A new water harvesting model promises to help Rajasthan's farmers

In the dry heartland of Rajasthan, a transformative rural water conservation model is set to benefit farmers in the upcoming monsoon. Those behind the initiative, which relies on 50 scientifically designed and climate-resilient farm ponds at Kukas village in the State capital of Jaipur, claim it has a 10-crore-litre seasonal monsoon runoff conservation potential.

Tighten the process

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has raised trou-bling questions about the conduct of elections based on what transpired in the 2024 Assembly elections in Maharashtra. There are specific issues: the abnormal increase in voters listed in electoral rolls between the general election and Assembly elections, higher turnout numbers after 5 p.m. on voting day, and the Centre amending the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 to restrict access to CCTV footage of the polling process. Mr. Gandhi has also questioned the process of appointing Election Commissioners, with the Union government refusing to implement a Supreme Court judgment in 2023 that recommended having the Chief Justice of India as a part of the selection panel. While political par-ties, including the BJP and the Congress, have raised complaints about Electronic Voting Ma-chines in the past, many did not stand scrutiny considering the administrative and technological safeguards. The Congress has now focused on the electoral process, raising more fundamental is-sues that need to be unpacked separately.

The Census and the remaking of a people

A population is a group of inhabitants in a particular place. A people, as in 'We the People,' in the preamble of the Constitution, is a political community. The counting and the labelling of the population under multiple categories, i.e., a census, is not merely a technical exercise. It mediates the transformation of the population to a people in a significant manner. The people - a political community - have a shared view of how they govern themselves and allocate their resources. The 2027 Census will so impact the notion of people that it is going to be a centennial event, like the COVID-19 pandemic that delayed the decadal census which was to happen in 2021.

Empowering women in agriculture for food security

The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, garnering the support of over 100 co-sponsors. The resolution celebrates the essential role of women in global agriculture while raising awareness of their challenges, which include property rights and market access.

When triumph turned into tragedy

On June 3, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) claimed its maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. When Virat Kohli announced that night that celebrations would extend to Bengaluru the next day, the atmosphere turned electric. Fans in Bengaluru celebrated with gusto the entire night, with firecrackers and full-throated chants and slogans. The wait for the title for 18 long years led to a burst of emotions and joy. What added to this excitement and the hurry to celebrate immediately was the imminent departure of Kohli the next day to London.

Foreign aid and financial woes

When reports last week stated that the Chief Minister's Relief Fund of Maharashtra had been allowed to receive foreign contributions under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), the CPI(M)-led Left government in Kerala was quick to depict this as yet another act of discrimination against the southern State by the Centre. It recalled that the Centre had declined the Kerala government's plea for accepting foreign aid in the days following the 2018 floods a catastrophe that left large-scale destruction in its wake.

Delimiting by electors rather than population offers a fairer approach

Several recent articles in the mainstream media suggest that a delimitation exercise if carried out with population as the primary criterion for allocating parliamentary constituencies (PCs) - would disproportionately disadvantage the southern States. Proponents of this view argue that the southern States, having adhered more rigorously to family planning norms than their northern counterparts, would either receive comparatively fewer PC seats or could even be left with less seats than what they have currently.

How drones are the new face of warfare

India's Operation Sindoor in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack has marked a notable shift in the country's adoption of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in combat. In combination with standoff weapons, India's use of UAVs in active combat represents a tactical shift in military doctrine - part of a global playbook. Ukraine's Operation Spider Web also marks a turning point in how low-cost, improvised unmanned systems can be employed with strategic impact.

How extracting and producing nickel can be made more sustainable

Nickel powers everything, from gadgets to green technologies. But getting it currently involves a far from green, in fact, a dirty process. However, a new study has revealed what its authors have said is a game-changing and sustainable method to extract nickel from low-grade ores using hydrogen plasma instead of carbon. It's a one-step process free of carbon dioxide that reportedly saves both energy and time.

PM to visit Cyprus, Croatia during his trip to Canada

Reiterating India's traditional foreign policy goals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Cyprus and Croatia, official sources said here on Monday.

Mr. Modi will visit Cyprus on his way to Canada to participate in the G-7 summit (June 15-17), and on the way back, he will pay a visit to Croatia, which will be the first Prime Minister-level visit from the Indian side since the formation of Croatia in 1991, after the dissolution of former Yugoslavia.

Weather plays spoilsport with Shukla's mission; NASA moves launch to tomorrow

The launch of Indian astro-naut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's mission to the International Space Station (ISS) has once again been postponed.

Foreign investors shift money out of Delhi to 'promising' Maharashtra

Over the last 10 years, foreign investors have shift-ed their preference from Delhi to Maharashtra and, to an extent, Gujarat. While these three States have remained among the top foreign investment destinations in India, their shares have changed significantly since 2015-16.