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Short Answer first -The term ‘British India’ can broadly cover a long period of 350 years, starting from the early 1600s when East India Company ships landed on coastal India, until 1947. However, I have covered the 90 year period call the ‘British Raj’ from 1857–1947.They were the best of times - This period witnessed the creation and explosive growth in Infrastructure that came to define modern India (and Pakistan, Bangladesh) - Major Urban Centers, Hill Stations, Cantonments, Railroads, Major Highways, Bridges, Communication system (Post, Telegraph, Telecom), Irrigation system (Canals), Legal system, Major Universities and Colleges, Institutions, Archaeological Department, Political system, Bureaucracy, Armed forces, Police forces, and even some of the largest Business and Industrial Groups. There prevailed an air of intellectual curiosity, and many bright people and ideas from Europe flowed into India. The great Middle Class of India which numbers around 300 million today has roots in this period. People could own land or transfer ownership while being protected by law. First time in thousands of years, the lowest castes got an opportunity to improve their lot and were covered by law rather than customs. Lastly, India managed to escape from the clutches of a foreign power after hundreds of years.They were the worst of times - OTOH this period witnessed the most savage massacre of Indian rebels at the hands of the British after the 1857 Rebellion was suppressed. Over a 100,000 were butchered, many blown directly from the cannons. In 1919, General Reginald Dyer ordered his troops to fire on a peaceful demonstration that left over 1,000 dead. The British introduced Indenture system which was sort of Debt Bondage under which they sent 3.5 million Indian laborers to far away colonies like Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad, Jamaica, Fiji, etc. Around 200,000 Indian soldiers died in the 2 World Wars fighting for the British Indian Army. The Partition in 1947 lead to the largest population migration in the human history with 15 million people getting uprooted and anywhere from 200,000 to 2 million killed in riots. There was widespread discrimination against Indians, including the elite Indians, and mingling with the natives was strongly discouraged. Though the caste divide has been ingrained in the subcontinent for thousands of years, the British rule formalized and accentuated the divide. However, the most shocking part of this period was the reckless management that was a major cause of several Famines and lead to anywhere from 30 million to 50 million people dying of starvation or subsequent epidemic.So how was life in this 90 year period? It depended on who you were. If you were one of the top ranking British officials or one of the 1,000 odd British Civil servants, you literally lived like a king. The remainder of British officials, soldiers, businessmen lived a very comfortable life too as a superior. The rulers of the Princely states lived luxurious lives too, some of them living like Sheikhs of the Middle East. The minority elite Indians who got access to Western education and worked closely with the British lived a life full of opportunities too. Then there was the newly emerging Middle Class comprising of thousands of Zamindars and Jagirdars, Moneylenders, Government Clerks, Army men, Railway employees, Supervisors, Engineers, Lawyers, Academics, Printers, small businessmen catering to the British, who were living in urban centers lived reasonably comfortable lives. However, the bottom 90% Indians or more were tied to agriculture, toiled in the fields, often looking up towards the sky for rains, worrying about debt, the village moneylender, and worst case starvation and disease.Yes, that was the short one :-)Now the long answer. Just to warn you, this turned out to be much longer than I had planned for. Appreciate any feedback on what can be removed. (Bonus: it comes with pictures) -British India (1857 - 1947) - During this period, the Provinces (called Presidencies or Presidency towns earlier) were collectively referred to as British India. The major provinces were Bengal, Madras, Bombay, United Provinces, Central Provinces, Punjab, Assam, and Burma.Then there were 600 odd Princely states or Native states in the Indian subcontinent with major ones being Hyderabad, Mysore, Travancore, Jammu and Kashmir, Baroda, Gwalior. The British Crown had suzerainty over 175 of these Princely states that were generally the largest and most important. The remaining approximately 400 states were influenced by Agents answerable to the provincial governments of British India. Wonder why they were called Princely states? After all, their rulers had the native titles of Raja, Raje, Rana, Rao, Rawal, Sardar, Sardesai, Deshmukh, Thakur and none of these translate to the word Prince. It was meant to keep them a level or two below the Queen!Population - The British started the first census of India in 1871. As of 1881, there were estimated to be 255 million people. By 1947, the population had grown by 50% to 390 million. Note that in the next 70 odd years (1947 till date), the population of the region has quadrupled to 1.6 billion! Of course, the advancements in healthcare, better sanitation, and green revolution have contributed to this growth. During the British Raj, the 50 million odd deaths due to Famines had put brakes on the population growth.Indian Rebellion of 1857 - The rebellion had enraged towns like Meerut, Delhi, Kanpur (called Cawnpore), Lucknow, Jhansi, Indore with Hindu and Muslim soldiers joining hands.British finally managed to suppress the rebellion. Bahadur Shah Zafar was captured at Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi in September, 1857 and exiled to Burma, while several of the Mughal princes were executed.The Indian army was completely reorganised: units composed of the Muslims and Brahmins of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, who had formed the core of the rebellion, were disbanded. New regiments, like the Sikhs and Baluchis, composed of Indians who, in British estimation, had demonstrated steadfastness, were formed.British soldiers as well as people back in Britain were hungry for revenge and the rebels who were caught were hanged or shot or worst case blown from cannons. Around 100,000 Indians were executed.The rebellion saw the end of the East India Company's rule in India. In 1858, the company was formally dissolved and its ruling powers over India were transferred to the British Crown.After the British victory in Revolt of 1857, they confiscated the Jama Masjid in Delhi and stationed their soldiers here. They also wanted to destroy the mosque to punish the people of the city. But due to opposition faced, the demolition was not done. The period after 1857, put the Muslim community in India at a disadvantage and some of the damage has lasted till date.Education Infrastructure -Universities in Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras were established in 1857, just before the Rebellion. The Government College, University in Lahore, was established in 1864. The institution was initially affiliated with the University of Calcutta for examination. The prestigious University of the Punjab, also in Lahore, was the fourth university established in the year 1882.Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, founded in 1875, was the first modern institution of higher education for Muslims in India. By 1920 it became The Aligarh Muslim University and was the leading intellectual center of Muslim political activity.The Thomason College of Civil Engineering was set up at Roorkee in Uttarakhand in 1847, that later became University of Roorkee and then IIT, Roorkee.The Allahabad University was set up in 1875. The institute was once termed as the 'Oxford of East' due to its scholarly alumni and vast potential.In Delhi, St. Stephen's College was founded in 1881, Hindu College in 1899 and Ramjas College in 1917.By 1880, a new middle class had arisen in India and spread thinly across the country. And by 1890, some 60,000 Indians had matriculated, chiefly in the liberal arts or law. About a third entered public administration, and another third became lawyers. The result was a very well educated professional state bureaucracy. By 1887, of the 21,000 mid-level civil service appointments, 45% were held by Hindus, 7% by Muslims, 19% by Anglo Indians (European father and Indian mother), and 29% by Europeans. Of the 1000 top-level positions, almost all were held by Britons, typically with an Oxbridge degree.The government, often working with local philanthropists, opened 186 universities and colleges of higher education by 1911; they enrolled 36,000 students (over 90% men). By 1939 the number of institutions had doubled and enrollment reached 145,000.Growing awareness for the need of technical education in India gave rise to establishment of institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science, established by philanthropist Jamshetji Tata in 1909. By the 1930s India had 10 institutions offering engineering courses.One of the great aspects in those days was the faculty who would bring the best ideas from Europe and Indians (at least some Indians) had first hand access to them.For instance, the famous Hungarian-British Archaeologist, Sir Marc Aurel Stein, (26 November 1862 – 26 October 1943) who is known for his explorations and archaeological discoveries in Central Asia, left Hungary in 1884 and went to England to study oriental languages and archaeology. In 1887, Stein came to India, where he joined the Punjab University as Registrar. Later, between 1888 and 1899, he was the Principal of Oriental College, Lahore.Railways and Highways - During Lord Dalhousie’s period, the first railway line was built and the train ran between Bombay and Thane in 1853. Then the Calcutta-Raniganj Railway line was built and later on the Madras-Arcot railway. Similarly, right from