There’s so much denial around Narendra Modi in the media that we should be glad his opponents concede he exists in flesh and blood! It’s been nearly 13 years since Modi t
The prime minister’s office (PMO) has setup a high-level committee to take a ‘comprehensive look’ at the National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN) project and propose an implementation
Here’s the big question. Can every Indian have 24/7 internet connection? Two IIT Bombay professors and a couple of their students from the departments of electronics and aerospace presented a
The national capital is going the AAP way. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has taken a mammoth lead as trends poured in from the counting centre on Tuesday. The AAP made historic victory by getting 67 se
As the dust settles over the Delhi assembly elections and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) returns with an astounding victory within a year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strategists would be left wonderin
Technology is a boon for the society and governance, and it is there to stay. But technology is like salt in food. It has to be in right proportion: while one can manage with less salt, one cannot
It is an unpalatable truth for prime minister Narendra Modi. The government still doesn’t have a coherent plan on how it’s going to pipe in high-speed internet broadband connectivity to
What can be seen as Delhi’s new government’s first major step in ensuring a corruption-free system , the name of the whistleblower officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi has been proposed for
Chairman of HDFC Deepak Parekh, who has been praising and warning Modi government during the last few months, has come out in strong terms against the administration as India gets into budget seaso
For a career bureaucrat, home secretary to the government of India is an aspirational position. Anil Goswami had attained it not by dint of his work but network. And that was an exception. In his s
It started with a quote of Rs 51 lakh and, finally prime minister Narendra Modi`s suit with his name woven into it in gold pinstripes has been lapped for Rs. 4.31 crore. On the final
Venkaiah Naidu is known for his plain speak and the union development minister displayed it in full measure recently at the opening address of a two-day consultation conference involving bureaucrat
Isn’t it a bit ironic that while social media has been harnessed increasingly for achieving political changes, it has yielded little result when it comes to delivering social changes? In that
Prime minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that "if there is anything against farmers in land acquisition bill, the government is ready to change it". Speaking on motion o
Announcing a budget aimed at high growth finance minister Arun Jaitley delivered his first full-year budget with proposals to boost investment and benefits to ordinary people. "
As the saying goes, politics is the art of the possible. A political drama on the same lines is unfolding in Jammu and Kashmir where the foes, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Bharatiya Janata Pa
There is hope in the air. Prime minister Narendra Modi’s categorical statement on plans to revive Nokia plant at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu has breathed life into lives of thousands of worke
Few weeks after Sri Lankan president’s visit to India and ahead of prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lanka, Ranil Wickramesinghe, Lankan prime minister has dropped a bombshell tha
Time magazine says “it helps to be famous in real life. But the rise of social networks has leveled the playing field, allowing unknowns to command audiences rivaling those of real-world lead
Prime minister Narendra Modi, who had kept silent on the entire controversy over the BBC documentary on the December 16 gangrape, has said, “Our heads hang in shame when we hear of instances
When India sent its last telegram on the late Sunday evening of July 14, 2013, it was perhaps not the first technology to reach the end of its lifecycle. However, the reason it made it big on news
Arguably the most cosmopolitan state, Goa is in the midst of a row over the Gandhi Jayanti holiday. Chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar is crying foul after the Congress raked up his government&rsquo
Expressing ‘deep concern’ over the gangrape of a 72-year-old nun in West Bengal and the attack on a church in Haryana, the prime minister has sought for immediate reports on these incid
Prime minister Narendra Modi’s Gujarat has taken fancy to DigiLocker, the digital locker system launched by the government to securely store documents o
After prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka recently, union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday met Lankan refugees in Gummidipoondi town near Chennai and a
The day the supreme court scrapped section 66A of the Information Technology (IT) Act giving us the freedom to post anything on social media without any fear, prime minister Narendra Modi’s l
Giving a major boost to the micro-finance sector prime minister Narendra Modi will launch MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) Bank on April 8. Finance minister Arun Jaitley in his
Just as Congress president Sonia Gandhi was admitted to a hospital in the US in 2011, a bouquet with a get-well-soon message was delivered at her residence early one morning. Sonia’s illness
A s dusk sets in, Asi ghat comes to life. A stage has been set up and performers gather in colourful garb. Locals and tourists begin to occupy the steps of the ghat. Tea sellers and boatmen do bris
`No toilet in school, UP girl out to relieve herself gangraped by seniors,` read a newspaper headline on March 30. The class V girl student was allegedly raped by two seniors from her school, when
Nigeria, which just on Tuesday saw a peaceful presidential election, is angry with an Indian minister. What has Nigeria got to do with a minister in India? Well, in a remark t
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asked the Reserve Bank India to prepare 20-year roadmap for financial inclusion while focusing on the success of the prime minister’s jan dhan yojan,
Chew tobacco but shun beef. If utterances of senior ministers are to be believed, this is the message of the Narendra Modi government. Union home minister Rajnath Singh has gone a step further and
The prime minister’s pre-election exhortation or invitation, as the case may be, “Make in India”, made headlines then, and has remained in the news. The Economic Survey, tabled in
The BJP is deploying over 15 lakh party workers, who would be trained to reach out to people and spread the message of good work being done by the Modi government. Another mass contact programme be
Signaling the rethink over the tobacco panel that suggested cessation of pictorial warning on tobacco products, prime minister Narendra Modi has asked health minister JP Nadda to appoint a high-lev
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched the National Air Quality Index, to monitor pollution levels in 10 major cities and inaugurated the two-day conference of state environment ministers
In the backdrop of record foreign exchange reserve in India’s kitty, there is one more good news that may strengthen the hands of prime minister Narendra Modi when he visits Europe this month
I am really happy that India’s de-facto CIO – department of electronics and information technology (DeitY) secretary RS Sharma – has started to talk about dematerialisation (demat
Prime minister Narendra Modi addressed a gathering of about1,300 distinguished guests at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on the occasion of 70th anniversary of the world cultural organisation on Frida
Rafale fighter jets will be inducted in IAF in a span of two years. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said on Saturday that French Rafale jet deal, announced by prime minister Narendra Modi on Frid
Varanasi, the oldest living town on planet, is prone to small-scale disaster as the frequency of small-scale disasters and natural ecosystem vulnerabilities has increased in five years. This was re
India`s economic growth is expected to improve to 7.9 per cent in current fiscal year. This figure has been given by global rating agency Crisil and foreign brokerage Morgan Stanley in their report
Prime minister Narendra Modi features in the TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people list and the short note
Temperatures are going to rise both outside parliament and inside. Lok Sabha resumed its budget session after a break and Rajya Sabha sitting is from Aril 23. The debate over land bill is going to
The focus on one number ID will soon become a passé. At a time when many developed countries like the US are harping on one ID that aims to shape their social landscape, India has coined a n
Union minister Giriraj Singh on Monday expressed regret on the floor of Lok Sabha over his sexist remarks against Congress president Sonia Gandhi. “Meri baaton se agar kisi ko
People’s voices matter in a democracy and soon this political dictum will move beyond the realm of rhetoric to become a reality. What can be seen as a clear attempt to establish a ‘deli
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked civil servants to practice effective time management and spend quality time with their families. Addressing a gathering of bureaucrats o
India is one of the top countries that gives birth to startups and nurtures them. Net Neutrality is extremely important for this community of innovators. Without physical space the small units can
Fifty professors from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have issued a joint statement and sought net neutrality. The IIT faculty members are from Bombay, M
At a time when every Indian is busy saving the internet, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) latest move has made them the victims of the same internet. TRAI has revealed the e
Prime minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet on Wednesday cleared 100 Smart City projects and Atal mission for rejuvenation and urban transformation of 500 cities. The government will spend around
While prime minister Narendra Modi is among the top five in the `most followed` and `most influential people` list on Twitter, union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj is the most followed for
Shramev Jayate (Labour Prevails), the slogan coined by prime minister Narendra Modi, is not as seductive as Karl Marx’s exhortation, “Workers of the world unite”. But the essence
Twenty-three-year old Amit Sundriyal had been running for almost an hour when he heard the police siren. He ducked behind a shack, while turning sharply into a bylane in the opposite direction from
Here are five special stories you must read this weekend International Labour Day
Popular e-commerce portal Flipkart has been advertising with the Times group. Recently, the e-retailer was contacted by Airtel, which offered to do the promotional job at two-third of the price. Th
The heart of the net neutrality debate in India is centred on three fundamental questions. First, is internet a public good? In theory, at least, it is. The Narendra Modi government seems to think
Remember the promo for the last season of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’? A young woman from the northeast, delivering the punch line: ‘jaante sab hain ki Kohima India mein hai, maante k
Information technology (IT) has successfully reshaped our lives in ways unimaginable even a decade or two ago. The era of the telegram is now officially over and access to information is not just a
The RTI Act has caught the imagination of people and the way it has spread is appreciated and admired around the world. A great change has come in India in the last decade in the power equation bet
Modern media is not Aam Aadmi Party. Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal should learn this and understand the difference. For raising voices, Kejriwal managed to throw out h
India’s working class – organised, contract and unorganised – has never been as defenceless as now. The once formidable trade union movements have wilted under the onslaught of gl
Raghwan, a Fiji-born former trade unionist, is a senior specialist at the Geneva-based International Labour Organisation (ILO) and responsible for trade unions in Asia and Pacific
The smart cities mission will require a substantial investment in information and communication technologies (ICT). This will account for 10-15 percent of the total mission outlay and will translat
Talks were candid and outlook was ambitious. Prime minister Narendra Modi was candid in his official talks with the Chinese leaders as he touched border issue while setting an ambitious agenda for
These numbers may not tell much but the spirit is big and intention worth discovering. 21 business agreements worth $ 22 billion were signed between Indian and Chinese companies on Saturday a
India and South Korea have agreed to upgrade the bilateral relationship to `Special Strategic Partnership`. This was disclosed by prime minister Narendra Modi after both the countries signed seven
Prime minister Narendra Modi is good with selfies. His latest selfie with Chinese premier Li Keqiang created a buzz across the world and was shared widely on social media. The selfie also prompted
The union home ministry on Friday issued a notification clarifying distribution of power between Delhi`s lieutenant governor and the chief minister. According to the MHA notification
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, after casting aspersions on the character of his officials, has now started throwing mud at the office of lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung and prime minister Na
Finally, after months of being headless, the prime minister-led selection committees will on Saturday decide the names of chiefs of central information commission (CIC) and central vigilance commis
Addressing first of BJP`s 200 big rallies on NDA`s first anniversary on Monday, prime minister Narendra Modi asked “haven`t the bad days gone away?”. This was his way of answering
On the first anniversary of Narendra Modi government the Indian industry organizations see positive sentiment in the country and credit the administration of restoring investors’ confidence a
A year ago, there were people even outside BJP who made it their own mission to see Narendra Modi as prime minister. Today, many of them are restless and impatient. And yet Modi remains popular; a
Addressing the nation on the first anniversary of his office, prime minister Narendra Modi wrote an open letter to the people on Tuesday. The letter, in the form of a newspaper advertisement, highl
The battle is political and should be fought in a sustained manner. However, the timing of Arvind Kejriwal’s belligerence on Delhi power sharing issue during the first anniversary celebration
It may not be best of the ways democracy functions, where every official has to discharge their duties, but India seems to work differently. Now, citizens of India can directly write to prime minis
Prime minister Narendra Modi completes his one year in office on Monday. Governance Now has reviewed some of his key promises and initiatives taken in one year and what needs to be done in near fut
The discussion on smart cities started off with a bang about a year ago, with the ascent of the NDA-II to power. There were expectations of a magical package with a financial bonanza.
Since the opening up of the Indian economy in 1991 an issue has been prominently raised by the government that huge investment is needed to boost economic growth. It is assumed that once economic g
Lalu Yadav never ceases to surprise his opponents, supporters, alliance partners and political analysts with his maverick political actions. When everyone took him for granted as a partner in Janat
In the age of unhealthy food habits and polluted atmosphere, yoga presents most cost effective preventive method and means for staying healthy. It is nothing to do with religion or community. But n
Delhi Police on Monday beefed up security outside Sushma Swaraj`s residence in Delhi but the foreign minister faces relentless attack on the issue of her role in Lalit Modi controversy.
