The Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre has finally done the inevitable by imposing President’s Rule in Manipur on February 13, after dragging its feet for over 21 months, and four days after N. Biren Singh resigned as Chief Minister. The change in political gear stems not from the BJP’s first-order-of-preference, but as an … Read more
The influx of Myanmar refugees has generated diverse responses in India’s Northeastern States. Photo: Special Arrangement Northeast India has experienced prolonged spells of insurgency. However, over the past few decades, large parts of the region have remained free of insurgencies. This relative peace has allowed for the operationalisation of massive infrastructure projects. But, as the violence … Read more
‘Official estimates account only for those in registered relief camps, omitting unregistered individuals living with relatives, in temporary shelters, or displaced across multiple locations’ | Photo Credit: Getty Images The India-Myanmar borderlands remain a data-deficient region despite their long history of armed conflict, displacement, and humanitarian crises. The complexity of the Manipur conflict, along with … Read more
The talks between U.S. and Russian officials in Riyadh, their first major diplomatic interaction since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, marks the beginning of a reset in ties between the two former Cold War adversaries. Led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the two sides agreed to … Read more
As the world’s most populous country, India hopes to reap its demographic dividend due to its burgeoning youth population. Demographers and policy planners always knew that this window of opportunity would remain open, but only for a limited time. Declining school enrolment over the past decade marks the beginning of the end of this period. … Read more
By withholding Tamil Nadu’s central share of Samagra Shiksha funds for rejecting the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), the Union Government is flexing its muscles to coerce States into submission. This move also undermines the intent of the Samagra Shiksha scheme (2018-19), which consolidated the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, and Teacher Education … Read more
Two years ago, on February, 6, 2023, the people of Türkiye and Syria were jolted out of their sleep. At least 17,000 were killed, with their numbers mounting within minutes, as a great earthquake shook those countries in the early hours after 4 a.m., at 7.8 on a scale of 0 to 10. A second … Read more
Once again, the manner of appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (EC) has become controversial, with the government going ahead with the process laid down in its December 2023 law, which is under challenge before the Supreme Court. Last week, the Court had deferred the hearing to February 19, while observing … Read more
CEC appointment Riding roughshod over the other pillars of democracy has been the practice of the government of the day. As the face off between the executive and the judiciary is well known, the manner of the appointment of the new Chief Election Commissioner of India is likely to invite the ire of the top … Read more
