1. INDIA: GENERAL INFORMATION
THE PRESIDENT
The President is the Constitutional Head of the Republic of India. All the executive powers of the Union, including the
Supreme Command of the Defence Forces, are vested in the President and all executive actions are taken in his name.
PRESIDENTS OF INDIA
Name of President
Dr. Rajendra Prasad
Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
Dr. Zakir Hussain
V. V. Giri (Acting)
M. Hidayatullah (Acting)
V. V. Giri
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
B. D. Jatti (Acting)
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
Gyani Zail Singh
R. Venkataraman
Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma
K. R. Narayana
Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Ms. Pratibha Patil
From
26 January, 1950
13 May, 1962
13 May, 1967
3 May, 1969
20 July, 1969
24 August, 1969
24 August, 1974
11 February, 1977
26 July, 1977
25 July, 1982
25 July, 1987
25 July, 1992
25 July, 1997
25 July, 2002
25 July, 2007
Till
13 May, 1962
13 May, 1967
3 May, 1969
20 July, 1969
24 July, 1969
24 August, 1974
11 February, 1977
25 July, 1977
25 July, 1982
25 July, 1987
25 July, 1992
25 July, 1997
25 July, 2002
25 July, 2007
Till Date
VICE-PRESIDENT
The Vice-President acts as the ex–officio Chairman of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha). He is elected by an electoral
college consisting of the members of both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the system of proportional representation
by means of the single transferable vote.
VICE-PRESIDENTS OF INDIA
Name of Vice-President
Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
Dr. Zakir Hussain
V.V. Giri
Gopal Swarup Pathak
B.D. Jatti
M. Hidayatullah
R. Venkataraman
Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma
K.R. Narayanan
Krishna Kant
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
Hamid Ansari
From
1952
1962
1967
1969
1974
1979
1984
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
Till
1962
1967
1969
1974
1979
1984
1987
1992
1997
2002
2007
Till Date
PRIME MINISTER
The Constitution lays down that there shall be a council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister to aid and advise the
President in the exercise of his functions.
The Prime Minister is the head of the Cabinet, other Ministers are appointed by the President on his advice. He is the Head
of the majority party in the Lok Sabha
PRIME MINISTERS OF INDIA
Name of Prime Minister
Jawahar Lal Nehru
Gulzari Lal Nanda (Acting)
Lal Bahadur Shastri
Gulzari Lal Nanda (Acting)
Indira Gandhi
Morarji Desai
Charan Singh
Indira Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
From
August 15, 1947
May 27, 1964
June 9, 1964
January 11 1966
January 24, 1966
March 24, 1977
July 28, 1979
January 14, 1980
October 31, 1984
Till
May 27, 1964
June 9, 1964
January 11, 1966
January 24, 1966
March 24, 1977
July 28, 1979
January 14, 1980
October 31, 1984
December 2, 1989

2. Vishwanath Pratap Singh
Chandra Shekhar
P. V. Narasimha Rao
Atal Behari Vajpayee
H. D. Deve Gowda
I. K. Gujral
Atal Behari Vajpayee
Dr. Manmohan Singh
December 2, 1989
November 11, 1990
June 21, 1991
May 16, 1996
June 1, 1996
April 21, 1997
March 19, 1998
May, 22, 2004
November 11, 1990
June 21, 1991
May 16, 1996
June 1, 1996
April 21, 1997
March 19, 1998
May 22, 2004
Till Date
LANGUAGES SPECIFIED IN SCHEDULE VIII OF THE CONSTITUTION
Assamese, Kashmiri, Sanskrit, Bengali, Malayalam, Sindhi, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Hindi, Oriya, Telugu, Kannada, Punjabi,
Urdu, Nepali, Konkani, Manipuri
INDIAN GEOGRAPHY
Area: 3287263 Square km
Length: North to South – 3, 214 km
Width: East to West – 2, 933 km
Latitudes: 8°4’ N. to 37°6’N
Total Coastline: 7516.6 km
India is the seventh biggest country in the world (area-wise) (Russia, Canada, Brazil, USA, Australia, and
China are the first six biggest countries).
IRRIGATION
Sources
Percentage
Canal
40%
Well
37.8%
Tanks
14.5%
Others
7.7%
MAJOR INDIAN CROPS
Crops
Temp (°C)
Wheat
15° – 25°
Rice
24° – 26°
Maize
18° – 21°
Jawar
20° – 35°
Soyabean
25° – 27°
Cotton
20° – 30°
Tobacco
20° – 25°
Tea
24° – 30°
Ground Nut
15° – 25°
INDIAN RIVERS
Name
Satluj
Indus
Ravi
Gangas
Yamuna
Chambal
Beas
Betwa
Sone
Narmada
Tapti
Mahanadi
Shipra
Godawari
Kaveri
Krishna
Sabarmati
Luni
Banas
States
Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Bihar, Tamil Nadu.