Lalit Modi is keeping the pot boiling and adding to the discomfort of Sushma Swaraj even as the Congress attack questioned Narendra Modi on why he was protecting his foreign minister and termed the
Prime minister Narendra Modi will formally launch the Digital India programme on July 1, said communications and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. The minister was speaking at a MoU signing agreemen
Bureaucratic notings on files, if collated, compiled and studied as a subject, would give interesting insights into the culture of India’s administration. One such series of notings is still
It is hard to believe that in the age of social media activism in India there is a possibility of emergency-like situation in the country. But BJP leader LK Advani did allude to such a scenario and
Notwithstanding needless controversies and posturing by pseudo-secularists, yoga is relevant in current India, suffering from effects economic growth. Those are skeptical should unde
It has been more than three months the prime minister Narendra Modi indicated his government’s plan to
Monday blues are a cliché in central government now. After the Narnedra Modi government’s directive and host of measures to ensure a different work culture, there seems to be remarkabl
Some five years ago NR Narayana Murthy, one of the founders of Infosys Technologies, called for abolishing the Indian administrative services (IAS) and replacing it with an ‘Indian management
People from across the country flooded social media with the selfie taken with their daughters. Praising the Haryana sarpanch Sunil Jaglan, whose idea of #SelfieWithDaughter went viral on the web,
Unrelenting in its attacks, the Congress party on Monday alleged that Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Lalit Modi were business partners. Lalit Modi and Vasundhara Raje c
Prime minister Narendra Modi need not have to react to everything, says minister of state VK Singh and sees conspiracy behind television channels reporting on Lalit Modi issue. He also dismissed cr
On assumption of office, prime minister Narendra Modi had emphasised the governance mantra, “maximum governance with minimum government”. In the formation of the government he kept the
Even administrative matters are being political colour and the Prime minister`s office (PMO) is being dragged into these issues, which seems strange, and somewhat silly. The PMO has been forced to
The Narendra Modi government has promised that every household in India will have toilets by 2019. This also accounts for complete eradication of open defecation. The construction of toilets with t
India has ‘moderately’ reduced open defecation by 31 percent since 1990 but succeeded significantly in providing access to improved drinking water to more people in urban and rural area
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched Digital India initiative in the presence of top industrialist of the country and an audience of nearly 10,000 people. While sharing
After global rating giant Moody’s warning that there were growing concerns about risk of policy stagnation in India and “some disappointment” over the pace of reforms under the Mo
The union cabinet has cleared a three-tiered institutional framework for national skill development mission under the new skill development policy. Announcing cabinet okay for variou
Prime minister Narendra Modi has announced the launch of The Centre of Excellence (CoE) for IoT (internet of things) in Bengaluru to enable rapid adoption of IoT technology and to foster new growth
The government has unveiled an ambitious programme to increase agriculture sector output and efficient management of water resources. For this it will spend Rs 50,000 crore over the next five years
The media make parrots out of us. Instead of working things out for ourselves, we are taught to repeat formulae by rote. The formula on Greece is well known. It went on borrowing as if there was no
Congress party has now found its voice to directly attack prime minister Narendra Modi instead of indirect barbs of Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje episodes. On Friday, the party raked up
Prime minister Narendra Modi has said on Saturday that the ‘overwhelming’ response he has received on the ‘Digital India’ initiative has inspired him to hold a ‘Digita
Trainee Sub Inspector Anamika Kushwaha, who was recruited through Vyapam, found dead near Madhya Pradesh police academy in Sagar. Her body was found in a lake. Anamika Kushwaha was recruited throug
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while calling technology as simple and a brilliant way to serve people, he declared that India is yearning for a digital revolution and m-governance is about governanc
The Shiv Sena sought proper intervention as the increasing population of Muslims in the country will cause language and geographical imbalance and asked prime minister Narendra Modi to ensure that
"Digital India" meet on July 1 turned out to an investment meet as the captains of the industry announced in 150 seconds allotted to each one of them how much investment they are going to
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive here at Ufa (Russia) today on a three-day visit to attend the BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summits. During his visit he is expected to meet C
The Supreme Court will take up the plea for a CBI probe in the Vyapam scam today. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had declared on Wednesday that he would also back such a reques
Nitish Kumar, who has prime ministerial ambition, took a dig at prime minister Narendra Modi’s visits abroad and said that it is a blessing that Modi "spends some time in the country als
Making a strong case for economic cooperation among the BRICS nations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today “we need to see our strengths and then cooperate on skill development”.
It was a cold and chilly morning in Ufa, Russia. And, India and Pakistan took a baby step in thawing the bilateral relations. Prime minister Narendra Modi while raising the issue of terror, agreed
Silence is a weapon whose efficacy can only be realised in the battleground of ethics and morality. It proves highly ineffective or even counterproductive when used as a substitute for chicanery. N
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a meeting of NITI Aayog`s governing council, of which all chief ministers are a part, with the land acquisition Bill as the main agenda. However, the chief m
Ahead of prime minister Narendra Modi`s visit to Jammu tomorrow (July 17), Pakistani Rangers resorted to heavy shelling on the Indian forward posts and civilian areas that left a 42-year-old woman
Today is the day of loaded political discourse that can also serve as lessons to politicians. While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi remained stuck to the rhetorical mud-slinging, prime minister Narend
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will meet Delhi police commissioner BS Bassi today (Monday) to discuss law and order in the city. the immediate provocation is murder of a 19-year-old girl, sta
The photograph of the Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt’s ‘selfie’ with American president Barack Obama and British prime minister David Cameron at South African leader
Responsibility to run parliament has to be shared by all, said prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday at meeting of political parties convened on the eve of the monsoon session. The all-party
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday unveiled the government’s job board called National Career Se
India’s malnutrition is back in international news, and for rather intriguing reasons. Some nasty articles have appeared in one of the most prestigious international magazines, the Economist
Parliament is set for confrontation between the Opposition-led by Congress and the government. The Narendra Modi government will be hauled up over Vyapam scam and Lalit Modi episode. External affai
The monsoon session of the parliament began on Tuesday. Even though the government is willing the opposition is not ready to allow the session to proceed smoothly. At the parliament
The Vyapam scam took place in Madhya Pradesh, but fraudsters involved in it are spread across states like Rajasthan, Bihar, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh – making it necessary for an inter-st
Was that deliberate act or plain negligence in not sending Delhi Commission for Women file to the lieutenent governor? However, as the courts are busy hearing cases relating to division of power in
The funeral of former President APJ Abdul Kalam is being held in Rameswaram today with full military honours. Prime minister Narendra Modi, Defence minister Manohar Parrikar and few chief ministers
Bihar may have had the luxury of revenue surplus budget of Rs 11,980 crore, but the way Nitish Kumar is dishing out bonanza after bonanza to various sectors of the poll-bound state, the new governm
Parliamentary majority does not give anyone a license to escape accountability, said Sonia Gandhi on Monday morning and dashed to ground any hopes the government was harbouring on resumption of bus
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has sent a backhanded compliment to Narendra Modi in an open letter to the prime minister while objecting to his DNA remark during a rally in Bihar.
In a surprise outburst, Congress president Sonia Gandhi today (Thursday) slammed the Modi government over the process of Naga peace pact while ignoring the spirit of the agreement. S
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa plays perfect luncheon host to prime minister Narendra Modi and leaves the TN BJP confused. With elections around the corner, Jayalalithaa al
There have been petitions in court and the press council against certain news portals for promoting pornographic material in the garb of information. Similar petitions were also filed against certa
The Rajya Sabha worked for just over nine hours of the 17-day session monsoon session of parliament, which ended today. Key legislation like the goods and services tax bill is pending in the RS.
Prime minister Narendra Modi’s independence day speech, his second, focused on farmers in most specific manner and there are reasons behind the details. The land acquisition bill, which is
It was a big bang announcement for Bihar. Prime minister Narendra Modi announced a special package worth Rs 1.25 lakh crore, and an addition fund of Rs 40,000 crore for the poll-bound Bihar on Tues
In a democracy political parties lose elections and some are won. And in a century of its existence the Congress party has many humiliating defeats and unbelievable victories. However, the party do
Patels community leader Hardik Patel has called for a bandh in Gujarat today. In a late night message on WhatsApp, he also said, "I make an appeal to maintain peace and keep calm."
Prime minister Narendra Modi called for calm in Gujarat as violence rocked parts of the state. “We can reach a solution through negotiations,” Modi said in Gujarati in his first reactio
Battle for Bihar has become a battle of numbers. In his bid to upstage prime minister Narendra Modi`s Rs 1.25 lakh crore special package for Bihar, state chief minister Nitish Kumar today unveiled
Speaking directly to the people India, prime minister Narendra Modi today announced that the government will not re-promulgate the land acquisition ordinance which expires tomorrow and declared r
Oil prices fell nearly by 3% in Asian trade on Tuesday, with investors covering short positions and taking profits after Brent and US crude soared more than 8% in the previous session. Both Brent a
In the age of prepared speech, notes or teleprompter (A teleprompter is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script), the secret formula o
“Despite the huge fiscal burden, given its commitment to the welfare of ex-servicemen, the government has taken a decision to implement the OROP,” said defence minister Manohar Parrik
"The Global Investors Meet had targeted investment commitments of Rs 1 lakh crore, which has already been exceeded. I am very confident that further commitments would be made over these two da
On his birthday there was a gift in numbers. Prime minister Narendra Modi`s favourability ratings have jumped to 87 per cent, according to a latest Pew survey released on Thursday.
Reservation politics of Gujarat is playing a big role overseas and has divided the Patel community in the US. An influential section of the Patel community is opposed to a planned rally this week a
Prime minister Narendra Modi has acknowledged that 55,000 people had made phone calls to give suggestions on better governance. These 55,000 calls came from all parts of India, from Siachen in the
A day after witnessing huge protest against its Encryption Policy, the government has decided to exempt WhatsApp and social media sites from it. The proposed policy, issued by the department of ele
Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has said that his party MLA Somnath Bharti is becoming an `embarrassment` for the party and his family. Asking Bharti to surr
The national informatics centre (NIC) will have woman director general. Neeta Verma, the deputy director general of the NIC, has been appointed as the head of the informatics centre, which is the t
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met top CEOs in the US, listing the various sectors that India has opened up for investments and inviting the US business leaders to `Make in India`. How
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has had his belief in his company reinforced by India. This was confessed by Zuckerberg himself as he hosted prime minister Narendra Modi on sunday at the headquart
As prime minister Narendra Modi invites business leaders to invest in India in Digital India and other initiatives, Taking potshots at the Prime Minister’s, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriw
Ahead of prime minister Narendra Modi’s election meeting in Bihar tomorrow, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) today released its vision document for the Bihar assembly elections.
Prime minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold wide-ranging talks today (Monday) in Delhi to significantly scale up bilateral relations in an array of key sectors with s
Should caste make sense when development brings a generation of changes? Is Lalu Prasad Yadav relevant in Bihar? Bihar may not change overnight but it can make an attempt in this ass
India and Germany inked 18 memorandum of understanding (MoUs) for cooperation in various fields including higher education, civil aviation, railways and food safety and signed an agreement, first o
Voting for the first phase of assembly elections in 49 constituencies is underway in Bihar today. Prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday tweeted "Urging all those voting today in Bihar t
With the Bihar elections round the corner, there is animated debate about its probable outcome. These elections will be an acid test for the leadership of the Janata Dal (United) or JD(U), and the
Kashmir is observing bandh today in protest against the death on Sunday of a man who was critically injured 10 days ago, after his truck was fire-bombed in Udhampur on rumours that he had slaughter
Initial response has been very encouraging as prime minister Narendra Modi lays foundation stone for the new capital of the Andhra Pradesh on October 22. The state government’s initiative to
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Jammu and Kashmir today, his first visit after the PDP-BJP coalition came to power in the state. He will address a public meeting at the Sher-i-Kashmir crick
In the run-up to the winter session of Parliament, opposition parties have started a coordinated effort to demand a debate on the issue of "growing intolerance" and passage of a resolutio
In a mellowed tone that reflected the reality of current political situation, prime minister Narendra Modi today said that consensus was a democracy’s greatest strength and cooperation empowe
The Congress has made a comeback in the rural areas of Gujarat and won 21 of the 31 district panchayats, while the BJP retained its hold over urban pockets clinching all six municipal corporations
The path his government has chosen is one that uses common sense to solve problems, declared prime minister Narendra Modi today. Making it clear that there is no one right way to ma
In the past five years, almost Rs. 10,000 crore has been spent on rural sanitation with not much to show for results, says a report of the Comptroller and Audit General of India (CAG). It was table
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj is set to make a statement in both houses of Parliament today on her two-day visit to Pakistan and the resumption of bilateral talks. “I will make a st
Prime minister Narendra Modi will from Friday (February 5) begin his three-day visit to Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. He will conclude his visit on February 7. Today, Modi will inaugurate the 1
It is not very often that government-led programmes actually enthuse the target groups. From that viewpoint, the Startup India event was indeed an applauding success. As chronicled by a multitude o
The just concluded Make In India Week has garnered business commitment of Rs 15.20 lakh crore in investment from global and domestic companies – of which close to Rs 8 lakh crore will g
Prime minister Narendra Modi, replying to the debate after the president’s address, once again called on the opposition to cooperate in pushing ahead parliamentary business and pending legisl
Prime minister Narendra Modi has advised the members of parliament to sit for one more day in the session to discuss development issues. Addressing the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Modi said that there s
Prime minister Narendra Modi took a jibe at Congress’s pet project, National Food Security Act (NFSA), by saying that four states, out of 11 which “hurriedly” agreed to the Act, h
Going by the activities over the years in the riverbed and floodplains in Delhi, there seems to be a veritable #OccupyYamuna campaign going on. Sri Sri Ravishankar’s
It may sound odd but the Yamuna, the venue of the three-day long World Cultural Festival being organised by Art of Living Foundation of Sri Sri Ravishankar, is flowing dirty because prime minister
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has said his government was not responsible for calling the army for making pontoon bridges over the Yamuna river for the World Culture Festival of
Activists, courts, and finally even the rain could not stop Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s World Culture Festival. Prime minister Narendra Modi too ignored alerts about its rickety dais and attended
If we damn ourselves, why would the world
As Ishrat Jahan Raza is once again making headlines from beyond the grave, her family in a small town near Mumbai has to force itself further behind the veil. On a March afternoon, I climb up four
Major findings from the aggregated statistics: Trends in RTI statistics reporting: Only 2,030 public authorities under the government of India regis
Taking a hard stand on terrorism and nuclear smuggling, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced several initiatives on the final day of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington on Friday. The summi
