Online news media – time to separate men from boys

Pradeep Rana July 31, 2022

The buzz about digital media in the power corridors of the capital is full of excitement. Long fight of the online and digital media companies for recognition as serious players in the Fourth Estate is bearing fruit. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) is preparing to usher a new bill in Parliament to bring […]

Vaccine Superpower: India’s 2 billionth shot at Covid

Pradeep Rana July 24, 2022

Covid is behind us, almost. It comes back snarling at us, threatening, waving its ugly fist, but getting weak and weaker each time. Soon it will be a just another seasonal flu virus. Humanity has survived and virus is put in its place. But in the hindsight, look at the devastation it has done on […]

SC judges’ comments on Nupur Sharma shocking, cross Laxman Rekha: ex-Judges write to CJI

Pradeep Rana July 5, 2022

Taking exception to remarks made by two Supreme Court judges – one wanting Nupur Sharma to apologise after Udaipur beheading and other asking media to stay within limits – a group of retired judges, bureaucrats and army veterans have said the comments surpassed the “Laxman Rekha” and are not in sync with judicial ethos. “We, […]

Building BRICS: a global platform for the less heard

Pradeep Rana June 28, 2022

Pall of gloom cast by Russia-Ukraine war has enveloped the entire world. Cold war foes Russia and the US are showing no sign of let up, the former is fighting a direct war on ground and the latter a proxy war by supplying weapons to Ukraine. Elsewhere, away from the shadow of sanctions, Indian Prime […]

Soldier Interrupted: Taking armed forces aspirants for a ride

Pradeep Rana June 19, 2022

Sombre mood in which the presser started, and somewhat patronising air in which Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh announced the scheme Agnipath, it seemed as if Government has given the youth of this country a gift of life time – four year service contract in armed forces. A clutch of reporters sitting there hardly put […]

India rejects Yale ranking on emissions, says parameters unscientific, irrelevant

Pradeep Rana June 9, 2022

NEW DELHI Stung on being ranked the lowest among 180 countries in their efforts to cut emissions, India has rejected the Yale School’s Environment Performance Index 2022 (EPI 2022) as peddling unscientific and irrelevant criteria for judging country’s strides in curbing climate change. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change trashed the report that

Technology Innovation Hub rolls out India’s first open-source cybersecurity system

Pradeep Rana May 31, 2022

NEW DELHI: In a significant development, DST-supported Technology Innovation Hub has developed and successfully tested India’s first cybersecurity system based on open source components and integration. Named Security Operations Centre (SoC) a.k.a. C3iVajra, the system has been installed in 2021 at National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) headquarters in Dwarka,

North East best placed to implement Neighbourhood First, Act East policies: Jaishankar

Pradeep Rana May 30, 2022

NEW DELHI: Noting that North East is best platform to get maximum mileage from the Act East and Neighbourhood First policies, the Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar said the impact of both will go beyond South Asia and even make a difference on Quad. “The coming together of the Act East and the Neighbourhood […]

Cop fined Rs.75,000 for arresting Japanese who couldn’t speak Kannada or English

Pradeep Rana May 23, 2022

NEW DELHI: Karnataka State Human Rights Commission has slapped a fine of Rs 75,000 on a police sub-inspector who arrested and jailed a Japanese who could not speak Kannada or English to defend himself. Taking a serious note of the fact that the Japanese national Hirotoshi Tanaka was arrested for bailable and non-cognizable offenses, the […]

India to get strategic depth in EU with new mission in Lithuania

Pradeep Rana April 30, 2022

NEW DELHI Opening up a new Indian embassy in Lithuania by the Government will not only take the burden off a joint mission in Poland, but will also give New Delhi a greater strategic depth in hot and sour ties with the EU (European Union) and add to the numbers India needs to garner support […]

US sanctions pressure to bring India China closer: Chinese mouthpiece

Pradeep Rana April 29, 2022

NEW DELHI Sustained US pressure to wean away India from its old ally Russia and make it fall in line with its sanctions would eventually compel China and India to sink differences and emerge as powerful allies, says China’s official newspaper Global Times.. “By 2050, if not very much earlier, it will be abundantly clear […]

Long mocked by allopathic docs, desi healers get backing of WHO, Modi

Pradeep Rana April 28, 2022

NEW DELHI Champions of alternate and ayurvedic medicine who have been target of snide remarks from the practitioners of allopathic system, could not have asked for more. Two of the strongest votaries of public health – Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Director General of World Health Organisation Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus have put their […]

Cancellation of bail to Minister’s son sends stern message to political heavyweights

Pradeep Rana April 25, 2022

NEW DELHI:Even as sitting minister’s son returns to jail barracks after remaining out on bail  in Lakhimpur Kheri case, the SC observations in order cancelling bail are bound to send a stern message to perpetrator of hit-and-run tactics and political heavyweights. Disposing of an appeal filed by the farmers against Allahabad High Court order granting […]

Cut that Russia-Ukraine war bombast, obscene lingo in TV debates, I&B Ministry warns channels

Pradeep Rana April 24, 2022

NEW DELHI: Taking serious note of the propagandist manner in which war between Russia and Ukraine is being reported by some of the Indian channels, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has come down heavily in broadcasters and asked them to stick to respectable reporting norms. The ministry advised private TV news channels against making […]

NSIL earned $35 mn, €10 mn from foreign satellite launch, 7 waiting in wings

Pradeep Rana March 30, 2022

NEW DELHI:Setting a record of sorts, Indian space companies have earned 35 million US Dollars and 10 million Euros as foreign exchange during last three years, through launch of satellites of various private and international agencies. This comes even as Indian space agency ISRO is all set to launch 7 more domestic satellites into the […]