The Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, sprung a major surprise to-night [July 9] by sending a note to the Congress Working Committee – through a special messenger from Delhi – more or less associating herself with the Leftist demand for bank nationalisation. When the Working Committee was discussing the draft …

Markets react negatively to the Budget’s populism and inability to force reforms Many investors who were hoping for business-friendly reforms were not too impressed by the maiden Budget of the second Narendra Modi government. After a moderate negative reaction when the Budget was presented in Parliament on Friday, both the …

The budgetary measures can speed upIndia’s plans to switch to electric vehicles The Union Budget has announced a bold move to make a transition to electric vehicles, and offered a tax incentive for the early adopters. Its stated vision to leapfrog into an era of electric mobility and domestic vehicle …

Forest dwellers and farmers are the best hope to preserve biodiversity and ensure food security The Dongria Kondh tribe of Niyamgiri Hills are among the best conservationists in the world. Known for the spirited defence of their forested habitat against short-sighted industrialisation, they have through millennia evolved a lifestyle that …

Why a purportedly ‘limited’ attack by the U.S. is likely — and worrying Is Iran being set up for a ‘limited scale conflict’ just before the U.S. presidential election? This is a suspicion that might be far from the minds of North and West European leaders, hailing from countries that, …

Maratha reservation borders on class legislation rather than signifying reasonable classification Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), once considered to be just a party of upper caste Hindus, is beginning to expand its social base. And a party that has consistently criticised the Indian National Congress …

India needs to double yearly rate of fall in stunting cases to achieve its 2022 target A new report, ‘Food and Nutrition Security Analysis, India, 2019’, authored by the Government of India and the United Nations World Food Programme, paints a picture of hunger and malnutrition amongst children in large …

Pakistan’s economy is at a “critical juncture” where it needs an ambitious and bold set of reforms, the IMF has said, days after the global lender agreed to give a $6 billion bailout package to the cash-strapped country. “Pakistan is facing significant economic challenges on the back of large fiscal …

Both sides support reducing civilian casualties to zero The Taliban and Afghan representatives, including some government officials, agreed on Tuesday to a basic road map for negotiating the country’s political future, a major step that could help propel peace efforts to end the long war, now in its 18th year. …

A lie, say activists; threaten more mass rallies Hong Kong’s embattled pro-Beijing leader on Tuesday said a China extradition bill that sparked unprecedented political unrest “is dead” — but protesters immediately dismissed her comments, threatening more mass rallies. Chief Executive Carrie Lam admitted that her administration’s attempt to introduce the …

The French government is to impose a tax of up to €18 on plane tickets for all flights from airports in France to fund less-polluting transportation projects, a Minister said on Tuesday. The move, which will take effect from 2020, will see a tax of €1.5 imposed on economy-class tickets …

It has long had a field day putting tariffs on U.S. items: Trump U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday launched a fresh attack on India for imposing tariffs on American products and said it was “no longer acceptable”, days after he held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and agreed …

Modi thanks UAE for ‘Order of Zayed’ honour Prime Minister Narendra Modi has thanked the United Arab Emirates for conferring on him the ‘Order of Zayed’ in April, the highest honour of the nation. According to a press release from the Ministry of External Affairs, Mr. Modi thanked the Gulf …

India on Tuesday asserted that the construction work on the Kartarpur corridor, which will allow its pilgrims to access the famed Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, will be completed expeditiously. Giving a detailed description of the work under way, sources said a passenger terminal building, a four-lane highway and other …

Within 20 days, they have been asked to provide position with regard to filling up of vacancies in each State The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave a deadline of 20 days for the States, Union Territories and respective High Courts to provide it information on the status of filling up …

The petitions, filed in the Supreme Court, submitted that the 40,000-odd Rohingya were registered and recognised by the UNHCR in 2016 and granted refugee identity cards. The pleas said their deportation would violate India’s commitment to international conventions that recognise the ‘Principle of Non-Refoulement’. This principle of customary international law …

Seek feedback on government, PM advises cadre BJP MPs on Tuesday were asked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to undertake a padayatra (walking tour) of their constituencies between October 2 and 31, the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel respectively. Addressing a BJP parliamentary party meeting, Mr. …

Amplifying system imitating buzz earns NFR award Plan Bee, an amplifying system imitating the buzz of a swarm of honey bees to keep wild elephants away from railway tracks, on Tuesday earned the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) the best innovation award in Indian Railways for the 2018-19 fiscal. The first …

Govt. claims a 43% dip after Feb. 26 The security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed an improvement and the net infiltration from across the border has reduced by 43% after the February 26 last air strike on a terror camp at Balakot in Pakistan, Union Minister of State …

Mediation process not moving: plea The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to examine a plea of a claimant to the disputed Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land that the mediation proceedings triggered by the court to heal hearts and minds is making no headway. In an urgent mentioning before a Bench led by …