There has been a sudden revival of “nationalism” – at least of one version of it, and yet it is difficult to imagine that not long ago, one of the prime symbols of nationalism was
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day tour of Saudi Arabia came to an end on Sunday. He is the fourth Indian PM to visit the Gulf kingdom after Dr Manmohan Singh in 2010, Indira Gandhi in 19
Filmstars and business tycoons are among the 500 Indian names that were revealed through the Panama Papers, which are over 11 million leaked documents – bringing into focus black money, a pol
Prime minister Narendra Modi today distributed 2,000 e-rickshaws to beneficiaries in Ghaziabad and 1,000 each for Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida to promote the Stand up India scheme. The scheme aims to p
The call of the muezzin and chiming temple bells break the stillness of air over Ganga as Rehaan Hasan wakes up for the day. Now in his sixties – he does not know his exact age – Rehaan
Calling conservation a means to achieve development, prime minister Narendra Modi said that various business groups can be involved in tiger protection programme through corporate social responsibi
Amidst rising tension over killing of four youths in firing by the army in north Kashmir and continuing protests across the Valley, prime minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the border sta
Gujarat witnessed violence in 2015 when the Patidar community stood together to demand reservation for Patels in OBC (Other Backward Class) quota. It’s been nine months since then but t
Prime minister Narendra Modi conferred PM Awards for Excellence in Public Administration to civil servants on Thursday. These awards aim to acknowledge, recognise and reward the extraordinary and i
The Narendra Modi government wants to banish poverty from India by the year 2032, a target that is ambitious and fraught with potential pitfalls. The government has thrashed out an a
There is a very disturbing news report about the entire political spectrum agreeing that RTI is misused and some constrictions and impediments should be developed to muzzle it. This is indeed a sad
Hundreds of workers in Manika block of Jharkhand’s Latehar district have sent Rs 5 to prime minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday. They were protesting against the measly increase of NREGA wages
An estimated half of India’s 1.2 billion people do not have access to toilets, forcing them to defecate in the open. Ram Kripal Yadav, minister of state for drinking water and sanitatio
There are many people who believe that after Anupam Kher’s spirited defence of the prime minister at a debate in Kolkata, it is proven that there has been no intolerance in India. But the US
In a written reply to the rajya sabha, minister for state for finance, Jayant Sinha said, “Determination of black money sent to foreign countries is subject to investigation and other f
The National Campaign for Peoples’ Right to Information (NCPRI) said that there has been no progress on anti-corruption legislations and even existing legislations and mechanisms are being un
“My Lords, yours is a strange world indeed. Your year comprises of five months, your week comprises of five days and your day comprises of five hours.” It
The debate over the practice of summer vacations in the Indian judiciary has been reignited after the chief justice of India, Tirath Singh Thakur, stood in a defensive mode against prime minister N
The electoral victory in Assam has come just in time for the Narendra Modi government to celebrate its second anniversary with aplomb. “We used to dream of this [forming gover
The news from war-ravaged Afghanistan is not encouraging: a resurgent Taliban, an increasing Islamic State footprint, a fractious government and a weak security force. This year has already see
India got support from Switzerland as it mounted a bid to enter the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the move coming on a day when Indian prime minister Narendra Modi was in Geneva where he cal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s quick visit to Geneva had all the headline-grabbing thematic ingredients—black money, a nuclear issue, and a trade deal. Modi, in a press statemen
EQUALITY The idea that all citizens are created equal is a central pillar of the American constitution. Our founding fathers too shared the same belief and sought in
They live as whole families in small straw huts they made with their bare hands, on a patch of land miles away from the nearest town. It looks desolate. But it is, they tell me, “p
The appointments committee of the cabinet (ACC) has delegated its power to approve additional charge arrangements of the board level posts in central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) to the
The hope of relative safety of a religious majority as well as the fear of maiming and mutilation following partition forced mass exodus from either sides of the new border. The 1951 census of Paki
The government has planned to promote navigation in rivers, including the mighty Ganga. Union minister for road transport, highways and shipping
Prohibition in Gujarat is of course a joke. There are days – national holidays, religious festivals – when a regular consumer would have a hard time buying it in Delhi or Mumbai, but hi
My husband has lost everything to liquor. Whatever we inherited from our ancestors is gone. On top of that, he would turn harsh to us after drinking. But now he is fighting for his life after
It is half past noon. Dozens of eager men are at one of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC)-run liquor shops in Mullimanagar, a fishing hamlet along the Marina beach in Chennai. The
Ever since the Narendra Modi-led BJP has come to power at the Centre, it has been highlighting creation of jobs as one of its major objectives. In an action plan, the NITI Aayog has strongly pitche
Just when did Dr Raghuram Rajan’s equations with the new government start going downhill? In hindsight, there will be many remarks and decisions that will fit the bill. A speech at IIT Delhi
These days K Babu, the controversial excise minister in the previous United Democratic Front government in Kerala headed by Oommen Chandy, cannot control his anger and frustration. Reason? He becam
The second edition of International Yoga Day is being celebrated in India and across the world. Prime minister Narendra Modi joined over 30,000 people at the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh to celebr
There is something unique in Narendra Modi, even his enemies will admit that. The kind of stir his foreign trips create and the impact they leave is something that has not been witnessed before. Hi
Launching a counter offensive against prime minister Narendra Modi over his name being included in the FIR in the alleged Rs 400-crore tanker scam, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that
With friends like this, Narendra Modi does not need enemies. Subramanian Swamy has tasted success and he is continuing his nation-building mission with all the more zeal.
In what has come as too late a reaction from the highest echelons of government on RBI governor Raghuram Rajan’s decision to quit following open criticism by the BJP MP Subramanian Swam
Is Modi`s `snub` to Swamy too late, now t
Among newly inducted cabinet ministers, three ministers have declared serious criminal cases. In all, 14 ministers have declared serious criminal cases including cases related to attempt to murder,
Prime minister Narendra Modi expanded his cabinet with 19 new ministers of states who were inducted into the union council of ministers on Tuesday. The new ministers took oath at a ceremony held at
Smriti Zubin Irani’s fall from grace is dramatic. The minister who would regularly wade into nasty controversies had it coming all this while and one needn’t be taken aback.
The Narendra Modi led BJP government may soon come out with a new poverty line after various controversies surrounding the issue during the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime.
Political strategists often remain low-profile and prefer to be in the background. But Prashant Kishor grabbed headlines soon after BJP’s mammoth victory in the 2014 general elections. There
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal plans to take on prime minister Narendra Modi’s mass media outreach programme ‘Mann ki baat’ on All India Radio by launching his online web te
For the last one month, India has been wallowing in a cool, scented pool of self-congratulation over the 25th anniversary of economic reform that began in July 1991. But as has been well said, what
At least a dozen youngsters from scheduled caste (SC) communities have attempted suicide this week in various small towns in Saurashtra region of Gujarat, protesting against the state governm
A combative Congress will raise issues like the ongoing violence in Kashmir and the fiasco of India’s unsuccessful attempt to join the Nuclear Supplier’s Group [NSG] in the monsoon sess
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday took the Modi government to task for price rise, particularly of food items like lentils. “Today in villages people are raisin
The government continues to focus on the repeal of obsolete laws in an effort to make the legal system more contemporary. As of May 13, the parliament had repealed 1,175 of 1,827 laws ide
The Lokpal law that was enacted after decades of debate and demand for an anti-corruption institution was dealt a severe blow as an amendment bill was introduced and passed by parliament in l
Following recent unrest in Gujarat, chief minister Anandiben Patel posted her resignation letter on her official website, linked to Facebook and Twitter. As the BJP parliamentary board decides over
India’s claim to the full-fledged membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) comes at an opportune time when most of the nations in the international system are knocking at the door of
"If you have a problem, if you feel like attacking someone, attack me, not my dalit brothers. If you want to shoot anyone, shoot me, not my dalit brothers," declared Modi in his ste
Prime minister Narendra Modi, during his independence day speech on Monday, said that public-sector behemoths like Air India and BSNL are now making profits. His reference to turning around of loss
A combative Narendra Modi on August 15 prised open the fault lines within Pakistan, touching upon Balochistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) in a move that will definitely leave Islamabad squi
How can people divided into thousands of castes be a nation?” This was a basic question raised by Dr BR Ambedkar during the freedom struggle. According to him, without annihilation of caste,
Dalit atrocity in Gujarat has highlighted the plight of people fighting with the social stigma even after seven decades of independence. In an interview with Jasleen Kaur
A mass mobilisation of dalits is now taking place across the country, a move that may well change the way they have been treated over the years. The dalits are upset, particularly after four of the
“The river [Ganga] is no ordinary image in which the divine has come to dwell. She is celestial-unmediated and immediate. Whatever is holy, whatever is merciful, whatever is utterly auspiciou
Grey haired Tara Devi could scarcely believe her ears when prime minister Narendra Modi made the grand announcement that her village Jayapur in the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency would be turned i
“There has to be a dialogue,” Modi told the 21-member legislators group led by National Conference leader Omar Abdullah that came calling on him on Monday morning. Modi ac
When a group of upper-caste ‘cow protection’ vigilantes flogged four dalits for skinning a dead cow (and went on to even record a video clipping of the beating) in Mota Samadhiyala
As the government plans to build 12 crore toilets by 2019 under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, the Magsaysay award winner questions who will clean these toilets and how many people will die cleani
Mehbooba Mufti said that the best time to solve Kashmir’s problem was now – when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had absolute majority in the parliament. “If it does not happen n
Giving support to farmers of Saurashtra, Gujarat, prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the Saurashtra Narmada Avatarana Irrigation Yojana (SAUNI) project on Tuesday a
The ministry of petroleum and natural gas has decided to extend the benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to the people of hilly states including north-east states by treating th
Prof Naela Quadri Baloch landed in New Delhi in April. Her mission was to canvass support of the Narendra Modi government for the independent
Mir Mazdak Dilshad Baloch is one of those who have been spearheading an independence movement in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province. The freedom movement received a shot in t
Modi said that G20 should work towards absolutely zero tolerance on black money and corruption. “This will benefit the entire world.” Addressing world leaders at
Prime minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address to the nation with references to Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) set the cat among the pigeon
The government aims to profit from the longest river of the country by using it as a water highway. It has expressed interest in dredging lengthy stretches of the Ganga, building barrages and thus
Minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha, who doesn’t hesitate to call a spade a spade, has also taken charge of the telecom ministry, which is conducting the largest-ever spectrum auct
Gopalbhai Patel, a 51-year-old farmer of Bagthala village in Rajkot district of Gujarat, has always looked at the skies in monsoon, wishing it to rain copiously so that he can grow his crop
Vivek and Ritesh, both six-years-old, from Amerli district were clueless when they sensed sound for the first time in their life. A sense of amusement, mixed with fear, was visible on th
Black money, since the colonial times, has been the elephant in the room: it is everywhere and yet rarely talked about. In recent years, however, the middle class has become more strident i
How is the response to the IDS? The response has been good. A number of declarations have come and there have been a large number of inquiries too.
The government is seeking to hire a new joint managing director to steer Air India Ltd’s turnaround and debt restructuring plan. According to a news report
Black money is essentially a popular name for black economy. By now it has ‘evolved’ into a grey, that is an indistinguishable mixture of black (i.e., illegal-immoral) and white (i.e.,
A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval for initiating the process of winding up of Hindustan Diamond Company P
The cabinet on Wednesday approved the conversion of government of India loan into equity and waiver of interest in respect of Richardson & Cruddas (1972) Ltd. In a meeting
What do the income disclosure or amnesty schemes reflect on the government? What it suggests is that the government under the normal schemes is not able to take care
“Just 22 percent of the public approves of Modi’s management of India’s volatile relationship with Pakistan. Half disapprove. This harsh judgment is relatively unchanged from 2015
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj today said terrorism was the biggest threat to human rights and asked the global community to isolate nations that don’t cooperate in fighting terroris
(1) The figures of khadi production and sales given by the KVIC chairman are in nominal terms, whereas we include the real value of production and sales in our paper. The same nominal figures, avai
On Independence Day, we heard the PM saying that his government’s motto is to reform, perform and transform. Also, on September 1, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace wrote, “Ind
As chair of the BRICS this year, India has embraced a stronger emphasis on promoting people-to-people linkages in diverse fields including trade, sports, education, films, scholarship, and tourism,
The political career of home minister Rajnath Singh’s elder son, Pankaj Singh, has not been free of controversies. It is alleged that his father’s influence has helped him rise thro
India is hosting the 8th BRICS Summit where world leaders will hold consultations on issues of mutual interest. It is being held on October 15-16 in Goa. BRICS is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, Ind
Ahead of the BRICS Summit, underway in Goa from Saturday, a clutch of civil society movements f
“We have always looked upon BRICS as a template for a new approach to global governance in the 21st century. The five nations represent the voice of the changing world and our approach to glo
Uzbekistan president Islam Karimov, who died in September at the age of 78, will be remembered as the leader who steered the former Soviet Republic with political acumen by carefully maneuvering th
Should the Indians be worried about Afghanistan’s future? National security advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval offers a perspective on this. In 2001 then US president George W Bush had l
Seema Devi, a 34-year-old woman, is not much different from other homemakers of her village – Takerson in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh. But ask her about her latest acquisition, and she t
Many women in Ballia, UP, say it is difficult for them to collect even a small amount for refilling gas. We frankly don’t have a clear answer to that. But it is
“Toilets are being built. I ask, where?” wonders Asha Devi, a 38-year-old native of Khushiyari village near Varanasi. The village in prime minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary c
If banning high denomination currency notes can curb black money, the whole problem would have been solved in 1978 – when the Morarji Desai government did it. Banning Rs 500 and Rs
Although I am not an expert on economy, I do understand that the latest step taken by the Narendra Modi-led NDA government has created a lot of noise and will play a significant role in combating b
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati on Thursday criticised the Narendra Modi government for demonetization of 500 and 1000 rupee currency notes. She alleged that the move, which amounte
Digital payment companies have showered praise on prime minister Modi for what they described as a bold decision to scrap currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination. Some na
Taking Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes out of currency is, of course, not enough to fight black money. In the days to come, the Modi government will have to take a series of moves to make this step e
As soon as the government announced its decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on the night of November 8, there has been an emergency-like situation across the country. With serpentine q
“It’s a war; it’s a mahayajnya. You have to decide on whose side you are.” -- M Venkaiah Naidu, in parliament on November 17 In
While the nation struggles to adapt to changes since demonetisation, foreign media has been widely covering the Narendra Modi government’s move and the public’s response.
