India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
New Delhi: The Education Ministry's National Institutional Ranking Framework has come a long way since its inception a decade ago and is offering a credible alternative to rankings by foreign private agencies, said BITS Pilani Group Vice Chancellor V Ramgopal Rao. He, however, believes the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking system still faces some challenges that need to be addressed. BITS Pilani Group Vice Chancellor V Ramgopal Rao's Statement "The big win is that NIRF is announced by the Government of India. It has that official sanctity. QS or Times Higher Education rankings are private agencies and keep the perception part so high because that is their business model, and you can hire them for those services," Rao said. "NIRF has come a long way in the last 10 years in terms of how it has evolved and how they have been able to strengthen some of these metrics. Having said that, there are still a lot of challenges," he told PTI in an interview. The BITS Pilani Group vice chancellor said he feels that with over 14,000 individual institutions participating in NIRF and being ranked by the Government of India, which is used for funding and other things, NIRF needs much more strengthening. The 10th edition of NIRF was announced on September 4. Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, entered the top 10 universities ranking for the first time, bagging the seventh spot. The institution has also improved its overall ranking from 26 to 23, and the ranking among engineering institutions has seen a big jump from 20th spot to 11th this year. BITS is also ranked second among pharmacy institutions. Rao, who was earlier the director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi, suggested that the metrics to evaluate research need certain changes to be able to accurately rate the institutions. "The first thing is about the research... if you look at the research parameters, almost 21 per cent of the rankings are for the research, whether it is the number of papers or the citations. "I saw very interesting trends recently in a scientific paper... the number of papers and citations, track one on one, meaning if you plot on one axis the number of papers and citations on the other axis, it's a straight line," he said. Elaborating, Rao said it essentially means that those who are writing more papers are essentially citing themselves. "Either their institutions are citing it or they are citing it themselves. There are a lot of self-checking problems which is happening because of that. And when a metric is tracking one-on-one, the citations, the volume of research, counting it twice, one for one day of publications....I think it is leading to a double-counting event," he said. Rao also called for audits if an institution shows a significant jump, as the ranking relies on self-reported data. A lot of audits are needed. We need to ensure that randomly we audit the institutions which are showing significant improvements...that volatility is actually a big challenge in NIRF. Other than the top 20, there is a huge volatility across the remaining banks. "If somebody has shown a significant jump, there has to be some data auditing at regular intervals. That will set a fear... The self-reported data, I believe, is a big concern because sometimes the results that come out of it are unexpected and do not reflect the reality on the ground," he added. The participation of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the NIRF rankings has grown from 3,565 in 2016 to 14,163 in 2025. Concurrently, the number of categories and subject domains has expanded from four in 2016 to 17 in 2025. The 10th edition of the rankings evaluated institutions of higher education in nine categories -- overall, universities, colleges, research institutions, innovation, open universities, state public universities, skill universities and sustainable development goals (SDGs). HEIs have also been ranked in eight subject domains -- engineering, management, pharmacy, law, medical, architecture and planning, dental, and agriculture and allied Sectors. A record number of 7,692 unique institutions responded and submitted 14,163 applications across various categories and subject domains, offering themselves for ranking in 'Overall', category-specific, or domain-specific rankings.
