Some 20 percent of the candidates in the fray for the phases 1(a) and 1(b) of West Bengal assembly elections have declared their criminal record, an analysis by West Bengal Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) have found.
Should the state give food grains and other ration items to the needy people or should the state give them just enough cash to buy these items themselves? That was the ‘cash-vs-PDS’ debate raging for years. It is no longer a matter of
The proportion of rejection of RTI applications was quite high in banks that had reported large volumes of net non-performing assets (NPAs) in 2014-15. Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of Baroda and Canara Bank, which had reported net NPAs ranging more
Technology and e-governance have a transformational potential of making public services accessible and efficient, and helps in making governments responsive and accountable. As part of Digital India initiative, e-governance has changed the way cit
There is conflict of duty and absolute absence of clarity on the powers of an advocate general’s post. Government has enough lawyers called government pleaders. Advocate general is a constitutional post which as borne down by judgements and
The Brussels attacks of March 22 hit the European city towards the fag end of the first round of UN-brokered Syria peace talks in Geneva. The attacks triggered a surprise visit to the city by EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, to
Two years ago 58-year-old Kuldeep Kumar Goyal received enough ration from the local fair price shop to feed his family of four. Goyal, a daily wage earner, lives with his wife Rajrani and two sons at Dhanas resettlement colony on the outskirts of
Eighty-year-old Shakunthala is hardly able to stand steady on her feet. With slumped shoulders and hunched back she came to the Puducherry civil supplies and consumer affairs office to complain that she had not received cash for the past three mon
Even as the country lacks a legal framework to safeguard individual privacy and data security, the government is planning to integrate Aadhaar database, updated national population register (NPR) and socio-economic caste census to make what can be
Special correspondent Sonal Matharu’s incisive reportage on how tuberculosis and silicosis are silently killing people in a Jharkhand village (publishe
In April 1986, my father C Pant, who lives in Bhimtal, a small town 20 km downhill from Nainital, got three bagged saplings of avocados from Australia. Being a plant lover, a passion which he claims to have inherited (his father had introduced lit
Amidst the uproar in state legislature over demands for separate statehood for Marathwada region, Maharashtra advocate general Shrihari Aney who submitted his resignation to the governor on Tuesday said that ‘conflict of duty and institution
Anuradha Pal is a tabla player, multi-percussionist and music composer. She started playing tabla at the age of ten. She has been a disciple of legends like late Ustad Alla Rakha and Zakir Hussain. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Who’s Who Jou
Hasna mera kaam, hasana mera kaam, hass ke dikha do, hass ke dikha do, hass ke dikha do ji! (Laughing and making others laugh is my motto, laugh for me!) These are the words echoing in rhythm as one enters the ancien
Reiterating his views on constitutionalising the goods and services tax (GST), former union finance minister P Chidambaram has said that in case of a genuine emergency, parliament can change it. “If you don’t put restraint on the gover
SPEECH AT BORSAD March 18, 1930 At one time I was wholly loyal to the Empire and taught others to be loyal. I sang "God Save the King" with zest and taught my friends and relations to do so.
The Indian railway budget for 2016 clearly indicates that the government’s investment plans are high for the next five years. This means that many people will be hired by the recruitment board in the coming years. As per recent estimates, 2.
There are five pillars which can not only improve the financial condition but also accelerate the performance of Indian railways. The five pillars are: transition to commercial accounting; appointing an independent regulator; entry of private play
On this day 86 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi addressed a gathering in Anand, the central Gujarat town today known for AMUL, exhorting youngsters to join the salt march he had begun five days earlier. Recalling the historic event, here are excerpts
Late in his presidency, Barack Obama looks at the future and finds climate change as the most worrisome factor – and he is also worried about drought, famine and “displacement from the Indian subcontinent”. “
