Keyword : Narendra Modi

Editor as the dictator

There’s so much denial around Narendra Modi in the media that we should be glad his opponents concede he exists in flesh and blood! It’s been nearly 13 years since Modi t

A ‘comprehensive look’ at NOFN strategy and implementation

The prime minister’s office (PMO) has setup a high-level committee to take a ‘comprehensive look’ at the National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN) project and propose an implementation

Let a thousand digital technologies bloom

Here’s the big question. Can every Indian have 24/7 internet connection? Two IIT Bombay professors and a couple of their students from the departments of electronics and aerospace presented a

Delhi: AAP registers landslide win, wipes out BJP

The national capital is going the AAP way. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has taken a mammoth lead as trends poured in from the counting centre on Tuesday. The AAP made historic victory by getting 67 se

AAP success: courtesy BJP?

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 wonderin

Citizens first must be the approach for Digital India

Technology is a boon for the society and governance, and it is there to stay. But technology is like salt in food. It has to be in right proportion: while one can manage with less salt, one cannot

India’s last-mile challenge

It is an unpalatable truth for prime minister Narendra Modi. The government still doesn’t have a coherent plan on how it’s going to pipe in high-speed internet broadband connectivity to

Why Chaturvedi’s shift to AAP govt won’t be easy

What can be seen as Delhi’s new government’s first major step in ensuring a corruption-free system , the name of the whistleblower officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi  has been proposed for

Deepak Parekh slams govt for talking and not acting

Chairman of HDFC Deepak Parekh, who has been praising and warning Modi government during the last few months, has come out in strong terms against the administration as India gets into budget seaso

Restore the splendour of the rusting steel frame

For a career bureaucrat, home secretary to the government of India is an aspirational position. Anil Goswami had attained it not by dint of his work but network. And that was an exception. In his s

Modi suit fetches record Rs 4.31 cr at Surat auction

It started with a quote of Rs 51 lakh and, finally prime minister Narendra Modi`s suit with his name woven into it in gold pinstripes has been lapped for Rs. 4.31 crore. On the final

How Modi’s smart cities vision is being diluted

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 bureaucrat

Bringing social change with social media

Isn’t it a bit ironic that while social media has been harnessed increasingly for achieving political changes, it has yielded little result when it comes to delivering social changes? In that

Will change if land bill is against farmers, says Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that "if there is anything against farmers in land acquisition bill, the government is ready to change it". Speaking on motion o

Jaitley’s budget prepares India for a big take off

Announcing a budget aimed at high growth finance minister Arun Jaitley delivered his first full-year budget with proposals to boost investment and benefits to ordinary people. "

PDP-BJP alliance: Dealing with differences

As the saying goes, politics is the art of the possible. A political drama on the same lines is unfolding in Jammu and Kashmir where the foes, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Bharatiya Janata Pa

Hope on horizon in Sriperumbudur after PM speaks about Nokia plant revival

There is hope in the air. Prime minister Narendra Modi’s categorical statement on plans to revive Nokia plant at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu has breathed life into lives of thousands of worke

Lanka PM threatens to shoot Indian fishermen

Few weeks after Sri Lankan president’s visit to India and ahead of prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lanka, Ranil Wickramesinghe, Lankan prime minister has dropped a bombshell tha

Modi in Obama’s company with celebrities on net’s influential list

Time magazine says “it helps to be famous in real life. But the rise of social networks has leveled the playing field, allowing unknowns to command audiences rivaling those of real-world lead

‘Our heads hang in shame,’ says PM on crime against women

Prime minister Narendra Modi, who had kept silent on the entire controversy over the BBC documentary on the December 16 gangrape, has said, “Our heads hang in shame when we hear of instances

Digital disruption for a better tomorrow

When India sent its last telegram on the late Sunday evening of July 14, 2013, it was perhaps not the first technology to reach the end of its lifecycle. However, the reason it made it big on news

Gandhi Jayanti and work ethic

Arguably the most cosmopolitan state, Goa is in the midst of a row over the Gandhi Jayanti holiday. Chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar is crying foul after the Congress raked up his government&rsquo

PM `deeply concerned` about nun`s gangrape; seeks immediate report

Expressing ‘deep concern’ over the gangrape of a 72-year-old nun in West Bengal and the attack on a church in Haryana, the prime minister has sought for immediate reports on these incid

DigiLocker gets good response from Modi’s Gujarat

Prime minister Narendra Modi’s Gujarat has taken fancy to DigiLocker, the digital locker system launched by the government to securely store documents o

Modi visit effect: Rijiu promises citizenship to Lanka refugees

After prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka recently, union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday met Lankan refugees in Gummidipoondi town near Chennai and a

No internet is not a problem, you will get govt`s tweets offline

The day the supreme court scrapped section 66A of the Information Technology (IT) Act giving us the freedom to post anything on social media without any fear, prime minister Narendra Modi’s l

MUDRA Bank to be launched on April 8

Giving a major boost to the micro-finance sector prime minister Narendra Modi will launch MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) Bank on April 8. Finance minister Arun Jaitley in his

Sonia’s Congress in no mood to get well soon

Just as Congress president Sonia Gandhi was admitted to a hospital in the US in 2011, a bouquet with a get-well-soon message was delivered at her residence early one morning. Sonia’s illness

Kashi and Kyoto – can the twain meet?

A s dusk sets in, Asi ghat comes to life. A stage has been set up and performers gather in colourful garb. Locals and tourists begin to occupy the steps of the ghat. Tea sellers and boatmen do bris

Swachh Vidhyalaya: Many schools still without toilets

`No toilet in school, UP girl out to relieve herself gangraped by seniors,` read a newspaper headline on March 30. The class V girl student was allegedly raped by two seniors from her school, when

Nigeria jumps into Sonia and Giriraj racist remark row

Nigeria, which just on Tuesday saw a peaceful presidential election, is angry with an Indian minister.  What has Nigeria got to do with a minister in India? Well, in a remark t

Wealth of poor fascinates PM, asks RBI for financial inclusion roadmap

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asked the Reserve Bank India to prepare 20-year roadmap for financial inclusion while focusing on the success of the prime minister’s jan dhan yojan,

Tobacco v/s beef and humans v/s cows

Chew tobacco but shun beef. If utterances of senior ministers are to be believed, this is the message of the Narendra Modi government. Union home minister Rajnath Singh has gone a step further and

How to make in India

The prime minister’s pre-election exhortation or invitation, as the case may be, “Make in India”, made headlines then, and has remained in the news. The Economic Survey, tabled in

BJP’s army to fight for land bill as party begins national meet

The BJP is deploying over 15 lakh party workers, who would be trained to reach out to people and spread the message of good work being done by the Modi government. Another mass contact programme be

Tobacco controversy: PM Modi seeks report from health ministry

Signaling the rethink over the tobacco panel that suggested cessation of pictorial warning on tobacco products, prime minister Narendra Modi has asked health minister JP Nadda to appoint a high-lev

Change lifestyle, otherwise eco fight will be a waste: Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched the National Air Quality Index, to monitor pollution levels in 10 major cities and inaugurated the two-day conference of state environment ministers

Moody’s Investor Service changes India credit rating to positive

In the backdrop of record foreign exchange reserve in India’s kitty, there is one more good news that may strengthen the hands of prime minister Narendra Modi when he visits Europe this month

Digitising documents for better citizen service delivery

I am really happy that India’s de-facto CIO – department of electronics and information technology (DeitY) secretary RS Sharma – has started to talk about dematerialisation (demat

Culture must connect, not divide our world: PM Modi at UNESCO

Prime minister Narendra Modi addressed a gathering of about1,300 distinguished guests at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on the occasion of 70th anniversary of the world cultural organisation on Frida

Rafale fighter jets to join IAF in two years, says Parrikar

Rafale fighter jets will be inducted in IAF in a span of two years. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said on Saturday that French Rafale jet deal, announced by prime minister Narendra Modi on Frid

Resilient Varanasi

Varanasi, the oldest living town on planet, is prone to small-scale disaster as the frequency of small-scale disasters and natural ecosystem vulnerabilities has increased in five years. This was re

Retail inflation falls as financial agencies forecast 7.9% growth

India`s economic growth is expected to improve to 7.9 per cent in current fiscal year. This figure has been given by global rating agency Crisil and foreign brokerage Morgan Stanley in their report

Obama writes note on PM Modi in TIME magazine

Prime minister Narendra Modi features in the TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people list and the short note

Govt has little time for important bills as parliament session resumes

Temperatures are going to rise both outside parliament and inside. Lok Sabha resumed its budget session after a break and Rajya Sabha sitting is from Aril 23. The debate over land bill is going to

This JAM clears bottlenecks

The focus on one number ID will soon become a passé. At a time when many developed countries like the US are harping on one ID that aims to shape their social landscape, India has coined a n

Minister Giriraj finally tenders apology for his Sonia Gandhi remark

Union minister Giriraj Singh on Monday expressed regret on the floor of Lok Sabha over his sexist remarks against Congress president Sonia Gandhi. “Meri baaton se agar kisi ko

Govt to look at social media content to fine-tune policies

People’s voices matter in a democracy and soon this political dictum will move beyond the realm of rhetoric to become a reality. What can be seen as a clear attempt to establish a ‘deli

Spend quality time with families, PM tells babus

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked civil servants to practice effective time management and spend quality time with their families. Addressing a gathering of bureaucrats o

Net neutrality issue: Startups send SOS to Narendra Modi

India is one of the top countries that gives birth to startups and nurtures them. Net Neutrality is extremely important for this community of innovators. Without physical space the small units can

Net neutrality is at the heart of internet architect, say tech teachers

Fifty professors from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have issued a joint statement and sought net neutrality. The IIT faculty members are from Bombay, M

TRAI website down for making email IDs public

At a time when every Indian is busy saving the internet, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) latest move has made them the victims of the same internet. TRAI has revealed the e

Cabinet nod for Smart City projects, Atal rejuvenation mission

Prime minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet on Wednesday cleared 100 Smart City projects and Atal mission for rejuvenation and urban transformation of 500 cities. The government will spend around

PM Modi is the third most followed leader on Twitter

While prime minister Narendra Modi is among the top five in the `most followed` and `most influential people` list on Twitter, union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj is the most followed for

Modifying Marxism

Shramev Jayate (Labour Prevails), the slogan coined by prime minister Narendra Modi, is not as seductive as Karl Marx’s exhortation, “Workers of the world unite”. But the essence

May Day: Just another day in the life of the worker

Twenty-three-year old Amit Sundriyal had been running for almost an hour when he heard the police siren. He ducked behind a shack, while turning sharply into a bylane in the opposite direction from

Replug: Stories you might have missed from the week gone by

Here are five special stories you must read this weekend International Labour Day

Net Neutrality debate: Can internet be neutral?

Popular e-commerce portal Flipkart has been advertising with the Times group. Recently, the e-retailer was contacted by Airtel, which offered to do the promotional job at two-third of the price. Th

Net neutrality has to be fiercely protected

The heart of the net neutrality debate in India is centred on three fundamental questions. First, is internet a public good? In theory, at least, it is. The Narendra Modi government seems to think

Delivery time for Narendra Modi govt

Remember the promo for the last season of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’? A young woman from the northeast, delivering the punch line: ‘jaante sab hain ki Kohima India mein hai, maante k

Smart healthcare for a Smart India

Information technology (IT) has successfully reshaped our lives in ways unimaginable even a decade or two ago. The era of the telegram is now officially over and access to information is not just a

RTI: Signs of regressive forces at work

The RTI Act has caught the imagination of people and the way it has spread is appreciated and admired around the world. A great change has come in India in the last decade in the power equation bet

Media is not AAP

Modern media is not Aam Aadmi Party. Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal should learn this and understand the difference. For raising voices, Kejriwal managed to throw out h

Is there no one to stand up for the working class?

India’s working class – organised, contract and unorganised – has never been as defenceless as now. The once formidable trade union movements have wilted under the onslaught of gl

Labour laws are not a problem to industrial development

Raghwan, a Fiji-born former trade unionist, is a senior specialist at the Geneva-based International Labour Organisation (ILO) and responsible for trade unions in Asia and Pacific

Smart cities offer over $30 billion business opportunity to ICT industry: Nasscom

The smart cities mission will require a substantial investment in information and communication technologies (ICT). This will account for 10-15 percent of the total mission outlay and will translat

Modi talks tough but sets ambitious agenda for China ties

Talks were candid and outlook was ambitious. Prime minister Narendra Modi was candid in his official talks with the Chinese leaders as he touched border issue while setting an ambitious agenda for

Chinese business leaders ready for Make in India

These numbers may not tell much but the spirit is big and intention worth discovering.  21 business agreements worth $ 22 billion were signed between Indian and Chinese companies on Saturday a

Samsung, LG and Hyundai on Modi’s Korean agenda

India and South Korea have agreed to upgrade the bilateral relationship to `Special Strategic Partnership`. This was disclosed by prime minister Narendra Modi after both the countries signed seven

PM Modi’s one year through selfies

Prime minister Narendra Modi is good with selfies. His latest selfie with Chinese premier Li Keqiang created a buzz across the world and was shared widely on social media. The selfie also prompted

Notification on Delhi power structure issued, LG is the boss

The union home ministry on Friday issued a notification clarifying distribution of power between Delhi`s lieutenant governor and the chief minister. According to the MHA notification

Kejriwal charges LG of transfer business, calls Modi as queen

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, after casting aspersions on the character of his officials, has now started throwing mud at the office of lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung and prime minister Na

Selection of heads for information commission and vigilance panel today

Finally, after months of being headless, the prime minister-led selection committees will on Saturday decide the names of chiefs of central information commission (CIC) and central vigilance commis

Haven`t the bad days gone away, Modi asks at first anniversary rally

Addressing first of BJP`s 200 big rallies on NDA`s first anniversary on Monday, prime minister Narendra Modi  asked “haven`t the bad days gone away?”. This was his way of answering

Ficci hails Modi govt’s positive sentiment and CII sees new growth narrative

On the first anniversary of Narendra Modi government the Indian industry organizations see positive sentiment in the country and credit the administration of restoring investors’ confidence a

The state of opposition

A year ago, there were people even outside BJP who made it their own mission to see Narendra Modi as prime minister. Today, many of them are restless and impatient. And yet Modi remains popular; a

Share your thoughts with me on Twitter: PM on his one year in office

Addressing the nation on the first anniversary of his office, prime minister Narendra Modi wrote an open letter to the people on Tuesday. The letter, in the form of a newspaper advertisement, highl

Kejriwal out to spoil BJP’s anniversary party and it is not a wise strategy

The battle is political and should be fought in a sustained manner. However, the timing of Arvind Kejriwal’s belligerence on Delhi power sharing issue during the first anniversary celebration

Write to Modi: PM now ready to receive your emails

It may not be best of the ways democracy functions, where every official has to discharge their duties, but India seems to work differently. Now, citizens of India can directly write to prime minis

Modi`s key initiatives: Analysis

Prime minister Narendra Modi completes his one year in office on Monday. Governance Now has reviewed some of his key promises and initiatives taken in one year and what needs to be done in near fut

Smart cities: A new route to planned urbanisation

The discussion on smart cities started off with a bang about a year ago, with the ascent of the NDA-II to power. There were expectations of a magical package with a financial bonanza.

What labour law reforms imply

Since the opening up of the Indian economy in 1991 an issue has been prominently raised by the government that huge investment is needed to boost economic growth. It is assumed that once economic g

Lalu opens his cards

Lalu Yadav never ceases to surprise his opponents, supporters, alliance partners and political analysts with his maverick political actions. When everyone took him for granted as a partner in Janat

Needless controversy over yoga in schools

In the age of unhealthy food habits and polluted atmosphere, yoga presents most cost effective preventive method and means for staying healthy. It is nothing to do with religion or community. But n

Soft Sushma under attack but real target is Narendra Modi

Delhi Police on Monday beefed up security outside Sushma Swaraj`s residence in Delhi but the foreign minister faces relentless attack on the issue of her role in Lalit Modi controversy.

Lalit Modi’s name dropping makes it miserable for Sushma

Lalit Modi is keeping the pot boiling and adding to the discomfort of Sushma Swaraj even as the Congress attack questioned Narendra Modi on why he was protecting his foreign minister and termed the

Nasscom, IESA gear up for Digital India, launch on July 1

Prime minister Narendra Modi will formally launch the Digital India programme on July 1, said communications and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. The minister was speaking at a MoU signing agreemen

Contours of a new architecture of governance

Bureaucratic notings on files, if collated, compiled and studied as a subject, would give interesting insights into the culture of India’s administration. One such series of notings is still

Emergency bomb: Advani provides fodder to Modi & BJP foes

It is hard to believe that in the age of social media activism in India there is a possibility of emergency-like situation in the country. But BJP leader LK Advani did allude to such a scenario and

Don`t shy away from yoga benefits, says WHO as Delhi gets ready to bend

Notwithstanding needless controversies and posturing by pseudo-secularists, yoga is relevant in current India, suffering from effects economic growth. Those are skeptical should unde

No clarity on Sriperumbudur Nokia plant revival

It has been more than three months the prime minister Narendra Modi indicated his government’s plan to

Govt staff beat Monday blues, in office before 9 in Delhi

Monday blues are a cliché in central government now. After the Narnedra Modi government’s directive and host of measures to ensure a different work culture, there seems to be remarkabl

Remoulding the Steel Frame

Some five years ago NR Narayana Murthy, one of the founders of Infosys Technologies, called for abolishing the Indian administrative services (IAS) and replacing it with an ‘Indian management

#SelfieWithDaughter: How India celebrated the girl child

People from across the country flooded social media with the selfie taken with their daughters. Praising the Haryana sarpanch Sunil Jaglan, whose idea of #SelfieWithDaughter went viral on the web,

Vasundhara Raje and Lalit Modi are business partners, says Cong with proof

Unrelenting in its attacks, the Congress party on Monday alleged that Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Lalit Modi were business partners. Lalit Modi and Vasundhara Raje c

PM Modi need not reply to everything, says minister VK Singh

Prime minister Narendra Modi need not have to react to everything, says minister of state VK Singh and sees conspiracy behind television channels reporting on Lalit Modi issue. He also dismissed cr

Size does not matter. Efficiency does

On assumption of office, prime minister Narendra Modi had emphasised the governance mantra, “maximum governance with minimum government”. In the formation of the government he kept the

Intense politics forces PMO to clarify on denial of Kejriwal’s date with PM

Even administrative matters are being political colour and the Prime minister`s office (PMO) is being dragged into these issues, which seems strange, and somewhat silly. The PMO has been forced to

Swachh Bharat: How is it possible without toilets?

