A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan posted in Manipur opened fire on Thursday inside a camp in Lamsang under Imphal West District shooting dead two of his colleagues and injured eight others before taking his own life, police said.
The incident took place at around 8 pm, Manipur Police said.
Manipur Police in a post said, “In an unfortunate incident, tonight at around 8 pm, a suspected case of fratricide happened inside a CRPF camp in Lamsang under Imphal West District wherein one CRPF jawan opened fire killing 02 (two) of his own CRPF colleagues on the spot and injuring 08 (eight) others. Later, he also committed suicide by using service weapon.”
“The personnel belonged to F-120 Coy CRPF,” the police statement said.
Senior officers of Police and CRPF have rushed to the spot, the police said.
More details are awaited.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Blair House in Washington, DC on Thursday (local time). During the meeting, PM Modi and Musk discussed strengthening collaboration between entities of India and the US in innovation, space exploration, artificial intelligence, and sustainable development.
PM Modi and Elon Musk also spoke about opportunities to deepen cooperation in emerging technologies, entrepreneurship and good governance. Musk, who heads the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), was accompanied by three of his children.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “Prime Minister and Mr. Musk discussed strengthening collaboration between Indian and US entities in innovation, space exploration, artificial intelligence, and sustainable development. Their discussion also touched on opportunities to deepen cooperation in emerging technologies, entrepreneurship and good governance.”
During the meeting with Musk, PM Modi spoke about India’s efforts toward reform and furthering ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance.’ PM Modi took to X to share details regarding his meeting with Musk.
In a post on X, PM Modi stated, “Had a very good meeting with @elonmusk in Washington DC. We discussed various issues, including those he is passionate about such as space, mobility, technology and innovation. I talked about India’s efforts towards reform and furthering ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’.”
During the meeting, PM Modi met Elon Musk’s children, who were present during the meeting. Musk also presented the Prime Minister with a special gift, before their discussion.
In a post on X, PM Modi stated, “It was also a delight to meet Mr. @elonmusk’s family and to talk about a wide range of subjects!”
After his meeting with PM Modi, Elon Musk left from Blair House in Washington, DC. He was accompanied by his three children.
Before his meeting with Musk, PM Modi met US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz at the Blair House. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval were also present at the meeting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump at the White House later. This is PM Modi’s first visit to the United States after Donald Trump assumed office for the second term.
PM Modi arrived in the US for a two-day visit on Wednesday (local time). India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, and other officials welcomed him at the airport. PM Modi met members of the Indian diaspora, who were waiting to welcome him outside the Blair House on Wednesday (local time).
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to the United States met with Indian-origin entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy at Blair House in Washington, DC on Thursday.
India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, and other officials were present during the meeting, which was held ahead of PM Modi’s bilateral with US President Donald Trump.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi held a meeting with United States National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and had a “meaningful exchange of views” on deepening strategic ties between India and the US and addressing global security challenges.
PM Modi said Waltz has always been a great friend of India. Terming defence, technology and security as “important aspects” of the relationship between India and the US, the Prime Minister said that his discussion with Waltz were held around these issues.
In a post on X, PM Modi stated, “Had a fruitful meeting with NSA @michaelgwaltz. He has always been a great friend of India. Defence, technology and security are important aspects of India-USA ties and we had a wonderful discussion around these issues. There is strong potential for cooperation in sectors like AI, semiconductors, space and more.”
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal took to X to share details regarding the meeting between Waltz and PM Modi.
“PM @narendramodi met with U.S. National Security Advisor @michaelgwaltz at Blaire House today in Washington D.C. They had a meaningful exchange of views on deepening India – US strategic ties & addressing global security challenges,” Jaiswal posted on X.
PM Modi, who arrived in the US on Wednesday (local time), is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House. This is PM Modi’s first visit to the United States after Donald Trump assumed office for the second term. The two leaders have held spoken twice since November 2024. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the inauguration of Trump in January.
India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, and other officials PM Modi at the airport. Upon arrival in the US, PM Modi said that he looked forward to meeting with the US President and building upon the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
“Landed in Washington DC a short while ago. Looking forward to meeting @POTUS Donald Trump and building upon the India-USA Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. Our nations will keep working closely for the benefit of our people and for a better future for our planet,” PM Modi had posted on X.
PM Modi landed in the US after concluding his three-day visit to France, where he attended various programmes ranging from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to commerce, energy, and cultural linkages. During his visit, he held a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
India and the United States will be signing a new defence framework during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ongoing visit to the US, which will give a further fillip to the partnership between the two countries, a senior White House administration official said on Thursday.
