It is quite ironical that 2012, the year which in many ways saw a revival of the non-proliferation norm on issues such as nuclear security with the Seoul Summit in March 2012, the use of sanctions and immense negotiations to curb any Iranian weapons program, has also become the year to witness a series of nuclear-capable missile tests by North Korea, India, Pakistan and Iran. With the exception
The supreme court may have upheld the 25 percent seat reservation for free schooling of economically weaker section (EWS) children in all schools (except minority-unaided ones) in the hearing of a review petition filed by private schools, but the schools seem to be still very far from the implementation of this provision of the right to education (RTE) Act. The RTE Act was aimed at ensu
A candidate of a student organization barely two months old, Students Federation of India-JNU (SFI-JNU), was elected to the post president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) on Friday. V. Lenin Kumar, the party’s candidate got 212 votes more than the nearest rival, All India Students Association’s (AISA) Om Prasad. SFI-JNU was formed in July after the Delhi ch
When union minister of state for women and child development Krishna Tirath said that the government was considering to bring a law under which a husband would have to legally pay a definite amount to his wife from his salary in recognition of her labour, most wives would have instantly felt empowered. What I often thought was conveyed by the minister and it is sure to empower women financially
Two days after banning gutkha and other smokeless tobacco products, the Delhi government on Wednesday ordered a blanket ban on use, storage, sale and manufacture of plastic bags in the city. Two major initiatives in a span of a couple of days should be good news for Delhiites. However, people are skeptical about the effective implementation of the twin orders. And, there is vali
We might be proud of our top higher educational institutions but when compared to their international counterparts these institutes do not stand anywhere. No university or institutes of excellence are among the best 200 in the world according to the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking 2012, the most reputed global rankings of institutes for higher education. This classification takes into account
In a bizarre incident, the might and will of the world’s largest democracy have been threatened by a few pencil sketches. The matter was brought to light recently by a Mumbai advocate who is coincidentally more active in the political corridors than he should be in courts. The lawyer accused the cartoonist in a petition to the court of mocking the constitution which, according to the law
Having seriously bungled the Indian growth story, spin doctors of the Congress have invented a new narrative of a shining rural economy to keep up their optimism. This new story of buoyancy in rural economy is culled out from the data given by the National Sample Survey which depicts infusion of loans in rural India. There is no doubt that the story has an element of truth in it. The ag
Window dressing at its most absurd. Almost brutal in its casualness. The brouhaha over the `projected` relaxation of visa rules between India and Pakistan is largely cringeworthy because it comes in the same breath as Hina Rabbani Khar’s advice to 1.2 billion Indians to get over 26/11 and move on and not stay emotional about it. Put that gratuitous and tactless remark alongside the
Your heart must bleed for bank robbers in the UK. Turns out these professionals in their high stress jobs earn far less per annum than your average wage-earner who attends office daily and whose biggest criminal act is stealing a paper clip or two from his work table. Honesty is not only the best moral policy, it is the best fiscal policy too. Worse follows for the ‘hold ’em
“The world is a looking-glass, and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face. Frown at it, and it will in turn look sourly upon you; laugh at it and with it, and it is a jolly kind companion; and so let all young persons take their choice.” This quote is attributed to an English writer of another century known widely for his satirical works, most importantly Van
Some politicians know the riots are the time to, well, make a killing. As politics of hate and violence has become an accepted form of politics, riots are the time to make a career. Maya Kodnani, a three-time MLA who has been sentenced to 28 years in jail, is certainly not the first politician who led murderous mobs, but she is among the few who have been convicted. During the 1980s, wh
There has been a total consensus among all the parties about reservation in promotion for SC and ST candidates in public services. Is that an answer to the problem of deep-seated prejudices and whether there are enough examples of outstanding officers not promoted on account of these prejudices are issues which are bothering policymakers? Evidence is striking that there is still a backlog of th
A few young ladies in Victorian England vouched for a chaperone with a spiteful tongue. The advantages, they argued, were many. While your foes never went without their well-deserved due; in case of doting friends, they could quickly and conveniently be disowned. A century and a quarter later, while chaperones have gone off the social fabric, lost in the folds of time; occasional doppelgangers
There are two ways of looking at the supreme court decision upholding the death penalty for Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab. Looking behind, we must be proud of our judiciary which gave a thoroughly fair trial to a man whose culpability was beyond doubt. Looking forward, it’s time to discuss what is coming up next: death penalty. First, the judiciary. When Kasab was captured &ndas
The housing and urban poverty alleviation ministry has prepared the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill 2011 which is likely to be taken up during the monsoon session of parliament. In real estate, most consumer problems relate to disputes pertaining to the buyer and the builder. The bill seems to recognise three key problems here: 1 Most disputes are the re
When William Blake penned his famous poem ‘Tyger’ and wondered ‘what immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry’, little did he realise that in not too distant a future the mortal hand of humans would be enough not only to frame the fearful symmetry of the tiger but also to push it to the brink of extinction. Amidst the deepening gloom on all major frontiers o
Cynicism often creates blind spots which distort vision. Of late Indian political scenario seems to be hugely afflicted by this malady which is going undiagnosed. Heart-warming developments emerging from various parts of the country are being clouded by the dust of allegations of corruption and malfeasance of gargantuan proportions in governance. One such positive development comes from
“We are ready for any debate. We can give satisfactory answers to all issues being raised,” said the prime minister of eight years’ standing to the reporters after parliament was adjourned for the day without conducting any business on August 21, the first day of sitting after the damning CAG reports on coal, power and Delhi airport were tabled. The opposition had disrupted pr
The RBI has been the master of all weathers and seasons concerning India’s financial sector. It holds the pulse of the national economy with tempestuous effects. But even with all its prominence, the RBI has seldom crossed the contoured spirits which obfuscate the existing macroeconomic scenario. The scrimmages from its side are causing for the fixture of topsy-turvy status in the policy
