Opinion: When Modi Mocks NREGA, Ridicules The 80 Million Indians Contributing To Nation’s Development?

The prime minister feels the scheme is just about digging ditches. He would do better looking at government statistics and talking to the country's poor.

Despite all the inimical noises made by the current government, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has survived. The budget recently allocated to it by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley confirms the government is not willing to axe the scheme – at least not this year. But does that rule out its erosion? 

Exclusive: Bizarre UPA-Era Figures Revealed 70% Of Delhi Used For Organic Farming In 2012 And Records Can't Explain Where 100 Crore Subsidies Gone?

Believe it or not, almost 70 per cent of the national Capital was used for organic farming in 2011-2012, according to National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF), which comes under the Ministry of Agriculture. 

While the total geographical area of Delhi is 1.48 lakh hectares, NPOF data shows 100238.74 hectares (almost twice the size of Mumbai) was used for organic farming during that period. 

What smacks of data fudging and a gigantic scam took place between 2009 and 2012 when the Sheila Dikshit government was in power in Delhi and the Congress-led UPA ruled at the Centre.

'34,000 Infant Deaths' In Delhi's Govt Hospitals, RTI Exposed The Shocking Statistics Of Last Five Years

An RTI response has revealed the shocking record of Delhi government hospitals, which boast of world-class healthcare facilities but have failed to save the lives of their newborn and young patients. 

The reply reveals that 12-15 per cent children admitted to the hospitals’ neo-natal and paediatric ICU wards have died in the past five years. In some cases, the death rate has averaged 25 per cent.

The 34,000 casualties in five years were reported from 19 Central and Delhi government hospitals. 

Statistical Lies: How India’s UP State Fudges Crime Data

Is Uttar Pradesh (UP), India’s most populous state, better governed than richer and more advanced Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat? If you look at some statistics, the answer is yes.

UP has a reputation for widespread mis-governance, but official data reveal lower disease outbreaks, lower crimes and lower accidents than the other states we mentioned. And so unfolds a story of lies, damned lies and statistics.

Classroom Politics: The ‘Textbooks War’ Between Telangana And Andhra Is Likely To Disappoint Many!

The textbooks of the unified state were always written to reflect the cultural and linguistic nuances of the people of coastal Andhra.

The serial jousts between coastal Andhra and Telangana have always been presented by the media as being akin to the Partition of India and Pakistan, bringing to mind images of visceral massacres and long lines of migrants across borders. Inappropriate metaphors are easy to reach for.

Is Most Wanted Don 'Dawood Ibrahim' Is Behind The 4,000 Cr Lottery Scam Backed By Pak Based Crime Syndicate?

As confidence tricks go, this one is not novel. But the sheer amount of money involved and the trail leading to Pakistan - possibly to a certain Dawood Ibrahim - make it a thriller. 

The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has alerted the government about fraudulent lottery schemes run across India by an organised syndicate in Pakistan, which employs Indian agents to suck huge amounts of money from the gullible.

Golden Telangana: A Galore Of Opportunities, Challenges

The newest State in India, Telangana, shows impressive figures on the economic performance front, whereas in respect of human and social conditions, it appears to be lagging behind.

First the good news. The Budget for 2015-16 and the Socio-Economic Outlook 2015 (Reinventing Telangana: First Steps) presented on March 11 state that the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) growth was estimated to be 5.3% for 2014-15 as against 4.8% in the previous financial year 2013-14. 

Focus: Want To Get A 'Pilot' Job? Just, 'Bribe' Your Way!

Getting a Pilot job in any Indian airlines is not a tough job. Just shell out some money and job will be yours! INNLIVE investigates the entire episode of this cunning practice and sketched the complete picture of this malpractice.

Four years after the fake pilot licence scam broke out, money and influence continue to be the important qualifications for a job in the sky.

One fine morning, pretending to be an unemployed pilot looking for a job, INNLIVE contacted Suresh Kumar Lamba, private secretary to the director, ministry of civil aviation. Edited excerpts:

Book Review: A Paean To Chhattisgarh From 'Exiled Lover'

SPONSORED: Dr Ilina Sen’s association with Chhattisgarh and her deep, empathetic understanding of its society and culture have come lyrically alive in "Inside Chhattisgarh: A Political Memoir." 

In November 2000, the state of Chhattisgarh was carved out of 16 eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh. At that time noted sociologist Dr Ilina Sen and her husband Dr Binayak Sen, who had chosen to make it their home and share the lives of its people, had no inkling, perhaps, of how this political act would one day so dramatically impact their own lives.

Barely seven years later, Dr Binayak Sen was arrested and charged with sedition. The manner in which he was branded as the “mastermind of the Naxalites” and the case built around him by the state and a compliant local media had a marked impact.

'Beef Ban' In Maharashtra: How Politicians Manipulate 'Hindu Sentiments' Around 'Cow Slaughter'?

Beef has been banned completely in Maharashtra. The Union government has given its assent to the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill, almost two decades after the state assembly had passed it under the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party government in 1995.

Maharashtra had always banned the slaughter of cows but allowed the slaughter of bulls, bullocks and water buffalo. The new act will ban the slaughter of all cattle with the exception of water buffaloes.

