Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population, have been demanding 16 per cent reservation in government jobs and education.
EduBridge is emerging as a strong player in training unemployed youth.
'Prices are rock, bottom, developers are ready to negotiate and banks are keen to lend.'
Barring Maharashtra, the poll percentage in rest of the states was in excess of 60 per cent while in Puducherry it was 80.47 per cent.
'When I was young, I used to look around the village we lived in.' 'There was a lack of resources -- no proper health centres and schools.' 'I felt that becoming an IAS officer would help solve those issues.'
The top losers from the Sensex pack are ONGC, Coal India, Vedanta, Reliance Inds and L&T.
Who are the NGOs in India with maximum funding in India? Which are the countries funding them? How many NGOs are registered under the law? Vicky Nanjappa finds out.
The year threw up quite a few shockers, some rather rude one. Below are Rediff.com's 12 picks that made us sit back and think, 'Did that really happen?'
Internet-based systemic wisdom connects machines and people, and will drive next-gen enterprises, said Huawei's Yatish Nagavalli.
India's new policy commission has received a makeover and a dream team has been formed to head the Think Tank, NITI Aayog.
The going has not been too smooth for the United Liberation Front of Asom, the violent separatist outfit that has, for decades, unleashed a reign of terror and mayhem in the north-eastern state.
Solid looks. Solid features. Affordable prices.
For FY16, MTNL's standalone net loss was over Rs 2,000 crore.
'In our film industry, there are not many opportunities for actors... Our films are not character based, they are hero and heroine based. The only roles we have for character actors are to play the girl's or boy's dad or a police officer...'
'Modi cannot content himself anymore with merely indulging in Congress bashing and referring to the Gujarat 'miracle'. He'll have to show that his party is as clean and as innovative as the AAP. And this is impossible because AAP is new and the BJP is now old: the people have tried it already. What they have not tried already is Modi, and this is what may make the difference,' says the respected political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot.
Against all odds, the young and determined Varun Sharma has taken up the responsibility to bring electricity, education and empowerment to a remote tribal village in Odisha, says Manu A B.
The nullifying of the NJAC Act has put the spotlight on the Judiciary. Concepts like transparency, being open to change, leading from front, management of perceptions that were reserved for the Executive earlier are now relevant for the Judiciary as well, says Sanjeev Nayyar.
This is the story of two youngsters from Bengaluru, who converted adversity to their advantage.
'He is anything but astute or charismatic. He believes the Congress can win elections without alliances in the Hindi heartland.'
Sahara and its founder Subrata Roy have been under scrutiny for years over its financial products, including for possible money laundering.
The 4G service may use Reliance Retail, with a surging customer base, as the launch pad
How many of these will you include in your travel list for 2016?
How many of these have you tried already?
Issuance of new bank licences proves that the apex bank wants the financial sector to flourish.
Delivering good governance is one thing and influencing culture is quite another, and this is where apprehensions about Manohar Lal Khattar arise, says Kanika Datta
'The category of crime and criminals called Maoist or Naxal or #UrbanNaxals is an illegitimate creation of right-wing propaganda media frenzy.' 'It is a fiction repugnant to the Constitution and the law of the land,' argue Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira.
'Today, environment has become an issue of political debate. It has become a media issue. I think that is a good development.'
'His simple lifestyle, his optimism, his hard work and his genuine humility made him an authentic role model to millions of children, many of them growing up in challenging circumstances.'
'If standing in a bank or ATM line is a test of patriotism, why is not a single leader standing in that queue too?'
'The BJP had no traction in Karnataka and Siddaramaiah would have scraped through if he had not done all that he did.' 'When you pander to one community, the other community gets irritated.' 'Then, when you make fun of the cow and the treating of the cow as sacred, in your effort to belittle the Sangh Parivar and its obscurantism, you are hurting your normal voters too.' 'It is okay to make fun of the Sangh Parivar, but it is not okay to make fun of all Hindus.'
Pradip Burman belongs to one of India's most illustrious business families, one which runs the noted Dabur brand of mostly Ayurveda-based FMCG products.
Seattle-based Amazon had considered debuting drone delivery services in Mumbai and Bangalore by Diwali this year
'Those who have seen the functioning of the Modi government in Gujarat know that the issues related to Hindutva and issues of economy and growth function simultaneously.' 'Modi's politics are based on the understanding of the middle-class consumer society which is in pursuit of material aspirations.' Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com reveals the Modi government's economic and political plans for the year ahead.
The BJP would seem just the sort of party that would embrace Aadhaar. Every other page of its manifesto makes some reference to changing governance in this country. So why is there no discernible difference in the positions of the BJP-led government towards Aadhaar and the dysfunctional approach of Chidambaram under the United Progressive Alliance, asks Rahul Jacob.
Since many of Modi's urban policies were initiated in Ahmedabad, the city may act as a template to examine what can be expected in a country that is witnessing the biggest migration from rural to urban areas in the world
'Let me talk about young Indian startups with their hearts in the right place and how they are proving that innovations that represent 'affordable excellence' -- breaking the myth that 'affordability' and 'excellence' cannot go together -- is indeed possible!' says Dr R A Mashelkar, the eminent scientist, in this fascinating feature.
Finance ministry maintains that all KYC requirements will be followed.
What makes it one of the most innovative places in the world? Ellen Petry Leanse, former Apple employee, leadership mentor and coach tells us.
What we want from spectrum allocation is access to broadband networks at prices that will result in productivity gains.
The incidence of more crimes across Tamil Nadu is threatening to make law and order an inevitable poll issue in the state-wide local bodies elections due only months from now, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
