Since its launch two years ago, on Oct 2, 2014, the Swachh Bharat Mission has persisted in the country’s imagination as a task worth pursuing, aimed at transforming peoples’ attitude towards open defecation once and for all. The sustained impetus to the scheme, including new behavioural change ads, has raised hope amidst the current stinking despair that an end will be put to the national scourge by 2019.

India is all set to lead the comity of nations in the times to come with its economy poised to become one of the largest in the world in foreseeable future. The nation is surging ahead with great pace on the path of economic development. However, can we really achieve our goals without meeting the social and environmental parameters? The first and foremost amongst such parameters is cleanliness. We cannot afford to put the filth under the carpet of development.

- Sangeeta Ahwale of Saikheda village in Washim district of Maharashtra sold her ‘mangalsutra’ to build a toilet.  - 104 year old Kunwar Bai of Kotabharri village of Dhamtari district in Chattisgarh sold her goats to build a toilet.  - Priyanka Adivasi of Gopalpura village in Kolaras block returned to her parents as there is no toilet at her in-laws’ house.  - A muslim woman in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh presented a toilet to her new daughter-in-law.  - School girl Lavanya sat on hunger strike until all 80 households in her village Halenahalli in Karnataka built toilets.  These are only some glimpses of a new tide of transformation towards a Swachh Bharat. (Read in Hindi)

Modernity has made individual global in one’s potential. With satellite communication, Airways, Earth Movers we are global in our strength and ability. Human life has gained ‘vishwaroop’. From self-centeredness to ecological damage we witness in life ethical transgression at every front. In our craving for the best in the world, we appear to pursue a perilous path of civilisation. (Read in Hindi)

The Hangzhou Summit of the leaders of world’s most influential countries closed with the conventional Communique which conveyed to the people of the member countries of the Group of 20 its resolve to join hands to fight terrorism “in all forms and manifestations”. 

The 122nd Amendment to the Constitution will go down in India’s political-economic history as a watershed, as it is about to give the country the most progressive tax reforms till date in the form of Goods and Services Tax (GST) which should make life easier for the trade and industry and more importantly reduce the cost of goods and services for the consumer, without compromising on the revenues of either the Centre or the States. In fact, the GST should lead to a tax buoyancy and push to the Gross Domestic Product between 1-1.5 per cent with clearance of the cob web of taxes.