Urban Mirror

    In view of continuous tussle, the central government should undo the 69th constitutional amendment, dissolve the Delhi assembly and revert back to the pre 1991 situation. This is long...

  Why has the UP government denied the CBI permission to question the three IAS officers over their alleged role in the Rs 2,267 crore PF scam is inexplicable, argues...

  There are innumerable cases in Uttar Pradesh and other cadres , where IAS officers willfully  played truant  and  joined lucrative jobs without seeking any permission from the government, writes...

    In the light of the Punchhi Commission report and the existing constitutional provisions, powers of Governors to appoint VCs in state universities should be curtailed, writes former IAS...

  The decision of the UP Government to ensure that loudspeakers  are no longer a public nuisance and similar strict instructions regarding regulation  of religious processions deserve appreciation and should...

    Communal incidents are a wake-up call for the people to start the process of cleansing the divisive political system based on caste, religion, language, which is thriving on...

  Today’s political culture of hate, divisiveness, money and muscle power   will lead our country to doom sooner than later, writes former IAS officer V.S.Pandey   From time immemorial,  wisest...

  Indian politicians are adept at using names of national icons only to camouflage their misdeeds and cover their lack of integrity and honesty, writes former IAS officer V.S.Pandey  ...

Indian bureaucracy mired in inefficiency, apathy and a culture of non- performance, which needed urgent changes to improve governance, writes V.S.Pandey The elections to five states are over and the...

  Ukraine crisis has thrown open the contradictions in international relationships, treaties, groupings on one side and individual country’s self-interest on the other, writes former IAS officer V S Pandey...

           We have adopted the system of governance, prevailing across the seven seas, without understanding the possible pit-falls, writes Prof.             ...

  The steep fall in the journalistic moral standards has seriously jeopardized democracy and if media is to remain free, self-regulation is the only option, writes former IAS officer V...

  The increasing chasm between rich and poor is testimony to the fact that rulers have erred terribly in deciding the economic model, writes former IAS officer V.S.Pandey   Recently...

  Generations have passed waiting for governments to remove the scourge of corruption which has created an octopus like grip over our governance system, writes former IAS officer V S...

No country can prosper where the political class and governance system despise integrity and honesty and viciously hound those who speak truth to power, writes V.S.Pandey   It is very...

    When other sectors were allowed to resume their normal activities post the corona surges, schools should have been asked to come back to their normal routine also, writes...

    Despite CBI report in UP’s mining scandal and CAG observation in Noida land scam, there is no action against the real culprits who looted huge money from the...

  Agriculture being the mainstay of nearly 70 per cent of our population, any shortfall in supply or increase in the price of critical input like fertilisers is bound to...

               Our policy makers, with their clerical mind-set, would always think of numbers and nothing better can be expected from them. So     ...

            The transformer burnouts are generally due to inadequate,improperly rated,over-load safety devices in place,as also due to poor               ...

  Despite a road map laid out by the IIT Kanpur study to bring down the pollution levels in Delhi and NCR, very little was done by way of implementation...

  I had the opportunity to serve as head of the information and public relation department of Uttar Pradesh for several years. I cannot recall even one instance when advertisements...

    Unless the role of money power, mafia elements , use of caste and religion is  curbed in politics, things will remain as they are and country will remain...

After lapse of several decades we are still chasing minimal targets and  are still trying to  fulfil the minimum needs of our population, writes former IAS officer V.S.Pandey    ...

  The time has come for the central government  to unshackle the medical education system from the  avaricious  clutches of the vested interests whose only interest is pocketing billions at...

   Is Left, left in India? The point is, why perpetuate the fraud of leftism, when, in reality, all that is left, of left, is pure and simple, self-centrism, writes Dr...

    We should prepare our security systems in such a way that no external force or terrorists  dare meddle in our country and create law and order problems, writes...

  Looking at the hostile behaviour of countries around us, we have to build our military might to such a formidable extent that none will dare entertain any evil design,...

  The question is why governments shy away from debate or ordering an enquiry when they are in the right. Inevitably, it is the unethical action on the part of...

Since most of the political parties are neck deep in filth, dirt, corruption, immorality, untruth and falsehood, then snooping on others is the least of crimes they are capable of...

The administrator today has settled for the path of least resistance always saying yes to the political boss and no to the public. Remember the strength of a chain is...

  The Central vista project will prove its merit- provided it is executed with honesty and integrity. This exercise will be transformational only when the executors ensure that there is...

Despite people suffering hardships of all kinds, for generations, surprisingly these very political parties have been quite successful in ensuring that people keep voting for them for the same promises...

The bottom line is that the stock markets are totally out of sync with the performance of the economy and its poor health. Clear signals are emerging that something is...

The tragedy of our nation is that competence and integrity are seldom the criterion for appointments to position of power which, undoubtedly, matter the most in determining the direction of...

