India

Republic of India
Flag
Location  Asia
Capital  New Delhi
Area  3,287,263 sq km
Population  1,296,834,042

"There's one law for the rich and another law for the poor"
(Proverb/Quote of the Week)

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January

January 1 India launched a program to send billions of dollars in social welfare money directly to the poor under a new program inaugurated on 1 January 2013 aiming to cut out the middlemen blamed for the massive fraud that plagues the system. January 2 January 3 January 4 On 4 January 2012 India's first anti-poaching tiger force of 54 members began work after a three-month course in order to protect endangered tigers in India's Bandipur and Nagarhole national parks. January 5 The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 5 January 2014 successfully launched India's first heavy rocket GSLV-D5 with an indigenous cryogenic engine carrying a geostationary communication satellite GSAT-14 from the spaceport at Sriharikota. January 6 Indian cricket team won their historic first-ever test series in Australia on 7 January 2019, ending a 71-year wait. Indian actress Priyanka Chopra became the first South Asian woman to win a People's Choice Award, an American awards series recognizing the people and the work of popular culture, on 6 January 2016. Priyanka won the Favorite Actress In a New TV Series award for her role in the American television thriller series Quantico. January 7 January 8 January 9 Indian female skier Aanchal Thakur created history by becoming the first Indian to win a medal in a winter sport when she netted a bronze for skiing in the slalom at the Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup in Turkey on 9 January 2018 organised by the International Ski Federation (FIS). January 10 January 11 January 12 India successfully launched the 710 kg Cartosat-2 Series Remote Sensing Satellite along with 30 co-passenger satellites, including 28 of six countries, on 12 January 2018 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. India on 12 January 2017 launched its second French-designed Scorpene-class diesel-electric attack submarine Khanderi at Mumbai's Mazagon Dock. Father of India's independence, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, became the strongest symbol of nonviolent resistance in the 20th century. One technique Gandhi used frequently was the fast. On January 12, 1948, Gandhi undertook his last successful fast in New Delhi in order to unite Hindus and Muslims in that city. January 13 On 13 January 2012, India celebrated a major milestone in the global battle against polio, recording a full year without a single new case of the disease in the country. January 14 January 15 Indian cricketer Viral Kohli on 15 January 2020 won the Spirit of Cricket award for ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 gesture supporting Australian Steven Smith, also named captain of the year for Test and ODI sides. January 16 India and South Korea on 16 January 2014 signed nine agreements on bilateral cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, cultural exchange programme and joint applied research and development programme in science and technology, among others, to boost bilateral ties between the two countries. January 17 India's latest communication satellite GSAT-30, aimed at providing high-quality television, telecommunications and broadcasting services, was successfully launched on 17 January 2020 from the Spaceport in French Guiana. January 18 Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli was named as the winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy at the ICC Awards on 18 January 2018 for his exceptional performances across all formats. Indian actress Priyanka Chopra won a People’s Choice Award on 18 January 2017 for Favourite Dramatic TV Actress for her performance in the hit show Quantico. January 19 Indira Gandhi, was the first female Head of Government or Prime Minister of India. She was the Prime Minister of the Republic of India for a total of fifteen years. She started her first term in office on 19th January, 1966. January 20 Indian film Tope (The Bait) received the Best Audience Award at the 16th Dhaka International Film Festival on 20 January 2018. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 20 January 2016 successfully launched its fifth navigation satellite IRNSS-1E via PSLV-C31 rocket from the spaceport of Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. A tree frog, named Frankixalus jerdonii, thought to be extinct for 137 years has been rediscovered in the jungles of north-eastern India by a team of international researchers including Indian scientists. Their finding was described in a paper published in the journal PLOS ONE on 20 January 2016. India on 20 January 2015 reported a 30 percent jump in number of tiger population since 2010 as a result of widespread initiatives to streamline tiger conservation. The number of tigers in India has risen from 1706 in 2010 to 2226 in 2014. January 21 January 22 Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli became the first player in history to win all three major ICC annual awards, Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy as cricketer of the year, Test Player of the Year and ODI Player of the Year, on 22 January 2019. Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, India won the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Ulysses Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance on 22 January 2014 for its sustainable development initiatives. January 23 January 24 India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C44) successfully injected Microsat-R and Kalamsat-V2 satellites into their designated orbits on 24 January 2019. January 25 India and Rwanda signed a cooperation agreement in agriculture, with a focus on irrigation and capacity building, on 25 January 2013. January 26 India's Team Indus was named as one of the winners of the Google Lunar XPrize Milestone Awards in the Landing category on 26 January 2015. Through its lunar mission, Team Indus aims to showcase the creativity and capability of Indian entrepreneurs, promote higher scientific education, develop new homegrown space technologies and inspire an entire generation of young people. January 27 January 28 India and Bangladesh on 28 January 2013 signed an extradition treaty and struck a deal to relax business visa restrictions between the neighbouring countries. The extradition treaty could pave the way for Bangladesh to put on trial several crime bosses who crossed the border into India but are still running their gangs by telephone. January 29 January 30 Vandana Suryawanshi, a teacher from India's Maharashtra state, became the first foreigner to be chosen for the US Space Foundation's elite 2012 Flight of Teacher Liaisons programme in its 10-year history for her twenty years of dedication in teaching biology, earth science and general science. January 31

