u/SandeshChahar

On August 17, deaf and speech-impaired protesters gathered near the UP Assembly with a 20-point charter demanding better education, welfare and accessibility. They were subsequently detained and taken to Eco Garden, according to reports.

Their demands may be different, but their rights are not.

Garbage piling up at collection points isn't only a sanitation issue; it is a test of how a city works.

Authorities are responsible for timely lifting and proper disposal. But citizens also have a role: segregate waste, avoid dumping in open spaces, report overflowing points, question RWAs and contractors, and follow up on complaints instead of letting them disappear.

A clean Gurugram cannot be created by the MCG alone or by citizens alone.

We complain about potholes, garbage, dirty walls and broken footpaths—but sometimes we are also part of the problem.

From throwing waste on the road to spitting on public walls, basic civic sense still needs work. A recent national survey also highlights the gap between knowing what is right and actually doing it.

Maybe fixing our cities starts with fixing our habits.

The FY 2024–25 PM CARES accounts raise some important questions. The statement shows a closing balance of about ₹8,452 crore, while payments during the year were only ₹87.85 lakh—roughly 0.01% of that balance. It also records ₹324.65 crore returned by implementing agencies.

I'm not questioning the need to keep money available for emergencies. My question is about transparency.

I have personally donated to PM CARES. If citizens are encouraged to contribute, shouldn't we also be able to clearly understand where the money goes, why large amounts are returned, which agencies returned them, and what the fund has achieved?

The fund describes itself as a public charitable trust created to respond to emergencies and says its trustees are responsible for managing and applying its funds.

If we are trusted to donate, shouldn't we also be trusted with the details?

What started as a small platform to anonymously document bribery in India has suddenly attracted serious attention. Recent reports show bribes.fyi has seen major traffic spikes, real reports from multiple states and growing public discussion.

Now, the team has temporarily paused new submissions while reviewing its legal and financial infrastructure to make the project sustainable. They are also seeking people with relevant legal and financial expertise to help them build it for the long term.

I think this is an interesting moment: going viral can bring attention, but sustaining a public-interest project is a completely different challenge.

From Gurgaon to Gurugram, from old villages and historical settlements to glass towers and Millennium City, there's much more to this city than what we see today.

Did you know about Gurugram’s history before reading this? What’s one historical fact about Gurugram that surprised you?

More than 7,000 stray cattle are currently on the streets of Gurugram, according to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), with residents raising concerns about road safety, traffic disruption and accidents.

Earlier this year, official data put the number at 6,153 stray cattle, making Gurugram the city with the highest number in Haryana. Between August 2024 and December 2025, the MCG reportedly caught more than 5,300 cattle, yet thousands continued to remain on the roads

This number genuinely surprised me.

According to a recent Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) report, Haryana generates around 2,150 tonnes of construction & demolition (C&D) waste every day — and Gurugram alone accounts for approximately 1,500 tonnes per day, nearly 70% of the state's total.

But here's the number that concerns me:

Gurugram reportedly collects only around 300 tonnes per day against 1,500 tonnes generated.

That's a gap of roughly 1,200 tonnes every single day.

And this isn't just about construction sites.

C&D waste includes debris from construction, demolition, renovation and repair activities — and when it isn't properly collected and processed, it can end up on roadsides, vacant plots, drains and other open spaces.

This video shows an open dumping site in Gurugram, and it raises a question that residents have been asking for years:

When horticulture waste and malba are collected from societies, markets and offices, where does it actually go?

This isn't a new problem. Residents around Sectors 50 and 57, Tigra, Espace Towers, Unitech Business Zone, Nirvana Country and surrounding open stretches have repeatedly raised concerns about horticulture waste and construction debris being dumped in vacant areas. Similar concerns have been documented by local media for more than a decade.

What's particularly concerning is the cycle:

Waste is collected → transported in tractor-trolleys → dumped in open spaces → piles accumulate → and eventually the waste is burned.

Residents have reported this happening repeatedly, while authorities have issued directions against open dumping and burning. MCG, for example, has previously directed RWAs not to dump horticulture waste outside designated areas.

And this isn't just about an ugly dumping ground.

