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This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Ichha Sharma.Today is the 28th of February and here are this week's headlines.First, in news from the capital, the Delhi Government suffered a loss of Rs 2,002 crore due to the flawed excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped. The policy aimed to eliminate monopolies, ensure fair liquor distribution, and prevent bootlegging. However, it was withdrawn after corruption allegations led to the arrests of key AAP leaders, including former CM Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, by the CBI and ED. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) highlighted these losses in a recent Assembly report.In another news making headline, India abstained from voting on two resolutions at the UN General Assembly, marking the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The resolutions were supported by the US, Ukraine, and Europe, and both passed with 93 votes in favor. While India did not support the resolution demanding Russian withdrawal, it did not oppose the motion on Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. India was one of 65 countries that chose not to vote on the European-backed resolution.Meanwhile, the central government opposed petitions seeking a lifetime ban on convicted politicians from contesting elections, arguing in the Supreme Court that a six-year disqualification is not unconstitutional. In its affidavit, the Centre stated that various penal laws impose penalties for a limited time to ensure deterrence while avoiding excessive harshness. The submission was in response to Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay's plea challenging the constitutional validity of Sections 8 and 9 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Section 8 mandates a six-year disqualification post-release for those convicted of specified offences.In news from the North, the Uttarakhand High Court reviewed provisions of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) amid a public interest litigation. The court questioned the state's ability to make changes to the UCC, particularly regarding mandatory live-in registrations. Senior advocate Vrinda Grover argued that the UCC imposes unnecessary surveillance, as information about individuals is sent directly to local police stations. The court also questioned whether the UCC grants police powers for domiciliary visits, which it found to be a potential violation of rights.In global headlines this week, US President Donald Trump announced plans to impose a 25% tariff on European Union imports, particularly targeting cars. Trump criticized the EU, claiming it was "formed to screw the United States." He pointed out the EU's higher tariffs and value-added taxes, which are significantly steeper than those in the US. The announcement comes amid ongoing trade tensions between the US and the EU, with officials raising concerns over European taxation policies.This was the Catch Up on 3 Things by The Indian Express

This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.Today is the 25th of February and here are the headlines.The Delhi Government suffered a loss of Rs 2,002 crore due to the flawed excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped. The policy aimed to eliminate monopolies, ensure fair liquor distribution, and prevent bootlegging. However, it was withdrawn after corruption allegations led to the arrests of key AAP leaders, including CM Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, by the CBI and ED. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) highlighted these losses in a recent Assembly report.Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He was convicted for the murders of Jaswant Singh and his son, Tarundeep Singh, during the violence in Saraswati Vihar. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) accused Kumar of leading a mob that burned the two men alive. Kumar is already serving a life sentence in another 1984 riot-related case.The US imposed sanctions on four India-based companies for allegedly trading Iranian crude oil and petroleum products. These companies, including Flux Maritime LLP, BSM Marine LLP, Austinship Management Pvt Ltd, and Cosmos Lines Inc., were sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury and State. Three were accused of managing vessels involved in transporting Iranian oil, while Cosmos Lines was singled out for its role in transporting Iranian petroleum.A multi-agency team is working to clear a collapsed section of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district, where eight men have been trapped since Saturday. Water and slush have hindered rescue efforts. The collapse occurred 13.5 km inside the tunnel, and rescuers are focusing on clearing the track to facilitate further rescue operations. The trapped men are being worked on, and the team hopes to reach them soon.India abstained from voting on two resolutions at the UN General Assembly, marking the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The resolutions were supported by the US, Ukraine, and Europe, and both passed with 93 votes in favor. While India did not support the resolution demanding Russian withdrawal, it did not oppose the motion on Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. India was one of 65 countries that chose not to vote on the European-backed resolution.This was the Catch Up on 3 Things by the Indian Express.

This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.Today is the 28th of October and here are the headlinesPrime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated a Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) plant in Vadodara, dedicated to manufacturing the C-295 aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF). Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez joined Modi, marking the occasion after both leaders laid the foundation stone for the Final Assembly Line (FAL) plant in October 2022. This facility represents India's first private sector assembly line for military aircraft. Modi emphasized that recent decisions have bolstered defense manufacturing in India, expressing confidence that the new Tata-Airbus facility will position India as a leading exporter of aircraft and fulfill rising civil aviation demands.Opposition members of the joint parliamentary committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill staged a walkout during Monday's meeting, alleging that individuals with "no stake" in the bill were being invited for oral evidence. Among those who walked out were AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, Congress member Mohammad Jawed, and Samajwadi Party member Mohibbullah Nadvi. They eventually rejoined after a brief absence. Tensions flared when the Delhi Waqf Board administrator submitted a report to the committee chair, which the opposition claimed was done without approval from the Delhi government.Bengaluru police have filed charges against Malayalam film director Ranjith Balakrishnan for sexually assaulting a man. The case, originally registered in Kerala, was moved to Bengaluru after the complainant, a 31-year-old artist, stated the incident occurred in a hotel in the city. An FIR has been lodged at the BIAL police station under Section 377 (unnatural offences) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 66E (violation of privacy) of the Information Technology Act.With Diwali approaching, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai urged Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena to take swift action against the sale and distribution of illegal firecrackers in the capital. Delhi recorded a concerning Air Quality Index (AQI) of 356, classified as ‘Very Poor.' Despite a complete ban on firecrackers—including manufacturing, storage, sale, and use—vendors continue to sell them in markets, and online delivery remains prohibited. The Delhi Government implemented this ban on October 14, lasting until January 1, 2025.Indian Olympic hopefuls may face reduced access to public funds as the government considers revising its Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). Discussions are ongoing within the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC), a committee of former athletes, coaches, and officials, regarding new selection criteria that could be finalized in the coming weeks. Currently, around 300 athletes in core and developmental groups receive financial support through TOPS, but an MOC official indicated that this number could be cut in half if stricter selection rules are implemented.This was the Catch Up on 3 Things by The Indian Express.