February

February 1 February 2 India unveiled its first monorail system in Mumbai and opened it for the public on 2 February 2014. February 3 Indian cricket team beat Australia by eight wickets and claimed a record fourth Under-19 World Cup title on 3 February 2018. February 4 February 5 Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute in Kerala, India discovered glowing carnivorous plants that act as blue "fluorescent lamps" to lure prey, such as, insects. Their study was published on 5 February 2013 in the journal Plant Biology. February 6 February 7 February 8 February 9 February 10 February 11 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 11 February 2014 lifted a year-long ban against India, imposed over corruption concerns, after the election of new Indian Olympic Association officials. The IOC suspended India in December 2012 for electing officials accused of corruption, in breach of the Olympic charter. February 12 Surgeons in India have performed open-heart surgery on a patient who was wide awake throughout the entire procedure on 12th February 2010. This astonishing event shows just how far open-heart surgery has come in the last decade. Lead surgeon Dr Vivek Jawali, said they had performed more than 600 operations this way since 1999. February 13 Indian researchers from the University of Delhi have discovered a new species of frog, named Mysticellus, in the Western Ghats in India, as published in Nature on 13 February 2019. February 14 Surgeons at the BYL Nair hospital in Mumbai, India on 14 February 2018 successfully removed a 1.87-kilogram (4 pound and 2 ounce) brain tumor from a 31-year-old man that they say could be the world's largest. February 15 India on 15 February 2017 created history by successfully launching 104 satellites on a single mission, overtaking the previous record of 37 satellites launched by Russia in 2014. February 16 India and Sri Lanka on 16 February 2015 signed bilateral agreements on civil nuclear cooperation, cultural cooperation and cooperation in the field of Agriculture during Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena four-day visit to India. February 17 February 18 February 19 February 20 February 21 February 22 AR Rahman won two Oscars in 2008, Best Score and Best Original Song (music) for the movie Slumdog Millionaire. February 23 Indian women’s and men’s national roll ball team won the 2017 world cup titles held in Dhaka, Bangladesh beating Iran 6-4 and 8-7 respectively. February 24 Sachin Tendulkar became the first cricketer in history to score a double century in One Day International cricket on February 24, 2010. Sachin blazed his way to 200 from a mere 147 deliveries against South Africa. February 25 An Indian rocket blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 25 February 2013 carrying seven new satellites for different countries, including the first spacecraft designed to hunt huge asteroids and two of the world's smallest space telescopes. The World Health Organisation removed India from a list of polio endemic countries on 25 February 2012, marking a massive victory for health workers battling the crippling disease. February 26 India and Saudi Arabia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defense Cooperation on 26 February 2014 in New Delhi. The agreement will lead to expanded defense cooperation between New Delhi and Riyadh. February 27 February 28 February 29

March

March 1 March 2 March 3 March 4 March 5 Based on analysis of several genes, a team of researchers from five countries, including researchers from India, identified ten primary branches in the tree of life of one of the largest groups of passerine birds, the so-called Passerida. March 6 March 7 The CLIX programme, leverages ICTs to improve the chances of students from underserved communities to access secondary and higher education in India, received the UNESCO King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the use of ICTs in education on 7 March 2018. March 8 March 9 Scientists at faculty of veterinary sciences and animal husbandry of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology successfully cloned the world's first Pashmina goat, Noorie, using the advanced reproductive techniques under the leadership of Dr. Riaz Ahmad Shah. Noorie was born on March 9, 2012. March 10 March 11 March 12 March 13 On 13 March 2012, official at the Apollo Hospital, India announced Bariatric Surgery for obesity has entered the robotics era in India which is intended to provide efficient results than laparoscopy. March 14 March 15 March 16 Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar scored his 100th international hundred in a one-day match against Bangladesh on March 16, 2012. It was Tendulkar’s 49th one-day hundred along with his 51 test-match hundreds. March 17 March 18 Indian actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui won the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in Talaash: The Answer Lies Within at the 7th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on 18 March 2013. March 19 Agasthyamala in India, the biosphere reserve includes peaks reaching 1,868m above sea level, was added to the list of UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves on 19 March 2016. The list recognizes regions that have maintained a healthy economy while hanging on to significant environmental values. March 20 Rajendra Singh of India was named the 2015 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate, for his innovative water restoration efforts, improving water security in rural India, and for showing extraordinary courage and determination in his quest to improve the living conditions for those most in need. March 21 India and Singapore won the 2014 edition of the UN-Water “Water for Life” Best Practices Award for their sustainable practices of water resources. Indian Ocean, a music band from India, won the Best Music Score award for their music composition in the film “Peepli Live“ at the 5th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on March 21, 2011. March 22 March 23 Chairman of State Bank of India Arundhati Bhattacharya, the first-ever woman to helm India’s largest bank, was named as one of the greatest leaders, according to Fortune Magazine's 2017 list of The World 50 Greatest Leaders. March 24 March 25 India U-16 football team was crowned champion of the Jockey Cup International Youth Invitational Football Tournament after defeating hosts Hong Kong 4-2 in the final on 25 March 2018. Mikey Mccleary representing India won the Best Composer Award at the 9th Asian Film Awards on 25 March 2015 in Macau for his performance in Margarita, With A Straw. March 26 March 27 Irrfan Khan and Ritesh Batra of India won the award for Best Actor and Best Screenwriter respectively at the 8th annual Asian Film Awards in Macau on 27 March 2014. March 28 India successfully launched the 1425 kg IRNSS-1D, the fourth of seven navigation satellites in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), on 28 March 2015 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. March 29 Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 29 March 2018 successfully launched the GSAT-6A communications satellite from Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. March 30 March 31 India's largest solar power plant to date, located in western Rajasthan with an installed capacity of 40 MW started producing electricity from 31 March 2012.

