Parliment

This article is about the current Parliament of India. For the Indian legislatures that existed prior to independence, see Imperial Legislative Council (India).
. Coordinates: 28°37'2?N 77°12'29?E

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the Hindi Wikipedia. (September 2012)
Click [show] on the right to read important instructions before translating.[show]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2011)
Parliament of India Bharatiya Sansad 15th Parliament Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type Bicameral
Houses Rajya Sabha (Council of States)
Lok Sabha (House of the People)
Leadership
President Pranab Mukherjee
Since 25 July 2012
Chairman of Rajya Sabha Mohammad Hamid Ansari
Since 25 August 2012
Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha P. J. Kurien, Congress
Since 21 August 2012
Speaker of Lok Sabha Meira Kumar, Congress
Since 3 June 2009
Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha Kariya Munda, BJP
Since 8 June 2009
Structure
Seats 790
245 Members of Rajya Sabha
545 Members of Lok Sabha
Rajya Sabha political groups UPA, NDA, Third front, Others
House of the People, India, 2012.svg
Lok Sabha political groups UPA, NDA, Third front, Others
Elections
Rajya Sabha voting system Single transferable vote
Lok Sabha voting system First past the post
Lok Sabha last election Indian general election, 2009
Meeting place
ParliamentOfIndia.jpg
Sansad Bhavan, New Delhi, India
Website
loksabha.gov.in
rajyasabha.nic.in
The Parliament of India, also popularly known as Sansad (Sanskrit: ????); is the supreme legislative body in India. The Parliament comprises the President of India and the two Houses—Lok Sabha (House of the People) and Rajya Sabha (Council of States). The President has the power to summon and prorogue either House of Parliament or to dissolve Lok Sabha.[5]
India's government is bicameral; Rajya Sabha is the upper house and Lok Sabha is the lower house. The two Houses meet in separate chambers in the Sansad Bhavan (located on the Sansad Marg or "Parliament Street") in New Delhi. Those elected or nominated (by the President) to either house of Parliament are referred to as members of parliament or MPs. The MPs of Lok Sabha are directly elected by the Indian public and the MPs of Rajya Sabha are elected by the members of the State Legislative Assemblies, in accordance with proportional representation. The Parliament is composed of 790 MPs, who serve the largest democratic electorate in the world; 714 million Indians registered to vote in the 2009 general elections.
Contents  

The Indian Parliament consists of two houses called as Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and the President of India.
President of India[edit]
Main article: President of India
Similar to most Commonwealth countries, India also includes the Head of State (the President of India in India's case) as a component of Parliament. The President of India is elected, from a group of nominees, by the elected members of the Parliament of India (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) as well as of the state legislatures, and serves for a term of five years. Historically, ruling party (majority in the Lok Sabha) nominees have been elected and run largely uncontested. Incumbents are permitted to stand for re-election, but unlike the president of the United States, who can be elected just twice, incumbents can be elected for any number of terms. A formula is used to allocate votes so there is a balance between the population of each state and the number of votes assembly members from a state can cast, and to give an equal balance between State Assembly members and National Parliament members. If no candidate receives a majority of votes there is a system by which losing candidates are eliminated from the contest and votes for them transferred to other candidates, until one gains a majority. Pranab Mukherjee is the present President of India.[6]
Lok Sabha[edit]
Main article: Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha is also known as the "House of the People" or the lower house. All of its members are directly elected by citizens of India on the basis of universal adult franchise, except two who are appointed by the President of India. Every citizen of India who is over 18 years of age, irrespective of gender, caste, religion or race, who is otherwise not disqualified, is eligible to vote for the lok sabha.
The Constitution provides that the maximum strength of the House be 552 members. It has a term of five years. To be eligible for membership in the Lok Sabha, a person must be a citizen of India and must be 25 years of age or older, mentally sound, should not be bankrupt and should not be criminally convicted. At present, the strength of the house is 545 members. The total elective membership is distributed among the States in such a way that the ratio between the number of seats allotted to each State and the population of the State is, so far as practicable, the same for all States.[7]
Up to 530 members represent of the territorial constituencies in States, up to 20 members represent the Union Territories and no more than two members from Anglo-Indian community can be nominated by the President of India if he or she feels that the community is not adequately represented. House seats are apportioned among the states by population .
Several seats are reserved for representatives of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, in a practice known as reservation. The Women's Reservation Bill proposes reserving 33% of the seats in Lok Sabha for women.
Rajya Sabha[edit]
Main article: Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha is also known as "Council of States" or the upper house. Rajya Sabha is a permanent body and is not subject to dissolution. However, one third of the members retire every second year, and are replaced by newly elected members. Each member is elected for a term of six years.[8] Its members are indirectly elected by members of legislative bodies of the States.
The Rajya Sabha can have a maximum of 250 members in all. Elections to it are scheduled and the chamber cannot be dissolved. Each member has a term of 6 years and elections are held for one-third of the seats after every 2 years. 238 members are to be elected from States and Union Territories and 12 are to be nominated by President of India and shall consist of persons having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as the following, namely literature, science, art and social service. The minimum age for a person to become a member of Rajya Sabha is 30 years.
Representatives of States are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of the State in accordance with system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.
Representatives of Union Territories are indirectly elected by members of an electoral college for that territory in accordance with system of proportional representation.
The Council of States is designed to maintain the federal character of the country. The number of members from a state depends on the population of the state (e.g. 31 from Uttar Pradesh and one from Nagaland).
Architecture[edit]

The parliament is one of the most magnificent buildings in New Delhi. It was designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, who were responsible for planning and construction of New Delhi. The construction of buildings took six years and the opening ceremony was performed on 18 January 1927 by the then Governor-General of India, Lord Irwin. The construction costs for the building were Rs. 8.3 million. The parliament is 570 feet (170 meters) in diameter. It covers an area of nearly six acres. The building has twelve gates among which Gate No. 1 on the Sansad Marg is the main gate.
General layout of the building[edit]
The centre and the focus of the building is the Central Hall. It consists of chambers of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and the Library Hall and between them lie garden courts. Surrounding these three chambers is the four storyed circular structure providing accommodations for Ministers, Chairmen, Parliamentary committees, Party offices, important offices of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Secretariats and also the offices of the ministry of Parliamentary affairs. The Central Hall is circular in shape and the dome is 98 feet (29.87 meters) in diameter. It is the place of historical importance. The Indian Constitution was framed in the Central Hall. The Central Hall was originally used in the library of erstwhile Central Legislative Assembly and the Council of States. In 1946, it was converted and refurbished into Constituent Assembly Hall. At present, the Central Hall is used for holding joint sittings of both the houses of parliament and also used for address by the President in the commencement of first session after each general election.
Working, procedures and committees[edit]