जहां आम आदमी पार्टी (आप) के नेता बयान दे रहे हैं कि अरविंद केजरीवाल मुख्यमंत्री बने रहेंगे भले ही वह सलाखों के पीछे हों, वहीं दिल्ली के उपराज्यपाल वीके सक्सेना ने बुधवार को स्पष्ट रूप से कहा कि दिल्ली सरकार जेल से नहीं चलेगी। ऐसे में क्या होगा आइये जानें एबीपी लाइव पॉडकास्ट पर   

Top news of the day: Delhi government announces early winter break in schools as air quality turns 'severe' again, Nitish Kumar apologizes for his birth control remarks, BJP demands resignation, AAP's ‘referendum' is to make Arvind Kejriwal's wife, Sunita, next Delhi CM: BJP alleges, Israel kills top Hamas weapon maker; G-7 calls for 'humanitarian pause', Suspected use of snake venom: Cops grill Youtuber, probe finds venom glands missing in nine rescued snakes

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Welcome to Page 10! A show where our panel discusses news and current affairs and offer you a TL;DR of stories you might have read... or missed! in this edition of Page 10 , Abbas is joined by Meghnad, & Political Editor at South First, Anusha Ravi Sood as they discuss the following stories-  Congress Wins karnataka: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/karnataka-election-results-congress-wins-by-biggest-vote-share-in-34-years-101683976728769.html SC Verdict on Maharashtra Government: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/supreme-court-shiv-sena-verdict-8606138/ 'Hum Dekhenge' copyright claim: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/hum-dekhenge-vivek-agnihotris-claim-faiz-ahmed-faiz-song-pakistan-imran-khan-protest-101683887333122.html Visit The South First : https://thesouthfirst.com/ Subscribe to All About Now on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0sxICr-rvhR9dvBsx4uoTA Follow Anusha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/anusharavi10 Follow Abbas on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbasmomin88/ Follow Meghnad on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meghnads/ New Editions every Monday!  The show is available across platforms:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | JioSaavn | See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SC's backing of Delhi government is welcome. Centre should heed and respect verdict's larger message

इस एपिसोड में सुने, शराब पर फूंक-फूंक कदम रख रही AAP सरकार, छह महीने और पुराने नियमों से ही बिक्री, अडाणी के खिलाफ विपक्ष का संसद भवन से ED दफ्तर तक मार्च, NCP-TMC ने नहीं दिया साथ, चीन में क्यों बुखार की दवाएं जमा कर रहे लोग, ऑनलाइन सेल में 100 पर्सेंट इजाफा

Since last year, Delhi's excise policy has seen a lot of twists and turns. From complete privatisation to returning to the status quo. In this episode, Ritul Gaur, Pranay Kotasthane and Harshit Kukreja discuss Delhi's Excise policy, the importance of alcohol in a state's revenue and the way forward.You can follow Ritul Gaur on twitter: https://twitter.com/GaurRitulYou can follow Pranay Kotasthane on twitter: https://twitter.com/pranaykotasYou can follow Harshit Kukreja on twitter: https://twitter.com/harshitk43Check out Takshashila's courses: https://school.takshashila.org.in/You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featuredDo follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @IVMPodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.https://twitter.com/IVMPodcastshttps://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/?hl=enhttps://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts/Follow the show across platforms:Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Gaana, Amazon MusicDo share the word with you folks!

Relevant Domains COVERED: Sustainability, Production Development, Climate Change, Electric Vehicles(EV), Mentorship "EVs are vehicles that are either partially or fully powered on electric power. Electric vehicles have low running costs as they have less moving parts for maintaining and also very environmentally friendly as they use little or no fossil fuels (petrol or diesel)" ~twi-global.com In this episode with Rajeev YSR #TGV189, we had the following pearls of wisdom on EVs and mentorship: 0:00:00 Starting 0:03:45 The top three factors of success 0:06:36 The Story from the Guest 0:08:50 The 99 monkey philosophy 0:09:57 Growth of EVs 0:15:34 Future trends in EVs 0:17:35 Avenues for entrepreneurs in the EV sector 0:20:00 How can someone join the EV market? 0:33:18 Rapid Fire 0:36:52 Message to your version  0:37:29 The one final advise 0:40:35 Trivia Section About the Guest: Rajeev YSR is a dynamic and motivational leader with more than 12+ years of experience across different parts of the world in PnL, Sales, Strategy, Operations, Product, and Project Management. He has completed his Bachelors and Masters from IIT Madras, with an incredible track record of building high-performing teams, products, and businesses & delivering results. As an Electric Vehicle Evangelist - Rajeev has been recently recognized as "40 under 40" India's young dynamic EV (Electric Vehicle) leaders. He has been evangelizing and crusading the Electric Vehicle Adoption, representing EVs on various National & International Platforms. He also works closely with NITI Aayog, Rocky Mountain Institute in their urban mobility Labs, EV Policymaking of Delhi Government, and also with TS State Govt. Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajeevysr Links to the register for EV Masterclass: https://learn.evmasterclass.com/s/allcourses http://www.evmasterclass.com Connect with the hosts on LinkedIn: Naveen Samala: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/naveensamala Sudhakar Nagandla: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nvsudhakar Don't forget to mail your suggestions and feedback. Email: theguidingvoice4u@gmail.com  WhatsApp: +91 9494 587 187  Follow our social media for upcoming events and episodes. Tags: #evs, #ev, #herbalife, #electricvehicles, #o, #electricvehicle,   #electriccars, #herbalifebrasil, #electriccar, #herbalifenutrition, #tesla, #electric, #saude, #cars, #vemproespa, #teslamotors, #vemproevs, #evsherbalife, #evcharging, #vel, #teslamodels, #teslamodel, #driveelectric, #bemestar, #esc, #teslaowner, #carsofinstagr, am, #electricmobility  

83, the film is based on the Indian cricket team's triumph in the 1983 World Cup has been declared tax-free in Delhi, filmmaker Kabir Khan thanked Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for taking the initiative. Listen to this and much more right from Bollywood in our weekly news bulletin Bollywood Gupshup.

