Test 3 : Medieval & Modern History

British Govt. made the decision public to divide Bengal in 1903 and partition came into force in October 1905.
•Reasons given by British- Bengal is too big to be administered and this division of Bengal into eastern and western Bengal would develop Assam.
•Moderates started anti partition campaigns:Leaders associated- Surendranath Banerjee, K.K Mitra and Prithwishchandra Ray. Newspaper associated- Hitabadi, Sanjibani, Bengalee.

●Moderates such as Surendranath Banerjee, K.K.Mitra led an anti-partition campaign. They followed petition, prayer and protest method.
●Meetings were held all over Bengal and a decision was taken to boycott the foreign goods. The message to Boycott the Manchester cloth and Liverpool salt was spread throughout Bengal by the leaders.
●The Indian National Congress under the leadership of Gopal Krishna Gokhale rejected the Partition of Bengal and resolved to support the Swadeshi movement and boycott.

British government followed the “carrot and stick policy”. It is a 3-way approach of repression – conciliation and suppression.
Tilak was tried for sedition in 1909 for his writings in “Kesari” about bomb thrown by Bengal revolutionaries in Muzzafarpur – sent to Mandalay jail for 6 yrs- released in 1914.
•Aurobindo and B.C Pal retired from politics and Lala Lajpat rai left for abroad.

Indian Councils Act 1909
Introduced separate electorates for the Muslims to divide people in communal lines.
•One Indian to be appointed to viceroy executive council- Satyendra Sinha.
•Central Legislative Council increased from 16 to 60 members. Not uniform in case of province.
•Can discuss the budget, matters of public interest and move resolutions.
•They could also ask supplementary questions.
•Indians were given membership to the Imperial Legislative Council for the first time.

Act -Year
(1) Seditious Meetings Act -1907
(2) Explosives Substances Act -1908
(3) Indian Council Act -1909
(4) Indian Press Act -1910

ANNULMENT OF PARTITION (1911)
•It was done mainly to curb the rising revolutionary extremism/terrorism. Muslim political elite were disappointed with this move.
To make them happy:
The capital was shifted to Delhi in 1911,
Assam was made a separate province,
Bihar and Orissa were separated from Bengal.
•After swadeshi and Boycott Movements it became clear that Moderates had outlived their utility and their politics of petitions and speeches had become obsolete.
There were following differences between them:

HOME RULE LEAGUE MOVEMENT (1916)
•It was Indian response to First World War, inspired by Irish Home Rule Leagues. The aim of the movement was self-rule through political education and discussion, public meetings etc.
•The Russian revolution 1917 gave boost to the movement.
•The government responded with severe repression, but it prepared masses for Gandhian style of politics.
•Tilak launched the Indian Home Rule League in April 1916 at Belgaum.
•Annie Besant launched the Home Rule League in September 1916 at Madras.

HOME RULE LEAGUE FADED OUT BY 1919 DUE TO THE FOLLOWING REASONS-
•Lack of effective organization
•Communal riots during1917-18
•The Moderates were pacified by talk of reforms- the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms
•Talk of passive resistance by the Extremists kept the Moderates away from September 1918 onwards
•Tilak had to go abroad in 1918 while Annie Besant didn’t agree to the passive resistance and reforms in the movement.

All India Khilafat Committee (1919) – Gandhi was elected president of the First All-India Khilafat Conference.
•Tilak was opposed to having an alliance with leaders over a religious issue and he was not sure of satyagraha as an instrument in politics.
•Congress was not united on this form of political action. However, it supported non-cooperation programme on the khilafat movement because:— Hindu- Muslim unity opportunity
It can bring Muslim masses into the national movement.
Constitutional measures were proving inadequate.
It was a way for the masses to expres their discontent.
•Muslim League also supported this movement.

DEC, 1928 Calcutta Session of Congress
President- Motilal Nehru
It led to the Formation of All India Youth Congress
•Nehru Report was approved.
•One year ultimatum to government to accept dominion status or else civil disobedience to be launched for complete independence.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833):
•Father of Indian Renaissance.
•Maker of Modern India.
•Believed in scientific temper, human dignity, monotheism, and Upanishads.
•Opposed idolatry and meaningless rituals.
•Books: Gift to Monotheism (1809) + Percepts of Jesus (1820).
•Translated Vedas and Upanishads into Bengali.
•Atmiya Sabha (Society of Friends) in Calcutta in 1814.
•Started Brahmo Samaj (1828) [ formerly called as Brahmo Sabha]
•Established Vedanta College (1825).
•Supported the revolutions of Naples and Spanish America
•Supported David Hare in establishing Hindu College (1817).
•Crusader against Sati.
•Efforts resulted in Government Regulation against Sati in 1829.

Debendranath Tagore (1817-1905)
•Headed Tattavabodhini Sabha, formed in 1839, and its organ Tattavabodhini Patrika.
•Joined Brahmo Samaj in 1842.
•Favored Widow remarriage, Women education, abolition of Polygamy.
Keshab Chandra Sen (1838-1884)
•Appointed as Acharya of the Brahmo Samaj in 1858.
•Spread the ideas of the Samaj outside Bengal (in United Provinces, Bombay, Punjab, etc.).
•Showed radical views against caste system, favored inter-caste marriage.
•Expelled from Acharya’s position in 1865.
•Founded Brahmo Samaj of India (1866).
•Sadharan Brahmo Samaj (Ananda Mohan Bose, Shibchandra Deb and Umesh Chandra Datta) founded in opposition to his views.

The overall contribution of Brahmo Samaj may be summed thus—
(i) it denounced polytheism and idol worship;
(ii) it discarded faith in divine avataras (incarnations);
(iii) it denied that any scripture could enjoy the status of ultimate authority transcending/ human reason and conscience;
(iv) it took no definite stand on the doctrine of karma and transmigration of soul and left it to individual Brahmos to believe either way;
(iv) it criticised the caste system. In matters of social reform, the Samaj attacked many dogmas and superstitions. It condemned the prevailing Hindu prejudice against going abroad. It worked for a respectable status for women in society—condemned sati, worked for abolition, of purdah system, discouraged child marriages and polygamy, crusaded for widow remarriage.

● The caves of Bhimbetka were discovered in 1957–58 by eminent archaeologist V.S.Wakankar and later on many more were discovered.
● Wakankar spent several years in surveying these inaccessible hills and jungles to study these paintings.
● Bhimbetka is located in Madhya Pradesh at Bhopal.

Akbar ruled with a social and religious toleration that was relative, not absolute, and was based on his concept of sulh-i-kul (for the general good of all people) which built on his liberal views of religion. This was however not connected with the book in question. So, (A) is wrong.
Ibadat khana was a place where Akbar used to have religious discussions. (C) is also wrong.
The book Akhlaq-i Nasiri is divided to three parts: ethics, domestic economy and politics.
It is considered a medieval treatise on Ismaili thought.

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820-1891)
•Man of high moral standards, humanist, and proponent of modern education.
•Appointed Principal of Sanskrit college in 1850 in Bengal.
•Opened Sanskrit College to non-Brahmins.
•Ardent supporter of Widow remarriage. Helped legalized it.
•One of the pioneers of higher education for women.
•Appointed as the secretary of Bethune College (est. 1849).

Gopalhari Deshmukh ‘Lokahitwadi’ (1823-1892):
•Belonged to Maharashtra.
•Against Hindu orthodoxy and caste system.
•Believed in rational, modern, and secular principles.
•Wrote for weekly Prabhakar under the pen name ‘Lokahitwadi’.
•Started weekly Hitechu.
•Helped in founding periodicals like Gyan Prakash, Indu Prakash, Lokahitwadi.