“Today’s meetings with PM Modi and his government will build up on the accomplishments of the last Trump administration and the two leaders will focus on key areas of defence, trade, energy infrastructure, regional partnerships. Relating to build on defence sales to India, to ensure they are prioritising the use of American technology, the President is also focussed on unleashing American energy to the rest of the world and will prioritise India as the key importer of America’s natural resources to power their economy,” the US official said.
Ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House today, the White House official said that the two sides are also having conversations about new procurements which will help in reducing US’ trade deficit with India.
“The defence portion of the partnership is strong, and my anticipation will continue to get stronger under this administration…Indians were our first United States major defence partner. I can tell you we are moving towards signing a new defence framework between the United States and India which will portend good things for the partnership,” the White House official told reporters.
“Yes, we’re having conversations with them about a number of new procurements which will add to the relationship and also bring down the trade deficit. I can confirm those talks are ongoing and are moving in a positive direction,” the official added.
Prime Minister Modi, who is on a two-day visit to the US, is set to hold bilateral meetings with US President Donald Trump and other prominent American personalities.
The Prime Minister’s schedule includes meetings with the US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Indian-origin entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Asked on the trade relationship between the two countries, a White House official said the “early body language” from the Indian government has been well received by the Trump administration and the today’s meeting between PM Modi and President Trump will give further momentum towards a more “solidified fair” trade arrangement.
“With respect to trade, there’s been some early body language from the Government of India that has been well received by the Trump administration. They’re early but modest steps. to do. I anticipate what you’ll see coming out of a meeting today is further momentum towards a solidified fair, and I emphasize that we’re fair, bilateral trade arrangement between our two dynamic and growing economies and the hope would be to have such a deal in place in the calendar year 2025,” the official said.
He also affirmed that announcements will also be seen in the area of technology, adding that semiconductors, critical minerals and supply chain resilience are some of the key areas for the two nations.
“Technology is an important partnership on critical technologies way in some of the most important technologies of the future. I expect that collaboration will continue with this administration and you will see some announcements to that effect today,” the Trump administration official further said.
He added, “Some of the key areas, semiconductors, critical minerals, supply chain resilience and diversification, those are good things for our economy and the president certainly believes that too.”
Notably, this is PM Modi’s first visit to the United States after Donald Trump assumed office for the second term.
Upon arrival in the US, PM Modi said that he looked forward to meeting with US President Donald Trump and building upon the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
In his departure statement, ahead of his US visit PM Modi noted that the visit will be an opportunity to build on the successes of collaboration in his first term and develop an agenda to further elevate and deepen the partnership between the two nations.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Swiss State Secretary Alexandre Fasel on Thursday expressed confidence in India’s abilities and said that the country is a leading power of the global south.
When asked about the wars taking place in the world such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the impact of the change of regime in US with new negotiations opening , would stability usher in the region eventually being good for the global peace and investment climate, Secretary Alexandre Fasel told ANI, “We certainly hope that this conflict can come to an end. We believe that typically in that sort of conflict, the end of the conflict can only be a negotiated one. You do not win on the battlefield in the long run. So there are many different aspects in that conflict. There is the immediate aspect of the warring parties that need to come to a ceasefire and to solve their bilateral problems. There is a wider aspect of geopolitical strategy with arms control and disarmament and there is a wider European aspect about the European security architecture. Those are questions that need to be discussed and we hope that time is ripe to enter into serious discussions on those different aspects.”
When asked about India’s larger and positive role at play and PM Modi’s engagement with the world leadership, Secretary Alexandre Fasel said, “I hope India will play a bigger role. India is a country that is friendly with everybody, that is friends to everybody. It is a leading power of the Global South. As Prime Minister Modi said, India wants to resonate the voice of the Global South in international geopolitical discussions and conversations. So yes, there is a role of India and I am very confident that India will play the positive role that she has in itself.”
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
The union government has decided to impose President’s Rule in Manipur following the resignation of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. This move comes amid ongoing ethnic violence between the majority Meitei and minority Kuki communities, which has resulted in at least 250 deaths and displaced thousands since 2023.
After Biren Singh resigned on 9th February, and the BJP leadership has been unable to name a successor after that. The CM resigned ahead of a Congress threat of a no-confidence motion and floor test in the assembly.
A proclamation of the President of India published by the Home Ministry states that the president has imposed the president’s rule based on a report received from the governor of the state. It states, “Whereas, I, Droupadi Murmu, President of India, have received a report from the Governor of the State of Manipur and after considering the report and other information received by me, I am satisfied that a situation has arisen in which the Government of that State cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of India.”
With the imposition of President’s Rule, the state’s administration will be overseen directly by the union government through governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
The move came after BJP’s state unit failed to come to a consensus on the Chief Ministerial candidate and the assembly could not be convened. Party’s northeast in-charge Sambit Patra has been holding discussions in Imphal with MLAs from the party, but no decision could be arrived at.
