Commentary

Poonam Sharma The Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) is one of the strongest tools of people's development in India. Initiated on 23 December 1993, the scheme was instituted with the aim of filling the gap between…

Poonam Sharma In a dramatic turn of events, Indian officials detained an American CIA operative yesterday in Maharashtra. The man, who had come to India on a business visa, was involved in actions directed against destabilizing Hindu…

Poonam Sharma In a historical move to bring minority education into the national mainstream, the government of Uttarakhand has formally dissolved the state Madrasa Board. Governor Lt. Gen. Gurmit Singh (Retd.) has given his approval to the…

Poonam Sharma When Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg burst onto the international scene as a crusading teenager denouncing global warming, she was celebrated as a icon of young conscience. Her searing speeches at UN gatherings…

Poonam Sharma The United States was under the third day of its latest government shutdown on Thursday, with slim chances of an instant resolution as partisan gridlock remains to envelop Capitol Hill. The shutdown, prompted by the Senate's…

Poonam Sharma Not Religion vs. Religion, But Extremism vs. Civil Society The crisis unfolding on the continent is usually misconstrued as a conflict of religions—Muslim against Christian, Hindu against Muslim. Truth be told, the conflict is…

Poonam Sharma Rising Fury Against Muhammad Yunus Bangladesh's interim prime minister and Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus is under fire for the increasing persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh. There have been protests in West Bengal and…

Poonam Sharma  The Timeless Fairy Tale of Zubeen Long, long ago, in the misty valleys of Assam, where the great Brahmaputra river winds like a silver serpent and the hills hum with the wind, a miracle was born. But this miracle was not of…

Poonam Sharma In an unexpected policy about-face, the Trump administration has apparently put on hold a proposed $400-million arms package to Taiwan—just months after it had cleared it. The decision has fueled speculation in Washington,…

Poonam Sharma  PM Modi at 75: The Author and Poet  On his 75th birthday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not only being hailed as a political figure but also as a prolific writer and poet. Beyond his fame for game-changing policies, Modi…