There are five pillars which can not only improve the financial condition but also accelerate the performance of Indian railways. The five pillars are: transition to commercial accounting; appointing an independent regulator; entry of private play
Echoing the words of prime minister Narendra Modi, union railway minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has said that the best example of ‘big bang reforms’ in India is in the railway sector. In the coming decades, railways will be a driving
On this day 86 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi addressed a gathering in Anand, the central Gujarat town today known for AMUL, exhorting youngsters to join the salt march he had begun five days earlier. Recalling the historic event, here are excerpts
Late in his presidency, Barack Obama looks at the future and finds climate change as the most worrisome factor – and he is also worried about drought, famine and “displacement from the Indian subcontinent”. “
It was no less than a roller-coaster ride for Aadhaar, a programme formulated by the UPA government to assign a 12-digit unique number to every Indian resident. From the time it came into being in 2009, Aadhaar drew a volley of criticism, thanks t
Major findings from the aggregated statistics: Trends in RTI statistics reporting: Only 2,030 public authorities under the government of India registered to submit their RTI returns under Section 25
‘anubandhaḿ kṣayaḿ hiḿsām anapekṣya ca pauruṣam mohād ārabhyate karma yat tat tāmasam ucyate’
After snubbing the finance minister in Rajya Sabha, Jairam Ramesh of Congress questioned the government’s claim
Jairam Ramesh of the Congress led the opposition attack on the government during the discussion on the Aadhaar bill in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, putting finance minister Arun Jaitley in an embarrassing situation. L
Right to privacy is one of the hotly debated issues when the matter of Aadhaar comes up. On Wednesday, initiating a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the Aadhaar bill, finance minister Arun Jaitley said this legislation presumes the right to privac
The Rajya Sabha witnessed the kind of debate it has not seen at least in recent decades as it took up for consideration the Aadhaar bill on Wednesday. Essentially, the opposition in the upper house was uncomfortable with the classification o
Unpredictable rains, “unsafe stage”, and environment activists could not dampen the spirits of Sri Sri Ravishankar’s three-day mega event, World Culture Festival. Dubbed as a “cultural olympics” by the Art of Living (
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 stairs of a dilapidated building known as Rasheed
After a serious leakage accident at the Kakrapar atomic power station in Gujarat on March 11, environmental activist group Greenpeace India has called for an immediate independent investigation of all aging pressurised heavy water reactors (PWHR)
Former Maharashtra deputy chief minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who was arrested on Monday evening by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), will be produced in a special PMLA court today. Since he is a sitting MLA, information of his
The national green tribunal (NGT) has dismissed the review petition filed by Akshardham temple management authorities on the fine imposed by the tribunal for allegedly carrying out expansion work of its premises without environmental clearance.
A panel of civil society activists campaigning for right to food, education, rural employment, maternity and pension entitlements, has said that the 2016-17 budget does not serve the interest of farmers and the poor, as it subjects “every li
Aadhaar-based disbursal of subsidised ration is opening new avenues for corruption in Rajasthan, said Nikhil Dey of People’s Action for Employment Guarantee (PAEG). Dey was speaking to journalists at a conference organised by a group of civi
Lashing out at some of the detractors of the World Culture festival, organised by the Art of Living (AoL) foundation, Delhi water resources and tourism minister Kapil Mishra has said that nowadays people show their anger only on online platforms
A uniform ID will be issued to all disabled citizens of India within a year, said Thaawar Chand Gehlot, union minister for social justice and empowerment, on Monday. “The process of generating a uniform ID has already been st