The Narendra Modi government has promised that every household in India will have toilets by 2019. This also accounts for complete eradication of open defecation. The construction of toilets with t

India reduces open defecation by 31 percent: UN report

India has ‘moderately’ reduced open defecation by 31 percent since 1990 but succeeded significantly in providing access to improved drinking water to more people in urban and rural area

Industrialists pledge billions as PM launches Digital India

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched Digital India initiative in the presence of top industrialist of the country and an audience of nearly 10,000 people. While sharing

Fitch joins Moody’s, warns of weak business environment

After global rating giant Moody’s warning that there were growing concerns about risk of policy stagnation in India and “some disappointment” over the pace of reforms under the Mo

Green signal for policy to make skill development aspirational for youth

The union cabinet has cleared a three-tiered institutional framework for national skill development mission under the new skill development policy. Announcing cabinet okay for variou

India to get Centre of Excellence for internet of things in Bengaluru

Prime minister Narendra Modi has announced the launch of The Centre of Excellence (CoE) for IoT (internet of things) in Bengaluru to enable rapid adoption of IoT technology and to foster new growth

Agri sector gets a boost with Rs 50,000 crore scheme

The government has unveiled an ambitious programme to increase agriculture sector output and efficient management of water resources. For this it will spend Rs 50,000 crore over the next five years

Modest charity

The media make parrots out of us. Instead of working things out for ourselves, we are taught to repeat formulae by rote. The formula on Greece is well known. It went on borrowing as if there was no

Cong fires at PM from Dulat’s shoulder

Congress party has now found its voice to directly attack prime minister Narendra Modi instead of indirect barbs of Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje episodes. On Friday, the party raked up

PM`s digital dialogue with tech enthusiasts on Digital India

Prime minister Narendra Modi has said on Saturday that the ‘overwhelming’ response he has received on the ‘Digital India’ initiative has inspired him to hold a ‘Digita

Morning briefings: Woman cop, who was recruited through MP Vyapam, found dead near police academy in Sagar

Trainee Sub Inspector Anamika Kushwaha, who was recruited through Vyapam, found dead near Madhya Pradesh police academy in Sagar. Her body was found in a lake. Anamika Kushwaha was recruited throug

India wants digital revolution and m-governance in every hand: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while calling technology as simple and a brilliant way to serve people, he declared that India is yearning for a digital revolution and m-governance is about governanc

Implement family planning for Muslims: Shiv Sena

The Shiv Sena sought proper intervention as the increasing population of Muslims in the country will cause language and geographical imbalance and asked prime minister Narendra Modi to ensure that

M-governance is about monitoring big time announcements

"Digital India" meet on July 1 turned out to an investment meet as the captains of the industry announced in 150 seconds allotted to each one of them how much investment they are going to

Morning briefing: Modi in Russia for BRICS & SCO summits, to meet Xi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive here at Ufa (Russia) today on a three-day visit to attend the BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summits. During his visit he is expected to meet C

Morning briefing: Supreme court to take a call on CBI probe into Vyapam scam today

The Supreme Court will take up the plea for a CBI probe in the Vyapam scam today. Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had declared on Wednesday that he would also back such a reques

Nitish Kumar mocks PM Modi’s foreign visits

Nitish Kumar, who has prime ministerial ambition, took a dig at prime minister Narendra Modi’s visits abroad and said that it is a blessing that Modi "spends some time in the country als

Leverage numbers and strength, Modi tells BRICS nations

Making a strong case for economic cooperation among the BRICS nations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today “we need to see our strengths and then cooperate on skill development”.

Modi-Sharif meeting sets stage for NSA-level talks

It was a cold and chilly morning in Ufa, Russia. And, India and Pakistan took a baby step in thawing the bilateral relations. Prime minister Narendra Modi while raising the issue of terror, agreed

Narendra Modi’s silence is as eloquent as deafening din

Silence is a weapon whose efficacy can only be realised in the battleground of ethics and morality. It proves highly ineffective or even counterproductive when used as a substitute for chicanery. N

Morning briefings: PM Modi`s meeting on land bill today, oppn CMs skip it

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a meeting of NITI Aayog`s governing council, of which all chief ministers are a part, with the land acquisition Bill as the main agenda. However, the chief m

Morning briefing: PM`s Jammu visit triggers Pak firing, woman killed

Ahead of prime minister Narendra Modi`s visit to Jammu tomorrow (July 17), Pakistani Rangers resorted to heavy shelling on the Indian forward posts and civilian areas that left a 42-year-old woman

PM Modi and Rahul in political shootout

Today is the day of loaded political discourse that can also serve as lessons to politicians. While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi remained stuck to the rhetorical mud-slinging, prime minister Narend

Morning briefing: Kejriwal to meet Delhi police chief over law and order issue today

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will meet Delhi police commissioner BS Bassi today (Monday) to discuss law and order in the city. the immediate provocation is murder of a 19-year-old girl, sta

Bibipur: It’s not just the ‘selfie’ that has clicked

The photograph of the Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt’s ‘selfie’ with American president Barack Obama and British prime minister David Cameron at South African leader

Move forward on land bill is the request of the prime minister

Responsibility to run parliament has to be shared by all, said prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday at meeting of political parties convened on the eve of the monsoon session.  The all-party

Govt’s new job portal to help private companies too

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday unveiled the government’s job board called National Career Se

The Economist’s politics

India’s malnutrition is back in international news, and for rather intriguing reasons. Some nasty articles have appeared in one of the most prestigious international magazines, the Economist

Morning briefing: Parliament`s stormy monsoon session begins today

Parliament is set for confrontation between the Opposition-led by Congress and the government. The Narendra Modi government will be hauled up over Vyapam scam and Lalit Modi episode. External affai

Sushma ready for debate but unrelenting opposition parties force RS adjournment

The monsoon session of the parliament began on Tuesday. Even though the government is willing the opposition is not ready to allow the session to proceed smoothly. At the parliament

Vyapam links are yet to be exposed: Dr Anand Rai

The Vyapam scam took place in Madhya Pradesh, but fraudsters involved in it are spread across states like Rajasthan, Bihar, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh – making it necessary for an inter-st

Kejriwal’s faux pas on women’s panel deliberate?

Was that deliberate act or plain negligence in not sending Delhi Commission for Women file to the lieutenent governor? However, as the courts are busy hearing cases relating to division of power in

Morning briefing: Kalam’s funeral in Rameswaram with full state honours

The funeral of former President APJ Abdul Kalam is being held in Rameswaram today with full military honours. Prime minister Narendra Modi, Defence minister Manohar Parrikar and few chief ministers

Will Bihar’s poll bonanza break the state?

Bihar may have had the luxury of revenue surplus budget of Rs 11,980 crore, but the way Nitish Kumar is dishing out bonanza after bonanza to various sectors of the poll-bound state, the new governm

No meaningful proceedings till resignations, says tough-talking Sonia

Parliamentary majority does not give anyone a license to escape accountability, said Sonia Gandhi on Monday morning and dashed to ground any hopes the government was harbouring on resumption of bus

`Hurt` Nitish to cash in on PM’s DNA remark

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has sent a backhanded compliment to Narendra Modi in an open letter to the prime minister while objecting to his DNA remark during a rally in Bihar.

Naga peace pact: Why is Sonia Gandhi angry?

In a surprise outburst, Congress president Sonia Gandhi today (Thursday) slammed the Modi government over the process of Naga peace pact while ignoring the spirit of the agreement. S

Jaya serves lunch to Modi but state BJP feels discomfort

Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa plays perfect luncheon host to prime minister Narendra Modi and leaves the TN BJP confused. With elections around the corner, Jayalalithaa al

An increasingly ungovernable nation

There have been petitions in court and the press council against certain news portals for promoting pornographic material in the garb of information. Similar petitions were also filed against certa

PM Modi utters Emergency word while targeting Cong

The Rajya Sabha worked for just over nine hours of the 17-day session monsoon session of parliament, which ended today. Key legislation like the goods and services tax bill is pending in the RS.

PM puts spotlight on farmers but industry too is happy with his independence day speech

Prime minister Narendra Modi’s independence day speech, his second, focused on farmers in most specific manner and there are reasons behind the details. The land acquisition bill, which is

Bihar finally gets polls special package

It was a big bang announcement for Bihar. Prime minister Narendra Modi announced a special package worth Rs 1.25 lakh crore, and an addition fund of Rs 40,000 crore for the poll-bound Bihar on Tues

Bengaluru polls: Cong lost grace too?

In a democracy political parties lose elections and some are won. And in a century of its existence the Congress party has many humiliating defeats and unbelievable victories. However, the party do

Morning briefing: Hardik Patel calls for Gujarat bandh, Whatsapp and SMS suspended to contain rumour mongering

Patels community leader Hardik Patel has called for a bandh in Gujarat today. In a late night message on WhatsApp, he also said, "I make an appeal to maintain peace and keep calm." 

PM goes on TV to seek peace in his home state

Prime minister Narendra Modi called for calm in Gujarat as violence rocked parts of the state. “We can reach a solution through negotiations,” Modi said in Gujarati in his first reactio

Nitish’s dil ki baat is worth Rs 2.70 lakh crore

Battle for Bihar has become a battle of numbers. In his bid to upstage prime minister Narendra Modi`s Rs 1.25 lakh crore special package for Bihar, state chief minister Nitish Kumar today unveiled

Modi finally dumps land bill to clear way for GST bill and Bihar polls

Speaking directly to the people India, prime minister Narendra Modi today announced that the government will not re-promulgate the land acquisition ordinance which expires tomorrow and declared r

Morning briefing: Oil prices drop by 3%, India cuts fuel prices

Oil prices fell nearly by 3% in Asian trade on Tuesday, with investors covering short positions and taking profits after Brent and US crude soared more than 8% in the previous session. Both Brent a

PM Modi reveals secrets of his oratory

In the age of prepared speech, notes or teleprompter (A teleprompter is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script), the secret formula o

With 5-year revision OROP comes into effect

“Despite the huge fiscal burden, given its commitment to the welfare of ex-servicemen, the government has taken a decision to implement the OROP,” said defence minister Manohar Parrik

Jaya praises PM at hugely successful investor meet of TN

"The Global Investors Meet had targeted investment commitments of Rs 1 lakh crore, which has already been exceeded. I am very confident that further commitments would be made over these two da

Narendra Modi brings back pride in Indians, his ratings take a leap

On his birthday there was a gift in numbers. Prime minister Narendra Modi`s favourability ratings have jumped to 87 per cent, according to a latest Pew survey released on Thursday. 

Why Modi’s US visit divides Patels

Reservation politics of Gujarat is playing a big role overseas and has divided the Patel community in the US. An influential section of the Patel community is opposed to a planned rally this week a

Prime minister gets 55,000 calls on better governance

Prime minister Narendra Modi has acknowledged that 55,000 people had made phone calls to give suggestions on better governance. These 55,000 calls came from all parts of India, from Siachen in the

Morning briefing: WhatsApp, social media out of encryption policy

A day after witnessing huge protest against its Encryption Policy, the government has decided to exempt WhatsApp and social media sites from it. The proposed policy, issued by the department of ele

Morning briefing: Embarrassed Kejriwal asks Somnath Bharti to surrender

Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has said that his party MLA Somnath Bharti is becoming an `embarrassment` for the party and his family. Asking Bharti to surr

After DRDO, woman chief for NIC

The national informatics centre (NIC) will have woman director general. Neeta Verma, the deputy director general of the NIC, has been appointed as the head of the informatics centre, which is the t

Modi dines with Fortune 500 CEOs, business bosses ask for more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met top CEOs in the US, listing the various sectors that India has opened up for investments and inviting the US business leaders to `Make in India`. How

When India rekindled Zuckerberg`s belief in Facebook

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has had his belief in his company reinforced by India. This was confessed by Zuckerberg himself as he hosted prime minister Narendra Modi on sunday at the headquart

AAP wants make India first while Cong rambles around on Modi’s US visit

As prime minister Narendra Modi invites business leaders to invest in India in Digital India and other initiatives, Taking potshots at the Prime Minister’s, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriw

BJP’s vision for Bihar is a charter of development

Ahead of prime minister Narendra Modi’s election meeting in Bihar tomorrow, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) today released its vision document for the Bihar assembly elections.

Morning briefing: Modi holds talks with German chancellor today

Prime minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold wide-ranging talks today (Monday) in Delhi to significantly scale up bilateral relations in an array of key sectors with s

Bihar needs to cast out its past and go for development agenda

Should caste make sense when development brings a generation of changes? Is Lalu Prasad Yadav relevant in Bihar? Bihar may not change overnight but it can make an attempt in this ass

India goes for project fast tracking pact with Germany

India and Germany inked 18 memorandum of understanding (MoUs) for cooperation in various fields including higher education, civil aviation, railways and food safety and signed an agreement, first o

Morning briefing: Modi tweets to `vote in large numbers` as Bihar polls begin

Voting for the first phase of assembly elections  in 49 constituencies is underway in Bihar today. Prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday tweeted "Urging all those voting today in Bihar t

On a sticky wicket

With the Bihar elections round the corner, there is animated debate about its probable outcome. These elections will be an acid test for the leadership of the Janata Dal (United) or JD(U), and the

Morning briefing: Kashmir bandh today over man`s death in beef battle

Kashmir is observing bandh today in protest against the death on Sunday of a man who was critically injured 10 days ago, after his truck was fire-bombed in Udhampur on rumours that he had slaughter

Huge response to Andhra Pradesh capital project

Initial response has been very encouraging as prime minister Narendra Modi lays foundation stone for the new capital of the Andhra Pradesh on October 22. The state government’s initiative to

Morning briefing: PM Modi in Kashmir today, may announce economic package

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Jammu and Kashmir today, his first visit after the PDP-BJP coalition came to power in the state. He will address a public meeting at the Sher-i-Kashmir crick

Morning briefing: Opposition submits notice for debate in parliament against ‘intolerance’

In the run-up to the winter session of Parliament, opposition parties have started a coordinated effort to demand a debate on the issue of "growing intolerance" and passage of a resolutio

Modi swears by consensus and Constitution in LS

In a mellowed tone that reflected the reality of current political situation, prime minister Narendra Modi today said that consensus was a democracy’s greatest strength and cooperation empowe

Morning briefing: Cong scores in rural Gujarat, BJP retains urban areas in civic polls

The Congress has made a comeback in the rural areas of Gujarat and won 21 of the 31 district panchayats, while the BJP retained its hold over urban pockets clinching all six municipal corporations

Common sense approach is govt’s mantra, says prime minister Modi

The path his government has chosen is one that uses common sense to solve problems, declared prime minister Narendra Modi today. Making it clear that there is no one right way to ma

Morning briefing: Rs 10,000 cr sanitation programme is total failure, says CAG report

In the past five years, almost Rs. 10,000 crore has been spent on rural sanitation with not much to show for results, says a report of the Comptroller and Audit General of India (CAG). It was table

Morning briefing: Swaraj to make statement in parliament today on India-Pak talks

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj is set to make a statement in both houses of Parliament today on her two-day visit to Pakistan and the resumption of bilateral talks. “I will make a st

Morning briefing: Modi to visit Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha from today

Prime minister Narendra Modi will from Friday (February 5) begin his three-day visit to Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. He will conclude his visit on February 7. Today, Modi will inaugurate the 1

Startup India: Look who needs an incubator first

It is not very often that government-led programmes actually enthuse the target groups. From that viewpoint, the Startup India event was indeed an applauding success. As chronicled by a multitude o

Make in India: Rs 15.20 lakh crore investment promised

The just concluded Make In India Week has garnered business commitment of Rs 15.20 lakh crore in investment from global and domestic companies – of which  close to Rs 8 lakh crore will g

Modi quotes Rajiv, Somnath; should’ve also quoted Sushma, Jaitley

Prime minister Narendra Modi, replying to the debate after the president’s address, once again called on the opposition to cooperate in pushing ahead parliamentary business and pending legisl

Extend sessions by a day to discuss development issues: Modi to MPs

Prime minister Narendra Modi has advised the members of parliament to sit for one more day in the session to discuss development issues. Addressing the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Modi said that there s

Food security act still missing in Congress-ruled states, says Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi took a jibe at Congress’s pet project, National Food Security Act (NFSA), by saying that four states, out of 11 which “hurriedly” agreed to the Act, h

“#OccupyYamuna”? Before Sri Sri’s extravaganza, it was Akshardham

Going by the activities over the years in the riverbed and floodplains in Delhi, there seems to be a veritable #OccupyYamuna campaign going on. Sri Sri Ravishankar’s

Yamuna is dirty because Modi hates Kejriwal!

