Migration, skewed sex ratios and environmental degradation have added to women's vulnerabilities

Mohammad Hamid Ansari: Holistic measures needed to improve women's status

Business Standard

Vinay Sitapati had the advantage of having access to the personal papers of P V Narasimha Rao; these included the information or assessments on situations and personalities given to him by the Intelligence Bureau

'The good that Rao did lives on... so does the harm'

We have witnessed the ease with which regional and sub-national conflicts have spiralled into broader conflict and become a global security challenge

A peaceful periphery is critical to India's success

I am happy to be here today to inaugurate the Tri-Services Seminar to commemorate the golden jubilee of the India-Pakistan War of 1965.The chronology of the conflict is relevant. Pakistan set in motion its stratagem on August 5, 1965 under the name, Operation Gibraltar. It involved infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir by trained 'irregulars' assisted and guided by its armed forces. Its mission was to carry out wide spread acts of sabotage and arson and garner local support leading to the proclamation of a war of liberation and a 'Revolutionary Council'. Its objective, according to a credible Pakistani account, was to "de-freeze the Kashmir problem, weaken Indian resolve, and bring her to the conference table without provoking a general war". The effort failed because the people of Kashmir chose to resist it; instead, they informed the local police and our security forces about their location, movement and intentions.The failure of Operation Gibraltar forced the enemy to activate the sec

'Pak camouflaged its 1965 war failure'

It is a privilege to be invited to join this august gathering in celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of a legendary personality of our freedom struggle.It has been said, with justice, that Lala Lajpat Rai ranked among the first three leaders of our nationalist movement prior to the advent of Gandhiji in the twenties, the other two being Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal. He was a prolific writer and, as the late Krishan Kant ji put it, 'reform of the Hindu society remained his abiding mission.'Many years back, and in another context, I had read the October 1923 Appeal for Inter-Communal Harmony signed by 100 public figures of all faiths. Lala Lajat Rai's name is the first on this list.The Appeal's approach to the question was unique: that indulging in communal misdeeds is a sin in religious terms and it is 'the duty of co-religionists of such offenders' to resist it.Since the question of social harmony regrettably continues to remain on our national agenda, I propose today

'The question of social harmony'

It is unusual, if not sacrilegious, to invite a person who does not have history bred in his bones to a conclave of men and women steeped in the intricacies of a much talked about but inadequately understood human pursuit that dwells on the past and seeks to enlighten or confound the present. I, therefore, deem it a great privilege to be invited by the Indian History Congress to inaugurate its 75th session.My own academic discipline in the distant past was political science and I do recall Professor John Seeley's jingle, well-known in my time and presumably not forgotten today, that "History without political science has no fruit and political science without history has no roots."In more recent times, and for professional reasons, I came to value Winston Churchill's aphorism: "Study history, study history; in history lies all the secrets of statecraft."Historians at all times have endeavoured, as Herodotus put it, "to preserve from decay the remembrance of what men have done." Histori

'There is a need to make history more inclusive'

Khwaja Ahmad Abbas is considered one of the pioneers of Indian parallel or neo-realistic cinema having penned films such as Neecha Nagar, Jagte Raho, Dharti Ke Lal, Awara, Shri 420, Mera Naam Joker, Bobby and Henna

'A communicator of ideas'

Inadequacy of resource allocation is reflected in the fact that India currently spends only 1.2 per cent of its GDP on publicly-funded health care

'Affordability of health care is a serious problem'

Fiscal consolidation, managing inflation, and calibrated liberalisation of capital inflows would help create an environment conducive to greater trade and investment flows

'Economic openness is best reflected in a country's trade'

Universities emerged whenever human thought processes evolved to the point of asking questions that go beyond primary needs of human existence

'A university is a place that is creative & unruly'

My concern today is with the institution of legislatures, not so much with the powers and functions bestowed on them by the Constitution as with the modalities of their actual functioning.Competent observers have noted that in recent times the idealised view of legislatures as deliberative bodies is contradicted by the induction of un-parliamentary practices whereby they tend to become sites for adversarial combat in which the hallmark of an effective legislator is often seen to be "an ability to shout and disrupt proceedings, preferably from the well of the House". In this context a number of questions come to mind:n Do the legislatures at central and state levels function enough?n Do they spend sufficient time on deliberation, legislation and accountability of executive?n Is their functioning in line with established norms and public expectations?n Do they, by their functioning, set a model or a pattern of behaviour for the public especially the youth to emulate?n Are correctives pos

Hamid Ansari: Rules of procedure are being violated

Historically speaking, the geographical term &ldquo;Central Asia&rdquo; came into the vocabulary of European scholars and governments only in the middle of the 19th century. In the year 1900, the famous Russian historian Victor Barthold could find little about the recorded history of the area before the Arab conquest of 7th-8th centuries. A seminar organised by the Embassy of India, Tashkent in March 2000 sought to collate available information, mainly archeological, on the relations between India and Central Asia in the pre-Islamic period.