The Parliament consists of the President of Republic of India and both the Chambers. The House and the Council are equal partners in the legislative process; however, the Constitution grants the House of People some unique powers. Revenue-raising or "Money" bills must originate in the Lok Sabha. The Council of States can only make recommendations suggestions over these bills to the House, within a period of fourteen days – lapse of which the bill is assumed to have been passed by both the Chambers.[5]
Session of parliament[edit]
The period during which the House meets to conduct its business is called a session. The Constitution empowers the President to summon each House at such intervals that there should not be more than 6-month's gap between the two sessions. Hence the Parliament must meet at least twice a year. In India, the parliament conducts three sessions each year:[5]
Budget session: In the months of February to May.[5]
Monsoon session: In the months of July to September.[5]
Winter session: In the months of November to December[5]
Lawmaking procedures[edit]
Main article: Lawmaking procedure in India
Lawmaking procedures in India are modelled after, and are thus very similar to, those followed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Parliamentary committees[edit]
Parliamentary committees play a vital role in the Parliamentary System. They are a vibrant link between the Parliament, the Executive and the general public.
The need for committees arises out of two factors – the first one being the need for vigilance on the part of the Legislature over the actions of the Executive, while the second one is that the modern Legislature these days is over-burdened with heavy volume of work with limited time at its disposal. It thus becomes impossible that every matter should be thoroughly and systematically scrutinised and considered on the floor of the House. If the work is to be done with reasonable care, some Parliamentary responsibility has to be entrusted to an agency in which the whole House has confidence. Entrusting certain functions of the House to the Committees has, therefore, become a normal practice. This has become all the more necessary, as a Committee provides the expertise on a matter which is referred to it.
In a committee, the matter is deliberated at length, views are expressed freely, the matter is considered in depth, in a business-like manner and in a calm atmosphere. In most of the Committees, public is directly or indirectly associated when memoranda containing suggestions and are received, on-the-spot studies are conducted and oral evidence is taken which helps the Committees in arriving at the conclusions.
Parliamentary committees are of two kinds: ad hoc committees and the standing committees most powerful of all is public accounts committee which is headed by the leader of the opposition.
Standing committees
Main article: Standing committee
There are 45 standing committees in the Indian Parliament. Each house of Parliament has standing committees like the Business Advisory Committee, the Committee on Petitions, the Committee of Privileges and the Rules Committee, etc.
Standing committees are permanent and regular committees which are constituted from time to time in pursuance of the provisions of an Act of Parliament or Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Parliament. The work of these committees is of a continuing nature. The Financial Committees, DRSCs and some other committees are standing committees.
Ad hoc committees
Ad hoc committees are appointed for a specific purpose and they cease to exist when they finish the task assigned to them and submit a report. The principal ad hoc committees are the Select and Joint Committees on Bills. Others like the Railway Convention Committee, the Committees on the Draft Five Year Plans and the Hindi Equivalents Committee were appointed for specific purposes.
Joint Committee on Food Management in Parliament House Complex etc. also come under the category of ad hoc committees.
2001 Parliament attack

Main article: 2001 Indian Parliament attack
On 13 December 2001, the parliament building was attacked by five Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists. In addition to all the attackers, six military personnel and one civilian were killed.[9]
See also

Election Commission of India
Indian Parliamentary Group
PRS Legislative Research
Politics of India
List of legislatures by country

Radio

This article is about the current Parliament of India. For the Indian legislatures that existed prior to independence, see Imperial Legislative Council (India).
. Coordinates: 28°37'2?N 77°12'29?E

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the Hindi Wikipedia. (September 2012)
Click [show] on the right to read important instructions before translating.[show]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2011)
Parliament of India Bharatiya Sansad 15th Parliament Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type Bicameral
Houses Rajya Sabha (Council of States)
Lok Sabha (House of the People)
Leadership
President Pranab Mukherjee
Since 25 July 2012
Chairman of Rajya Sabha Mohammad Hamid Ansari
Since 25 August 2012
Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha P. J. Kurien, Congress
Since 21 August 2012
Speaker of Lok Sabha Meira Kumar, Congress
Since 3 June 2009
Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha Kariya Munda, BJP
Since 8 June 2009
Structure
Seats 790
245 Members of Rajya Sabha
545 Members of Lok Sabha
Rajya Sabha political groups UPA, NDA, Third front, Others
House of the People, India, 2012.svg
Lok Sabha political groups UPA, NDA, Third front, Others
Elections
Rajya Sabha voting system Single transferable vote
Lok Sabha voting system First past the post
Lok Sabha last election Indian general election, 2009
Meeting place
ParliamentOfIndia.jpg
Sansad Bhavan, New Delhi, India
Website
loksabha.gov.in
rajyasabha.nic.in
The Parliament of India, also popularly known as Sansad (Sanskrit: ????); is the supreme legislative body in India. The Parliament comprises the President of India and the two Houses—Lok Sabha (House of the People) and Rajya Sabha (Council of States). The President has the power to summon and prorogue either House of Parliament or to dissolve Lok Sabha.[5]
India's government is bicameral; Rajya Sabha is the upper house and Lok Sabha is the lower house. The two Houses meet in separate chambers in the Sansad Bhavan (located on the Sansad Marg or "Parliament Street") in New Delhi. Those elected or nominated (by the President) to either house of Parliament are referred to as members of parliament or MPs. The MPs of Lok Sabha are directly elected by the Indian public and the MPs of Rajya Sabha are elected by the members of the State Legislative Assemblies, in accordance with proportional representation. The Parliament is composed of 790 MPs, who serve the largest democratic electorate in the world; 714 million Indians registered to vote in the 2009 general elections.
Contents  

The Indian Parliament consists of two houses called as Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and the President of India.
President of India[edit]
Main article: President of India
Similar to most Commonwealth countries, India also includes the Head of State (the President of India in India's case) as a component of Parliament. The President of India is elected, from a group of nominees, by the elected members of the Parliament of India (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) as well as of the state legislatures, and serves for a term of five years. Historically, ruling party (majority in the Lok Sabha) nominees have been elected and run largely uncontested. Incumbents are permitted to stand for re-election, but unlike the president of the United States, who can be elected just twice, incumbents can be elected for any number of terms. A formula is used to allocate votes so there is a balance between the population of each state and the number of votes assembly members from a state can cast, and to give an equal balance between State Assembly members and National Parliament members. If no candidate receives a majority of votes there is a system by which losing candidates are eliminated from the contest and votes for them transferred to other candidates, until one gains a majority. Pranab Mukherjee is the present President of India.[6]
Lok Sabha[edit]
Main article: Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha is also known as the "House of the People" or the lower house. All of its members are directly elected by citizens of India on the basis of universal adult franchise, except two who are appointed by the President of India. Every citizen of India who is over 18 years of age, irrespective of gender, caste, religion or race, who is otherwise not disqualified, is eligible to vote for the lok sabha.
The Constitution provides that the maximum strength of the House be 552 members. It has a term of five years. To be eligible for membership in the Lok Sabha, a person must be a citizen of India and must be 25 years of age or older, mentally sound, should not be bankrupt and should not be criminally convicted. At present, the strength of the house is 545 members. The total elective membership is distributed among the States in such a way that the ratio between the number of seats allotted to each State and the population of the State is, so far as practicable, the same for all States.[7]
Up to 530 members represent of the territorial constituencies in States, up to 20 members represent the Union Territories and no more than two members from Anglo-Indian community can be nominated by the President of India if he or she feels that the community is not adequately represented. House seats are apportioned among the states by population .
Several seats are reserved for representatives of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, in a practice known as reservation. The Women's Reservation Bill proposes reserving 33% of the seats in Lok Sabha for women.
Rajya Sabha[edit]
Main article: Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha is also known as "Council of States" or the upper house. Rajya Sabha is a permanent body and is not subject to dissolution. However, one third of the members retire every second year, and are replaced by newly elected members. Each member is elected for a term of six years.[8] Its members are indirectly elected by members of legislative bodies of the States.
The Rajya Sabha can have a maximum of 250 members in all. Elections to it are scheduled and the chamber cannot be dissolved. Each member has a term of 6 years and elections are held for one-third of the seats after every 2 years. 238 members are to be elected from States and Union Territories and 12 are to be nominated by President of India and shall consist of persons having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as the following, namely literature, science, art and social service. The minimum age for a person to become a member of Rajya Sabha is 30 years.
Representatives of States are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of the State in accordance with system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.
Representatives of Union Territories are indirectly elected by members of an electoral college for that territory in accordance with system of proportional representation.
The Council of States is designed to maintain the federal character of the country. The number of members from a state depends on the population of the state (e.g. 31 from Uttar Pradesh and one from Nagaland).
Architecture[edit]

