Distribution of Rainfall in India

Rainfall is the important element of Indian economy. Although the monsoons effect most part of India, the amount of rainfall varies from heavy to scanty on different parts. There is great regional and temporal variation in the distribution of rainfall. Over 80% of the annual rainfall is received in the four rainy months of June to September. The average annual rainfall is about 125 cm, but it has great spatial variations.

1. Areas of Heavy Rainfall (Over 200cm) : The highest rainfall occurs in west costs, on the western Ghats as well as the Sub-Himalayan areas in North East and Meghalaya Hills. Assam, West Bengal, West Coast and Southern slopes of eastern Himalayas.
2. Areas of Moderately Heavy Rainfall (100-200 cm) : This rainfall occurs in Southern Parts of Gujarat, East Tamil Nadu, North-eastern Peninsular, Western Ghats, eastern Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orrisa, the middle Ganga valley.
3. Areas of Less Rainfall (50-100 cm) : Upper Ganga valley, eastern Rajasthan, Punjab, Southern Plateau of Karnataka, Andhra Pradessh and Tamil Nadu.
4. Areas of Scanty Rainfall (Less than 50 cm) : Northern part of Kashmir, Western Rajasthan, Punjab and Deccan Plateau. The two significant features of India's rainfall is that
   i. in the north India, rainfall decreases westwards and ii. in Peninsular India, except Tamil Nadu, it decreases eastward.

Facts About Indian Monsoon
Rainfall occurs in summer Rainfall is erratic and unpredictable Rainfall is unevenly distributed Rainfall affects Indian economy

SPATIO TEMPORAL VARIATION IN THE RAINFALL

1. Though the jet streams go a long way in explaining the origin of monsoon some questions remain unanswered. The great variation in the amount of rainfall both spatially and temporally, the high degree of uncertainty related to the date of arrival etc. are unexplained. Meteorologists have been trying to explain these phenomena from different angles relating to wide variety of generalisation. They have been monitoring huge high pressure or anticyclone zones that form a few kilometers below the jet streams. This ridge hovers over south Goa. It has been noticed that if the ridge moves towards karwar in Karnataka it does not augur well for the monsoon. This high-pressure zone, it is reasoned, blocks the low flowing south westerly monsoon from intensifying over the west coast. When it is not positioned well, several meteorologists remain skeptical about the monsoon's performance.
2. The unusual cooling of surface temperatures over the Arabian Sea by as much as 3 to 4 degrees before the onset of monsoon is another curious phenomenon. This is due to the cool Somali current. It pushes the cool waters of the Indian Ocean towards the Arabian Sea and the drop in temperature seen to have an impact on the progress of the rains.
3. Just before the monsoon sets over south-east Asia the atmosphere pressure over the Indian Ocean drops. Simultaneously about 10,000 kilometers away in the South Pacific there is rise in pressure, when the rain is over, this reverses. This phenomena called southern oscillations is key indicator of the south-west monsoon. When the pressure over Indian Ocean is lower than normal it augurs well for the good monsoon.

Global Atmospheric Research Programme and Monex

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the International council of Scientific Union (ICSU) organized a Global Atmospheric Research Programme (GARP) in 1969. Under the aegis of this programme, a Global Weather Experiment was conducted for one full year beginning on 1 December 1978. it was one of the biggest ever international experiments, on a global scale, for observing the earth's atmosphere from land and ocean based data collection platforms, and by weather satellites, which now monitor the restless atmosphere, was launched after several years of intensive preparations and planning. Some idea of the dimensions of the experiment may be gleaned from the fact that in May of 1979 as many as fifty two research ships were deployed over the tropical oceans between 10oN and 10oS, While 104 aircraft missions were successfully completed over different parts of the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. Of considerable interest to India was a special programme of the Global Weather Experiment. This was the Monsoon Experiment (MONEX). Its purpose was to study the influence of monsoon winds on the general circulation of the atmosphere. In view of its economic impact, the Indian scientists were naturally interested in improving their capacity to predict the vagaries of this seasonal phenomenon, which occurs year after over the landmasses of Asia and parts of Africa. In view of its seasonal characteristics, the monsoon experiment (MONEX) was designed to have three components:- Winter MONEX from 1 December 1978 to 5 March 1979 to cover the eastern Indian Ocean and the Pacific along with the land areas adjoining Malaysia and Indonesia. Summer MONEX from 1 May to 31 August 1979 which covered the eastern coast of Africa, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal together with the adjacent landmass. It also covered the Indian Ocean in the belt extending from 10oN to 10oS. A West African Monsoon Experiment (WAMEX) over western and central parts of Africa from 1 May to 31 August 1979 International MONEX Management Centers (IMMC) were set up in Kuala Lumper and in New Delhi to supervise the winter and summer components of the experiment. A large number of scientists from different countries came and worked at these Centers to plan and implement this international project.

