August 28, 2026

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu minister P Viswanathan on Friday dismissed calls to project TVK chief Vijay C Joseph as the INDIA bloc’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, asserting that Rahul Gandhi is the “definitive” choice.“As Congress leaders, we are very clear. Our beloved leader and leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, is the INDIA bloc’s prime ministerial candidate for 2029,” Viswanathan said.His remarks came after several TVK leaders pushed for Vijay to be projected as a prime ministerial candidate for 2029 Lok Sabha polls , drawing sharp reaction from Congress.TVK leaders, including KA Sengottaiyan and D Sarathkumar, have compared Vijay with former Tamil Nadu chief ministers MGR and Jayalalithaa, claiming he would not only rule Tamil Nadu but also lead the country in the future.TVK legislator Kallanai, who organised an event marking the party’s 100 days in office, said people had immense faith in Vijay’s leadership. He expressed confidence that Vijay would eventually lead the country and hoist the national flag at the Red Fort as a representative of the Tamil people, news agency PTI reported.Meanwhile, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said that while party workers may have deep admiration for their leader, national leadership ultimately depends on securing the numbers required to form a government.“I fully accept that they have great love, affection, expectation, and admiration for their party leadership. This is their party. What they say within their party makes no difference to the public discourse. In public discourse, what you should ask about is policy and the law. Their wishes within a party make no difference to me,” Chidambaram told reporters, according to ANI.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesHe said every political party has its own ambitions and aspirations, but any prime ministerial aspirant must ultimately have the numbers to command a majority in the Lok Sabha.“Every party has dreams, ambitions, and desires. One cannot pass laws to stop that. Everyone expresses their own wishes and talks about their favourite leader in their party. But we know what the political reality is. There are 543 constituencies,” Chidambaram said.According to the Constitution, the leader of whichever alliance wins 272 constituencies, or whichever party wins, will be the Prime Minister of India. Anyone who achieves that number can become the Prime Minister, individually or collectively. You and I both know what that political reality is,” he added.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.Here are more Raksha Bandhan wishes, Bhadra kaal and Shubh Muhurat from The Times of India.About the AuthorRohitashwa RanjanRohitashwa Ranjan is a digital journalist with The Times of India, where he decodes Indian politics as a carefully staged production with scripts, subtext and everything behind. His stories track elections, party dynamics and the things that often are buried beneath the headlines. When not parsing vote shares or alliances, he is usually reading between the lines, where the real story tends to reside.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos469 Dead In Nepal Floods; 3 Bodies Found In Uttar Pradesh; Kathmandu Declines Foreign Rescue TeamsCongress Alleges ₹36,000 Crore ‘Sugar Scam’, Slams Modi Govt Over Festive Price RisePM Modi’s Central Asia Visit: SCO Summit, Uzbekistan Ties, Putin Meet In FocusCM Suvendu Adhikari Urges Skilled Bengalis Abroad To Return, Promises Jobs Under Double-Engine Govt’Blind Pakistan Activated Spies To Locate India’s S-400′ During Op Sindoor, Ex-Air Marshal RevealsCamac Street Showdown: TMC Blocks Police During Billboard Removal, Banerjee Announces Court MoveNepal Floods: 288 Indians Uncontactable, 21 Rescued So Far, MEA Shares Key Updates | WatchFour Killed, One Missing In Manipur Ambush As Naga-Kuki Tensions Erupt Again, Probe Launch | WatchFake IAS Officer Tripti Rajput Under Probe, Police Recover CBI Cards And Government DocumentsWhy A Supreme Court Judge Wants The Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Transferred?123PhotostoriesLock Upp 2 fame Akanksha Chamola’s luxurious Mumbai home: Elegant interiors, cosy living room and beautiful mandirH1N1 Or COVID-19? Symptoms may look the same, but the diagnosis can mean a very different treatment approachMakeup not lasting all day? Here’s why your base melts by noonThe ‘ick’ explained: 7 reasons attraction between partners can suddenly disappear (and how to bring the spark back)5 reasons people pull away even when they have feelings7 signs you like the idea of a romantic relationship more than your partnerCuff too tight, legs crossed or talking? Cardiologist reveals 5 home BP mistakes that can alter readings5 habits that can quietly damage a marriageNepal flash flood: 7 glacial hotspots around the world facing rising climate risksChettinad to Molakalmuru: Underrated South Indian sarees rich in heritage123Hot PicksNepal floodUPTET Result 2026Sunny LeoneKerala name changeRRB NTPC UG CBT 2 examAnkit Baliyan murderSridhar VembuDelhi murderNEET PG 2026 admit cardTop TrendingAnkit Balyan MurderChandigarh MurderSamay RainaUdaipur HotelFlorida Car CrashUS Green Card HolderBengal HospitalTamil Nadu Son MurderElon MuskKanpur Aircraft Crash

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins
NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu minister P Viswanathan on Friday dismissed calls to project TVK chief Vijay C Joseph as the INDIA bloc’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, asserting that Rahul Gandhi is the “definitive” choice.“As Congress leaders, we are very clear. Our beloved leader and leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, is the INDIA bloc’s prime ministerial candidate for 2029,” Viswanathan said.His remarks came after several TVK leaders pushed for Vijay to be projected as a prime ministerial candidate for 2029 Lok Sabha polls , drawing sharp reaction from Congress.TVK leaders, including KA Sengottaiyan and D Sarathkumar, have compared Vijay with former Tamil Nadu chief ministers MGR and Jayalalithaa, claiming he would not only rule Tamil Nadu but also lead the country in the future.TVK legislator Kallanai, who organised an event marking the party’s 100 days in office, said people had immense faith in Vijay’s leadership. He expressed confidence that Vijay would eventually lead the country and hoist the national flag at the Red Fort as a representative of the Tamil people, news agency PTI reported.Meanwhile, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said that while party workers may have deep admiration for their leader, national leadership ultimately depends on securing the numbers required to form a government.“I fully accept that they have great love, affection, expectation, and admiration for their party leadership. This is their party. What they say within their party makes no difference to the public discourse. In public discourse, what you should ask about is policy and the law. Their wishes within a party make no difference to me,” Chidambaram told reporters, according to ANI.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesHe said every political party has its own ambitions and aspirations, but any prime ministerial aspirant must ultimately have the numbers to command a majority in the Lok Sabha.“Every party has dreams, ambitions, and desires. One cannot pass laws to stop that. Everyone expresses their own wishes and talks about their favourite leader in their party. But we know what the political reality is. There are 543 constituencies,” Chidambaram said.According to the Constitution, the leader of whichever alliance wins 272 constituencies, or whichever party wins, will be the Prime Minister of India. Anyone who achieves that number can become the Prime Minister, individually or collectively. You and I both know what that political reality is,” he added.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.Here are more Raksha Bandhan wishes, Bhadra kaal and Shubh Muhurat from The Times of India.About the AuthorRohitashwa RanjanRohitashwa Ranjan is a digital journalist with The Times of India, where he decodes Indian politics as a carefully staged production with scripts, subtext and everything behind. His stories track elections, party dynamics and the things that often are buried beneath the headlines. When not parsing vote shares or alliances, he is usually reading between the lines, where the real story tends to reside.