Open burning of horticulture and municipal waste directly adds to air pollution, and CAQM inspections in Gurugram have also found waste accumulation and instances of open burning on multiple road stretches.

What does it mean to stand up for another citizen when doing so comes at a personal cost?

On January 26, 2026, in Kotdwar, Uttarakhand, gym owner Deepak Kumar intervened when a group of men allegedly confronted 70-year-old shopkeeper Vakeel Ahmed over the use of the word “Baba” in his shop's name.

When asked who he was, Deepak responded: “My name is Mohammad Deepak.”

What followed was far more than a disagreement over a shop name. Deepak faced protests, police cases and significant personal and financial pressure. His gym, which once had around 150 members, reportedly saw its membership fall dramatically.

Yet his message remained simple: every citizen deserves dignity, safety and the freedom to live without fear.

His story raises a larger question about India:

Can we stand up for someone else's rights even when we disagree with their religion, identity or background?

India's diversity has always been one of its defining strengths. The idea that one citizen can stand beside another, not because they share the same identity, but because they share the same citizenship, is something worth remembering.

Deepak's story is ultimately about choosing to speak up when it would be easier to remain silent.

Source: https://x.com/kaushikrj6/status/2088599954369789988?s=20

I came across the latest Pew Research Center Global Attitudes Survey, and the numbers are much more nuanced than simply saying “India's image is getting better” or “India's image is getting worse.”

Pew surveyed 42,092 people across 36 countries between February and May 2026.

The overall median is fairly balanced: 45% have a favourable view of India, while 41% have an unfavourable view.

But the country-by-country differences are striking.

Sri Lanka — 79% favourable

UK — 71%

Germany — 63%

Italy — 56%

Japan — 55%

US — 45% favourable / 50% unfavourable

Bangladesh — 42% favourable / 51% unfavourable

Pakistan — 7% favourable / 91% unfavourable

The US figure particularly caught my attention.

India's favourable rating in the US dropped from 54% in 2025 to 45% in 2026. Pew says this is among the lowest levels recorded since it began tracking American views of India in 2008.

But there is another side to the story.

India's image actually improved in several European countries. Favourability increased by 11 points in the UK and 6 points in Germany compared with 2025. Sri Lanka's favourable view also increased by 14 points compared with 2024.

So the data doesn't tell me that the world has suddenly turned against India.

It tells me something more interesting:

India's global image is becoming increasingly polarised.

Some countries see India very positively. Others increasingly don't.

And that makes me wonder what is actually driving these differences.

Is it India's economic growth?

Foreign policy?

India's relationship with the US and other major powers?

Domestic politics?

Media coverage?

India's role in global conflicts?

Or simply how different countries perceive India's growing influence?

I think this is a much more interesting conversation than simply asking whether India's image is “good” or “bad.”

This data from Hindustan Times on India@79 made me stop and think about something we don't discuss enough.

India is still one of the world's youngest major economies, with a median age of around 29 years. But that is changing. India's median age is projected to cross 30 by 2029 and 40 by 2056.

At the same time, the median age of Indian workers has already increased from 33 in 1993–94 to 39 in 2025.

What's even more interesting is the movement away from agriculture. The median age gap between agricultural and non-agricultural workers has widened significantly, suggesting that younger Indians are increasingly looking outside farming for opportunities.

And this brings me to what I think is the biggest question:

Are we creating enough good-quality, well-paying jobs for this generation?

The data shows that almost half of private salaried workers don't have a written contract, paid leave or social security.

So we have a huge young population, more young people moving away from agriculture, increasing aspirations for better jobs—and yet a large section of workers still lack basic employment security.

We often talk about India's demographic dividend.

But a young population is an opportunity only if people have access to productive work, decent wages, skills and social security.

Otherwise, the same demographic dividend could become a demographic challenge.

India's last completed Census was in 2011.

The next Census was supposed to happen in 2021, but the exercise was postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Census 2027 is finally underway, with the reference date set for March 1, 2027.

That's a 15-year gap from the last Census to the current exercise, and a six-year delay from when the 2021 Census was originally due.

And this isn't just a routine population count.

The 2011 Census collected information on demographics, education, employment, migration, housing and other aspects of Indian society. The official 2011 household schedules are still available through the Census of India archive.

