Dr. Noour Ali ZehgeerThe Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has recently cleared the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, making 25 modifications across 14 sections. Chaired by Jagadambika Pal, the committee assures that the process was “transparent and democratic.” However, opposition voices and religious leaders argue that the bill contradicts the government’s oft-repeated slogan of “one nation, one…
If India values justice, if it believes in the principles of human rights, then it must acknowledge Kashmiri Pandits as the indigenous people of Kashmir. Kundan KashmiriIndigenous status is a special recognition given to communities who are the original inhabitants of a particular region, ensuring their unique cultural, historical, and territorial rights are protected. Across…
Peerzada Masarat Shah The Union Budget 2025-26 presents a vision of Viksit Bharat, where 70% of women actively participate in the economy. On paper, it offers several initiatives for women’s empowerment—loans for first-time women entrepreneurs, nutritional support for mothers, and financial inclusion measures. However, while urban women and women in formal sectors may find some…
Sajjad BazazWith the monetary policy committee of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cutting the repo rate by 25 basis points, various categories of economic and financial analysts have engaged themselves in pitching their calculations showing softening of interest rates on loans. Even as their calculations are technically sound, the transmission of this percentage of…
Sajjad Bazaz(sajjadbazaz@straight-talk-communications.com) We at Straight Talk Communications (STC) have been receiving queries about income tax relief announced by the finance minister in the union budget 2025. Various segments of senior citizens, especially government pensioners getting their pension through banks, want to understand the exact benefits of the tax relief announced for them.Actually, the last quarter…
