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The Print
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Print
Pahalgam, Pakistan generals, pitches—what readers wrote to us in May
I did think of writing about ThePrint's coverage of Operation Sindoor in this piece but decided against it since the April column had dealt with our reporting on the Pahalgam terror attack. Operation Sindoor, launched by India against terrorist targets in Pakistan on 7 May, has been the story of the month. Instead, this column will feature readers' comments that I have received over the past few months. However, before we get down to the compliments and the complaints—and even a few curses—let me just say that ThePrint spent days and several nights covering all angles of Operation Sindoor, the subsequent military battle between India and Pakistan, the 10 May ceasefire, and the domestic and international impact of these actions. Up to 14 ThePrint journalists were sent to Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab to report from the ground during the four-day conflict. In-depth analysis of India's defence capabilities, its strategic gains, and the long-term consequences of its strikes were also covered extensively. The Opinion section of the website had military and diplomatic experts explain what many consider a defining moment in India's strategy against terror, as articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation, in which he outlined a 'new normal' policy. There's no space to mention all the good work done at ThePrint in May. But I would like to cite one story that best illustrates the teamwork which contributed to ThePrint's 'war' effort in significant ways. The breaking story came from ThePrint's science writer, Soumya Pillai. Her report of 9 May—'Orders for Pahalgam satellite images from US firm peaked two months before attack'—was perhaps the only story in the news media to provide proof of the planning behind the Pahalgam attack, and to link it to Pakistan. To quote from the story: 'Two months before terrorists killed 26 people in Kashmir, a top US-based space tech company saw an unprecedented spike in orders for high-resolution satellite images of Pahalgam and its surrounding areas… These high-resolution images are often used by defence agencies for monitoring troop movements, weapon installations, and infrastructure development…' Pillai wrote that the company, Maxar Technologies, first received orders for images of Pahalgam in June 2024 '…just months after Maxar acquired a new partner: a Pakistan-based geo-spatial company linked to federal crimes in the US.' That's pretty plausible evidence, right? Congratulations, Soumya Pillai. Also, while we are in a self-congratulatory mood, three journalists from ThePrint have won the Justice Media Award 2024-25. Apoorva Mandhani, Bismee Taskin, and Khadija Khan have been recognised 'for their contributions towards enhancing public understanding of justice and the legal system.' Read all about it here. Also Read: ThePrint's in-depth ground reports are now multimedia-interactive. 2025 vision board In the words of readers Right, now it's to the readers' mail. Readers had many issues on their minds, and India's conflict with Pakistan was just one of them. Articles and comments on the latter were submitted: 'Will Pakistan attack India again?' asked one reader on 15 May, adding that there was a complete blackout in his city — '…as per TV news there is a danger that Pakistan may attack India again?' he wrote. Then there was an article titled 'IMF's $2.3 billion loan to Pakistan: A history of bailouts casting shadows on the Fund's credibility in combating the financing of terrorism'. Another piece was 'How Pakistan wins the war it never fights'. One reader had a bright idea: why not collaborate on a documentary about Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who has been very vocal in his support for the Modi government's actions. In 'Proposal to explore Shri Shashi Tharoor as a potential PM candidate', the reader said Tharoor is '…a unique and compelling leader on the national stage'. A more sombre submission was an article titled 'How the Pahalgam attack reflects India's descent into communal darkness'—and this piece, 'Faith didn't kill them. Fanaticism did' from a Class 11 student, which in his words '…emphasises the need for unity while rejecting communal narratives.' We had other submissions too on Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor, but unfortunately, we've been unable to publish them given the volume of expert views we did carry on these topics. But thank you for your interest, readers— we do appreciate it. I also received a few complaints. Some readers objected to individual opinion pieces. In response to journalist and TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose's piece 'After Operation Sindoor, let's choose truth over TV theatre', a reader wrote: (she is) 'quite one-sided and full of anti BJP rhetoric without much rational thought… Is criticism the default option of Ms Ghose come what may?' Objections to tone, length, ads More criticism came our way on articles written about other subjects. I was in the firing line for recent Tele-Scope columns. One reader began gently enough: 'There are three people in total at ThePrint whom I have very high regard for: U, Mr Gupta, and Snehesh… (But) I was extremely disappointed by your article today… you sounded less like a serious journalist, more like the alleged rabid Islamist Rana Ayyub or the congress doormat (to quote Mr Amit Malviya) Rajdeep Sardesai… Unfortunate!!!' What