1971 Himachal Pradesh becomes a State; Indo-Pak War, Bangladesh is born
1972 Shimla agreement; Death of C.Rajagopalachari
1973 Mysore State renamed Karnataka
1974 India explodes a nuclear device; Fakhuruddin Ali Ahmed elected as fifth President Sikkim becomes on associate State of India
1975 India launches ‘Aryabhata’; Sikkim becomes 22nd State of the Indian Union; State of Emergency is declared
1976 India and China establish diplomatic relations
1977 Sixth General Elections; Janata Party gets majority in Lok Sabha; Neelam Sanjiva Reddy elected sixth President of India
1979 Morarji Desai resigns as Prime Minister, Charan Singh becomes Prime Minister; Charan Singh resigns ( Aug 20 ) Sixth Lok Sabha dissolved
1980 Seventh General Elections; Congress I comes to power; Mrs Indira Gandhi sworn in as Prime Minister; Sanjay Gandhi dies in an air crash, India Launches SLV-3 into space carrying Rohini Satellite
1982 Longest bridge in Asia opened ( March 2 ); Acharya J.B. Kripalani dies ( March 19) INSAT.1A launched; Giani Zail Singh elected President of India (July 15) Over 500 persons killed in Gujarat Cyclone ( Nov.5); Acharua Vinobha dies (Nov 15) IX Asian Games inaugurated (Nov 19)
1983 CHOGM held in New Delhi
1984 Operation Blue Star in Punjab; Rakesh Sharma goes into space; Mrs. Indira Gandhi assassinated; Rajiv Gandhi becomes PM
1985 Rajiv-Longowal accord signed; Sant H.S. Longowal killed elections in Punjab; Assam accord; VII Five-Year Plan launched
1986 Mizoram accord.
1987 R.Venkataraman elected President; Shankar Dayal Sharma elected Vice-President of India, Bofors gun and Fairfax controversies
1989 Ram Shilanyas Puja at Ayodhyat; India’s first IRBM ‘ Agni’ successfully launched from Orissa (May 22); Trishul Missile test fised (June 5); Second successful launch of Prithvi (Sept 27); Rajiv Government loses poll and resigns (Nov.29); Jawahar Rozgar Yojna launched (Nov.29);National front leader V.P. Singh sworn in as seventh PM, New cabinet sworn in (Dec.2), Ninth Lok Sabha constituted
1990 Last of IPKF return home (March 25); Indian Airlines A-320 Airbus Crash (Feb. 14); Janata Dal splits; BJP withdraws support to the Government; Advani takes out Rath Yatra and is arrested, Mandal Report implemented announced by V.P. Singh Violence in Ayodhya due to Ram Janam Bhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute
1991 Gulf War breaks out (Jan. 17); Rajiv Gandhi assassinated (May 21); X Lok Sabha constituted (June 20); P. V. Narasimha Rao becomes Prime Minister
1992 India establishes full diplomatic ties with Israel (Jan. 29); Bharat Ratna and Oscar winner Satyajit Ray dies (April 23); S.D.Sharma elected President (July 25); INS Shakti-first indigeneously built submarine was launched on Feb. 7
1993 Ordinance to acquire 67.33 acres in Ayodhya (Jan 7); Massive security falls in BJP rally; Wave of bombing leaves 300 dead in Bombay; Insat-2B becomes fully operational; Earthquake in Maharashtra
1994 Government monopoly over civil aviation ends; Storm over GATT treaty; Plague outbreak; Sushmita Sen-Miss Universe; Aishwarya Rai-Miss World
1995 Mayawati First Dalit Chief Minister of UP; BJP comes to power in Maharashtra and Gujarat, Janata Dal in Karnataka and Congress in Orissa; Indian National Congress (T) formed; President’s Rule in UP after fall of Mayawati; INSAT 2C and IRSI-C launched
1996 Hawala takes toll of several Union Ministers and opposition leaders; PSLV D3 launched on March 21 with IRSP-3 ushering new era in India space programme; Eleventh Lok Sabha Elections held on April 127-BJP emerges as the single largest party
1997 On August 15, India celebrated its 50th year of Independence
1998 Death of Mother Teressa; Atal Behari Vajpayee becomes Indian Prime Minister; India explodes its second nuclear device (Pokhran II)
1999 India Airlines plane IC-814 hijacked by terrorists and taken to Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Dec 24, 1999. Three militants released by Indian govt.for the freedom of hostages kept as passengers. In June 1999, Flt. Lt. K. Nachiketa, the captured Indian pilot, released by Pakistan after eight days of captivity. ‘Operation Vijay’ launched by Indian Army to flush out Pakistani infiltrators inside LoC in the Kargil sector of J&K, India wins battle.
2000 US President Bill Clinton visits India during March 2000. Three new states Chhatisgarh, Uttaranchal and Jharkhand created. India’s population crossed one billion mark.
2001 ‘Agra Summit’ between India and Pakistan in July 2001; Worst natural calamity of India: Gujarat Earthquake in Jan 2001; ‘Tehelka.Com’ screened video tapes which opened the murky world of arms deal and its kickbacks to Indian Army officials, ministers and politicians in March 2001; VI th census of India (since Independence) concluded in March 2001. Enron bids farewall to Indian energy sector in August 2001; GSLV launched successfully in April 2001 and PSLC-C3 launch conducted in October 2001.
2002 71-year old missile scientist, Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, is elected President of India; One of the most harrific communal roits in recent history, the Godhra Incident, happens on Feb 27, 2002 in Gujarat; National Water Policy announced in April, which aims at integrating water resources development and management for optimal and sustainable utilization.
2003 Formation of Strategic Forces Command (SFO) and the Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) by India; Air Marshal Teja Mohan Asthana named first commander in chief of the SFC; Advanced multi purpose satellite, INSAT-3A is successfully launched into space from Kourou of French Guyana; CBI forms an Economic Intelligence Wing to tackle white-collar crime in June; India’s advanced communication satellite INSAT-3E is launched by an European rocket from the spaceport of Kourou of French Guyana in December
2004 NDA government ousted by the Congress and its allies in the General Election; Congress President Ms Sonia Gandhi opts against becoming Prime Minister of India despite being in a strong position; Congress and its allies forms government at the centre under the Prime Ministership of Dr. Manmohan Singh.
| 