New Delhi [India], December 2: The IVCA GreenReturns Summit 2024 commenced today in New Delhi, convening over 400 visionaries, investors, policymakers, and entrepreneurs to chart a transformative path for India's green economy. The Summit is dedicated to aligning India's climate goals with its trillion-dollar economic aspirations for a 'Viksit Bharat,' spotlighting high-impact investment opportunities, addressing funding gaps, and driving actionable solutions for net-zero and climate adaptation. Also Read | Mamata Banerjee Says West Bengal Yet To Get INR 14,000 Crore From Centre for Supply of ...Read More >
BJP member Manas Dutta blamed the previous BJD government and held it responsible for not extending their service agreement which ended in April, 2024. As hundreds of women working as support staff under the Mission Shakti department staged a demonstration outside the Assembly over different issues, the opposition BJD on Monday demanded immediate release of their salaries. While the agitating women were shouting slogans at the Mahatma Gandhi Road leading to the Assembly, the issue was raised in ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday hit out at the government, saying voting at the introduction stage of two bills on simultaneous elections in the Lok Sabha showed the BJP did not have the two-third majority required to pass a constitutional amendment. Two bills that lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous elections were introduced in the Lok Sabha after a fiery debate on Tuesday. Opposition parties dubbed the draft laws -- a Constitution amendment bill and an ordinary bill -- as an attack on the federal structure, a charge rejected by the government. "We (th ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought the stand of comptroller and auditor general of India (CAG) on a PIL seeking its 14 reports on city administration to be made public. A bench of Justices Yashwant Varma and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar asked CAG to explain why its report could not be made public, and posted the hearing on January 24. Also Read | Karnataka Shocker: Woman Throws 4 Children Into Canal in Vijayapura Allegedly Due to Financial Distress, 2 Bodies Recovered. Brij Mohan, a retired civil servant, who filed the PIL said the voters in Delhi must be aware of ...Read More >
Lakhimpur Kheri, December 3: Talent knows no boundaries. A testament to this is 28-year-old Muneer Khan from Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh, whose innovations and technical skills have gained him global recognition. From a 'smart water bottle' to 'smart soil testing device,' and more recently, 'AI-enabled eye-glasses,' what makes his innovations stand out is their ability to improve everyday convenience for ordinary people. Born in a humble and poor family in Kheri's Gauriya village, Muneer lost his father when he was just one year old. His four older brothers and mother worked tirelessly t ...Read More >
CHENNAI: Hyundai Motor Group has partnered with three Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to establish a collaborative research system in the fields of batteries and electrification. The three institutes are IIT Madras, IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay. The Hyundai Centre of Excellence (CoE), which will be set up on IIT Delhi campus, will operate through sponsorships from Hyundai Motor Group. The primary objective of the Hyundai CoE is to take the lead in driving advancements in batteries and electrification, specifically designed to meet the unique requirements of the Indian market. Hyundai Mo ...Read More >
Pointing to the increase in the country's stature in the world forum, he asked how, under these circumstances, the promises made to farmers cannot be fulfilled. "Policy-making is not on right track," he added.. Jagdeep Dhankhar's comments come amid a spike in farmer protests. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar took up the farmers' issue and questioned the government on their behalf today, directing most of his queries at the Union agriculture minister. Pointing to the increase in the country's sta ...Read More >
Bengaluru, Dec 11 (PTI) The National Law School of India University, which has pioneered and developed an integrated five-year BA LLB (honours) degree that transformed Indian legal education, has now come up with a three-year (honours) BA course with an option of an additional fourth year. The first cohort of the programme will be admitted in July 2025, the NLSIU said. "We are looking to develop something that is responsive to 2025, but is completely different," the NLSIU Vice Chancellor Sudhir Krishnaswamy said at the launch of the programme. He said the university will teach the social sc ...Read More >
Jharkhand supplementary budget: The Jharkhand Assembly on Thursday (December 12) passed the second supplementary budget of Rs 11,697.45 crore for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Following the budget's passage, Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato adjourned the four-day session of the assembly sine die. Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore tabled the second supplementary budget, with the largest allocation of Rs 6,390.55 crore directed to the Women, Child Development, and Social Security Department. This significant funding aims to enhance the government's flagship initiative, the Maiyan Samman Yojana. Und ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) Wheat sowing increased by 1.38 per cent year-on-year to 320 lakh hectare so far in the ongoing 2024-25 rabi season, according to the agriculture ministry data released on Tuesday. Wheat, the main rabi (winter) crop, was sown in 315.63 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. Sowing of most rabi crops is nearing end. Harvesting will begin from April. According to the data, pulses' acreage remained flat at 139.81 lakh hectare as on January 14, compared to 139.11 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. Gram was covered in 96.65 lakh hectare and lentil in 17.43 lakh hectare. ...Read More >