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos469 Dead In Nepal Floods; 3 Bodies Found In Uttar Pradesh; Kathmandu Declines Foreign Rescue TeamsCongress Alleges ₹36,000 Crore ‘Sugar Scam’, Slams Modi Govt Over Festive Price RisePM Modi’s Central Asia Visit: SCO Summit, Uzbekistan Ties, Putin Meet In FocusCM Suvendu Adhikari Urges Skilled Bengalis Abroad To Return, Promises Jobs Under Double-Engine Govt’Blind Pakistan Activated Spies To Locate India’s S-400′ During Op Sindoor, Ex-Air Marshal RevealsCamac Street Showdown: TMC Blocks Police During Billboard Removal, Banerjee Announces Court MoveNepal Floods: 288 Indians Uncontactable, 21 Rescued So Far, MEA Shares Key Updates | WatchFour Killed, One Missing In Manipur Ambush As Naga-Kuki Tensions Erupt Again, Probe Launch | WatchFake IAS Officer Tripti Rajput Under Probe, Police Recover CBI Cards And Government DocumentsWhy A Supreme Court Judge Wants The Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Transferred?123PhotostoriesLock Upp 2 fame Akanksha Chamola’s luxurious Mumbai home: Elegant interiors, cosy living room and beautiful mandirH1N1 Or COVID-19? Symptoms may look the same, but the diagnosis can mean a very different treatment approachMakeup not lasting all day? Here’s why your base melts by noonThe ‘ick’ explained: 7 reasons attraction between partners can suddenly disappear (and how to bring the spark back)5 reasons people pull away even when they have feelings7 signs you like the idea of a romantic relationship more than your partnerCuff too tight, legs crossed or talking? Cardiologist reveals 5 home BP mistakes that can alter readings5 habits that can quietly damage a marriageNepal flash flood: 7 glacial hotspots around the world facing rising climate risksChettinad to Molakalmuru: Underrated South Indian sarees rich in heritage123Hot PicksNepal floodUPTET Result 2026Sunny LeoneKerala name changeRRB NTPC UG CBT 2 examAnkit Baliyan murderSridhar VembuDelhi murderNEET PG 2026 admit cardTop TrendingAnkit Balyan MurderChandigarh MurderSamay RainaUdaipur HotelFlorida Car CrashUS Green Card HolderBengal HospitalTamil Nadu Son MurderElon MuskKanpur Aircraft Crash


‘We are very clear’: TN minister says Rahul Gandhi is INDIA bloc’s PM pick for 2029

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu minister P Viswanathan on Friday dismissed calls to project TVK chief Vijay C Joseph as the INDIA bloc’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, asserting that Rahul Gandhi is the “definitive” choice.“As Congress leaders, we are very clear. Our beloved leader and leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, is the INDIA bloc’s prime ministerial candidate for 2029,” Viswanathan said.His remarks came after several TVK leaders pushed for Vijay to be projected as a prime ministerial candidate for 2029 Lok Sabha polls , drawing sharp reaction from Congress.TVK leaders, including KA Sengottaiyan and D Sarathkumar, have compared Vijay with former Tamil Nadu chief ministers MGR and Jayalalithaa, claiming he would not only rule Tamil Nadu but also lead the country in the future.TVK legislator Kallanai, who organised an event marking the party’s 100 days in office, said people had immense faith in Vijay’s leadership. He expressed confidence that Vijay would eventually lead the country and hoist the national flag at the Red Fort as a representative of the Tamil people, news agency PTI reported.Meanwhile, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said that while party workers may have deep admiration for their leader, national leadership ultimately depends on securing the numbers required to form a government.“I fully accept that they have great love, affection, expectation, and admiration for their party leadership. This is their party. What they say within their party makes no difference to the public discourse. In public discourse, what you should ask about is policy and the law. Their wishes within a party make no difference to me,” Chidambaram told reporters, according to ANI.

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NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday received 21 Tamil Nadu pilgrims after they were rescued from the floods in Nepal.In a social media post on X, Jaishankar said that he was moved after hearing their experience and thanked Nepal government and army for their rescue effort.”Received a group of 21 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu who were rescued from the floods in Nepal,” Jaishankar said.”Was moved to hear their experience first hand. Thank the Nepali Army and Government for this rescue effort. Appreciate Embassy of India, Kathmandu’s facilitation of their smooth return to India,” he added.While talking to reporters at Delhi airport, Jaishankar also said that the government is focused on contacting all the Indians who are stranded in Nepal.”So I want to say right now we are still very much focused on contacting all the Indians who are there. We believe a little more than 300, the exact number keeps going up and down, about 315 Indians are still not being contacted,” Jaishankar said.The death toll from Nepal’s devastating flash flood in the Bhotekoshi River area of Rasuwa has risen to 538 while 977 people are still missing, according to an update from Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.The figures, as of 3 PM (local time) on Friday, show a grim picture of the scale of the disaster as authorities continue search, rescue and relief operations across the affected areas following the catastrophic flooding on Wednesday.Of the 538 bodies recovered, the largest number has been recorded in Chitwan, with 221, followed by 134 in Nawalparasi East.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesAuthorities have also recovered 46 bodies or human remains in Gorkha, 37 in Nuwakot, 33 in Dhading, 28 in Tanahun, 27 in Nawalparasi West and 12 in Rasuwa, according to the NDRRMA figures.The number of people reported missing stands at 977, including foreign nationals, Nepali citizens living abroad who were visiting Nepal, security personnel and government officials.Foreign nationals account for 517 of those reported missing, while 161 people were reported missing through the Rasuwa District Emergency Operations Centre (DEOC).Another 127 are Nepali citizens living abroad who were visiting Nepal, while 66 were reported missing through the Makwanpur DEOC.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.Here are more Raksha Bandhan wishes, Bhadra kaal and Shubh Muhurat from The Times of India.About the AuthorRohitashwa RanjanRohitashwa Ranjan is a digital journalist with The Times of India, where he decodes Indian politics as a carefully staged production with scripts, subtext and everything behind. His stories track elections, party dynamics and the things that often are buried beneath the headlines. When not parsing vote shares or alliances, he is usually reading between the lines, where the real story tends to reside.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosGovt Taps EIL For Quality Checks On 5,000 Km Of Road Projects After Modi’s ‘4th-Party Audit’ Jibe469 Dead In Nepal Floods; 3 Bodies Found In Uttar Pradesh; Kathmandu Declines Foreign Rescue TeamsCongress Alleges ₹36,000 Crore ‘Sugar Scam’, Slams Modi Govt Over Festive Price RisePM Modi’s Central Asia Visit: SCO Summit, Uzbekistan Ties, Putin Meet In FocusCM Suvendu Adhikari Urges Skilled Bengalis Abroad To Return, Promises Jobs Under Double-Engine Govt’Blind Pakistan Activated Spies To Locate India’s S-400′ During Op Sindoor, Ex-Air Marshal RevealsCamac Street Showdown: TMC Blocks Police During Billboard Removal, Banerjee Announces Court MoveNepal Floods: 288 Indians Uncontactable, 21 Rescued So Far, MEA Shares Key Updates | WatchFour Killed, One Missing In Manipur Ambush As Naga-Kuki Tensions Erupt Again, Probe Launch | WatchFake IAS Officer Tripti Rajput Under Probe, Police Recover CBI Cards And Government Documents123Photostories5 jewellery styling mistakes to avoid with traditional festive outfitsLock Upp 2 fame Akanksha Chamola’s luxurious Mumbai home: Elegant interiors, cosy living room and beautiful mandirH1N1 Or COVID-19? 