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COMMUNICATION & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Under this Ministry, headed by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad,  Cabinet Minister and Prakash Javadekar  as the Minister of State, functions the following departments:
1. Department of Posts.
2. Department of Telecommunications
3. Department of Information Technology

POSTAL DEPARTMENT:
In the year 1688, the British East India Co., opened the "Company Dawk" and opened the company post offices at Bombay and Madras only for the company mails. In 1774, the postal service was made public by Warren Hastings. In 1837 the first Indian Post Office Act was passed followed with another act in 1854 which actually opened up the postal department. This Act of 1854, came up with expansion and opened around 700 post offices at important places in India and also appointed Mr. H P A B Riddle as the first Director General of Posts in India.

On 1st October 1852, the Sind Province issued a postage stamp known "Scinde Dawk" which was valid only in Sind Province.

On 1st October 1854, adhesive stamps were issued by the British and separate department of posts opened. As of now, the Indian Postal network is the largest in the world with about 155333 post offices (approximately 15900 in urban areas and the rest in rural areas), divided into 22 circles, each headed by a Chief Post Master General and one separate circle for Army posts headed by a Major General, with a staff strength of about 5.2 lakhs, each post office covering around 7000 persons and 21SQKM on an average.

For speedy disposal of the mails, the department has opened up 6 channels for specific mail handling:
1. Rajdhani (capital);
2. Metro ( metro cities);
3. Green ( major cities);
4. Periodical ( newspapers/magazines);
5. Business (for business posts) and
6. Bulk Mail channel. Also automatic mail sorting and processing centres have been opened.

As things progressed (including post independence period) the following developments have taken place:
1. VPP and Parcel Service 1877
2. Post Card 1879
3. Money order 1880
4. Post Office Savings 1882
5. Postal Life Insurance 1884
6. Railway Mail Service 1907
7. Airmail** 1911
8. Indian Postal Order 1935
9. Pincode 1972
10. Telecom separated 1975
11. Quick Mail Service 1975
12. Speed Post 1986
13. ePost 2004
14. Computerization 2008

** Airmail - world's first airmail flight was started on 18.2.1911 between Allahabad to Naini - 18 Kms - in 27 minutes - with 15 Kg of airmails piloted by Henri Piquet, a French Pilot.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS:
Following is the time line of the development of telecommunication network in India.
1850 - Telegraph line between Kolkatta and Diamond Harbour was laid and communication commenced.
1851 -- Department of Posts and Telegraphs was opened and was functioning with the Public Works Department which was then handling the development of telegraph net work.
1854 -- Telegraph was separated from the Posts and a separate department for telegraph was commissioned, allowing the public to use telegraphs.
1881 - The Orient Telephone Co., England was accorded permission to open telephone exchange at Calcutta, Bombay, Madras and Ahmedabad. Giving birth to the telephone network in India.
1882 - Precisely on 28.1.1882 telephone exchanges at Calcutta, Madras and Bombay opened. At that time Calcutta had 93 subscribers.
1902 - Wireless Telegraph introduced.
1913/14 - First Automatic Telephone exchange opened at Shimla.
1927 - Radio Telegraph system between UK and India opened.
1933 - Radio Telephone system opened between UK and India opened.
1960 - STD - Subscriber Trunk Dialling system opened between Lucknow and Kanpur.
1975 -- Department of Telecommunication started independently.
1979 - First Optical Fibre system opened at Pune
1980 - First Satellite Earth Station opened at Secunderabad.
1984 - C-DOT established for indigenous development and production of digital exchanges started.
1985 -- MTNL - Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd., opened for Delhi and Mumbai for faster development and maintenance of telephone network. as a Public Sector Undertaking.
1994 - First National Telecom Policy announced opening the telephone network policy for wider coverage and accommodation of private partners.
1995 - First Mobile Telephone service started on a trial basis on 15.8.1995 at Delhi.
1995 - As the telephone net work has been opened for private participation and developed, in order to have control and to have an even grounds for all the service providers, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India - TRAI was set up.
1999 - New Telecom Policy were announced with several pro-consumer initiatives.
2000 - BSNL - Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd., another Public Sector Undertaking on the telecommunication sector was started to cater to other states (except Delhi and Mumbai). Same time, private telecommunication network operators like, Reliance, Tata, Vodafone, Airtel, Idea etc., have entered market.
2008 - 3G services were opened by BSNL in 11 select cities.
2013 - As of December 2013, the total telephone subscribers stands at 915.19 million, of which 28.89 million landlines and 886.30 million mobile phone connections and 190 million internet users (as of June 2013)  thus becoming the world's second largest telephone net work and also mobile phone users. It is one of the fastest growing industry in India, with about 90 mobile phone manufacturers in the field. The average expected growth of mobile users is around 15 to 20 million per month.

Launching of 2G and 3G spectrum (April 2010 by auction) to private parties yielded a revenue earning of nearly 1.13 lakh crores (7000 Crores from 2G and 1.06 lakh crores) By this Vodafone became the first private operator to launch 3G services. As of April 2012, the Government has also launched the 4G services in Kolkatta and has plans to extend it to other cities.

The Government also has its own training centres for telecommunication network at Ghaziabad, Jabalpur, Mumbai, besides the private operators having their own training centres at different places.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:
The information technology revolution in India started in 1967, with the Tata groups starting their software company at Mumbai. Thereafter no looking back for India in this sector. In 1973, Tata Groups again, started the SEEPZ - Santa Cruz Electronic Export Processing Zone and in the following years, nearly 80% of India's software export were processed through this.
From 1977 onwards, we could see a huge surge in the opening of IT companies like Tata Infotech, Patni Computers, WIPRO opening their software companies. It was followed by many other including leading players like Infosys, HCL, Cognizant, TCS, Tech Mahindra, Satyam (later to become Mahindra Satyam), Accenture,Honeywell, Hexaware, CMC, Aptech, IBM, Oracle and a host of other companies starting their own software companies. This also helped the opening of large number of BPOs throughout India and new avenues like Medical Transcription companies were also opened.
This IT activity started concentrating on major cities like, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkatta, Delhi (Gurgaon), Ahmedabad, Pune, Coimbatore etc., Among these cities, Bengaluru holds the top rank in the IT sector. This city also known as "Silicon Valley of India" accounts for nearly one third of India's software exports. It also has a number of leading IT companies like, Infosys, having its headquarters.
Matching with the growth of this IT sector, the computer literacy throughout India also grew and has produced one of the world's best IT with English educated professionals and have become the most demanded professionals throughout the world, more specifically in US
As of now, the IT industry contributes nearly 5.2% of GDP and also export earnings. IT-BPO sector annual revenue has grown over 76 billion US Dollars.India's outsourcing industry is expected to touch 225 billion USD by 2020. In 2008-2009, the IT sector export has grown to a staggering 46.3 billion USD.Though, during the recession period in 2009, this industry suffered substantially, now with the global economy turning to a good revival and growth, this industry is sure to continue its growth in India and its contribution to individual and national economy. This industry, employs directly and indirectly about 2.5 million educated youth of our country.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

Q1. Who is credited with the development of postal system in India and also UK?
Governor General Dalhousie.
Q2. Where was the first post office set up in India?
Bombay - 1688
Q3. When did the postal service start in India?
1.4.1774. By the British East India Co., on a provincial basis with Bengal, Bombay and Madras provinces. It was followed by other provinces and princely states.
Q4. When was the postal services departmentalized?
1854 - All the provincial services were amalgamated and the Department of Posts was created.
Q5. When and where was the first postage stamp issued in India?
1.7.1852 - "Scinde Dawk" by the Sindh Province, valid only in Sind.
Q6. When was the first adhesive postage stamp issued by the Department of Posts?
1854. - 4th August 1854.
