News for 'Observer Research Foundation'

The School By the Sea

The School By the Sea

Rediff.com13 Feb 2023

The school was run on strict Gandhian lines, with stress on students doing things themselves. Physical comforts were minimal, in keeping with the relatively backward geographical area. But it had a staff of teachers dedicated to educating their students, not just imparting them book-learning, remembers Shreekant Sambrani.

Najeeb Jung: The man who may run Delhi

Najeeb Jung: The man who may run Delhi

Rediff.com13 Dec 2013

If an elected government had been sworn in, Jung's tenure and the government would have been more or less co-terminus and Jung would have been just the ceremonial head of Delhi. Now, he will run Delhi, pending another round of assembly elections, says Aditi Phadnis

Amid China and Covid-19 let's not forget the migrants

Amid China and Covid-19 let's not forget the migrants

Rediff.com29 Jun 2020

If solutions are not found, adequately and in good time, things could simply slip out of everyone's hands, warns N Sathiya Moorthy.

Cabinet clears Rs 76,000-crore incentive scheme for semiconductors

Cabinet clears Rs 76,000-crore incentive scheme for semiconductors

Rediff.com15 Dec 2021

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs 76,000 crore policy boost for semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem in the country in an bid to position India as a global hub for hi-tech production. Announcing the decision of the Cabinet, IT and Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw observed that electronics plays an important role in everyday life, and semiconductor chips forms a crucial part of electronics. Outlining the details of the scheme, he said the Rs 76,000 crore programme has been approved for the development of semiconductors and display manufacturing ecosystem.

How Gandhi 'spiritualised' Nehru

How Gandhi 'spiritualised' Nehru

Rediff.com1 Oct 2019

When Nehru came in active contact with Gandhi 100 years ago, he was a Westernised rationalist while Gandhi was deeply soaked in the Indian ethos and spirituality, notes Rasheed Kidwai.

Stalin's Religion Reality Check

Stalin's Religion Reality Check

Rediff.com18 Aug 2021

The Tamil Nadu chief minister may have opened a Pandora's Box on the religion front with the appointment of qualified non-Brahmin temple priests, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.

Cloud on banking stocks on NPA concerns amid second wave of pandemic

Cloud on banking stocks on NPA concerns amid second wave of pandemic

Rediff.com30 Apr 2021

The Nifty Bank index has come off 15 per cent from its peak in February, underperforming the benchmark Nifty which is down 6%.

Three legal precedents that may impact arrested activists' case

Three legal precedents that may impact arrested activists' case

Rediff.com4 Sep 2018

N Sathiya Moorthy goes back in time to dig up three cases that may not have any citation in legal text-books or lawyers' ready-reckoners quoted before courts but which may still have a bearing on the current case against the arrested activists.

Brazil opens the door for Indian navy and Gripen

Brazil opens the door for Indian navy and Gripen

Rediff.com30 Oct 2014

SAAB's Sea Gripen constitutes a new option as the INS Vikrant's light fighter

When Nature Challenges A CM

When Nature Challenges A CM

Rediff.com6 Jan 2022

The chief minister still has time to repair the damage but he will have to act all-round, both at the government and party levels, suggests N Sathiya Moorthy.

Why Stalin Wants NEET To Go

Why Stalin Wants NEET To Go

Rediff.com15 Sep 2021

The real battle for NEET abolition can take much more time and energy, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.

India must enforce social distancing strictly

India must enforce social distancing strictly

Rediff.com25 Mar 2020

'India does not have the wherewithal to successfully manage a full blown covid-19 crisis,' warns Vivek Gumaste.

Time for BJP to market POSITIVITY

Time for BJP to market POSITIVITY

Rediff.com27 Dec 2021

Indian elections are won and lost on 'negative' imageries and campaigns - but not certainly on 'negativity' as a political trait and electoral creed, asserts N Sathiya Moorthy.

How US-Russia frost affects India

How US-Russia frost affects India

Rediff.com22 Jun 2019

The stagnation in US-Russia relations does not augur well for New Delhi's strategic interests, says Harsh V Pant and Raj Kumar Sharma.

Stalin declares war on Governor Ravi, but within the Constitution

Stalin declares war on Governor Ravi, but within the Constitution

Rediff.com7 Feb 2022

The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu had begun seeing Governor Ravi's decisions and actions as a part of the state BJP's non-stop criticism of its government and directed from Delhi, a view strengthened by the governor's decision to return the NEET exemption bill, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.