The parliament is one of the most magnificent buildings in New Delhi. It was designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, who were responsible for planning and construction of New Delhi. The construction of buildings took six years and the opening ceremony was performed on 18 January 1927 by the then Governor-General of India, Lord Irwin. The construction costs for the building were Rs. 8.3 million. The parliament is 570 feet (170 meters) in diameter. It covers an area of nearly six acres. The building has twelve gates among which Gate No. 1 on the Sansad Marg is the main gate.
General layout of the building[edit]
The centre and the focus of the building is the Central Hall. It consists of chambers of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and the Library Hall and between them lie garden courts. Surrounding these three chambers is the four storyed circular structure providing accommodations for Ministers, Chairmen, Parliamentary committees, Party offices, important offices of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Secretariats and also the offices of the ministry of Parliamentary affairs. The Central Hall is circular in shape and the dome is 98 feet (29.87 meters) in diameter. It is the place of historical importance. The Indian Constitution was framed in the Central Hall. The Central Hall was originally used in the library of erstwhile Central Legislative Assembly and the Council of States. In 1946, it was converted and refurbished into Constituent Assembly Hall. At present, the Central Hall is used for holding joint sittings of both the houses of parliament and also used for address by the President in the commencement of first session after each general election.
Working, procedures and committees[edit]

The Parliament consists of the President of Republic of India and both the Chambers. The House and the Council are equal partners in the legislative process; however, the Constitution grants the House of People some unique powers. Revenue-raising or "Money" bills must originate in the Lok Sabha. The Council of States can only make recommendations suggestions over these bills to the House, within a period of fourteen days – lapse of which the bill is assumed to have been passed by both the Chambers.[5]
Session of parliament[edit]
The period during which the House meets to conduct its business is called a session. The Constitution empowers the President to summon each House at such intervals that there should not be more than 6-month's gap between the two sessions. Hence the Parliament must meet at least twice a year. In India, the parliament conducts three sessions each year:[5]
Budget session: In the months of February to May.[5]
Monsoon session: In the months of July to September.[5]
Winter session: In the months of November to December[5]
Lawmaking procedures[edit]
Main article: Lawmaking procedure in India
Lawmaking procedures in India are modelled after, and are thus very similar to, those followed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Parliamentary committees[edit]
Parliamentary committees play a vital role in the Parliamentary System. They are a vibrant link between the Parliament, the Executive and the general public.
The need for committees arises out of two factors – the first one being the need for vigilance on the part of the Legislature over the actions of the Executive, while the second one is that the modern Legislature these days is over-burdened with heavy volume of work with limited time at its disposal. It thus becomes impossible that every matter should be thoroughly and systematically scrutinised and considered on the floor of the House. If the work is to be done with reasonable care, some Parliamentary responsibility has to be entrusted to an agency in which the whole House has confidence. Entrusting certain functions of the House to the Committees has, therefore, become a normal practice. This has become all the more necessary, as a Committee provides the expertise on a matter which is referred to it.
In a committee, the matter is deliberated at length, views are expressed freely, the matter is considered in depth, in a business-like manner and in a calm atmosphere. In most of the Committees, public is directly or indirectly associated when memoranda containing suggestions and are received, on-the-spot studies are conducted and oral evidence is taken which helps the Committees in arriving at the conclusions.
Parliamentary committees are of two kinds: ad hoc committees and the standing committees most powerful of all is public accounts committee which is headed by the leader of the opposition.
Standing committees[edit]
Main article: Standing committee
There are 45 standing committees in the Indian Parliament. Each house of Parliament has standing committees like the Business Advisory Committee, the Committee on Petitions, the Committee of Privileges and the Rules Committee, etc.
Standing committees are permanent and regular committees which are constituted from time to time in pursuance of the provisions of an Act of Parliament or Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Parliament. The work of these committees is of a continuing nature. The Financial Committees, DRSCs and some other committees are standing committees.
Ad hoc committees[edit]
Ad hoc committees are appointed for a specific purpose and they cease to exist when they finish the task assigned to them and submit a report. The principal ad hoc committees are the Select and Joint Committees on Bills. Others like the Railway Convention Committee, the Committees on the Draft Five Year Plans and the Hindi Equivalents Committee were appointed for specific purposes.
Joint Committee on Food Management in Parliament House Complex etc. also come under the category of ad hoc committees.
2001 Parliament attack[edit]

Main article: 2001 Indian Parliament attack
On 13 December 2001, the parliament building was attacked by five Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists. In addition to all the attackers, six military personnel and one civilian were killed.[9]
See also[edit]

Election Commission of India
Indian Parliamentary Group
PRS Legislative Research
Politics of India
List of legislatures by country

Great wall of China

We are listing and studying in our books for the Great wall of china, how is possible of Great wall in China. that brief discussion

The Great Wall, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. Just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching approximately 8,851.8 kilometers (5,500 miles) from east to west of China. With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the sections are now in ruins or have disappeared. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance.

 Great Wall Facts:
Chinese Pinyin: Cháng Chéng/Wàn Li Cháng Chéng
Length: 8,851.8 km (5,500 miles)
Construction Period: About 2,000 years from the Warring States Period (476 BC - 221 BC) to Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

 Great Wall Tour Tips:

Having a wonderful Great Wall tour is a must for your China Trip. Want to discover the charm of the wall with TravelChinaGuide? Please see our Memorable Discovery Tours. Practical travel tips are offered including the best travel time, packing list as well as health and safety concerns.

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Tourists on the Mighty Jinshanling

 Great Wall Sections:

The Wall we see today was mostly built during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). It starts from Hushan in the east to Jiayuguan Pass in the west traversing Liaoning, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai. Here lists the famous sections for you to know the incredible diversity of scenery along the wall and practical travel tips.


 History:
Excitement abounds regarding the vicissitude of the Wall of the Qin, Han, and Ming Dynasties.
The Great Wall was originally built in the Spring and Autumn, and Warring States Periods as a defensive fortification by the three states: Yan, Zhao and Qin. It went through constant extensions and repairs in later dynasties. It began as independent walls for different states when it was first built, and did not become the "Great" wall until the Qin Dynasty. Emperor Qin Shihuang succeeded in his effort to have the walls joined together to fend off the invasions from the Huns in the north. Since then, the Wall has served as a monument of the Chinese nation throughout history.
Crenel Stone
Crenel Stone Used to Build the Wall

Construction:
The mystery of the construction of the wall is amazing. The construction, which drew heavily on the local resources for construction materials, was carried out in-line with the local conditions under the management of contract and responsibility system. A great army of manpower, composed of soldiers, prisoners and local people, built the wall. The construction result demonstrates the wisdom and tenacity of the Chinese people.

Culture:
Great Wall carries a considerable part of Chinese culture. It has long been incorporated into Chinese mythology and symbolism. The most well-known legend is about the collapse of a section of the Wall caused by Meng Jiangnu, who cried bitterly over the death of her husband after he died while building the wall. This legend has been spread widely through textbooks, folk songs and traditional operas.

