MV Tanksale, CMD, Central Bank of India, tells Governance Now that today the villagers feel that it is not their own need but the government’s need that they should be given Aadhaar numbers, bank accounts and direct transfers. But things are changing and good things have happened in financial inclusion in the last one year, since we met him for our first ‘Bank India Bank’ spec
Let’s Call Him Vasu: With the Maoists in Chhattisgarh By Shubhranshu Choudhary Penguin, Rs 350 Two disclaimers would be required to foreground a review of this racy read. First, absolute objectivity is a misnomer. Journalism, like any other cultural craft, is a form of fiction that merely hinges on facts. Stories are built block by b
Pushed on the back foot after “strong political reactions” from New Delhi, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh restored 24x7 power supply to Rae Bareli and Amethi, parliamentary constituencies of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, on Friday. With the onset of summer, Uttar Pradesh reels under a severe power crisis, with peak demand for elect
Last month, a Delhi court framed charges against Irom Sharmila Chanu, the ‘iron lady’ of Manipur, for allegedly attempting to commit suicide with her ‘fast unto death’ during a sit-in at Jantar Mantar in June 2006. It was all cut-and-dry, except that Chanu has been ‘fasting’ for nearly 12 years now, demanding revocation of the controversial Armed Forces Speci
How can you fight the growing climate change phenomenon, when the fuel subsidy is more than the grants on climate finance of various developed countries? A recent report says that over the years, developing countries including India got billions of dollars in climate finance but that is much less than fossil-fuel subsidies to consumers; thus negating climate compatible development. The
How long does it take for the government to make a stretch of road traffic-free? Decades, even longer, or maybe never? An entire generation of children coming to the Connaught Place has now grown into adults hearing of the inner circle being made free of traffic. And the talk is on among their children now. Lakhs of Delhi families who love to frequent their favourite evening hangout wou
During the Think India Dialogue organised by Network 18 on Monday, Narendra Modi made a revolutionary suggestion: bifurcate the functions of the ministry of external affairs (MEA) into two, with one dealing in diplomacy and the other in trade. In the 21st century global politics, economic diplomacy has a key role to play. Take for example Indo-China ties, in which economic issue
Union Bank of India believes that banks have to create the “need” for the rural poor to engage with banks. It is this belief that led to Ernakulam in Kerala—where UBI is the lead bank—to become the first “meanigful financial inclusion district” of the country, reveals D Sarkar, CMD. Edited excerpts of an email interview with Governance Now:
If I have to give you a medical advice with regard to your eyes, this is the one: Regularly visit an ophthalmologist who regularly visits a dentist. No, seriously. Vision-screening involves a procedure wherein the oculist has to peer into your eye in a position, which, outside of a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation situation, can be deemed a bit kinky. Basically when he is looking dee
“My comments on Saturday were not directed towards drought-affected people and I had no intentions to hurt anybody`s sentiments... I hope my comments will not affect drought relief measures which will continue vigorously... Also, it was never my intention to hurt anybody`s sentiments... It is true that I should have spoken responsibly. I apologise to all." That&
With the Supreme Court order to the union government to evict former Bihar governor and former chief of the national commission for scheduled castes, Buta Singh, from the Teen Murti Marg house he has been occupying illegally since 2010, the lid is off the muck of illegal occupation of Lutyens’ Delhi houses by has-beens. The SC came down heavily on the union government for cherry-pick
Indians have overwhelmingly voted against GM food in an online survey conducted by Greenpeace India. "Ninety seven percent of those who voted felt that GM crops was not the answer for food security," the green advocacy group said in a report it submitted to the agriculture ministry on Monday. Greenpeace India also blamed agriculture minister Sharad Pawar for hardse
On April 4, the supreme court sounded a red alert on the widespread misuse of red beacons by the VIPs. It came down heavily on traffic rule violation and directed the centre and state governments to introduce harsher punishment by introducing provisions for impounding vehicles and increasing the amount of fine to Rs 10,000. The bench also asked the governments to drastically restrict th
I am fiercely protective of my name, and would not change it for the world. (Thanks to a bullying ex-husband, I’ve been there, done that, got the passport, thank you very much.) Nothing but ‘Tara* Kaushal’ feels like my name — not then, and even not now — in a very happy second marriage. Besides, I have a strong feminist agenda, and a whole score of
The state has its agenda against dissent. It epitomises this with its right to use legitimate violence to quash dissent. However, in the small window of administrative requirements and the need for an organic society lies protest. Before we become a pack of similar individuals, we need protest. We need to communicate our displeasure. For a society to grow and flourish, it needs to not agree wit
So, how will the youth of Tamil Nadu spend the unexpected holiday gifted to them by politics thanks to the protests on the Sri Lankan issue? Though cinema and cricket are obvious choices, why don’t they also enlighten themselves on Ceylon? After all, some efforts to know thy neighbour is certainly warranted, since the student protest, though having its locus here, has its focus there. Her
After working in the ministry of human resource and development (HRD) for nine years and more than 20 years of work in the education sector, Dhir Jhingran was appointed as the national coordinator of right to education (RTE) act at the national commission for protection of child rights (NCPCR). An IAS of 1986-batch Assam cadre, Jhingran resigned from the post within just six months of a
North Korea has declared that it is at war with South Korea. As per news reports its nuclear missiles are being positioned to target the US as well as South Korea. In response, the US flew stealth bombers close to the North Korean territory. This reaction could appear drastic but considering the capabilities of North Korea this is not surprising. Besides its nuclear capabilities, North Ko
