMales Females 1951 18.3327.168.86 196128.340.40 15.35 1971 34.4545.96 21.97 1981 43.5756.38 29.76 1991 52.2164.13 39.29 2001 64.8475.26 53.67Notes :1.Literacy rates for 1951, 1961 and 1971 Censuses relates to population aged five years andabove. The rates for the 1981, 1991 and 2001 Censuses relate to the population aged sevenyears and above.2.The 1981 Literacy rates exclude Assam where the 1981 Census could not be conducted.3.The 1991 Literacy rates exclude Jammu and Kashmir where the 1991 Census could not beconducted due to disturbed conditions. 16. 12TABLE 1.6 : RANKING OF STATES/UTs BY LITERACY RATE AMONG PERSONS, MALES AND FEMALES, 2001 CENSUS PersonsMalesFemalesRank State/Literacy State/Literacy State/Literacy Union Territories Rate Union Territories Rate Union TerritoriesRate12 34 56 71. Kerala90.86Kerala94.24Kerala87.722. Mizoram 88.80Lakshadweep 92.53Mizoram 86.753. Lakshadweep 86.66Mizoram 90.72Lakshadweep 80.474. Goa 82.01Puducherry88.62Chandigarh76.475. Chandigarh81.94Goa 88.42Goa 75.376. Delhi 81.67Delhi 87.33Andaman & Nicobar Islands 75.247. Andaman and Nicobar Islands 81.30Daman and Diu 86.76Delhi 74.718. Puducherry81.24Andaman and Nicobar Islands 86.33Puducherry73.909. Daman and Diu 78.18Chandigarh86.14Himachal Pradesh67.4210.Maharashtra 76.88Maharashtra 85.97Maharashtra 67.0311.Himachal Pradesh76.48Himachal Pradesh85.35Daman and Diu 65.6112.Tamilnadu 73.45Uttarakhand 83.28Tripura 64.9113.Tripura 73.19Tamilnadu 82.42Tamilnadu 64.3314.Uttarakhand 71.62Tripura 81.02Punjab63.3615.Manipur170.53Manipur180.33Nagaland61.4616.Punjab69.65Gujarat 79.66Manipur160.5317.Gujarat 69.14Haryana 78.49Sikkim60.4018.Sikkim68.81Chhattisgarh77.38Uttarakhand 59.6319.West Bengal 68.64West Bengal 77.02West Bengal 59.6120.Haryana 67.91Karnataka 76.10Meghalaya 59.61India 2011 17. 1 23 456721. Karnataka66.64 Madhya Pradesh 76.06Gujarat57.8022. Nagaland 66.59 Sikkim 76.04Karnataka56.8723. Chhattisgarh 64.66 Rajasthan75.70Haryana55.7324. Madhya Pradesh 63.74 Orissa 75.35Assam54.61 Land and the People25. Assam63.25 Punjab 75.23Chhattisgarh 51.8526. Orissa 63.08 Assam71.28Orissa 50.5127. Meghalaya62.56 Dadra and Nagar Haveli 71.18Andhra Pradesh 50.4328. Andhra Pradesh 60.47 Nagaland 71.16Madhya Pradesh 50.2929. Rajasthan60.41 Andhra Pradesh 70.32Rajasthan43.8530. Dadra and Nagar Haveli 57.63 Uttar Pradesh68.82Arunachal Pradesh43.5331. Uttar Pradesh56.27 Jharkhand67.30Jammu and Kashmir43.0032. Jammu and Kashmir55.52 Jammu and Kashmir66.60Uttar Pradesh42.2233. Arunachal Pradesh54.34 Meghalaya65.43Dadra and Nagar Haveli 40.2334. Jharkhand53.56 Arunachal Pradesh63.83Jharkhand38.8735. Bihar47.00 Bihar59.68Bihar33.12Notes :1 Manipur figures exclude those of the three sub-divisions, viz., Mao Maram, Paomata and Purul of Senapati district of Manipur as censusresults of 2001 in these three sub-divisions were cancelled due to technical and administrative reasons.Literacy rates relate to the population aged seven years and above. 13 18. 14 India 2011TABLE 1.7 : TOTAL POPULATION AND PERCENTAGE OFSCHEDULED CASTES AND SCHEDULED TRIBES : 2001 CENSUSSl. India/State/TotalScheduled CasteScheduled TribeNo.Union TerritoryPopulation Population Percentage Population Percentage(000) (000)of total(000)of total population population 1 2 345 6 7 INDIA1 1,028,610166,636 16.20 84,3268.20 1.Jammu and Kashmir 10,144 7707.591,106 10.90 2.Himachal Pradesh6,0781,502 24.722454.02 3.Punjab24,359 7,029 28.85 0 0.00 4.Chandigarh901158 17.50 0 0.00 5.Uttarakhand 8,4891,517 17.872563.02 6.Haryana21,1454,091 19.35 0 0.00 7.Delhi 13,851 2,343 16.92 0 0.00 8.Rajasthan 56,507 9,694 17.167,098 12.56 9.Uttar Pradesh166,19835,148 21.151080.0610.Bihar82,999 13,049 15.727580.9111.Sikkim54127 5.02111 20.6012.Arunachal Pradesh 1,098 6 0.56705 64.2213.Nagaland1,990 0 0.001,774 89.1514.Manipur 1 2,16760 2.77741 34.2015.Mizoram 889 0 0.03839 94.4616.Tripura 3,199556 17.37993 31.0517.Meghalaya 2,31911 0.481,993 85.9418.Assam 26,656 1,8266.853,309 12.4119.West Bengal 80,17618,453 23.024,4075.5020.Jharkhand 26,946 3,189 11.847,087 26.3021.Orissa36,805 6,082 16.538,145 22.1322.Chhattisgarh20,834 2,419 11.616,617 31.7623.Madhya Pradesh60,348 9,155 15.17 12,233 20.2724.Gujarat 50,671 3,5937.097,481 14.7625.Daman and Diu 158 5 3.0614 8.8526.Dadra and Nagar Haveli220 4 1.86137 62.2427.Maharashtra 96,879 9,882 10.208,5778.8528.Andhra Pradesh76,21012,339 16.195,0246.5929.Karnataka 52,851 8,564 16.203,4646.5530.Goa 1,34824 1.77 1 0.0431.Lakshadweep 610 0.005794.5132.Kerala 31,8413,1249.813641.1433.Tamilnadu 62,40611,858 19.006511.0434.Puducherry974158 16.19 0 0.0035.Andaman & Nicobar Islands 35600.0029 8.27Note :1. India and Manipur figures exclude those of the three sub-divisions, viz., Mao Maram, Paomata and Purul of Senapati district of Manipur as census results of 2001 in these three sub-divisions were cancelled due to technical and administrative reasons. 19. Land and the People 15TABLE 1.8 : RURAL AND URBAN POPULATIONCensus YearPopulation (Million)Percentage oftotal population RuralUrbanRural Urban123451901213 2689.210.81911226 2689.710.31921223 2888.811.21931246 3388.012.01941275 4486.113.91951299 6282.717.31961360 7982.018.0197143910980.119.9198152415976.723.3199162921874.325.7200174328672.227.8Note : 1.India and Manipur figures are final and include estimated figures for those of the three sub- divisions, viz., Mao Maram, Paomata and Purul of Senapati district of Manipur as census results of 2001 in these three sub-divisions were cancelled due to technical and administrative reasons. 2.The 1991 Census could not be held owing to disturbed conditions prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir. Hence the population figures for 1991 of Jammu and Kashmir have been worked out by interpolation on the basis of 2001 final population. 3.The 1981 census could not be held in Assam. The figures for 1981 for Assam have been worked out by interpolation. TABLE 1.9 : POPULATION BY CLASS OF TOWN, INDIA-2001 CENSUS(in 000s) Class of Town2001 I 1,00,000 and above178,224 II50,000-99,99934,452 III 20,000-49,99942,119 IV10,000-19,99922,614 V 5,000-9,9997,890 VILess than 5,000821 All Classes 286,120 Urban population as percentage to total population 27.82 20. 16TABLE 1.10 : DISTRIBUTION OF VILLAGES ACCORDING TO POPULATION 2001 CENSUS AND TOTAL NUMBER OF INHABITED VILLAGESSl. States/UTs100005,000 2,000-1,000- 500-999 200-499Less thanTotal No.No. and above9,999 4,999 1,999200of inhabited villages. 12 345 6 7 8 9 101.Jammu and Kashmir @ 10 1358861,546 1,664 1,499 677 6,4172.Himachal Pradesh 1 8174660 2,094 5,645 8,91317,4953.Punjab26 2731,9873,405 3,378 2,130 1,07912,2784.Chandigarh 2 6 722 1 3235.Uttarakhand 1369 3507521,890 4,912 7,77515,7616.Haryana 97 5042,0152,091 1,205582270 6,7647.Delhi 2426 60 29 9 4 6 1588.Rajasthan100661 4,6608,77711,0589,1515,34639,7539.Uttar Pradesh2962,26616,573 27,21825,614 16,8799,09697,94210. Bihar6302,306 8,571 10,113 8,498 5,662 3,23539,01511. Sikkim 0940120 157 82 42 45012. Arunachal Pradesh0326126 266 682 2,760 3,86313. Nagaland 5 50 171253 372 323 104 1,27814. Manipur *6 28 157202 326 731 749 2,19915. Mizoram1131 76 198 258 142 70716. Tripura 28106 37018899 55 12 85817. Meghalaya0460185 690 2,090 2,753 5,78218. Assam 19185 2,4955,439 6,233 6,018 4,73525,12419. West Bengal3541,526 6,8198,490 8,930 7,553 4,27337,94520. Jharkhand 28 1741,6424,173 7,442 9,234 6,66129,35421. Orissa 5 1802,4046,81411,428 14,054 12,64447,529India 2011 21. 