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Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Census, consensus
Census officially kicks in with notification. Many questions ahead Formal census operations are set to kick off any day now. Making March 1, 2027, the reference date for census 2027 – the freeze-frame date, which means a child born after this date will not be counted in this census even if fieldwork continues till after – made the census itself politically loaded. The argument has always been to hold the census speedily, and give delimitation enough time – the last commission needed five years. But it's the census that's still two years away, and in all likelihood delimitation will be earlier than expected given the condition that redistribution of Lok Sabha seats would be revisited after Census 2026. And in all likelihood, women's reservation too will kick in before LS 2029 elections. What's known for a long time is that for the delimitation commission, vote vs voice is the key wrangle. Ratio of MP/MLA to population is higher for densely populated northern states. So the value of a vote is lower for these states than for southern ones, where one MP represents fewer people. That, one argument goes, is unfair to the north. Conversely, awarding the north with more Parliament seats basis failed or patchy population control, is injustice to southern states that end up getting penalised for population stability. They lose seats, thereby losing voice. Add to that women's reservation that'll 'shrink' opportunity by a third for male candidates. The concern where political parties will find women with 'winnability', read crorepatis, is but a myth. The simple answer is they'll find women in the same places they find 'winning' male candidates. Why demand women politicians be polished diamonds when the worst male criminals get to contest? More and more women are rising from grassroots/panchayat politics to state-level positions, no less and no more than their male counterparts across party spectrum. It's always good to remember that even women from political families are fighting family's patriarchy – framing their participation in matriarchal terms is creative writing. Reality is, legislation is only the first step to greater women's participation in electoral contests. Taken together, the two will upend India's political make-up. The first issue has been known for years – so where are the public debates and intellectual discussions on ways to address it? Continue the freeze on seats till north's population stabilises? Increase LS seats by population and accommodate southern states with increase in RS numbers? Uniformly increase by a third all states' seats to accommodate women's quota? What are the possibilities? It's time to junk all-party political grandstanding and engage with rigour on fair and just solutions to what will decisively and for good change India's political future. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
TMC ignores Sudip ‘requirement' remark
Kolkata: Trinamool Kolkata North MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay on Saturday said that he would convene the party's north Kolkata core committee meeting "whenever (he felt) it was required". Reacting to this, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "I cannot speak on what has been said. The core committee members may speak on it." In May, TMC removed the MP from north Kolkata president's post and tasked decision-making to a nine-member core committee. Bandyopadhyay was made the party's north Kolkata chairperson. The core committee comprises Atin Ghosh, Jibon Saha, Nayana Bandyopadhyay, Paresh Paul, Shashi Panja, Supti Pandey, Swapan Samaddar, Swarna Kamal Saha and Vivek Gupta. Bandyopadhyay's reply was to a question as to when a meeting of the core committee would be called. In the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, TMC's north Kolkata unit was troubled by dissent against Bandyopadhyay. It led to the defection of then-MLA Tapas Roy. While TMC was successful in handling the dissent and scripting Bandyopadhyay's record fourth win from the LS seat, the veteran neta's role — or the lack of it — raised eyebrows as the party battled against the protests following the RG Kar rape and murder. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
IOL News
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Kia Picanto now more affordable, but can it claw back sales ground lost to Grand i10, Swift?
The new Kia Picanto 1.0 LS brings the entry price of the range down by R24,000. Once a prime contender in the budget hatch space, the Kia Picanto has seen flagging sales in the past few years as prices gradually rose beyond the level of its key rivals. Consider that in the past three months Kia sold an average of 161 Picantos per month, while the Hyundai Grand i10 averaged 1,373 and the Suzuki Swift 1,834. Until now, the least expensive Picanto, the LX, cost R260,995, considerably more than the R224,900 starting price of both the Grand i10 and Swift. Now Kia South Africa has put its baby hatch back into contention with the launch of the 1.0 LS, which costs R236,995 in manual form and R256,995 as an auto, according to Duoporta and That makes the new, and quietly announced, base model a cool R24,000 less expensive than the LX. But it gets even better, with the Kia SA website now listing further discounts on some of its Picanto models, slashing the price of the new LS to R229,995 and the LX to R245,995.
