It is important to remove the distortions from the political process, rather than attempt to remove politics itself from decisions in the water sector. The World Bank's model has failed, and it is time to heed other voices, writes Shripad Dharmadhikary.

The nults and bolts of local democracy lie in a community-government partnership. Ramesh Ramanathan proposes a business model.

At the heart of the PM's proposed shift in economic direction are efficient service delivery and local governance. He needs to begin down this road by showing a willingness to scrap top-down Delhi-driven schemes.

The loss of faith in government can be extremely detrimental to the very foundation of our democracy. Improved performance by government is a national imperative, writes C V Madhukar.

Apathetic, inefficient government and mindless pursuit of Western consumerist ideals by a few have brought India's marginalized millions to a state where the judiciary has to intervene to enforce the most basic of rights. Often, without effect, as Sakuntala Narasimhan finds.

The initial euphoria over its emphatic electoral win over, the focus is now on realities within which the AAP will have to deliver on its promises. T R Raghunandan explores if the party can realise its vision of ‘swaraj,’ living up to the true ideals of decentralisation.

The White House announced new guidelines Monday to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, and asked the public to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people. Photo: Erik S. Lesser/Shutterstock

Designer Karl Lagerfeld closed his fall 2014 haute couture show with a pregnant model wearing a Baroque-inspired neoprene wedding gown.

The Left party workers are keenly aware that the election for the 15th Lok Sabha is the severest test for the party ever since it took power in Bengal 32 years ago.

Forget the first 100 days spiel about what Dr Manmohan Singh will do to kickstart the economy. That's just media hype and, in any case, the economy's on a recovery-path. As has been seen over just the last few days, despite the Congress getting 206 seats in the Lok Sabha and getting support letters from 100 more Members of Parliament, Dr Singh still hasn't been able to form his government -- just 19 ministers were sworn in with him.

Congress vs BJP in Delhi

How Delhi voted in 2004

In our coronavirus-tainted world, we’re realizing that we depend a lot on our laptop webcams… and they’re not good. WSJ’s Joanna Stern compared the new MacBook Air to the Dell XPS 13, Google’s Pixelbook Go and Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 3.

Efforts to rein in massive emissions of pollutants, and to reduce volumes of water consumed by coal-based thermal power plants have been thwarted by endless delays in implementing the regulations that were to take effect last year. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.

Recent guidelines from the Ministry of Power encourage private sector participation in the development of large hydro projects. But there is little attention paid to past failures, or the possibility that many of those will recur in new projects too, notes Himanshu Thakkar.

Both the Ministry of Renewable Energy and the Ministry of Environment and Forests appear loath to pay attention to the potential environmental impact of small hydel power projects in the country. Parineeta Dandekar underlines the shortcomings in the official stance towards such projects.

Pakistan, under pressure in the Global War on Terror (GWOT), has restrained its hand in the proxy war. By most accounts, Kashmir appears headed towards peace. This is the right juncture to approach the issue politically, both in its external and internal plane, says Firdaus Ahmed.

The flouting of scheme guidelines in the NREGS implementation in Uttar Pradesh shows how the programme is still locked in top-down planning. Himanshu Upadhyaya reports on the various findings of the performance audit of the scheme.

When river restoration translates merely into cosmetic beautification of its ‘front’, real estate and urban elite are the only ones to gain at the cost of the larger river ecology. Amruta Pradhan discusses the Sabarmati Riverfront Development project and others inspired by it to highlight the risks in the model.

Is modernisation of transport the sole answer to air pollution problems in Delhi? In view of the NGT's proposed ban on older vehicles in Delhi, Sarath Guttikunda draws attention to several problems that need to be addressed for cleaner air in the NCR.

More than a year after the application for recognising Basmati as a GI was filed, there is still no way to be certain if the grain on our plates is the real thing. As a result, a lot of the rice packed and sold in Haryana is called basmati, and traders in other countries too freely use the name. Varupi Jain reports.

Anger and frustration is on the rise over inordinate delays by the Central Information Commission in responding to or inquiring into complaints from RTI appellants. Revathi Siva Kumar looks at what ails the institution.

On 18 March, at a discussion organised by Daksh India, Nick Robinson from the Harvard Law School explored in detail the phenomenon of judicial delays, sharing insights from his work in both India and the US. Pavan Kulkarni summarises the points raised.

Arvind Kejriwal on how over one hundred and fifty citizens have filed applications seeking information about PDS ration records in Delhi's Food and Civil Supplies department.

Sex sells, but prevention of rape does not. Planners who take deterrence seriously could contribute in creating women-friendly urban environments, says Pratiksha Baxi.

Unmindful of clear urban development guidelines, the Delhi municipality is replacing greenery lined pavements with tiles, followed by a yearly ritual of retiling with newer designs. Kanchi Kohli writes about the unchecked concretization.

In the sixth incidence of recent violence against citizens exposing corruption, Santosh (20) was attacked murderously on 30 December 2004. The Delhi government is not pursuing the wrongdoers, and has instead projected the violence as an issue between an NGO and shop owners. Varupi Jain reports.