had upset him so was this article. A ground report on the sex lives of college students got a lot of reader interest—and some criticism. A worried reader thought the piece was 'avoidable' as '…the publication of such report perhaps will serve as an encouragement to other young readers… and more members of other sex will be hence victimized.' My reply was that the 'secret' lives ought to brought out into the open so that the public becomes aware of the need to create a healthy environment for normal, sexual behaviour. A really angry mail came from students of the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences regarding the article 'World's largest indigenous school in Odisha is a jail; we're all monkeys, says a tribal student'. They expressed 'immense pain' and a 'deep sense of betrayal'—'Have you ever visited our campus? Have you spoken to us, the children of KISS, before labelling our home as a 'jail'?' they wrote. 'Your article reeks of prejudice, ignorance, and insensitivity.' ThePrint replied with a point-by-point rebuttal of the allegations. For example, nowhere in the article did ThePrint claim it had entered the KISS premises—we had no permission to do so. We did speak to students, parents, and alumni, and the story cites a report by the National Human Rights Commission in 2025: 'The KIIT University and KISS have both been unable to comply with the law and failed to provide safety and security to their students.' Quite often, I receive backhanded compliments that are actually complaints. Like this one: 'I'm a long-time reader of your journal, and I find its reporting better and truer than the propaganda churned out by Godi media…' Great. But then: 'On the other hand, your journal does suffer from certain handicaps… Some of the articles are too long… they fail to hold my interest. For instance, the article by Manasi Phadake (sic), 'How big stars and bloated blockbusters are bleeding Bollywood dry', is way too long…' Finally, the reader has a word of advice: 'What you need is a good Editor who will ruthlessly trim the fat…' Personally, I found Phadke's article informative and the data it presented, persuasive. ThePrint has a very competent editing team who do 'ruthlessly trim the fat' but I have passed this on to them, nevertheless. Readers frequently complain about advertisements interrupting their reading of articles: 'I admire print journalism… it would be ideal if the articles could be printed without any ads interfering,' wrote in a reader. I wish we could all enjoy an ad-free experience but financial imperatives dictate otherwise. So, apologies, but please bear with us. Also Read: How ThePrint's small newsroom brought you Pahalgam from every angle, minus the noise Conversations—and compliments I also receive mail that is neither complimentary nor critical. Readers simply want to share their views. One reader, for example, wrote about 'When truth breaks its bones in the fall from power'—'The battle between truth and power is not new, but its stakes have never been higher…'' And this, on taxes: 'Taxed for earning. Taxed for spending. Taxed for saving'. 'You work 12 hours a day / Income Tax cuts your salary. You go shopping /GST slaps your bill. You save and invest /Capital gains eats your reward… You die. And they're considering inheritance tax next.' A very long mail arrived in the mailbox on the ruling party, titled: 'Hallo — all the Lordships of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India: please DO NOT UNDER-ESTIMATE the RSS of BJP…' Some readers ask for our opinion — or rather that of Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta: 'One thing which is not talked about a lot is that Gen. Munir is the first general of Pakistan Army who was commissioned (in 1986) when Zia was firmly in control of the army. Gen. Zia was in his conservative avatar, transforming Pakistani society… What are your thoughts on this? Would this mean the coming crop of generals from Pakistan would be more radical and conservative Islamists than their predecessors?' Finally, let me share a few compliments. The first — 'Thank you all for your reporting on the Pehalgam (sic) attack… Unlike some other channels, you guys have not tried to portray it Hindu vs Muslim. I felt that all your reports were subtly trying to tell the readers that it's a terrorist act effected by Pakistan and Indian Muslims are together in this with the rest of India.' And there's this one: 'Dear The Print (sic) team and Mr Shekhar Gupta, Thank you for doing what you are doing and please continue. I have been a big fan… of The Print. I have been diligently consuming important information pieces, and have been referring to The Print articles/videos anytime I needed a reliable source of information. Thank you for your non-hyphenated journalism.' Thank you, readers, for your continuing faith in ThePrint. Shailaja Bajpai is ThePrint's Readers' Editor. Please write in with your views and complaints to (Edited by Asavari Singh)
The Print
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
Out-of-school children: Centre flags huge mismatch in Bihar, Jharkhand data & national survey