'Trade hinges on connectivity, nations' policies'

The global debate in the past three decades has been characterised by both sophistication and sophistry. Much lip service has been paid to the need for nuclear disarmament. Public protest movements in the United States and several European countries emerged but failed to make a lasting impact. In the meantime, the number of declared and undeclared nuclear weapon powers has increased with the threat of further proliferation looming large on the horizon.

'Nuclear weapons, energy distinction should never be lost'

New Delhi [India], December 13: Pradhaan Air is proud to announce its role as the official logistics carrier for the upcoming Bryan Adams concert tour in India, marking a groundbreaking first for the company as it ventures into the entertainment sector. This partnership not only showcases Pradhaan Air's logistical expertise but also aims to enhance cultural connections through world-class musical events.

Pradhaan Air Becomes Official Airline Partner, Celebrating Bryan Adams on the World\'s First Airbus A320F

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 13: Fixed Deposits (FDs) are a popular investment choice for their stability and predictable returns. While most investors are familiar with bank FDs, fixed deposits offered by Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) have emerged as a compelling alternative. Several NBFCs today offer fixed deposits with attractive features, like high returns and favourable payout options.

Exploring the Advantages of Fixed Deposits from NBFCs Over Fixed Deposits from Banks

New Delhi [India], December 13: India's Smart nutrition Company and a prominent player in health and wellness segment, Aayush Wellness Limited [BSE: 539528], is pleased to announce that the Company has garnered a big order worth US $ 3 million from M/s Cosmos Holdings Pte Ltd, a leading distributor in Singapore that supplies various healthcare and nutraceutical products.

Aayush Wellness Limited gets order worth USD 3 Million from Singapore\'s Cosmos Holdings Pte Ltd

The incidence rate of tuberculosis (TB) in India has shown a 17.7 per cent decline from 237 per 1,00,000 population in 2015 to 195 per 1,00,000 population in 2023, Union Health Minister J P Nadda told Lok Sabha on Friday.
The TB deaths has reduced by 21.4 per cent from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 22 per lakh population in 2023, he said while responding to a question.
Shorter oral regimen for drug resistant TB was introduced in 2021. This intervention has improved treatment success rates of drug resistant TB patients from 68 per cent in 2020 to 75 per cent in 2022, he said.
The government of India has implemented a National Strategic Plan (2017-2025) with a view to eliminating TB by 2025, five years ahead of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of 2030.
The ministry implements the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) under the aegis of the National Health Mission (NHM).
"The NTEP has made significant efforts to make India TB free. The ..

tuberculosis

Added sugar per serving was found to be in compliance with the provisions under Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020 in baby product of Nestle, Union Health Minister J P Nadda told Lok Sabha on Friday.
The Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations 2020 prescribes the standards for different categories of infant food and formulae, Nadda said responding to a question.
The limits specified for sugars in infant food products in the Regulations is at par with the global standards, namely Codex Alimentarius Commission, which takes into account the recommendation of World Health Organization (WHO) while setting food standards.
On the basis of media report, suo moto cognisance was taken by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) about a report by the Swiss NGO regarding added sugar in wheat-based baby product.
Inspections were conducted on April 29 and 30 at manufacturing sites engaged in production of the infant

Nestle

Markets Highlights: Friday ended in favour of the bulls, as 41 out of 50 constituent stocks ended in the green, led by Bharti Airtel, ITC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Hindustan Unilever, and UltraTech Cement

Dalal Street, Stock Market, Market, Crash, Funds, up, Stock, Gain, Lost, decline, statistic, Crisis, Capital, BSE, NSE

Stock market crash: The Indian stock market crashed heavily on Friday, with the BSE's Sensex dropping 1,207 points or 1.48 per cent to its intraday low of 80,082

bear market, stocks, sensex, nifty, loss, growth, crash, index

At just 18 years old, Gukesh's triumph marks a historic milestone in chess, making him the youngest player to ever claim the World Chess Championship title.

