Government Issues

Number of pilgrims and tourists in stressed areas must be capped. Globally, this is the accepted norm. The large cracks appearing on the Badrinath highway near subsidence-hit Joshimath pose big questions for the Char Dham Yatra. There are reports that even old cracks along the highway are re-emerging. If true, …

Following the narrow mid-term election victory of the U.S. Republican Party in the House of Representatives in November, California Congressman Kevin McCarthy waged a relentless campaign to become Speaker of the lower chamber of Congress. Facing a factionalised and conflict-ridden congressional conservative caucus, a record-making 15 voting rounds were conducted …

In February 1961, I was in primary school. I still remember the visit of the Census enumerator to our house. Fondly called Pachu Pillai, he was a teacher in our school and a family friend. Since many teachers were on Census duty, we (though not the entire school) got a …

A mock drill will be held on Tuesday across health facilities in several States and Union Territories to ensure that they are ready to deal with any eventuality related to COVID-19, following an advisory by the Centre. It will focus on parameters such as availability of health facilities (covering all …

Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (MANAS), a toll-free 24/7 number (14416) that was launched on October 10 on World Mental Health Day by the Union government, has received over 20,000 calls to date, reported the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIITB). While stress, sleep disorders and …

With unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones emerging as a powerful tool in the agricultural sector, a progressive farmer in Kerala’s Wayanad has trained himself in the technology for use in his plantation as well as to train officials of various government agencies. P. Chandrasekharan, an engineer turned farmer at …

The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a pension revision for retirees from the armed forces and their families under the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, which has been delayed since July 2019. Arrears will be paid from July 01, 2019, to June 30, 2022, which is approximately ₹23,638 crore …

While cotton farmers in several States have demanded an increase in the minimum support price (MSP) of the crop, the Union government has said that it is “watching” the cotton production scenario and will decide accordingly. A senior official of the Union Textile Ministry told The Hindu that the domestic prices of …

According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey 2021, India has about 100 million casual workers and 50 million salaried workers with no written job contract. This gives us an estimate of 150 million contract workers — or about 30% of the total labour force in the country. In the Annual …

The Supreme Court verdict has settled all questions on the Rafale deal, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told the Rajya Sabha, leading to a walkout by Congress members on Thursday.Ms. Swaraj was answering a question from Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut who asked her about the recent visit of French …