'Here was a man who played a major part in helping the Bengalis of East Pakistan create a new nation, secured the merger of Sikkim into the Indian dominion and built R&AW into a formidable outfit, comparable to the best in the world.' Rameshwar Nath Kao shunned the limelight, hated to be photographed and preferred to work behind the scenes. A revealing excerpt from Nitin A Gokhale's much awaited book, R N Kao: Gentleman Spymaster.
Facing a tough electoral battle, Congress on Friday made an array of promises in its manifesto like significant cut in power rates, Wi-Fi facilities in public transport, waving off pending water bills and ensuring a graft-free administration if voted to power in Delhi.
United States President Barack Obama hosted the 14th and final formal State Arrival Ceremony and State Dinner on October 18. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and his wife Agnese Landini were welcomed to the White House with a grand reception. To mark this momentous occasion, Chief White House photographer decided to share glimpses from some of the other state dinners hosted by the Obama administration over the last eight years.
'She has to get the funds, cut through bureaucratic flab, speed up modernisation, ensure planned acquisitions stick to timelines, make organisational changes and ensure the military is capable of performing the task that it is given,' says Brigadier S K Chatterjee (retd).
India is observing the sixteenth anniversary of the Kargil War this week.
Vistara CEO Phee Teik Yeoh discusses the airline's expansion plans and challenges with Alnoor Peermohamed.
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.
The PLA Air Force has conducted a combat air patrol in the South China Sea recently, which will become "a regular practice" in the future
Andhra Pradesh now comes third in ease of doing business.
Family members of the martyred personnel and survivors of the daring strike recalled the harrowing moments and pledged support to efforts to root out terrorism.
The time is over when United States President Barack Obama thought he could afford to make a joke about the ISIS.
IAF is focused on Rafale; argues the fifth generation fighter aircraft would not meet Indian expectations
"We respect the Supreme Court order. We will take suggestions from legal experts to see whether there can be a middle path," Sharma said.
In a security scare, a dummy stun-grenade was on Saturday found on board an Air India jumbo plane as it landed at Jeddah in the wee hours, which the airline attempted to downplay but was rebuffed by Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju who called it a "failure".
'Breaking out of the corner into which China has painted itself would be a feat.' 'Whether Xi is able to pull it off will be known in the coming days,' says B S Raghavan, the distinguished civil servant and member of the Joint Intelligence Committee at the time of China's invasion of India.
ISIS' advances in Iraq and Syria are not just tactical but strategic victories -- born of US errors and confusion
'It will make good sense for military men on that side of the table to be confronted by our own.'
'What does the nation get out of the CBI's fabulous infrastructure? Very little that is useful.'
More than 3,000 squads under health and local self-government departments have started the process of cleaning houses and public places, official sources said.
Who are the men the prime minister relies on to execute his impressive agenda?
Inviting private sector in Indian Railways is a good idea.
Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines (SIA), which recently received a no-objection certificate from the ministry of civil aviation to start a full-service airline (Tata-SIA Airlines), are in the process of securing an import licence for 20 Airbus A320 aircraft.
Nirmala Sitharaman has a God given opportunity to orchestrate a transformation in India's defence capabilities. One hopes she has her own counsel and does not overly let the PMO run her ship, says Group Captain Murli Menon (retd).
'Hundreds of engineers have complained that they are being threatened by criminals for allotment of contracts and extortion.'
'A veiled secret of India's defence and strategic culture is the lack of a serious interest in them by the political class. The Indian National Defence University would fill this void,' feels Lieutenant General Anil Chait (retd).
What is it about Arohan that puts it in the top league of microfinance institutions in the country?
'Make in India is one of the priorities identified by Minister Sitharaman and this is our great weakness,' warns Vice Admiral Premvir Das.
'The clique that runs that country is treating us like suckers. We are very foolish, giving people money who involve themselves in activity that's harmful to America.' 'When you look at the cold hard facts, Pakistan is not an ally to the United States. They have facilitated, they have encouraged, they have been a protector of enemies.'
The plan hinged on two critical assumptions: India would not be able to replenish supplies quickly to launch a counter-attack. India could not respond in enough strength to dislodge the Pakistanis. Both assumptions would be proved wrong due to the ferocity of the Indian response, reveals former RAW officer Tilak Devasher in his new book, Pakistan At The Helm.
'If the RSS should be saluted for choosing such a scholarly statesman to address its highly trained cadre, one must also praise Pranab Da's sagacity for having gracefully accepting the invitation, thus disapproving any ideological apartheid,' says former BJP MP Tarun Vijay.
Aam Aadmi Party's internal Lokpal, Admiral (retd) L Ramdas, on Saturday said he will not quit the post even though he was asked not to attend the crucial National Council meeting for which he had travelled all the way from Maharashtra.
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Affordable CFO services for firms that lack resources.
Life in Mumbai was on Wednesday slowly coming back on tracks as rains subsided and hundreds of stranded commuters headed home with the partial resumption of suburban train services.
'After a strategic pause though, Beijing will revive its policy of slowly creeping towards acquiring sovereignty over the South China Sea.'
The night before Sheena was allegedly killed, 'Indrani Madam instructed me to not send anyone up to her flat.' 'She told me to especially not allow Rahul Mukerjea.'
Patients from any part of the country will soon need to travel no more than three hours for treatment of the kind available in large metros.
The attorney general admitted that there is no sovereign guarantee, but asserted that there is a letter of comfort by France which would be as good as a governmental guarantee.
'In India, China's capacities to conduct new types of warfare is critically underestimated,' says Claude Arpi.
The dean of a Jabalpur Medical College, suspected of having links to some accused in the Vyapam scam, was found dead under mysterious circumstances at a hotel in south-west Delhi's Dwarka on Sunday morning.
While political observers are unable to make head or tail of the US President, those moving in high business and industry circles tell B S Raghavan that Trump's style is exactly that of an aggressive and successful businessman.
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