The interim Union budget for 2024-25 once again spoke of India’s reported dramatic reduction in ‘multidimensional poverty’. This reiterates earlier claims -- that 248.2 million Indians have escaped multidimensional poverty in the last nine years, including some 60 million people in UP, 38 million in Bihar and 23 million in Madhya Pradesh.
With the Maldives veering towards China, Mauritius is emerging as a decisive factor in ensuring India's dominance in the Indian Ocean Region
On February 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart, Pravind Jugnauth, jointly inaugurated a new airstrip and jetty on the Mauritian archipelago of Agaléga, thereby underlining India’s role as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region.
On India’s part, it has stood up to the China challenge on several fronts.
At the 2024 iteration of Raisina Dialogue, Asia’s premier conference on geopolitics, China featured prominently in the discussions, given that there has been a tense standoff at the border between the Indian and Chinese armies for nearly four years. The clashes between the two armies in Galwan in 2020, which resulted in fatalities of on both sides, is an important turning point in the relations between the two Asian powers. Foreign minister S Jaishankar deconstructed China’s approach in dealing with India. He said that while China tried to change the status quo at the border in the process violating the agreements to which it is a signatory, it was trying to stymie India’s bid to get a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. The minister alluded to China deploying mind games to resolve border issues with India, but that the breakthrough would come about only if other powers were kept at bay. Underlining India’s response to these developments, Jaishankar stated that India would not let a competitor curtail its policy choices, and that his government would look to make use of the international system for the best outcome.
Prime Minister Modi and his Mauritius counterpart Jugnauth inaugurate infrastructure projects, reaffirming the enduring friendship between India and Mauritius.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth jointly inaugurated several infrastructure and connectivity projects in the strategic island nation on 29 February. Prime Minister Modi also recalled his promise given to the people of Agalega island, who have been disconnected from the mainland. He even reiterated the catchphrase ‘Modi ki Guarantee’ in the context of India’s fulfilment of promises even in the context of foreign domains of development as India continues to support the developmental aspirations of friendly people in the Global South while becoming their voice at the global stage. india
He believed that heredity could not determine a person's intellect or talent and that India's freeVinayak Damodar Savarkar, whose died 56 years ago on February 26, was a man who moved from the notion of social justice and embraced the ideals of social cohesion. Social cohesion is about connectedness, inter-dependence, accord and cultural assimilation among communities. It not only encompasses ideas of equality, fraternity and liberty, but marches towards social harmony. In the Indian sociological context, it can be better understood as “samajik samarasta”, which is a philosophical idea deeply embedded in the social fabric of this country and has a broader meaning than social justice. The word “samarasta” is an amalgamation of “sa” for “samata” (equity), “ma” for “mamata” (dignity), “ra” for “ramata” (sincerity), “sa” for “samanata” (equality) and “ta” for “tartamyata” (continuity). It is a continuous process of bringing about and achieving an equitable society by providing dignified ways and means to all strata. Despite being born and brought up in the orthodox and religious Chitpavan Brahmin community, Savarkar refused to accept the evil practices of Hinduism. He mocked the idea that eating a certain kind of food corrupts one’s religion. He said, “Religion rests in one’s heart and not in the stomach.”om wouldn't last without social reforms.
India’s democratic model needs an overhaul so that elections are not an expensive affair. Only that can create a more just, transparent and efficient system, argues Prof. Arun Kumar.
With his unwavering faith in a formless god and inspired by his ancestors’ leatherworking skills, Ravidas created an inclusive form of Bhakti which helped shape Dalit consciousness.