Sarthak Choudhury

Banks, matchmakers lend shoulder to self-funded wedding palanquin

Roll out accessible, flexible loans with revolving credit lines, overdraft facilities as wedding business gets bigger, grander

MSP conflict with govt pushes Punjab farmers into stubble burning

Minimum support price has been a bone of contention between the farmers in Punjab and the state and Centre

Stubble burning: From Ground Zero in Punjab, bad news for Delhi-NCR

Govts step up efforts, but farmers say policies unclear, assistance insufficient

J&K startups hope for internet friendly environment post elections

While a Supreme Court ruling in January 2020 curtailed the length of shutdowns, the fallout continues to reverberate through the entrepreneurial landscape

J&K Assembly elections: Valley's first-time voters waiting for a new dawn

For young voters in the Valley where Assembly elections are being held after a decade, it's a chance to prioritise issues like unemployment and education. Here's a ground report by Sarthak Choudhury

What the shortage of railway employees means for the life of a loco driver

As a debate rages on about the working conditions of railway loco drivers, here is a peek into their lives

LS polls: SAD's Hindu face to take on BJP's Sikh rival in Amritsar

Amritsar has long been a bastion of the Congress, with the grand old party emerging victorious in 13 out of the 20 Lok Sabha polls and bypolls held between 1952 and 2019

Lok Sabha polls: Farmers may decide strike rate in Punjab powerplay

BJP candidates across the state facing repercussions of the two farmers' protests

LS polls: Trade via Attari-Wagah border now a poll plank in Amritsar

Several candidates, including the BJP's, promising resumption of trade on the route

Musical chairs, gen-next politicians look to shake up Punjab's poll fray

The churn in Punjab politics has been the biggest among the states ahead of the Lok Sabha polls

Lok Sabha polls: Jalandhar's sports industry looks to start a new innings

The origins of the Jalandhar sports industry can be traced to partition and it was thriving until the pandemic came

Battleground 2024: Of four parties and Amritpal in Punjab's Khadoor Sahib

Many parties, especially the SAD, believe that Amritpal contesting would cut their votes

LS polls: Youths' foreign dreams overshadow all issues in Jalandhar

Talhan gurudwara epitomises the dream of youth in Punjab to have a life beyond India's borders, in the face of unfulfilled government promises and farmer protests, besides emulating others

For workers at Manesar, even better conditions leave much to be desired

Manesar, part of the Gurgaon Lok Sabha constituency, emerged into prominence when the late Congress leader Sanjay Gandhi decided to establish a Maruti plant in 1970

LS polls: BJP, Congress use strategic advertising to sway undecided voters

Highlighting their achievements and opponents' failures, with a touch of Bollywood for appeal

International Women's Day: Hope of a better life eludes ASHA, site workers

Pay disparity, absence of social security or support system remain dominant themes

Then and now: Protesting farmers want their voice to reach Delhi

Similar langar set-ups are placed every 500 metres across the protest site spreading up to 8 km. Tractors and trucks are lined up on the stretch, leaving a bylane for daily or emergency commute

Reverse migration impact: Village women face new challenges as men return

When people returned from other countries, the men took the place of women, not just in agriculture but also in other places

Lost in migration: 'Working abroad is not what it is cracked up to be'

Some are willing to go into a conflict zone because they could make five times more money than they would at home

Political harvest: Promises galore, but what is the mood in the fields?

The second and concluding part of the MSP series looks at farmer sentiment in poll-bound states