41 per cent of 2024 IAS batch are women, says Vice-President Radhakrishnan

 Women constitute nearly 41 per cent of the 2024 IAS batch, Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan said on Thursday, calling their growing representation in the civil services an impressive testimony to Nari Shakti.

Addressing the valedictory ceremony of Phase II training for the 2024 batch of IAS officer trainees at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie, Radhakrishnan said talent rises above stereotypes and determination helps individuals overcome barriers.

He urged the young officers to ensure that development initiatives reach the most disadvantaged citizens and said inclusive governance would be crucial to achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.

He asked the officers to make “a spirit of service and a sense of duty” their guiding principles throughout their careers.

“Every development effort must benefit the person standing at the farthest end of society. Development can be meaningful only when it is inclusive,” he said.

Radhakrishnan stressed the importance of teamwork and asked the officers to build strong, coordinated teams, inspire colleagues and carry forward effective administrative practices established by their predecessors.

“True administrative success lies not in individual brilliance but in the ability to bring people together and deliver as a team,” he said.

He also urged the trainee officers to use emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, natural language processing, machine learning and blockchain, to improve the efficiency, transparency and accessibility of public services.

Retired judges, ex-top cops on Supreme Court panel to probe Jantar Mantar stir police action, violence :::: FIRs were filed at Parliament Street and Connaught Place police stations

Retired judges, ex-top cops on SC panel to probe NEET stir police action, violence

Several FIRs were filed at the Parliament Street and Connaught Place police stations

The Supreme Court has formed a High-Powered Committee headed by former SC judge Justice R Subhash Reddy to probe police excesses and violence during last month's Delhi student protests. 

The panel will also examine alleged violence by protesters, targeted violence, harassment and molestation of women protesters, and whether police used force lawfully and proportionately.  

Widespread violence was reported during the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)-led "Sansad Chalo" march on July 20, which coincided with the first day of the Monsoon Session. What began as a peaceful protest turned into a battleground, with students breaking through barricades and police resorting to lathi charges, tear gas and, in some instances, pellet guns to quell the protests.

The committee comprises former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Delhi High Court judge Justice Shalinder Kaur, former CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla and former Meghalaya DGP LR Bishnoi.

Several FIRs were registered at the Parliament Street and Connaught Place police stations in connection with the violence, with several protesters booked on charges including attempted murder and damage to public property.  

The Supreme Court said the panel was constituted keeping in mind the expertise, experience and diversity of its members, and expressed confidence that its recommendations would assist the court in comprehensively assessing the issues.  

Importantly, the court clarified that the HPC's inquiry will not be a one-time exercise. It will conduct a continuous and periodic assessment of the issues and submit interim findings to the court, enabling it to take appropriate measures and issue directions, if required.

WHAT WILL THE HIGH-POWERED COMMITTEE PROBE?

The Supreme Court has asked the committee to prioritise allegations of targeted violence, harassment and molestation of female protesters, given the sensitivity of the issue.

The panel will also examine allegations of grievous injuries and harm caused to protesters by police and security personnel, including the chain of command that led to such actions, those responsible and whether existing laws, rules or norms were breached while using force.

Among the specific issues before the committee are allegations of excessive force against protesters, including the use of pellet guns, electric batons, lathi charges and tear gas without adequate warning or proportionality.

It will assess whether police responses during protests, public gatherings and peaceful assemblies were proportionate and measured, and examine the desirability of banning metallic kinetic projectiles or pellets fired from pump-action or projectile-action guns.

The HPC will also examine whether police and security personnel wore proper uniforms and visible nameplates while making arrests or using force.

NSCN-IM Hebron seeks 'details' about Kuki militants and ZUF presence in Ukhrul region ::: "You are directed to submit factual reports"

In a move seen as preparing for tougher conditions in the near future, the NSCN-IM (Hebron) has directed its local unit commanders in Ukhrul to furnish "details" about area of Kuki militants, ZUF (Zeliangrong) or any other militant camps in the hills of Manipur. 

