For Your Knowledge

         MOST PRECIOUS MOMENTS OF INDEPENDENT INDIA

• In 1951, India’s first general election was held. The voter turnout was 45.7%.
• In 1951, India started a new legacy when we hosted the first Asian Games.
• In 1966, Reita Faria Powell became the first Asian woman to win the Miss World.
• In 1974, our first organised resistance to destruction of forests, the Chipko movement, began.
• In 1974, we also entered into the nuclear club and carried out our first nuclear test in Pokhran.
• In 1975, Aryabhatta, our first man-made satellite, named after the 5th century mathematician, was launched. Since then we never looked back and progressed in this field.
• In 1979, Mother Teresa’s charitable work was noticed at a global level when she won the Nobel Prize for Peace.
• In 1983, India won the cricket World Cup for the first time, and made a mark as world-class sportsmanship.
• In 1984 Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to enter space opening the doors for bigger outer space ventures.
• In 1991, India opened its gates to the global market and initiated economic liberalization.
• In 1999, India defeated Pakistan in the Kargil War and re-captured Tiger Hill.
• In 2005, India became one of the few nations to enact the Right to Information (RTI).
• In 2007, India became one of the first few countries to have a woman head of state when Pratibha Patil took over as President of India.
• In 2007, India won the T20 World Cup.
• In 2008, we always had hits and misses at the Olympics, but we reached new heights when Abhinav Bindra won the gold medal in the 10m Air Rifle event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
• In 2009, A.R. Rehman brought a proud moment for the country when he received an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire.
• In 2011, India won the cricket World Cup again.
• In 2011, we decided to take a stand against the system and supported Anna Hazare in his campaign against corruption.
• In 2012, Defence Research and Development Organisation successfully tested the missile Agni – V, taking a big step towards being more powerful.
• In 2012, the Indian government declared the Golden Quadrilateral complete. Over 40,000 km of highways and expressways were added to our infrastructure.
• In 2014, after years of battling with Polio, India was declared polio free.
• In 2014, we became the first country to reach the Mars orbit in the very first attempt.
• In 2014, after several years of disappointment, our hockey team made a glorious comeback when they defeated Pakistan in the 2014 Asian Games.
• In 2014, Kailash Satyarthi made us proud when he received the Nobel Prize for Peace.
• In 2015, India successfully reduced its school dropout rate by 90%, ensuring primary education to all its children.
• In 2015, the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, New Delhi, won the award of best Airport from Airport International Council.
• In 2016, India carried out surgical strike across the border on terror outfits in Pakistan territory.
• In 2017, India’s first full time woman Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitaraman took charge.
• In 2017, India’s Manushi Chillar was crowned Miss World in an event in China.
• In 2018, India’s longest railroad bridge over Brahmaputra (Bogibeel Bridge) was inaugurated by the Prime Minister in Assam.
• In 2018, India launched its first ever Semi High Speed electric train named Train 18 or Vande Bharat Express.
• In 2019, India launched Chandrayaan-2, its second moon exploration mission on 22nd July 2019.
• In 2019, Government of India abrogated Article 370 from the state of Jammu & Kashmir on 5th August 2019.