Pre Historic India

Prehistory The prehistoric period in the history of humankind can roughly be calculated from 200000 BC to about 3500-2500 BC, when the first civilizations began to take shape. The history of India is no exception to the above-mentioned fact. The first modern human beings or the Homo sapiens set their foot on the Indian subcontinent anywhere between 200000 BC and 40000 BC and they soon spread throughout a large part of the subcontinent, including peninsular India. They continuously flooded the Indian subcontinent in wave after wave of migration from what is present-day Iran. These primitive people moved in groups of few 'families' and mainly lived on hunting and gathering. While the males in the group spent most of their time in hunting, fishing, and gathering food like fruits, roots, and berries, the females gathered food, looked after the children and the dwellings where they lived.  Stone Age The age when the prehistoric man began to use stones for utilitarian purpose is termed as the Stone Age. The Stone Age is divided into three broad divisions-Paleolithic Age or the Old Stone Age (from unknown till 8000 BC), Mesolithic Age or the Middle Stone Age (8000 BC-4000 BC) and the Neolithic Age or the New Stone Age (4000 BC-2500 BC) on the basis of the specialization of the stone tools, which were made during that time. Paleolithic Age The human beings living in the Paleolithic Age were essentially food gatherers and depended on nature for food. The art of hunting and stalking wild animals individually and later in groups led to these people making stone weapons and tools. First, crudely carved out stones were used in hunting, but as the size of the groups began to increase and there was need for more food, these people began to make "specialized tools" by flaking stones, which were pointed on one end. These kind of tools were generally used to kill small animals and for tearing flesh from the carcass of the hunted animals. The basic technique of making these crude tools was by taking a stone and flaking its sides with a heavier stone. These tools were characteristic of the Paleolithic Age and were very rough. By this time, human beings had come to make and use fire. Mesolithic Age As time passed and the size of "families" grew in small communities, there was a constant need to feed all the members of the community and to lead a life of subsistence. In the Mesolithic Age, the stone tools began to be made more pointed and sharp. To ensure a life that had abundance of food and clothing (rough animal skin garments were being worn by the Stone Age man), the stone tools began to appear in increasingly specialized way. The simple handheld stone tools were now attached to thick branches from trees with rope made from animal skin and sinew. These tools are known as hand axes, which could be flung at fast-moving animals from a distance. Apart from hand axes, they also produced crude stone-tipped wooden spears, adzes, borers, and burins. This period also saw the domestication of plants and growing of wild varieties of crops. Because of farming, small settlements began to take shape. Archaeological excavations have unearthed Mesolithic sites in the Chotta Nagpur area of central India and the areas south of the Krishna River. The famous Bhimbetka caves near Bhopal belong to the Mesolithic Age and are famous for their cave paintings. The art of the prehistoric man can be seen in all its glory with the depiction of wild animals, hunting scenes, ritual scenes and scenes from day-to-day life of the period. The exact date of these paintings is not certain, but the oldest paintings are as old as 12,000 years. The prehistoric artist used natural white and red pigments in depicting the various themes, which were close to his heart and sustenance. Neolithic Age The Neolithic Age (4000 BC-2500 BC) or the New Stone Age was the last phase of the Stone Age and is characterized by very finely flaked, small stone tools, also known as blades and burins. These stone blades are so sharp that the modern blades cannot match their smooth surface and cutting edges. The Neolithic Age also saw the domestication of cattle, horses, and other farm animals, which were used for dairy and meat products. An important invention of this time was the making of the wheel. The Neolithic Age quickly gave way to a number of small "cultures" that were highly technical. These people used copper and bronze to make a range of utilitarian tools. This phase or period is termed as the Chalcolithic Age (1800 BC-1000 BC). A number of such sites have been found in the Chotta Nagpur Plateau region, the upper Gangetic basin, Karnataka and near the banks of river Narmada.

