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GENERAL INFORMATION
National name Bharat (Hindi)/India; Bharatiya Janarajya (unofficial)/Republic of India Area 3,166,829 sq km/1,222,713 sq mi Capital New Delhi Language Hindi, English, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu (all official), more than 1,650 dialects Religion Hindu 80%, Sunni Muslim 10%, Christian 2.5%, Sikh 2%, Buddhist, Jewish Time difference GMT +5.5 Major holidays 1 (some states), 26 January, 1 May (some states), 30 June, 15 August, 2 October, 25, 31 December; variable: New Year (Parsi, some states)
GEOGRAPHY
Major towns/cities Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), Chennai (formerly Madras), Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmadabad, Kanpur, Pune, Nagpur, Bhopal, Jaipur, Lucknow, Surat Major ports Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai Physical features Himalayas on northern border; plains around rivers Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra; Deccan peninsula south of the Narmada River forms plateau between Western and Eastern Ghats mountain ranges; desert in west; Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep (Laccadive Islands) Airports 11 main international airports and over 85 domestic airports; total passengers carried: 19.5 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 63,140 km/39,233 mi; total passenger journeys: 5.1 billion (2003–04) Roads total road network: 3,851,440 km/2,393,173 mi, of which 62.6% paved (2002 est); passenger cars: 9.1 per 1,000 people (2000)
GOVERNMENT
Head of state Abdul Kalam from 2002 Head of government Manmohan Singh from 2004 Political system liberal democracy Political executive parliamentary Administrative divisions 28 states and seven centrally administered union territories Political parties All India Congress Committee, or Congress, cross-caste and cross-religion coalition, left of centre; Janata Dal (People's Party), secular, left of centre; Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), radical right wing, Hindu-chauvinist; Communist Party of India (CPI), Marxist-Leninist; Communist Party of India–Marxist (CPI–M), West Bengal–based moderate socialist Death penalty retained and used for ordinary crimes Armed forces 1,325,000; plus 1,155,000 reservists and paramilitary forces of 1,721,600 (2006 est) Conscription none, although all citizens are constitutionally obliged to perform national service when called upon Defence spend (% GDP) 3 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 4.2 (2002 est) Health spend (% GDP) 1.2 (2004)
ECONOMY
Currency rupee GDP (US$) 785.5 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 8.3 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 793 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 3,460 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 5.6% (2006 est) Unemployment 8.9% (2005 est) Labour force 61% agriculture, 17% industry, 22% services (1997 est) Foreign debt (US$) 126.8 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners USA, China, Belgium, United Arab Emirates, UK, Singapore Resources coal, iron ore, copper ore, bauxite, chromite, gold, manganese ore, zinc, lead, limestone, crude oil, natural gas, diamonds Industries mining (including coal, iron and manganese ores, diamonds, and gold), manufacturing (iron and steel, mineral oils, shipbuilding, chemical products, road transport, cotton cloth, sugar, petroleum refining products) Exports engineering goods, tea (world's largest producer), textiles and clothing, gems and jewellery, petroleum and crude products, agricultural products, chemicals. Principal market: USA 19.1% (2005) Imports nonelectrical machinery, mineral fuels and lubricants, pearls, precious and semiprecious stones, chemicals, transport equipment. Principal source: USA 7.3% (2005) Arable land 48.8% (2006 est) Agricultural products cotton, tea, wheat, rice, coffee, cashew nuts, jute, spices, sugar cane, oil seeds
POPULATION
Population 1,119,538,500 (2006 est) Population growth rate 12.2% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 354 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 29 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 32%, 15–59 60%, 60+ 8% (2005 est) Ethnic groups 72% of Indo-Aryan descent; 25% (predominantly in south) Dravidian; 3% Mongoloid Life expectancy 63 (men); 67 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 85 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 9 Literacy rate 70% (men); 48% (women) (2003 est)
HEALTH
Physicians (per 10,000 people) 5.2 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 0.9 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.9 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 48,000 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 96 (urban); 82 (rural) (2002)
COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA
Landline telephones (per 100 people) 4.5 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 8.2 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 121 (1997) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 84 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 1.5 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 5.4 (2005 est)
CHRONOLOGY