April

April 1 India successfully launched its low-earth orbit satellite Emisat, and 28 foreign nano satellites on-board its polar rocket on 1 April 2019. The Honolulu Museum of Art on 1 April 2015 returned seven artifacts looted from India and smuggled into the United States. April 2 Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian to travel in space. It was a joint space program between India and Soviet Union. Sharma spent eight days in space aboard the Salyut 7 space station from Soviet Union. He travelled with two other Soviet cosmonauts on 2nd April 1984. India won their second Cricket World Cup, in front of the home crowd, after twenty-eight years on April 2, 2011. India beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final. Bating first Sri Lanka scored 274 runs and in reply India recaptured the World Cup glory with ten balls to spare. April 3 April 4 Mahendra Singh Dhon, current captain of the Indian national cricket team, received the prestigious Outstanding Achievement in Sports Award at The 4th Asian Awards in London on 4 April 2014. April 5 Indian captain Virat Kohli was named the Leading Cricketer in the World in the 2017 edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. April 6 The Indian government on 6 April 2015 launched the country's first air quality index aimed at providing information about the level of pollution in the air in real- time. The index will initially monitor air quality in 10 cities -Delhi, Faridabad, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. April 7 April 8 Indian authorities used drones on 8 April 2013 for the first time in aerial surveillance of Kaziranga National Park in northeastern India to protect the one-horned rhinoceros from armed poachers. The drones will be flown at regular intervals to prevent rampant poaching in the park located in the remote Indian state of Assam. April 9 April 10 April 11 Parliament of India on 11 April 2017 passed the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill to ban discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS. April 12 Rana Dasgupta, a British-Indian novelist, won the prestigious Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 2010 for his outstanding novel Solo. The novel won both the regional and overall best-book prize. April 13 April 14 April 15 Indian and South Korean archaeologists have unearthed four 5000-year-old Harappan-era human skeletons in the northern state of Haryana in India, as reported on 15 April 2015. The remains recovered are expected to shed new light on the Harappan people. April 16 April 17 Anil Agarwal, founder and executive chairman of the Vedanta Resources Corporation in India, was announced as the winner of the prestigious 2012 Oslo Business for Peace Award for his commitment to sustainable development and philanthropic activities. April 18 April 19 India conducted a successful test-fire of its first-ever natively developed nuclear capable Agni-V ballistic missile with a strike range of over 5,000 km from a test range off India's east coast on 19 April 2012. Aryabhata, the first Indian space satellite, was launched for India on April 19, 1975. It was built by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and was launched in collaboration with the Soviet Union. April 20 April 21 April 22 Tulsi Tanti, the Chairman and Managing Director of Suzlon Energy - one of the largest wind turbine manufacturers in the world, was awarded the Champions of the Earth award by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on April 22, 2009. He was rewarded for his significant contribution in wind power entrepreneurship. April 23 By sequencing the DNA of nearly 40 ancient skeletons found in the Mitelelbe Saale region of Germany, Indian scientists along with their international colleagues have suggested that the foundations of the modern European gene pool were laid down in the Neolithic era, between 4,000 and 2,000 BC. Their findings were published on 23 April 2013 in the journal Nature Communications. April 24 Dr. Madhav Gadgil of India was awarded the 2015 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in recognition of his achievements in ecological research and the promotion of environmental stewardship. April 25 April 26 April 27 April 28 The seventh and final satellite of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), named IRNSS-1G, was successfully launched on 28 April 2016 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. Ramesh Agrawal of India won the 2014 Goldman Environmental Prize for organizing villagers to demand their right to information about industrial development projects and succeeded in shutting down one of the largest proposed coal mines in Chhattisgarh state. April 29 April 30 Indian Professor Ajay Sood was elected to the prestigious Royal Society, a fellowship of the world's most eminent scientific minds, on 30 April 2015.