A 'directive' signed Aug 18th and addressed to Ukhrul region commanders says: "You are directed by the competent authority to submit your factual reports ...".  

Angami Nagas during Hornbill Fest : File snap 

The directives include among other things "a sketch map of your area  jurisdiction..." and also details of area of dominance and operations by rival militants groups such as ZUF, Kuki militants. 

Sources in Delhi say the order also sought details about "violations" of Agreed Ground Rules vis-a-vis the ceasefire by the Indian security forces "mentioning the location".  

This episode is taken with seriousness in Delhi and necessary precautionary measures may be have to be taken at the earliest.  All these only indicate that situation is quite vulnerable in Naga hills of Manipur.  

Those in the know of things say there have been movements among Naga militants in the last few months and the new area of hyper activities would be the Kamjong-Chassad belt.

Chassad is a major village and historical sub-division located in the Kamjong district of Manipur. It serves as a key administrative and residential circle in the hilly border region not far from Myanmar.

A large number of Kukis from these areas (an estimated 600 plus) have reportedly abandoned their houses and moved towards Churachandpur region. 

There have been few incidents of skirmishes between Naga women and security forces. However, things have been brought under control. The Kamjong region has also emerged as a route for booming timber trade. 

And local workers say it is a lucrative business but lot of money have to be distributed in vulnerable junctions. 

  

Things are also of general concern because of the split in the NSCN-IM as the Eastern Flank has reportedly started working in Myanmar. 

Making things more complex and challenging; the breakaway Easter Flank group has declared that the spirit of the 1997 ceasefire agreement with New Delhi has ceased to exist. 

While this is a direct invitation for gunfight with state police and central forces; tensions spiked lately after four Eastern Flank cadres were killed the Kamjong district.

The Eastern Flank had accused the central leadership at Camp Hebron of compromising on core demands for Naga sovereignty and accepting a piecemeal solution. 

The charge is emphatically denied by the Hebron leadership.

ends 

60,000 sq km high-density corridor in western India used by endangered Lesser Florican for migration

 A recent study, published in Frontiers in Conservation Science, has mapped a broad migration flyway spanning about 206,000 sq km across India for the endangered Lesser Florican (Sypheotides indicus). 

The critically endangered Lesser Florican, the world’s smallest bustard, uses a high-density migration corridor of nearly 60,000 sq km across western and central India while remaining strongly dependent on grasslands.

The birds move through croplands and other open habitats, the satellite-tracking study has found.

“By linking fine-scale movement behaviour with landscape-scale patterns of land-use change and population decline, this study reinforces a central conclusion: the Lesser florican remains fundamentally a grassland specialist whose persistence is significantly constrained by the amount, configuration, and quality of remaining grassland habitat. 

While some behavioural flexibility exists through seasonal habitat shifts and divergent migratory strategies, this flexibility is unlikely to offset the ongoing trajectory of grassland loss, fragmentation, and agricultural intensification,” the study said, according to 'The Hindustan Times'. 

The study was authored by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and chief wildlife warden of Gujarat, Jaipal Singh, lead researcher of the Gujarat forest department Mohan Ram, deputy director of The Corbett Foundation Devesh Gadhavi, along with Tahir Ali Rather, Vidhi Modi and Dushyantsinh Jhala of the Foundation.  

Researchers fitted Global Positioning System (GPS)-Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) transmitters on 12 lesser floricans between 2020 and 2022 and tracked them until 2025. 

The birds were tagged at Blackbuck National Park in Velavadar in Bhavnagar district and the Kutch Bustard Sanctuary and adjoining Naliya grasslands in Kutch, sites separated by about 450 km.

The researchers described the 12 birds as the largest cohort of lesser floricans tracked through a single tagging effort in India. The tracking produced 160,166 location records, of which 150,147 GPS fixes were retained for analysis. 

