The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite, IRNSS-1G, went into geosynchronous transfer orbit on April 28 and by May 3 it has taken up its position in the geostationary orbit at 129.5 degree east. With this the IRNSS constellation of seven satellites is in position. The constellation consists of three geostationary earth orbit (GEO) spacecraft and four spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit (GSO) inc
On May 19, after the results of the assembly elections were announced, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “We will work harder till we win the confidence & trust of people.” But these confident words sounded rhetorical when you remember his reaction after the defeat in the Delhi assembly election in 2013. “We have the ability to transform ourselv
The national eligibility cum entrance test (NEET), a single window examination for entering medical schools for MBBS and BDS courses across the country, was introduced with an aim to remove the hassle of appearing in hundreds of examinations separately. The move was introduced to lessen corruption and irregularities. However, the government took the ordinance route to keep the states out of the
Pushpa Rawat comes across as a girl next door until you get to know her and her work better. Rawat makes documentary films, but not just any. It is the unusual style of her films that makes this 28-year-old woman from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, stand out. Her journey so far, however, has not been a cakewalk. Coming from a humble background, Rawat did her masters in philosophy fro
The Shayara Bano case has placed the Muslim personal law under the judicial scanner yet again. The supreme court is set to examine triple talaq, polygamy and other discriminatory practices against women on the touchstone of the fundamental rights guaranteed under the constitution. Though there have been petitions in the past pointing to the need for reform, Shayara’s petition has u
Have you ever thought of the Lakshadweep islands beyond a paradise in the midst of the sea? What are the governance challenges in this remote archipelago? To know the answer to these questions, Governance Now sat down with Esha Pandey, additional DCP II, central district, Delhi police. Pandey was posted in Lakshadweep f
A couple of days back, Odisha assembly passed its Panchayat Laws (Amendment) Bill permitting leprosy patients to contest Panchayat polls. The polls are scheduled to be held in 2017. With this, the state has abolished its 52-year-old law, which banished leprosy patients to contest polls, calling it “redundant”. However, there are several existing Indian
NHAI chairman Raghav Chandra talks about steps taken by the highway authority to speed up highway construction projects, improve maintenance of highways and make them safer and more user friendly. Excerpts from an interview with Yogesh Vajpeyi. How much highway construction was done last year and what are the plans for this fiscal? We have
At 63, Jayalalithaa doesn’t qualify to be referred to as a ‘child’. But if the events of the last three-odd months in Tamil Nadu are anything to go by the appellation ‘destiny’s favourite child’ would seem to be an improbably precise description of her. Today, on the back of a spectacular victory in the just-concluded assembly el
Of the many thought-provoking stories by literary legend Premchand, there is one about a landlord’s arrogance and water scarcity. It is titled ‘Thakur ka Kuan’ (the landlord’s well) and perhaps now is a right time to revisit it. A villager named Jokhu is quite ill and badly wants a sip of water. There is a common well for villagers but its water has been
Like a child, the Yamuna gushes down the Yamunotri glacier, its free flowing and crystal clear waters cutting through mountains and valleys. The youthful Yamuna generously nurtures life on its way. But its free-flowing spirit is abruptly interrupted at Hathnikund barrage in Haryana. There, the water is diverted through the western and eastern Yamuna canals. Then a tired river proceeds towards
Are you aware of the MIT study which projects acute water stress in India 35 years from now? Why wait for 35 years? Even now 11 states are facing a water emergency. It is a crisis. And we should consider ourselves lucky if we survive till 2050. It is a terrifying situation. Where is it more severe? Almost ent
One billion people will be facing severe water shortage in India and neighbouring areas by 2050 thanks to climate change and expansion of economic growth, according to a projection made by the researchers of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Their new study says that in future it would be growth rather than climate change which would be more responsible for water stress.
The Public Affairs Centre, a not for profit organisation, assessed states and union territories using data available in the public domain in key areas of governance and came out with ‘Public Affairs Index’, presenting an inter-state comparison. The states were compared on 10 areas each and were given scores between 0 and 1, with 0 being the lowest score and 1 being the highest. Here
Bhumata Brigade founder Trupti Desai, sporting a short haircut and wearing a Nehru jacket, led a group of women into the sanctum sanctorum of Maharashtra’s Shani Shingnapur temple, dramatically ending a 400-year-old ban on the entry of women. Desai talks about her firebrand activism that has caught the imagination of people. Are you crusading against gender divide
The Public Affairs Centre, a not for profit organisation, assessed states and union territories using data available in the public domain in key areas of governance and came out with ‘Public Affairs Index’, presenting an inter-state comparison. The states were compared on 10 areas each and were given scores between 0 and 1, with 0 being the lowest score and 1 being the highest. Here
A dancer, choreographer, art administrator, organiser of Delhi Art International Festival and a writer with a mission, Pratibha Prahlad, was honoured with Padma Shri this year. In conversation with Geeta Sahai, she talks about the importance of cultural diplomacy, managing cultural scenario and encouraging the promotion of arts and art forms. She also candidly shares notes
Dehradun is among 23 cities which have been asked to resubmit their proposal for the smart city project by the ministry of urban development. The Uttarakhand government carried out an opinion poll to get public feedback, which would help in revising its proposal. As per reports, approximately 26,000 votes were received by the authorities. Dr R Meenakshi Sundaram, IAS, the nodal officer of t
After the violent Jat agitation held earlier this year, the Haryana government agreed to give 10% reservation to the community in special backward class category. However, the Jats aren’t satisfied with this development at all. The Akhil Bhartiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (ABJASS) has recently threatened the government to fulfil their demands of reservation under OBC category or witn
Loknath Nauri comes home with a large herd of cattle. He had taken them out for grazing in the forest. But surprisingly they are not milch cows. “Only one of these gives milk and that too is mostly consumed by the calf,” says Nauri in a genteel voice. A middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair and a pencil moustache to match, Nauri knows there’s more to this herd than milk.