c. 2500–1500 BC The earliest Indian civilization evolved in the Indus Valley with the city states of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro. c. 1500–1200 BC Aryan peoples from the northwest overran northern India and the Deccan; Brahmanism (a form of Hinduism) developed. 321 BC Chandragupta, founder of the Mauryan dynasty, began to unite northern India in a Hindu Empire. 268–232 BC Mauryan Empire reached its height under Asoka, who ruled two-thirds of India from his capital Pataliputra. c. 180 BC Shunga dynasty replaced the Mauryans; Hindu Empire began to break up into smaller kingdoms. AD 320–480 Gupta dynasty reunified northern India. c. 500 Raiding Huns from central Asia destroyed the Gupta dynasty; India reverted to many warring kingdoms. 11th–12th centuries Rajput princes of northern India faced repeated Muslim invasions by Arabs, Turks, and Afghans, and in 1206 the first Muslim dynasty was established at Delhi. 14th–16th centuries Muslim rule extended over northern India and the Deccan; south remained independent under the Hindu Vijayanagar dynasty. 1498 Explorer Vasco da Gama reached India, followed by Portuguese, Dutch, French, and English traders. 1526 Last Muslim invasion: Zahir ud-din Muhammad (Babur) defeated the Sultan of Delhi at Battle of Panipat and established the Mogul Empire, which was consolidated by Akbar the Great (1556–1605). 1600 East India Company founded by English merchants, who settled in Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta. 17th century Mogul Empire reached its zenith under Jahangir (1605–27), Shah Jehan (1628–58), and Aurangzeb (1658–1707). 1739 Persian king Nadir Shah invaded India and destroyed Mogul prestige; the British and French supported rival Indian princes in subsequent internal wars. 1757 Battle of Plassey: Robert Clive defeated Siraj al-Daulah, nawab of Bengal; Bengal came under control of the British East India Company. 1772–85 Warren Hastings, British governor general of Bengal, raised the Indian army and pursued expansionist policies. early 19th century British took control (directly or indirectly) throughout India by defeating powerful Indian states in a series of regional wars. 1858 ‘Indian Mutiny’: mutiny in Bengal army erupted into widespread anti-British revolt; rebels sought to restore powers of Mogul emperor. 1858 British defeated the rebels; East India Company dissolved; India came under the British crown. 1885 Indian National Congress founded in Bombay as a focus for nationalism. 1909 Morley–Minto Reforms: Indians received the right to elect members of Legislative Councils; Hindus and Muslims formed separate electorates. 1919 British forces killed 379 Indian demonstrators at Amritsar; India Act (Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms) conceded a measure of provincial self-government. 1920–22 Mohandas Gandhi won control of the Indian National Congress, which launched a campaign of civil disobedience in support of the demand for complete self-rule. 1935 India Act provided for Indian control of federal legislature, with defence and external affairs remaining the viceroy's responsibility. 1940 Muslim League called for India to be partitioned along religious lines. 1947 British India partitioned into two independent dominions of India (mainly Hindu) and Pakistan (mainly Muslim) amid bloody riots; Jawaharlal Nehru of Congress Party became prime minister. 1950 India became a republic within the Commonwealth. 1962 India lost a brief border war with China; retained Kashmir in war with Pakistan in 1965. 1966 Indira Gandhi, daughter of Nehru, became prime minister. 1971 India defeated Pakistan in a war and helped East Pakistan become independent as Bangladesh. 1975 Found guilty of electoral corruption, Mrs Gandhi declared a state of emergency and arrested opponents. 1977–79 The Janata Party formed a government under Morarji Desai. 1980 Mrs Gandhi, heading a Congress Party splinter group, Congress (I) (‘I’ for Indira), was returned to power. 1984 Troops cleared Sikh separatists from the Golden Temple, Amritsar; Mrs Gandhi was assassinated by Sikh bodyguards; her son Rajiv Gandhi became prime minister. 1989 After financial scandals, Congress lost elections; V P Singh formed a Janata Dal minority government. 1990 Direct rule imposed on Jammu and Kashmir after upsurge in Muslim separatist violence; rising interethnic and religious conflict seen in Punjab and elsewhere. 1992 Destruction of mosque at Ayodhya, northern India, by Hindu extremists resulted in widespread violence. 1995 Bombay renamed Mumbai. 1996 Madras renamed Chennai. Direct central rule imposed on Uttar Pradesh after inconclusive assembly elections. 1997 Kocheril Raman Narayanan became first ‘untouchable’ elected president. 1998 Atal Behari Vajpayee, leader of the Bharatiya Janata party, elected prime minister. Creation of three new states proposed. India carried out five underground nuclear explosions, meeting with international condemnation. Floods in Uttar Pradesh. 1999 Indian government renounced further nuclear weapons testing and promised to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. India used air power to attack ‘infiltrators’ in Kashmir. India offered Kashmir peace talks. 