Political power in the Indian subcontinentseems to be drifting away from dynasties Ever since the British left the Indian subcontinent, most South Asian nations have seen dynastic leadership. India’s Congress Party, led by the Nehru-Gandhi family, has been in power for a better part of the country’s post-Independence modern history. …

Without adequate water, sanitation and hygiene amenities, infection control is severely compromised Healthcare facilities are many and varied. Some are primary, others are tertiary. Many are public, some are private. Some meet specific needs, whether dentistry or occupational therapy, and some are temporary, providing acute care when disaster strikes. Whatever …

Local firms will be at a disadvantage if big tech companies are given plum roles Since early last year, WhatsApp has busily piloted its payment system in India. WhatsApp Pay relies on the Indian government’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system to facilitate inter-bank transactions. Regulatory approval that would allow its …

It is inescapable from the arithmetic that revenue expenditures and tax revenues are in need of serious corrections Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman began a new practice in the Union Budget, presented on July 5, when she relegated the numbers, or the budgeting, to the fine print, in a break with …

The challenges made to the 103rd constitutional amendment present a more difficult judicial examination than usual Constitutional challenges are often described as hard cases. This is, however, seldom true. Invariably, disputes possess a simple solution. We can debate over what theories of interpretation to apply and over whether the text …

Flags ‘gap’ in efforts to prevent disease Almost 20 million children missed out on potentially life-saving vaccinations last year, the UN said on Monday, as surging measles cases highlighted “dangerous” gaps in efforts to shield children from preventable illness. Last year, 19.4 million children were “not fully vaccinated”, the World …

Education centre’s inauguration in Ohio museum celebrates 50 years of the Apollo 11 mission New statues of astronaut Neil Armstrong were unveiled and an education centre was dedicated in his name on Sunday as his home town of Ohio in the U.S. continued celebrating the Apollo 11 mission’s 50th year …

The area is the world’s leading repository of the modernist style that favoured a functional aesthetic While many in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv start the weekend at a sidewalk cafe, there is a small group of visitors walking the streets in search of Bauhaus buildings. Practitioners of the …

Wholesale price-based inflation declined for the second consecutive month to its 23-month low of 2.02% in June, helped by decline in prices of vegetables as well as fuel and power items, according to official data released on Monday. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation was at 2.45% in May. It …

State Bank of India penalised Rs. 7 crore The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has penalised State Bank of India and Union Bank of India for violating certain regulatory guidelines. SBI was fined Rs. 7 crore for non-compliance with the directions issued by the RBI on Income Recognition and Asset …

Augment capacity on international routes as Air India not very ‘aggressive’ After the closure of Jet Airways, the international segment continues to offer huge opportunity for Indian airlines, mainly private carriers, as Air India is shying away from aggressive capacity expansion. According to a report by ICICI Securities Ltd., Air …

India’s trade deficit narrowed by nearly 8% to $15.28 billion during the last month, as against $16.6 billion in June 2018, according to official data released on Monday. In June 2019, merchandise exports fell nearly 10% to $25.01 billion as against $27.70 billion in the year-ago month, the Commerce Ministry …

China says it is in close coordination with all stakeholders China on Monday sought to reassure India that it does not intend to “exclude” New Delhi from international diplomacy on Afghanistan, following last week’s quadrilateral talks in Beijing among China, Russia, the U.S. and Pakistan. Fresh from his visit to …

President asks the four freshman lawmakers to apologise to him and ‘the people of Israel’ President Donald Trump on Monday increased his attacks on four first-term Democratic congresswomen and warned the party about uniting “around the foul language & racist hatred spewed” from the American women whom he recently told …

The registration of new taxis in the city has dropped for the second consecutive year. While it touched a peak in 2016-17 with 32,479 registrations, in 2017-18, it dropped to 16,595. The downward trend continued in 2018-19 with only 16,274 taxis being registered. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/taxi-registration-drops-for-second-year-in-a-row/article28460618.ece

‘File status report before July 24’ The Delhi High Court has suggested use of drones to aid civic authorities in identifying sites where waterlogging takes place so as to tackle traffic snarls in the city during the monsoon. A Bench of Justices G.S. Sistani and Jyoti Singh further suggested setting …

This is far above the national average of 61% Karnataka’s decline in groundwater levels is the worst among comparable States this year with over 80% of monitored wells in the State showing a drop in groundwater levels, says data from the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB). The board monitors 1,098 …

ISRO stops Chandrayaan-2 countdown 56 minutes before scheduled lift-off India’s ambitious second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, suffered a temporary setback in the early hours of Monday, with the launch of the rocket being aborted 56 minutes before the scheduled lift-off. The mission was aimed at putting a rover on the moon’s …

Govt. facing a threat of withdrawal of support by 18 MLAs The political uncertainty in Karnataka is headed for a climax with Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy set to face a trust vote on Thursday. Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar informed the House on Monday that Mr. Kumaraswamy would move the …

It is meant to conserve as much water as possible as campuses too have felt the heat Mangalore University has asked all its constituent, affiliated as well as autonomous colleges to implement rainwater harvesting system on their premises with immediate effect so as to conserve as much water as possible. …