News for 'Urban Development Ministry'

Irani 'doesn't think' Indian women face restrictions, audience disagree

Irani 'doesn't think' Indian women face restrictions, audience disagree

Rediff.com20 Nov 2015

Union HRD minister says women in the country are not told what to wear, whom to meet and where to go.

Mumbai's 'Bhendi Bazaar' ready for a multi-million makeover

Mumbai's 'Bhendi Bazaar' ready for a multi-million makeover

Rediff.com24 Nov 2014

South Mumbai's Bhendi Bazaar is all set for a much-needed transformation.

'Why does the govt gives awards to cigarette makers using taxpayers' money?'

'Why does the govt gives awards to cigarette makers using taxpayers' money?'

Rediff.com29 Sep 2014

Senior science journalist, Dinesh C Sharma told rediff.com that the way ahead would require higher public awareness and discourse on these factors and building advocacy for reversing such government policies

Not a single scandal, is this not Achche Din, asks Modi

Not a single scandal, is this not Achche Din, asks Modi

Rediff.com28 May 2015

The government has taken a number of steps to address the situation faced by farmers.

'Today, even the RBI is under political pressure'

'Today, even the RBI is under political pressure'

Rediff.com3 Aug 2017

'There is no difference between the earlier government and the present government.' 'They are all following the economic policy based on the Chicago School of thought.' 'This school of thought says the government should have very little role in governing the country and the majority of the work should be handed over to the private sector.' 'This has not succeeded in the US.' 'Yet, it is being tried here by people like Arvind Subramaniam, Arvind Panagariya, Urjit Patel and Raghuram Rajan.'

Pneumonia and diarrhoea: The biggest killers among children in India

Pneumonia and diarrhoea: The biggest killers among children in India

Rediff.com12 Nov 2014

Pneumonia and diarrhoea have collectively claimed the lives of over three lakh children in India in 2013, posing a major challenge to public health in the country, a report said.

President Pranab's address to Parliament: The transcript

President Pranab's address to Parliament: The transcript

Rediff.com9 Jun 2014

President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday addressed the first joint sitting of Parliament as mandatorily required under the Constitution after the general elections. The address is the political, economic and foreign policy road map of the Narendra Modi government and covers virtually all crucial areas.

Why Dalits have almost no presence in white collar jobs

Why Dalits have almost no presence in white collar jobs

Rediff.com27 Jan 2016

'The corporate world and the private sector economy take notice of the monstrous and apartheid like division that exists in our offices. The jobs we so casually take for granted in the upper class have come to us on the back of denial to others,' says Aakar Patel.

With Budget, Arun Jaitley stays the course

With Budget, Arun Jaitley stays the course

Rediff.com2 Feb 2017

Finance minister attempts a clean-up job, keeps projected expenditure growth low.

She wants to help clean the Ganga, but...

She wants to help clean the Ganga, but...

Rediff.com10 Feb 2016

'It will take many years to clean the Ganga. It will not happen in five years like the prime minister wants. If you want it to be sustainable, temporary measures won't work.' Twinkle Tom, an environmental engineer by training (from Stanford no less!), now designs wedding gowns because India, sadly, does not want her expertise and skill.

Why the child labour law should not be amended

Why the child labour law should not be amended

Rediff.com29 May 2015

The proposed changes to the child labour law to allow children and adolescents to work for their families would be most retrograde and regressive, say Shinzani Jain and Paranjoy Guha Thakurta.

How Kejriwal rode the anti-Modi vote

How Kejriwal rode the anti-Modi vote

Rediff.com10 Feb 2015

'Kejriwal has taken a leaf out of Modi's campaign of 2014 and improved upon it.' 'That suit will haunt Modi till he exits politics.' 'Of all the factors that favoured Kejriwal, the biggest was the arrogance and over-confidence of the Modi-Shah led BJP.' 'What the Congress could not do in the last two decades in Gujarat, Kejriwal did it in no time in Delhi.' 'The BJP has behaved exactly like the Congress in decoding Kejriwal's politics.'