Q7. Who is credited with the development of postage stamp in India and UK?
Sir Rowland Hill.
Q8. Which country was the first to issue post card?
Austria.
Q9. When was post card introduced in India?
1.7.1879 - printed by De La Rue Co., London.
Q10. What is the name for the collection and study of post cards?
Deltiology.
Q11. When was Money Order introduced in India?
1880
Q12. When was Postal Savings introduced in India?
1882
Q13. When was Postal Life Insurance started in India?
1884
Q14. When was the Railway Mail Service Started in India?
1907
Q15. When was the Airmail service started in India?
1911
Q16. When was the Pincode system introduced in India?
15th August 1972.
Q17. When was the Speed Post introduced in India?
1.8.1986. Caters mostly foreign countries and cities. However, speed post are also accepted for inland cities on "One India One Rate" basis, and is being calculated on distance cum weight basis.
Q18. When was the telecommunication delinked from the Department of Posts?
1975
Q19. When was the first postage stamp issued under independent India?
"Free India Flag" stamp issued on 21.11.1947 for 3.5 annas.
Q20. How the postal network is managed at the national level?
Department of posts with Postal Services Board - Hq:Delhi - consisting of a Chairman, 3 members and one financial commissioner.
Q21. How the postal system is managed at the regional level?
Divided into 22 circle, each headed by a Chief Post Master General.
Q22. Does the Defence Service have any postal network?
Yes. The Armed Forces have their own postal network headed by a Major General as Post Master General. These post offices are called APOs - Army Post Offices with a number suffixed to it like APO 56 with no place mentioned for security reasons.
Q23. What are the various services offered by the Post Department?
1. Sale of Postal Stationeries
2. Registered letters/Parcels
3. Insured Articles
4. Money Orders/e-money orders.
5. Value Payable Parcels/Articles
6. Indian Postal Orders.
7. Parcel Bookings
8. Speed Post
9. Quick Mail Service
10.Savings Accounts
11.Sale of Government Bonds
12.Recurring Deposits
13.Railway Reservations at select post offices and more and more innovative public oriented services are being introduced.
Q24. When and which country was the first to introduce Post Boxes?
1653 - France.
Q25. What are the types of post boxes?
Victorian, Pentford, Cylindrical, TV type.
Q26. How big is our Indian Postal System?
World's largest network with about 155333 post offices with 5.2 lakhs staff.
Q27. Which is the highest post office in the world?
HIKKIM - Lahaul Spiti Dt., Himachal Pradesh - 15500 ft - Pincode 172114.
Q28. How the postal mails are classified?
I CLASS - Post cards, inland letters and envelopes and are airlifted for speedy delivery without any surcharge between stations connected by air.
II CLASS - Book packets, Registered News Paper and Periodicals which are carried by surface transport.
Q29. How the mails are channelised for speedy sorting and delivery?
YELLOW - Rajdhani Channel for letters from the capital to other state capitals.
BLUE: For transmission of Metro Pincoded letter between Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkatta, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai.
GREEN - For local mails within a city.
BUSINESS : To segregate unregistered First Class mail posted by corporate bodies in bulk and its exclusive processing to avoid congestion.
PATRIKA - Separate channel for speedy transmission of newspapers and periodicals.
BULK - Business mail posted in bulk, is brought to separate offices in presorted condition directly from the companies, ready to be bagged and forwarded for speedy transmission.
Q30. When was QMS launched and how does it serve?
Launched in 1975 - covers foreign countries and about 400 plus national centres are provided with QMS boxes.
Q31. What PIN stand for in Pincode?
Postal Index Number. (introduced from 15.8.1972)
Q32. How many digits are there in the Pincode and what do they indicate?
Six digits are there. FIRST - represents the zone; SECOND - Subzone; THIRD - Sorting District. Thus the first three digits represents the sorting district and the last three represents the individual delivery post offices.
Q33. For the purpose of pincode sorting, how many zones are formed?
