In Rajasthan, where not one but two electoral battles await the ruling Congress-the assembly polls later this year and the general elections in mid-2024-Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot set the ball rolling by announcing a caste census and a six per cent additional reservation for the state's "original" Other Backward Class (OBC) communities.
On August 9, with former Congress president Rahul Gandhi by his side, the three-time Rajasthan CM made these announcements at a rally in Banswara district. In India, the last caste data was published in the 1931 census. In recent years, political parties that draw support from backward castes have been increasingly calling for a fresh caste census. They reason that the exercise is needed to obtain up-to-date data on the demographics and socio-economic status of various castes, which could potentially impact reservation policies. Lately, led by Rahul, even the Congress has backed this demand, though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government remains non-committal. Bihar's Grand Alliance government, of which the Congress is a constituent, has already conducted such a survey, though it is now mired in legal tangles.
Esta historia es de la edición September 11, 2023 de India Today.
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Esta historia es de la edición September 11, 2023 de India Today.
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He gave the beat to the world
He would pick up the rhythms of each experience of mobility and weave them into his taals. Thus it was that he reflected joy and laughter in rhythmic cycles...such was the magic of Zakir's fingersText and photographs by Raghu Rai
KERALA TOURISM CAMPAIGN, 1989 - TICKETS TO PARADISE
All it took was a catchy tagline-'God's Own Country'-for the world to discover Kerala's wealth of natural beauty. It remains among the best tourism ad campaigns, earning the state a place among top 10 international destinations
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Among the cult Indian gurus, no one had a bigger hold on western minds than 'Osho' Rajneesh. He's also perhaps the role model for the enterprise-building gurus of today
RETAIL SHOPPING - THE MALL MANIA
Shopping malls, a 1990s innovation in India, changed the way the Indian middle class shops. Their success now lies in being 'shoppertainment' destinations, offering something for everyone
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ITC's Bukhara and Dum Pukht turned the world to tandoori cuisine and had an enormous impact on the F&B industry. Decades on, they are still a pit-stop for celebrities and heads of state visiting Delhi
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Rushdie lit the way but Indian writing in English has taken a life of its own in the past few decades, with translated Indian fiction most recently having its moment in the sun
INDIAN ART - A BRUSH WITH GOLD DUST
The 1990s economic liberalisation came as oxygen, lighting up the Indian art scene. Today, artworks by established masters routinely go for astronomical amounts
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The Festival of India grew into a symbol of our 'soft power', introducing our art and aesthetics to a global audience while also helping rebrand our domestic products
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India had seen hits before. But Sholay seared into its collective psyche like a badland bullet. The effect was on a scale never seen before- one film creating a new mass folk culture. And a trail of monster blockbusters that still continues
