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Since returning to power last year with an overwhelming majority in the 2019 general elections, the Modi-led government has passed a series of legislations in rapid succession without any credible dialogue both within and outside Parliament – amendments to the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, which in effect have diluted the statutory requirement for the National Human Rights Commission to be headed by a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, amendments to the already infamous Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, under which even individuals can now be designated terrorists and their properties seized, dilution of the hard-fought ‘Right to Information Act’, which in essence diminishes the independence of the office of the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and other information officers, to the latest onslaught of the CAA-NRC-NPR combine, which is being seen as an attempt to disenfranchise particular sections of Indian society – have raised legitimate concerns that the Centre is in an unprecedented rush to appropriate for itself disproportionate powers to meddle with India’s public institutions, weaken democratic oversight, muzzle the right to information, and punish ‘inconvenient’ activists, human rights defenders, and even local communities who are resisting the usurpation of their lands and other community resources for large-scale industrial projects.

The Budget is all about allocation of resources towards social sectors such as education, health, infrastructure, and agriculture. Ideally, the government should spend/allocate funds toward any sector, in a fashion, which requires the most. Take for example the agriculture sector. There are around 500 million farmers with more than 50 per cent of the Indian labour force depending on agriculture and allied activities. As there is an indication that there is a fall in consumption expenditure (first time in four decades), the question is how do the public policymakers give money in the hand of the rural folks? Take for example the interventions in the agricultural sector. Do the policymakers go for subsidy schemes such as farm loan waiver, or do they build more cold storage? Or do they build more food processing units? Each one of these interventions comes with a cost and therefore the government should intervene in a fashion so that it gives maximum benefit for the economy.

Ask a man on the street or people living in posh localities, who they would vote for in the coming Delhi elections and their prompt reply would be—“Arvind Kejriwal”. It appears a wave is building up for Kejriwal and, on his party, the Delhi Chief Minister is certain of a second term. These are the same Delliwalas who had voted for Narendra Modi in 2014 and 2019.

Auckland (New Zealand): The Indian Women's Hockey Team kick started the first tour of their Olympic Year with a confident victory over the New Zealand Development squad here on Saturday.

Hyderabad: A tale of two penalties saw Hyderabad FC hold Mumbai City FC to a 1-1 draw in a dramatic Hero Indian Super League encounter at the GMC Balayogi Stadium here on Friday.

New Delhi: Olympic medal winning pugilist Vijender Singh on Friday promised his full support to Special Olympics for differently-abled people, who according to him are the real heroes.

Goa: Goa, along with ATK and Bengaluru are locked in a compelling three-way battle for the top spot in the league stage of the Hero Indian Super League which guarantees a spot in the AFC Champions League. The Gaurs will be looking to pull clear of their rivals when they take on Kerala Blasters FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Saturday.

Oxfam Rights Group has come out with a study, ‘Time to Care’, on the occasion of the 50th annual meeting of World Economic Forum (WEF), a five-day summit from January 20, 2020, at Davos, Switzerland. The data were sourced from Credit Suisse Research Institute’s Global Wealth Data Book, 2019 and Forbes 2019 Billionaires List.

LUCKNOW: Much like the now iconic Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh women’s protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Ghanta Ghar, Lucknow is gaining strength and support with every passing day. In fact, it is infectiously spreading to other cities and women are leading the fight against what is widely perceived to be a highly divisive move by the Modi-Shah government at the centre, that is supported by the Yogi-led state of UP.

The BJP leadership usually boasts of their fight against Emergency and claim they were primarily responsible for forcing the autocrat Indira Gandhi to retreat. They are free to make any claim which suits them. But the fact is fight during the Emergency was simple. It was a fight for the restoration of democracy against authoritarianism.