The US is facing a major financial crisis. Analysts feel it might even spark a recession. The bond rating agency Standard & Poor lowered Washington’s credit rating down a notch to `AA+` from the highest AAA level. At the time of crisis the whole US sees a saviour in president Barack Obama. Rather than passing the buck, Obama accepted the blame for the mess displaying exemplary integri
“Saala jhooth bolela, kaali dilli ka chhora saala jhooth bolela” was a soulful but rebellious rendition of a Bhojpuri song which found resonance across eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in 1988-89. A rather little-known Bhojpuri singer named Baleshwar Yadav sung this song at the peak of the Bofors controversy and alluded to the involvement of the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in th
The prime minister thinks Anna Hazare’s fast to press for a stronger Lokpal Bill is an affront to parliament, a challenge to the highest democratic institution of the country. He left nothing to imagination when he told parliament on Wednesday, "All of us agree that the Lokpal Bill should be passed by parliament. The question is who drafts the law and who passes the law. Hazare wants
What is it about the Lokpal bill that despite first being presented in 1968, it has still not been passed on any of the eight attempts on which it has been introduced in parliament? Why is it that despite consistent recommendations of various commissions, to statutorily establish the office of a Lokpal, we are still without legislation on the subject? Do we lack political will to tackle the gro
The proposed Companies Bill, 2011 is likely to provide for appointment of directors elected by small shareholders. Herein, a listed company will be required to have one director elected by small shareholders. Shareholders holding shares of nominal value of not more than Rs 20,000 would fall in the class of small shareholders. No one can quarrel with the idea. But to make it credible, government
So cows are human, after all. Whether that is cause for cheer in the animal kingdom or not, up here (at least I think it is up here) in the human kingdom, the news has been received with some joy. Cow-fanciers are not as well-known a class as dog-breeders or giraffe-tenders, but that is not the cow’s fault. Somehow we tend to look down on that excellent creature as being boring, emotional
Bharat Jhunjhunwala, former professor of IIM-Bangalore, has dismissed studies conducted by the IIT-Roorkee and the Wildlife Institute of India on the cumulative impact of hydropower projects on the Ganga`s tributaries - Bhagirathi and Alaknanda - as a `sham` which should not be the basis for policy making. It was Jhunjhunwala`s petition protesting against the sanctioning of t
Chuck Tatum, alias Kirk Douglas, would appreciate the urge. The ruthless reporter, who refused to let go of an opportunity to dig himself out of a professional hole – in the Billy Wilder classic Ace in the Hole – might even salute the enterprise, if not quite the style. According to reports from Jammu & Kashmir’s Poonch district, a special police officer and
You can’t grab protest realty. That is UPA’s holier-than-thou rejoinder to Team Hazare’s request for permission for a month-long protest in support of the Jan Lokpal bill at Jantar Mantar. Delhi Police, in its letter to the protesters, said that no single organisation can be allowed to usurp and lay exclusive claim to the top protest hub. Now, there may be as ma
Some years in the “24-ghante-mein-duniya-khatm-ho-jayegi (DKHJ)!!” news channel convinced me that ‘the end of the world’ is a journalistic bogey. When the US debt crisis was rocking our boat, I therefore bet that the official $14.3-trillion cap will be raised, Obama will concede a cut in spendings, and he’ll wangle from the Republicans a small rise in taxes.
When Kesar Singh Rathor reached his first posting at Akha Dungri about 20 years ago, there was no school building. He used to teach in the houses of the local community members. Many kids would come without taking a bath or even proper clothes on. He would cut their hairs, nails and take bath with them in the river nearby. Slowly and slowly, kids were encouraged to take school attendance more s
In the next few days, the supreme court has to decide its next move on the gang rape of Bellary district in Karnataka. On the court’s table is the question whether or not to uphold its decision to ban all mining activity in the area. At the time of writing, the court’s central empowered committee (CEC) has recommended the creation of a high-powered committee under additional PCCF De
When he was appointed HRD minister, Kapil Sibal was a man with mission. He wanted to change the entire education system and was even quick to come up with a blueprint for education reforms at all levels. But more than two years down the line he has only managed to give the right to every child to free and compulsory education. The minister though worked on various
When Anna Hazare’s supporters conducted a ‘referendum’ right in union minister Kapil Sibal’s constituency, they found that 85 percent people in Chandni Chowk do not agree with the government stance on the Lokpal bill. That is one conclusion of this first-of-its-kind exercise. The more interesting conclusion is this: Sibal as MP is supposed to represent his constituency&r
Changes taking place in the world economy are likely to catapult the Asia-Pacific region as the centre of gravity of the world economy with China, India and Indonesia emerging as the growth poles for not only the region, but also the entire world. However, there are some important challenges on the way for this transformation to take place. Focusing on inclusive development and deepenin
Some years ago, Amitabh Bachchan was voted the Greatest Actor Ever to Wear Greasepaint in the History of Cinema on Planet Earth, or something like that. Sir Lawrence Olivier came second in this selection on the BBC website open to all citizens of the world. And Govinda made it to the Top Ten ahead of Marlon Brando. Mickey Mouse didn’t make it, Homer Simpson did. Last week came the cheerfu
One of the most important characteristic features of the innovation ecosystem emerging in India is that a lot of good ideas are found in small institutions in small towns. The connect between the real-life problems and the pursuit of their solutions seems quite high in such places. In Gujarat, the cooperation between techpedia.in of the Society for Research and Initiatives for Su
His focus, he said, would be a successful rollout of the national rural livelihood mission (NRLM), a restructured form of rural development ministry’s Swarnjayanti Grameen Swarojgar Yojna (SGSY) and an effective implementation of the rural development ministry’s schemes in the left wing extremism (LWE) affected regions. No doubt, NRLM, with stated objective to reach out to
Broadly speaking, there are two categories of information which a public authority has to provide under the Right to Information (RTI) Act - information sought by the applicant by filing application under the act and information made available suo-moto (without somebody asking for it). While the situation appears to be somewhat fine with the former category, it is the latter whic
An afternoon class is on in a primary school. Children are reciting the second chapter of Bhagvad Gita, in the Gujarati poetic translation by Kishorelal Mashruwala, a close associate of Gandhi. I am not sure if it was the third standard or the fourth, but much of the details are fresh in my mind. The music teacher’s voice, the rhythmic recitation, all of us getting supremely bored and wai