12 3 4 56789 1022. Chhattisgarh6 80 1,264 4,185 6,465 5,4982,246 19,74423. Madhya Pradesh 19362 3,55110,43416,277 14,330 7,144 52,11724. Gujarat 153807 4,154 5,615 4,262 2,297778 18,06625. Daman and Diu 25 5 4 5 20 2326. Dadra and Nagar Haveli07281512 71 70 Land and the People27. Maharashtra 2621,018 5,86211,57012,074 7,3672,942 41,09528. Andhra Pradesh4981,788 6,915 6,475 4,467 3,4023,068 26,61329. Karnataka 131703 4,024 6,378 7,367 5,5633,315 27,48130. Goa 3 23967756 603234731. Lakshadweep 12 3 0 0 11832. Kerala1,0722076910 0 421,36433. Tamilnadu 1681,254 4,870 4,484 2,801 1,344479 15,40034. Puducherry2 204518 7 00 9235. Andaman and 02235262 90 272501Nicobar IslandsALL INDIA 3,962 14,79880,407 129,976 145,408 127,510 91,555593,616Note :@ India and Jammu & Kashmir State excludes the villages of the areas under unlawful occupation of Pakistan and China where Census couldnot be taken.* India and Manipur excludes villages for those of the three sub-divisions viz. Mao Maram, Paomata and Purul of Senapati district of Manipuras census results of 2001 in these three sub-divisions were cancelled due to technical and administrative reasons.Source : Office of the Registrar General India. 17 22. 18 TABLE 1.11 : POPULATION OF MILLION PLUS CITIES/TOWNS Population 0-6 PopulationLiteratesSl.No. City/TownPersonMaleFemale PersonMaleFemale PersonMaleFemale1 23 4 5 6 789 10111.Greater Mumbai (M Corp.) 11,978,450 6,619,966 5,358,484 1,364,423709,777 654,6469,207,877 5,388,552 3,819,3252.DMC (U) (M Corp.)9,879,1725,412,497 4,466,675 1,352,656724,171 628,4857,075,280 4,110,213 2,965,0673.Kolkata (M Corp.)4,572,8762,500,040 2,072,836 390,282202,527 187,7553,382,103 1,925,008 1,457,0954.Chennai (M Corp.)4,343,6452,219,539 2,124,106 433,340219,720 213,6203,336,695 1,799,981 1,536,7145.Bangaluru (M Corp.)4,301,3262,242,835 2,058,491 484,982249,652 235,3303,265,702 1,787,677 1,478,0256.Hyderabad (M Corp.)3,637,4831,883,064 1,754,419 463,150238,386 224,7642,498,234 1,374,955 1,123,2797.Ahmedabad (M Corp.)3,520,0851,867,249 1,652,836 441,022240,797 200,2252,552,731 1,447,380 1,105,3518.Kanpur (M Corp.) 2,551,3371,374,121 1,177,216 317,756171,263 146,4931,758,807997,001761,8069.Pune (M Corp.) 2,538,4731,321,338 1,217,135 302,960158,672 144,2881,930,063 1,064,508 865,55510. Surat (M Corp.)2,433,8351,372,415 1,061,420 340,582186,746 153,8361,736,939 1,043,703 693,23611. Lucknow (M Corp.)2,185,9271,156,151 1,029,776 273,401143,232 130,1691,474,733827,793646,94012. Nagpur (M Corp.) 2,052,0661,059,765 992,301 249,827129,283 120,5441,609,126873,739735,38713. Jaipur (M Corp.) 2,322,5751,237,765 1,084,810 352,661187,351 165,3101,537,850908,969628,88114. Indore (M Corp.) 1,474,968 774,540700,428 200,081 105,47894,603 1,064,912598,339466,57315. Bhopal (M Corp.) 1,437,354 757,408679,946 208,587108,172 100,415 979,770 555,051424,71916. Ludhiana (M Corp.) 1,398,467 793,142605,325 169,273 93,050 76,223981,383 573,886407,497India 2011 23. Population 0-6 Population LiteratesSl.No. City/Town PersonMale Female PersonMale Female Person Male Female1 2 3 45 6789 10 1117. Patna (M Corp.)1,366,444 746,344620,100 182,03796,034 86,003961,681564,625 397,056 Land and the People18. Vadodara (M Corp.) 1,306,227 684,013622,214 148,03480,610 67,424 1,014,014 557,051 456,96319. Agra (M Corp.) 1,275,134 690,599584,535 179,41196,850 82,561766,860452,770 314,09020. Thane (M Corp.)1,262,551 675,147587,404 161,69884,334 77,364973,195551,086 422,10921. Kalyan-Dombivli (M Corp.)1,193,512 633,508560,004 144,09775,256 68,841944,745525,907 418,83822. Varanasi (M Corp.) 1,091,918 582,096509,822 161,17284,256 76,916670,367392,103 278,26423. Nasik (M Corp.)1,077,236 575,737501,499 147,91978,579 69,340802,695458,005 344,69024. Meerut (M Corp.) 1,068,772 568,081500,691 163,57087,893 75,677610,636355,282 255,35425. Faridabad (M Corp.)1,055,938 581,069474,869 158,60385,805 72,798714,578430,274 284,30426. Pimpri Chinchwad (M Corp.) 1,012,472 547,050465,422 143,03475,688 67,346745,317431,785 313,53227. Howrah (M Corp.) 1,007,532 547,068460,46494,33048,678 45,652768,655438,450 330,205 19 24. 20India 2011TABLE 1.12 : STATES AND UNION TERRITORIES BY POPULATION INDESCENDING ORDER AND RANK IN 1991 AND 2001 CENSUS Per cent to total RankState/Population Population of India Rankin 2001 Union territories2001 2001 1991 in 199112345 61. Uttar Pradesh166,197,921 16.16 15.59 12. Maharashtra 96,878,627 9.42 9.33 23. Bihar 82,998,509 8.07 7.62 54. West Bengal 80,176,197 7.79 8.04 35. Andhra Pradesh76,210,007 7.41 7.86 46. Tamilnadu 62,405,679 6.07 6.60 67. Madhya Pradesh60,348,023 5.87 5.74 78. Rajasthan 56,507,188 5.49 5.20 99. Karnataka 52,850,562 5.14 5.31 810.Gujarat 50,671,017 4.93 4.88 1011.Orissa36,804,660 3.58 3.74 1112.Kerala31,841,374 3.10 3.44 1213.Jharkhand 26,945,829 2.62 2.58 1414.Assam 26,655,528 2.59 2.65 1315.Punjab24,358,999 2.37 2.40 1516.Haryana 21,144,564 2.06 1.95 1717.Chhattisgarh20,833,803 2.03 2.08 1618.Delhi 13,850,507 1.35 1.11 1819.Jammu and Kashmir210,143,700 0.99 0.93 1920.Uttarakhand8,489,349 0.83 0.84 2021.Himachal Pradesh 6,077,900 0.59 0.61 2122.Tripura3,199,203 0.31 0.33 2223.Meghalaya2,318,822 0.23 0.21 24 124.Manipur2,293,896 0.22 0.22 2325.Nagaland 1,990,036 0.19 0.14 2526.Goa1,347,668 0.13 0.14 2627.Arunachal Pradesh1,097,968 0.11 0.10 2728.Puducherry974,3450.09 0.10 2829.Chandigarh900,6350.09 0.08 29 25. Land and the People2130. Mizoram 888,5730.09 0.08 3031. Sikkim540,8510.05 0.05 3132. Andaman and Nicobar Islands 356,1520.03 0.03 3233. Dadra and Nagar Haveli220,4900.02 0.02 3334. Daman and Diu 158,2040.02 0.01 3435. Lakshadweep60,6500.01 0.01 35Notes :1.India and Manipur figures include estimated figures for those of the three sub-divisionsviz., Mao Maram, Paomata and Purul of Senepati district of Manipur as census resultsof 2001 in these three sub-divisions were cancelled due to technical and administrativereasons.2.The 1991 Census could not be held owing to disturbed conditions prevailing in Jammuand Kashmir. Hence the population figures for 1991 of Jammu and Kashmir have beenworked out by interpolation. 26. 22India 20112 National SymbolsNATIONAL FLAGTHE National flag is a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (kesaria) at the top, white inthe middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. The ratio of width of theflag to its length is two to three. In the centre of the white band is a navy-blue wheelwhich represents the chakra. Its design is that of the wheel which appears on theabacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. Its diameter approximates to the widthof the white band and it has 24 spokes. The design of the National Flag was adoptedby the Constituent Assembly of India on 22 July 1947. Apart from non-statutory instructions issued by the Government from time totime, display of the National Flag is governed by the provisions of the Emblems andNames (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 (No. 12 of 1950) and the Prevention ofInsults to National Honour Act, 1971 (No. 69 of 1971). The Flag Code of India, 2002is an attempt to bring together all such laws, conventions, practices and instructionsfor the guidance and benefit of all concerned. The Flag Code of India, 2002, has taken effect from 26 January 2002 andsupercedes the Flag Codeas it existed. As per the provisions of the Flag Code ofIndia, 2002, there shall be no restriction on the display of the National Flag bymembers of general public, private organisations, educational institutions, etc., exceptto the extent provided in the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act,1950 and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 and any other lawenacted on the subject.STATE EMBLEMThe state emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. In