-The Indian Express In his speech, PM Modi said that opening bank accounts is a step towards joining economic mainstream. Launching his government's FIRst big ticket social welfare programme, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday gave a call for eradicating what he termed as "financial untouchability" of the poor by opening at least one bank account for every family in the country in less than...

-Down to Earth In the Vidarbha region which is facing 30 per cent rainfall deficit in the FIRst half the monsoon, the situation is very grim The drought in Maharashtra is worsening. With 15 talukas just declared drought-hit, 136 out of a total 355 talukas in the state are now officially reeling under drought. They have received rainfall that is less than 50 per cent of average in the state. Moreover, 15 districts...

-IndiaSpend.com Is India winning the battle against malnutrition? A comprehensive answer, for several reasons, would be yes. FIRst, there is a downstream impact of economic growth and reduction in overall poverty numbers, most of which has happened in the last decade. Second, it does appear that in many states of India, concerted and co-ordinated efforts by the Government are beginning to bear fruit. Also remember that most data on malnutrition goes back a...

-The Indian Express Exposure to television and digital media grew by leaps and bounds between 2005 and 2012. From Naxalbari to the Arab Spring, our popular imagination has seen the youth as the harbinger of revolution that breaks down the bastions of privilege. How do we reconcile this with the decisive victory that modern Indian youth have handed to the BJP, whose manifesto focused on entrepreneurship rather than redistribution? I would like...

-The Goan In the second decade of the 15th century, after the French ruler Charles VI was succeeded by his son bearing his name, a phrase was coined: "The king is dead, long live the king". The phrase literally meant that the transfer of sovereignty occurs simultaneously from the moment of death of an earlier monarch. Over the years, the phrase came to signify superficial change: the more things change,...