In this latest news from India in Hindi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh; Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti demands judicial inquiry in the Hyderpora encounter; Indian Supreme Court directs Delhi government to act against air pollution.

“Where do you see the company 10 years from now?” -- this is a question which perhaps every corporate leader has heard and dedicated much of their time and energies in predicting and shaping.  It was 2016 and Mekin Maheshwari, then Chief-people-officer of Flipkart, the largest ecommerce company in India, sat in the board-room with few other leaders as this question was tabled.  He had joined Flipkart in 2009, just two years after humble beginnings of the company. Fast forward to this day 7 years later, Flipkart was a household name in India and had soared to a valuation of over 10Bn$. And Mekin had played a critical role in this massive growth story. From being President of Engineering for the company in its initial years and then heading the people function helping manage a team of over 30,000 employees.  Flipkart had emerged as a homegrown behemoth of India’s ecommerce space, yet most experts predicted that this was just a tip of the iceberg, in terms of the opportunity ahead.   It was in this backdrop, Mekin found himself reflecting “Where do you see the company 10 years from now?”. An unusual thought came to his mind “I realized I couldn't see myself in it. More so, I realized that I don’t know myself.”  Looking back now, he reflects “I was shocked. I realized I couldn’t even talk to my wife about such a thing, for the fear of hearing -- If you don't know yourself, then who did I marry?"  2-3 months of further holding those questions sincerely in his  consciousness, and a little bit of serendipitous encouragement from the universe  (as always tends to happen with such events) , gave him the courage to move on, and let go of his position. And began a deeper search for knowing himself and serving others became his pathway. Like Gandhi would have affirmed “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service of others”.  “I realised that there are more critical problems for people in India that stay unsolved, some of which can not be solved with a for-profit mindset.” Mekin says. He realized that rather than optimizing profits, what he really cared for is to help others rise to their full potential, and he was drawn to the field of education to do that.  He took a gap year where travelled across the country, visiting schools which admitted more challenging student populations and he met 100s of social entrepreneurs in this space. That subsequently converged into him founding Udhyam Learning Foundation, a non-profit which aims to serve the potential in each child by developing entrepreneurial and leadership skills in them.  “Entrepreneurial people are able to solve more problems, operate with higher grit, try new things, and continuously understand and improve themselves.” explains Mekin. “Grit,” Independence”, “Self-awareness” and “Self-belief” are the 4 behavioural traits which Udhyam aims to nurture among students. To this effect, an “Entrepreneurship Mindset Curriculum” - an initiative of Delhi Government in partnership with Udhyam Shiksha and others is currently being implemented in over 1,000 schools in just in Delhi itself, in collaboration with the government. 750,000+ students in Delhi have been exposed to this program in last couple years, which also has included interactions with 1,500+ real life entrepreneurs. The program has seen many remarkable stories of youngsters break through outer and inner barriers and innovate and launch successful enterprises. In addition to Delhi, Udhyam is active in many other Indian states too.  The other significant part of Udhyam’s work is to support nano-entrepreneurs (“vyapaaris”) - informal, unorganized small businesses . Thanks to Udhyam Vyapaar’s  one-on-one mentoring and group sessions, many street side chai wallahs (tea vendors), istri-valas (ironing services), etc have been able to improve their incomes by by better customer outreach, adding new product lines etc.  Apart from Udhyam, Mekin has also co-founded GAME (Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship), which has outlined an audacious vision of creating 10Million micro entrepreneurs in India by seeding a culture of entrepreneurship which can in turn create around 50Million new jobs.  In the past 15 months of Covid crisis in India, Mekin also played a pivotal role through ACT Grants in mobilizing the Indian start-up ecosystem to step-up their efforts to support the country to manage the pandemic. This has led to many companies and their leaders have come forward and generously contributed money, time and connections to incubate innovative solutions at scale to many pandemic related problems.  One of the signature traits in Mekin’s journey is his trust in people and his courage to let go the paths of predictable success, in search of and in surrender to a deeper unknown. He picked a lesser ranked engineering college - PESIT over RVCE, as he felt PESIT director had a more progressive mindset. He left a secure job and joined Flipkart, an obscure startup at that time, basis one conversation with the founders when none of the “experts” took the opportunity seriously. And when his career was starting to peak and shine, he left Flipkart to find his “true self” and also support underprivileged students across the country in this journey. As he started working with these children, a profound shift he went through is from seeing his role as a “teacher” to a “co-learner” along with those students. “Ya probably I understand how business works better than these children, but I am nobody to teach grit to these children. These children have far more grit than me or the people I know. And it allows me to be able to learn from them.” he shared after a powerful reflection circle with some of his students.  He lives in Bengaluru with his family, and loves playing sports especially Cricket and Tennis. We are delighted to be in conversation this Sunday 10AM IST, with Mekin Maheshwari, moderated by Nipun Mehta and pilgrim hearted educator Swara Pandya. 

