IRMA: GK is no longer a fear

If GK section of IRMA is a nightmare for you, then join this community. Here you ill get the materials and information crucial for IRMA.

If GK section of IRMA is a nightmare for you, then join this community. Here you ill get the materials and information crucial for IRMA.

Hello friends
If you are applying for IRMA and Social aareness is your biggest problem in this exam - then let's join hands and fight this problem jointly.

Here I am listing the topics usually asked in IRMA (based on last year papers). Come forard and take responsibility of a topic - search the net or books and paste your findings here ( only important points and not the leangthy details).

Topics -
1. Award
2. Budget and ne programmes
3. Statistical Data about Rural Sector
4. Crop - production - India's Rank
5. Employment Scheme
6. Nes related to Rural Area

I am taking responsibility of Aards and Crop

I ill post it regularly

ill anyone take responsibility of some other topics.

If GK section of IRMA is a nightmare for you, then join this community. Here you ill get the materials and information crucial for IRMA.



Great initiative Subodh. Thanks for the doc.

thanx buddy
as usual it was great
dont u get tired of listening to the gratitude of puys

@subodh..plz open a thread for IIFT GK also...Do we need to do something for IIFT gk?coz it has a worth of 0.25 per quesn for GK..wat is ur advice??

One more thread can help you guys:

http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/post-all-good-and-relevant-gk-stuff-for-all-competitive-exams-25017918

Pertinent to IRMA GK,one book can help you on large extent and (I:e) The Hindu Survey of Indian Agriculture(Hindu publication) Published In November(Annually ,one time),you can get everything on Agri business to Development took place through -out the Year and also forecasting to Indian Agriculture happening in near future
Topics usually covered are:

  1. Section 1 :Sustainable Farming, Nutritional Security, Policy Structures
  2. Section 2 : Rice, Wheat, Cereals, Pulse & Oilseeds
  3. Section 3: Potato, Spices, Rubber, Coconut, Sugar, Cotton, Jute/MESTA, Cocoa/Arecanut & Tobacco
  4. Section 4: Vegetables, Fisheries & Aquaculture
  5. Section 5: Irrigation/Water resources, Biotechnology, Plant Nutrition, Fertilizers etc.

Read this book for current trends in Vegetable and seeds

My feedback---Fantastic Book to know Tech using In seeds and much more

Advances in Seed Science and Technology, Vol. II, edited by K. Vanangamudi, N. Natarajan, P. Srimathi, K. Natarajan


To know Modern biotechnology and its lightining future,you got not to miss this book


Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Fundamentals of plant breeding. 3. Genetic engineering of plants. 4. DNA analyses in plant breeding. 5. Characteristics of transgenic plants. 6. Biotechnology for plant micropropagation. 7. Biotechnology for improve orphan crops. 8. Improving stress tolerance in plants. 9. Plant tissue culture and regeneration. 10. Organic plant breeding. 11. Application of rice genomics to plant breeding. 12. Participatory plant breeding. 13. Conservation of plant genetic resources. Bibliography. Index.
"Recent progress in explaining the science behind biological processes has significantly enhanced our ability to exploit them for the benefit of mankind and the environment. The evolution of plant breeding is a classic example of how improved biological understanding has been adapted to provide more effective methods of meeting the demands of a changing world.
Modern biotechnology is the latest stage in the development of plant breeding technology. The tools of the biotechnologist increased the speed and precision of plant breeding techniques and widened the choice of characters for selection. Modern biotechnology allows crop improvement to take place at the level of individual genes.
This book provides an overview of the application of modern biotechnology in plant breeding. It will certainly meets with interests and needs of up to date information of plant breeders, may they be advanced students, practitioners, teachers or researchers." (jacket)


To know further......Have this book....Must reading for IRMA aspirants



Modern Biotechnology in Plant Breeding/edited by Dharamvir Hota
Sixty Years of Indian Agriculture : 1947 to 2007/edited by C.S. Prasad
My uderstanding -This book is specially written for those ,who interested in the existing agriculture situation in India.
Note-Those all books including this can be reached at address given below:
These books are available from:
Vedams eBooks (P) Ltd.
Vardhaman Charve Plaza IV,
Building # 9, K.P Block, Pitampura,
New Delhi 110 034, India
Fax: 91-11-27310613
For email or site address----Pm me.....

