Hitender Rao is Senior Associate Editor covering the state of Haryana. A journalist with over two decades of experience, he writes on politics, economy, migration and legal affairs with a focus on investigative journalism.
Articles by Hitender Rao
Congress, AAP start alliance talks for Haryana polls
The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have started intense negotiations for a last-minute alliance in the upcoming October 5 Haryana elections.
Updated on Sep 04, 2024 01:15 AM IST
Reduction in price of HSIIDC plots: SC orders pvt firm to pay original allotment price
The apex court also came down heavily on the then managing director of Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation for allowing conversion of the plots to non-IT industrial plots with a reduced allotment price
Updated on Sep 04, 2024 06:26 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Unemployment in Haryana: Over 45,000 grads, post graduates apply for sweeper’s job
Unemployment rate in urban areas in 15-29 age group increases to 11.2% in April to June, 2024 quarter, increases to 17.2% for urban women in 15-29 age group: Central govt report
Updated on Sep 03, 2024 09:40 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Over 46k grads, post graduates apply for sanitation staff post
Over 46,000 graduates in Haryana applied for sanitation worker positions paying ₹15,000/month due to unemployment.
Updated on Sep 03, 2024 05:52 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana polls: Front-runner in polls, Congress plagued by factional feuds
The Congress, which is Haryana’s principal opposition party, remains a divided house with a number of party leaders hostile towards each other.
Updated on Sep 01, 2024 04:55 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Dushyant’s flagship private sector job quota faded before polls
Promises on increasing old age pension, loan waiver and restoration of old pension scheme for employees couldn’t get through.
Updated on Aug 28, 2024 08:02 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
‘Stark disparity’ in share of two categories of scheduled castes in govt jobs, shows data
60.3% share of Haryana government jobs for scheduled castes are with those other than the deprived category.
Updated on Aug 21, 2024 07:38 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana assembly polls: BJP and Cong in eyeball-to-eyeball contest
Political analysts say that BJP’s 10-year rule in Haryana would affect party’s prospects in the state assembly elections
Updated on Aug 17, 2024 07:46 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana assembly elections: Anti-incumbency, farmers angst, bickering can spoil BJPs poll plans
While the BJP is taking a third shot at the power, hoping to cash in on its win in the Parliamentary elections leading to the formation of party led NDA government for a third consecutive term at the Centre, the principal Opposition party in the state, the Congress, is gung-ho over its vastly improved outing in the Lok Sabha polls
Updated on Aug 17, 2024 07:44 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Subclassification of scheduled castes: Haryana govt asks SC panel to analyse data
Data on inadequacy of representation in the services must be collected as it indicates backwardness, says top court’s ruling
Updated on Aug 09, 2024 08:28 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Top court ruling on SC subcategories to have twin implications on Haryana
The apex court rules that a 1994 Haryana government notification by which the scheduled castes in Haryana were classified into two categories for reservation is also valid.
Updated on Aug 02, 2024 12:19 PM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
PhD degrees of contractual college lecturers come under scrutiny
Top officials said that chief minister Nayab Singh Saini recently gave the approval for conducting an inquiry by the anti-graft agency in the matter after taking legal advice from the advocate general
Updated on Jul 31, 2024 06:06 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Khattar virtually absolves Robert Vadra of illegality
The deal took place when the state was governed by a Congress administration under Bhupinder Singh Hooda
Updated on Jul 30, 2024 08:52 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana couldn’t have proposed gallantry medals pending report on use of force
When the high court-appointed panel is yet to give its report on the use of force on protesters at Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border, experts ask how the state government can propose medals for police personnel.
Updated on Jul 25, 2024 03:23 PM IST
Explainer: A closer look at newly laid creamy layer criteria for BCs
Social sector experts believe the exclusion of salary and income from agricultural land for determining gross annual income may make the entire exercise a farce as many deserving candidates may have to compete with those who have more resources and thus more opportunities.