It may sound odd but the Yamuna, the venue of the three-day long World Cultural Festival being organised by Art of Living Foundation of Sri Sri Ravishankar, is flowing dirty because prime minister

I didn’t call the army: Kejriwal

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has said his government was not responsible for calling the army for making pontoon bridges over the Yamuna river for the World Culture Festival of

And the show goes on – with Modi on WCF dais

Activists, courts, and finally even the rain could not stop Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s World Culture Festival. Prime minister Narendra Modi too ignored alerts about its rickety dais and attended

Ishrat Files: Encountering truth

As Ishrat Jahan Raza is once again making headlines from beyond the grave, her family in a small town near Mumbai has to force itself further behind the veil. On a March afternoon, I climb up four

Under Modi rule, RTI rejection rate goes up

Major findings from the aggregated statistics: Trends in RTI statistics reporting: Only 2,030 public authorities under the government of India regis

India takes steps to tackle nuclear terror

Taking a hard stand on terrorism and nuclear smuggling, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced several initiatives on the final day of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington on Friday. The summi

Khadi: Not just for sake of appearances

There has been a sudden revival of “nationalism” – at least of one version of it, and yet it is difficult to imagine that not long ago, one of the prime symbols of nationalism was

Key takeaways from PM Modi’s Saudi Arabia visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day tour of Saudi Arabia came to an end on Sunday. He is the fourth Indian PM to visit the Gulf kingdom after Dr Manmohan Singh in 2010, Indira Gandhi in 19

Plug the loopholes and get back black money

Filmstars and business tycoons are among the 500 Indian names that were revealed through the Panama Papers, which are over 11 million leaked documents – bringing into focus black money, a pol

NCR travel becomes pocket friendly

Prime minister Narendra Modi today distributed 2,000 e-rickshaws to beneficiaries in Ghaziabad and 1,000 each for Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida to promote the Stand up India scheme. The scheme aims to p

Withering threads: Why the weaver of famous Banarasi silk saree is unhappy

The call of the muezzin and chiming temple bells break the stillness of air over Ganga as Rehaan Hasan wakes up for the day. Now in his sixties – he does not know his exact age – Rehaan

PM suggests involving business groups for tiger conservation

Calling conservation a means to achieve development, prime minister Narendra Modi said that various business groups can be involved in tiger protection programme through corporate social responsibi

PM Narendra Modi to visit J&K

Amidst rising tension over killing of four youths in firing by the army in north Kashmir and continuing protests across the Valley, prime minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the border sta

How a 22-year old man’s arrest has kept Gujarat on the edge for months

Gujarat witnessed violence in 2015 when the Patidar community stood together to demand reservation for Patels in OBC (Other Backward Class) quota.  It’s been nine months since then but t

Reform to perform to transform: Modi to civil servants

Prime minister Narendra Modi conferred PM Awards for Excellence in Public Administration to civil servants on Thursday. These awards aim to acknowledge, recognise and reward the extraordinary and i

Eradicating poverty in India a Sisyphean task

The Narendra Modi government wants to banish poverty from India by the year 2032, a target that is ambitious and fraught with potential pitfalls. The government has thrashed out an a

RTI Act: Why citizens must send a strong message to MPs

There is a very disturbing news report about the entire political spectrum agreeing that RTI is misused and some constrictions and impediments should be developed to muzzle it. This is indeed a sad

You need Rs 5 more than we do, NREGA workers tell Modi

Hundreds of workers in Manika block of Jharkhand’s Latehar district have sent Rs 5 to prime minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday. They were protesting against the measly increase of NREGA wages

India to end open defecation and save people the blushes

An estimated half of India’s 1.2 billion people do not have access to toilets, forcing them to defecate in the open. Ram Kripal Yadav, minister of state for drinking water and sanitatio

‘India on negative trajectory in terms of religious freedom’

There are many people who believe that after Anupam Kher’s spirited defence of the prime minister at a debate in Kolkata, it is proven that there has been no intolerance in India. But the US

India still in the dark on black money

 In a written reply to the rajya sabha, minister for state for finance, Jayant Sinha said, “Determination of black money sent to foreign countries is subject to investigation and other f

Two years of NDA: Transparency and accountability issues persist

The National Campaign for Peoples’ Right to Information (NCPRI) said that there has been no progress on anti-corruption legislations and even existing legislations and mechanisms are being un

Judiciary summer breaks: The jury is out

“My Lords, yours is a strange world indeed. Your year comprises of five months, your week comprises of five days and your day comprises of five hours.”  It

To be on vacation or not to be is the question

The debate over the practice of summer vacations in the Indian judiciary has been reignited after the chief justice of India, Tirath Singh Thakur, stood in a defensive mode against prime minister N

High decibel celebration over two years of NaMo government

 The electoral victory in Assam has come just in time for the Narendra Modi government to celebrate its second anniversary with aplomb. “We used to dream of this [forming gover

“India could also be a target [of the Daesh]”

The news from war-ravaged Afghanistan is not encouraging: a resurgent Taliban, an increasing Islamic State footprint, a fractious government and a weak security force. This year has already see

Swiss support India’s bid to enter NSG

India got support from Switzerland as it mounted a bid to enter the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the move coming on a day when Indian prime minister Narendra Modi was in Geneva where he cal

Modi’s Swiss sojourn

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s quick visit to Geneva had all the headline-grabbing thematic ingredients—black money, a nuclear issue, and a trade deal. Modi, in a press statemen

Figures of speech: Modi as statesman on world stage

EQUALITY The idea that all citizens are created equal is a central pillar of the American constitution. Our founding fathers too shared the same belief and sought in

Five stories you must read over the weekend

They live as whole families in small straw huts they made with their bare hands, on a patch of land miles away from the nearest town. It looks desolate. But it is, they tell me, “p

Ministers to decide on additional charge of CMD, MD in CPSEs

 The appointments committee of the cabinet (ACC) has delegated its power to approve additional charge arrangements of the board level posts in central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) to the

Pakistani Hindus facing a humanitarian crisis

The hope of relative safety of a religious majority as well as the fear of maiming and mutilation following partition forced mass exodus from either sides of the new border. The 1951 census of Paki

Why shipping in Ganga may not be that good an idea

The government has planned to promote navigation in rivers, including the mighty Ganga. Union minister for road transport, highways and shipping

Temperance times

Prohibition in Gujarat is of course a joke. There are days – national holidays, religious festivals – when a regular consumer would have a hard time buying it in Delhi or Mumbai, but hi

Dry Bihar heaves a sigh of relief

My husband has lost everything to liquor. Whatever we inherited from our ancestors is  gone. On top of that, he would turn harsh to us after drinking. But now he is fighting for his life after

Promises aside, Tamil Nadu still reeks of alcohol

It is half past noon. Dozens of eager men are at one of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC)-run liquor shops in Mullimanagar, a fishing hamlet along the Marina beach in Chennai. The

NITI Aayog pitches for mega coastal economic zones to create jobs

Ever since the Narendra Modi-led BJP has come to power at the Centre, it has been highlighting creation of jobs as one of its major objectives. In an action plan, the NITI Aayog has strongly pitche

The origins of Rajan exit: the speech that ruffled feathers

Just when did Dr Raghuram Rajan’s equations with the new government start going downhill? In hindsight, there will be many remarks and decisions that will fit the bill. A speech at IIT Delhi

Why prohibition doesn’t make economic sense

These days K Babu, the controversial excise minister in the previous United Democratic Front government in Kerala headed by Oommen Chandy, cannot control his anger and frustration. Reason? He becam

How Delhi celebrated international yoga day

The second edition of International Yoga Day is being celebrated in India and across the world. Prime minister Narendra Modi joined over 30,000 people at the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh to celebr

Brand Modi changing the rules

There is something unique in Narendra Modi, even his enemies will admit that. The kind of stir his foreign trips create and the impact they leave is something that has not been witnessed before. Hi

I am not scared of FIR: Kejriwal

Launching a counter offensive against prime minister Narendra Modi over his name being included in the FIR in the alleged Rs 400-crore tanker scam, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that

Swamy spin on Modi narrative: ‘Core eco sectors are not performing’

With friends like this, Narendra Modi does not need enemies. Subramanian Swamy has tasted success and he is continuing his nation-building mission with all the more zeal.

PM Modi says Rajan is patriotic, loves India

In what has come as too late a reaction from the highest echelons of government  on RBI governor Raghuram Rajan’s decision to quit following open criticism by the BJP MP Subramanian Swam

Is Modi`s `snub` to Swamy too late, now that damage is done?

Is Modi`s `snub` to Swamy too late, now t

Seven new ministers have criminal cases against them

Among newly inducted cabinet ministers, three ministers have declared serious criminal cases. In all, 14 ministers have declared serious criminal cases including cases related to attempt to murder,

Modi inducts 19 ministers in cabinet, sacks five

Prime minister Narendra Modi expanded his cabinet with 19 new ministers of states who were inducted into the union council of ministers on Tuesday. The new ministers took oath at a ceremony held at

Smriti Irani no more fire and brimstone

Smriti Zubin Irani’s fall from grace is dramatic. The minister who would regularly wade into nasty controversies had it coming all this while and one needn’t be taken aback.

A new poverty line being considered

The Narendra Modi led BJP government may soon come out with a new poverty line after various controversies surrounding the issue during the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime.

Five things to know about political strategist Prashant Kishor

Political strategists often remain low-profile and prefer to be in the background. But Prashant Kishor grabbed headlines soon after BJP’s mammoth victory in the 2014 general elections. There

Is Kejriwal going the Modi way?

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal plans to take on prime minister Narendra Modi’s mass media outreach programme ‘Mann ki baat’ on All India Radio by launching his online web te

Who will reform the idea of reform?

For the last one month, India has been wallowing in a cool, scented pool of self-congratulation over the 25th anniversary of economic reform that began in July 1991. But as has been well said, what

In Anandiben’s Gujarat, dalits are lining up to die

 At least a dozen youngsters from scheduled caste (SC) communities have attempted suicide this week in various small towns in Saurashtra region of Gujarat, protesting against the state governm

BJP to feel the heat on NSG and Kashmir from Congress

A combative Congress will raise issues like the ongoing violence in Kashmir and the fiasco of India’s unsuccessful attempt to join the Nuclear Supplier’s Group [NSG] in the monsoon sess

Price rise: Rahul Gandhi pulls up Modi government

 Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday took the Modi government to task for price rise, particularly of food items like lentils. “Today in villages people are raisin

1,175 obsolete laws repealed

The government continues to focus on the repeal of obsolete laws in an effort to make the legal system more contemporary. As of May 13, the parliament had repealed 1,175 of 1,827 laws ide

Forget progress on Lokpal, we are going backwards

 The Lokpal law that was enacted after decades of debate and demand for an anti-corruption institution was dealt a severe blow as an amendment bill was introduced and passed by parliament in l

All about Anandiben

Following recent unrest in Gujarat, chief minister Anandiben Patel posted her resignation letter on her official website, linked to Facebook and Twitter. As the BJP parliamentary board decides over

So near, yet so agonisingly far

India’s claim to the full-fledged membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) comes at an opportune time when most of the nations in the international system are knocking at the door of

That’s enough: Modi’s stern message to cow vigilantes

 "If you have a problem, if you feel like attacking someone, attack me, not my dalit brothers. If you want to shoot anyone, shoot me, not my dalit brothers," declared Modi in his ste

Modi’s statement on PSU show preference for revival

Prime minister Narendra Modi, during his independence day speech on Monday, said that public-sector behemoths like Air India and BSNL are now making profits. His reference to turning around of loss

Modi puts Pakistan in its place

A combative Narendra Modi on August 15 prised open the fault lines within Pakistan, touching upon Balochistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) in a move that will definitely leave Islamabad squi

Won’t cow down to cow-protectors

How can people divided into thousands of castes be a nation?” This was a basic question raised by Dr BR Ambedkar during the freedom struggle. According to him, without annihilation of caste,

"If PM had expelled Telangana MLA, that would have sent a stronger message"

Dalit atrocity in Gujarat has highlighted the plight of people fighting with the social stigma even after seven decades of independence. In an interview with Jasleen Kaur

Beware of dalit fury

A mass mobilisation of dalits is now taking place across the country, a move that may well change the way they have been treated over the years. The dalits are upset, particularly after four of the

And dirty flows the Ganga

“The river [Ganga] is no ordinary image in which the divine has come to dwell. She is celestial-unmediated and immediate. Whatever is holy, whatever is merciful, whatever is utterly auspiciou

This bus stop is the health centre in PM’s model village

Grey haired Tara Devi could scarcely believe her ears when prime minister Narendra Modi made the grand announcement that her village Jayapur in the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency would be turned i

Find lasting solution to Kashmir turmoil, PM tells leaders

“There has to be a dialogue,” Modi told the 21-member legislators group led by National Conference leader Omar Abdullah that came calling on him on Monday morning.  Modi ac

Jignesh Mevani on why the dalit movement cannot fail

When a group of upper-caste ‘cow protection’ vigilantes flogged four dalits for skinning a dead cow (and went on to even record a video clipping of the beating) in Mota Samadhiyala

“Swachh Bharat represents toilet users, not toilet cleaners”

As the government plans to build 12 crore toilets by 2019 under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, the Magsaysay award winner questions who will clean these toilets and how many people will die cleani

It’s the best time to address Kashmir problem: Mehbooba Mufti

Mehbooba Mufti said that the best time to solve Kashmir’s problem was now – when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had absolute majority in the parliament. “If it does not happen n

PM launches SAUNI Project in Gujarat

Giving support to farmers of Saurashtra, Gujarat, prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the Saurashtra Narmada Avatarana Irrigation Yojana (SAUNI) project on Tuesday a

BPL families in hilly regions to get LPG connections

The ministry of petroleum and natural gas has decided to extend the benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to the people of hilly states including north-east states by treating th

Modi’s Balochistan game plan

Prof Naela Quadri Baloch landed in New Delhi in April. Her mission was to canvass support of the Narendra Modi government for the independent

“Now we know we can become the next Bangladesh”

Mir Mazdak Dilshad Baloch is one of those who have been spearheading an independence movement in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province. The freedom movement received a shot in t

Fight corruption, black money, says Modi at G20

Modi said that G20 should work towards absolutely zero tolerance on black money and corruption. “This will benefit the entire world.” Addressing world leaders at

Modi’s Balochistan plan: From moral ascendancy to smart mind games

Prime minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address to the nation with references to Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) set the cat among the pigeon

Ganga dam(ned)

The government aims to profit from the longest river of the country by using it as a water highway. It has expressed interest in dredging lengthy stretches of the Ganga, building barrages and thus

We have plan for revival of MTNL: Manoj Sinha, MoS Telecom

Minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha, who doesn’t hesitate to call a spade a spade, has also taken charge of the telecom ministry, which is conducting the largest-ever spectrum auct

SAUNI yojana: Saurashtra is no longer bone dry

Gopalbhai Patel, a 51-year-old farmer of Bagthala village in Rajkot district of Gujarat, has always looked at the skies in monsoon, wishing it to rain copiously so that he can grow his crop

Modi celebrates b’day with specially abled children

Vivek and Ritesh, both six-years-old, from Amerli district were clueless when they sensed sound for the first time in their life. A sense of amusement, mixed with fear, was visible on th

All you wanted to know about Income Declaration Scheme*

Black money, since the colonial times, has been the elephant in the room: it is everywhere and yet rarely talked about. In recent years, however, the middle class has become more strident i

“We cannot afford to do business with black money”

How is the response to the IDS? The response has been good. A number of declarations have come and there have been a large number of inquiries too.

Govt looking for new joint MD to steer AI revival

 The government is seeking to hire a new joint managing director to steer Air India Ltd’s turnaround and debt restructuring plan.   According to a news report

Time to end the marriage of bad money and bad politics

Black money is essentially a popular name for black economy. By now it has ‘evolved’ into a grey, that is an indistinguishable mixture of black (i.e., illegal-immoral) and white (i.e.,

Hindustan Diamond Company Private Limited to be wound up

 A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval for initiating the process of winding up of Hindustan Diamond Company P

Richardson & Cruddas to come out of BIFR purview

 The cabinet on Wednesday approved the conversion of government of India loan into equity and waiver of interest in respect of Richardson & Cruddas (1972) Ltd.  In a meeting

“But for black economy, each one of us would have been seven times richer”

What do the income disclosure or amnesty schemes reflect on the government? What it suggests is that the government under the normal schemes is not able to take care

Few Indians approve of the way Modi is tackling Pakistan, says Pew report

“Just 22 percent of the public approves of Modi’s management of India’s volatile relationship with Pakistan. Half disapprove. This harsh judgment is relatively unchanged from 2015

Pak must abandon dreaming about Kashmir: Sushma at UNGA

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj today said terrorism was the biggest threat to human rights and asked the global community to isolate nations that don’t cooperate in fighting terroris

‘High chance khadi will become extinct, if KVIC’s patriarchal view continues’

(1) The figures of khadi production and sales given by the KVIC chairman are in nominal terms, whereas we include the real value of production and sales in our paper. The same nominal figures, avai

From red tape to red carpet

On Independence Day, we heard the PM saying that his government’s motto is to reform, perform and transform. Also, on September 1, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace wrote, “Ind

We will launch new initiatives, says Modi ahead of BRICS summit

As chair of the BRICS this year, India has embraced a stronger emphasis on promoting people-to-people linkages in diverse fields including trade, sports, education, films, scholarship, and tourism,

We will be in the majority [in UP]: Pankaj Singh

The political career of home minister Rajnath Singh’s elder son, Pankaj Singh, has not been free of controversies. It is alleged that his father’s influence has helped him rise thro

All you need to know about BRICS

India is hosting the 8th BRICS Summit where world leaders will hold consultations on issues of mutual interest. It is being held on October 15-16 in Goa. BRICS is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, Ind

BRICS by people’s BRICS: A message for Modi et al

Ahead of the BRICS Summit, underway in Goa from Saturday, a clutch of civil society movements f

BRICS a template for a new approach to global governance: Sushma Swaraj

“We have always looked upon BRICS as a template for a new approach to global governance in the 21st century. The five nations represent the voice of the changing world and our approach to glo

Karimov: The man who steered Uzbekistan through transition times

Uzbekistan president Islam Karimov, who died in September at the age of 78, will be remembered as the leader who steered the former Soviet Republic with political acumen by carefully maneuvering th

Ajit Doval: The hawk

Should the Indians be worried about Afghanistan’s future? National security advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval offers a perspective on this. In 2001 then US president George W Bush had l

Lighting up the Indian kitchens

Seema Devi, a 34-year-old woman, is not much different from other homemakers of her village – Takerson in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh. But ask her about her latest acquisition, and she t

“We have to convince women about benefits of LPG”

Many women in Ballia, UP, say it is difficult for them to collect even a small amount for refilling gas.  We frankly don’t have a clear answer to that. But it is

Toilet travails

“Toilets are being built. I ask, where?” wonders Asha Devi, a 38-year-old native of Khushiyari village near Varanasi. The village in prime minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary c

Surgical strike? This was aspirin for cancer

If banning high denomination currency notes can curb black money, the whole problem would have been solved in 1978 – when the Morarji Desai government did it. Banning Rs 500 and Rs

A long road ahead in curbing black economy

Although I am not an expert on economy, I do understand that the latest step taken by the Narendra Modi-led NDA government has created a lot of noise and will play a significant role in combating b

BJP stashed money abroad before declaring financial emergency: Mayawati

 Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati on Thursday criticised the Narendra Modi government for demonetization of 500 and 1000 rupee currency notes. She alleged that the move, which amounte

Digital wallet companies give thumbs up to demonetization

 Digital payment companies have showered praise on prime minister Modi for what they described as a bold decision to scrap currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination. Some na

Why Modi’s next target is benami property

Taking Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes out of currency is, of course, not enough to fight black money. In the days to come, the Modi government will have to take a series of moves to make this step e

Did anybody do any homework before launching this surgical strike?

As soon as the government announced its decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on the night of November 8, there has been an emergency-like situation across the country. With serpentine q

Black money debate in black and white, with a touch of saffron

“It’s a war; it’s a mahayajnya. You have to decide on whose side you are.” -- M Venkaiah Naidu, in parliament on November 17   In

What foreign media says about Modi and demonetisation

While the nation struggles to adapt to changes since demonetisation, foreign media has been widely covering the Narendra Modi government’s move and the public’s response.