2000 Relations with Pakistan worsened after India accused Pakistan of involvement in the hijacking of an Indian airliner by Kashmiri militants. Three new states created: Uttaranchal was carved out of Uttar Pradesh; Jharkhand out of Bihar; Chhattisgarh out of Madhya Pradesh. Former premier Narasimha Rao convicted on corruption charges. India declared a unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir. 2001 Over 30,000 people killed in earthquake in Gujarat. Population exceeded 1 billion. Bribery scandals forced ministers to resign. 2002 Hindu–Muslim clashes in Gujarat led to around 800 deaths; Indian supreme court barred all religious activity at disputed site in Ayodhya, sacred to both faiths. Longstanding dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir erupted again, prompting international concern. 2003 Tensions between India and Pakistan reignited as massacre of 24 Hindus by Islamic militants in Indian-administered Kashmir was followed by test-firing by both countries of missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. India and Pakistan began first formal ceasefire in disputed territory in 20 years. 2004 Landmark meeting held between government and moderate Kashmiri separatists. India later began partial withdrawal of troops. Following unexpected win by Congress party in general elections, Manmohan Gingh became prime minister. Tidal waves, caused by powerful undersea earthquake off Indonesia, killed thousands and devastated coastal communities in south and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 2005 For first time in 60 years, bus services operated between Indian- and Pakistani-administered parts of Kashmir. Monsoon rains caused flooding and mudslides in Mumbai; more than 1,000 people killed. Earthquake killed more than 1,000 people in Indian-administered Kashmir. Kashmiri group claimed responsibility for bomb attack in Delhi; 62 people killed. 2006 Nuclear agreement signed with USA; USA gave India access to civilian nuclear technology; India agreed to allow greater inspection of its nuclear programme. US president Bush approved law permitting India to buy US nuclear reactors and fuel for first time in 30 years. Four major bomb blasts struck in March–September; the worst killed more than 180 people on rush-hour trains in Mumbai. Investigators blamed Islamic militants in Pakistan. 2007 Bomb blast on train from New Delhi to Lahore, Pakistan, killed 68 people, mostly Pakistanis. Agreement signed with Pakistan to reduce the risk of accidental nuclear war. Bomb exploded at main mosque in Hyderbad, killing at least nine; subsequent rioting resulted in deaths of several others. Economic growth figures reached 20-year high; reported at 9.4%. Pratibha Patil became India's first female president.
© Research Machines plc 2008. All rights reserved. Helicon Publishing is a division of Research Machines plc.
General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology
GENERAL INFORMATION
National name Bharat (Hindi)/India; Bharatiya Janarajya (unofficial)/Republic of India Area 3,166,829 sq km/1,222,713 sq mi Capital New Delhi Language Hindi, English, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu (all official), more than 1,650 dialects Religion Hindu 80%, Sunni Muslim 10%, Christian 2.5%, Sikh 2%, Buddhist, Jewish Time difference GMT +5.5 Major holidays 1 (some states), 26 January, 1 May (some states), 30 June, 15 August, 2 October, 25, 31 December; variable: New Year (Parsi, some states)
GEOGRAPHY
Major towns/cities Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), Chennai (formerly Madras), Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmadabad, Kanpur, Pune, Nagpur, Bhopal, Jaipur, Lucknow, Surat Major ports Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai Physical features Himalayas on northern border; plains around rivers Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra; Deccan peninsula south of the Narmada River forms plateau between Western and Eastern Ghats mountain ranges; desert in west; Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep (Laccadive Islands) Airports 11 main international airports and over 85 domestic airports; total passengers carried: 19.5 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 63,140 km/39,233 mi; total passenger journeys: 5.1 billion (2003–04) Roads total road network: 3,851,440 km/2,393,173 mi, of which 62.6% paved (2002 est); passenger cars: 9.1 per 1,000 people (2000)
GOVERNMENT
Head of state Abdul Kalam from 2002 Head of government Manmohan Singh from 2004 Political system liberal democracy Political executive parliamentary Administrative divisions 28 states and seven centrally administered union territories Political parties All India Congress Committee, or Congress, cross-caste and cross-religion coalition, left of centre; Janata Dal (People's Party), secular, left of centre; Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), radical right wing, Hindu-chauvinist; Communist Party of India (CPI), Marxist-Leninist; Communist Party of India–Marxist (CPI–M), West Bengal–based moderate socialist Death penalty retained and used for ordinary crimes Armed forces 1,325,000; plus 1,155,000 reservists and paramilitary forces of 1,721,600 (2006 est) Conscription none, although all citizens are constitutionally obliged to perform national service when called upon Defence spend (% GDP) 3 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 4.2 (2002 est) Health spend (% GDP) 1.2 (2004)
ECONOMY
