Top Stories
India Nears Gender Parity in Classroom, But Lags Behind in Adult Literacy
The good news is India has made significant progress in the last 15 years in boosting school enrolment, and is also close to gender parity in the classroom, according to a global report by UNESCO. The bad news, however, is the country is lagging behind in adult literacy and in checking the growth of private schools in urban slums. read more
Amaravati to Be the New Capital of Andhra Pradesh
The new capital of Andhra Pradesh will be called Amaravati, after the historical capital of the 2nd century Satavahana dynasty, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced on Wednesday. The key challenge will be finding the Rs 20,000 crore ($3.2 billion) needed to build a new capital from scratch. Meanwhile, a few NGOs and political parties are already planning agitations against the alleged takeover of fertile land for the project. read more
Govt Downsizes Ambitious Healthcare Plan Due to Funds Crunch
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly scaled down his ambitious health care plan after its cost was estimated to be $18.5 billion over five years. According to Reuters, infrastructure spending to boost economic growth has left less funds available for the social sector in the short term. read more
Supreme Court Upholds Cyber Freedom in India
It has been hailed as a verdict that preserves India’s freedom of speech in the internet age. The Supreme Court struck down a controversial law on Tuesday that gave authorities sweeping powers to jail people for offensive online posts. Section 66A of the Information and Technology (IT) Act had been challenged in the court by law students, bloggers, writers and rights groups. read more
Breakthrough in Rajya Sabha for Key Bills to Resurrect Mining Industry
The government achieved a breakthrough in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, with the upper house passing two bills to auction mines that produce minerals such as coal, iron ore and bauxite. This will help reenergise the mining industry that has languished for years. Both bills will replace earlier ordinances promulgated by the government that would have otherwise lapsed by April 5. read more
Swine Flu May Be Mutating in India and Becoming More Infectious
The swine flu outbreak in India that has already killed more than 1,400 people since December may be even more dangerous than previously thought, with a new U.S. study suggesting that strain of H1N1 virus in India has mutated to become more virulent. But the Health Ministry has disputed these findings, saying the study is based on old data. read more
Aggressive Bidding in Spectrum Auction Will Help Ease Fiscal Deficit
The government’s latest auction of radio wave frequencies for telecoms networks got off to a strong start this week, with bids worth about Rs. 65,000 billion ($10.4 billion) so far. The government expects to raise Rs. 82,000 crore ($13.1 billion) in the auction, the proceeds of which will help ease the fiscal deficit. read more
Maharashtra Bans Beef, Anyone Eating It Can Be Jailed 5 Years
The state government of Maharashtra has banned the slaughter of cows and the sale and consumption of beef. Anyone found breaking the law could face a fine and up to five years in prison. According to the BBC, the Maharashtra beef ban is the toughest so far in India - along with cows, it also forbids the killing of bulls and bullocks and even possessing beef, which will now be considered as contraband. Critics say the move will leave thousands jobless and push up the cost of other meat. read more
Railway Budget a Test of Reform Resolve
All eyes are on the railway budget to be unveiled on Thursday. It could show how far Prime Minister Narendra Modi is prepared to drive investment in a vital transport sector. India's railway network is the world’s fourth largest, and may receive a 25 percent boost in investment to over $9 billion, funded solely by falling fuel costs. read more
Corporate Espionage Scandal Engulfs Petroleum Sector
Seven more people were detained on Friday in the corporate espionage scandal that is engulfing the petroleum sector, with several private energy companies being linked to the theft of classified documents from the petroleum ministry. In total, 12 people have been arrested since two government officials, an employee of Reliance Industries, and two "middlemen" were held at the petroleum ministry on Tuesday night. read more
Modi Breaks Silence on Religious Intolerance, Condemns Violence Against Minorities
Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally broke his silence on the recent attacks against Christian institutions in Delhi, and vowed on Tuesday to protect all religious groups. This is the first time that Modi, a self-proclaimed Hindu nationalist, has condemned religious intolerance. Since coming to power last May the prime minister has been criticised for not commenting on incidents of religious violence and on conversions by Hindu right-wing groups. read more
AAP’s Landslide Victory in Delhi Ends Modi Honeymoon
Anti-establishment Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) crushed both the BJP and Congress in the Delhi assembly election on Tuesday, ending an aura of invincibility built around Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he swept to power last year. With the vote of the main national opposition Congress party collapsing, the AAP was the main beneficiary, capturing 67 of the 70 seats in the capital. read more
India Targets 100,000 MW of Solar Energy in 7 Years
India could start installing 20,000 MW of solar power capacity by April, with several international companies keen to support the government's drive for clean energy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to make the country one of the world's largest renewable energy markets, targeting 100,000 MW of output by 2022 from just 3,000 MW currently. read more
Rajasthan Sets the Pace on Labour Reforms
Rajasthan has implemented key labour reforms that are being keenly watched by other states as well as in Delhi. Last November it became the first state to alter the archaic laws that have led more than 98 per cent of businesses to deliberately avoid expanding beyond nine employees. Small entrepreneurs say the rigid regulations make it nearly impossible to fire workers or close a business. read more
GM Crop Trials Bloom in India
The Maharashtra state government has announced its permission for open field trials in genetically modified (GM) strains of rice, chana (chickpeas), maize, brinjal and cotton. Maharashtra is now the fourth state after Punjab, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh to approve open field trials. At 11.6 million hectares, India is seeing an upsurge in the area covered by GM crops. read more
Nuclear Deal Reset to Boost India-US Strategic Partnership
U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to India was expected to be largely symbolic. The first U.S. president to be the chief guest at a Republic Day parade, most observers expected plenty of hype with little chance of any ‘big bang’ agreement. The reality has turned out quite different. The ‘lame duck’ U.S. president and his host Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Sunday that they would reset the civilian nuclear deal that has hung fire for 7 years. read more