Notably, the state’s assembly session was scheduled to commence on 10 February, but it was declared null and void by the governor after the CM’s resignation. The decision to cancel the 7th session of the assembly created a constitutional crisis. Because, the 6th session of the assembly had ended on 12 August 2024, therefore the 7th session should have started on or before 12 February 2025, as Article 174 (1) of the Constitution states that the gap between last sitting in the previous session and the first sitting in the next session can not be more than six months.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to hold bilateral meetings with US President Donald Trump and other prominent American personalities during his two-day visit to the United States.
After a bilateral meeting with President Trump at the White House, both leaders will deliver a joint press statement followed by a dinner hosted by the US leader tonight.
The Prime Minister’s schedule includes meetings with the US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Indian origin entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Earlier this January, Waltz, who has served as the Republican chair of the US-India caucus, highlighted India’s significance in the US’s strategic interests.
External Affairs Minister Jaishankar had met with Waltz in December last year when the two leaders held a discussion on bilateral partnership and current global issues, and Jaishankar said that he is looking forward to working with Waltz.
Tech billionaire Musk, who has been appointed as special US government employee and heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will call on PM Modi and the Indian government expects to include Starlink’s plans to start satellite broadband services in India, Reuters reported citing two sources, who did not want to be named as the plans are private.
Earlier in December, Musk announced Starlink satellite internet was inactive in India after authorities seized two of the company’s devices, one in an armed conflict zone and another in a drug smuggling bust, according to Reuters report.
It was not clear whether Tesla’s entry into India would come up for discussion between PM Modi and Musk, Reuters reported, citing sources. However, increased sourcing of electric vehicle components from India is likely to be discussed during the meeting.
PM Modi is also set to hold meeting with the Indian-origin entrepreneur and Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy.
Ramaswamy had earlier been in the race for the White House but eventually pulled out. The Indian-origin entreprenuer who gained attention for his outspoken debate performances, had ended his presidential bid and threw his support behind Donald Trump whom he had earlier dubbed the “best president of 21st century”.
PM Modi arrived in the US for a two-day visit at the invitation of US President Donald Trump. India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, and other officials welcomed him at the airport. This is PM Modi’s first visit to the United States after Donald Trump assumed office for the second term.
Upon arrival in the US, PM Modi said that he looked forward to meeting with US President Donald Trump and building upon the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
“Landed in Washington DC a short while ago. Looking forward to meeting @POTUS Donald Trump and building upon the India-USA Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. Our nations will keep working closely for the benefit of our people and for a better future for our planet,” PM Modi posted on X.
In his departure statement, ahead of his US visit PM Modi noted that the visit will be an opportunity to build on the successes of collaboration in his first term and develop an agenda to further elevate and deepen the partnership between the two nations.
PM Modi said, “Although this will be our first meeting following his historic electoral victory and inauguration in January, I have a very warm recollection of working together in his first term in building a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership between India and the US.”
“This visit will be an opportunity to build upon the successes of our collaboration in his first term and develop an agenda to further elevate and deepen our partnership, including in the areas of technology, trade, defence, energy, and supply chain resilience. We will work together for the mutual benefit of the people of our two countries and shape a better future for the world,” he said.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Subhash Yadav, brother-in-law of former Bihar CM Lalu Yadav has levelled some shocking allegations against the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Supremo accusing him of harbouring criminals during the RJD rule in Bihar.
In an interview given to City Live, Subhash Yadav, who once used to be Lalu Yadav’s right-hand man, said that during the RJD government in Bihar, all the kidnapping cases in the state used to be settled at the CM residence. Subhash Yadav was referring to the 90’s era which was infamously called as Jungle Raj. “In the 90s, Lalu Yadav used to get the ransom deals settled for the release of hostages in kidnapping cases. Sadhu Yadav (Subhash Yadav’s elder brother) and Subhash Yadav (himself) were unfairly defamed. We did not commit any crime. After my dissociation, Lalu Yadav’s downfall began and he shrank to 20 seats. This time he will further fall below 20 seats,” said Subhash Yadav who no longer has cordial relations with Lalu Yadav. He resigned from the RJD in 2010.
Subhash Yadav accused Lalu Yadav of defaming him for being involved in criminal activities in the state. He said that he and his brother should not be blamed for creating Jungle Raj in the state because it was Lalu Yadav who was the Chief Minister of the state.
