News / Author / Rakesh Goswami

Rakesh Goswami

Rakesh Goswami leads Hindustan Times’ bureau in Rajasthan. He loves to write on social issues and has been a journalist for 20 years, including 8 years as a broadcast journalist.

Articles by Rakesh Goswami

33 wetlands in country under threat; 5 each in Delhi and Rajasthan

“These wetlands require immediate attention and interventions,” said NPCA in a letter to states for corrective action.The 33 critical wetlands are situated in 19 states, mostly in Delhi and Rajasthan.

The official said water quantity, frequency, pollutants, drainage and encroachment were the major threats on which wetland sites scored high.(HT File Photo)

india news

Updated on Dec 19, 2019 02:04 PM IST

Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Farm issues and health sector on top of Ashok Gehlot govt’s agenda

In the 200-member assembly, the Congress won 99 seats and its ally, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, won one, while the BJP bagged 73. Election in one seat was countermanded due to the death of a candidate.

On Tuesday, Gehlot announced Rs 1,000 crore for a farmers’ welfare fund and 5% interest subsidy to loyal customers of Rajasthan State Cooperative Land Development Banks.(HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Dec 18, 2019 05:20 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Pakistan immigrants in Rajasthan, Punjab cheer CAB

According to information given by the state home department in reply to an Assembly question in last session, 17,652 immigrants are registered at Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) across 18 districts of Rajasthan; 6,127 of them are eligible to become Indian citizens.

An immigrant can currently apply for citizenship after staying in India for 11 years. Since the cut-off date for CAB is December 31, 2014, religious minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh immigrating to India that year will have to wait for five years for citizenship. (ANI Photo)

india news

Updated on Dec 10, 2019 06:16 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur/Jodhpur | ByRakesh Goswami and Dinesh Bothra

Polluted Sambhar lake to follow Chilika model after deaths of 20,000 migratory birds

Sambhar Lake’s polluted ecosystem is believed to be responsible for the country’s largest death toll in the last 30-40 years of waterfowls, who are believed to have fed on maggot-infested carcasses leading to deadly neuromuscular disease, botulism.

Veterinary doctors provide first aid to a bird at the Sambhar Salt Lake in Rajasthan.(PTI Photo)

environment

Updated on Dec 09, 2019 01:14 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Amid BHU protests over Firoz Khan, another Muslim man from Rajasthan wants to be Sanskrit teacher

Anahad Fareed, a Muslim from Hasampur village of Jaipur, wants to be a Sanskrit teacher like Firoze Khan, who got appointed in the faculty of Sanskrit Vidya Dharm Vigyan (SVDV) at BHU around a fortnight ago but has not been able to join because of protests by students.

Anahad Fareed says that his life changed after he started studying Sanskrit and he wants to keep serving it till he is alive.(HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Nov 22, 2019 10:04 AM IST

Hindusan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Neuromuscular illness killed birds in Sambhar

The confirmation comes 11 days after the first deaths were reported and six days after the Bikaner-based College of Veterinary and Animal Science said the deaths could be because of avian botulism. Hindustan Times reported this on November 15.

The Bareilly-based Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) confirmed on Thursday that the cause of death of around 18,500 migratory birds at India’s biggest inland salt water wetland, around Sambhar lake, is botulism, a neuromuscular illness.(PTI Photo)

cities

Updated on Nov 22, 2019 03:23 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Rajasthan’s Sambhar lake, where 18,000 birds died, among worst wetlands in India

Sambhar lake is among the eight worst-rated wetlands in the country when it comes to ecosystem management , according to a draft report prepared by the environment ministry in consultation with several independent experts.

At Rajasthan’s Sambhar lake, the carcasses of close to 18,000 migratory birds have been found since November 10.(PTI Photo)

india news

Updated on Nov 20, 2019 04:09 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

A month ago, Rajasthan health card found Sambhar Lake to be highly polluted

The health card found that Sambhar, India’s biggest inland salt-water lake spanning 24,000 hectares, had have high levels of salinity. The death toll of migratory birds reached 15,665 on Sunday.

Wildlife Creatures Organization (WCO) members rescues a bird at the Sambhar Salt Lake in Rajasthan.(Photo: PTI)

india news

Updated on Nov 18, 2019 02:38 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Sambhar mystery: Avian botulism likely behind bird deaths

The post-mortem report said: “There were bruises on the breast muscle (of the birds) and (their) lungs were congested.”