ess than 24 hours after he asserted in Nigeria's Abuja that stepping out of the comfort zone, innovating and creating new paths has now become the very essence of today's India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday told the gathering of world's most influential leaders converged in Rio de Janeiro for the G20 Summit that the main reason for India's success lies in his government's 'back to basics' and 'march to the future' approach. Addressing the G20 session on 'Social Inclusion and the Fight Against Hunger and Poverty' at the bayside museum of modern art during the two-day 19th G20 Summit, ...Read More >
Union Minister of Rural Development and Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the third edition of Nayi Chetna - Pahal Badlaav Ki, a national campaign against gender-based violence, at Rang Bhawan Auditorium, New Delhi yesterday. Delivering his address, Shri Chouhan stated that the Government has taken a slew of initiatives for women's economic and social development. He stressed that gender-based violence is not an issue that persists in rural areas, but in urban areas as well. He said with the presence of Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smt. Annpurn ...Read More >
Chandigarh [India], December 3 (ANI): Punjab Legislative Assembly Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Tuesday, slammed the BJP-led central government for neglecting the interests of farmers in Punjab and Haryana. Bajwa's scathing attack comes amidst growing discontent among farmers in the region, who feel their concerns have been ignored by the ruling party. "Ever since the BJP government has come to power, they have not taken a single decision that is in the interest of the farmers of India, especially the farmers of Punjab and Haryana. It is their fundamental rig ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 3 (PTI) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will commence customary pre-Budget consultations with various stakeholders beginning Friday. As part of the process, she will meet eminent economists on December 6 to seek their inputs regarding upcoming Budget amid seven-quarter low GDP print of 5.4 per cent recorded in the second quarter of the current financial year. It will be followed by a meeting with farmer associations and agriculture economists and stakeholders in MSME sector scheduled for December 7, sources said. Union Budget 2025-26 is likely to be tabled in Parliament o ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) The Rashtrapati Nilayam, one of the two presidential retreats, in Telangana's Secunderabad will host a 15-day flower and horticulture festival, 'Udyan Utsav', from December 29. People could make themselves aware about the innovation and technological development in agriculture and horticulture by visiting thematic stalls and participating in the workshops, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday. The Udyan Utsav, organised in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management ...Read More >
ISKCON Kolkata has raised concerns with India over ongoing persecution of its monks and Hindu communities in Bangladesh, following the arrest of monk Chinmoy Krishna Das. ISKCON Kolkata has seriously raised concerns with the Indian government over the ongoing persecution of its monks and Hindu religious communities in Bangladesh. This is after the recent arrest of monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, a development that is very worrying in light of a series of attacks on members of the Hindu Vaishnavite order and other minority communities. ISKCON Kolkata spokesperson Radharaman Das shared with PTI that ...Read More >
Former minister Chandrakant Patil on Thursday said that the office of the National Book Trust (NBT) will now be permanently shifted from Mumbai to Pune, and a building space from the Pune Municipal Corporation has been leased to them immediately. This year's book festival, organized by the National Book Trust, will take place from December 14 to 22 at the grounds of Fergusson College. On Thursday, the office of the book festival was inaugurated, and the foundation stone for the pandal was laid by former minister Chandrakant Patil. On this occasion, the festival organizers, including Rajesh P ...Read More >
New Delhi: From 2025, the CUET-UG will be conducted exclusively as a computer-based test (CBT), and students will have the flexibility to appear for any subject, regardless of what they studied in class 12. This decision follows a review conducted by an expert panel set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC), as explained by UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar. What are the major changes? In an interview with PTI, Kumar elaborated on the changes saying, "The exam will be conducted only in CBT mode from 2025, unlike the hybrid mode used last year. We have also reduced the number of subjects fr ...Read More >
Heavy rains across Tamil Nadu have led to school closures in several districts, including Chennai, on Thursday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert, predicting moderate rains and light thunderstorms in parts of the state. Rainfall figures show significant precipitation in multiple areas. Meanwhile, Northern India braces for a cold wave beginning December 9, with the IMD forecasting plunging temperatures in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.Schools acros ...Read More >
Mumbai, Dec 17 (PTI) Agri-solutions provider Coromandel International and Mahindra and Mahindra's farm equipment sector business vertical, Krish-e, on Tuesday announced a partnership to extend Coromandel's drone spraying services, Gromor Drive. Currently operational in seven key states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, Gromor Drive's operations are supported by RPTO-trained pilots, according to a joint statement. Coromandel's drone services are positioned in the market through the support of its subsidiary, Dhaksha Unmanned Sy ...Read More >