Jyotiba Phule (1827-1890):
X•Born to Mali(gardener) community in Maharashtra.
•Fought against upper caste and Brahmanical domination, caste system, and socio-economic inequalities.
•Founded the Satyasodhak Samaj in 1873 to promote social service and education among the lower caste and women
•Books: Sarvajanik Satyadharma
•Gulamgiri
•Fought for the cause of widow remarriage and opened a home for widows in 1854.
•Given the title of Mahatma for his social service work.
Gopal Ganesh Agarkar (1856-1895)
•Belonged to Maharashtra.
•Favored human reason and discarded the false glorification of the past.
•Co-founder of the New English School, the Deccan Education Society, and the Fergusson College.
•First editor of Kesari (Marathi newspaper started by Lokmanya Tilak).
•Periodical: Sudharak.

Sanyasi Revolt (1763-1800)
•The disastrous famine of 1770 and the harsh economic order of the British compelled a group of sanyasis in Eastern India to fight the British yoke.
•Originally peasants, even some evicted from land, these sanyasis were joined by a large number of dispossessed small zamindars, disbanded soldiers and rural poor.
•It was only after a prolonged action that Warren Hastings could subdue the sanyasis.
•Equal participation of Hindus and Muslims characterised the uprisings, sometimes referred to as the Fakir Rebellion.
•Leaders: Majnum Shah (or Majnu Shah), Chirag Ali, Musa Shah, Bhawani Pathak and Debi Chaudhurani.
•Debi Chaudhurani’s participation recognises the women’s role in early resistances against the British.
•Anandamath, a semi-historical novel by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, is based on the Sanyasi Revolt.

Paika Rebellion (1817)
The Paiks of Odisha were the traditional landed militia (‘foot soldiers’) and enjoyed rent free land tenures for their military service and policing functions on a hereditary basis.
•The English Company’s conquest of Odisha in 1803, and the dethronement of the Raja of Khurda had greatly reduced the power and prestige of the Paiks.
•The extortionist land revenue policy of the Company caused resentment among zamindars and peasants alike. Common masses were affected by the rise in prices of salt due to taxes imposed on it, abolition of cowrie currency and the requirement of payment of taxes in silver, etc.
•Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar had been the military chief of the forces of the Raja of Khurda.
•With active support of Mukunda Deva, the last Raja of Khurda, and other zamindars of the region, Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar led a sundry army of Paikas forcing the East India Company forces to retreat for a time
•The rebellion came to be known as the Paika Bidroh (rebellion).
•By mid-1817, the Paika rebels resorted to guerilla tactics. The rebellion was brutally repressed by 1818.
•The Paik Rebellion succeeded in getting large remissions of arrears, reductions in assessments, suspension of the sale of the estates of defaulters at discretion, a new settlement on fixed tenures and other adjuncts of a liberal governance.

Khasi Uprising
Area – Garo and Jaintia Hills
•Leader – Tirath Singh
•Reason – the East India Company wanted to build a road linking the Brahmaputra Valley with Sylhet. For this, a large number of outsiders including Englishmen, Bengalis and the labourers from the plains were brought to these regions.
•The Khasis, Garos, Khamptis and the Singphos organised themselves under Tirath Singh to drive away the strangers from the plains.
•The uprising developed into a popular revolt against British rule in the area. By 1833, the superior English military force had suppressed the revolt.

Moplah Uprisings
Hike in revenue demand and reduction of field size, coupled with the oppression of officials, resulted in widespread peasant unrest among the Moplahs of Malabar.
•Twenty-two rebellions took place between 1836 and 1854. None, however, proved successful.
•The second Moplah uprising occurred after the Moplahs came to be organised by the Congress and the Khilafat supporters during the Non-cooperation Movement.

Bardoli Satyagraha (1928) Area – Bardoli (Gujrat)
•Leaders – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
•Reason – against the unjust raising of taxes.
•Patel called for no tax campaign-become a model peasant movement 1925, because of floods and famine crop production suffered and government raised tax rate by 30% that year-petitions failed.
•Patel consulted Gandhi, Gandhi agreed but decided not to participate, as a result government agreed to restore the confiscated lands and cancel revenue payment revoked 30% next year.
•Given title of ‘Sardar’ by women of Bardoli.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme :
•It was launched in February 2019.
•Type ➔ It is a Central Sector Scheme with 100% funding from the Government of India.
•Implemented by ➔ the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
•Features ➔ Under the scheme, the Centre transfers an amount of Rs 6,000 per year, in three equal instalments, directly into the bank accounts of all landholding farmers irrespective of the size of their land holdings.
•Identification of Beneficiaries ➔ The entire responsibility of identification of beneficiary farmer families rests with the State / UT Governments.
•Objective ➔ To supplement the financial needs of the Small and Marginal Farmers in procuring various inputs to ensure proper crop health and appropriate yields, commensurate with the anticipated farm income at the end of each crop cycle.
To protect them from falling in the clutches of moneylenders for meeting such expenses and ensure their continuance in the farming activities.

FSSAI
•Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is a statutory body established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act).
•FSSAI is an autonomous body. The administrative ministry for FSSAI is the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
•FSSAI is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety.
•Headquartered in New Delhi.

Statement 1 is correct: Sail Training Ship INS Sudarshini was deployed to the Gulf as part of the Indian Navy's endeavour to enhance maritime cooperation with the friendly navies in the region. During the month-long deployment, the Ship made port calls at Muscat, Dubai and Bandar Abbas and had professional interactions with the Royal Oman Navy (RNO), UAE Navy and Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) Navy.
Statement 2 is Incorrect: The Ship was built at Goa Shipyard Ltd showcased indigenous shipbuilding capabilities and revisited India's historic maritime linkages with the Gulf. The Ship, during the deployment, undertook various training exchanges, wherein sail training was imparted to trainees from RNO and IRI Navy and sea sorties conducted.

Union Education Minister launched a 100-day reading campaign, 'Padhe Bharat'. Option (D) is correct: Padhe Bharat campaign has been launched by the Ministry of Education. It focused on children studying in Balvatika to Grade 8. The reading campaign organized for 100 days (14 weeks), started from 1 January 2022 to 10 April 2022. This campaign was in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasizes on the promotion of joyful reading culture for children by ensuring the availability of age- appropriate reading books for children in local/mother tongue/regional/tribal Language.
The 100 days reading campaign also focused on Indian languages, including mother tongue/local/regional languages. It is in this regard, 21 February, which is celebrated as International Mother Tongue Day, has also been integrated with this campaign.

The South American country of Chile has formed a Constitution Convention to write a new constitution to tackle a “climate and ecological emergency.”
Chile is officially known as the Republic of Chile. Its capital is Santiago. It is a South American country occupying a narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the south.

The Konyak Civil Society Organizations, the guardian umbrella of organizations of the Konyaks, has slammed the extension of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 (AFSPA).
In November 2004, the Central government appointed a five-member committee headed by Justice B. P. Jeevan Reddy to review the provisions of the act in the northeastern states. The committee recommended that AFSPA should be repealed, and appropriate provisions should be inserted in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Recently, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Steel Bridge built over the Barak River on NH- 37, at the cost of over Rs 75 crore, which would decongest traffic between Silchar and Imphal.
•The Brahmaputra, one of the largest rivers of the world, has its origin in the Chemayungdung glacier of the Kailash range near the Mansarovar lake. It enters India west of Sadiya town in Arunachal Pradesh. Flowing southwest, it receives its main left- bank tributaries, viz., Dibang or Sikang and Lohit; thereafter, it is known as the Brahmaputra. The Brahmaputra receives numerous tributaries in its 750 km long journey through the Assam valley. Its major left bank tributaries are the Burhi Dihing and Dhansari (South), whereas the important right bank tributaries are the Subansiri, Kameng, Manas and Sankosh.
•Barak River flows through the states of Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Assam in India and into the Bay of Bengal. It rises in the Manipur Hills in northern Manipur state, India, where it is called the Barak.
•Dhansiri is the main river of the Golaghat District of Assam and the Dimapur District of Nagaland. It originates from the Laisang peak of Nagaland.

o From 1600 to 1757 the East India Company‟s role in India was that of a trading corporation which brought goods or precious metals into India and exchanged them for Indian goods like textiles, spices, etc., which it sold abroad. Its profits came primarily from the sale of Indian goods abroad. Naturally, it tried constantly to open new markets for Indian goods in Britain and other countries. Thereby, it increased the export of Indian manufactures and thus encouraged their production. This is the reason why the Indian rulers tolerated and even encouraged the establishment of the Company‟s factories in India. Hence, statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is not correct.