the time of Lord William Bentinck, the highway building activities were carried on. In 1839, the Grand Trunk Road was built, that connected Delhi and Calcutta Later on it was connected with Lahore and Peshawar.The route mileage of this network increased from 1,349 km (838 mi) in 1860 to 25,495 km (15,842 mi) in 1880 – mostly radiating inland from the three major port cities of Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta.The Railways started to generate employment in large numbers, and to this date I believe is the largest Employer of India with 1.4 million on payrolls. It also figures in the Top 10 largest employers in the world. Note that the Indian Armed Forces is the next in line with 1.3 million personnel.Urban Centers - Cities of Calcutta, Madras, Bombay had anyways grown as urban centers and they continued to see more and more city infrastructure being built.Victoria Terminus (VT), now called Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), and a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an historic railway station was built in Bombay (now called Mumbai) in 1887 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria.The Victoria Memorial of Calcutta was built between 1906 and 1921 by the banks of the Hooghly River to commemorate Queen Victoria.New Delhi - From 1911 onward, fortunes of Delhi changed too as they decided to shift the capital from Calcutta to Delhi and built the city of New Delhi over a 20 year period till 1931.Cantonments and Hill Stations - As part of the reorganization measures after the 1857 Rebellion, the British decided to leverage the Rail Network and built over 100 Cantonment towns (also called Cantts in short form), that are key centers for the current Indian Army (as well as in Pakistan and Bangladesh).The accounts of the Britain-like climate started attracting several British officers to the area during the hot Indian summers. By 1826, some officers had started spending their entire vacation in Shimla. Shimla thus became a hill station famous for balls, parties and other festivities. Subsequently, residential schools for pupils from upper-class families were established nearby. By the late 1830s, the city also became a center for Theatre and Art exhibitions. The presence of many bachelors and unattached men, as well as the many women passing the hot weather there, gave Shimla a reputation for adultery, and at least gossip about adultery.After the revolt of 1857 the British sought further distance from what they saw as a disease-ridden land by escape to the Himalayas in the north and Nilgiri Hills in the south. Other factors included anxieties about the dangers of life in India, among them "fear of degeneration brought on by too long residence in a debilitating land." The hill stations were meant to reproduce the home country.and thus The British Raj, and in particular the British Indian Army, founded around 50 odd hill stations in the Indian subcontinent.In 1863, the Viceroy of India, John Lawrence, decided to shift the summer capital of the British Raj to Shimla. He took the trouble of moving the administration twice a year between Calcutta and this separate centre over 1,000 miles away, despite the fact that it was difficult to reach.Many Hill stations were the summer capitals of their Province. For instance, Murree (now in Pakistan) was the summer capital of the Punjab Province of British India until 1864. Ooty served as the summer capital of the Madras Presidency; Soldiers were sent to nearby Wellington to recuperate.The Dalhousie is a hill station in Himachal Pradesh, was established in 1854 by the British Empire's government in India as a summer retreat for its troops and officials.Around 1860s, the British civil servants started using Gulmarg as a retreat to escape summers in North Indian plains. Hunting and golfing were their favorite pastime and three golf courses were established in Gulmarg including one exclusively for women. In 1927, British established a ski club in Gulmarg and two annual ski events were hosted one each during Christmas and EasterMussoorie was founded in 1840s by Lt. Frederick Young and being close to Dehradun, it became a popular destination for the British. In 1850 the first beer brewery in India was built in Mussoorie. By 1894 there were 22 breweries in India producing 6 million gallons a year.I have heard of racist signs posted on the Hill stations during the British Raj, expressly stating that Indians are not allowed. Not sure how true these stories are, however a dress code was enforced on the Mall Roads. Probably not very different from the upscale shopping malls in India, where you come across only those who seem a certain income level.Darjeeling was developed as a sanatorium initially but as the station was developed, the population grew rapidly between 1835 and 1849.Founding of the Indian National Congress - Allan Octavian Hume, helped conceive the idea of the Indian National Congress in 1881 - the political party that would eventually lead the country to Independence. In 1883, Surendranath Banerjee organised a national conference - the first of its kind in 19th century India. This conference heralded the birth of The Indian National Congress.Legal system - Following the First War of Independence in 1857, the control of company territories in India passed to the British Crown. Being part of the empire saw the next big shift in the Indian legal system. Supreme courts were established replacing the existing mayoral courts. These courts were converted to the first High Courts through letters of patents authorized by the Indian High Courts Act passed by the British parliament in 1862. Superintendence of lower courts and enrollment of law practitioners were deputed to the respective high courts.The High Court of Calcutta is the oldest High Court in India and was built in 1862.Famines in India - Famines in India resulted in more than 60 million deaths over the course of the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. Famines in British India were severe enough to have a substantial impact on the long term population growth of the country in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Timeline of major famines in India during British ruleAmartya Sen found that the famines in the British era were not due to a lack of food but due to the inequalities in the distribution of food. He links the inequality to the undemocratic nature of the British Empire.The famines were a product both of uneven rainfall and British economic and administrative policies. Colonial polices implicated include rack-renting, levies for war, free trade policies, the expansion of export agriculture, and neglect of agricultural investment. Indian exports of opium, rice, wheat, indigo, jute, and cotton were a key component of the economy of the British empire, generating vital foreign currency, primarily from China. These export crops displaced millions of acres that could have been used for domestic subsistence, and increased the vulnerability of Indians to food crises.But then suddenly, the famines disappeared after 1943 even though India’s (or rather subcontinent’s) population quadrupled from 400 million to 1.6 billion today. Of course, Green revolution of 1970s has much to do with it as well as the increase in irrigated land. But the leadership change in 1947 seems to surely have something to do with it.I am not posting any pictures, as there already are many depressing ones circulated on Quora :-(Mark Twain’s visit to India in 1896 - Mark Twain traveled through India and Sri Lanka from January to April, 1896. Twain's three months in India were the highlight of his year-long trek and the intriguing centerpiece of his revealing 700 page book, Following the Equator.Many members of Indian audiences, accustomed to British speech and pronunciation and formality, found in his American accent a certain piquancy. They liked it. America was something of a mystery for most people he encountered. They knew about George Washington, about Chicago and its World's Fair that made Swami Vivekananda a world figure. That was about the extent of general knowledge in those days.Most of the theaters where he appeared accommodated about 1,000 people and in some extra seats had been provided. In Bombay the Novelty Theater held 1,400. Prices in India were Rs 1, 2, 3 and 4, depending on how close one wished to be to the celebrity. He collected about Rs 2,600 (or $650 in those days) for each evening.As he traveled through Bombay, Poona, Allahabad, Banaras, Calcutta, Darjeeling, Agra, Jaipur, Delhi and other cities, mostly by train, the American humorist gathered impressions and crafted them into descriptions. He later wrote about the animals in India, with special reference to the crows and lions and an elephant ride that made him feel quite regal. He gave quaint tales of life in Indian hotels, of fancy parties and horrible long names, of street scenes and fakirs, of the fancy Indian costumes that made him wax poetic and even of long-forgotten historical events. An example:A two-day visit to Banares presented Twain and his party with an opportunity to explore Hinduism and investigate especially its contradictions, orthodoxy and superstition. The filthy waters of the Ganges disgusted him and the fact that pilgrims looked upon it as pure and purifying and drank it eagerly absolutely repelled him.He noted that wherever there was room for one more Linga, a Linga was there. "If Vishnu had foreseen what this town was going to be, he would have called it Idolville or Lingamburg."Despite the crowded and often funereal experiences, Banares was not entirely a disappointment to Mark Twain. He called it "the Oxford of India" for its wealth of Hindu and Sanskrit studies.It is all the more remarkable that he wrote cheerfully and with great humor about India and her peoples, that he was able to watch dhobys laundering their master's clothes at the river and inquire: "Are they trying to break those stones with clothes?"British people in India - Despite