International Organizations, Defence, Books & Authors, World History

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When a country faces serious medium-term balance of payments problems, International Monetary Fund assist the country with the adjustment process under its Extended Fund Facility.

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Official Language of UN include Arabic, English, French, Chinese, Spanish and Russian.

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BIMSTEC-Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
The BIMSTEC is sub-regional grouping comprising of seven countries of South Asia- India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and South East Asia- – Myanmar, Thailand. It was established on 6 June 1997 through Bangkok Declaration. It is headquartered at Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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Nuclear Suppliers Group was formed by  seven countries viz. Canada, West Germany, France, Japan, the USSR, the United Kingdom, and the United States in response to the ‘Smiling Buddha’ (Pokharan-I) of India in 1974. 

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The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental policymaking body that has a ministerial mandate to establish international standards for combating money laundering and terrorist financing.  India joined the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as its 34th member in June 2010.

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Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism or, the CCIT is an Indian document, which outlines the definition of terrorism and proposal of anti-terror law submitted to United Nations in the late 90s, which is under discussion for many years.In 2001, India in fact submitted its revised version and has been pitching for its implementation.

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Indra Exercise is a joint military exercise that takes place between India and Russia. It is a bilateral exercise that involves the armed forces of both countries, including the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and Indian Navy, as well as the Russian Armed Forces. The exercise typically focuses on a variety of military drills and training activities, including air defense, maritime security, and counter-terrorism operations. The first Indra Exercise was held in 2003, and it has been conducted annually ever since. The exercise is part of the growing military cooperation between India and Russia, and it is aimed at enhancing the interoperability and coordination of their armed forces.

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AFSPA became a law on September 11, 1958. Initially, it was applicable to the seven Northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. This was so because in all these states there were movements of ethnic groups demanding separation from India. The government felt that such insurgencies could be checked through deployment of the armed forces, and they would need special powers to carry out their responsibilities. AFSPA was extended to J&K in 1990, on similar considerations.

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Tenali Ramakrishna wrote Panduranga Mahatyam. It’s one of the Pancha maha kavyas of Telugu literature. The book is a legendary account of a shrine of Vishnu as Panduranga, at Pandharpur. Ramakrishna was a court-poet of the Vijaya Nagar Empire in the 16th century CE during the Krishnadevaraya period. He was one of the eminent luminaries in literature known as Astadiggajas in the court of Krishna deva Raya.  Ramakrishna took the theme for Panduranga Mahatyam from the Skanda Purana and enhanced it with many stories about the devotees of Panduranga. He is known for his exceptional narrative skills and fabulous sense of humor.  Panduranga Mahatyam is dedicated to Krishnadeva Raya’s grandson.

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Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, wrote Hasanaat ul-Aarifin (virtues of the saints). Some of the famous works done by him are Safinat ul- Awliya, Sakinat ul-Awliya, Risaala-i Haq Numa, Iksir-i ‘Azam (Diwan-e-Dara Shukoh), etc.