MAKING WHOLE WITH CHARGE OF HALF A STATE
The New Indian Express|December 25, 2024
The Delhi government has always had to contend with the limited power it's given. A new book gives details of its governance model in health and education
K M CHANDRASEKHAR
MAKING WHOLE WITH CHARGE OF HALF A STATE

THE governance of Delhi has always intrigued me. When I was Union cabinet secretary in Delhi, the untiring Sheila Dikshit was the chief minister. I always wondered how Delhi CMs worked with lieutenant governors breathing down their necks. Dikshit was, in a sense, lucky that the Congress also ran the central government.

However, the Congress is not a cohesive party; there are groups and subgroups for and against elected leaders in the states, led by party henchmen who spend their time carrying tales to the mighty high command. Yet, she and I worked well together, particularly in organising the Commonwealth Games, which would probably never have taken off but for her steely determination and never-say-die spirit. I felt then, and I think now, that Delhi must have a full government run by legislators elected by the people in complete control over the bureaucracy.

Arvind Kejriwal had more problems. He and his Aam Aadmi Party rode to power on the crest of a popular wave. This wave had its genesis in the dying days of the Manmohan Singh government, when rumours of unbridled corruption were set afloat that the government did not know how to defend, and went into a shell that brought governance to a standstill.

Jasmine Shah's first book, The Delhi Model, tells the story of how the AAP pulled off an incredible coup in the nation's capital, the change of direction it effected in several key areas of concern to the commoner, how it struggled against lieutenant governors and the Centre, and yet won two elections with huge majorities.

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Unplugged and unforgettable
The New Indian Express

Unplugged and unforgettable

What's the first thing you notice at a concert? The artist on stage, the setlist, or maybe the microphones? Probably not the last one, right? Yet, microphones have quietly (or rather, not-so-quietly) shaped our experience of live music for decades, amplifying sound but also, in some cases, diluting its natural essence. So, what happens when an entire music festival decides to toss them out?

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'Shyam Benegal thought of cinema as art, not as an industry'
The New Indian Express

'Shyam Benegal thought of cinema as art, not as an industry'

Veteran actor Mohan Agashe, who worked with Shyam Benegal on Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976) and Bhumika (1977), shares his thoughts on the legendary filmmaker

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A Family Affair
The New Indian Express

A Family Affair

On Christmas, people travel down memory lane of their childhood and share festive recollections of getting together with relatives, and the delicacies prepared

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LEG-POWER: FINDING GROUND LIKE THE CENTIPEDE & MILLIPEDE
The New Indian Express

LEG-POWER: FINDING GROUND LIKE THE CENTIPEDE & MILLIPEDE

TRAINS or trailers of the animal kingdom, centipedes and millipedes, both belonging to the class Myriapoda, are arthropods with fascinating mechanisms.

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DARK ENERGY DOESN'T EXIST?
The New Indian Express

DARK ENERGY DOESN'T EXIST?

New study shows the 'timescape' model of cosmic expansion, which doesn't have a need for dark energy because the differences in ✓ stretching light aren't the result of an accelerating universe, but instead a consequence of how we calibrate time and distance

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Timely lift for Haryana shuttler
The New Indian Express

Timely lift for Haryana shuttler

DEVIKA SIHAG is stoked at the moment. She had a valid reason to be.

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1 min  |
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Excited with pack of pacers in SA20
The New Indian Express

Excited with pack of pacers in SA20

WITH the third edition of the SA20 coming soon, the Ambassador of the franchise league and former South African fast bowler Allan Donald believes the new crop of pace bowlers coming from his home country are the ones to watch out for.

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The New Indian Express

India to play matches in Dubai, Pak tie on Feb 23

FINALLY, the International Cricket Council on Tuesday announced the much-awaited schedule of the 2025 Champions Trophy.

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Shooting mental sport, award snub can affect Manu anytime: Coach Jaspal
The New Indian Express

Shooting mental sport, award snub can affect Manu anytime: Coach Jaspal

DOUBLE Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker finally broke her silence on her exclusion from the Khel Ratna list.

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Cranbrook to MCG, the rise and rise of teenager Konstas
The New Indian Express

Cranbrook to MCG, the rise and rise of teenager Konstas

ON the eve of New South Wales' first Sheffield Shield match of the season against South Australia at Cricket Central in Sydney, Sam Konstas was sitting with his batting coach Tahmid Islam for dinner.

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