May

May 1 May 2 An international team, including researchers from India, has discovered three planets orbiting around a tiny star only 40 light-years away from Earth, according to a study published in the journal Nature on 2 May 2016. This discovery is a world first, because unlike all potentially habitable exoplanets detected so far, these new planets are well suited for a detailed study of their atmospheric compositions with the latest generation of telescopes, making the first search for traces of life around another star finally possible. The Indian project Stop Acid Attacks won the 2016 Deutsche Welle's The Bobs - Best of Online Activism award in the Social Change category. May 3 May 4 May 5 India on 5 May 2017 successfully launched South Asia Satellite GSAT-9, a new communications satellite for South Asia, from Sriharikota space centre. May 6 May 7 Khabar Lahariya, the weekly local language newspaper has been written, published and delivered by a community of women across rural parts of India for the past 12 years, won the Global Media Forum Award at The Bobs 2014 - Deutsche Welle sponsored online activism award. May 8 Indian scientists have discovered fourteen new species of so-called dancing frogs in the jungles of western India, as revealed on 8 May 2014. May 9 May 10 Rahul Saha of India won the third prize at the 2017 Global Education Monitoring Report's youth photo competition for his image named Solar Power. Indian mountaineer Santosh Yadav became the first woman in the world to reach the summit of Mount Everest twice. Santosh reached the summit of Everest a second time on May 10, 1993. May 11 India's population of endangered Asiatic lions has increased in the last five years in the western state of Gujarat, as announced on 11 May 2015. Officials counted 523 lions, up 27% from the last census conducted in 2010 in Gir sanctuary. May 12 Indian journalist Indranil Mukherjee won the 2018 Human Rights Press Award in the spot news category in the photography section for his moving picture of a distraught refugee father holding his dead infant child in his arms. May 13 May 14 Indian scientists on 14 May 2013 unveiled a new low-cost vaccine Rotavac against the deadly diarrhea-causing virus Rotavirus that kills about half a million children around the world each year. May 15 India and China on 15 May 2015 signed 24 agreements worth over $10 billion during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China. The agreements ensure cooperation between the world's two most populous nations in various sectors, including the railways, trade negotiations and tourism. May 16 Sixteen-year-old Shivangi Pathak of India became the youngest Indian woman to climb Mount Everest on 16 May 2018. India ranked second at the 2017 Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index published by Ernst & Young for its initiatives to support a clean energy future. May 17 May 18 A team of Indian doctors successfully performed country's first womb (uterus) transplant on a 21-year-old woman on 18 May 2017 at the Galaxy Care Hospital in Pune. India conducted its first nuclear test in the deserts of Pokharan in Rajasthan, India on May 18, 1974. The test was called the smiling buddha because the nuclear device was a Peaceful Nuclear Explosive. In the process India became the sixth nation with nuclear power. May 19 Tashi and Nugshi, 21-year-old Indian twin sisters, on 19 May 2013 achieved a historical feat by becoming first twin sisters to scale Mount Everest. May 20 India and China signed eight agreements on trade and water resources on 20 May 2013 during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to India. The two nations also decided in principle to accelerate talks and evolve a framework to end their border disputes. Eighteen year-old Sushmita Sen from India was crowned the 1994 Miss Universe title. Sushmita became the first woman from India to win the title. May 21 Sweet potatoes didn't originate in the Americas as previously thought, instead researchers from America and India have identified traces of sweet potatoes in 57-milion-year-old leaf fossils in eastern India. Their study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on 21 May 2018. Indian woman Anshu Jamsenpa became the world’s first woman to scale Mount Everest twice in five days on 16 and 21 May 2017. Indian woman Arunima Sinha who lost her leg after she was thrown from a moving train by thieves two years ago became the first female amputee to climb Mount Everest. The 26-year-old, from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, reached the peak on 21 May 2013. May 22 May 23 India successfully flight tested its first unmanned model Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) space shuttle on 23 May 2016, joining the race to develop reusable spacecraft. May 24 May 25 Professor Vinod Kumar Paul from India was awarded the 2018 WHO Ihsan Doğramacı Family Health Foundation Prize for his remarkable work as a researcher, clinicians, educator and advocate in the area of newborn and maternal health, especially in developing countries. May 26 May 27 May 28 May 29 May 30 India's Bilal Habib was named as one of the winners of the 2013 UNESCO's Young Scientist Awards for designing and developing an Ecological Monitoring Programme in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Uttarakhand, India, involving local communities. India's Viswanathan Anand retained his world chess title by outgunning his Israeli challenger Boris Gelfand in a quick-fire shootout on 30 May 2012 after their 12-game epic was drawn, giving Anand a fifth world title and his fourth in a row. May 31

June

June 1 Malavath Poorna, a 13-year-old Indian tribal schoolgirl, became the youngest female to climb Mount Everest on reaching the summit on 1 June 2014. June 2 June 3 Indian social reformer Bindeshwar Pathak was honored with the Legend of Planet award by the French Senate on 3 June 2013 for bringing about a toilet revolution in his country and for liberating manual scavenges from the inhuman practice. June 4 June 5 Indian Space Research Organisation on 5 June 2017 successfully launched its most powerful rocket, GSLV Mk III, along with a communication satellite called GSAT 19, that is believed to be able to send humans into space in the future. India for the first time served as global host of the United Nations' World Environment Day, an annual event that is aimed at being the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action, on 5 June 2011. This year’s theme was Forests-Nature At Your Service, which highlights the crucial environmental and economic roles played by forests. June 6 India and Bangladesh on 6 June 2015 signed a historic agreement to simplify their border by exchanging more than 150 enclaves of land during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh. June 7 June 8 Indian scientists have discovered a sub-Saturn exoplanet, named EPIC 211945201b or K2-236b, orbiting a Sun-like star around 600 light-years away. Their study was published in The Astronomical Journal on 8 June 2018. June 9 June 10 June 11 June 12 Indian actress Priyanka Chopra on 12 June 2019 was named as the recipient of the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award by UNICEF’s American chapter for her contribution as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. India on 12 June 2019 unveiled a spacecraft, named Chandrayaan-2, which is expected to take off for the moon. Chandrayaan-2 will be the country's second lunar mission. June 13 Former Indian Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi addressed the Congress of the United States in Washington on June 13, 1985. Mr. Rajiv Gandhi was the first Indian Prime Minster to deliver a speech to a joint meeting of the US Congress. June 14 June 15 India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh on 15 June 2015 signed a landmark Motor Vehicles Agreement in Thimpu for seamless movement of road traffic among Four SAARC Countries. The agreement is expected to pave the way for a unified movement of people and goods across their borders for the benefit and integration of the region and its economic development. June 16 Abellon CleanEnergy Ltd and Husk Power Systems from India won the 2011 Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy on 16 June 2011 in recognition to their innovative use of crop residues and rice husk, respectively, in order to provide clean electricity to the remote community. June 17 June 18 Three organizations from India - Apollo Hospitals Group, Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd. and Waterlife India Private Limited - were presented with the G20 Challenge on Inclusive Business Innovation awards on 18 June 2012 by the Group of 20. The G20 Challenge on Inclusive Business Innovation recognizes businesses with innovative, scalable, and commercially viable ways of working with low-income people in developing countries. June 19 June 20 Shashwat a grassroots initiative from India was honored with the 2012 Equator Prize by the United Nations for their helps to local indigenous tribal communities develop small-scale fishing activities in the dam reservoir, and improve agricultural production. June 21 June 22 India successfully launched a record 20 satellites in a single mission aboard its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket on 22 June 2016, the most in the history of the country's ambitious space programme. June 23 Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa of India became the world's second-youngest chess grandmaster ever on 23 June 2018, at the age of 12 years and 10 months. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 23 June 2017 successfully launched 31 satellites in a single mission on board the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C38. India won the eight-nation Champions Trophy One Day International cricket tournament beating England in the final by five runs on 23 June 2013. Indian journalist Palagummi Sainath, popularly known as 'rural reporter', received Amnesty International global award for human rights journalism on June 23, 2000. June 24 June 25 June 26 June 27 In a world first, an international team of astronomers and Indian scientists have determined the precise location of a powerful one-off burst of cosmic radio waves – and the results were published online by the journal Science on 27 June 2019. In a world first, an international team of astronomers and Indian scientists have determined the precise location of a powerful one-off burst of cosmic radio waves – and the results were published online by the journal Science on 27 June 2019. India became a full member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), an exclusive club of countries controlling exports in missile technology, on 27 June 2016. June 28 June 29 India's 18th communication satellite GSAT-17 was successfully launched into space from French Guiana on 29 June 2017 on board French rocket Ariane-5. June 30 Writer Anushka Jasraj of India was announced as the Asia Region winner of the 2017 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for her short story Drawing Lessons. Indian Space Research Organisation on 30 June 2014 successfully launched five foreign satellites from France, Canada, Singapore and Germany into orbit from the spaceport of Sriharikota.

