News for 'Institute for Social and Economic Change'

China, India should resolve boundary issue quickly: PM

China, India should resolve boundary issue quickly: PM

Rediff.com24 Oct 2013

Outlining seven principles of engagement for closer cooperation between India and China, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said the two countries should show sensitivity to each other's interests and sovereignty and move quickly to resolve the boundary issue.

President Pranab Mukherjee's Independence Day Speech: Full Text

President Pranab Mukherjee's Independence Day Speech: Full Text

Rediff.com14 Aug 2014

President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday addressed the nation on the eve of the 68th Independence Day.

Modi's BRICS symphony in Goa

Modi's BRICS symphony in Goa

Rediff.com17 Oct 2016

Narendra Modi's success at the BRICS summit is the best Diwali gift for India's diplomacy and marks her ascendancy to global leadership, says Tarun Vijay.

Hindi controversy: Don't reopen old wounds

Hindi controversy: Don't reopen old wounds

Rediff.com20 Jun 2014

On this one issue that touches the raw nerve of Tamil Nadu, Modi had better heed M Karunanidhi's sage words conveying "the desire and appeal of all well-wishers of the nation that Prime Minister Modi should focus on accelerating economic growth and social development" and not, let me add, let his ministers embark on disruptive escapades, says B S Raghavan.

E-ducating India: Technology is just one piece of the puzzle

E-ducating India: Technology is just one piece of the puzzle

Rediff.com29 Sep 2014

The data-generation ability of technology can not only provide real-time feedback on its return on investment but also evaluate education programmes.

Aadhaar may have a lethal impact on the existence of India

Aadhaar may have a lethal impact on the existence of India

Rediff.com5 Oct 2015

'Biometric Aadhaar-based surveillance is not only about violation of privacy, but also about the treasure hunt for unprecedented financial surveillance and economic intelligence in the economic history of mankind,' asks Gopal Krishna.

Why a second term for Modi seems IFFY

Why a second term for Modi seems IFFY

Rediff.com10 Oct 2018

'Poor home work, and a subsequent loss of nerve.' 'This sums up the Modi government's current travails, the stall in key sectors, fading momentum, irritability,' points out Shekhar Gupta.

Meet Akhilesh Yadav's brains trust

Meet Akhilesh Yadav's brains trust

Rediff.com25 Jan 2017

Every day when Akhilesh returns after a joust with political adversaries to his Camelot, which is Lucknow's 5, Kalidas Marg, it is time to hold court with advisors and loyalists.

'What we did for the environment has been undone by the new govt'

'What we did for the environment has been undone by the new govt'

Rediff.com19 Feb 2015

'This is not a Sanjay Baru or Natwar Singh type of book. It's not a memoir. It's not a book to reveal conversations, real or imaginary. This is not a book to position myself at the centre of the world.' Jairam Ramesh on his stint as environment minister.

How Modi can make our diplomats more effective

How Modi can make our diplomats more effective

Rediff.com26 May 2015

Has the Modi government ensured that the MEA keeps abreast of the times, asks Ambassador Vivek Katju.

'People seem to be mesmerised by Modi'

'People seem to be mesmerised by Modi'

Rediff.com24 May 2017

'The BJP has latched on to the idea of nationalism, but the nationalism they advocate is not nationalism as we have understood it since the time of the freedom movement.' 'This is not secular nationalism, it is Hindu nationalism.' 'It is a form of nationalism that is exclusionary and it tends to conflate national interest with the government.' 'So, if you disagree with the government, for example, on surgical strikes or demonetisation, you are anti-national or holder of black money.'

Good grades will not get you a job. Skill yourself!

Good grades will not get you a job. Skill yourself!

Rediff.com20 May 2019

Go beyond your college classroom. Take part in fests. Pursue an internship, says Abhishek Ajmera.

'Demonetisation is theft'

'Demonetisation is theft'

Rediff.com8 Feb 2017

'Demonetisation, is in principal, a mistake, because it involves a theft -- a taking of private property by the State.' 'It is one of those bad Indian ideas that has been tried twice in the past, with two failures for the record books.' 'This cloud over the economy will probably remain as long as Modi is in power.'