“Where do you see the company 10 years from now?” -- this is a question which perhaps every corporate leader has heard and dedicated much of their time and energies in predicting and shaping.  It was 2016 and Mekin Maheshwari, then Chief-people-officer of Flipkart, the largest ecommerce company in India, sat in the board-room with few other leaders as this question was tabled.  He had joined Flipkart in 2009, just two years after humble beginnings of the company. Fast forward to this day 7 years later, Flipkart was a household name in India and had soared to a valuation of over 10Bn$. And Mekin had played a critical role in this massive growth story. From being President of Engineering for the company in its initial years and then heading the people function helping manage a team of over 30,000 employees.  Flipkart had emerged as a homegrown behemoth of India’s ecommerce space, yet most experts predicted that this was just a tip of the iceberg, in terms of the opportunity ahead.   It was in this backdrop, Mekin found himself reflecting “Where do you see the company 10 years from now?”. An unusual thought came to his mind “I realized I couldn't see myself in it. More so, I realized that I don’t know myself.”  Looking back now, he reflects “I was shocked. I realized I couldn’t even talk to my wife about such a thing, for the fear of hearing -- If you don't know yourself, then who did I marry?"  2-3 months of further holding those questions sincerely in his  consciousness, and a little bit of serendipitous encouragement from the universe  (as always tends to happen with such events) , gave him the courage to move on, and let go of his position. And began a deeper search for knowing himself and serving others became his pathway. Like Gandhi would have affirmed “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service of others”.  “I realised that there are more critical problems for people in India that stay unsolved, some of which can not be solved with a for-profit mindset.” Mekin says. He realized that rather than optimizing profits, what he really cared for is to help others rise to their full potential, and he was drawn to the field of education to do that.  He took a gap year where travelled across the country, visiting schools which admitted more challenging student populations and he met 100s of social entrepreneurs in this space. That subsequently converged into him founding Udhyam Learning Foundation, a non-profit which aims to serve the potential in each child by developing entrepreneurial and leadership skills in them.  “Entrepreneurial people are able to solve more problems, operate with higher grit, try new things, and continuously understand and improve themselves.” explains Mekin. “Grit,” Independence”, “Self-awareness” and “Self-belief” are the 4 behavioural traits which Udhyam aims to nurture among students. To this effect, an “Entrepreneurship Mindset Curriculum” - an initiative of Delhi Government in partnership with Udhyam Shiksha and others is currently being implemented in over 1,000 schools in just in Delhi itself, in collaboration with the government. 750,000+ students in Delhi have been exposed to this program in last couple years, which also has included interactions with 1,500+ real life entrepreneurs. The program has seen many remarkable stories of youngsters break through outer and inner barriers and innovate and launch successful enterprises. In addition to Delhi, Udhyam is active in many other Indian states too.  The other significant part of Udhyam’s work is to support nano-entrepreneurs (“vyapaaris”) - informal, unorganized small businesses . Thanks to Udhyam Vyapaar’s  one-on-one mentoring and group sessions, many street side chai wallahs (tea vendors), istri-valas (ironing services), etc have been able to improve their incomes by by better customer outreach, adding new product lines etc.  Apart from Udhyam, Mekin has also co-founded GAME (Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship), which has outlined an audacious vision of creating 10Million micro entrepreneurs in India by seeding a culture of entrepreneurship which can in turn create around 50Million new jobs.  In the past 15 months of Covid crisis in India, Mekin also played a pivotal role through ACT Grants in mobilizing the Indian start-up ecosystem to step-up their efforts to support the country to manage the pandemic. This has led to many companies and their leaders have come forward and generously contributed money, time and connections to incubate innovative solutions at scale to many pandemic related problems.  One of the signature traits in Mekin’s journey is his trust in people and his courage to let go the paths of predictable success, in search of and in surrender to a deeper unknown. He picked a lesser ranked engineering college - PESIT over RVCE, as he felt PESIT director had a more progressive mindset. He left a secure job and joined Flipkart, an obscure startup at that time, basis one conversation with the founders when none of the “experts” took the opportunity seriously. And when his career was starting to peak and shine, he left Flipkart to find his “true self” and also support underprivileged students across the country in this journey. As he started working with these children, a profound shift he went through is from seeing his role as a “teacher” to a “co-learner” along with those students. “Ya probably I understand how business works better than these children, but I am nobody to teach grit to these children. These children have far more grit than me or the people I know. And it allows me to be able to learn from them.” he shared after a powerful reflection circle with some of his students.  He lives in Bengaluru with his family, and loves playing sports especially Cricket and Tennis. We are delighted to be in conversation this Sunday 10AM IST, with Mekin Maheshwari, moderated by Nipun Mehta and pilgrim hearted educator Swara Pandya. 

Sharma discusses what it was like to be in the thick of that control room, confronting a crisis of deep distress but also concerns of managing the health system in the midst of constant SOS messages about lack of basic supplies and most importantly, oxygen. He speaks about the role of the courts in fixing responsibility and bringing in some transparency to the process of allocation. Finally, Sharma elaborates on the logistical and technical complexities in ramping up oxygen supply and its distribution across hospitals.About the SeriesThe second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic poses serious challenges that need immediate attention. The collapse of an already strained health system, vaccine supply shortage, an unprecedented economic crisis and sharpening inequality, are factors that raise crucial concerns. How must India confront this crisis? The Centre for Policy Research (CPR) brings leading experts to discuss what the country's response should look like in a new podcast series, India and the Pandemic.Listen to other episodes in this series:Impact of the Second Wave on the Economy featuring Pranjul BhandariImpact of the Second Wave on Unemployment and Labour Force Participation featuring Mahesh VyasImpact on Jobs, Incomes, Inequality and Poverty featuring Amit BasoleResponding to the Spread of COVID-19 in Rural India featuring Abhijit ChowdhuryRealities of COVID-19 in Rural India featuring Anurag BeharUnpacking India's COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy featuring Partha MukhopadhyayDissecting India's Problem of Economic Inequality featuring Maitreesh GhatakFor more information on the Centre's work, follow CPR on Twitter @CPR_India or visit www.cprindia.org.