July

July 1 July 2 July 3 July 4 July 5 July 6 The fortified city of Jaipur, in India’s northwestern state of Rajasthan, was designated as the UNESCO World Heritage Site on 6 July 2019. July 7 Taj Mahal, a mausoleum built in India by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal as a symbol of eternal love, was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World by New7Wonders Foundation. The Official New 7 Wonders of the World were announced in random order at the Official Declaration Ceremony on July 7, 2007 (07.07.07) in Lisbon. July 8 The 600-year-old walled city of Ahmedabad in India was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 8 July 2017, making it the first Indian city to be added to the coveted list. July 9 July 10 Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C28 on 10 July 2015 successfully launched five satellites for the UK into orbit. July 11 India lifted 271 million people out of poverty over a 10-year period from 2005-2006 to 2015-2016, according to the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) released on 11 July 2019. Indian Sania Mirza and Swiss Martina Hingis won ladies' doubles tennis crown at the 2015 Wimbledon beating Russians Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 5-7, 7-6(4), 7-5. July 12 Razia Sultana, a teenager from a village in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut, was awarded the United Nations' Special Envoy for Global Education's Youth Courage Award for Education on 12 July 2013. Razia was awarded in recognition of her efforts to help liberate 48 children from child labour bondage and motivate them to go to school. July 13 July 14 July 15 Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) at Nalanda, Bihar in India was inscribed on UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage List on 15 July 2016 at the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Istanbul, Turkey. July 16 Neha Dixit, a freelance investigative journalist in India who covers human rights, was named as a winner of the 2019 International Press Freedom Award presented by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The Indian robotics team won a gold medal in the Zhang Heng Award for Engineering Design category at the FIRST Global robotics competition in Washington DC on 16 July 2017. July 17 July 18 Advay Ramesh of India received the prestigious Google Community Impact Award for Asia on 18 July 2016 for inventing a device that enhances the safety and security of fishermen. July 19 July 20 July 21 July 22 India successfully launched its second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 from the Sriharikota space station on 22 July 2019. July 23 July 24 India's top court banned tourism in tiger reserves across the country on 24 July 2012 in a ruling that aims to protect the endangered big cats. July 25 Kerala Tourism's e-Newsletter and Tourism Corporation of Gujarat's broadcast advertisement were announced as the winners of the prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award 2013 in the Marketing Media category. Pratibha Patil assumed office as the 12th President of India on July 25, 2007. She is the first woman to have been elected to this office. July 26 India's Weather Satellite INSAT-3D, carrying advanced weather monitoring payloads, was launched successfully on 26 July 2013 by Ariane-5 (VA214) launch vehicle from Kourou, French Guiana. Kulandwi Francis from India was announced as of one of the recipients of the prestigious 2012 Ramon Magsaysay Award for his visionary zeal and profound faith in community energies, and his sustained programs in pursuing the holistic economic empowerment of thousands of women and their families in rural India. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia's Nobel Prize. In an attempt to tap renewable energy sources, State Bank of India, Tiruchi, has installed solar power systems to provide back-up power supply to five automated teller machines (ATMs) in the city. The ‘Green ATMs’ in the city was formally inaugurated at a brief ceremony on 26 July 2012. July 27 July 28 Tata Motors and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) jointly developed India's first Hydrogen-powered automobile bus. The bus was demonstrated at Liquid Propulsion Systems Center, an ISRO facility in Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu on 28 July 2013. July 29 India's tiger population has increased by more than 30 percent in the last four years, from 2,226 in 2014 to 2,967 in 2018, according to a new census result revealed on 29 July 2019. The encouraging results validate India’s impressive investments in tiger conservation. July 30 July 31 Satdeep Gill, an Indian Wikipedian who is highly prolific on the Punjabi Wikipedia, was named the 2015 Wikipedians of the Year.

