New Indian Express shines at JLF
The 13th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival began in the Pink City. Acclaimed authors and artists from the world over are taking part in the event. The speakers include Nobel Laureate Abhijit Banerjee and the author of Eat Pray Love Elizabeth Gilbert. Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the festival. The 202 sessions at JLF will cover a host of subjects ranging from world and regional literature to economics and international relations. The New Indian Express Group sponsored some sessions at JLF. The major attraction was the TNIE-sponsored session on Prasoon Joshi’s book Thinking Aloud.
Education minister interacts with children
Thursday was special for the children of government schools across Rajasthan. Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasara held a dialogue with over 6,000 students where he spoke about the importance of time management for success in life. It’s the first time that school children got an opportunity to directly interact with the education minister and share their problems. Like Late president Abdul Kalam, Dotasara asked the students to nurture dreams and work hard to turn them into reality. While answering queries, the education minister said that a positive mind set, calm attitude and hard work are the keys to success in life. Govind Singh Dotasra also emphasised on the importance of physical fitness and extracurricular activates.
Palace on Wheels runs with new engine
Rajasthan’s luxury train, the Palace on Wheels arrived in Jaipur carrying 34 passengers from seven different countries. Besides the royal welcome, what made this trip memorable for the tourists was that the train was being run by the steam engine, famous as the ‘Fairy Queen’ — which is the oldest steam engine and is in the Guinness Book of World Records. The steam engine has been revived after a gap of over 30 years and will be an added attraction for tourists as they travel from Safdarjung railway station to Rajasthan.
Session on public policy at JKLU
Professor Alasdair Roberts, director at the School of Public Policy and Department of Political Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (Umass Amherst) delivered a lecture on public policy at the JK Lakshmipat University recently. Titled “Can Government Do Anything Right?”, the session was based on his 2018-book and touched upon aspects of public policy while addressing concerns about the failures of governments in the US and India. A visiting faculty at the university, Prof Roberts called for greater public participation and transparency in policymaking.