theoriginal, there are four lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with afrieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull anda lion separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus. Carved out of asingle block of polished sandstone, the Capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law(Dharma Chakra).In the state emblem, adopted by the Government of India on 26 January 1950,only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden from view. The wheel appears inrelief in the centre of the abacus with a bull on right and a horse on left and theoutlines of other wheels on extreme right and left. The bell-shaped lotus has beenomitted. The words Satyameva Jayate from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning TruthAlone Triumphs, are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script. The use of the state emblem of India, as the official seal of the Government ofIndia, is regulated by the state of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005.NATIONAL ANTHEMThe song Jana-gana-mana, composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore,was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly as the National Anthemof India on 24 January 1950. It was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the KolkataSession of the Indian National Congress. The complete song consists of five stanzas.The first stanza contains the full version of the National Anthem : 27. National Symbols 23Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya heBharata-bhagya-vidhata. Punjab-Sindh-Gujarat-MarathaDravida-Utkala-BangaVindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga Uchchala-Jaladhi-taranga. Tava shubha name jage,Tava shubha asisa mange, Gahe tava jaya gatha, Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya heBharata-bhagya-vidhata. Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he,Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he!Playing time of the full version of the national anthem is approximately52 seconds. A short version consisting of the first and last lines of the stanza (playingtime approximately 20 seconds) is also played on certain occasions. The following isTagores English rendering of the anthem : Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people, Dispenser of Indias destiny. Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sind, Gujarat and Maratha, Of the Dravida and Orissa and Bengal; It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas, mingles in the music of Jamuna and Ganges and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea. They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise. The saving of all people waits in thy hand, Thou dispenser of Indias destiny. Victory, victory, victory to thee.NATIONAL SONGThe song Vande Mataram, composed in sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterji, was asource of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom. It has an equal statuswith Jana-gana-mana. The first political occasion when it was sung was the 1896session of the Indian National Congress. The following is the text of its first stanza :Vande Mataram! Sujalam, suphalam, malayaja shitalam, Shasyashyamalam, Mataram! Shubhrajyotsna pulakitayaminim, Phullakusumita drumadala shobhinim, Suhasinim sumadhura bhashinim, Sukhadam varadam, Mataram!1 As published in Volume Eight of Sri Aurobindo Birth Centenary Library, Popular Edition1972 28. 24 India 2011 The English translation of the stanza rendered by Sri Aurobindo in prose1 is : I bow to thee, Mother, richly-watered, richly-fruited, cool with the winds of the south, dark with the crops of the harvests, The Mother! Her nights rejoicing in the glory of the moonlight, her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in flowering bloom, sweet of laughter, sweet of speech, The Mother, giver of boons, giver of bliss.NATIONAL CALENDARThe national calendar based on the Saka Era, with Chaitra as its first month and anormal year of 365 days was adopted from 22 March 1957 along with the Gregoriancalendar for the following official purposes: (i) Gazette of India, (ii) news broadcastby All India Radio, (iii) calendars issued by the Government of India and(iv) Government communications addressed to the members of the public.Dates of the national calendar have a permanent correspondence with dates ofthe Gregorian calendar, 1 Chaitra falling on 22 March normally and on 21 March inleap year.NATIONAL ANIMALThe magnificent tiger, Panthera tigris, a striped animal is the national animal of India,it has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes. The combination of grace, strength,ability and enormous power has earned the tiger its pride of place as the nationalanimal of India. Out of eight races of the species known, the Indian race, the RoyalBengal Tiger, is found throughout the country except in the north-western region andalso in the neighbouring countries, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.NATIONAL BIRDThe Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus, the national bird of India, is a colourful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and along, slender neck. The male of the species is more colourful than the female, with aglistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green trail of around 200elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male and lacksthe trail. The elaborate courtship dance of the male, fanning out the tail and preeningits feathers is a gorgeous sight.NATIONAL FLOWERLotus (Nelumbo Nucipera Gaertn) is the National Flower of India. It is a sacred flowerand occupies a unique position in the art and mythology of ancient India and hasbeen an auspicious symbol of Indian culture since time immemorial.NATIONAL TREEThe Banyan Tree (Ficus benghalensis) is the National Tree of India. This huge treetowers over its neighbours and has the widest reaching roots of all known trees, 29. National Symbols 25easily covering several acres. It sends off new shoots from its roots, so that one tree isreally a tangle of branches, roots, and trunks.NATIONAL FRUITMango (Manigifera indica) is the National fruit of India. Mango is one of the mostwidely grown fruits of the tropical countries. In India, mango is cultivated almost inall parts, with the exception of hilly areas. Mango is a rich source of Vitamins A, Cand D. In India, we have hundreds of varieties of mangoes. They are of differentsizes, shapes and colours. Mangoes have been cultivated in India since timeimmemorial. 30. 