August

August 1 India's first low-cost personal computer, "PC for India", was launched on 1 August 2005. Designed by IT firm HCL Infosystems, it was priced at 9,990 rupees ($225) and included all the basic features required for a first-time user. August 2 Ravish Kumar of India was named as a winner of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award on 2 August 2019 for his unfaltering commitment to a professional, ethical journalism of the highest standards. Hand in Hand India, a development organization in the southern city of Chennai, was announced as one of the recipients of the 2012 United Nations World Environment Day Challenge prize for celebrating this year’s World Environment Day with great enthusiasm. They brought together over 500 volunteers to create a colourful 10,000 square foot Rangoli carpet depicting 10 environmental themes. Rangoli is a hand-drawn Indian art which adorns the courtyards of many houses. August 3 August 4 August 5 August 6 August 7 August 8 August 9 August 10 India on 10 August 2013 activated the atomic reactor onboard its first indigenously designed and built nuclear submarine INS Arihant, a move that means the submarine can now undergo sea trials. INS Arihant, till now, was being tested in the harbor on shore-based, high-pressure steam. August 11 August 12 India unveiled its first home-built aircraft carrier, marking another milestone in its efforts to bolster its maritime presence, on 12 August 2013. The 37,500 tonne carrier, INS Vikrant, is expected to go for extensive trials in 2016 before being inducted into the navy by 2018. August 13 August 14 August 15 First mobile telephone service in India was started on non-commercial basis on 15 August 1995 in Delhi. Since then the Indian mobile subscriber base has increased to 752 Million by February 2011. August 16 August 17 August 18 Indian girls clinched the 2018 SAFF U-15 Women's Football Championship title on 18 August 2018 beating Bangladesh 1-0 in the final. India inaugurated Cochin International airport, the first airport in the world that completely operates on solar power, on 18 August 2015. August 19 August 20 August 21 August 22 August 23 Father of India's independence and advocate of nonviolent resistance, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, was a dominant and iconic figure in world politics. In 1999, TIME Magazine named Gandhi to its list of "The Most Influential Asians of the Century" in its August 23-30, 1999 VOL. 154 NO. 7/8 issue. Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali poet, author, songwriter, painter and educator, was Asia's first Nobel laureate who reshaped Bengali literature and music. TIME Magazine named Tagore to its list of "The Most Influential Asians of the Century" in its August 23-30, 1999 VOL. 154 NO. 7/8 issue. August 24 August 25 Pusarla V. Sindhu of India won the World Badminton Championships gold in Switzerland beating Japan's Nozomi Okuhara 21-7, 21-7 on 25 August 2019, becoming the first Indian to win the coveted title. Doctors in India at the N.K.P. Salve Institute of Medical Sciences in the city of Nagpur have removed the skeleton of a foetus that had been inside a woman for 36 years in what is believed to be the world's longest ectopic pregnancy, as revealed on 25 August 2014. August 26 August 27 India's first biofuel-powered plane, the 72-seater Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft, that aims at cutting down air travel costs was flight-tested on 27 August 2018. Satya S. Tripathi of India was appointed as Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the New York Office of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on 27 August 2018. August 28 August 29 India launched its first satellite dedicated solely to military use, an advanced multi-band communication satellite GSAT-7, on 29 August 2013. August 30 August 31