'The Mahagathbandhan is for personal survival'

'The Mahagathbandhan is for personal survival'

Rediff.com12 Aug 2018

'The Opposition has no option but to make it an 'All versus One' fight to even think about winning.'

Yawning gap in Modi government's claims and deeds on climate

Yawning gap in Modi government's claims and deeds on climate

Rediff.com23 Apr 2015

Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tall claims that no one has served nature more than India, some of the steps taken by his BJP government proves that the ground reality is exactly opposite, says Devanik Saha.

8 promises Modi made on I-Day 2015: Some met, some are works-in-progress

8 promises Modi made on I-Day 2015: Some met, some are works-in-progress

Rediff.com14 Aug 2016

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to deliver his third Independence Day speech on August 15, he is inviting ideas from citizens on issues he should speak on

Will Purvanchal go the BJP way?

Will Purvanchal go the BJP way?

Rediff.com14 Feb 2017

In the 2012 election, the BJP's performance was the poorest in Purvanchal, winning only 12 of the region's 112 seats. Will 2017 be different? Will the party ride on Varanasi MP Narendra Modi's charisma?

India's poverty higher than World Bank's estimates: Govt

India's poverty higher than World Bank's estimates: Govt

Rediff.com21 Oct 2015

There is lack of scientific basis in computing the poverty line, says govt.

The Junk Food Conundrum

The Junk Food Conundrum

Rediff.com19 Aug 2013

Should junk food be sold in Indian schools?

Land reforms fail, only 5% of India's farmers control 32% land

Land reforms fail, only 5% of India's farmers control 32% land

Rediff.com18 May 2016

The average land given to the rural landless is small and falling, from 0.95 acres in 2002 to 0.88 acres in 2015 - a 7.4 per cent drop over 13 years-and a slowdown is evident in the process of taking land away from rich landlords, the RTI data reveal.

Confused about the Budget proposals? Please read this

Confused about the Budget proposals? Please read this

Rediff.com1 Mar 2015

Indian economy about to take-off

India's relations with the US must not be one-sided

India's relations with the US must not be one-sided

Rediff.com20 Jan 2015

'It is in the interest of both sides that the visit of the US President is seen as being successful. Both sides have invested considerable political capital in it. This rapid exchange of visits and the decisions taken have to be justified, beyond the symbolism, which is no doubt important in itself. This opportunity to impart a fresh momentum to ties should not be missed,' says former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal.

How India lost Rs 50,000 crore in taxes

How India lost Rs 50,000 crore in taxes

Rediff.com16 Apr 2016

Agricultural incomes can be taxed without hurting farmers, as a substantial section - the small and marginal ones - will remain outside the tax net simply because their incomes are likely to be below the basic exemption limit of Rs 250,000 per annum that is extended to all taxpayers in India, finds out Ishan Bakshi.

Why India needs a Malala!

Why India needs a Malala!

Rediff.com22 Oct 2013

Sherna Gandhy hopes Malala Yousafzai can convince the powers-that-be in New Delhi that it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that our children get a decent education.

The sorry state of Delhi's bureaucrats

The sorry state of Delhi's bureaucrats

Rediff.com1 Jun 2015

A tussle between the Delhi government and the Lt Governor has left bureaucrats vulnerable to sudden transfers.

Will the Supreme Court declare the Aadhaar Act a black law?

Will the Supreme Court declare the Aadhaar Act a black law?

Rediff.com11 Jun 2018

Unless the judges factor in the ungovernability of technologies and their beneficial owners, present and future Presidents, prime ministers, judges, legislators and officials handling sensitive assignments may become redundant with reference to their age-old roles for securing 'national resources and assets', warns Dr Gopal Krishna.

What NaMo will do in 2015

What NaMo will do in 2015

Rediff.com2 Jan 2015

'Those who have seen the functioning of the Modi government in Gujarat know that the issues related to Hindutva and issues of economy and growth function simultaneously.' 'Modi's politics are based on the understanding of the middle-class consumer society which is in pursuit of material aspirations.' Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com reveals the Modi government's economic and political plans for the year ahead.