the country's vast population, there were never more than 100,000 British people in India. At the top of the hierarchy were the Viceroy, Governors of Provinces, 1,000 odd Oxbridge educated British Civil Servants. A large number of the British people were Soldiers, followed by Entrepreneurs, and then Employees of the Raj machinery.Given the fact that there were 50 hill stations built and the prestigious Gymkhanas, Clubs, Cricket clubs, Golf courses, Ski resorts, Lounges, Bungalows built for a very small group of people, you can imagine the lifestyle.An average Sahib’s morning would start with elaborate breakfast, a horse ride, reading, a beer or a whiskey drink at the club in the evening, while the Memsahibs had an army of servants working on the garden.Some of India’s current VIP culture of Politicians, Army leaders, and Senior Bureaucrats seems directly inherited from the days of the Raj.While the popular imagination leads us to the Sahibs and Memsahibs, David Arnold, a respected scholar of South Asia, has estimated almost 50% of the European population in India in the last decades of the nineteenth century could be classified as poor whites. There were low class soldiers, seamen, adventurers and chancers, and many semi-skilled workers, especially in the railways.Just as Indian society was divided by caste, class and religion, the British too were not a homogeneous group. They were divided, principally by class, and, to a lesser extent, by the English/Scottish/Irish distinction. ‘Whiteness’ and ‘Britishness’ were stratified, and full possession of ‘whiteness’ depended on superior social class. The elite saw the very poor, or the ‘great unwashed’ of the nineteenth century as a different race, and they applied a similar understanding to poor, white ‘riff-raff’ in India.In 1869, the European Vagrancy Act established a network of workhouses, and a system for deporting white beggars and ‘loafers’.Indians who prospered during the British Raj - Many Indians grew immensely in their rapid fields. Upper class Bengali Hindus were the first ones to get into the Civil Service and many became Judges, Lawyers as well as Academics. Parsis had been in India for few hundred years but had lived an unnoticed life in Gujarat. The British realized their potential and the ethical values that they were endowed with. As a result, the minority Parsi community reached new heights. Likewise, Punjabis and Marwaris, found business opportunities and created large enterprises.Here are few instances/success stories -Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata (3 March 1839 – 19 May 1904) was an Indian pioneer industrialist, who founded the Tata Group, India's biggest conglomerate company. He was born to a Parsi Zoroastrian family in Navsari then part of the princely state of Baroda.He founded what would later become the $100 billion worth in revenues, Tata Group of companies. Tata is regarded as the legendary "Father of Indian Industry"He founded a trading company in 1868 with 21,000 capital, bought a bankrupt oil mill at Chinchpokli in 1869 and converted it to a cotton mill, which he renamed Alexandra Mill. He sold the mill two years later for a profit. He set up another cotton mill at Nagpur in 1874, which he christened Empress Mill when Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India on 1 January 1877.The Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO), headed by his son Dorabji Tata (1859–1932), opened its plant at Jamshedpur in Bihar in 1908. It became the leading iron and steel producer in India, with 120,000 employees in 1945.JRD Tata - He guided the destiny of India’s largest Industrial house for well over half a century.Headed Tata Sons in 1938; Tata Chemicals in 1939; Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO) in 1945.M. S. Oberoi was born in a Punjabi Sikh family in a minor village of Jhelum District, Punjab, British India. In 1922, he came to Shimla to escape from the epidemic of Plague and got a job as front desk clerk, at The Cecil Hotel at a salary of Rs 50 per month. The manager of Cecil, Mr. Ernest Clarke and his wife Gertrude took a great liking to the honesty of a hardworking of young Mohan Singh Oberoi. During their six months absence, he doubled up the occupancy to eighty percent which gave them enough reason to offer the hotel - on a decided amount to Oberoi, as they wanted to return to England.After continuous hard work for five years, on 14 August 1934, Mohan Singh Oberoi became the sole and absolute owner of Hotel Carlton, Shimla. Subsequently, it grew from one hotel to an empire of it’s own, and today the Oberoi group of hotels owns the Top rated hotels of India.Ghanshyam Das Birla laid the foundation of the his industrial empire by establishing GM Birla Company, trading in jute, in 1911. The First World War began in 1914 greatly increasing the demand for jute sacks. It is estimated that during the war, the Birla worth rose from Rs 20 lakh to 80 Lakh. In 1919 he became among the first group of Indian entrepreneurs to become owner of a Jute mill named Birla Jute.[12] In the next few years he acquired several cotton mills. He later started several sugar mills. The publication Hindustan Times was co-founded by GD Birla in 1924 and fully acquired it in 1933. Hindustan Motors was started in 1942.Now Aditya Birla group operates in more than 33 countries, employs over 133,000 people and has annual revenues of over $35 billion.Sir Ganga Ram Agrawal (April 1851 – 10 July 1927) was born in Mangtanwala, a village of Punjab Province inBritish India. He graduated from Thomason College of Civil Engineering in 1873. After a brief Service in Punjab P.W.D devoted himself to practical farming. He obtained on lease from Government 50,000 acres of barren, un-irrigated land in Montgomery District, and within three years converted that vast desert into smiling fields, irrigated by water lifted by a hydroelectric plant and running through a thousand miles of irrigation channels, all constructed at his own cost. This was the biggest private enterprise of the kind, unknown in the country before. Sir Ganga Ram earned millions most of which he gave to charity.Wadias - In 1879, Bombay was next only to New Orleans as the world's largest cotton port. It was at this time that Nowrosjee Wadia, the second generation Wadia, set his sights on India's mushrooming textile industry. In a humble redbrick shed, he began a small operation. Here, cotton yarn spun in India was dip dyed by hand in three colors-turkey red, green and orange-and laid out in the sun to dry. The Bombay Dyeing & Manufacturing Co. Ltd. had been born. A modest beginning for a company that was to grow in the following 115 yr. into one of India's largest producer of textiles.Sir Sobha Singh (1890–18 April 1978) was a civil contractor and a prominent builder of Lutyens' Delhi and real estate owner of Delhi. He is the father of famous Indian writer Khushwant Singh. When Hardinge, the Viceroy of India, announced the plan to move the British Indian capital city to Delhi was along with the Coronation Durbar for King George V and the Queen Mary, would take place in Delhi in December 1911, Sujan Singh and 22-year-old Sobha Singh, who was then a contractor working on the Kalka-Shimla railroad, shifted base to Delhi as building contractors. Building contracts then being given out. Sujan Singh-Sobha Singh were accepted as senior-grade contractors.Sir Sobha bought as much land in Delhi as he could. He bought several extensive sites at as little as Rs 2 per square yard, freehold. There were few other takers, and he came to be described as adhi dilli da malik (the owner of half of Delhi),Ardeshir Burjorji Sorabji Godrej (1868–1936) was an Indian businessman. With his brother Pirojsha Burjorji, he co-founded the Godrej Brothers Company, the precursor of the modern Godrej Group. Taking a loan from his father's friend he started to manufacture medical equipment used in surgery, such as scalpels, surgeon's scissors, forceps, etc. Later, one morning he read in the newspaper that burglary rates in Bombay were increasing and that locks weren't working as well as they should. He saw that as a business opportunity and started to research lock making. This venture was so successful he is now known as the lock-master of India.Govindram Seskaria - Not many people may know about him, but he is one of the most famous businessman of pre-independence India. At that time, British rule made it difficult for Indians to enter into business. Foreign businesses controlled most of India’s trade and those businesses were in turn supported by the government. But that didn’t deter Govindram. Govindram first joined the Bombay Cotton Exchange and was so successful as a cotton trader that he became known as the Cotton King of the World. After his success in the cotton market, Govindram diversified and began trading in bullion and other commodities. A founding member of the Indian Stock Exchange, Govindram founded Govindram Brothers Private Limited in 1937. This company got into the sugar, textile, minerals, banking, printing, and movie businesses.K.C. Mahindra was born in 1894 in the Punjab, the second of nine children. After studying at Cambridge, he worked at Messrs. Martin & Company editing INDIA and the Hindustan Review. In the 1940s, he went into the energy business, and helped develop the nation’s coal policy by implementing the latest methods of coal mining. In 1946, he moved to Bombay to found Mahindra & Mohammed, which later became Mahindra & Mahindra, an industrial powerhouse in many sectors of the economy.Religion in India - From early on, the British found the Indian culture and religions at odds with the rationality of the West and considered it to be regressive. Some practices like Sati were bizarre and abhorrent to them and were finally banned by efforts of Indian elite as well as the British. However, at one point they realized that the traditions and customs in India were too strong and too rigid to be changed easily; Consequently, no more British