Unfortunately,it is near hopeless,to expect moderation from the politician,as,arousing emotions is his bread and butter.But,certainly the media can present the right picture in the right way.Or is it hoping too...

We, as a nation, do not lack in resources. We have the knowledge, we have the manpower, we have the road map to achieve these goals. Unfortunately, we have lacked...

Education is not filling a pail but lighting a fire and higher education is more so. Higher education programmes therefore are not merely degree awarding exercises but meant to enhance...

Our invaluable franchise has to be exercised to elect authentic, principled, transformational leaders-not these outworn masqueraders desperately capturing and then dishonorably clinging to power. Dr. Smita Pandey King Alexander the...

We have to burn the candle at both ends,one end for illuminating our past and the other to light up the path to the future.We have to clearly view and...

The cost of any product is based on the cost of production, licensing cost, expenditure on setting up the additional facilities, if any, required for manufacturing the product and such...

The scholarly report reflects sincere idealism and deep erudition.The only question is whether the ground truth of the problem has been understood so that a realistic solution can be attempted?...

Since Kurmi community is in dominant position in Purvanchal and central UP, moves are afoot in SP to bring it to SP fold as it was during days of Beni...

The faith of the people in the judiciary is the foundation of the third pillar and if the foundation gives way the entire edifice of democracy would come tumbling down....

The level of noise in the news-media, both print and electronic, has continued to increase over the past few decades, and, now it appears, that, the noise has overpowered the...

If the democratic governance in India has to be effective it is well past high time that responsible citizens be involved in overseeing the working of public institutions in a...

The elected have been changed from time to time but it seems to have made little difference. The reason is not hard to seek. From time to time Ali Babas...

The special skill of the politician consists in knowing what passions can be most easily aroused and when aroused how to prevent them from being harmful to himself and his...

The very idea of two Capitol establishments for Uttarakhand is not only senseless, but, an invitation to administrative and economic disaster. A summer capital for the resource starved state is...

Political shenanigans have clouded the fact that honest wages, for honest day's work, across the board, is the only key to national development and not any number of political promises....

Today, in the name of freedom of speech & expression, individuals mouth obscenities, slap unfounded charges, circulate fake news, indulge in character assassination, and, tell lies of every color, whenever...

The Samajwadi Party talks about concept of socialism but whenever it came to power in Uttar Pradesh it was far away from real concept of this ideology and its style...

All societies governed by rule of law have left very few choices to their people as laws themselves have clearly demarcated the boundaries between do’s and don’ts and specified the...

you would say the times have changed, and, old ideas are no longer relevant May be, but certainly, not all of them. Top leadership is more a punishment than a...

The ruling class has failed the nation by not governing the country honestly , sincerely and devotedly. We need to learn from our past mistakes and move on. V.S.Pandey The...

The problem of Covid-19 vaccination can be tackled with proper planning and efficient execution. We have both -the resources and the capacity. V.S.Pandey Currently the second covid wave is still...

For Netanyahu, Jerusalem and Gaza are the gift that keeps on giving. by Marwan Bishara (Senior political analyst at Al Jazeera). May 13 2021 Israel is a colonial war machine...

New Parliament building: One wonders about the genesis of this grand idea.Certainly,it can not be anyone in touch with the ground realities.In India one is not just in touch with...

Jumping the Queue is our national habit which is nothing but plain & simple short-circuiting. Clearly, when it comes to our own interest, fair or foul, we short-circuit our conscience...

The mental fatigue and hopelessness created by Covid-19, needs to be checked and the negative trend needs to be corrected at the earliest. The sports is the best way out....

The recent surge has started consuming the lives of people in villages. According to information in the absence of tracing and testing majority of deaths are being attributed to “fever...

The process of online registration for vax has to give way to house to house vaccination plan, as used to be the case earlier. We have enough trained manpower for...

The Delhi government is solely responsible for the mess it has created in treatment of covid patients including the supply of oxygen. Prof H C Pande The death toll continues...

The governments and health care system will have to work indefatigably to organise all the essentials and ensure that people have easy access to the basic facilities. V.S.Pandey The second...

In fact, elections and the Kumbh became the mega super spreaders of covid 19. But the leadership slept and woke up as late as January 2021. BK Singh brij.singhht@gmail.com Was...

A populist government in a developing country would always fail to address the basic issues and AAP is no exception. Prof. H C Pande Rousseau, over 200 years ago, had...

Top bureaucratic apparatus has failed to show the initiative, drive and commitment to handle the situation arising due to the current covid surge. V.S.Pandey The Country is at present facing...

With the current surge, our health system has crumbled, leading to panic. These shortages are all man made and should have been overcome without much difficulty. V.S.Pandey India is at...