The second wave of COVID-19 left an already-strained health system crumbling. As one of the initial states hit by the surge of cases, Delhi faced many challenges ensuring adequate oxygen supply to patients. In this episode of India Speak, Yamini Aiyar (President and Chief Executive, CPR) speaks to Shailendra Sharma (Education Advisor, Delhi Government) about his experience of working and supporting the oxygen control room that was set up in response to the crisis by the Delhi Government. Why did the oxygen crisis happen and how was it overcome? What was it like to be a Front Line Worker in this crisis? How did the government react? What were the big challenges during that period? Sharma discusses what it was like to be in the thick of that control room, confronting a crisis of deep distress but also concerns of managing the health system in the midst of constant SOS messages about lack of basic supplies and most importantly, oxygen. He speaks about the role of the courts in fixing responsibility and bringing in some transparency to the process of allocation. Finally, Sharma elaborates on the logistical and technical complexities in ramping up oxygen supply and its distribution across hospitals. About the Series The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic poses serious challenges that need immediate attention. The collapse of an already strained health system, vaccine supply shortage, an unprecedented economic crisis and sharpening inequality, are factors that raise crucial concerns. How must India confront this crisis? The Centre for Policy Research (CPR) brings leading experts to discuss what the country's response should look like in a new podcast series, India and the Pandemic. Listen to other episodes in this series: ● Impact of the Second Wave on the Economy featuring Pranjul Bhandari ● Impact of the Second Wave on Unemployment and Labour Force Participation featuring Mahesh Vyas ● Impact on Jobs, Incomes, Inequality and Poverty featuring Amit Basole ● Responding to the Spread of COVID-19 in Rural India featuring Abhijit Chowdhury ● Realities of COVID-19 in Rural India featuring Anurag Behar ● Unpacking India's COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy featuring Partha Mukhopadhyay ● Dissecting India's Problem of Economic Inequality featuring Maitreesh Ghatak For more information on the Centre's work, follow CPR on Twitter @CPR_India or visit www.cprindia.org.

Delhi High Court asks Delhi Government to file affidavit mentioning the status of the stock of liquid and gaseous oxygen with refillers by 10 am tomorrow.Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wrote a letter addressed to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath citing concerns about the rising cases of coronavirus.Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said that it is time for the Armed Forces to help the civil administration in creating COVID-19 mitigation facilities in a time-bound manner For more live news download Etv Bharat Download ETV Bharat on App store – https://apps.apple.com/in/app/etv-bharat/id1453416186 Play Store – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.etvbharat.android Or watch us live on – www.etvbharat.com ETV Bharat is a Division of Ushodaya Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. , is a comprehensive digital national news platform conceived to deliver seamless news and information services, using video-centric Mobile App and Web Portals. It is first-of-its kind offering in India in terms of diversity and depth, dedicated journalists network, reach of 24 states with services in 13 languages i.e.– Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Assamese, Odia and English. ETV Bharat is the latest initiative of the five-decade old multi-dimensional Ramoji Group. The Group's highly successful media endeavors include : Eenadu - one of the largely circulated language dailies in the country , and ETV Network with Telugu general entertainment, infotainment and news channels. With a strong lineage of the most trusted media house, ETV Bharat would draw on its strengths of decades' long experience and innovation. ETV Bharat will combine the new technologies of mobile and digital media to engage news and information seekers in a new connected world. It will be driven by well-established news gathering setup, technology specialists and other professionals.

A 'Tika Utsav' or vaccine festival will be marked in the country from April 11-14. Delhi Government hospitals are directed to engage 4th and 5th-year MBBS students, interns and BDS doctors to assist in the treatment of COVID affected patients. Amit Shah will address six public programs in poll-bound West Bengal today, For more live news download Etv Bharat Download ETV Bharat on App store – https://apps.apple.com/in/app/etv-bharat/id1453416186 Play Store – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.etvbharat.android Or watch us live on – www.etvbharat.com ETV Bharat is a Division of Ushodaya Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. , is a comprehensive digital national news platform conceived to deliver seamless news and information services, using video-centric Mobile App and Web Portals. It is first-of-its kind offering in India in terms of diversity and depth, dedicated journalists network, reach of 24 states with services in 13 languages i.e.– Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Assamese, Odia and English. ETV Bharat is the latest initiative of the five-decade old multi-dimensional Ramoji Group. The Group's highly successful media endeavors include : Eenadu - one of the largely circulated language dailies in the country , and ETV Network with Telugu general entertainment, infotainment and news channels. With a strong lineage of the most trusted media house, ETV Bharat would draw on its strengths of decades' long experience and innovation. ETV Bharat will combine the new technologies of mobile and digital media to engage news and information seekers in a new connected world. It will be driven by well-established news gathering setup, technology specialists and other professionals.

In this episode of the Lead, research scholar from JNU's Centre for Law and Governance, Pranav Menon explains the various aspects of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021; the previous version of the Bill and the Supreme Court decision vis-a-vis the power distribution between the Delhi government and the Lieutenant Governor of the national capital. Ahmed Shariff: Recently, the Parliament had passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021 and a lot many Opposition party members have raised issues about the Bill and what does the Bill exactly mean, to know more about that we are joined by Pranav Menon, a research scholar at the Centre for Law and Governance at JNU. Hi Pranav, welcome to DH Radio. Pranav Menon: Hi Ahmed. Ahmed: This is an amendment Ac, can you tell us about the earlier version before we get into the details of the amendment? Pranav: Before we speak about the original legislation we need to understand why such legislations exist... To know more about this, tune in to the podcast. Download the Deccan Herald app for iOS devices here: https://apple.co/30eOFD6 For latest news and updates, log on to www.deccanherald.com Check out our e-paper www.deccanheraldepaper.com

As we record this episode, residents in East Delhi are facing an acute water shortage. The shortages come soon after the Delhi Government went to the Supreme Court against the state of Haryana, highlighting the increasingly polluted and depleted water in the Yamuna - a key source of water for India's capital. Rachit Seth talks to Sarthak Pradhan about some potential solutions that could widen access to "safely managed water" in Delhi amid these trying circumstances.Rachit Seth works at the intersection between politics and policy. He is a digital media entrepreneur by profession and an architect by qualification. He was part of the Indian National Congress for a decade and was a fellow at the National Innovation Foundation. He has completed a PGP in public policy at Takshashila.You can follow Rachit on twitter: @rachitseth(rachitseth)You can follow Sarthak on twitter: @PSarthak19(PSarthak19)You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