Separate electorate for Muslims was awarded in 1909 under the Morley-Minto reform or GOI act 1909.
Muslim League called for direct action from August 16 in 1946 to achieve Pakistan in response to Nehru”s statement that they are not bound by any single thing but the constituent assembly implying sovereignty of the assembly.
Resolution for separate Muslim state was passed by Muslim League in Lahore session in 1940.
Jinnah gave his fourteen points in response to the non-inclusion of amendment proposed by him at the All Parties Conference in December 1928. These 14 points were to become basis of all future propaganda of the Muslim League.

On 20th August, 1917 Lord Montague, the Secretary of State for India, made the following declaration in British Parliament: “The Policy of His Majesty”s government… is that of increasing association of Indians in every branch of administration, and the gradual development of self- governing institutions, with a view to the progressive realization of responsible government in India as an integral part of the British empire.
Importance of Montagu”s Statement- From now onwards, the demand by nationalists for self-government or Home Rule could not be termed as seditious since attainment of self-government for Indians now became a government policy, unlike Morley”s statement in 1909 that the reforms were not intended to give self-government to India.

o Powerful newspapers emerged during these years under distinguished and fearless journalists. These were the Hindu and Swadesamitran under the editorship of G. Subramaniya Iyer, Kesari and Mahratta under B.G. Tilak, Bengalee under Surendranath Banerjea, Amrita Bazar Patrika under Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh, Sudharak under G.K. Gokhale, Indian Mirror under N.N. Sen, Voice of India under Dadabhai Naoroji etc.

Mappila Revolt- The Mappilas were the Muslim tenants inhabiting the Malabar region where most of the landlords were Hindus. The Mappilas had expressed their resentment against the oppression of the landlords during the nineteenth century also. Their grievances centred around lack of security of tenure, high rents, renewal fees and other oppressive exactions.
The Mappila tenants were particularly encouraged by the demand of the local Congress body for a government legislation regulating tenant – landlord relations. Soon, the Mappila movement merged with the ongoing Khilafat agitation. The leaders of the Khilafat – Non – Cooperation Movement like Gandhi, Shaukat Ali and Maulana Azad addressed Mappila meetings. After the arrest of national leaders, the leadership passed into the hands of local Mappila leaders.
Things took a turn for the worse in August 1921 when the arrest of a respected priest leader, Ali Musaliar, sparked off large – scale riots. Initially, the symbols of British authority – courts, police stations, treasuries and offices – and unpopular landlords (jenmies who were mostly Hindus) were the targets.
But once the British declared martial law and repression began in earnest, the character of the rebellion underwent a definite change.
Many Hindus were seen by the Mappilas to be helping the authorities. What began as an anti – government and anti – landlord affair acquired communal overtones. The communalization of the rebellion completed the isolation of the Mappilas from the Khilafat – Non – Cooperation Movement. By December 1921, all resistance had come to an end.

o The Principle features of Government of India Act, 1858 were:
__ It transferred the power to govern India from East India Company to British Crown.
__ It abolished the dual system of administration that is control of administration through Board of Control and Directors of Company. Now this power was to be exercised by Secretary of State.
__ It created the office of Secretary of State (in London) which was a member of British Cabinet and was to be assisted by Council of 15.
__ Under the Act Governor General was given a title of Viceroy.
However, Secretary of State now control the minutest details of administration and Viceroy reduced to subordinate status. Thus, the authority that exercise final and detail control and direction over indian affairs resided in London.
Government of India Act, 1861 authorised the Viceroy to add 6 to 12 member in his Executive Council. Hence, option (D) is correct.

During Swadeshi Movement the Capitalists” remained opposed to the boycott agitation. Even during the Non Cooperation Movement, some of the Capitalists openly declared themselves enemies of the Non Cooperation Movement. However, during the 1930s Civil Disobedience Movement, the Capitalists largely supported the Movement. Hence 1st Statement is correct.
FICCI did not participate in the first round table conference because in their opinion unless the Round Table Conference was attended by Mahatma Gandhi. Hence, 2nd Statement is incorrect.
The capitalists did not support the government in introduction of public safety bill since it intended to contain communists. Hence 3rd Statement is incorrect.

Tilak”s Home Rule league was restricted to Maharastra only. While Besant”s League covered whole India including Maharastra. So option 1 is incorrect.
Home Rule movement was joined by both extremist leaders (Motilal Nehru, C.R. Das) as well as moderates leaders who were disillusioned by congress inactivity joined Home Rule league movement. So option 2 is correct.
Through seminars, public meetings. Libraries, newspaper, pamphlets Home rule league movement promoted political education among youths. So option 3 is also correct.

o There were the following provisions in secondary Factory Act of 1891:
It increased the minimum age (from 7 to 9 years) and the maximum (from 12 to 14 years) for children.
It provided weekly holidays to all workers. Hence statement 1 is correct.
It fixed maximum working hours for women at 11 hours per day but working hours of men still left unregulated. Hence statement 3 is not correct.
The Act is not applied to British-owned tea and coffee plantation. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
Hence, option (A) is correct.

o Wood”s Dispatch (1854) – Charles Wood was a British Liberal politician and Member of Parliament who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and later he became the President of the Board of Control of the East India Company. In 1854 he sent the ―Wood„s despatch to the Governor General Lord Dalhousie. Wood„s Despatch is called Magnacarta of English Education in India.
As per this despatch:
__ An education department was to be set in every province. Universities on the model of the London University be established in big cities such as Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. Hence statement 2 is correct.
__ The Indian natives should be given training in their mother tongue and it recommended the extension of vernacular elementary education. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
__ He rejected the Downward Filtration Theory and asked the Government of India to assume responsibility for the education of the masses.
__ At least one government school be opened in every district. Affiliated private schools should be given grant in aid.

Khuts and Muqaddams refer to the landlords and village headmen. The khuts and muqaddams were suspected of passing their burden on to the weaker sections, and not paying the taxes. Alauddin Khilji through his reforms ensured that they paid taxes on houses and milch cattle.

Opium wars are an important event in the fight against imperialism.
Option (B) refers to the Great Turkish war beginning in 1683 and ending with the signing of the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699. The war was a defeat for the Ottoman Empire, which lost large amounts of territory in Central Europe. The war was also significant in that it marked the first time Russia wasinvolved in a western European alliance.
Option (C) refers to Mexican Revolution 1910-20.
Option (D) refers to the Crimean War (which was also in news due to the Ukraine Crisis 2013-14).

Other facts about this question –
It was passed in 1878.
It tried to mute those who were critical to the government.
The act allowed the government to confiscate the assets of newspaper.