Kidnapping cases were settled at the CM residence
Referring to a kidnapping case which he alleged was settled with the intervention of the CM, Subash Yadav revealed, “How could we have been indicted in any case when we did nothing wrong. You must know…there was a case of kidnapping in Araria city in Purnia. Ransom was taken. Who was being blamed for it? Zakir Hussain was blamed for it. He is still alive. Zakir Hussain used to get phone calls from Shahabuddin, Premchand Gupta and Lalu Yadav asking him to release the hostage. But he (Zakir Hussain) had not taken the ransom. Someone else did. He was from Saharsa district in Bihar. The hostage was kept on a boat in Kala Diara. We knew everything.”
”Tikri sahab was fired. He (the hostage) was a relative of his (Tikri) and was going to meet him. He was kidnapped on his way. Rs 6 crore ransom amount was taken in Delhi by some Aggarwal Baniya. But who actually took the ransom money, only the Aggarwal Baniya can tell this, no? How would I know?” Subhash Yadav added.
Yadav said that Lalu Yadav and his people used to threaten Zakir Hussain. “Zakir used to live with me. He joined the party on my insistence. He used to tell me everything how these people used to threaten him,” he added.
Cars lifted from showrooms Lalu’s daughter’s wedding
Talking about the infamous car-lifting incident during Lalu Yadav’s daughter’s wedding, Subhash Yadav said that it happened on the direction of Lalu Yadav. “Azad-Gandhi did not lift the cars. It happened on the direction of Lalu Yadav. There were Bachcha Rai and Azad Gandhi. The cars were not lifted but demanded. Around 15-16 cars came from Tata Motors. They were returned the next morning after the wedding ceremony,” he added.
Subhash Yadav attacked Lalu Yadav and Rabri Devi for tarnishing his reputation. “They (Lalu Yadav and Rabri Devi) defamed me as a thief in the entire Bihar,” Yadav alleged. He further said Lalu Yadav got rid of him after his children grew up and daughters got married.
Jungle Raj
Bihar witnessed a dark period during the rule of the RJD government headed by Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi in the 90s. Numerous businesses abandoned the state in large numbers to avoid the armed extortionists and hundreds of doctors and engineers were kidnapped and kept hostage for ransom. Unprecedented caste conflicts also transpired in the state and Central Bihar acquired the moniker “killing fields”.
The state economy and administration of Bihar fell apart. Meanwhile, Lalu Prasad got embroiled in the Rs 900 crore fodder scandal in 1996 after which he was sent to jail and his wifeRabri Devi was appointed as the puppet CM by him. However, her administration was eventually overthrown in 20024 with a resounding majority to the BJP-JD(U) coalition which ended the era of the Jungle Raj.
On the 12th of February, Prashant Bhushan, career activist, lawyer and the person who hosted the first conspiracy meeting in the run-up to Delhi anti-Hindu riots with Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and others in attendance, took to X (formerly Twitter) to inform about the progress of Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) PIL against the Modi government.
“ADR’s challenge to the law brought in by Modi govt replacing the CJI by another minister in the selection committee for EC appointment was to be heard today. Due to some problem the SC has directed it to be heard on 19th. The court made it clear that any appointment made of CEC who is retiring on 18th will be subject to the final decision of the SC”, Bhushan tweeted.
Bhushan said that ADR’s petition will be heard on the 19th and any CEC appointed after Rajiv Kumar (current CEC) retires on the 18th, will be subject to the final decision by the SC.
Notably, Prashant Bhushan is closely associated with ADR and has represented in courts in various cases including the Electoral Bond case.
What is the petition by ADR challenging the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023
On 21st December 2023, the Lok Sabha passed the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023, making it an Act. The statute formalised rules governing the appointment, service conditions, and tenure of the chief election commissioner (CEC) and other election commissioners (EC).
On appointment, the law mandates that the President of India would appoint CEC and other ECs based on a selection committee’s recommendation. The selection committee would include the Prime Minister, a union cabinet minister (on the recommendation of the PM), and the Leader of the Opposition or the largest opposition party’s leader in the Lok Sabha.
In the ADR petition, the NGO argues that the provision of the Act, specifically section 7, violates Article 14 of the Constitution.
It argues that Article 324(2) of the Constitution says:
The Election Commission shall consist of the Chief Election Commissioner and such number of other Election Commissioners, if any, as t he President may from time to time fix and the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners shall, subject to the provisions of any law made in that behalf by Parliament, be made by the President.”
However, it says that the Constituent Assembly debate suggests that the intention was that the Parliament was expected to pass a law but the intention was not to leave the appoint in the hands of the executive.
On the 2nd of March 2023, the Constitution Bench of SC held that leaving the appointment of CEC at the hands of the executive would be detrimental to the health of the democracy. Saying thus, the SC had ordered that the selection of the CEC would be based on a committee comprising of Prime Minister of India, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and, in case, there is no such Leader, the Leader of the largest party in the Opposition in the Lok Sabha having the largest numerical strength, and the Chief Justice of India.