Bihar's infrastructure has seen a 15-fold increase in data consumption over the past five years. Road density is now the third highest in India, electricity generation has increased tenfold, and IT parks and data centers are being developed. Numerous bridges and expanded rail lines are improving connectivity and boosting trade.Bihar has seen a 15-fold jump in data consumption in the last five years as the state goes big on developing infrastructure, investing in connectivity and building rail and ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar, Dec 3 (PTI) A delegation of the Opposition BJD on Tuesday met Union Minister for Jal Shakti C R Patil and apprised him of the potential submergence of large areas in Odisha's Malkangiri district, due to construction of a multi-purpose project in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The delegation, led by senior leader Debi Prasad Mishra, also submitted a memorandum with the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The regional party in its memorandum mentioned that the Polavaram project is likely to impact the lives and livelihoods of thousands of tribal people, especially those from vulnerable and prim ...Read More >
Ranchi, Dec 12 (PTI)The Jharkhand Assembly on Thursday passed the second supplementary budget of Rs 11,697.45 crore for the 2024-25 fiscal. After this, the four-day session of the assembly was adjourned sine die by Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato. Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore tabled the second supplementary budget, allocating a maximum outlay of Rs 6,390.55 crore to the women, child development and social security department to boost the government's flagship scheme Maiyan Samman Yojana. Under this scheme, the state government initially provided Rs 1,000 per month to women between the ...Read More >
Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal's hunger strike enters its 17th day. His health is critical. The Supreme Court urges dialogue between the government and Dallewal. Dallewal demands MSP guarantee and other farmer-centric issues. He has written an open letter to the Prime Minister. Farmers' organizations continue their protests at the Punjab-Haryana border.The Supreme Court on Friday expressed serious concern over the deteriorating health of Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who ...Read More >
The Indian government has announced a 375km rail network expansion, aimed at enhancing economic growth and connectivity in North Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. With a total cost of approximately Rs79.27bn ($1.05bn), these projects are aimed to be completed within four years. Union Minister of Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw, detailed the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs' approval of three railway infrastructure projects. The projects include the Jalgaon-Manmad fourth line (160 km), Bhusawal-Khandwa third and fourth lines (131km), and the Prayagraj (Iradatganj)-Manikpur thir ...Read More >
Dhanbad/Gumla, Dec 4 (PTI) Thousands of people from various Hindu organisations on Wednesday took out rallies in Jharkhand's Dhanbad and Gumla cities in protest against the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh and the arrest of spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das. Demanding the immediate release of Das, the protesters urged the Indian government to intervene and stop the atrocities being perpetrated on minority Hindus in the neighbouring country. In Dhanbad, Hindu Rashtriya Samanvya Samiti (HRSS) organised the protest, which was attended by members of Dhanbad ISKCON, Bajrang Dal, BJP and other o ...Read More >
INDIA bloc MPs, donning black jackets with slogans like "Modi Adani Ek Hai", protested at Parliament demanding a joint probe into the Adani issue. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused PM Modi of evading discussion on the "Adani mega scam" while defending Adani's alleged corruption. Rahul Gandhi asserted that Modi won't investigate Adani as it would be like investigating himself.Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Thursday said the country's people want the "Adani mega scam" to be discussed in Parliame ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 12 (ANI): The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the 'One Nation, One Election,' bill in the parliament, marking a significant step towards the electoral process, sources told ANI. A comprehensive bill is expected to follow this decision, paving the way for unified elections across the nation. Earlier on Wednesday, former President of India Ram Nath Kovind stated that the Central government must build a consensus on the 'One Nation, One Election' initiative, emphasising that the issue transcends political interests and serves the nation as a whole. Speaking to th ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 17 (PTI) CPI(M) MP and former Kerala Minister K Radhakrishnan on Tuesday said that his party was against the 'one nation, one election' policy being mooted by the central government and the legislation in favour of it would be strongly opposed. Radhakrishnan said that besides the CPI(M), even the Congress would oppose the legislation trying to bring simultaneous elections in the country. He further said that even the regional parties would oppose the policy of simultaneous polls as this concept was not beneficial for them. Two bills that lay down the mechanism to hol ...Read More >
Chandigarh, Jan 2 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday claimed that the Centre was trying to"bring back" the now-repealed farm laws, referring to the newly announced draft of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing. The AAP-led Punjab government has termed the newly announced draft policy as an attempt to reintroduce the three central agricultural laws passed in 2020 "through backdoor." After a yearlong protest by farmers, the Centre had repealed the laws. Speaking to reporters here, Mann also stated that the demands of the protesting farmers pertain to the c ...Read More >