Prehistoric sites discovered in India - 7 June 2009

7 June 2009

Prehistoric sites discovered in India

The Geo-Heritage Archaeological Research Centre has discovered three Paleolithic, 27 Microlithic and 26 Megalithic sites, ranging from the prehistoric to historic periods, in a micro-region in the Thenmala valley in Kollengode (Kerala, India). A large number of architectural remains such as postholes and sockets and rock engravings have been discovered in the area. Postholes of rectangular, circular and squarish shapes are considered as Neolithic residences. The style of the rock engravings dates back to the Paleolithic age, according to the research centre.
     V. Sanal Kumar, director of the Kollengode-based research centre, says the most striking aspect of the present study is the discovery of the culturally significant prehistoric and historic sites. He claims that "this is the first time in Kerala that cultural evidences from the prehistoric to the historic periods are discovered from a micro-region." He says that historians like M.K. Raghava Warrier and Selvakumar, Archaeology Department, Tamil University, Thanjavur, have visited the sites and helped him analyse the findings.
     The chronological sequence of cultural and archaeological evidence from the Paleolithic to later historic periods has been found at Kollengode, Muthalamada, Elavancherry and Pallasena. All these areas enjoy a uniform geographical background and lie in the same region between the Ikshumadi and Gayathri streams and can be termed as a single geographical unit. Mr. Sanal Kumar, in his research paper, claims to have located the ancient Chera capital Porainadu (Vanji) in the area.

Climate of India

Also see wiki : (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_India

)

India has 'Tropical Monsoon' type of climate. The word monsoon has been derived from the Arabic word 'Mausim' which means seasonal reversal of the winds during the course of the year.

Climate of India
The whole of India has a tropical monsoonal climate, since the greater part of the country lies within the trophies, and the climate is influenced by the monsoons. The position of the mountain ranges and direction of the rain-bearing winds are the two main factors that determine the climate of India Alternating seasons is the chief characteristic of India's Climate.

Factors Affecting the Climate of India:

1. Latitude: India lies between 8 ⁰ N and 37 ⁰ N latitudes. The Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of India, thus making the southern half of India in the Torrid Zone and the northern half in the Temperature Zone.
2. Himalaya Mountains: The Himalayas play an important role in lending a sub-tropical touch to the climate of India. The lofty Himalaya Mountains form a barrier which effects the climate of India. It prevents the cold winds of north Asia from blowing into India, thus protecting it from severely cold winters. It also traps the Monsoon winds, forcing them to shed their moisture within the sub-continent.
3. Altitude: Temperature decreases with height. Places in the mountains are cooler than places on the plains.
4. Distance from the sea: With a long coastline, large coastal areas have an equable climate. Areas in the interior of India are far away from the moderating influence of the sea. Such areas have extremes of climate.
5. Geographical Limits:
   1. Western Disturbances: The low pressure systems that originate over the eastern Mediterranean region in winter and move eastwards towards India passing over Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan are responsible for the winter rain in northern India.
   2. Conditions in the Regions Surrounding India: Temperature and pressure conditions in East Africa, Iran, Central Asia and Tibet determine the strength of the monsoons and the occasional dry spells. For example, high temperatures in East Africa may draw the monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean into that region thus, causing a dry spell.
   3. Conditions over the Ocean: The weather conditions over the Indian ocean and the China Sea may be responsible for typhoons which often affect the east coast of India.
   4. Jet Streams: Air currents in the upper layers of the atmosphere known as jet steams could determine the arrival of the monsoons and departure of the monsoons. The Scientists are studying the jet streams and how it may affect the climate of India but much remains to be learned about this phenomena.

Preamble to Constitution of India

The Indian Constitution starts with the preamble which outlines the main objectives of the Constitution. It reads:

" WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN, SOCIALIST, SECULAR, DEMOCRATIC, REPUBLIC and to secure all its citizens."

JUSTICE, social economic and political.

LIBERTY, of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.

EQUALITY, of status and of opportunity, and to promote among them all.

FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and unity and integrity of the nation.

IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY, this twenty sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, "ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES HIS CONSTITUTION ".

Idea of preamble borrowed from Constitution of US.

The words ‘SOCIALIST’, ‘SECULAR’ and ‘UNITY’ & ‘INTEGRITY’ were added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976.

Preamble is not justifiable.

Indian Economy Overview

Indian Economy Overview

Indian Economy has been witnessing a phenomenal growth since the last decade. After seeing a growth rate in excess of 9 per cent for the last 3 Years, it is still holding its ground in the midst of the current global financial crisis.

Pegging India’s growth rate in the current Year at between 7 and 8 per cent economists have reiterated that India would continue being the second fastest growing economy in the world despite the ongoing global economic slowdown.

Though the global financial crisis have affected the Indian equity and foreign exchange markets, the macroeconomic brunt of the meltdown is not much due to the overall strength of the domestic demand and the largely domestic nature of its investment financing.