The Vernacular Press Act was passed in 1878 under the Governor Generalship and Viceroyalty of Lord Lytton, for better control of Indian languagenewspapers.
The purpose of the Act was to control the printing and circulation of seditious material, specifically that which could produce disaffection against the British Government in India in the minds of the masses. It was passed on the model of irish press laws.
It provided the government extensive rights to censor report and editorial in vernacular press.
At the time the Vernacular Press Act was passed, there were thirty five vernacular papers in Bengal, including the Amrita Bazar Patrika.

· Social Service League another Gokhale follower Narayan Malhar Joshi founded the Social Service League in Bombay with an aim to secure for the masses better and reasonable conditions of life and work.
· They organized many schools, libraries, reading rooms, day nurseries and cooperative societies.
· Their activities also included police court agents” work, legal aid and advice to the poor and illiterate, excursions for slum dwellers, facilities for gymnasia and theatrical performances, sanitary work, medical relief and boys” clubs and scout corps. Joshi also founded the All India Trade Union (1920).

HRA was reorganized to HSRA by people like Bejoy Kumar Sinha, Shiv Verma and Jaidev Kumar in U.P, and Bhagat Singh, B.C. Vohra and Sukhdev in Punjab under the overall leadership of Chandrashekhar Azad.
It had a three-fold objective
1. Ideologically inspired by Russian Revolution and the Socialist thought, substitute British Imperialism in India by a federated republic of the United States of India.
2. Rouse the consciousness of the people to the futility of the Gandhian methods of non violence.
3. Demonstrate need and desirability of direct action and revolution for achieving complete independence.

Tribal and Peasant revolt were often against the local grievances against the administrative changes made by the british.
Tribal movements were often messianic i.e, some leader out of them claimed to have some divine powers handed over to them by the god themselves.
Popular revolt of Ulugan or Munda where Birsa Munda claimed himself to be the divine messenger of god to Santhal rebellion where Sido & kanhu announcing their tribal members to be in possession of supernatural powers which would make brisitsh bullets ineffective.
Peasant movement were hardly under the influence of these superstitious statements of their leaders with exception to kuka Revolt of peasantsin Punjab leb by Baba Ram Singh.

o Provisions of the Charter Act of 1813:
__ The company”s monopoly over trade in India ended, but the company retained the trade with China and the trade in tea.
__ The company‟s shareholders were given a 10.5 percent dividend on the revenue in India.
__ The company was to retain the possession of territories and the revenue for 20 years more, without prejudice to the sovereignty of the Crown.
__ Powers of the Board of Control were further enlarged.
__ A sum of one lakh was to be set aside for the revival, promotion and encouragement of literature, learning and science among the natives of India, every year.
__ It was Regulating Act, 1773 which provided for the establishment of a Supreme Court at Calcutta (1774) comprising one chief justice and three other judges. Hence, only statement 2 is not correct.

Statement 1 is correct because while import to India was free, Indian goods were charged at very high duty( like 66.5% on muslin) in Britain.
Statement 2 is also true as Industrial Revolution in England made cost of Foreign goods cheaper.
Statement 3 is not true as inspite of higher prices Indian goods (specially muslin,silk etc.) were very popular in England.

A revivalist movement is one which desires or inclines to revive practices from an earlier times whereas a Reform movement seeks to bring gradual change in certain aspects of the society.
Wahabi movement sought to undo western influences and the perceived degeneration in Indian muslims as per them.
Ahmadiya movement on the other hand was a reformist movement in the sense that it based itself on the universal religion of all humanity and spread western liberal education among the Indian Muslims.
It was Ahmadiya movement that opposed Jihad while the Wahabis considered India to be dar-ul-Harb (land of tha kafirs ) and it needed to be converted to dar-ul-Islam(land of Islam). Wahabi movement and not Ahmadiya movement was directed against Sikhs and later against British while the Ahmadiya movement was based liberal principles.

The British had been suspicious of the National Congress from its inception. But they had not been overtly hostile, in the first few years of its existence because they believed its activities would remain academic and confined to a handful of intellectuals. However, as soon as it became apparent that the Congress would not remain so narrowly confined, and that it was becoming a focus of Indian nationalism, the officials turned openly critical of the Congress, the nationalist leaders and the Press. They now began to brand the nationalists as disloyal babus seditious Brahmins, and violent villains. “The Congress was described as a factory of sedition” and Congressmen as disappointed candidates for office and discontented lawyers who represent no one but themselves. “In 1888, Dufferin, the Viceroy, attacked the National Congress in a public speech and ridiculed it as representing only the elite a microscopic minority. George Hamilton, Secretary of State for India, accused the Congress leaders of possessing seditious and double sided character.”

Lord Mayo”s Resolution of 1870 while introducing the system of provincial finance emphasised on the need of self government and strengthening municipal institutions.
Hence, 1st statement is correct.
Lord Ripon”s Resolution of 1881-82, extended the election principle and local self government. Hence, 2nd statement is incorrect.
Calcutta Corporation Act, 1899, passed during Lord Curzon”s tenure reduced the strength of elected members in the Calcutta Corporation. Hence, 3rd statement is incorrect.

The initiative to organise peasants into Kisan Sabhas was taken by the active members of Home Rule League in UP – Gauri Shankar Misra, Indra Narain Dwivedi supported by Madan Mohan Malviya.
The UP Kisan Sabha, set up in 1918, had established 450 branches in 173 tehsils of the province by mid-1919. Here, both high and low caste kisans were found in the kisan sabha.
In the mid-1920, Baba Ramchandra emerged as the leader of peasants in Avadh and led a few hundred tenants from Jaunpur and Pratapgarh districts to Allahabad and apprised Jawaharlal Nehru of the conditions of the peasants.
Nehru made several visits to the rural areas and developed close contacts with the Kisan Sabha Movement.
The Sabha exhorted peasants to refuse to till bedakhali land; not to offer har and begar ( forms of unpaid labour), boycott those who did not accept these conditions and to solve their disputes through panchayats.
In 1921, the nature of peasant movement underwent a marked change with peasants indulging in looting of bazaars, houses, granaries and clashes with the police.
The Government easily suppressed these outbreaks of violence. It passed the Awadh Rent (Amendment) Act which though brought little relief to the tenants, was instrumental in the gradual decline of the movement.

o On 16 June 1914, Bal Gangadhar Tilak was released after serving a prison sentence of six years, most of which he had spent in Mandalay in Burma.
o Tilak initially concentrated all his attention on seeking readmission, for himself and other Extremists, into the Indian National Congress. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
o He was obviously convinced that the sanction of this body, that had come to symbolize the Indian national movement, was a necessary pre-condition for the success of any political action.
o Tilak started his Home League in April 1916 and covered the area of Maharashtra (excluding Bombay city), Karnataka, Central Province and Berar. To conciliate the Moderates and convince them of his bonafides, as well as to stave off any possible government repression, he publicly declared: I may state once for all that we are trying in India, as the Irish Home-rulers have been doing in Ireland, for a reform of the system of administration and not for the overthrow of Government; and I have no hesitation in saying that the acts of violence which had been committed in the different Parts of India are not only repugnant to me, but have, in my opinion, only unfortunately retarded to a great extent, the pace of our political progress”. Hence, statement1 is correct and 3 is not correct.
o He further assured the Government of his loyalty to the Crown and urged all Indians to assist the British Government in its hour of crisis.

The Treaty signed with the East India Company aided the Peshwa Baji Rao II in reclaiming the lost position against the Holkars in 1802. Hence, 1st Statement is correct.
Treaty of Bassein was essentially in the nature of “Subsidiary Aliance “ wherein Britishers got the opportunity to directly interfere in the administrative affairs by permanently stationing the British troops with the Peshwa and not after his death without any natural heir to the throne, which was a prominent reason in the “Policy of Doctrine of Lapse”. Hence, 2nd Statement is incorrect.
The Treaty provided for the expulsion of non British Europeans from Peshwa”s service which made the Britisher”s position more stronger vis-a-vis French & other European powers. Hence, 3rd Statement is correct.