D Gukesh, Gukesh

Allu Arjun was arrested over a stampede at the Pushpa 2 premiere in Hyderabad, which led to a woman's death and her son's hospitalisation

Allu Arjun

Latest news updates: Catch all the latest news updates from around the world here

forex

The new fund launches followed a surprise filing from Apollo Global Management Inc. and State Street Corp. in September for an ETF that will include private credit investments

Market, BSE, NSE, NIfty, Stock Market, investment

This move is expected to simplify the process of claiming unclaimed assets and provide greater convenience to investors and their nominees

SEBI

Women achieving their targets will qualify for commission-based incentives

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi is at top among universities in India for sustainability, climbing the table by 255 places to reach 171 globally, according to QS Rankings announced on Tuesday.
A total of 78 Indian universities have featured in the 2025 QS Sustainability rankings, with nine of the top 10 institutions in the country improving their ranking this year and 21 new institutions making an entry.
IIT-Delhi and IIT-Kanpur have been ranked among the world's top 100 for environmental impact.
Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru has been ranked among world's top 50 for environment education.
"Of the 78 Indian universities that feature in the 2025 QS Sustainability rankings,  34 have improved on last year's placing and eight have maintained their positions.
"This is an excellent achievement for the Indian higher education ecosystem and shows that Indian universities are forging ahead with their sustainability initiatives," said Ben Sowter, Vice President of

Day 1: IIT Guwahati bags highest foreign job offer of Rs 2.4 crore

IIT Delhi, Indian Institute of Technology

In an unprecedented move, Pakistan's former spymaster Lt Gen (retd.) Faiz Hameed has been indicted on multiple charges, including engaging in political activities, violating the Official Secrets Act, and misusing authority and government resources, the army said on Tuesday.
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing, the process of Field General Court Martial (FGCM) was initiated against Hameed on August 12, 2024.
The former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief was charged under provisions of the Pakistan Army Act and "in first place Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd) has been formally arraigned on charges of engaging in political activities, violations of Official Secret Act detrimental to safety and interest of the state, misuse of authority & government resources and causing wrongful loss to a person(s)."
"During the process, involvement of Lt Gen Faiz Hameed (Retd), in events related to creating agitation and unrest, ...

Pakistan Flag, Pakistan

Highlighting the historical presence of Hindus in Bangladesh, stating, "We are vanished from Afghanistan. We are vanished from Pakistan. This is the high time. If we are not saved now, we will be

Protest, Delhi Protest, Bangladesh Protest, Hindu Protest

Despite the growth slowdown, a rate cut-cycle is unlikely to start anytime soon

Policy

The suicide of a Bengaluru techie brings intense scrutiny on India's family courts, raising questions about their ability to protect vulnerable individuals in disputes

Atul Subhash, Bengaluru Techie Suicide

In the absence of meaningful private investment and job creation, India is slipping back into its pre-Covid-19 rut, and its economic czars are once again publicly refusing to acknowledge the slowdown

Gold

Sitharaman said that intergenerational debt is mounting on countries, and it is important for the government and industry to work together to manage debt at the national and sub-national levels

Hamid Ansari

Hamid Ansari

Hamid Ansari

Mohammad Hamid Ansari: Holistic measures needed to improve women's status

'The good that Rao did lives on... so does the harm'

A peaceful periphery is critical to India's success

'Pak camouflaged its 1965 war failure'

'The question of social harmony'

'There is a need to make history more inclusive'

'A communicator of ideas'

'Affordability of health care is a serious problem'

'Economic openness is best reflected in a country's trade'

'A university is a place that is creative & unruly'

Hamid Ansari: Rules of procedure are being violated

'Trade hinges on connectivity, nations' policies'

'Nuclear weapons, energy distinction should never be lost'

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Pradhaan Air Becomes Official Airline Partner, Celebrating Bryan Adams on the World's First Airbus A320F

Exploring the Advantages of Fixed Deposits from NBFCs Over Fixed Deposits from Banks

Aayush Wellness Limited gets order worth USD 3 Million from Singapore's Cosmos Holdings Pte Ltd

TB incidence rate drops 17.7% to 195 per lakh in 2023: Health Min JP Nadda

Nestle's baby products compliant with added sugar regulations: Nadda

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Market Close Highlights: Fab Friday! Sensex ends 843pts up, soars 2050pts from low; Nifty at 24,768

Sensex plunges 1200pts, Nifty below 24200; Why stock markets crashed today?

World Chess C'ship: 18-year-old Gukesh becomes youngest world champion

Allu Arjun arrested over woman's death in stampede at Pushpa 2 premiere

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