Manoj Ahuja

CAG raps Rajasthan govt for not spending funds on women empowerment schemes

Critics cite the lack of spending from allocated funds as an example to show that women’s welfare is “not a priority” for the Rajasthan government

Solar power lights up remote villages in Rajasthan

Under the scheme, each household gets five LED (light emitting diode) bulbs, one ceiling fan and a cell phone-charging socket.

Oscar connect: Mother of ‘Lion’ still washes utensils in this Madhya Pradesh village

Hollywood movie ‘Lion’, which has been nominated for Oscars, has brought spotlight on Fatima Munshi, a maid in Ganesh Talai locality of Khandwa, whose son Saroo Brierley is the protagonist in the film.

Jaipur’s property tax potential untapped: Economic Survey

The Jaipur civic body collects only 5% to 20% of its potential property taxes and has the scope of increasing its revenue collection manifold by making use of technology, a satellite-based imagery of the city has revealed

Railway official cycles 140 km to conduct surprise inspection

A senior railway official from Ratlam division caused a stir when he arrived at Indore for inspection—riding a bicycle.

Vegetable prices crash; farmers’ woes mount in Malwa region

Vegetable farmers in Malwa region continued to suffer in the absence of aid promised by government to minimise the effects of demonetisation and cash crunch, which have forced them to sell their produce at lower prices.

After note ban shock, realtors expect sales boom in suburbs

The new year will offer better opportunities to home buyers in the affordable housing segment, although property prices are likely to remain stable, say experts. The end users will gain from fall in home loan interest rates and stringent laws under the recently-notified Real Estate Regulation Act (RERA).

Note ban to have long-term effect on economy: Experts

Economists and experts across Madhya Pradesh have predicted a long-term advantage of demonetisation, with a rider that India has to wait at least till March 2017 to see the end to the liquidity crunch.

Cash crunch unlikely to affect New Year revelry in Indore

There is marginal impact of demonetisation on the New Year revelry plans of the rich and upper middle class residents in Indore.

Farmers forced to dump their produce as note ban turns bumper crop worthless

Farmers hoping for good returns after bumper crop forced to discard, sell produce at throwaway prices.

Jal Mahotsav: Tourists prefer day’s outing to overnight stay

Steep accommodation charges coupled with cash crunch following demonetisation could have its impact on the one-month long Jal Mahotsav (water festival) at Hanuwantiya in MP.

‘Historic organised loot’ took place under ex-PM Manmohan Singh: Piyush Goyal

Union power minister Piyush Goyal on Friday lashed out at Manmohan Singh saying that “a historic and world-class example of organised loot” took place under the former Prime Minister’s watch when coal blocks were allocated for free to relatives and supporters of Congress leaders.

Kanpur train tragedy: Frantic families continue search for missing relatives

At least 50 passengers from Indore missing after Kanpur train accident

At least 50 people from Indore and neighbouring areas who boarded the Indore-Patna Express train that derailed in Uttar Pradesh early on Sunday were missing, railways sources said on Monday.

Farmers feel cash blues ahead of sowing season in MP

Mahesh Chouhan squints against the afternoon sun as he drives his tractor across the field. He has finished sowing wheat on just half of his nine-acre field in Madhya Pradesh.

Two weeks on, Khandwa’s Muslims still seething with anger over SIMI encounter

Thousands had turned out for the funerals of the five on November 2 and raised angry slogans against the state government and the police. Agitated mourners also pelted stones in Tapalchaal neighbourhood of the city, best known to outsiders for being the birthplace of legendary singer Kishore Kumar.

Bhopal jail cells can’t be unlocked from inside: Ex-prisoner on SIMI jailbreak

Mohammed Khalil is the nephew of one of the eight SIMI activists killed on October 31 in an alleged police encounter. His statement contradicts what officials have said about the jailbreak.

Tihi logistics park likely to cut Pithampur-Mumbai transport cost by 20%

The multi-modal logistics park in Tihi near the Pithampur industrial area will not only reduce the distance for export-bound goods transported to Mumbai port but will also reduce the carrying costs by 20%.

Patanjali to make big foray into textile sector, says Baba Ramdev

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Saturday left the audience in splits with his witty and sarcastic speech at the inaugural session of global investors meet in Indore. He also announced that, everything from coat to langot (undergarments), textile was the next big focus for his Patanjali group.

‘Shutting doors on Pak will make peace remote’

Hindustan Times interviews ad guru Prahlad Kakkar on his opinion regarding present-day advertisement scene, in Indore on Friday.

This village’s unique rain water harvesting plan has revived a dry pond

The tribal population of Jhabua village dug up contour trenches on hillocks around the lake at regular intervals to allow rainwater to percolate and raise the water table.

Ujjain: From ACs to cows, shop to your heart’s content at Simhastha Kumbh

With the Simhastha Kumbh drawing to an end, thousands of sadhus who bought air coolers and furniture to ease their one-month stay in the temple town are hurriedly disposing of their goods.

Jet Airways plane skids off runway in Indore, all passengers safe

A Jet Airways aircraft with 66 passengers and four crew members onboard skidded off the runway after landing at the Indore airport on Saturday evening.

Reliance to make hi-tech weapons at Pithampur SEZ

Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) plans to manufacture hi-tech electronic warfare systems as well as heavy weapons at its upcoming defence park in Pithampur special economic zone (SEZ), about 30 km from Indore in Dhar district.

Shahi snan: Admin needs workable plan to manage crowd at Ram Ghat

On April 21, on the eve of the first ‘shahi snan’ (royal holy dip) of Simhastha Kumbh in Ujjain, the administration blocked all the entry points to Ram Ghat, the ancient ghat which was supposed to be reserved for the sadhus of 13 Akharas until noon the next day.

MP: Narmada-Shipra link eases water woes of Dewas town

People in Dewas may or may not have taken a holy dip at Simhastha Kumbh, but they are certainly benefitting from the Narmada-Shipra link that has been operationalised to ensure adequate water in Shipra river during the month-long fair in Ujjain.

Few takers for newly built ghats at Simhastha

About two dozen newly constructed ghats on the Kshipra river on which the state government spent crores of rupees in the run-up to Simhastha have failed to attract pilgrims, who are mostly flocking to the ancient ghats to take a holy dip.

MP: Woman seer challenges gender bias of male-dominated akharas

Woman saint Jagadguru Trikal Bhawanta has braved many odds to form the only all-women Akhara – Pari Akhara – in 2000, but even now she is facing discrimination from the 13 male-dominated Akharas recognised by Akhara Parishad.

Simhastha: Foreigners seek spiritual bliss in the land of Kumbh

Tatiana, a 31-year-old graphic designer from Russia who prefers to be called by her Indian name, Tapasvi, is one of 20 foreign disciples of Pilot Baba who are in Ujjain for the Simhastha Kumbh.

MP: Farmers in tears as onion prices crash after high output

Farmers in Madhya Pradesh who planted more onions following unusually high prices in August-October 2015 are now ruing their decision. A glut of onion has seen prices crashing across mandis in Malwa-Nimar region.