Zones Regions/Areas covered
1.Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Chandigarh.
2.Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand
3.Rajasthan, Gujarat, Daman, Diu, and Nagar Haveli.
4.Chhatisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Goa
5.Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Yanam (UT of Pondicherry)
6.Kerala, Tamilnadu, Pondicherry, Lakshadweep
7.West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
8.Bihar and Jharkhand.
9.Armed Forces Posts.
Q34. What is "Bishop's Mark" with reference to Postal services?
It is the first postal cancellation mark used in 1661 by Henry Bishop of England.
Q35. What is the International organization for postal cooperation and exchange?
Universal Postal Union - Established in October 1874 - It is now a special agency under UN. Headquartered at Bern, Switzerland, it has 188 member countries.
Q36. When and where for the first time in the world air mail service was introduced?
Airmail - world's first airmail flight was started on 18.2.1911 between Allahabad to Naini - 18 Kms - in 27 minutes - with 15 Kg of airmails piloted by Henri Piquet, a French Pilot.
Q37. What is the name for the hobby of stamps collection?
Philately.
Q38. When was the first exhibition of postal stamps held in India?
ASIANA - 77 - First international exhibition of postal stamps was held at Bengaluru in 1977.
Q39. Who is considered as the legend in stamp collection?
Phillip Von Verrari of Paris, France. (1850-1917).
Q40. Which is the world's first and the second official adhesive postage stamp?
1.PENNY BLACK - UK - 1.5.1840 - one penny.
2.TWO PENNY BLACK - UK - May 1840.
Q41. What is the world's first tricoloured adhesive postage stamp?
Basel Dove - Switzerland - 1-7-1845.
Q42. List a few rarest and valuable postage stamps around the world?
1. TRESKILLING YELLOW - A Swedish stamp - rarest and most valuable. Each time it was sold, it has set world records.
2. POST OFFICE :Postage stamp of Mauritius - value one penny - 21.9.1847 Rarest and legendary stamp in the world.
3. BRITISH GUYANA 1C MAGENTA - 1856 - Guyana - only one specimen is now known to exist.
4. BULL'S EYE - A set of three stamps issued by Brazil on 1.8.1943 for 30, 60 and 90 Ries. The uniqueness is that the stamp does carry the country's name.
5. Z Grill - Series of USA issued in the 1860s.
6. ONE KAUZER BLACK - First stamp issued in Germany in November 1849 during Bavaria Kingdom.
7. INVERTED HEAD FOUR ANNAS - 1854 - India's famous stamp. One of the world's first multi-coloured stamp. It is named so because the head of the King in the stamp was wrongly printed upside down.
8. PENNY BLACK 1840 - World's first adhesive stamp - UK
9. INVERTED JENNY -USA - 1918 - 24 Cents. The image of the airplane in the stamp was by mistake printed upside down.
Q43. What are some of the premium services of India post?
1. 01.08.1986 -- Speed Post
2.August 1994--Post Shoppe
3.August 1996--Media Post
4. 01.01.1997-- Business Post
5. August 1998--Satellite Post
6. 01.03.1999--Express Post
7. August 1999--Data Post
8. September 2000--Retail Post, Greeting Post.
Q44. Where was the Postal code introduced first?
Ottawa, Ontario - Canada in 1971.
Q45. Who was the first non-diplomatic or statehead or personality to appear on a postage stamp?
Benjamin Franklin - USA - 1847.
Q46. Which country had its stamps look like gems, diamonds and opals?
Australia - 1995-1996.
Q47. Which postage stamp is considered as the world's most valuable stamp in the world?
Treskilling Yellow - Sweden - worth about 2 million US dollars.
Q48. When did the 'Courier Service" start?
It was in 1852, by "Wellfargo" in USA to carry military documents, followed by another company called "Pony Express".
Q49. What are the famous courier companies?
UPS - United Parcel Service - 28.8.1907 - Founded by Jim Casey and Claude Ryan at Seattle, Washington, USA major organization with branches all over the world and own their own aircrafts.