The Sitaram speech: Big crocodiles have survived and small fish have died

What Sitaram Yechury of CPM said during the demonetisation debate in the Rajya Sabha on November 16 (mildly edited and truncated for clarity):  [...] If you don’t

7 things govt should have known before launching the surgical strike

It’s been 10 days of suffering and chaos for people,and the way the government is continuously learning from its mistakes - announcing reliefs and exemptions, and then even rolling back some

Survey: What do *you* think of the currency ban?

You have read (or heard or seen) countless analyses, points-counterpoints, theories-conspiracy theories and allegations-counter-allegations on the historic move to ban high-denomination currency no

If you (really) want to fight black money, won’t Lokpal make more sense?

Remember the Lokpal? The one-point panacea for all corruption and black money. It is a law, on the statute book. And while the government has launched a surgical strike against black money that has

MMS calls currency chaos organized loot, Jaitley delivers stinging retort

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh and finance minister Arun Jaitley sparred over demonetization in parliament on Thursday. Manmohan spoke of the “monumental management failure” in im

In 1978, the common man was not hurt at all

The sudden announcement of demonetisation came as an inconvenience to 76-year-old SK Nangia. The morning after November 8, he had to travel to Hastinapur from Delhi by road, covering a distance o

The same blues on the other side of the counter

Since November 8, never-ending queues, rising tempers, despair and frustration have become a routine. It’s a nightmare for people who are struggling to deposit or exchange money at banks. And

Why Nagrota terror strike is different – and more alarming

The terrorist attack on the army camp in Nagrota, Jammu, in which seven army personnel and three terrorists have died, raises some important points – and questions yet to be answered:

BJP’s a/c declaration is utterly non sequitur

Prime minister Narendra Modi has asked all MPs and MLAs of his party to come clean, and declare their bank transaction details to the party chief. Somewhat like demonetisation itself, it is pointle

When, where and how are the ministers depositing ‘cash on hand’?

The prime minister has directed MPs of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to declare their bank transactions to the president of the party in a bid to lead by example to come clean on their actions a

Delhi BJP unit could be revamped: Manoj Tiwari

 Actor-turned-politician Manoj Tiwari intends to end the infighting within Delhi`s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) factions and strengthen the party unit ahead of the municipal elections in 2017.

The great Indian flip-flop trick

Chances are you have already chosen which side of the fence you are on when it comes to the demonetisation debate. Demonetising 86% of the currency is an unprecedented step and India is flying by t

Currency change: “Long-run gains depend on implementation”

Like many of us in India, Kenneth Rogoff, a Harvard professor and former chief economist at IMF, backs the logic behind India’s demonetisation and balks at its implementation.

The really cashless economy

Villages are emptying out, but 67 percent of people still live in rural and semi-rural areas – where there are few banks, where getting to an ATM may take half a day, where many have not seen

Procedural changes from 1978 may have created huge loopholes

On November 8, the Government of India announced its decision to pull high-value currency notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 denomination out of circulation, with immediate effect. A detailed procedure

Jayalalithaa is dead; Panneerselvam sworn-in as Tamil Nadu CM

O Panneerselvam kept a photograph of J Jayalalithaa, who die

How Modi hacked the hackers

 I was glued to the television screen, following the US presidential election coverage. In the midst of an extremely intense television debate, where each participant was grappling for airtime

The pawn is gone: Najeeb Jung quits

Najeeb Jung, a key player in the battle between the Narendra Modi government at the centre and Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal government, sprung a surprise and quit as lieutenant governor on Thursda

Government calendar dedicated to Modi!

It is prime minister Narendra Modi all the way in the 2017 calendar released by the government of India. It is akin to sycophancy displayed by Congress leader Dev Kant Barooah who pr

And Truth Shall Have No Dominion

FAKE news – easy to make, easier to spread – is fast becoming the AK-47 of the cyber guerrillas of information warfare. It is one of the choicest weapons in a world being adjectivised a

We won’t shy away from taking difficult decisions: Modi

“This government will continue to follow sound and prudent economic policies, to ensure that India has a bright future in the long run. We will not take decisions for short term political poi

Post-truth? Take demonetisation, for instance…

How would you describe the post-truth phenomenon in the Indian context? Speaking in the context of post-truth, we have a live instance of it in the demonetisation pl

Rough weather ahead for UDAN

Come January 2017, and you will be able to fly from Jamnagar to Ahmedabad or Allahabad to Gorakhpur… or so claims the government. The Modi government’s ambitious regional connectivity

Mayawati defends Rs 104 crore deposit, says every rupee is accounted for

Rejecting the allegation of more than Rs 104 crore deposits in the bank account of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) post demonetisation, BSP supremo Mayawati launched a seething attack at the centre a

More lies ahead

“It would not be impossible to prove with sufficient repetition and a psychological understanding of the people concerned that a square is in fact a circle. They are mere words, and words

2016: It’s fake, it’s viral, it’s news!

Learned obits were written to Truth in the year that went by. The incredible came to be believed, driven by the logic of several million tweets, retweets and WhatsApp forwards. And ’post-trut

Demonetisation: Fifty days and still shaking

Winter mist hangs over Johra, a village of 928 people situated on the Ganga canal, 50 km east of New Delhi, in Ghaziabad. It is colder here than in Muradnagar, the nearest town, on the Delhi-Meerut

The political anatomy of Modi’s surgical strike

Concerned about the abuse of power, French sociologist David Émile Durkheim in 1912 wrote that there could be no society which, at regular intervals, did not feel the need to uphold and reaf

Faking the future

Prediction is risky: go wrong, and you lose credibility; get it right, and your worst dreams come true. While other bold and learned haruspices of journalism inspect the entrails of 2016 to project

Review, comparison and step-by-step guide on BHIM app

Transferring and receiving money in banks was not easy until the launch of united payment interface (UPI)-based mobile banking, a product of national payments corporation of India (NPCI), a governm

BHIM app crosses one million downloads

The BHIM app has crossed a million registered users on Tuesday. The smartphone application for digital banking is available for Android phones and will soon be available for iOS users within a mont

Elections 2017 D-day: March 11 is the counting day

The election commission has announced the schedule of the biggest electoral bout of the year, in five states.    Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand

Will Modi go UP or down? Here’s why all eyes are on Uttar Pradesh polls

The dangal is on. The election commission has announced dates to the assembly elections to five states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur.  Chief election c

Assembly polls: What it means for dramatis personae in different states

Uttar Pradesh Narendra Modi: The outcome of elections in UP will be construed as referendum on Prime Minister’s policies, particularly the demonetisat

Civvies won’t march, fatigues won’t scribe

Civil-military relations is not a happy phrase because it suggests a basic dichotomy and opposition between the civilian and the military perspectives. Differences in viewpoints give rise to typica

India, Israel can create “more magic”

India and Israel mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of full diplomatic relations in January 2017. While relations between the two countries have been soaring for much of this time,

Demonetisation carried pain, admits Arun Jaitley

The implementation of the demonetisation decision carried pain. “It can lead to short term criticism and inconveniences. Drop in economic activity on account of the currency squeeze during th

No common standardised programme on sanitation systems: Expert

For an emerging country like India, it is easier to take part in exploratory missions to Mars than to tackle its sanitation challenge. The former can be addressed through a linear process spearhead

Gandhigiri, chamchagiri and the spinning-wheel doctors

There are two kinds of acts from the so-called fringe elements of the BJP: one embarrasses only the secular-liberals but resonates well with the party’s core constituency, and the other embar

Deconstructing demonetisation

These days demonetisation is too much with us. It started with the PM’s address on November 8 and ended with the PM’s address on December 31, but its aftershocks are still being felt. I

Troll charge on information highway

Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, is a great fan of Twitter and other social-media forums. As chief minister, this gave him a tech-savvy image, helping to connect with youngsters. As prim

Demonetisation and digitisation as nation-building

India is in the midst of a revolution. Demonetisation has impacted every family, business and institution, providing popular support to transform society, economy, polity and governance. To get the

Why next polls are not a referendum on demonetisation

The dangal is on. The biggest political slugfest of the central government’s term is on, with elections announced in the five states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. Al

Never mind Anil Vij and KVIC, Obama still finds inspiration from Gandhi

Haryana minister Anil Vij believes Gandhi is a not an impressive brand (Modi is), and

A suicide that shook India

“The value of a man was reduced to his immediate identity and nearest possibility. To a vote. To a number. To a thing. Never was a man treated as a mind. As a glorious thing made up of st

Modi congratulates Trump on assuming office

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he is looking forward to work with US president Donald Trump to further deepen India-US ties. “Congratulations Donald Trump on assum

Most houses under Indira Awaas Yojana incomplete

The rural development department has been given a target to complete 33 lakh houses in 2016-17, which include houses that were taken up under the Indira AwaasYo

“J&K could be an experimental ground for UBI”

In the Jammu and Kashmir budget, you have announced a basic income for construction workers, and also mentioned the concept of universal basic income. What was your rationale behind it?

Free money? Seriously?

From Mahatma Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram to corporate talkshop Davos, it’s creating a buzz everywhere. If nothing is stronger than an idea whose time has come, then people in more and mor

Universal Basic Income: The big idea takes tiny steps

Sarath Davala has a strong opinion about public welfare. “The public welfare regime in India,” he says, “is an exercise in futility.” Some $20 billion (or about Rs 1.3 trill

Demonetisation impact transient: Arun Jaitley

Finance minister Arun Jaitley today invoked Mahatama Gandhi to justify the hardships faced by common people due to Narendra Modi Government’s decision of

Budget 2017: Rs 75 lakh for each online agriculture market

Each online agriculture wholesale market will receive Rs 75 lakh each for the development of cleaning, grading and packaging of the farmers` products. There are 250 regulated markets available on t

Budget 2017: Govt allocates Rs 48,000 cr to MNREGA

The government in its union budget 2017-18 has increased Mahatma Gandhi Nati

Budget 2017: No service charge for online railway tickets

Presenting the union budget 2017-18, finance minister Arun Jaitely announced 1.31 lakh crore for the capital and development expenditure of Indian Railways. A total of Rs 55,000 crore has been allo

Union budget will strengthen India’s economic muscle: FICCI

“This budget would tremendously strengthen the economic muscle of the country. It is directionally correct, fiscally prudent and strengthens the governance fabric of the nation,” said F

“Basic income should have maximum inclusion”

SEWA Bharat had initiated a unique pilot project on cash-for-food (that is, cash replacing PDS goods) in Delhi some time ago. However, the basic income pilot project in Madhya Pradesh goes

Assembly elections: Facebook to remind voters about polling day

Ahead of state assembly polls in five states –Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur – Facebook has decided to give polling day reminder on the newsfeed of its Indian users

Convenient coalition vs. aspirational alliance

 It is that time when contesting parties take the road less travelled, woo their voters with dream schemes and swear by their promises. Each party attempts to gerrymander vote share and appeas

Demonetisation done at the right time: Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday defended the decision to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, saying demonetisation took place at the right time to rid the Indian economy of black mo

Raincoat, bathroom, and the un-washable spots…

There’s a lot of mud-slinging going on after prime minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on his predecessor Manmohan Singh: “Only Dr Sahab knows the art of taking bath in the bathr

Economic Survey quotes Governance Now

The direct benefits transfer (DBT) was supposed to be the original ‘game-changer’ – in the words of the then finance minister P Chidambaram when it was announced in late 2012. DBT

Hungama over hamam humour

Prime minister Narendra Modi’s comment on his predecessor Manmohan Singh’s alleged practice of using a raincoat in the bathroom has been met with hostile reactions. It’s difficult

Digital payments are fine, but cash seems here to stay: Expert

If the finance ministry and the RBI are serious about promoting the shift to digitalisation, they’re going to need to increase the incentives and reduce the costs to average citizens, every

Demonetisation: When cash played peek-a-boo

Post-demonetisation, cash did the Houdini vanishing trick at ATMs. With currency notes playing hide and seek, life was sheer misery. Things improved a bit, but the situation is back to square one.

Universal Basic Income: The way forward

9.44 The irresistible force of even as powerful an idea as UBI will run into the immovable object of a resistant, pesky reality. So, what is the way forward, always remembering t

You are destroying all the institutions meant to counter corruption: Prashant Bhushan

  What is the thinking behind launching the Swaraj party? To answer that question, we have to go back in time and see why we formed the Aam Aadmi Party [AAP].

A Tetrapack of juicy nothings

The latest buzz on social media is about whether or not Rahul Gandhi, while campaigning in Manipur, said he would be happy to see ‘coconut juice’ from the state being sold in London wit

Enough evidence to prosecute Modi: Teesta Setalvad

  Reiterating that the state had a definite role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, social activist Teesta Setalvad said on Monday that the there’s enough evidence to prosecute the

India’s largest petrochemical plant up and running

  Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday dedicated ONGC Petro additions Ltd (OPaL) plant to the nation at a function at Bharuch, Gujarat.   OPaL is

Action sought on Naliya gang-rape as Modi addresses women sarpanches

  A 19-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped and forced into a sex racket by ruling-BJP members in Kutch district of Gujarat. The victim – being called the ‘Nirbhay

Aadhaar expands, provides more and more services

Aadhaar has become the most trusted instrument for administering services and subsidies for the government. Stories about Aadhaar being made mandatory for services is a daily routine. This is when

Polling ends, all eyes on March 11

With the final phase polling in Uttar Pradesh and Manipur , the assembly polls for five states, including Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand, came to an end. Amidst all five states, the bat

Activists demand strong anti-corruption institutions

  Civil society organisations organised Ghotala Rath Yatra in Delhi to protest against Modi government’s alleged attempt to deliberately weaken anti-corruption institutions

Modi`s magic intact; BJP can now take 2019 for granted

Bharatiya Janata Party’s spectacular show in the elections 2017 – especially, the victory in Uttar Pradesh, has put a stamp of invincibility on prime minister Narendra Modi’s pers

BJP celebrates UP, Uttarakhand victory

Supporters celebrate the landslide victory of BJP in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand assembly elections outside the BJP office at Ashoka Road, New Delhi.  

Stories to read over the weekend

Bharatiya Janata Party’s spectacular show in the elections 2017 – especially, the victory in Uttar Pradesh, has put a stamp of invincibility on prime minister Narendra Modi&rs

Trust deficit of EVMs? Blame it on BJP

The elections are over, votes are counted, victors are being sworn in – ok, in a couple of places the runners-up are being sworn in. And losers are blaming it on electronic voting mac

Anticipate more policies like demonetisation: Chinese media

Prime minister Narendra Modi`s popularity has been validated throughout the election, in which he made himself and his actions the main issue in many public speeches. The ability of Modi to deliver

From the Poet PM

Like Atal Behari Vajpayee before him, prime minister Narendra Modi is a poet. He has written quite a few poems in Gujarati. On the occasion of World Poetry Day (March 21), Governance Now p

World’s biggest UBI experiment in Kenya

The biggest ever universal basic income exercise is taking place in Kenya, and if it works, it may be replicated in other parts of the world. India too is looking closely at UBI, with pilot project

Ganga, Modi and people’s unwavering faith

When the truth was a few steps away from Modi’s gaze In November 2014, prime minister Narendra Modi made his first visit to his constituency Varanasi and laun

Why do we need Aadhaar?

 Aadhaar is arguably one of the most convoluted public policy interventions in India’s history. It has been more than eight years, yet there is little clarity on the exact purpose of the

For Modi govt, Lokpal is not priority, enemy property is

The government has told the supreme court that the Lokpal cannot be appointed because the 2013 law needs several amendments, which will be taken up only in the monsoon session. The N

Allow uninterrupted discussion on Finance Bill: Civil society to Hamid Ansari

Almost a week ago, Finance Bill, 2017, was passed in the Lok Sabha as a money bill in the midst of a walk out by the opposition.  In the 92-page document of the bill, centre has pushed 40 amen

The secret of Modi’s success

Here is a proposition: Narendra Modi is the top  thinker, the top intellectual of our times. Is that an exaggerated claim? Not altogether. Here’s why. After Brexit and aft

Stories you must read over the weekend

Joseph A Cannataci is the UN’s first and current special rapporteur for the right to privacy appointed by the Human Rights Council (HRC) in July 2015. His appointment came with growing glob

The magic of Moditva

The well-turned-out officials had reached the sachivalaya in Gandhinagar on time, believing it would be another routine meeting with the chief minister. As soon as they had settled in, the

Decoding the Modi mania, travails of Mumbai’s new airport, and a new leprosy vaccination

People who have known the prime minister up close say his magic – which according to analysts handed the BJP a landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh despite anger over demonetisation – i

Will Narendra Modi act on his own vision of RTI?

Following is an excerpt from a letter

Why BJP’s publicity blitzkrieg on Delhi civic polls is misleading

Bharatiya Janata Party’s publicity blitzkrieg in the run-up to the municipal elections in Delhi is a major psychological warfare against the Aam Admi Party (AAP), aimed at blurring th

The irony of being Advani

For a man who changed the destiny of the nation – not to mention the fortunes of his party, it is ironical that luck has ultimately not favoured him. The ideology of Hindutva h

Loneliness of the high priest of political Hindutva

[This article was published in the October 1-15, 2013 edition, when LK Advani was of course in a different sort of predicament.] I will begin with a disclaimer. Any narrativ

Modi, Advani and mysterious symbolism of public gestures

(Editor`s note: This article, written in September 2013, soon after the BJP announced Narendra Modi as the party`s PM candidate, reflects on the "fragility of the Indian e

E-gov, M-gov & social media good means to reach out to people: PM

Prime minister Narendra Modi conferred PM’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration to civil servants on Friday, to mark

AAP in hot water following MCD poll debacle

The BJP’s clean sweep is not just a referendum on the Arvind Kejriwal government, but also could mark the beginning of the end of one of India’s youngest political parties, the Aam Aadm

Flying start for UDAN, but there could be rough weather ahead

PM Narendra Modi’s yet another niftily acronymed scheme, UDAN – short for Ude ‘Desh Ka Aam Naagrik’ and otherwise called ‘Regional Connectivity Scheme’ in offici

Lokpal can be set up without LoP, yes, but who’s in hurry?

If it was needed at all, the supreme court has cleared the air. The Lokpal Act, it has ruled, is perfectly implementable even without the pending amendments. The interpretation from the apex court

Hydro engineering college to come up in Himachal

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of hydro engineering college at Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh. The college, being set up by National Thermal Power Corporat

PM on VIP culture: Will red beacon disappear from the mindset?