The transmitters were active for a combined 4,466 days.

ends 

It's raining in Kohima ... Tenimiya word is - "Teirii" ::: My friends often say - "These days we only think of rains, who created it.. why God created it" :::: What about socio-political issues -- "Everyone seems to believe ... what is happening will keep happening; why bother much" !!

Fate can often give human being 'legendary' opportunities !!

My Naga friends - at least most if not all - these days, have given up talking about Politics and even general socio-economic problems. 

The counter argument is - What's the use ? "Everyone seems to believe ... what is happening will keep happening; why bother much"  !!

It's raining in Kohima ... Tenimiya word is - "Teirii"  ::: 

My friends often say - "These days we only think of rains, who created it.. why God created it" :::: Socio-political analyses and feedback have dried up.  

Dry Nagaland is hardly .. natural !! 

                         Photo - Facebook - H Tovihoto Ayemi

Politics easily give the kicks. Naga Politics is 'master' in that. I know a dozen military and civil officials who served in Nagaland decades back and yet taking interest in what's going around. 

The madness has smitten them too. My father, and even the siblings and lady wives of those military officers hardly appreciate the reason for the 'peg' and the kick. There is a sidelight story too. Often we end up arguing and then comes the scolding from the kitchen of the hosts - 

"... next time Dev sahab, do not come to my house if you have to argue with my retired oldie here on Naga politics".  

Worse part is ... dinner is cancelled !! 

My Angami friend : Hornbill Fest Star 

Talking about rains in Kohima and Zubza region; any old timer would remember the nightmare of landslides. Once I traveled with Late Vamuzo on that mythical highway and amid rains. Vamuzo was then the Leader of the Opposition.

A jovial person he was; he told me we (NPC) are going to do something in the Assembly and your chief minister (he meant his 'best friend' S C Jamir) will be nervous and angry".

Then he told me a story about Teirii and how rains can bring havoc. 

Within next 10-15 days; he moved a Private Member Resolution in the state assembly on Naga integration of the contiguous areas. It is a matter of fact, no Naga worth his salt could have said - we will not pass any such resolution. In fact, even before that such resolutions were passed. 

Jamir heading the Congress ministry found it tough to allow such a thing. Only a few months before, reportedly he was pulled up by the Home Minister S B Chavan on certain issues in Nagaland.  On his return from Delhi, Jamir addressed a meeting of officials including from police and central forces at the old Zonal Council Hall. 

At one point, Jamir thundered - "I had tough time with the Home Minister". (reported in The Sentinel, Guwahati). 

 

 

                    Why Guns have say :  somewhere in eastern sector - Blogger  

Is it possible to learn from history ? How did Americans feel around 250 years when British troops were sent to Lexingston ? 

Jamir allowed passing of the resolution.  But he took a dig at Vamuzo and had quipped : "Mr Speaker sir, Vamuzo is very smart. He was chief minister for sometime. He never brought such a resolution then. His Naga patriotism rises whenever he is in the opposition". The debate went on for a while and the resolution was adopted. 

We journalists were keeping fingers crossed whether Congress high command would express displeasure or whether Raj Bhavan will make any statement. But within days of the resolution - there were problems in Imphal valley. 

We media persons started joking - 'Vamuzo bomb' exploded in Kohima and its impact was all around Imphal.  

But these are more than more than jokes. Some leave lifelong impact -- the 'unforgettable experiences', as they put it.

The nineties were Congress days. A party which knew how to adjust with being in power and run the show. Perhaps, the BJP is also learning the trick fast. 

But the 'party with a difference' runs shows now in both the states - Nagaland and Manipur. In the latter stage; elections are round the corner. 

But poll boycott may be a clarion call soon in some hills and valleys. 

Former Manipur CM N Biren Singh: Already pushed NRC card 

The NSCN-IM (Hebron) has reportedly directed its local unit commanders in Ukhrul to furnish "details" about area of Kuki militants, ZUF (Zeliangrong) or any other militant camps in the hills of Manipur.

