In slums like Govandi in Mumbai people live in tin and tarpaulin structures of 5x5 feet or a maximum 8x10 ft. These duplex homes with open toilets have no windows, kitchens and bathrooms. Even bringing in a dead body is difficult because there is no space for passage in narrow alleys. These people are hard-working migrants. In Dharavi where population is about 10 lakhs (officially), in normal c
At a time when countries around the globe are trying to save human lives from the Novel Coronavirus outbreak, addressing other issues, for example, containing the economic distress caused by it, is also a major challenge before them. As an easy way, most of them have responded with an infusion of relief packages into the economy. No doubt, this step is rightly aimed at reviving the economy in t
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the unified e-Gram Swaraj portal and mobile app on the National Panchayati Raj Diwas. The eGram Swaraj portal/app will provide panchayats a single interface to prepare and implement their gram panchayat development plan (GPDP). The PM said, “Now, broadband has reached more than 1.25 lakh panchayats. Not only that, the number of common service centres
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 Gadkari made a very weighty statement marked with geopolitical connotations. He said India needs to meet not only local demand but also “cater to global market as many companies and countries are l
This analysis originally appeared on the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) website. The COVID19 pandemic is spreading and affecting countries across the globe and bringing economies to a halt. The solar industry at large and also in India is not in
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 Modi, India has suddenly gained prominence across the world as the key manufacturer of hydroxychloroquine which is believed to be the miracle drug in the fight against the deadly coronavirus. Besides th
Also read previous columns on similar themes: Let us recall the makers of a nation
COVID-19, the virus that began its world tour from a city in central China, has spread around the planet. As of April 11, this pandemic has caused over 1.6 million cases and the death toll as crossed the 1,00,000 mark. In the absence of any vaccine, the health systems around the world are struggling to contain this pandemic. While the efforts to develop a vaccine for this virus are on, the expe
This article originally appeared on the ORF website: https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/covid-19-india-and-crisis-communication-64102/ The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created havoc across the world, putting extraordinary pressure on not just p
Demobilization, like its predecessor – demonetization, is another decision gone bad in implementation. In both instances a careful public administrative action through its governance systems could have saved the magnitude of impact particularly on the most vulnerable sections of the society. The Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, exhibited exceptional and exuberant co
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 22. This has been followed by a 21-day, nationwide lockdown from March 24. Prime minister Narendra Modi also requested people to gather at their gates, balconies and rooftops to clap and bang utensils
Covid-19 may turn out to be the last straw that broke the camel’s back so far as the real estate sector is concerned. It broke out at a time when pundits were estimating the GDP to be hovering around 2.5% with unprecedent levels of unemployment. This itself was a good indicator that the real estate sector was beleaguered: Covid or no Covid. After all, the real estate sector gives employme
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 death and over 600 others falling sick across the country. As per experts, India, which is in the second stage of Covid-19, may see an exponential spike in death and positive cases if the virus takes epid
Sixteenth March at Hammurabi & Solomon Partners was a usual Monday at work with colleagues starting the week on a turbo-mode. But this Monday was different. It had something unusual about it. A sense of uncertainty kept struggling to look ahead on how the days ahead would flow. Despite being an optimist, I could not quite stay on course and could see the Covid19 effect incre
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (“POSH”) was enacted in 2013. Seven years since then, fears of misuse are rife. Are the fears legitimate? It is perceived that women are dangerously armed with a one-sided law. Men feel oppressed as there is no specific forum for redressal of their grievances. This article, therefore, exami
Cryptocurrency is a digital currency that runs on blockchain technology. This essentially means that no person or entity can control it. Both nationals and internationals can transact with the currency. India is one of the largest growing economies in the world today. The recent developments, about the Supreme Court lifting the ban on use of cryptocurrency in the country, can have a tremendous
Importance of strengthening city governance Cities in India contribute to about 60% of the economic output of the country, acting as the engines of economic growth [World Bank. (2020). Urbanization in India. Online available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/n
A New India: Selected Writings 2014-19 By Arun Jaitley, with a foreword by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Juggernaut Books, 384 pages, Rs 799 Arun Jaitley (28 December 1952 – 24 August 2019) was a senior advocate of the Supreme Court and one of the most important leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was the union minister of finance from 2014
The column may begin by recalling quotations from two illustrious sons of pre-Independence India who were under no obligation to make any ‘appeasing’ comment. Noted Urdu critic, Dr. Abdur Rahman Bijnauri, made the following opening remarks, exactly a hundred years ago in 1920, in his book on Ghalib’s poetry: “India has two revealed books – Ved Muqadd
Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, as one of the top lawyers at the Supreme Court, has helped shape the contemporary trends. In his latest work, ‘From the Trenches’ (co-authored with Satyajit Sarna, published by Juggernaut), he revisits eight defining cases of our times, and presents a view, as it were, from the trenches. Here is an excerpt from the book relating to one of them, Naveen J