26 India 20113 The PolityINDIA, a Union of States, is a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic witha parliamentary system of government. The Republic is governed in terms of theConstitution, which was adopted by Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949and came into force on 26 January 1950.The Constitution which envisages parliamentary form of government is federalin structure with unitary features. The President of India is the constitutional head ofexecutive of the Union. Article 74(1) of the Constitution provides that there shall be aCouncil of Ministers with the Prime Minister as its head to aid and advise the Presidentwho shall in exercise of his functions, act in accordance with such advice. The realexecutive power thus vests in the Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister as itshead. The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the House of the People(Lok Sabha). Similarly, in states, the Governor is the head of executive, but it is theCouncil of Ministers with the Chief Minister as its head in whom real executivepower vests. The Council of Ministers of a state is collectively responsible to theLegislative Assembly of the state.The Constitution distributes legislative power between Parliament and statelegislatures and provides for vesting of residual powers in Parliament. Power toamend the Constitution also vests in Parliament. The Constitution has provision forindependence of Judiciary, Comptroller and Auditor-General, Public ServiceCommissions and Chief Election Commissioner.THE UNION AND ITS TERRITORYIndia comprises 28 States and seven Union Territories. They are: Andhra Pradesh,Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, HimachalPradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan,Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. UnionTerritories are : Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli,Daman and Diu, National Capital Territory of Delhi, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.CITIZENSHIPThe Constitution of India provides for a single citizenship for the whole of India.Every person who was at the commencement of the Constitution (26 January 1950)domiciled in the territory of India and: (a) who was born in India; or (b) either ofwhose parents was born in India; or (c) who has been ordinarily resident in India fornot less than five years became a citizen of India. The Citizenship Act, 1955, dealswith matters relating to acquisition, determination and termination of Indiancitizenship after the commencement of the Constitution.FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTSThe Constitution offers all citizens, individually and collectively, some basic freedoms.These are guaranteed in the Constitution in the form of six broad categories ofFundamental Rights which are justiciable. Article 12 to 35 contained in Part III of theConstitution deal with Fundamental Rights. These are : (i) right to equality includingequality before law, prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, 31. The Polity27sex or place of birth and equality of opportunity in matters of employment; (ii) right tofreedom of speech and expression; assembly; association or union; movement;residence; and right to practice any profession or occupation (some of these rights aresubject to security of the State, friendly relations with foreign countries, public order,decency or morality); (iii) right against exploitation, prohibiting all forms of forcedlabour, child labour and traffic in human beings; (iv) right to freedom of conscienceand free profession, practice and propagation of religion; (v) right of any section ofcitizens to conserve their culture, language or script and right of minorities to establishand administer educational institutions of their choice; and (vi) right to constitutionalremedies for enforcement of Fundamental Rights.FUNDAMENTAL DUTIESBy the 42nd Amendment of the Constitution, adopted in 1976, Fundamental Dutiesof the citizens have also been enumerated. Article 51 A contained in Part IV A of theConstitution deals with Fundamental Duties. These enjoin upon a citizen amongother things, to abide by the Constitution, to cherish and follow noble ideals, whichinspired Indias struggle for freedom, to defend the country and render nationalservice when called upon to do so and to promote harmony and spirit of commonbrotherhood transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities.DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICYThe Constitution lays down certain Directive Principles of State Policy, which thoughnot justiciable, are fundamental in governance of the country and it is the duty of theState to apply these principles in making laws. These lay down that the State shallstrive to promote the welfare of people by securing and protecting as effectively as itmay a social order in which justicesocial, economic and politicalshall form in allinstitutions of national life. The State shall direct its policy in such a manner as tosecure the right of all men and women to an adequate means of livelihood, equal payfor equal work and within limits of its economic capacity and development, to makeeffective provision for securing the right to work, education and to public assistancein the event of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement or other cases ofundeserved want. The State shall also endeavour to secure to workers a living wage,humane conditions of work, a decent standard of life and full involvement of workersin management of industries. In the economic sphere, the State is to direct its policy in such a manner as tosecure distribution of ownership and control of material resources of community tosubserve the common good and to ensure that operation of economic system does notresult in concentration of wealth and means of production to common detriment. Some of the other important directives relate to provision of opportunities andfacilities for children to develop in a healthy manner, free and compulsory educationfor all children up to the age of 14; promotion of education and economic interests ofscheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other weaker sections; organisation of villagepanchayats; separation of judiciary from executive, promulgation of a uniform civilcode for whole country; protection of national monuments; promotion of justice on abasis of equal opportunity; provision of free legal aid; protection and improvement ofenvironment and safeguarding of forests and wildlife of the country and promotionof international peace and security, just and honourable relations between nations,respect for international law, treaty obligations and settlement of international disputesby arbitration. 32. 28India 2011THE UNIONEXECUTIVEThe Union executive consists of the President, the Vice-President and the Council ofMinisters with the Prime Minister as the head to aid and advise the President.PRESIDENTThe President is elected by members of an electoral college consisting of electedmembers of both Houses of Parliament and Legislative Assemblies of the states inaccordance with the system of proportional representation by means of singletransferable vote. To secure uniformity among state inter se as well as parity betweenthe states, as a whole, and the Union, suitable weightage is given to each vote. ThePresident must be a citizen of India, not less than 35 years of age and qualified forelection as member of the Lok Sabha. His term of office is five years and he is eligiblefor re-election. His removal from office is to be in accordance with procedureprescribed in Article 61 of the Constitution. He may, by writing under his handaddressed to the Vice-President, resign his office.Executive power of the Union is vested in the President and is exercised by himeither directly or through officers subordinate to him in accordance with theConstitution. Supreme command of defence forces of the Union also vests in him. ThePresident summons, prorogues, addresses, sends messages to Parliament anddissolves the Lok Sabha; promulgates Ordinances at any time, except when bothHouses of Parliament are in session; makes recommendations for introducingfinancial and money bills and gives assent to bills; grants pardons, reprieves, respitesor remission of punishment or suspends, remits or commutes sentences in certaincases. When there is a failure of the constitutional machinery in a state, he can assumeto himself all or any of the functions of the government of that state. The