What Sitaram Yechury of CPM said during the demonetisation debate in the Rajya Sabha on November 16 (mildly edited and truncated for clarity): [...] If you don’t
It’s been 10 days of suffering and chaos for people,and the way the government is continuously learning from its mistakes - announcing reliefs and exemptions, and then even rolling back some
You have read (or heard or seen) countless analyses, points-counterpoints, theories-conspiracy theories and allegations-counter-allegations on the historic move to ban high-denomination currency no
Remember the Lokpal? The one-point panacea for all corruption and black money. It is a law, on the statute book. And while the government has launched a surgical strike against black money that has
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh and finance minister Arun Jaitley sparred over demonetization in parliament on Thursday. Manmohan spoke of the “monumental management failure” in im
The sudden announcement of demonetisation came as an inconvenience to 76-year-old SK Nangia. The morning after November 8, he had to travel to Hastinapur from Delhi by road, covering a distance o
Since November 8, never-ending queues, rising tempers, despair and frustration have become a routine. It’s a nightmare for people who are struggling to deposit or exchange money at banks. And
The terrorist attack on the army camp in Nagrota, Jammu, in which seven army personnel and three terrorists have died, raises some important points – and questions yet to be answered:
Prime minister Narendra Modi has asked all MPs and MLAs of his party to come clean, and declare their bank transaction details to the party chief. Somewhat like demonetisation itself, it is pointle
The prime minister has directed MPs of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to declare their bank transactions to the president of the party in a bid to lead by example to come clean on their actions a
Actor-turned-politician Manoj Tiwari intends to end the infighting within Delhi`s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) factions and strengthen the party unit ahead of the municipal elections in 2017.
Chances are you have already chosen which side of the fence you are on when it comes to the demonetisation debate. Demonetising 86% of the currency is an unprecedented step and India is flying by t
Like many of us in India, Kenneth Rogoff, a Harvard professor and former chief economist at IMF, backs the logic behind India’s demonetisation and balks at its implementation.
Villages are emptying out, but 67 percent of people still live in rural and semi-rural areas – where there are few banks, where getting to an ATM may take half a day, where many have not seen
On November 8, the Government of India announced its decision to pull high-value currency notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 denomination out of circulation, with immediate effect. A detailed procedure
O Panneerselvam kept a photograph of J Jayalalithaa, who die
I was glued to the television screen, following the US presidential election coverage. In the midst of an extremely intense television debate, where each participant was grappling for airtime
Najeeb Jung, a key player in the battle between the Narendra Modi government at the centre and Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal government, sprung a surprise and quit as lieutenant governor on Thursda
It is prime minister Narendra Modi all the way in the 2017 calendar released by the government of India. It is akin to sycophancy displayed by Congress leader Dev Kant Barooah who pr
FAKE news – easy to make, easier to spread – is fast becoming the AK-47 of the cyber guerrillas of information warfare. It is one of the choicest weapons in a world being adjectivised a
“This government will continue to follow sound and prudent economic policies, to ensure that India has a bright future in the long run. We will not take decisions for short term political poi
How would you describe the post-truth phenomenon in the Indian context? Speaking in the context of post-truth, we have a live instance of it in the demonetisation pl
Come January 2017, and you will be able to fly from Jamnagar to Ahmedabad or Allahabad to Gorakhpur… or so claims the government. The Modi government’s ambitious regional connectivity
Rejecting the allegation of more than Rs 104 crore deposits in the bank account of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) post demonetisation, BSP supremo Mayawati launched a seething attack at the centre a
“It would not be impossible to prove with sufficient repetition and a psychological understanding of the people concerned that a square is in fact a circle. They are mere words, and words
Learned obits were written to Truth in the year that went by. The incredible came to be believed, driven by the logic of several million tweets, retweets and WhatsApp forwards. And ’post-trut
Winter mist hangs over Johra, a village of 928 people situated on the Ganga canal, 50 km east of New Delhi, in Ghaziabad. It is colder here than in Muradnagar, the nearest town, on the Delhi-Meerut
Concerned about the abuse of power, French sociologist David Émile Durkheim in 1912 wrote that there could be no society which, at regular intervals, did not feel the need to uphold and reaf
Prediction is risky: go wrong, and you lose credibility; get it right, and your worst dreams come true. While other bold and learned haruspices of journalism inspect the entrails of 2016 to project
Transferring and receiving money in banks was not easy until the launch of united payment interface (UPI)-based mobile banking, a product of national payments corporation of India (NPCI), a governm
The BHIM app has crossed a million registered users on Tuesday. The smartphone application for digital banking is available for Android phones and will soon be available for iOS users within a mont
The election commission has announced the schedule of the biggest electoral bout of the year, in five states. Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand
The dangal is on. The election commission has announced dates to the assembly elections to five states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur. Chief election c
Uttar Pradesh Narendra Modi: The outcome of elections in UP will be construed as referendum on Prime Minister’s policies, particularly the demonetisat
Civil-military relations is not a happy phrase because it suggests a basic dichotomy and opposition between the civilian and the military perspectives. Differences in viewpoints give rise to typica
India and Israel mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of full diplomatic relations in January 2017. While relations between the two countries have been soaring for much of this time,
The implementation of the demonetisation decision carried pain. “It can lead to short term criticism and inconveniences. Drop in economic activity on account of the currency squeeze during th
For an emerging country like India, it is easier to take part in exploratory missions to Mars than to tackle its sanitation challenge. The former can be addressed through a linear process spearhead
There are two kinds of acts from the so-called fringe elements of the BJP: one embarrasses only the secular-liberals but resonates well with the party’s core constituency, and the other embar
These days demonetisation is too much with us. It started with the PM’s address on November 8 and ended with the PM’s address on December 31, but its aftershocks are still being felt. I
Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, is a great fan of Twitter and other social-media forums. As chief minister, this gave him a tech-savvy image, helping to connect with youngsters. As prim
India is in the midst of a revolution. Demonetisation has impacted every family, business and institution, providing popular support to transform society, economy, polity and governance. To get the
The dangal is on. The biggest political slugfest of the central government’s term is on, with elections announced in the five states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. Al
Haryana minister Anil Vij believes Gandhi is a not an impressive brand (Modi is), and
“The value of a man was reduced to his immediate identity and nearest possibility. To a vote. To a number. To a thing. Never was a man treated as a mind. As a glorious thing made up of st
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he is looking forward to work with US president Donald Trump to further deepen India-US ties. “Congratulations Donald Trump on assum
The rural development department has been given a target to complete 33 lakh houses in 2016-17, which include houses that were taken up under the Indira AwaasYo
In the Jammu and Kashmir budget, you have announced a basic income for construction workers, and also mentioned the concept of universal basic income. What was your rationale behind it?
From Mahatma Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram to corporate talkshop Davos, it’s creating a buzz everywhere. If nothing is stronger than an idea whose time has come, then people in more and mor
Sarath Davala has a strong opinion about public welfare. “The public welfare regime in India,” he says, “is an exercise in futility.” Some $20 billion (or about Rs 1.3 trill
Finance minister Arun Jaitley today invoked Mahatama Gandhi to justify the hardships faced by common people due to Narendra Modi Government’s decision of
Each online agriculture wholesale market will receive Rs 75 lakh each for the development of cleaning, grading and packaging of the farmers` products. There are 250 regulated markets available on t
The government in its union budget 2017-18 has increased Mahatma Gandhi Nati
Presenting the union budget 2017-18, finance minister Arun Jaitely announced 1.31 lakh crore for the capital and development expenditure of Indian Railways. A total of Rs 55,000 crore has been allo
“This budget would tremendously strengthen the economic muscle of the country. It is directionally correct, fiscally prudent and strengthens the governance fabric of the nation,” said F
SEWA Bharat had initiated a unique pilot project on cash-for-food (that is, cash replacing PDS goods) in Delhi some time ago. However, the basic income pilot project in Madhya Pradesh goes
Ahead of state assembly polls in five states –Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur – Facebook has decided to give polling day reminder on the newsfeed of its Indian users
It is that time when contesting parties take the road less travelled, woo their voters with dream schemes and swear by their promises. Each party attempts to gerrymander vote share and appeas
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday defended the decision to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, saying demonetisation took place at the right time to rid the Indian economy of black mo
There’s a lot of mud-slinging going on after prime minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on his predecessor Manmohan Singh: “Only Dr Sahab knows the art of taking bath in the bathr
The direct benefits transfer (DBT) was supposed to be the original ‘game-changer’ – in the words of the then finance minister P Chidambaram when it was announced in late 2012. DBT
Prime minister Narendra Modi’s comment on his predecessor Manmohan Singh’s alleged practice of using a raincoat in the bathroom has been met with hostile reactions. It’s difficult
If the finance ministry and the RBI are serious about promoting the shift to digitalisation, they’re going to need to increase the incentives and reduce the costs to average citizens, every
Post-demonetisation, cash did the Houdini vanishing trick at ATMs. With currency notes playing hide and seek, life was sheer misery. Things improved a bit, but the situation is back to square one.
9.44 The irresistible force of even as powerful an idea as UBI will run into the immovable object of a resistant, pesky reality. So, what is the way forward, always remembering t
What is the thinking behind launching the Swaraj party? To answer that question, we have to go back in time and see why we formed the Aam Aadmi Party [AAP].
The latest buzz on social media is about whether or not Rahul Gandhi, while campaigning in Manipur, said he would be happy to see ‘coconut juice’ from the state being sold in London wit
Reiterating that the state had a definite role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, social activist Teesta Setalvad said on Monday that the there’s enough evidence to prosecute the
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday dedicated ONGC Petro additions Ltd (OPaL) plant to the nation at a function at Bharuch, Gujarat. OPaL is
A 19-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped and forced into a sex racket by ruling-BJP members in Kutch district of Gujarat. The victim – being called the ‘Nirbhay
Aadhaar has become the most trusted instrument for administering services and subsidies for the government. Stories about Aadhaar being made mandatory for services is a daily routine. This is when
With the final phase polling in Uttar Pradesh and Manipur , the assembly polls for five states, including Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand, came to an end. Amidst all five states, the bat
Civil society organisations organised Ghotala Rath Yatra in Delhi to protest against Modi government’s alleged attempt to deliberately weaken anti-corruption institutions
Bharatiya Janata Party’s spectacular show in the elections 2017 – especially, the victory in Uttar Pradesh, has put a stamp of invincibility on prime minister Narendra Modi’s pers
Supporters celebrate the landslide victory of BJP in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand assembly elections outside the BJP office at Ashoka Road, New Delhi.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s spectacular show in the elections 2017 – especially, the victory in Uttar Pradesh, has put a stamp of invincibility on prime minister Narendra Modi&rs
The elections are over, votes are counted, victors are being sworn in – ok, in a couple of places the runners-up are being sworn in. And losers are blaming it on electronic voting mac
Prime minister Narendra Modi`s popularity has been validated throughout the election, in which he made himself and his actions the main issue in many public speeches. The ability of Modi to deliver
Like Atal Behari Vajpayee before him, prime minister Narendra Modi is a poet. He has written quite a few poems in Gujarati. On the occasion of World Poetry Day (March 21), Governance Now p
The biggest ever universal basic income exercise is taking place in Kenya, and if it works, it may be replicated in other parts of the world. India too is looking closely at UBI, with pilot project
When the truth was a few steps away from Modi’s gaze In November 2014, prime minister Narendra Modi made his first visit to his constituency Varanasi and laun
Aadhaar is arguably one of the most convoluted public policy interventions in India’s history. It has been more than eight years, yet there is little clarity on the exact purpose of the
The government has told the supreme court that the Lokpal cannot be appointed because the 2013 law needs several amendments, which will be taken up only in the monsoon session. The N
Almost a week ago, Finance Bill, 2017, was passed in the Lok Sabha as a money bill in the midst of a walk out by the opposition. In the 92-page document of the bill, centre has pushed 40 amen
Here is a proposition: Narendra Modi is the top thinker, the top intellectual of our times. Is that an exaggerated claim? Not altogether. Here’s why. After Brexit and aft
Joseph A Cannataci is the UN’s first and current special rapporteur for the right to privacy appointed by the Human Rights Council (HRC) in July 2015. His appointment came with growing glob
The well-turned-out officials had reached the sachivalaya in Gandhinagar on time, believing it would be another routine meeting with the chief minister. As soon as they had settled in, the
People who have known the prime minister up close say his magic – which according to analysts handed the BJP a landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh despite anger over demonetisation – i
Following is an excerpt from a letter
Bharatiya Janata Party’s publicity blitzkrieg in the run-up to the municipal elections in Delhi is a major psychological warfare against the Aam Admi Party (AAP), aimed at blurring th
For a man who changed the destiny of the nation – not to mention the fortunes of his party, it is ironical that luck has ultimately not favoured him. The ideology of Hindutva h
[This article was published in the October 1-15, 2013 edition, when LK Advani was of course in a different sort of predicament.] I will begin with a disclaimer. Any narrativ
(Editor`s note: This article, written in September 2013, soon after the BJP announced Narendra Modi as the party`s PM candidate, reflects on the "fragility of the Indian e
Prime minister Narendra Modi conferred PM’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration to civil servants on Friday, to mark
The BJP’s clean sweep is not just a referendum on the Arvind Kejriwal government, but also could mark the beginning of the end of one of India’s youngest political parties, the Aam Aadm
PM Narendra Modi’s yet another niftily acronymed scheme, UDAN – short for Ude ‘Desh Ka Aam Naagrik’ and otherwise called ‘Regional Connectivity Scheme’ in offici
If it was needed at all, the supreme court has cleared the air. The Lokpal Act, it has ruled, is perfectly implementable even without the pending amendments. The interpretation from the apex court
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of hydro engineering college at Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh. The college, being set up by National Thermal Power Corporat
“Generally speaking, in our country there exists an atmosphere of disdain towards the VIP culture. But that it runs so very deep, I just experienced, when the government recently decided that
Ever since Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1439 and paved the way for the Industrial Revolution, two new classes of society emerged – the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. Th
With the Indian IT and other industries facing daunting challenges from protectionism in the US and Artificial Intelligence (AI), an ASSOCHAM-PwC study has made out a case for government –ind
Arvind Panagariya’s is one of the most elegantly done up offices in Lutyens’ Delhi. Its modern furnitu
As the world marks the Press Freedom Day, prime minister Narendra Modi has sent out a message in support of vibrant press, even as a fresh ranking shows India has slipped further when it comes to e
The new steel policy promises to boost the growth of the domestic steel industry. The cabinet chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi has approved the policy to provide preference to
In a bid to boost its “neighbourhood first policy”, India will launch GSAT-9 or the South Asia satellite on May 5. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch the satellit
Anil Madhav Dave, the environment minister who passed away on Thursday, was a maverick in politics: he was an amateur pilot and once he did the parikrama, or circumambulation, of the Narmada river
Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the exploitation of river Narmada as the 150-day long Narmada Seva Yatra ended in Anuppur. Modi said on Monday that the Madhya Pradesh government has
Shortly after prime minister Narendra Modi vowed to save the Narmada ri
While India and China are pitted against each other in South Asia and the Southeast Asian region, and the former’s refusal to participate in Beijing held summit on One Belt One Road (
Narendra Modi is like Greek mythology’s King Midas: whatever he touches turns into gold. Most people in this country are left dazzled by his ability to make dramatic announcements with
Prime minister Narendra Modi celebrated three-year of his government on May 26 by inaugurating Dhola-Sadiya bridge over the Brahmaputra river in Assam’s Tinsukia district. It is the lo
Prime minister Narendra Modi’s four nation trip is expected to shore up support for India’s bid to enter the exclusive Nuclear Suppliers Group, ahead of its meeting scheduled fo
Kyoto, nicknamed the city of a thousand temples, and hence comparable to Kashi, or Varanasi, where I spent some of my formative years, is about 500 km from its anagrammatical cousin, Tokyo. But the
Some think there is only one way to score a bull’s eye, by hitting the bull’s eye. Then there are creative souls, who first shoot, and then draw a bull’s eye around the
Ganga ke jal mein apni ek taang par khada hai yeh shehar apni duusri taang se bilkul bekhabar – Hindi critic an
It’s said that to see as much of life as India can show, all one needs to do is visit Varanasi. The city, often called India’s cultural capital, has recorded continuous settleme
A gasping economy means bad politics for the Bharatiya Janata Party that is hoping to recreate the 2014 magic when it won the parliamentary election with a brute majority. Demonetisation
The Narendra Modi government seems to have shifted its focus from 2019 and is now looking beyond it. Some of the initiatives are now aligned to be completed by 2022.