Generally, the Cock gets upper hand and the Lotus agrees. That's Nagaland. 

In Gujarat and other states such as Manipur - Lotus is not just a docile flower.  

The Lotus-related protagonists can easily throw up words of wisdom: "We must learn to be good neighbours".  

It is always good to take those 'advisories' will all seriousness. 

We just had football season globally. About the game - it is often said - England invented the sport; but it never made any impact on world football. 

'Politics of gun' is not football. If someone is toying the roadmap left behind by the legacies of S C Jamir and Vamuzo; poor Y Khemchand Singh will have to pull up his sleeves. 

Khemchand with surrendered Meitei Militants : Aug 18, 2026 

ends  

Memories matter ::: Dec 20, 2012 -- when Modi proved his detractors wrong and fought back the adversaries .... ::: Same spirit may be in parts can help him sail post-CJP protest polity

 

There were two - headlines 

'India Today' headline was specific - 

"Delhi calling? Narendra Modi performs a hat-trick in Gujarat, looks set for the bigger role".

"Gujarat election result: Narendra Modi pulls off hat-trick, will it be Rahul vs him in 2014?", - said 'Times of India'.

These defined advent of new politics. 

Dec 20, 2012 -- when Narendra Modi proved his detractors wrong and fought back the adversaries .... ::: The 'same spirit' may be in parts can help him sail post-CJP protest polity of circa 2026.  

Take the clock back -- 

June 2013 -- the BJP was yet to finalise things. Some senior leaders were drawing plans, the likes of Arun Jaitley - of course - backed Narendra Modi. 

It was only at much later stage Late Manohar Parrikar (then Goa CM) initiated a move.

The then BJP chief Rajnath Singh was also convinced of 'power' of the gun-powder called Moditva.

First, Rajnath went out to name Modi as the 'chairman of the election campaign committee' in June 2013 in Goa. Likes of L K Advani were not happy. 

And then on Sept 13, 2013, he was named PM-candidate.

The JD(U) under an angry Nitish Kumar had already walked out of the NDA. 

In fact, the journey from being just ‘Modi’ to the ‘Moditva phenomenon’ has been a tough fight; often the struggle of a loner, and that of a man who vanquished adversaries at virtually every stage.

Namo turned disadvantage into advantage. 

Besides dealing with detractors in Congress who wanted to nail him in 2002 riots, Modi also overcame hurdles posed by party colleagues.  

Dealing with all that requires more than assertiveness, and Modi has shown that single mindedness and the right synthesis of Hindutva inclined nationalism punctuated with development.

He marketed it in a typical 'new generation' corporate style. 

A leader India was waiting for. 

In Gujarat - sloganeering boys would accompany him even up to the then BJP headquarters at the Ashok Road -- "Dekho Dekho kaun aya ... Gujarat ka sher aya".

A leader – whom millions wanted to see as a ‘messiah’ – who can perhaps solve all their problems.

The birth of a ne slogan - 'Acchey Din Ane Waley haen'.  

A girl of a boy who is now 17-18 and formed the part of the shouting crowd of July 20-21 (2026) was just five or six years old then.  

The new Gen Z in 2026 almost dusted the glorification era vis-a-vis the Moditva phenomenon and their parents and elders. 

Way back in 2021 - Modi was a leader who will give Hindus their lost prestige.  

Does all that still remain in August 2026 and beyond ?

Modi needs to recapture the public imagination and especially the youths. 

A leader – who could not be wrong even for taking away their legitimate currency notes.

A leader who will anchor the toughest military challenge like surgical strikes against Pakistan and also unleash the true economic potential of the world’s largest democracy.

Many may still unhesitatingly laud his image of a mystic Indian – a yogic in meditation, a worshiper taking dip in Ganga but yet someone who connected so well with millions via video conferences and Twitter.  Something was amiss. Modi himself plunged into a new world of 'selfie videos'. 

He set aside Mitron salutation albeit temporarily and used the sale-able term 'friends'.  