This newsletter is really a public policy thought-letter. While excellent newsletters on specific themes within public policy already exist, this thought-letter is about frameworks, mental models, and key ideas that will hopefully help you think about any public policy problem in imaginative ways. It seeks to answer just one question: how do I think about a particular public policy problem/solution?PS: If you enjoy listening instead of reading, we have this edition available as an audio narration on all podcasting platforms courtesy the good folks at Ad-Auris. If you have any feedback, please send it to us.India Policy Watch #1: Sedition, Blasphemy, DefamationInsights on burning policy issues in India- Pranay KotasthaneA Delhi Court Session Judge’s admirable order granting bail to activist Disha Ravi in the #ToolKit case made me reflect on sedition as a concept. Here are a few initial thoughts emanating from that exercise. Fair warning: this is a conceptual discussion and not a legal one. If detailed legal critique interests you, head over to these two articles by Gautam Bhatia (1 & 2). The “crimes” of sedition, blasphemy, and defamation lie along a continuum. They are categorically similar in that they punish the written or spoken word directed at some other entity. Where they differ is the targeted object. Defamation laws punish verbal or written attacks against a person or a group of people. Blasphemy laws punish utterances against something considered sacred by a group of people whereas sedition laws punish utterances that can threaten the State. A Few DefinitionsBefore wading in any further, understanding three political science terms — nation, state, and government — is important. State is a political construct, an abstract political institution. Max Weber’s instrumental definition of the State as “a human community that (successfully) claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory” is especially relevant here. To ensure that all its individuals’ liberties are protected, a State is invested with the powers to use violence or force to prevent other belligerent groups from terrorising individuals. It is for this reason that a State maintains armed institutions like the police and the army. Going by this definition, an anti-State act would be the one that challenges the State's monopoly over the legitimate use of physical force. In other words, an act of violence or the use of force by anyone other than the State becomes anti-State. Government is a temporary governing body of the State. If the State is like a corporation, the government is like its management. State is semi-permanent. It will live on until it is overthrown or replaced and a new social contract is established. Unlike the State, the government is composed of a set of people organised into a hierarchy. When the electorate vote, they choose their government and not the State. By this definition, an anti-government act would be the one that criticises the policies, strategies, and directives of the governing body in power.Nation, on the other hand, is a mental construct. Ernest Gellner defines this concept precisely yet comprehensively thus:“Two men are of the same nation if and only if they recognize each other as belonging to the same nation. In other words, nations maketh man; nations are the artefacts of men's convictions and loyalties and solidarities. A mere category of persons (say, occupants of a given territory, or speakers of a given language, for example) becomes a nation if and when the members of the category firmly recognize certain mutual rights and duties to each other in virtue of their shared membership of it. It is their recognition of each other as fellows of this kind which turns them into a nation, and not the other shared attributes, whatever they might be, which separate that category from non-members.”In other words, nations are imagined. People belong to the same nation only if they consider themselves to be so. An anti-national act thus could be of two types. One that denies the existence of such an imagined community. For example, libertarians could argue that only individuals matter and not the groups these individuals are a part of. And the other view imagining a nation along lines different from the dominant belief. For example, communism sees workers across the world as one “nation”.What is Sedition then?With these key differences out of the way, we are now in a position to understand sedition and blasphemy laws. Sedition laws can lie on a continuum. In dictatorships and party-states, sedition laws are applied wantonly to criticisms of the government. That is, being anti-government itself is being seditious. In most modern democracies, however, sedition laws punish only those anti-State actions which have the capability to directly challenge the State’s authority. Thus, criticism of the Republic of India would not count as sedition but inciting violence against the police would count as sedition. Crucially, being anti-national is not the same as being seditious. On the other hand, blasphemy laws penalise a subset of anti-national actions, the ones that call into question something held sacred. As the idea of individual freedom has gained prominence, blasphemy laws have been repealed in many places. Not in India though.The Indian Sedition LawNow we are in a position to understand sedition in India. India’s sedition law i.e. Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code has colonial origins. Unsurprisingly then, being anti-government was reason enough to be labelled seditious. Tilak, Gandhi and scores of other leaders were tried for sedition.After independence, the stated aim was to get rid of sedition laws altogether. That never happened. Sedition law continued in its colonial avatar. What did happen is that the application of such laws reverted to a stricter interpretation. Anti-State acts were penalised and not anti-government ones as a result of a right to freedom of speech and expression. In subsequent court rulings, the scope of sedition was further truncated. Only those anti-State acts that had the tendency to incite violence or disturb law and order were deemed to be seditious. This dissonance between the original definition and application continues to this day. See for yourself. The sedition law says: “Whoever,   by   words,   either   spoken   or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, the Government established by law in India, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine.Explanation 1.-- The expression "disaffection" includes disloyalty and all feelings of enmity.Explanation 2.--Comments expressing disapprobation of the measures of the Government with a view to obtain their alteration by lawful means, without exciting or attempting to excite hatred, contempt or disaffection, do not constitute an offence under this section.Explanation 3.--Comments expressing disapprobation of the administrative or other action of the Government without exciting or attempting to excite hatred, contempt or disaffection, do not constitute an offence under this section.Note how wide-ranging this law is. Even disloyalty and all feelings of enmity count as sedition. Now read the qualifier that the Supreme Court added in Kedar Nath vs State of Bihar 1962.“..the sections aim at rendering penal only such activities as would be intended, or have a tendency, to create disorder or disturbance of public peace by resort to violence. As already pointed out, the explanations appended to the main body of the section make it clear that criticism of public measures or comment on Government action, however strongly worded, would be within reasonable limits and would be consistent with the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression. It is only when the words, written or spoken, etc. which have the pernicious tendency or intention of creating public disorder or disturbance of law and order that the law steps in to prevent such activities in the interest of public order.”In non-legalese, for an action to count as seditious, its connection with violence is necessary according to the Supreme Court but not so according to the original framing in the penal code. This dissonance is a problem. To such an extent that the same judge presiding in two similar cases (Disha Ravi’s and Safoora Zargar’s), referring to the same 1962 judgment, reached two diametrically opposite conclusions! In Safoora Zargar’s case, bail was denied on the grounds that the connection of an act with violence is not necessary. In the Disha Ravi case, bail was granted on the grounds that the connection of an act with violence is necessary. The other problem is the political economy of India’s sedition law. Because it is construed as a grave anti-State offence, it is cognisable i.e. investigation and arrest can happen based on just an FIR, and non-bailable i.e. bail is subject to the decision of a sessions judge. Such strict provisions mean that the police slap sedition charges indiscriminately and by the time charges are cleared, many years pass by. The process becomes the punishment.Clearly, this needs fixing. The Way ForwardBroadly, there are three ways out. The first method would be to revise the sedition law to end the dissonance between the text and its subsequent interpretation. Make the link with violence a necessary condition for the application of sedition. A second way is to scrap the law altogether. If the tendency to cause violence is what triggers sedition, there are enough and more laws in place to address such actions. Even if this law were to be struck down, provisions to punish acts inciting violence against State, government, or other people will still be applicable.A third way out is to address the political economy question by making sedition a bailable and non-cognisable offence. With nothing to gain by slapping the additional charge of sedition, its usage is likely to decline. A solution with a similar effect is to make police personnel comply with additional requirements before arresting a person for sedition. The Bombay High Court tried to do this in the Asim Trivedi case by issuing guidelines to police personnel listing specific preconditions. A failure to adhere to these guidelines made the police officer liable to dereliction of duty. To what extent these guidelines been adopted since then, I do not know. Given my biases, the second solution is the ideal one. But it’s also the most unlikely one in the current situation. We in fact run a real risk of going the other way — sedition laws might well revert to punishing anti-government utterances and blasphemy laws might be used more frequently. Given this reality, focusing on changing the incentives of police might be more practical.For now, I’ll leave with these lines in Disha Ravi’s bail order that need to reach far and wide:“Citizens are conscience keepers of government in any democratic Nation. They cannot be put behind the bars simply because they choose to disagreewith the State policies. The offence of sedition cannot be invoked tominister to the wounded vanity of the governments. Difference of opinion,disagreement, divergence, dissent, or for that matter, even disapprobation, are recognised legitimate tools to infuse objectivity in state policies. An aware and assertive citizenry, in contradistinction with an indifferent or docile citizenry, is indisputably a sign of a healthy and vibrant democracy.”India Policy Watch #2: The Coming InflationInsights on burning policy issues in India- RSJLast week Pranay wrote about the Domar rule and how to think about public debt sustainability. Pranay and I have long held economic growth is a moral imperative for India now. Domar’s paper, like Pranay wrote, makes it clear that growth is necessary even if you favour a big government. The argument is simple. Governments are free to borrow and spend on their favoured programmes. They can run deficits without worrying about today’s deficits turning into tomorrow’s higher taxes or higher inflation only if the national income (r) grows at a rate faster than the interest rate (i). That is if “r” > “i”, we are fine with deficit spending. The logic is simple. If you grow faster than the interest rate, you can keep your debt to GDP ratio at a constant level. So, please go ahead and spendbut choose wisely. Spend in areas that will yield higher growth rates in future. Growth will take care of your debt burden.Since we are in the territory of public debt sustainability and role of government spends, I thought it would be useful to bring the Fiscal Theory of the Price Level (FTPL from here on) into this discussion. So, consider this an addendum to Pranay’s piece. Price stability or inflation control is a key goal for all governments in a democracy. Why? Because they want to win elections and nothing irks public than price rise. So, there are two questions in public policy on this issue - a) how do we tame inflation and b) is there an optimal level of controlling it?Now, the usual macroeconomic explanation offered to the first question was simple. Inflation is managed by the monetary policy of the central bank. An independent central bank focused on price stability will manage it by controlling the supply of money. If the total output grows at x per year and the money supply grows at y, then over a period of time the prices will grow at (y-x) per year. That’s your inflation rate. Simple. There’s a problem though. It assumes the demand for money among people today is uniform across. This isn’t true. Because all of us have different beliefs about the future. If our view of future inflation is different, our need to hold money today will be different. This means there could be many paths to price stability other than just the monetary approach. These paths are varied depending on households’ views about the economy’s future state. And that’s influenced by fiscal policy. So, according to FTPL, a tough and independent central bank is good to have but it alone cannot guarantee price stability. Fiscal policy will have to work in tandem. Government’s choice of how it finances its debt has a key role in how inflation plays out in future. The central banker must continue to convince the government to adopt the right stance on fiscal policy.On the second question - how much inflation control is optimal - FTPL suggests allowing price levels to swing to any wild variations to the government’s budget. This gets a bit complicated but a simple summary is that in times of economic shocks like a pandemic it is efficient to allow prices to go up. That done, let me move to add my nuance to Pranay’s explanation of Domar’s rule. No one can argue about “r” > “i” logic. The key questions about the deficit, however, are for how long and how much? If you have a fiscal deficit of one per cent for one year and you take the next five to grow higher than the interest rate to offset it, you’re fine. But what if you keep adding a five or six per cent deficit every year for a decade and more? As a somewhat laidback, retiring fiscal hawk, this is what worries me when I see unlimited deficit spending all around. A trillion here in stimulus and another trillion there and soon we are talking about some real money here. My worry is we have reached a stage where “r” > “i” cannot support the deficit spending. So inflation will come in. That’s my view. A high inflation future is inevitable. Addendum squaredRSJ makes an important point. “r” > “i” is a necessary but insufficient condition. The reality is that “r” needs to be sufficiently greater than “i”. That’s because the “r” > “i” condition rests on the assumption that the primary deficit is zero i.e. the government is only borrowing to pay interest on debts accumulated in the past. That’s not the case in India. The primary deficit in 2019-20 was 1.6 per cent of GDP while it is estimated to be 3.1 per cent in the next financial year. This means a lot of borrowing is being deployed not just for capital investment but also for the day to day running of the government. With higher primary deficits comes higher responsibility to restart economic growth. Not(PolicyWTF): Delhi Government’s Singapore AmbitionsThis section looks at egregious public policies. Policies that make you go: WTF, Did that really happen?— Pranay KotasthaneGiven how we keep going on and on about the urgency of economic growth, this line in the Delhi government’s budget came as a pleasant surprise:“Our goal is that the per capita income of Delhi by the year 2047 is equal to the income of a Singapore citizen. To make this possible, we have to increase the income of our citizens by about 16 times which is a difficult target, but not impossible.”It’s not new for Indian governments to aspire to be like someplace else. Isomorphic mimicry is in fact quite common. Vilas Rao Deshmukh wanted to transform Mumbai into Shanghai more than a decade ago. What’s different this time is the Delhi government has set itself a measurable output target with a defined end date, something most governments refuse to commit to. The Delhi Finance Minister even had a well-thought-out response to the question “Why Singapore?”. He said:“Singapore has one of the most stable economies in the world, with high government revenue and a consistently positive surplus. As a result of its strategic geographical positioning in Asia, the socio-economic context of Singapore is relatable to that of India. In addition to this, Singapore is also a city state which has achieved substantial growth in the past 25 years. So, when we think of Delhi 25 years from now, we envision a Delhi which can stand at par with one of the fastest growing and developed economies in the world.”Setting a clear, measurable income target against which performance can be measured is a welcome change. Hopefully, the other governments are watching. HomeWorkReading and listening recommendations on public policy matters[Article] John Cochrane on fiscal roots of inflation. A great paper.[Article] ‘Disaffection’ and the Law: The Chilling Effect of Sedition Laws in India by Siddharth Narrain is a good overview of the history of sedition in India.[Podcast] Pranay and Saurabh discuss the impossibility theorem of affirmative action on Puliyabaazi. Get on the email list at publicpolicy.substack.com

