The debate on our national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, has started once again. Controversial BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in December wrote to prime minister Narendra Modi urging him to replace the wordings of the anthem with what Subhas Chandra Bose had incorporated in the Indian National Army anthem. According to Swamy, the national anthem was originally composed to praise the British king
The growth rate of GDP in the country was 7% during the second quarter of 2015, lower than the 7.5% growth recorded in the preceding quarter. It was also lower than government estimation of 7.4% in the current financial year but higher than the 6.7% growth logged in the corresponding quarter of 2014. Even the government had started spending in the beginning of this fiscal year but the GDP numbe
After a break they are back. aliens, ghosts, cobras, witches and haunted houses have occupied a lot of space on a section of news channels. Thanks to modern technology, TV editors can create news on editing machines. It is not that professional editors are not around, but they too are less bothered about checking facts and sticking to truth. Their primary duty, it seems, is to deliver televisio
‘Governance’ consists of traditions and institutions by which authority is exercised in a country. This includes the process by which governments are selected, monitored and replaced; the capacity of the government to effectively formulate and implement sound policies; and the dignity of citizens and the state for the institutions that govern economic and social chemistry among them
Prime minister Narendra Modi has identified eight key thrust areas for governance. In a year-end meeting, he gave the secretaries to the government of India two weeks to translate that political vision into an action plan. The defined objective is to bring about ‘breakthroughs rather than incremental change’ by encouraging convergence and breaking down silos. Execution is to be impr
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2000 faced criticism for allowing juveniles of mature age get away with light punishment even after committing heinous offences but the new law enacted to replace it raises more questions than it has answered. Though the government may have rightly decided against going back to the pre-2000 era by reducing th
The waters are yet to recede, there’s a foul odour in the air, and people walk through black slush and clumps of water hyacinth dragged in by the waters that flooded Chennai. This, in an area barely 500 metres off a state highway. Hundreds of such places were affected and entire livelihoods washed away when angry sheets of rain pelted down on the city and excess water wa
Traditional Indian hockey, played on natural grass, is passé. Perhaps, this development was missed by many as only a few could care giving the game a few moments of their attention. Synthetic surface called AstroTurf is the ‘in thing’ and hockey on natural grass is a matter of the past. The wizards of Indian hockey and their techniques have been long forgotten. Modern-day hoc
Enacted in the year 1860, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) criminalises homosexual sex even between consenting adults and the punishment may extend to life imprisonment. The Naz Foundation in 2001 challenged the validity of the section and brought several questions to the forefront. It approached the Delhi high court with a plea stating that the section be declared constitutionally in
Despite prime minister Narendra Modi’s serious efforts, people of Bihar have once again shown full confidence in Nitish Kumar. He has emerged as a ‘giant killer’ and a new hope in the anti-BJP spectrum of Indian politics. Indicating his new status, anti-BJP leaders from various states were present when he took oath on November 20 for the fifth time. But after all the jubilatio
With the list for 100 smart cities mostly in, the stage 1 of Smart Cities Mission is over and the cities are readying for the challenge round as part of stage 2. At this first milestone, it may do the project some good to check if we are on the right track and if any course correction could be useful. First thing first: is the state-wise distribution of cities on the list reading
The IT taskforce, set up by the ministry of road transport and highways, has been on its toes over the last six months. While the 10-member committee crisscrossed the country, visiting major cities and ports, meeting experts and citizen groups, it launched a nationwide initiative, #ITForParivahan, for inviting suggestions from various stakeholders in transportation sector and public at large.&n
After seemingly meandering off target for a while, the Modi government has in a bid to expedite investment in the Indian market, reverted to its development focussed agenda by facilitating simpler foreign direct investment norms for 15 major areas, including focal sectors such as defence, mining, civil aviation, broadcasting and agriculture. In a notification last week, the Centr
People of Bihar have sharp political acumen, and people of (the rest of) India can learn a thing or two from them, said Narendra Modi during one of his 31 rallies in the state. They have given their verdict now. Earlier this year, people of Delhi too had given their verdict, but they are apparently a special case even if the national capital is the very microcosm of India in most senses.
A constitution bench of the supreme court quashed the 99th constitution amendment and the law enacted to set up the national judicial appointments commission (NJAC) by a 4:1 majority on October 16. While the judgment protected the primacy of the judiciary in appointment of judges, an outburst by the lone dissenting judge discredited the 1993 collegium system, making it incumbent on
Close to a century ago, Rabindranath Tagore returned the title of knighthood to protest against the Jalianwala Bagh massacre. He wrote to Lord Chelmsford, the viceroy of India: “The time has come when badges of honour make our shame glaring in the incongruous context of humiliation, and I for my part wish to stand, shorn of all special distinctions, by the side of those of my countrymen,
There has been abundant criticism following the budgetary cuts imposed on social sector programmes in this year’s budget, with socialist evangelists terming them as an attack on the welfare state. Understandable, because we continue to measure our commitment to the welfare state in terms of budgetary allocations and expenditures, and not on proper utilisation and outcomes. To what extent
In July 2013, the supreme court directed the election commission to frame guidelines on the contents of manifestos after noting that freebies announced by political parties shake “the root of free and fair elections”. Though guidelines have now been put in place, the state of affairs virtually remain the same with parties in fray continuing to promise freebies with scope for violati
In the second decade of 21st century, the world’s largest democracy which is also a secular country witnessed a case of lynching over rumours. A mob of locals beat 50-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq to death and severely injured his 22-year-old son upon hearing rumours that the family was eating beef. The killing of Akhlaq in Bisara village of Dadri, 45 km from Delhi, can be considered a turning
In the present era of slowing aggregate demand and increasing market uncertainties, regional economic cooperation among countries provide some sort of relief to them. Currently, there are three mega ‘regionals’ under negotiation: the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership of the Asia and the Pacific (RCEP), the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and In