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Time of India
Unable to take family pressure, Howrah sex racket kingpin's daughter killed self in 2021
Howrah: Shweta Khan, alias Fultusi, in her 40s, and her 26-year-old son, Ariyan, who co-owned Ishara Productions, allegedly ran an adult film and prostitution racket under the guise of an event management firm from their rented apartment in Howrah's Bankra. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now They forced young women into it and brutally tortured them if they refused. Fultusi even tried to force her own teenage daughter, Ishika, into this trade, but she refused. Ishika, aged 18, died by suicide in 2021. Both mother and son are on the run. The probe into the role of the mother-son duo began after a 22-year-old Sodepur girl, now in hospital with severe wounds, managed to escape from their "custody" after three months and informed the police. Howrah DCP (South) Surinder Singh said: "Their flat is locked. Their cellphones are switched off. We are investigating all complaints against them." The DCP mentioned that the complaints included the possibility that the duo could have fled abroad, including to Bangkok. Bankra 1 panchayat pradhan Akhtar Hossain Mollah stated: "The daughter was tortured. We know they left little evidence of their misdeeds." Masud Alam Khan, a local businessman, said, "My son and Ishika were classmates till Class XII. Ishika confided to my son that she was desperate to leave her home. She borrowed Rs 1500 from him to appear for a govt job. After her death, Fultusi demanded Rs 2 crore or threatened to file an FIR. I refused to budge; later, a probe cleared the false allegations." Fultusi's mother, Shehnaz Begum, confirmed the abuse her granddaughter endured before her suicide. Fultusi's ex-husband Mohammad Syed Morselim alleged that Fultusi married him for financial gain and abused his family. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Fultusi publicly flaunted her political links on social media to intimidate locals. Fultusi is now being linked to a Trinamool Congress minority cell's local unit and had posted photographs on her social media account with several political leaders, even campaigning for the 2024 LS polls. State minister Arup Ray said, "I know nothing about this woman. The party cannot help if someone tries to individually fault their political links. If anyone backed them in the party, they will be punished. The party does not endorse this."
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Business Standard
09-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
India saw rapid changes across sectors in 11 years: PM Narendra Modi
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government marked the completion of 11 years in office on Monday by unveiling a 176-page 'comprehensive compendium' on India's transformation under the PM's 'visionary leadership' across 14 facets of policymaking — ranging from national security and foreign policy to infrastructure growth, healthcare, women's empowerment, and social justice. 'PM Modi has brought the politics of development — Vikasvaad — into the mainstream, making it a focal point around which political discourse and policy action now revolve,' detailed the booklet, released on Monday morning by the government's Press Information Bureau (PIB). The Modi-led 72-member Union Council of Ministers had taken the oath of office on June 9, 2024. In the afternoon, addressing a press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) national headquarters here, the party's National President J P Nadda, who is also a Union minister, said that proactive governance has been the hallmark of Modi's tenure as the country's PM. He said Modi has confronted challenges head-on and taken 'bold decisions' once thought impossible, such as the 'abrogation of Article 370', the 2016 surgical strike, the Balakot air strike, and Operation Sindoor of 2025. Nadda listed the banning of triple talaq, the Citizenship Amendment Act, demonetisation, one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha (LS) and legislative Assemblies, ending the distinction between plan and non-plan expenditure, advancing the Union Budget presentation from the 'colonial-era' February 28 to February 1, and merging the railway Budget with the Union Budget as other key decisions over the past 11 years. Nadda said demonetisation — where people queued up to withdraw money without complaining despite the Opposition's intense efforts to provoke them — was evidence of the credibility of the PM's leadership. Referring to the BJP falling short of the majority mark by 32 seats in the 2024 LS polls and, for the first time since 2014, having to rely on allies to secure a majority — with Opposition leaders raising questions about the government's longevity — Nadda expressed confidence that the NDA government will complete its tenure and asserted it will last the next full term as well. 