Padma Shastri

Fate of N-power plants hangs in balance in MP

Thirty-four years after they were first proposed in Madhya Pradesh, the fate of its first two nuclear power plants still hangs in balance.

Is Medha Patkar’s anti-Sardar Sarovar dam agitation losing its steam?

Madhya Pradesh officials barely took note of Medha Patkar’s rally in Barwani, or the 49-day relay hunger strike that she organised in the town recently, prompting many to conclude that the iconic Narmada Bachao Andolan activist’s influence has dwindled.

Modi echoes Atal on Kashmir

Kashmir has the same freedom that any other Indian state enjoys: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that a few misguided people are somewhere hurting Kashmir’s great tradition.

PM Modi launches mega rural outreach campaign on Ambedkar anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched Gram Uday se Bharat Uday, an 11-day intensive rural outreach programme

Indore: Mangeshkar auditorium row spurs demand for name change

The running feud between legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar’s family and Indore Marathi Samaj over financing Mai Mangeshkar auditorium has worsened to the extent that a section of Samaj members has demanded to change its name.

MP: A score to settle? I-T department comes in handy

The Indore region of income tax department is getting strange complaints from domestic maid, estranged husband and angry daughter who want the premises of their relatives raided for settling a score

Husband told her to pick between him and studies, she chose both

Rekha Rathore from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, teaches in Indore while pursuing graduation. Asked to choose between education and her husband, she opted for both.

‘India should build retaliatory capacity in Punjab’

Forum for Integrated National Security president (retired) Lieutenant General DB Shekatkar who was in Indore recently has said that a new front of terrorism has opened in Punjab where it is being re-activated at behest of men like Hafiz Saeed whose area of operation stretches from Punjab in Pakistan to Jammu and Kashmir.

2016: An eventful year for politics in MP

The coming year will sow seeds of a high-voltage drama when Congress and BJP will attempt to outdo each other to impress voters for MP assembly elections scheduled in 2018.

MP: Jacob brings 19th-century Central India to life in her letters

In a series of letters to her mother in Scotland between 1895 and 1900, Violet Jacob, a Scottish poet and novelist, painted an elaborate picture of Central India during her time in Mhow, where her husband was an officer in the army.

Ratlam by-poll: Limited RSS influence in tribal belt costs BJP dearly

The defeat in the Ratlam-Jhabua Lok Sabha by-elections reflects the BJP’s poor network and the RSS’ low penetration in the largely tribal-dominated constituency spread across eight assembly segments of Jhabua, Alirajpur and Ratlam districts.

Farmers seethe with discontent in Jhabua

Farmers of Kasarbadi village, located 20 kms from Petlawad teshil in MP’s Jhabua district, are seething with discontent because despite owning fertile lands, they are unable to produce crops round the year as they have no means of irrigation.

MP by-election: In Petlawad, blast victims’ kin still in pain

With just a few days left for the polling for Ratlam-Jhabua by-election, political temperatures are running high in the area, but the mood in Petlawad is largely sombre.

MP by-poll: Cong hasn’t raised issue of reservation, says Kantila Bhuria

After a slew of electoral defeats in assembly by-polls, the Congress is pinning its hopes of revival in MP on the upcoming by-polls.

‘Petlawad blast will not impact Ratlam-Jhabua by-poll’

The tussle between Congress and BJP to win Ratlam-Jhabua parliamentary by-elections has intensified, with just one week left for voting.

‘No country better placed than India to deal with religious conflicts’

Bhutan’s foreign minister Lyonpo Damcho Dorji talked about the significance of religious conferences in Indore.

Ujjain’s Tangewalas rule antique trade since 1962

In early sixties, a trader from Surat Gulam Rasool Chakkiwale would often come to Ujjain in search of western MP’s lavishly decorated havelis of old merchants and palaces of erstwhile princely rulers who wanted to sell off their belongings.

‘Coins excavated from Ujjain have enriched history’

Seventy four-year-old Mahidpur resident, Dr Ram Chandra Thakur has a collection of over one lakh coins dating back to 600 BC.

Indore losing antiques business, dealers suggest ways to revive the heritage

Indore, which once was a meeting point of different royalties and a goldmine of antiques, is now struggling to retain its antiques business due to poor demand and poorer profit margins, say antique dealers and showroom owners.

Today’s cars have aggressive looks, are macho but lack elegance, says automotive historian in Indore

Considered as India’s leading automotive historian, Manvendra Singh, the ruler of erstwhile Barwani princely state in Madhya Pradesh, has been a judge at California’s annual Pebble Beach vintage and classic car contest for last five years. HT spoke to Singh about the Pebble Beach show, history of cars and other issues.

‘Labyrinth’ of Indore’s drainage system

“It’s a complex labyrinth,” remarked a senior Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) official at a recent meeting on the city’s drainage system. He is not wrong.Consider this. Indore's total water supply is 383 million litres a day. Of this, 75% is turned into waste water generated from households and business establishments.

Indore’s frail sewerage system

The newly included 16 wards of the Indore municipal limits have no sewerage system to carry the waste its burgeoning population produces every day, in what many see as a mockery of the Central government’s much-vaunted Clean India campaign. The wards spread over a sprawling 145 square kilometres and is home to 2.31 lakh people.

'We hope to harmonise reporting standards in 5 years'

The International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) is a UK-based global coalition of regulators, investors, companies, standard-setters, accounting professionals and NGOs. Its chief executive, Paul Druckman was in Indore for the international conference on accountancy organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). Here are some excerpts from the interview.

Let there be light: 108 years of electricity supply in Indore

The year 2015 marks 108 years of electricity supply to Indore. As the Union government prepares to table the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2014 in Parliament, sparking fears of tariff hike and harsh revenue recovery, Hindustan Times digs up the history of the city’s power supply.

'Swarn Singh had precision, Vajpayee an instinctive feel, while Rao had hand on pulse'

Former Indian ambassador to the United Nations Narendra P Jain, recently published his memoirs titled, 'Jina isika naam hai'. In an interview with Hindustan Times, he recalls his association with the country's leading politicians.

Frail Congress Seva Dal seeks young blood for resuscitation in MP

They were two organisations born within a period of two years with similar objectives.

Islam-dominant region facing clash within its own civilisation, says retired envoy

Former Indian Ambassador to United Nations, Narendra P Jain joined talks about Indian foreign policy as the BJP government completes one-year at the centre. Read excerpts of the interview.

Sanskrit textbook crunch: Teachers in MP pitch for e-books, e-classes

Here is a revelation for BJP-led MP government which has been making tall claims to revive Sanskrit and ancient Indian studies by advocating their modern-day relevance.

MP: Tribals object to 'distorted' Bhagoria portrayal, say it's not a love festival

Tribals in Madhya Pradesh's Jhabua and Alirajpur districts have objected to the alleged distorted portrayal of the century-old Bhagoria fair which is widely publicised as a festival that allows young boys and girls to elope after choosing their partners.