MeitY takes back advisory: Even so, Mask your Aadhar!

MeitY takes back advisory:  Even so, Mask your Aadhar!

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Sunday (29 May) withdrew an advisory issued by the Aadhaar agency which cautioned people to not share a photocopy of the document with entities such as hotels and cinema halls owing to the possibility of “misuse”. On Friday, UDAI conceded that your unique Aadhar card can be […]

Sense and Sensibility should prevail over Pride and Prejudice : Madras High Court

Sense and Sensibility should prevail over Pride and Prejudice : Madras High Court

In an atmosphere of increasing animosity towards religious minorities by rightwing groups in India, the Madras High Court in Tamil Nadu state recently delivered a judgement stressing the need for religious tolerance towards other religious practices.  The Court was dealing with a writ petition from a Hindu man challenging the permission granted by the Kanyakumari […]

Autonomous All India Radio local services being shut down under the guise of modernization?

Autonomous All India Radio local services being shut down under the guise of modernization?

What is happening to the world’s most diverse radio broadcasting service? Not many people know that the Central government is quietly shutting down the ‘autonomous’ regional services of All India Radio.  What is interesting is that the local AIR stations are most popular. Why is the Union government shrinking the space for vernacular languages and […]

23 journalists attacked in the Northeast, 108 India-wide: Report

23 journalists attacked in the Northeast, 108 India-wide: Report

At least 23 journalists and media houses came under attack by miscreants in the three Northeast states of Tripura, Assam and Manipur in 2021. Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) states this in its report titled – “India Press Freedom Report 2021”, which was released on Wednesday [February 2]. In its report, the RRAG has […]

5G! Digital Rupee, Cheaper Diamonds, Costlier Umbrellas: Budget 2022

5G! Digital Rupee, Cheaper Diamonds, Costlier Umbrellas:  Budget 2022

India waited with baited breath as Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for the current fiscal year in  the Parliament on Tuesday. Predictably, the budget was praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said  ‘This budget brings in new hopes and opportunities for the people. It strengthens the economy; it’s full of […]

‘Voice of the Official Church is missing’

‘Voice of the Official Church is missing’

Against a background of ‘well-planned attacks’ on Christian institutions reported in the media and 486 incidents of violence against Christians in the past year (as reported by United Christian Front) the voice of the official church, the CBCI(Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India*) is missing. This is the gist of an appeal sent out to CBCI […]

Now, ‘Missionaries’ accused of Stealing from the Sikh Flock!

Now, ‘Missionaries’ accused of Stealing  from the Sikh Flock!

The new front for confrontation against ‘Conversions to Christianity’ is opening up along India’s North-western border, as a leading Sikh cleric accuses ‘Christian missionaries’ of ‘aggressive proselytisation’ and vows to stem the tide. Even as Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore and various Christian leaders have   condemned the continuous harassment on the Christian Missionaries in Karnataka […]

Catholic Church starts Bioethics Forum

Catholic Church starts Bioethics Forum

The Conference of Catholic Bishops’ of India (CCBI) has established a Bioethics Forum, which will be headed by Archbishop Felix Toppo SJ of Ranchi, chairman of the CCBI Commission for Theology and Doctrine, will be head the forum.  Father Christopher Vimalraj, currently the director of Germain Academy, from the Archdiocese of Bangalore is its first […]

Farewell Oscar!

Farewell Oscar!

Tributes and condolences are pouring in from all parts of the country as the Indian Christian community and national political and civic leaders mourn the death of 80 year old Oscar Fernandes, a prominent Catholic politician from Karnataka State and former Union minister, on September 13. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief over the […]

First Kandhamal Award goes to Paul Pradhan and PUCL

First Kandhamal Award goes to Paul Pradhan and PUCL

The National Solidarity Forum on Saturday (August 21) announced the recipients of its first ever ‘Kandhamal Award for Human Rights’. The Awards will be presented on August 25 at a virtual event. The individual award has gone posthumously to Odisha based social activist  Paul Pradhan, who  died this year, aged 72, and the award for […]

While Govt. plays down ‘Adivasi Asmita’*, the Church in India celebrates it !

While Govt. plays down ‘Adivasi Asmita’*, the Church in India celebrates it !

India voted in favour of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on the condition that after independence all Indians are indigenous. Therefore, it does not consider the concept of “indigenous peoples”, and therefore the UNDRIP, applicable to India. In India, there are 705 ethnic groups officially recognized as “Scheduled Tribes,” although there are […]