“Generally speaking, in our country there exists an atmosphere of disdain towards the VIP culture. But that it runs so very deep, I just experienced, when the government recently decided that

India’s labour problems: better education and laws can be the answer

Ever since Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1439 and paved the way for the Industrial Revolution, two new classes of society emerged – the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. Th

Minimum income schemes needed for job loss due to automation: Study

With the Indian IT and other industries facing daunting challenges from protectionism in the US and Artificial Intelligence (AI), an ASSOCHAM-PwC study has made out a case for government –ind

Niti Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya on India’s growth prospects

Arvind Panagariya’s is one of the most elegantly done up offices in Lutyens’ Delhi. Its modern furnitu

Thumbs-up to social media on Press Freedom Day

As the world marks the Press Freedom Day, prime minister Narendra Modi has sent out a message in support of vibrant press, even as a fresh ranking shows India has slipped further when it comes to e

Five things to know about the new steel policy

The new steel policy promises to boost the growth of the domestic steel industry. The cabinet chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi has approved the policy to provide preference to

India’s ‘priceless gift’ to South Asian countries

In a bid to boost its “neighbourhood first policy”, India will launch GSAT-9 or the South Asia satellite on May 5. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch the satellit

Anil Madhav Dave did Narmada parikrama with Cessna

Anil Madhav Dave, the environment minister who passed away on Thursday, was a maverick in politics: he was an amateur pilot and once he did the parikrama, or circumambulation, of the Narmada river

Roadmap to protect Narmada river comprehensive: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the exploitation of river Narmada as the 150-day long Narmada Seva Yatra ended in Anuppur. Modi said on Monday that the Madhya Pradesh government has

We don’t talk of sustainable development anymore: Prof GD Agrawal

Shortly after prime minister Narendra Modi vowed to save the Narmada ri

India, Japan to build Asia-Africa corridor to checkmate OBOR

While India and China are pitted against each other in South Asia and the Southeast Asian region, and the former’s refusal to participate in Beijing held summit on One Belt One Road (

The rise and rise of muscular nationalism

 Narendra Modi is like Greek mythology’s King Midas: whatever he touches turns into gold. Most people in this country are left dazzled by his ability to make dramatic announcements with

Modi inaugurates India’s longest bridge in Assam

  Prime minister Narendra Modi celebrated three-year of his government on May 26 by inaugurating Dhola-Sadiya bridge over the Brahmaputra river in Assam’s Tinsukia district. It is the lo

Modi undertakes four nation trip ahead of NSG meet

Prime minister Narendra Modi’s four nation trip is expected to shore up support for India’s bid to enter the exclusive Nuclear Suppliers Group, ahead of its meeting scheduled fo

Zen and the art of cityscaping

Kyoto, nicknamed the city of a thousand temples, and hence comparable to Kashi, or Varanasi, where I spent some of my formative years, is about 500 km from its anagrammatical cousin, Tokyo. But the

On DeMo, yet another goal post change

Some think there is only one way to score a bull’s eye, by hitting the bull’s eye. Then there are creative souls, who first shoot, and then draw a bull’s eye around the

Between chaos and Kashi

Ganga ke jal mein apni ek taang par khada hai yeh shehar apni duusri taang se bilkul bekhabar  – Hindi critic an

‘The sense of preserving heritage is missing’

It’s said that to see as much of life as India can show, all one needs to do is visit Varanasi. The city, often called India’s cultural capital, has recorded continuous settleme

Why economy is not going to be BJP’s poll plank in 2019

A gasping economy means bad politics for the Bharatiya Janata Party that is hoping to recreate the 2014 magic when it won the parliamentary election with a brute majority. Demonetisation

Year 2022 – and not 2019 - is India’s new milestone

The Narendra Modi government seems to have shifted its focus from 2019 and is now looking beyond it. Some of the initiatives are now aligned to be completed by 2022.  

On social media-savvy agri min’s tweet feed, Mandsaur is missing

Given prime minister Narendra Modi`s penchant for social media, every ministry and department has focused on Twitter, Facebook et al to reach out to the voter, and so has the agriculture ministry,

Building a better home

Growing up in a village in Haryana’s Bhiwani district, Ravinder Kumar had often witnessed the lackadaisical attitude of government officials. An ambitious teenager, he believed that there wer

A political ploy afloat on the Giver of Joy

It was a sultry afternoon but the proximity of the river made it almost pleasant. The festive atmosphere – crowds, shamiana, devotional music – completed the scene. “It is

Job are drying up with slowdown in economy

Job prospects appear bleak with the recent release of the provisional estimates of annual national income in 2016-17. The lacklustre performance of the Indian economy observed during the fourth qua

Uma feels law will finally help protect Ganga

The water resources ministry is working on a national river Ganga bill to protect the river from pollution and degeneration. Addressing the media on Monday, union minister for water resources, rive

Kovind was not such a closely guarded secret after all

Ram Nath Kovind, Narendra Modi, NDA, President   “Ram Nath who?” That was the reaction from some newsmakers, when Ram Nath Kovind’s name was announc

Israel attaches huge importance to Modi’s visit: Carmon

Prime minister Narendra Modi’s July 5-6 visit to Israel will be of “huge importance”, stressed Israeli ambassador Daniel Carmon who added that his country is ready to offer New De

President’s post above politics: Kovind

“I will always try and it is also my belief that the president’s post should be above politics,” said NDA’s presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind who filed the nomination

Will Modi be able to charm Trump?

Since becoming prime minister in May 2014, it would be Narendra Modi’s fifth visit to the US when he lands there on June 25. Modi will not only be meeting US president Donald Trump for the fi

Why Gandhi won’t have approved this brand of gauraksha

Prime minister Narendra Modi finally broke his silence, once again, and denounced the spate of lynching in the name of cow protection. As he visited the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, he also sai

Demand for products with zero carbon footprint: Modi

 "There is a demand for products with zero carbon footprint,” said prime minister Narendra Modi who inaugurated a mega-trade fair and exhibition: Textiles India 2017 in Gandhinagar

India de-hyphenates Israel from Palestine

Narendra Modi is all set to become the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel where he lands on July 4 and leaves for home on July 6. It will also be the first time that an Indian leader visit

Need to digitise value chain of textile industry: Amitabh Kant

“If India has to grow rapidly, it cannot grow without exports. We still import a lot of raw material like laces, buttons, elastics etc, which makes production expensive for the (clothing) man

Israelis helped check infiltration in Kashmir

A small but sophisticated night vision device (NVD) that could track moving terrorists in the dark was the first gift from Israel to the Indian forces at a time when the latter was facing a huge ch

Amarnath Yatra killing: The kid gloves will now come off

 The fatal shooting of seven pilgrims from Gujarat during a terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra will be a crucial moment in militancy-ravaged Kashmir. The attack on a group of pilgri

What Kovind’s rise tells us about Modi’s leadership

Ram Nath Kovind is widely tipped to get elected as the 14th president of India. His elevation will not be without surprise. Prior to his nomination as the NDA’s candidate, few in the politi

Ram Nath Kovind to be India’s next president

 India’s 14th president is going to be former Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind, a dalit. He triumphed over former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar in the vote count that took place on Thursda

To understand Modi saga, look at the Vaghela story

Back in the early 1990s, Shankarsinh Vaghela was (or at least perceived to be) more popular of the two people running the BJP show in Gujarat. Today, the other man is the prime minister, and Vagh

BJP gets to rule four states without having the numbers

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power in at least four states after striking alliances that may largely look untenable.   Jammu and Kashmir: PDP emerged as the

It’s now up to Pakistan to claim Dujana’s body

 In what is a clear shift in handling Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir by the Narendra Modi government, the Jammu and Kashmir police, has, for the first time, refused to hand over the b

It’s now up to Pakistan to claim Dujana’s body

In what is a clear shift in handling Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir by the Narendra Modi government, the Jammu and Kashmir police, has, for the first time, refused to hand over the body of

Delay in compensation wrongly calculated under NREGA: Researchers

A new research on the implementation of national rural employment guarantee law (NREGA) disputes the way central government measures and offers the delay in compensation to workers. A group of thre

No record to back PM statement on savings due to Aadhaar: Activists

Prime minister Narendra Modi said in parliament in February that the government has saved Rs 14,000 crore by eliminating 3.95 crore bogus ration cards using technology and Aadhaar in last two and h

Modi keeps his word: Turns up heat on benami properties

When prime minister Narendra Modi spoke about action against benami properties while delivering the I-Day address from the Red Fort ramparts, he was in fact fulfilling a promise he made during th

Triple talaq verdict historic, says Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi described as “historic” the supreme court judgment that struck down triple talaq for a period of six months.   “Judgmen

Loss making Bharat Wagon and Engineering Co. to be shut

 Ministry of railways’ proposal of closing down Bharat Wagon and Engineering Company Limited (BWEL)  has been accepted by the cabinet committee on economic affairs, chaired by the p

India promises all help to Nepal

At a time when the standoff between India and China on Doklam is on and Beijing, in its bid to isolate India, is trying its best to win over the South Asian country’s neighbours, New Delhi&rs

Use technology to simplify governance: Modi to bureaucrats

 Officers must not restrict themselves to files, but go to the field, to understand the true impact of decision-making, prime minister Narendra Modi told senior bureaucrats. Modi on

India, China end impasse, agree to withdraw troops from Doklam

More than two-month old standoff between India and China on Doklam appears to have been resolved as the two countries have agreed to withdraw their border personnel from the area which lies at the

PRAGATI: Where Modi takes stock of key government projects

What do you do if you have to monitor government projects spread across the country? Well, there is an initiative called PRAGATI through which prime minister Narendra Modi personally gets to keep

With Doklam, Modi has exorcised the ghost of 1962

After the 1962 India-China war, Walter Crocker, then Australia’s high commissioner to India, described prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s position by quoting from Victorian poet Robert B

Modi to visit China

A day after India and China agreed to withdraw their troops from Doklam, an area that saw a face-off between the two sides since June 16,  New Delhi released statement on prime minister Narend

Getting India to Stop Going Out

When the voluminous 2011 census of India was released, there were many red faces at the centre. The painstakingly collected and collated figures showed that only 32 percent Indians were using toile

Why is Suresh Prabhu not attending office?

 Ever since the railway minister Suresh Prabhu offered to resign to prime minister Narendra Modi following two derailments in Uttar Pradesh, top officials at the Rail Bhavan appear to be in a

The rise and rise of Nirmala Sitharaman

The erudite Nirmala Sitharaman being appointed India’s first full time defence minister was the highlight of the cabinet rejig carried out by prime minister Narendra Modi – and it was

Modi holds “constructive” interaction with Xi

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a “constructive” interaction with Chinese president Xi Jinping during the BRICS summit, just days after the Doklam crisis was resolved.

Welcome to the new age of Indian politics

Political observers have consistently painted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s actions as being borne out of a dogmatic ideology. But the reshuffle-cum-expansion of the Union Cabinet on Sunday

No one to clean this up

Bahut achha hua ki ye ganda shehar ghoshit hua (Good that Gonda has been declared as the dirtiest city),” says 48-year-old Nanda Devi in a frustrated tone. Nanda is a resident of Subhash Naga

“Anti-tobacco campaign can’t hurt the nation”

Amid media reports of adverse comments by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) on “adverse economic impact” of the anti-tobacco campaign, Dr Kailash Sharma, director (Academics) of Tata Memoria

“Anti-tobacco campaign can’t hurt the nation”

Amid media reports of adverse comments by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) on “adverse economic impact” of the anti-tobacco campaign, Dr Kailash Sharma, director (Academics) of Tata Memoria

India, Japan to write Africa’s growth story

September 13 promises to be a busy day in the diplomatic calendar with two back-to-back events of high developmental and strategic importance for India. First, prime minister Narendra Modi and his

India’s perseverance on Pakistan paid off at Xiamen

 When Chinese President Xi Jinping was signing on the declaration of the BRICS that referred to the Pakistan- based terrorist groups as threat to peace and security in the region, the Indian d

Follow the rules, and India will rule: Modi

India is changing. India`s standing at the global stage is rising and this is due to Jan Shakti, said prime minister Narendra Modi. “Follow the rules, and India will rule,” he exhorte

US secretary of state and defence secretary to visit India

Bilateral engagement between New Delhi and Tokyo would receive a fillip when Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe lands in India for a three-day visit from September 13. Although, he is coming here f

Foundation stone laid for India’s first bullet train project

 Foundation stone of the 508 km long Ahmedabad-Mumbai high speed rail project was jointly laid by prime minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on Thursday at Sabarmati

Modi on bullet train

Here is what prime minister Narendra Modi said during the foundation stone laying ceremony for the country’s first bullet train.   It`s new India which has

Sardar Sarovar saga reaches closure, finally

After a long wait of almost half a century, filled with more twists and turns than the river Narmada’s, the Sardar Sarovar project is finally complete.   Prime

Modi’s gift to Varanasi: Projects worth Rs 1,000 crore

On his first visit to Varanasi after the Uttar Pradesh polls, PM Modi announced and laid foundation stones of various projects on Friday and Saturday. Addressing a public meeting in

When BHU’s calm was shattered

The campus of the prestigious Banaras Hindu University (BHU), which completed its 100 years less than a year ago, has turned into a curfew town following an alleged sexual harassment of an undergra

When rival telecom honchos will share the stage

 When was the last time you saw all rival telecom corporate leaders come together. May be at time of the formal launch of prime minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India programme in July 2

Modi unveils ONGC’s corporate office

 Prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday unveiled ONGC’s new corporate office - Deendayal Urja Bhavan, during the launch of PM Saubhagya Yojna, the government’s flagship scheme to p

22 killed in stampede on narrow Mumbai foot over bridge

 The poor state of railway infrastructure stood exposed on Friday when a stampede broke out on a poorly maintained and narrow foot over bridge in Mumbai, killing 22 people and leaving scores i

Yashwant Sinha’s tirade is driven by personal agenda

Some people are born with silver spoon in their mouth. Some tend to acquire it. Former finance minister Yashwant Sinha is neither. He belongs to a unique genre of career bureaucrat-t

Lessons of Dokalam standoff

The Dokalam standoff has come and gone. After a tense 73 days, the situation on the ground appears normal but the outcome of the standoff is not clear – mostly because no joint statement has

Thus spoke Modi on economy

Prime minister Narendra Modi strongly defended the fundamentals of the Indian economy, gave a befitting reply to

Melodramatic theatrics: Congress on Modi speech

The Congress described as “melodramatic theatrics” the speech by prime minister Nare

We have brought Narmada water to villages: Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched multiple infrastructure projects, including an international airport, near Rajkot in poll-bound Gujarat and assured that water from Narmada river w

In poll-bound Gujarat, what Rahul misses is Modi’s organisational strength

The assembly elections in Gujarat are expected by December, and the Elections Commission is touring the state on Monday to check the preparedness. It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home st

Biting the bullet train

If all goes well, India’s first high-speed train would zip by in  December 2023. In fact, railways minister Piyush Goyal is even confident that the 508-km Ahmedabad-Mumbai high-speed rai

Why bullet trains are unsuitable for India

Many will be surprised to know that 80 years ago, trains ran at a faster speed in North America and Western Europe than in India today. On the shorter distances (up to 500 km), daytime inter-city t

Senior railway officer Achal Khare on the bullet train roadmap

Achal Khare, MD, National High Speed Rail Corporation, is a man with big responsibility – of realising India’s dream of running a bullet train. In conversation with Vishwas Dass, Kh

Being the prime minister’s brother

Somabhai Modi says he remembers only one occasion when he offered his younger brother prime minister Narendra Modi advice regarding work. This, he says, was when Modi was chief minister of Gujara

Gujarat polls in two stages

Gujarat will have two-stage elections for the next assembly, on December 9 and December 14, and the results will be out on December 14, the election commission announced on Tuesday. The fir

With GST, a new business culture is developing: Modi

After GST, dozens of different types of indirect taxes in the country have been abolished. Many hidden taxes have also gone away. Now, the consumer knows how much tax he has paid to the state gover

Democracy inside

When prime minister Narendra Modi laid emphasis on internal democracy within political parties during a Diwali Milan interaction with the media in Delhi, he was merely echoing the sentiments of Sya

A slick move

Namibia has joined the growing list of countries where India has made investments in oil and gas blocks. ONGC Videsh has acquired a 30 percent stake in an oil block in this southwest African nation

Himachal Polls: Why battling mafias will be an uphill task for Modi

Campaigning in Himachal Pradesh early in November, prime minister Narendra Modi raised the pitch for good governance when he spoke about ridding the state of the five demons of mining mafia, forest

A year since note ban: Number of tax payers goes up

There has been a significant increase in the number of income tax payers following demonetisation that took place on November 8, 2016. The number of e-filed personal income tax returns (I

A war of words over demonetisation

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday batted for demonetisation, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called it a tragedy as November 8 marked a year since the note ban took place. &ldq

Modi meeting Karunanidhi will help improve ties

 There is speculation about ties improving between the BJP and the DMK after prime minister Narendra Modi met DMK supremo Karunanidhi at his Gopalapuram residence in Chennai on Monday. He also

Modi meeting Karunanidhi was astute political move and an old-world courtesy

M Karunanidhi alias Kalaignar dons the hat of an outstanding scriptwriter of Tamil cinema besides being a formidable politician and Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam (DMK) chief. Yet he would have found it

Pollution figures as an index of criminality

When prime minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, was about to board his official plane to visit Varanasi about two years ago, he got a call from the then Frenc

National anti-profiteering authority to be set up

The cabinet on Thursday approved the establishment of the National Anti-profiteering Authority under GST. The cabinet chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi has given its approval f

Modi’s popularity linked to his handling of domestic issues: Pew

Prime minister Narendra Modi’s growing popularity can in part be traced to public satisfaction with his handling of domestic issues, said Pew Research Centre in its latest report.

Indians want more military force in Kashmir: Pew

When it comes to dealing with the disputed border regions of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian public favours an aggressive stance, said the Pew Research Center, a US based think-tank. A

Experts should govern India, not elected officials: Pew

Roughly two-thirds of Indians say a good way to govern the country would be experts, not elected officials, making decisions according to what they think is best for the nation. India is one of onl

Terrorising the terrorists

One year has passed since the Modi regime applied shock therapy to improve the functioning of the Indian economy through demonetisation on November 8, 2016. Thus, legal tender to rupee notes worth

Gujarat in the times of another Vikas

In October, during yet another of his visits to Gujarat, prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a curious range of projects in Vadodara: a transport hub and multi-level parking facility as well a

Charity not necessarily begins at home

Policy planners may already be engaged in analysing why the country does not look cleaner than it was three years ago. The central government has launched several schemes from time to time –

Did demonetisation impact terrorism?