Stalin manages to quell internal tensions ahead of TN polls

Stalin manages to quell internal tensions ahead of TN polls

Rediff.com10 Sep 2020

MK Stalin's ruling AIDMK rival does not thankfully face such problems as he did, but its problems could be worse if saner counsel does not prevail between now and the assembly polls, warns N Sathiya Moorthy.

No more extremism, but wounds yet to heal in Tamil Nadu

No more extremism, but wounds yet to heal in Tamil Nadu

Rediff.com19 Jan 2015

The results of the recent presidential elections in Sri Lanka are likely to have stunned groups in Tamil Nadu that have been giving moral and material support to Tamils in the north and east of the island for decades. Tamil Nadu-based groups had asked Sri Lanka Tamils to protest against the election and boycott voting.

Sai's Take: For whom the exit polls toll

Sai's Take: For whom the exit polls toll

Rediff.com20 May 2019

'When the clouds lift and the mists clear, when saner heads and minds sit down to parse the outcome, they will find that the Congress was not lacking in either fight or spirit,' notes Saisuresh Sivaswamy.

How Stalin is different from Karunanidhi, Jaya

How Stalin is different from Karunanidhi, Jaya

Rediff.com29 May 2021

Unlike the regimes of Jayalalitha, Palaniswami and Karunanidhi, ministers are actually getting to make decisions on their own, with the unmentioned rider that they would be held responsible and accountable, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.

TN parties brace for 'mini general elections'

TN parties brace for 'mini general elections'

Rediff.com15 Nov 2018

Whenever they are announced, the bypolls to 20 assembly seats in Tamil Nadu will be a mini referendum on the state government's performance. It will also be a do-or-die battle for the ruling AIADMK, opposition DMK, as well as the rebel AMMK, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

Hardly a drop to drink, but water not a poll issue for Dravidian majors

Hardly a drop to drink, but water not a poll issue for Dravidian majors

Rediff.com26 Mar 2019

At first look, the reader would be aghast at the similarities in the DMK and AIADMK's manifestos, wondering if the same hand had drafted both. Yet, when it comes to drinking water and irrigation supplies, both parties are equally silent on the subject -- as if summer did not exist, as didn't water scarcity, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

Will caste and NEET become poll issues again in TN?

Will caste and NEET become poll issues again in TN?

Rediff.com14 Jul 2020

Once the Covid crisis subsides in the state, the NEET exam this year, whether conducted or cancelled, could become an electoral issue next year, along with the BC-MBC reservations issue, especially the 'creamy layer' aspect, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

BJP candidates keep out Modi, swear by Amma in TN

BJP candidates keep out Modi, swear by Amma in TN

Rediff.com2 Apr 2021

It does not stop here, though. According to field information, state ministers, AIADMK candidates and campaigners are asking BJP cadres accompanying them not to carry party flags at common rallies and also avoid their saffron shawl on those occasions. BJP cadres are also asked to stay out of the common campaign when it enters a minority-dominated areas, especially of Muslims, and re-join later, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

Old guard needs to make way for Congress to grow

Old guard needs to make way for Congress to grow

Rediff.com7 Dec 2020

By the looks of it, the Congress cannot hope to return to power even in election 2024. What it can do is to start from the bottom, hold organisational elections, which are honest, and co-opt those elected to form teams of office-bearers at all levels, right up to the working committee. By the very nature of the elections that they are going to lose, the party should use the interim to shore up youth power, or whatever remains, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

'Digital payments have become a fashion statement'

'Digital payments have become a fashion statement'

Rediff.com17 Jan 2017

N Sundaresha Subramanian digs deeper into what Catalyst, an Indo-US project, brings to the payments ecosystem.

Be warned. The Pakistani army is planning something against India

Be warned. The Pakistani army is planning something against India

Rediff.com8 May 2015

'All the anti-India groups like LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Hizb-ul Mujahideen have been activated with terrorist camps and launching pads in place.'

Is Stalin eyeing Modi's job?

Is Stalin eyeing Modi's job?

Rediff.com8 Mar 2022

Stalin, like his father M Karunanidhi did in 2004, may play the king-maker in a way -- not the king, unless the 2024 post-poll circumstances throws up a situation where he alone becomes acceptable to the rest, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.

Where are Jayalalithaa's cases heading?

Where are Jayalalithaa's cases heading?