President canproclaim emergency in the country if he is satisfied that a grave emergency existswhereby security of India or any part of its territory is threatened whether by war orexternal aggression or armed rebellion.VICE-PRESIDENTThe Vice-President is elected by members of an electoral college consisting of membersof both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the system of proportionalrepresentation by means of single transferable vote. He must be a citizen of India, notless than 35 years of age and eligible for election as a member of the Rajya Sabha. Histerm of office is five years and he is eligible for re-election. His removal from office isto be in accordance with procedure prescribed in Article 67 b. The Vice-President is ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and acts as Presidentwhen the latter is unable to discharge his functions due to absence, illness or anyother cause or till the election of a new President (to be held within six months whena vacancy is caused by death, resignation or removal or otherwise of President).While so acting, he ceases to perform the function of the Chairman of the RajyaSabha.COUNCIL OF MINISTERSThere is a Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister, to aid and advise thePresident in exercise of his functions. The Prime Minister is appointed by the Presidentwho also appoints other ministers on the advice of Prime Minister. The Council iscollectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. It is the duty of the Prime Minister to 33. The Polity 29communicate to the President all decisions of Council of Ministers relating toadministration of affairs of the Union and proposals for legislation and informationrelating to them. The Council of Ministers comprises Ministers who are members of Cabinet,Ministers of State (independent charge), Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers.LEGISLATURELegislature of the Union which is called Parliament , consists of President and twoHouses, known as Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and House of the People (LokSabha). Each House has to meet within six months of its previous sitting. A jointsitting of two Houses can be held in certain cases.RAJYA SABHAThe Constitution provides that the Rajya Sabha shall consist of 12 members to benominated by the President from amongst persons having special knowledge orpractical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art and socialservice; and not more than 238 representatives of the States and of the Union Territories. Elections to the Rajya Sabha are indirect; members representing States are electedby elected members of legislative assemblies of the States in accordance with thesystem of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote, andthose representing Union Territories are chosen in such manner as Parliament mayby law prescribe. The Rajya Sabha is not subject to dissolution; one-third of its membersretire every second year.Rajya Sabha, at present, has 244 seats. Of these, 233 members represent theStates and the Union Territories and 11 members have been nominated by the Presidentand one seat under nomination category is vacant. The names of members of RajyaSabha and party affiliation are given in Appendices.LOK SABHAThe Lok Sabha is composed of representatives of people chosen by direct election onthe basis of adult suffrage. The maximum strength of the House envisaged by theConstitution is now 552 (530 members to represent the States, 20 members to representthe Union Territories and not more than two members of the Anglo-Indian communityto be nominated by the President, if, in his opinion, that community is not adequatelyrepresented in the House). The total elective membership of the Lok Sabha isdistributed among the States in such a way that the ratio between the number of seatsallotted to each State and the population of the State is, as far as practicable, the samefor all States. The Lok Sabha at present consists of 545 members. Of these, 530 membersare directly elected from the States and 13 from Union Territories while two arenominated by the President to represent the Anglo-Indian community. This includesone vacant seat of Banka Constitutency of Bihar and the seat of MP Smt. Meira Kumarwho has become Speaker of Lok Sabha and two nominated members of Anglo-Indiancommunity. It means after excluding the vacant seat and the seat of the speaker, thereare at present 543 seats of the House. Following the Constitution 84th AmendmentAct, 2001 the total number of existing seats as allocated to various States in the LokSabha on the basis of the 1971 census shall remain unaltered till the first census to betaken after the year 2026. 34. 30India 2011 The term of the Lok Sabha, unless dissolved earlier is five years from the dateappointed for its first meeting. However, while a Proclamation of Emergency is inoperation, this period may be extended by Parliament by law for a period not exceedingone year at a time and not extending in any case, beyond a period of six months afterthe Proclamation has ceased to operate. Fifteen Lok Sabhas have been constituted sofar. The term of each Lok Sabha and its Speaker(s) is given in table 3.1. The names of members of the Fifteen Lok Sabha, their constituencies and partyaffiliations are given in Appendices.QUALIFICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP OF PARLIAMENTIn order to be chosen a member of Parliament, a person must be a citizen of India andnot less than 30 years of age in the case of Rajya Sabha and not less than 25 years ofage in the case of Lok Sabha. Additional qualifications may be prescribed byParliament by law.FUNCTIONS AND POWERS OF PARLIAMENTAs in other parliamentary democracies, the Parliament in India has the cardinalfunctions of legislation, overseeing of administration, passing of the Budget,ventilation of public grievances and discussing various subjects like developmentplans, national policies and international relations. The distribution of powers betweenthe Union and the States, followed in the Constitution, emphasises in many ways thegeneral predominance of Parliament in the legislative field. Apart from a wide-rangeof subjects, even in normal times, the Parliament can, under certain circumstances,assume legislative power with respect to a subject falling within the sphere exclusivelyreserved for the States. The Parliament is also vested with powers to impeach thePresident and to remove the Judges of Supreme Court and High Courts, the ChiefElection Commissioner and the Comptroller and Auditor General in accordancewith the procedure laid down in the Constitution.All legislation require consent of both the Houses of Parliament. In the case ofmoney bills, however, the will of the Lok Sabha prevails. Delegated legislation is alsosubject to review and control by Parliament. Besides the power to legislate, theConstitution vests in Parliament the power to initiate amendment of the Constitution.PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEESThe functions of Parliament are not only varied in nature, but considerable in volume.The time at its disposal is limited. It cannot make very detailed scrutiny of all legislativeand other matters that come up before it. A good deal of Parliamentary business is,therefore, transacted in the committees.Both Houses of Parliament have a similar committee structure, with a fewexceptions. Their appointment, terms of office, functions and procedure of conductingbusiness are also more or less similar and are regulated as per