Author: Sharad Natani
An award-winning emergency medicine specialist, Dr. Rashmi Verma, has died after spending 24 days on ventilator support at AIIMS Bhopal, triggering nationwide outrage and renewed scrutiny over workplace harassment in India’s premier medical institutions. Dr. Verma, who was recently honoured with the Best Excellence Award by Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Brajesh Pathak, was admitted to AIIMS Bhopal in critical condition on December 12 after allegedly consuming an overdose of anaesthetic drugs. She never recovered and succumbed after weeks of life support. According to allegations raised by colleagues and doctors’ associations, Dr. Verma’s extreme step was preceded by prolonged mental harassment…
Western Uttar Pradesh is facing a slow-burn public health disaster — one that flows quietly through hand pumps, borewells, and village taps. More than a million people living along the Hindon River basin are consuming water contaminated with industrial chemicals, pesticides, and untreated waste, exposing entire communities to life-threatening diseases. A River Turned Poison Channel The Hindon River, locally known in older records as Harnandi, originates in the Shivalik foothills of Saharanpur and flows through Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddh Nagar before meeting the Yamuna. Once a lifeline for agriculture and daily use, the river has now become…
इतिहास गवाही देता है कि साम्राज्य हमेशा एक जैसे कपड़े पहनकर नहीं आते। कुछ टैंक लेकर आते हैं, कुछ तकरीरें लेकर। कुछ झंडा गाड़ते हैं, कुछ झूठा नैतिक ध्वज उठाते हैं। पर अंततः साम्राज्य की पहचान उसके तरीक़ों से नहीं, उसके लक्ष्य से होती है। अमेरिकी साम्राज्यवाद और इस्लामिक साम्राज्यवाद को यदि अलग-अलग देखा जाए, तो एक आधुनिक दिखता है और दूसरा मध्ययुगीन। लेकिन यदि उनके कार्य-पैटर्न, शक्ति-प्रयोग और परिणामों को देखा जाए, तो दोनों एक ही वैचारिक सिक्के के दो पहलू प्रतीत होते हैं। अमेरिकी साम्राज्यवाद ‘लोकतंत्र’, ‘मानवाधिकार’ और ‘फ्रीडम’ की भाषा बोलता है। इस्लामिक साम्राज्यवाद ‘धर्म’, ‘ख़िलाफ़त’ और…
In a significant move aimed at reviving business engagement and easing investment-related travel, India has introduced a new e-Production Investment Business Visa (e-B-4 Visa) for Chinese nationals. The initiative is part of a broader effort by both countries to take people-centric steps toward stabilising and gradually resetting bilateral ties. According to an advisory issued by the Indian Embassy in Beijing, the new visa category came into effect on January 1, 2026, and can be applied for entirely online—eliminating the need for applicants to visit the embassy or approach intermediaries. What the New e-B-4 Visa Allows The e-B-4 Visa is specifically…
Canada’s tightening immigration policies are triggering growing anxiety among thousands of Indian temporary residents, with reports emerging of undocumented settlements, cash-in-hand work, and informal networks operating in wooded areas around Brampton and Caledon. According to community activists and journalists, makeshift encampments have begun appearing in forested zones as work permits expire and legal pathways shrink. Brampton-based journalist Nitin Chopra, who documented one such site, told the Hindustan Times that there is anecdotal evidence of out-of-status Indian immigrants working informally and illegal operators arranging marriages of convenience to help individuals remain in the country. Permits Expiring, Pathways Closing The situation has…
In a major boost for rural education, the Uttar Pradesh government is set to open digital libraries in all digital villages across the state by January 30, enabling youth to prepare for civil services and other competitive examinations without migrating to big cities. Under the vision of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the initiative aims to bridge the education gap between rural and urban India by bringing high-quality learning resources directly to village-level gram panchayat secretariats. The government is currently completing the procurement of IT equipment in all districts, while the purchase of furniture for these libraries is expected to be…