Indian National Congress Notes for SSC & UPSC Exams

INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS : History Notes

* Founded by 1885 by A.O. Hume.

* Venue of 1 st Session – Gokul Tejpal Sanskrit School of Bombay.

* First President – W.C. Banerjee. * First Women President – Annie Besant (1917 Calcutta). 

* First Indian Women President – Sarojini Naidu.(1925, Kanpur)

* First English President – George Yule * First Muslim President – Badaruddin Tayabji

* Women President – Annie Besant (1917), Sarojini Naidu (1925) and Nalin Sengupta. 

* Thrice President (Maximum times)– Dadabhi Naoroji (1886,1863,1906), J.L. Nehru (1929, 1936, 1937).

* First Session to hold in village – 1937 (Fazipur). * First split of congress – 1907 (Surat). * First – Joint Session of Congress and Muslim League Lucknow (1916).

* Word Swaraj was first used from congress platform (1906) Calcutta.

* Only session presided over by Gandhi – Belgaon (1924).

* Complete Independence was demand for the first time (1929), Lahore.

* For the first time NationalSong was sung in the Calcutta Session (1896) of INC. i.e., Vande Mataram * For the first time National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana ) Was sung in Calcutta session (1911) of INC.

* Maulana Abul Kalam Azadwas the youngest president of Inc.

* The first session of congress (Bomaby 1885) was attended by 72 representatives.During the fourth session of INC (1888,Allahabad) emphasized was given on formation of its constitution. * Nagpur Session (1891) the word ‘National’ was added to Congress. * Poona session(1895), representatives second time discussed on the formation of its constitution.

* Calcutta session of 1906, its president for the first time used ‘ Swaraj’ in his speech. * In Lucknow Session of Congress (1916) the two factions of congress (extremists and Moderates) reunited.

* During Ahmedabad Session of INC (1921) , C. R. Das was elected its President but Azamal Khan presided over the session because C.R. Das was in prison.

* During Gaya Session (1922 ) differences arose over the issue of council entry. C.R.Das and Motilal Nehru organized Swaraj Party in 1922.

* During its Delhi session (1923) INC decided to establish All India Khadi Borad.

* Gandhi presided over only Belgaon session (1924) of INC * During this session knowledge of weaving wasfixed as minimum qualification for its members. Gandhi decide toset up ‘All India Charkha Association declared 1926’ as year of keeping silent.

* During Guwahati session of Inc (1926) wearing Khadi was made compulsory for its workers.

* During Madras session of INC 91927), proposals for independence and to boycott Simon commission were passed. Gandhi did not participate.

* During Karachi Session (1931) Fundamentals Rights and Economic PolicyProposals Passed.

* During its 1932 and 1933session government had declared it an illegal organization.

* During Lucknow Session (1936), J.L. Nehru explainedsocialism for the first time.* During Fazipur Session (1937) congress decided to take part in election of 1937. * 1938 session of congress held in a village Haripura.Netaji elected unopposed. * In Ramgarh Session (1904) decisions onIndividual Satyagarha.

* The word “Congress” Or INC was taken from the history of USA which means group of people.

* During Tripuri Session Of INC (1939) Subhash Chandra Bose Defeated Pattabhi Sitaramaya(Gandhi’s candidate in presidential election) but later resigned and Rajendra Prasad became its president.* During Calcutta Session (1928) first All India Youth congress was established.