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NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday received 21 Tamil Nadu pilgrims after they were rescued from the floods in Nepal.In a social media post on X, Jaishankar said that he was moved after hearing their experience and thanked Nepal government and army for their rescue effort.”Received a group of 21 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu who were rescued from the floods in Nepal,” Jaishankar said.”Was moved to hear their experience first hand. Thank the Nepali Army and Government for this rescue effort. Appreciate Embassy of India, Kathmandu’s facilitation of their smooth return to India,” he added.While talking to reporters at Delhi airport, Jaishankar also said that the government is focused on contacting all the Indians who are stranded in Nepal.”So I want to say right now we are still very much focused on contacting all the Indians who are there. We believe a little more than 300, the exact number keeps going up and down, about 315 Indians are still not being contacted,” Jaishankar said.The death toll from Nepal’s devastating flash flood in the Bhotekoshi River area of Rasuwa has risen to 538 while 977 people are still missing, according to an update from Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.The figures, as of 3 PM (local time) on Friday, show a grim picture of the scale of the disaster as authorities continue search, rescue and relief operations across the affected areas following the catastrophic flooding on Wednesday.Of the 538 bodies recovered, the largest number has been recorded in Chitwan, with 221, followed by 134 in Nawalparasi East.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesAuthorities have also recovered 46 bodies or human remains in Gorkha, 37 in Nuwakot, 33 in Dhading, 28 in Tanahun, 27 in Nawalparasi West and 12 in Rasuwa, according to the NDRRMA figures.The number of people reported missing stands at 977, including foreign nationals, Nepali citizens living abroad who were visiting Nepal, security personnel and government officials.Foreign nationals account for 517 of those reported missing, while 161 people were reported missing through the Rasuwa District Emergency Operations Centre (DEOC).Another 127 are Nepali citizens living abroad who were visiting Nepal, while 66 were reported missing through the Makwanpur DEOC.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.Here are more Raksha Bandhan wishes, Bhadra kaal and Shubh Muhurat from The Times of India.About the AuthorRohitashwa RanjanRohitashwa Ranjan is a digital journalist with The Times of India, where he decodes Indian politics as a carefully staged production with scripts, subtext and everything behind. His stories track elections, party dynamics and the things that often are buried beneath the headlines. When not parsing vote shares or alliances, he is usually reading between the lines, where the real story tends to reside.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosGovt Taps EIL For Quality Checks On 5,000 Km Of Road Projects After Modi’s ‘4th-Party Audit’ Jibe469 Dead In Nepal Floods; 3 Bodies Found In Uttar Pradesh; Kathmandu Declines Foreign Rescue TeamsCongress Alleges ₹36,000 Crore ‘Sugar Scam’, Slams Modi Govt Over Festive Price RisePM Modi’s Central Asia Visit: SCO Summit, Uzbekistan Ties, Putin Meet In FocusCM Suvendu Adhikari Urges Skilled Bengalis Abroad To Return, Promises Jobs Under Double-Engine Govt’Blind Pakistan Activated Spies To Locate India’s S-400′ During Op Sindoor, Ex-Air Marshal RevealsCamac Street Showdown: TMC Blocks Police During Billboard Removal, Banerjee Announces Court MoveNepal Floods: 288 Indians Uncontactable, 21 Rescued So Far, MEA Shares Key Updates | WatchFour Killed, One Missing In Manipur Ambush As Naga-Kuki Tensions Erupt Again, Probe Launch | WatchFake IAS Officer Tripti Rajput Under Probe, Police Recover CBI Cards And Government Documents123Photostories5 jewellery styling mistakes to avoid with traditional festive outfitsLock Upp 2 fame Akanksha Chamola’s luxurious Mumbai home: Elegant interiors, cosy living room and beautiful mandirH1N1 Or COVID-19? Symptoms may look the same, but the diagnosis can mean a very different treatment approachMakeup not lasting all day? Here’s why your base melts by noonThe ‘ick’ explained: 7 reasons attraction between partners can suddenly disappear (and how to bring the spark back)5 reasons people pull away even when they have feelings7 signs you like the idea of a romantic relationship more than your partnerCuff too tight, legs crossed or talking? Cardiologist reveals 5 home BP mistakes that can alter readings5 habits that can quietly damage a marriageNepal flash flood: 7 glacial hotspots around the world facing rising climate risks123Hot PicksNepal floodUPTET Result 2026Sunny LeoneKerala name changeRRB NTPC UG CBT 2 examAnkit Baliyan murderSridhar VembuDelhi murderNEET PG 2026 admit cardTop TrendingAnkit Balyan MurderChandigarh MurderSamay RainaUdaipur HotelFlorida Car CrashUS Green Card HolderBengal HospitalTamil Nadu Son MurderElon MuskKanpur Aircraft Crash

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From Tagore’s streets to 10-minute delivery: The business of Rakhi In August 1905, as Bengal braced for a partition designed by the British to split its Hindu and Muslim population along communal lines, Rabindranath Tagore walked through the streets of Kolkata asking strangers to tie threads on each other’s wrists. It was Raksha Bandhan, and Tagore had repurposed a domestic ritual, sisters protecting brothers, into a public act of protest. Hindus tied rakhis on Muslims, Muslims tied them on Hindus, and for one day at least, the colonial administration’s attempt to engineer division through the Bengal Partition met a street-level answer in silk thread. The gesture was Tagore’s response to a strategy of divide and rule that he saw threatening the nationalist movement at its foundations; the rakhi, in his hands, stopped being only a family custom and became a symbol of a shared, non-negotiable bond between communities.When Tagore turned a ritual into protestMore than a century later, the thread has kept its symbolism but acquired a balance sheet. Raksha Bandhan is now one of the biggest festival-linked retail events in the Indian calendar, and the story of how it got there says as much about India’s e-commerce boom, its gig economy and its small-manufacturing base as it does about siblings and sentiment.A festival with a turnoverThe Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) estimates that India’s rakhi trade could reach nearly Rs 25,000 crore this year. The broader Raksha Bandhan-related trade, including sweets, dry fruits, gifts, apparel, electronics, decorative items, puja articles and other festive products, is expected to cross Rs 30,000 crore nationally. Delhi alone is estimated to account for around Rs 4,000 crore, with major markets such as Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazaar, Karol Bagh, Lajpat Nagar, Kamla Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Gandhi Nagar, Khari Baoli and Laxmi Nagar seeing increased shopping activity ahead of Raksha Bandhan. These figures are CAIT estimates based on inputs from traders and trade associations, rather than audited market data.Much of the physical production still runs through India’s traditional craft clusters. Kolkata remains a major wholesale and manufacturing hub, supplying rakhi traders across the country. Khadi rakhis from Nagpur, Sanganeri prints from Jaipur, seed rakhis from Pune, tea-leaf rakhis from Assam, jute rakhis from Kolkata, and bamboo and Madhubani-art rakhis from Bihar now sit alongside mass-produced options, driven in part by women’s self-help groups and artisan collectives for whom the rakhi season is a source of supplementary household income.Threads with a message, threads with a nameWhat has changed most visibly is the design vocabulary. This year’s rakhi shelves carry threads built around Viksit Bharat, BrahMos and women’s-empowerment themes alongside the more familiar Rudraksha, Swastik and Bhaiya-Bhabhi pairs, a sign of how quickly manufacturers now respond to the news cycle and government messaging, treating the rakhi as a wearable billboard as much as a ritual object. Superhero and cartoon-branded rakhis for children, evil-eye designs marketed as fashion accessories that can be worn past the festival, and premium metal or stone-studded pieces round out a market that has moved well beyond plain thread.Personalisation has become