The six-lane national highway from Lucknow cuts through green paddy fields. Faizabad arrives without warning. The city is one straight road with narrow lanes radiating from it and vanishing into a jumble of old, half-built houses.
Casino operators withdraw their pleas against govt
September 24, 2010 | Author: csjpgoa
The operators of floating casinos on Thursday withdrew the petitions filed by them challenging the state government’s decision to shift their vessels from the Mandovi river to the Aquada bay area.
MOEF panel meet in Goa to gather data on Western Ghats
September 24, 2010 | Author: csjpgoa
The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, constituted by the ministry of environment and forests will hold a consultation with the state government, civil society and industry in a bid to gather data on the biodiversity of the western ghats.
Caste Census: The Road Ahead
September 23, 2010 | Author: csjpgoa
Having announced that caste will indeed be counted in the Census of 2011, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is busy demonstrating once again the crucial difference between taking a decision and acting decisively. The sudden agreement arrived at in the Lok Sabha in early May was followed by prolonged conflicts that seemed more vehement within parties than across them.
Ayodhya: The Redefining of India
September 23, 2010 | Author: csjpgoa
The Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi dispute has been one of the biggest influences in the shaping of independent India. It appears almost unreal to remember that this is, in legal terms, a mere dispute over the title to a small plot of land in a nondescript historical town of north India.
No More Ore For China Please
September 23, 2010 | Author: csjpgoa
IN AN impassioned address to Indian and Chinese businessmen in Chengdu, Indian Ambassador to China, S Jaishankar repeatedly returned to a single point: India must give iron ore exports a break and quickly focus on selling finished goods. As expected his remarks drew applause from both the Indian and Chinese businessmen gathered at the most exciting Chinese investment hub after crowded Shanghai – home to hundreds of blue chip companies.
As the Valley implodes, people wonder where are the leaders they voted for
September 23, 2010 | Author: csjpgoa
BY ZAHID RAFIQ
EID HELD up a harsh spotlight to the political landscape of the Valley last week, highlighting three months of protests, strikes and curfew in Kashmir. Even as lakhs, led by Hurriyat stalwart Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, prayed at the Eidgah grounds, a few thousands went to Hazratbal shrine where Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin addressed them over telephone from Pakistan. They then clashed with police and CRPF forces and set on fire the police barracks inside the shrine. As stark as the sea of protesters was what these two locations — which hold great significance for mainstream Kashmiri polity — did not or could not accommodate.
Omar’s government is self-serving. Kashmir deserves better
September 23, 2010 | Author: csjpgoa
ON SUNDAY, a day after Kashmiris celebrated Eid peacefully on a day that remained unmarred by confrontations with the police, the government of Jammu and Kashmir clamped down the most draconian curfew the Valley has seen in more than two years. Had Omar Abdullah lit a match in a petrol storage depot, he could not have done a better job of setting Kashmir on fire.
Saving Kashmir
September 23, 2010 | Author: csjpgoa
The visit of the all-party delegation to Jammu & Kashmir has generated hope and the expectation that it may still be possible to redeem the situation. The immediate task is now for New Delhi to move from the symbolic to the substantive, utilising the opportunity provided by the delegation’s visit. And as the central government reaches out to build trust and confidence, it is essential that this is matched by the people and their leaders in the state, in word and deed.
India reaches out to small island nations on climate change
September 23, 2010 | Author: csjpgoa
India has reached out to small island states, which are the most vulnerable to climate change, to convey its sensitivity to their concerns on the issue, environment minister Jairam Ramesh has said.