social interventions were made, especially in matters dealing with religion.Therefore, the holy pilgrimage sites like Banaras, Haridwar, Ujjain, Pushkar, Chitrakoot, Kishkindha, Somnath for the Hindus, Amritsar and other major Gurudwaras of the Sikhs, and Muslim centers of Delhi, Lahore, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Hyderabad, etc continued their customs unhindered. The Missionaries from Britain and Europe worked with zeal, as they did worldwide and established many Churches and Missionary schools. As a result, the Christian population grew in India during the Raj.Literature and Writings of that period - One key difference between writers of India and the West has been that the Western scholars, travelers, observers have been really good at capturing objective information, as in a Travelogue or describing Geographical features of a region or Cataloging of anything, be it Flora, Fauna, People, etc. As a result, there’s a wealth of information that was gathered by the British and other Westerners on all the aspects of India. Of course, the motivation to write about a foreign land is higher than writing about your own homeland.You may think that Indians were mostly illiterate, and hence we have to rely on the works of Westerners. It’s probably not true. If you look at the lists of Indian writers who wrote in the Vernacular (Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Marathi, Gujarati, Urdu, Telugu, etc), there’s amazing amount of work that was written. More than often, the native writing is in the story form or poetry or some form of fiction. However, you can still draw a lot of insight from these works.Here are few names that came to mind -Premchand (31 July 1880 – 8 October 1936), better known as Munshi Premchand, was an Indian writer famous for his modern Hindi-Urdu literature. He is one of the most celebrated writers of the Indian subcontinent, and is regarded as one of the foremost Hindustani writers of the early twentieth century. His works include more than a dozen novels, around 250 short stories, several essays and translations of a number of foreign literary works into Hindi. Notable works Godaan, Bazaar-e-Husn, Karmabhoomi, Shatranj ke khiladi, Gaban.Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (1838–1894) is considered one of the leading Bengali novelist and essayist of the 19th century. His first novel Durgeshnandini, considered a benchmark in the history of Bengali literature, was published in 1865. He also wrote "Vande Mātāram", the national song of India, which appears in his novel Anandamath (1882).Rabindranath Tagore, Asia's first Nobel laureate - Possibly the most prolific writer in Bengali. Tagore dominated both the Bengali and Indian philosophical and literary scene for decades. His 2,000 Rabindrasangeets play a pivotal part in defining Bengali culture, both in West Bengal and Bangladesh. He is the author of the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh, both composed in Bengali. Other notable Bengali works of his are Gitanjali, a book of poems for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, and many short stories and a few novels.Uttamadhanapuram Venkatasubbaiyer Swaminatha Iyer (1855–1942) was a Tamil scholar and researcher who was instrumental in bringing many long-forgotten works of classical Tamil literature to light. His singular effort over five decades brought to light major literary works in Tamil and contributed vastly to the enrichment of its literary heritage. Iyer published over 91 books in his lifetime, on a variety of matters connected to classical Tamil literature, and collected 3,067 paper manuscripts, palm-leaf manuscripts and notes of various kinds. He is affectionately called Tamil Thatha (Grandfather of Tamil)Devaki Nandan Khatri (June 18, 1861 – 1913) was an Indian writer, who belonged to the first generation of popular novelists in the modern Hindi language. Also known as Babu Devakinandan Khatri, he was the first author of mystery novels in Hindi. Chandrakanta and Bhootnath is the most popular of his works.Michael Madhusudan Dutt, (25 January 1824 – 29 June 1873) was a popular 19th-century Bengali poet and dramatist. He was a pioneer of Bengali drama and his famous work Meghnad Bodh Kavya, is a tragic epic. It consists of nine cantos and is exceptional in Bengali literature both in terms of style and content. He also wrote poems about the sorrows and afflictions of love as spoken by women.Ghalib, Iqbal, Zauq, … - The language of Urdu got its pinnacle under the British Raj, and it received official status. All famous writers of Urdu language including Ghalib and Iqbal were given British scholarships.**************************************************************************Few Random pictures from the British Raj -A ship arriving at a ghat in Calcutta -2. Calcutta in 1902 -3. Tram in Chandni Chowk, Delhi4. Delhi Durbar of 1911 -5. Hyderabad in late 1800s -6. Muharram procession in Calcutta -7. Women protesting in Bombay -8. Random scene on a street -Resources -Poor whites - Loafers, Vagrants and 'Low Europeans'http://www.epw.in/system/files/pdf/1964_16/15/the_middle_class_in_india.pdf

The strongest? Nursing, engineering and medicine, no question. It doesn't matter which type you pick, nurses, engineers and doctors get hired. Dentists, too. You can't outsource the guy who keeps a factory running, who designs the airplane or who keeps people from being dead. Oh, sure, business talks a good game, but unless you're related to a former governor or best friends with a CEO's kid, your odds there are about as good as any other middle-of-the-pack degree like mathematics, economics or CompSci. Geology is a great choice, too, especially if you have the chops to study something like petrochemical and/or mining engineering. Sure, something like half the money is hazard pay, but it's one job they really and truly can't outsource.The weakest? Hate to say it, but the whole Reed College of Communications is just in bad shape these days. Advertising and public relations still do okay, and a few broadcast news kids make it through, but the odds of a living-wage job before you hit your thirties without either grad school, radically altering your field or being able to network like a Kennedy, Bush or Rockefeller are significantly lower than the school makes out. I was able to make my Bachelor's of Journalism degree work for me, but I don't work in the field, nor do I expect to. Fact is, the late 2000s were just a really crap time to get a degree in anything so easily fobbed off on unpaid interns, 'crowdsourced' or outsourced, and if I had it to do over again, I'd double-minor, essentially live at the Math Learning Center and study Industrial Engineering. I had switched out of Education in favor of Advertising, but my first classmates actually aren't doing much better; even those who did WVU's five-year bachelor's and master's program don't always pass the Praxis, nor are living-wage teaching jobs always available in states that accept WVU teachers, let alone in areas where anyone would especially choose to live.A lot of very good potential teachers, writers, philosophers and political scientists I knew at WVU are today working retail. In fact, that's the job for the majority of my graduating classmates, regardless of major, with the exception of engineers. Actually, there are even a bunch of very bright Ph.D holders I knew at WVU who are today working retail.It isn't that it's a bad school, by any means, but America in general simply doesn't value a college degree the way it once did, and yet it still wants something like fifty times what that degree is currently worth for it. And when your dream job wants you to work for, functionally, less than what Costco pays, while maintaining a business wardrobe, a reliable car and a residence within commuting distance of said job, while you're already paying back forty to eighty grand in loans, well...it just isn't possible for far, far too many graduates. So retail, foodservice and other paycheck-to-paycheck jobs it is.If it were me, and WVU was a definite in my future (I was a third-generation legacy there,) I'd take a 'gap year,' or at least a gap semester, and study a skilled trade like electrical, HVAC, plumbing, automotive technology or network engineering from a reputable community college or vo-tech. It may sound counter-intuitive, but bear with me. Next, I would start at WVU as a freshman, live in the dorms, and apply for Federal work-study with the skilled trade certifications at the top of your resume. Maintenance or Tech Support will give you remarkably flexible hours and better pay than anyone else on campus, and when the Federal W/S runs out, you'll be eligible for something like $22 an hour, possibly even more if you work at various places locally.The residential infrastructure in Morgantown, WV is so absolutely appalling, almost as bad as WVU's Clery Act enforcement or its' handling of sexual assault (for female AND male victims,) really, that residential technicians like cable installers, HVAC techs, electricians and especially plumbers can essentially set their own rates, especially if they cultivate a clientele of landlords, and student housing is, at times, in such astonishingly crap condition that I've known landlords to quietly give a qualified plumber or electrician their room for free in exchange for being on call for all repairs. I'd also take nothing but Federal loans (NOTHING private and none of that Sallie Mae parent co-signer stuff,) and start paying them before graduation, as feasible -which, while just about impossible on the kinds of jobs plain high-school graduates can generally find in Morgantown and back home over the summers, is actually manageable if you have something technical to start with.If you have a skilled trade from the get-go, your degree will be worth almost twice as much, simply because you'll have more diverse and longer work experience on your resume. That, and for technical jobs, or middle-management jobs where you'll