Ravneet Kaur, IAS, chairperson and managing director (CMD) of India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (ITDC) speaks to Rahul Trivedi about this government undertaking’s growth plans. Edited excerpts from the interview: ITDC’s financial performance has been on upswing in recent quarters. What is fuelling this growth? ITDC ha
As my vehicle drove through the gates of Bungalow no 5 on Kalidas Marg, the official residence of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, I could discern a marked difference. Austerity was in the air. Just before I reached there, he had hosted a plain vegetarian lunch for top police officers who had gathered in Lucknow to celebrate the police week. Barring a few vehicles of these offi
Climate change is for real. And the recent Kerala floods and the deepening farm crisis make this a dreadful phenomenon for India. IMD chief KJ Ramesh talks about how well- or ill-prepared the country is to deal with the change in climate. From cyclones to unexpected snowfall, 2018 witnessed some severe weather events. Climate ch
Famously known for his onscreen role as ACP Pradyuman in the popular TV series CID, Shivaji Satam is a veteran who has worked in theatre, television and films. Before taking up full-time acting, Satam worked as a cashier in Central Bank of India. His performances in many Hindi and Marathi movies have been appreciated. He has twice won the Maharashtra State Film Award for the best actor.
In just 18 months the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai has rolled out the country’s fastest train. The engine-less ‘Train 18’ has even crossed the speed of 180 kmph in a trial run. ICF GM Sudhanshu Mani talks about the factory’s future plans where it plans to not only manufacture more trains like Train 18 but also manufacture sleeper class train sets fit for r
Supermodel Milind Soman takes on other roles too: actor, film producer, fitness icon. A competitive swimmer in school and college, Soman was a national champion and won a silver for India at the South Asian Federation Games in 1984. He now completes marathons barefoot. In 2015 he prevailed in the Ironman triathlon in Zurich, swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles, and running 26.22 miles in
Jayant Kaikini was recently honoured with the Atta Galatta-BLF Prize and Lifetime Achievement Award Kannada for 2018. Born in Gokarna in Karnataka, Kaikini is one of the prominent young writers in Kannada. He is also a poet, playwright and lyricist and received the Filmfare Award for the best lyricist in 2009. Your first Karnataka Sahitya Akademi award was when you were 19
MRVC is executing a number of suburban rail improvement projects in Mumbai to reduce over-crowding and meet future traffic requirements. The corporation is also involved in the planning and development of a Mumbai Suburban Rail system. With new foot-over-bridges and AC trains planned, MRVC CMD RS Khurana talks about the slew of initiatives being undertaken.
Among the first to speak up about rape in Bollywood in the #MeToo India campaign is Vinta Nanda, filmmaker, and writer of film and TV scripts. She recounted her gut-wrenching story of being raped by actor Alok Nath as part of the campaign. You are a big name in the industry. Why did you hold back from speaking about the incident (the rape by A
His films Chalbaaz and Jalwa were box-office hits. The TV serial *Karamchand*, with Pankaj Kapur as the detective of the title and Sushmita Mukherjee as his assistant, is considered a cult classic. Pankaj Parashar, known for the twists in his film plots as much as the kooky angles of the shots, has some firsts to his credit too: computer animation for the titles of Jalwa,
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has chosen Atishi as its candidate for the East Delhi constituency in the 2019 elections. The activist known for the transformation she wrought in state government-run schools in Dehi talks about why she thinks voters should choose her as their MP. What are the major challenges of the East Delhi parliamentary co
With high economic growth and many welfare schemes in place the state, has the situation on food and nutrition of people of Odisha improved over the decades? Rajkishor Mishra, former advisor of supreme court on right to food brings out key discussion of food governance in Odisha. Recently CM Naveen Patnaik announced to launc
Govind Namdev`s performances, whether on stage or in films, are always memorable for their fine touches of characterisation, presence, style. He attributes them to his rigorous training at the National School of Drama (NSD) and long years as a stage actor. His most well-remembered performances on stage are as Ashwattama in Dharamvir Bharati`s Andhaa Yug and later as an emot
Faezeh Jalali is an actor, director, playwright and dramatist who garnered appreciation after her role in Slumdog Millionaire. Her plays Shikhandi – The Story of the In-Betweens and 07/07/07 received immense appreciation from critics. Your stories are unconventional, advocate equality and human rights. Why? Whenever I create
The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) helps the two countries in managing its strategic partnership by promoting bilateral trade and also works on finding ways to bring business and governments together to create meaningful opportunities. Mukesh Aghi, president, US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), in interaction with Praggya Guptaa talks about various bilateral trade
Vishal Dadlani is a versatile musician who composes, sings as well as writes lyrics. He is the co-founder of electronica/indie-rock band Pentagram – the first Indian band to perform at the Glastonbury Music Festival in the UK in 2005. He formed a music producing duo with musician Shekhar Ravjiani in 1999 and produced notable works in films like Jhankaar Beats, Dus, Bluffmaster,
The overseas investment arm of the state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), OVL has been witnessing profits due to higher oil output. In an interaction with Praggya Guptaa, OVL’s MD Verma talks about the company’s growth trajectory and the hiccups faced in between. Please share a snapshot of ONGC Videsh’s growth journey
Can you explain the concept of blockchain? How does it function? What kind of IT infrastructure is required for deploying it? Blockchain is a system for maintaining distributed ledgers [‘distributed ledger technology’ or DLT] in a way that allows organisations which might not fully trust each other to agree on ledger updates. Instead of using a central
In an interview with Governance Now, Anil Kumar Jha, special DGP, CID, Assam, who is also nodal officer for the CCTNS project, speaks of what the system in its present form has helped his state achieve. What is the current status of CCTNS in Assam and its outcome? In Assam, the CCTNS has achieved all key milestones in terms of project impl
Speaking to Governance Now, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani elaborates on the Sujalam Sufalam scheme to rejuvenate talavdis and desilt reservoirs and lakes. He also speaks on water, politics, and conservation. What makes the Sujalam Sufalam initiative unique?
