The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) finally confirmed on January 25 that 2015 was the warmest year since record-keeping began in the late 19th century. The confirmation came five days after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the US, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the UK Met Office released their data declaring that last year smashed a
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 ministry of earth sciences (MoES) is one of the youngest – and one of the least talked about – wings of the government. It looks after a myriad of scientific and technical activities, mostly dealing with earth system science. Its scientists and officials rarely make headlines, but their apparently obscure work often matters to all of us in our day-to-day lives. For example,
Kavita Krishnamurty Subramaniam is a renowned playback singer credited for singing some of the very popular Bollywood songs. Born in Delhi in a Tamil Iyer family, Kavita began her vocal training under Sri Balram Puri (in the Hindustani music) at a very young age. She began her recording career in 1971. At a very young age, she got the opportunity to record a song with Lata Mangeshkar and mu
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
The ‘United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967’, Dr Makarim Wibisono, submitted his resignation to the president of the Human Rights Council (HRC) on January 4, and it will be effective from March 31. Wibisono cited the non-cooperation of Israel for his resignation. He stated he had deep regrets that thr
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
How do you define net neutrality? Internet is a platform where (access) ISPs provide no competitive advantage to specific apps/services, either through pricing or quality of service (QoS). It is important to note that net neutrality is not about how you treat individual packets, but how you treat competition. Internet provides a platform where ideas can compet
A 1985 batch IAS officer, Kiran Soni Gupta is also an artist, writer and photographer. Selected by Harvard University for the prestigious Mason fellowship to study public policy, governance and public administration at the Kennedy School of Government, she was also awarded a scholarship for a masters in public policy at the Maxwell School Syracuse. Winner of many national a
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
His unassuming style and down-to-earth personality is the first thing that strikes when you meet him. His crusade against child labour and slavery started in the 1980s with Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement). Since then the messiah for children has liberated more than 84,000 children from the clutches of slavery and trafficking. Behind his modest demeanour lies a firm dete
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
A noted political theorist, Rajeev Bhargava is a fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS). Having taught political science at Jawaharlal Nehru University and University of Delhi for over two decades, Bhargava has also been the director of CSDS during 2007-14. His works on secularism and identity politics have evoked praise and criticism alike. He has formulated the
The 32nd international conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, on the theme of ‘Power of Humanity’, was held in Geneva during December 8-10. The conference, held every four years, is a global forum that brings together states parties to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including the 189 National Red Cross and Red Cre
Due to rise in life expectancy and per capita income, India climbed five notches to the 130th rank but continued to rank low in the Human Development Index (HDI). India ranked 130 among 188 countries in 2014 in Human Development Report 2015 released on Monday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The country`s rank was 135 in the last report. The HDI
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
What is the significance of the Bihar verdict for your party? The Bihar election is a triumph of the Nitish government’s policies on all fronts – political, economic and good governance. For the country, this is a significant development, because it has halted the march of BJP as the most powerful national party. The Bihar election has changed an environment