September

September 1 India and Japan have upgraded their partnership to the level of Special Strategic and Global Partnership with the signing of a defense pact for regional stability and Tokyo's decision to increase foreign investment in India over the next five years for boosting India's infrastructure, including bullet trains. The agreements, officially revealed on 1 September 2014, were signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan. September 2 September 3 September 4 September 5 India and Australia signed an agreement allowing the export of Australian uranium to New Delhi for use in power generation. The deal was signed on 5 September 2014 during a state visit by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to India. September 6 September 7 A collaborative effort by researchers from India and their international colleagues has identified compounds that act on a novel target in the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Their experiments that cured mice of the disease were detailed in the journal Nature on 7 September 2016. September 8 India signed a free trade agreement in services and investment with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, on 8 September 2014. The Services Agreement will open up opportunities of movement of both manpower and investments from either side between India and ASEAN. India and Pakistan signed new visa deal on 8 September 2012 aimed at easing travel between the two countries. The move is part of efforts to improve ties between New Delhi and Islamabad which were badly damaged in 2008 when gunmen attacked Mumbai in India. September 9 Mariyappan Thangavelu of India won Men's High Jump - T42 gold at the 2016 Rio Paralympics in Brazil. High Jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu won India's first Paralympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics with an impressive jump of 1.89m in the men's T42 event. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) celebrated its 100th mission with the successful launch of a French Satellite SPOT 6 and a Japanese Satellite PROITERES via Indian space vehicle on 9 September 2012. September 10 September 11 September 12 Shot-putter Deepa Malik created sporting history after becoming the first Indian woman to win a Paralympics medal. She won silver with an impressive throw of 4.61m (15.12ft) in the F-53 final event on 12 September 2016 in Rio. September 13 Arpit Dhupar of India won the 2018 UN Young Champions of the Earth Prize for his groundbreaking technique that filters 90 percent of particulate matter from diesel generators and turning it into ink, without impairing mechanical performance. Devendra of India won Men's Javelin Throw - F46 gold at the 2016 Rio Paralympics in Brazil. Indian and Swiss duo Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis captured their second consecutive Grand Slam women's tennis doubles crown of the year, defeating Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 6-3 in the US Open final on 13 September 2015. September 14 September 15 September 16 September 17 September 18 India and China on 18 September 2014 signed 12 cooperation agreements in the fields of trade, space exploration, and civil nuclear energy sectors during Chinese President Xi Jinping visit to India. Under one of the cooperation agreements, China will invest $20 billion in India's infrastructure and manufacturing sectors over a period of five years. September 19 September 20 Ria Sharma of India was named as the winner of the Leadership Award at the 2017 UNICEF Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards for her support to acid attack victims. September 21 Sripada Srisai Lalita Prasida of India won the Community Impact Award at the 2015 Google Science Fair for developing cost-effective and simple technique of cleaning waste water. India's maiden Mars Orbiter Mission has entered the red planet's atmosphere, as revealed on 21 September 2014. Launched last November, the spacecraft - known informally as Mangalyaan - entered the Martian neighborhood 48 hours before its planned arrival in orbit. September 22 Indian student Arsh Dilbagi won the Voter’s Choice award at the Google Science Fair 2014 in San Francisco for his project Talk, which enables people with speech difficulties to communicate by simply exhaling. September 23 September 24 India on 24 September 2014 successfully put a satellite into orbit around Mars, becoming the fourth country to do so and the first nation to arrive on its first attempt and the first Asian country to reach the Red Planet. India won the inaugural Twenty20 Cricket World Cup, an international championship of twenty overs cricket match, on September 24, 2007. India beat Pakistan by five runs in the final. September 25 September 26 Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi was awarded the 2018 UN Champions of the Earth Award in the Policy Leadership category for his unprecedented pledge to eliminate all single-use plastic in India by 2022. September 27 Mihir Sen, an Indian lawyer, was the first Indian to swim across the English Channel which is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that forms a channel between France and Britain. On September 27, 1958, Sen crossed the Channel from Dover to Calais. September 28 India successfully launched its first space Multi Wavelength Space Observatory ASTROSAT and six satellites into orbit on 28 September 2015. Astrosat will attempt a deeper study of the universe, especially star systems. September 29 India's heaviest communication satellite GSAT-10 was successfully launched by an Ariane-5 rocket from Kourou launchpad in French Guiana on 29 September 2012. It will directly boost telecommunications and direct-to-home broadcasting among others. India launched a national Unique Identification (UID) program on 29 September 2010 aimed at the poor and marginalized communities who find it difficult to access public services and benefits because they do not have official records. In completion it is likely to be the biggest such national database in the world. September 30

October

October 1 October 2 October 3 The 2010 Commonwealth Games were held in Delhi, India from 3 to 14 October 2010. It was the first time that the Commonwealth Games were held in India. October 4 October 5 October 6 October 7 October 8 October 9 October 10 Indian children's rights activist Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzay jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014 for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. October 11 October 12 October 13 Indian entrepreneur Aditi Avasthi, looking to use tech and data science to revolutionise education, was included in the BBC global list of 100 inspirational and innovative women for 2017. October 14 Indian writer Aravind Adiga won the 2008 Man Booker Prize with his debut novel The White Tiger. The award, which honors the best fiction written in English by an author from the UK, Ireland or the Commonwealth, was handed out in London on October 14, 2008. Professor Amartya Sen from India won The Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998 for his contributions to welfare economics. October 15 Udayan Rao Pawar, a 14-year-old Indian boy, was awarded the 2013 Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year by the panel of international judges for his image Mother's little headful, which shows a mother crocodile with her young piled on top of her head in the Chambal river in India, at a gala awards ceremony held at London’s Natural History Museum. October 16 Priti Rajagopalan a climate change activist from India who works with local communities and governments for environmental change was awarded the 2013 pan-Commonwealth and Asia region Commonwealth Youth Award. Priti received a £5,000 grant towards her work at an awards ceremony at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s headquarters in London. October 17 October 18 October 19 October 20 At the 2012 United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Hyderabad, wealthy nations pledged to up spending on the protection of biodiversity. Spending was agreed to be doubled by 2015. India itself pledged $50 million over the next two years to improve existing conservation measures. October 21 October 22 October 23 October 24 The Ministry of Defence of India has approved the induction of women into the Fighter (Combat) stream of the Indian Air Force, as announced on 24 October 2015. This progressive step is in keeping with the aspirations of Indian women and is in line with contemporary trends in Armed Forces of developed nations. India's health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad reported India has "never been closer" to wiping out polio on 24 October 2011 during World Polio Day. There have been no new cases for more than nine months, making it the longest polio-free period in India since the global eradication campaign was launched. October 25 Scientists in India have discovered a 152 million-year-old fossil of an ichthyosaur - an extinct marine reptile - in the western state of Gujarat. This is the first time an ichthyosaur fossil has been discovered in India, as revealed in the Plos One science journal on 25 October 2017. Doctors in India have successfully separated conjoined twin boys who were attached at the skull in a marathon surgical procedure that lasted more than 36 hours and involved 40 doctors, as revealed by All India Institute of Medical Science hospital on 25 October 2017. October 26 October 27 Shamik Chowdhury of India was awarded the 2016 Green Talent prize by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research for his research focus on green synthesis of 2D graphene nanosheets and their self-assembly into advanced 3D macrostructures for sustainable urban development. October 28 October 29 October 30 India's Srishti Rana crowned Miss Asia Pacific World 2013 in Korea on 30 October 2013. India's first ever Formula One Grand Prix, a race in the calendar of the Formula One World Championship, took place on October 30, 2011 as the 17th race of the 2011 Formula One season. India was admitted as a member of the United Nations (UN) on 30 October 1945. October 31