be in charge of maintenance crews, knowing what your department should be doing will not only earn you their respect, but enable you to save your company millions and make yourself utterly irreplaceable.Oh, and don't become an RA. All the stuff about leadership and how good it looks on a resume? After your first job out of school, nobody on earth cares, and the room, board and stipend-a-month works out to something like forty cents an hour to babysit drunks, keep asinine CYA records in case some jagoff sues the school and try to keep bigots from looking the other way on rape and still somehow keep up a passing GPA even with PTSD'd freshman camped out on your dorm room floor. They mention the sexual assault problem for women, sure, but what they don't tell you is that when guys are getting raped as well and your RHC is an arch-conservative token-admission whose golden boy protegee from church is secretly a monster, shit can get really nasty.I saw multiple RAs thrown under the bus to cover up stuff that would've reflected badly on ResEd, and that's not even getting into some of the nightmares the NCAA has caused, exacerbated or covered up. Pro tip? If you're ever assaulted, or witness an assault at WVU? DO NOT CALL DPS. Call the state police, insist on filing a state report, and get a lawyer. DPS is WVU's clean-up squad for anything they don't want to put on their Clery Act rap-sheet, and I have seen, watched, overheard and been told of them taking reported crimes up to attempted murder and 'quietly handle them in-house,' i.e., bury it. And after a few smarter kids had the sense to call the State Troopers in and publicly embarrassed douchebags like Hardesty, well, let's just say there are some accidental deaths, some rapes and a few kids with broken ribs whose parents will never know the truth.And no, I wouldn't mind if my child decided to go there. I'd insist on three years of Krav Maga and a course on craft beer and consent so comprehensive that kid would avoid all Natty Light-fueled frat row nonsense faster than you can say 'pepper spray' first, obviously, but I wouldn't mind it. I saw some scary stuff at WVU, but I learned a hell of a lot, it was still cheaper than my next three choices and someday, with the help of alumni and the hopes of the future, maybe it'll be worth what they charge for it once again, as it was in my grandparents' day.Or at least, y'know, less of a rapey diploma-mill with affordable beer.

The Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi has completed one year in office even as the city stinks with garbage littered across its streets due to the strike by MCD workers over non-payment of their salaries.Though the chief minister offered a Rs 551-crore loan to the civic bodies, the agitating workers refused to end the stir. And if a solution is not devised soon, the agitation will end up spoiling the Aam Aadmi Party’s anniversary party — the party had stormed to power with a phenomenal victory of 67 seats in the 70-member Assembly, halting the Modi wave.But the one-year journey has been a roller coaster ride for Kejriwal government.Free water, power:Much was at stake for Kejriwal when he stormed to power as despite a resounding victory most were apprehensive about the survival of the government owing to his image of a ‘man in a hurry’ who broke his party’s alliance with Congress after 49 days of governance during the previous stint. However, Kejriwal started by delivering on the promises of freebies, ordering a 50 per cent subsidy on monthly power consumption of up to 400 units and 20,000 litres of free water per month to all households, winning the confidence of Delhiites.Yadav, Bhushan kicked out:But soon after this a major drama unfolded with the internal rift within party coming out in open. Once considered close to Kejriwal, Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan were kicked out of the party after they claimed the party was being run in a undemocratic manner. Kejriwal accused the two leaders of working against the party, even claiming the duo had tried to defeat AAP in the Delhi polls. Both leaders were mishandled and thrown out of the AAP’s national council meeting. The party drew flak for the in fight and a question mark was put on its functioning.Farmer suicide in AAP rally:Before things settled down, a farmer’s suicide at the party’s rally put the government in the dock. As party leader Ashutosh burst into tears on television over the tragic death of the farmer, Gajendra Singh, he was slammed on social media for his party’s insensitivity. Kejriwal later expressed remorse and said that it was a mistake on his part to continue the rally after Singh’s suicide.Kejriwal 100 days event and Tomar’s arrest:In May, Kejriwal organised a mega event at Central Park to present the highlight his government’s achievements in 100 days before the public, including free power and water, initiating process of regularising unauthorised colonies, banning demolition of jhuggis, launching anti-corruption helpline, providing licences to e-rickshaws and others. However, weeks later fake degree row involving law minister Delhi Jitender Singh Tomar put the government again on the back foot. Embarrassed, the AAP government sacked Tomar after he was arrested by the Delhi Police.Jung vs Kejriwal:Meanwhile, an ugly war between the Delhi government and LG Najeeb Jung broke out over appointment of an acting chief secretary. Kejriwal accused the LG of trying to render an elected government ineffective and asked him to work “within the confines” of Constitution. From appointment of chief secretary to the chief of Delhi Commission of Women to the chief of the Anti-Corruption Branch, Kejriwal and Jung were at loggerheads, leaving most of Delhi confused.Kejriwal vs Bassi:Also involved in an ugly spat with Kejriwal was Delhi police chief B S Bassi. While Kejriwal maintained that the city is not in safe hands, Bassi kept saying he is ‘competent enough’ to ensure the safety of the people. But the relation between Delhi government and Police touched a new low after police raided AAP MLA and former Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti’s house following a complaint of domestic violence by his wife. As many as 50 officers and eight police teams were part of a manhunt for Bharti.CBI raids Kejriwal’s office:However, the CBI raids at Kejriwal’s principal secretary’s office gave the Delhi CM an opportunity to embarrass the Modi government. He not only accused the prime minister of using the probe agency to “intimidate” him and his government, but also put the Centre in dock with allegation of massive corruption against Arun Jaitley in DDCA. Very soon he found a supporter in BJP MP Kirti azad who echoed Kejriwal’s view and presented numerous proof to back Kejriwal’s allegation of corruption in DDCA. As a result Azad was suspended by his party.Odd-Even:One of the major highlights of Kejriwal government remained the implementation of the Odd-Even scheme for 15 days to check pollution in the city. The scheme though drew criticsm but certainly relived the city of traffic congestion, if not pollution. And when Kejriwal organised a success rally for the Odd-even scheme, he was thrown ink at by a woman activist of the Aam Aadmi Sena, triggering another blame game between the AAP and the BJP.The government is currently under sharp criticism over the strike by MCD workers. But the current crisis is also seen as an opportunity for the Kejriwal government to build a case to bring the MCD under Delhi government control.Below are the 78 points on which the AAP government promised to work on with the current status:First Year Report Card:After a year, where does AAP stand?On February 14, 2015, following the historic electoral win, grabbing 67 of the total 70 seats in Delhi Assembly Elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) - which called for 'alternative politics' and spoke of its commitment towards the common man - formed government in Delhi. Today, as the party completes one full year in office, The Hindu has developed AAP Meter, where we have tracked the status of all the pre-poll promises made by AAP to people of Delhi in its election manifesto.AAP's manifesto - formed as a result of the Delhi Dialogue - itself states: "Over time, party manifestos have been reduced to insincere pledges promising everything to everybody, with very little follow-up or delivery after attainment of power. However, this is where AAP crucially differs from other parties because for us politics is an interactive process, a constant dialogue." And indeed, for a democratic system to foster, the government must be held accountable for the pre-poll promises.PROMISE TRACKERMETHODOLOGY/ANALYSIS#1 Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill FULFILLEDPromise: Aam Aadmi Party resolves to legislate the Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill after coming to power. This will ensure a time-bound investigation in matters of corruption. The Delhi Lokpal will have the power to initiate investigations and prosecution against those charged with corruption. Whistle-blowers will be provided protection and awarded for their contribution toward creating a just systemStatus: AAP promised to "legislate" the Jan Lokpal Bill, and indeed, the bill was cleared in the Delhi Legislative Assembly on 4th December, 2015. The Jan Lokpal can issue necessary orders for full protection for whistle-blowers, protect confidentiality, provide security, and initiate criminal action against the person involved in the harassment of whistle-blower. However, the legislation's fate remains unclear as it is yet to get the approval of Lieutenant Governor and Centre.#2 Citizens' Charter FULFILLEDPromise: A Citizens' Charter shall be introduced in all government offices in Delhi.Status: The Delhi legislative assembly passed the Delhi (Right of Citizen to Time Bound Delivery of Services) Amendment Bill. Among other provisions, the Bill prioritizes each government department to put out a "comprehensive citizens charter" within 30 days of its notification, and that responsibility lies with the Heads of Department.