The Rural Development Ministry has been allocated Rs 1.88 lakh crore in the Union Budget for 2025-26, around 5.75 per cent more than the allocation in the previous budget.
The Budget should undertake further reductions in import tariffs and seriously consider an announcement of India's intention to join one or both of the two Asian mega-regional free trade agreements, suggests Shankar Acharya, former chief economic adviser to the Government of India.
Market reaction to the Union Budget was overall neutral. The income tax "gift" wasn't enough to move the needle. There was some apparent rationalisation of Customs duty structure as well as cuts on import duties of some key components for the telecom and IT industry and duty cuts on vehicle imports. Other proposals related to development of agriculture and rural economy and renewables seem to be generally positive.
Former hockey captain P R Sreejesh was chosen for the Padma Bhushan, while Ravichandran Ashwin was among the Padma Shri winners.
A delivery worker, who says he is living at a bus stop because he has been unable to return home for weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Shanghai, brushes his teeth on the street.
The March 2020 lockdown did not stop the spread of infection (as it triggered a huge reverse migration from cities), but it did help to flatten the curve and gave time to scale up health infrastructure.
Shaktikanta Das will demit the office on Tuesday after completing six years as the 25th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra will replace him as the 26th Governor. He was appointed as the Governor on December 12, 2018, after the abrupt exit of Urjit Patel.
'When you are in new waters, you have to follow the rules of that water.'
India Lockdown has way too much carnal pleasure on its mind to focus on minor things like coronavirus, sighs Sukanya Verma.
'Many were caught in a burnout race, chasing unsustainable growth without innovating.'
A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah is likely to hear a plea filed by Capt. Rakesh Walia (retired) challenging an order of the Delhi high court which dismissed his petition.
US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American scientist Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the country's top health research and funding institutions. Bhattacharya, a professor of Health Policy at Stanford University, is known for his research on the health and well-being of vulnerable populations. Trump also nominated Jim O'Neill as the deputy secretary of Health and Human Services to work alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
China on Monday reported the first fatalities in Shanghai due to the ongoing COVID-19 surge in the city where the Omicron variant continues to paralyse the country's business hub of 26 million people.
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Manmohan Singh represented the finest aspects of India, asserts Aakar Patel.
Crowds carrying lighted candles in memory of those killed in the fire at an apartment block reported under COVID-19 lockdown in Urumqi in Xinjiang shouted slogans against the arbitrary lockdowns by the government to curb the spread of the virus and in solidarity with the weekend protests in Shanghai.
Australia are already without another regular all-rounder in Cameron Green, who was ruled out of the India series after opting to have surgery on a stress fracture in his lumbar spine.
Yashasvi Jaiswal's intense and innovative pre-tour training against short-pitched balls at the Thane Stadium contributed to his unbeaten 90 in Perth
Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer Mohammed Siraj grabbed four wickets to lead his side to a 24-run win over Punjab Kings.
'When a young Indian family who had recently moved into my locality found out that I live here, the lady volunteered to send food; she said that since she was going to cook for three people anyway, she had no problem cooking for me as well.' 'Thanks to her kindness, I get one home-cooked meal every day.'
This is the magic of Sircar's filmmaking -- National Award winners, many of them -- that makes every new work of his an eagerly-awaited affair.
A group of onion traders gathered at the Pimpalgaon Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), near Nashik, to inspect one of the season's final harvests of red onions as they look to place their bids. They were surrounded by farmers, who brought their produce here from different parts of the district. Farmers have reasons to be optimistic.
More than 50 per cent of SIP accounts come from semi-urban and rural areas.
US President Joe Biden said he is "mourning the deaths" of those who were killed in the shooting and said that "we cannot continue to accept this as normal."
Para-athlete Yogesh Kathuniya expressed his disappointment towards the lack of enthusiasm in the reception of para-athletes on their return following India's record-breaking campaign in Paris.
From working in a garment factory, selling bread, and driving an autorickshaw, the 24-year-old fast bowler's path to representing domestic giants Mumbai was anything but easy.
'We are happy that the money has come to us immediately after it was announced.' 'For once, the government did what it promised.'
Bangladesh's interim government on Wednesday said it is 'consulting all stakeholders' to decide the fate of President Mohammed Shahabuddin, as authorities beefed up security around his residence in the wake of protests demanding his removal over comments that raised questions on prime minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation.
Several videos have emerged on social media which showcased people chanting slogans against restrictions imposed by the Chinese government to curb the spread of Covid.
'Imagine having a conversation with your parents, where you say, "I want to break up with someone because he's bad in bed".'
In a relatively rare occurrence, the growth in manufacturing jobs exceeded the pace of sector growth in 2022-23 (FY23). The number of persons engaged in the segment grew by 7.43 per cent in FY23, according to figures from the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) released on September 30. The gross value added for the manufacturing sector grew by 4.24 per cent in current prices and declined by 2.2 per cent in real terms for FY23, according to earlier annual figures released by the government.
Sukanya Verma looks at their eclectic career of over two decades as their latest offering Citadel: Honey Bunny, the Indian leg of the Russo Brothers globetrotting spy universe series, drops on Amazon Prime Video on November 7.
Lillete Dubey will stage her 34th play Lockdown Liaisons from November 19, based on a book by Shobhaa De.
'Every report I filed for Rediff.com on the professor's incarceration, would leave me wondering for days, at the depth of the State's malevolence towards this disabled professor, and his equally deep capacity to tolerate it,' recalls Jyoti Punwani.' 'No country in the world would do what our country was doing to someone so helpless.'
IIn the first of a year-end series of observations on 2020, Dominic Xavier is still shocked by the nightmare that the lockdown wrought on India.
Citadel: Honey Bunny will stream from November 7 on Amazon Prime Video.
Doggedly persisting with its much-criticised zero-Covid policy, China has slipped deeper into the coronavirus quagmire as it reported a record 31,444 infections on Thursday with many of its cities, including Beijing, resorting to community lockdowns to stem the virus amid worsening wintery weather.
Dominic Xavier wonders if Modi will impose a national lockdown to try and end the death and suffering that has ravaged our land.
The brief exchange and handshake between Jaishankar and Sharif took place at a banquet dinner hosted by the Pakistani prime minister at his residence in honour of the delegates attending a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
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