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
Water (em)
60 – 90
80 – 200
50 – 60
40 – 60
50 – 120
80 – 150
75 – 80
100 – 200
60 – 130
Length (Km)
1,500
2,880
720
2,071
1,375
965
625
480
780
1,312
724
828
––
2,465
805
1,400
416
330
270
States where produced
Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana
West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab,
Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka,Maharashtara, Tamil Nadu, Bihar
Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh
Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra
Origin
Mansarovar lake
Mansarovar lake
Rohtang Pass
Gangotri
Yamunotri
Janpawa(Madhya Pradesh)
Rohtang Pass
Vindhya Range (M.P.)
Amarkantak Range (M.P.)
Amarkantak Range (M.P.)
Betul (M.P.)
Rampur (M.P.)
Indore
Nasik (Maharashtra)
Brahamgiri (Karnataka)
Western Ghat
Udaipur
Ajmer (Arawali Range)
Arawali Range
Joint into
Chenab River
Arabian Sea
Chinab River
Bay of Bengal
Ganga River (Near Allahabad)
Yamuna River (Itawa)
Satluj River
Yamuna River
Ganges River (Patna)
Bay of Khambhat
Bay of Khambhat
Bay of Bengal
Chambal River
Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
Ran of Kachch
Ran of Kachch
Chambal River

3. Gandak
Hooghly
Indrawati
Brahmaputra
Kushi
Ram Ganga
K K Sindh
425
—
513
2.900
730
602
416
Nepal
Navdip (Bengal)
Kalahandi (Orissa)
Mansarovar lake (Tibet)
Gosainthan Chiti
Himalaya (Nainital)
Dewas (M.P.)
Ganga River
Bay of Bengal
Ganga River
Bay of Bengal
Ganga River
Ganga River (Kannaul)
Yamuna River
INDIA’S RIVER VALLEY PROJECTS (IRRIGATION / MULTIPURPOSE)
Name of Projects
Rivers
Related States
Bhakra – Nangal
Satluj
Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan
Damodar Valley
Damodar
Bihar, W.Bengal, Madhya Pradesh
Hirakud Dam
Mahanadi
Orissa
Chambal Project
Chambal
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh
Mayurakshi Project
Murli
West Bengal
Nagarjun Project
Krishna
Andhra Pradesh
Beas Project
Beas
Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh
Farakka Project
Gangas + Bhagirathi
West Bengal
Mahe Project
Mahe
Gujarat
Idukki Project
Periyar
Kerala
Matatila Multipurpose Project
Betawa
Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh
Koyna Project
Koyna
Maharashtra
Tehari Dam
Bilangera + Bhagirathi
Uttar Pradesh
Nathapa Jhakhari Project
Satluj
Himachal Pradesh
Coladain Project
Satluj
Himachal Pradesh
Ukai Project
Tapti
Gujarat
Rihand Project
Rihand
Uttar Pradesh
AGRICULTURE
70% Population of India depends upon agriculture. 40% of national income comes from agriculture sector. Three types of
crops are cultivated in India.
Crop
Month
Product
Rabi
October – April
Wheat, Barley, Gram, Mustard
Kharif
July – October
Rice, Jowar, Maize, Bajra, Cotton, Jute
Jayad
March – June
Kharbuja, Kakri
IMPORTANT INDIAN PEAKS (HEIGHT IN METERS)
K-2 : 8611 (Pak-occupied Kashmir); Kanchanjunga : 8586 ; Nanga Parbat : 8126; Gasher Brum : 8068 (Pak-occupied Territory);
Broad Peak : 8047 (Pak-occupied Territory); Disteghil Sar : 7885 (Pak-occupied Territory); Masher Brum E : 7821;
Nanda Devi : 7817; Masher Brum W : 7806 (Pak occupied Territory); Rakaposhi : 7788 (Pak-occupied Territory); Kamet : 7756;
Saser Kangri : 7672; Chaukhamba (Badrinath Peak): 7138; Trisul : 7138.