The thinking that men should not cry is a result of patriarchy!

The thinking that men should not cry is a result of patriarchy!

Rediff.com25 Sep 2017

She quit her career in financial services to pursue her passion for writing.

Wall Street, Silicon Valley excited about India: Michael Schlein

Wall Street, Silicon Valley excited about India: Michael Schlein

Rediff.com8 Mar 2016

Enthused by India's financial inclusion drive, US-based Accion, one of the biggest micro finance organisations in the world, has renewed its focus in India. Michael Schlein, bottom, left, chief executive officer of Accicon, tells Namrata Acharya in an email interview the Wall Street and Silicon Valley are eager to participate in opportunities presented by the issuance of the small finance and payment bank licences, the expanded banking correspondent opportunities, and the Jan-Dhan Yojna.

Rest in peace, Mushir sahib!

Rest in peace, Mushir sahib!

Rediff.com12 Dec 2018

Mohammad Sajjad salutes the memory of Mushirul Hasan -- historian, thinker, academic, institution builder, -- who passed into the ages this week.

'Remove regulatory cholesterol to create jobs'

'Remove regulatory cholesterol to create jobs'

Rediff.com26 Feb 2016

One popular strategy is to hire contract workers.

PM's full I-Day speech: We have envisioned a prosperous India

PM's full I-Day speech: We have envisioned a prosperous India

Rediff.com15 Aug 2013

We present Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's full speech as he addressed the country on the occasion of 66th Independence Day, from Red Fort, Delhi.

Rationalising a peace discourse for India and Pakistan

Rationalising a peace discourse for India and Pakistan

Rediff.com30 Jun 2014

Delegates of a bilateral peace delegation urge the prime ministers of Pakistan and India to resume dialogue for peace and full normalisation of relations.

Modi @3: The view from the foreign office

Modi @3: The view from the foreign office

Rediff.com25 May 2017

Diplomats agree that amid stormy relations with China and Pakistan, Modi has posted impressive foreign policy successes, notes Aditi Phadnis.

Lessons from Uttarakhand: When 'development' is destruction

Lessons from Uttarakhand: When 'development' is destruction

Rediff.com28 Jun 2013

To avert another Uttarakhand-type catastrophe, we must change course. We should stop pandering to the Indian elite's insatiable appetite for electricity, which is driving reckless dam construction, says Praful Bidwai

Full text of Modi's address to US Congress

Full text of Modi's address to US Congress

Rediff.com8 Jun 2016

Here's the full text of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the United States Congress.

Why people don't trust the Opposition

Why people don't trust the Opposition

Rediff.com26 May 2017

Why are the 'secular' parties silent about the lynchings on our streets? Are they so busy forging political alliances that they ignore the numerous distortions of Constitutional values?

An open letter to the Congress party: Remember the Aam Aadmi?

An open letter to the Congress party: Remember the Aam Aadmi?

Rediff.com21 Jun 2013

Few readers will remember the socialist utopia of Indira Gandhi when food queues were the norm even for the middle class and tankers supplied water at odd hours of the night twice a week. Is that what you are trying to return us to, dear Congress, asks Jaideep Prabhu

Exclusionary 'nationalism' won't solve everyday needs

Exclusionary 'nationalism' won't solve everyday needs

Rediff.com25 Mar 2017

'The top-most functionaries and destiny-makers of the nation have thrown away the pretensions of statesmanship.' 'They seem to have made a categorical announcement that the next general election will be fought on the solo plank of Hindutva, rather than on good governance, economic development, and employment to youth', says Mohammad Sajjad.

Two Indian newspapers' The Post moment

Two Indian newspapers' The Post moment

Rediff.com3 Feb 2018

'N Ram and I met on the lawns of Mani Shankar Aiyar's bungalow.' 'I pulled out a rolled printout from my jacket and handed it to him.' 'In the cut-throat world of journalism, this was like high treason.' 'But letting a story be killed because you can't publish it is a bigger crime than passing it to the competition,' recalls Shekhar Gupta.