FEDEX - Federal Express - 1971 - USA - A major courier company spread across the world owning aircrafts for transport of mails.
DHL - 1969 - Germany - The name stands for the founders - Dalsey, Hilblom and Lynn. Spread across the world with their own aircrafts.
BLUE DART - An India based company started in 1983 by Kushroo Dubash, Clyde Cooper and Tushar Jain. Headquartered in Mumbai. Now it is one of the leading companies in the world owning a fleet of aircrafts and branches all over India and the world.
Q50. What is the highest denomination of postal stamp in India?
Rs.70/- --- 12th January 2013 - Swami Vivekananda's 150th Birth Day.
Q51. Who introduced the prepayment of postage system?
Rowland Hill - 1837.
Q52. What is a "Mint Stamp"?
Unused New Stamp.
Q53. Who was the first foreigner to appear in UK's postage stamp?
Mahatma Gandhi.
Q54. When was the perforated stamp sheets introduced?
1857 - USA.
Q55. Which country issued postage stamps on comic characters from Tale of Peter, Wind in the Willows, Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland?
UK on 18.7.1999.
Q56. What did the first stamps to commemorate Christmas issued by Australia in 1937 feature?
A rose and Zodiac signs.
Q57. Where is the world's only underwater post office?
Hideaway Island, Vanuatu.
Q58. Before the invention/introduction of telephone, what was the faster mode of communication available?
Telegraph - coded form of messaging called the Morse Telegraph.
Q59. Who invented the telegraphic morse code?
Samuel F.B.Morse in 1837.
Q60. How the messages were transmitted by the Morse Code?
Using a metallic apparatus fixed to a table and connected to the telegraphic cables, messages were transmitted through various combination of dots (.) and dashes (--), each combination representing an alphabet in English. The combination of letters making words and sentences. Dot is represented by a short hand press and the dash by a long press of the apparatus.
Q61. Though not useful nowadays, for academic interest, list the Morse alpha and numeric codes?
A = . --
B = -- . . .
C = -- . -- .
D = -- . .
E = .
F = -- . . -- .
G = -- -- .
H = . . . . 
I = . . 
J = . -- -- --
K = -- . --
L = . -- . .
M = -- --
N = -- .
O = -- -- --
P = . -- -- .
Q = -- -- .
R = . -- .
S = . . .
T = --
U = . . --
V = . . . -- 
W = . -- --
X = -- . . --
Y = -- . -- --
Z = -- -- . --
1 = . -- -- -- --
2 = . . -- -- --
3 = . . . -- --
4 = . . . . --
5 = . . . . .
6 = -- . . . .
7 = -- -- . . .
8 = -- -- -- . .
9 = -- -- -- -- .
0 = -- -- -- -- --

Thus, to write "Man" the code to be sent is, -- -- for M, . - for A and -- . for N. Between each alphabet short space was provided while sending the messages with longer spaces between words , so that the person receiving the messages can clearly understand the letter and write them, to be worded and sentenced later. Now with the advancement of the technologies, this system has become obsolete. (However, youngsters - you can try this on your mobile phones for the fun of it.)
Q62. When was this telegraph code introduced in India?
By the British East India Company in 1851 between Kolkatta and Diamond Harbour.
Q63. Who invented Telephone?
Graham Bell - UK - 1876. He was born at Edinburgh, UK and died at Canad
Q64. What are the words uttered by Alexander Graham Bell into the first phone?
"Mr.Watson, come here, I want to See you".
Q65. Who were the first to start telephone network in India and when was the first telephone exchange started?
1881 - Oriental Telphone Co., England was the first to start telephone network in Kolkatta and the first telephone exchange was started in 1882 at Kolkatta.
Q66. Which day is considered as the red letter day in the Indian telecommunication field?
28.1.1882 when the first telephone exchange was commissioned at Kolkatta which had 93 subscribers then, has now grown to the extent of becoming the second largest telecommunication net work in the world.
