KumKum Dasgupta

It’s time to pull the plug on Medical Council of India

Earlier this year, a parliamentary panel had called for revamping the MCI, saying it has failed in its role as a regulator, which has led to a downfall in India’s medical education system

Car-free zones to curb pollution a great idea, but will not work in Delhi

Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu told the New Delhi Municipal Council on Wednesday to convert Connaught Place and Khan Market into ‘no vehicle zones’ to. He must lead the charge by giving up his official vehicle.

Why the deal to create world’s largest marine park in Ross Sea is a big one

The Ross Marine Park --- to come into force in December 2017 --- will limit, or prohibit, certain activities in order to meet specific conservation, habitat protection, ecosystem monitoring and fisheries management objectives

Bridging the gap: Tech giants bring the internet to women in rural India

Only one in 10 Internet users in rural India is a woman. Here’s how Google’s bicycle-riding Internet tutors are getting them online, and how the Internet search giant will benefit from the programme in the future.

The Centre’s sneaky curtailing of MGNREGA funds is not just illegal, but inhuman too

The MGNREGA is a demand-driven programme. A report in a national daily has alleged the rural development ministry used an off-record WhatsApp chat group to tell states not to generate more work under the programme

The Kalkaji case: Senior citizens’ programmes alone can’t ensure their safety

Our modern day society is such that we have no time for people who are offline. If you cut yourself off from people, they ultimately will not bother you. And once your resources and skills are compromised, it is impossible to come out

Five reasons why C’garh should not punish IAS officer Tayal for his FB post

By punishing Shiv Anant Tayal, the government has sent out a very wrong message that its officers will be judged not on their merit/abilities but their willingness to toe the line of their political masters. In a country where the bureaucracy and police is highly already highly politicised, the people did not need another reminder of the sorry state of affairs.

Patriot patrol ABVP must realise the Indian armed forces is not blemish-free

Nilekani is right: Jobs won’t exist if India fails to reskill for automation era

India is already facing a jobs crisis. The consequences of the fourth industrial revolution are frightening unless we learn to ride this wave

Scrapping the Indus waters treaty with Pakistan will not help

Four days after India hinted at abrogating the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, a meeting of top officials chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided on greater internal use of three rivers — Indus, Chenab and Jhelum — that were allocated to Pakistan by the accord.

Glimpse into future? India, brace for more Cauvery-like water wars

There is a virtual institutional vacuum to undertake micro watershed, sub-basins and basins for negotiated settlements around water allocation, and for conflict resolution. Though the different water polices have been talking about river basin organisations there is nothing on the ground

‘Young doctors don’t want to go to rural areas because they feel ill-equipped’

Every aspect of health care - prevention, diagnosis, therapy, rehabilitation, palliation – is unaffordable for a poor person. Even if some of these services are provided free under national or state health programmes, barriers to access and variable coverage of health services prevent the poor from benefiting

Death for stalker who killed Preeti Rathi in acid attack sends out strong signal

In an interview to HT after Preeti’s death, her mother, Roshni, spoke about how things quickly changed for the family after the attack. “From a quiet family that kept to itself, we suddenly found ourselves fielding questions from the media, meeting politicians and leading protest marches to demand justice for Preeti. It’s difficult to accept that she’s no

Forced displacement: India’s invisible crisis

The State’s heart bleeds for PoK refugees, but what about other displaced people

India does not have a legal framework to deal with Internally Displaced People (IDP). In fact, India doesn’t even know how many IDPs are in the country. The Norwegian Refugee Council puts the figure for 2015 at more than 560,000, while the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre’s said at least 853,900 people were displaced by violence in India

Asia’s innovative varsities list: Low ranking of IITs, IISc not surprising

Two IITs and IISc are at the bottom of the Reuters Top 75: Asia’s Most Innovative Universities list. This will cause heartburn , but isn’t it high time that we ask why other institutions of higher learning in India don’t even figure on these lists

Here’s why 9 police firing victims in Manipur are not buried even after a year

A year after tribal communities in Manipur’s Churachandpur district came out in protests against three Bills passed by the state legislature, the state is gearing up for some more tumultuous days ahead

Celebs endorse brands for money. They aren’t liable for efficacy of the product

While the intent of the government is good, “misleading” is a vague and open-ended term. Take the case of Dhoni. He did end his contract with a realty firm but how would he have known that the company would fail to honour its commitment?

Udit Raj, stand up and be counted on the beef debate

The BJP MP should not have mixed sports with politics to explain why beef eating is important for certain communities; there are enough people out there trying to do this to the detriment of India’s sportsmen

Despite CIC push, why is the govt hiding biosafety data on GM mustard?

Considering the critical nature of the issues and the impact it will have on our lives, the government should not hide critical data and deny all parties a chance to vet its findings. This is also unfair because all new policies of the government are usually put up on their websites for public feedback

Why MPs are so reluctant to implement the PM’s pet ‘Adopt a Village’ scheme

If we use a corporate analogy, MPs are project managers and they have to think of ways on how to implement critical development programmes and source funds for them. But a majority of them don’t seem to be interested in going that extra mile to make this ‘Adopt a Village’ scheme a success

Here is why the river interlinking project is imprudent and dangerous

India must ensure that homeless people have access to housing options

The neglect of homeless populations in India has been well documented by the Commissioners of the Supreme Court appointed to track the implementation of the court decision and subsequent orders on the right to food nationally

Put it this way: Sakshi Malik is India’s champion

Let’s celebrate her success. It is her moment of glory; please don’t appropriate her success by force-pasting some ludicrous patriarchal label on her forehead

The Dalit yatra proves that Gujarat’s ‘growth’ was not inclusive

‘There has been only cosmetic land reforms in Gujarat. This has pushed the Dalits to menial jobs such as scavenging. Gandhi, Modi have written against scavenging but no one has provided alternate means of employment to them. The idea of all-round transformation of society has just remained an idea; it has always been a political power game.

Pious words alone will not get justice for rape victims

There has to be concerted effort to remove the stigma of rape and a State-mandated support structure that can provide victims with legal, financial and psychological support

Fine to provide police cover to special marriages, but tackle vigilantes too

The CIC’s suggestion is a good idea but the call for protection for couples can only be a temporary relief.

The BJP must realise that the Dalit issue cannot be wished away with rebuttals

It is not only the BJP Cabinet ministers who are living in denial about the issue and their responsibility, even the new Gujarat chief minister who said earlier this week that the Una incident was instigated by the BSP for political gains

Metro Heritage Line: Make the old city tourist-friendly

Delhi Metro’s heritage line could give tourism a boost. But first make the area tourist-friendly

Modi and Rupani are not on the same plane on the Dalit issue

Gujarat CM’s cherry picking of the demands of one aggrieved community (Patidar) over the other (Dalit) goes against the sentiments expressed by the PM