#3 Swaraj Bill BROKENPromise: Aam Aadmi Party will legislate the Swaraj Act to devolve power directly to the people.Status: The Swaraj Bill was prepared during the AAP's 49 day government in 2014, but is yet to be tabled in the assembly. In the manifesto, it was mentioned: "One of the first things that AAP will do after forming the government is to legislate the Swaraj Bill that will devolve power directly to people and contain provisions for the formation of Mohalla Sabhas". The government has certainly missed their deadline, but on the other hand, attempts have been made to incorporate the spirit of Swaraj by setting up Mohalla Sabhas in 11 constituencies.#4 Local Governance FULFILLEDPromise: Decisions affecting the local community will be taken by citizens and implemented by their Secretariat.Status: The concept of Mohalla Sabhas has been piloted in 11 constituencies. In the next financial year, the concept will be scaled to all 70 constituencies of Delhi.#5 Citizen Local Area Development Fund FULFILLEDPromise: A Citizen Local Area Development (C-LAD) Fund will be given to every Mohalla Sabha and Resident Welfare Association, ensuring funds and functions in the hands of the community.Status: "Swaraj Fund" was announced in the budget to enable the citizens in selection and implementation of programmes prioritized by them for the development of their area. Rs. 253 crore under the Swaraj Fund Scheme was provisioned. In the first year, this is being implemented in 11 constituencies, where Mohalla Sabhas were organized to know the requirements of the citizens. To meet these requirements, Rs. 20 crore has been allocated to these 11 constituencies while for the remaining 59 constituencies, Rs. 50 lakh was allocated.#6 Full Statehood for Delhi WISHLISTPromise: Acting within the constitutional framework, our government will use its moral and political authority to push for full statehood for Delhi. This will ensure that institutions such as the DDA, MCD and Delhi Police will be accountable to the elected government of Delhi. This way land will be made available for the common man, there will be greater synchronization and shared purpose among civic services with regard to service delivery and the law and order machinery will be accountable to the citizens.Status: Though the Delhi government has constantly demanded for full statehood, the decision lies with the Central government.#7 Electricity Bills to be reduced by half FULFILLEDPromise: An Aam Aadmi Party government will keep its promise of reducing electricity bills by half. A more efficient, transparent and accountable system to regulate and audit the power generation and distribution companies is the need of the hour and AAP will do everything within its command to achieve that. Discoms should purchase power from economical sources and wriggle out of expensive and unsustainable Power Purchase Agreements. AAP will take measures to provide relief from rising power bills, namely generating cheaper electricity, improving transmission efficiency, fixing billing defects and correcting meter defectsStatus: Within days of coming to office, the Aam Aadmi Party government slashed power tariff by 50 per cent for households which consume up to 400 units per month, with effect from March 1, 2015. However, if the power consumption crosses 400 units, a consumer will have to pay for the entire number of units used and no subsidy would apply. The government had set aside Rs.1,477 crore annually for the power subsidy.#8 CAG Audit of Power Discoms STALLEDPromise: We will conduct a comprehensive performance audit of discoms by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Discoms shall also be brought within the ambit of the RTI act. We will ensure that the citizens of Delhi do not have to bear the burden of soaring power tariffs. Initially we will provide subsidy that would go not to the power discoms but to Delhi Transco, a state-owned transmission company which has unpaid bills of Rs 3,500 crore to be paid by the discoms. This money will help Delhi Transco upgrade and augment its transmission capacity, which is in a bad state at present. The lack of funds at Transco's disposal is one of the main reasons for the frequent power outages in the state. After the audit results are tabled in the assembly, power tariffs will be restructured.Status: In January 2014, AAP government (before resigning from the previous term), announced audit of discoms by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India starting from 2002. In August, a leaked report in Times of India claimed that discoms inflated dues by Rs. 8000 crore. Discoms have been revolting this order from the very beginning, terming it as unconstitutional and moved to the High Court back in January 2014 itself. In October 2015, the High Court gave a verdict that CAG can't audit discoms, because they are outside the purview of a CAG audit as they come under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC). Following this, the Delhi Government moved to the Supreme Court. Very recently, in January 2016, the Supreme Court has seeked explanation from all three discoms as to why they can't be audited by CAG. The case has been posted for hearing on March 2.#9 Introduce Competition amongst Discoms STALLEDPromise: AAP reiterates the promise made in its December 2013 Delhi manifesto of providing consumers the right to choose between electricity providers. We will introduce competitive distribution, which will provide better services and lead to lower tariffs.Status: The promise can be fulfilled only if CAG audit of power discoms is permitted.#10 Delhi's Own Power Station YET TO STARTPromise: We will put up Delhi's own power station at the pithead and comprehensively solve Delhi's electricity problem in the long run by being able to meet peak power consumption of 6200 MW. We will also ensure that the Rajghat and Bawana plant are efficiently utilized.Status: A new power station is not the main focus of the government at the moment. However, Delhi would bid in Center's coal block allocation.#11 Water as A Right YET TO STARTPromise: AAP will provide Water as a Right. It will provide universal access to clean drinking water to all citizens of Delhi at an affordable price. The Delhi Jal Board Act will be amended to make clean drinking water a right of the people.Status: Work on expanding access is ongoing, but there has been no amendment in the act.#12 Piped Water Availability For All UNDER PROGRESSPromise: AAP will make a time bound plan of action for covering all residents of Delhi with piped water and sewage network in all parts irrespective of their legal status. There will be no discrimination between planned/non-planned; authorized/ non-authorized; regularized/ non-regularized; city or village. Within five years piped water connections will be made available to as many as 14 lakh households (50 lakh people) in Delhi that do not have a piped water connection at present.Status: Action plan has been drawn up. Delhi Jal Board expects to cover the entire city by December 2017. Currently, 82% of households are covered by piped network. This year, 120 km of new water supply pipelines were laid (taking the total to 14,000 km) and another 70 kms of pipeline were replaced. 205 of 1105 unauthorised colonies have piped water connection; eight of them were added recently.#13 Free Lifeline Water FULFILLEDPromise: AAP will ensure free lifeline water of up to 20 kiloliters (20,000 liters) to every household per month through a Delhi Jal Board's (DJB) metered water connection. This scheme will be extended to group-housing societies.Status: Within days of coming to office, the Aam Aadmi Party government decided to provide 20,000 litres of free water to every household, with effect from March 1, 2015. However, no subsidy would apply for metered consumers using over 20,000 litres of water per month. The government had set aside Rs.250 crore annually for the water subsidy. In January 2016, government conveyed that despite the subsidy, the DJB earned Rs.178 crore more in 2015 compared to the previous year.#14 Abolishment of mandatory 10 percent hike in water tariffs YET TO STARTPromise: AAP will provide universal access to potable water to all citizens of Delhi at a sustainable and affordable price. The mandatory annual 10 percent hike in water tariffs will be abolished and any further hike will be made only after due consideration.Status: The mandatory annual hike of 10% was introduced in 2009 by the then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Apart from 2013 and 2015, water tariffs had automatically gone up on January 1 every year. For 2015, the hike had been deferred by the DJB till an elected government could take a call on it. Though AAP was against the automatic hike, as mentioned in the manifesto, the financial reality of the water utility necessitated the hike and therefore, water tariffs in Delhi went up by 10%.#15 Abolishment of Mixed Use Water Category FULFILLEDPromise: The AAP government will abolish the C-1A (B) category to provide relief to households that run small shops from their residence (less than 100 square feet) for their livelihood for which they are charged commercial rates in spite of the fact that they are not using water for commercial purposes.Status: In September 2015, the Delhi Jal Board abolished the Mixed-Use Category: C-1A(B) As per the revised policy, if mixed-land use involves activities which do not use water in its process undertaken, such as Atta Chakki, Stationary Shop, Kiryana Shop, Shoes Shop, Grocery Shop, Mobile Shop, Cloth Shop, Tailor Shop, S.T.D. Booth, Property Dealer Office, Cyber Cafe, etc. and other similar activities, it will now be placed in the Domestic Category. Other properties having mixed-use in which water is used as input either in processing or in manufacturing like Food Corner, Juice Shop, Snacks Counter, Tea Shop, Barber, Beauty Parlor, Dentist Clinic, Coaching Centers, Play School, Offices and such other similar activities with high footfall will now come under the Commercial Category. Consumers can apply for separate water connections for domestic and commercial use if such activities co-exist in a premise. However, in such a situation, the consumer is also bound to maintain separate storage and supply system for both activities.