Modi@1: There is progress but also gaps on various fronts

Modi@1: There is progress but also gaps on various fronts

Rediff.com18 May 2015

Progress on several parameters creates a tipping point situation.

Inflation and interest rates: What is the Reserve Bank's policy?

Inflation and interest rates: What is the Reserve Bank's policy?

Rediff.com7 Jan 2015

A comprehensive technical framework needed, from which a more convincing policy could be demonstrated

Happy 5th, Xiaomi, now can you show Indians you care?

Happy 5th, Xiaomi, now can you show Indians you care?

Rediff.com8 Apr 2015

As Chinese gadget-maker Xiaomi, the world's third largest smartphone seller after Apple and Samsung, turns five today, it will seek to intensify its India push. But there are miles to go before it can claim true success in India, as a harrowing experience of one of its smartphone users suggests.

Amitabh Kant: An ambitious bureaucrat who wants to make India a biz hotspot

Amitabh Kant: An ambitious bureaucrat who wants to make India a biz hotspot

Rediff.com21 Jan 2016

Amitabh Kant tells Rahul Jacob how India could be made an easier place to do business in and why India's software smarts will give it an edge.

The scary messages from the Saran riots

The scary messages from the Saran riots

Rediff.com17 Aug 2016

'Consider this image of today's youth in Bihar -- armed with a bike, a smartphone and possibly some illegal arms too, imbibing incessant stream of images from the Internet and television.' 'Some of them would turn into gau bhakts, some would listen with interest the exploits of Salafism, dig deep into the Internet to come out with images which cry vociferously that their respective religions are in danger.'

Challenges await as Yogi completes 100 days as UP CM

Challenges await as Yogi completes 100 days as UP CM

Rediff.com18 Jun 2017

Formidable challenges including funds for the farm loan-waiver, and law and order stare him at his face, with the opposition claiming the misses have outnumbered the hits.

Gadkari's grand plan: Rs 3 lakh cr of road projects in 6 months

Gadkari's grand plan: Rs 3 lakh cr of road projects in 6 months

Rediff.com19 May 2015

The public-private partnership model is a compulsion, says the minister.

'If you want change, you must get your hands dirty'

'If you want change, you must get your hands dirty'

Rediff.com5 Jun 2015

Former Watson Fellow and social entrepreneur Srikar Gullapalli talks about the issues affecting India's growth and tells us why he wants more people to actively participate in building a bright future and put India on the global map.

How India's young innovators do well by doing good

How India's young innovators do well by doing good

Rediff.com25 May 2018

'Let me talk about young Indian startups with their hearts in the right place and how they are proving that innovations that represent 'affordable excellence' -- breaking the myth that 'affordability' and 'excellence' cannot go together -- is indeed possible!' says Dr R A Mashelkar, the eminent scientist, in this fascinating feature.

Why students unions at universities must not be curbed

Why students unions at universities must not be curbed

Rediff.com4 Jul 2016

The State is trying to curb the students movements, therefore, there are suspicions against some of the Subramanian report on education's recommendations, says Mohammad Sajjad.

How the Communists killed Bengal's industry

How the Communists killed Bengal's industry

Rediff.com19 Mar 2018

Then chief minister Jyoti Basu once told an industrialist that capitalists were class enemies and he should expect no sympathy.

'If con is the opposite of pro then Congress is the opposite of progress'

'If con is the opposite of pro then Congress is the opposite of progress'

Rediff.com28 May 2015

The full transcript of the exclusive interview with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A Budget for the Aam Aadmi, please!

A Budget for the Aam Aadmi, please!

Rediff.com19 Feb 2015

It is time to take a few macroeconomic risks to kick start the growth.

'Government's first responsibility is to feed its people'

'Government's first responsibility is to feed its people'

Rediff.com20 May 2015

'It is a national shame that the only country that enacted a food security act is now better known as the land of farmer suicides. Indian farming can change only if national irrigation policy is implemented in totality,' Dr M S Swaminathan tells Shobha Warrier/Rediff.com