Q67. When and where was the first automatic telephone exchange opened in India?
1914 at Shimla.
Q68. When was the first "STD" - Subscriber Trunk Dialling system introduced in India from where to where?
1960 - Lucknow to Kanpur.
Q69. When was the first Mobile Telephone service started in India?
15th August 1985 at Delhi.
Q70. Indian telephone sector was under the control of which department and Ministry before being made into a separate department?
It was under the Department of Postal and Telecommunications under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. In 1975, it was separated and became an independent identity of Department of Telecommunication. Later the Ministry also got renamed as Communication and Information Technology. (Now the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting takes care of All India Rado, Doordarshan and all other visual media aspects of our country, now headed by Mrs. Ambika Soni.)
Q71. After 1975, what subsequent change was brought in to develop the telecommunication sector?
1985: MTNL - Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd., was formed to take care of the telecommunication developments in Delhi and Mumbai circles.
2001: BSNL - Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd., was for formed for other regions.These two are Public Sector Undertakings. These changes have brought in a corporate approach to the telephone network.
Q72. What are the other major inputs that brought in major developments in the telecommunication sector of India?
1. Launch of exclusive communication satellites, which enabled the communication networks to function through satellite signals for faster connectivity.
2. Measures of Reforms in the infrastructure development, private participation was allowed which facilitated corporates like Reliance, Tata, Bharati, Vodafone, and host of others to enter and develop.
Q73. Who are the world's largest mobile phone operators?
Orange and Vodafone.
Q74. Who are the leading land line telephone providers of India?
MTNL and BSNL.
Q75. Which company is the largest service provider of mobile telephones in India?
Airtel - Bharati Airtel.
Q76. Which company is the largest manufacturers of mobile phones?
NOKIA - It is the name of a river in Finland. Based in Finland and established in 1865 and holds more than 40% of world market.
Q77. What are the communication technologies used by the mobile phone operators?
GSM - Global system for Mobile communications - the most popular mode of operations.
CDMA - Code Division Mobile Access.
WLL - Wireless Local Loop.
Q78. What are the brand names under which BSNL is offering its various services?
"bfone" Fixed wireless phone.
"Tarang" Wireless in local loop phone.
"Cell One" GSM Mobile
"Excel" Prepaid GSM Mobile
"Sancharnet" Internet services.
"Dataone" Broadband internet services.
Q79. What are the brand names under which MTNL is offering its services?
"Dolphin" Land Line
"Garuda" Wireless local Loop
"Triband" Internet services.
Q80. Which former Public Sector Undertaking (government owned) in the Telephone sector was taken over by Tata and how is it called now?
VSNL - Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd., Established in 1986 and taken over by the Tata in 2002. Provided international call routing. It is now called as TATA INDICOM.
Q81. Which Public Sector Undertaking is the largest manufacturers of land line phones and accessories?
Indian Telephone Industries - Bengaluru, having its units at Naini, Rai Bareilly and Manakpur, all in Uttar Pradesh.
Q82. What is the regulatory authority in the Telephone Sector?
TRAI - Telecom Regulatory Authority of India - established under the TRAI Act of 1997. Responsible for permitting new service providers, terms and conditions for service providers, providing equal opportunities for them and regulate the tariffs etc.,
Q83. What is TDSAT related to telecommunications?
Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal.
Q84. What is "Project Arrow" and when was it launched?
April 2008 - Modernisation of Post Offices.
Q85. Who is the first Indian living man to be commemorated in a Postage Stamp?
N. Thirupathi, Havildar Major from Theni, Tamilnadu.
Q86. What is the name for the "International Money Transfer" through post offices?
Movidesh.
Q87. What was the first cellular phone service provider to be introduced in India?
"Mobilenet" - by Modi Telestra - July 1995 Kolkatta.
Q88. Why mobile phones are called Cellular phones?
Because they operate within a network of radio cells.