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Signs of desperation for the majoritarian Modi government, as the country moves closer to the May 2019 Lok Sabha poll, are becoming manifest at both political and economic levels. The abrupt manner of taking into police custody a group of civil rights activists, noted scholars among them, across the nation on August 28, without due processes has been widely condemned. It has drawn adverse notice in sections of global media and the highest court of the land.

BHOPAL: During Election Commission’s three day visit to Bhopal several political parties expressed apprehension that the ruling party might pack polling booths with government employees having affiliation with the RSS. It may be mentioned here that Madhya Pradesh government had permitted state government servants to participate in RSS activities. This was done through an executive order issued in 2006. Government servants’ participation in the RSS activities was banned before that.

“Boxing the compass” is an old nautical term for locating the points on a magnetic compass in order to set a course. With the erratic winds blowing out of Washington these days, countries all over Asia and the Middle East are boxing the compass and re-evaluating traditional foes and old alliances.

Treating a patient involves history taking, examination of the patient and diagnostic investigations as per the need before forming an opinion about the illness of the patient and the differential diagnosis. Only then can a doctor prescribe the treatment, medical or surgical as the case may be. There are set protocols for this methodology and for specific diseases. These protocols may change from time to time. This change is effected after thorough deliberations among the academics of a particular subject. Telemedicine is still in a developing stage to meet the above criteria. Many a times patients seek telephonic advice from the doctor. This is generally discouraged because of the possibility of missing several issues. But these days one finds increasing advertisements on various types of media highlighting their achievements and encouraging patients to get treatment from them.

One of the prevailing myths about high-wage high-tech workers in India is that they are only concerned about their pecuniary benefits. The other associated myth is that their propensity to resort to direct action to safeguard their rights and interests is inversely proportional to their salary level. Both the myths have been smashed by the commercial pilots—especially, from Air India and its subsidiaries—time and again. The latest such display was in the middle of August in the context of their exemplary services to the Kerala flood victims.

BHOPAL: While Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is continuing his Ashrivad Yatra, two controversial events have hit the headlines. One relates to the supply of shoes to tribals and the other about the dispatch of over one crore letters addressed to women voters of the state.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is steadily losing his battle with the opposition, especially the Congress President Rahul Gandhi over the facts on Rafale deal. Right now, he is not the Defence Minister but he is taking the most active part in defending the Government decision on the new agreement on Rafale purchases against blistering attacks by Rahul Gandhi who has termed the deal announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Paris in April 2015 as the biggest scam in independent India’s history.

In the midst of the BJP’s ridiculing Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and his becoming stronger day by day, one thing is obvious – greater the ridicule, stronger he becomes. Ridicule has become BJP’s weakest weapon against Rahul, while the Congress president is increasingly resorting to stronger political weapons against the policies and decisions of the Modi government.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Communist Party of India Kerala state executive has demanded a special package for the reconstruction of the state ravaged by unprecedented natural calamity in the month of August, 2018. The central government must amend the rules and norms for extending financial help to those victims who lost their houses and or land acquired with hard-earned money. CPI National Secretariat member Kanam Rajendran, who is also the Kerala state council secretary of the Party, revealed this while briefing the Media on the decisions of the meeting of the state executive held on August 28, in MN Smarakam here . The meeting, attended by all the party national leaders also, was presided over by A K Chandran.

The All India Rural Financial Inclusion Survey 2016-17, conducted for the first time by the National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD), seems to have some flaws in its findings. One of the reasons could be that the survey was conducted, as pointed out by one of its members, Ashok Gulati, in a drought year resulting in some distortion as it may not have captured the true picture during normal times in rural economy.