Further, according to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) prediction in October 2008, India is likely to grow at 7.8 per cent in 2008, and 6.3 per cent in 2009.

In spite of the global financial crisis, companies from developed economies such as Germany have shown confidence in India’s economic future and are interested in growing their business in the country.

Showing faith in India’s robust future, around 94 per cent German companies plan to increase their businesses with the subcontinent.

After the signing of the US-India civil nuclear deal, India will now be partnering several countries for nuclear fuel technology projects, and this will further boost the Indian Economy.

India and Russia signed 10 agreements in Dec 2008, including a pact on civil nuclear cooperation.

The 2008 – 2009 Fiscal

• In 2007 – 2008, India’s per capita income is estimated to be around US$ 740. Further, India’s per capita income is expected to increase to US$ 2,000 by 2016 – 2017 and US$ 4,000 by 2025. This growth rate will, consequently, propel India in to the middle – income category.
• Foreign institutional investments (FII) in India became positive in November 2008, after net selling by them in September and October 2008 due to redemption pressures from abroad.
  As per SEBI data, FIIs continued to flow into India with 120 new FIIs registering themselves during September and November 2008, since the global meltdown started in September.
  Even though some FIIs had pulled out, many FIIs see long – term value in India. Moreover, during the same period, 358 new sub – accounts were registered, which was the highest within three months, in 2008.
• In 2007 – 2008, India’s FDI touched US$ 25 billion, up 56 per cent against US$ 15.7 billion in 2006 – 2007.
  FDI equity inflows between April – September 2008 were US$ 17.21 billion, a growth of 137 per cent over the same period last Year.
• In the first half of the current fiscal, the money supply increased by 6.6 per cent against 8.2 per cent last Year (from end of March 2008 end to end of September 2008).
• The growth in the gross tax collection is was 25 per cent till September 2008, against 24.5 per cent in September 2007.
• Total foreign investment inflow during the first half of 2008 – 2009 was US$ 13.8 billion in September 2008.
• Exports during 2007 – 2008 grew by 23.02 per cent to total US$ 155.51 billion as against US$ 126.41 billion in the corresponding period last Year.
  The cumulative value of exports for the period between April – September, 2008 was US$ 94973 million compared to US$ 72556 million.

The Rural India Growth Story

The Indian growth story is spreading to the rural and semi – urban areas as well. In i08 the rural market has grown at an impressive rate of 25 per cent compared to the 7 – 10 per cent growth rate of the urban consumer retail market.

Further, the rural market will grow to a potential of US$ 1.9 billion by 2015 from the current US$ 487 million.

The rural India success story is being replicated across a range of sectors in the rural markets. After several global corporations like Microsoft, Intel, and Shell, many other major multinational companies (MNCs) and domestic players are keen to foray into the rural Indian market to capitalize on its growing opportunities.

Advantage India

• According to the World Fact Book, India is among the world’s youngest nations with a median age of 25 Years as compared to 43 in Japan and 36 in USA of the BRIC – Brazil, Russia, India and China – countries, India is projected to stay the youngest with its working – age population estimated to rise to 70 per cent of the total demographic by 2030 – the largest in the world. India will see 70 million new entrants to its workforce over the next 5 Years.
• India has the second largest area of arable land in the world, making it one of the world’s largest food producers – over 200 million tonnes of food grains are produced annually.
  India is the world’s largest producer of milk (100 million tonnes per annum), sugarcane (315 million tonnes per annum) and tea (930 million kg per annum) and the second largest producer of rice, fruit and vegetables.
• With the largest number of listed companies – 10,000 across 23 stock exchanges, India has the third largest investor base in the world.
• India’s healthy banking system with a network of 70,000 branches is among the largest in the world. In June 2007, the aggregate deposits of commercial banks were about US$ 445 billion (50 per cent of GDP) and the total bank credit stood at US$ 320 billion (36 per cent of GDP).
  NPA (non – performing assets) levels of banks in India are under 3 per cent, one of the lowest among emerging nations.
• According to a study, India’s consumer market will be the worlds fifth largest (from twelfth) in the world by 2025 and India’s middle class will swell by over ten times from its current size of 50 million to 583 million people by 2025.

