Innehållsförteckning för June 11, 2018 från India Today

Exactly a year from today, a new government will be in place in New Delhi, and the inaugural session of the 17th Lok Sabha will be under way. A year might seem like a long time, but not for the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo who have changed the rules of the electoral game quite in the way T-20 has done in cricket. I don’t recall any other government that has been so proactive in launching reforms or schemes. Not all of them have worked out as intended, but in the last four years there has been a relentless effort to bring about change. There is also a method in the madness where most schemes are connected to each other. The massive drive to open Jan Dhan accounts, for example, was…

14 People have died in Kerala in the Nipah (NiV) outbreak, confirmed on May 20—11 in Kozhikode, 3 in Malappuram 8,700 Ribavirin tablets to treat the virus arrived at Kozhikode’s medical college hospital from Malaysia on May 23 70.4% Mortality rate in two earlier NiV outbreaks in West Bengal: 71 cases reported, 50 dead—45 in Siliguri from 66 cases in February 2001 and 5 dead from 5 cases in Nadia, April 2007 211 Deaths (of 280 cases) from NiV in Bangladesh and India between 2001 and 2012—mortality rate 75.4% 4 Districts in northern Kerala—Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kannur—named by the state government in warning to travellers 20 lakh Compensation from Kerala government for the 2 children of a nurse who died while treating NiV patients; Rs 5 lakh for families…

Lt Gen. Zorawar Chand Bakshi stood five foot and five inches tall and was the most decorated Indian general alive until May 25, 2018. He was 97 when he died. Nice numbers at either extreme and though they can’t do him justice, they do express some of the humility and well…grandeur of his rather magical and inspiring career. In India, he is likely to be best remembered for his role in three wars with Pakistan—in 1948, 1965 and 1971. He was awarded a Vir Chakra for bravery in 1948 and a Mahavir Chakra in 1965 for his involvement in the capture of the strategic Haji Pir pass. In the 1971 war, Zoru’s cool resolve in dealing with the ‘Akhnoor dagger’, a wedge of Pakistan-held territory extending into J&K, is an…

YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy’s suggestion to rename Krishna district after TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao drew instant approval from the Kamma community. He has now suggested renaming West Godavari after freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju to woo the Rajus. But considering the fate of the earlier rechristening moves under Congress governments, this one’s not going far. Kadapa district was renamed after Reddy’s father, former CM Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, and Nellore after the revolutionary Potti Sriramulu, but few use the new names even after a decade.…

The real purpose of introducing electoral bonds was to render opaque the sources of electoral/ political funding The Election Commission of India’s reported response, to a Right to Information (RTI) application, stating that political parties are not within the purview of the RTI created quite a stir. To quote the ECI: “[The] requisite information is not available [with] the Commission. This is related to political parties and they are [outside the] purview of the RTI. They may submit information of donation/ amount collected through electoral bonds in their contribution report for the financial year 2017-18 [to] the ECI, for which the due date is September 30, 2018.” To put this baldly, this is contrary to facts. A full bench of the Central Information Commission (CIC) had said, on June 3,…

GOODS AND SERVICES TAX Implementation challenges remain. The idea of one nation, one tax remains elusive and data security is a big concern. Moreover, cash is still very much a crucial mode of transaction in the organised and unorganised sectors INSOLVENCY AND BANKRUPTCY CODE Institutional capacities need to be expanded to handle cases MAKE IN INDIA The initiative aims to raise the share of manufacturing in the GDP to 25 per cent by fiscal 2022. But it increased only by 80 basis points to 18 per cent in fiscal 2018 from 2014 JAN DHAN, AADHAAR, MOBILE TRINITY According to a World Bank study, 80 per cent of Indian adults have a bank account today, up from 35 per cent in 2011. But the issue of zero balance accounts and access…

FULFILLED PROMISE Barring multi-brand retail, FDI will be allowed wherever needed to create jobs, infrastructure STATUS In August 2016, FDI was allowed in most areas, including defence and civil aviation. Extended to multi-brand retail ABOUT-TURN PROMISE The functioning of Foreign Investment Promotion Board shall be made more investor friendly STATUS FIPB abolished in May 2017. Entry of foreign players in restricted areas to be evaluated by specific ministries ON COURSE PROMISE World-class investment and industrial hubs will be set up STATUS New manufacturing areas identified. UAV/ drone manufacturing policy is in the works PROMISE Will ease doing business in India STATUS India jumped from 130 to 100 in World Bank’s ease of doing business rankings FAILURE PROMISE Give impetus to manufacturing to create jobs STATUS The manufacturing policy has been…

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi identified India’s manufacturing sector for a special thrust with the ‘Make in India’ campaign, the motive was two-fold: one was to pull the sector out of stagnating growth and increase its share in the national GDP from 17 per cent to a more aggressive 25 per cent by 2022, and the other to tap the sector’s potential to help the government deliver on its promise of providing 10 million jobs every year. Sadly, the government has failed on both counts, though it may find consolation in the fact that its efforts have improved India’s standing in the World Bank’s 2018 ease of doing business rankings, which placed India at No. 100 among 190 countries. Its move to allow FDI in various manufacturing sectors has also…

Minister for Labour & Employment SANTOSH GANGWAR, 69 The ministry has no big achievement to show in the past four years. Gangwar, however, has taken several measures to make life better for workers. These include increasing minimum wages, providing health and other facilities, rehabilitating bonded labour, etc. The unions aren’t impressed, though, and have more often than not expressed their displeasure through strikes 7,378.38 crore BUDGET OUTLAY 2018-19 14 NO. OF CENTRAL SCHEMES…

Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises ANANT GEETE, 64 Special interest The only Shiv Sena leader who wants an alliance with the BJP Ministerial regret Complete revival of manufacturing still a distant dream FULFILLED The automobile industry continues to grow. At a time when India’s overall export declined by 9.5 per cent, auto exports increased by 3.5 per cent in the past four years. The industrial sector recorded an average growth of 8 per cent. The auto industry achieved a share of 7.1 per cent in the country’s GDP PROMISE Introduce electric vehicles STATUS Subsidy of Rs 437 crore to 11 cities for launching electric buses, taxis and three-wheelers PROMISE Boost Make in India STATUS Development of indigenous technology for power generation with an investment of Rs 1,500 crore.…

