News for 'Society Policy Institute'

Honouring Solar Mamas

Honouring Solar Mamas

Rediff.com26 Sep 2013

Bunker Roy, founder of the Barefoot College at Tilonia in Rajasthan, was awarded the Clinton Global Citizen Award at a ceremony in New York on September 25.

The Power of Assured Indian Innovation

The Power of Assured Indian Innovation

Rediff.com25 May 2018

Can we make high speed 4G Internet available at 10 cents per GB, and make all voice calls free of cost -- that too in a large and diverse country like India? Can we make high-quality but simple breast cancer screening available to every woman, that too at the extremely affordable cost of $1 per scan? Can we make a portable, high-tech ECG machine which can provide reports immediately and that too at the cost of 8 cents a test? Can we make an eye imaging device that is portable, non-invasive and costs 3 times less that conventional devices? Can we make a robust test for mosquito-borne dengue, which can detect the disease on day 1, and that too at the cost of $2 per test? Amazingly, says Dr R A Mashelkar, the eminent scientist, all this has been achieved in India, not only by using technological innovation but also non-technological innovation.

How much does India really spend on defence?

How much does India really spend on defence?

Rediff.com27 Apr 2015

No one really knows what proportion of the nation's wealth and income are available for defence

When it comes to CSR spending, one in three BSE 100 firms is a laggard

When it comes to CSR spending, one in three BSE 100 firms is a laggard

Rediff.com9 Mar 2018

Corporate affairs ministry sending notices seeking details of fund disbursal

India committed to build Indian Ocean Rim Association, says S Jaishankar

India committed to build Indian Ocean Rim Association, says S Jaishankar

Rediff.com2 Sep 2016

India said it is committed to building up Indian Ocean Rim Association in line with its own expanding bilateral ties with the members of the grouping.

Are you aware of your workplace rights?

Are you aware of your workplace rights?

Rediff.com23 Oct 2018

Did you know that employers have to pay equal remuneration to its male and female employees who are carrying out the same or similar work?

How 23 new banks will make an impact in India

How 23 new banks will make an impact in India

Rediff.com18 Sep 2015

The niche banks - small finance and payments banks -have been set up to further the regulator's objective of deepening financial inclusion.

7th pay panel's draft report riddled with dissent notes

7th pay panel's draft report riddled with dissent notes

Rediff.com12 Nov 2015

The notes argue that it will widen the talent base available to govt to deliver increasingly complex services to a demanding population.

Sharif continues urging for US mediation in Kashmir

Sharif continues urging for US mediation in Kashmir

Rediff.com23 Oct 2013

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif continues his exhortation for US mediation in Kashmir, and harks back to his meeting with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee when the latter had agreed to a resolution of Kashmir imbroglio; senior us officials assert there is 'absolutely no change in us policy' that Kashmir has to be resolved bilaterally. Aziz Haniffa reports.

'No difference between UPA1, UPA2 and this govt'

'No difference between UPA1, UPA2 and this govt'

Rediff.com16 Oct 2017

'Karna is the greatest warrior in the Mahabharata -- in fact, Arjuna is a nobody in front of Karna.' 'But Arjuna had a better advisor in Krishna than Karna.' 'Karna failed because he listened to the wrong advice given by Salya.' 'It just shows wrong advisors can land even the mighty in trouble.'

Nationalism? What's that got to do with Trump and Brexit?

Nationalism? What's that got to do with Trump and Brexit?

Rediff.com3 Feb 2017

Nothing, according to Deepak Lal. He argues that the contemporary attempts to control immigration in the US and UK are not nativist.

Why do Modi and Sonia avoid the press?

Why do Modi and Sonia avoid the press?

Rediff.com14 Aug 2015

'Since Modi is walking a tightrope between two worlds -- one of the saffron brotherhood and the other of the proposed smart cities and bullet trains -- it is understandable why he is averse to scrutiny lest he loses his balance by tilting too heavily on one side or the other. But, why has Sonia Gandhi acquired the reputation of a sphinx,' asks Amulya Ganguli.

