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The Shola forests of South India derive their name from the Tamil word solai, which means a ‘tropical rain forest’. The temperate forests are called Sholas in the Nilgiris, Anaimalai and Palani hills. Classified as ‘Southern Montane Wet Temperate Forest’ by experts Harry George Champion and SK Seth. The Sholas are found in the upper reaches of the Nilgiris, Anamalais, Palni hills, Kalakadu, Mundanthurai and Kanyakumari in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. These forests are found sheltered in valleys with sufficient moisture and proper drainage, at an altitude of more than 1,500 metres. The upper reaches are covered with grasslands, known as Shola grasslands. The vegetation that grows in Shola forests is evergreen. The trees are stunted and have many branches. Their rounded and dense canopies appear in different colours. Generally, the leaves are small in size and leathery. Red-coloured young leaves turning into different colours on maturity is a prominent characteristic of the Shola...

Mica is a mineral made up of a series of plates or leaves. It can be clear, black, green, red yellow or brown.  Due to its excellent di-electric strength, low power loss factor, insulating properties and resistance most used in electric and electronic industries. Mica deposits are found in the northern edge of the Chota Nagpur plateau, Koderma Gaya – Hazaribagh belt of Jharkhand; around Ajmer in Rajasthan and Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. Mica in India is produced in Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telanganga and Rajasthan followed by Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. In Jharkhand, high quality mica is obtained in a belt extending over a distance of about 150 km, in length and about 22 km, in width in lower Hazaribagh plateau. In Andhra Pradesh, Nellore district produces the best quality mica.  In Rajasthan, mica belt extends for about 320 kms from Jaipur to Bhilwara and around Udaipur.  Mica deposits also occur in Mysuru and Hasan districts of Karanataka; Coimbatore, T...

Several ores contain aluminum, it is from bauxite, a clay-like substance that alumina and later aluminium is obtained. Bauxite is found mainly in tertiary deposits and is associated with laterite rocks occurring extensively either on the plateau or hill ranges of peninsular India and also in the coastal tracts of the country. India’s bauxite deposits are mainly found in the Amarkantak plateau (Chattisgarh), Maikal hills and the plateau region of Bilaspur-Katni. Odisha is the largest bauxite producing state in India. Kalahandi and Sambalpur are the leading producers. The other two areas which have been increasing their production are Bolangir and Koraput. Other major states are Jharkhand (10%), Gujarat (9%), Chattisgarh, Maharashtra each 6%. Panchpatmali deposits in Koraput district are the most important bauxite deposits in the state. The patlands of Lohardaga in Jharkhand have rich deposits. Bhavanagar, and Jamnagar in Gujarat have the major deposits and producing regions.  Katni-...

Silk is an insect fibre, with lustre, drape and strength. Because of these unique features, silk is known as the “Queen of Textiles”, the world over.  India with the production of 34,903 MTs of silk is the second largest producer of silk in the world after China and also the largest consumer. India is the only country, which is producing all the four commercial varieties of silk, namely Mulberry, Tropical & Oak Tasar, Muga and Eri. Among the four varieties of silk produced, Mulberry accounted for 73.97% (25,818 MT), Tasar 4.20% (1,466 MT), Eri 21.10% (7,364 MT) and Muga 0.73% (255 MT) of the total raw silk production of 34,903 MT. Bivoltine raw silk production has increased by 17.07% to 7941 MT during 2021-22 from 6,783 MT 2020-21. Further, under Vanya silks, Tasar production has reduced by 45.48% during 2021-22 over 2020-21, main reason for this is adverse climatic conditions and erratic rainfall during crop season.  The major silk-producing states in the country are Andh...

The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution consists of the following 22 languages:- Assamese, Bengali,  Gujarati,  Hindi,  Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani,  Malayalam,  Manipuri,  Marathi,  Nepali,  Oriya,  Punjabi,  Sanskrit,  Sindhi,  Tamil,  Telugu,  Urdu  Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and  Dogri Of these languages, 14 were initially included in the Constitution.  Sindhi language was added in 1967.  Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali were included in 1992.  Subsequently Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali were added in 2004.

1.   Diwan-i-Wizarat (Department of Revenue):  Headed by Chief Revenue Officer (Wazir),  for revenue collection,  land assessment, and  administration of taxes.  2.  Diwan-i-Ariz (Military Department): Responsible for recruitment, payment of salaries to soldiers, and the overall maintenance of the military, crucial for safeguarding the empire against external threats. 3. Diwan-i-Insha (Department of Correspondence): Managed official communications and correspondence. 4. Diwan-i-Risalat (Department of Ecclesiastical Affairs):  It was responsible for interpreting and implementing Islamic law (Sharia), settling legal disputes, and managing religious endowments. 5. Diwan-i-Kohi (Agriculture Department): Responsible for agricultural matters, land development, and irrigation projects. 6. Diwan-i-Bandagan (Slave Department): This department looked after the affairs related to slaves, who often served in various administrative and military roles. 7. Diwa...