 Protection:
Following a 45-day long survey of 101 sections of the Wall in different provinces, the China Great Wall Academy reported on December 12, 2002 that the forces of nature and destruction by mankind are bringing about gradual reduction of extent of the Wall with the result that less than 30% remains in good condition. The Academy has called for greater protection of this important relic.

Shandan Wall in Danger
In July 2009, TravelChinaGuide (abbr. TCG) sent a survey group to investigate the condition of the Wall in Shandan County, Zhangye City, Gansu Province. This was our second visit there after 2002. The situation was alarming. After comparing the current wall to the wall pictures taken in 2002, it was found that many sections have become shorter, smaller or have disappeared!

Emergency

The Emergency of 1975, imposed by Indira Gandhi, was like mumps or chicken pox on the body politic of India: you had to suffer from it once in order to become immune. If it had come later, it might have proved fatal.
It was not the first proclamation of the Emergency by the Union Government. Indira Gandhi's father, Jawaharlal Nehru, also imposed an Emergency when the bravado he had encouraged during the early stages of the war with China evaporated after humiliation in the Himalayas by the armies of Chairman Mao Zedong.

But in 1962 Indians responded to the Emergency with a passionate display of unity and sacrifice, particularly after they learnt the bitter truth of defeat. The 1975 Emergency was imposed not because India was in danger but because Indira was in danger. The nation's reaction was stunned anger. Democracy had been hijacked to serve personal interests. It was the ultimate betrayal.

Everything that can be said has been written about when and why this Emergency was declared, and how it was manipulated through a craven Congress, an imprisoned Opposition and an obedient judiciary. Less is known about why it was lifted.

According to a source very close to Mrs Gandhi, and one important enough in the political pecking order to be mentioned in the succession stakes after her assassination, she took the decision in December 1976 to call for the overdue general election.

Word was put out to intelligence agencies and confidants to check the national mood. Her son Sanjay Gandhi, young, arrogant, dictatorial and completely insensitive to democracy and its values, was furious when he heard that his mother had gone "soft".

In Sanjay's scheme of things, they could have continued with the Emergency for another 20 years and, as he argued, "put this country right". Like Mussolini, he wanted the trains to run on time. That this would have turned India into another tinpot dictatorship of the kind prevalent all across the Third World was of little consequence to him. He put enormous pressure on his mother to reverse gear.

In the meantime, astrologers, the usual musicians of India's political symphonies, came into play and proclaimed that any announcement could be made only in the more auspicious second half of January.

The decision remained in doubt, said my source, till the first few days of January, when Mrs Gandhi decided that she needed the legitimacy of a popular victory to remain in power. Her words were significant as she took her decision: "If we do not go to the people now, we will never go to them again."

Cynics might take a less flattering view, and heaven knows that Mrs Gandhi gave sufficient reason for cynicism. But, with the perspective of three decades, I do believe that she was more a child of Nehru than the mother of Sanjay.

Power was important to her, but, in the final analysis, not more important than nationalism. We were lucky that the Emergency was a weapon that she chose to use, because by reversing it, Mrs Gandhi also made this Constitutional provision impotent forever.

Indian unity has shown the tensile strength to withstand rebellions in the north-west and north-east and murmurs in the south. But it is only as strong as Indian democracy, for it is democracy that gives every Indian a practical stake in his country's present and future. The Emergency of 1975 was a turning point precisely because time stood still during those 19 months.

‘Vande Matara

Daily we are prayed in schools and colleges, any national functions we are song of Vande Mataram, what is history of Vande Mataram, why are we sing the Vandematram song that history

‘Vande Mataram’ is well known as the National Song of our country. In this song, the two words ‘Vande Mataram’ have achieved major importance. These are the only words that many freedom fighters remembered while being sentenced to rigorous punishments in Court or being hanged to death. Muslim organisations have objected to this song. They opine that it is against the ‘Shariyat’. In this country, whether something is right or wrong is determined on the basis of the Indian Constitution. Yet Muslims are demanding total elimination of ‘Vande Mataram’ on the basis of the ‘Shariyat’ law. Let us learn about the history of ‘Vande Mataram’ in the context of the Muslim opposition to it.

The greatness of the motherland is the essence of Hindu culture. Every ruler, right from Lord Rama to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, has had a deep sense of belonging for the Motherland. After the killing of Raavana, when Lord Rama was presented with a proposal to stay back in Lanka, His very famous reply was, “Janani Janmabhumishcha Swargaadapi Gariyasi” Lord Rama says, “My mother and motherland are dearer to me than heaven (let alone Lanka)”.
There is no reason for the song ‘Vande Mataram’ to smell of a specific religion. Which beloved son will not hold this land, which is sujala, sufala and sashya shamala, in high regard? Who will not salute the motherland who is prosperous, meritorious and bestower of riches? It the implied meaning of this song is contemplated upon, the heart gets filled with pride for this land named “Bharat”.

The national Mahamantra Bankimchandra wrote the song ‘Vande Mataram’ on 7th November, 1875.This lunar day was Kartik Shukla Navami! This song had been published in the novel ‘Anandmath’ by Bankimchandra. The vocabulary used in this song is influenced by Sanskrit. The said book contains information about the violent revolt of Sanyasis against injustice inflicted by Muslims and the British in Bengal in the year 1772.

In the year 1905, Lord Curzon declared the division of Bengal. Whole of Bengal revolted furiously in order to revoke this division. The two words ‘Vande Mataram’ encompassed the whole of Bengal. It was these words themselves that made the English rage with anger. Curzon’s chela, i.e. the Governor of Bengal had imposed a legal ban on uttering the words ‘Vande Mataram’. This ban resulted in ‘Vande Mataram’ getting nationwide importance. It became a National Mahamantra.

‘Vande Mataram’ became the favorite word of the freedom fighters. On 6th August 1906, a daily newspaper was brought out in the name ‘Vande Mataram’. Any program related to the freedom struggle would be concluded only after saying ‘Vande Mataram’. The National Flag decided upon by Sister Nivedita at the Kolkata Congress and the one hoisted by Madam Cama at the International Communist Conference held in Germany had the words ‘Vande Mataram’ boldly encrypted on it in the Devanagari script. The sessions of the All India Congress would start with the song ‘Vande Mataram’.

Utterance of the words ‘Vande Mataram’ gave freedom fighters and the common public the strength to withstand lathi blows on their heads and whiplashes on their open bodies. In 1905, the 21st session of the Congress was held at Varanasi (Benaras). During this session, the famed Bengali poetess and singer Sarladevi Chaudhurani sang the entire ‘Vande Mataram’. Nowadays, we just sing the first stanza of ‘Vande Mataram’. Many among the new generation do not even know how big it is!

Censoring of 'Vande Mataram'

In the year 1937, during the meeting of the Congress Working Committee in Kolkata, it was decided to cut short this National Song, with the sole motive of appeasing Muslims. Thus began the era of misfortune of this song! The Muslims were not satisfied even then. They wanted to eliminate this song completely. On 17th March, 1938, the Chairman of the Muslim League, Barrister Jinnah raised objection to reciting the first stanza of ‘Vande Mataram’ also.

Appeasement of Muslims by the Congress

In 1940, Rules and Regulations framed for the Congress members restricted them from using the adage ‘Vande Mataram’. When Muslims objected to the usage of ‘Vande Mataram’ in the working of the Constitutional Conference, they were granted permission to sing an Urdu song written by Bashir Ahmed. Likewise, they were also permitted to recite some stanzas from the Koran.