For more check out this thread -------> http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/irma-aspirants-25016099



Regards

BlAnK MiNd

Let`s have a glance to IRMA GK Questions pattern...

May it help you.......

Issues of Social Concern
It is also advisable that before going for this examination, one should have been thorough with some relevant chapters of "India 2005" (Agriculture and irrigation, economy, Finance, Governmental policies for poverty alleviation and employment generation, gender, health and nutrition etc). Being aware of the current developments in the world (developmental issues/gender etc) were important. Just imagine that you are going to manage rural development and read what all you need to know in this role. Basic understanding of the rural economic/societal is helpful. For example, what can one understand from the double-deprivation of the women, or what can be regarded as commendable tools for the education of the farmers, or what can be understood from "equity", or what is true for the difference between the developed and developing countries etc.

Some illustrative questions (memory-based) in nature:
Agriculture and Irrigation
Q1. Kharif is sown in which season: June-July
Q2. The maximum area under the grain cultivation is in which state
Q3. The maximum productivity of grain (per hectare) is in which state:
Q4. Which of these is not a variety of silk (tassar, muga, eri, Egyptian)
Q5. Waterlogging results in the salinity of the soil.
Q6. Why should the farmers not use the GM varieties?
(i) These will be very costly;
(ii) These demand much water for irrigation;
(iii) Their productivity is not very high, and hence these will not be very fruitful in the Indian conditions.
(a) A and B (b) B and C (c) A and C (d) A, B and C
Q7. India's contribution to the export of the dairy-products (options from 0.5% to 5-6%)
Q8. Which can be effective tools for education of the farmers?
(a) Demonstration;
(b) Mass-media;
(c) Seminars
(I) Only A (ii) only B (iii) B and C (iv) all A, B and C
Q9. Which country was the first producer of the GM food-variety?
Q10. Seed-fertilizers-irrigation combination was crucial in the-(a) Green Revolution (answer).
Q11. Who is the Chairman of National Farmer Commission?
Public finance, the rural credit and related issues:
Q13. The definition of "temporary houses" is
Q14. The banks finance the SHG (self help groups), which institution refinances these to service the debt (options were-NABARD, CARPAT etc);
Q15. The average Indian farmer needs credit facility, because-
(1) he has low income and doesn't have money for agriculture;
(2) he has no resources to augment the productivity of the land which is low
(3)
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 and 3 (c) 1, 2 and 3 (d) only 2 (e) none of above
Nutrition and public distribution system; health:
Q15. Which of these is a communicable disease: (a) asthma, (b) cancer, (c) TB (d) diabetes (e) none of these
Q16. Content of protein in the diets of an average Indian (50 gramsetc.)
Q17. What should be the minimum intake of calories for healthy living: 1000 Kcal, 1500, 2100, and 3500?
Q18. The percentage of Indian children facing malnutrition is:
Q19. The Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) covers 2.5 Crore families, what percentage does it constitute of the total population falling below the poverty line (BPL section of India)?
Q20. Low productivity of Indian laborers can be because-
(d) They are not paid regularly and nicely
(e) 60% of the pregnant women suffer from malnutrition, and hence the labourer is physically weak since childhood
(f)
(1) Only A (2) Only B (3) A, B and C
Poverty and employment:
Q21. In 90s, the Rural Development Programmes initiated were-
(g) JRY
(h) .
(i) .

Gender:
Q22. Amartya Sen has opined that the Indian women suffer from 'double deprivation'. What could he have meant-?
(j) Their life-expectancy is lesser;
(k) Their worked are invisible and
(l) They are doing good in higher education;
(m) In the urban areas, they are earning so just men are not the breadwinners.
Q23: 2005 was acclaimed internationally as the Year of
Consumer issue:
Q25. The World Consumers' Day falls on-
Q26: What do you think the rights of consumers can be-?
(i) Rights of redressal,
(ii) Right of choice;
(iii) Right to safety
(a) A and B (b) Only B (c) Only C (d) A, B and C (e) None of Above

Global concerns regarding the development:
Q27: Pascal Lamy has recently joined as-
Q28: "The Argumentative Indian" is authored by-
Q29: What is true regarding the difference between the developed and the developing countries?
(1) The GDP of the developed countries is much higher than the GDP of the developing countries;
(2) The Per Capita Income in the developed countries is very high compared to the developing countries and the gap is widening;
(3) The high-income country may not be a developed country.
(a) Only 1 and 2 (b) Only 2 and 3 (c) Only 1 and 3 (d) A, B and C (e) None of Above
Q30: According to the WDR, the "equity" means-
(1) Equality of opportunity,
(2) Equality to education;
(3) Equality of employment;
(a) Only A and C (b) Only B and C (c) Only A and B
Indeed out of 60 questions, 18-20 questions were quite easy.


