Days after he kicked up a row by stating that there are more temples than toilets in India, Union Minister Jairam Ramesh on Sunday urged women not to get married into families that do not have toilets in their homes.
A Hindu caste group has built a fence around a Dalit colony to prevent them from venturing onto their fields and using sanitation facilities. The reason: The SC community protested against their oppressive employers six years ago. Ganesh Nadar brings attention to the plight of 50 families from Velayuthapuram in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin district
Bio-toilets developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation on Tuesday earned praise from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who said that these could go a long way in solving the problem of open defecation in rural India.
The Bharatiya Janata Party was left embarrassed on Thursday when party's Delhi unit chief Satish Upadhyay landed in a controversy over photographs that showed garbage being littered on a sidewalk in a posh Lodhi Road locality before he along with former AAP leader Shazia Ilmi cleaned it as part of a Swachh Bharat initiative.
Modi said his government has taken 'historic' decisions and the nation progressed rapidly in the last one year, even as he acknowledged that there is a lot that needs to be done and many challenges and problems face the country.
Controversial TV personality Jeremy Clarkson has once again been accused of racism after mocking Indian culture in a 'Top Gear' Christmas Special on BBC.
On the occasion of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's 125th birth anniversary, Maharashtra Chief Minister joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan.
"I believe the biggest issues in front of us are malnutrition and toilets, these are the two faces of one coin... I have MNREGA, PMGSY, drinking water etc under me but I spend maximum time on toilet only," said Ramesh, who holds the portfolios of Rural Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation, in what apparently was his take on the toilet controversy for which the plan panel has drawn flak.
There's a looming water crisis facing the country, and it comes down to how the states are faring in water resource management.
In its daily briefing, the government also reported Goa is now free of coronavirus.
The United States leads the world with more than 1.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
'The safety regulations drastically reduce the chances of contracting the virus on a two-hour flight.'
With a staff in one hand and the other on his granddaughter's shoulder, the old man briskly takes the lead as the sun breaks over the horizon.
'There will always be hiccups given that the Namami Gange programme is spread over different sectors and involves several agencies.'
"Getting the award in the year of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary is personally significant for me. When 130 crore people take a pledge, any challenge can be overcome," the prime minister said.
Urban planners and real estate experts say bad town planning in Mumbai and rising deaths during the ongoing pandemic are a "sad reality". Dev Chatterjee and Raghavendra Kamath report.
The government's decision to release the reports comes two days after over 200 scholars from across the globe issued a statement demanding release of all withheld reports produced by the NSO, including the household consumer expenditure survey that was junked.
India's human development indicators show that deprivation extends well beyond the 22 per cent of population who live below the official poverty line.
Indian students, who are living and studying away from home, tell us how they are dealing with the COVID-19 crisis and what they discovered on their journey back home.
Bedi's order however drew flak from All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam legislature wing leader A Anbalagan, who told reporters that Bedi was treading the path of 'autocracy' by issuing such directives.
Fifty-seven-year-old Kamat, a five-time MP from Mumbai, who held the portfolio of Minister of State for Home and Communications, wrote to the Prime Minister soon after Tuesday's reshuffle, saying that he wanted to be relieved of his ministerial responsibility.
'We had no inkling this would come. Admittedly, we failed to inspire confidence in migrants that no harm would come to them if they stayed back.' Radhika Ramaseshan reports.
Almost half of the two billion people who have gained access to drinking water since 1990 live in China and India.
'At this point of time, West Bengal is doing better than other states in tackling the crisis. We have a chief minister who herself has hit the streets to do what is to be done, and at the same time ensuring a proper lockdown. She is also trying day and night to set up the requisite infrastructure.'
Spending has been increased again, but there's still no effort in the Budget to improve outcomes.
Like Jamshedpur, many Indian cities that have been and will be properly planned can be smart cities of the future.
On the rise in petrol prices, Union Minister Alphons Kannanthanam queried, "Who buys petrol... somebody with car, somebody with a bike. Certainly, they are not starving... somebody who can afford to pay has to pay."
While in custody and until the first hearing in his extradition case next week, Modi is likely to be held in a separate cell but may also have to share a cell with other prisoners given the overcrowding pressures.
Issuing a public notice, the Kathmandu District Administration has appealed to local people not to consume meat-related food items for the time being.
'The Modi Model we see now is still the old Gujarat Model.' 'But with an acknowledgement that governing India is more challenging than governing Gujarat,' notes Shekhar Gupta.
Making water available is always a serious challenge in the summer for all public authorities. This year, the challenge is higher when hand-washing at every opportunity has become a necessity. So keeping potable water lines running without a glitch has become most necessary.
Sitharaman, who was holding the Commerce portfolio (Independent charge), was on Sunday promoted to the Cabinet rank as was Goyal.
Raja Sen, a Top Gear fan, points out that the problem with the show's Indian edition wasn't the host's political incorrectness, but the fact that it lacked its characteristic bite.
As the Indian Army reported its first case of the infection with a 34-year-old soldier testing positive in Leh, the Army said it has taken a series of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus among the forces such as checking flu symptoms among soldiers on their return from leave and cancelling non-essential travel, conferences and recruitment drives.
'How far would I go to fight for what I believe in?' 'If push comes to shove, I'd go a very long way.'
Delhi BJP chief Tiwari said each poor family will be provided good quality, subsidised 'atta' (wheat flour) at a rate of Rs 2 per kilogram. The BJP will bring an ambitious 'Samridh Delhi Infrastructure Scheme', with a provision of Rs 10,000 crore, to ensure "focussed and priority" development of roads, flyovers, foot over-bridges and other key infrastructure projects, the manifesto stated. The manifesto promises to set up a 'Colonies Development Board' for undertaking development of various civic amenities.
With flood waters of Mahanadi river system slowly receding in the delta region, Orissa government on Tuesday accelerated relief work in the affected areas with focus on health care, sanitation and supply of safe drinking water.
'Despite having majority governments, why did you allow it to remain temporary. You did not have the conviction or strength to bring reform'
The article is in stark contrast to the TIME cover story done on Modi earlier this month titled 'India's Divider in Chief', written by Aatish Taseer, son of Indian journalist Tavleen Singh and late Pakistani politician and businessman Salmaan Taseer.
Banks, ATMs and quite a few markets were kept open on Sunday while 2.5 lakh sacrificial goats have been made available in the Kashmir valley to help citizens celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with traditional fervour.
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