In 1937 in many regions of India, Congress Ministry came to power in authority. Some may have thought that now 'Now good days will come for 'Vande Mataram', but it also proved false. In the process of Muslim appeasement there was strict prohibition of singing of 'Vande Mataram' on All India Radio. The famous singer Master Krushnrao gave a big fight for this. He did not sing on All India Radio for many years in the pretext of ‘If there is no 'Vande Mataram' on radio, then there is no song of mine’. In March 1947 on account of Respected Krushnrao's efforts, the ban on 'Vande Mataram' was removed.


The first Public song by Ravindranath Tagore

The great poet Ravindranath Tagore publicly sang this song 'Vande Mataram' in Calcutta in 1896. He devised his own tune for this. The 'Kaafi' tune framed by Pt.Vishnu Digamber Palusker gained wide publicity. The song is song in other tunes besides the 'Kaafi' tune. The song was first publicly sung in 'Kaafi' tune in Lahore through the mouth of dynamic; illustrious Pt. Palusker. The present one to be broadcasted from All India Radio is in 'Sarang' tune.

Nehru's obstacle for 'Vande Mataram' becoming National song

The reason given by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru for 'Vande Mataram' not to become the National song was that it would not be able to rhyme it with the band, but Respected Krushnrao Fulmbrikar proved this wrong in a scientific manner. The efforts of Krushnrao Fulmbrikar were so enormous that he earned the title of 'Vande Mataram Krushnrao'. Shri. Amarendra Gadgil has written a book named 'Historical story of Vande Mataram '. In this book it is mentioned he says’ There was no reason for the actual discussion of what should be the National song in Free India, but due to the weakness in 1937 that the Congress despised 'Vande Mataram' of Congress , with the same weakness further Pt. Nehru removed this patriotic song from the place of National song. In 1937 when Congress Ministry became the part of regional administration, the relation that Congress means govt. has been set in this country. Pt. Nehru after managing all the facets of democracy, till the end carried his rule uninterruptedly like an independent Emperor. (Kruschov has given him the title of 'Democratic Dictator'. As a result the situation that 'whatever Congress says is the law and what Pt. Nehru says is Congress' continued even after Nehru's rule. The national sin of deprivation of the ‘Vande Mataram' as National song from its lawful place has been committed because of these two, means this song only in the silly pretext of music became the victim of politics and Nehru ideology. There is strong enough evidence to believe that Nehru had pre decided about not allowing this song as the National song. Finally on 24th January 1950, that is two days before declaration of India's Republic, the Constitution Committee put its seal on 'Jana Gana Mana' as the National song. Though the precedence of sacrifice of the national interest for the sake of politics, for one's self esteem and selfish party motives started by Congress and Pt. Nehru is still continuing today, it does not mean that it is acceptable to the whole country or the further generations. It is very mandatory for those who have affection for this history, especially the young ones of the new generations as their national duty to rethink about 'Vande Mataram'. Although the Constitution has taken away the place of 'Vande Mataram', it is not impossible to restore it.

SIMHACHALAM TEMPLE

We are visited many temples in our life, but each one temple is one history, we are learning of Simhachalam history

Simhachalam temple is a Hindu temple located in Andhra Pradesh, South India, and is dedicated to the incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu known as Narasimha

SIMHA: Lion
Achala: hill (one which cannot be moved, viz. hill)
Atop the hill is a famous temple said to be the abode of narasimha swami, and hence the hill itself is called (nara)simhachalam. The temple is situated in the city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
Significance

It is one of the eighteen "Naarasimhakshetras" ie shrines of Lord Narasimha in India. Simhachalam temple is known as the second richest temple in India(after Tirupati) earning a revenue of Rs. 520 million. The statue of the deity gives "nijaroopa darshan" (holy appearance in true form) for only 12 hours in a year i.e on Akshaya Tritiya day, the rest of the time the statue is covered with sandalwood paste. The darshan described as chandana yatra or chandanotsavam falls every year in Vaisakha masa (May).
Legend

Hiranyakasipu was a Rakshasa king. He was in fact one of Vishnu's Dwarapalakas or gate keepers in Vaikuntha, Jaya and Vijaya. They had to take birth in the mortal world thrice because of a curse given by Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanathana and Sanathkumara, who were not allowed to take darshan of Mahavishnu by them. The other palaka was born as his brother Hiranyaaksha.
Hiranyakasipu wanted to become immortal and hence performed austerities (tapasya) to propitiate Lord Brahma. However, Lord Brahma said that was not possible so Hiranyakasipu asked Lord Brahma to grant him a boon so that he could not be killed by any animal or a man neither in the morning nor in the night, by any weapons, neither in sky nor on the earth.
Hiranyakasipu wanted the entire world to worship him. But, Prahalada, his son, was a devotee of Lord Narayana and always expressed his bhakti towards Him. In spite of warning him several times, Hiranyakasipu could not alter Prahlada's devotion.
This made Hiranyakasipu angry and he made numerous attempts to get Prahlada killed. One of them was to throw him off the top of a mountain. However, Vishnu rescued him by moving the mountain and made a small path for Prahaladha. It is said that in the place where the Lord stood to protect Prahaladha is the place where the temple is built.
Temple History
It has Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy as the presiding deity.
Giripradhikshana [cirum ambulation] around the hill range [~40 km]from Hanumantha vaka / MVP colony to Simhachalam is done by piligrims during the auspicious days. Crowds of elderly people / youth / children are observed walking the 40 km stretch over night. They visit the temple after the long journey and give their offerings to the deity.
The deity at Simhachalam, the lion-man incarnation of Lord Mahavishnu is usually covered with sandalwood paste. The original shape of the deity in the tribhanga posture has two hands with the head of a lion on a human torso. An inscription dated as far back as 1098 AD of the Chola king Kuloththunga provides some clue as to its antiquity. Another inscription shows a Queen of the Eastern Ganga of Kalinga(ancient Orissa) (1137-56 AD) covering the image with gold while a third inscription says the eastern Ganga King of Orissa Narasimha Deva built the main/central shrine in 1267 A.D. With more than 252 inscriptions in Oriya and Telugu describing the antecedents of the temple, it is a historically important monument.
Sri Krishna Deva Raya after defeating the Gajapati ruler of Orissa Gajapati Prataparudra Dev visited the shrine twice in 1516 AD and 1519 AD and offered numerous villages for maintenance of bhogam (worship) along with valuable jewellery of which an emerald necklace is still in the temple. For the last three centuries the Royal family of Vizianagaram, " The Pusapati Gajapathi's" have been the temple's trustees.
Recent Developments

M K Gandhi life history

Yesterday we are celebrated M K Gandhi cermony, in this situation we are sweetable memory of MK Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi was born as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on 2nd October 1869. He was the most popular as well as the most influential political and spiritual leaders of India. His contribution to the freedom struggle of India is priceless and the country owes its independence, partly, to this great man. The Satyagraha movement, which led to India's independence, was founded by Mahatma Gandhi only. In India, Gandhi is known as the 'Father of the Nation' and his birthday is celebrated as a national holiday. Read on to explore the life history, story and biography of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi:

Early Life
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in the Porbandar city of Gujarat, to Karamchand Gandhi, the diwan of Porbandar, and his wife, Putlibai. Since his mother was a Hindu of the Pranami Vaishnava order, Gandhi learned the tenets of non-injury to living beings, vegetarianism, fasting, mutual tolerance, etc, at a very tender age. Mohandas was married at the age of 13 to Kasturba Makhanji and had four sons. He passed the matriculation exam at Samaldas College of Bhavanagar. In the year 1888, Gandhi went to University College of London to study as a barrister.