While passing this order, the Constitution Bench issued a set of guidelines on page no. 377 of the judgment and clearly mentioned that until the time the parliament makes a law in consonance with Article 324(2) of the Constitution, “We declare that the appointment of the chief election commissioner and the election commissioners shall be made on the recommendations made by a three-member committee comprising of the prime minister, leader of the opposition of the Lok Sabha and in case no leader of opposition is available, the leader of the largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha in terms of numerical strength and the chief justice of India.”
This means that the Constitution Bench itself was passing the order as an interim arrangement until the Parliament passed a law regulating the appointment of CEC.
Thereafter, the law was passed in December 2023.
After the law was passed, Prashant Bhushan approached the court yet again. After, under the new law, the CEC was appointed ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, ADR approached the court to cancel the appointment, claiming that it was a contravention of the order passed by the Supreme Court earlier.
The committee which recommended the CEC incidentally included Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as the LOP.
When ADR approached the court, the Supreme Court rejected the intervention and upheld the appointment of the CEC by the committee.
Announcing the order, a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said, “You cannot say that the Election Commission is under the thumb of the executive. At this stage, we cannot stay the legislation, and it will lead to only chaos and uncertainty.”
The bench was addressing the arguments of Prashant Bhushan, who, while appearing for the petitioners, said, “There was a vacuum, the constituent assembly expected it to be filled by an independent panel, not one dominated by the executive.”
The bench also noted that there were no allegations against the newly appointed Election Commissioners, Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, who were picked under the new law by the selection panel.
How was the CEC appointed earlier and how PM Modi made the law more inclusive
While ADR and Prashant Bhushan target the Central Government and PM Modi specifically, the new law brought by the Modi government actually made the process of appointment of CEC far more inclusive.
The truth is before the Modi government passed a law, the law itself had no procedure for appointing members of the Election Commission.
Article 324 of the Constitution vests the “superintendence, direction and control of elections” in an Election Commission. It also says the EC shall consist of the Chief Election Commissioner and such number of other Election Commissioners, if any, as the President may fix from time to time.
This procedure would be governed by any law that the Parliament would pass. However, for 40 years, there was only the provision for a CEC and not other members like ECs. In 1989, it became a multi member body but soo, the law was rescinded in 1990.
A law was enacted in 1991 to fix the conditions of service of the CEC and the ECs, and amended in 1993. Despite the law being passed, there was no provision added for the appointment of CECs and ECs.
In the absence of any law enacted by the Parliament, for 40 years, the Law Ministry would recommend a few names to the Prime Minister who in turn would recommend one name for the EC to the President of India. It had become a convention to appoint officials as ECs first and then, on the completion of the tenure of the CEC, the senior EC was elevated to CEC. It is therefore evident that before the law was passed by the Modi government, which included the Leader of the Opposition, the government of India had the sweeping power to appoint the EC who had an automatic elevation process to become the CEC. The law brought in by PM Modi ensured the participating of not just the Government of India but also the opposition.
Despite the Modi government making the law more inclusive and fair, ADR and Prashant Bhushan have been approaching the court to target the government.
What is ADR and who funds it
ADR is an FCRA NGO that receives foreign funds from some of the most dubious globalist organizations to have ever existed and has repeatedly targeted the Modi government.
ADR receives a huge amount of funds from the Ford Foundation, Google, HIVOS and the Omidyar network for the explicit purpose of electoral and political reform and ‘election watch’. Now, what is the HIVOS? This organization is intricately linked to George Soros’ Open Society Foundation and receives funds from various international governments.
HIVOS’ 2018 annual report says, “The key sources of grant income from governments included the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Global Fund, Swedish International Development Aid, the Millennium Challenge Account, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the US Department of State, the Delegation of the European Union in Indonesia, and the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Costa Rica.” Its annual report further says that the key sources of income from non-profit organizations included the Ford Foundation.
At OpIndia, we have extensively documented the manner in which Soros is intimately involved in trying to destabilize democracies abroad. The interference of the Ford Foundation in the internal affairs of a country is well documented. Furthermore, we clearly see that ADR is funded by even foreign governments. It’s not too hard to imagine that it’s perfectly natural for foreign governments to try to undermine Indian sovereignty.
Here are details of who has been funding ADR.
Financial Year 2016-2017
ADR got crores from the Ford Foundation and Omidyar Neyword in 2016-2017. According to their FCRA receipts, they got over Rs 2 crores from Omidyar and over Rs 70 lakh from the Ford Foundation.
Financial Year 2017-18
In the financial year 2017-18, ADR got almost Rs 2 crores from the Ford Foundation.
Financial Year 2018-19
In the financial year 2018-19, ADR got more than Rs 60 lakh from the Ford Foundation.
