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In the world’s largest democracy, the people’s concerns, even touching daily life, may hardly matter when heady governments can do anything at their will, whether or not proclaiming a war on social evils like black money and corruption. There can also be momentary assaults on constitutional rights and liberties, some of which could become permanent conveniently for the life of that majoritarian government.

Decades of turmoil and bloodshed have made Jammu and Kashmir insensitive. Why else would there be such a divide on the issue of granting domicile certificates to some 20,000 families who crossed over to India from Pakistan in the aftermath of partition in 1947?

8th series of Vibrant Gujarat, to be held in January 2017, is upbeat despite demonetisation. Foreign investors are unnerved. Almost similar or more number of countries, attended the 7th Vibrant Gujarat, are expected to participate in the 8th summit.

Menace of cyber pornography, especially child pornography has grown by alarming proportions in India over the years and is now a definite threat to society. Easy availability of pornography on the Internet through electronic devices like computers, laptops, mobile phones and smart phones has potential to destroy the fibre of the society negatively affecting the impressionable minds of the children and youth of the country. Individuals report depression, social isolation, career loss, decreased productivity or financial consequences as a result of their excessive pornographic viewing.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A court order refusing to discharge Power Minister M M Mani as an accused in a murder case has put the State CPI(M) leadership in a tight spot.

The opposition has failed to forge unity on the demonetisation move of the Modi government even after 50 days though the people are feeling the cash crunch and continue to stand in queues before the banks. Despite the hardships faced by the common man, who welcomed the demonetisation announced on the night of November 8, people are also confused about how long they have to face the cash crunch. There are reports that the economy is heading for a slide and that the costs of the currency ban may well outweigh its touted benefits. The Modi government is under severe pressure to justify its decision on the currency ban. This is because the Reserve Bank’s remonetisation efforts have been marred by slow delivery of cash. Despite a lot of ammunition to go gunning for the government, the opposition has not been able to capitalise on this issue. Secondly, while almost all the opposition parties have been criticising the demonetisation move, they have not come under one umbrella.

Even as the $46 billion China-sponsored CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) project is about to go functional, with Russia and Iran expressing their interest to participate, India faces a minor setback in developing its regional transport network. Bhutan has expressed its reservations about the India-backed BBIN (Bangladesh Bhutan India Nepal) Motor Vehicle Agreement initiative in South Asia. The contrast could not be more embarrassing for the Government of India.

As 2016 goes out to be mere memories in a few days, the Indian economy is at the crossroads, with the Modi Government handling of the economy by injecting investment and promoting entrepreneurial élan and enterprise being a mixed bag. No doubt with its salutary majority in the lower house of Parliament, it got several pieces of crucial economic legislations passed including the Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Bill 2016 sans debate. In its two and a half years of being on the seat of governance, its track record in Parliament is not much to gloat over even as it may choose to blame the scattered Opposition parties that were made defunct after the 2014 General Election. But if not for anything else, the multiplicity of Opposition parties got their scattered wits together and stonewalled proceedings save a few sessions in both the Houses of Parliament throughout the second coming of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the principal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the leadership of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Narendra Modi government’s decision to demonetise high-value currency notes is purely a political move. He has tried to lace it with ubiquitous economic jargons only to confuse the people of his real intentions.

Manipur, the easternmost State of India, has been on the boil since December 9, when the Congress Government headed by Chief Minister O. Ibobi Singh took the fateful decision to create seven new districts out of seven existing districts all of which have a sizeable Naga population. Now the State has sixteen districts.