'Our government is strong. It will last for five years in this term and the next too,' he said. The booklet said, 'The success of Operation Sindoor demonstrated a new India: resolute, swift, and sovereign in action.' It added that a dynamic foreign and national security policy is essential to respond to today's global opportunities and challenges. 'The Modi government has consistently delivered on this front, ensuring a stable, strong, and safe nation,' it said. The booklet highlighted vibrant India-US relations as a foreign policy success, terming it 'Modi's adaptive strategy with the US'. It said India has emerged as an economic powerhouse, with the government creating a base for 'growthade' through infrastructure expansion, such as the development of national highways. The government also said it has championed cooperative federalism by incentivising states to undertake reforms voluntarily. It mentioned the all-time high goods and services tax collections in April 2025. It also detailed measures for the welfare of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and women through schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana, adding that 810 million people continue to receive food security. 'There is highest ever representation for the SCs, STs, and OBCs in the Union Council of Ministers,' it said. The government claimed that welfare measures, such as Mission Poshan, have helped improve the sex ratio at birth, which, for the first time, stands at 1,020 women per 1,000 men. At his press conference, Nadda said the Indian economy continues to grow despite global challenges and that international bodies like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have called it a bright spot. He said over 250 million people have been lifted out of poverty — a figure acknowledged globally. Nadda dismissed Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh's jibe at Modi for not addressing a press conference on the government's anniversary. The Union minister questioned what was wrong with the president of the main ruling party speaking to the media. He also criticised Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's remarks about the Election Commission of India and the fairness of the Maharashtra Assembly polls, likening him to a sore loser in a cricket match who blames the umpire for a loss while claiming credit in case of a win. The Congress on Monday released two booklets that flagged stagnating growth, rising hunger, and 'unfulfilled promises' over the 11 years of the Modi government. At a press conference in the national capital, Congress Research Department Head M V Rajeev Gowda released Ek Aur Baar Jumla Sarkar and 11 Saal Jhoothe Vikaas Ke Vaade. He said the first booklet examines promises made by the BJP in its 2024 manifesto, while the second is a 'detailed exposé' of the BJP's 'hollow promises'. 'In the 11-Saal document, one of the first themes they (BJP) highlight is taking care of the poor and the marginalised. They are very happy that 810 million people are getting free foodgrain under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. But the basic problem of hunger is a much larger crisis in India, and it puts us at 105 out of 127 countries in the World Hunger Index. Its implications: malnutrition is affecting our children in a horrible way, crippling their growth. Stunting is at 35.5 per cent; wasting is at 19.3 per cent; underweight is at 32.1 per cent,' Gowda said. He also alleged that the Centre's claim in the PIB booklet that India added over 5,000 defence items to the indigenisation list was untrue. 'Sadly, 40 per cent of the items listed for indigenisation have not been indigenised as of now. India remains one of the top importers of defence rather than a producer and exporter. If you look at 'mission mode DRDO projects,' 23 out of 55 have been delayed, and the share of research and development in our defence budget is only 5.45 per cent,' he said. He further challenged the claim that India is the fastest-growing large economy. 'So, what is happening in this 11th year of your Sarkar, PM Modi? What is happening is reflected in the response of the private sector. Is the Indian private sector investing in India? If you look at the investment figures, after you have given the bonanza tax cut, nothing has changed. They still don't have confidence in the management of your economy to invest,' Gowda said. He added that fixed capital formation has declined to 32.4 per cent — an 11-year low. 'There is another legacy: the glaring inequality. The share of wealth held by India's top 1 per cent is 40 per cent. The bottom 50 per cent have to make do with just over 3 per cent,' the former Congress Member of Parliament said, adding that this is not the economy the country wants.