Financial Year 2020-21
In the financial year 2020-21, ADR got Rs 1,13,60,000 from Omidyar.
In the same year, the organisation also received 14,74,000.00 from the US-based Thakur Family Foundation, run by Dinesh Thakur. The so-called public health activist has been targeting the Indian pharmaceutical sector for years, spreading and amplifying negative news about the industry.
One name that appears regularly in the FCRA donor name is Archesh Shah from Sydney in Australia. This mysterious person donates ₹25,000 regularly to ADR, but there is no detail on him on the internet.
ADR and its links with deep state entities.
Association for Democratic Reforms has links with several deep state entities. As shown above, it received foreign funding from the Ford Foundation, Omidyar Network etc. These entities have funded several anti-India campaigns, and continue to do so.
For example, Omidyar-funded Forbidden Stories was the source of the fake Pegasus report against India published by The Wire. FS was launched by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Freedom Voices Network. In the past, the RSF has funded media organisations that produce regime change propaganda against Syria and its president Bashar al-Assad.
Omidyar Foundation also funds several leftist portals in India, like Newslaundry and Scroll.
Thakur Family Foundation, one of the donors of ADR, also funds The Wire, the propaganda portal that has been forced to several fake stories against the BJP and the Modi government after they were exposed. It also backs Caravan, the ultra-left portal. The Foundation further funds several journalists, who have written multiple negative stories on India, particularly on the handling of COVID-19.
School education in rural India is witnessing a quiet but profound recovery from the Covid pandemic’s losses. The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 by NGO Pratham reveals that despite challenges, there have significant improvements facilitated by the Centre’s initiatives like National Education Policy 2020 and NIPUN Bharat.
Pre-primary school enrolments rose sharply
The ASER 2024 is based on a survey of over 649,491 children aged 3 to 16 across 17,997 villages in 605 districts. The surveyors examined the reading and arithmetic skills of more than 500,000 children in the 5-16 years age group. According to the findings of the survey, there has been a significant rise in pre-school enrolment for children aged 3-5. The report says that enrollment of 3-year-olds in pre-primary institutions has skyrocketed from 68.1% in 2018 to 77.4% in 2024. States like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha and Telangana have achieved near-universal enrolment for this age group. However, Uttar Pradesh and Meghalaya have the highest proportions which is over 50% of 3-year-olds not enrolled in any pre-primary institutions: Anganwadi centre, government pre-primary class, or private LKG/UKG.
The report says that among 4-year-olds, enrolment in pre-primary institutions surged from 76% in 2018 to 82% in 2022 to 83.3% in 2024. “In 2024, enrollment rates in pre-primary for this age exceed 95% in states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha,” the report reads.
ASER data
Similarly, the percentage of 5-year-olds enrolling in pre-primary institutions also increased from 58.5% in 2018 to 62.2% in 2022 to 71.4% in 2024. Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, and Nagaland are among the states with enrollment exceeding 90% in pre-primary institutions for this age.
In 2024, about one-third of 5-year-olds are enrolled in a government or private school or preschool. While in 2018 this figure was 37.3%, it dropped to 30.8% in 2022 due to the covid pandemic, however, there has been a significant recovery by 2024 with 37.5% of 5-year-olds attending a private school or pre-school. Punjab and Kashmir have fared well in this aspect and witnessed a substantial increase in enrollment in pre-primary classes in government schools.
Other than this, the proportion of children underage in standard/class 1 is also going down. While in 2018, this figure was 25.6% and in 2022 it stood at 22.7%, the figure went dramatically down in 2024. As per ASER findings, nationally the percentage of underage children in Std I was at its lowest ever at 16.7% with Gujarat witnessing a sharp drop from 36.4% in 2022 to a mere 4% in 2024.
Elementary education: Where the numbers stood in 2024
The report says that the overall rates of school enrolment among the 6-14 age group has exceeded 95% for close to 20 years and in 2024, the percentage has remained almost the same, from 98.4% in 2022 to 98.1% in 2024. In the year 2024, enrollment in this age group is above 95% across all states.
While in the pre-pandemic years and in 2022, there was a significant improvement in government school enrollments by 2024, the all-India figure declined to 66.8% with the only exceptions being Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir.
The children covered in the survey were subjected to a Reading Assessment Test which examines whether a child can read letters, words, a simple paragraph at the STD I level of difficulty, or a “story” at the STD II level of difficulty. As per the ASER 2024, there was a massive improvement in reading levels for children in government schools in all elementary standards, that is, from Class 1 to 8th.
For STD III (Class 3) students enrolled in government schools, basic reading levels have been recorded as highest in 2024 since the inception of ASER in 2005. The report said that the percentage of Std III children able to at least read Std II level text was 20.9% in 2018, however, this figure fell to 16.3% in 2022. In 2024, this figure has increased to 23.4% in 2024.