rules made by the twoHouses under Article 118(1) of the Constitution.Broadly, Parliamentary Committees are of two kindsStanding Committeesand ad hoc Committees. The former are elected or appointed every year or periodicallyand their work goes on, more or less, on a continuous basis. The latter are appointedon an ad hoc basis as need arises and they cease to exist as soon as they complete thetask assigned to them.Standing Committees : Among the Standing Committees, the three FinancialCommitteesCommittees on Estimates, Public Accounts and Public Undertakings 35. The Polity 31constitute a distinct group as they keep an unremitting vigil over Governmentexpenditure and performance. While members of the Rajya Sabha are associatedwith Committees on Public Accounts and Public Undertakings, the members of theCommittee on Estimates are drawn entirely from the Lok Sabha. The Estimates Committee reports on what economies, improvements inorganisation, efficiency or administrative reform consistent with policy underlyingthe estimates may be effected. It also examines whether the money is well laid outwithin limits of the policy implied in the estimates and suggests the form in whichestimates shall be presented to Parliament. The Public Accounts Committee scrutinisesappropriation and finance accounts of Government and reports of the Comptrollerand Auditor-General. It ensures that public money is spent in accordance withParliaments decision and calls attention to cases of waste, extravagance, loss ornugatory expenditure. The Committee on Public Undertakings examines reports of theComptroller and Auditor-General, if any. It also examines whether publicundertakings are being run efficiently and managed in accordance with soundbusiness principles and prudent commercial practices. Besides these three Financial Committees, the Rules Committee of the Lok Sabharecommended setting-up of 17 Department Related Standing Committees (DRSCs).Accordingly, 17 Department Related Standing Committees were set up on 8 April1993. In July 2004, rules were amended to provide for the constitution of seven moresuch committees, thus raising the number of DRSCs from 17 to 24. The functions ofthese Committees are : (a) to consider the Demands for Grants of various Ministries/Departments of Government of India and make reports to the Houses; (b) to examinesuch Bills as are referred to the Committee by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha or theSpeaker, Lok Sabha, as the case may be, and make reports thereon; (c) to considerAnnual Reports of ministries/departments and make reports thereon; and (d) toconsider policy documents presented to the Houses, if referred to the Committee bythe Chairman, Rajya Sabha or the Speaker, Lok Sabha, as the case may be, and makereports thereon. Other Standing Committees in each House, divided in terms of their functions,are (i) Committees to Inquire: (a) Committee on Petitions examines petitions on billsand on matters of general public interest and also entertains representations onmatters concerning subjects in the Union List; and (b) Committee of Privileges examinesany question of privilege referred to it by the House or Speaker/Chairman;(ii) Committees to Scrutinise : (a) Committee on Government Assurances keeps track ofall the assurances, promises, undertakings, etc., given by Ministers in the House andpursues them till they are implemented; (b) Committee on Subordinate Legislationscrutinises and reports to the House whether the power to make regulations, rules,sub-rules, bye-laws, etc., conferred by the Constitution or Statutes is being properlyexercised by the delegated authorities; and (c) Committee on Papers Laid on the Tableexamines all papers laid on the table of the House by Ministers, other than statutorynotifications and orders which come within the purview of the Committee onSubordinate Legislation, to see whether there has been compliance with the provisionsof the Constitution, Act, rule or regulation under which the paper has been laid;(iii) Committees relating to the day-to-day business of the House: (a) Business AdvisoryCommittee recommends allocation of time for items of Government and other businessto be brought before the Houses; (b) Committee on Private Members Bills and Resolutionsof the Lok Sabha classifies and allocates time to Bills introduced by private members, 36. 32India 2011recommends allocation of time for discussion on private members resolutions andexamines Constitution amendment bills before their introduction by private membersin the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha does not have such a committee. It is the BusinessAdvisory Committee of that House which recommends allocation of time fordiscussion on stage or stages of private members bills and resolutions; (c) RulesCommittee considers matters of procedure and conduct of business in the House andrecommends amendments or additions to the Rules; and (d) Committee on Absence ofMembers from the Sittings of the House of the Lok Sabha considers all applications frommembers for leave or absence from sittings of the House. There is no such Committeein the Rajya Sabha. Applications from members for leave or absence are consideredby the House itself; (iv) Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and ScheduledTribes, on which members from both Houses serve, considers all matters relating tothe welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes which come within the purviewof the Union Government and keeps a watch whether constitutional safeguards inrespect of these classes are properly implemented; (v) Committees concerned with theprovision of facilities to members : (a) General Purposes Committee considers and advisesSpeaker/Chairman on matters concerning affairs of the House, which do notappropriately fall within the purview of any other Parliamentary Committee; and(b) House Committee deals with residential accommodation and other amenities formembers; (vi) Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament,constituted under the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act,1954, apart from framing rules for regulating payment of salary, allowances andpension to Members of Parliament, also frames rules in respect of amenities likemedical, housing, telephone, postal, constituency and secretarial facility; (vii) JointCommittee on Offices of Profit examines the composition and character of committeesand other bodies appointed by the Central and State governments and UnionTerritories Administrations and recommends what offices ought to or ought not todisqualify a person from being chosen as a member of either House of Parliament;(viii) The Library Committee consisting of members from both Houses, considers mattersconcerning the Library of Parliament; (ix) On 29 April 1997, a Committee onEmpowerment of Women with members from both the Houses was constituted with aview to securing, among other things, status, dignity and equality for women in allfields; (x) On 4 March 1997, the Ethics Committee of the Rajya Sabha was constituted.The Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha was constituted on 16 May 2000.Ad hoc Committees : Such Committees may be broadly classified under two heads :(a) committees which are constituted from time to time, either by the two Houses on amotion adopted in that behalf or by Speaker/Chairman to inquire into and report onspecific subjects, (e.g., Committees on food management in Parliament House Complex,Committee on installation of portraits/statutes of National leaders and