The relative ranking of castes can vary across regions and localities and depends on a number of factors including control over land, wealth, and political power. Castes have often tried to 'upgrade' themselves (a process sociologists refer to as Sanskritization), and sometimes get 'downgraded'. A revealing excerpt from Upinder Singh's Ancient India: Culture Of Contradictions.
Its current majority of 22,078 votes for the purpose of the presidential elections is considered thin, particularly when BJP might not be able to predict voting behaviour of its allies like Shiv Sena.
Asked if the mainstream politician would be released any time soon, the BJP leader said some leaders have been released.
Sonowal assured people that the state government will provide legal aid to poor people in their fight against exclusion from the NRC so that they can pursue their cases in foreigners tribunals and in higher courts.
'Was the episode edited later? How many times did the shooting happen for this episode and how it happened?'
Stating that providing reservation was no solution to development concerns of Muslims, Najma Heptulla, who took charge as Minister for Minority Affairs, said the new government will ensure progress of all communities, with special stress on education facilities for minorities.
'The media hype that the Gir lion species is in danger is totally wrong.'
CM Amarinder Singh said the Centre would have to make the necessary amendments to the CAA if it had to be implemented in Punjab and other states opposing it. He also made it clear that the census in Punjab would be conducted on the old parameters and the new factors added by the Centre for the purpose of the NPR would not be included.
A look into the state of Dalit entrepreneurship in the country.
Surfing schools shut, roadside shops moved out, road being relaid, 10,000 police personnel expected... A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com finds a historical town getting ready to grab the headlines for 3 days.
After being officially recognised as a minority community, the Jews would enjoy several privileges like other minority communities.
Some have welcomed this shift in the government's stance.
Venu Muruvelil reports on the Outrage over thriving child marriages in Kerala as the state government looks the other way.
The stock and foreign exchange markets have had a negative reaction to the government's biggest social security programme, the National Food Security Bill. Food minister K V Thomas questions the rationale behind such a response
The Union home ministry is expected to forward the proposal to the Registrar General & Census Commissioner for a detailed examination and suggestions, a ministry official said.
A leaked investigation report into an alleged plot to takeover school syllabus in some of Britain's schools has found attempts by extremists to introduce an "intolerant and aggressive Islamist ethos."
Sources in the Fifteenth Finance Commission said that they will implement the provisions after the bill is enacted and the President makes a reference to it.
'The BJP will be the ruling party.'
Data show 75 per cent of the girls in 2011 were those who did not contribute to any economic activity (termed as non-workers by Census) -- these could include students, those involved in household chores, beggars, or those not helping in even unpaid work in the family, etc.
Water from as many as 78,508 rural habitations is contaminated by arsenic, fluoride, iron or nitrate, finds out Chaitanya Mallapur/IndiaSpend.com.
'For the sake of the nation, and the preservation of its polity, it is high time the country's largest political party and the country's largest religious minority make peace between them,' says Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
The Bangladesh cricket team was arriving for prayers at the mosque when the shooting occurred but all members were safe, a team coach told Reuters.
In a post on Twitter on Wednesday, the 28-year-old also named the Janata Dal-United as a client during the 2010 Bihar elections and brought up some caste surveys carried out in Uttar Pradesh by SCL India -- the parent company of CA.
The SC said these shelters should be run by volunteers and not the police, and there should be no use of force and intimidation.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal suggested that the NRC be implemented across India.
Shah said the Anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in the national capital were turned into communal riots. "I call upon my Muslim brothers and sisters that false propaganda is being spread on the issue of CAA. This Act is not to take anyone's citizenship but to give citizenship," said Shah.
'The nominations were not meant to last permanently, but depended on the government of the day.' 'There was no question of revoking it during Congress, Janata Dal or even Vajpayee's NDA rule.' 'But Modi is different.'
The record voter turnout in Rajasthan has forced politicians and psephologists to junk their pre-poll calculations. Now, all eyes are on the December 8 counting, says P B Chandra
In UP, the BJP focused carefully on the sub-caste divisions within the Dalits and also gave a large number of tickets to SC candidates from sub-castes.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's vision document for Bihar promises to shower freebies on all sections of society if comes to power.
Populations of cities are rising, more are coming in because cities continue to attract people for jobs and because of increased economic activity. One standard question would be: What is the government doing about this?
'There will be increases.' 'There is bound to be, but you have to bear with all this.' 'The focus should be to provide optimum care for those who are in the need.' 'We should focus more on care, better care. Not on testing.'
India is going into the longest lockdown in the world, with the least amount of notice given to its people and the least preparation by its government.
Opponents of the CAA and NRC have gone to town accusing the BJP of an ulterior motive (read, disenfranchisement of Muslims) in implementing the NRC. By the same token it can be alleged that anti-CAA opponents have a nefarious agenda in mind that would be scuttled by the implementation of the NRC: Namely the accrual of dedicated vote banks and the restoration of Muslim hegemony over at least parts of India, especially Bengal and Assam, argues Vivek Gumaste.
In 2012, with one million deaths, China reported the highest toll from PM2.5 and PM10 pollution. At the time, India followed, reporting 621,138 deaths, nearly 10 per cent of the global toll associated with outdoor and indoor air pollution
Let us see the problem for what it actually is: Illegal Immigration plain and simple, confined to the northeast with a definite communal slant that poses a national security risk and one that needs to be dealt with firmly and promptly by stringent identification (and deportation), says Vivek Gumaste.
The BSP supremo is looking forward to the support of Dalits and Muslims to seize the throne in Lucknow, writes Amit Shankar.
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's task is to live down the hype and address the nitty-gritty, reports Radhika Ramaseshan.
The 24 hours walk is just the beginning of a moment to save the girl child. Dr Rajesh Shah has many things planned but for now his energies are focused on this 24-hours walk.
'This government has made it compulsory to teach some languages that have died.' 'You can't keep languages alive by making them compulsory.'
