Here comes the moment of truth. Modi prides himself on offering an "incorruptible" government. Will he dilute the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill to coax the administration's fealty and compromise his self-image?
Indian Administrative Service officers working under the central government cannot be suspended without the nod of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a move aimed at allowing bureaucrats to take decisions without any fear of political backlash.
These individuals largely include businessmen associated with companies, including the dummy ones, in sectors ranging from real estate, financial services, technology and telecom to paints, home decoration, textiles, engineering goods, gems and jewellery. Several of these persons and their companies are said to be based in Kolkata, Gujarat, Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai.
'He is a former civil servant and has complete control over the administrators.' 'He should have sorted it out before it reached such a stage.' 'How did he allow the stalemate to go on for so many days?'
'Anybody who speaks up, anybody who reports something that the government feels uncomfortable with, or comments on anything could be charged with criminal cases, could be summoned to police stations, slapped around or grilled for several hours. This has become a new norm.'
The government will work towards "restoring" the credibility of the Central Bureau of Investigation and it will be given functional autonomy to ensure complete independence in its operations, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday.
A group of retired civil servants also called upon the PM to reach out to the families of the victims in Unnao and Kathua and "seek their forgiveness on behalf of all of us".
Does an invitation to visit India bring bad luck to majoritarian demagogues? asks Rahul Jacob.
The highway was closed on Saturday due to heavy snowfall and landslides.
But it is disappointing to note that Sitharaman's third Union Budget continues to promote a few problematic ideas, observes A K Bhattacharya.
Floyd died in Minneapolis on Monday after a white police officer pinned him to the ground. Video footage showed the officer kneeling on Floyd's neck as he gasped for breath. His death has triggered nationwide protests.
Aditi Hardikar says she is proud to honour her parents' sacrifices by giving back to her community and country.
A division bench of justices Biswanath Somadder and A Mukherjee said the government's silence on the permission is 'astonishing and astounding'.
'The conception of Make-in-India, Skill India, Smart Cities, Digital India, Beti Bachao, Beti Padao and so on show a visionary breadth of mind, and Modi is almost the first political leader in India to put them into effect with single-minded zeal,' notes B S Raghavan, the former civil servant.
Violence continued to rock Assam's Karbi Anglong district for the fifth day on Sunday over the demand for a separate state with government offices and properties of political leaders torched and curfew reimposed after a relaxation of four hours.
Prior to his speech Trump tossed masks into the crowd.
Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, a Democratic appointee, was accused of 'betraying' America after she directed Justice Department attorneys not to defend Trump's so-called 'Muslim ban' on Monday. She said she was not convinced the order was lawful.
Officers of the three premier services -- Indian Administrative Services, Indian Police Service and Indian Foreign Service -- will now spend a minimum of two years at each posting and any exception in the form of transfers or new appointments will only be done upon the recommendation of a civil services board, according to new rules aimed at checking political interference.
The scam has offered Lalu Prasad an opportunity to point fingers at Nitish Kumar and Sushil Kumar Modi.
As the virus continued to spread its tentacles across India, several parts, including Kashmir valley headed towards a virtual lockdown with the administration restricting movement of people in several parts and banning all public transport in Srinagar city.
India needs a National Trade Policy Council, chaired by a minister who reports directly to the PM, says Jayanta Roy, former economic advisor to the Union commerce ministry.
Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell made the remark on Thursday, adding that the Trump administration is closely watching the Indo-China situation.
For successive governments the Election Commission remains a 'holy cow', where unhealthy precedents are allowed to be nurtured since Independence, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Could the Centre and the prime minister have achieved more than what they did on curbing the endemic spread through more of the Modi outreach, given his credibility and unchallenged ability to communicate with the masses, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
Researchers have found two new mutations in coronavirus samples from Amravati and Yavatmal districts of eastern Maharashtra which can escape neutralising antibodies, a senior official said on Thrusday. Meanwhile, authorities in the two districts have announced strict implementation of restrictions, including a weekend lockdown in Amravati, to stem the rising cases of COVID-19.
The EC also ordered the removal of Principal Secretary (Home) Atri Bhattacharya and Additional Director General, CID, Rajiv Kumar from their postings in West Bengal.
Constant harassment and pressure to accept bribes has left employees of the Tamil Nadu administration disillusioned, reports R Ramasubramanian from Chennai.
Four people have died including one each in Delhi, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to stop the entire rule from going into effect.
Rediff.com gathers digs deep, to bring you interesting facts about the Democrat and the former White House First Lady.
T N Seshan believed that toughness at every level is needed to keep the flock under him strictly duty bound, recalls Dr K S Parthasarathy, former secretary, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.
The 61-year-old, who was administered the oath of office by Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal at a simple function in the Raj Bhavan, also said he wants to accelerate development in the union territory, carved out of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir last year.
All educational institutes across the state are closed for the second consecutive day, the officials said.
As the issue becomes increasingly politicised and accusations are traded on national television, the average Delhi resident suffers debilitating blows from viral fevers, writes Manavi Kapur.
Live coverage of a cultural extravaganza in Etawah in the ancestral Saifai village of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has been prohibited by the district administration.
Samdong Rimpoche's visit to China materialised against the backdrop of strained India-China relations consequent to the face-off between Indian and Chinese troops at Doklam, says former RAW officer Jayadeva Ranade.
The FBI chief also trashed President Donald Trump's allegation that his Trump Tower was wiretapped on the orders of his predecessor Barack Obama.
'It is important to improve the quality of spending.'
'The Centre is using Panneerselvam.' 'He is not known for standing up for his own rights, let alone for the state.' 'He spoke only after he saw huge protests against Sasikala; otherwise, he would have just complied and continued to walk down the aisle.'
'I am hopeful that you will see more focused attention on this relationship,' former US assistant secretary of state Nisha Desai Biswal tells Alokananda Chakraborty.