Akbar abolished both jizyah and pilgrimage tax. Hence, statement 1 is wrong.
Akbar treated Rajput and Mughal officials equally for e.g Man Singh and Bhagwant Das rose to mansab ranks of 7000 and 5000 respectively. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
Akbar did not treat matrimonial alliances as test of loyalty and submission. No matrimonial relations were established with the Hadas of Ranthambhor, yet Surjan Hada was allotted jagirs in Garh-Katanga, served in Gujarat and elsewhere and rose to the rank 2000. Again, when the rulers of Sirohi and Banswara submitted, no matrimonial relations were established with them. Neither were the matrimonial alliances forced upon the Rajputs, it was more the force of circumstances and a realisation on the part of the rajas the benefits these marriages might confer on them.
Hence, statement 3 is wrong.

o Zawabit refers to the secular decree issued by the emperor. Hence, option B is correct.
o Emperor Aurangzeb however followed Hanafi school of Muslim law but did not hesitate in issuing secular decrees or Zawabit. A compendium of his decrees has been collected in a work called Zawabit-iAlamgir.

Only 1 is incorrect as: Jyotiba Phule stated a girl”s school in Poona. Bethune school for girl”s education are associated with Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.
Rest all are correct.

Pabna Agrarian Uprising was led by Shah Chandra Roy, Shambhu Pal and others.
In East Bengal the peasantry was oppressed by zamindars through frequent recourse to ejection, harassment, arbitrary enhancement of rent through ceases (abwabs) and use of force.
The zamindars also tried to prevent them from acquiring the occupancy rights under the existing laws. In May 1873 an Agrarian League was formed in the Yusufzahi Pargana of Pabna district (East Bengal).
Payments of enhanced rents were refused and the peasants fought the zamindars in the courts.
Similar leagues were formed in the adjoining districts of Bengal. The main leaders of the Agrarian League were Ishan Chandra Roy, Shambu Pal and Khoodi Mullah. The discontent continued till 1885 when the Government by the Bengal Tenancy Act of 1885 enhanced the occupancy rights.

The Asthapradhan of Shivaji consisted of following 8 officials:
1. Peshwa, who looked after general administration and finances.
2. Sari-i-naubat or senapati
3. Majumdar, who was an accountant.
4. Wakenavis, who was responsible for intelligence, posts and household affairs.
5. Suranavis or chitnis, who helped in correspondence.
6. Dabir. who was master of ceremonies.
7. Nyayadhish, was in charge of justice.
8. Panditrao, was in charge of charitable grants.
All, officers except pandit rao and nyayadhish were asked to lead military campaigns.
Under Shivaji these offices were neither herediatry nor permanent:
They held office till the king”s pleasure and they were frequently transferred.
They were directly paid by the exchequer and no jagir was granted to any civil or military officer. Later, under the peshwas, they assumed herediatry and permanent character. Hence statement 1,2 and 3 are wrong.

o Veer Savarkar was a revolutionary freedom fighter. He played an instrumental role in the development of Hindu nationalist political ideology Hindutva. As early as 1899, V.D. Savarkar and his brother Ganesh Savarkar established a revolutionary society “Mitra Mela” for teaching of drill and physical exercises to its members. On 9th June 1906, Savarkar left for London where he reached in July 1906. In January 1910 he had gone to Paris and returned to London on 13th March 1910 and associated with India House, an organization formed by Shyamji Krishnavarman in London. In 1904, he organized Abhinav Bharat as a secret society of revolutionaries.
o In 1907, Savarkar celebrated the golden jubilee of the Indian War of Independence (1857) with the aim to honour the martyrs. He declared 1857 mutiny as the First War of Independence. Savarkar gathered a multitude of Indian youth and injected in them the intensity to fight for freedom.

Communalism is an ideology that because a group of people follow a particular religion they have, as a result, common social, economic and political interest. Thus the interest of all Hindus are common simply because of the religion that they follow. Or the interest of all Muslims because they are Muslims.
This is far from truth for several reasons – for example, Marxian theorists say the worker class – across all religions have common interests that are not common with the capitalism class – of the same religion.
Similarly, dalits, across religions may have same interests and may have more in common with each other than with other communities within their own religion. Militant Nationalism, was a great step in Freedom movement, but was also a step backward in terms of growth of national unity. The speeches and writing of some of te militant nationalists had a strong religious and Hindu tinge. They emphasised on ancient culture to the exclusion of Medieval culture ( which was dominated by Moghul rule – basically Muslim rulers ).
The economic backwardness of the country, the consequences on colonial under development also contributed to the rise of communalism. Due to lack of modern industrial development, unemployment was acute – even for the educated class.
Many educated Indians thought of short sighted and short remedies such as communal, provincial and caste reservations in jobs. They aroused communal and religious feelings to get a larger share of existing , intensely competitive, and limited employment opportunities.

The dastaks given to Britishers were meant only for Company use and not for individual use by company”s officer. But the comapny officers were corrupt and misused the datak to get concession on the goods.
At the same time Britishers levied heavy taxes on Indian goods entering the Calcutta to deincentivise them and make them non-competitive.
The britishers controlled the fort william in Calcutta while Chandernagar was controlled by French. Therefore, statement 3 is incorrect as chandernagar was controlled by French and not by Britishers.

o During Swadeshi Movement, national education received a great fillip and numbers of educational institutes were opened on nationalist lines. One such college was Bengal National College with Aurobindo Ghosh as its Principal. He soon became chief editor of Bande Matram journal started by Bipin Chandra pal.
o During the first decade of 20th century, he was arrested in Alipore conspiracy case. C.R Das was his advocate and acquitted him from this case.
o After he was released from jail, he tried to revive the nationalist movement and to that end he started two journals Karamyogi in English and Dharma in Bengali.
o He was the first in India to declare publicly that the aim of political action was the total independence of the country.
o Hence, option (C) is correct

The assessment of land revenue was done on the basis of the measurement of the land, however the peasants were given option of paying in cash or kind. Hence, statement 1 is wrong.
Sher shah introduced a ces at rate of two and a half seers per bigha in order to guard against famine and other natural calamities. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

The Water-bird status survey-2022 was recently conducted in the Chilika; the census was undertaken jointly by the Odisha State Wildlife Organisation, the Chilika Development Authority (CDA) and the Bombay Natural History Society. The increase in numbers for the greater flamingo at Nalabana mudflat indicates that the restoration at Nalabana is effective. This year's greater flamingo count was the highest in the last decade.
Statement 1 is correct: Greater flamingo is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. The greater flamingo resides in mudflats and shallow coastal lagoons with saltwater.
Statement 2 is Incorrect: Greater flamingo is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. It is found in Africa, on the Indian subcontinent, in the Middle East, and in southern Europe. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Core industry can be defined as the main industry which has a multiplier effect on the economy.
•The Eight Core Industries comprise 40.27% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
•The eight core sector industries in decreasing order of their weightage ➔ Refinery Products> Electricity> Steel> Coal> Crude Oil> Natural Gas> Cement> Fertilizers.

Pagalpanthi Movement was a peasant movement and not a religious reform movement.
Pagal Panthis were a mixture of the Hinduism, Sufism and Animism, which became prominent in Bengal (Now in Bangladesh). The sect was founded by Karam Shah, and his son Tipu Shah led these people to upholad the religion and rights of the peasants in Bengal. He captured Sherpur in 1825 , after standing up against oppressive taxes and laws imposed by the Zamindars and the British. The rebels kept disturbed the area for more than 2 decades. Tipu Shah died in 1852, but the resistance movement continued.