The discrepancies surfaced during meetings between state officials and the Project Approval Board (PAB) for the Samagra Shiksha Scheme, the largest school education scheme, held between March and April 2025. The minutes of the meetings were released last week. With the mismatch raising concerns about the reliability of state data, the ministry has asked these states to closely monitor the data uploaded to the portal. New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Education has flagged significant discrepancies between the number of out-of-school children reported by Bihar and Jharkhand on the Centre's online portal and the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) survey, ThePrint has learnt. According to the minutes reviewed by ThePrint, the ministry identified a 'large variation' in the number of Out-of-School Children (OoSC)—defined as those aged 6 to 14 years who are not enrolled in or attending any educational institution—on the PRABANDH portal, the online system used to monitor the implementation of the Samagra Shiksha scheme. In Bihar, state data for 2023-24 showed 33,285 OoSCs on PRABANDH while the number of 'never enrolled' children recorded by the NSSO survey (2022-23) was 6,27,763. Similarly, in Jharkhand, PRABANDH listed 37,409 OoSC in 2023-24 compared with the NSSO's (2022-23) 1,07,639. NSSO defines 'never enrolled' children as students not attending school or any formal education institution at that point of time 'The state was advised to monitor the data uploaded on the portal by a responsible officer under the supervision of the state project directorate,' the minutes stated. The ministry has advised other states and Union territories (UTs) to ensure effective data collection of out-of-school children and timely updates on the PRABANDH portal on bringing them to school. Shashi Ranjan, State Project Director, Jharkhand Education Project Council, told ThePrint the state was investigating the reason behind the data mismatch. 'We are trying to find out how this gap has been reported because we conduct household surveys. We will also coordinate with the NSSO to understand their methodology. However, our process is very meticulous,' he said. He said the education department in Jharkhand conducts door-to-door surveys annually to identify the number of out-of-school children, and the data is updated on the PRABANDH portal. ThePrint reached Bihar Education Department Secretary Ajay Yadav via multiple calls or messages. This report will be updated if and when a response is received. Meanwhile, a Bihar Education Department official told ThePrint on condition of anonymity that they are also looking to ascertain the cause of the discrepancy. Also Read: 'Everything at stake' for Indian students as US pauses visa interviews amid social media vetting plan Teaching posts lying vacant across various states According to the minutes, the ministry also flagged widespread vacancies in teaching posts across various states. Bihar reported 'significant' teacher vacancies, with 208,784 at the elementary level, 36,035 at the secondary level and 33,035 at the senior secondary level. According to the minutes, the state indicated that recruitment is underway, with around 80,000 posts to be filled through the state public service commission and 'plans for further recruitment to follow'. In Haryana, the ministry flagged 7,626 teacher vacancies in elementary schools, 4,070 in secondary schools and 3,847 in senior secondary schools. Madhya Pradesh had 47,122 teacher vacancies in elementary schools, 2,877 in secondary schools and 2,020 in senior secondary schools. Similarly, Punjab had 6,423 vacant teaching posts across the state, including 1,546 at the elementary level, 961 at the secondary level and 3,916 at the senior secondary level. According to the minutes, the states were advised to fill the teacher vacancies by December 2025. Besides, in Maharashtra, the ministry flagged 8,254 vacancies in elementary school teachers, 660 in secondary school teachers and 65 in senior secondary school teachers. 'The state has informed that it has started the recruitment process and has advertised the vacancies. lt will fill the vacant positions within a period of three months,' the minutes stated. Kerala came in for praise by the ministry for 'filling up all sanctioned posts of teachers in all schools'. (Edited by Sugita Katyal) Also Read: To use or not, is no longer the question. From IITs to DU, universities are fighting unethical AI use
The Print
13 hours ago
- Business
- The Print
India fastest growing economy for 4th consecutive year: Sitharaman
'India is sustaining this growth as the fastest growing economy now for the fourth year continuously without a break, thanks to the work of small and medium, large industries, which are coming in and making sure our manufacturing capacity, our service capacity are all intact. Agriculture has also sustained us even during the Covid and subsequently,' Sitharaman said. She said India's manufacturing sector has been 'good' during the March quarter of 2024-25, which helped clock a GDP growth of 6.5 per cent for the full fiscal. New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said India is sustaining its GDP growth momentum as the fastest-growing economy for the fourth year in a row, aided by manufacturing by small, medium and large industries, services and farm sector. Speaking at the Lakshmipat Singhania -IIM Lucknow National Leadership Award, the minister said that during the January-March quarter, there were views that industry was not investing enough, capacities were not increasing, and questioned its impact on the economy. 'I'm glad, India's industry…the manufacturing activity have all been so good during Quarter four and Q4 growth alone was 7.4 per cent. As a result, for the entire financial year of 2024-25 (April-March), the GDP numbers are 6.5 per cent,' Sitharaman said. During the fourth quarter of FY25, manufacturing output grew at 4.8 per cent, while services and farm sector growth was 5.4 per cent each. PTI JD BAL BAL This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
