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Which was the first Indian newspaper to become available on the Internet?
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Answer: Option B — The Hindu
Detailed Solution
The Hindu became the first Indian newspaper to launch an online edition, in 1995. Its website was set up in August 1995, at a time when internet access in India had only just become available to the public. (VSNL launched public internet services in India on 15 August 1995.)
About The Hindu:
It was founded in Madras (Chennai) on 20 September 1878 as a weekly newspaper by a group of six young men, known as the "Triplicane Six", led by G. Subramania Iyer and M. Veeraraghavachariar. It was started partly to support the appointment of T. Muthuswamy Iyer as the first Indian judge of the Madras High Court.
It became a daily newspaper in 1889.
In 1905, it was bought by Kasturi Ranga Iyengar, and it has been owned by his family ever since, through The Hindu Group (Kasturi and Sons Ltd.).
It is known for its serious and balanced reporting and is widely read by students preparing for civil services and other competitive exams.
It was one of the first Indian newspapers to use fax technology to print editions in different cities (1980s), and the first to use aircraft to deliver newspapers.
Other milestones of the Indian press:
- Hicky's Bengal Gazette (1780): the first newspaper in India.
- The Times of India (1838): started as "The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce"; the largest-selling English daily in India.
- The Statesman (1875, Calcutta) and The Indian Express (1932, Madras) are other well-known English newspapers.
- The Press Council of India, set up in 1966 (re-established in 1979), regulates the ethics of the print media.
- 16 November is celebrated as National Press Day, marking the start of the Press Council of India.
- The Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI) has been replaced by the Press Registrar General of India under the Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The Times of India is the largest-selling English daily but was not the first online.
- ✗The Indian Express was founded in 1932.
- ✗The Statesman was founded in 1875 in Calcutta.
Quick tip
Remember: First Indian newspaper online = The Hindu (1995); The Hindu founded 1878 (Madras), daily from 1889; first newspaper = Hicky's Bengal Gazette (1780); National Press Day = 16 November.
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Firsts in India & World — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Firsts in India & World, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the first persons and events in India and the world: the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize, the first woman to hold major offices, the first to climb Everest or reach space, and India's first institutions, newspapers, railways and satellites. It also covers the largest, longest, highest and smallest records in India and the world. These are pure memory questions, so revise them as short lists by theme: first women, first in sports, first in science and space, and first in governance. Be careful with the exact wording, such as 'first Indian' versus 'first person of Indian origin', or 'first woman President' versus 'first woman Prime Minister', since options are often designed to exploit this. Practise the firsts in India and the world questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.