On April 4, the supreme court sounded a red alert on the widespread misuse of red beacons by the VIPs. It came down heavily on traffic rule violation and directed the centre and state governments to introduce harsher punishment by introducing provisions for impounding vehicles and increasing the amount of fine to Rs 10,000. The bench also asked the governments to drastically restrict th
I am fiercely protective of my name, and would not change it for the world. (Thanks to a bullying ex-husband, I’ve been there, done that, got the passport, thank you very much.) Nothing but ‘Tara* Kaushal’ feels like my name — not then, and even not now — in a very happy second marriage. Besides, I have a strong feminist agenda, and a whole score of
The state has its agenda against dissent. It epitomises this with its right to use legitimate violence to quash dissent. However, in the small window of administrative requirements and the need for an organic society lies protest. Before we become a pack of similar individuals, we need protest. We need to communicate our displeasure. For a society to grow and flourish, it needs to not agree wit
So, how will the youth of Tamil Nadu spend the unexpected holiday gifted to them by politics thanks to the protests on the Sri Lankan issue? Though cinema and cricket are obvious choices, why don’t they also enlighten themselves on Ceylon? After all, some efforts to know thy neighbour is certainly warranted, since the student protest, though having its locus here, has its focus there. Her
North Korea has declared that it is at war with South Korea. As per news reports its nuclear missiles are being positioned to target the US as well as South Korea. In response, the US flew stealth bombers close to the North Korean territory. This reaction could appear drastic but considering the capabilities of North Korea this is not surprising. Besides its nuclear capabilities, North Ko
There is nothing new in the UPA government’s attempts to weaken two constitutional bodies which have proved equal to their mandates – the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) and the election commission (EC). The first one has brought some kind of accountability to the government’s functioning; unearthing several mega scams in the process in the past few years and the second
While appreciating the contributions of young technology students invited to showcase their innovations at second Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Awards recently at IIM-A, Ms Ela Bhatt, founder of SEWA expected the youth to spread the Gandhian philosophy through their action. A number of innovations recognised on the occasion were empathetic in nature. Problem of a line man wor
A long time ago, I read one of these firang’s-first-time-in-India travel books, where he said that, when Indians want to go somewhere, they just point their cars in the direction and drive, side-of-road, traffic signals etc be damned. Not fair, we’re not that bad, I thought, but on second thoughts… I`ve had a driving licence from Noida, in the much maligned UP, since
With no conceptual clarity just as yet, the proposed BRICS Bank is hardly the panacea to lead the global economy towards equitable and resilient growth. Even though there are several beneficiaries of group’s gravy trail, its authenticity, capacity and cohesiveness are on shaky ground. BRICS remains, to grudgingly cite the western media, a ‘motley crew` with little in common
The similarities cannot be overlooked when both the UPA led by Manmohan Singh and the democratic Front in Maharashtra led by Prithviraj Chavan go to the polls next year. Both led by silently, and uniquely, quiet and soft-spoken leaders, they face charges of corruption and irregularities diametrically opposed to their leaders’ image, a sort of disunited opposition aiming barbs from differe
In normal course, whenever a new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president assumes office, the national council is summoned to formally inaugurate the presidency and put its stamp of approval. The public anointment is the new president’s moment of glory and an occasion to enlist party cadre in the immediate programmes being planned. For three days in early March, however, the spotlight was n
Having taken on all forms of political parties and formations, government and constitutional bodies, media and trivia, opposition and divergent proposition, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has found a new adversary in the state election commission (SEC). If the poll panel cannot give her, and her constituents, firm dates for immediate elections to the panchayats to showcase t
In the past six months, UPA-II and especially finance minister P Chidambaram have been applauded for a slew of reforms. The government has claimed that it has broken the shackles of policy paralysis and is on its way to usher in a new growth phase, after the downturn in 2011-12 and 2012-13. Each and every decision that was taken in the recent past was categorised as a ‘game changer’
It seldom happens when economic wisdom wins political argument. This is a reality of our democracy, which has consistently been ignored the basic temptations of its economy for achieving ‘unknown benefits’. It is surprising to see Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar pitching for seeking special status for Bihar as his gameplan for upcoming elections and ahead. Undoubtedly this would b
It seems apparent that the main issue in the next general elections would be about who can bring benefits of the ongoing economic reforms to the poorest of the poor people of India. And that is where the young Congress vice-president, Rahul Gandhi, comes in. Having declared that the “last aam aadami in the queue” and India’s eager youth are his constituency, Rah
If you played cricket as a child in the lane in front your house or the colony park, you certainly remember that amusing rule: if the bat, ball and wickets belong to me, you better not question me; or the game is off. I am going home, see you tomorrow mate. That’s a rule not exactly endorsed by the rulebook of the Wisden Cricketers Almanack, or even the Indian cricket board, which
On Tuesday, Animal Rights International (ARI) will hold a peace walk at Jantar Mantar to encourage Indians to switch to ‘green’ food. According to Kritika Sharma, ARI’s executive director and one of the organisers, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has pegged Indians` per capita consumption of meat at 5.2 kg per year, the highest for the country since FAO began
The stock of FDI in India, as per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), is now about $220 billion or 12% of GDP. Multinationals have a long history here. It had a steady course – not counting the aberration in the 1970s, when IBM and Coca-Cola were sent packing. An RBI study says that the 745 foreign firms that have invested in India had an overall return on equity of about 13% in the year end
The difference between a good leader and a bad one is thinner than the crust of a good pizza. It could well be defined within the realms of blame game, that favourite Indian pastime: the former usually cops all the blame, voluntarily, while the latter passes it on to lesser minions, usually voluntarily, though seen through a maze of bureaucratic balderdash of putting things in order. It
The developing story of the Italian marines requires reiteration of a fundamental tenet of our civil society. Decisions of the supreme court of India have always been recognised as the final word on all disputes adjudicated by them. Judgments of the supreme court are the law in our republic and binding on all parties. The constitution gives the supreme court powers to pass any orders for the en