Nasir- ud -din-Mahmud was just a nominal King; the real power was in the hands of Ghiyas-ud-din Balban, a slave of Iltutmish , who belonged to the Ilabari tribe of the Turks. He reigned Delhi sultanate from 1266 to 1287.Balban was the first king who understood the conditions and requirements of being a Sultan of Delhi and fulfilled them practically. He is known as one of the severest kings of India.
To counter the Mongols, he organized his military. For this he made some changes like abolition of the post of the Naik and creating a new department of military affairs known as Diwan-i-arz . The in charge of Diwan-i-arz was Ariz-i-Mumalik . Alauddin Khilji created a new department to settle revenue dispute, named Diwan-i-Mustakhraj.

The Congress Socialist Party was launched in 1934, to work within the Congress, to strengthen it, to mould and shape its policies. Their ideological inspiration came from Marxism and Democratic Socialism and they stood for anti-Imperialism, nationalism and Socialism, whereas, it was Revolutionary Terrorists who were inspired by the methods of Russian nihilists and Irish nationalists. Hence only 3rd statement is incorrect. They stood for complete independence and Socialism and they advocated Swaraj not for the classes but for the masses.

The consolidation of a kingdom as vast as the Delhi Sultanate needed reliable governors and administrators.
Rather than appointing aristocrats and landed chieftains as governors, the early Delhi.
Sultans, especially Iltutmish, favoured their special slaves purchased for military service, called bandagan in Persian. They were carefully trained to man some of the most important political offices in the kingdom. Since they were totally dependent upon their master, the Sultan could trust and rely upon them.

As the first – Muslim invaders of India were merely armed horsemen who had come into the country to loot and plunder and not think in terms of founding towns, cities or empires. Consequently they did not bring with them architects or masons.
The building material obtained from the destruction of other buildings was used for new improvised buildings such as Quwwatul-Islam Mosque in Delhi and the Adhai din-ka-Jhonpra at Ajmer.
The advent of the Muslims in India therefore did not immediately make a great impact on Indian architecture and as the physical conquest of India actually took more than a thousand years it was only with the conquest of India by Emperor Babar in 1526 that the Muslims began to think in terms of settling down in the country and in course of time had the satisfaction that they now belonged to the country and that the country belonged to them.
As such from the 7th century to the 16th century Muslim architecture in India reflects the unsettled condition of the conquerers who felt that they were living amidst the conquered inhabitants, many of who were hostile to them.
As such the accent thus far was on security which could be had only in walled fortifIcations. It is, therefore, that early Muslim towns and cities, even when they are tombs were made as fortified places which they could easily defend against hostile forces.

The Rampa rebellion of hill tribesman of Rampa in coastal Andhra Pradesh was explicitly against the atrocities of government supported mansabdars and against new restrictive forest regulation of the government.
“Anand Math” of BC Chatterjee portray the struggle of Sanyasi rebellion.
During munda rebellion, Birsa Munda encouraged killing of Christians, thikadars, jagirdars ,Rajas and Hakims.
One of the prominent revolts of nineteenth century tribal rebellions was the Munda Rebellion.
This rebellion was led by Birsa Munda . He declared that God had appointed him to save his people from trouble, free them from the slavery of dikus (outsiders).
Traditionally, the Mundas enjoyed a preferential rent rate known as the khuntkattidar, which meant the original clearer of the forest. However, in course of time, the Mundas realized that this system of khuntkattidar is being corroded by the jagirdars and thikadars who came as moneylenders and as traders.
This kind of land alienation started before the advent of the Britishers. However, after the establishment of the British rule, the movement into the tribal regions by the nontribals increased. This, in turn, led to increase in the practice of forced labor or beth began.
The corrupt contractors have indeed turned the region into a recruiting ground for bonded labor. Another major change was that a number of Anglican, Lutheran and Catholic missions established their stand during the British rule. The tribal people became more aware of their rights due to the spread of education, which was provided by the missionaries.

The RBI has released the 24th Financial Stability Report (FSR).
About
•The FSR is published twice each year (biannual) by the RBI.
•It reflects the collective assessment of the sub-committee of the financial stability and development council (FSDC) on risks to financial stability and the resilience of the financial system.
•The FSR primarily looks at questions like the following
oDo Indian banks (both public and private) have enough capital to run their operations?
oAre the levels of bad loans (or non-performing assets) within manageable limits?
oAre different sectors of the economy able to get credit (or new loans) for economic activity?
•As part of the FSR, the RBI also conducts ‘stress tests’, which may figure out what might happen to the health of the banking system if the broader economy worsens.
•Similarly, it also tries to assess how factors outside India might affect the domestic economy.
•Each FSR also contains the results of the Systemic Risk Surveys.

Recently, a government committee report told the Supreme Court (SC) that “income” is a “feasible criterion” for defining the “Economical Weaker Sections” (EWS). The committee said the Rs 8 lakh criterion struck a “fine balance” between over-inclusion and inclusion errors and found it a “reasonable” threshold to determine EWS in order to extend reservation in admissions and jobs.
Statement 1 is not correct: The 10% EWS quota was introduced under the 103rd Constitution (Amendment) Act, 2019, by amending Articles 15 and 16. It inserted Article 15 (6) and Article 16 (6).
Statement 2 is correct: It enables both the Centre and the states to provide reservation to the EWS of society. The income criterion for identifying EWS was introduced by a notification of January 17, 2019, which further laid down other conditions for identifying EWS, such as the beneficiary's family must not own or possess five acres of agricultural land, a residential flat of 1,000 square feet and above or residential plot of 100/200 square yards and above in notified/non- notified municipalities.

With a steep rise in the daily cases of COVID-19, the district administration in Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet and Tirupattur, have banned the conduct of Jallikattu events ahead of the Pongal festival as part of safety measures.
Jallikattu (or sallikkattu) is also known as eru thazhuvuthal and mañcuvirattu. It is a traditional event in which a bull (Bos indicus), such as the Pulikulam or Kangayam breeds, is released into a crowd of people, and multiple human participants attempt to grab the large hump on the bull's back with both arms and hang on to it while the bull attempts to escape. Jallikattu is typically practised in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day, which occurs annually in January.

Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change cleared tiger safari at Madhav National Park.
Madhav National Park is situated near Shivpuri town, Madhya Pradesh and is a part of the upper Vindhyan hills. The Park was the hunting ground of Mughal emperors and Maharaja of Gwalior. It got the status of a National Park in 1958. The Park is gifted with a diverse ecosystem comprising of lakes, forests and grasslands. The forest is home to antelopes like Nilgai, Chinkara and Chowsinga and Deer, including Chital, Sambar and Barking Deer. Animals like the Leopard, Wolf, Jackal, Fox, Wild Dog, Wild Pig, Porcupine, Python etc., are also sighted in the Park.

