Free speech has always been a subject of immense debate. Different legal regimes in different parts of the world have sought to regulate free speech on various grounds. In India, the constitution guarantees the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression. However, this right under Article 19(1) of the constitution is not an absolute right. The state can impose various ‘reasonabl
The growth story of our country has remained a mixed baggage. There has been tremendous advancement in many sectors but there are also areas of huge concern. It was generally believed that liberalisation and globalisation would unshackle the economy and accelerate growth. As the national income would rise, all sections of society would get a share in the rising wealth, through a trickledown eff
Kashinath Singh, a distinguished scholar and writer, is regarded as one of the best chroniclers of the city of Varanasi. Only a few people know the city as well as he does. Born in a village 40 km from the city, he came to Varanasi for his higher secondary education. Since then he has lived in the city – initially as a student at the Banaras Hindu University, which is also where
It has now become the subject of a parliament debate. The home minister has even ensured a restraining order via the courts and it is clear India will not get to see the documentary on the atrocities against her daughters. Film-maker Leslee Udwin`s work India`s Daughter is to be aired across several nations on March 8, the International Women`s Day. Except in India. The governmen
It did not make much difference to aam aadmi but gave rise to huge sound bites. Rahul Gandhi is missing from budget session of parliament. During this time of hectic activity, the vice president of a major party decides to take a ‘reflective vacation’, to ‘reflect’ and ‘think’ about the party’s future. Everybody takes as v
Entrusted with the task to create a resource pool of 500 million skilled workers by 2022, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, minister of state (independent charge) for skill development and entrepreneurshipis on a mission. In an interaction with Jasleen Kaur, Rudy talks about the newly created ministry and challenges ahead. What is the purpose of a separate ministry for skill de
On Valentine’s Day this year, the media had more important news to cover than the expected moral policing by self-appointed guardians of Indian culture. Arvind Kejriwal was taking oath for the second time as chief minister of Delhi. Given the unprecedented mandate in favour of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the utter humiliation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) amid the coll
As the new chairman of Prasar Bharati, A Surya Prakash has a lot on his mind. From the `13,556 crore losses in 2011-12 to stiff competition from private channels, the organisation is struggling to find its feet. In a freewheeling interview with Ankita Lahiri, he clears the air on some of these issues and discusses his plans to revamp Prasar Bharati. Excerpts:
How do you strike a balance between the environmental needs and economic and industrial growth? Environment-related compliances are important and non-negotiable, but development cannot be forsaken. Hence, there is a need to adopt a sustainable approach. Rajasthan falls in arid and semi-arid agro-climate zone, deficit in water resources. The state board has stress
Delhi is inhaling unacceptable levels of toxins. Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has revealed shocking facts and data about the capital’s respiratory health which is vulnerable even if a person is commuting via public transport (which is seen as solution to the problem of air pollution) People residing in Delhi, one of the world’s most polluted cities, are ex
Ruskin Bond is perhaps the only Indian author of English language to have created a vast wealth of children’s literature. Despite being famous, Bond is quite unassuming and does not believe in public relations and does not even have an email id! He has been awarded the prestigious Sahitya Akademi award, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan for his writings. He won John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial
Venkaiah Naidu is known for his plain speak and the union development minister displayed it in full measure recently at the opening address of a two-day consultation conference involving bureaucrats and municipal bodies on smart cities in New Delhi. “Everyone wants a smart city,” he said, “but are you ready for reforms?” It was as much a rhetorical question as it was one
I am not going to repeat the biblical story here; I have used this word for two giants and powerful adversaries of the AAP. The two national parties, the BJP and Congress, with decades of political existence and experience lost the election to the small and novice political force AAP. My intention here is not to write about their fall. Too much has already been written about this election. I wa
About 5.5 million tribal children are malnourished in India. According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report, every second tribal child in India is undernourished. This is mainly because of lack of land and livelihood, poor maternal health (68.5 percent tribal mothers are anaemic) and poor care of children of women working as labourers. On
What is ‘Digital India’ and how will it benefit the common man? It will make the common man more empowered. It will bridge the gap between digital haves and digital have-nots. We need Digital India more for the poor and under-privileged people. For example, if a rickshaw puller from Bihar comes to Delhi then all his documents like BPL card, birth cert
The report of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) by Pratham Foundation confirms perhaps what we already knew instinctively; that through access to education is now near universal and dropout rates are continuously declining, the quality of education is suspect. The report reveals that near half of the children who go to school in rural India cannot read, write or do ar
The man responsible for driving urban development in Madhya Pradesh is also well versed with the ICT and has played a key role in shaping the growth of IT industry in the state. In an interaction with Governance Now, he talks about the smart city plans of the government. How do you define a smart city? Which cities in Madhya Pradesh you plan to develop under the
The RSS’s vision of Rashtranirman happens to be hazed, for the time being, by the simple and more conventional issues of bijli pani and sadak. The Delhi assembly election could be seen as an election replete with contrasts. The biggest contrast came out as the one between a grand, distant vision and more tactile issues. This Delhi election tells a contrasting narrative of desires and expe
Union chemicals and fertilizers minister Ananth Kumar is a veteran politician. He served as a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. In his home state Karnataka, he has always been a force to reckon with in the BJP, at times evoking extreme reactions within the Sangh Parivar. Kumar’s induction into the Narendra Modi cabinet was a logical conclusion to his long innings in politic
As the dust settles over the Delhi assembly elections and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) returns with an astounding victory within a year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strategists would be left wondering whether they had unwittingly contributed to the AAP victory, creating a national opposition for itself. If Modi’s electioneering and media blitzkrieg contributed to the BJP’s victory in
