Political parties in Uttar Pradesh are restructuring their campaigns for the state polls with a focus on virtual and door-to-door programmes, after the Election Commission banned rallies and roadshows till January 15. The ruling BJP, which has a robust IT infrastructure, has already made plans for virtual as well as door-to-door campaigns. State BJP vice … Read more
Improving the government’s perception both in domestic and global media and ensuring there were no gaps in the way government departments communicate about PM Narendra Modi and his work are likely to be among the top focus areas of the new I&B ministry led by cabinet minister Anurag Singh Thakur and minister of state L … Read more
Health experts have said that allowing the annual ‘kanwar yatra’ can cause a dramatic surge in Covid-19 cases. The warning comes amid signs of a slowdown in virus spread and deliberations in the Uttarakhand government on whether the pandemic-led suspension imposed on the trek undertaken by Hindu devotees should be withdrawn. The deliberations in the … Read more
There is an inherent message in the recently held cabinet expansion, for BJP leaders as well as outsiders. The party leadership believes in rewarding good work and it is equal for both who are long-term party members and those who joined it in recent years. The inclusion of two former senior Congress leaders, Narayan Rane … Read more
Amid the second wave of the pandemic, as farm exporters and policymakers are building various scenarios, the role of Southwest monsoon, which is likely to hit the Kerala coast on May 31, can’t be underestimated. Synopsis The factors that will likely contribute to this scenario include a normal monsoon that has been forecast, steady global … Read more
Rural India saved the country during the first Covid wave. This time Covid infections have spread to the interiors like wild fire. Synopsis When Covid reached our shores last year, average Indian households were already reeling from economic stress. But with higher govt spending and loan moratorium support, the country managed to ride the first … Read more
This morning, when you pour your cup of first flush, remember it was handpicked by bonded labourers of North Bengal and Assam. Understandably then, the moment they see their sardar (supervisor) and arhatti (local agent) approaching, Rita Barak and Moni Kharia (names changed), tea workers at the Demdima Tea Estate in Dooars, West Bengal get … Read more
Nine months ago, Nitu Gautam, an orthodontist based in Bhubaneswar, picked up the ukulele to calm her flaming nerves in the middle of a raging pandemic. A few weeks into her lessons, she could play Johnny Cash’s “You’re my sunshine”. “I chose the ukulele because I wanted to learn an easy musical instrument. It turned … Read more
When West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee left the SSKM Hospital in Kolkata on a wheel chair on March 12, her left leg heavily bandaged, it seemed to give a twist to the party’s Khela Hobe (The Game is On) slogan. A bruising electoral match will now be played in injury … Read more
In a country where sad, nondescript, and decrepit towns are strewn across the countryscape, the impending assembly elections in West Bengal proclaims Nandigram’s second tryst with history, but with a difference. Time was when this little-known town became nationally known and featured regularly in political discussions. Although few could successfully mark it on the state’s … Read more