#16 Water from Munak Canal FULFILLEDPromise: AAP will ensure the firm implementation of the High Court order that says Delhi is entitled to extra raw water from Haryana in the Munak canal, an issue on which the BJP government in Haryana and the Centre have been dithering.Status: Delhi's supply has been at the highest level in history, with additional water from Munak Canal.#17 Crackdowns on Water Mafia UNDER PROGRESSPromise: AAP is committed to clamping down on Delhi's powerful water mafia working under the patronage of political leaders. AAP will put in place a transparent tanker water distribution system by implementing state-of-the-art techniques. The schedule of tankers operating in different localities would be made available online and on mobile phone. Private tankers will be allowed to operate under the guidelines framed by our government. This will protect the consumers from exorbitant pricing and illegal practices of private tanker operators.Status: Schedule of water tankers has been made available online (Department of Delhi Jal Board) 414 water tankers are now equipped with GPS. Of the 380 tankers that have been hired by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), 250 have GPS devices while the rest 130 will be phased out if not equipped with GPS devices by this summer. Further, issues concerning water tankers are now handled by the Chief Engineer (total four posts in Delhi), while earlier it was attended to by junior officials. Delhi government, including the previous terms led by Sheila Dixit - has always aspired to eliminate the need of water tankers by covering the entire city with piped water connections. As more colonies have been added to the piped network, DJB says that the reliance on tanker mafia has decreased. However, the mafia is still present in areas that lack adequate water supply.#18 Revive the Yamuna UNDER PROGRESSPromise: The Yamuna River has been part of the collective memory of Delhi for a long time but this lifeline is dying. We will ensure 100 percent collection and treatment of Delhi's sewage through an extensive sewer network and construction of new functional sewage treatment plants. Discharge of untreated water and industrial effluents into the river Yamuna will be strictly prohibited.Status: In the budget, it was announced that a project costing Rs. 3,656 crore has been prepared to provide sewerage services in uncovered areas and to prevent flow of wastewater in Najafgarh and Supplementary drains. The project will involve setting up of 15 new Sewage Treatment Plants, 3 new Sewage Pumping Stations and peripheral sewer network. According to the govt, these drains contribute to nearly 70% pollution load of river Yamuna and therefore, the project is expected to significantly reduce pollution in river Yamuna. A two year deadline has been set up for this project. Further, diagnosing the problem with previous Yamuna cleaning projects, DJB has planned to divide the river into smaller channels, each of which will be floated as separate projects. The contractor would be free to use any technique and would be considered success if the desired output parameters are met. Also, DJB has written to National Green Tribunal to allow removal of sewage from river Yamuna, to which it owes the black color. Currently, NGT doesn't allow desilting of Yamuna and therefore even sewage removal is not permitted.#19 Setting up A Network Of Water Kiosks YET TO STARTPromise: Public hydrants to ensure availability of safe drinking water free-of-charge in Jhonpri/Jhuggi (JJ) colonies as well as other underdeveloped areas of the city facing scarcity of water.Status: The project has been delayed. The e-piaos were supposed to come up last year. Now, the DJB has tweaked the project and expects the work at 105 locations to start by March.#20 Dual Water Distribution System UNDER PROGRESSPromise: Programme to reduce demand for potable water and promote conservation by reclaiming wastewater for reuse after recycling.Status: The pilot project will start in six locations soon.#21 Build 2,00,000 Public Toilets YET TO STARTPromise: AAP will build two lakh toilets across Delhi: about 1.5 lakh toilets in slums and JJ clusters and 50,000 toilets in public spaces, of which 1 lakh toilets will be for women. These toilets will be concentrated in public spaces and slum areas. We will construct eco-toilets to save water.Status: As of November 2015, only 2031 new toilet seats were added since the AAP government took over. The number is insignificant compared to the set target of 2 lakh toilets. No major plan has been declared by the government as of now.#22 Fine On Disposal Of Construction Debris FULFILLEDPromise: Littering or disposal of construction debris in public places will attract a heavy fine.Status: For controlling dust - major contributor of particulate matter in Delhi - 1,367 challans were issued for disposal of construction debris.#23 Plastic Bags Ban YET TO STARTPromise: We will enforce the ban on plastic bags in the city.Status: Plastic bags have not been banned in Delhi.#24 Five Hundred New Government Schools UNDER PROGRESSPromise: AAP will build 500 new schools with a special focus on secondary and senior secondary schools to ensure that every Delhi child has easy access to quality education.Status: Construction work is in full swing for 20 school buildings. While earlier, the government had planned to add another shift to existing schools in lieu of opening new schools, they later realised that an additional shift lacks quality. Now, as part of expansion plan, construction of 8,000 new classrooms is underway in existing schools, which according to government officials is effectively equivalent to 100 new schools.#25 Higher Education Guarantee Scheme FULFILLEDPromise: Students who wish to pursue any diploma or degree course after finishing Class 12 from any school in Delhi will be given bank loans with the government standing as a guarantor. Students will not be required to furnish any collateral and the scheme will be universal in nature regardless of a student's financial background. The loan will cover both tuition fees and living expenses. The loan repayment schedule will carry a moratorium period covering the years required to finish the course and one year thereafter to find a job. Under this scheme no loan request will be rejected.Status: The Delhi government has launched the Higher Education and Skill Guarantee Scheme. Under the scheme, loans upto Rs. 10 lakh are to be provided without any collateral. The loan would cover tuition and other fee, books, equipments, hostel/boarding and lodging, insurance premium etc. Students pursuing any skill development course or diploma or degree course after finishing qualifying examination from any School/Educational Institution in Delhi are eligible under this scheme. The scheme will also be applicable for ITIs and polytechnic colleges.#26 Twenty New Degree Colleges YET TO STARTPromise: AAP will open 20 new colleges under Delhi administration on the outskirts of the city in partnership with the villages of Delhi. Further we will double the existing seat capacity of the Delhi government administered colleges including Delhi's flagship university, the Ambedkar University.Status: The Delhi government focussed on school education in its first year. Work for new colleges is yet to begin.#27 Regulate Private School Fees UNDER PROGRESSPromise: We will regulate private school fees by publishing the fee structures and accounts online. Capitation fee will be abolished.Status: The Delhi government passed a bill to ammend the School Education Act, 1973. The Bill, which has been passed by the State Assembly but is yet to be passed by the Centre, includes provisions to regulate fee at private schools.#28 Transparency in School Admissions FULFILLEDPromise: AAP will bring in complete transparency in Nursery and KG admissions. To streamline the admission process, we will use a centralized online system for nursery admissions, removing avenues for corruption.Status: To bring more transparency into nursery admissions, the Delhi government has asked all private schools to upload their admission criteria and details about selected students online.#29 Ramp Up Government Schools to Provide Quality Education UNDER PROGRESSPromise: AAP is committed to improving the standard of government schools so that all citizens of Delhi have access to high quality of education. Every school will have sufficient functional toilets built, especially for girls. A sufficient budget will be given at the discretion of the principal for lights, fans, blackboards and other essential infrastructure. Teaching and learning infrastructure including computers and high-speed Internet connectivity will be made fully functional in every school. Number of DTC buses will be increased in order to service private schools so that it cuts down on the wait times at regular DTC bus stops. Seventeen thousand new teachers will be hired to maintain full staff strength at government schoolsStatus: Ramping up government schools has been a major focus of the government. The government has identified 54 pilot schools that were to be developed as model schools. The ultimate plan is to develop all government schools on the lines of these model schools. Trainings for principals and teachers were organized. In all 1011 government schools, a 1.5 month long learning enhancement programme was conducted for students of Grade 9. With the goal to achieve the desired 1:40 teacher-student ratio - as per the Right to Education Act - in the capital, 9000 additional teaching posts have been created. Teachers will now be recruited online by the Educational Consultant India Limited (EdCIL) on behalf of the Directorate of Education. An exam will take place to ensure quality and experience will fetch extra points. The budget for the additional posts has been fixed at Rs. 540 crore.