But Census 2027 is bringing some major changes.

40 questions will be asked during population enumeration, compared with 29 in 2011. The new questionnaire includes information such as Aadhaar, voter ID, mobile number, bank accounts and COVID-19 vaccination details.

And perhaps the biggest change:

For the first time since Independence, caste will be comprehensively enumerated across communities.

Until now, the regular Census systematically counted only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The last comprehensive publicly available all-India caste data dates back to 1931.

So we're potentially going from 2011 → 2027 with a huge amount of change in between.

India has experienced massive changes in population, urbanisation, migration, technology, employment, household structures and access to services during these years.

As we celebrate India's 80th Independence Day, I believe we should always remember the freedom fighters who made our independence possible through their courage, sacrifice and determination.

Their sacrifices gave us the freedom to live, dream and build the country we call home today.

For me, there is one identity that stands above everything else:

I am an Indian. 🇮🇳

That's the identity I carry with me everywhere, not because of where I come from, what language I speak, or what community I belong to, but simply because India is my home.

We may have our differences, but our freedom was won together.

Let's remember those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom and never take that freedom for granted.

98%.

Not 20%. Not 50%. Not even 80%.

According to the CAG's latest findings, the Green India Mission fell short of its forest-cover targets by nearly 98% during its 10 years of implementation from 2015–16 to 2024–25.

The mission was created to protect, restore and enhance India's forest and tree cover. Its broader target included increasing forest/tree cover by 5 million hectares and improving the quality of another 5 million hectares.

And after ten years, the scale of the shortfall is honestly difficult to comprehend.

This isn't just about planting trees.

It's about climate resilience, biodiversity, water security, air quality and the kind of environment we leave behind for the next generation.

The CAG has also flagged issues around implementation and management. Meanwhile, the Green India Mission has continued to receive public funding; the 2026–27 allocation is ₹170 crore, while PRS notes that only 28% of the revised 2025–26 allocation had been utilised.

So my question isn't simply “Why did we fail?”

It's:

How can a national environmental mission miss its target by nearly 98% over a decade without triggering much stronger accountability?

If the original targets were unrealistic, they should have been revised transparently.

If implementation was the problem, those responsible should have been held accountable.

And if funding or coordination was the problem, that should have been addressed much earlier.

We cannot keep announcing ambitious environmental targets while treating the actual results as an afterthought.

This chart from Nielsen caught my attention.

In May 2026, YouTube accounted for 13.8% of TV viewing in the US, maintaining its position as the #1 media distributor and streaming platform on television.

For comparison:

Disney: 10%

NBCUniversal + Versant: 8.4%

Netflix: 8%

Paramount: 7.7%

Amazon: 4.5%

What I find interesting isn't just YouTube being #1.

It's where people are watching YouTube.

YouTube started as a platform for short online videos. Today, people are increasingly watching it on the biggest screen in the house, alongside and, in some cases, instead of traditional TV and streaming services.

And unlike Netflix or Disney, YouTube isn't primarily producing all the content it distributes. Millions of creators, businesses, media companies and individuals are producing content for the platform.

That makes me wonder:

Are we still right to think of YouTube as a “social media platform”, or has it effectively become one of the world's biggest television networks?

A figure like ₹9.95 lakh crore is difficult to ignore.

According to data presented in Parliament, banks have written off nearly ₹10 lakh crore in loans to large corporates and services over the last 12 financial years.

Before jumping to conclusions, there is an important distinction: a loan write-off does not mean the borrower has been legally forgiven of the debt. Banks can continue recovery proceedings, and borrowers remain liable for repayment.

But that still leaves me with some questions.

How much of this money has actually been recovered after being written off?

Why did these loans become stressed in the first place?

And how effective are our recovery mechanisms when such enormous amounts have to be removed from bank balance sheets?

We often have intense debates about small loan waivers and financial assistance to ordinary citizens. But when we're talking about nearly ₹10 lakh crore in corporate loan write-offs, I think the public deserves the same level of transparency and scrutiny.

I'm not saying every write-off is a favour to a corporation. Banks sometimes need to clean up their balance sheets, and write-offs are an accounting mechanism.

But ₹10 lakh crore is still a massive number.