The ASER attributed this uptick to improvement in government schools. The report said that the improvements in government schools are higher than the corresponding recovery for private schools. States like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh among others have done well in this aspect.
“Following a decline in Std III reading levels in government schools in most states in 2022, all states have shown a recovery in 2024. States with more than a 10 percentage point increase in this proportion between 2022 and 2024 in government schools include Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha, and Maharashtra,” the report states.
For STD V (Class 5) students, the reading levels have improved, especially among the children enrolled in government schools. The report said that the proportion of Std V children in government schools who can read a Std II level text fell from 44.2% in 2018 to 38.5% in 2022 and then recovered to 44.8% in 2024. The survey recorded slight improvements in levels of private school students as well.
“Small improvements are also seen in reading levels for Std V children in private schools, which fell from 65.1% in 2018 to 56.8% in 2022 and increased to 59.3% in 2024. In 2024, Mizoram (64.9) and Himachal Pradesh (64.8%) had the highest proportions of Std V children in government schools able to read Std II level text. States with over a 10 percentage point increase in this proportion in government schools include Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu,” the report reads.
For STD VIII students in government schools, the reading levels have recovered from a drop in 2022 and stood at 67.5%. This figure was 69% in 2018 and 66.2% in 2022. While the numbers remained stable for private school students, in government schools, improvements were recorded in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Sikkim while declines were recorded in Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
In addition to the reading assessment test, the students were also tested for the arithmetic levels. According to the report, the ASER arithmetic tasks assess whether a child in the 5-16 age group can recognise numbers from 1 to 9, recognise numbers from 11 to 99, do a 2-digit numerical subtraction problem with borrowing, or correctly solve a numerical division problem (3-digit by 1-digit).
The results of the test indicated a highest-in-the-decade improvement in both government and private school students. For STD 3 students who are able to at least do a numerical subtraction problem was 28.2% in 2018 and 25.9% in 2022, however, in 2024, this figure surpassed the pre-pandemic levels and rose to 33.7%. Contrary to a minuscule improvement among private school students, among the government school students this figure went from 20.9% in 2018 to 20.2% in 2022, increasing to 27.6% in 2024. There has been impressive improvement in Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh with a 15 percentage point increase.
For STD 5 and 8 students, the figures rose in 2024 to 30.7% and 45.8% respectively.
Coming to the state-wise percentage of children aged 6-14 enrolled in government schools, the ASER data indicates that in the year 2024, states like Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Haryana had lowest enrolment rates between 30-50%. Bihar, Odisha, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal had the highest enrolment rates between 81-90%. Karnataka, Jharkhand and Tripura had enrolment rates between 71-80%. In the 61-70% category came states like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Telangana had enrolment rates between 51-60%.
Data on enrolment of children in both government and private schools
At the national level, the proportion of children in the age group 15-16 not enrolled in school was 13.1% in 2018, which came down to 7.5% in 2022 and stayed at 7.9% in 2024. However, the proportion of girls not enrolled in school has witnessed a slight decline from 7.9% in 2022 to 8.1% in 2024.
Of age groups 6-14, 66.8% of the sampled students are enrolled in governments, 30.6% in private schools, 0.7 in Madrasas or Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) and 1.9% were not enrolled in any educational institution. In the age group 7-16, 66.0% are enrolled in government schools, 30.8% in private schools, 0.7% in Madrasas or EGS and 2.5% were not enrolled anywhere. In the age group 7-10, 67.5% are enrolled in government schools, 30.7%in private schools, 0.7% in others and 1.2% not enrolled in any institution.
Effective implementation of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy activities, improved attendance levels, increase in small schools and multigrade classrooms
The report says that ASER surveyors visited 15,728 government schools with primary sections. 8,504 were primary schools and 7,224 were schools which also had upper primary or higher grades. The survey findings reveal that over 80% of the schools received directives from the government to implement Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) activities with classes 1-2 or 3. Around 80% of schools had at least one teacher who received training on FLN.
“More than 75% schools had received TLM and/or funds to make or purchase TLM for FLN activities. More than 75% of schools reported implementing a school readiness program for students prior to entering Std I, in both the previous and the current academic year. More than 95% schools reported having distributed textbooks to all grades in the school, a substantial increase over 2022 levels,” the report reads.
There has also been consistent improvement in attendance levels of students and teachers in primary schools. “Average student attendance increased from 72.4% in 2018 to 73% in 2022 to 75.9% in 2024. Average teacher attendance increased from 85.1% in 2018 to 86.8% in 2022 to 87.5% in 2024. This trend is largely driven by changes in teacher and student attendance in Uttar Pradesh.
