Doping, Sabotage, Scandal: The Narsingh Yadav Saga Has Turned Indian Wrestling Into A Farce

By VIMAL GILL | INNLIVE

From mysterious intruders to claims of vendetta, it’s the perfect potboiler, except the biggest loser is Indian sport.

Doping, sabotage, incrimination, spiked food. No, this is not the tagline of the Hindi film industry’s next potboiler. Less than ten days before the Olympics begin, Indian sport has been dominated, not by news of Indian medal prospects, but by a tale of doping and deception which has more twists and turns than a Dan Brown novel.

What's Wrong With Abortion Laws: The Case Of A Rape Victim Missing The 20-Week Deadline

By MENAKA RAO | INNLIVE

A 23-year-old tribal woman from Chhattisgarh was abducted, raped and got pregnant. Bureaucratic hurdles delayed her quest for an abortion.

In April, the Chhattisgarh High Court allowed a 23-year-old tribal woman to undergo an abortion even though her foetus was older than 20 weeks – the deadline set by the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1973. The woman from Jashpur district in Chhattisgarh had been raped by her boyfriend, who abducted her and took her to Alwar in Rajasthan, where she remained for nearly a year.

India's Model Villages: Why Modi's Pet Rural Development Scheme Is Not Working Properly?

By REX KUMAR | INNLIVE

Only 53 of 278 BJP MPs in the Lok Sabha have selected new villages in phase two of the scheme.

Close to two years after its launch, there seem to be few takers among parliamentarians for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship rural development scheme, the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, which aimed to develop at least three “model villages” in each parliamentary constituency by 2019. 

Soon after the launch of the scheme in October 2014, 701 of total 795 ruling and opposition MPs had adopted a village each to be developed over two years.

After 'Baadshah', Now 'Sultan' Rules The Film Industry: All Hail Salman Khan, The Sultan Of The Box Office

By M H AHSSAN | INNLIVE

The megastar has become a one-man industry with the keys to the Bollywood treasure chest.

Yash Raj Films presents the new Salman Khan movie Sultan, but surely it is the other way round?

Khan has delivered one of the biggest hits of his career with Sultan, a drama by Ali Abbas Zafar about a wrestler who exorcises his demons both in and outside of the ring.

'The Youth Must Not Be Drawn By This Barbaric, Cruel Way': Asad Owaisi

By LIKHAVEER | INNLIVE

AIMIM chief ­Asaduddin Owaisi on what the Modi government can do to prevent youth taking to extremism. Three-time Hyderabad MP and AIMIM president ­Asaduddin Owaisi in conversation with INNLIVE.

Are the recent arrests of five youth from Hyderabad for links with ISIS a cause for worry?
In terms of numbers, only 23 Indians have gone to Syria and about 16 or 17 of them have gone there from outside Hyderabad. If you compare this with the UK, US, France and other parts of Europe, the number is still low. I am however worried why even one youth should be drawn to such an outfit which is barbaric and pure evil.

Why Indian Army Needs To Abandon The Colonial Concept Of 'Martial Races'?

By SURJIT RANA | INNLIVE

It is time to reform recruitment to our armed forces and bring the values of the Constitution into this venerable institution.

In 2012, IS Yadav, a doctor from Haryana, filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of “caste based recruitment” to the Indian Army.

Film Review: ‘Sultan’ Is A Biopic Of Salman Khan, The Man Conquered All Odds

By RAMAN KAPOOR | INNLIVE

Director Ali Abbas Zafar’s sports drama is a thinly veiled study of the dark star’s triumph over his off-screen troubles.

Mixed martial arts league promoter Akash (Amit Sadh) needs a star fighter, preferably an Indian, to boost the prospects of his upcoming tournament. His father advises him to go see what Sultan Ali Khan is upto these days.

Barring Flag Hoisting, Yoga Day Seems At Par With Indian 'National Days'

By LIKHAVEER | INNLIVE

The linking of International Yoga Day to Lord Shiva, who is said to have become the first yogi on June 21, is a reversal of the secularisation of yoga.

June’s scorching, sultry heat seems to get the worst out of those in power in Delhi. It is the month in which Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency and threatened to extinguish forever the flame of liberty.

The Traffic Paradox: More Flyovers Will Only Increase Congestion In Delhi, Not To Solve It

By TINA HARSH | INNLIVE

Instead of assuming more road infrastructure will reduce congestion, Delhi will be better off improving public transport and incentivising walking, cycling.

The Delhi government’s plan to construct a web of elevated roads – with two lanes for private vehicles that will have to pay a toll, and one lane for buses that will be exempt from the toll – needs to be rethought, because more roads will mean more traffic and hence more congestion.

Examples from the world over show that constructing highways or freeways and flyovers does not solve congestion along select routes and that the construction of high-capacity, limited-access roads as a means of managing automobile congestion in urban areas is doomed to failure.

Crop Damage Hits Tomato Supply; Prices Surge Up To Rs 100 Per Kilogram

By LIKHAVEER | INNLIVE

Tomato prices in most retail markets across the country have doubled to up to Rs 100 per kg in last 15 days due to sluggish supply owing to crop damage.

Earlier this month, prices of tomato - a key kitchen vegetable - were ruling in the range of Rs 20-40 per kg, as per data maintained by the Consumer Affairs Ministry.

Indian National Congress: Death Of The 'Dynastic Rule'?

