Is the central bureau of investigation (CBI) meddling in policymaking areas as it investigates a series of scams that have embarrassed the UPA government? Prime minister Manmohan Singh and finance minister P Chidambaram think so, even as its direc
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) faces a government probe to see if it has received any foreign donations. It is ironical, because it is facing action thanks to its transparency -- which other parties don`t value much, and because it is facing this probe
As a part of image building exercise, members of film and television fraternity met Mumbai police yesterday to discuss the dignified portrayal of police and women in films. In the packed closed door meeting attended by senior police office
A kurta-clad character resembling Narendra Modi, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, navigates through various obstacles and runs through states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh – winning the
So, the top bureaucracy of India has decided not to decide anymore. As Shailesh Pathak, a former bureaucrat and columnist aptly says in a subsequent article (read it
On a news show the Deputy Director General of UIDAI had rubbished allegations that banks continued to insist on identity and residence proofs for opening bank accounts. He cited a circular of the Reserve Bank of India which apparently said, &ldquo
Four years ago, Tiwari had written an Issue Brief for the Observer Research Foundation, a prominent think tank, pointing out the legal vulnerability of the CBI and the Intelligence Bureau, and the need to give them legal sanctity. Like many things
Hinjili, the home turf of Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, has been in dark since the day cyclone Phailin hit the district on October 12. On the evening of Diwali, power supply was provided for a brief period from 8 PM to 8 AM. Only a
In what is being seen as an indication of things to come post-2014 elections, former BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday urged the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre to "rise above politics" and help the Biju Janata Dal (BJ
There is need for robust regulatory system which will scientifically establish mechanism for evaluation of GM crops so that all the issues on this matter can be put to rest, union minister of state for agriculture and food processing Tariq Anwar said
The cornerstone of democracy – that your MLA and MP carries your voice – turns out to be a myth in an analysis carried out by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW). The two organizations
Truth be told, the special protection group (SPG), viciously called as ‘Sonia Protection Group,’ was indeed a creation of the Gandhis. Its need was felt after the Delhi police failed to protect Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. Hence
Politics is often akin to nonlinear equation whose output is not directly proportional to its inputs. There have been instances when politics defied conventional wisdom but the strange phenomenon around Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi appears
A healthy democracy believes in its electorate. It believes the people have the common sense, rationale and basis to know exactly who they are voting for. While that may not be the case in many parts of India, where voters ostensibly s
This isn’t the rant of an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) hater. Truth be told, I have friends in the premier service, and like many in this country, if I were smart enough in that format of the game, I might’ve been one myself!
Everywhere in India the procurement processes in the government follow the general financial rules and guidelines of the central vigilance commission. Except, it seems, in Arunachal Pradesh. Be it road or building construction or a technology proj
If you thought it’s game, set and match for the Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha after cyclone Phailin left the Odisha coast, tamer than the 1999 ‘super cyclone’ but still leaving a big enough trail of destruction along with t
For the last few quarters, India has experienced two ‘strikes’ that have set it back by many years: the ‘decision-making strike’ by government officials and the ‘investment strike’ by the organised private secto
This is yet another tale that should make the nation hang its collective head in shame. Days after a 27-year-old schoolteacher was assaulted and then set on fire in daylight at her hostel in Tikiri village in Rayagada district of Odisha, she succu
A writ petition in public interest under Article 32 of the Constitution of India praying for issuance of writ of mandamus or any other writ, order or direction to the Union of India regarding extension in service to senior officers after superannu
