From Malnutrition To Rape: Millions In India Suffer The Horrors Of Slavery

By M H AHSSAN | INNLIVE

Every day as Kamla dug through the mud and molded bricks for north Indian kiln, her two hungry children would cry out to her for food. The 200 rupees ($3) she made for producing 1,000 bricks at a time wasn't nearly enough to feed her family, and her daughter died of malnutrition before she turned four.

Kamla's story, told to one of the many charities fighting forced labour in India, is common enough to explain how slavery persists in the country despite rapid development that has helped make India the world's fastest-growing economy.

'Aaj Aane Ki Zid Na Karo': India Deserves Better Than Rahul Gandhi

By M H AHSSAN | INNLIVE

There's a growing realisation within the Congress that whatever Rahul Gandhi's showing as the party's de facto leader, it appears that the Congress has no choice but to embrace his leadership. But here's the thing...

Rahul Gandhi's umpteenth threat of finally becoming president of the Congress reminds me of a famous ghazal by Fayyaz Hashmi popularised by Farida Khanum: Aaj aane ki zid na karo (Don't insist on coming today).

The Death Of Urdu In India Is Greatly Exaggerated – The Language Is Thriving

By SALEHA HASEEB | INNLIVE

After a wall with Urdu slogans was defaced in Delhi by RSS workers, unfounded doubts are being raised about the state of the language in India.

An Indian currency note is a wonder of linguistic diversity. Take a Rs 100 note, for example. The amount “rupees one hundred” is written in a staggering 17 scripts. Most of the scripts represent different sounds: in Bengali, it reads “eksho taka” and in Marathi “shambhar rupye”. Yet, oddly enough, two of those 17 scripts read out the same way : “ek sau rupye”. The two are, of course, Hindi and Urdu.

Food Talk: When Did The Bao Become The New Cronut?

By AEMAN NISHAT | INNLIVE

Everybody is serving the steamed buns filled with sweet-savoury odds and ends. Where did the trend start? And why?

Somewhere around 2011, Mumbai discovered the cupcake. What was really just cake and frosting in a not-even-so-new shape was suddenly everywhere – topped with delicate cream cheese on the shelves of fancy new patisseries, crowned with lurid buttercream on the display windows of old local bakeries. And of all cupcakes, red velvet was the most venerated – lauded for its mysterious crimson hue, extolled for its velvetiness. Tell an impassioned red velvet fan that it’s just boring old sponge cake with a dash of cocoa and a smidge of artificial food colouring – or worse, beet juice – and you’ll shatter their hopes and dreams.

Opinion: Defence Of The Realm

By M H AHSSAN | INNLIVE

During its first two years in office, the NDA government gave a free hand to the army to act pro-actively on the LoC with Pakistan. It worked assiduously with the leadership of the armed forces and the bureaucracy to give a fillip to the stalled process of military modernisation. However, the state of defence preparedness continues to merit the government's urgent attention.

In the remaining years in power, the Modi government must address the 'critical hollowness' plaguing defence preparedness - a term used by General V K Singh, former Army Chief, in the letter he wrote to the then Prime Minister in May 2012. Also, major operational voids in the war establishment of the three Services must be addressed early in order to enhance combat readiness.

Bungled Blood Transfusions Infect 2,234 With HIV Virus In India

By M H AHSSAN | INNLIVE

Nothing can be more scarier than to be on the receiving end of a bungled blood transfusion procedure.

This report published in The Hindu, states that since the past 17 months almost 2,234 people across the country have been infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) during the blood transfusions.

The cited data released by the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) further reveals that Uttar Pradesh has 361 such botched up blood transfusion cases, the highest, with Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi trailing behind with 292, 276 and 264 cases respectively.

Painkillers May Extend Duration Of Chronic Pain

By SARAH WILLIAMS | INNLIVE

The short-term decision to take painkillers can have devastating consequences of making pain worse and longer lasting, a new research has warned.

The findings could explain the explosion of painkiller addiction in the past few decades.

"We are showing for the first time that even a brief exposure to opioids can have long-term negative effects on pain," said lead researcher Peter Grace, assistant research professor at University of Colorado Boulder in the US.

'One More Cess Means You Will Be Paying 15% In Service Tax From Today Onwards'

By LIKHAVEER | INNLIVE

The Krishi Kalyan Cess makes eating out and taking an Uber more expensive.

From today onwards, the cost of most services, including eating out and your Uber ride, will go up at 0.5% of the total bill with the introduction of a new Krishi Kalyan Cess. This cess will be levied in addition to the prevailing service tax rate of 14.5%.

After introducing the 0.5% Swachh Bharat Cess in November, the Union Finance Minister announced in this year’s Budget that the government would levy a Krishi Kalyan Cess to finance activities related to agriculture and build a fund for the welfare of the farmers.