When the Modi government came to power, it declared ‘Neighbourhood First’ as its foreign policy . ‘India and its neighbours,’ the BJP’s 2014 manifesto read, ‘have drifted apart. Instead of clarity, we have seen confusion.’ The party pledged to set this right, including “strengthening regional forums such as SAARC”. As a first step, the PM invited leaders of all SAARC countries, including Nawaz Sharif, for his swearing-in. He is, in a sense, the senior foreign minister, visiting 54 countries in four years, adding a personal touch to an outcome-oriented foreign policy. But four years on, a lack of clarity still assails India’s neighbourhood policy. Relations with Pakistan have lurched from the PM’s surprise Lahore Christmas Day visit in 2015 to the bloodiest year in half a decade on the border…

FULFILLED PROMISE One rank, one pension STATUS Implemented in 2016. Has seen significant improvement in pensions of defence personnel PROMISE Build a War Memorial STATUS Under construction. To be unveiled in August 2018 FAILURES PROMISE Modernise armed forces, increase defence R&D, develop indigenous defence technologies, fast-track defence purchases STATUS Mixed bag. Some schemes have taken off, others have lagged behind. Defence purchases yet to be fast tracked PROMISE FDI in select defence industries STATUS Only Rs 1.18 crore in the past four years. One reason is lack of defence orders PROMISE Set up four dedicated defence universities STATUS Only one project, a national defence university, has taken off, to come up by 2019…

When the Narendra Modi government took over in 2014, roads were being rolled at the rate of 11 kilometres a day. Four years later, the figure stands at 20 kilometres a day. Most of the credit is due to Nitin Gadkari as minister for road transport, highways and shipping. The ministry speeded up road construction by removing several bottlenecks—land acquisition, clearing of forests, shifting of utilities and removal of encroachments. Coming up is the Centre’s Bharatmala scheme, under which 83,677 km of roads will be constructed and expanded and 569 highways linked to districts by 2022 at an estimated cost of Rs 6.92 lakh crore. Gadkari has been able to replicate his success in the shipping ministry, an additional charge, quadrupling revenues at the 12 major ports to Rs 4,000…

ON COURSE PROMISE India will produce 1 BT coal by end of 2019 STATUS A dip in power demand and slowdown in the steel sector forced abandonment of plan. But many mines in no-go areas opened up. India produced nearly 581 MT of coal in FY17-18 PROMISE Streamline mine allocation for captive use of private players STATUS In September 2014, the apex court cancelled all 206 mine allocations. The government reallocated some mines, but many are still stuck in legal complications ACHIEVEMENT Came out with a transparent monitoring system for coal allocation Crushing and washing of coal made mandatory, reducing the risk of mixing of boulders and ash. This has improved quality of coal Launched a commercial mining policy, allowing more private investment and technology in mining CHALLENGES Power demand,…

On May 16 this year, Union minister for agriculture Radha Mohan Singh released the 41-page Model Contract Farming and Services Act, 2018. The Act brings all services in the agriculture value chain—including preproduction, production and post-production—within its ambit along with contract farming activity. In a candid admission, the Model Act begins by laying out the main weaknesses of Indian agriculture. ‘Indian agriculture suffers from certain structural weaknesses in the form of small holdings and fragmentation, apart from production uncertainties and market unpredictability,’ it reads. ‘These challenges need to be addressed, if farmers’ income is to be increased by way of realising higher productivity, cost-effective production and efficient monetisation of the produce.’ The Model Act, to be adopted and enacted by states, pulls contract farming out of the outdated APMC Act.…

STATUS OF COMMITMENTS MADE IN 2014 BJP MANIFESTO In 2014, of the 42 approved mega food parks, only two were operational 15 mega food parks to come up during the current fiscal 80 cold chains are operational and 30 more to come up during this fiscal Pushed for FDI in multi-brand retail, as a result of which the BJP had to backtrack on its poll promise Budget allocation to her ministry has increased three times in four years Her ministry has Rs 6,000 crore allocation for the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana Achievements 23 projects approved for backward and forward linkages; 8 projects approved under Agro-Processing Clusters Challenges Convince commerce ministry on FDI in multi-brand retail Mobilise state bureaucracy…

FULFILLED PROMISE Special emphasis on Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms like Lok Adalats, Arbitration and Conciliation centres STATUS Big push for Lok Adalats, settled 8.36 mn pending cases since 2014 n Legal aid for common man through Tele Law, Nyaya Mitra, Pro Bono Legal Services n Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2018, to be tabled in Parliament PROMISE Review and refine/ scrap outdated laws STATUS Over 1,200 obsolete laws scrapped since 2014 ON COURSE PROMISE Create courts specially equipped to deal with IPR cases STATUS Legal amendment to expand the scope of commercial courts and improve India’s ranking on the ‘ease of doing business index’, to be tabled in Parliament AVERAGE PROMISE Evolve a method of holding Assembly and Lok Sabha elections simultaneously STATUS Call for a national debate PROMISE Initiate…

FULFILLED PROMISE Initiate new health policy STATUS Launched in 2017, with 2019 as target to increase health spending to 2.5% of GDP PROMISE Health assurance to all STATUS Proposed “world’s largest health insurance scheme” in Budget 2018 ON COURSE PROMISE Set up an AIIMS-like institute in every state STATUS Four new AIIMS announced in Budget 2014-15 are still in early construction stages; 6 new AIIMS announced in 2015-16, all still being finalised; 2 more announced in 2018 PROMISE Modernise government hospitals STATUS Continuous low budgetary allocation haunts National Rural Health Mission PROMISE Move to pre-emptive care model (child health) STATUS Alarming malnutrition statistics; cutbacks on funding have impacted most child health programmes PROMISE Reduce out-of-pocket spending of common man STATUS AMRIT scheme to provide affordable life-saving drugs to Jan Aushadhi…

Minister for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan, 48 Work style Non-confrontational, effective use of bureaucracy and organisational structure of party First preference State politics in his home state of Odisha continues to be his first love ACHIEVEMENTS Started 451 new Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras for skilling in Smart Cities, 3,356 ITIs, five new IISes, 16 new IIScs and 21 universities; revived ITIs The National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) is a leap forward in quality assurance in vocational education Nearly 50 National Sector Skill Councils, industry-led, made responsible for skilling needs, concept and processes CHALLENGES Needs to create 450 million skilled workforce by 2022 Needs to plug in gap between trained trainers, physical infrastructure and potential candidates, to cater to job aspirations of the youth 450 PEOPLE TO BE TRAINED…

FULFILLED PROMISE Low-cost housing for all; in November 2016, PM Narendra Modi pledged one crore pucca houses by March 31, 2019 STATUS Nearly 4.4 million pucca houses (44%) already constructed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin till Mar. 31, 2018 PROMISE A system of technology enabled e-governance, which eliminates the scope for corruption STATUS Space technology such as geo-tagging, IT platforms, NREGASoft app, are used to monitor the complete cycle of house construction. Three stages of geo-tagging and photography used during house construction. The money for construction is sent via DBT to Jan Dhan accounts in three instalments corresponding with the geotagging ON COURSE PROMISE Every village will be connected through all-weather roads STATUS So far 550,533 kms of roads have been constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY);…

Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot, 70 HITS The government has held several outreach camps and distributed aid to the divyang (physically disabled) and elderly Has extended the scope of education scholarships for students from the SC and ST communities MISS The government faces a perception issue—the Dalits, STs and OBCs feel they are being denied their rights. What has made matters worse is the rise in incidents of violence against Dalits and the political silence over these issues…

ON COURSE PROMISE Increase investment in S&T endeavours STATUS Budget allocation for Department of Science & Technology from 2014-15 to 2018-19 was Rs 19,764 crore, a 90% increase over preceding five years. Similar increase of 65% for dept of biotechnology, 42% for CSIR and 26% for ministry of earth sciences AVERAGE PROMISE Promote science awareness STATUS The Indian International Science Festival (IISF) is a hit ON COURSE PROMISE Streamline processes for environmental, CRZ and forest clearances STATUS Average time for clearances down to 160 days…

It’s quite challenging to evaluate five ministries, which together account for just 0.6 per cent of the budget allocation this fiscal. The funds crunch limits the scope of activities of these ministries, though culture minister Mahesh Sharma believes his budget is good enough to produce results. The ministries’ performance also depends on the states’ priority towards that sector. For instance, sports is a state subject, but despite several well-intended schemes, actual work on the ground is still not tangible because sports is still one of the last priorities in state budgets. However, this does not exonerate the Modi government, as with 18 states under BJP rule, it’s now much easier to push central schemes. Technology has helped the culture and tourism ministries massively improve service delivery—e-ticketing, digitisation of archives—but they…

FULFILLED Promise: Promote all sports—traditional and modern Status: Khelo India programme launched in 2016 by merging the existing Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan, the Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme and the National Sports Talent Search Programme. An amount of Rs 1,756 crore for three years was allocated to Khelo India. Besides, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) is implementing eight sports promotional schemes to train 14,505 sportspersons in 27 sports in 303 SAI centres. Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme also launched, to prepare India for the next three Olympics. Under the programme, started in September 2017, selected sportspersons will be given Rs 50,000 a month for training, diet and other expenses till 2020 FAILURE Promise: Providing sportspersons security of career through jobs in government, PSUs and private sector Status: No significant step…

From a distance, it looks like a hill and for a moment there is confusion as one is still within city limits. Slowly the hill gets larger and clearer and you realise it is built entirely of garbage, packed tight over the years and getting bigger each day. This is the Ghazipur landfill on Delhi’s outskirts, spread over 70 acres and over 50 metres high. Tiny stick figures make their way up, undertaking a trek of a different sort as they go about their daily work, sorting garbage and wading through piles of plastic and other waste. The numbers are astounding. In India, plastic production is averaging a growth rate of 10 per cent per year. As per Central Pollution Control Board 2016 estimates, 15,000 tonnes of plastic waste is…

This collection, the first of its kind, focuses on the literary rather than the political side of the Tibetan story In her terrific introduction to this definitive anthology, editor Tenzin Dickie (also an astute translator) writes about growing up a ‘literary orphan’: ‘There were no Tibetan films, no Tibetan short stories, no Tibetan novels.’ She seeks to fill the artistic vacuum with this collection of modern Tibetan short fiction, the first of its kind, which she describes as ‘the coming-out of the Tibetan short story’. It marks a literary moment. These are the best Tibetan writers at work today, and they come from wherever the Tibetan-in-exile has set foot: China, India, Nepal, Canada and the US. One learns of how the Tibetan writing system developed in the seventh century, about…

There are few cultural icons as enduring as Elvis Presley, and even fewer who inspire intrigue, hysteria and worship. Indeed, Presley’s life was so mired in controversy that it continues to fascinate even today. Presley’s style remains iconic, and proving the King’s indelible style mark on followers, an Omega timepiece belonging to the legendary performer has been sold for CHF 1,500,000 at the Geneva Watch Auction by Phillips. The 33 mm timepiece houses a manually-wound Omega calibre 510, and features 44 brilliant cut diamonds surrounding the bezel, as well as an elegant silvered ivory dial with a small-seconds subdial. On the caseback, the engravings include the words: “To Elvis, 75 Million Records, RCA Victor, 12-25-60.” In fact, Elvis was most likely the first artist in history to reach that impressive…

THE NIZAM SUITE at ITC Kakatiya, Hyderabad, spells luxury with everything from the opulent décor to the unique amenities. Located on the 15th floor of the hotel, the suite overlooks the city’s green cover and the iconic Hussain Sagar Lake. With keen attention to detail, the ambience is the perfect blend of the Hyderabad Nizams’ cultural opulence and artistic inspirations from the Kakatiya Dynasty. These aesthetic influences are everywhere from the Persian carpets to the artifacts in Bidri-work. The bathroom, equipped with a private jacuzzi, is another exclusive feature, with a compact kitchenette completing the amenities. Adding to the bespoke stay experience here are the unique platters of regional specialties. These include Badam ki jali, a melt-in-the-mouth lesser known dessert from Hyderabad and Ashrafi, a coin shaped barfi that bears…

The year is 2035. Fresh from dealing with the fall-outs of urban desertification, the ever-expanding Bombay salt-flats form a large part of our premium neighbourhoods surrounding the new Hyperloop & Hyper-speed racing track. Most of us grow our own produce in tiny yet bountiful hydroponic farms, and the new Mumbai-barter app is now trending with the new breed of hipster urban farmers. While the market crash and riots of 2030 haven’t really faded from memory, we’re trying to rebuild our city from the ashes. Mumbai seems to benefit from the commerce around home factories, and is now attracting world talent in additive building and manufacture, truly a future city. Future imperfect As you can surmise, my current obsession is with the future and to visualise the flow of time more…

“Like other party workers, I only repeated what the party supremo said... Arvind (Kejriwal) knew that if convicted in these defamation cases, he would have been jailed... He is a habitual liar... I am sorry for the damage caused to you by our liar and coward leader, which I also repeated.” AAP leader Kumar Vishwas apologised to finance minister Arun Jaitley on May 28, in a letter more notable for the venom he directed at his party boss Arvind Kejriwal than any regret he expressed for defaming Jaitley. His animus against Kejriwal, an AAP spokesperson said, was the result of frustration at being overlooked for a Rajya Sabha seat.…

