By 2020 the demand for electronic goods in India is expected to breach the US$400 billion mark, with the import bill estimated to set the country back by US$300 billion. In fact, it is expected to trump the energy import bill. India is staring at an import nightmare of unprecedented proportions that can push the country into a spiral of high imports that would necessarily require higher externa
The budget which finance minster Arun Jaitley (a renowned lawyer himself) presents on July 10 is likely to carry the baggage of Right to Food which the UPA II thrust on the reigning government. Happily or unhappily he is slated to set aside a huge corpus for the Act whose time has not come yet. It would be plain ignorance on my part if I could wish the Narendra Modi government would hav
Growing discontent in Indian democracy over the last few years is a cause of concern. The country has more than 65 percent of its population below the age of 35 and will become the world’s youngest country with 64 percent of its population in the working age group by 2020. This would put pressure on the government for providing employment opportunities and citizen-centric governance.
Sanjit `Bunker` Roy is the founder of Barefoot College. In 2010, he was selected by the Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world for his work with illiterate and semi- literate rural women in developing countries. He spoke to Shreerupa Mitra-Jha. You gave up a privileged life to work in a particularly underdeveloped part of the country. So w
India`s big companies now have an extended responsibility on hand - of turning the `do good` stipulation of the government - indeed `good`. Because social responsibility is not demonstrated by choosing from a basket of ‘good deeds’. Neither can good deeds offset bad ones. The R in CSR (corporate social responsibility), in its true sense, refers to the application of sincere conscience on the p
Internet has been rife with debates, articles and arguments over whether Facebook should collect user data or not to target advertisements. But make no bones about it; Facebook was always collecting your data. Those small ads on the left side of the screen? They were a result of all the things you ‘liked’ on the social networking site or searched for on your computer
So it’s a row over front-row seats that led to the Preity Zinta-Ness Wadia spat, you say? I say it’s way more serious an issue than to be merely dismissed with the irritated bat of an eyelid, or frustrated thwack on the thigh before both the
Not long ago, the central industrial security force (CISF) was considered a redundant force. Circa 2014, CISF is a zero-budget force with a versatile and challenging role, securing India’s key airports, PSUs, mines, ports, and other key assets. In an interview with Pankaj Kumar, OP Singh, a 1983-batch IPS who was recently appointed additional director general, CISF airport sector, discuss
Prime minister Narendra Modi could be considered a lucky man, for he is reaping the benefits of what UPA sowed. Somewhere in 2010, when I was working with a prominent business newspaper, my then editor had raised the very issue which the Intelligence Bureau (IB) has captured in its report that has taken the nation by storm: that many NGOs are coming in the way of development, and are lending a
Neiphiu Rio is a three-time chief minister of Nagaland. A founding member of the ruling Nagaland People’s Front (NPF), he won the Lok Sabha elections, and resigned as chief minister to take up a larger role in New Delhi. In an interaction with Pratap Vikram Singh, Rio talks about points of contention between his state and the centre and his plans for development of the northeast. Excerpts
Of the three elements of good governance, prime minister Narendra Modi has touched on two, and must now complete the triad. The meeting of the PM with the 77 secretaries closely followed the pledge in the BJP manifesto for “open, transparent and systems based government” and “pro-active pro-people good governance”. The manifesto, in the section on institut
Nineteen out of the 227 Greater Mumbai councillors did not ask a single question in any of the ward committee meetings in the calendar year January to December 2013 and seven councillors did not ask a single question over the entire term of two years, since they were elected reveals the White Paper report released by the Praja Foundation. 227 Councillors of Greater Mumbai electe
Public sector enterprises (PSEs) were set up as instruments of self-reliant economic growth. Over the years, they have laid a strong foundation for industrial development of the country. But the sector is often seen as concerned less with profit-making and more with playing a key role in nation-building. In an interview with Jasleen Kaur, OP Rawat, secretary of the department of public
Robert D Blackwill, former US ambassador to India (2001-03), in his physical impression can be somewhat deceptive. When sitting he appears to be almost diminutive but is tall even by American standards and his kindly, almost absent-minded face does not prepare you for the sharp repartees that come your way ever so often in the course of a conversation. Who else could describe Lee Kuan Yew`s rel
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited, the biggest profit-making state-owned company, will be among the top Indian firms to contribute and spend on CSR now that the Companies Act has been implemented. The ONGC says it would have a budget of approximately `500 crore for the initiative. Jasleen Kaur checks the details with KS Jamestin, director of human resou
All over the world, an element of theatre has always been a part of politics. In contemporary times, 24x7 media coverage has embellished the political theatre with touches of reality television. In our country, Narendra Modi has proved to be a master of using the changing media language to his advantage. He instinctively translates abstract political messages into palpable images, and thus touc
As a senior vice president at SAP, Jens Ramaus is responsible for product strategy and development, with a special emphasis on the requirements of federal, state and local governments. In a conversation with Ankita Lahiri, Romaus talked about how cloud and mobile technologies will impact the way citizen interact with both the governments and corporates. Excerpts: How do you see
Right from the pilot project mode to a full-fledged business activity, financial inclusion has continuously evolved over the years. In an email interview with Governance Now, Punjab National Bank (PNB) CMD KR Kamath talks about bringing the bank’s FI customers at par with the normal customers, managing the problem of BC attrition, and the need to continuously embrace tech
In a freewheeling interview with Pragya Gupta, the new secretary of department of electronics and information technology (DeitY) says that a decentralised approach to e-governance will work better in a country like India. The 1978-batch Jharkhand cadre IAS officer (who earlier was DG of UIDAI) also wants to increase the pace of backend digitisation and beli
PSU giant Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) has always been proactive in carrying out its CSR activities. In an email interview, its CMD CS Verma discusses his organisation’s plans for the immediate future. Edited excerpts: CSR has always been on the PSUs’ agenda. But with the new law it has become a mandatory and an accountable exercise. How will SAIL&rsquo