Bombay Natural History society officials check the dead birds at the Sambhar Lake in Jaipur, Rajasthan on Wednesday, November 11, 2019.(Photo by Prabhakar Sharma/ Hindustan Times)

india news

Updated on Nov 16, 2019 03:21 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Never faced bias before: Muslim Sanskrit professor in eye of row

Firoze said he wasn’t discriminated against when he was learning Sanskrit but rued that “when I want to propagate it through teaching, I have suddenly become a Muslim.”

Last week, some students staged a sit-in near the residence of the vice chancellor of BHU, demanding cancellation of Firoze’s appointment.(HT File Photo)

india news

Updated on Nov 13, 2019 08:21 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

BHU’s first Muslim professor of Sanskrit sings on DD, stages Sanskrit plays

On the eve of Sanskrit Day on August 14 this year, Dr. Firoze was the only Muslim to be awarded the ‘Sanskrit Yuva Pratibha Samman’ by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot

Dr. Firoze, who hails from a village near Jaipur in Rajasthan, says reading Sanskrit led to his intellectual growth(HT Photo)

india news

Updated on Nov 12, 2019 02:07 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Pehlu Khan bought cows for dairy, says court; cancels smuggling charge

Rajasthan High Court has ruled that it cannot be presumed that Pehlu Khan and his sons were taking the cattle for slaughter.

Pehlu Khan was thrashed by an alleged group of cow vigilantes in Alwar in 2017.

india news

Updated on Oct 30, 2019 05:30 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Where are the PDS beneficiaries? Rajasthan government is looking for answers

In last 12 months, 3 million people in Rajasthan haven’t turn up to claim ration from Fair Price Shops for two months in a row

cities

Updated on Oct 23, 2019 09:55 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Women farmers focus of Rajasthan govt’s new subsidy scheme

The scheme launched to give more subsidies to farmers will prefer women for benefits for gender mainstreaming in agriculture, said officials

New subsidy scheme for farmers in Rajasthan will focus on women for gender mainstreaming(HT File)

cities

Updated on Oct 14, 2019 07:03 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Ashok Gehlot cites Punjab CM’s example to attack Gujarat CM Rupani over liquor ban

In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot questioned why Gujarat CM had not sought cooperation of bordering states for preventing alleged liquor-smuggling into Gujarat. Rupani had earlier objected to Gehlot’s claim that liquor consumption was “maximum” in Gujarat despite prohibition.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot attacked the Gujarat CM over alleged illicit sale of liquor in Gujarat despite prohibition.(HT Photo)

india news

Updated on Oct 10, 2019 06:34 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

After Haryana and Gujarat, Rajasthan all set to bring law against snatching

Rajasthan has sought Central government’s permission to make changes in law against chain snatching offence by increasing punishment to up to 14 years.

Cases of chain snatching are currently registered under section 379 of the IPC for theft and it carries a maximum punishment of three years, or a fine, or both.(HT photo)

india news

Updated on Oct 09, 2019 10:02 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Students to get extra marks for donating blood on Gandhi Jayanti

Students to be awarded extra marks on donating blood on Gandhi Jayanti instead of Deen dayal Upadhyay’s birth anniversary.

education

Updated on Oct 02, 2019 06:46 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Rajasthan ACB loses its ‘biggest hero’ to cancer

Inspector Vikram Singh was diagnosed with cancer in June this year. He was posted to ACB around 8 years ago after getting a job with Rajasthan Police in 2002.

Inspector Vikram Singh was a fourth generation police officer who joined Rajasthan Police in 2002.(Sourced)

cities

Updated on Sep 25, 2019 12:53 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Rajasthan to give pension to people with lung diseases caused by dust

Chief minister Ashok Gehlot will launch the ‘Policy on Pneumoconiosis Detection, Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation’ on October 3, making Rajasthan the first Indian state to have such a policy, said officials. In January 2015, Rajasthan became the first Indian state to notify it as an epidemic.

According to government data, there are 17,000 patients of silicosis in Rajasthan since 2016.(HT Photo/ Representative image)

cities

Updated on Sep 23, 2019 12:45 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

How renovation helped this govt school to achieve highest enrolment in district

In 2014, the government primary school in Rajasthan’s Sherpur village was closed due to low enrolment. Two months later, it was reopened on the request of villagers and assurance by teachers to increase enrolment.

education

Published on Sep 20, 2019 11:18 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Ranthambore’s man-eater tiger, T-104 strikes again, for third kill

Rajasthan’s chief wildlife warden Arindam Tomar said teams from Jaipur and Kota were being sent to tranquilize and catch the tiger.

A 100-member team had tracked Tiger, T-104 in August this year after chasing its trail for 11 days(HT Photo)

india news

Updated on Sep 12, 2019 09:06 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami and Suresh Foujdar

32 years on, Rajasthan’s Roop Kanwar case drags on in court

Following the death of Roop Kanwar on her husband’s funeral pyre, the Rajasthan government brought an ordinance on October 1, 1987, to prevent Sati and its glorification.

A year after Roop Kanwar committed Sati, a procession was taken out from Deorala to Ajitgarh on September 22, 1988, glorifying the act. Police booked 45 people for glorification of the banned practice.(Reuters / Photo used for representational purpose only)

cities

Updated on Sep 12, 2019 08:39 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami and Jaykishan Sharma

This interstate criminal, held in Jaipur, likes to be called ‘Don’

Jitendra Singh has more than three dozen criminal cases against him in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Delhi, mostly of murder, extortion and kidnappings, police said.

Jitu Bana (left) and aide Sunit at Jobner police station in Jaipur. SHO Brij Bhushan Agarwal, who arrested Jitu on August 21 after an encounter, stands behind the criminal.(HT Photo)

cities

Published on Aug 28, 2019 12:42 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Pehlu Khan case probe officers in Jaipur on Monday for appeal talks

After an Alwar court acquitted six men, accused of lynching dairy farmer Pehlu Khan, Rajasthan government decided to file an appeal against the decision in HC.

Irshad Khan holds a picture of his late father Pehlu, in Jaisinghpur.(Reuters File)

cities

Published on Aug 26, 2019 11:13 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Rajasthan govt appoints special prosecutor in Rakbar case

Ashok Sharma was named the SPP after the government took flak for the sloppy investigation that led to acquittal of six people accused of lynching dairy farmer Pehlu Khan also in Alwar in 2017.

india news

Published on Aug 24, 2019 01:25 AM IST

Jaipur/Alwar | ByRakesh Goswami and Devendra Bhardwaj

Pehlu Khan judgment lays bare glaring lapses in probe

Khan, a dairy farmer, was lynched on the Delhi-Jaipur highway near Behror in Rajasthan’s Alwar district while he was transporting cattle from a market in Jaipur to his home in Nuh, Haryana, on April 1, 2017. The court acquitted the six accused on August 14.

Irshad Khan, 24, holds a picture of his late father Pehlu, 55, in Jaisinghpur. The 92-page judgment, which highlights the glaring holes in the investigative process and the prosecution’s case, was delivered by additional district judge Sarita Swami.(Reuters)

india news

Updated on Aug 15, 2019 11:52 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByJaykishan Sharma and Rakesh Goswami

On Sanskrit Diwas, a look at what govts did for the ancient language | Opinion

From Jawahar Lal Nehru to Indira Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi, all major decisions for the development and promotion of Sanskrit language in India came about during prime ministers from the Congress party.

India’s first Sanskrit institution, the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, was established in Tirupati , Andhra Pradesh in 1961.(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

india news

Published on Aug 15, 2019 10:52 AM IST

Hindusatan Times, New Delhi | ByRakesh Goswami

Flawed probe laid ground for acquittal in Pehlu Khan case: Lawyers

Khan, a dairy farmer, was lynched by alleged cow vigilantes on the Delhi-Jaipur highway near Behror in Rajasthan’s Alwar district while he was transporting cattle from a market in Jaipur to his home in Nuh, Haryana, two years ago.

Irshad Khan, 24, holds a picture of his late father Pehlu, 55, in Jaisinghpur.(REUTERS)

india news

Updated on Aug 15, 2019 07:39 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

Alwar court acquits 6 men accused of lynching Pehlu Khan on video

Fifty-five-year-old Pehlu Khan was attacked by alleged cow vigilantes in Alwar on the Jaipur-Delhi national highway, when he and five others were transporting cattle from a weekly market in Jaipur to their village in Nuh, Haryana. Khan died in the hospital on April 3, 2017.

india news

Updated on Aug 14, 2019 10:44 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur/Alwar | ByRakesh Goswami and Devendra Bhardwaj

4 chapters of all subjects in one book to reduce schoolbag weight, says Rajasthan minister Dotasara

Rajasthan school education minister Govind Singh Dotasara says the state government is beginning an experiment in one school in every district to reduce the weight of school bags by making one book of four chapters of each subject.

education

Updated on Aug 12, 2019 06:46 PM IST

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByRakesh Goswami

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Rakesh Goswami

Rakesh Goswami leads Hindustan Times’ bureau in Rajasthan. He loves to write on social issues and has been a journalist for 20 years, including 8 years as a broadcast journalist.

“These wetlands require immediate attention and interventions,” said NPCA in a letter to states for corrective action.The 33 critical wetlands are situated in 19 states, mostly in Delhi and Rajasthan.

In the 200-member assembly, the Congress won 99 seats and its ally, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, won one, while the BJP bagged 73. Election in one seat was countermanded due to the death of a candidate.

According to information given by the state home department in reply to an Assembly question in last session, 17,652 immigrants are registered at Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) across 18 districts of Rajasthan; 6,127 of them are eligible to become Indian citizens.

Sambhar Lake’s polluted ecosystem is believed to be responsible for the country’s largest death toll in the last 30-40 years of waterfowls, who are believed to have fed on maggot-infested carcasses leading to deadly neuromuscular disease, botulism.

Anahad Fareed, a Muslim from Hasampur village of Jaipur, wants to be a Sanskrit teacher like Firoze Khan, who got appointed in the faculty of Sanskrit Vidya Dharm Vigyan (SVDV) at BHU around a fortnight ago but has not been able to join because of protests by students.

The confirmation comes 11 days after the first deaths were reported and six days after the Bikaner-based College of Veterinary and Animal Science said the deaths could be because of avian botulism. Hindustan Times reported this on November 15.

Sambhar lake is among the eight worst-rated wetlands in the country when it comes to ecosystem management , according to a draft report prepared by the environment ministry in consultation with several independent experts.

The health card found that Sambhar, India’s biggest inland salt-water lake spanning 24,000 hectares, had have high levels of salinity. The death toll of migratory birds reached 15,665 on Sunday.

The post-mortem report said: “There were bruises on the breast muscle (of the birds) and (their) lungs were congested.”

Firoze said he wasn’t discriminated against when he was learning Sanskrit but rued that “when I want to propagate it through teaching, I have suddenly become a Muslim.”

On the eve of Sanskrit Day on August 14 this year, Dr. Firoze was the only Muslim to be awarded the ‘Sanskrit Yuva Pratibha Samman’ by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot

Rajasthan High Court has ruled that it cannot be presumed that Pehlu Khan and his sons were taking the cattle for slaughter.

In last 12 months, 3 million people in Rajasthan haven’t turn up to claim ration from Fair Price Shops for two months in a row

The scheme launched to give more subsidies to farmers will prefer women for benefits for gender mainstreaming in agriculture, said officials

Rajasthan has sought Central government’s permission to make changes in law against chain snatching offence by increasing punishment to up to 14 years.

Students to be awarded extra marks on donating blood on Gandhi Jayanti instead of Deen dayal Upadhyay’s birth anniversary.

Inspector Vikram Singh was diagnosed with cancer in June this year. He was posted to ACB around 8 years ago after getting a job with Rajasthan Police in 2002.

In 2014, the government primary school in Rajasthan’s Sherpur village was closed due to low enrolment. Two months later, it was reopened on the request of villagers and assurance by teachers to increase enrolment.

Rajasthan’s chief wildlife warden Arindam Tomar said teams from Jaipur and Kota were being sent to tranquilize and catch the tiger.

Following the death of Roop Kanwar on her husband’s funeral pyre, the Rajasthan government brought an ordinance on October 1, 1987, to prevent Sati and its glorification.

Jitendra Singh has more than three dozen criminal cases against him in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Delhi, mostly of murder, extortion and kidnappings, police said.

After an Alwar court acquitted six men, accused of lynching dairy farmer Pehlu Khan, Rajasthan government decided to file an appeal against the decision in HC.

Ashok Sharma was named the SPP after the government took flak for the sloppy investigation that led to acquittal of six people accused of lynching dairy farmer Pehlu Khan also in Alwar in 2017.

Khan, a dairy farmer, was lynched on the Delhi-Jaipur highway near Behror in Rajasthan’s Alwar district while he was transporting cattle from a market in Jaipur to his home in Nuh, Haryana, on April 1, 2017. The court acquitted the six accused on August 14.

From Jawahar Lal Nehru to Indira Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi, all major decisions for the development and promotion of Sanskrit language in India came about during prime ministers from the Congress party.

Khan, a dairy farmer, was lynched by alleged cow vigilantes on the Delhi-Jaipur highway near Behror in Rajasthan’s Alwar district while he was transporting cattle from a market in Jaipur to his home in Nuh, Haryana, two years ago.

Fifty-five-year-old Pehlu Khan was attacked by alleged cow vigilantes in Alwar on the Jaipur-Delhi national highway, when he and five others were transporting cattle from a weekly market in Jaipur to their village in Nuh, Haryana. Khan died in the hospital on April 3, 2017.

Rajasthan school education minister Govind Singh Dotasara says the state government is beginning an experiment in one school in every district to reduce the weight of school bags by making one book of four chapters of each subject.

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