If the government has its way, the catchy 'Incredible India' tourism campaigns will be spotted in big ticket events like Oscar and Grammy awards.
The reigning Miss World, Ksenia Kukhinova of Russia, presented the award to India's tourism minister, Kumari Selja at a gala function held at the Grosvenor House in London.
This is the first time the Union government will be taking the help of foreign experts for slum development, according to sources in the ministry of housing and urban poverty alleviation.
Congress young guns take offence over old guard's utterances.
'The government is scared of this Congress yatra, that is why various orders and letters are being issued'
A first of its kind report, it has been prepared with the support of UNDP and by eminent academicians and researchers under the supervision of JNU professor Amitabh Kundu.
On the action taken by the government to construct more houses for the poor, she informed the House that a new scheme has been launched for providing interest subsidy to make housing affordable and within the repaying capacity of the economically weaker section and low income group.
Hours after making the statement, the Haryana agriculture minister said he has seen "twisted" statements, attributed to him, on social media.
The government is finalising a policy for urban areas that will encourage the role of private players to make owning a house affordable in towns and cities.
Speaking with reporters, Gandhi said, "This (school) is India's future. Hate and violence has destroyed it. Nobody has benefited from this. Violence and hate are enemies of development."
Nowadays, our politics is habituated to sitting on a high pedestal, hobnobbing with world leaders, generating impressions of a superpower and returning to earth for the purpose of winning elections. In contrast, the yatra never left earth, observes Shyam G Menon.
"The government has decided to introduce the Rajiv Awas Yojana for slum dwellers and the urban poor," Kumari Selja, minister of housing and urban poverty alleviation, said. The scheme would extend support to states that are willing to assign property rights to people living in slum areas. The government's efforts would be to create a slum-free India, which also envisages the states preparing their own time-bound plans to make the cities and towns slum free, she said.
UN-Habitat is an important organ of the UN system dealing with all issues relating to human settlements.
In a day of frantic developments, Digvijaya Singh entered the fray for the Congress president's election as Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot opted out of the race and the suspense over his continuation at the helm in the state deepened with the party saying it would be decided in a day or two.
Will he, will he not? That is the question on every Congress leader's mind as Rahul Gandhi has still not indicated whether he is ready to take on the mantle of party president.
The meeting of Congress's highest decision-making body is expected to be at a very 'high voltage' as Sonia's resignation will not be accepted by the CWC members.
According to a senior Election Commission official in Chandigarh, Panwar got 36 votes, while Sharma got 23 first preference votes and six transferred from the BJP, taking his tally to 29.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi also decided to convene a 'Chintan Shivir', a brainstorming session from May 13-15 in Udaipur.
Several Punjab Congress leaders, including Navjot Singh Sidhu, were on Thursday prevented from heading to Lakhimpur Kheri and were detained at a police station in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
Factionalism has been made bitter by the level of personal attacks that warring senior leaders indulge in. Kavita Chowdhury reports.
Gandhi walked into Goa Chitra, in South Goa's Benaulim village, about 40 kilometre from Panaji, on Monday evening around 4 pmand spent around 40 minutes there, founder of the museum, Victor Hugo Gomes said.
Noting that a very important policy for advancement of SCs and STs was Schedules Caste Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub-Plan, Raju said the group has recommended a central and states' legislation on them.
Party chief Rahul Gandhi formed a nine-member Core Group Committee, a 19-member Manifesto Committee and a committee comprising 19 top party leaders who will look after the publicity during the elections.
AAP is working on its new strategy to build a strong organisational set-up with leaders from all sections of society, reports Nitin Kumar.
After his party lost power in Haryana in the 2014 polls, the 72-year-old satrap had nothing going in his favour.
Members of the G-23, who had shown courage to point out the flaws in the party's functioning, have allowed themselves to be co-opted by the Family to go through the motions of a post-mortem, notes Virendra Kapoor.
Around 10 people were injured Saturday as police allegedly lathi-charged a group of farmers disrupting traffic movement on a highway while heading towards Karnal to protest against a BJP meeting.
The Congress is seeking to oust the BJP government in Haryana in the October 21 polls.
Sonia Gandhi on Sunday hosted her first Iftar in three years, which saw the Congress president sharing a table with leaders of RJD and its new-found ally Janata Dal-United.
There is speculation that the Congress may bring Priyanka Gandhi, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Randeep Surjewala and RPN Singh, among others, to the upper house.
Vice chairman of the Dwarkadheesh Devsthan Samiti says there was nothing 'humiliating' in being asked about caste at a Hindu shrine.
Farmer outfits on Friday started mobilising more batches of peasants from Haryana and Punjab to head towards Delhi's borders to join the ongoing agitation against agri laws, even as political parties such as the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Indian National Lok Dal threw their weight behind them.
Farmers were carrying black flags and shouting slogans against the BJP-led government as they attempted to march towards Kaimla village.
'I can't say who is to blame for this incident; it could be anybody. I leave it to you and the people to decide,' Selja told Rediff.com, adding this was the first time she has been attacked in her career.
The assembly election results are likely to put a lid on the impending battle the old guard and young Turks, strengthen the hands of the veterans, and force the younger leaders to negotiate a truce. Archis Mohan reports.
The Congress and other opposition parties have accused the police of bias and inaction in the Delhi violence.
'Those who are part of the NDA, like the JDU and LJP in Bihar, should also think. Polls are approaching in Bihar, people will seek answers from them'
On Sunday, Rajya Sabha passed the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020.
'Politics is full of struggle, especially for those from my background,' says Union Minister Kumari Selja in her first interview after Sunday's attack on her. 'It has always been a struggle and will continue to be so.'
Tanwar announced his resignation on Twitter and posted a four-page resignation letter addressed to Congress president Sonia Gandhi in which he said "Congress is going through existential crises, not because of its political opponents but because of serious internal contradiction.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances