In a setback to the ruling BJP in Uttarakhand months ahead of the Assembly elections, state minister Yashpal Arya quit the party on Monday and rejoined the Congress. His MLA son Sanjeev Arya too joined the Congress. A six-time MLA and prominent Dalit leader, Yashpal Arya is the Transport Minister in the Pushkar Singh…
For roughly three months after Tunisians toppled their dictator in January 2011 in an eruption of protest that electrified the Arab world, Ali Bousselmi felt nothing but “pure happiness.” The decade that followed, during which Tunisians adopted a new constitution, gained freedom of speech and voted in free and fair…
The Indian Space Association (ISpA) was formally launched Monday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an industry body representing the various stakeholders in the Indian space domain with members comprising the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Bharti Airtel, OneWeb, Tata Group’s Nelco, L&T, MapMyIndia…
GRAPPLING WITH the issue of stubble burning and no permanent solution in sight till now, the Punjab government has now proposed to use paddy straw/stubble as fodder for cattle in gaushalas/cattle pounds (cow sheds). Punjab produces at least 20 million tonnes of paddy straw every year, most of which is burnt in the…
Producing over 20 million tonnes of paddy straw every year, most of which is burnt in fields by farmers, leading to widespread air pollution that even spreads to neighbouring states, Punjab has now proposed to use the paddy crop residue as fodder for animals, especially cattle. We explain what research the Punjab…
A day after India and China held the 13th round of Corps Commander-level talks, the India Army on Monday said the meeting to resolve the LAC standoff ended in a stalemate. The Army, in a statement, said it gave “constructive suggestions” but the Chinese side was “not agreeable”. They also could not provide any…
The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) has now made its helpline for reporting instances of children in distress available on Whatsapp as well. The helpline on the number +919311551393 had been launched in April during the height of the second wave as a means to primarily address the issues of…
In a rare instance, a family court in Pune has granted divorce by mutual consent to a couple within 14 days of filing the petition by waiving the mandatory six-month cooling-off period. In her ruling, the judge M R Kale said, “Considering the facts and circumstances and the evidence on record, it is evident that due…
With Tata Sons set to regain control of Air India, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh shared a letter written by former prime minister Indira Gandhi, addressed to the founder of the airline, JRD Tata, after he was asked to step down as chairman. “In February 1978, JRD Tata was summarily removed by the Morarji…
CONTINUING WITH the crackdown on tax defaulters, the Punjab transport department on Friday impounded seven more buses, including one belonging to a Badal family-owned company and four buses of their close aides. Ferozepur Assistant Transport Officer (ATO) Pardeep Singh Dhillon said the flying squad of Regional…