The demonetisation of currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denomination that the government announced on November 8, 2016 and the subsequent remonetisation of the economy has affected almost every person in India. It came as a revelation when the media reported that many people in neighbouring Nepal were also adversely affected by the demonetisation of the high value currency notes when they s
Reports of the presence of lead in noodles and potassium bromate in bread and the recent clarification by the ministry of consumer affairs that service charge in restaurants is voluntary are pieces of the same puzzle. Apart from the obvious food connection, these issues mark a growing shift towards consumer protection, sounding the death knell for the principle of caveat emptor.
Sasikala’s elevation as chief minister of Tamil Nadu, exactly 60 days after Jayalalithaa’s death, may bring down the curtains on the power struggle. But, the road ahead is not going to be easy for Sasikala, with fears that the AIADMK may begin to lose the support of its cadres. AIADMK general secretary Sasikala will take over as the chief minister on February 9
US president Donald Trump may have seized the job of running the world’s most powerful government with a promise of bringing work back to American shores, but if international predictions are anything to go by then supporters of Mr Trump should be in for a nasty surprise. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) released its annual World Employment and Social Outlook (WESO) rep
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmed has been missing for 100 days now after an altercation with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists and sleuths are still groping in the dark. JNU, the institution known for its robust culture of politics pursued by students, was hit by a double whammy last year – first five of its students were charged with
The dangal is on. The biggest political slugfest of the central government’s term is on, with elections announced in the five states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. All eyes are of course on Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in terms of population, and which happens to wield even more political power. A win in Uttar Pradesh can give prime minister Narendra Modi the
Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, is a great fan of Twitter and other social-media forums. As chief minister, this gave him a tech-savvy image, helping to connect with youngsters. As prime minister, he has taken his love for social media to new heights, asking the ministers and ministries to increase their presence on such platforms. There’s probably nothing wron
There are two kinds of acts from the so-called fringe elements of the BJP: one embarrasses only the secular-liberals but resonates well with the party’s core constituency, and the other embarrasses the party more than the rest. Sakshi Maharaj’s latest rant is of the first type. The KVIC calendar goes into the second slot. Prime minister Narendra Modi h
The Demonetisation, the black money and the benami property, the three vibrant words in the Indian economy, has impacted the life of people across the country. In the fight against black money, prime minister Narendra Modi had already announced that people holding black money and the fictitious assets through unaccounted wealth will be affected. The government notified this with effect from Nov
At a time when the biggest seller of weapons is bestowed with the Nobel Prize for Peace, when a narcissist and
People may recall the passionate justification that prime minister gave on November 8 when he announced the decision to demonetise currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination. The entire country was thrown into a financial turmoil because more than 85% of the currency notes in circulation had suddenly stopped being legal tender, except in a small set of transactions permitted by the gove
In a swift series of events, the SP patriarch, Mulayam Singh Yadav, fondly known as Netaji, expelled his son, Akhilesh Yadav from Samajwadi Party. After a prolonged internal struggle of power, and the family feud playing itself out it public, the battle got murkier when Akhilesh Yadav’s list of candidates for the 2017 elections was shredded by his father, in favour of belligerent Shivpal
I am made of both Delhi and Mumbai. Intellect will tell you sharply that Mumbai and Delhi are two cities. Nothing more and nothing less. Instinct will whisper softly that Mumbai and Delhi are two beings caught in a passionate embrace that’s part love, part hatred and fully viscera
Humour is a form of communication. There are several healthy forms of humours which can be critical, reflective and constructive for the society. Unfortunately there is one form of humour that does not serve this purpose and has often been overlooked or trivialised. That is sexist humour. This form of humour in public domain is increasingly becoming widespread and controversial. Comedian
On Christmas eve, I met a close friend at a party. As we greeted each other, her face looked grim. I could not figure out the reason for the unusual tension on her face. When I asked, she said she was worried about her daughter. Her only daughter, who is turning 3 in March next year, is all set to face the biggest test of her life. She would soon b
Concerned about the abuse of power, French sociologist David Émile Durkheim in 1912 wrote that there could be no society which, at regular intervals, did not feel the need to uphold and reaffirm the collective sentiments and the collective ideas that made up its unity and personality. Opposition to corruption in India, especially after the 2011 Anna Hazare movement, gave b
Civil-military relations is not a happy phrase because it suggests a basic dichotomy and opposition between the civilian and the military perspectives. Differences in viewpoints give rise to typical controversies in the modern state everywhere. What is different here is the distinction that is sought to be made between “democratic”, “bureaucratic” and “civilian&rdq
“It would not be impossible to prove with sufficient repetition and a psychological understanding of the people concerned that a square is in fact a circle. They are mere words, and words can be moulded until they clothe ideas and disguise.” — Joseph Goebbels Truth is stranger than fiction. It is also less palatable and less pliable than fiction. Truth,
In agriculture, neem oil, fruit and the different byproducts such as seed cake are used as bio-pesticides, fungicides and organic manures. Neem is decomposed slowly, leading to a slower release of nutrients contained in it. The slow release of nutrients is attributed to the presence of extractives used as rewarding adjuvant for nitrogenous fertilisers such as urea. It is estimat
Till a decade ago, Nagrota was a quaint town one would pass through when travelling on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. From Jammu, it’s an enjoyable drive on the 20-km road snaking along the Ramnagar wildlife sanctuary – a trekkers’ paradise – to Nagrota. For the people of Jammu, the Ramnagar forest, spread over 30 sq km, is the source of ‘manda’, the Do