Indian Banking History for IBPS/Bank Exams 2013

Pre-Independence Banking History in India:

Banking history of India is divided into Two major categories -

• Pre-Independence Banking History
• Post-Independence Banking History

Pre-Independence Banking:-

• The origin of modern Banking in India dates back to the 18th century.
• Bank of Hindustan was established in 1779 and it was the first bank at Calcutta under European management.
• Banking Concept in India was brought by Europeans.
• In 1786 General Bank of India was set up.
• On June 2, 1806 the Bank of Calcutta established in Calcutta. It was the first Presidency Bank during the British Raj.
• Bank of Calcutta was established mainly to fund General Wellesley’s wars against Tipu Sultan and the Marathas.
• On January 2, 1809 the Bank of Calcutta renamed as the Bank of Bengal.
• In 1839, there was a fruitless effort by Indian merchants to establish a Bank calledUnion Bank but it failed within a decade.
• On 15th April, 1840 the second presidency Bank was established in Bombay – Bank of Bombay.
• On 1 July 1843 the Bank of Madras was established in Madras, now Chennai. It was the third Presidency Bank during the British Raj.
• Allahabad Bank which was established in 1865 and working even today.
• The oldest Public Sector Bank in India having branches all over India and serving the customers for the last 145 years is Allahabad Bank. Allahabad bank is also known as one of India’s Oldest Joint Stock Bank.
• These Presidency banks worked as quasi central banks in India for many years under British Rule.
• The Comptoire d’Escompte de Paris opened a branch in Calcutta in 1860.
• HSBC established itself in Bengal in 1869
• Calcutta was the most active trading port in India, mainly due to the trade of the British Empire, and so became a banking center.
• The Oldest Joint Stock bank of India was Bank of Upper India established in 1863 but this bank was become defunct in 1913.
• In 1881,  Oudh Commercial Bank was established at Faizabad it was the first Bank of India with Limited Liability to be managed by Indian Board. After Independence, In 1958 this bank failed.
• In 1895 Punjab National Bank was established in Lahore in Punjab province of Undivided India. It was the first bank purely managed by Indian. PNB has not only survive but also become the second largest public sector bank in India.
• The first Indian commercial bank which was wholly owned and managed by Indians was Central Bank of India which was established in 1911.
• Central bank of India was also called India’s First Truly Swadeshi bank.
• The Swadeshi movement inspired local businessmen and political figures to found banks of and for the Indian community.  The period between 1906 and 1911 thousands of Banks were established in India. Many of those banks established then have survived to the present such as Bank of India, Corporation Bank, Indian Bank, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank and Central Bank of India.
• At least 94 banks in India failed between 1913 and 1918 due to economic crisis during World War I.
• In 27th January, 1921 Bank of Calcutta, Bank of Madras and Bank of Bombay were amalgamated  to form Imperial Bank of India.
• In 1926 Hilton-Young Commission submitted it’s report.
• In 1934 Reserve Bank of India act was passed.
• On the recommendation of Hilton-Young Commission, On 1st April 1935 Reserve Bank of India was established.
• RBI was established with initial share capital worth Rs. 5 crore with 5 Lakh Rs. 100 share dividend.

Banking History in India – Post-Independence Banking History

Post-Independence Banking History:

Immediately after the Independence, the partition of India in 1947 adversely impacted the economies of Punjab and West Bengal by paralyzing banking activities for months.With end of British rule in India marked the end of a regime of the Laissez-faire for the Indian banking sector.

The Government of India initiated measures to play an active role in the economic life of the nation, and the Industrial Policy Resolution adopted by the government in 1948 envisaged a mixed economy. To streamline the functioning and activities of commercial banks, the government of India has came up with the Banking Companies act, 1949. The Reserve Bank of India, India’s central banking authority, was nationalized on January 1, 1949 under the terms of the Reserve Bank of India (Transfer to Public Ownership) Act, 1948.  The Reserve Bank of India was vested with major powers for the supervision of banking inn India as he central banking authority.

The Banking Regulation Act also provided that no new bank or branch of an existing bank could be opened without a license from the RBI, and no two banks could have common directors.During those days, the general public had lesser confidence in Banking. As an aftermath, the deposit mobilization process was very slow. Moreover, the savings bank facility provided by postal department was considered comparatively safer than banks, and funds were largely given to traders.

