ADITI PHADNIS

Stories by ADITI PHADNIS

New Bill to protect bureaucracy from politicians

New Bill to protect bureaucracy from politicians

Rediff.com   8 Jun 2009

When the Civil Services Bill, 2009, becomes an Act, bureaucrats will no longer be at the mercy of the arbitrary transfers and postings regime that operates currently.The Civil Services Bill, 2009, which envisages an enforceable code of conduct for all bureaucrats through a new Central Public Services Authority, will be piloted immediately after the Budget session of the Lok Sabha.This will provide statutory backing to the conduct of all civil servants.

The Tamil cause might be Vaiko's ticket to Parl

The Tamil cause might be Vaiko's ticket to Parl

Rediff.com   20 Apr 2009

LTTE and the Tamil cause was a stepping stone that Vaiko used just as other Tamil leaders did. For his exertions, he was thrown out of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam where, he claims, he fell a victim to family politics: he came in the way of Karunanidhi's son Stalin's elevation.

Tamil Nadu: Will Vijayakanth be the captain?

Tamil Nadu: Will Vijayakanth be the captain?

Rediff.com   13 Mar 2009

Will Vijayakanth act as a spoiler in Tamil Nadu politics? Or can he intervene in a meaningful way to upset the apple carts of both the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), led by Muthuvel Karunanidhi, and the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK), led by Jayalalithaa?

Is BJP's 'muscular' foreign policy the answer?

Is BJP's 'muscular' foreign policy the answer?

Rediff.com   9 Mar 2009

Brawn triumphed over brain last week as the Bharatiya Janata Party announced, after "consultations" with "foreign policy experts", that it was for a "muscular" foreign policy so that "nobody thinks they can mess with India".

A close fight this time, says Jairam Ramesh

A close fight this time, says Jairam Ramesh

Rediff.com   1 Mar 2009

Jairam Ramesh, who gave up ministership to design the Congress campaign and manifesto, talks to Aditi Phadnis about the 2009 general elections.

Chidambaram sets about revamping the Home ministry

Chidambaram sets about revamping the Home ministry

Rediff.com   23 Feb 2009

Officers now know that they need to deliver conclusions. There are no 'ifs' and 'buts'. Chidambaram has laid down clear timelines for targets.

Kalyan Singh has chosen caste over ideology

Kalyan Singh has chosen caste over ideology

Rediff.com   7 Feb 2009

The Bharatiya Janata Party has had many leaders who are wrestlers, teachers and Lodhs. Dara Singh, once nominated to the Rajya Sabha, is a wrestler; Dr Murli Manohar Joshi is a teacher; Uma Bharati used to be the party's best-known Lodh, a powerful middle-class caste in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. But the party had only one leader who represented all three: Kalyan Singh.

Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka, LTTE's nemesis

Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka, LTTE's nemesis

Rediff.com   2 Feb 2009

Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka is no ordinary general. He is the army commander in the Sri Lankan army and the man leading the military offensive in north Sri Lanka, which has virtually decimated Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the world's most-dreaded guerrilla force today.

Satyam CEO, CFO should be insiders: Govt

Satyam CEO, CFO should be insiders: Govt

Rediff.com   17 Jan 2009

The government has suggested that the new Satyam Computer Services board should also look within the company to appoint a CEO and CFO.

Satyam scam prompts Clause 49 review

Satyam scam prompts Clause 49 review

Rediff.com   14 Jan 2009

Serious Fraud Investigation Office joins multi-agency probe.

Vijayakanth : The next dark horse in TN

Vijayakanth : The next dark horse in TN

Rediff.com   10 Jan 2009

A new star is rising in the Tamil Nadu poitical horizon -- actor Vijaykanth.

The man who calls the shots in Pakistan

The man who calls the shots in Pakistan

Rediff.com   29 Dec 2008

With an increasingly prevalent view in India that the Mumbai attacks had the sanction and endorsement of the Pakistani Army and the shadowy Inter Services Intelligence, it is General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani -- the man at the helm of things -- who is under a scanner.

The real reason for Margaret Alva's exit

The real reason for Margaret Alva's exit

Rediff.com   17 Nov 2008

Could coteries in the Congress they have put Alva up to attacking Digvijay Singh by destroying his reputation? In other words, in the byzantine politics of the Congress, is Alva merely a lamb being led to slaughter by those who want to use her to get at other leaders including Digvijay Singh?

Amar Singh: The man of the moment

Amar Singh: The man of the moment

Rediff.com   14 Jul 2008

The king of the politics of possibilities - Amar Singh, and he is back in action. Few have the ability to network and manipulate the levers of power as Singh does. A profile.

How the Congress mismanaged the N-deal

How the Congress mismanaged the N-deal

Rediff.com   2 Jul 2008

The fiasco over the Left alliance, among others, exposes the party's weaknesses.

Why Mayawati will decide who the next PM will be

Why Mayawati will decide who the next PM will be

Rediff.com   21 Apr 2008

Basically, the by-elections tell us that in UP now, the number one and number two slots are occupied by the BSP and SP. The two biggest national parties, the Congress and the BJP, are so out of the reckoning, they can be ignored. They have become irrelevant to the politics of the state.

Makeover of a Maoist revolutionary

Makeover of a Maoist revolutionary

Rediff.com   18 Apr 2008

So have the Maoists in Nepal been tamed? Are they going to go the way of other radical movements around the rest of the world, humbled and defanged by democratic politics? It all depends on how the chairperson of the party, Prachanda, gets his comrades to handle their victory.

Rajshree Pathy: An ambitious entrepreneur

Rajshree Pathy: An ambitious entrepreneur

Rediff.com   11 Apr 2008

Pathy defied a feudal family setup to become a professional woman. She became first woman president of the powerful Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) in 2004-05.

Pay panel report: Defence unhappy

Pay panel report: Defence unhappy

Rediff.com   26 Mar 2008

The Defence sector is unhappy with the Sixth Pay Commission. The points of discontent include the fact that the Military Service Pay will only begin from the date of acceptance of the award possibly 3 months from now even as their civilian counterparts will get salary arrears from January 2006 onwards. Defence officers want to be compensated for the interim period vis--vis their civilian colleagues. They are also unhappy with the quantification of arduous service conditions.

Why Sharad Pawar won't displace Maharashtra CM

Why Sharad Pawar won't displace Maharashtra CM

Rediff.com   17 Dec 2007

Vilasrao Deshmukh's biggest enemy is not the BJP-Shiv Sena combine. It is not the NCP, however much he may grumble about them. The enemy is his own party.