Given prime minister Narendra Modi`s penchant for social media, every ministry and department has focused on Twitter, Facebook et al to reach out to the voter, and so has the agriculture ministry,
Growing up in a village in Haryana’s Bhiwani district, Ravinder Kumar had often witnessed the lackadaisical attitude of government officials. An ambitious teenager, he believed that there wer
It was a sultry afternoon but the proximity of the river made it almost pleasant. The festive atmosphere – crowds, shamiana, devotional music – completed the scene. “It is
Job prospects appear bleak with the recent release of the provisional estimates of annual national income in 2016-17. The lacklustre performance of the Indian economy observed during the fourth qua
The water resources ministry is working on a national river Ganga bill to protect the river from pollution and degeneration. Addressing the media on Monday, union minister for water resources, rive
Ram Nath Kovind, Narendra Modi, NDA, President “Ram Nath who?” That was the reaction from some newsmakers, when Ram Nath Kovind’s name was announc
Prime minister Narendra Modi’s July 5-6 visit to Israel will be of “huge importance”, stressed Israeli ambassador Daniel Carmon who added that his country is ready to offer New De
“I will always try and it is also my belief that the president’s post should be above politics,” said NDA’s presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind who filed the nomination
Since becoming prime minister in May 2014, it would be Narendra Modi’s fifth visit to the US when he lands there on June 25. Modi will not only be meeting US president Donald Trump for the fi
Prime minister Narendra Modi finally broke his silence, once again, and denounced the spate of lynching in the name of cow protection. As he visited the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, he also sai
"There is a demand for products with zero carbon footprint,” said prime minister Narendra Modi who inaugurated a mega-trade fair and exhibition: Textiles India 2017 in Gandhinagar
Narendra Modi is all set to become the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel where he lands on July 4 and leaves for home on July 6. It will also be the first time that an Indian leader visit
“If India has to grow rapidly, it cannot grow without exports. We still import a lot of raw material like laces, buttons, elastics etc, which makes production expensive for the (clothing) man
A small but sophisticated night vision device (NVD) that could track moving terrorists in the dark was the first gift from Israel to the Indian forces at a time when the latter was facing a huge ch
The fatal shooting of seven pilgrims from Gujarat during a terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra will be a crucial moment in militancy-ravaged Kashmir. The attack on a group of pilgri
Ram Nath Kovind is widely tipped to get elected as the 14th president of India. His elevation will not be without surprise. Prior to his nomination as the NDA’s candidate, few in the politi
India’s 14th president is going to be former Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind, a dalit. He triumphed over former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar in the vote count that took place on Thursda
Back in the early 1990s, Shankarsinh Vaghela was (or at least perceived to be) more popular of the two people running the BJP show in Gujarat. Today, the other man is the prime minister, and Vagh
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power in at least four states after striking alliances that may largely look untenable. Jammu and Kashmir: PDP emerged as the
In what is a clear shift in handling Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir by the Narendra Modi government, the Jammu and Kashmir police, has, for the first time, refused to hand over the b
In what is a clear shift in handling Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir by the Narendra Modi government, the Jammu and Kashmir police, has, for the first time, refused to hand over the body of
A new research on the implementation of national rural employment guarantee law (NREGA) disputes the way central government measures and offers the delay in compensation to workers. A group of thre
Prime minister Narendra Modi said in parliament in February that the government has saved Rs 14,000 crore by eliminating 3.95 crore bogus ration cards using technology and Aadhaar in last two and h
When prime minister Narendra Modi spoke about action against benami properties while delivering the I-Day address from the Red Fort ramparts, he was in fact fulfilling a promise he made during th
Prime minister Narendra Modi described as “historic” the supreme court judgment that struck down triple talaq for a period of six months. “Judgmen
Ministry of railways’ proposal of closing down Bharat Wagon and Engineering Company Limited (BWEL) has been accepted by the cabinet committee on economic affairs, chaired by the p
At a time when the standoff between India and China on Doklam is on and Beijing, in its bid to isolate India, is trying its best to win over the South Asian country’s neighbours, New Delhi&rs
Officers must not restrict themselves to files, but go to the field, to understand the true impact of decision-making, prime minister Narendra Modi told senior bureaucrats. Modi on
More than two-month old standoff between India and China on Doklam appears to have been resolved as the two countries have agreed to withdraw their border personnel from the area which lies at the
What do you do if you have to monitor government projects spread across the country? Well, there is an initiative called PRAGATI through which prime minister Narendra Modi personally gets to keep
After the 1962 India-China war, Walter Crocker, then Australia’s high commissioner to India, described prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s position by quoting from Victorian poet Robert B
A day after India and China agreed to withdraw their troops from Doklam, an area that saw a face-off between the two sides since June 16, New Delhi released statement on prime minister Narend
When the voluminous 2011 census of India was released, there were many red faces at the centre. The painstakingly collected and collated figures showed that only 32 percent Indians were using toile
Ever since the railway minister Suresh Prabhu offered to resign to prime minister Narendra Modi following two derailments in Uttar Pradesh, top officials at the Rail Bhavan appear to be in a
The erudite Nirmala Sitharaman being appointed India’s first full time defence minister was the highlight of the cabinet rejig carried out by prime minister Narendra Modi – and it was
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a “constructive” interaction with Chinese president Xi Jinping during the BRICS summit, just days after the Doklam crisis was resolved.
Political observers have consistently painted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s actions as being borne out of a dogmatic ideology. But the reshuffle-cum-expansion of the Union Cabinet on Sunday
Bahut achha hua ki ye ganda shehar ghoshit hua (Good that Gonda has been declared as the dirtiest city),” says 48-year-old Nanda Devi in a frustrated tone. Nanda is a resident of Subhash Naga
Amid media reports of adverse comments by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) on “adverse economic impact” of the anti-tobacco campaign, Dr Kailash Sharma, director (Academics) of Tata Memoria
Amid media reports of adverse comments by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) on “adverse economic impact” of the anti-tobacco campaign, Dr Kailash Sharma, director (Academics) of Tata Memoria
September 13 promises to be a busy day in the diplomatic calendar with two back-to-back events of high developmental and strategic importance for India. First, prime minister Narendra Modi and his
When Chinese President Xi Jinping was signing on the declaration of the BRICS that referred to the Pakistan- based terrorist groups as threat to peace and security in the region, the Indian d
India is changing. India`s standing at the global stage is rising and this is due to Jan Shakti, said prime minister Narendra Modi. “Follow the rules, and India will rule,” he exhorte
Bilateral engagement between New Delhi and Tokyo would receive a fillip when Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe lands in India for a three-day visit from September 13. Although, he is coming here f
Foundation stone of the 508 km long Ahmedabad-Mumbai high speed rail project was jointly laid by prime minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on Thursday at Sabarmati
Here is what prime minister Narendra Modi said during the foundation stone laying ceremony for the country’s first bullet train. It`s new India which has
After a long wait of almost half a century, filled with more twists and turns than the river Narmada’s, the Sardar Sarovar project is finally complete. Prime
On his first visit to Varanasi after the Uttar Pradesh polls, PM Modi announced and laid foundation stones of various projects on Friday and Saturday. Addressing a public meeting in
The campus of the prestigious Banaras Hindu University (BHU), which completed its 100 years less than a year ago, has turned into a curfew town following an alleged sexual harassment of an undergra
When was the last time you saw all rival telecom corporate leaders come together. May be at time of the formal launch of prime minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India programme in July 2
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday unveiled ONGC’s new corporate office - Deendayal Urja Bhavan, during the launch of PM Saubhagya Yojna, the government’s flagship scheme to p
The poor state of railway infrastructure stood exposed on Friday when a stampede broke out on a poorly maintained and narrow foot over bridge in Mumbai, killing 22 people and leaving scores i
Some people are born with silver spoon in their mouth. Some tend to acquire it. Former finance minister Yashwant Sinha is neither. He belongs to a unique genre of career bureaucrat-t
The Dokalam standoff has come and gone. After a tense 73 days, the situation on the ground appears normal but the outcome of the standoff is not clear – mostly because no joint statement has
Prime minister Narendra Modi strongly defended the fundamentals of the Indian economy, gave a befitting reply to
The Congress described as “melodramatic theatrics” the speech by prime minister Nare
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched multiple infrastructure projects, including an international airport, near Rajkot in poll-bound Gujarat and assured that water from Narmada river w
The assembly elections in Gujarat are expected by December, and the Elections Commission is touring the state on Monday to check the preparedness. It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home st
If all goes well, India’s first high-speed train would zip by in December 2023. In fact, railways minister Piyush Goyal is even confident that the 508-km Ahmedabad-Mumbai high-speed rai
Many will be surprised to know that 80 years ago, trains ran at a faster speed in North America and Western Europe than in India today. On the shorter distances (up to 500 km), daytime inter-city t
Achal Khare, MD, National High Speed Rail Corporation, is a man with big responsibility – of realising India’s dream of running a bullet train. In conversation with Vishwas Dass, Kh
Somabhai Modi says he remembers only one occasion when he offered his younger brother prime minister Narendra Modi advice regarding work. This, he says, was when Modi was chief minister of Gujara
Gujarat will have two-stage elections for the next assembly, on December 9 and December 14, and the results will be out on December 14, the election commission announced on Tuesday. The fir
After GST, dozens of different types of indirect taxes in the country have been abolished. Many hidden taxes have also gone away. Now, the consumer knows how much tax he has paid to the state gover
When prime minister Narendra Modi laid emphasis on internal democracy within political parties during a Diwali Milan interaction with the media in Delhi, he was merely echoing the sentiments of Sya
Namibia has joined the growing list of countries where India has made investments in oil and gas blocks. ONGC Videsh has acquired a 30 percent stake in an oil block in this southwest African nation
Campaigning in Himachal Pradesh early in November, prime minister Narendra Modi raised the pitch for good governance when he spoke about ridding the state of the five demons of mining mafia, forest
There has been a significant increase in the number of income tax payers following demonetisation that took place on November 8, 2016. The number of e-filed personal income tax returns (I
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday batted for demonetisation, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called it a tragedy as November 8 marked a year since the note ban took place. &ldq
There is speculation about ties improving between the BJP and the DMK after prime minister Narendra Modi met DMK supremo Karunanidhi at his Gopalapuram residence in Chennai on Monday. He also
M Karunanidhi alias Kalaignar dons the hat of an outstanding scriptwriter of Tamil cinema besides being a formidable politician and Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam (DMK) chief. Yet he would have found it
When prime minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, was about to board his official plane to visit Varanasi about two years ago, he got a call from the then Frenc
The cabinet on Thursday approved the establishment of the National Anti-profiteering Authority under GST. The cabinet chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi has given its approval f
Prime minister Narendra Modi’s growing popularity can in part be traced to public satisfaction with his handling of domestic issues, said Pew Research Centre in its latest report.
