Firstpost Editor's Picks: Home ministry regains centrality, free bus, metro rides in Delhi, Hrithik Roshan in Super 30; today's must-read stories

With Amit Shah in the chair, Union home ministry has regained centrality for first time after LK Advani

North Block was then the hub of all kinds of activities – the home minister’s office was not limited to overseeing just internal security but ministers of all ministries would line up there for a variety of issues. Advani had his task cut out, manage all kinds of conflicts, contradictions, bruised egos in the government, in the party and in the coalition. Over the last five years through his hard work and skilful strategic organisational Amit Shah more than inherited Advani’s position in the BJP and government.

From promises of kisses to allegations of discrimination, Delhi govt’s free bus and Metro rides scheme polarises city’s women

While the Delhi chief minister might be interested in seeking suggestions from the people, the middle-class seems to be staunchly critical of this move. Twenty-eight-year-old Reeta, who works in a software company in Nehru Nagar, feels that women are capable of purchasing their Metro tickets and that they do not require such freebie gimmicks. The announcement is also a reflection on the fact that the party has already started gearing up for the Assembly election in 2020.

MPC swings from ‘neutral’ to ‘accommodative’, but the RBI show is a non-event until banks play their part

The question is whether even another 50 bps rate cut will be enough to lift the faltering economy to a safer place until the manufacturing segment picks up and private investors return to the country. And here, it’s not just the cost of borrowing but a host of other issues that are posing hurdles to the growth recovery— the absence of land and labor reforms being one example. Over the years, Indian banks have mastered the art of tricking the central bank by not passing rate cut benefits to borrowers, thus harming effective monetary transmission in the banking system. This is something one needs to watch going ahead.

Australian Open Badminton 2019: As Indian challenge ends in Sydney, time to reflect at what went wrong in last six months

With three days still remaining for this Grade 5, Super 300 tournament to run its course, it is back to the drawing-board, to try and figure out just what has gone wrong with Indian badminton that had looked to be in such robust health barely six months back, when Sameer Verma had reached the last four stage of the year-ending World Tour grand finals, and Sindhu had beaten all-comers to claim the women’s crown.

In Doosri Sita (1974), Jaya Bachchan wore make-up that made her considerably darker to play a character so ugly that no one would love her. Zeenat Aman was brownfaced to play a domestic worker in Pyaas (1982). And who could ever forget Junior Mehmood singing ‘Hum Kaale Hai Toh Kya Hua…’ in Brahmachaari (1968) and Ranveer Singh getting a darker look to play a slum dweller in Gully Boy. See a thread running through all these roles? For the people of privilege making films, these roles represent ‘the others.’ This isn’t their peeps — this is a part of society that is supposed to remain subservient to them.