the dominant pitch, and not just at the top end.A thread for every trendSellers now routinely offer rakhis with a brother’s name sublimated onto acrylic or wood, or a sibling photograph printed directly onto the pendant, products that would have required a jeweller or an artist a decade ago and are now templated, priced from under Rs 50 apiece, and turned around in bulk by small manufacturing units in cities such as Ahmedabad, Delhi and Jaipur. The wider gifting trend has moved the same way: industry trackers this year note a decline in generic mass-market combo set, the standard thread-plus-sweets hamper, in favour of curated boxes that buyers can customise by age, taste or budget, from wellness kits to eco-friendly packaging.Minutes, not daysThe most disruptive change, though, has been in delivery. Quick-commerce platforms have turned the rakhi thali, once assembled by a sister at home or bought over a shop counter, into a same-day, sometimes same-hour order: thread, roli-chawal, sweets and a small gift bundled and dispatched from a neighbourhood dark store. For siblings living in different cities, or those who simply left the shopping too late, this has effectively replaced the courier parcels and last-minute market runs of previous years.That speed now comes with an asterisk. Since January this year, the quick-commerce platforms have all dropped explicit “10-minute” delivery claims from their branding, after the Union Labour Ministry pushed quick-commerce companies to stop advertising rigid delivery windows, citing rider safety concerns following gig-worker protests. Blinkit’s tagline shifted from promising goods “in 10 minutes” to simply listing what it delivers; some of them now advertise “groceries in minutes” rather than a fixed number. The underlying model, dark stores, real-time inventory, delivery fleets built for speed, is unchanged, and rakhi orders still move fast during the festival rush; platforms have simply stopped putting a number on it.The vendors left behindFor the street sellers who used to own this season, the shift has been harder to absorb than a change in app copy. Rakesh, who sells rakhi threads and thalis from a stall in one of Delhi’s older markets, has watched the balance of the trade move online over the past few years.”The availability of Rakhi threads and thalis online have changed things a lot for us,” he said. “People get things delivered in minutes, there is also the aspect of personalisation. Customers can get their money back if they do not like a design but that is not the case for us. The demand has not dropped dramatically but we can definitely sense a shift now.”His account captures something the trade-body turnover figures don’t: this isn’t a market in collapse so much as one being quietly redistributed. Total demand for rakhis hasn’t fallen, traders’ projections for this year are, if anything, higher than last year’s, but a growing share of it is being captured by platforms that can offer instant refunds, endless design catalogues and delivery to a doorstep hundreds of kilometres away, none of which a pavement stall can match. A street vendor operates on thin, fixed margins and cannot offer the kind of no-questions-asked returns that have become standard on e-commerce and quick-commerce apps; a design that doesn’t suit a customer is a sunk cost for him in a way it isn’t for a platform with centralised inventory. What he is describing is less a festival in decline than a festival whose profits are migrating toward whoever controls speed, choice and convenience, the same forces reshaping most other categories of Indian retail.Opportunity online, obstacles offlineThe same platforms squeezing street vendors have opened a door for a different kind of small operator: the home-run, social-media-first rakhi business. Instagram and WhatsApp catalogues have made it possible for someone with no shop and little capital to sell personalised or handcrafted rakhis directly to customers, without a physical stall or a wholesaler in between.But reach isn’t the same as revenue, says says a woman running an online rakhi business. “The biggest opportunity is using social media to reach more customers and promote products,” she said. “But the biggest challenges for a new small business are building a customer base, increasing sales, competing with larger companies and recovering costs. When sales are low in the initial stages, profits can be very small, or there may be no profit at all.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelines”It’s a reminder that the barriers for small players haven’t disappeared with the shift online — they’ve simply moved. A social media page can put a home business in front of thousands of potential buyers, but it competes in the same feed as established D2C brands and marketplace sellers with bigger budgets, faster fulfilment and the cushion to absorb a slow first season. For someone starting out, the gap between visibility and an actual, sustainable customer base can take more than one festival cycle to close.A hundred and twenty years of the same threadThe distance between Tagore’s Kolkata processions and this year’s app-driven rush is, on the surface, total: one was a deliberate refusal of commerce, staged to make a political point about unity in the face of engineered division; the other is commerce itself, organised around choice, speed and margin. But the thread running between them, literally, is the same one: an ordinary domestic ritual, elastic enough to be pressed into whatever a moment demands, whether that moment calls for resistance or for a same-day delivery slot. What has changed is not the rakhi but who gets to decide what it means, and increasingly, that decision is being made by whoever can get it to your wrist the fastest.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.Here are more Raksha Bandhan wishes, Bhadra kaal and Shubh Muhurat from The Times of India.About the AuthorAadrita HalderWrites on social matters, geopolitics, and trending issues for the Times of India.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos469 Dead In Nepal Floods; 3 Bodies Found In Uttar Pradesh; Kathmandu Declines Foreign Rescue TeamsCongress Alleges ₹36,000 Crore ‘Sugar Scam’, Slams Modi Govt Over Festive Price RisePM Modi’s Central Asia Visit: SCO Summit, Uzbekistan Ties, Putin Meet In FocusCM Suvendu Adhikari Urges Skilled Bengalis Abroad To Return, Promises Jobs Under Double-Engine Govt’Blind Pakistan Activated Spies To Locate India’s S-400′ During Op Sindoor, Ex-Air Marshal RevealsCamac Street Showdown: TMC Blocks Police During Billboard Removal, Banerjee Announces Court MoveNepal Floods: 288 Indians Uncontactable, 21 Rescued So Far, MEA Shares Key Updates | WatchFour Killed, One Missing In Manipur Ambush As Naga-Kuki Tensions Erupt Again, Probe Launch | WatchFake IAS Officer Tripti Rajput Under Probe, Police Recover CBI Cards And Government DocumentsWhy A Supreme Court Judge Wants The Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Transferred?123PhotostoriesLock Upp 2 fame Akanksha Chamola’s luxurious Mumbai home: Elegant interiors, cosy living room and beautiful mandirH1N1 Or COVID-19? Symptoms may look the same, but the diagnosis can mean a very different treatment approachMakeup not lasting all day? Here’s why your base melts by noonThe ‘ick’ explained: 7 reasons attraction between partners can suddenly disappear (and how to bring the spark back)5 reasons people pull away even when they have feelings7 signs you like the idea of a romantic relationship more than your partnerCuff too tight, legs crossed or talking? Cardiologist reveals 5 home BP mistakes that can alter readings5 habits that can quietly damage a marriageNepal flash flood: 7 glacial hotspots around the world facing rising climate risksChettinad to Molakalmuru: Underrated South Indian sarees rich in heritage123Hot PicksNepal floodUPTET Result 2026Sunny LeoneKerala name changeRRB NTPC UG CBT 2 examAnkit Baliyan murderSridhar VembuDelhi murderNEET PG 2026 admit cardTop TrendingAnkit Balyan MurderChandigarh MurderSamay RainaUdaipur HotelFlorida Car CrashUS Green Card HolderBengal HospitalTamil Nadu Son MurderElon MuskKanpur Aircraft Crash