When it comes to dealing with the disputed border regions of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian public favours an aggressive stance, said the Pew Research Center, a US based think-tank. A
Roughly two-thirds of Indians say a good way to govern the country would be experts, not elected officials, making decisions according to what they think is best for the nation. India is one of onl
One year has passed since the Modi regime applied shock therapy to improve the functioning of the Indian economy through demonetisation on November 8, 2016. Thus, legal tender to rupee notes worth
In October, during yet another of his visits to Gujarat, prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a curious range of projects in Vadodara: a transport hub and multi-level parking facility as well a
Policy planners may already be engaged in analysing why the country does not look cleaner than it was three years ago. The central government has launched several schemes from time to time –
The government has repeatedly said that note ban has had a huge impact on terrorism. But, ground reports seem to indicate otherwise. To effectively battle terrorism in Kashmir as wel
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched Umang mobile application, an integrated platform for government to citizen services. Umang - an acronym for unified mobile ap
"We in India, give primacy to the human face of technology, and are using it to improve what I call, `ease of living`," said prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. &ldq
As terror mastermind Hafeez Saeed walked free in Pakistan, Rahul Gandhi tweeted to ridicule prime minister Narendra Modi’s diplomacy, and in response BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao called
Gujarat has always been a riddle for those who tend to apply conventional academic or intellectual tools to unravel the mystery. When confusion gets confounded, such analysts invent subterfuge to c
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that he may have to pay a political price for the reforms that are aimed at ending corruption, but he was ready for it. Modi said that
In Ahmedabad, any mention of this locality elicits quite a reaction. “There’s no point in going there. It’s been 15 years now. It’s all developed!” And I’d be te
A calamity in the times of intense politics, particularly just ahead of elections, is the worst reckoner of history. Luckily, the Cyclone Ockhi that hit the southern coast of Gujarat earlier this w
As the first phase of the Gujarat elections is on, one question that political pundits and common people alike are asking is: who is likely to win? Indeed, these elections are vital for the BJP, no
From ‘neech’ to ‘dadhi-topi’, the run-up to Gujarat assembly elections have seen politicians stooping to a new low to score brownie points over their adversaries.
Familiarity, it is said, breeds contempt. But a two-decade-long association of a political party with the electorate is bound to unleash demons of contempt, jealousy and disaffection.
Prime minister Narendra Modi’s seaplane ride in Gujarat is certainly unique, but it is not as historic as it is being made out to be. Gujarat chief Minister Vijay Rupani said t
Naval submarine INS Kalvari was dedicated to the nation by prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday in Mumbai. INS Kalvari is a diesel-electric attack submarine built by the Mazagon
Assembly elections in Gujarat, since 2002, have been like Churchill’s description of Russia – with a little twist: wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, but eventually a non-riddle.
When prime minister Narendra Modi dedicated Kalvari submarine to the nation, it was significant for more than one reason. Not only did the submarine enhance India’s capability as a blue water
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) surged ahead in the first hour of vote count in both Gujarat as well as Himachal Pradesh. The initial trends on Monday indicate that th
All eyes are on Gujarat as the vote count is on, but in the state all eyes might be on Ahmedabad. The chief city, and the early capital before the planned township of Gandhinagar cam
9:13 am: Like failed political analysts, parties also look for an excuse to explain away their failures. Right from the word go, the opposition in Gujarat began with a bravado but
An hour of vote count has showed that it is not going to be an easy win for the BJP in Gujarat as well as Himachal Pradesh, as had been predicted by the numerous exit polls. While th
As of writing, there are only leads, and the gap between the BJP and the Congress is somewhat increasing. Yet, it looks like a close battle – not what all the exit polls had forecast.
There was a time during the vote count when the BJP election managers may well have chewed through their nails as the Congress put up a spirited fight in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. But, soon the
In future, the Gujarat elections might as well be remembered for the arrival of Rahul Gandhi. Going by the leads, the Congress is certainly not going to win, and few ha
Prime minister Narendra Modi flashed the victory sign before entering parliament, as trends indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party was all set to retain Gujarat and win in Himachal Pradesh.
Going by the leads, the BJP is set to establish its stronghold in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Confident of his party’s victory, prime minister Narendra Modi even flashed a victory sign whil
Prime minister Narendra Modi has thanked voters of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh and credit good governance for his party’s victories in the state assemblies. “I bow to th
Another Modi emerged triumphant in Gujarat on Monday. No, we are not talking about prime minister Narendra Modi who is credited with scripting the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh victories, but it is
1934 The first elections After the British law paved the way for representational assemblies, the first elections were held in 1934. Gujarat was then part o
More often, a colloquial proverb sums up a complex political situation more aptly than scholarly formulations. If one looks at the Gujarat verdict, nothing summarises it more perfectly than the ada
The BJP is set to form the sixth government in Gujarat. Not counting a bump in 1996-98 thanks to its own rebel Shankarsinh Vaghela, the party has been in power since 1995, and shows no signs of ant
Prime minister Narendra Modi emerged as the most mentioned personality, while Vijay Rupani emerged as the most mentioned candidate on Twitter, the social media giant said in a release.
Speculation is over, as senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley announced in Gandhinagar Friday that Vijay Rupani will continue as chief minister of Gujarat, along with Nitin Patel as his deputy. The specul
It is the story of the exoneration of A Raja and the conviction of a metaphorical raja (Lalu Prasad used to call himself a raja of Bihar) that reveals a complex web of governance in India.
As many as 99.01 taxpayers have been registered under the GST, authorities said on Wednesday. The total collection under GST for the month of December 2017 has been Rs. 80,808 crore
Something unusual is happening in the defence arena: the Narendra Modi government has shown remarkable courage to embark on a long and arduous journey that will have a long-term impact on India&rsq
The bullet train, the big-ticket headline-grabbing project now firmly under way, includes an engineering marvel: the country’s first undersea rail tunnel. It will come up just north of Mumb
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) working president Pravin Togadia is in the news after a long time. This week, Togadia went `missing` for an entire day as the Gujarat and Rajasthan police were on the lo
Prime minister Narendra Modi underlined the need for a consensus among the nation to realise the dream of a beautiful shared future, as he addressed the plenary session of the World Economic Forum
In his justly praised speech at the World Economic Forum at Davos, prime minister Narendra Modi highlighted three among the numerous threats to our shared future: climate change, terrorism and prot
If you are a keen watcher of the celebrations on Independence Day or Republic Day, you may be aware of the security risks these two events used to entail. Sleuths were busy in carrying out raids wh
When finance minister Arun Jaitley rises to present the union budget 2018 in parliament on Thursday, most Indians will be hoping that he leaves them with more money in their pockets. &nbs
2019 will mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, and finance minister Arun Jaitley in his budget speech has announced that the government plans to celebrate the occasion.
The budget promises to make it easier for the common man too – easier to leave, though it is not clear leave what.
Prime minister Narendra Modi used the occasion of the budget presentation by finance minister Arun Jaitley to launch a “political psy-op”, to borrow a phrase used by intelligence agenci
"It is a growth oriented budget. What we are doing now for the agriculture sector should have been done 20-30 years ago otherwise there will be food inflation and food crisis,” says Gaur
There were several announcements for farmers and the farm sector in the union budget 2018. Which among them would be most important in realising the target of doubling the farmers&rsq
The union budget will boost investments, accelerate innovation and generate new career opportunities, felt experts who noted that the focus on Artificial Intelligence is a timely move.
India might actually be able to reduce its fiscal deficit to 3 percent by 2019-2020, said a top official. “Fiscal Deficit at 3.3% for 2018-19, backed with statutory commitment
As many as five articles of the Constitution may have to be amended so as to pave the way for holding assembly polls along with the general election. While giving its views after get
The budgetary allocation for health has increased by 11.5 percent this year. It has increased to Rs 52,800 crores in 2018-19 from Rs 47,353 in 2017-18. Government in the budget 2018
Political parties rarely survive on static social bases in a democracy. The BJP has been experimenting with shifting its social bases and coalescing them in a formidable vote bank in every round of
The partition happened due to the wrong policies of the Congress party, said prime minister Narendra Modi who called for building a new India. In the reply to the Motion of Thanks to
Listen, O! Lord: Standing things shall fall, That which moves shall stay… As prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday walked across the aisle to reach
The Narendra Modi government, in its last full union budget 2018- 19, introduced two ambitious health policies under ‘Ayushman Bharat for New India - 2022’. The budget introduced
Union minister Mansukh L Mandaviya, 45, is among the younger politicians to have made it to the cabinet. He is in charge of road transport and highways, shipping, chemicals and fertilisers. In
The new year is barely a month old and, all of a sudden, it seemed the year 2019 was almost here. The end of December was the time of crucial state election results, and the beginning of February w
PM Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone for Rs 16,700 crore Navi Mumbai International Airport. The first phase of the construction is expected to be completed by December 2019. The pro
Diagnosing what ails India’s governance, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar used to name three units or offices that are so corrupted that they are beyond redemption: village patwaris, police
Prime minister Narendra Modi and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman are in the midst of one direct attack, one insidious insinuation and a special kind of offensive. These concerted actions have
The UP investors’ summit has received an overwhelming response. On the opening day, Wednesday, 1,045 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 4.28 trillion were signed at the summit &ndas
“They have money, marketing, television and media at their disposal. But, Congress is going to win the assembly election in Karnataka because we have the poor, the farmers and the labourers s
“From princess to poetry and from Buddha to Bollywood; India & Korea have so much in common,” prime minister Narendra Modi said while addressing the India-Korea Business Summi
Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani asserts that he is sure his party, BJP, will repeat the performance of 2014 Lok Sabha election in the 2019 national elections as the “Modi magic” is
Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, has opted out of a meeting on the appointment of the Lokpal, a move that may end up further delaying the process for the country getting
In 1985, as a reporter of the Times of India, I got a chance to attend a lecture by one of the greatest legal minds of our times, Nani Palkhivala, at a function organised by an industries body in K
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Agartala in December 2014 to dedicate the second unit of ONGC`s Palatana to the nation. People gathered in large numbers to listen to him. Invited to the ceremon
Just a few months before the Lok Sabha elections of 2004, the BJP had held its national executive in Hyderabad to chart out the future course of action. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu
On the occasion of the Women’s Day on Thursday, several inspiring stories of courageous women were circulated on social media following prime minister Narendra Modi’s social media campa
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with French president Emmanuel Macron who is on a four-day visit to India, inaugurated the 75 MW solar power plant in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday.
In the post-Modi phase of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani is the first BJP leader to lead the party in assembly elections and seek a fresh mandate. The results in December were rather underwhelming as
The unambiguous message of the by-elections in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not only the biggest vote-catcher for the BJP, he is the only one. If
What is Narendra Modi’s biggest electoral success during the current term as prime minister? At first blush, most would say the Uttar Pradesh victory. That would be looking at the obvious (UP
N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Friday parted ways from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the centre. The official quitting of the alliance was pr
Manish Kumar, a 1991 batch IAS officer, heads National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), and thus is driving the skill development mission of the Modi government. Earlier, he was the countr
Taking cognisance of the alleged CBSE paper leak of Maths and Economics for classes 10 and 12, respectively, prime minister Narendra Modi asked union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar to take st
In India, every election is unique in its own way. Each can be called a trendsetter for future politics, although the reality is that an election often resets established political equations. Those
Early in March, farmers of Maharashtra belonging to tribal and backward groups marched from Nashik to Mumbai under the aegis of the CPI(M)-backed Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha. They wanted to dra
Ghazipur figures prominently in Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies, the first novel of his Ibis trilogy. Set in the 1830s, it presents Ghazipur as a centre of large-scale opium production, and nar
The bickering between the BJP and the Shiv Sena has now become a regular feature. The Sena is seen to be progressively distancing from the BJP following its announcement that it will not contest th
The Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train will have a few general category seats in order to accommodate people who do not have reservation, says Achal Khare, managing director of the National High Speed R
As media reports spoke of ATMs across the country going dry, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a dig at the government even as the finance ministry reviewed the situation and blamed it on “un
It’s always lonely at the top. Prime minister Narendra Modi’s marathon townhall event at the Central Hall Westminster, titled ‘Bharat ki Baat, Sab ke Saath’, was nothing but
India has been consistently forg ing closer ties with African states since the India-Africa Forum Summit of taneously, there has been notice able emphasis on the eastern and october 2015. Simultane
As the Congress leads a bunch of opposition parties in preparing to move an impeachment motion against the chief justice of India, Dipak Misra, BJP president has said its real agenda is not to save
There is an uncanny similarity in the pathological opposition to prime minister Narendra Modi by two members of the right wing, Pravin Togadia and Yashwant Sinha. They come from a di
Just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked up to the museum in Wuhan during his two-day China visit, a smiling president Xi Jinping was waiting to receive him. Xi then gave him a nugget of critica
Finally there is a political target and a timetable for transforming 115 most backward districts by 2022, but does the NITI Aayog appreciate the unprecedented nature and scale of the effort?
If political punditry is to be believed, the predictable outcome of the Karnataka election will invariably be a hung house. And this punditry is based on sound logic which is quite convincing for a
While driving down from Bengaluru to Mysuru, you come across a patch of hillocks near Ram Nagar, a place that provided the backdrop for the all-time hit Bollywood movie, Sholay. This was where vill
The above picture was shot in a slum near Neelasandra. It’s a Muslim-dominated area where people have been fervent Congress supporters. They were enthusiastic about being photographed. Luckil
Four years ago my article,
When it comes to Narendra Modi and, by extension, his four years at the helm so far, people tend to react sharply, putting objectivity aside. Yet, one objective statement that can be made as his go
When numbers forced prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to demit office on the thirteenth day, he delivered a memorable speech in the Lok Sabha, ending on a trademark wave of his hand and saying th
If you want to know why the Narendra Modi government`s proposal for lateral entry of experts into the hallowed precincts of the Indian Administration Service has kicked up such a row, this anecdote
Narendra Modi has finally emerged as the architect of unity – of opposition unity, that is. Though it took the Congress and other non-NDA parties four years to learn this lesson, it has come
A quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” Those initiated into English-language journalism were asked to learn this sentence by rote and type it on a typewriter repeatedly to familiarise th
Skeletons, if kept in the cupboards of investigative agencies, are bound to tumble out much sooner than later. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is no exception. The corridors of the CBI he
Self-deception is an essential trait of a revolutionary, particularly of the Marxist variety. Rahul Gandhi as the Congress president seems too eager to internalise this trait in his politics.