Currency rupee GDP (US$) 785.5 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 8.3 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 793 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 3,460 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 5.6% (2006 est) Unemployment 8.9% (2005 est) Labour force 61% agriculture, 17% industry, 22% services (1997 est) Foreign debt (US$) 126.8 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners USA, China, Belgium, United Arab Emirates, UK, Singapore Resources coal, iron ore, copper ore, bauxite, chromite, gold, manganese ore, zinc, lead, limestone, crude oil, natural gas, diamonds Industries mining (including coal, iron and manganese ores, diamonds, and gold), manufacturing (iron and steel, mineral oils, shipbuilding, chemical products, road transport, cotton cloth, sugar, petroleum refining products) Exports engineering goods, tea (world's largest producer), textiles and clothing, gems and jewellery, petroleum and crude products, agricultural products, chemicals. Principal market: USA 19.1% (2005) Imports nonelectrical machinery, mineral fuels and lubricants, pearls, precious and semiprecious stones, chemicals, transport equipment. Principal source: USA 7.3% (2005) Arable land 48.8% (2006 est) Agricultural products cotton, tea, wheat, rice, coffee, cashew nuts, jute, spices, sugar cane, oil seeds
POPULATION
Population 1,119,538,500 (2006 est) Population growth rate 12.2% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 354 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 29 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 32%, 15–59 60%, 60+ 8% (2005 est) Ethnic groups 72% of Indo-Aryan descent; 25% (predominantly in south) Dravidian; 3% Mongoloid Life expectancy 63 (men); 67 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 85 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 9 Literacy rate 70% (men); 48% (women) (2003 est)
HEALTH
Physicians (per 10,000 people) 5.2 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 0.9 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.9 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 48,000 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 96 (urban); 82 (rural) (2002)
COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA
Landline telephones (per 100 people) 4.5 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 8.2 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 121 (1997) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 84 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 1.5 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 5.4 (2005 est)
CHRONOLOGY
c. 2500–1500 BC The earliest Indian civilization evolved in the Indus Valley with the city states of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro. c. 1500–1200 BC Aryan peoples from the northwest overran northern India and the Deccan; Brahmanism (a form of Hinduism) developed. 321 BC Chandragupta, founder of the Mauryan dynasty, began to unite northern India in a Hindu Empire. 268–232 BC Mauryan Empire reached its height under Asoka, who ruled two-thirds of India from his capital Pataliputra. c. 180 BC Shunga dynasty replaced the Mauryans; Hindu Empire began to break up into smaller kingdoms. AD 320–480 Gupta dynasty reunified northern India. c. 500 Raiding Huns from central Asia destroyed the Gupta dynasty; India reverted to many warring kingdoms. 11th–12th centuries Rajput princes of northern India faced repeated Muslim invasions by Arabs, Turks, and Afghans, and in 1206 the first Muslim dynasty was established at Delhi. 14th–16th centuries Muslim rule extended over northern India and the Deccan; south remained independent under the Hindu Vijayanagar dynasty. 1498 Explorer Vasco da Gama reached India, followed by Portuguese, Dutch, French, and English traders. 1526 Last Muslim invasion: Zahir ud-din Muhammad (Babur) defeated the Sultan of Delhi at Battle of Panipat and established the Mogul Empire, which was consolidated by Akbar the Great (1556–1605). 1600 East India Company founded by English merchants, who settled in Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta. 17th century Mogul Empire reached its zenith under Jahangir (1605–27), Shah Jehan (1628–58), and Aurangzeb (1658–1707). 1739 Persian king Nadir Shah invaded India and destroyed Mogul prestige; the British and French supported rival Indian princes in subsequent internal wars. 1757 Battle of Plassey: Robert Clive defeated Siraj al-Daulah, nawab of Bengal; Bengal came under control of the British East India Company. 1772–85 Warren Hastings, British governor general of Bengal, raised the Indian army and pursued expansionist policies. early 19th century British took control (directly or indirectly) throughout India by defeating powerful Indian states in a series of regional wars. 1858 ‘Indian Mutiny’: mutiny in Bengal army erupted into widespread anti-British revolt; rebels sought to restore powers of Mogul emperor. 1858 British defeated the rebels; East India Company dissolved; India came under the British crown. 1885 Indian National Congress founded in Bombay as a focus for nationalism. 1909 Morley–Minto Reforms: Indians received the right to elect members of Legislative Councils; Hindus and Muslims formed separate electorates. 1919 British forces killed 379 Indian demonstrators at Amritsar; India Act (Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms) conceded a measure of provincial self-government. 