On May 28, the Tamil Nadu government ordered the permanent closure of a copper plant in Thoothukudi, the site of protests that left many dead and injured as the state police opened fire. Owned by a subsidiary of Anil Agarwal’s Vedanta Resources, the plant had long been the subject of local anger and was shut down in 2010 by the Madras High Court for green violations. The Supreme Court later struck down the order. The company described the government’s decision as an “unfortunate development”, pointing to the many jobs that will be lost. A British MP called for the company to be delisted from the London Stock Exchange, removing its “cloak of acceptability”. 13 Protesters killed in police action in May during demonstrations against Sterlite Copper, 100 injured 102 Days…

Higher oil prices and global commodity prices could spur inflation and lead to currency depreciation. The fifth year of the government would be about managing negative headlines Speedy reforms are needed in the banking sector. While the bankruptcy code has changed the way of recoveries in case of a bad loan, far-reaching reforms are required on the lending side. The government can no longer wish away the difficult administrative reforms in the banking sector The rural economy needs impetus. Nearly eight of the 14 major crops were sold below the minimum support price in 2017. A bad monsoon could spell difficult times for the economy…

From being a weak negotiator in WTO, India in December 2017 went on to fend off pressure from the West on various issues. Also organised a mini-ministerial meeting this March to help break the stalemate in WTO negotiations Liberalised export policy, started working towards bilateral agreements with new partners Free Trade Agreement negotiations with the European Union restarted Built trade relations with countries in all five zones of Africa, Latin America and Central Asia Entered into a pact with China to make bilateral efforts towards reducing trade imbalance…

FAILURES PROMISE Make India a one-stop destination for textiles STATUS The sector is still mired in underproductivity, outdated machinery and a distorted duty structure that encourages high-value apparel imports PROMISE Boost textile exports to take on competition from countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam STATUS: Textile/ apparel export fell 13 per cent YOY to Rs 18,600 crore in Jan. 2018 # First-ever b2b textile summit, Textiles India 2017, in Gujarat got orders worth Rs 2,200 crore; 65 MoUs signed ON COURSE PROMISE Improve the lot of handloom weavers STATUS Work in progress. The social media-savvy minister launched the #IWear-Handloom campaign, to create public awareness, also tied up with fashion portal Myntra. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission and Raymond started a khadi clothing line in 2016 # MoUs signed with…

ON COURSE PROMISE Improve conditions for working women STATUS Maternity leave raised to 26 weeks (12 weeks paid leave). Organisations with more than 50 workers must provide creche facilities, a move that will benefit around 1.8 million women workers AVERAGE PROMISE Better conditions for unorganised sector workers STATUS An initiative has been started to provide housing facilities to workers in the unorganised sector. Last year, more than 15,000 workers got houses. The ministry is working towards increasing the number to 30,000 FAILURE PROMISE Better vocational training to workers STATUS Goal was to give vocational training to 39.2 million workers. Till date, only 1.5 million have been trained CHALLENGES Vocational training has been hampered by the lack of a uniform training system, paperwork, etc. Also, farm workers are not factored in…

Adecade ago, the home ministry was an internal security nightmare. It managed a deadly quadrangle of violence in Jammu and Kashmir, terror attacks in India’s hinterland, separatism in the Northeast and a spreading Maoist insurrection in the heartland. Today, barring Kashmir, all of these problems are on the decline, some with a permanent settlement in sight. The government’s shrill global pitch against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism seems to have worked. The attack on the Pathankot air base in January 2016 was the last major terrorist attack outside of Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP’s 2014 election manifesto only vaguely mentioned the need to ‘address the challenges posed by the Maoist insurgency’. Home minister Rajnath Singh’s hands-on approach to tackling the menace has borne results. Today the government is presiding over the sharpest drop…

FULFILLED United States Promise of ‘proactive’ major diplomacy has seen closer strategic ties Japan India’s closest developmental partner, riding on Modi-Abe chemistry and first bullet train project Israel Modi’s July visit, the first by an Indian premier, cemented ties Soft power The growing global reach of Yoga Day has boosted India’s soft power FAILURES Neighbourhood ‘Neighbourhood First’ has failed to halt slide in ties with neighbours Reforms Pledge to expand pool of diplomats and reform MEA’s functioning hasn’t been achieved Pakistan Tougher stance on border and policy to isolate haven’t brought Pakistan to heel SAARC Rather than ‘strengthening’ SAARC, the grouping has been left in dire straits…

“Organisational restructuring and integrated defence planning is not in sight. After four years, the defence ministry still has no vision. It requires not just political savvy but also a military savvy leadership” Gen. Ved Malik, Former army chief “There have been significant policy changes over the past year like the proposed Defence Offset Fund which has been linked to defence manufacturing. These have the potential to transform manufacturing within the country” Rahul Chaudhry, Chairman, Defence Innovators India…

ACHIEVEMENTS 20 GW worth of solar bids and 10 GW of wind energy expected this year Against 350 GW of installed capacity, use of thermal units is under 60 per cent CHALLENGES Maintaining sufficient coal piles at thermal power plants No clarity on the policy to push manufacturing of solar equipment in the country ON COURSE PROMISE 24x7 power to all households STATUS Average scheduled demand and supply gap has come down from 16 hours to under five PROMISE 175 GW renewable energy capacity by 2022 STATUS 69 GW capacity achieved. Rollout of bigger solar/ wind projects started FULFILLED PROMISE On August 15, 2015, committed to electrification of all villages in 1,000 days STATUS On April 29, 2018, all villages were announced electrified…

FULFILLED PROMISE In 2017, in Jhajjar, Singh promised soil health cards for 120 million holdings STATUS 100 million soil health cards have been distributed in 2015-17. The ministry aims to complete the rest in the second phase—2017 to 2019 PROMISE Promote organic farming under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana STATUS Currently 22.5 lakh hectare has been brought under organic farming; 360,400 farmers have benefited under PKVY PROMISE Enhance agricultural profitability by ensuring a minimum 50% profit above cost of production STATUS Minimum support price 50% above cost of production for 25 agricultural commodities announced in budget. While government wants the A2+Fl formula, farmers have been demanding C2 as the basis for assessing MSP (C2 is 50% more than A2+Fl) ON COURSE PROMISE Implement farm insurance scheme to offset crop loss due…

Should India invest in social infrastructure to boost productivity and consequently growth? Or should it focus only on growth to yield resources needed for social sector schemes? That fierce debate between two of India’s finest economists—Amartya Sen and Jagdish Bhagwati—preceded the coming of the Narendra Modi regime. And largely got lost in translation. “Harvard se zyada dum hota hai hard work mein (hard work is more effective than Harvard),” announced Prime Minister Modi at a rally in Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh, in March 2017, taking a swipe at “scholars from Harvard”, who spoke of inclusive growth. Then the reports started coming in. India’s social sector spending is inadequate by global standards, documented an HSBC report. A September report from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation showed that the highest population of…