The government has repeatedly said that note ban has had a huge impact on terrorism. But, ground reports seem to indicate otherwise. To effectively battle terrorism in Kashmir as wel

Modi launches Umang app

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched Umang mobile application, an integrated platform for government to citizen services.  Umang  - an acronym for unified mobile ap

Using mobile power or M-power to empower our citizens: Modi

 "We in India, give primacy to the human face of technology, and are using it to improve what I call, `ease of living`," said prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. &ldq

Rahul should stop flaunting lineage as asset

As terror mastermind Hafeez Saeed walked free in Pakistan, Rahul Gandhi tweeted to ridicule prime minister Narendra Modi’s diplomacy, and in response BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao called

In Gujarat polls, forget conventional calculations, Modi will win hands down

Gujarat has always been a riddle for those who tend to apply conventional academic or intellectual tools to unravel the mystery. When confusion gets confounded, such analysts invent subterfuge to c

Willing to pay political price for reforms: Modi

 Prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that he may have to pay a political price for the reforms that are aimed at ending corruption, but he was ready for it. Modi said that

Forgotten riot victims of Ahmedabad are indifferent to polls

In Ahmedabad, any mention of this locality elicits quite a reaction. “There’s no point in going there. It’s been 15 years now. It’s all developed!” And I’d be te

Gujarat Elections: How disasters have redrawn the state’s political fault lines

A calamity in the times of intense politics, particularly just ahead of elections, is the worst reckoner of history. Luckily, the Cyclone Ockhi that hit the southern coast of Gujarat earlier this w

Gujarat Elections: Is BJP putting a new electoral strategy to test?

As the first phase of the Gujarat elections is on, one question that political pundits and common people alike are asking is: who is likely to win? Indeed, these elections are vital for the BJP, no

Gujarat polls: The news lows in politics

From ‘neech’ to ‘dadhi-topi’, the run-up to Gujarat assembly elections have seen politicians stooping to a new low to score brownie points over their adversaries.

Gujarat Elections: For BJP, voters show both pride and prejudice

Familiarity, it is said, breeds contempt. But a two-decade-long association of a political party with the electorate is bound to unleash demons of contempt, jealousy and disaffection. 

A turbulent journey so far for seaplanes in India

Prime minister Narendra Modi’s seaplane ride in Gujarat is certainly unique, but it is not as historic as it is being made out to be. Gujarat chief Minister Vijay Rupani said t

INS Kalvari dedicated to the nation by PM

 Naval submarine INS Kalvari was dedicated to the nation by prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday in Mumbai. INS Kalvari is a diesel-electric attack submarine built by the Mazagon

The fairy-tale thriller

Assembly elections in Gujarat, since 2002, have been like Churchill’s description of Russia – with a little twist: wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, but eventually a non-riddle.

Know more about Project 75

When prime minister Narendra Modi dedicated Kalvari submarine to the nation, it was significant for more than one reason. Not only did the submarine enhance India’s capability as a blue water

BJP takes early lead in Gujarat, Himachal

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) surged ahead in the first hour of vote count in both Gujarat as well as Himachal Pradesh.   The initial trends on Monday indicate that th

In Gujarat, all eyes on Ahmedabad

All eyes are on Gujarat as the vote count is on, but in the state all eyes might be on Ahmedabad. The chief city, and the early capital before the planned township of Gandhinagar cam

LIVE: Whatever the result, blame it on EVMs

9:13 am: Like failed political analysts, parties also look for an excuse to explain away their failures. Right from the word go, the opposition in Gujarat began with a bravado but

Could there be hung assemblies in Gujarat, Himachal?

An hour of vote count has showed that it is not going to be an easy win for the BJP in Gujarat as well as Himachal Pradesh, as had been predicted by the numerous exit polls. While th

What a possible jolt in Gujarat can mean for governance

As of writing, there are only leads, and the gap between the BJP and the Congress is somewhat increasing. Yet, it looks like a close battle – not what all the exit polls had forecast.

Trends: BJP coasts past halfway mark in Gujarat

There was a time during the vote count when the BJP election managers may well have chewed through their nails as the Congress put up a spirited fight in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. But, soon the

Rahul Gandhi’s rise comes at the right moment

In future, the Gujarat elections might as well be remembered for the arrival of Rahul Gandhi.   Going by the leads, the Congress is certainly not going to win, and few ha

Modi flashes V sign

Prime minister Narendra Modi flashed the victory sign before entering parliament, as trends indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party was all set to retain Gujarat and win in Himachal Pradesh.

Twitter erupts in laughter with #GujaratVerdict

Going by the leads, the BJP is set to establish its stronghold in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Confident of his party’s victory, prime minister Narendra Modi even flashed a victory sign whil

Modi credits good governance for Gujarat, HP victories

Prime minister Narendra Modi has thanked voters of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh and credit good governance for his party’s victories in the state assemblies. “I bow to th

The other Modi who won in Gujarat

Another Modi emerged triumphant in Gujarat on Monday. No, we are not talking about prime minister Narendra Modi who is credited with scripting the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh victories, but it is

A short and succinct history of Gujarat elections

1934 The first elections After the British law paved the way for representational assemblies, the first elections were held in 1934. Gujarat was then part o

Jo Jita Wohi Sikandar, yes, but the victor is PM, not BJP

More often, a colloquial proverb sums up a complex political situation more aptly than scholarly formulations. If one looks at the Gujarat verdict, nothing summarises it more perfectly than the ada

For a Gujarati, BJP is what CPM was for a Bengali (with a rider)

The BJP is set to form the sixth government in Gujarat. Not counting a bump in 1996-98 thanks to its own rebel Shankarsinh Vaghela, the party has been in power since 1995, and shows no signs of ant

Development, religion, hindutva most discussed terms in #GujaratElection, says Twitter

Prime minister Narendra Modi emerged as the most mentioned personality, while Vijay Rupani emerged as the most mentioned candidate on Twitter, the social media giant said in a release.

Changing Gujarat CM now would make no sense

Speculation is over, as senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley announced in Gandhinagar Friday that Vijay Rupani will continue as chief minister of Gujarat, along with Nitin Patel as his deputy. The specul

A tale of two verdicts shows Modi is no control freak

 It is the story of the exoneration of A Raja and the conviction of a metaphorical raja (Lalu Prasad used to call himself a raja of Bihar) that reveals a complex web of governance in India.

99 lakh taxpayers registered under GST

As many as 99.01 taxpayers have been registered under the GST, authorities said on Wednesday. The total collection under GST for the month of December 2017 has been Rs. 80,808 crore

Defending Tejas fiercely and applauding Rudra & Nag

Something unusual is happening in the defence arena: the Narendra Modi government has shown remarkable courage to embark on a long and arduous journey that will have a long-term impact on India&rsq

Work begins on India’s first undersea rail tunnel

The bullet train, the big-ticket headline-grabbing project now firmly under way, includes an engineering marvel: the country’s first undersea rail tunnel. It will come up just north of Mumb

The un-importance of being Pravin Togadia

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) working president Pravin Togadia is in the news after a long time. This week, Togadia went `missing` for an entire day as the Gujarat and Rajasthan police were on the lo

Modi at Davos: On how to realise the dream of a beautiful shared future

Prime minister Narendra Modi underlined the need for a consensus among the nation to realise the dream of a beautiful shared future, as he addressed the plenary session of the World Economic Forum

Speech therapy for climate change

In his justly praised speech at the World Economic Forum at Davos, prime minister Narendra Modi highlighted three among the numerous threats to our shared future: climate change, terrorism and prot

Modi has exorcised national day celebration of the ghosts of Pakistan

If you are a keen watcher of the celebrations on Independence Day or Republic Day, you may be aware of the security risks these two events used to entail. Sleuths were busy in carrying out raids wh

10 things people expect from budget 2018

When finance minister Arun Jaitley rises to present the union budget 2018 in parliament on Thursday, most Indians will be hoping that he leaves them with more money in their pockets. &nbs

Gandhi sesquicentennial: Govt announces celebration plans

2019 will mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, and finance minister Arun Jaitley in his budget speech has announced that the government plans to celebrate the occasion.

Common man, don’t worry: Budget promises ‘Ease of Leaving’

The budget promises to make it easier for the common man too – easier to leave, though it is not clear leave what.

Budget: Modi launches political psy-ops to rattle rivals

Prime minister Narendra Modi used the occasion of the budget presentation by finance minister Arun Jaitley to launch a “political psy-op”, to borrow a phrase used by intelligence agenci

Budget is growth and employment oriented: Experts

"It is a growth oriented budget. What we are doing now for the agriculture sector should have been done 20-30 years ago otherwise there will be food inflation and food crisis,” says Gaur

Committed to doubling farmers’ income: Krishna Raj

 There were several announcements for farmers and the farm sector in the union budget 2018. Which among them would be most important in realising the target of doubling the farmers&rsq

Budget forward looking, opine experts

The union budget will boost investments, accelerate innovation and generate new career opportunities, felt experts who noted that the focus on Artificial Intelligence is a timely move.

India may be able to reduce fiscal deficit by 2019-20: Official

India might actually be able to reduce its fiscal deficit to 3 percent by 2019-2020, said a top official. “Fiscal Deficit at 3.3% for 2018-19, backed with statutory commitment

Simultaneous polls: Five Articles that may need amendment

As many as five articles of the Constitution may have to be amended so as to pave the way for holding assembly polls along with the general election. While giving its views after get

A health protection scheme for 10 crore families

The budgetary allocation for health has increased by 11.5 percent this year. It has increased to Rs 52,800 crores in 2018-19 from Rs 47,353 in 2017-18. Government in the budget 2018

Budget: How Modi is shifting BJP’s social base

Political parties rarely survive on static social bases in a democracy. The BJP has been experimenting with shifting its social bases and coalescing them in a formidable vote bank in every round of

Modi blames Congress for partition

The partition happened due to the wrong policies of the Congress party, said prime minister Narendra Modi who called for building a new India. In the reply to the Motion of Thanks to

Behind Modi`s speech was a carefully crafted electoral strategy

Listen, O! Lord: Standing things shall fall, That which moves shall stay… As prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday walked across the aisle to reach

Funding the world’s largest healthcare reforms

 The Narendra Modi government, in its last full union budget 2018- 19, introduced two ambitious health policies under ‘Ayushman Bharat for New India - 2022’. The budget introduced

There has been a 25 percent jump in highway construction: Mansukh L Mandaviya

Union minister Mansukh L Mandaviya, 45, is among the younger politicians to have made it to the cabinet. He is in charge of road transport and highways, shipping, chemicals and fertilisers. In

The case of the missing middle

The new year is barely a month old and, all of a sudden, it seemed the year 2019 was almost here. The end of December was the time of crucial state election results, and the beginning of February w

PM lays foundation stone for Navi Mumbai International Airport

PM Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone for Rs 16,700 crore Navi Mumbai International Airport. The first phase of the construction is expected to be completed by December 2019. The pro

Modi post Modi: “It is a question of your leadership…”

Diagnosing what ails India’s governance, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar used to name three units or offices that are so corrupted that they are beyond redemption: village patwaris, police

Tales from the defence world to give heart to Modi & Sitharaman

Prime minister Narendra Modi and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman are in the midst of one direct attack, one insidious insinuation and a special kind of offensive. These concerted actions have

UP Investor Summit: Will promise convert into performance?

The UP investors’ summit has received an overwhelming response. On the opening day, Wednesday, 1,045 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 4.28 trillion were signed at the summit &ndas

On the campaign trail

“They have money, marketing, television and media at their disposal. But, Congress is going to win the assembly election in Karnataka because we have the poor, the farmers and the labourers s

Modi woos South Korean business honchos

 “From princess to poetry and from Buddha to Bollywood; India & Korea have so much in common,” prime minister Narendra Modi said while addressing the India-Korea Business Summi

Exclusive Interview with Gujarat CM Rupani: `Modi magic is intact`

Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani asserts that he is sure his party, BJP, will repeat the performance of 2014 Lok Sabha election in the 2019 national elections as the “Modi magic” is

More harm than good

Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, has opted out of a meeting on the appointment of the Lokpal, a move that may end up further delaying the process for the country getting

An eerie shadow: With the return of raid raj, the spectre of VP haunts Modi

In 1985, as a reporter of the Times of India, I got a chance to attend a lecture by one of the greatest legal minds of our times, Nani Palkhivala, at a function organised by an industries body in K

Tripura results: How BJP brought down the Red Fort

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Agartala in December 2014 to dedicate the second unit of ONGC`s Palatana to the nation. People gathered in large numbers to listen to him. Invited to the ceremon

Naidu’s habitual brinkmanship won’t work with Modi

Just a few months before the Lok Sabha elections of 2004, the BJP had held its national executive in Hyderabad to chart out the future course of action. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu

#SheInspiresMe: On women`s day, PM Modi hails women power

On the occasion of the Women’s Day on Thursday, several inspiring stories of courageous women were circulated on social media following prime minister Narendra Modi’s social media campa

India reiterates focus on renewable energy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with French president Emmanuel Macron who is on a four-day visit to India, inaugurated the 75 MW solar power plant in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday.

Modiji is way ahead in every respect, says Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani

In the post-Modi phase of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani is the first BJP leader to lead the party in assembly elections and seek a fresh mandate. The results in December were rather underwhelming as

What the by-poll verdict reveals: Modi is the only vote-catcher for BJP

The unambiguous message of the by-elections in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not only the biggest vote-catcher for the BJP, he is the only one. If

Peak performance

What is Narendra Modi’s biggest electoral success during the current term as prime minister? At first blush, most would say the Uttar Pradesh victory. That would be looking at the obvious (UP

Simple facts about Special Status states

N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Friday parted ways from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the centre. The official quitting of the alliance was pr

Automation will not impact India negatively: NSDC head

Manish Kumar, a 1991 batch IAS officer, heads National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), and thus is driving the skill development mission of the Modi government. Earlier, he was the countr

CBSE paper leak: PM asks Javadekar to take strict action

Taking cognisance of the alleged CBSE paper leak of Maths and Economics for classes 10 and 12, respectively,  prime minister Narendra Modi asked union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar to take st

Why Karnataka vote is no pointer to 2019 elections

In India, every election is unique in its own way. Each can be called a trendsetter for future politics, although the reality is that an election often resets established political equations. Those

Farmers` income: Double trouble

Early in March, farmers of Maharashtra belonging to tribal and backward groups marched from Nashik to Mumbai under the aegis of the CPI(M)-backed Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha. They wanted to dra

Ghazipur: Land of poppies is witnessing a sea change

Ghazipur figures prominently in Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies, the first novel of his Ibis trilogy. Set in the 1830s, it presents Ghazipur as a centre of large-scale opium production, and nar

Can Shiv Sena provide a new template for regional parties?

The bickering between the BJP and the Shiv Sena has now become a regular feature. The Sena is seen to be progressively distancing from the BJP following its announcement that it will not contest th

Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train will have some unreserved seats too

The Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train will have a few general category seats in order to accommodate people who do not have reservation, says Achal Khare, managing director of the National High Speed R

Dry ATMs: Rahul takes a dig at govt

As media reports spoke of ATMs across the country going dry, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a dig at the government even as the finance ministry reviewed the situation and blamed it on “un

A rare peek into the mind of Modi

It’s always lonely at the top. Prime minister Narendra Modi’s marathon townhall event at the Central Hall Westminster, titled ‘Bharat ki Baat, Sab ke Saath’, was nothing but

The East African gambit

India has been consistently forg ing closer ties with African states since the India-Africa Forum Summit of taneously, there has been notice able emphasis on the eastern and october 2015. Simultane

Congress’s real agenda is Save Dynasty: Amit Shah

As the Congress leads a bunch of opposition parties in preparing to move an impeachment motion against the chief justice of India, Dipak Misra, BJP president has said its real agenda is not to save

Togadia, Sinha and anti-Modi prejudices masked by empty rhetoric

There is an uncanny similarity in the pathological opposition to prime minister Narendra Modi by two members of the right wing, Pravin Togadia and Yashwant Sinha. They come from a di

Modi-Jinping meet: The art of personal diplomacy

Just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked up to the museum in Wuhan during his two-day China visit, a smiling president Xi Jinping was waiting to receive him. Xi then gave him a nugget of critica

Champions of change

Finally there is a political target and a timetable for transforming 115 most backward districts by 2022, but does the NITI Aayog appreciate the unprecedented nature and scale of the effort?

Expect Karnataka to thrash predictable political punditry

If political punditry is to be believed, the predictable outcome of the Karnataka election will invariably be a hung house. And this punditry is based on sound logic which is quite convincing for a

Some Sholay dialogues can help make sense of Karnataka polls

While driving down from Bengaluru to Mysuru, you come across a patch of hillocks near Ram Nagar, a place that provided the backdrop for the all-time hit Bollywood movie, Sholay. This was where vill

Bengaluru goes a-polling

The above picture was shot in a slum near Neelasandra. It’s a Muslim-dominated area where people have been fervent Congress supporters. They were enthusiastic about being photographed. Luckil

Crunch Time: Modi has to make the most of Bache Din

When it comes to Narendra Modi and, by extension, his four years at the helm so far, people tend to react sharply, putting objectivity aside. Yet, one objective statement that can be made as his go

Coming full circle: The ‘strong leader’ vs the gang-up

When numbers forced prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to demit office on the thirteenth day, he delivered a memorable speech in the Lok Sabha, ending on a trademark wave of his hand and saying th

IAS lateral entry is attempt to cut cobwebs of complexity in governance

If you want to know why the Narendra Modi government`s proposal for lateral entry of experts into the hallowed precincts of the Indian Administration Service has kicked up such a row, this anecdote

Opposition is less than the sum of its parts

Narendra Modi has finally emerged as the architect of unity – of opposition unity, that is. Though it took the Congress and other non-NDA parties four years to learn this lesson, it has come

New medium is the new message

A quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” Those initiated into English-language journalism were asked to learn this sentence by rote and type it on a typewriter repeatedly to familiarise th

With infighting, CBI faces unprecedented drift

Skeletons, if kept in the cupboards of investigative agencies, are bound to tumble out much sooner than later. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is no exception. The corridors of the CBI he

Rahul’s messianic words don’t match dirty deeds of politics

Self-deception is an essential trait of a revolutionary, particularly of the Marxist variety. Rahul Gandhi as the Congress president seems too eager to internalise this trait in his politics.