Source----http://www.careerlauncher.com

The Announcement of the Nobel Prize in Literature!


The Nobel Prize in Literature goes to Orhan Pamuk "who in the quest for the melancholic soul of his native city has discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures".








Source: Nobelprize.org
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2006
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2006 to

Edmund S. Phelps
Columbia University, NY, USA

"for his analysis of intertemporal tradeoffs in macroeconomic policy".
Short run Long run

The work of Edmund Phelps has deepened our understanding of the relation between short-run and long-run effects of economic policy. His contributions have had a decisive impact on economic research as well as policy.

Low unemployment and low inflation are central goals of stabilization policy. During the 1950s and 1960s the view of a stable tradeoff between inflation and unemployment was established, the so-called Phillips curve. According to this, the price for reduced unemployment was a one-time increase of the inflation rate. Phelps challenged this view through a more fundamental analysis of the determination of wages and prices, taking into account problems of information in the economy. Individual agents have incomplete knowledge about the actions of others and must base their decisions on expectations. Phelps formulated the hypothesis of the expectations-augmented Phillips curve, according to which inflation depends on both unemployment and inflation expectations.
As a consequence, the long-run rate of unemployment is not affected by inflation but only determined by the functioning of the labor market. It follows that stabilization policy can only dampen short-term fluctuations in unemployment. Phelps showed how the possibilities of stabilization policy in the future depend on today's policy decisions: low inflation today leads to expectations of low inflation also in the future, thereby facilitating future policy making.

Another issue where intertemporal tradeoffs are of central importance concerns the desirable rate of capital formation. By foregoing consumption for investment in physical as well as human capital (education and research), today's generation can raise the welfare of future generations. Phelps clarified possible distributional conflicts among generations. He also showed that all generations may, under certain conditions, gain from changes in the savings rate. Phelps also pioneered the analysis of the importance of human capital for the diffusion of new technology and, hence, for growth.

www. Nobelprize.org
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2006 jointly to
John C. Mather
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA,

and

George F. Smoot
University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA

"for their discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation".
Pictures of a newborn Universe

This year the Physics Prize is awarded for work that looks back into the infancy of the Universe and attempts to gain some understanding of the origin of galaxies and stars. It is based on measurements made with the help of the COBE satellite launched by NASA in 1989.
The COBE results provided increased support for the Big Bang scenario for the origin of the Universe, as this is the only scenario that predicts the kind of cosmic microwave background radiation measured by COBE. These measurements also marked the inception of cosmology as a precise science. It was not long before it was followed up, for instance by the WMAP satellite, which yielded even clearer images of the background radiation. Very soon the European Planck satellite will be launched in order to study the radiation in even greater detail.
According to the Big Bang scenario, the cosmic microwave background radiation is a relic of the earliest phase of the Universe. Immediately after the big bang itself, the Universe can be compared to a glowing "body emitting radiation in which the distribution across different wavelengths depends solely on its temperature. The shape of the spectrum of this kind of radiation has a special form known as blackbody radiation. When it was emitted the temperature of the Universe was almost 3,000 degrees Centigrade. Since then, according to the Big Bang scenario, the radiation has gradually cooled as the Universe has expanded. The background radiation we can measure today corresponds to a temperature that is barely 2.7 degrees above absolute zero. The Laureates were able to calculate this temperature thanks to the blackbody spectrum revealed by the COBE measurements.
COBE also had the task of seeking small variations of temperature in different directions (which is what the term 'anisotropy' refers to). Extremely small differences of this kind in the temperature of the cosmic background radiation in the range of a hundred-thousandth of a degree offer an important clue to how the galaxies came into being. The variations in temperature show us how the matter in the Universe began to "aggregate". This was necessary if the galaxies, stars and ultimately life like us were to be able to develop. Without this mechanism matter would have taken a completely different form, spread evenly throughout the Universe.
COBE was launched using its own rocket on 18 November 1989. The first results were received after nine minutes of observations: COBE had registered a perfect blackbody spectrum. When the curve was later shown at an astronomy conference the results received a standing ovation.
The success of COBE was the outcome of prodigious team work involving more than 1,000 researchers, engineers and other participants. John Mather coordinated the entire process and also had primary responsibility for the experiment that revealed the blackbody form of the microwave background radiation measured by COBE. George Smoot had main responsibility for measuring the small variations in the temperature of the radiation.