By M H AHSSAN | INNLIVE

The Congress is prone to describing the ongoing rebellion in its ranks, as also the departure of leaders from its fold, as glowing examples of opportunism bedevilling Indian politics. What the Congress fails to comprehend is that opportunism is inevitable in a system which privileges dynasty over ideology.

The Congress does indeed have an ideology, nebulous though it may be seem to observers. The problem, however, arises from the fact that the Gandhis personify the party ideology. It is consequently subordinated to the family in the hierarchy of importance, exposing the Congress to the perils inherent to any dynastic rule.

For one, the dissidents in the Congress frame their rebellion against the wrong choices of the dynasty. 

Rajya Sabha Polls: Kapil Sibal Wins, But Poll Results Point At Rebellion In Congress Party

By NEWSCOP | INNLIVE

Despite heavy cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s strategy of supporting an Independent candidate considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and thwart Congress candidate Kapil Sibal’s chances didn't quite work.

However, Sibal's victory wasn't enough. The Congress suffered a jolt with Sibal getting only 25 first preference votes despite the 8-member RLD committing four votes each to Congress and SP.

Fake Federalism: How 'National Parties' Turned The Concept Of 'Rajya' In Rajya Sabha Into A Farce?

By NEWSCOP | INNLIVE 

The upper House of Parliament, literally a Council of States, was meant to be a federal chamber to look out for the interests of the states.

The continued abuse of the idea of the Rajya Sabha – or the Council of States – by the so-called national parties continues with the upcoming round of Rajya Sabha elections.

Two Years On: PM Narendra Modi's Report Card On Govt And BJP Performance

By M H AHSSAN | INNLIVE

The performance of Narandra Modi as an individual, the functioning of his government and the narrative of his RSS-backed party during the preceding two years calls for a dispassionate analysis that's done without any fear or favour. But believe it or not, it's too difficult a job for the simple reason that the man of the moment, his government and his party look like three different entities.

And analysing the performances of the three put together would present a confusing, indecipherable picture.

Rewriting History: By Comparing Akbar To Hitler, BJP Shows There’s No Place For Even A 'Good' Muslim In India’s History

By SHOEB KHAN | INNLIVE

It's not about being the 'good' Akbar or the 'bad' Aurangzeb – like Pakistan, India can't accept a minority historical icon anymore.

In August 2015, New Delhi’s Aurangzeb Road was renamed APJ Abdul Kalam Road by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. On the surface, this was done because Aurangzeb wasn’t a very nice man – or so goes most of popular Indian history. Of special note are his policies that supposedly discriminated against non-Muslims and his support for puritanical religion: a special tax on non-Muslims, temple destruction banning music and so on. So terrible is Aurangzeb’s image in modern India that not only Hindutva ideologues but even liberals and some left-wingers came out in support of the renaming.

Focus: Is RSS Using 'Muslim Card' To Beef Up Its Agenda?

By LIKHA VEER | INNLIVE

The slew of meat bans in BJP-ruled states seems to have energised the Sangh Parivar's campaign against cow slaughter, particularly in Muslim-dominated areas.

On 13 September, the RSS frontal outfit Rashtriya Muslim Manch organised an 'All India Cow Protection Conclave' in Firozpur in Haryana's Mewat region. The objective: to persuade Muslim farmers and political and religious leaders to curb cow slaughter.

According to the organisers, it was only the first of many such events to be held in Muslim areas across the country.

'Bharat Bandh' On September 2, Over Labour Reforms May Hit Banking, Transport, Factories And Trade In India

By M H AHSSAN | INNLIVE

In India, nearly 150 million workers from 10 central trade unions will go on strike on Wenesday, September 2 against the government’s proposed labour reforms with the protest likely to shut down banks, factories as well as auto, taxi and flight services in many parts of the country.  

The nationwide one-day strike, according to the trade unions, is supposed to be the biggest strike ever in the country. The protestors are striking against the anti-worker economic policies of the government. 

Indian Students In Limbo At DY Patil’s Mauritius Campus!

Indian students at DY Patil Medical College's campus in Mauritius are staring at an uncertain future as the college's recognition is under question. Several students who sought admission to the first-year undergraduate programme were asked to cancel it and 100% of their fees were refunded early this month. 

The ones who are studying there for the last two years were assured that they will be allowed to complete their degree. But with no approval, the students are worried that they will not be able to complete the mandatory 5,000 hours of practicals in hospitals, which they need to start right away. 

Focus: Where Are The Free School Textbooks For Children?

By Rati Kumar in Bhopal

In August last year, the a vernacular newspaper reported from Varanasi, that none of the students of class I, II and III had school text books. The whole of July had gone by without anything being taught in schools and the students spent most of their time playing. Varanasi is just as an example; the situation across the country is equally disappointing.

According to the Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009, every child in a primary school should have text books available on time i.e. at the beginning of the academic year. But the reality is far from what the Act stipulates. In fact, most children do not receive school books and even those who do, don’t necessarily get all the books and rarely at the beginning of the academic year.

Focus: Why We Adopted The System Of 'Cheating' Today?

By Ragini Khanna in Delhi

A frustrated aspirational society is linked to upsurge in foul exam means. Based on compelling evidence of widespread cheating in the 2015-16 All India Medical Examinations held last month, the Supreme Court recently ordered the Central Board of Secondary Education to conduct a retest. Earlier in March, Indian and foreign media featured prominently parents and relatives scaling school walls and buildings, to pass answer chits to students taking secondary school examinations in Bihar.