  

Nationalised Banks in India – Bank Nationalisation in India

In India, the Banking Sector has been dominated by Government or Public Sector Banks for last 64 years. In 1954 the All India Rural Credit Survey Committee submitted its report recommending creation of a strong, integrated, state-sponsored, state-partnered commercial banking institution with an effective machinery of branches spread all over the country. 

The recommendations of this committee led to establishment of first Public Sector Bank in the name of State bank of India  on July 01, 1955 by acquiring the substantial part of share capital by Reserve Bank of India, of then Imperial Bank of India. Similarly during 1956-59, as a result of reorganization of princely states, the State Bank of India associate Bank came into fold of Public sector banking.

On July 19, 1969, the Govt. promulgated Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) ordinance 1969 to acquire 14 bigger commercial banks with with deposits over 50 crores. 

The main objective behind this bank nationalisation was to spread banking infrastructure in rural india and make cheap finance available to Indian farmers.

The second phase of bank nationalisation took place in 1980 during the prime ministerial tenure of Indira Gandhi, in which 7 more banks were nationalised with deposits over 200 crores.

List of Nationalised Banks in India:

1. Allahabad Bank
2. Andhra Bank
3. Bank of Baroda
4. Bank of India
5. Bank of Maharashtra
6. Canara Bank
7. Central Bank of India
8. Corporation Bank
9. Dena Bank
10. Indian Bank
11. Indian Overseas Bank
12. Oriental Bank of Commerce
13. Punjab and Sind Bank
14. Punjab National Bank
15. Syndicate Bank
16. UCO Bank
17. Union Bank of India
18. United Bank of India
19. Vijaya Bank

Bank Liberalisation in India – Liberalisation in Banks

Liberalisation in banking sector in India noticed in early 1990s’ when India adopted a new economic policy for the development of the nation. Narasimha Rao government embarked on a policy of liberalization, licensing a small number of private banks.For the first time in India new private banks got license for providing  banking service. These banks came to be known as the New Generation tech-savvy banks.

The first bank in India set up after the adaptation of new liberalization policy in banking sector was Global Trust Bank. It was later amalgamated with Oriental Bank of Commerce. The list of banks set up after new liberalization policy includes Global Trust Bank, UTI Bank (Now known as Axis Bank), ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank.

This move towards the Liberalisation along with the rapid economic growth in India, re-energize the banking sector in India. Indian banking sector has noticed rapid growth with strong contribution from all sector of banks – government banks, private banks and foreign banks.

The next stage for the Indian banking sector has been set up with the proposed relaxation in the norms for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).  All Foreign Investors in banks can holds up to 74% with some restrictions of the company.

Important Books & Their Authors for IBPS/Bank PO/Clerk Exams

1. The Orphan Master’s Son: Adam Johnson’s novel The Orphan Master’s son won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2013.

2. Religion, Law & Society –Authored by Prof. Tahir Mahmood

3. The First Woman President of India, Reinventing leadership, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil - written by Professor Sunaina Singh

4. Walking with Lions: Tales from a Diplomatic Past - written by K. Natwar Singh, the former Union Minister for External Affairs.