John C. Mather, born 1946 (60), (US citizen). PhD in Physics in 1974 from the University of California at Berkeley, CA, USA. Senior Astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA.

George F. Smoot, born 1945 (61) in Yukon, FL, USA, (US citizen). PhD in Physics in 1970 from MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA. Professor of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.


Prize amount:
SEK 10 million to be shared equally between the Laureates

Source: nobelprize.org

Agriculture plays an important role in Indian Economy. It provides gainful employment to a significantly large section of Indian Society and provides raw material for a large number of industries in the country. According to 1991 Population Census nearly 74 percent of India's population live in rural areas for its livelihood. Agriculture is the largest contributor in the country's Net Domestic Product accounting for as much as 34.2 percent in 1991-92 at current prices. Thus, Agriculture has a key position in India's economy both in view of employment and contribution to the national income.

Agricultural Census

National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA) Programme



Q-1: What is a Watershed?
Watershed is a geo-hydrological unit of an area draining to a common outlet point. It is recognized as an ideal unit for planning & development of land water and vegetation resources.

Q-2: How much area is rainfed, out of cultivated area in the country?
According to 1999-2000 statistics, a net sown area of 141.23 million hectare is under cultivation, out of which 84.58 million hectare is rainfed area.

Q-3: Is there any perspective plan to treat entire rainfed area in the country?
Planning Commission, in its working group report has proposed to develop all the waste land / rainfed areas (88.5 million ha.) in a period of 20 years (i.e. upto XIII Five Year Plan) at a cost of Rs.72750 crore with peoples participation.

Q-4: What is the extent of coverage of areas under various schemes / programmes of Department of Agriculture & Cooperation?
Through various watershed development programmes, about 17.6 million ha. of land has so far been developed at an expenditure of Rs.9371 crores, including external funding upto March, 2005. During X Five Year Plan about 3.4 million ha. is proposed to be developed at an outlay of Rs.2000 crore excluding externally aided projects.

Q-5: Which are the activities taken up under NWDPRA programme?
The activities undertaken in this programme include soil and moisture conservation measures like construction of check dams, water harvesting structures, desilting of village ponds, treatment of drainage lines/ gullies, land leveling, bunding of farms, treatment of problem soils, agro-forestry, agri- horticulture,silvi-pasture, organic farming, use of bio-fertilizers, value addition and marketing of produce through farmers groups, training & capacity building of staff & beneficiaries etc.

Q-6: What are the impacts of NWDPRA programme in the watershed area?
Impact evaluation studies both on the ground and through remote sensing techniques have shown that watershed based interventions have led to increase in groundwater recharge,increase in number of wells and water bodies, enhancement of cropping intensity, changes in cropping pattern, and higher yields of crops and reduction in soil losses.

Q-7: Which watershed development programmes of Department of Agriculture and Cooperation of Ministry of Agriculture are being implemented?

The following watershed development programmes are being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture during X Five Year Plan:

Ministry of Agriculture
(i) National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA)
(ii) Soil Conservation in the catchments of River Valley Project and Flood Prone Rivers (RVP & FPR)
(iii) Watershed Development Project in shifting cultivation Areas (WDPSCA)
(iv) Watershed Development Fund (WDF)

Recognizing the importance of horticulture sector in the growth of Indian agriculture, Honourable Finance Minister announced launching of National Horticulture Mission in his budget speech on July 8, 2004. The horticulture sector includes fruit, vegetables, spices, medicinal & aromatic plants, flowers, mushroom and a variety of plantation crops like coconut, arecanut, cashewnut and cocoa which has been contributing significantly to the GDP in agriculture (28.5 per cent from 8.5 per cent area).

The Mission is in the process of being set up. The objectives of the National Horticulture Mission will be Doubling the horticulture production, i.e. to achieve a production of 300 million tonnes by 2011-12.