Part of the Aravalli range, the Delhi ridge is an icon of greenery and part of the capital's heritage. But over the years, much of the ridge has disappeared, with the most recent threat coming from swanky hotels and malls. A multi-stakeholder board is supposed to protect the ridge, but is fraught with conflicts of interest. Deepa A reports.

24/7 water for an Indian city? Unclear motives of the Delhi government in applying for a World Bank loan, possible hiccoughs in the supply anyway, and questions about the World Bank's role itself are irking a number of local NGOs and civic groups. As they increase pressure on the government to change course, Varupi Jain reports.

It will require a change in the DNA and design of the city for a reduction in the number of rapes in Delhi. Addressing the structural problems of Delhi is a critical component of improving the situation, argues Jacob John.

It will require a change in the DNA and design of the city for a reduction in the number of rapes in Delhi. Addressing the structural problems of Delhi is a critical component of improving the situation, argues Jacob John.

The Indian capital with its chauvinistic society and sordid history of crimes against women is the last place that one would imagine women to be attracted to. Zumbish talks to women who live and work in Delhi to know their thoughts on the city.

Not least among the problems in the national capital is the lack of road safety for pedestrians and those using non-motorised transport. Shambhu Ghatak presents data exposing the stark reality of commute in Delhi and outlines recommendations made to improve the situation.

As Delhi readies for the fiercely contested Assembly elections, here are a few details beyond the din of the campaigns that we bet you didn’t know! S Venkatraman captures them in an infographic.

The AAP manifesto may have talked at length about “a flexible and fair labour policy” and regularisation of contract workers, but for a vast section of daily wage-earners, such promises hold no meaning. Devanik Saha talks to one to find out why.

Less than 100 days of work and chronic delays in payment - in continuing focus on NREGS implementation across states, Himanshu Upadhyaya summarises the findings of a recent performance review by the CAG of the scheme in Jharkhand.

Tibet lies at the heart of Indo-Chinese disputes. To focus on Arunachal or Tawang alone is not only to miss the wood for the trees, but also to play in to the hands of China. India must bring Tibet back into focus, writes Brahma Chellaney.

As the world mourns the loss of one of history's most remarkable leaders, Devaki Jain reminisces the occasions when she met Nelson Mandela and dwells on the qualities that set him apart.

Medical services are today driven by needs and definitions out of sync with the realities of the masses. In conversation with Pamela Philipose, health activist Imrana Qadeer argues why health should be seen through the prism of the various structural components of society - caste, class and gender.

In Kashmir, it seems the only person the Centre is listening to is Omar Abdullah, the man against whom the entire population, including his own party, his bureaucracy, and his police is up in arms, writes Madhu Purnima Kishwar.

Shouldn't “fixing the delivery system” itself be one of the central planks of second-generation reforms, asks Ramesh Ramanathan.

Its demand for water is ever-growing, and its usage wasteful. Using its political and economic power, however, Delhi is quenching its thirst by extracting it from places near and far. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports on the proposed Renuka Dam.

Are tax-payer funded programmes for the empowerment of the disabled working? Until very recently, New Delhi has not even had reliable data to plan its programmes. Himanshu Upadhyaya digs into the 2004 Comptroller and Auditor General report.

38 babies died in one hospital in Thiruvananthapuram over the past four months, shocking a state which boasts of the lowest infant mortality rate in the country. The much discussed and extolled Kerala model of health development is ailing, reports P N Venugopal.

Delhi, infamous for high air pollution, has been experimenting with odd-even formula by curbing the movement of private vehicles from Jan 1st. After one week of the execution of the programme, there is no visible change in the pollution level. Will road rationing help to reduce the pollution level or does Delhi need much more action to control the pollution, writes Akshatha M.

The Bangalore based technology non-profit, eGovernments Foundation has recently been in the news for expanding its municipal systems reform operations to New Delhi. Managing Trustee Srikanth Nadhamuni talks to Subramaniam Vincent.

A three day festival of a special tender mango called appe midi held last month in Shimoga, Karnataka attracted 6000 visitors. The festival showcased a range of preparations including popular pickles, and gave a filip to the conservation of this wild mango variety. Shree Padre reports.

A systematic, participatory effort to map and understand the need for sanitation in Sangli's slums has helped Shelter Associates bring about a change in the mindset of civic officials and residents alike. Its director, Pratima Joshi believes this is a model that can be replicated in many other cities. Rasika Dhavse reports.

Scrutiny of the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority Act shows that the progressive promises of its wording are likely to be belied. Partly this is because of fundamental flaws in its structure, but it is also partly because it reinforces the standard World Bank pattern of reforms, writes Shripad Dharmadhikary.

लोगों का मानना है कि बाहर से खाना ऑर्डर करने में सेफ्टी और हाईजीन एक बड़ी समस्या होती है. डॉक्टरों का कहना है कि कोविड-19 फूड के माध्यम से नहीं फैल रहा बल्कि यह एक रेसपिरेटरी बीमारी है जो कि सांस से संबंधित है.