The nefarious politics of money power, criminalisation, deceit and demagoguery has to be eliminated. Ethical people must come forward to fulfill the dream of our constitution makers. V.S.Pandey The nation...

Lack of vision, integrity and transparency led to failure in implementation of government schemes to uplift the poor people. V.S.Pandey Since 1970s, almost all the political parties have been riding...

Former Mumbai police chief has all the rights to move the court, but the core issues is rampant degradation in governance in our national life, which civil society is silently...

Our Governance has reached such a pass that honest officers in the system are useless, corrupt and pliable are welcome. V.S.Pandey Mr.Pratap Bhanu Mehta, newspaper columnist and public intellectual while...

In the free market system there is no ethics or morality, higher margins are the only driving force behind every action or practice. V.S.Pandey The farmers agitation is continuing, strongly...

India's administrative structure led by All India Services such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS) adopted an approach of 5% vs 95%. VS Pandey...

Elimination of corrupt elements from governance is only way out to establish rule of law and restoration of honesty and integrity in the system. V.S.Pandey A few days back Prime...

It is high time that either NDA government should convince the farmers about the utility of the three laws or withdraw them in larger national interest V.S.Pandey The farmers agitation...

It is high time for the Modi government to undo the mistakes of previous governments, listen to the farmers and take immediate corrective measures. V.S.Pandey Even after 80 odd days,...

There is need to examine the prevailing situation in the agricultural sector in the larger context of the direction of economic policy framework. V.S.Pandey The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, while...

An impractical budget which doestnot provide any road map for welfare and overall development of country V.S.Pandey Yesterday the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the annual budget for the...

The People have every right to demonstrate to press for the acceptance of their justified demands and want themselves to be visible while doing so, so are hapless farmers. V...

Welfare of people in right direction is impossible if dishonest and selfish advisors occupy the high position. They are basically curse on the system. V S Pandey Good, honest, benevolent...

These farm reforms are going to cause more pain than relief to millions of poor farmers across the country. V S Pandey, Akanksha Pandey The farmers agitation is going to...

M Hasan Lucknow, January 11: With forthcoming panchayat and 2022 UP assembly elections almost all political parties have resorted to sewing up winnable caste combination in the state. The issue...

While political row over Covid vaccination drive is unfortunate, the government of India should launch it free of cost and without further delay. V S Pandey For past several days...

The nation has been paying heavy prices for ill-conceived policies and lack of clarity in decision-making over the decades. The three farm laws, which are no different, also show same...

While farmers have genuine apprehensions over farm laws, it is paramount duty of the government to reply satisfactorily to their grievances. V S Pandey and Akanksha Pandey Farmers agitation has...

Governmental slackness in filling the rural-urban gap in online education has adversely affected the students. Further delay would only worsen the situation. Er. Akanksha Pandey These are COVID times. Lives...

The central government should sympathetically look into the grievances of farmers to resolve them in the larger interest of the nation. V S Pandey Soon the farmers agitation is going...

With the Centre and West Bengal Government heading for a show down over transfers and postings of officers of civil services it is necessary to resolve the issue within the...

With sheer lack of trust between the agitating farmers and the NDA government, it is advisable to shelve the controversial farms laws. V.S.Pandey Democracy is all about looking after the...

HC Pande Notwithstanding a thousand & one national development projects unable to take-off due to insufficient funding, the government has planned a spending spree to the tune of Rs.10,000 Crores...

With trust deficit towards leadership, half-hearted farm sector reforms are unlikely to benefit the farmers and help solve their problems V.S.Pandey Farmers agitation is hitting the headlines for past several...

If the country is to realize its unlimited potential, then time has come to embrace ‘new politics’ – a paradigm shift in the way politics is conducted in the country....

The best bowling of the finest ideas is ineffective on a dead pitch. Our representatives are neither philosophers nor moralists, and can resist, in the words of Oscar Wilde, anything...

Analysts suggest Biden administration could end the near-unconditional support that Riyadh has enjoyed over the years. Abubakr Al-Shamahi US President-elect Joe Biden has made his position on Saudi Arabia and...

How seriously corruption in our system has influenced our lives is an issue that has not been documented properly. VS Pandey Even as India is passing through multiple crises, the results...

Nitin Gadkari’s ire against NHAI officers is just tip of iceberg V S Pandey The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari recently blasted the bureaucrats of National...

Kuwait faces a wave of bankruptcies as the COVID-19 crisis wreaks havoc on the emirate’s economy, which is in desperate need of reform. Al-Monitor Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber...

By Michael T. Osterholm and Mark Olshaker (Foreign Affairs) In our essay “Chronicle of a Pandemic Foretold,” for the July/August issue of Foreign Affairs, we described the struggle against COVID-19...