Manmohan's advice for Modi: 'No free market without freedom'

Manmohan's advice for Modi: 'No free market without freedom'

Rediff.com6 Nov 2015

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday stepped into the raging debate on intolerance by condemning the murders of dissenters and some on the basis of what they eat and said the nation is deeply concerned at the "blatant violation" of the right to freedom of thought, belief and speech by some violent extremist groups.

Assault or murder of thinkers can't be justified: Manmohan on intolerance

Assault or murder of thinkers can't be justified: Manmohan on intolerance

Rediff.com6 Nov 2015

Amid a raging debate over intolerance, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday deplored "blatant violation" of the right to freedom of thought by "some violent extremist groups" and shared the view that it was an "assault on the nation".

'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?'

Obstruction and obfuscation have become hallmark of opposition: BJP

Obstruction and obfuscation have become hallmark of opposition: BJP

Rediff.com7 Jan 2017

The political resolution passed at the party's national executive claimed that the Modi government has created a new "history" in the direction of the poor's welfare with its bold initiatives.

The people are silent

The people are silent

Rediff.com27 Jul 2015

We're behaving like frogs in warm water. We swim around untroubled, cooled by our faith in Indian liberal democracy. We are blind to the bubbles popping around us, the bubbles warning of fundamental changes, says Mihir S Sharma.

Why this priestly community wants reservation

Why this priestly community wants reservation

Rediff.com23 Nov 2015

'Our children score very high marks, but do not get admission in good colleges. They get top rank, but they do not get jobs because they belong to the so-called forward caste.' 'What can we do when a boy or girl from the community with first rank is considered only at the 6th or 7th position for a government job just because those with reservation get precedence over us?'

India's coming conflict with China in the Indian Ocean

India's coming conflict with China in the Indian Ocean

Rediff.com28 Aug 2017

'Despite the current tension at Doklam and the risk of escalation on the Himalayan land frontier, it is the Indian Ocean we need to worry about more,' says Nitin Pai.

Revoke AFSPA on trial basis: Mehbooba to Centre

Revoke AFSPA on trial basis: Mehbooba to Centre

Rediff.com24 Jul 2016

The chief minister said there is a need to take "bold measures to address the issue as the people of Jammu and Kashmir were our own".

As India remembers 26/11, jihadist threats multiply

As India remembers 26/11, jihadist threats multiply

Rediff.com26 Nov 2014

Through its early days to the 1980s, Pakistan sought to expand its sphere of Islamic influence through Afghanistan to Central Asia and got Pakistani citizens recruited in the Afghan government institutions in the 1990s when the Taliban were power. Now, it is looking eastward through India to Bangladesh and Myanmar to establish an imaginary caliphate.

Will Mamata's second term mark a fresh start for industry in Bengal?

Will Mamata's second term mark a fresh start for industry in Bengal?

Rediff.com7 Jun 2016

Investors can take heart from the first Cabinet meeting in the second innings.

US aid to Pakistan is no panacea, but neither are sanctions

US aid to Pakistan is no panacea, but neither are sanctions

Rediff.com9 Sep 2016

After weighing all the costs and benefits, the next administration is likely to reduce and restructure assistance to Pakistan but not to end it altogether, says Daniel S Markey.

How India's heritage of pluralism is being undone

How India's heritage of pluralism is being undone

Rediff.com19 Sep 2013

The main culprit in vitiating the inter community/caste/class relations has been the so called 'targeted' approach. This is nothing but discrimination on the basis of faith/caste/class. When an equally poor and deprived child is denied scholarship, despite equal merit, resentment begins to brew, says Colonel (retd) Anil Athale.

Tamil Nadu, Kerala lead surge in financial inclusion

Tamil Nadu, Kerala lead surge in financial inclusion

Rediff.com17 Jul 2015

South leads; North-East at bottom but moves ahead, finds out the IndiaSpend Team

The Indian Spring: Lessons for the world

The Indian Spring: Lessons for the world

Rediff.com30 Dec 2013

The Indian Spring represented by Anna Hazare's anti-corruption campaign, which has culminated in the Aam Aadmi Party's impressive electoral debut in New Delhi, began around the same time as the Arab Spring in 2011 but they led to different outcomes in India and the Arab world, says Ramesh Ramachandran.