From Tagore’s streets to 10-minute delivery: The business of Rakhi In August 1905, as Bengal braced for a partition designed by the British to split its Hindu and Muslim population along communal lines, Rabindranath Tagore walked through the streets of Kolkata asking strangers to tie threads on each other’s wrists. It was Raksha Bandhan, and Tagore had repurposed a domestic ritual, sisters protecting brothers, into a public act of protest. Hindus tied rakhis on Muslims, Muslims tied them on Hindus, and for one day at least, the colonial administration’s attempt to engineer division through the Bengal Partition met a street-level answer in silk thread. The gesture was Tagore’s response to a strategy of divide and rule that he saw threatening the nationalist movement at its foundations; the rakhi, in his hands, stopped being only a family custom and became a symbol of a shared, non-negotiable bond between communities.When Tagore turned a ritual into protestMore than a century later, the thread has kept its symbolism but acquired a balance sheet. Raksha Bandhan is now one of the biggest festival-linked retail events in the Indian calendar, and the story of how it got there says as much about India’s e-commerce boom, its gig economy and its small-manufacturing base as it does about siblings and sentiment.A festival with a turnoverThe Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) estimates that India’s rakhi trade could reach nearly Rs 25,000 crore this year. The broader Raksha Bandhan-related trade, including sweets, dry fruits, gifts, apparel, electronics, decorative items, puja articles and other festive products, is expected to cross Rs 30,000 crore nationally. Delhi alone is estimated to account for around Rs 4,000 crore, with major markets such as Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazaar, Karol Bagh, Lajpat Nagar, Kamla Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Gandhi Nagar, Khari Baoli and Laxmi Nagar seeing increased shopping activity ahead of Raksha Bandhan. These figures are CAIT estimates based on inputs from traders and trade associations, rather than audited market data.Much of the physical production still runs through India’s traditional craft clusters. Kolkata remains a major wholesale and manufacturing hub, supplying rakhi traders across the country. Khadi rakhis from Nagpur, Sanganeri prints from Jaipur, seed rakhis from Pune, tea-leaf rakhis from Assam, jute rakhis from Kolkata, and bamboo and Madhubani-art rakhis from Bihar now sit alongside mass-produced options, driven in part by women’s self-help groups and artisan collectives for whom the rakhi season is a source of supplementary household income.Threads with a message, threads with a nameWhat has changed most visibly is the design vocabulary. This year’s rakhi shelves carry threads built around Viksit Bharat, BrahMos and women’s-empowerment themes alongside the more familiar Rudraksha, Swastik and Bhaiya-Bhabhi pairs, a sign of how quickly manufacturers now respond to the news cycle and government messaging, treating the rakhi as a wearable billboard as much as a ritual object. Superhero and cartoon-branded rakhis for children, evil-eye designs marketed as fashion accessories that can be worn past the festival, and premium metal or stone-studded pieces round out a market that has moved well beyond plain thread.Personalisation has become the dominant pitch, and not just at the top end.A thread for every trendSellers now routinely offer rakhis with a brother’s name sublimated onto acrylic or wood, or a sibling photograph printed directly onto the pendant, products that would have required a jeweller or an artist a decade ago and are now templated, priced from under Rs 50 apiece, and turned around in bulk by small manufacturing units in cities such as Ahmedabad, Delhi and Jaipur. The wider gifting trend has moved the same way: industry trackers this year note a decline in generic mass-market combo set, the standard thread-plus-sweets hamper, in favour of curated boxes that buyers can customise by age, taste or budget, from wellness kits to eco-friendly packaging.Minutes, not daysThe most disruptive change, though, has been in delivery. Quick-commerce platforms have turned the rakhi thali, once assembled by a sister at home or bought over a shop counter, into a same-day, sometimes same-hour order: thread, roli-chawal, sweets and a small gift bundled and dispatched from a neighbourhood dark store. For siblings living in different cities, or those who simply left the shopping too late, this has effectively replaced the courier parcels and last-minute market runs of previous years.That speed now comes with an asterisk. Since January this year, the quick-commerce platforms have all dropped explicit “10-minute” delivery claims from their branding, after the Union Labour Ministry pushed quick-commerce companies to stop advertising rigid delivery windows, citing rider safety concerns following gig-worker protests. Blinkit’s tagline shifted from promising goods “in 10 minutes” to simply listing what it delivers; some of them now advertise “groceries in minutes” rather than a fixed number. The underlying model, dark stores, real-time inventory, delivery fleets built for speed, is unchanged, and rakhi orders still move fast during the festival rush; platforms have simply stopped putting a number on it.The vendors left behindFor the street sellers who used to own this season, the shift has been harder to absorb than a change in app copy. Rakesh, who sells rakhi threads and thalis from a stall in one of Delhi’s older markets, has watched the balance of the trade move online over the past few years.”The availability of Rakhi threads and thalis online have changed things a lot for us,” he said. “People get things delivered in minutes, there is also the aspect of personalisation. Customers can get their money back if they do not like a design but that is not the case for us. The demand has not dropped dramatically but we can definitely sense a shift now.”His account captures something the trade-body turnover figures don’t: this isn’t a market in collapse so much as one being quietly redistributed. Total demand for rakhis hasn’t fallen, traders’ projections for this year are, if anything, higher than last year’s, but a growing share of it is being captured by platforms that can offer instant refunds, endless design catalogues and delivery to a doorstep hundreds of kilometres away, none of which a pavement stall can match. A street vendor operates on thin, fixed margins and cannot offer the kind of no-questions-asked returns that have become standard on e-commerce and quick-commerce apps; a design that doesn’t suit a customer is a sunk cost for him in a way it isn’t for a platform with centralised inventory. What he is describing is less a festival in decline than a festival whose profits are migrating toward whoever controls speed, choice and convenience, the same forces reshaping most other categories of Indian retail.Opportunity online, obstacles offlineThe same platforms squeezing street vendors have opened a door for a different kind of small operator: the home-run, social-media-first rakhi business. Instagram and WhatsApp catalogues have made it possible for someone with no shop and little capital to sell personalised or handcrafted rakhis directly to customers, without a physical stall or a wholesaler in between.But reach isn’t the same as revenue, says says a woman running an online rakhi business. “The biggest opportunity is using social media to reach more customers and promote products,” she said. “But the biggest challenges for a new small business are building a customer base, increasing sales, competing with larger companies and recovering costs. When sales are low in the initial stages, profits can be very small, or there may be no profit at all.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelines”It’s a reminder that the barriers for small players haven’t disappeared with the shift online — they’ve simply moved. A social media page can put a home business in front of thousands of potential buyers, but it competes in the same feed as established D2C brands and marketplace sellers with bigger budgets, faster fulfilment and the cushion to absorb a slow first season. For someone starting out, the gap between visibility and an actual, sustainable customer base can take more than one festival cycle to close.A hundred and twenty years of the same threadThe distance between Tagore’s Kolkata processions and this year’s app-driven rush is, on the surface, total: one was a deliberate refusal of commerce, staged to make a political point about unity in the face of engineered division; the other is commerce itself, organised around choice, speed and margin. But the thread running between them, literally, is the same one: an ordinary domestic ritual, elastic enough to be pressed into whatever a moment demands, whether that moment calls for resistance or for a same-day delivery slot. What has changed is not the rakhi but who gets to decide what it means, and increasingly, that decision is being made by whoever can get it to your wrist the fastest.