Published on Jul 17, 2024 12:51 PM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana releases stilt-and 4-floors policy; mixed reactions in Gurugram
While many were happy with the policy, others pointed out that the new policy will strain the city’s already stressed public infrastructure
Updated on Jul 03, 2024 05:52 AM IST
Haryana government gives nod for construction of stilt and 4 floors
Haryana govt's decision drew mixed reactions from developers and residents. Violators can apply for composition of offence by paying penalty
Updated on Jul 02, 2024 07:16 AM IST
Haryana allows construction of stilt-plus-4 floors but with riders
In cases where such constructions have been done without approval, violators can pay penalty 10 times the rate prescribed for the same
Updated on Jul 02, 2024 07:12 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Creamy layer criteria: Haryana CM’s move to woo backward classes may not be expedient
The move is aimed at wooing about 33 % of backward classes in the state with an eye on the upcoming October assembly elections in Haryana
Updated on Jun 29, 2024 08:16 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Intense heatwave: Energy demand set to go through the roof this summer, Haryana buys expensive power
The projections made by the power utilities have shown that Haryana is expected to experience a peak energy demand of 14,287 MW in June, 14,262 MW in July, 13,811 in August and 13,548 MW in September.
Updated on Jun 15, 2024 07:04 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Congress call to dismiss minority BJP govt in Haryana stems from its own dilemma
Constitutional provisions in light of SC judgment makes it hard to give marching orders to governments.
Updated on Jun 12, 2024 12:04 PM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana Lok Sabha poll outcome: BJP, Congress on equal footing before assembly polls
As per the preliminary election statistics, the BJP led in 44 assembly segments while the INDIA bloc took the lead in 46 assembly segments across 10 parliamentary constituencies
Updated on Jun 06, 2024 07:48 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana: As Congress cruises, bumpy ride ahead for Saini govt
The BJP had won 40 seats in the 90-member assembly in 2019 polls and formed the government with the support of 10 MLAs of Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), seven Independents and one Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) MLA. Later, one Independent, Balraj Kundu withdrew his support.
Updated on Jun 05, 2024 09:10 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
BJP tally down to five as Congress scripts comeback story in Haryana
The BJP which had won all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in 2019, nine of them with substantial margins running into lakhs, could only retain Kurukshetra, Karnal, Gurugram, Faridabad and Bhiwani-Mahendergarh this election.
Updated on Jun 05, 2024 09:08 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Delhi-Haryana water dispute: ‘Hry supplying 1,049 cusecs at Munak, Delhi needs better water mgmt’
Actual water delivered at Delhi contact point Bawana was 950 cusecs per day for entire May, which is 11 cusecs more as against 939 cusecs determined by Upper Yamuna River Board after accounting for en route losses - Haryana officials
Updated on Jun 01, 2024 07:30 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Post-poll action: ‘Devious’ means: Govt employees, varsity teachers face the heat in Haryana
While 4 dist social welfare officers ‘sent recovery notices’ to beneficiaries during polls, 10 MDU teachers ‘took part’ in political activity
Updated on May 31, 2024 07:02 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
KEY contest: Karnal:Two-time chief minister takes on a tyro in a head-to-head contest
Call it a quirk of fate, the BJP leader who till March 12 morning was occupying the CMs chair, stepped down in the afternoon and was two days later fielded from Karnal Lok Sabha constituency by the party
Updated on May 23, 2024 06:42 AM IST
Campaign trail: Hooda starts quest to wrest power back from BJP in Haryana
At his Chandigarh residence, Hooda is surrounded by party workers, supporters and his advisers. His scheduled start of 10 am is delayed as he patiently listens to his workers and sort out things. In between, the AAP candidate, Sushil Gupta who is waiting for him at Ladwa grain market calls one of his aides to check his schedule.
Updated on May 18, 2024 06:30 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Kurukshetra
New excise policy: Liquor set to get costlier in Haryana from June 12
Hike in excise duty, licence fee for bars, bottling fee for beer estimated to increase revenue by over ₹110 crore; the state government took approval from the Election Commission for bringing the new policy during the imposition of model code of conduct as the allotment of liquor vends has to be made by inviting e-tenders.
Updated on May 16, 2024 08:34 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana cabinet nod to new excise policy, prices to increase
The new policy, which is set to come into effect from June 12, will bring the state government an estimated increase in revenue of around ₹250 crore from the previous iteration of the policy
Updated on May 16, 2024 05:56 AM IST