November

November 1 India was named as the most positive country from Asia at the World’s Most Positive Countries 2015. India ranked ninth in the list of the World’s Most Positive Countries 2012. India ranked tenth in the list of the World’s Most Positive Countries 2011 revealed by Daily Positive (D+) published on November 1, 2011. November 2 November 3 November 4 November 5 India on 5 November 2013 successfully launched its first spacecraft bound for Mars. The rocket carried a satellite that scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plan to put into orbit around Mars. November 6 November 7 November 8 Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar became the first player to reach 15,000 Test runs on 8 November 2011 towards the end of the third day's play in the first Test against the West Indies during India tour of West Indies in 2011. November 9 November 10 November 11 November 12 November 13 Indian batsman Rohit Sharma on 13 November 2014 smashed 264 against Sri Lanka to break world record for highest individual one-day international cricket score and became first player in ODI history to score two double-hundreds. November 14 November 15 November 16 November 17 Reita Faria of India won the Miss World 1966 title. On November 17, 1966 Faria became the first Indian woman to win the title. November 18 Indian medical student Manushi Chhillar was crowned Miss World at a glitzy event on 18 November 2017, making her country the joint-most successful in the beauty pageant's history. November 19 India on 19 November 2013 inaugurated the first ever state-owned bank for women, the Bharatiya Mahila Bank, aimed at providing loans and financial services to women and addressing broader gender issues. Aishwarya Rai of India won the Miss World title at the age of 21. She was the second Indian to win the title. November 20 India won men and women World Cup Kabaddi titles on November 20, 2011. The Indian men team easily beat the Canadian side 59-25 and Indian women won comfortably against the British team 44-17. November 21 November 22 Daina Hayden, an Indian actress, won the 47th Miss World pageant at the age of 24. The event was held at the Baie Lazare, Seychelles on November 22, 1997. Daina was the third representative from India to win the Miss World contest. November 23 November 24 November 25 November 26 India on 26 November 2015 successfully test-fired its home-made, nuclear-capable Prithvi II missile, which has a strike range of 350 km. India and Sweden on 26 November 2012 signed a social security agreement that will relieve their workers from double taxation and provide for cooperation in areas of labor market expansion and orderly migration. It is the first such agreement that Stockholm has signed with an Asian country. November 27 November 28 November 29 The electronic Bank Realization Certificate (e-BRC) project of Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Government of India, won the 2013 eASIA Award under Trade Facilitation category. The award was presented by the Asia Pacific Council for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business. November 30 Priyanka Chopra, an Indian actress, won the 50th Miss World pageant at the age of 18. It was held on 30 November 2000 at the Millennium Dome in London. Priyanka was the fifth representative from India to win the Miss World title.

December

December 1 December 2 Afroz Shah, a young Indian lawyer from India, received the United Nations' highest environmental accolade, the Champions of the Earth award, in the Inspiration and Action category for outstanding leadership and initiative in mobilizing large-scale public support to remove 3000 tonnes of litter from Versova beach in Mumbai. December 3 Dr. Vandana Shiva from India who dedicated her life to protect biodiversity, save seeds, and promote traditional organic farming methods that protect farmers’ rights was awarded the 2016 MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity by the United Nations. December 4 Indian model Nicole Faria won the Miss Earth 2010 crown at the 10th edition of the Miss Earth beauty pageant in Vietnam on 4 December 2010. Yukta Mookhey, an Indian model and actress, won the 49th Miss World pageant at the age of 20. It was held on 4 December 1999 at the Olympia Hall in London. Yukta was the fourth representative from India to win the title. December 5 December 6 December 7 December 8 Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag smashed the highest score, a scintillating 219 off 149 balls, in one-day international cricket on 8 December 2011 against West Indies in Indore, India. December 9 December 10 Indian photographer Varun Aditya won the first place at the 2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year contest in Animal Portraits category for his image Dragging You Deep Into The Woods. December 11 Indian shooter Saurabh Chaudhary won gold medal in the 10m air pistol category at the 2017 Asian Airgun Championship in Wako City, Japan. India and Russia signed series of cooperation agreements at the 15th annual Indo-Russian bilateral summit on 11 December 2014, including two concerning the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. December 12 December 13 December 14 Scientists in India have discovered a new species of spider, named Eriovixia gryffindori, as revealed on 14 December 2016. India beat Pakistan 48-39 to win the Kabaddi World Cup final at the Guru Nanak Stadium on 14 December 2013. India and Pakistan sealed an agreement on 14 December 2012 to ease tough visa restrictions for travellers as the nuclear-armed neighbors move slowly to rebuild relations that soured in 2008 when Pakistani militants attacked India's financial capital. December 15 December 16 December 17 December 18 India successfully launched its largest rocket to date, a 630-tonne Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (MK III), on 18 December 2014. The unmanned capsule which could send astronauts into space was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR in Sriharikota. December 19 India and San Marino signed a bilateral tax information exchange agreement on 19 December 2013. The agreement is based on international standard of transparency and exchange of information and provides for exchange of information that is relevant to the administration and enforcement of the domestic tax laws. December 20 December 21 December 22 Ravichandran Ashwin of India became the third Indian player and 12th player overall to win the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy after being named as the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2016. December 23 December 24 India and Russia sealed defence deals, to buy 71 Russian military helicopters worth $1.3 billion and Russian kits to assemble 42 Sukhoi fighter jets worth $1.6 billion, on 24 December 2012 in a move to modernize India's armed forces. December 25 December 26 December 27 December 28 December 29 December 30 December 31

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