Rediff.com21 Mar 2014

A general election looms next month just as two cases involving Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa enter a crucial phase, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

TN's EPS woos investments amid Covid, but is the environment friendly?

TN's EPS woos investments amid Covid, but is the environment friendly?

Rediff.com29 May 2020

In the midst of huge job losses as a fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has signed 17 MoUs for an investment of Rs 15,100 crores that aim to provide 47,100 jobs. But a clearer picture on where the projects stand will emerge only after the Covid-19 induced fear psychosis ends, to see if popular protests will derail them like they have done so many others, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

TN's Technocrat Finance Minister Faces First Test

TN's Technocrat Finance Minister Faces First Test

Rediff.com12 Aug 2021

Finance Minister P T R Palanivel Thiagarajan has proclaimed his determination to set Tamil Nadu's fiscal house in order in five years, and Friday will show how he plans to go about it when he rises to present the Stalin government's maiden budget, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

Will 'Mersal' row catapult Vijay into politics?

Will 'Mersal' row catapult Vijay into politics?

Rediff.com24 Oct 2017

The question is not if Vijay would enter politics. Instead, it is about his chances of success, if any, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

Star-studded economic panel marks Stalin's break with past

Star-studded economic panel marks Stalin's break with past

Rediff.com22 Jun 2021

Chief Minister MK Stalin has shown that he is cut from a different cloth when it comes to embracing what is current, modern and absolutely necessary. Thus, even while retaining the spirit and content of the pan-Tamil, Dravidian socio-political and socio-economic ideology to the 't', his government has also acknowledged the need to accepting scientifically-proven facts in operational matters, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

25 learnings for India from China Standoff

25 learnings for India from China Standoff

Rediff.com6 Aug 2020

Just like China wants Trump to lose the US presidential poll, it may want Modi to lose the Lok Sabha polls. So months before the 2024 elections, China may take possession of an important area, say one of the Char Dhams, warns Sanjeev Nayyar.

Modi or Trump, who was wiser over the lockdown?

Modi or Trump, who was wiser over the lockdown?

Rediff.com14 May 2020

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.

Will BJP's Khushbu gamble pay off in TN assembly elections?

Will BJP's Khushbu gamble pay off in TN assembly elections?

Rediff.com14 Oct 2020

For now, the BJP's strategy for Khushbu seems to be one of denial -- denying the rival Congress in the state and also at the national-level a Muslim voice acceptable to Hindu audiences and TV news-watchers. This is much less than the induction of DMK veterans like Duraiswamy and Selvam, who still have a greater chances of winning assembly seats,, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

Why too much sugar is bad for you

Why too much sugar is bad for you

Rediff.com18 Oct 2017

According to a study, sugar makes cancer tumours more aggressive.

After Indira, there was Jaya

After Indira, there was Jaya

Rediff.com5 Dec 2017

If something stands out in the one year since Jayalalithaa's passing, it would be her famed leadership qualities and her ability to reach out to the party and the people above the second line, and also the state administration, to the exclusion of all the rest. Only Indira Gandhi had achieved it all in her time, and no other leader, possibly excepting Prime Modi Modi, could hold a candle to that, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

Assets case: SC may yet create problems for Jaya

Assets case: SC may yet create problems for Jaya

Rediff.com23 Jun 2015

A case that J Jayalalitha 'does not want' is back and in the Supreme Court. N Sathiya Moorthy reports on the possible repercussions of the disproportionate assets case on Tamil Nadu politics.

TN politics turns Stalin-centric in election year

TN politics turns Stalin-centric in election year

Rediff.com6 Jan 2021

From Chief Minister EK Palaniswami to Seeman to TTV Dhinakaran to elder brother M K Azhagiri, everyone's favourite target these days seems to the DMK chief Stalin, which is good news in an election year, but that doesn't mean he is going to sweep the polls, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

With Cauvery delta law EPS takes battle to DMK citadel

With Cauvery delta law EPS takes battle to DMK citadel

Rediff.com4 Mar 2020

By getting the Tamil Nadu assembly to act on his very imaginative public declaration to keep petro-chemical industries out of the Cauvery delta, which has traditionally been a DMK stronghold, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has not only set the ball rolling for the assembly elections due a year later but also sent out a strong message to the BJP government at the Centre, which took a unilateral decision to exempt petro-complexes from environmental clearance, says N Sathiya Moorthy.