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.Here are more Raksha Bandhan wishes, Bhadra kaal and Shubh Muhurat from The Times of India.About the AuthorAadrita HalderWrites on social matters, geopolitics, and trending issues for the Times of India.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos469 Dead In Nepal Floods; 3 Bodies Found In Uttar Pradesh; Kathmandu Declines Foreign Rescue TeamsCongress Alleges ₹36,000 Crore ‘Sugar Scam’, Slams Modi Govt Over Festive Price RisePM Modi’s Central Asia Visit: SCO Summit, Uzbekistan Ties, Putin Meet In FocusCM Suvendu Adhikari Urges Skilled Bengalis Abroad To Return, Promises Jobs Under Double-Engine Govt’Blind Pakistan Activated Spies To Locate India’s S-400′ During Op Sindoor, Ex-Air Marshal RevealsCamac Street Showdown: TMC Blocks Police During Billboard Removal, Banerjee Announces Court MoveNepal Floods: 288 Indians Uncontactable, 21 Rescued So Far, MEA Shares Key Updates | WatchFour Killed, One Missing In Manipur Ambush As Naga-Kuki Tensions Erupt Again, Probe Launch | WatchFake IAS Officer Tripti Rajput Under Probe, Police Recover CBI Cards And Government DocumentsWhy A Supreme Court Judge Wants The Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Transferred?123PhotostoriesLock Upp 2 fame Akanksha Chamola’s luxurious Mumbai home: Elegant interiors, cosy living room and beautiful mandirH1N1 Or COVID-19? Symptoms may look the same, but the diagnosis can mean a very different treatment approachMakeup not lasting all day? Here’s why your base melts by noonThe ‘ick’ explained: 7 reasons attraction between partners can suddenly disappear (and how to bring the spark back)5 reasons people pull away even when they have feelings7 signs you like the idea of a romantic relationship more than your partnerCuff too tight, legs crossed or talking? Cardiologist reveals 5 home BP mistakes that can alter readings5 habits that can quietly damage a marriageNepal flash flood: 7 glacial hotspots around the world facing rising climate risksChettinad to Molakalmuru: Underrated South Indian sarees rich in heritage123Hot PicksNepal floodUPTET Result 2026Sunny LeoneKerala name changeRRB NTPC UG CBT 2 examAnkit Baliyan murderSridhar VembuDelhi murderNEET PG 2026 admit cardTop TrendingAnkit Balyan MurderChandigarh MurderSamay RainaUdaipur HotelFlorida Car CrashUS Green Card HolderBengal HospitalTamil Nadu Son MurderElon MuskKanpur Aircraft Crash

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Manipur ambush survivor says attackers wore camouflage uniforms A survivor of the ambush that killed four members of the Liangmai Naga community in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Friday has recalled how armed attackers, dressed in full camouflage uniforms, opened fire on their vehicle in a forested area.Forty-four-year-old Gaikamang Ringkangmai, who sustained a bullet injury to his left arm, was rescued by security forces from the ambush site and admitted to Senapati district hospital.Recalling the attack, Ringkangmai said as quoted by news agency PTI, “I am from Makui village. Yesterday, there were six of us in a vehicle. We frequently travelled by that route. We were going to Senapati district when we were ambushed by militants. Four of our colleagues died on the spot, while two of us escaped.”He said he was injured during the firing but managed to flee the vehicle and take shelter in nearby bushes.”I received bullet injuries on my arm but jumped from the vehicle and ran to hide in the bushes,” he added.Describing the attackers, Ringkangmai claimed they were positioned in pairs and wore full camouflage uniforms. “They had red ribbons tied to the top of their rifles, from which they continued firing,” he added.The other person who survived the ambush has been identified as Japou MK.The attack took place around 8.30 am on Thursday in an isolated, forested stretch between Makui Ashang and Thabamba Naga villages in Kangpokpi district. According to reports, the armed attackers targeted the vehicle carrying the group, killing four people on the spot and injuring another.The deceased have been identified as Tadsongbou Ringkangmai, founder and principal of a private school; M Wijunamai; Anil Wijunamai; and Wisobou Charenamai, chairman of the Chawangkining Village Authority. All six people travelling in the vehicle belonged to the Liangmai Naga community.The killings have triggered demands for justice from the Naga community, even as authorities move to identify and apprehend those responsible.W Charenamei, younger brother of deceased Wisobou Charenamai, said the family and community were not seeking retaliation.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelines”We don’t seek any revenge against the militants. We just want the facts to be established and swift justice for our murdered brothers.”Manipur chief minister Y Khemchand Singh has directed security officials to arrest those involved in the killings and initiate action against them.The United Naga Council (UNC), the apex Naga body in Manipur, has alleged that two Kuki militant outfits, the Kuki National Front (P) and Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA), were behind the ambush.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.Here are more Raksha Bandhan wishes, Bhadra kaal and Shubh Muhurat from The Times of India.About the AuthorAastha JhaAastha Jha is a writer at The Times of India, covering politics. She also writes on business, global affairs, social issues, with a focus on policy, governance and their impact on everyday lives. Her work brings together reportage and analysis, tracking developments in India and abroad while examining the broader social and economic currents shaping public discourse.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos469 Dead In Nepal Floods; 3 Bodies Found In Uttar Pradesh; Kathmandu Declines Foreign Rescue TeamsCongress Alleges ₹36,000 Crore ‘Sugar Scam’, Slams Modi Govt Over Festive Price RisePM Modi’s Central Asia Visit: SCO Summit, Uzbekistan Ties, Putin Meet In FocusCM Suvendu Adhikari Urges Skilled Bengalis Abroad To Return, Promises Jobs Under Double-Engine Govt’Blind Pakistan Activated Spies To Locate India’s S-400′ During Op Sindoor, Ex-Air Marshal RevealsCamac Street Showdown: TMC Blocks Police During Billboard Removal, Banerjee Announces Court MoveNepal Floods: 288 Indians Uncontactable, 21 Rescued So Far, MEA Shares Key Updates | WatchFour Killed, One Missing In Manipur Ambush As Naga-Kuki Tensions Erupt Again, Probe Launch | WatchFake IAS Officer Tripti Rajput Under Probe, Police Recover CBI Cards And Government DocumentsWhy A Supreme Court Judge Wants The Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Transferred?123PhotostoriesLock Upp 2 fame Akanksha Chamola’s luxurious Mumbai home: Elegant interiors, cosy living room and beautiful mandirH1N1 Or COVID-19? Symptoms may look the same, but the diagnosis can mean a very different treatment approachMakeup not lasting all day? Here’s why your base melts by noonThe ‘ick’ explained: 7 reasons attraction between partners can suddenly disappear (and how to bring the spark back)5 reasons people pull away even when they have feelings7 signs you like the idea of a romantic relationship more than your partnerCuff too tight, legs crossed or talking? Cardiologist reveals 5 home BP mistakes that can alter readings5 habits that can quietly damage a marriageNepal flash flood: 7 glacial hotspots around the world facing rising climate risksChettinad to Molakalmuru: Underrated South Indian sarees rich in heritage123Hot PicksNepal floodUPTET Result 2026Sunny LeoneKerala name changeRRB NTPC UG CBT 2 examAnkit Baliyan murderSridhar VembuDelhi murderNEET PG 2026 admit cardTop TrendingAnkit Balyan MurderChandigarh MurderSamay RainaUdaipur HotelFlorida Car CrashUS Green Card HolderBengal HospitalTamil Nadu Son MurderElon MuskKanpur Aircraft Crash