Parliamentarians inParliament House Complex, Committee on Security in Parliament Complex, Committee onMPLADS, Committee on Railway convention, etc.) and (b) Select or Joint Committees on Billswhich are appointed to consider and report on a particular Bill. These Committeesare distinguishable from the other ad hoc committees inasmuch as they are concernedwith Bills and the procedure to be followed by them as laid down in the Rules ofProcedure and Directions by the Speaker/Chairman.LEADERS OF OPPOSITION IN PARLIAMENTIn keeping with their important role, the Leaders of Opposition in the Rajya Sabhaand the Lok Sabha are accorded statutory recognition. Salary and other suitable 37. The Polity 33facilities are extended to them through a separate legislation brought into force on1 November 1977.GOVERNMENT BUSINESS IN PARLIAMENTThe Minister of Parliamentary Affairs is entrusted with the responsibility ofcoordinating, planning and arranging Government Business in both Houses ofParliament. In the discharge of this function, he is assisted by his Ministers of State.The Minister also keeps close and constant contact with the presiding officers, theleaders as well as chief whips and whips of various parties and groups in both theHouses of Parliament. During the period for 1 July 2009 to 31 May 2010, both Housesof Parliament passed 40 Bills.CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEESFunctioning of Consultative Committees of Members of Parliament for variousMinistries is one of the functions allocated to the Ministry of Parliamentary affairsunder the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961. The mainobjective of these committees is to provide a forum for informal discussion betweenMembers of Parliament, on the one hand, and Ministers and senior officers of theGovernment, on the other hand, on the policies, principles and programmes of theGovernment and the manner of their implementation. The Minister/Minister of Statein-charge of the Ministry concerned acts as the Chairman of the ConsultativeCommittee attached to that Ministry. The minimum membership of a Consultative Committee is 10 and the maximummembership is 30. The Consultative Committee stand dissolved upon dissolution ofevery Lok Sabha and re-constituted upon constitution of each Lok Sabha. After theConstitution of the 15th Lok Sabha, 35 Consulative Committees attached to variousMinistries have been constituted on 16th September, 2009. 90 meetings of the variousconsultative committees were held upto 31 May 2010.NOMINATION OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT ON GOVERNMENTCOMMITTEES/BODIESThe Minister of Parliamentary Affairs nominates Members of Parliament onCommittees, Councils, Boards and Commissions, etc., set-up by the Government ofIndia in various Ministries (except in case of statutory or other bodies where thestatute or the bye-laws framed thereunder provides that the Member of Parliament tobe appointed thereon will be nominated by the Presiding Officers of the respectiveHouses or will be elected by the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha, as the case may be).The Members are nominated on such Bodies keeping in view their aptitude andspecial interest in the subject.YOUTH PARLIAMENT COMPETITIONIn order to develop democratic ethos in the younger generation the Ministry conductsYouth Parliament Competition in various categories of schools and colleges/universities. The Youth Parliament Scheme was first introduced in the Schools inDelhi in 1966-67. Kendriya Vidyalayas located in and around Delhi were incorporatedinto the ongoing Scheme for Delhi Schools in 1978. Subsequently, as separate schemeof Youth Parliament for Kendriya Vidyalayas at the National Level was launched in1988. Similarly, in 1997-98, two new Youth Parliament Schemes at the national level,one for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and the other for Universities/Colleges werelaunched. 38. 34 India 2011OTHER PARLIAMENTARY MATTERSALL INDIA WHIPS CONFERENCEThe Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Government of India has been organising AllIndia Whips Conference from time to time, with the purpose of establishing suitablelinks among the whips of various political parties at the Centre and the States whoare concerned with the practical working of the legislatures to discuss matters ofcommon interest and to evolve high standards to strengthen the institution ofParliamentary Democracy. Fifteen All India Whips Conferences have been organizedso far since 1952.MATTERS UNDER RULE 377 AND SPECIAL MENTIONSThe Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs takes follow-up action on matters raised underRule 377 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha and by wayof Special Mentions in Rajya Sabha. Also after Question Hour in both the Houses ofParliament, Members raise matters of urgent public importance. Though it is notmandatory, Ministers sometimes react to the points made by the Members. In theabsence of concerned Minister the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs assures the Houseor the individual Members that their sentiments would be conveyed to the concernedMinisters.IMPLEMENTATION OF ASSURANCESThe Ministry culls out assurances, promises, undertakings, etc., given by Ministersin both the Houses of Parliament, from the daily proceedings and forwards them tothe concerned Ministries/Departments for implementation. After due scrutiny of theimplementation reports received from the various Ministries/Departments concerned,statements showing action taken by the Government in implementation of theassurances are periodically laid on the Table of the Houses by Minister/Minister ofState for Parliamentary Affairs.The Parliamentarians of a country play a significant role in determining thepolicy of the country and strengthening of relations with other countries. It is usefuland necessary for a democratic and developing country like India to select someMembers of Parliament and distinguished personalities and utilize their services inprojecting our policies, programmes and achievement in different fields with theircounterparts and other opinion makers in other countries and secure their support infavour of India.With these objectives in view, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs sponsorsGovernment Goodwill Delegation of Members of Parliament to other countries andreceives similar Government sponsored delegations of parliamentarians under theexchange programme from other countries through the Ministry of External Affairs.During the period from1 July, 2009 to 31 May, 2010 three ParliamentaryDelegations from Japan, Afghanistan and Paraguay called on Minister ofParliamentary Affairs/Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and exchangedviews on functions of Parliament and other matters of mutual interest.WELFARE OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENTThe Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs looks after the welfare of ailing Members ofParliament admitted for treatment in hospitals in Delhi and render any assistancerequired by them. Between 01.07.2009 to 31.05.2010, it had extended assistance and 39. The Polity35help to 33 Members of Parliament who were admitted to hospitals, as and whenrequired.In the unfortunate event of passing away of a Member of Parliament in Delhi,the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs renders all necessary assistance to the bereavedfamily members in taking the mortal remains of the decreased Member for last rites toa plae