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The amount allocated this year is less than the revised estimate of the spend under this head, in this financial year. In its ‘outlay for major schemes,’ the annual budget lists schemes with an outlay of more than Rs 1,000 crore. Under ‘Control of Pollution’, it emerges that Rs 1300 crore is the revised estimate […]
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her ninth Budget in the Lok Sabha today, February 1. This speech comes in the backdrop of global uncertainties, a shakeup of the world order under US President Donald Trump, a rupee at its worst health, and a slowdown in exports. Here are a few points of note from the […]
The Jal Jeevan Mission, for instance, was supposed to see a spend of Rs 67,000 crore. Instead, the revised estimates suggest the government spent only Rs 17,000 crore on the scheme meant to change millions of lives. While the Union Budget 2025-26 had been criticised at the time for not highlighting social sector spending enough […]
Complaints of caste-based discrimination in universities and colleges have risen by 118.4% over the past five years, according to data submitted by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to a parliamentary panel and the Supreme Court. The number of reported incidents increased from 173 in 2019-20 to 378 in 2023-24, the data showed. Between 2019-20 and […]
By Sanjay K. Jha Does our prime minister feel Hinduism is so fragile that it requires protection by abusive trolls and violent gangs? An illustrious member of the Hindutva ideological fraternity proudly declared after getting out of jail: “Dharm ka kaam jari rahega.” The gentleman from the Hindu Raksha Dal, facing several criminal charges, was […]
“Election commission gaslighting citizens is how trust has collapsed in our democracy,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, sharing an article on the use of removable ink at poll booths. The use of non-indelible ink, voters not being able to find their names on the lists, and allegations of cash distribution remain burning issues as votes […]
By Devirupa Mitra Three countries scored higher than India. Myanmar holds the top spot, followed by Chad and Sudan. However, many high-ranking nations including Myanmar and Sudan are already dealing with ongoing mass killings, making India’s position particularly noteworthy as a potential new flashpoint. India could be at serious risk of mass violence against civilians […]
Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, the bench said, stand on a “qualitatively different footing as compared to other accused.” They can only move for bail after a year or once the examination of protected witnesses is complete. The Supreme Court has rejected bail for Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, both incarcerated for over five years […]
Tarushi Aswani In Chhota Udepur, one teacher is often found teaching the entire school, with children of different ages and classes all sitting in the same room. In a sunlit classroom, around 30 children of different ages sit on the floor, holding notebooks and slates. The children are talking to each other in groups of […]
Why should Bhagwat’s comment matter beyond ideological posturing? Because it signals intent, and actions follow. At a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) centenary event in Kolkata on December 21, Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat made a declaration that crystallises the ideological project now driving Indian state policy. He said that India was already a “Hindu nation.” Speaking at […]
The Congress has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of indulging in political “musical chairs” by seeking to swap “one alleged corrupt official for another” and asked him to come clean on whether former Prasar Bharti chairman Navneet Sehgal, who is facing allegations of corruption, will be brought to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to replace […]
Corporate donations to political parties through electoral trusts tripled to Rs 3,811 crore in 2024-25 after the Supreme Court scrapped the contentious electoral bonds, The Indian Express has reported. According to contribution reports submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI), nine electoral trusts donated a total of Rs 3,811.37 crore to political parties. Of that, the Bharatiya Janata […]
Arvind Gunasekar and The Wire Staff The Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill. Days after a name change of the UPA-era Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the world’s largest rural job scheme, was speculated upon, it turns out that the Narendra Modi government is indeed set to rename it to […]
Praveen Davar The debate focusses too narrowly on the choice of the Congress President in the summer of 1946, overlooking that the succession in Nehru’s favour had been settled and announced much earlier, and more than once. Lahore (1929) and Karachi (1931) are perhaps the two most important landmark sessions of the Indian National Congress […]
By Luv Puri Amidst Russian President Vladimir Putin’s India visit, a young man from Gujarat, forced to fight for Russia and currently held by Ukrainian forces, has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for help. Majoti Sahil Mohamed Hussein from Morbi is in jail in Ukraine. He was fighting for Russia. The chance to speak […]
Hiren Joshi, Officer on Special Duty or OSD (Communications & Information Technology) in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), is an important name in the country’s most powerful office at the joint secretary rank since 2019. He is a permanent presence in WhatsApp message feeds of prominent journalists in big media, directing headlines and as per […]
By Deep Mukherjee In September this year, the Rajasthan assembly passed the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2025, which has the provision for life imprisonment as the maximum punishment for illegal religious conversion. In one of the first cases registered under Rajasthan’s recently-enacted anti-conversion law, two Christian pastors have been booked in Kota district […]
Aakar Patel Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty Some years ago, the Niti Aayog had said it would prepare a “single, informative dashboard for all the twenty-nine (later 32) global indices” on which India was ranked. This monitoring exercise was “not just to improve rankings but to improve systems and drive reforms to attract investments and to shape […]
Pavan Korada In its report revealing the Sangh’s lobbying effort, the ‘Prism’ news outlet also highlighted legal and transparency concerns among foreign influence experts in the US. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has hired a prominent American lobbying firm that is also on the payroll of the government of Pakistan, a move that has ignited […]
Seema Chishti Bihar matters a lot for the opposition INDIA bloc, but for the BJP, it matters much more. Bihar matters a lot for the opposition INDIA, if only to regain the political momentum that the BJP getting just 240 MPs in the Lok Sabha in 2024 had given it. But for the BJP, Bihar […]