Manipur ambush survivor says attackers wore camouflage uniforms A survivor of the ambush that killed four members of the Liangmai Naga community in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Friday has recalled how armed attackers, dressed in full camouflage uniforms, opened fire on their vehicle in a forested area.Forty-four-year-old Gaikamang Ringkangmai, who sustained a bullet injury to his left arm, was rescued by security forces from the ambush site and admitted to Senapati district hospital.Recalling the attack, Ringkangmai said as quoted by news agency PTI, “I am from Makui village. Yesterday, there were six of us in a vehicle. We frequently travelled by that route. We were going to Senapati district when we were ambushed by militants. Four of our colleagues died on the spot, while two of us escaped.”He said he was injured during the firing but managed to flee the vehicle and take shelter in nearby bushes.”I received bullet injuries on my arm but jumped from the vehicle and ran to hide in the bushes,” he added.Describing the attackers, Ringkangmai claimed they were positioned in pairs and wore full camouflage uniforms. “They had red ribbons tied to the top of their rifles, from which they continued firing,” he added.The other person who survived the ambush has been identified as Japou MK.The attack took place around 8.30 am on Thursday in an isolated, forested stretch between Makui Ashang and Thabamba Naga villages in Kangpokpi district. According to reports, the armed attackers targeted the vehicle carrying the group, killing four people on the spot and injuring another.The deceased have been identified as Tadsongbou Ringkangmai, founder and principal of a private school; M Wijunamai; Anil Wijunamai; and Wisobou Charenamai, chairman of the Chawangkining Village Authority. All six people travelling in the vehicle belonged to the Liangmai Naga community.The killings have triggered demands for justice from the Naga community, even as authorities move to identify and apprehend those responsible.W Charenamei, younger brother of deceased Wisobou Charenamai, said the family and community were not seeking retaliation.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelines”We don’t seek any revenge against the militants. We just want the facts to be established and swift justice for our murdered brothers.”Manipur chief minister Y Khemchand Singh has directed security officials to arrest those involved in the killings and initiate action against them.The United Naga Council (UNC), the apex Naga body in Manipur, has alleged that two Kuki militant outfits, the Kuki National Front (P) and Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA), were behind the ambush.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.Here are more Raksha Bandhan wishes, Bhadra kaal and Shubh Muhurat from The Times of India.About the AuthorAastha JhaAastha Jha is a writer at The Times of India, covering politics. She also writes on business, global affairs, social issues, with a focus on policy, governance and their impact on everyday lives. Her work brings together reportage and analysis, tracking developments in India and abroad while examining the broader social and economic currents shaping public discourse.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos469 Dead In Nepal Floods; 3 Bodies Found In Uttar Pradesh; Kathmandu Declines Foreign Rescue TeamsCongress Alleges ₹36,000 Crore ‘Sugar Scam’, Slams Modi Govt Over Festive Price RisePM Modi’s Central Asia Visit: SCO Summit, Uzbekistan Ties, Putin Meet In FocusCM Suvendu Adhikari Urges Skilled Bengalis Abroad To Return, Promises Jobs Under Double-Engine Govt’Blind Pakistan Activated Spies To Locate India’s S-400′ During Op Sindoor, Ex-Air Marshal RevealsCamac Street Showdown: TMC Blocks Police During Billboard Removal, Banerjee Announces Court MoveNepal Floods: 288 Indians Uncontactable, 21 Rescued So Far, MEA Shares Key Updates | WatchFour Killed, One Missing In Manipur Ambush As Naga-Kuki Tensions Erupt Again, Probe Launch | WatchFake IAS Officer Tripti Rajput Under Probe, Police Recover CBI Cards And Government DocumentsWhy A Supreme Court Judge Wants The Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Transferred?123PhotostoriesLock Upp 2 fame Akanksha Chamola’s luxurious Mumbai home: Elegant interiors, cosy living room and beautiful mandirH1N1 Or COVID-19? Symptoms may look the same, but the diagnosis can mean a very different treatment approachMakeup not lasting all day? Here’s why your base melts by noonThe ‘ick’ explained: 7 reasons attraction between partners can suddenly disappear (and how to bring the spark back)5 reasons people pull away even when they have feelings7 signs you like the idea of a romantic relationship more than your partnerCuff too tight, legs crossed or talking? Cardiologist reveals 5 home BP mistakes that can alter readings5 habits that can quietly damage a marriageNepal flash flood: 7 glacial hotspots around the world facing rising climate risksChettinad to Molakalmuru: Underrated South Indian sarees rich in heritage123Hot PicksNepal floodUPTET Result 2026Sunny LeoneKerala name changeRRB NTPC UG CBT 2 examAnkit Baliyan murderSridhar VembuDelhi murderNEET PG 2026 admit cardTop TrendingAnkit Balyan MurderChandigarh MurderSamay RainaUdaipur HotelFlorida Car CrashUS Green Card HolderBengal HospitalTamil Nadu Son MurderElon MuskKanpur Aircraft Crash

Vamsikrishna 0
Ramesh cited the latest report of the parliamentary standing committee of the ministry of social justice and empowerment, tabled on August 10, to question the government’s record on its existing free coaching scheme. NEW DELHI: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Friday slammed the Centre over its recent digital education initiatives, alleging that the government was pushed into announcing free online coaching after Rahul Gandhi highlighted the rising burden of private coaching on Indian families.Ramesh questioned the Centre’s ability to implement such schemes, citing a parliamentary panel report that found the existing free coaching programme had achieved only 26 per cent of its enrolment target.Ramesh targets Centre over free online coaching planIn a post on X, Ramesh accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of attempting to deflect attention from deeper problems in India’s education system by turning to online coaching instead of strengthening public education.”Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi at the Chhatron ki Goonj event in Kota on June 17th 2026, raised one of the most important issues in education today: that an extractive coaching industry has supplanted the public education system and that Indian families are now spending 2.5 times more on coaching centres than the Govt of India invests in education.”Ramesh claimed that Rahul Gandhi’s disclosure was followed by the Prime Minister’s announcement of free online coaching for students on August 15.”It was this disclosure that forced the Prime Minister, in a desperate attempt to escape growing public pressure, to announce free online coaching for students on 15th August. But his Government’s track record hardly inspires any confidence. Its existing Free Coaching scheme has been missing its target for 3 years,” he said.Existing free coaching scheme misses targetRamesh cited the latest report of the parliamentary standing committee of the ministry of social justice and empowerment, tabled on August 10, to question the government’s record on its existing free coaching scheme.”The Ministry of Social Justice was to enrol 10,500 candidates for free coaching over 3 years, but it has only enrolled 2,790 students – just 26% of the target. The budget for this scheme has reduced every year, and last year’s spending was less than half the budget. These startling facts have been revealed in the latest report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, tabled on Aug 10, 2026,” he wrote.The Congress leader argued that the government’s focus should be on fixing structural weaknesses in the education system rather than expanding digital coaching initiatives.”Rather than fundamentally fix India’s broken education system or re-invest in public education, the Prime Minister has decided to instead invest public resources in online coaching. It is an accountability-evading gimmick, and this Government has already shown little capacity to implement this scheme successfully,” Jairam Ramesh wrote.Rahul Gandhi’s student campaignRamesh’s criticism follows Rahul Gandhi’s wider campaign highlighting concerns faced by students, including rising education costs, examination irregularities, paper leaks, recruitment issues and unemployment.The Congress leader launched the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign in 2026 to bring student concerns into the national political discourse. The campaign has been held in Kota, Dehradun and Prayagraj, among other places.At a recent ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Maharashtra, Rahul also spoke about the role of women in India, describing them as the country’s biggest strength.”Women are the strength of India – its foundation, its present, and its future.”Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelines”You belong to no one but yourself. Be loud. Be proud. Fight for your space. Smash the patriarchy!” he said in a post on X.Addressing the programme, Rahul Gandhi said India’s greatest strength lay in the aspirations and potential of its women.”Many times, people ask me, ‘What is India’s biggest strength?’ You get many answers when you ask this question. Somebody will say our economy. Somebody will say our military. Somebody will say our medical system. Somebody might even say our people, but I am very clear on what is India’s biggest strength, our biggest asset, and that strength is 70 crore unique journeys, unique imaginations, unique dreams that the women of India are living,” he said.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.Here are more Raksha Bandhan wishes, Bhadra kaal and Shubh Muhurat from The Times of India.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos469 Dead In Nepal Floods; 3 Bodies Found In Uttar Pradesh; Kathmandu Declines Foreign Rescue TeamsCongress Alleges ₹36,000 Crore ‘Sugar Scam’, Slams Modi Govt Over Festive Price RisePM Modi’s Central Asia Visit: SCO Summit, Uzbekistan Ties, Putin Meet In FocusCM Suvendu Adhikari Urges Skilled Bengalis Abroad To Return, Promises Jobs Under Double-Engine Govt’Blind Pakistan Activated Spies To Locate India’s S-400′ During Op Sindoor, Ex-Air Marshal RevealsCamac Street Showdown: TMC Blocks Police During Billboard Removal, Banerjee Announces Court MoveNepal Floods: 288 Indians Uncontactable, 21 Rescued So Far, MEA Shares Key Updates | WatchFour Killed, One Missing In Manipur Ambush As Naga-Kuki Tensions Erupt Again, Probe Launch | WatchFake IAS Officer Tripti Rajput Under Probe, Police Recover CBI Cards And Government DocumentsWhy A Supreme Court Judge Wants The Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Transferred?123PhotostoriesH1N1 Or COVID-19? Symptoms may look the same, but the diagnosis can mean a very different treatment approachMakeup not lasting all day? Here’s why your base melts by noonThe ‘ick’ explained: 7 reasons attraction between partners can suddenly disappear (and how to bring the spark back)5 reasons people pull away even when they have feelings7 signs you like the idea of a romantic relationship more than your partnerCuff too tight, legs crossed or talking? Cardiologist reveals 5 home BP mistakes that can alter readings5 habits that can quietly damage a marriageNepal flash flood: 7 glacial hotspots around the world facing rising climate risksChettinad to Molakalmuru: Underrated South Indian sarees rich in heritageFriday OTT releases (August 28 2026): ‘Babita Singh Reporting’, ‘Chumbak’, ‘Part-Timers’, ‘Dark Matter Season 2’, Graveyard Season 3 amd more123Hot PicksNepal floodUPTET Result 2026Sunny LeoneKerala name changeRRB NTPC UG CBT 2 examAnkit Baliyan murderSridhar VembuDelhi murderNEET PG 2026 admit cardTop TrendingAnkit Balyan MurderChandigarh MurderSamay RainaUdaipur HotelFlorida Car CrashUS Green Card HolderBengal HospitalTamil Nadu Son MurderElon MuskKanpur Aircraft Crash

Ramesh cited the latest report of the parliamentary standing committee of the ministry of social justice and empowerment, tabled on August 10, to question the government’s record on its existing free coaching scheme. NEW DELHI: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Friday slammed the Centre over its recent digital education initiatives, alleging that the government was pushed into announcing free online coaching after Rahul Gandhi highlighted the rising burden of private coaching on Indian families.Ramesh questioned the Centre’s ability to implement such schemes, citing a parliamentary panel report that found the existing free coaching programme had achieved only 26 per cent of its enrolment target.Ramesh targets Centre over free online coaching planIn a post on X, Ramesh accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of attempting to deflect attention from deeper problems in India’s education system by turning to online coaching instead of strengthening public education.”Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi at the Chhatron ki Goonj event in Kota on June 17th 2026, raised one of the most important issues in education today: that an extractive coaching industry has supplanted the public education system and that Indian families are now spending 2.5 times more on coaching centres than the Govt of India invests in education.”Ramesh claimed that Rahul Gandhi’s disclosure was followed by the Prime Minister’s announcement of free online coaching for students on August 15.”It was this disclosure that forced the Prime Minister, in a desperate attempt to escape growing public pressure, to announce free online coaching for students on 15th August. But his Government’s track record hardly inspires any confidence. Its existing Free Coaching scheme has been missing its target for 3 years,” he said.Existing free coaching scheme misses targetRamesh cited the latest report of the parliamentary standing committee of the ministry of social justice and empowerment, tabled on August 10, to question the government’s record on its existing free coaching scheme.”The Ministry of Social Justice was to enrol 10,500 candidates for free coaching over 3 years, but it has only enrolled 2,790 students – just 26% of the target. The budget for this scheme has reduced every year, and last year’s spending was less than half the budget. These startling facts have been revealed in the latest report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, tabled on Aug 10, 2026,” he wrote.The Congress leader argued that the government’s focus should be on fixing structural weaknesses in the education system rather than expanding digital coaching initiatives.”Rather than fundamentally fix India’s broken education system or re-invest in public education, the Prime Minister has decided to instead invest public resources in online coaching. It is an accountability-evading gimmick, and this Government has already shown little capacity to implement this scheme successfully,” Jairam Ramesh wrote.Rahul Gandhi’s student campaignRamesh’s criticism follows Rahul Gandhi’s wider campaign highlighting concerns faced by students, including rising education costs, examination irregularities, paper leaks, recruitment issues and unemployment.The Congress leader launched the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign in 2026 to bring student concerns into the national political discourse. The campaign has been held in Kota, Dehradun and Prayagraj, among other places.At a recent ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Maharashtra, Rahul also spoke about the role of women in India, describing them as the country’s biggest strength.”Women are the strength of India – its foundation, its present, and its future.”Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelines”You belong to no one but yourself. Be loud. Be proud. Fight for your space. Smash the patriarchy!” he said in a post on X.Addressing the programme, Rahul Gandhi said India’s greatest strength lay in the aspirations and potential of its women.”Many times, people ask me, ‘What is India’s biggest strength?’ You get many answers when you ask this question. Somebody will say our economy. Somebody will say our military. Somebody will say our medical system. Somebody might even say our people, but I am very clear on what is India’s biggest strength, our biggest asset, and that strength is 70 crore unique journeys, unique imaginations, unique dreams that the women of India are living,” he said.Get the latest India News and Live updates. 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