A country where 70 percent students in higher education pursue a future in science and technology with only 30 percent in humanities has shown a healthy irreverence for global models of development. It has pioneered several other models of future growth which defy the conventional image of Africa as a follower (sometimes, people allege a sluggish one). Let me list some of the initiatives that E
There is a growing and widespread agitation around the country on the issue of land acquisition. It is obvious that if more roads, faster traffic, greater investment and more industries have to come up, land acquisition will inevitably be needed. I am not getting into the debate whether this developmental model is the really most suited for our needs at this moment. No matter whic
I can very well imagine taking a stroll near a school in some town of Madhya Pradesh. I overhear someone cry. It’s a small girl sitting under a tree in her school uniform who was crying out loud. As I go close to ask her what was wrong, I see a boy standing next to her and trying to console her. Just then he holds a stick in his hand, takes out an old pair of spectacles from his schoolbag
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) notified the CCI Combination Regulations, 2011 (also known as CCI Merger Regulations) on May 11 marking the commencement of a new merger regime in India. The now-in-force CCI merger regulations exempt mergers approved by the board of directors before June 1, 2011. The merger regulations require any enterprise proposing to enter into a co
When you oppose something, usually it is assumed that your opposition is backed by a reason. And depending on the situation, your reasoning can be based on either your experience or some study or data. But what of you are talking just in the air without any justification whatsoever to back your argument? Who is going to believe you in that case? Five public five public authorities inclu
The last event in the campaign before the students union elections in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (described by US diplomats as ‘Kremlin on Jumna’, according to Wikileaks) is traditionally reserved for the Students’ Federation of India, the student wing of CPI-M. And the speaker is usually Sitaram Yechury or Prakash Karat, who held union positions in the 1970s an
Whereas the United States’ foreign policy is straight forward in projecting ‘exporting democracy’ as one of its primary objectives, India has always been cautious about not getting clubbed into the democracy-crusader category. India’s greatest post-independence achievement has been in setting up a vibrant democratic structure with a functional parliament and regular elec
I felt proud when I attended a consultative meeting on the framework for citizen engagement on NeGP at the department of information technology (DIT) this week – not because I contributed to the meeting but because I chanced to meet a government officer who is committed to transparency and is laying a strong foundation in the system for it. During the meeting discuss
The corporate sector around the world is debating whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a concept needs a replacement. The draft National voluntary Guidelines on Social, Environmental and Economical (NVGs) Responsibilities of Business, under consideration with the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) provide a comprehensive answer. These guidelines, which seek to replace the 200
Has India arrived as a superpower? There are enough indicators to suggest that we are no better than any (other) third-world country on several parameters ranging from corruption to malnutrition. However, here is one robust indicator of our superpower ambitions: Environment minister Jairam Ramesh’s suggestion to metals and minerals firms that instead of spoiling our pristine forests, they
You are certain that a government is drifting when it actually thinks the drift is a mere public perception that can be countered through media campaigns. The prime minister’s decision to set up a GoM for better PR of the government is a fine example of this. We are told that home minister P Chidambaram will head it and the members would include Ambika Soni, Ghulam Nabi Aza
Six months after environment minister Jairam Ramesh launched a diatribe against those who drive diesel-powered sports utility vehicles (SUVs), a planning commission committee has backed his call for higher taxes. "We have suggested that there should be higher tax on diesel and diesel-run SUVs," Kirit Parikh, head of the government-appointed panel has said. The suggestion is misdirecte
We were in Deval, a small town in Uttarakhand located picturesquely amid forests of blue pine at the confluence of the river Kail with the Pindar. Originating from the Pindari glacier, which is a popular trekker destination, the river Pindar forms a distinctive 115 km long valley of its own before it merges with the Alaknanda at Karnaprayag. Our reason for being in Deval was, to
Government’s interim report on low carbon economy fails to set a clear vision for country, said Greenpeace India. “The interim report is an incomplete first step. Not only does the interim report ignore renewable energy but also credits coal and nuclear energy as low carbon. The interim report is highly unsatisfactory from the options it lays out,” said Siddharth Pathak, polic
Rukmini Devi Salvi is the sarpanch of Vijapura panchayat in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan. She was recently honoured at the Outstanding Woman Panchayat Leaders Awards held in Delhi by the think tank Institute of Social Sciences (ISS). She was elected as sarpanch in 2010 with just Rs. 2,000 as campaign expenses. In little over a year, she has brought her panchayats solutions for many longrunni
Pinki, a young girl studying in a government school in Uttarakhand, came to Delhi to speak to the media about the condition of schools in her village. This class ninth student in a press conference organised by World Vision India said, “I feel sorry to see the state of education there." At the press meet, there were many other schoolchildren from different parts of the
Sudhir Chandra, chairman of the central board of direct taxes (CBDT), occupies a room in North Block whose balcony overlooks the majestic Rashtrapati Bhavan. The centrality of its location is symbolic of its significance to governance. Since time immemorial revenue collection has been crucial to sustain any form of governance. And it is the office of the CBDT chairman that devises and
The 10-day strike of Air India finally came to an end on Friday and the maharaja has limped back to normalcy but I disagree with news reports that say that the striking pilots emerged victorious in the overall drama. I see the whole issue through a different lens. The pilots may have resumed work but the question remains: what did the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA),
The world can move towards renewable energy dependence if governments across the globe followed the right policy, said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its latest report released on Monday. “Close to 80 percent of the world’s energy supply could be met by renewables by mid-century if backed by the right enabling public policies,” said IPCC special report
Under pressure for permitting projects in violation of environment and forest laws, minister Jairam Ramesh played the victim the other day. He said: “I am completely against regularising an illegality. But sometimes I am forced to. A steel plant has been built or a power project has been constructed… violations are detected afterwards. I cannot shut them down. Hundre
