A roundtable on the challenges of Indian women organised by the Harvard School of Government a few years ago at the beautifully restored Bikaner House in Delhi was predictably inconclusive on whether the problems — and solutions — lie with society or the economy. But changes in our economy (women’s access to income) and society… Read more
As she nears the end of her second stint as Rajasthan chief minister, Vasundara Raje is rearing to win a third term. She spoke to Deccan Herald’s Tabeenah Anjum on Monday afternoon. Raje was confident that the BJP would return to power in the state. DH: After four-and-a-half years in power, how many promises and… Read more
A decade is not even a drop in the ocean of history and heritage; cultures and communities; sights and sounds that make up our state. Change is inevitable in an increasingly connected world. Our Rajasthan, too has been undergoing a metamorphosis. The ghunghat is being replaced. Manju Devi, a porter in Jaipur station has broken… Read more
Japanese film maestro Akiro Kurosawa’s movie Rashomon is a wonderful meditation on truth and bias; four people witness the same event but describe “what happened” and “why it happened” very differently. Unlike physical scientists who can claim objective measurement, social scientists need to be more tentative about evidence, narratives, and conclusions. Over the last 18… Read more
Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges created a character called Pierre Menard who decides to rewrite Cervantes’s Don Quixote. After great effort, Menard’s revision ends up being word-for-word identical to the original. However, 300 years of history and literature have passed since Don Quixote, including the novel itself. Although Menard’s words are the same, his meaning… Read more
Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje completes three years in office on December 13. As she prepares to head into assembly elections two years later, Raje thinks it’s time to talk about ‘solid results’ her work in the last three years has yielded. In an interview to Hindustan Times’ Rakesh Goswami, she talks about her pet… Read more
राजस्थान का जिक्र होता है तो सामने आता है, रेतीले धोरों के बीच से उगता हुआ सूरज, ऐतिहासिक इमारतें, अपने खेत में बनी झोपड़ियों के बाहर खाट पर बैठकर बाजरे की रोटी, केर सांगरी और सरसों के साग या लहसुन की चटनी के साथ कलेवा करता किसान। साथ ही दिखाई देती हैं ईश्वर से हर… Read more
अंतरराष्ट्रीय मृदा दिवस रेतीले धोरों पर कहीं कीकर तो कहीं खेजड़ी के पेड़। नजर दौड़ाओ तो कहीं भेड़-बकरियों तो कहीं गाय-भैसों के झुंड। रंग-बिरंगी आकर्षक पोशाक पहने अपनी जान जैसे प्यारे मवेशियों की परवरिश और अपने खेत-खलिहानों में जीवट के साथ काम करते ग्रामीण। राजस्थान की बात आती है, तो बरबस यह तस्वीर आंखों में… Read more
The India-Singapore Strategic Partnership was signed last November between two nations. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strategy of co-operative federalism means that one of the vehicles of this strategic partnership is states; today Rajasthan and Singapore inaugurate a partnership that will bring world class skill development in tourism and hospitality to the youth of Rajasthan… Read more
Following a Japanese industrial zone in Neemrana, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje wants to create exclusive zones for investors from South Korea, China, Russia and Canada. She talks to Sahil Makkar about the rationale behind the reforms she has undertaken in the past two and a half years. BS. You recently visited Russia and invited… Read more
Business Standard asked Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje five questions during the course of the Round Table event. Edited excerpts from the interview: BS: Could you compare your current stint as Chief Minister with the one you had previously? Which one is more satisfying and rewarding? VR: That’s unfair. Let’s just say that when you… Read more
आज के राज्य कल्याणकारी हैं लेकिन आधुनिक राज्य सब्सिडी के संबंध में बांटो और प्रार्थना करो की नीति पर काम नहीं करता। सब्सिडी का वितरण न केवल कुशलतापूर्वक और प्रभावी होना चाहिए बल्कि यह सम्मान सहित भी दी जानी चाहिए। राजस्थान में राशन की दुकानों पर आमतौर पर केवल गेहूं, चीनी और मिट्टी का तेल… Read more
राजस्थान में कुछ वक्त पहले तक 592 कानूनों का बोझ था। इनमें से 150 से यादा पिछले वर्ष खत्म कर दिये गये। कानून खत्म करने की ऐसी पिछली समीक्षा 1964 में हुई थी। हालांकि तब भी कोई मूल कानून रद नहीं किया गया था। खत्म किये गये 15 कानूनों से जुड़ा रोचक तथ्य ये है… Read more
Rajasthan started the year 2015 with 592 legislative Acts; it will end 2016 with 279. Of the four phases of this project – repealing, consolidating, examining relevance and putting laws online – the state completed repeal last year, finalised consolidation in May, and began putting laws online last month. An antibiotic reaction to the examining… Read more
भारत में मौजूद संभावनाओं का एक छोटा सा हिस्सा भी अब तक साकार नहीं हो सका है पर्यटन न केवल देश का सबसे बड़ा रोजगार पैदा करने वाला उद्योग बन सकता है, बल्कि रोजगार में लिंग असमानता को दूर करने में भी इसकी बड़ी भूमिका हो सकती है। हाल में ‘रिसर्जेंट राजस्थान’ में एक चुनौतीपूर्ण… Read more
As my favourite magazine National Geographic puts it, from a chemical point of view, nothing could be simpler than water; two atoms of hydrogen joined to one of oxygen. But from a human point of view, this simplicity fades. More than 97% is salty, 2% is fresh water locked in snow and ice, and… Read more
Tourism could be India’s largest employer while simultaneously reducing the gender imbalance The most challenging question during our recent Resurgent Rajasthan Summit was why India gets fewer tourists than a single museum (the Louvre in Paris) and Rajasthan gets less tourists than a single monument (Angkor Wat in Cambodia). This question is important. Tourism is… Read more
Ever since Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje began her second innings at the helm, she has been pushing policy change to turn the state into an attractive investment and employment-friendly destination. This includes the overhaul of labour laws—something which was emulated more recently by the Union government—allowing a greater role for the private sector and,… Read more