4,386 crore BUDGET FOR 2018-19 2,047 crore BUDGET FOR 2014-15 0.4% ALLOCATION FOR THE JUDICIARY crore 251 ALLOCATION FOR SUPREME COURT OF INDIA UP FROM 134 CR IN 2014 ALLOCATION FOR ELECTIONS Election spend 1. Organs of state elections 2. EVMs for Election Commission Budget allocation * RE: revised estimate; BE: Budget estimate Minister for Law & Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad, 63 Work style A senior Supreme Court advocate, with varied ministerial experience, known for his combative style and ready wit Cash strapped With over 70 per cent of funds going to “Organ of Elections”, big-bang reforms have suffered from severe cash crunch At loggerheads Constant skirmishes with the judiciary has hogged the headlines, worthwhile reforms have gone unnoticed…

Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik, 65 ACHIEVEMENTS First-ever All India Institute of Ayurveda set up in Delhi as an apex institute under the ministry in order to bring synergy between ancient healing and modern diagnostics; working towards one Ayurveda hospital in every district Mainstreaming of AYUSH at 8,994 primary health centres, 2,871 community health centres and 506 district hospitals Instituted a National Ayurveda Day (October 17), International Day of Yoga (June 21) CHALLENGES Controversy over the provision in 2017 NMC bill proposing a bridge course to enable AYUSH practitioners to practice modern allopathic medicine in rural areas Row over advertisement of Ayurvedic formulation, AYUSH-82, developed by the Central Council of Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, an autonomous body under AYUSH ministry, claiming it could treat diabetes. The controversial…

n 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election campaign revolved primarily around one theme— I development. Four years later, five ministries pushing forward his agenda have got their plans and programmes in place but execution has left a gap between intent and performance. Of course, massive tangible changes are not possible in just four years. Yet, what is encouraging is the competitive spirit among ministers to deliver results. For instance, minister of state (independent charge) for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, just nine months old in the ministry, constantly monitors the progress of the flagship programmes under his ministry and acts promptly whenever he receives complaints. Yet some programmes such as the Smart Cities Mission have seen limited progress due to low budgetary allocation, failure of urban local bodies…

FULFILLED PROMISE Enhance connectivity and develop infrastructure STATUS Massive development in road, rail and air connectivity; more than 3,800 km of national highways with an investment of Rs 32,000 crore have been sanctioned in the region and nearly 1,200 km of roads constructed; Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh have got rail connectivity; Arunachal Pradesh has got commercial flight connectivity PROMISE Insurgency will be dealt with firmly STATUS Insurgency on the wane; the proposed Naga Accord, though, may change the scenario SLOW PROGRESS PROMISE Flood control measures in Assam STATUS Slow progress in the Brahmaputra dredging project PROMISE New jobs in the tourism and IT industry STATUS Little work beyond promotional activities FAILURE PROMISE Will address the issue of infiltration and illegal immigrants STATUS Assam is on the boil after the BJP’s…

Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Uma Bharti, 59 BIG THRUST From its inception in 2014, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is overseen by the Prime Minister’s Office with Secretary of Drinking Water and Sanitation Parameswaran Iyer driving the change. Uma Bharati took charge of the ministry in September 2017 and has given the programme further impetus. FULFILLED PROMISE Make India Open Defecation Free by October 2, 2019, the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, by constructing 90 million toilets in rural India and changing the behaviour towards sanitation. STATUS Over 72.5 million toilets built. Over 3.6 lakh villages and over 17 states/ UTs declared Open Defecation Free. Sanitation coverage has gone up from 38 per cent in 2014 to 83 per cent in 2018. FAILED PROMISE Analysis of groundwater to eliminate…

Minister for Electronics and Information Technology and Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad, 63 HIGHS The ministry has empowered 12.1 million citizens with mobile phones by linking it to Aadhaar. Saved Rs 83,000 crore by introducing digital entitlement for payment which removed ghost account holders for schemes like MNREGA and other subsidy-based schemes 113,000 of the 240,000 gram panchayats are now broadband connected. Optical fibre lines have been laid for 2.66 lakh kms in four years LOWS Under the rural digital literacy programme launched by the Modi government, only 100 villages have been covered in four years Relies too much on a digital technology-obsessed PMO for direction BREAKTHROUGH On net neutrality, Prasad helped India take a firm decision on right to internet access being nonnegotiable, saying the internet can’t be…

FULFILLED PROMISE Digitisation of archives STATUS The National Cultural Audiovisual Archives project, under the Union ministry for culture, and implemented by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) has been certified as the world’s first Trusted Digital Repository. Over 15,750 artefacts in the National Museum have been digitised FAILURE PROMISE Promotion of Indian languages STATUS Apart from Hindi, other languages have failed to garner enough attention HITS E-ticketing service in over 100 monuments 100 most prominent monuments declared ‘adarsh smarak’ or ‘model monuments’ where ASI is in the process of providing and improving basic tourist amenities Seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) with headquarters at Patiala, Nagpur, Udaipur, Allahabad, Kolkata, Dimapur and Thanjavur to protect, preserve, promote and popularise various forms of folk art and culture. Eight Rashtriya Sanskriti…

0.17 PERCENTAGE OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT SPEND 1,205 crore BUDGET ALLOCATION IN 2014 4,089 crore BUDGET ALLOCATION IN 2018 21 PERCENTAGE OF BUDGET SPENT ON GOVERNMENT ADVERTISEMENTS 5 NUMBER OF MINISTERS CHANGED ZERO ACTION, MORE NEWS The ministry has in the past four years, made news for wrong reasons—creating social media profiles of individuals for election publicity, winners skipping National Film awards; directive on fake news, tussle with Prasar Bharti, removal of films from Indian Panorama section of the 48th IFFI BIG MISS “The Justice Mudgal Committee report is being adopted by us. There are issues...we’d like to discuss further...and then proceed to the logical conclusion of amending the Cinematograph Act,” Rathore, then the junior minister, told India Today in 2015. Still no movement on it CHALLENGE AHEAD Quickly implement Telecom…

CHAIR CAR Carniture, Delhi Recycling mantra Cars and other automobiles are used for a certain period of time after which they are scrapped. Carniture uses these vehicles to recreate beautiful and sturdy furniture and decor pieces that not only reflect style and uniqueness, but also help recycle plastic and other waste materials. All of this supports the design movement for sustainable development. “ I started the company a year ago as working with cars has been my passion since childhood and my profession for the past 25 years. I had conceived this idea to create art and furniture from automobiles and their parts 30 years ago when I had gone to Munich to study with BMW, where it was part of my project”—ANAND KASHYAP Chances are you haven’t even noticed…