INDIA’S WELL KNOWN SANCTUARIES AND NATIONAL PARKS
National Park/Sancturary
State
Animals
Bandhwgarh National Park
Madhya Pradesh
Sambhar, Tiger, Panther, Cheetah
Bandipur National Park
Karnataka
Elephant, Leopard, Panther, Dear
Corbett National Park
Uttar Pradesh
Elephant, Panther, Nilgai,
Dachigam Sanctuary
Jammu & Kashmir
Leopard, Black Bear, Kashmiri Stag
Dalma Sanctuary
Bihar
Elephant, Leopard, Pig
Dudhwa National Park
Uttar Pradesh
Panther, Leopard, Sambhar, Chital
Kewaladev Bird Sanctuary
Bharatpur (Rajasthan)
Siberian, Crane
Gir National Park
Gujarat
Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Sambhar
Kaziranga National Park
Assam
One – horned Rhinoceros, Buffalo
Manas Sanctuary
Assam
Elephant, Panther, Bear, Sambhar
Betala Tiger Project
Palamu (Bihar)
Elephant, Tiger, Buffalo, Deer
Periyar Sanctuary
Kerala
Elephant, Panther Leopard, Nilgai
Ranthambhor Tiger Project
Rajasthan
Tiger, Deer, Panther, Lion
Sundarbans Tiger Reserve
West Bengal
Leopard, Tiger, Pig, Lion
Shivapuri National Park
Madhya Pradesh
Panther, Chital, Sambhar
Sariska Sanctuary
Rajasthan
Panther, Leopard, Sambhar
Kanha – Kisali National Park
Madhya Pradesh
Tiger, Leopard, Sambhar, Deer
Panchmarhi National Park
Madhya Pradesh
Tiger, Leopard, Buffalo
Panther, Leopard, Deer
Hazaribagh National Park
Bihar

4. FAMOUS LAKES OF INDIA
Lake
State
Wular
Jammu & Kashmir
Loonar
Buldhana (Maharashtra)
Chilka
Orissa
Kaliso
Andhra Pradesh
Sambhar, Didwana
Rajasthan
Dal
Srinagar
Nagin
Srinagar
RIVERSIDE CITIES OF INDIA
City
River
Calcutta
Hoogly
Guwahati
Brahmaputra
Haridwar
Gangas
Srinagar
Jhelum
Lucknow
Gomti
Hyderabad
Musi
Delhi
Yamuna
Patna
Gangas
Panaji
Mandwai
Surat
Tapti
City
Jabalpur
Kanpur
Nasik
Vizayawara
Ajmer
Badrinath
Ayodhya
Kota
Ujjain
Aurangabad
River
Narmada
Ganges
Godavari
Krishna
Luni
Alakhnanda
Saryu
Chambal
Shipra
Kaoume
IMPORTANT INDIAN INSTITUTES
Training Institutions
National Defence Academy (Khadakvasla, Pune), Indian Institute of Mass Communication (New Delhi), Indian Institute of
Public Administration (New Delhi), Indian Institute of Social Studies (Lucknow), National Police Academy (Hyderabad),
Central School of Languages (Mysore), Indian Military Academy (Dehradoon), National School of Drama (New Delhi),
Sangeet Natak Academy (New Delhi)
Research Institutions
Survey of India (Dehradoon), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Mumbai), National Physical Laboratory (New Delhi), Indian
Institute of Petroleum (Dehradun), Central Drug Research Institute (Lucknow), Central Leather Research Institute (Chennai),
Central Road Research Institute (New Delhi), Central Building Research Institute (Roorkee), Central Mining Research Station
(Dhanbad), Archaeo Logical Survey of India (Calcutta), Birbal Sahni Institute for Palaeobotany (Lucknow)
Defence Academies
National Defence Academy (Khadakvasla, Pune), National Defence College (New Delhi), Indian Military Academy
(Deharadoon), Defence Services Staff College (Tamil Nadu), Air Force Flying College (Jodhpur), Indian Naval Academy
(Cochin), Air Force School, (Jalahali, Bangalore), Air Force Administrative College, (Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu), College of
Military Enginerring, (Kirkee, Maharashtra), Air Defence and Guided Missiles School, (Gopalpur, Orissa)
Important Industrial Institutions
Bharat Electronics Ltd. (Jalahalli, Karnataka), Diesel Locomotive Works (Varanasi), Heavy Enginerring Corporation Ltd.
(Ranchi, Jharkhand), Hindustan Aeronautic Ltd. (Bangalore), Hindustan Organic Chemical Ltd. (Kolaba, Maharashtra),
Hindustan Zine Ltd. (Udaypur, Rajasthan), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (Mumbai, Maharashtra), Indian Telephone
Industry Ltd. (Bangalore, Karnataka), Pysites and Chemicals Development Ltd. (Shahabad, Bihar), Neyvelli Lignite
Corporation Development Ltd. (Neyvelli, Tamil Nadu), Integral Coach Factory (Perambur, Tamil Nadu), Instrumentation Ltd.
(Kota, Rajasthan)