Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday welcomed the Centre's decision to borrow additional 4.2 lakh crore and said it should be used to provide relief to the poor and re-start the economy. "After resisting our appeals, especially through statements of the CEA, the government has finally decided to borrow an additional amount of Rs 4.2 lakh crore taking the projected fiscal deficit to 5.38 per cent. We welcome the decision," he said in a statement. The senior Congress leader, however, said, "It is not enough to borrow more unless the amount is used to provide relief to the poor and to re-start the economy. We look forward to the revised expenditure budget for 2020-21." Echoing similar sentiments put forth by several eminent economists, he had appealed to the central government to shed its reservations and borrow more in 2020-21. "In our view, the budgeted fiscal deficit of 3.5 per cent should not be a constraint in these extraordinary times," he said in the statement. The ...

In times of crisis, journalists should be more responsible and work for welfare of people and strengthening unity in society, RSS joint general secretary Manmohan Vaidya said on Saturday as the country battled against the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking on the occasion of Narad Muni Jayanti via video-conferencing, Vaidya said journalists while doing reporting should always keep welfare of society in their mind. And many journalists in the country do so. According to Hindu mythology, Narad Muni is a travelling storyteller and primary source of information among Gods. Expressing concern that a specific type of India's image is being painted in a section of the international media which is far away from ground reality, Vaidya said it was being done by some Indian journalists and they should keep the country's interests in mind while reporting. He further said that at the time when the country was facing the COVID-19 pandemic, journalists should be more responsible, working for welfare of .

Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh on Saturday informed that India cricket skipper Virat Kohli and his wife actor Anushka Sharma have contributed Rs 5 lakh each for police welfare amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. "Thank you, @imVkohli and @AnushkaSharma for contributing Rs. 5 lacs each towards the welfare of Mumbai Police personnel. Your contribution will safeguard those at the frontline in the fight against Coronavirus. #MumbaiPoliceFoundation," Singh tweeted from his official handle. Earlier, Kohli and Sharma had given undisclosed amounts to the PM CARES fund and Maharashtra Chief Minister's Relief Fund to support the fight against COVID-19. Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus positive cases in the country.

Child Relief and You works with NEWS to set up a hostel for gypsy children, so their education does not become hostage to their parents' migrations.

Thanks to voluntary water harvesting measures by a few, as well as legislation-led RWH by the others, many of Chennai's open wells have sprung back to life. The bountiful rains of 2005 showed that where conservation efforts are in place, even a single season's rainfall can largely restore water security. Shree Padre reports.

New regulations from the environment ministry require coal-based thermal power plants to stick to legally binding limits for water consumption. Shripad Dharmadhikary examines the implications of these rules.

Abysmal pay, low dignity and zero benefits and security unite government-appointed social health activists from Punjab and UP at a protest meet in the capital. Amrita Nandy reveals some of their shocking tales of exploitation and deprivation.

Amazon.com opened a bookstore in Manhattan this May, but are young people interested in visiting it?

Narendra Modi’s attention to the woes and plight of farmers during election campaigning has raised a lot of hope for improvement among members of the beleaguered community, but can he deliver? Devinder Sharma presents an 11-point prescription for turning the agricultural sector around.

A range of criticisms raised at a recent seminar in Mumbai are a sufficient indication of the extent to which SEZs are being pushed as a government policy without any public consultation on their pros and cons. The seminar, on SEZs and their implications for urban planning, was held at the Rachana Sansad School of Architecture. Darryl D'Monte reports.

In search of new funds to keep the growth story alive, the Centre opens the doors to foreign investment a little further.

P Sainath.

Maharashtra began by telling the NHRC there had been 140 suicides Statewide since 2001. It ended 2005 conceding a figure of 1,041. That is the fourth figure the same State has put out within months. For Vidarbha, it is decidedly not a happy new year, writes P Sainath.

As we approach the parliamentary elections, India Together presents a quick familiarisation with members of the Lok Sabha in certain key urban constituencies. In the first of the series, Amrita Mukherjee introduces you to the sitting MPs from Kolkata.

In spite of the development and welfare plans and programs implemented since Independence, the tribals of our nation remain the most marginalised group. There are many valid reasons for this as Abhijit Mohanty finds out when he looks into the existing Tribal Sub Plan funds and what's happening with it.

With training from the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurs, a new generation of jewellery traders is making its mark in Assam, focusing on traditional designs. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports.

The Supreme Court and the overwhelming majority of academics and NGOs believe in it. A growing number of poor parents have emerged as a pressure group for this programme, report Kalpana Parikh & Summiya Yasmeen.