Modi in Jharkhand: Rahul only coming out with 'akashwani'

Modi in Jharkhand: Rahul only coming out with 'akashwani'

Rediff.com29 Dec 2013

Bharatiya Janata Party's PM candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday targeted Rahul Gandhi yet again, saying while nothing is being done to check price rise and corruption, the Congress leader has been only coming out with "akashwani" (celestial voices).

The implications of President Park's state visit to India

The implications of President Park's state visit to India

Rediff.com20 Jan 2014

South Korean President Park Geun-hye's visit to India will enhance economic and military ties between the two countries and give the relationship a strategic dimension, says Jiye Kim.

Why it's wrong to discount Brand Factory's success

Why it's wrong to discount Brand Factory's success

Rediff.com27 Jun 2017

Brand Factory clocked in Rs 1,045 crores worth of sales in FY17, accounting for 27 per cent of the total revenues earned by Future Lifestyle Fashions Retail. But what about the future?

Has crime reduced in Bihar?

Has crime reduced in Bihar?

Rediff.com13 Mar 2018

Nitish Kumar and his officials maintain that Bihar has one of the lowest crime rates in India. Bihar police crime data indicates otherwise.

The danger signal from the Muzaffarnagar riots

The danger signal from the Muzaffarnagar riots

Rediff.com19 Sep 2013

It is rare for communal riots to spread to rural areas. The UP riot is the first time after the September 1969 Gujarat riots that a rural area have been affected. Electoral politics which divide society in majority/minority, going on since the early 1990s, is a major contributing factor to this heightened tension between communities, says Colonel (retd) Anil Athale in the first of a two part series.

Satellite communications can drive the broadband revolution

Satellite communications can drive the broadband revolution

Rediff.com28 Apr 2016

Liberalising regulations on satcom technology could attract billions of dollars in foreign investment.

IAS topper: 'I want to fight corruption'

IAS topper: 'I want to fight corruption'

Rediff.com20 May 2016

Meet Jasmeet Singh Sandhu who ranked third in the Union Public Service Commission exam this year.

The unfair witch-hunt of Hamid Ansari

The unfair witch-hunt of Hamid Ansari

Rediff.com3 Sep 2015

Hamid Anasari's was not talking of reservation for the whole religious community to which he too happens to belong. Yet, sections of media chose to put words into his mouth and then subject him to the criticism he never deserved. This does not augur well for our media or democracy, says Mohammad Sajjad.

What a dreadful year it has been for Kashmir

What a dreadful year it has been for Kashmir

Rediff.com26 Dec 2016

2016 saw the worst unrest in the Kashmir valley in 26 years.

The RBI has lost credibility and needs a revamp

The RBI has lost credibility and needs a revamp

Rediff.com16 Jan 2017

'The temptation of governments, to have a finger in the RBI pie will be just too great to resist, unless extensive amendments are carried out in the RBI Act treating it almost as the fourth branch of the government.'

'It's a balanced Budget that protects the interests of different groups'

'It's a balanced Budget that protects the interests of different groups'

Rediff.com2 Mar 2015

Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian's interview.

Gandhi's 'Sarvodaya' philosophy can revive the Indian economy

Gandhi's 'Sarvodaya' philosophy can revive the Indian economy

Rediff.com13 Jun 2014

At present there is virtually no dialog between votaries of different various versions of economic democracy.

Don't politicise our bid for nuclear technology, India tells China

Don't politicise our bid for nuclear technology, India tells China

Rediff.com10 Dec 2016

Talking about the threat of terrorism, he said "As diverse and pluralistic societies, we both face threats from fundamentalist terrorism. Yet, we do not seem to be able to cooperate as effectively we should in some critical international forums dealing with this subject."

'More than any election since 1977, this election is about an individual'

'More than any election since 1977, this election is about an individual'

Rediff.com7 May 2014

Leading think tank discusses a likely Narendra Modi government and America's engagement with the man US once scorned. Aziz Haniffa reports