On the occasion of World Hindi Day, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Centre has agreed to publish Hindi descriptions of India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites on its website.
Option (D) is correct: The UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites are the important places of cultural or natural heritage. At present, there are 40 World Heritage Sites located in India. Out of these, 32 are cultural, 7 are natural, and 1 is mixed.
Cultural World Heritage Sites in India are:
•Agra Fort (1983)
•Ajanta Caves (1983)
•Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar (2016)
•Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi (1989)
•Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park (2004)
•Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) (2004)
•Churches and Convents of Goa (1986)
•Dholavira: A Harappan City (2021)
•Elephanta Caves (1987)
•Ellora Caves (1983)
•Fatehpur Sikri (1986)
•Great Living Chola Temples (1987,2004)
•Group of Monuments at Hampi (1986)
•Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (1984)
•Group of Monuments at Pattadakal (1987)
•Hill Forts of Rajasthan (2013)
•Historic City of Ahmadabad (2017)
•Humayun's Tomb, Delhi (1993)
•Jaipur City, Rajasthan (2019)
•Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana (2021)
•Khajuraho Group of Monuments (1986)
•Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya (2002)
•Mountain Railways of India (1999,2005,2008)
•Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi (1993)
•Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat (2014)
•Red Fort Complex (2007)
•Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka (2003)
•Sun Temple, Konârak (1984)
•Taj Mahal (1983)
•The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement (2016)
•The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur (2010)
•Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai (2018)

Recently, the Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change released the 'India State of Forest Report 2021' prepared by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), which has been mandated to assess the forest and tree resources of the country. India's State of Forest Report is a biennial publication.
Forest Survey of India (FSI) is a premier national organization under the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, responsible for the assessment and monitoring of the forest resources of the country regularly. In addition, it is also engaged in providing the services of training, research and extension. Established on 1 June 1981, the Forest Survey of India succeeded the “Preinvestment Survey of Forest Resources” (PISFR), a project initiated in 1965 by the Government of India with the sponsorship of FAO and UNDP. It was headquartered at Dehradun in Uttarakhand.

BrahMos Missile from India is going to be part of the coastal defence regiment of the Philippine Marines. The contract was delayed due to the budgetary constraints of that country as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first export order for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system, the Philippines has approved a $374.96 mn contract for the purchase of a shore-based anti-ship variant of the missile from India, while discussions are ongoing with a few other Southeast Asian counties.

This year, West Bengal Chief Minister wrote to Prime Minister saying that she was “profoundly shocked” as West Bengal's tableau for the Republic Day parade “was rejected without assigning any reasons or justifications.”
West Bengal is not the only state whose tableau has been rejected; Kerala's proposed tableau featuring Sree Narayan Guru is not among the selected ones, according to state officials. Officials of the Defence Ministry, which is responsible for the parade and is the coordinating body for the tableaux, say that the selection is done by an expert committee and asserted that there is no political involvement in it.

The Indian Parliament saw a small improvement in 2021 by functioning for 58 days, after a low of 33 days in 2020.
Statement 1 is correct: The president, from time to time, summons each House of Parliament to meet. The maximum gap between two sessions of Parliament cannot be more than six months. In other words, the Parliament should meet at least twice a year.
Statement 2 is not correct: A ‘session’ of Parliament is the period spanning between the first sitting of a House and its prorogation (or dissolution in the case of the Lok Sabha). During a session, the House meets every day to transact business. The period spanning between the prorogation of a House and its reassembly is called ‘recess’.

South China Sea is an arm of the western Pacific Ocean that borders the Southeast Asian mainland.
•South China Sea is connected by Taiwan Strait with the East China Sea and by Luzon Strait with the Philippine Sea.
•It is bounded by the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan, the Philippines, Borneo, the Gulf of Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, and the Asian mainland.
•Contesting Claims Over Islands:
oThe Paracel Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
oThe Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and Philippines.
oThe Scarborough Shoal is claimed by the Philippines, China and Taiwan.
•Since 2010, China has been converting uninhabited islets into artificial islets to bring it under UNCLOS (For example, Haven Reef, Johnson South Reef and Fiery Cross Reef).
•Strategic Importance ➔ This sea holds tremendous strategic importance for its location as it is the connecting link between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean (Strait of Malacca).
•According to the United Nations Conference on Trade And Development (UNCTAD) one-third of the global shipping passes through it, carrying trillions of trade which makes it a significant geopolitical water body.

Recently, The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has warned that the new 5G technology could interfere with instruments such as altimeters.
About
•An altimeter or an altitude meter is an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level.
•So, in aviation it measures how far above the ground an airplane is travelling.
•In addition to altitude, altimeter readouts are also used to facilitate automated landings and to help detect dangerous currents called wind shear.
•Concern ➔ o The United States auctioned mid-range 5G bandwidth to mobile phone companies in early 2021 in the C band, for about USD 80 billion. o Altimeters operate in the 4.2-4.4 GHz range and the concern is that the auctioned frequencies sit too close to this range.
oCompanies have argued that C band 5G has been deployed in about 40 other countries without aviation interference issues.

According to new studies, DNA floating in the air (Environmental DNA) can boost biodiversity conservation efforts across the world.

Statement 1 is Incorrect: Environmental DNA (e-DNA) is nuclear or mitochondrial DNA that is released from an organism into the environment. Researchers from two teams have independently shown that environmental DNA (e-DNA) can potentially identify and monitor terrestrial animals.
Statement 2 is correct: Sources of eDNA include secreted faeces, mucous, and gametes; shed skin and hair; and carcasses. e-DNA can be detected in cellular or extracellular (dissolved DNA) form. Airborne e-DNA sampling is a biomonitoring method that is rising in popularity among biologists and conservationists as it provides abundant information.

Recently, China’s Chang’e 5 lunar probe finds first on-site evidence of water on the moon’s surface.
Statement 1 is not correct: Chang'e 5 is the fifth lunar exploration mission of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. It is also China's first lunar sample-return mission.
Statement 2 is correct: The Chang'e 5 has found the first-ever on-site evidence of water on the surface of the moon, lending new evidence to the dryness of the satellite. The presence of water had been previously confirmed by remote observation, but the lander has now detected signs of water in rocks and soil.

The Centre has proposed amendments to the IAS (Cadre) Rules in order to exercise greater control in central deputation of IAS officials, which has often been at the centre of tussles between the Centre and the states.
About present rules
• The DoPT is the cadre controlling authority of IAS officers. Cadre controlling authority for deputation of Indian Police Service and Indian Forest Service Officers (IFoS) is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Environment Ministry respectively.
•Central deputation in the Indian Administrative Service is covered under Rule-6 (1) of the IAS (Cadre) Rules-1954, inserted in May 1969.
•It states: “A cadre officer may, with the concurrence of the State Governments concerned and the Central Government, be deputed for service under the Central Government or another State Government or under a company, association or body of individuals, whether incorporated or not, which is wholly or substantially owned or controlled by the Central Government or by another State Government.
•Provided that in case of any disagreement, the matter shall be decided by the Central Government and the State Government or State Governments concerned shall give effect to the decision of the Central Government.
•In normal practice, the Centre asks every year for an “offer list” of officers of the All India Services willing to go on central deputation, after which it selects officers from that list.
•Officers have to get a no-objection clearance from the State government for Central deputation.
•States have to depute the All India Services (AIS) officers, to the Central government offices and at any point, it cannot be more than 40% of the total cadre strength.

●The Mughals were descendants of two great lineages of rulers.
●Babur: founder of the Mughal Empire in India was related to Timur from his father’s side and to Chengiz Khan through his mother.
●Babur succeeded his father as the ruler of Farghana (Uzbekistan), but soon lost his kingdom.
●Financial difficulties, apprehension of Uzbek attack on Kabul and invitation of Rana Sanga to invade India forced Babur to look towards India.

BABUR (1526-1530 AD)
●First Battle of Panipat (1526) – Babur decisively defeated Ibrahim Lodhi. It Replaced the Lodhi and established Mughal era in India.
●Reasons for Babur’s victory: Alternatively resting one wing of Army, Services of two ottoman master gunners – Ustad Ali & Mustafa, Use of Gunpowder, scientific use of cavalry & artillery tactics – tulughma and the araba, effective use of Cannons.
●Battle of Khanwa (1527) – Babur defeated Rana Sangha and assumed title of Ghazi
●Battle of Chanderi (1528) – Medini Rai was defeated and with this resistance across Rajputana was completely shattered.
●Battle of Ghagra (1529) – Babur defeated Mahmud Lodhi who aspired to the throne of Delhi.