Neither Pressure Nor a Narrow Nuclear Deal Can Succeed on Its Own By Elisa Catalano Ewers, Ilan Goldenberg, and Kaleigh Thomas (Foreign Affairs) Only nine months ago, the United States...

Marwan Bishara (Al Jazeera) As we approach the second anniversary of the state-sponsored assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia continues its retreat, losing direction and influence in the...

The labour reform bills that replace archaic labour laws with codes have been pending for a long time. V S Pandey Nobel laureate Douglass North wrote that institutions are made...

ANDREW BACEVICH In this year’s presidential election campaign, candidates have largely sidestepped the role of armed force as an instrument of U.S. policy. The United States remains the world’s preeminent...

The three farm reform bills are structured on the recommendations of a state agriculture ministers panel that submitted its report in 2013 V S Pandey Farm sector reforms such as...

The coronavirus pandemic has given us an opportunity to think afresh and take some major steps to turn the tide. V S Pandey India’s battle with coronavirus is on, with...

India has been ranked at 103 out of 119 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2018 with hunger level in the country categorised as serious. Unfortunately, the country’s ranking has...

Long cherished hopes of judicial settlement of the decades-old vexed Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute now appears in sight, as the Supreme Court has fixed October 18 deadline for both parties to...

Even as Assam continues to struggle with finalising and updating National Register of Citizens (NRC) where 1.9 million residents have been excluded, various BJP-led state governments are toying with the...

Dr HC Pande Lucknow: The U.P. Government has just come out with a proposed umbrella act to ensure that the standards of higher education are not diluted with the expansion...

At the apex of his political career, Nehru chose to induct two bitter critics of the Congress into his cabinet. And even if it were Gandhi’s call, it was an...

M Hasan Lucknow, May 26: The newly appointed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for carrying the Muslim minority together is unlikely to be materialised without satisfactory resolution to the Ayodhya...

By Rajan Kumar As Sri Lanka endeavours to overcome the enormity of the Islamic State (IS) coordinated terrorist attack which killed 253 people last month, there are reasons for the...

Alphabet Inc's Google has barred phone maker Huawei from some updates to the Android operating system, in a blow to the Chinese technology company that the US government has sought...

Alireza Noori (al-monitor) May 10 Amid rising US pressure, Iran and Russia appear to be gearing toward forging closer military and defence ties. Last week, the commander of the regular...

Dr HC Pande On 26th January,1950 the people of India took a vow,that for better or worse,it is democracy or nothing.Now in the 72nd year of existence as a democracy,...

Dr H C Pande With the general elections having been announced,the political haute-couture designer fraternity is having a field day,and,their order-books are over flowing.The Beautician,the Ghost-writer,and,the Ideology Bar-tender,are having whale...

Dr HC Pande It is said that the strength of democracy is the strength of the small man.In India,in its democratic scheme of governance,the small man is hugely conspicuous by...

Smita Pandey Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state. While Naom Chomsky, the renowned  political thinker articulated the spectacular Achievements of Propaganda, Indian leaders...

Dr. Smita Pandey Our Constitution guarantees us  the Right to Equality which encompasses every conceivable freedom that women can aspire for the advancement and fulfilment of their immense potential. Our...

Dr HC Pande Plato has stated to the effect that if the people are good then no laws are needed, but if they are not, no laws will suffice. However,...

(Yoga Day Special)   Dr. Smita Pandey   International Yoga Day was celebrated with much fanfare on May 21. Our much acclaimed leaders literally walked the talk and demonstrated intricate...

Beirut: Another layer in the battle for Syria has been evident for years yet has only now come to the world’s attention. To Iran and Israel, this battle lies at the...

Dr. Smita Pandey Indians account for more than three-fourths or 75 per cent of those highly-skilled professionals waiting in queue to obtain legal permanent residence status in the US, popularly...

Dr Smita Pandey Politics has become a byword for venality. Every party is unethical in its trajectory, looting and duping the gullible hapless public and enriching itself constantly. Apna vikas...

VS Pandey (Ex-IAS) Former Secretary Government of India Recently newspapers have reported that central government is mulling bringing about changes in the process of allocation of services and the state...

Ankara : Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s coalition scored major points in the recent parliamentary elections with Sadr’s positions against virulent influence peddling and the presence of foreign military forces...

Dr. Smita Pandey The pictures exemplify the horrific reality in the village Teekar Zaraayal khurd, in tehsil Rudauli, Faizabad. This typical Indian village is not depicting colonial exploitation. It is...

Unity in Diversity is our national heritage.It  is enshrined in our Constitution also.However,politics continues to assault it relentlessly.Currently ,the most savage manifestations of this assault are defining governance,or rather,absence of...

Make those at the top accountableV.S.Pandey                                                                                                                       Former Secretary,Government  of India . Last week former Secretary , Coal, Government of India ,  Mr H.C.Gupta was convicted by the CBI court...