Shreya Nandi, Archis Mohan

Stories by Shreya Nandi, Archis Mohan

Hindutva outfit demands stringent OTT laws 'as in UAE'

Hindutva outfit demands stringent OTT laws 'as in UAE'

Rediff.com   28 Dec 2023

The outfit suggested that the government amend the Information Technology Act to classify all such content as pornography, which people should only be able to access by punching in their Aadhaar details or their fingerprints. Archis Mohan reports

How Women Change The Political Game

How Women Change The Political Game

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2023

More than ever before, women voters can make or mar a political party's electoral fortunes.

Cong Crowdfunding Sees 20,400 Bot Attacks, 1,340 Data Theft Attempts

Cong Crowdfunding Sees 20,400 Bot Attacks, 1,340 Data Theft Attempts

Rediff.com   21 Dec 2023

'Most of the bot attacks have originated from outside India.' 'Our firewalls are resilient and withstood the attacks.'

Can Jeetega Bharat Campaign Win 2024?

Can Jeetega Bharat Campaign Win 2024?

Rediff.com   4 Dec 2023

Jeetega Bharat has selected 125 Lok Sabha seats across the country where it will assist the Opposition alliance.

Mallikarjun Kharge's Real Test: 2024 Lok Sabha Polls

Mallikarjun Kharge's Real Test: 2024 Lok Sabha Polls

Rediff.com   3 Dec 2023

The Congress president during his year at the helm of the party has repaired the citadel for far more challenging years ahead, and played a crucial role in shaping the Opposition alliance.

Will Assembly Polls Give BJP Simple Majority In Rajya Sabha?

Will Assembly Polls Give BJP Simple Majority In Rajya Sabha?

Rediff.com   2 Dec 2023

The BJP holds 28 of the 59 Rajya Sabha seats that will soon face election.

Centre to revise SEZ Act, limiting tax sops and enhancing integration

Centre to revise SEZ Act, limiting tax sops and enhancing integration

Rediff.com   16 Nov 2023

The Centre is unlikely to offer new direct tax incentives for units operating in special economic zones (SEZs) and may instead allow the grandfathering of previous exemptions that such units were entitled to, according to proposed amendments to the SEZ Act, 2005, people aware of the matter said. The amendments, proposed by the commerce department, will soon be considered by the Cabinet for approval. This represents a departure from the department's earlier plan to introduce these changes through the Development Enterprises and Services Hubs (DESH) Bill, 2023, which faced strong criticism from the ministry of finance.

The Secrecy Surrounding Electoral Bonds

The Secrecy Surrounding Electoral Bonds

Rediff.com   30 Oct 2023

The BJP and Congress are the top two beneficiaries of the electoral bonds, followed by the Trinamool Congress.

EC Crackdown Hits Pay Dirt In Poll States

EC Crackdown Hits Pay Dirt In Poll States

Rediff.com   26 Oct 2023

Seizures in poll-bound states see sharp rise since implementation of Model Code of Conduct.

Why V K Pandian Is So Valuable To Naveen Patnaik

Why V K Pandian Is So Valuable To Naveen Patnaik

Rediff.com   25 Oct 2023

Naveen Patnaik is known as an "absentee landlord" who needs bureaucrats like Pandian to run his government.

India to advocate for food security, WTO reforms at upcoming Geneva meeting

India to advocate for food security, WTO reforms at upcoming Geneva meeting

Rediff.com   19 Oct 2023

Commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal is set to attend a two-day meeting from October 23 at the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters in Geneva, that would focus on finding solutions and giving the 'necessary political push' for at least some crucial global trade issues. Next week's meeting comes ahead of the WTO's 13th ministerial conference (MC13), scheduled in Abu Dhabi in February 2024. It will see participation of senior government officials from all WTO member nations.

Israel trade with India doubled after Covid-19 pandemic

Israel trade with India doubled after Covid-19 pandemic

Rediff.com   16 Oct 2023

India's trade ties with Israel have only strengthened in the years after 2019. The total value of trade rose to $10.5 billion on a rolling four-quarter basis in June 2023 from $5.5 billion in the same month in 2019, shows a Business Standard analysis of data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). A rolling four-quarter number provides a comparable figure across different time periods.

Rollout of new PLIs unlikely as govt eyes 'course correction'

Rollout of new PLIs unlikely as govt eyes 'course correction'

Rediff.com   14 Oct 2023

The government has decided to hold off introducing the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for additional sectors until it verifies the efficacy of existing initiatives. Top government officials have received mixed feedback on the scheme, including insights from the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, people aware of the matter said. "There are no new PLI schemes in the offing.

Zoramthanga, Guerrilla Fighter in the Political Jungle

Zoramthanga, Guerrilla Fighter in the Political Jungle

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2023

At 79, Zoramthanga is working to rebuild his image as the people's CM.

Commerce secy, team in London to push trade deal

Commerce secy, team in London to push trade deal

Rediff.com   6 Oct 2023

Officials from India and the United Kingdom (UK) are working overtime to address the contentious issues related to the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the two nations, in a final push to conclude the deal by the year-end. Commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal was headed to London on Thursday after completing his four-day visit to Brazil. Other key officials from India's negotiating team will be joining Barthwal in the UK capital, hoping to make headway in the FTA negotiations, which started in January last year, a person aware of the matter told Business Standard.

INDIA Bloc Hits Familiar Roadblocks

INDIA Bloc Hits Familiar Roadblocks

Rediff.com   28 Sep 2023

Some constituents of the alliance have raised concern that the panels, particularly the 14-member coordination committee, are at risk of becoming ineffective, as their decisions have so far not been acted upon.

Govt seeks to allay concern over 'retaliatory' duty cut on US apples

Govt seeks to allay concern over 'retaliatory' duty cut on US apples

Rediff.com   20 Sep 2023

India's recent move to remove additional 'retaliatory' duty on eight products from the United States (US), including apples and walnuts, would not have any negative impact on the domestic producers, the government clarified, even as the issue threatened to snowball into a political slugfest between the ruling and Opposition parties. The move would, in fact, result in competition in the premium market segment, ensuring better quality at better prices for consumers, especially for apples, a senior government official said. "There were certain concerns that were being raised on the mutually agreed solution that has come in, more specific to seven-eight agriculture products where we had levied additional import duties in retaliation to the steel and aluminum measures (imposed by the US)," Peeyush Kumar, additional secretary in the commerce department, told reporters in a briefing.

Time Has Come For Women's Reservation Bill

Time Has Come For Women's Reservation Bill

Rediff.com   18 Sep 2023

Women politicians bring to politics and policy a sensitivity that most of their male counterparts, at least until a generation back, lacked.

INDIA Reaches Out To Naidu's TDP

INDIA Reaches Out To Naidu's TDP

Rediff.com   15 Sep 2023

The BJP senior leadership believes the YSRCP is a more reliable potential ally post-2024 Lok Sabha election than the TDP.

With 74 Foreign Visits, Modi Is Most Travelled PM

With 74 Foreign Visits, Modi Is Most Travelled PM

Rediff.com   8 Sep 2023

While Modi has spent fewer days abroad than his predecessor (270 days versus Dr Singh's 306), he has travelled more extensively and actively than any other Indian PM.