A 32-minute short film titled ‘Chalo Jeete Hain’, premiered at a screening hosted by vice president M Venkaiah Naidu at the GMC Balayogi auditorium on Wednesday, is more remarkable for
It was nearly midnight at a small ground in Aminabad of Lucknow, and an enthusiastic crowd was waiting for VP Singh. This was in 1988, after the Bofors scandal had blown up in the face of prime min
Thirteen years after it was announced by the government of India, the dedicated freight corridor (DFC) project is still struggling to take off due to lackadaisical attitude of the Indian Rail
Demagoguery is elemental to politics. But the use of lies, rather patent lies, as an instrument of politics is a new trend. In the age of social media lies peddled with confidence acquire features
In politics, the coining of slogans is nothing less than the work of literature. Like any good and creative piece of poetry or prose finds resonance with people, smart slogans set the political moo
Ashis Nandy is arguably India’s most formidable public intellectual of his generation – and often the most controversial too, for his maverick and unusual
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), like prime minister Narendra Modi, remains “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma” for many. Analysts tend to interpret both accordin
Tumse pehle jo shakhs yahan takht-nashin tha Usko bhi apne khuda hone pe itna hi yakeen tha (The man who sat on this throne before you was equally convinced of b
In political discourse, the term ‘Banana Republic’ defines a state with a high degree of political instability, societal violence and oppressive inequality. American author O Henr
Before he laid the foundation for the world’s tallest statue of India’s first deputy prime minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, on October 31, 2013, Narendra Modi (then chief minister of
Dhiraj Nayyar’s book, Modi and Markets: Arguments for Transformation (published in October by Westland) came a bit too early. The title would have made for seductive reading had it coincide
Vibrant Gujarat, the biannual gathering organised by Gujarat, will go beyond pitching for investments and will provide a forum to explore trade and export opportunities. The ninth edition of the ev
“You will soon be talking to a new foreign secretary,” said prime minister Rajiv Gandhi announcing the sacking of the incumbent at a televised press conference in 1986. Foreign secret
During his stint as BJP general secretary (organisation) and in-charge of Madhya Pradesh affairs in the late 1990s, Narendra Modi had acquired a new nickname. He was called “master sahib&rd
Prime minister Narendra Modi unveiled a new airport complex at Bamrauli airport in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj district on December 16. Modi applauded the efforts o
Prime minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation of Paradip Hyderabad pipeline product project (PHPL) by IOCL and Bokaro-Angul section of Jagdishpur-Haldia & Bokaro-Dhamra gas pipeline proj
The Razor’s Edge, a 1944 novel by Somerset Maugham, explores the dichotomy between materialism and spirituality. The title is derived from a line of Katha Upanishad: “The sharp edge of
It`s an idea rejected by the central government many times over - the latest in December 2018. India must remain united by a single time, the government reasoned, because coordination between zones
In cricket, reverse sweep was an unconventional invention by some batsmen not only to neutralize the spin but score a big hit. Cricket analogies are often applied on Indian politics while analyzing
Narendra Modi-led NDA government is due to present its last budget on February 1, before the 2019 general elections. Finance minister Arun Jaitley, who is currently in US for medical treatment, is
On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 71st death anniversary, prime minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the “National Salt Satyagraha Memorial” at Dandi, Gujarat on January 30. T
The interim budget for 2019-20, presented by the interim finance minister Piyush Goyal, is predictably focused on the coming elections. From agriculture to defence, and pleasing the middle class, t
An official who worked closely with Narendra Modi during his stint as the chief minister of Gujarat told me an anecdote to explain his style of working. Just before the 2007 state assembly election
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the 220 kV Srinagar-Alusteng-Drass-Kargil – Leh transmission system to the nation to ensure uninterrupted power supply to Ladakh round the year. The mov
Foundation stone for seven extra high voltage (EHV) sub-stations and 24 low tension (LT) sub-stations was recently laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh. The project
“Aandhi” (Storm), director Gulzar’s movie starring Suchitra Sen and Sanjeev Kumar, was made in 1975, when Indira Gandhi reigned supreme in Indian politics. The film, based on Ka
Just as army commandos who conducted surgical strikes in September 2016 returned safely to their base, India’s Director General of Military Operation (DGMO) called his counterpart in Pakistan
View The announcement is related to ‘national security’, hence it does not violate the model code of conduct. Mission Shakti is undoubtedly a big achievement fo
Diaspora diplomacy has emerged as an important component of India’s foreign policy in the last few decades. At the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in January, prime minister Narendra Modi emphasised
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is an archetypal Indian socialist, a Lohiaite whose tribe is practically extinct. In his personal life, he is extremely austere. In his political life, he is s
Chandramouli Vashisht, 29, an engineer who lives in Madhu Vihar, in the middle-class Patparganj locality of east Delhi, says that during the last Lok Sabha election, he voted for the BJP, but the v
Sunil Bhatt, a Gujarat-based professional, has completed what is possibly the first PhD thesis on prime minister Narendra Modi. The thesis, titled ‘Leadership, Governance and Develo
The fifth of the seven phases of general election 2019 is currently underway and a total of 51 seats across seven States have gone to polls. Voting will take place in a
The 2019 parliamentary election in India is a humungous affair: about 890 million voters, nearly thrice the population of the United States, many months of planning, over a month of actual voting a
Indian Railways spent Rs 52.18 lakh to organise the inaugural function of the country’s first engineless semi-high speed train Vande Bharat express. The train was flagged off by prime ministe
Making a clean sweep against the Indian National Congress (INC), the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) is set to win about 300 of the 543 seats in parliament all by itself.
The resounding and unprecedented mandate in favour of Narendra Modi in the 2019 general elections signals two very clear indicators: firstly, voters across India appreciate the Modi 1.0 governance,
Gujarat was passing through a turbulent phase in the 1980s. The decade began middle class agitations against new reservation policies, and the caste friction turned communal under the watch of chie
In a historic move with long political repercussions, the Narendra Modi government on Monday moved to scrap the special status granted via Article 370 to Jammu and Kashmir, ending decades of debate
During her long and enviable career in politics, Sushma Swaraj fashioned a one-of-a-kind place for herself: a spirited debater who could articulate the common man’s aspirations in the common
Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort for the first in his second term, prime minister Narendra Modi highlighted the new beginnings his government has made in recent days, and und
With Mumbai city battling myriad civic issues and annual flooding year after year, stakeholders and experts came together to discuss ways of dealing with these issues as community work. The discuss
Prime minister Narendra Modi has told US president Donald Trump that Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s “incitement to anti-India violence” was not good for peace in south Asia.
Contrast prime minister Narendra Modi’s first Independence Day speech in 2014 with his latest, the first in the second term, and you know the difference. His first speech was less about futur
An unintended consequence of the inversion of Article 370 and the division of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories is the curious revival of Pakistan’s interest in Indian
Sometime in 1999, I took Arun Jaitley out for meal for the column, “Lunch with Business Standard”. As is his wont, he chose his own place for lunch. It was at the Chambers at the Taj Ma
Jairam Ramesh and Shashi Tharoor have stirred the hornet’s nest in the Congress. They have argued that the party should not “demonise” prime minister Narendra Modi. The two leader
The petroleum and energy sectors will play a vital role in making India a 5 trillion dollar economy, as envisaged by prime minister Narendra Modi. Addressing the 7th convocation of
Addressing the Conference of Parties (COP14) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced that India would raise its target o
The Promise of India: How Prime Ministers Nehru to Modi Shaped the Nation (1947-2019) By Jaimini Bhagwati Penguin Viking, 385+xxix pages, Rs 799
The event was named ‘Howdy Modi’. “But Modi alone is nothing. I am a person working for the wishes of 130 crore people in India. So when you ask, ‘Howdy Modi’, I would
The time for talking is over; the world needs to act now. That was the message prime minister Narendra Modi delivered at the Climate Action Summit 2019 during 74th session of UNGA in New York.
Payal Jangid, a teenager from Rajasthan, has become the first recipient of the Changemaker Award at the Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards. This was in recognition of her campaign to end child labour
The Indian economy has benefited from the climate of political stability in the country, prime minister Narendra Modi said, as he invited the global investor community to India.
Public participation and voluntarism has been the hallmark of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the reason for its success, prime minister Narendra Modi has said. Thanking the entire country for the wholeh
Barely four days are left for Chinese president Xi Jinping to land in Mamallapuram (or Mahabalipuram) for an informal summit with prime minister Narendra Modi. While official confirmation is still
Prime minister Narendra Modi has accepted president Xi Jinping’s invitation to visit China in 2020 for their third informal summit after Wuhan and Mamallapuram, indicating both sides’ r
The voters’ trust in Brand Modi is not a short-term affair – if anything, it is only increasing, or so it seems going by the numbers exit polls have given after the Maharashtra and Hary
India’s Act East Policy is a significant cornerstone of the Indo-Pacific strategy, prime minister Narendra Modi said, adding that ASEAN is at the core of Act East Policy. Modi
When the corridor to the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib, in Kartarpur (Pakistan), was opened for the pilgrims from India on November 9, prime minister Narendra Modi recalled the fall of Berlin Wall, which
After a day-long debate which often turned acrimonious, the Lok Sabha has passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, seeking to provide citizenship to non-Muslims from three neighbouring countri
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 has been cleared by parliament, as the Upper House on Wednesday passed the legislation that seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from three neighbo
The world today is eager to know Gandhi and ready to accept him, and thus it becomes India’s responsibility to keep reminding the world of the abiding relevance of Mahatma and his vision, pri
The union cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the proposal for conducting Census of India 2021 and updation of National Population Register (NPR), even as protests
The new year and the decade will be the time when India’s millennials will start contributing to the nation, Prime minister Narendra Modi has said in the outgoing year’s last broadcast
The National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCTD) goes to polls on February 8, amid debates and protests for and against the amended citizenship law and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC
As India gears up to celebrate its 71st Republic Day on January 26, it will host Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro as the chief guest of the event that marks the day when the country formally adop
Urging all who have taken the path of violence for their political campaigns to shun it and return to the mainstream, prime minister Narendra Modi has said that weapons cannot achieve lasting peace
Prime minister Narendra Modi has announced in parliament the cabinet decision to form a trust to oversee the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, as ordered by the supreme court.
Delhi is voting today in a high-stakes assembly elections that have virtually been projected as a referendum on the CAA-NRC debate, which from the BJP dominated the high-decibel campaign. The rulin
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Arvind Kejriwal rewrote the political playbook of the country, by repeating the stunning performance of 2015, as it won 62 of the 70 seats in Delhi assembly, leavin
Preparation is in full swing for US president Donald Trump’s India visit on February 24-25. This will be his maiden India visit as president. As per the ministry of external affairs press rel
America loves India, America respects India, said US president Donald Trump as he and first lady Melania Trump began their short visit of India from Ahmedabad on Monday, welcomed by prime minister
On the second and last day of US president Donald Trump’s India visit, prime minister Narendra Modi said the real foundation of Indo-US friendship is people-to-people relations. Trump, meanwh
In the more than 40 hours of stay in India during his two-day visit, US president Donald Trump exhibited his talents as a politician and also a showman with acumen to provide the Indian audience an
No untoward incidents have been reported from the parts of the capital that witnessed communal riots this week, but the peace Thursday morning was still tentative and a number of those hospitalized
COVID-19 has claimed first life in India as the authorities scrambled to contain the further spread Novel Coronavirus. A 76-year-old man in Karnataka who had tested positive for COVI
India has taken the lead in reaching out to the neighbouring member-nations of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and prime minister Narendra Modi has proposed to set up
Sunday marked a watershed in India’s battle with the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus outbreak: following prime minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for a “janta curfew”, people stayed
India is making an all-out effort to save a billion-plus people from the outbreak of COVID-19, bringing most parts of the country under curfew and lockdown, as the number of people affected by the
The lockdown in most parts of India was extended Tuesday night to the whole nation – for 21 days, bringing life to a standstill in the subcontinent. Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday ev
As the nation battles the Coronavirus outbreak, a billion-plus population is confined at home in the 21-day lockdown, and this is leading to mental health concerns. “It is a t
In the thick of battle with the deadly coronavirus, India on March announced a 21-day lockdown till April 14 in its bid to control the spread of virus which has so far led to 10 people’s deat
As COVID -19 cases continue to rise amid a 21-day lockdown, the centre and the states are proactively taking measures to provide aid to the underprivileged and the needy during this unprecedented s
In a bid to break the “chain of transmission” of the deadly Covid-19, India, a country with more than 1.3 billion population, observed a voluntary ‘Janata Curfew’ on March 2
Demobilization, like its predecessor – demonetization, is another decision gone bad in implementation. In both instances a careful public administrative action through its governance sy
In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, people of India have realized their collective strength, prime minister Narendra Modi said in a short video message Friday morning. He also urged people to lig
As Indians switched off lights in homes and lighted lamps and candles Sunday night following prime minister Narendra Modi’s appeal as a gesture of solidarity in the fight against COVID-19, th
This article originally appeared on the ORF website: https://www.orf
As the 21-day lockdown comes to an end on Tuesday, prime minister Narendra Modi announced that the restrictions meant to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus were now extended till May 3, followin
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has assured the large number of migrant labourers who are getting anxious to return to their homes that the fight against the Covid-19 virus is being fou
With Ramzaan expected to begin from April 24-25, when the Muslim community will observe dawn-to-dusk fast for the month, Muslim scholars and imams of masjids across India have come out with guideli
Whatever may be the reason behind US president Donald Trump’s irksome statement against India and then within 24 hours correcting it by making placatory remarks for prime minister Narendra Mo
India on Monday began relaxing some of the movement restrictions in place since the lockdown began on March 24 in response to the Covid-19 outbreak, mostly in safe areas outside the containment zon
Prime minister Narendra Modi has hailed India’s fight against Covid-19 as people-driven, and also urged people to use the occasion as an opportunity to look at our lives with a fresh perspect
As India entered the last week of the extended lockdown to counter Covid-19, prime minister Narendra Modi and his key cabinet colleagues held a video conference with the state chief ministers Monda
In his interaction with Indian overseas students from the UK, Canada, Singapore, Europe and Australia through video-conferencing on April 26, union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gad
In the current times, every country across the globe is engaged in a battle against Covid-19. The architecture of a country`s constitution influences it’s response to this pandemic – au
As the world’s most extensive and arguably strictest lockdown completes 50 days, India remains in double mind: there are good arguments for and against extending the movement restrictions. Th
Sapio Umbrella, a unit of government advisory firm Sapio Analytics, has received support from Nobel Laureates Dr Michael Levitt and Colonel H R Naidu Gade in form of advisory engagement in strength
India is determined to “set an example” for the rest of the word in the post-pandemic economic revival, prime minister Narendra Modi has said, underling the need to become self-reliant.
