A 1985 batch IAS officer, Kiran Soni Gupta is also an artist, writer and photographer. Selected by Harvard University for the prestigious Mason fellowship to study public policy, governance and public administration at the Kennedy School of Government, she was also awarded a scholarship for a masters in public policy at the Maxwell School Syracuse. Winner of many national a
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2000 faced criticism for allowing juveniles of mature age get away with light punishment even after committing heinous offences but the new law enacted to replace it raises more questions than it has answered. Though the government may have rightly decided against going back to the pre-2000 era by reducing th
The waters are yet to recede, there’s a foul odour in the air, and people walk through black slush and clumps of water hyacinth dragged in by the waters that flooded Chennai. This, in an area barely 500 metres off a state highway. Hundreds of such places were affected and entire livelihoods washed away when angry sheets of rain pelted down on the city and excess water wa
His unassuming style and down-to-earth personality is the first thing that strikes when you meet him. His crusade against child labour and slavery started in the 1980s with Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement). Since then the messiah for children has liberated more than 84,000 children from the clutches of slavery and trafficking. Behind his modest demeanour lies a firm dete
Traditional Indian hockey, played on natural grass, is passé. Perhaps, this development was missed by many as only a few could care giving the game a few moments of their attention. Synthetic surface called AstroTurf is the ‘in thing’ and hockey on natural grass is a matter of the past. The wizards of Indian hockey and their techniques have been long forgotten. Modern-day hoc
A noted political theorist, Rajeev Bhargava is a fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS). Having taught political science at Jawaharlal Nehru University and University of Delhi for over two decades, Bhargava has also been the director of CSDS during 2007-14. His works on secularism and identity politics have evoked praise and criticism alike. He has formulated the
The 32nd international conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, on the theme of ‘Power of Humanity’, was held in Geneva during December 8-10. The conference, held every four years, is a global forum that brings together states parties to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including the 189 National Red Cross and Red Cre
Due to rise in life expectancy and per capita income, India climbed five notches to the 130th rank but continued to rank low in the Human Development Index (HDI). India ranked 130 among 188 countries in 2014 in Human Development Report 2015 released on Monday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The country`s rank was 135 in the last report. The HDI
Enacted in the year 1860, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) criminalises homosexual sex even between consenting adults and the punishment may extend to life imprisonment. The Naz Foundation in 2001 challenged the validity of the section and brought several questions to the forefront. It approached the Delhi high court with a plea stating that the section be declared constitutionally in
What is the significance of the Bihar verdict for your party? The Bihar election is a triumph of the Nitish government’s policies on all fronts – political, economic and good governance. For the country, this is a significant development, because it has halted the march of BJP as the most powerful national party. The Bihar election has changed an environment
Named one of the “125 Women of Impact’ by Newsweek/Daily Beast in 2013, Martha Adams is the chief creative officer of global Girl Rising Campaign. The organization has joined hands with prime minister Narendra Modi’s Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana. She is senior fellow at the University of Southern California’s Marshall Brittingham
Kamal Kar has been a pioneer in propagating the Community-led Total Santiation (CLTS) approach to put an end to open defecation around the globe. In an interaction with Sreelatha Menon, Kar explains how it works and how it has managed to be successful. Excerpts: What exactly is CLTS? It means Community-Le
When the young doctor started his practice in Noida, all he had in the name of a setup was a wooden chair, costing `40, and a matching table. A friend noticed and gifted him a revolving chair – which served him for the next 12 years that saw his practice and popularity rise, as Noida metamorphosed from a quaint township to a booming city. “My father was a teacher in R
Despite prime minister Narendra Modi’s serious efforts, people of Bihar have once again shown full confidence in Nitish Kumar. He has emerged as a ‘giant killer’ and a new hope in the anti-BJP spectrum of Indian politics. Indicating his new status, anti-BJP leaders from various states were present when he took oath on November 20 for the fifth time. But after all the jubilatio
With the list for 100 smart cities mostly in, the stage 1 of Smart Cities Mission is over and the cities are readying for the challenge round as part of stage 2. At this first milestone, it may do the project some good to check if we are on the right track and if any course correction could be useful. First thing first: is the state-wise distribution of cities on the list reading
Mobility is a precursor to everything and accessibility is a major challenge for persons with disabilities (PwD). To build an inclusive environment, the department of empowerment of persons with disabilities (DEPwD) under the ministry of social justice and empowerment has launched the Accessible India campaign. In conversation with Puja Bhattacharjee, DEPwD joint secretary Mukesh Ja
Sudhir Krishna is the chairman of the sectional committee appointed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on setting standards for smartcities. The committee is likely to submit its first draft by March. Krishna was previously secretary of the ministry of urban development (MoUD), the nodal ministry for smart cities mission. What are t
Climate change is a complex problem, which, although environmental in nature, has consequences for all spheres of existence on our planet. It either impacts on-- or is impacted by-- global issues, including poverty, economic development, population growth, sustainable development and resource management. It is not surprising, then, that solutions come from all disciplines and fields of research
National commission for scheduled castes chairman P L Punia is a dalit leader from the Congress. He represented Barabanki constituency in Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014 and is currently a Rajya Sabha member. An IAS officer, Punia was secretary of Mayawati when she was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. In an interview with Sweta Ranjan, he tells why reviewing reservation is
The IT taskforce, set up by the ministry of road transport and highways, has been on its toes over the last six months. While the 10-member committee crisscrossed the country, visiting major cities and ports, meeting experts and citizen groups, it launched a nationwide initiative, #ITForParivahan, for inviting suggestions from various stakeholders in transportation sector and public at large.&n