The Game Changers podcast celebrates those true pioneers in education who are building schools for tomorrow. In the first episode of the third series of the Game Changers podcast, we talk with Vishal Talreja. Vishal co-founded Dream a Dream (www.dreamadream.org), a registered, charitable trust empowering children and young people from vulnerable backgrounds to overcome adversity and flourish in the 21st century using a creative life skills approach. His work has impacted over one million children through the Happiness Curriculum in partnership with the Delhi Government. Vishal believes that if we can re-imagine learning to develop empathy, creative thinking, problem solving and collaborative working skills amongst young people, they will be able to truly thrive. The Game Changers podcast is produced by Oliver Cummins for Orbital Productions, supported by a School for tomorrow (aSchoolfortomorrow.com), and powered by CIRCLE by CIRCLE – The Centre for Innovation, Research, Creativity and Leadership in Education (www.circle.education). The podcast is hosted on SoundCloud and distributed through Spotify, Google Play, and Apple Podcasts. Please subscribe and tell your friends you like what you are hearing. You can contact us at gamechangers@circle.education, on Twitter and Instagram via @GameChangersPC, and you can also connect with Philip SA Cummins and Adriano Di Prato via LinkedIn. Adriano loves his insta and tweets a lot; Phil posts videos to YouTube.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Delhi government on Monday announced setting up of a plasma bank for the treatment of coronavirus patients. Delhi was one of the first states to have given a go-ahead for plasma therapy in April. The plasma bank will be set up at Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS). This will be made available for government and private hospitals after getting a doctor's recommendation. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/latestnewssuno/support