5. Ek Thhi Kusum - book by Prakash Pant

6. Water: Asia's New Battleground - by Brahma Chellaney

7. Behind the Beautiful Forever’s: Life, Death, and Hope -by Katherine Boo

8. Yuvi- Book on Cricketer Yuvraj Singh authored by Makarand Waingankar

9. Narcopolis - Jeet Thayil shortlisted for the Man Booker for his debut novel Narcopolis

10. Non-Stop India: written by Mark Tully

11. The Sense of an Ending: written by Julian Barnes

12. Joseph Anton - written by Salman Rushdie

13. Muslims In Indian Cities - By Laurent Gayer & Christophe Jaffrelot

14. When Loss is Gain – by Diplomat Pavan K. Varma

15. Matters of Discretion: An Autobiography- I K Gujral

Important Points of General Science for SSC Exams

01 The theory of relativity was propounded by Albert Einstein

02 The principal metal used in manufacturing steel is Iron.

03 An alimeter is used for measuring Altitude

04 Oology is the study of Birds eggs

05 Radioactivity was discovered by Henry Bacquerel

06 The metal used in storage batteries is Lead.

07 The instrument used to measure the relative humidity of air is Hygrometer.

08 Barometer was invented by Torricelli

09 The unit of power is Watt.

10 Radium was discovered by Marie and Pierrie Curie.

11 The existence of isotopes was discovered by Frederick Soddy

12 Dynamo was invented by Michael Faraday

13 The nuclear reactor was invented by Enrico Ferni.

14 The law of gravitation was propounded by Sir Isaac Newton.

15 Crescograph was invented by J.C.Bose.

16 Crescograph is used to measure the Rate of growth of a plant.

17 Galileo's first scientific discovery was Pendulum.

18 Microscope was invented by Aaton Van Leewen Hock

19 The scientist who is known as father of modern biology is Aristotle

20 The first person to see a cell under microscope was Robert Hooke.

21 The smallest flowering plant is Worffia.

22 The four blood groups were discovered by Karl Landsteiner.

23 Sodium was discovered by Sir Humphry Davy.

24 The atomic number of oxygen is Eight.

25 The basic building blocks of proteins are Amino acids.

26 The botanical name of the cotton plant is Gossipium Hirsutum.

27 An Electroscope is used to Detect charges on a body.

28 The unit of loudness is Phon.

29 An ammeter is used to measure Electric current.

30 Plant that eat insects are called Insectivorous plants.

General Knowledge: Fundamental Duties of Every Indian Citizen

Originally, the Fundamental Duties were not provided in the Constitution. On the basis of the recommendations of Swarn Singh Committee, these duties were included in the Constitution under Article 51A of part IV by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976. Under these provisions, a citizen of India is expected to faithfully observe the following fundamental Duties.

It shall be the duty of every citizen of India:

1. To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideas and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem;
2. To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom;
3. To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India;
4. To defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so;
5. To promote harmony and spirit of common brotherhood among all the people of India, transcending religious, linguistic, regional or sectional diversities, to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women;
6. To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture;
7. To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, river, and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures;
8. To develop the scientific temper, humanism and spirit of inquiry and reform;
9. To safeguard public property and to abjure violence;
10. To strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activities so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavor and achievement;
11. To provide opportunities for education to his child or, as the case may be, ward between age of 6 and  14 years;

The 11th point was adopted by 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002.

The fundamental duties are inspired by the constitution of former former Soviet Union. Since, the fundamental duties are included in part IV of the constitution, these can not come into force automatically, neither can these duties be enforced by judicial process. The constitution, like directive principles of state policies, leaves to the goodwill of citizen to abide these provisions. According to the famous constitutional expert D D Basu, the constitution does not make any provision to enforce these duties automatically or any sanction to prevent the violation of these duties by the citizen. However, it is expected that if a law is enacted by the legislature to enforce these provisions, its shall not be declared unconstitutional on the ground of its inconsistency with the provisions of Article 14 and that of 19. According to him, these provisions would act as a warning to all those who does indulge in not paying due regard to the constitution and destroying public property. The supreme court may issue such warning to citizen to take these provisions seriously. The legislature may also enact laws to enforce these duties. In fact, there are already many laws which directly or indirectly enforce these duties. For example, there is law for the protection of public property as well as environment and animal species.

However, the Supreme Court, in Surya Vs Union of India (1992) case, ruled that fundamental duties are not enforceable through judicial remedies by court. In Vijoy Immanuel Vs State of Kerala (1987), the Supreme Court overruled the decision of Kerala High Court and decided that though to Constitution provides it to be the duty of citizen to respect the National Anthem, it does not provide that singing of the National Anthem is part of such respect. Even a person, while standing during the singing of National Anthem (without himself singing it) can show respect to the National Anthem.