13 hours ago
- Business
- The Print
India sustaining growth momentum, fastest growing eco for 4 years: Sitharaman
'India is sustaining the growth and it is the fastest growing economy now for the fourth year continuously thanks to the work of small, medium, and large industries; industries which are coming in and making sure our manufacturing capacity, our service capacity are all intact. Agriculture has also sustained us even during Covid and subsequently,' Sitharaman said. She said India's manufacturing activity has been 'good' during the January-March period, which has helped clock a GDP growth of 7.4 per cent during the quarter and 6.5 per cent for the full 2024-25 fiscal. New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said India is sustaining its GDP growth momentum as the fastest-growing economy for the fourth year in a row, aided by manufacturing, services and farm sectors. The 6.5 per cent GDP growth for FY'25 comes on a high base of FY'24 when the economy grew at 9.2 per cent. The 7.4 per cent growth in the March quarter was also on a high base of 8.4 per cent in FY'24. Speaking at the Lakshmipat Singhania -IIM Lucknow National Leadership Award, the Minister said during the January-March quarter there were views that industry was not investing enough, capacities were not increasing and questioned its impact on the economy. 'I'm glad, India's industry.. the manufacturing activity have all been good during Q4 of 2024-25 and there was a real GDP growth of 7.4 per cent in Q4 alone. As a result, for the entire financial year of 2024-25 (April-March), the real GDP growth was 6.5 per cent,' Sitharaman said. During the fourth quarter of FY'25, manufacturing output grew at 4.8 per cent, as against 11.3 per cent in the same quarter of FY'24. The services sector expanded 7.3 per cent in the March quarter, while the farm sector growth was 5.4 per cent. Sitharaman said every year the Government is working to remove regulatory difficulties and bring in soft-touch regulation, which will allow people to do business without suspicion. She said she is open to receiving suggestions for removing hurdles to business in easing regulatory hurdles. 'We are at that part of India's history where it just requires all of us to have confidence in our country's abilities and belief that we can definitely deliver that goal.. how long more are we going to say we are a developing country. 'When our own people are going all over the world and working at leadership levels in various sectors. '¦ It's time for all of us to get out of the suspicion that we have in our minds, will India be able to do, will India be able to reach? Yes, we can,' she said. She said in achieving the goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, the country needs to come out of the evil of petty corruption. PTI JD MR This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
13 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
In video shared by Hasina's son, LeT terrorist claims role in her ouster & ‘Modi's defeat in Bangladesh'
'Modi tu janta hai humne pichle saal tujhe bangladesh me shikast di (Modi, you know we defeated you in Bangladesh last year)?' he says. In a viral video doing the rounds on social media, the US-designated terrorist is purportedly seen claiming that the LeT 'defeated Modi in Bangladesh' last year. New Delhi: At a rally in Gujranwala, Pakistan, Wednesday—marking the 27th anniversary of the country's nuclear weapons acquisition—senior Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Muzammil Hashmi claimed a role in the ouster of Sheikh Hasina as Bangladesh's prime minister in July 2024. ThePrint has not independently verified the authenticity of the video. The video was shared by Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Sheikh Hasina's son, and later by former Pakistani diplomat Husain Haqqani. 'The rhetoric of Jihadi extremists at their public rallies makes it difficult for the rest of the world to believe official assertions that Pakistan is no longer sponsoring or tolerating them,' Haqqani wrote on X. The rhetoric of Jihadi extremists at their public rallies makes it difficult for the rest of the world to believe official assertions that Pakistan is no longer sponsoring or tolerating them. — Husain Haqqani (@husainhaqqani) May 30, 2025 This video follows Bangladesh interim legal adviser Asif Nazrul's reported meeting with Harun Izhar, chief of LeT's Bangladesh module, just hours after the Pahalgam terror attack in India. According to local media, the meeting took place at the Ministry of Law, Dhaka. The report was first shared by Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Sheikh Hasina's son. Izhar, linked to numerous terror plots, including a 2009 plan to attack the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, was reportedly also accompanied by several LeT operatives. At the Gujranwala rally, Hashmi can also be heard delivering a fiery speech aimed at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, 'You try to scare us with your bullets, Modi. Here's our message: Our children aren't afraid of your missiles—why would we fear your bullets?' 'Your predecessors could not intimidate us, and neither will you,' he says. 'Look at the history of Hindustan and your forefathers. They have always bowed before us—and so will you.' (Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri) Also read: Even as India launches war on terror camps in Pakistan, LeT & JeM continue recruitment in Kashmir
