When the government began rolling out the e-Panchayat project, it was widely expected to change the governance structure at the village level all across the country. But like all things in India, some states have taken to it wholeheartedly,
The Singapore story is essentially a telling in resilience and collective will. If an analogy between the island-nation and an individual could be drawn, its life-narrative would find place in the annals of history as one of the most inspiring rag
World Bank president Dr Jim Yong Kim has described his meeting with prime minister Narendra Modi last month as “one of the most inspiring meetings I have had as the president of the World Bank group”. In a letter to the
In an attempt to encourage banks to allow overdrafting (read loan or credit) for beneficiaries of the financial inclusion plan, prime minister Narendra Modi on August 15 is said to unveil a credit guarantee fund to compensate the banks in case of
The resignation of deputy national security adviser (NSA) Nehchal Sandhu on July 31 is seen as a precursor to a major change in the government’s approach towards higher echelons of bureaucracy. The 1973-batch IPS officer, who retired earlier
In what is seen as a big victory for the Narendra Modi government, the Rajya Sabha on Thursday (August 14) passed the national judicial appointments commission bill, 2014. The bill, along with a constitutional amendment bill, was passed in Lok Sab
In an age when books, or other works of art, are banned/pulped/not published for fear of either a social castigation or fatwa or violence or some or the other form of jihad and/or either or all, it takes the judiciary, despite all its flaws, to re
Prime minister Narendra Modi is like Jawaharlal Nehru who also had an authoritarian streak in him. Nehru had controlled the government and t
Pesticides considered ‘highly’ and ‘moderately’ hazardous by the World Health Organisation have been found in leading national and international tea brands, says a recent Greenpeace report “Trouble Brewing”.
Riots are a by-product of politics. The eruption of communal clashes all over Uttar Pradesh in recent times is a manifestation of a cynical politics which has taken hold of the country’s most populous state. Slight sparks have
The reform proposal, seeking statutory powers to the public enterprises selection board (PESB) is under serious consideration by the government, says Rajiv Rai, secretary at the board. The PESB functions as the selection body for appointing PSU
The union cabinet’s approval of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014 has opened a can of worms. While many say the move would act as a strong deterrent, given that several recent cases of rape, including the Dece
Making his first official address to the BJP cadre after taking over as the BJP president, Amit Shah on Saturday said that it was due to the Gujarat model that BJP was able to gain the trust of the people across India. Shah said his appoin
In Indian parliament, you are either angry or you are absent. On Friday (August 8), some members of parliament were angry over some of their colleagues being regularly absent. Two of those colleagues got special mention from fellow
Activists and NGOs working on child rights have raised questions on the union cabinet approving an amendment bill on Wednesday that propose
When BJP released its IT vision document in 2009, one of the least discussed aspects of the document was a statement that the party would change “right to information” into “duty to inform.” To my mind, that was a very perc
Books are back in news. They have booked prime time slots on news channels and are being covered – cover to cover – by all other non-hysterics-rousing media. Even non-readers have booked a date with books these days, it seems. So they
Notwithstanding opposition from child rights activists, the union cabinet on Wednesday approved an amendment bill that proposes Juvenile Justice Board can decide if a minor above 16 years of age should be tried in a regular court or sent to correc
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies fought the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on the plank of good governance and development. The country gave the party an overwhelming mandate and people believed in the vision and Narendra Modi’s pro
For some time now, higher(est) judiciary in India has been groping for a toehold to tide over unsavoury controversies it has found itself involved in. Back to back accusations have been flung at its face that significantly mars its holy cow image.