Growth Potential of India

• Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are set to see major investments after the straightening out of certain regulatory tangles. India has approved 513 SEZs till August 2008, of which 250 have been notified.
  Investments are expected to cross US$ 45.73 billion by December 2009, providing incremental employment to 800,000 people.
• India’s telecom services industry revenues are projected to reach US$ 54 billion in 2012, up from US$ 31 billion in 2008.
  India saw a 23 per cent increase in IP (Internet Protocol) addresses with 2.6 million connections in the third – quarter ended September 2008.
• The government is planning to set up a special corpus of around US$ 10.48 billion for infrastructure projects.
• The retail business in India is expected to grow at 13 per cent annually from US$ 322 billion in 2006 – 2007 to US$ 590 billion in 2011 – 2012.
  The unorganized Indian retail sector is expected to grow at about 10 percent per annum to reach US$ 496 billion in 2011 – 2012.
• India is likely to emerge as the next global hub for innovation and join the club of developed nations, with the country aiming to increase its research and development (R&D) expenditure in the coming Years.
  India is targeting to increase its R&D spend to two per cent of the GDP by 2012 under the 11th Five Year Plan, from less than one per cent earlier.
• Corporate India registered US$ 3.4 billion as mergers and acquisitions (M&As) during November 2008, as against US$ 850 million in November 2007. The figure stood at US$ 2.13 billion in October 2008.

Future Perfect

The Planning Commission has ruled out any changes in the average 9 per cent gross domestic product growth target of the 11th Five Year Plan, although there might be ‘some significant reduction in growth’ in 2009 as a result of the global financial crisis.

India offers huge investment opportunities in various sectors and investments are likely to pour into these sunshine sectors :

• The realty sector is likely to increase at the rate of 30 per cent annually during the next 10 Years, drawing US$ 30 billion as foreign investment.
• The Indian IT market is projected to see 18 per cent growth in 2008, touching US$ 38 billion.
• According to a McKinsey study, “The market size for the food consumption category in India is expected to grow from US$ 155 billion in 2005 to US$ 344 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate of 4.1 percent”.
• According to the India Retail Report 2009, the Indian retail industry is likely to touch US$ 390.68 billion by 2010.
• The Indian pharmaceutical industry is projected to grow to US$ 25 billion by 2010 whereas the domestic market is likely to more than triple to US$ 20 billion by 2015 from the current US$ 6 billion to become one of the leading pharmaceutical markets in the next decade.
• Agricultural production is likely to increase significantly during fiscal Year 2009. Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) has projected a growth of 3.2 per cent during fiscal Year 2009, for the GDP of agriculture and allied sectors.
  This would be the fourth straight Year of positive growth in agricultural production, with the first 3 Years clocking an average growth of 5.5 per cent. The allied sectors comprising livestock, forestry and logging, and fishing are likely to see a growth of 4.8 per cent during fiscal Year 2009.

Trade Relations of India

India’s trade relations with several countries have received an impetus with the numerous bilateral pacts and trade agreements signed recently.

• The government is likely to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
  With lower tariff barriers, trade between India and ASEAN is expected to increase significantly from the present US$ 28 billion annually.
• India – African bilateral trade is projected to grow by over nine times from US$ 26 billion now to US$ 150 billion by 2012, according to an estimate by a leading business chamber.
• Spain, which has a strong industrial base in the automotive and infrastructure sectors, has witnessed a five – fold increase in its investments in India in 2008.
  Spanish investment in India in the first three quarters of 2008 calendar Year was US$ 158 million (or 114 million euros) – an increase of 500 per cent from the previous Year.
• India has emerged as Dubai’s second biggest trading partner during the first nine months of 2008 with imports from India worth US$ 10 billion and re – exports to India worth US$ 8 billion.
• India and Turkey aim to double bilateral trade to US$ 6 billion by 2010.
• India and Singapore will be signing an agreement on IP rights’ cooperation. Singapore ranks fourth in terms of FDI in India during the period 1991 – 2008.
• India and Syria have signed a revised double taxation avoidance agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and for the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.
• The bilateral trade between UK and India has touched US$ 17.44 billion in 2007 – 2008. India’s economic ties with the UK are also through the 52 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of US$ 15.71 billion on the London Stock Exchange. In 2007 – 2008, Indian firms invested in 1,573 projects in the UK.
• India and Canada have set off ten joint initiatives worth US$ 17 million in the field of science and technology, and next – generation research.
• India has become the 10th largest trading partner of Australia, with bilateral investment touching US$ 2 billion.
• Non – Oil Bilateral trade between India and Oman in the first quarter of 2008 registered an impressive growth of 35 – 40 per cent.
• Italy is looking forward to widening business opportunities in India, especially in West Bengal. Bilateral trade between the two countries added up US$ 100 million in 2007.