Public Policy

ODF+ phase will focus on waste management In a nascent effort to look beyond toilets and kick off its ODF+ phase — that is, Open Defecation Free Plus — focussing on solid and liquid waste management, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) has included the prevalence of plastic litter and water-logging …

‘Articles 370 and 35A were likechains that kept people tied’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that he wanted to assure the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh that these areas would develop as per their wishes. “For years, intimidation ruled the roost. Let us now give development …

‘People can enjoy progressive laws’ President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday said the recent changes to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Ladakh will bring “immense benefits” to the people by allowing them to enjoy the same rights and privileges as citizens in the rest of the country, including progressive laws …

‘Many were affected by Assam Accord’ A coordination committee of the indigenous groups in Assam has demanded the reservation of 21 “immigrants-controlled” Assembly seats for indigenous communities. It also sought the formation of a Legislative Council to let numerically weaker communities be represented in the 126-member Assembly. “Many indigenous groups …

Rural Development Minister calls State’s decision an unprecedented situation Madhya Pradesh has surrendered more than a quarter of its allotted Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Grameen) houses for this financial year, giving up 2.32 lakh out of a total 8.32 lakh houses. This is the first time any State has done …

Refer drafts to the Standing Committee on Labour, says Opposition The government on Tuesday introduced the Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Bill, 2019 and the Code on Wages Bill, 2019 in the Lok Sabha amid protests from the Opposition that the move was being made at the …

When you get your first salary, it’s time to apply your mind towards choosing the right savings option for a better life You’ve bagged a plum offer and salary credits from your employer have just begun to fatten up your bank balance. What should your first steps be, in the …

UGC may allow multiple degrees simultaneously Students might soon be able to pursue multiple degrees simultaneously from different universities or the same university, with the University Grants Commission (UGC) studying the feasibility of the idea. The UGC has set up a panel headed by its Vice Chairman Bhushan Patwardhan for …

Lucknow will host the 11th biennial edition of DefExpo from February 5 to 8, 2020, the Defence Ministry announced on Sunday. “The main theme of DefExpo India-2020 will be “India: the emerging defence manufacturing hub” and the focus will be on “Digital transformation of defence’,” the Ministry said in a …

Use of estimated figures in place of reported numbers affected the final score of certain States An analysis of the NITI Aayog’s “Healthy States, progressive India” report released on June 25 shows that the usage of estimated figures in place of reported numbers, to calculate certain health indicators, has adversely …