From the Newsroom today, Confrontation is brewing between the Centre and the Delhi government. Fire breaks out at Oil India Limited's gas well in Assam. Jyotiraditya Scindia tests positive for COVID-19 and Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on the two "low-profile" party workers as candidates for June 19 Rajya Sabha polls from Karnataka. Download the Deccan Herald app for Android devices here: https://bit.ly/2UgttIO Download the Deccan Herald app for iOS devices here: https://apple.co/30eOFD6 For latest news and updates, log on to www.deccanherald.com Check out our e-paper www.deccanheraldepaper.com To read news on the go, sign up to our Telegram channel t.me/deccanheraldnews

COVID-19 scare has taken us all a ride from a unified applaud all through the country for the doctors to tenants, doctors and aircrew being asked to stay away to even violence against fellow folks who don't comply. Resident Doctor's Association (RDA) in AIIMS New Delhi had to write to the Union Minister, as doctors were being asked by the neighbours and house owners to vacate, fearing that they would be a carrier of COVID-19. The Delhi Government has ordered penal action against such actions of house owners. In this episode, Dr Adarsh Pratap Singh, president of RDA shares with us how the fear and stigma affects them and their patients and Salma, another doctor who had to return to her home town due to pressure from neighbours during home-quarantine. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In this episode, Mint journalist and resident of Delhi, Pretika Khanna @pretikakhanna talks about AAP's claim of solving Delhi's pollution problem. She talks about the figure which states how bad the condition is and how it can be tackled in the coming years by the government.

The Delhi government in India will build more than 12,000 new rooms to address the problem of overcrowded schools. Many public schools in Delhi have insufficient classrooms to accommodate a large number of students. Some schools even cater to 100 or more students per classroom. Because of this, some schools have resorted to operating in double shifts. One example is a public school in Delhi that holds classes for 1,300 students in the morning and about the same number of students in the evening. Aside from insufficient classrooms, the school has only two toilets that are meant to be used by 2,600 students. To address these problems, the Public Works Department (PWD) plans to complete the construction of the new rooms by 2020. The new rooms will consist of almost 10,000 classrooms, 328 laboratories, 106 multipurpose halls, 204 libraries and rooms for personnel, and 1,067 toilets. All in all, the project has an estimated cost of over US$420 million. Manish Sisodia, Delhi's deputy chief minister and education minister, hopes that the new rooms will be able to decrease the number of students per classroom. He also explained that the need for new classrooms will continue to increase as more private school students transfer to public schools. In the past, the Delhi government has explored other options to decongest overcrowded classrooms. In 2016, it ferried children from overpopulated schools in the city to other schools that can accommodate more students. The government footed the bill for all the buses necessary to transport the children to schools in other locations.