He came back to India after being called to the bar of England and Wales by Inner Temple. In 1893, he accepted a yearlong contract from an Indian firm to a post in Natal, South Africa. There, he faced racial discrimination directed at blacks and Indians. Such incidents provoked him to work towards social activism.

Participation in Indian Independence Movement
Gopal Krishna Gokhale, a leader of the Congress Party, introduced Mahatma Gandhi to the Indian issues, Indian politics and the Indian people. Gandhi participated in the following movements related to India's freedom struggle:

Champaran and Kheda Satyagraha
The Champaran Agitation and Kheda Satyagraha of 1918 was the first major success of Mahatma Gandhi in his struggle towards India's freedom. The reason for the agitation was the levy of an oppressive tax by the British, which they insisted on increasing further. He organized his supporters as well as volunteers to protest against this atrocity and also began leading the clean up of villages, building of schools and hospitals as well as encouraging the village leadership to condemn the numerous social evils affecting the society. Mahatma Gandhi was successful in signing an agreement with the British, wherein the poor farmers were granted more compensation and control over farming.

Non-cooperation Movement and Swaraj
Non-cooperation Movement of Mahatma Gandhi was one of his prime fights against the British. The massacre at the Jallianwala Bagh of Punjab was what instigated him to take this step. After the gruesome incident, he focused himself entirely on obtaining complete autonomy for the country as well as the control of all Indian government institutions. Soon, this movement turned into Swaraj (complete individual, spiritual and political independence). His association with the Indian National Congress (INC) was further strengthened in December 1921, when he was made the executive authority of the party.

Under Mahatma Gandhi, INC was restructured, accepting the goal of Swaraj, having open membership, forming a hierarchy of committees, and so on. He urged Indian citizens to boycott imported goods, British educational institutions, law courts, government employment, and the like. Non-cooperation became very popular and started spreading through the length and breadth of India. However, the violent clash in Chauri Chaura town of Uttar Pradesh, in February 1922, led to a sudden end of this movement. Gandhi was arrested on 10th March 1922 and was tried for sedition. He was sentenced to six years imprisonment, but served for only two years in prison.

Problems in the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress began to fall apart without the inspiring leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. The party split up into two groups, one led by Chitta Ranjan Das and Motilal Nehru and the other led by Chakravarti Rajagopalachari and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Even the basis of the non-violence campaign, the cooperation amongst Hindus and Muslims, began to break down.

Salt Satyagraha and Dandi March
During the period of 1920s, Mahatma Gandhi concentrated on resolving the wedge between the Swaraj Party and the Indian National Congress. Around 1928, Gandhi again started focusing on Indian freedom struggle. In 1927, British had appointed Sir John Simon as the head of a new constitutional reform commission. There was not even a single Indian in the commission. Agitated by this, Gandhi passed a resolution at the Calcutta Congress in December 1928, calling on the British government to grant India dominion status. In case of non-compliance with this demand, the British were to face a new campaign of non-violence, having its goal as complete independence for the country. The resolution was rejected by the British.

The flag of India was unfurled in Lahore by the members of the INC on 31st December 1929. January 26, 1930 was celebrated as the Independence Day of India. Soon, British government levied a tax on salt and Salt Satyagraha was launched in March 1930, as an opposition to this move. Mahatma Gandhi started the Dandi March with his followers in March, going from Ahmedabad to Dandi on foot, to make salt himself. The campaign became so successful that British ended up arresting over 60,000 people who participated in the March. Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed in March 1931, where the British Government set all political prisoners free as an exchange for the suspension of the civil disobedience movement.

Quit India Movement
As the World War II progressed, Mahatma Gandhi intensified his protests for the complete independence of the Indian subcontinent. He drafted a resolution calling for the British to Quit India. The 'Quit India Movement' or the 'Bharat Chhodo Andolan' was the most aggressive revolt of the INC, with the aim of gaining complete exit of the British from India. Gandhi was arrested on 9th August 1942 and held for two years in the Aga Khan Palace in Pune. There, he lost his secretary, Mahadev Desai and his wife, Kasturba. The Quit India Movement came to an end by the end of 1943, when the British gave hints that complete power would be transferred to the people of India.

Freedom and Partition of India
The independence cum partition proposal offered by the British Cabinet Mission in 1946 was accepted by the Congress, inspite of being advised otherwise by Mahatma Gandhi. Sardar Patel convinced Gandhi that it was the only way to avoid civil war and he reluctantly gave his consent. After India's independence, Gandhi focused on peace and unity of Hindus and Muslims. He launched his last fast-unto-death in Delhi, asking for all communal violence to be stopped and the payment of Rs. 55 crores, as per the Partition Council agreement, to be made to Pakistan. Ultimately, all the political leaders conceded to his wishes and he broke his fast by sipping orange juice.

Assassination
The inspiring life of Mahatma Gandhi came to an end on 30th January 1948, when he was shot by Nathuram Godse. Nathuram was a Hindu radical, who held Gandhi responsible for weakening India by ensuring the partition payment to Pakistan. Godse and his co-conspirator, Narayan Apte, were later tried and convicted. They were executed on 15th November 1949.

Vijayawada city

The Municipality of Vijayawada (Bezawada) was constituted on 1st APR, 1888 and was upgraded as a selection grade municipality in the year 1960. The municipality was upgraded to a corporation in 1981. With the merger of Gunadala, Patamata and Bhavanipuram village panchayats and two villages payakapuram and Kundavari kandrika in the corporation in 1985. The total area of the corporation is 58 sq.kms.

The city is divided into 59 political wards. An elected body headed by the Mayor performs the Administration of the Corporation. The Commissioner acts as the executive head, and oversees the day to day functioning of the local body. The staff strength of the corporation is just over 5000.

Vijayawada (About this sound pronunciation (help·info))(Telugu:విజయవాడ) is the commercial city of Andhra Pradesh and the third largest after Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, with an area of 261.88 km2. The city municipal limits has a population of 1,048,240 (2011 Census),[1] while the population of the metropolitan area is 1,491,202.[2] The city is also popularly known by its historic name Bezawada, which is used by the Indian Railways in assigning its railway station code "BZA".

The city is well connected to other regions by road, air and rail, and has the second biggest railway junction in India.[3] As the commercial capital of Andhra Pradesh,[2] Vijayawada is politically active, sociologically dominant, agriculturally rich, and is an industrial transportation hub. Vijayawada has been recognised as a Global City of the Future by McKinsey Quarterly.[4]

Contents  

Formerly Vijayawada was known as Bezwada, in the 5th and 6th Centuries it was an important centre of Vishnukundin rulers. It was taken by Badami Chalukyas became the headquarters of Eastern Chalukya. There was a Buddhist monastery, in 639 Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang stayed here. There are five rock-cut cave-temples built in the 7th century during the rule of Eastern Chalukya.[5]

Etymology

There are many tales behind the origin of the name Vijayawada. At first it was named as Chandrala which comes under the family of Gajapathis which means victory and later Legends have it that this was the place where Arjuna was blessed by Shiva, on Indrakiladri Hill. In another legend it is stated that Goddesses Durga killed the demon and relaxed in this place for some time. As she was victorious (Vijaya), the place got the name as Vijayawada (Vijaya: victory and Wada: city/place/location) which literally means "City of Victory". The Epic of Mahabharata refers to Indrakiladri hills as the place where Arjuna secured "Pasupathastra" from Lord Siva.[6]

In some legends, Vijayawada was referred to as Vijayavata and Rajendracholapura.[7]

A tale behind its acquiring the name "Bezawada" is that Goddesses Krishnaveni (River Krishna) requested Arjuna to make a passage for her to merge into the Bay of Bengal. Hence Arjuna made a bejjam (hole) through the mountains and the place came to be known as Bejjamwada which later changed to Bezawada.