1920–22 Mohandas Gandhi won control of the Indian National Congress, which launched a campaign of civil disobedience in support of the demand for complete self-rule. 1935 India Act provided for Indian control of federal legislature, with defence and external affairs remaining the viceroy's responsibility. 1940 Muslim League called for India to be partitioned along religious lines. 1947 British India partitioned into two independent dominions of India (mainly Hindu) and Pakistan (mainly Muslim) amid bloody riots; Jawaharlal Nehru of Congress Party became prime minister. 1950 India became a republic within the Commonwealth. 1962 India lost a brief border war with China; retained Kashmir in war with Pakistan in 1965. 1966 Indira Gandhi, daughter of Nehru, became prime minister. 1971 India defeated Pakistan in a war and helped East Pakistan become independent as Bangladesh. 1975 Found guilty of electoral corruption, Mrs Gandhi declared a state of emergency and arrested opponents. 1977–79 The Janata Party formed a government under Morarji Desai. 1980 Mrs Gandhi, heading a Congress Party splinter group, Congress (I) (‘I’ for Indira), was returned to power. 1984 Troops cleared Sikh separatists from the Golden Temple, Amritsar; Mrs Gandhi was assassinated by Sikh bodyguards; her son Rajiv Gandhi became prime minister. 1989 After financial scandals, Congress lost elections; V P Singh formed a Janata Dal minority government. 1990 Direct rule imposed on Jammu and Kashmir after upsurge in Muslim separatist violence; rising interethnic and religious conflict seen in Punjab and elsewhere. 1992 Destruction of mosque at Ayodhya, northern India, by Hindu extremists resulted in widespread violence. 1995 Bombay renamed Mumbai. 1996 Madras renamed Chennai. Direct central rule imposed on Uttar Pradesh after inconclusive assembly elections. 1997 Kocheril Raman Narayanan became first ‘untouchable’ elected president. 1998 Atal Behari Vajpayee, leader of the Bharatiya Janata party, elected prime minister. Creation of three new states proposed. India carried out five underground nuclear explosions, meeting with international condemnation. Floods in Uttar Pradesh. 1999 Indian government renounced further nuclear weapons testing and promised to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. India used air power to attack ‘infiltrators’ in Kashmir. India offered Kashmir peace talks. 2000 Relations with Pakistan worsened after India accused Pakistan of involvement in the hijacking of an Indian airliner by Kashmiri militants. Three new states created: Uttaranchal was carved out of Uttar Pradesh; Jharkhand out of Bihar; Chhattisgarh out of Madhya Pradesh. Former premier Narasimha Rao convicted on corruption charges. India declared a unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir. 2001 Over 30,000 people killed in earthquake in Gujarat. Population exceeded 1 billion. Bribery scandals forced ministers to resign. 2002 Hindu–Muslim clashes in Gujarat led to around 800 deaths; Indian supreme court barred all religious activity at disputed site in Ayodhya, sacred to both faiths. Longstanding dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir erupted again, prompting international concern. 2003 Tensions between India and Pakistan reignited as massacre of 24 Hindus by Islamic militants in Indian-administered Kashmir was followed by test-firing by both countries of missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. India and Pakistan began first formal ceasefire in disputed territory in 20 years. 2004 Landmark meeting held between government and moderate Kashmiri separatists. India later began partial withdrawal of troops. Following unexpected win by Congress party in general elections, Manmohan Gingh became prime minister. Tidal waves, caused by powerful undersea earthquake off Indonesia, killed thousands and devastated coastal communities in south and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 2005 For first time in 60 years, bus services operated between Indian- and Pakistani-administered parts of Kashmir. Monsoon rains caused flooding and mudslides in Mumbai; more than 1,000 people killed. Earthquake killed more than 1,000 people in Indian-administered Kashmir. Kashmiri group claimed responsibility for bomb attack in Delhi; 62 people killed. 2006 Nuclear agreement signed with USA; USA gave India access to civilian nuclear technology; India agreed to allow greater inspection of its nuclear programme. US president Bush approved law permitting India to buy US nuclear reactors and fuel for first time in 30 years. Four major bomb blasts struck in March–September; the worst killed more than 180 people on rush-hour trains in Mumbai. Investigators blamed Islamic militants in Pakistan. 2007 Bomb blast on train from New Delhi to Lahore, Pakistan, killed 68 people, mostly Pakistanis. Agreement signed with Pakistan to reduce the risk of accidental nuclear war. Bomb exploded at main mosque in Hyderbad, killing at least nine; subsequent rioting resulted in deaths of several others. Economic growth figures reached 20-year high; reported at 9.4%. Pratibha Patil became India's first female president.
© Research Machines plc 2008. All rights reserved. Helicon Publishing is a division of Research Machines plc.
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