- Jul 30, 2015 13:28 IST
According to a news report, the minister wants subtle (just that they are not subtle) changes in official communication that deal with the clearance of projects: From now on, the word ‘clearance’ will be replaced by ‘approval with adequate environmental safeguards’ and the word ‘diversion’ by ‘reforestation’.
- Jul 30, 2015 13:16 IST
Indian governments come up against the force of middle-class opinion whenever there is a terrorist attack, such as the one in Gurdaspur this week. Public attitudes shaped by the news media nudge South Block to adopt hardened reactions, such as ordering reprisals and calling off dialogue.
- Jul 28, 2015 23:02 IST
The fact that more SC/STs and Muslim children are out of school suggests that the Right to Education (RTE) has bypassed them. Getting children to school is just one part of the battle, the larger battle is to retain and educate them well. On this, all indices show that India has been failing its children, especially the poor and marginalised.
- Jul 28, 2015 22:55 IST
Gurdaspur attack: The first line of defence, the local police, must be trained and well armed to fight terror.
- Jul 28, 2015 00:44 IST
Measuring human performance by using an annual basket of ‘objective’ parameters can most often yield sub-optimal results. This is primarily because old yardsticks no longer hold good, either in terms of the metrics that are applied to gauge individual accomplishments, or in terms of defining what the collective goals are.
- Jul 28, 2015 00:31 IST
The attack in Gurdaspur district on Monday that killed nine people, including a superintendent of police, and injured at least eight others, may not match 26/11 in its ferocity and scale, but it has serious security and foreign policy implications.
- Jul 26, 2015 23:22 IST
Some of the concerns expressed about the food security Bill two years ago when it was passed in Parliament are in danger of coming true. A study by HT has shown that the law is yet to be implemented wholly. Just seven states have implemented its core provisions, such as each family in the ‘priority’ category getting 35kg of grain a month.
- Jul 26, 2015 23:06 IST
With Turkey now militarily joining the fray against the Isis, the latter is now in a precarious position. The Isis has carried out attacks against Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Turkey in the past few months, bringing these countries into the coalition of regional powers arraigned against it.
- Jul 24, 2015 23:28 IST
The Trump routine is part of what is a very social media mindset driven genre of outré-tainment. But such shtick grows old after the initial fervour. This election won’t be a troll in the park for him.
- Jul 24, 2015 01:50 IST
The confrontation between national hockey coach Paul van Ass and Hockey India president Narendra Batra is the latest episode in the saga within what was once a truly national game. Such controversies only show how much the country’s sports federations interfere with the work of coaches. It is time administrators realised their boundaries and allowed professionals to do their job.
- Jul 24, 2015 01:43 IST
The governance of Delhi is made very difficult by the multiplicity of authorities reporting to various people. But, issues like women’s safety cannot be put on hold until the two sort out their problems. The LG and CM need to sit down, preferably away from the public glare, and work out at least some of the areas in which they find common ground.
- Jul 22, 2015 22:32 IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his supporters are fond of saying that the last 60 years of Congress rule has been disastrous for India. They are right about the time period. Except for the eight years of Janata and BJP rule, the Congress has held sway since the first post-Constitution general election in 1951.
- Jul 21, 2015 21:50 IST
By most measures, India is set to become the world’s fastest growing major economy this year, outpacing China. Yet, India remains not an easy place to do business in.
- Jul 21, 2015 21:33 IST
Punishment is considered a natural response to crime. But, the punishment should be commensurate with the seriousness of the crime. This raises the question of whether the State can take away a life even if the crime is murder.
- Jul 20, 2015 22:15 IST
When the Right to Information Act (RTI) was passed in 2005, the view across the political spectrum was that the law will provide access to services and rights, and bring in transparency.