'If people get two square meals and a job, they won't take to guns'

'If people get two square meals and a job, they won't take to guns'

Rediff.com1 Dec 2015

'The only positive I see are the youth of India who were earlier just after money. The young now want to do something for society.'

'Why promote silly characters like Mickey Mouse and Goofy?'

'Why promote silly characters like Mickey Mouse and Goofy?'

Rediff.com11 May 2016

'Children should be brought up connected to our culture and should be introduced to characters from our mythologies. What is this Baa Baa Black Sheep?'

How to TAME Pakistan

How to TAME Pakistan

Rediff.com2 Nov 2016

'While military acts such as the Uri surgical strikes are one option, cultural, economic and diplomatic isolation should also be part of the arsenal,' argues Sankrant Sanu.

FULL TEXT: President's address to Parliament

FULL TEXT: President's address to Parliament

Rediff.com29 Jan 2021

Here's the full text of President Ram Nath Kovind's customary address to the joining sitting of Parliament on the first day of the budget session.

Budget is populist, aims to transform lives of the masses

Budget is populist, aims to transform lives of the masses

Rediff.com2 Mar 2015

Budget is a populist one, wil lbeneift common people

'NRIs investing in India should be given dual citizenship'

'NRIs investing in India should be given dual citizenship'

Rediff.com30 Oct 2014

In his address at the event organised in London by the Institute of Directors India, he emphasised that for too long India has been burdened with an old, cosy, family-and- favourites, under-the-table style of doing and managing business.

Modi's friend Abe may easily win Japan's election

Modi's friend Abe may easily win Japan's election

Rediff.com21 Oct 2017

'What lies at the core of Abe's stance is Japan's crisis management ability amid the increasingly tense North Korean situation,' says Rajaram Panda.

Why Vietnam Beckons

Why Vietnam Beckons

Rediff.com17 Nov 2015

'The success of the country's economic policies is affirmed by receipt of FDI of $15 billion last year, the highest in the Asia-Pacific after China and India, and well ahead of Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand,' notes Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad.

Explained: Why Akhilesh, Mayawati joined hands

Explained: Why Akhilesh, Mayawati joined hands

Rediff.com9 Mar 2018

'Emboldened by the BJP victory, the upper castes feel they must assert themselves and regain dominance over the rural power structure.'

Nobel Prize, World Bank Chief... anything is possible for R3

Nobel Prize, World Bank Chief... anything is possible for R3

Rediff.com19 Jun 2016

'With his envious academic record, extraordinary research calibre and unparalleled work experience, we can trust him to become the first Indian -- fully Indian, not one of those Americans of Indian origin -- to win the Nobel Prize in Economics,' says Sudhir Bisht.

In an interconnected world, India cannot escape Greece crisis's fallout

In an interconnected world, India cannot escape Greece crisis's fallout

Rediff.com7 Jul 2015

If the impact of the Greece crisis spreads across Europe and parts of the world which are more interconnected than ever before, India cannot hope to be insulated, says Paranjoy Guha Thakurta.

FULL TEXT: 'Much of India that we dream of still lies ahead of us'

FULL TEXT: 'Much of India that we dream of still lies ahead of us'

Rediff.com13 Nov 2015

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday address Members of the British Parliament in London where he promised to open more doors of cooperation between the two countries and delved on issues like terrorism and United Nations reforms.

'Expect all Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes to come back into the system'

'Expect all Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes to come back into the system'

Rediff.com8 Dec 2016

The economy could return to 8% growth by the end of 2017-2018, says Arvind Panagariya, vice-chairman NITI Aayog.

India's Cloth Man on winning the Magsaysay

India's Cloth Man on winning the Magsaysay

Rediff.com4 Aug 2015

Anshu Gupta, the founder of Goonj, has transformed the culture of giving in the country. He has for 15 years now, worked tirelessly to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots, by making discarded materials a resource for the poor. His weapon, he says, is 'cloth as a tool of social change.'