The movie inspired by Modi’s childhood has a remarkable social message

A 32-minute short film titled ‘Chalo Jeete Hain’, premiered at a screening hosted by vice president M Venkaiah Naidu at the GMC Balayogi auditorium on Wednesday, is more remarkable for

It’s time for the Bullshit Season

It was nearly midnight at a small ground in Aminabad of Lucknow, and an enthusiastic crowd was waiting for VP Singh. This was in 1988, after the Bofors scandal had blown up in the face of prime min

Bottleneck in the corridor

Thirteen years after it was announced by the government of India, the dedicated freight corridor (DFC)  project is still struggling to take off due to lackadaisical attitude of the Indian Rail

Gaslighting: Decoding Rahul’s falsehoods against Modi & RSS

Demagoguery is elemental to politics. But the use of lies, rather patent lies, as an instrument of politics is a new trend. In the age of social media lies peddled with confidence acquire features

Modi raises battle cry with power packed slogans

In politics, the coining of slogans is nothing less than the work of literature. Like any good and creative piece of poetry or prose finds resonance with people, smart slogans set the political moo

Ashis Nandy`s prognosis:

Ashis Nandy is arguably India’s most formidable public intellectual of his generation – and often the most controversial too, for his maverick and unusual

Making sense of RSS: Consistent yet flexible

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), like prime minister Narendra Modi, remains “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma” for many. Analysts tend to interpret both accordin

CBI chief’s delusions of grandeur harmed the agency

Tumse pehle jo shakhs yahan takht-nashin tha Usko bhi apne khuda hone pe itna hi yakeen tha (The man who sat on this throne before you was equally convinced of b

The making of the Banana Republic

 In political discourse, the term ‘Banana Republic’ defines a state with a high degree of political instability, societal violence and oppressive inequality. American author O Henr

With Sardar statue, Modi builds a legacy and dwarfs Congress too

Before he laid the foundation for the world’s tallest statue of India’s first deputy prime minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, on October 31, 2013, Narendra Modi (then chief minister of

Making sense of Modi’s counter-intuitive economics

Dhiraj Nayyar’s book, Modi and Markets: Arguments for Transformation (published in October by Westland) came a bit too early. The title would have made for seductive reading had it coincide

Vibrant Gujarat 2019 to go beyond investments; focus on trade, exports

Vibrant Gujarat, the biannual gathering organised by Gujarat, will go beyond pitching for investments and will provide a forum to explore trade and export opportunities. The ninth edition of the ev

Why the bureaucracy needs to re-learn to work

“You will soon be talking to a new foreign secretary,” said prime minister Rajiv Gandhi announcing the sacking of the incumbent at a televised press conference in 1986. Foreign secret

The Master Sahib effect

During his stint as BJP general secretary (organisation) and in-charge of Madhya Pradesh affairs in the late 1990s, Narendra Modi had acquired a new nickname. He was called “master sahib&rd

PM Modi dedicates new complex at Bamrauli airport in Prayagraj

Prime minister Narendra Modi unveiled a new airport complex at Bamrauli airport in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj district on December 16.   Modi applauded the efforts o

PM Modi to lay foundation of Paradip Hyderabad and Bokaro-Dhamra pipeline project

Prime minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation of Paradip Hyderabad pipeline product project (PHPL) by IOCL and Bokaro-Angul section of Jagdishpur-Haldia & Bokaro-Dhamra gas pipeline proj

Governance of the self

The Razor’s Edge, a 1944 novel by Somerset Maugham, explores the dichotomy between materialism and spirituality. The title is derived from a line of Katha Upanishad: “The sharp edge of

Why not have time zones in India?

It`s an idea rejected by the central government many times over - the latest in December 2018. India must remain united by a single time, the government reasoned, because coordination between zones

Modi’s reverse sweep reverses Mandal, counters opposition spin

In cricket, reverse sweep was an unconventional invention by some batsmen not only to neutralize the spin but score a big hit. Cricket analogies are often applied on Indian politics while analyzing

Understanding interim budget

Narendra Modi-led NDA government is due to present its last budget on February 1, before the 2019 general elections. Finance minister Arun Jaitley, who is currently in US for medical treatment, is

Prime minister to inaugurate Salt Satyagraha Memorial

On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 71st death anniversary, prime minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the “National Salt Satyagraha Memorial” at Dandi, Gujarat on January 30. T

Interim Budget 2019 rides high on elections

The interim budget for 2019-20, presented by the interim finance minister Piyush Goyal, is predictably focused on the coming elections. From agriculture to defence, and pleasing the middle class, t

Budget a helping hand for neo-middle class

An official who worked closely with Narendra Modi during his stint as the chief minister of Gujarat told me an anecdote to explain his style of working. Just before the 2007 state assembly election

PM commissions Srinagar-Alusteng -Drass-Kargil –Leh transmission line

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the 220 kV Srinagar-Alusteng-Drass-Kargil – Leh transmission system to the nation to ensure uninterrupted power supply to Ladakh round the year. The mov

PM lays foundation stone for high and low voltage sub-stations in Arunachal Pradesh

Foundation stone for seven extra high voltage (EHV) sub-stations and 24 low tension (LT) sub-stations was recently laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh. The project

Betting on nostalgia

“Aandhi” (Storm), director Gulzar’s movie starring Suchitra Sen and Sanjeev Kumar, was made in 1975, when Indira Gandhi reigned supreme in Indian politics. The film, based on Ka

Balakot airstrike: Narendra Modi`s strategic pragmatism

Just as army commandos who conducted surgical strikes in September 2016 returned safely to their base, India’s Director General of Military Operation (DGMO) called his counterpart in Pakistan

Did PM violate model code of conduct by announcing Mission Shakti`s success?

View The announcement is related to ‘national security’, hence it does not violate the model code of conduct. Mission Shakti is undoubtedly a big achievement fo

The Indian abroad

Diaspora diplomacy has emerged as an important component of India’s foreign policy in the last few decades. At the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in January, prime minister Narendra Modi emphasised

“Socialism is the most relevant ideology and will never wither away”

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is an archetypal Indian socialist, a Lohiaite whose tribe is practically extinct. In his personal life, he is extremely austere. In his political life, he is s

Missing the middle

Chandramouli Vashisht, 29, an engineer who lives in Madhu Vihar, in the middle-class Patparganj locality of east Delhi, says that during the last Lok Sabha election, he voted for the BJP, but the v

Modi is now the topic of a PhD thesis

Sunil Bhatt, a Gujarat-based professional, has completed what is possibly the first PhD thesis on prime minister Narendra Modi. The thesis, titled ‘Leadership, Governance and Develo

In pictures: Phase 5 of Lok Sabha Elections begin

The fifth of the seven phases of general election 2019 is currently underway and a total of 51 seats across seven States have gone to polls.   Voting will take place in a

The Elephant dances

The 2019 parliamentary election in India is a humungous affair: about 890 million voters, nearly thrice the population of the United States, many months of planning, over a month of actual voting a

Rs 52.18 lakh spent on Vande Bharat express inaugural

Indian Railways spent Rs 52.18 lakh to organise the inaugural function of the country’s first engineless semi-high speed train Vande Bharat express. The train was flagged off by prime ministe

"If someone has won today, it is the people, the democracy"

Making a clean sweep against the Indian National Congress (INC), the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) is set to win about 300 of the 543 seats in parliament all by itself.   

NDA victory & Modi 2.0: The reforms agenda to be

The resounding and unprecedented mandate in favour of Narendra Modi in the 2019 general elections signals two very clear indicators: firstly, voters across India appreciate the Modi 1.0 governance,

The Evolution of Modi

Gujarat was passing through a turbulent phase in the 1980s. The decade began middle class agitations against new reservation policies, and the caste friction turned communal under the watch of chie

Kashmir to lose special status

In a historic move with long political repercussions, the Narendra Modi government on Monday moved to scrap the special status granted via Article 370 to Jammu and Kashmir, ending decades of debate

Sushma Swaraj’s spirited ‘secularism’ speech will be long remembered

During her long and enviable career in politics, Sushma Swaraj fashioned a one-of-a-kind place for herself: a spirited debater who could articulate the common man’s aspirations in the common

Independence Day: PM underlines new beginnings

Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort for the first in his second term, prime minister Narendra Modi highlighted the new beginnings his government has made in recent days, and und

Better cities require active citizen engagement

With Mumbai city battling myriad civic issues and annual flooding year after year, stakeholders and experts came together to discuss ways of dealing with these issues as community work. The discuss

Talking to Trump, Modi hits out at Imran’s anti-India rhetoric

Prime minister Narendra Modi has told US president Donald Trump that Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s “incitement to anti-India violence” was not good for peace in south Asia.

Modi’s forward-looking I-Day speech lays down 5-year agenda

Contrast prime minister Narendra Modi’s first Independence Day speech in 2014 with his latest, the first in the second term, and you know the difference. His first speech was less about futur

What Imran’s rant against RSS tells us about Modi’s Kashmir policy

An unintended consequence of the inversion of Article 370 and the division of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories is the curious revival of Pakistan’s interest in Indian

When Jaitley asked me to guess his age...

Sometime in 1999, I took Arun Jaitley out for meal for the column, “Lunch with Business Standard”. As is his wont, he chose his own place for lunch. It was at the Chambers at the Taj Ma

How not to criticize Modi

Jairam Ramesh and Shashi Tharoor have stirred the hornet’s nest in the Congress. They have argued that the party should not “demonise” prime minister Narendra Modi. The two leader

Energy, petro vital in making India $5 tn economy: Amit Shah

The petroleum and energy sectors will play a vital role in making India a 5 trillion dollar economy, as envisaged by prime minister Narendra Modi. Addressing the 7th convocation of

Modi pledges higher target for degraded land restoration

Addressing the Conference of Parties (COP14) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced that India would raise its target o

Before accusing Nehru (or Modi) of economic blunder, read this

The Promise of India: How Prime Ministers Nehru to Modi Shaped the Nation (1947-2019) By Jaimini Bhagwati Penguin Viking, 385+xxix pages, Rs 799

Howdy Modi? “All is well in India…”

The event was named ‘Howdy Modi’. “But Modi alone is nothing. I am a person working for the wishes of 130 crore people in India. So when you ask, ‘Howdy Modi’, I would

On climate, “time for talking is over… act now”

The time for talking is over; the world needs to act now. That was the message prime minister Narendra Modi delivered at the Climate Action Summit 2019 during 74th session of UNGA in New York.

Rajasthan girl Payal Jangid wins Changemaker Award

Payal Jangid, a teenager from Rajasthan, has become the first recipient of the Changemaker Award at the Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards. This was in recognition of her campaign to end child labour

Modi stresses political stability, invites global investors to India

The Indian economy has benefited from the climate of political stability in the country, prime minister Narendra Modi said, as he invited the global investor community to India.

Public participation the hallmark of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: PM

Public participation and voluntarism has been the hallmark of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the reason for its success, prime minister Narendra Modi has said. Thanking the entire country for the wholeh

Why Modi-Xi informal summit in Mamallapuram is important

Barely four days are left for Chinese president Xi Jinping to land in Mamallapuram (or Mahabalipuram) for an informal summit with prime minister Narendra Modi. While official confirmation is still

Modi-Xi script a new chapter in bilateral relations

Prime minister Narendra Modi has accepted president Xi Jinping’s invitation to visit China in 2020 for their third informal summit after Wuhan and Mamallapuram, indicating both sides’ r

Modi wave, it seems, shows no signs of stopping

The voters’ trust in Brand Modi is not a short-term affair – if anything, it is only increasing, or so it seems going by the numbers exit polls have given after the Maharashtra and Hary

ASEAN is at the core of Act East Policy: Modi

India’s Act East Policy is a significant cornerstone of the Indo-Pacific strategy, prime minister Narendra Modi said, adding that ASEAN is at the core of Act East Policy. Modi

Kartarpur Sahib: The corrdidor can show the way to peace

When the corridor to the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib, in Kartarpur (Pakistan), was opened for the pilgrims from India on November 9, prime minister Narendra Modi recalled the fall of Berlin Wall, which

Lok Sabha passes the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill

After a day-long debate which often turned acrimonious, the Lok Sabha has passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, seeking to provide citizenship to non-Muslims from three neighbouring countri

Parliament passes Citizenship amendment bill

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 has been cleared by parliament, as the Upper House on Wednesday passed the legislation that seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from three neighbo

World is eager to know Gandhi: Modi

The world today is eager to know Gandhi and ready to accept him, and thus it becomes India’s responsibility to keep reminding the world of the abiding relevance of Mahatma and his vision, pri

Census 2021, updating NPR get cabinet nod

The union cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the proposal for conducting Census of India 2021 and updation of National Population Register (NPR), even as protests

PM to youth: with new decade, your time has come

The new year and the decade will be the time when India’s millennials will start contributing to the nation, Prime minister Narendra Modi has said in the outgoing year’s last broadcast

Why Delhi elections are more crucial than you think

The National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCTD) goes to polls on February 8, amid debates and protests for and against the amended citizenship law and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC

India set to bolster ties with Brazil during Bolsonaro`s visit

As India gears up to celebrate its 71st Republic Day on January 26, it will host Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro as the chief guest of the event that marks the day when the country formally adop

Violence never resolves any issue: Modi

Urging all who have taken the path of violence for their political campaigns to shun it and return to the mainstream, prime minister Narendra Modi has said that weapons cannot achieve lasting peace

Trust set up to build Ram temple in Ayodhya

Prime minister Narendra Modi has announced in parliament the cabinet decision to form a trust to oversee the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, as ordered by the supreme court.

Delhi votes in a crucial election

Delhi is voting today in a high-stakes assembly elections that have virtually been projected as a referendum on the CAA-NRC debate, which from the BJP dominated the high-decibel campaign. The rulin

Kejriwal’s AAP creates history in capital – again

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Arvind Kejriwal rewrote the political playbook of the country, by repeating the stunning performance of 2015, as it won 62 of the 70 seats in Delhi assembly, leavin

Trump’s visit may spur two-way trade, defence ties further

Preparation is in full swing for US president Donald Trump’s India visit on February 24-25. This will be his maiden India visit as president. As per the ministry of external affairs press rel

America loves India, America respects India: Trump

America loves India, America respects India, said US president Donald Trump as he and first lady Melania Trump began their short visit of India from Ahmedabad on Monday, welcomed by prime minister

People-to-people relations the real foundation of Indo-US friendship: Modi

On the second and last day of US president Donald Trump’s India visit, prime minister Narendra Modi said the real foundation of Indo-US friendship is people-to-people relations. Trump, meanwh

Modi-Trump show gives India-US ties new dynamism

In the more than 40 hours of stay in India during his two-day visit, US president Donald Trump exhibited his talents as a politician and also a showman with acumen to provide the Indian audience an

Uneasy calm in riot-torn Delhi

No untoward incidents have been reported from the parts of the capital that witnessed communal riots this week, but the peace Thursday morning was still tentative and a number of those hospitalized

COVID-19 claims first life in India

COVID-19 has claimed first life in India as the authorities scrambled to contain the further spread Novel Coronavirus. A 76-year-old man in Karnataka who had tested positive for COVI

COVID-19: India reaches out to neighbours, offers helping hand

India has taken the lead in reaching out to the neighbouring member-nations of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and prime minister Narendra Modi has proposed to set up

India stays home, thanks Corona fighters, prepares for tough battle

Sunday marked a watershed in India’s battle with the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus outbreak: following prime minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for a “janta curfew”, people stayed

Most of India under lockdown as COVID-19 cases go up

India is making an all-out effort to save a billion-plus people from the outbreak of COVID-19, bringing most parts of the country under curfew and lockdown, as the number of people affected by the

Whole of India under lockdown for 21 days

The lockdown in most parts of India was extended Tuesday night to the whole nation – for 21 days, bringing life to a standstill in the subcontinent. Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday ev

Life hacks for Lockdown blues

As the nation battles the Coronavirus outbreak, a billion-plus population is confined at home in the 21-day lockdown, and this is leading to mental health concerns. “It is a t

Diplomacy in the time of Covid-19

In the thick of battle with the deadly coronavirus, India on March announced a 21-day lockdown till April 14 in its bid to control the spread of virus which has so far led to 10 people’s deat

India ramps efforts as COVID-19 cases rise

As COVID -19 cases continue to rise amid a 21-day lockdown, the centre and the states are proactively taking measures to provide aid to the underprivileged and the needy during this unprecedented s

Don’t fear Corona, fight it

In a bid to break the “chain of transmission” of the deadly Covid-19, India, a country with more than 1.3 billion population, observed a voluntary ‘Janata Curfew’ on March 2

COVID-19 demobilisation: Lessons for public governance

Demobilization, like its predecessor – demonetization, is another decision gone bad in implementation.  In both instances a careful public administrative action through its governance sy

Fighting Covid-19, India has realized its collective strength: PM

In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, people of India have realized their collective strength, prime minister Narendra Modi said in a short video message Friday morning. He also urged people to lig

As nation lighted lamps, power grid delivered

As Indians switched off lights in homes and lighted lamps and candles Sunday night following prime minister Narendra Modi’s appeal as a gesture of solidarity in the fight against COVID-19, th

Communication in the times of Corona

This article originally appeared on the ORF website: https://www.orf

Lockdown in India extended till May 3

As the 21-day lockdown comes to an end on Tuesday, prime minister Narendra Modi announced that the restrictions meant to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus were now extended till May 3, followin

Lockdown is not lockup, don’t worry: Thackeray

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has assured the large number of migrant labourers who are getting anxious to return to their homes that the fight against the Covid-19 virus is being fou

Observing Ramazan in the time of Covid-19

With Ramzaan expected to begin from April 24-25, when the Muslim community will observe dawn-to-dusk fast for the month, Muslim scholars and imams of masjids across India have come out with guideli

India wins world’s heart with hydroxychloroquine

Whatever may be the reason behind US president Donald Trump’s irksome statement against India and then within 24 hours correcting it by making placatory remarks for prime minister Narendra Mo

Covid-19: Tensions remain amid new relaxations

India on Monday began relaxing some of the movement restrictions in place since the lockdown began on March 24 in response to the Covid-19 outbreak, mostly in safe areas outside the containment zon

People are leading battle against Corona: Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi has hailed India’s fight against Covid-19 as people-driven, and also urged people to use the occasion as an opportunity to look at our lives with a fresh perspect

COVID-19 lockdown: PM, CMs discuss exit, extension options

As India entered the last week of the extended lockdown to counter Covid-19, prime minister Narendra Modi and his key cabinet colleagues held a video conference with the state chief ministers Monda

China will face new diplomatic challenges in post-Covid world

In his interaction with Indian overseas students from the UK, Canada, Singapore, Europe and Australia through video-conferencing on April 26, union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gad

Coronavirus is a test of India’s cooperative federalism

In the current times, every country across the globe is engaged in a battle against Covid-19. The architecture of a country`s constitution influences it’s response to this pandemic – au

India is learning to live with Covid-19

As the world’s most extensive and arguably strictest lockdown completes 50 days, India remains in double mind: there are good arguments for and against extending the movement restrictions. Th

Nobel laureates to advise Sapio Umbrella on fighting Covid-19

Sapio Umbrella, a unit of government advisory firm Sapio Analytics, has received support from Nobel Laureates Dr Michael Levitt and Colonel H R Naidu Gade in form of advisory engagement in strength

India will set example of post-Covid-19 economic revival: Modi

India is determined to “set an example” for the rest of the word in the post-pandemic economic revival, prime minister Narendra Modi has said, underling the need to become self-reliant.