Geography and climate[edit]

Vijayawada is surrounded by the Krishna river on the east and west and the Budameru River on the north. The northern, northwestern, and southwestern parts of the city are covered by a low range of hills, while the central, southwestern and northwestern parts are covered by rich and fertile agriculture lands with three major irrigation canals. The topography of Vijayawada is flat, with a few small to medium-sized hills. The Krishna River runs through the city. These hills are part of the Eastern Ghats cut through by the Krishna river. They have very low elevation compared to the average elevation of the ghats. Three canals originating from the north side of the Prakasham barrage reservoir, Eluru, Bandar and Ryves, run through the city. By the virtue of these canals, this city has been in the race for being the Venice of the East with cities like Alleppey (Kerala), Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) etc. Several bridges have been built across these three canals over the decades making eligible to vie for the exotic title. [8]

Buckingham Canal originates from the southmate, with hot summers and moderate winters. The peak temperature reaches 47 °C (117 °F) in May–June, while the winter temperature is 20–27 °C. The average humidity is 78% and the average annual rainfall is 103 cm. Vijayawada gets its rainfall from both the southwest monsoon and northeast monsoon. It was nicknamed "Blaze-wada" for its scorching summer heat by the British.

[hide]Climate data for Vijayawada (1951–1980)[9]

About the western outskirts of Vijayawada lies the Kondapalli reserve forest, spread over 121.5 square kilometres (30,000 acres). The forest provides Vijayawada with a "green lung". This pristine forest is home to leopards, wild dogs, jackals, wild boar, wolves etc.[11] The hills produce a soft wood which is used in the manufacture of Kondapalli Toys.

Demographics[edit]

Historical population

Year Pop.   ±%  

1871 8,206 —    

1881 9,366 +14.1%

1891 20,224 +115.9%

1901 24,224 +19.8%

1911 32,867 +35.7%

1921 44,159 +34.4%

1931 60,427 +36.8%

1941 86,184 +42.6%

1951 161,198 +87.0%

1961 234,360 +45.4%

1971 344,607 +47.0%

1981 543,008 +57.6%

1991 845,756 +55.8%

2001 1,011,152 +19.6%

2011 1,491,202 +47.5%

Since 1971, the population is that of Vijayawada Urban Agglomeration

Sources: Rao, Kondapalli Ranga; 1. Rao, M. S. A. (1984). Cities and Slums: A study of a Squatters' Settlement in the City of Vijayawada. Concept Publishing Company. p. 12.

2. Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011 City Name:VIJAYAWADA

As per provisional data of 2011 census, Vijayawada urban agglomeration had a population of 1,491,202, out of which males were 750,770 and females were 740,432. The literacy rate was 81.60 per cent. Vijayawada municipal corporation had a population of 1,048,240.[12] The city's population is expected to reach 2.5 million by 2025.[4]

Average literacy rate is 82.59 percent. The sex ration of Vijayawada city is 997 females per 1000 males. Children form 8.86 percent of total population.[13]

Civic administration

The city is run by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation.[14] The Municipality of Vijayawada was constituted on 1 April 1888 and was upgraded as a selection grade municipality in the year 1960. The municipality was upgraded to a corporation in 1981 with the merger of Gunadala, Patamata and Bhavanipuram village panchayats and two villages Payakapuram and Kundavari kandrika in the corporation in 1985. More than 400,000 people reside outside corporation limits. Many areas on outskirts or yet to be merged into corporation limits. The total area of the corporation is 61.8 square kilometres (23.9 sq mi) and the population of the whole city (along with Vijayawada sub-urban and Vijayawada rural) is more than 2.5 million. It is a city of Jawaharlal National Urban Renewal Mission. The Government is thinking of converting the city into Greater in the name of Mahanagar, merging almost 45 villages of near by.

The city is divided into 59 political wards. Each ward of the Municipal Corporation is represented by an area corporator. An elected body headed by the mayor performs the administration of the corporation. The Commissioner acts as the executive head and oversees the day-to-day functioning of the local body. The Commissioner is an IAS officer of Joint Collector rank appointed by the State Government. It has a dedicated Sub-Collector's office for administration of State and Central Government programmes. The staff strength of the Corporation is over 5,000. Vijayawada is one of the three cities in Andhra Pradesh to be provided with its own Police Commissionerate. The Vijayawada City Police is headed by a Police Commissioner, who is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of DIG rank along with two Deputy Commissioners of Police who are also IPS officers.

Economy

The region around the city has fertile soil and irrigation is supported by the river Krishna and its canals. Major crops include sugarcane, rice and mango. Vijayawada is famous for automobile body building, garment, iron and hardware small scale industries. The Jawahar Lal Nehru Auto Nagar Industrial Estate in Vijayawada is one of the largest hubs of automobile industry of Asia.[15] There are about 1500 automobile accessory units in and around the city and about 100,000 workers are employed in these industries. Apart from workers of the city, people from other parts of the state come to work in the industrial estate. The main markets are in the Old City (popularly known as One Town) and near Besant Road. An estimate of nearly INR 10 crores of garment business takes place in the Vastralatha building alone in One Town daily. Garments are mainly sold in Besant Road and Governor Pet, but most upmarket stores have shifted their shops to Bandar Road. The city has many wholesale businesses. They include garments, iron market, pulses, cereals, and other edible products, fancy markets, fertilizers, mango exports, pharmacy and metal.

The GDP of Vijayawada for 2008 was estimated at Rs 5526 crores.[16] The GDP of Vijayawada was $3 billion (Rs. 18,000 crore) in 2010 and is projected to grow to $17 billion (Rs. 1,02,000 crore) by 2025.[4]

The industrial estate in Kondapalli, an industrial suburb, is spread over 450 acres (1.8 km2) and is base to more than 800 industries.[17] In addition a 1800MW Vijayawada thermal power project (VTPS) and 368.144 MW gas-based LANCO power plant which is under expansion to 768.144 MW are located here.[18] In March 2011 Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) announced that it signed an agreement with APGENCO for setting up a 182 MW plant at Vijayawada as a technology demonstration project.[19] Kondapalli suburb also houses Andhra Pradesh Heavy Machinery & Engineering Limited (APHMEL) factory besides being a hub for storage, bottling and transportation of petroleum products.

The fact that Vijayawada is well connected through rail and road makes it one of the main hubs of commercial activities. The second largest wagon workshop of Indian railways is at Rayanapadu near Vijayawada.[20]

Property prices in Vijayawada are very high and are comparable with top cities of India.

According to the data prepared by the NHB, the property prices[21] increase was observed in Pune, by 10.5%, followed by Bangalore (8.7%), Patna (8.6%), Ahmedabad (6.4%), Ludhiana (5.3%), Lucknow (4.1%), Mumbai (3.7%), Delhi (2.6%), Kolkata (2.6%), Bhubaneswar (1.7%), Bhopal (1.7%), Chennai (1.7%), Surat (1.2%), Guwahati (1.2%), Vijayawada (1.1%), and Kochi (1.1%).

