India’s rural employment guarantee framework is globally recognized as a landmark in social security. On paper, it stands as a safety net promising dignity, income security, and livelihood support to the rural poor. Yet the widening chasm between its stated objectives and ground-level realities exposes a deeply troubling contradiction. For the 2025–26 financial year, the…
Hanuman, the mighty son of the Wind, beheld Bheema Sena and spoke with grave affection, “My brother, thou journeys to the lake of a thousand-petaled lotuses; but beware, and let restraint temper thy strength. Display not rash courage, for that lake is guarded by fierce Yaksha and Rakshasa warriors. The gods themselves gather those flowers,…
Aghanjar Mahadev Temple is located in Khaniyara village, near Dharamshala, in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. The temple is situated at the foothills of the Dhauladhar mountain range, surrounded by forests, rocks, and a flowing mountain stream. The present temple structure is believed to be around 500 years old. However, the spiritual importance of…
New Delhi: The Centre on Sunday rejected reports that the definition of the Aravalli hills had been changed to allow large-scale mining, and cited a Supreme Court-ordered freeze on new mining leases in the region. It said a Supreme Court-approved framework provides for stronger protection of the mountain system and places a freeze on new…
Nagpur: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the Mahayuti’s “success” in the municipal council and nagar panchayat polls was a team effort of the BJP organisation and the government. “It is a team effort — organisation and government. We fought the polls on the development plank. I led the campaign on a positive…
New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday gave her assent to the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, the Rural Development Ministry said. The VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, was passed by Parliament, amid opposition protests. It seeks to replace the existing rural employment law, MGNREGA, and guarantees…
Mumbai: Amid counting of votes in the Maharashtra local body polls on Sunday, the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) claimed they had retained their party bastions in Chandrapur and Sangli districts. Initial trends have shown an edge for the Mahayuti comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. The Congress…
Namrup: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone of a Rs 10,601-crore brownfield ammonia-urea plant in Dibrugarh district of Assam. The facility – Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Ltd (AVFCCL) – will have an annual urea production capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes and the project is scheduled for commissioning in…
At some point, political rhetoric must yield to historical truth. Telangana today finds itself at that inflection point—especially after Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s latest claim that Christians, particularly in Telangana, should be “thankful” to the Congress and Sonia Gandhi for the creation of the state. It is a sweeping assertion, heavy on gratitude politics…
Kochi: The Kerala High Court has set aside crucial stages of the land acquisition process for the proposed Sabarimala greenfield airport, holding that the state failed to properly assess the minimum land actually required for the project. On December 30, 2022, the state government issued an order granting sanction for the acquisition of 2,570 acres…