How India is quietly resetting its economic engagement with China

For all intents and purposes, India is going to reset its relations with China and a subtle hint to this regard has been given by the Narendra Modi government after the deadly June 15/16 night face

India to play leading role in global revival: Modi

India would play a leading role in the global revival, prime minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, as he addressed the inaugural session of India Global week via video-conference.

Breaking new ground in Ayodhya: History is created

History was created as prime minister Narendra Modi participated in the foundation-stone-laying ceremony for the new Ram Temple in Ayodhya on Wednesday, ending centuries of controversy.

Honouring the Honest: PM launches platform for transparent taxation

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a platform for “Transparent Taxation - Honouring the Honest” through video conferencing. Addressing trade and industry b

More discussion in parliament beneficial for country: PM

As parliament on Monday commenced its special session amid the raging Covid-19 pandemic, prime minister Narendra Modi underlined the importance of debate in the house, saying that it is “bene

Freedom of press in India is a myth: Tewari

Sections of the news media have degenerated into becoming the pet performing poodle of the government, says Manish Tewari, former information and broadcasting minister and a member of the Lok Sabha

Covid-19: Daily recoveries cross 1 lakh mark, new cases far fewer

Is India finally gaining an upper hand over the Covid-19 pandemic? After weeks of new cases hitting 90,000-plus every day, the tide seems to be turning, as the number came down to 75,083 on Tuesday

Amid Covid-19 dilemma, PM launches public movement

As India maintained a lowering curve of new Covid-19 infections, prime minister Narendra Modi launched a public movement Thursday, appealing everyone to unite in the fight against the coronavirus a

Media not muzzled, maintains Nalin Kohli

India has a robust media and if that was not the case news channels and outlets would not be reporting against the government and the ruling parties, BJP national spokesperson Nalin Kohli has said.

Modi’s popularity intact, BJP emerges stronger

Though his government’s response to the Covid-19 crisis has often evoked sharp criticisms from many quarters, the result of latest round of elections – the all-crucial assembly election

More tests, more oxygen: PM spells out focus

The expansion of the testing and treatment network and more availability of oxygen top the government’s priorities in combating the spread of Covid-19, prime minister Narendra Modi indicated

PM interacts with three vaccine teams

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday had virtual meetings with three teams working on developing and manufacturing vaccine for COVID-19. These teams are from Gennova Biopharmaceut

PM lays foundation stone of new parliament building

Laying the foundation stone of the new parliament building on Thursday, prime minister Narendra Modi said it is an intrinsic part of the vision of ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ and will be a la

Judicial reforms must ensure speedy, timely justice: Gaurav Bhatia

Expressing regret over long trials of court cases in India and acknowledging that the justice delivery system in the country needs reforms, Gaurav Bhatia, BJP national spokesperson, has said that t

Story of an incredible political jugalbandi, with all colour and drama

Jugalbandi: The BJP Before Modi By Vinay Sitapati Penguin Random House, xiv+410 pages, Rs 799 The love and respect India has for the first pri

Launched: Largest vaccination drive in history

India on Saturday began the massive vaccination drive against Covid-19, as prime minister Narendra Modi paid tributes the ‘corona warriors’. “Such a vaccination dri

All you want to know about Republic Day celebrations 2021

India is celebrating the 72nd Republic Day on Tuesday. Attendance at the main celebrations in the capital is limited given the pandemic, yet Covid-19 has not dampened the spirit of the occasion. In

“Whoever has a smartphone and a social media account is a journalist today”

In a scathing attack on media, political analyst Shehzad Poonawala has said that the time of media is gone and anyone with a smartphone and a social media account  can be a journalist today.

As budget session commences, PM underlines “propriety of democracy”

As the budget session of parliament commenced on Friday amid the coronavirus pandemic as well as the farmers protests, prime minister Narendra Modi urged fellow parliamentarians to make “full

Media under fear psychosis: Kumar Ketkar

The media is working under immense fear and compelled to align with the government failing which it is threatened by agencies like the enforcement directorate and income tax department, says Kumar

Farmer agitation ‘pavitra’, but hijacked by Andolanjeevis: Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi has described the farmer protest as genuine (“pavitra”), while blaming other activists – “Andolanjeevis” – for hijacking it and givi

PM suggests special visa for doctors, nurses; regional air ambulance agreement

The spirit of collaboration among nations in meeting the challenge of Covid-19 has been a valuable take-away from the pandemic, prime minister Narendra Modi said Thursday, as he suggested creating

Quick, decisive steps needed to prevent ‘second peak’: Modi

Amid the resurgence of daily numbers of new cases in a few states and fears of the ‘second wave’, prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged the chief ministers to take quick and dec

With Oxygen Express, railways and air force pressed to easy supply

Amid reports of medical oxygen shortages in many parts of the country for critical Covid-19 patients, prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a meeting with leading oxygen manufacturers via vid

Govt earned Rs 25 lakh crore from fuel hike: Mallikarjun Kharge

Slamming the Modi government on the issues of fuel price hike, inflation, economy and agriculture laws, the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, has alleged that the centre has

Government failed to manage second wave: Sanjay Jha

Attacking the Narendra Modi government for “mishandling” of Covid -19 and a large number of deaths, astronomically high fuel prices, rising inflation, and unemployment, political analys

BJP-RSS have never had elected presidents to date: Pawan Khera

In a scathing attack on the government, PawanKhera, national spokesperson of the Congress party, has said that the BJP is remote-controlled by RSS, an unregistered organisation that decides who the

e-RUPI voucher, another milestone in digital India

Today (August 2), prime minister Narendra Modi launched the e-RUPI voucher system which is another milestone in Digital India. Simply put, this will be a digital payment which will be delivered to

Rupani completes five year as Gujarat CM

The BJP has ruled Gujarat for more than 25 years now. On Saturday, Vijay Rupani who was known as a soft-spoken politician has smartly completed five years as a chief minister in spite of many chall

National Master Plan `Gati Shakti` will generate immense employment opportunities: Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Gadkari has said that the National Monetisation Program will build reliability and confidence in developers and financing

PM launches Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Ayushman Bharat D

How foreign policy has been Modi’s focus right from the start

The Midway Battle: Modi’s Roller-coaster Second Term By Gautam Chintamani Bloomsbury / 400 pages / Rs 699 Gautam Chintamani,

Maharashtra Congress to campaign against inflation

To protest against the rising fuel prices and inflation, the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Wednesday announced a week-long awareness campaign, beginning on November 14, the birth

Owaisi is not BJP’s team B; Owaisi is team A: Rakesh Tikait

Calling Asaduddin Owaisi, president of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, a part of BJP, Rakesh Tikait, leader of Bharatiya Kisan Union, has said that he (Owaisi) is not BJP’s team B but

If Rahul is in race to prove himself a better Hindu, our efforts have paid off: Ram Madhav

Ram Madhav, a member of the RSS National Executive, has said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi proudly proclaiming to be a better Hindu is a welcome step and the opposition’s newfound claim t

Maharashtra NCC Directorate bags PM Banner at R-Day celebrations

For NCC, the Republic Day Celebrations (‘RDC’) this year – in the year of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh culminated’ –with the PM

PM to launch 2 railway lines connecting Thane-Diva

Prime minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation two additional railway lines connecting Thane and Diva via video conferencing on Friday. He will also flag off two suburban trains of the Mu

The Indian Muslim faces a conundrum. Here are the possible solutions

Unmasking Indian Secularism: Why We Need a New Hindu

India committs to reduce Emissions Intensity of GDP by 45% by 2030

India stands committed to reduce Emissions Intensity of its GDP by 45 percent from the 2005 level by 2030 and achieve about 50 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil f

Global cooperation for local welfare, says PM at INTERPOL General Assembly

From climate targets to COVID vaccines, India has shown willingness to take the lead in any kind of crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, adding, “And now, at a time when nations and

Road, ropeway projects in Kedarnath, Badrinath region planned

Prime minister Narendra Modi Friday laid the foundation stone of road and ropeway projects worth more than Rs 3,400 crore in Mana village near Badrinath in Uttarakhand. Earlier in the day, he 

Everything you wanted to know about Gujarat elections

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state, Gujarat, goes to polls in December. The Election Commission on Thursday announced the polling schedule, according to which the voting will take plac

With Modi wave, BJP breaks Gujarat record

The BJP has been in power in Gujarat since 1998, and the state proved to be its springboard for the national sweep in 2014. Yet, it never came even close to the highest tally of 149 seats (out of t

75 Amrit Sarovars in every district, 25,000 built so far

The first All India Annual State Ministers’ Conference on Water was inaugurated by prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. The theme of the conference is ‘Water Vision @ 2047’ a

PM flags off MV Ganga Vilas, world’s longest river cruise

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off the world’s longest river cruise, MV Ganga Vilas, and inaugurated the Tent City at Varanasi via video conferencing. He also inaugurated and

PM initiates Rs 38,800 crore projects in Mumbai

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated phase 2 of Mumbai Metro Rail Lines 2A & 7, worth around Rs 12,600 crore. He was in the city to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of pr

Modi flags off two Vande Bharat trains in Mumbai

Prime minister Narendra Modi flagged off Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat and Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat trains at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST) in Mumbai on Friday.

PM inaugurates new campus of Saifee Academy

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the new campus of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah (The Saifee Academy), principal educational institute of Dawoodi Bohra community at Marol in Mumbai.

With G20 Presidency India has tried to give a voice to the Global South: Modi

As prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of G20 via video message, he underlined why India had chosen the theme of  ‘One Earth, One Family

CBI … is like a brand for truth and justice: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The CBI was establish

Why Modi`s US visit is about much more than diplomacy

Ties between India and the United States of America subsist on a substratum of “shared values” wherein the life practices of the order of rule of law, democratization of tyrant nations

Yoga Day celebrated across the globe with increased mass participation

The 9th edition of International Day of Yoga 2023 was a successfully celebrated on much larger scale and witnessed new initiatives. The main National event at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh saw enthusias

PM to visit 4 states, launch projects worth Rs 50,000 crore

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit four states – election-bound Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Rajasthan apart from Uttar Pradesh on July 7-8 and will launch a slew of project worth around

A new chapter in India`s French Connection

Literature partakes of the glory of courage and chivalry in the French context. Think of D’Artagnan, Arthos, Porthos and Aramis, who are the chief Protagonists of the novel, ‘Three Musk

How Prime Minister’s Office functions

How Prime Ministers Decide By Neerja Chowdhury Aleph, 608 pages, Rs 999

New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path for inclusive development: Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi has expressed confidence that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development. He emphasized that India’s G20 Presid

History created with adoption of New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration: PM

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lauded the adoption of the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration and expressed his gratitude to all fellow G20 members for their support and cooperation.

G20 leaders pay homage to Mahatma at Rajghat

India’s prime minister Narendra Modi along with the leaders of other G20 member nations paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat Sunday morning. Modi underlined that Gandhi

MPs bid adieu to historic parliament building, step into new building

A function was organised in the Central Hall of Parliament on Tuesday to commemorate the rich legacy of the Parliament of India as the Members came together to bid adieu to the historical building

Vibrant Gujarat not just about branding, also an event of bonding: Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi addressed the programme marking 20 years celebration of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit at Science City in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. The Vibrant Gujarat

It’s going to be the decade of Uttarakhand: Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple development projects worth about Rs 4200 crore in sectors including rural development, road, power, irrig

SC verdict on Article 370 abrogation is historic: Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi said that the Supreme Court’s verdict on the abrogation of Article 370 is historic and constitutionally upholds the decision taken by the Parliament of India on 5

Govt has saddled the country with Rs 200 lakh crore debt: Kharge

Hitting out at prime minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that it has saddled the country with a debt of Rs 200 lakh crore and atrocities against Dalits have increased

Global bodies upbeat about India`s economic growth: Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 10th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar on Wednesday. The theme of this year’s summit is ‘Gateway

“India will become 3rd largest economy during my govt’s third term”

Prime minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of eight AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) projects worth around Rs 2000 crores in Solapur, Maharashtra on Friday

Ram temple inauguration begins a new epoch: Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi performed the pran patishtha ceremony for the new idol of Lord Ram and with this inaugurated the new temple in Ayodhya. This, he said, was the beginning of a new epoch.

Brave New Diplomacy in an Uncertain World

Bharat Rising: Dharma, Democracy, Diplomacy By Utpal Kumar BluOne Ink, 268 pages

Driving a resurgence in Northeast

Modi’s Northeast Story Edited by Tuhin A. Sinha and Aditya Pittie Rupa, 22 pages, Rs 595

“Globally, there is unprecedented positivity for India”

Addressing the Viksit Bharat Viksit Uttar Pradesh program in Lucknow on Monday, prime minister Narendra Modi launched 14,000 projects across the state, worth more than Rs 10 lakh crore at the fourt

PM releases commemorative coin to mark 90 years of RBI

The Reserve Bank of India has reached a historic landmark today completing 90 years of existence, prime minister Narendra Modi said here on Monday. He was addressing the opening ceremony of RBI@90,

How infra development is shaping India story

India is the world’s fifth largest economy with a GDP of USD 3.7 trillion today, and it is expected to become the third largest economy with a GDP of USD 5 trillion in five years. The Narendr

Elections 2024: Why Mumbai and Maharashtra verdict is crucial

In the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Maharashtra with 48 Lok Sabha seats is of crucial importance for the final outcome. In the 2019 election, the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance won 42 seats including six s

Elections 2024: In Odisha, all eyes on two contests in Kendrapara

Sarbeswara Samal, 66, a retired Odisha government employee residing in Bhubaneswar, has never forgotten to cast his vote in his village under the Patkura Assembly constituency which is a part of th

NDA ahead, but I.N.D.I.A. makes gains

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance was cruising comfortably ahead to form the government for the third time, though the Congress-led INDI Alliance made surprising gains to change the ongoing

Historic feat, says Modi: People’s victory, says Kharge

As the votes are being counted Tuesday evening and the BJP-led NDA was set comfortably to form the next government, prime minister Narendra Modi termed the emerging verdict as people’s reposi

Process on to form next govt: PM resigns

Prime minister Narendra Modi met president Droupadi Murmu and tendered his resignation along with that of his council of ministers on Wednesday, a day after the vote was counted in the General Elec

Modi appointed PM for the third time

Narendra Modi was Friday appointed the prime minister for a historic third time, as president Droupadi Murmu invited him to form the next government. The swearing-in ceremony for the new council of

Narendra Modi takes oath for third term

Narendra Modi made history Sunday evening as he was sworn in by president Droupadi Murmu for a third successive term. Modi thus becomes the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehr

New govt`s first decision pushes for farmer welfare

The BJP-led NDA government has started its term with its first decision relating to farmer welfare. Narendra Modi took charge of office as prime minister of India for the third time

Coalition politics not expected to impact India’s foreign policy

Prime minister Narendra Modi has strived incessantly to bring laurels and much needed recognition for the nation since May 2014 when he was sworn in as the head of state. The poser which can be del

PM Modi leaves for G7 Summit in Italy

In his first foreign visit after taking oath of office for the third time, prime minister Narendra Modi Thursday evening left for Italy to participate in the G7 Outreach Summit. &ldq

PM to release 17th installment of PM-KISAN at Varanasi on Tuesday

Prime minister Narendra Modi will release the 17th instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme on Tuesday at Varanasi and more than 9.26 crore farmers will receive the benefits amounting to over Rs.20,000 cr

Yoga Day has changed perceptions about it in ten years: PM

The expanding awareness of Yoga over the past ten years has changed perceptions associated with it, prime minister Narendra Modi said in Srinagar on Friday on the occasion of the International Day

With third term, our responsibility increases three-fold: PM

The people of the country have given the BJP-led NDA a chance for the third time, and with this, “our responsibility increases threefold", prime minister Narendra Modi said ahead of the

Our constitution guides us like a lighthouse: PM

“People of India have wholeheartedly supported and blessed our government’s efforts to serve the country over the past 10 years,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the Rajya Sa

PM leaves for Russia, Austria

All eyes are on the Narendra Modi-Vladimir Putin meeting, as the prime minister left Monday for an official visit of Russia as also of Austria. In the ‘departure statement, the

PM Modi visits Rosatom Pavilion at VDNKh in Moscow

Prime minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by president Vladimir Putin, visited the All Russian Exhibition Centre, VDNKh, in Moscow Tuesday. The two leaders toured the Rosatom Pavilio

“India has not given the world war, but Buddha”

Prime minister Narendra Modi addressed the ceremony in celebration of International Abhidhamma Divas and recognition of Pali as a classical language at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on Thursday.

Launched: TATA Aircraft Complex to manufacture C-295 aircraft

Prime minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez, jointly inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft at TATA Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) Campu

Veteran journalist explains why 2024 election “surprised” India

2024: The Election That Surprised India By Rajdeep Sardesai HarperCollins, Rs 799.00, 560 pages

PM Modi congratulates "my friend" Trump

As the results of the tightly contested US Presidential elections became clear Wednesday afternoon (India time), prime minister Narendra Modi congratulated Donald Trump on the victory.

Fadnavis takes oath as CM of Maharashtra

Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister of Maharashtra Thursday evening, ending days of uncertainty. Alliance partner and former CM Eknath Shinde, who had kept everyone guessing till the l

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter