Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has denied a news report published by a major daily in India, claiming that the Authority has issued an order giving 100 free or pay channels for Rs 153. An official pointed out that the Authority has issued no such...
SOCIETY
2019: The Turning Point for Indian M&E?
Growth trends of last decade show that Indian M&E can act as an important contributor to India’s economic growth, but the sector continues to be a dwarf compared to its global peers. Can 2019 prove to be a point of inflection and kick-start next decade...
NTPC offers 4-year deal to green entrepreneurs for agri-waste supply
NTPC, India’s largest power producer by far, has invited expressions of interest worth thousands of crores of rupees for the supply of agricultural waste to 21 power plants across the country. NTPC will give a four-year assured off-take commitment. The proposals, invited on Dec 26,...
CHANNEL PRICES: TRAI botches new tariff rollout; could hurt BJP in 2019
The curious case of TRAI’s implementation of the its 2017 Tariff Order, which threatens to add yet another negative factor for NDA in upcoming polls, can be an excellent case study of what ails India’s legal and regulatory system. The saga started almost two years...
GST exemption raised to Rs 40 lakhs
The NDA government has given a major sop to tax payers by doubling the exemption limit for GST payment and compliance from Rs 20 lakhs per year to Rs 40 lakh. Under the earlier law, people and establishment providing goods and services worth more than...
Justice UU Lalit steps down from Ram Temple bench, new bench on Jan 29
Justice UU Lalit, who was part of a constitutional bench that was set up to hear the controversial Ram Temple Babri Masjid matter today, today recused himself from the bench hearing the matter. The judge withdrew himself after one of the advocates RK Dhawan pointed...
Upper Caste Quota: Jaitley says judiciary cannot annul this reservation
Finance minister and legal expert Arun Jaitley today allayed fears that the latest move to give reservations to forward communities will also be struck down by the courts like previous attempts. Replying to such concerns raised by Congress MP KV Thomas that drew parallels with...
Ayodha Ram Temple case hearing to start from Thursday
A five-judge bench headed by the chief justice Ranjan Gogoi will start hearing the Ayodhya Ram Temple dispute from day after tomorrow. The constitutional bench will also comprise judges NV Ramana and DY Chandrachud. It is not clear yet whether the hearing will done on...
CONFIRMED: Modi Govt’s 10% economic quota reserved for forward communities
Narendra Modi government’s new 10% economic reservation quota will not be open to economically weaker members of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes. The 124th constitutional amendment bill introduced by Thawar Chand Gehlot in Parliament today makes a specific exclusion for the above...
Upper caste reservation bill to be presented at 2 PM
The government will present a new bill to amend the constitution and introduce a new 10% quota for ‘forward communities’ at 2 PM today. The bill will be presented by minister of social justice and empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot. The bill will add a new...
Shiv Sena MP says TV channels creating hatred by identifying ‘Dalit’ victims
Shiv Sena MP Anil Desai today asked the government if it had taken steps against TV channels who were “creating hatred among various sections of Hindu community” by identifying victims of certain attacks as dalits. The government responded that it had already sent directives to...
Why 10% ‘upper caste reservation’ misses the point
The cabinet is reported to have approved a move to seek 10% reservation in jobs and educational institutions for all those castes and communities that currently do not get such reservations. The government will create a law to raise the upper ceiling of reserved seats...
PInarayi says no devotee was offended by women’s entry
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarai Vijayan today said no devotee of Ayyappa feels offended by the way two women were ‘facilitated’ to enter the Sabarimala temple and that the protests being seen on the streets are politically motivated. “When news came out about entry of women...
Sabarimala women’s entry re-opens BJP’s ‘golden chance’ in Kerala
After waiting patiently for a breakthrough, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prayers in Kerala seem to have been finally answered in the form of a crucial development in the Sabarimala temple standoff with two women entering the temple at night under police protection. The BJP has...
Actor Salim Kumar critiques Sabarimala verdict
With the Sabarimala issue on the boil again with a group of Tamil activists trying to enter the temple again, Malayalam actor Salim Kumar raised a note of dissent against the Supreme Court order. Participating in reality show Sell Me The Answer on Asianet, Salim...
Controversy erupts after girls in Kerala shame moral police on FB
An apparent incident of moral policing, in which young men allegedly tried to harass college girls wearing hijab for posing for photos with their male classmates has now ended with the police registering a case against the ‘guardians of cultural values’. The incident took place...
TRAI Says New Rules Won’t Raise Cable, DTH prices Or Hurt LCOs
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has dismissed the “fabrications and concoctions” being circulated on social media about the new tariff rules that will come into effect on December 29. In a statement, the regulator countered two broad concerns on the upcoming tariff scheme — that...
Kamalnath to be Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister
Veteran Congress leader Kamal Nath is learnt to have more or less been decided as the new chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. According to sources, both the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party — which are supporting Congress’ government formation efforts in Madhya Pradesh...
RESULTS TABLE – Congress leads BJP in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, MP
Early election leads indicate a slight edge for the Congress in elections to five states, with the party leading in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Please refer to the table to see the updated results. STATE SEATS BJP CONG TRS/MSF MP 230 108 111 0...
TABLE – EXIT POLLS FOR MADHYA PRADESH, RAJASTHAN
Madhya Pradesh is heading for a cliffhanger, with a slight edge to the Congress Party, while Rajasthan is all set to get a Congress government, according to various exit polls conducted after state elections that got over today. Please note that the numbers are being...