In Jia Pingwa’s Happy Dreams, Hawa Liu changes his name to Happy, and is determined to be so, despite facing the grimmest of situations. The result is a powerful satire that is poignant because Pingwa leaves it to his readers to read between the lines. When disaster strikes, “I just laugh at myself,” says Happy. Case in point: He sells his blood and kidney to build a house so that he can get married. He builds the house, but the girl he’s to marry marries another. Instead of moping, Happy buys a pair of stylish, high-heeled shoes, decides he will marry a woman fit to wear them, and moves from his drought-prone village to the big city of Xi’an to find her. Beginning his new life as a trash picker,…

Q. How did you start your band Third Degree? It started with Ashu Phatak, Nakul Toshniwal and Ranjit Barot of The Quarter saying ‘Why don’t you start jamming?’ I took them seriously and called [singer] Vasundhara [Vee] with whom I was in a band called Tightrope in Delhi. Ashu suggested [we] jam with the teachers at the True School of Music. All of them are amazing musicians. Q. What are the set lists like? It’s a mix of blues, jazz, soul and old-school rock n’ roll. There’s stuff from Willie Dixon and Eddie Boyd (whose song ‘Third Degree’ the band is named after), there’s some Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Freddie King, Albert King, B.B. King. We’ll be dropping and adding stuff during every gig. Q. Who’s your ultimate guitar god?…

Summer Sparkler Breezy days, vibrant colours and floral beauty serve as the muse for Anaqa’s newest collection. Encrusted with precious coloured stones, these earrings embody free spirited woman. Pair with a white lace dress to bring out the vibrant colours. Price On request Availability Anaqa Jewels, Mumbai Full Blossom Inspired by the Japanese cherry blossom, Ganjam’s Sakura collection is an ode to the lightness of summer. This necklace features pastel shades of pink and yellow sapphires and rich shades of rubelites crafted in 18-carat pink, white and yellow gold along with diamonds. This collection is crafted for the global woman with an eye for the finer things. Price On request Availability Flagship store, Bengaluru The Fire Within Dive into summer with Dwarkadas Chandumal’s Enchanted Forest collection. The new…

Living as a Muslim in post-colonial India has been, and remains, a tough business. Two new books suggest that the burgeoning fears—caused in no small part by New Delhi’s latest rulers—of the Republic’s largest minority appear to be well-founded. One attempts to suss out the causes of riots, and the other, the responses of civil society in their aftermath. In Everyday Communalism, the authors make the case for a new kind of religious mobilisation. As witnessed in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP and RSS are no longer interested in firing up major riots as they once did in the ’80s and ’90s, they contend. In its place, the Hindu nationalists have evolved a new formula that is equally potent at the hustings: low-key antagonism between Hindus and Muslims that keeps the…

Bureaucratic circles in Bhopal are abuzz with talk of transfer orders of officials, issued late in the night, long after offices have closed. The aim, these officials allege, is to post pliant officials ahead of the assembly polls in December. The official explanation? Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan gets time to finalise orders only after returning to the state capital, from his district tours, late in the evening. Why not finalise the following morning? No answers to that one.…

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s love of cows is no secret. First came the ban on illegal cow slaughter, then gaushalas forstraycattle.Nowlandless farmers in the state will be gifted cows ahead of the 2019 general election. The state animal husbandry department is chalking out a scheme to give a cow each to UP’s six million landless farmers, some 60 per cent of whom are Dalits. And only desi cows will be distributed. A touch of swadeshi? Sandeep Unnithan with Anilesh Mahajan, Ashish Misra, Rahul Noronha, Amitabh Srivastava, Amarnath K. Menon…

If it was business as usual to bump into an Anil Ambani, chairman of Reliance Group, at North Block, waiting for time with the finance minister, four years later, it is rare to spot a business tycoon in the corridors of the finance ministry. The change in the rules of doing business in India is quite stark. At the forefront of this transition from relationship-based deal-making to rule-based order has been the finance ministry led by Arun Jaitley. A first-time finance minister, Jaitley used his negotiating skills to drive consensus on key reforms, such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST). He has been conservative in his approach and has largely played it safe. Four years ago, the economy was battling a weak rupee, depleted foreign reserves, high fiscal and…

ON COURSE PROMISE Provide a non-adversarial tax environment, a rationalised and simplified tax regime. Get states on board for GST STATUS GST is in place but it’s far from the original one nation, one tax idea. The anti-black money drive has emboldened the tax administration, with entrepreneurs claiming harassment PROMISE Take necessary steps to reduce non-performing assets (NPAs) and implement fiscal discipline STATUS The government has outlined plans to tackle the NPA crisis and bring in reforms in the banking sector, but implementation has been slow. Various measures taken towards fiscal discipline have borne fruit FAILURE PROMISE To develop labour-intensive units to create jobs STATUS Various data sources have presented a mixed picture of the employment situation. Labour-intensive industries, such as textiles, suffered a lot after demonetisation and GST…

The current account deficit, although half of what it was in fiscal 2014-15, is largely attributed to the fluctuation in crude oil prices. Merchandise exports not expanding India’s trade deficit with China. From $51 billion in 2016-17, it increased to $58 billion last fiscal Export policy needs to be overhauled, with India facing an aggressive China Setting standards for products manufactured in India is still an unaccomplished task Consensus needs to be built among the various stakeholder ministries to finalise a manufacturing policy…

PROMISE & DELIVERY STATUS OF COMMITMENTS MADE IN 2014 BJP MANIFESTO FULFILLED PROMISE To reduce price of medical devices STATUS Ministry’s move to cap the maximum price of cardiac stents has reduced angioplasty procedure costs by up to 20 per cent, but overall healthcare costs still high PROMISE Set up 2,000 model fertiliser retail shops in three years for selling quality fertilisers at low rates, undertaking seed and soil testing etc STATUS 2,000 model fertiliser retail shops operational by May 2017 ON COURSE PROMISE Significantly improve indigenous urea production STATUS Urea production in 2016-17 was 242 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), compared to 225 LMT in 2012-13 PROMISE Lower medicine costs and boosting Janaushadhi programme of quality medicines at affordable prices by setting up more retail stores STATUS # National Pharmaceutical…

MoS for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises GIRIRAJ SINGH, 65 ON COURSE To tackle trade finance issues, the ministry announced doubling of the credit guarantee up to Rs 50,000 crore under the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust Took to promoting fintech companies with the RBI, as they could reach out to MSMEs across India to bridge the gap in credit flow FAILURE Demonetisation followed by GST pushed MSMEs to the edge—hurting their productivity, disrupting business chains and increasing compliance costs. Indian MSMEs continue to work with infrastructure challenges hurting their competitiveness and productivity…