For all intents and purposes, India is going to reset its relations with China and a subtle hint to this regard has been given by the Narendra Modi government after the deadly June 15/16 night face
India would play a leading role in the global revival, prime minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, as he addressed the inaugural session of India Global week via video-conference.
History was created as prime minister Narendra Modi participated in the foundation-stone-laying ceremony for the new Ram Temple in Ayodhya on Wednesday, ending centuries of controversy.
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a platform for “Transparent Taxation - Honouring the Honest” through video conferencing. Addressing trade and industry b
As parliament on Monday commenced its special session amid the raging Covid-19 pandemic, prime minister Narendra Modi underlined the importance of debate in the house, saying that it is “bene
Sections of the news media have degenerated into becoming the pet performing poodle of the government, says Manish Tewari, former information and broadcasting minister and a member of the Lok Sabha
Is India finally gaining an upper hand over the Covid-19 pandemic? After weeks of new cases hitting 90,000-plus every day, the tide seems to be turning, as the number came down to 75,083 on Tuesday
As India maintained a lowering curve of new Covid-19 infections, prime minister Narendra Modi launched a public movement Thursday, appealing everyone to unite in the fight against the coronavirus a
India has a robust media and if that was not the case news channels and outlets would not be reporting against the government and the ruling parties, BJP national spokesperson Nalin Kohli has said.
Though his government’s response to the Covid-19 crisis has often evoked sharp criticisms from many quarters, the result of latest round of elections – the all-crucial assembly election
The expansion of the testing and treatment network and more availability of oxygen top the government’s priorities in combating the spread of Covid-19, prime minister Narendra Modi indicated
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday had virtual meetings with three teams working on developing and manufacturing vaccine for COVID-19. These teams are from Gennova Biopharmaceut
Laying the foundation stone of the new parliament building on Thursday, prime minister Narendra Modi said it is an intrinsic part of the vision of ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ and will be a la
Expressing regret over long trials of court cases in India and acknowledging that the justice delivery system in the country needs reforms, Gaurav Bhatia, BJP national spokesperson, has said that t
Jugalbandi: The BJP Before Modi By Vinay Sitapati Penguin Random House, xiv+410 pages, Rs 799 The love and respect India has for the first pri
India on Saturday began the massive vaccination drive against Covid-19, as prime minister Narendra Modi paid tributes the ‘corona warriors’. “Such a vaccination dri
India is celebrating the 72nd Republic Day on Tuesday. Attendance at the main celebrations in the capital is limited given the pandemic, yet Covid-19 has not dampened the spirit of the occasion. In
In a scathing attack on media, political analyst Shehzad Poonawala has said that the time of media is gone and anyone with a smartphone and a social media account can be a journalist today.
As the budget session of parliament commenced on Friday amid the coronavirus pandemic as well as the farmers protests, prime minister Narendra Modi urged fellow parliamentarians to make “full
The media is working under immense fear and compelled to align with the government failing which it is threatened by agencies like the enforcement directorate and income tax department, says Kumar
Prime minister Narendra Modi has described the farmer protest as genuine (“pavitra”), while blaming other activists – “Andolanjeevis” – for hijacking it and givi
The spirit of collaboration among nations in meeting the challenge of Covid-19 has been a valuable take-away from the pandemic, prime minister Narendra Modi said Thursday, as he suggested creating
Amid the resurgence of daily numbers of new cases in a few states and fears of the ‘second wave’, prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged the chief ministers to take quick and dec
Amid reports of medical oxygen shortages in many parts of the country for critical Covid-19 patients, prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a meeting with leading oxygen manufacturers via vid
Slamming the Modi government on the issues of fuel price hike, inflation, economy and agriculture laws, the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, has alleged that the centre has
Attacking the Narendra Modi government for “mishandling” of Covid -19 and a large number of deaths, astronomically high fuel prices, rising inflation, and unemployment, political analys
In a scathing attack on the government, PawanKhera, national spokesperson of the Congress party, has said that the BJP is remote-controlled by RSS, an unregistered organisation that decides who the
Today (August 2), prime minister Narendra Modi launched the e-RUPI voucher system which is another milestone in Digital India. Simply put, this will be a digital payment which will be delivered to
The BJP has ruled Gujarat for more than 25 years now. On Saturday, Vijay Rupani who was known as a soft-spoken politician has smartly completed five years as a chief minister in spite of many chall
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Gadkari has said that the National Monetisation Program will build reliability and confidence in developers and financing
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Ayushman Bharat D
The Midway Battle: Modi’s Roller-coaster Second Term By Gautam Chintamani Bloomsbury / 400 pages / Rs 699 Gautam Chintamani,
To protest against the rising fuel prices and inflation, the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Wednesday announced a week-long awareness campaign, beginning on November 14, the birth
Calling Asaduddin Owaisi, president of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, a part of BJP, Rakesh Tikait, leader of Bharatiya Kisan Union, has said that he (Owaisi) is not BJP’s team B but
Ram Madhav, a member of the RSS National Executive, has said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi proudly proclaiming to be a better Hindu is a welcome step and the opposition’s newfound claim t
For NCC, the Republic Day Celebrations (‘RDC’) this year – in the year of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh culminated’ –with the PM
Prime minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation two additional railway lines connecting Thane and Diva via video conferencing on Friday. He will also flag off two suburban trains of the Mu
Unmasking Indian Secularism: Why We Need a New Hindu
MODI @ 20: DREAMS MEET DELIVERY
India stands committed to reduce Emissions Intensity of its GDP by 45 percent from the 2005 level by 2030 and achieve about 50 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil f
From climate targets to COVID vaccines, India has shown willingness to take the lead in any kind of crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, adding, “And now, at a time when nations and
Prime minister Narendra Modi Friday laid the foundation stone of road and ropeway projects worth more than Rs 3,400 crore in Mana village near Badrinath in Uttarakhand. Earlier in the day, he
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state, Gujarat, goes to polls in December. The Election Commission on Thursday announced the polling schedule, according to which the voting will take plac
The BJP has been in power in Gujarat since 1998, and the state proved to be its springboard for the national sweep in 2014. Yet, it never came even close to the highest tally of 149 seats (out of t
The first All India Annual State Ministers’ Conference on Water was inaugurated by prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. The theme of the conference is ‘Water Vision @ 2047’ a
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off the world’s longest river cruise, MV Ganga Vilas, and inaugurated the Tent City at Varanasi via video conferencing. He also inaugurated and
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated phase 2 of Mumbai Metro Rail Lines 2A & 7, worth around Rs 12,600 crore. He was in the city to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of pr
Prime minister Narendra Modi flagged off Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat and Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat trains at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST) in Mumbai on Friday.
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the new campus of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah (The Saifee Academy), principal educational institute of Dawoodi Bohra community at Marol in Mumbai.
As prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of G20 via video message, he underlined why India had chosen the theme of ‘One Earth, One Family
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The CBI was establish
Ties between India and the United States of America subsist on a substratum of “shared values” wherein the life practices of the order of rule of law, democratization of tyrant nations
The 9th edition of International Day of Yoga 2023 was a successfully celebrated on much larger scale and witnessed new initiatives. The main National event at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh saw enthusias
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit four states – election-bound Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Rajasthan apart from Uttar Pradesh on July 7-8 and will launch a slew of project worth around
Literature partakes of the glory of courage and chivalry in the French context. Think of D’Artagnan, Arthos, Porthos and Aramis, who are the chief Protagonists of the novel, ‘Three Musk
How Prime Ministers Decide By Neerja Chowdhury Aleph, 608 pages, Rs 999
Prime minister Narendra Modi has expressed confidence that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development. He emphasized that India’s G20 Presid
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lauded the adoption of the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration and expressed his gratitude to all fellow G20 members for their support and cooperation.
India’s prime minister Narendra Modi along with the leaders of other G20 member nations paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat Sunday morning. Modi underlined that Gandhi
A function was organised in the Central Hall of Parliament on Tuesday to commemorate the rich legacy of the Parliament of India as the Members came together to bid adieu to the historical building
Prime minister Narendra Modi addressed the programme marking 20 years celebration of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit at Science City in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. The Vibrant Gujarat
Prime minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple development projects worth about Rs 4200 crore in sectors including rural development, road, power, irrig
Prime minister Narendra Modi said that the Supreme Court’s verdict on the abrogation of Article 370 is historic and constitutionally upholds the decision taken by the Parliament of India on 5
Hitting out at prime minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that it has saddled the country with a debt of Rs 200 lakh crore and atrocities against Dalits have increased
Prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 10th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar on Wednesday. The theme of this year’s summit is ‘Gateway
Prime minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of eight AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) projects worth around Rs 2000 crores in Solapur, Maharashtra on Friday
Prime minister Narendra Modi performed the pran patishtha ceremony for the new idol of Lord Ram and with this inaugurated the new temple in Ayodhya. This, he said, was the beginning of a new epoch.
Bharat Rising: Dharma, Democracy, Diplomacy By Utpal Kumar BluOne Ink, 268 pages
Modi’s Northeast Story Edited by Tuhin A. Sinha and Aditya Pittie Rupa, 22 pages, Rs 595
Addressing the Viksit Bharat Viksit Uttar Pradesh program in Lucknow on Monday, prime minister Narendra Modi launched 14,000 projects across the state, worth more than Rs 10 lakh crore at the fourt
The Reserve Bank of India has reached a historic landmark today completing 90 years of existence, prime minister Narendra Modi said here on Monday. He was addressing the opening ceremony of RBI@90,
India is the world’s fifth largest economy with a GDP of USD 3.7 trillion today, and it is expected to become the third largest economy with a GDP of USD 5 trillion in five years. The Narendr
In the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Maharashtra with 48 Lok Sabha seats is of crucial importance for the final outcome. In the 2019 election, the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance won 42 seats including six s
Sarbeswara Samal, 66, a retired Odisha government employee residing in Bhubaneswar, has never forgotten to cast his vote in his village under the Patkura Assembly constituency which is a part of th
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance was cruising comfortably ahead to form the government for the third time, though the Congress-led INDI Alliance made surprising gains to change the ongoing
As the votes are being counted Tuesday evening and the BJP-led NDA was set comfortably to form the next government, prime minister Narendra Modi termed the emerging verdict as people’s reposi
Prime minister Narendra Modi met president Droupadi Murmu and tendered his resignation along with that of his council of ministers on Wednesday, a day after the vote was counted in the General Elec
Narendra Modi was Friday appointed the prime minister for a historic third time, as president Droupadi Murmu invited him to form the next government. The swearing-in ceremony for the new council of
Narendra Modi made history Sunday evening as he was sworn in by president Droupadi Murmu for a third successive term. Modi thus becomes the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehr
The BJP-led NDA government has started its term with its first decision relating to farmer welfare. Narendra Modi took charge of office as prime minister of India for the third time
Prime minister Narendra Modi has strived incessantly to bring laurels and much needed recognition for the nation since May 2014 when he was sworn in as the head of state. The poser which can be del
In his first foreign visit after taking oath of office for the third time, prime minister Narendra Modi Thursday evening left for Italy to participate in the G7 Outreach Summit. &ldq
Prime minister Narendra Modi will release the 17th instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme on Tuesday at Varanasi and more than 9.26 crore farmers will receive the benefits amounting to over Rs.20,000 cr
The expanding awareness of Yoga over the past ten years has changed perceptions associated with it, prime minister Narendra Modi said in Srinagar on Friday on the occasion of the International Day
The people of the country have given the BJP-led NDA a chance for the third time, and with this, “our responsibility increases threefold", prime minister Narendra Modi said ahead of the
“People of India have wholeheartedly supported and blessed our government’s efforts to serve the country over the past 10 years,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the Rajya Sa
All eyes are on the Narendra Modi-Vladimir Putin meeting, as the prime minister left Monday for an official visit of Russia as also of Austria. In the ‘departure statement, the
Prime minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by president Vladimir Putin, visited the All Russian Exhibition Centre, VDNKh, in Moscow Tuesday. The two leaders toured the Rosatom Pavilio