Paranormal Grievances Rattle 'Raisina' Residents In Delhi

“There is a female ghost known as ‘Bird Flying Praiyati’ unleashed on my family and at least three members have died in suspicious circumstances. I have requested District Magistrate and top police officials but they failed to take any action against ‘Praiyati’. Please give appropriate direction to the authorities concerned so that the killer ghost as well as its handler could be punished.”

It is not a fictional account from Chandrakanta or Jataka Katha but a complaint letter sent by a Rajasthan native to the Central Government for redressal. Several Union ministries, including the highest office of the Prime Minister, are flooded with grievances having extra-territorial implications, an official jokingly said. 

Special Report: 'Who Cries When A Mothers Die?'

The probability of an Indian mother dying during childbirth is roughly 10 times that of her Chinese counterpart. Reducing the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) by three-quarters in 10 years is now a Millennium Development Goal. Why is MMR in India so high and how far are we from the goal? INNLIVE unravels the many challenges to saving mothers' lives.

Lhamu, a mother of twelve, lives in a remote village in Western Tibet. Three of her children died within a month of birth and the four year old strapped to her back looked as small as a one year old. She gave birth all alone, at home, all twelve times.

Focus: Will 'Aam Aadmi Party' Deliver The True 'Swaraj'?

The initial euphoria over its emphatic electoral win over, the focus is now on realities within which the AAP will have to deliver on its promises. INNLIVE explores if the party can realise its vision of ‘swaraj,’ living up to the true ideals of decentralisation.

Ever since the AAP's win in Delhi, there have been a spate of articles on right wing websites, questioning the rationale of issues that form the core of the AAP's political ideologies.

Who Can Replace Rahul Gandhi In Congress Young Turks?

Rahul Gandhi’s decision to go on a sabbatical just ahead of the Budget session has left the Congress in a tizzy and party spokespersons are having a tough time explaining the move. Battered and bruised in the Lok Sabha elections, Congress was hoping to play the ‘role’ of an Opposition, and the controversial Land Acquisition Bill was a perfect issue to start with. 

Notably, this Bill had the imprints of Rahul Gandhi when the UPA was in power and wanted to clear it in Parliament.

Budget 2015: Think Out Of Box To Fund 'Infra Building'

Ever thought of putting your money in building the half-finished flyover you wish should have come up by now, making your travel to office a bit more pleasant? 

It may sound crazy, but many infrastructure finance experts seriously think that is prudent. They believe it could be the most important source of funds for that flyover and also a host of similar infrastructure projects in the country. Why? 

Most infra projects need funding support for long term, and they start generating returns only after a while. And that sounds similar to what you expect from your retirement money.

Black Magic, Lucky Numbers And A 'Cursed' Congress Office: Inside The Superstitions Our 'Netas' Can't Live!

That superstition is integral to Karnataka politics has been proved yet again, with the Janata Dal (Secular) allegedly performing black magic to invoke a curse on the ruling Congress before handing over the party head office it had occupied in the heart of the city for the last three decades to India’s Grand Old Party. 

When Congress party workers entered the premises, they were horrified to find lemon, chilly, vermilion and unknown materials wrapped in red cloth. It is claimed they were scared to enter the building till it was “purified”. 

Investigation: The Unending Saga Of 'Forest' Fake PhDs

A INNLIVE investigation reveals how India’s premier institute for forestry research bent rules to grant doctorates to several forest service officers. The entire investigation runs on the information flowed over the series of visits conducted by the INNLIVE teams in various places and the main campus in Dehradun.

A corrupt clique of Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers has cankered one of India’s proud institutions, the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), which has an illustrious history to match its heritage building in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

R K Laxman - The 'Uncommon Man' Passes Into History

A story in the media goes that one day a few decades ago, The Times Of India (ToI) cartoonist and creator of The Common Man, R.K. Laxman, retired. The following day, the legend's cartoon was not to be found as readers rubbed their disbelieving eyes over their morning cuppa.

Sustained letters and calls to the ToI offices from the loyal and casual readers finally led to Laxman being dragged out of retirement and reinstating the uncommon, signature cartoons to their dedicated slot on Page 1.

‘Speak, For Thy Tongue Is Free’: Urdu Poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz

The language that ignited Ghalib’s tongue and fired Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry is finding new takers in the country.

In 1954 the Central Working Committee of the Bharatiya Janta Sangh, a precursor to the Bhartiya Janta Party(BJP) declared Urdu to be “The language of no region in India, it being only a foreign and unacceptable style of Hindi with a foreign script and foreign vocabulary imposed on India during a period of foreign domination.”

Special Report: How A 8-Month-Old Abhilasha Sent To Jail In Madhya Pradesh's 'Anti-Conversion' Case?

Recent cases in the state show how the anti-conversion law is being used as a political instrument to target Christians.

With the Bharatiya Janata Party pushing for a national anti-conversion law, it might be instructive to see how existing state laws are used (or not). Last week, INNLIVE reported on a ghar wapsi event in Gujarat’s Valsad district where Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists announced to the media that they had converted 400-500 Christian tribals to Hinduism. Under Gujarat's law, those holding or participating in religious conversion ceremonies must seek permission from the district authorities. No permission was sought by the VHP and yet the policemen present at the event felt no need to act against the organisers.