FULFILLED PROMISE Chalk out a national plan in consultation with and participation of state governments to address challenges posed by Maoist insurgency STATUS Maoist-violence declining steadily; insurgent territory receding FAILURE PROMISE Revive anti-terror mechanism. Strengthen role of NIA, put in place system for swift trial of terror cases STATUS NATGRID, CCTNS yet to fructify; trial yet to begin in many terror cases PROMISE Reform National Security Council to make it hub of all sector-related assessments. Accountable for real-time intelligence dissemination STATUS Yet to take off PROMISE Insulate intelligence agencies from political intervention, interference STATUS No progress so far…

The defence ministry was a clear thrust area for the BJP-led NDA when it began its tenure in 2014. The party manifesto listed as many as 15 promises to revitalise this critical ministry, right from speeding up arms purchases to enhancing foreign direct investments in the defence sector, developing indigenous defence technologies and revitalising defence manufacturing and meeting the long-pending demands of a hike in defence pensions and to build a war memorial for Indian soldiers who fell in battle after Independence. Four years later, the defence ministry has seen a mixed bag of achievements. It has delivered on several promises like One Rank, One Pension, has started building the national war memorial but has been slower in getting results in other sectors like indigenous defence manufacturing and attracting FDI…

1. Defence Planning Committee Perhaps one of the most significant steps taken by any government to synergise long-term defence planning, draw up national security and synergise the ministry’s moves with the MEA and finance ministry 2. Make II category of defence production where no government funding is involved Private firms can walk in and offer products to the MoD which will then evaluate them. Launched in January this year. MoD will hand-hold these start-ups and help them do business by setting up project teams…

In a country where burning waste constitutes 24 per cent of the energy basket, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana has been a huge stride towards energy efficiency. Nearly 40 million poor households have received LPG cylinders under the scheme in the past two years. Likewise, under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, 19,727 villages have been electrified—the last being Manipur’s Leisang village on April 29. In September last year, with an outlay of Rs 16,320 crore, a target was set to bring electricity to some 38 million households. Preliminary surveys show these new LPG consumers keep the fuel for back-up, but government agencies are confident of a gradual lifestyle change at the bottom of the pyramid. The relatively low prices of petroleum products between 2014 and early 2018 ensured…

ON COURSE PROMISE PM Ujjwala Yojana launched in May 2016 STATUS Nearly 40 million households have received LPG cylinders. Target reset from 50 million beneficiaries to 80 million PROMISE To make India a refining and petrochemical hub STATUS Pradhan opened up the Paradip refinery and petrochemical complex. India is ramping up cumulative capacity from 187 MT annually to nearly 250 MT in the next seven years FULFILLED PROMISE PAHAL direct benefit transfer of LPG scheme launched on January 1, 2015 STATUS All LPG consumers have been linked to bank accounts. LPG subsidy to those with an annual taxable income of over Rs 10 lakh stopped. The government has already saved Rs 20,000 crore through the direct benefit transfer scheme Achievements Curbed corporate lobbying in policymaking Market-linked petrol and diesel prices…

Implemented suggestions made by a 2015 high-level committee to restructure Food Corporation of India (FCI) PDS distribution digitised and linked to Aadhaar Price stabilisation fund created for procurement of pulses and stabilisation of prices of pulses and onions Three-month buffer storage of foodgrains maintained across country Achievements Complete digitisation of ration cards; 82.1 per cent cards linked to Aadhaar; 27.6 million found fake Digitisation of supply chain complete Challenges Consumer Protection Bill awaits parliamentary approval Codification of newer standards on international scale still a task…

FULFILLED PROMISE Set up Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) and virtual classrooms STATUS SWAYAM, an indigenously developed IT platform, facilitates hosting of all courses taught in classrooms from 9th class till PG. Can be accessed by anyone, anywhere at any time ON COURSE PROMISE Enhance pivotal role of teachers by changing work culture of teacher training institutions STATUS Restructured teacher training system, doubling duration and mandating a six-month internship PROMISE Provide autonomy with steps to ensure accountability for institutions of higher learning STATUS Passed new regulation to grant grades of autonomy to all institutions of higher learning based on performance PROMISE Raise standard of education and research, so that Indian universities are at par with top global universities STATUS Working on regulation to assist 10 public and 10 private institutions…

Minister for Water Resource & Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari, 61 ACHIEVEMENTS Tenders out for effluent treatment plants in seven out of 10 cities along the Ganga responsible for 70 per cent of the pollution: Haridwar, Moradabad, Kanpur, Mathura, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur, Kolkata and Howrah. Plants will start in July 2018, to be operational by July 2020 Resolving interstate disputes between UP and MP, for the Ken-Betwa river linking project that is expected to take care of Bundelkhand’s water woes CHALLENGES Failed to solve interstate dispute over sharing of Mahanadi waters between Chhattisgarh and Odisha, now in tribunal court Slow pace of PM’s programme to revive 99 irrigation projects estimated at Rs 80,000 crore. Just Rs 18,000 have been spent in 3 years 20,000 crore Budget outlay for 5 years,…

FULFILLED PROMISE To improve status of women and children through Beti Bachao, Beti Padao Scheme STATUS Launched in 2015, scheme a huge success. Expanded by PM to include over 640 districts this March ON COURSE PROMISE Alter law to deter crimes against women and children STATUS Amendment to the Juvenile Justice Act in 2015, providing stronger provisions for care and protection; juveniles above 16 to be tried as adults in rape and murder cases PROMISE To end malnourishment among children STATUS National Nutrition Mission (NNM) in 2017 with a three-year budget of Rs 9,046 crore to give children a better chance at eating well and getting access to healthy, nourishing meals AVERAGE PROMISE To make women ‘nation builders’ and ensure dignity of women STATUS Crime against women and children is…

ON COURSE PROMISE Major steps will be undertaken for ‘urban upliftment’ STATUS The relaunched Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) had hoped to get water taps to over 200 million urban households in 500 cities by 2019, besides expanding sewerage and drainage networks, public transport etc. Total investment planned is Rs 77,640 crore. Till May 9, 2018, 400 projects worth Rs 325 crore (0.41 per cent) had been completed and for 2,188 projects worth Rs 40,074 crore (52 per cent) contracts had been awarded or are at various stages of implementation. The National Heritage City Development And Augmentation Yojana (Hriday) hopes to develop 12 selected heritage cities. Of the 63 projects approved, six have been completed while 57 are under implementation PROMISE Cleanliness, sanitation to get priority STATUS…

Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Dr Harsh Vardhan, 63 FULFILLED PROMISE To encourage social forestry and set up a National Mission on the Himalayas—with separate funds for Himalayan sustainability STATUS In December 2017, the government initiated the Himalayan Research Fellowships scheme to create a dedicated team of experts on the Himalayan region as part of their National Mission on the Himalayas which was passed in late 2014 PROMISE To create ease of doing business by granting quicker clearances for projects STATUS The average waiting period for approvals has come down significantly but quicker clearances often mean projects getting passed without proper scrutiny FAILED PROMISE To ensure development but not at the cost of the environment, and by taking all stakeholders onboard STATUS While the Forest Rights Act of…

Any significant success in science and technology in India is always about looking up,” says a senior scientist at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). She is caustic when she says that little of impact happens in domains other than aeronautics and space research even with ‘Make in India’. The redeeming feature is that India is among the top five nations in the field of space exploration. Currently, with 27 satellites operational and India’s progress in space technology established, many avenues have opened up for generating revenue including launching satellites for SAARC nations and offering space facilities for use to other countries. There are other tangible gains. Loss of lives in tropical cyclones in the past four years came down to less than a hundred compared to the thousands…

AVERAGE PROMISE A national telecom policy STATUS Draft national telecom policy rolled out in May this year PROMISE Improve the telecommunications landscape STATUS Telecom sector now headed for a five-player market, where the two state players (BSNL and MTNL) are in distress PROMISE Better infrastructure to overcome call drop issues STATUS Industry has doubled the number of base trans-receiver stations from 900,000 in 2015. But that has not solved the issue of call drops ON COURSE PROMISE Alter the digital landscape by allowing more spectrum STATUS 561 million GB of mobile data consumed in June 2017; it’s increased to 988 million GB in just two quarters…

FULFILLED PROMISE Get more tourists to visit India STATUS Foreign tourist arrivals crossed the 10 million mark in 2017, an over 15 per cent increase from the previous year. Global tourism grew only at 5 per cent PROMISE Provide jobs through tourism sector and boost economy STATUS In 2017, tourism brought $27 million in revenue, a 20% jump from the year before; 2 million jobs generated between 2017 and 2018 FAILURE PROMISE Make India safe for global travellers, especially solo women travellers STATUS NCRB 2016 data shows 271 cases of crimes against foreign tourists; countries like UK, Canada and US have issued travel advisories in which citizens are warned to exercise caution while visiting India PROMISE Set up 50 new tourism circuits in the country STATUS Most of these circuits…

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, 60 Big passion Reading poetry and shayari written by poets Shakil Badauni, Firaq Gorakhpuri and Neeraj Performance Index Promptness of response B Understanding of issues A Opennesstoideas B Commitment to reforms A Achievement B Scale of grading A: Excellent B: Good C: Average D: Needs improvement 0.19 PERCENTAGE OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT SPEND 3,089 crore BUDGET ALLOCATION IN 2014 4,700 crore BUDGET ALLOCATION IN 2018 PROMISE & DELIVERY STATUS OF COMMITMENTS MADE IN THE 2014 BJP MANIFESTO HITS Some 300,000 artisans from minority communities provided platform in Hunar Hat exhibitions at big urban centres As part of outreach programme Panchayat, the minister and officials held dialogues with a large group of people from the minority community to raise awareness about government’s welfare schemes Replaced Haj subsidy with open…

There are many things that Swara Bhasker doesn’t get about the character she plays in Veere Di Wedding, Sakshi. Why would she wear a trench coat in September in Delhi? How can she be so reckless with her father’s credit card? Why is she so condescending to people who don’t share her elite status? But it was those incompatibilities that attracted Bhasker to the role. “My USP so far has been that my characters have remained below poverty line or belong to BIMARU states,” says Bhasker, best known for films like Nil Battey Sannata and Anarkali of Aarah. “Sakshi is an uberrich spoilt brat. But she treats her friends like her family. She is endearing in a very twisted sort of way.” At the April launch of the film’s trailer…

When Pakistani model and social media star Qandeel Baloch was murdered by her younger brother nearly two years ago, the so-called ‘honour killing’ transformed her from a guilty pleasure for fans of her gauche but endearing ‘sexy’ YouTube videos into a symbol of resistance against her nation’s grizzled, violent patriarchy. As the title of Karachi-based journalist Sanam Maher’s The Sensational Life & Death of Qandeel Baloch suggests, it’s a tabloid tale. Nevertheless it throws up profound questions about Pakistani society (and that of northern India). “I tried to see and listen to what Qandeel told us about herself,” Maher writes in an Author’s Note. “She created a story about herself, part truth and part lies and exaggerations. The story allowed her to be whoever we wanted her to be. It…

ANNIVERSARIES ALWAYS TURN INTO occasions to get unnecessarily mawkish about the past as people tend to go back in time and dwell on the milestones that were game changers in their journey. While it is always exciting to take a step back and assess the years gone by, as Spice celebrates its 13th anniversary, we decide to be future forward and focus on newness instead. New people, experiences and products crowd the luxury market place and sometimes all you need is a discerning person, an expert, to help you filter these through a sieve. This is also a time to seek new obsessions and nurture old ones and that is a theme that stays with us through this issue. No one epitomises our journey so far better than actor Saif…

A holiday ought to be, at the very least, a considerable improvement on everyday life. For me, preferably more enriching too. Gone are the days when people, well, people who have ‘been there and done that’ were satisfied by just checking into an uber-luxury hotel. Anyone can hire an architect to build one of those, and there are more than enough parvenus to fill them too; the sort who wouldn’t know or care to learn, the difference between caviar and quail’s eggs, as long as the price tag was worth framing—or rather, Instagramming. But for the cognoscenti, it’s really the ‘software’—the people one interacts with on the journey—be it a sommelier or safari guide—the experiences on offer, and the hotel’s commitment to sustainability that matter more today than ever before.…

as it is my yearly pilgrimage to the Devbhoomi. The trek usually begins at Gangotri and it is isolating and humbling but also one of the most inspiring treks I have done. You find yourself among 1000-year-old glaciers. The mountains are higher and older than the mind or eye can comprehend and it’s easy to see why a sense of something greater than us is invoked in even the staunchest of non-believers. Zanskar River Expedition, Ladakh The Zanskar is one of the remotest parts of the Himalayas and even though it is in Ladakh’s backyard, very few tourists make the journey there as it is arduous. You would need to spend at least 10-12 days here as one drives through most of western Ladakh, past monasteries, palaces, villages, hikes before…