A number of families residing in the char areas of Assam have apparently staved off misfortune by taking up sugarcane cultivation, but it may require more than just that to stem the trend of migration and improve living conditions in the region. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports.

This Haryana based non-profit organization is working towards building a disabled friendly society through integration and rehabilitation, says Indra Chopra

The better education and health outcome indicators in the southern states compared to the north, has been acknowledged for a long time. And yet to see it with one’s own eyes really drives home the poin,t say Reetika Khera.

Sanitary conditions in most of the slum areas in Assam are abysmal. Ignorance about cleanliness, lack of water supply and proper working toilets, absence of covered drainage and sewage, and no action from the local and state government are to be blamed for the mess, reports Nilotpal Bhattacharjee.

The Belgaum City Corporation has in the last one decade has revived 16 big and 21 small dug-wells. Today, 2 million gallons (16 per cent) of Belgaum's water supply comes from these local wells alone, leading to precious cost savings that have paid back the revival expenditure long ago. Shree Padre reports.

An initiative at an educational institution near Mangalore ensures that the institution can do without water tankers during the monsoon months. Rainwater suffices and what's more, its borewell also gets recharged. Shree Padre reports.

S Ganesh Mallya, a high school teacher cum Sunday farmer in Yedapadavu in Karnataka, has greened his plot without borewells. Using simple techniques to catch rainwater, he has managed to raise the water level in his open well and grow a bountiful farm. Shree Padre reports.

Stirred by a media campaign, a team of youngsters from Pune launched an effort to help villagers avoid the scramble for water at wells. Well-lined tanks and a simple pipeline has reduced the loss of water, and literally brought it to villagers' doorsteps. Vinita Deshmukh reports.

The coastal village of Velneshwar in Maharashtra is home to a unique well that doubles up as a rainwater storage tank. Shree Padre finds out more about this novel dual-purpose structure.

Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh on Saturday informed that India cricket skipper Virat Kohli and his wife actor Anushka Sharma have contributed Rs 5 lakh each for police welfare amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The greatest show on earth just ended. It has seen the demise of greats and the democratisation of football.

Perhaps outnumbering its regular guardians of the law India has a self-appointed ‘moral police’ — who dictate what people may or may not do — as well as a ‘book police’ who regulate what people can read or write. Now, if Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has his way, the capital might have a ‘veggie police’ as well.

Many Indians still go “awww” when a US secretary of state endorses — in Hindi — PM Narendra Modi’s alliterative catchphrases, in this case, “sabka saath, sabka vikas”.

Earlier, in a similar gesture, a doctor who had returned home after 20 days of non-stop service to the COVID-19 patients received a warm welcome from her neighbours.

RIP Bruno became the top trend on Twitter in India on Wednesday.

Manu Bhaker was being touted to shine for India at the Tokyo Olympics before coronavirus forced the summer games to be postponed by a year.

An old picture of Tamannaah Bhatia with former Pakistani cricketer Abdul Razzaq has resurfaced on social media.

'Harry Potter' actor Rupert Grint and his longtime partner Georgia Groome have welcomed their first child together, a baby girl.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a clever and well-crafted adaptation of Alvin Schwrtz's ubiquitous horror series of three books of short stories.

Indian women's hockey team vice-captain Savita is confident that they can get the better of USA in the Tokyo Olympics qualifiers.

Here's looking at five books by George Orwell that prove his relevance even today.

On HG Wells 153 birth anniversary, here's looking at a few works by the acclaimed author.

Cesc Fabregas said Kylian Mbappe wanted to be the best and his style of play meant he was a great fit for Real Madrid.

Red Bull's Verstappen has gained a reputation as an aggressive driver prepared to take risks in Formula One.

Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday lauded the RBI's prompt action in announcing a Rs 50,000 crore special liquidity facility for mutual funds.

In a tweet, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut thanked the central government and the ECI for allowing the elections, which were earlier postponed to due to coronavirus outbreak

Echoing similar sentiments put forth by several eminent economists, the senior Congress leader appealed to the central government to shed its reservations and borrow more in 2020-21.

Pompeo said that United States would not enforce sanctions on Iraq buying electricity from Iran for 120 days 'as a display of our desire to help provide the right conditions for success'.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that initially most countries were focused on coping with the outbreak at home.

According to reports, American actress Chloe Sevigny gave birth to a healthy baby over the last weekend and is doing fine.

The findings showed that people with access to a private garden had higher psychological wellbeing and those with an outdoor space such as a yard were more likely to meet physical activity guidelines.

A revelation, one of its kind. A new study on human sexual behaviour finds that indulging in a physical relationship without the use of codom's is good for mental health. Psyched? Well, that's precisely what the study says.The