According to ASER 2024, there has been a remarkable increase in the proportion of government primary schools with less than 60 students enrolled. The percentage rose from 44% in 2022 to 52.1% in 2024. The report says that over 80% of primary schools in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Nagaland, and Karnataka are small schools with Himachal Pradesh having the highest 75% of small upper primary schools.
About the multigrade classrooms, the ASER says, “Two-thirds of Std I and Std II classrooms in primary schools were multigrade, with students from more than one grade sitting together.”
Small but profound improvement in school facilities
Citing the Right to Education-related indicators, ASER says that there have been small improvements between the 2018, 2022, and 2024 levels. The report said that the fraction of schools with useable girls’ toilets increased from 66.4% in 2018 to 68.4% in 2022 to 72% in 2024. Similarly, the proportion of schools with drinking water available increased from 74.8% to 76.1% to 77.7%, and the proportion of schools with books other than textbooks being used by students increased from 36.9% to 43.9% to 51.3% over the same period.
While these improvements are seen across all states, the ASER stressed that schools in Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland continue to lag in these facilities. Meanwhile, the sports-related indicators are stagnant at the 2018 levels although there was a slight improvement in 2022.
Digital literacy: Improved access to smartphones and digital skills among children in the 14-16 age group
The report said that this is the first time ASER included a digital literacy section which was administered to children aged between 14-16. The survey findings state that nearly 90% of both girls and boys have a smartphone at home with over 80% (85.5% of boys as compared to 79.4% of girls) knowing how to use a smartphone. Compared to other states, the proportion of those who have a smartphone at home and those who can use a smartphone is lower in Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.
Regarding smartphone ownership, the ASER says “Of the children who could use a smartphone, 27% of 14-year-olds and 37.8% of 16-year-olds reported having their own phone. Moreover, there is a large gender gap in smartphone ownership: 36.2% of boys as compared to 26.9% of girls reported owning their own smartphone. This gender gap is seen across all states.”
The report further stated that 82.2% of all children in the 14-16 age group know how to use a smartphone with 57% of them using smartphones for educational purposes in addition, they also used smartphones for social media. In this age group, the proportion of boys using social media is higher than girls.
“While the use of a smartphone for educational activities was similar among girls and boys, girls were less likely than boys to report using social media (78.8% of boys as compared to 73.4% of girls). Kerala stands out in this respect, with over 80% of children who reported that they used the smartphone for educational activity and over 90% using it for social media,” the report says.
The report said that the children covered in the survey were asked to set an alarm, browse for a specific piece of information, locate a YouTube video on their smartphones and share it over any messaging platform. Most of the children could complete the task with over 90% being able to find and share a YouTube video. However, gender disparities were observed in every task, particularly in setting an alarm.
“More than three-quarters of children to whom these tasks were given were able to perform them successfully. Among those who could locate the video on YouTube, over 90% were able to share it. Gender gaps were observed in performance on every task, with the largest gap in children’s ability to set an alarm on the smartphone (81.5% boys as compared to 72.4% girls). In some southern states like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala, girls either outperform boys or are at the same level as them,” the report said.
The ASER found that these children were not only decently skilled in performing basic operations on smartphones and using social media but also knew how to protect themselves online. “62% knew how to block or report a profile, 55.2% knew how to make a profile private, and 57.7% knew how to change a password. Boys’ awareness of these safety features was substantially higher than girls’ across a majority of the states,” the ASER said.
Fall in unschooled mothers from 47% to 29% in 8 years: Remarkable improvements but way to go
Over the last eight years, maternal education levels have seen massive improvements. The ASER says that the proportion of mothers (of children in the 5-16 age group) who have never attended school has slumped from 46.6% in 2016 to 29.4% in 2024. The report attributed this to a shift that represents the gains of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, now Samagra Shiksha, launched in 2001-02 to achieve universal enrolment.
What is even more interesting is that these women are not only attending schools but also pursuing higher levels of education beyond class 10. The data shows that 9.2% of mothers had studied after class 10 in 2016, however, in the last eight years, this surged by 10 percentage points to 19.5% in 2024 with Kerala leading the way, followed by Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. Notably, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal have also recorded a 10 percentage point increase. However, Madhya Pradesh where 3.6% of mothers had studied beyond class 10 in 2016 rose only to 9.7% in 2024, making it the poorest-performing state in this aspect.
At the national level, there has been an increase from 9.2% mothers having studied beyond class 10, to 19.2% in 2024.
In addition, ASER recorded a small eight percentage point increase in the percentage of fathers who have studied beyond class 10— from 17.4% in 2016 to 25% in 2024. It is worth noting that in the last eight years, the gap between the percentage of mothers and that of fathers who have studied beyond class 10 has reduced to a noticeable extent.
