U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint press conference at the White House on February 13, 2025. | Photo Credit: KEVIN LAMARQUE Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign visits between 2021 and 2025 incurred a total expenditure of ₹462.58 crores, according to government data. Spanning 43 … Read more
A Lok Sabha (LS) majority is often mentioned as monolithic fact, a number that can be nothing but objective. The objectivity of the number in this case is rather superfluous. An absolute majority in the LS requires 272 members, i.e more than half of its total strength of 543, wherever those come from; but where … Read more
Watch: Aravalli hills issue: why are the stakes particularly high in Rajasthan?
Image for representation | Photo Credit: AFP On February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the 16th Finance Commission report in the Lok Sabha, setting the framework for tax devolution between the Centre and the States. The Commission also recommended an allocation of ₹3.5 lakh crore to urban local governments (ULGs) for the next five … Read more
Contract teachers hold a protest after the Assembly march to press for job regularisation, in Puducherry on February 03rd, 2026 | Photo Credit: KUMAR SS For more than a week, contract teachers in Puducherry have been protesting about the regularisation of their jobs. On February 3, their protest march towards the Assembly was stopped by … Read more
The 16th Finance Commission (FC)’s vertical devolution recommendations prioritise the needs of the Centre over the realities of States. By merely acknowledging, rather than heeding, States’ fiscal pressures, the FC has taken a distinctly conservative stance. To grasp the underlying tensions, we must first look deeper into the structural issues. The 16th FC has maintained … Read more
Bank of Baroda accounted for 16% of all such charges collected for non-maintenance of minimum balance between FY23 to FY25 | Photo Credit: ANUSHREE FADNAVIS More than Rs 8,000 crore was collected as charges by 12 Public Sector Banks (PSBs) for non-maintenance of minimum balance in the last three financial years, Parliament data showed. With over … Read more
India’s electric mobility (e-mobility) initiatives saw a significant dip in FY27 budget | Photo Credit: – In the Union Budget 2026, allocations for India’s electric mobility (e-mobility) initiatives saw a significant dip, marking a departure from the recent years. Collective allocation for such schemes declined by over 3,700 crores in the 2025-26 Revised Estimates (RE) … Read more
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shows the digital tablet, enclosed in a traditional red ‘bahi-khata’ style pouch, at the Parliament premises before presenting of the ‘Union Budget 2026-27’, in New Delhi on February 1, 2026. | Photo Credit: PTI A total outlay of over ₹50 lakh crore for all Ministries was given in the 2026-27 Union … Read more
The FM mentioned in her Budget speech that Odisha, Karnataka, and Kerala will develop Turtle Trails to protect and promote nesting sites. | Photo Credit: Asit Kumar In her Union Budget 2026 speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman explicitly named 14 States. However, when accounting for the States and Union Territories associated with the 27 specific … Read more