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Tamilnadu politics traditionally is always linked with popular film-personalities of the southern state starting with M Karunanidhi, MG Ramchandran and then J Jayalalitah who successively dominated political scenario in the state by holding post of Chief Ministers simultaneously by becoming chief of their personality-based political party. It is also clear that their followers including even their kin could not succeed in gaining power after their deaths or incapability due to health problems. Perhaps nowhere else, supporters from amongst the masses are so emotional as in Tamilnadu when even suicides are committed on death of their political idols (former film-personalities). It is to be noted that film-personalities in other parts of the country could not get traditional followers like in...

Union government has taken a rightful approach by further tightening norms for foreign-funded Non-Government-Organisations (NGOs) where these are now required to open accounts in 32 select banks. Earlier Union government decided to monitor funding to NGOs by world’s leading funding organisation Ford Foundation (US). Intelligence Bureau’s report indicated about misuse of Indian NGO’s for any anti-national agenda by foreign-contributors where it was revealed that India’s GDP has been adversely affected to big extent of 2-3 percent through such foreign-funding to NGOs. Many NGOs are said to have been funded for cultural evasion in India. Foreign-funded NGOs spend in rupees and receive funds in dollars by sending these foreign-contributors exaggerated photos and videos of events drama...

श्रीमती कृष्णा राज मेरी हाल ही कि लद्दाख यात्रा लंबे समय तक स्मृतियों से धूमिल न हो सकेगी। विपरीत परिस्थितियों में जीते लद्दाखियो का जीवन संघर्ष नि:संदेह प्रेरणादायक है। बर्फ से ढके वृक्षविहीन पहाड़ों में सांस लेना ही बड़ी चुनोती है क्योंकि ऑक्सिजन कब कम हो जाए यह पता ही नहीं चलता। बर्फ के तूफान, भारी बारिश और पहाड़ों के दरकना, यह रोजमर्रा की बातें हैं। अपनी यात्रा के दौरान मैंने जब अपने मंत्रालय से जुड़े अनेक कार्यो का निरीक्षण किया तो यह स्थानीय अधिकारियों के लिए बड़े आश्चर्य की बात थी, शायद उनके क्षेत्र में किसी केंद्रीय मंत्री का पहला दौरा था। में ग्रामीण महिलाओं के साथ खासी घुलमिल जाती हूं। जब मैने उन्हें टटोला तो मुझे बहुत दुख हुआ जब मैने पाया कि कर्मचारी ओर सामाजिक संस्थाओं की कार्यशैली में व्यापक भ्रष्टाचार व्याप्त था। रोज जीवन संघर्ष कर रहे लद्दाखियो के प्रति यह अत्याचार की तरह थ...

विनीत नारायण: जीएसटी ने रंग दिखाना शुरू कर दिया है। इसके लिए छोटे उद्योग और छो टे व्यापार करने वालों का बड़ा तबका पंजीकरण और काम धंधे का हिसाब किताब रखने और हर महीने सरकार को जानकारी देने के लिए कागज पत्तर तैयार करने में लग गया है। इसका तो खैर पहले से अंदाजा था। लेकिन दसियों टैक्स खत्म करके एक टैक्स करने का जो एक फायदा गिनाया गया था कि वस्तु और सेवा पर कुल टैक्स कम हो जाएगा और चीजें सस्ती हो जाएंगी, वह होता नजर नहीं आया। बल्कि अपनी प्रवृति के अनुसान बाजार ने जीएसटी के बहाने अपनी तरफ से ही ज्यादा बसूली और शुरू कर दी। कानूनी और वैध तरीके अपनी जगह हैं लेकिन देश का ज्यादातर खुदरा व्यापार अभी भी असंगठित क्षेत्र में ही माना जाता है। सो जीएसटी के लक्ष्य हासिल होने में अभी से किंतु परंतु लगने लगे हैं। जीएसटी की आड़ लेकर आम जनता से ज्यादा दाम की अधोषित वसूली पहले दिन से ही शुरू हो गईं। जीएसट...

Sriram Ramakrishnan 24 July 2017 An ideology’s durability and strength is often misunderstood by many. Its fiercest believers will always find little to complain but neutral observers can also be sometimes lulled into what is called ‘the willing suspension of disbelief’ when it comes to the receding impact of a political or religious system on people. It is easy to miss the rumblings on the ground while focusing on an artificial sense of stability created by apparatchiks of an imploding ideology. Liberalism is going through such a phase, both in India and overseas. In India, the shock of the Narendra Modi victory in 2014 has been worsened by the PM’s continuing popularity, the BJP’s electoral surge and the crippling inability of the opposition to even play token defence. Th...

Talks are going on now for last so many years about much-needed merger of public-sector banks to further deuce their number from present 21. Central government and Reserve Bank of India should now act urgently to implement the plan for smooth banking and to reduce big overheads in continuing with so many banks. Perhaps nowhere in the world, there may be public-sector banks in such a large number. Mega-merger plan will pave way for closing of nearing bank-branches, thus making work-force available without any spending on further recruitment apart from introducing seven-day-week banking which has become a necessity after demonetization. Bank-employees can be given two holidays per week by rotation to compensate for banks being opened on holidays. It may be recalled that banking was ...

SUDHAKAR RAJE APROPOS The hate you give by Subhadra Sen Gupta (The Indian Express, 25 June 2017), she has been described at the end of the piece as a writer on Indian history. So it should be interesting to check how far history and her story are on the same page. First of all, of course, the Mughal emperor Akbar, whom she "adores". So here are a few authentic (though not exactly adorable) quotes : □ "He (Akbar) was long ranked with Shahabuddin, Alauddin and other instruments of destruction, and with every just claim, like these he constructed a mumba (pulpit) for the Koran from the altars of Ekling." (Tod, Annals and Antiquities of Rajputana, Vol. 1, p. 338.) Eklingji is the main deity of the Rajputs. □ Akbar launched his campaign again...

It refers to now Comptroller and Auditor General-CAG of India holding poor quality food prepared in most unhygienic conditions being served in Indian trains, after repeated complaints of poor-quality food prepared in most unhygienic conditions being served in Indian trains including also prepared in private kitchens. Also there is a sizable number of rail-passengers which do not consume rail-food because of some peculiar food-habits like Jain-Food without onion and garlic, despite their being forced compulsory paying cost of food with cost of rail-ticket in premium trains like Rajdhani and Shatabdi. Variety of branded packaged food by reputed companies should be made available on payment of cost by giving sale-commission to rail staff. Abolishing charging food-cost with rail-fare w...