 

Blogger 

Around 2021, there were some adverse reports. Some of them could be exaggerated and misguided by western prisms. But some were true.

India’s poor have become poorer over the years with the bottom half comprising over 600 million Indians sharing just 6 percent of the nation’s wealth, hinting at widening inequality. (2021) 

“India stands out as a poor and very unequal country with an affluent elite,” says France-based World Inequality Lab in its latest global report penned by its co-director Lucas Chancel and coordinated by French economist Thomas Piketty.

The top one percent of Indians owned more than one fifth of the total national income in 2021.

Hence, the bottom half earned just 13.1 percent, said the report.

The findings may be taken with a pinch of salt.

But they were in contrast to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popular slogan “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” promising to take along and ensure development for all, which helped him come to power in 2014.

Modi generated great hope among ordinary Indians then. 

But the picture of 2021 painted in the World Inequality Report was gloomy.

“If the middle and neo-middle classes were wondering why things haven’t improved despite the hype around Modi’s promised ‘Acchey Din,’ this report makes it crystal clear now,” said Ramakanto Shanyal, an educationist from West Bengal.

He pointed out a plethora of problems that had caused the economic governance model of the country to fail over the years.

Well; India has to produce at least 10 million new jobs every year. 

This is not happening. 

A large section of the population is engaged in the informal economy while more than 60 percent of the middle class are unsure about keeping their jobs and earning in the next six months or so.

Some were more caustic. One Trinamool Congress leader in Asansol Jhantu Chakravarty said on the eve of 2026 polls - 

“Modi’s act of demonetizing certain currency units [removing and replacing them as legal tender in 2016] proved disastrous. India’s unemployment rate had risen to a 35-40 year high.”  

Naga voters : Still may not trust a Hindutva-party 

Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is said to have accommodated business captains like the Ambani brothers and Gautam Adani. But such allegations are political in nature and cannot be proved.

A BJP leader dismissed the allegations of nepotism as unfounded but admitted that compared to other Indian states, Gujarat and Mumbai city in the west provided friendly working and business atmosphere.

These are a few bitter facts of India’s economic governance that have contributed to widening the gulf between the rich and poor.

ends 

Jammu and Kashmir important part of India: US envoy Sergio Gor's big remark in Srinagar :::: Imran Khan meets wife, sister after 9 months following Pak Supreme Court order

"It is a pleasure to be here... This is an important part of India. I am here, visiting for the first time. It is an incredibly beautiful place," 

- US envoy Sergio Gor said. 

The remark by Gor is being seen as a big shout-out to India's stated position that J&K is an inalienable and integral part of the country amid Pakistan's repeated misadventures in the region.  

It is a strong endorsement of India's longstanding position on Jammu and Kashmir.

Gor's big remark came after he met J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, marking the first trip by a US envoy to the Union Territory since the abrogation of Article 370 and after the Pahalgam attack.  

The US envoy, known to be close to US President Donald Trump, also asserted that the US would reconsider downgrading its strict J&K travel warning. Presently, the US has a level 4 "do not travel" advisory for J&K due to terrorism concerns.

"We will be looking at whether the travel warning that is imposed, which is recommended by the United States, is something that should be downgraded... have made some incredible steps to keeping this area safer and making it more safe," Gor further said.   

In a post on X, Gor said the talks focused on Abdullah's "priorities" for Kashmir and ways to deepen economic collaboration.

"We discussed ways to deepen economic collaboration and create opportunities that would mutually benefit both of our nations," Gor tweeted. Previously, while speaking to the media, Abdullah did not attach much importance to the visit, underlining that "Washington won't solve Kashmir's problems". 

 Imran Khan meets wife, sister after 9 months following Pak Supreme Court order

Imran Khan met his wife Bushra Bibi and sister Noreen Niazi at Adiala Jail after around nine months, hours after Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered his transfer to Shifa International Hospital for a medical examination. The court also directed weekly family meetings and phone calls with his sons amid concerns over his health and access to medical care.