Infrastructure

Transport

Vijayawada is an important link connecting the three regions of Andhra Pradesh and is a major transit point. Two National Highways, the NH-5 from Chennai to Kolkata and the NH-9 from Machilipatnam to Mumbai, pass through the city connecting it to other parts of the country. National Highway 221 connects the city to Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh. It is connected to other areas of the state by state highways and district roads. Pandit Nehru bus station is the second largest bus station in Asia next to Chennai.[citation needed] The APSRTC-run city buses (Metro Express, City Sheetal (A/C Buses) and Ordinary) and auto rickshaws are the main mode of public transport. A BRTS buses are also operated as well. APSRTC is running more than 450 city buses in city to various destinations.

Air

Main article: Vijayawada Airport

Vijayawada is well connected by air. The domestic airport at Gannavaram, about 19 km from the city, connects Vijayawada to Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Jaipur and Delhi. Vijayawada Airport is served by Jet Airways, SpiceJet, Air Costa and Air India. Annually, about 380,000 passengers use this airport. The Air Costa airlines is going to start flights from Vijayawada to Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Jaipur from October 2013 and is planning to start services to Pune, Goa, Madurai, Trivandrum and Visakhapatnam soon.[22]

Rail

Main article: Vijayawada Junction

Vijayawada Junction is an important junction of South central railway zone

The New look of Vijayawada Railway Station

Vijayawada Junction is the heart of Indian Railways & also the biggest railway junction in India and contributes the highest revenues in the South Central Railway region. Situated along the Chennai – Howrah and Chennai – Delhi rail route, Vijayawada Junction is the largest railway junction on the South Central Railway network. Vijayawada junction had been given A-1 status by the central government.[23] Madhuranagar, Gunadala, Rayanapadu, Kondapalli, Nidamanuru, Krishna canal junction Ramavarappadu, Kolanukonda, Mangalagiri, Gannavaram are the other railway stations in the city. The railway station has ten platforms for passenger trains and is the only station to have five entrance gates with booking counters in India and it is the busiest station to handle more than 320 trains including both passenger and freight trains per day next to Howrah and Mumbai.

Road

Main article: Pandit Nehru Bus Station

Garuda Plus - Mercedes Benz - Vijayawada

Vijayawada is well connected to the rest of the country by National Highways: NH-5(new no NH-16), NH-9(new no NH-65) and NH-221(new no NH-30).[24] Transport by road from Vijayawada is available in the form of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) buses. Private bus operators also provide transport services to parts of the country.

All major streets are connected with the Local Public Bus Transit (City Buses) operated by APSRTC. It is the first city in the south to introduce CNG buses in its fleet. Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) is planning to launch Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) with dedicated bus corridors.[25] The initiative, however, is mired in procedural delays.[26] Motor-driven auto-rickshaws and manual-driven cycle-rickshaws are the other alternative means of transport within Vijayawada. Private lorries, cars and two-wheeled vehicles are common.

Vijayawada has the second biggest and busiest bus terminal in the Asia,[27] next to Chennai (CMBT). It was inaugurated on 23 September 1990 and is officially named as Telugu Satavahana Prayana Pranganam with its current name of Pandit Nehru Bus Station.

Entertainment

Vijayawada is the main center of movies, also referred as "Cine Rajadhani" means "Capital of Films". First theater of the state "Maruthi talkies" was built in the year 1921 at One-town. There is a belief in Film industry that the stamina and run of the films depend upon the talk in Vijayawada which shows the citizens interest towards films. Telugu films have the biggest market here with a market share greater than 95% followed by Hindi and English. There are around 45 theaters in Vijayawada including 3 multiplexes. 3 multiplexes are going to start their operations next year.

Malls in Vijayawada

Parks

There are sixty parks in Vijayawada city, and the main parks to be mentioned are:

Rajiv Gandhi Park – It has roller skating rink, Bungee Trampoline, and a garden.

K.L. Rao Park – It has boating, swimming pool, and a garden.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar & Raghavaiah Park – The main attraction is the hanging bridge connecting the two parts of the park on ether side of the canal.

Mahatma Gandhi Park – This is the oldest park in the city located in I town. The park is fully crowded in the evenings. It has a gym, used by a lot of people.

G.V.S. Sastry Park – This park is located near Satynarayanapuram old Railway station and the park is done in an innovative way. The main attraction is the skating ring used by many children in this park.

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Utilities

Water, drainage and waste collection services are provided by Vijayawada Municipal Corporation. Fire fighting services are maintained by the Andhra Pradesh Fire Services Department. There are at present five fire stations here. India Post provides physical mail services.

Education

Vijayawada, also called "Vidyala wada" (Place of Education), occupies a large amount of the education infrastructure of Andhra Pradesh. The city was named "The Educational Sahara" by a foreign ambassador.[who?] Education in the city is implemented by the government and private institutions. Vijayawada Municipal Corporation takes care of the government educational institutions.

Schools

Government schools in the city are:[34]

High schools: 28 (including 1 Urdu medium, 2 schools English/Telugu medium, 1 Tamil medium, 1 Bengali medium)

Upper primary schools: 15 (including 3 Urdu medium, 1 Tamil medium & 1 Bengali medium)

Elementary schools: 65+10 = 75 (10 Urdu medium, 2 English)

Students: 28,450 (as of 30 June 2009)

Teachers: 622

There are "aided" schools in Vijayawada, meaning schools funded by government and private partnerships. A majority of them implement the Andhra Pradesh State Syllabus for their students.[citation needed] The students, after studying their 10th class, take the Public Examination, which is equivalent of the school-leaving certificate.[citation needed] There are only a few schools accredited to the Central Board of Secondary Education in the city, meaning their class 10 students have to take the All India Secondary School Examination (AISSE) for their school-leaving certificate.[citation needed]

NTR University of Health Sciences

The first college built in Vijayawada was SRR & CVR Government College. Andhra Loyola College was established in 1953. The first private engineering college in Andhra Pradesh, V R Siddhartha Engineering College, is located here.

School of Planning and Architecture,Vijayawada (SPAV) was established in 2008, a higher education institute in Vijayawada, India. It is one of the three School of Planning and Architecture (SPAs) established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India in 2008 as an autonomous institute and a fully Central funded Institution.

Universities[edit]

Dr. N.T.R. University of Health Sciences

K L University

Vignan University

Acharya Nagarjuna University

School of Planning and Architecture

Other colleges[edit]

VR Siddhartha Engineering College

Prasad V Potluri Siddhartha Institute of Technology

Lakkireddy Balireddy College of Engineering

Gudlavalleru Engineering College

Devineni Venkata Ramana & Dr.Hima Sekhar MIC College of Technology

SRK Institute of Technology

Andhra Loyola Institute of Engineering & Technology

Dhanekula Institute of Engineering & Technology

NRI Institute of Technology

Daita Mahdusudana Sastry Sri Venkateswara Hindu College of Engineering

Usha Rama College of Engineering & Technology

Potti Sriramulu College of Engineering & Technology

Amrith Sai Institute of Science & Technology

Sri Vasavi Institute of Engineering & Technology

MVR college of Engineering and Technology

Acharya Nagarjuna University College of Engineering & technology,ANU.

SK.Nagur Basha College of Engineering & technology,JNTU

Sports[edit]

Cricket is the most popular sport, with national-level matches played at Indira Gandhi Stadium.[35] A new international stadium is being built in a 20-acre (81,000 m2) site in Mangalagiri which will be the venue for international and Ranji matches.[36] Only one international cricket match was played between India and West Indies on 24 November 2002 at Indira Gandhi stadium. It was won by West Indies. On 12 December 1997 Women's Cricket Worldcup only a group match was played between England Women's Cricket Team and Pakistan Women's Cricket Team, and it was won by England.

Badminton, volleyball and chess are also popular.