HUMAYUN (1530-40 & 1555-56)
●Humayun succeeded Babur in 1530.
●He had to deal with the rapid growth of power of the Afghans & and Bahadur shah of Gujrat.
●At the battle of Chausa (1539) & battle of Kanauj (1540) Sher Shah, defeated Humayun and forced him to flee India.
●For sometimes he took shelter at the Iranian king. In 1555, following the breakup of Suri Empire he recaptured Delhi but died next year.
●Humayun built a new city at Delhi which he named “Dinpanah”.
●Mosques: Jamali mosque and mosque of Isa Khan at Delhi.
●His widow Amida Benu Bhegum built Humayun’s tomb (UNESCO site).
●Humayun’s sister, Gul Badan Begum, wrote “Humayun-Nama”.
●The foundation for the Mughal painting was laid by Humayun when he was staying in Persia.
●He brought with him two painters – Mir Sayyid Ali and Abdal Samad to India, who became famous during Akbar’s reign.

●Imp officials –
●Diwan –i- Wizarat / Wazir – Revenue and Finance.
●Diwan-i-Ariz – in charge of Army.
●Diwan-i-Rasalat- Foreign Minister.
●Diwan-i-Insha- Minister for Communications.
●Barid – Intelligence

SHER SHAH SURI (1540-45)
●Founder of Sur dynasty and second Afghan Empire (after Lodhi).
●Sher Shah’s rule lasted for five years.
●Sher Shah’s empire was divided into “sarkars”.
●Chief Shiqdar (law and order) & Chief Munsif (judge)à Incharge of the administration in each sarkar.
●Each sarkar was divided into several parganas. Shiqdar (military officer), Amin (land revenue), Fotedar (treasurer), Karkuns (accountants) were in charge of the administration of each pargana.
●Mauza (village) was the lowest level of administration.
●There were also many administrative units called iqtas.
●The land revenue was well organized & revenue officers were called Amils and Qanungo were the officials incharge of maintaining revenue records.
●Land survey was carefully done. He introduced a schedule of crop rates (ray).
●Improved land revenue by adopting zabti-i-har-sal (land assessment every year).
●All cultivable lands were classified into three classes – good, middle and bad. The state’s share was one third of the average produce and it was paid in cash or crop. Land was measured using Sikandari gaz (32 points).
●Introduced Patta (amount each peasant had to pay) and Qabuliyat (deed of agreement).
●Introduced new silver coins called “Dam” and they were in circulation till 1835.
●He built the Shahi (Royal) road from the Indus Valley to the Sonar Valley in Bengal. This road was renamed the Grand Trunk (GT) road during the British period, connecting Calcutta and Peshawar.
●He also built Sarais (lodging) which also served as post office. Many sarais developed into market towns.
●Every Sarai was under the control of a Shahana (custodian).
●He followed branding of horses from Alauddin Khalji and maintained his personal royal force called Khasa Kail.

AKBAR (1556-1605)
●He succeeded the throne after his father Humayun’s death.
●In 1556, in the second battle of Panipat, he defeated Hemu (Sur’s wazir).
●Between 1556-60, Akbar ruled under Bairam Khan’s regency. Bairam became Wakil of the kingdom with title of Khan-i-Khanam.
●Battle of Haldighati (1576)- Akbar defeated Rana Paratap following most of the Rajput rulers accepted Akbar’s suzerainty.
●Akbar defeated Gujarat ruler Muzaffar Shah. To commemorate this victory, he built Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri.
●Akbar gradually enlarged the Mughal Empire to include much of the Indian subcontinent.

ADMINISTRATION under Akbar
●Empire was divided into subas (provinces), governed by a subadar who carried out both political and military functions.Each subha had officials – diwan, bakshi, sadr, qazi etc.
●There was another division of empire – Jagir (allotted to nobles & members of royal family), Khalisa (tract reserved for royal exchequer), Inam (given to religious leaders, half of it was uncultivated).
●Fauzdar – Charge of law & order & Amalguzar – land assessment and revenue collection were chief officers of Sarkar.

With the help of Raja Todar Mal, Akbar experimented on the land revenue administration; it was Zabti or Bandobast system.
●Dahsala System – The revenue was fixed on the average yield of land measured on the basis of previous ten years. It was improved version of Zabti.
●Battai/Gholla-Bakshi system – Produce divided between state & peasants in fixed proportion. Peasants were given choice between Battai & Dahsala.
●Nasaq/kankut – revenue on the basis of what peasant had been paying in the past

Akbar Introduced gold coins called asharafi (mohurs).
●He also began dating his coins as per a new ‘Illahi era’, which replaced the earlier Hijri era.
●Akbar introduced the practice of inscribing Persian poetry praising the ruler on coins.

Statement 1 is correct: In 1854 Charles Wood sent a dispatch to Lord Dalhousie, the then Governor-General of India, Wood suggested that primary schools must adopt vernacular languages, high schools must adopt Anglo-vernacular language and at college-level English should be the medium of education. This is known as Wood”s despatch.
Statement 2 is correct: Before he left for England he took personal interest and introduced the Hindu Widows” Remarriage Act, 1856, permitting widow remarriage which became an act after being approved by his successor, Lord Canning.
Statement 3 is correct: There was shift in government policy under him from higher education for elite towards mass education for both. He along with Bethune are credited with changing policy in favour of Women”s education. Dalhousie even personally supported the Bethune Women school from his own money set up by Bethune after his death.

Some of the earliest bhakti movements were led by the Alvars (literally, those who are ―immersed in devotion to Vishnu) and Nayanars (literally, leaders who were devotees of Shiva). They travelled from place to place singing hymns in Tamil in praise of their gods. During their travels the Alvars and Nayanars identified certain shrines as abodes of their chosen deities. Very often large temples were later built at these sacred places.
These developed as centres of pilgrimage. Singing compositions of these poet-saints became part of temple rituals in these shrines, as did worship of the saints” images.
The most striking features of these traditions was the presence of women like Andal was a women Alvar and Karaikkkal Ammaiyar( Nayanar), a devotee of Shiva, adopted the path of extrame ascetism inorder to attain her goal.These women renounced their social obligations , but didnot join an alternative order or become nuns. Hence, only 3rd statement is incorrect.

o Statement 1 is correct: The conservative religious and social sentiments of many people were hurt by some of the humanitarian measures which government took on the advice of Indian reformes such as abolition of practice of Sati, permission of Widow remarriage, opening of Western education to girls.
o Statement 2 is correct: Religious sentiments were also hurt by the official policy of taxing the lands belonging to temples and mosques which had been exempted from taxation by previous Indian rulers.
o Statement 3 is not correct: Rediscovery of India”s past by Europeans scholars, gave a pyschological boost to educated Indians later and it has nothing to do with 1857 revolt.

AURANGZEB (1658-1707)
●Masir – I Alamgiri book written by Mustaid Khan throws light on Aurangzeb’s rule.
●He assumed the title Alamgir, World Conqueror. He was also called Zinda Pir.
●During his reign, the Mughal Empire reached its greatest extent, ruling over nearly the entire Indian subcontinent.
●He annexed Bijapur (1686) & Golkonda (1687) and extended Mughal Empire further south.
●He faced tough fight from Shivaji Maharaj – Maratha king who had carved out independent state.
●Discontinued Official departments of history.
●He issued Zawabit-i- Alamgir (decrees of Aurangzeb) and appointed Muhtasibs to enforce moral codes given under it.
●Drinking was prohibited & cultivation and use of bhang and other drugs were banned.
●Although he was proficient in playing Veena, Aurangzeb forbade music in the court.●He discontinued the practice of Jarokha darshan.