Tamil Nadu streets are submerged in the election fever. During any poll season, the skyline in the state remains cluttered with larger-than-life cut-outs of political leaders. However, this time, the giant cut-outs of the political leaders, hallmark of the state during assembly polls have been replaced with Light Emitting Diode (LED) cut-outs. Seve
“The world has enough for everyone’s needs, but not everyone’s greed.” – Mahatma Gandhi This was an important advice given b
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
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
Dinesh Thakur, 48, first hit headlines in May 2013, when his campaign against his former employer Ranbaxy’s unsafe practices and lax quality control in its US facilities concluded successfully: the drug-maker was forced to pay $500 million to the authorities. Thakur, as the whistleblower in the case, received $48.6 million. He has since turned his energies to researching and campaigni
AAP’s original concept of mohalla sabha has undergone some changes this year. Atishi Marlena, who is advisor to the deputy CM and is spearheading the initiative, talks about the emergence of a new brand of grassroot politics and reaching out to people through mohallas across the city. How will the exercise of people’s participation be di
Installation of CCTV cameras. Setting up of a library. Putting up streetlights. Setting up of Mother Dairy booths. Opening of dispensaries. These were some of the basic demands that had emerged when the Delhi government last year went to the people to hear from them their needs through mohalla sabhas ahead of the state budget.
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 c
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
The world’s most important diplomatic post is up for grabs. The process of selecting the next UN secretary-general (UNSG) has already begun. However, despite the fact that the final selection of a candidate would have wide ramifications globally – the UN faces serious challenges of wars, migration, climate change, famines, proliferation of weapons, issues of discrimination and much
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
The story of every Kumbh mela, where a colossal tented city springs up on the banks of a sacred river every 12 years, is simultaneously the story of the eternal and the ephemeral, the mundane and the magnificent. It is the story of saints and moksha-seekers who are joined in their belief that, at a certain time of year, the holy waters contain the nectar of divinity that can free them from the
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
An estimated half of India’s 1.2 billion people do not have access to toilets, forcing them to defecate in the open. Ram Kripal Yadav, minister of state for drinking water and sanitation talks about the challenges as well as the efforts to turn India into an open defecation-free country. What is being done for half of India which does not
In 1992, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Mexico City as the world’s most polluted city. After that, the Mexican government enforced stringent pollution control measures. Two decades on, it is still struggling to invent and reinvent policies to decrease vehicular and industrial pollution. In 2014, WHO described Delhi as the most polluted city in the world. In an email conv
On August 4, 1949, Dr BR Ambedkar, while brushing aside the objections that were raised in the constituent assembly over adoption of emergency provisions, such as the president’s rule in states, stated that “every part of the Constitution” could be abused for political purposes. He was right but no other topic has probably kept the nation as engrossed as finding ways to guard
Porbandar is a small city with narrow and congested lanes, bustling with people, shops, cows, and children. Amid this hustle and bustle is a beautiful big white building, Kirti Mandir – where Mahatma Gandhi was born. In sharp contrast to the chaos and noise outside, there is a sense of peace and calm inside the gates of Kirti Mandir. The place houses a museum that is 79 fe
Every few days one more child dies after receiving the pentavalent vaccine… Yet as these deaths mount, it has been announced that pentavalent vaccine is to be introduced in 3 more states… “These deaths have become so frequent that in Tamil Nadu, in spite of official denials, people have stopped going for vaccination and the immunization uptake has fallen by 2
Regional communications specialist at the World Bank, Vandana Mehra, on Thursday said that India is 32 years behind schedule in attaining its sanitation goal. “World Bank study shows that there is a gap of Rs. 2.5 trillion in sanitation cost in India. Twenty three percent of girls drop out of school only because they don’t have toilets. Over 60 percent of the population defecates in
The debate on what indeed is a ‘smart city’ continues to reverberate even almost a year after the mission on smart cities was launched in June 2015. Environmentalists keep insisting on clean and green dimensions as the key themes for smart cities, while sociologists talk of social equity, architects of signature structures, technologists of ICT as the main driver and town & coun
