Latest news with #Residue
NDTV
20-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Nitasha Kaul: The UK Professor Who Said She Lost Overseas Citizenship For "Anti-India Activities"
British-Kashmiri academic Nitasha Kaul has alleged that the Indian authorities have revoked her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status over her alleged "anti-India activities." Ms Kaul, a Professor of Politics at the University of Westminster, shared on X that the government accused her of being motivated by "malice" and spreading disinformation about India's sovereignty and democratic institutions. The move follows her 2024 denial of entry into India, when she was invited to speak at a Bengaluru conference. Who Is Nitasha Kaul? Nitasha Kaul is a Kashmiri novelist, Politics/International Relations academic, poet, economist and artist living in London. She was reportedly born in Uttar Pradesh and her family had migrated from Srinagar. According to reports, she completed her Bachelor's degree in Economics from Sri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi. Ms Kaul completed a Joint PhD in Economics and Philosophy at the University of Hull, UK. She began her academic career as a Seminar Tutor and Lecturer in Economics at the University of Bath and later taught at the University of the West of England, Bristol. She also held a position in Creative Writing at Royal Thimphu College, Bhutan, before moving into Politics and International Relations at the University of Westminster. Starting as a Visiting Lecturer, she gradually rose through the ranks and now serves as a Reader/Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations. Between 2007 and 2015, she was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Democracy in London. In 2008, she became an Honorary Fellow at the University of Bristol. She was a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University in Canberra in 2009 and at the Central University of Hyderabad in 2010. In 2011, she worked as a Fellow at the Centre for Bhutan Studies. Her first novel, Residue, about Kashmiris outside Kashmir, was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2009, even before it was published. She has received many important research grants and awards. In 2018, she got a British Academy/Leverhulme grant to study democracy in Bhutan. She also won several awards from the University of Westminster between 2019 and 2024. Ms Kaul also reviews research grants for big groups like the European Research Council and UKRI, and helps with US-UK projects on responsible AI and security research. In February 2024, Nitasha Kaul was invited by the Karnataka government to speak at a seminar on India's Constitution. Upon arrival at the Bengaluru Airport, she was denied entry and deported back to the UK.
Indian Express
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Indian-origin British academic Nitasha Kaul claims her OCI status cancelled, says punishment for questioning Modi govt's ‘anti-democratic policies'
Indian-origin academic and author Nitasha Kaul, who teaches at the University of Westminster in London, said Sunday that her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status has been cancelled for her work on the government's 'anti-minority and anti-democratic policies'. Sharing a snapshot of the official letter from the government on X, she said, 'A bad faith, vindictive, cruel example of #TNR (transnational repression) punishing me for scholarly work on anti-minority and anti-democratic policies of #Modi rule.' The picture she shared also indicates that the government had noted her 'indulging in anti-India activities, motivated by malice and complete disregard for facts or history'. 'Through your numerous inimical writings, speeches and journalistic activities at various international forums and on social media platforms, you regularly target India and its institutions on the matters of India's sovereignty,' the document purportedly added. IMPORTANT NOTE – I received a cancellation of my #OCI (Overseas Citizenship of #India) *today* after arriving home. A bad faith, vindictive, cruel example of #TNR (transnational repression) punishing me for scholarly work on anti-minority & anti-democratic policies of #Modi rule. — Professor Nitasha Kaul, PhD (@NitashaKaul) May 18, 2025 In February last year, Kaul was denied entry into India after she arrived at the invitation of the Karnataka government to speak about 'democratic and constitutional values' at an event. She then claimed she was deported to London, after being held in detention for 24 hours 'under direct cctv w restricted movement, a narrow area to lie down and no easy access to food and water'. She was supposed to speak at a conference titled 'The Constitution and Unity of India' in Bengaluru on February 24-25, 2024. Born in Gorakhpur, the British-Indian professor is the director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) at Westminster's School of Social Sciences. She has a BA Honours in Economics from SRCC, University of Delhi, a Master's in Economics specialising in Public Policy, and a joint PhD in Economics and Philosophy from the University of Hull, UK, as per her CV linked to her X profile. She has also authored multiple books, including Residue, Future Tense, and Imagining Economics Otherwise. Both Residue and Future Tense deal with the themes of 'identity, trauma and displacement' in Kashmir. Residue, her debut novel, was one of five works from Asia to be shortlisted for the 2009 Man Asian Literary Prize. —-
Express Tribune
09-02-2025
- Science
- Express Tribune
Climate Smart Tech initiative launched
KARACHI: The Sindh government has launched an innovative agricultural initiative to address the adverse effects of climate change on agricultural sector. Known as 'Climate Smart Technology (CST)' it was inaugurated by Agriculture Minister Sardar Muhammad Baksh Mahar at a ceremony on Saturday. One of the components of CMT is the establishment of a modern MRL (Maximum Residue Level) laboratory which will focus on preventing the spread of Panama disease, ensuring early cotton cultivation, and testing pesticide residues to ensure public health and crop quality. The agriculture minister stressed that although Pakistan contributes only a small fraction to global carbon emissions, it is among the nations most affected by the impacts of climate change. Agriculture, which serves as the backbone of the country's economy, has been increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, such as floods, droughts, glacial melting, and erratic rainfall patterns. The minister said that the CMT is designed to increase crop yields using fewer resources, ultimately benefiting farmers and ensuring more stable food production. One of the key benefits of the technology include 25 to 30 per cent reduction in irrigation water used for wheat cultivation, along with a potential 10 to 15 per cent increase in production; and the introduction of double-row planting methods.