chosen by the family. During the period under report, assistance was providedon the sad demise of four Members of Parliament.ADMINISTRATIVE SET-UPThe Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 are made by thePresident of India under Article 77 of the Constitution for the allocation of business ofthe Government of India. The Ministries/Departments of the Government are createdby the President on the advice of the Prime Minister under these Rules. The businessof the Government are transacted in the Ministries/Departments, Secretariats andoffices (referred to as Department) as per the distribution of subjects specified inthese Rules. Each of the Ministry(ies) is assigned to a Minister by the President on theadvice of the Prime Minister. Each department is generally under the charge of aSecretary to assist the Minister on policy matters and general administration.CABINET SECRETARIATThe Cabinet Secretariat in terms of provisions of the Government of India (Allocationof Business) Rules, 1961 functions directly under the Prime Minister. Theadministrative head of the Secretariat is the Cabinet Secretary who is also theex-officio Chairman of the Civil Services Board. The business alloted to cabinet secretariat is (i) Secretarial assistance to Cabinetand Cabinet Committees; and (ii) Rules of Business.The Cabinet Secretariat is responsible for the administration of the Governmentof India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961 and the Government of India (Allocationof Business) Rules 1961, facilitating smooth transaction of business in Ministries/Departments of the Government by ensuring adherence to these rules. The Secretariatassists in decision-making in Government by ensuring Inter-Ministerial coordination,ironing out differences amongst Ministries/Departments and evolving consensusthrough the instrumentality of the standing and ad hoc Committees of Secretaries.The Cabinet Secretariat ensures that the President, the Vice-President andMinisters are kept informed of the major activities of all Ministries/Departments bymeans of monthly summary of their activities. Management of major crisis situationsin the country and coordinating activities of various Ministries in such a situation isalso one of the functions of the Cabinet Secretariat.The Cabinet Secretariat is seen as a useful mechanism by the departments forpromoting inter-Ministerial coordination since the Cabinet Secretary is also the headof the civil services. The Secretaries felt it necessary to keep the Cabinet Secretaryinformed of developments from time to time. The Transaction of Business Rules alsorequire them to keep the Cabinet Secretary informed specially if there are anydepartures from these rules. A list of cabinet secretaries since 1950 is given in Chapter 32 - GeneralInformation. 40. 36 India 2011MINISTRIES/DEPARTMENTS OF THE GOVERNMENTThe Government consists of a number of Ministries/Departments, number andcharacter varying from time to time on factors such as volume of work importanceattached to certain items, changes of orientation, political expediency, etc.LIST OF THE MINISTRIES/DEPARTMENTS1. Ministry of Agriculture (Krishi Mantralaya)(i) Department of Agriculture and Co-operation(Krishi aur Sahkarita Vibhag)(ii) Department of Agricultural Research and Education(Krishi Anusandhan aur Shiksha Vibhag)(iii) Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying(Pashupalan aur Dairy Vibhag)2. Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers (Rasayan aur Urvarak Mantralaya)(i) Department of Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals(Rasayan aur Petro-Rasayan Vibhag)(ii) Department of Fertilizers (Urvarak Vibhag)(iii) Department of Pharmaceutical.3. Ministry of Civil Aviation (Nagar Vimanan Mantralaya)4. Ministry of Coal (Koyala Mantralaya)5. Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Vanijya aur Udyog Mantralaya)(i) Department of Commerce (Vanijya Vibhag)(ii) Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion(Audyogik Niti aur Samvardhan Vibhag)6. Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (Sanchar aurSoochana Praudyogiki Mantralaya)(i) Department of Telecommunications (Doorsanchar Vibhag)(ii) Department of Post (Dak Vibhag)(iii) Department of Information Technology(Soochana Praudyogiki Vibhag)7. Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution(Upbhokta Mamle, Khadya aur Sarvajanik Vitaran Mantralaya)(i) Department of Consumer Affairs(Upbhokta Mamle Vibhag)(ii) Department of Food and Public Distribution(Khadya aur Sarvajanik Vitaran Vibhag)8. Ministry of Corporate Affairs (Korporate Karya Mantralya)9. Ministry of Culture (Sanskriti Mantralya)10. Ministry of Defence (Raksha Mantralaya)(i) Department of Defence (Raksha Vibhag)(ii) Department of Defence Production(Raksha Utpadan aur Aapoorti Vibhag)(iii) Department of Defence Research and Development(Raksha Anusandhan aur Vikas Vibhag) 41. The Polity 37(iv) Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare11. Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (Uttar Poorvi KshetraVikas Mantralaya)12. Ministry of Earth Sciences (Bhoo Vigyan Mantralaya)13. Ministry of Environment and Forests (Paryavaran aur Van Mantralaya)14. Ministry of External Affairs (Videsh Mantralaya)15. Ministry of Finance (Vitta Mantralaya)(i) Department of Economic Affairs (Arthik Karya Vibhag)(ii) Department of Expenditure (Vyaya Vibhag)(iii) Department of Revenue (Rajaswa Vibhag)(iv) Department of Financial Services (Vittiya Sewayen Vibhag)(v) Department of Disinvestment16. Ministry of Food Processing Industries(Khadya Prasanskaran Udyog Mantralaya)17. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(Swasthya aur Parivar Kalyan Mantralaya)(i) Department of Health and Department of Family Welfare (SwasthyaMantralaya aur Parivar Kalyan Mantralaya)(ii) Department of Ayurveda, Yoga-Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha andHomoeopathy (AYUSH)(Ayurveda, Yoga-Prakritik Chikitsa Paddhati, Unani, Siddha aur HomoeopathyVibhag)(iii) Department of AIDS Control(iv) Department of Health Research18. Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises(Bhari Udyog aur Lok Udyam Mantralaya)(i) Department of Heavy Industries (Bhari Udyog Vibhag)(ii) Department of Public Enterprises (Lok Udyam Vibhag)19. Ministry of Home Affairs (Grih Mantralaya)(i) Department of Internal Security (Antarik Suraksha Vibhag)(ii) Department of States (Rajya Vibhag)(iii) Department of Official Language (Raj Bhasha Vibhag)(iv) Department of Home (Grih Vibhag)(v) Department of Jammu and Kashmir Affairs(Jammu tatha Kashmir Vibhag)(vi) Department of Border Management(Seema Prabandhan Vibhag)20. Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation(Aawas aur Shahari Garibi Upshaman Mantralaya)21. Ministry of Human Resource Development(Manav Sansadhan Vikas Mantralaya)(i) Department of School Education and Literacy(School Shiksha aur Saksharta Vibhag) 42. 38 India 2011 (ii) Department of Higher Education(Uchchatar Shiksha Vibhag)22. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting(Soochana aur Prasaran Mantralaya)23. Ministry of Labour and Employment (Shram aur Rozgar Mantralaya)24. Ministry of Law and Justice(Vidhi aur Nyaya Mantralaya)(i) Department of Legal Affairs (Vidhi Karya Vibhag)(ii) Department of Legislative (Vidhi Vibhag)(iii) Department of Justice (Nyaya Vibhag)25. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(Sukshma Laghu Aur Madhyam Udyam Mantralya)26. Ministry of Mines (Khan Mantralaya)27. Ministry of Minority Affairs(Alpasankhyak Karya Mantralya)28. Ministry of N