#30 Increased Spending on Education and Healthcare FULFILLEDPromise: Education and Health will be AAP's top priority. The total budgetary allocation will be increased accordingly.Status: The AAP government's first budget saw a 106 per cent rise in allocation to education sector and 45 per cent rise in healthcare sector.#31 Expand Healthcare Infrastructure UNDER PROGRESSPromise: We will create 900 new Primary Health Centers (PHCs) and 30,000 more beds in Delhi hospitals, out of which 4,000 will be in maternity wards. We will ensure that Delhi conforms to the international norm of five beds for every 1000 people.Status: One model Mohalla Clinic has been set up in Peeragarhi, though in the budget, 209 crore has been set aside for building 1000 Mohalla clinics across the city. The clinic will attend to people living within one kilometer distance and the government hopes that people will not have to walk for more than 10-14 minutes to have access to primary health care. The usual timing will be from 8 AM to 2 PM and it is also proposed that some Mohalla Clinics may be run in evening shifts also. The government had announced its plan to buy new beds in the budget. Target of 20,000 more ward beds and 3,000 new ICU beds has been set for December 2017. The Hospital-cum-Medical College at Dwarka, planned for 700 beds, is now proposed to be of 1500 beds capacity. The new hospital complex at Burari, planned for 200 beds, will now have the capacity of 800 hospital beds. Similarly, the new hospital complex under construction at Ambedkar Nagar, originally planned for 200 beds, will now have 600 beds.#32 Quality Drugs For All At Affordable Price UNDER PROGRESSPromise: Pharmaceutical drug and equipment procurement will be centralized to ensure zero corruption. Generic, affordable and high quality drugs will be made available to the publicStatus: The government has promised to provide drugs to patients free of cost at government pharmacies from February 1, 2016. "We will ensure 100 per cent availability of medicines and consumables as mentioned in the Essential Drug List (EDL) at the city hospitals." said the CM. But doctors at government hospitals say it will take a few weeks before all drugs are available. Also, note that the aim for centralization of drug and equipment procurement has been there even in the past. Time will tell how successful this ambitious scheme will turn out to be.#33 Adequate Street Lighting YET TO STARTPromise: Seventy percent of Delhi's streetlights do not work. Unlit streets become scenes of crimes particularly against women. AAP will ensure a 100 percent lighting of streets across the city so that no miscreant or anti-social activity goes unnoticedStatus: No installations yet. As per the data provided by officials, PWD (under Delhi government) has jurisdiction over just 1,600km of the total 33,000km of road length in Delhi i.e. 5% of total, which is a major roadblock in fulfilling this promise.#34 Effective Last Mile Connectivity UNDER PROGRESSPromise: AAP will provide effective last mile connectivity in Delhi's public transit system, which will play a role in reducing the number of crimes against women. An effective combination of shared autos, metro feeder services and e-rickshaws will be used to provide efficient last mile connectivity by fixing and delimiting routes. This will be synced with metro and bus timings so that there is a working connection to each neighborhood from nodal points.Status: To provide last mile connectivity, e-Rickshaws were promoted in Delhi. Further, the Delhi government announced a radio taxi service of its own called 'City Taxi Scheme', though the registrations have not begun yet. Bike on rent scheme is now available at some metro stations. Global Expression of Interest tender floated for procuring feeder buses.#35 CCTVs in Public Spaces and Buses YET TO STARTPromise: AAP plans to install CCTV cameras in DTC buses, bus stands and in crowded places as a deterrent against crime. AAP will ensure that women can go about their jobs in the city free of stress while travelling by public transport.Status: A pilot scheme for installation of CCTV cameras in 200 DTC buses has been launched. Note that Mr. Kejriwal had promised to install 10-15 lakh CCTV cameras across the city. CCTVs are yet to be installed. The government is in the homework phase to formulate a city-wide policy for acceptable certifications and getting security clearances. By end of February, request for proposals are expected to be floated, for 4 lakh CCTVs: 3 lakh in residential and 1 lakh on PWD roads.#36 Speedy Justice through 47 Fast-Track Courts YET TO STARTPromise: AAP will strongly push for the creation and completion of fast-track courts, which are dedicated to handling cases of sexual assault and other crimes against women. AAP will operationalize 47 new courts that it had commissioned in January 2014 to ensure speedy justice. If required, the courts will be run in two shifts so that the cases involving crimes against women are heard and trials completed within six monthsStatus: Only five fast track courts are functional in Delhi as of now. They are situated in Tis Hazari, Dwarka, Rohini, Karkardooma and Saket district courts. They are headed by judicial officers of the rank of Additional District & Sessions Judge and all of them deal with the cases of rape, sexual violence and molestation of women. They were set up by the Sheila Dixit government in the aftermath of the December 2012 gang rape case. AAP has seemingly not played any role in their establishment.#37 Empower Delhi Lawyers and Judiciary YET TO STARTPromise: New judges will be appointed. We will make provisions for affordable housing for government counsels and lawyers practising in lower courts. The government will streamline existing government medical schemes to ensure maximum coverage of legal functionaries.Status: Nothing yet.#38 Suraksha Button YET TO STARTPromise: Our government will provide a Suraksha/SOS button on every mobile phone. We will work towards its connectivity to the police, nearest PCR van, relatives and volunteer community.Status: Nothing yet.#39 Governance On The Mobile Phone UNDER PROGRESSPromise: All government services and forms will be made available online and on the phone.Status: In December 2015, Delhi government launched the e-district project. The initiative, accessible via Department of Revenue, Govt. of NCT of Delhi , enables citizens to apply online or through any mobile device for certificates issued by the Revenue Department. The application status can also be tracked online. If the documents are in order, the digitally signed certificate is made available in the citizen's account which can then be downloaded and printed from any internet-enabled computer. This makes Delhi the first State in the county to allow online applications, online status verification and digitizing the entire legacy data related to such services. Apart, various mobile applications have been launched by the government: eg mSeva app to pay water bills.#40 Open Government Projects YET TO STARTPromise: Data on government projects, performance, accounts and personnel will be posted online. This will bring transparency and accountability in governance.Status: Nothing yet.#41 Delhi's Villages To Receive Special Attention UNDER PROGRESSPromise: Decisions regarding the development of Delhi's villages will be taken by Gram Sabhas, which will be granted special untied Village Development Funds to be utilized according to their priorities. Those engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry will receive incentives and infrastructural support as is done in neighbouring states. We will provide sports facilities in villages to encourage young adults to pursue sports. Connectivity to rural Delhi will be enhanced through increased bus and metro services.Status: The government has decided to provide a compensation of Rs 50,000 per hectare (Rs 20,000 per acre) to every affected farmer, which is highest ever by any government in the country. Plans to improve rural connectivity have also been discussed. The first phase of Wi-Fi services, which is expected to be launched in the summer of 2016, includes rural areas along with educational institutions.#42 Pro-Farmer Land Reform WISHLISTPromise: Section 33 and 81 of the Delhi Land Reform Act, which put unjust restrictions on farmers' rights over their land, will be removed. No land will be acquired in Delhi's villages without the consent of the Gram Sabha. Strong pressure would be exerted on the Central government to remove unnecessary restrictions regarding land use in villages.Status: No change yet in both sections. Government is preparing a draft. But as Land is a Union subject, Delhi government doesn't have powers to amend the law.#43 Wi-Fi Delhi YET TO STARTPromise: We will make Wi-Fi freely available in public spaces across Delhi. Citywide Wi-Fi can help in bridging the digital divide. It will also provide an impetus to education, entrepreneurship, business, employment, and also tie in with women's safety initiatives.Status: As of now, Delhi doesn't have freely available WiFi. The government has conducted a study with PWC on various technologies and role out models. The first phase of services - that includes educational institutions and rural areas - is expected to be launched in the summer of 2016.#44 Single Window Clearance UNDER PROGRESSPromise: We will simplify compliance and licensing for traders and put in place a system of single window clearanceStatus: Single-window clearance was introduced for ticketed events in Delhi. Entertainment tax, fire and electricity clearances are under the purview of the single-window system. Police clearance is separate as it is under central government.#45 Starting business In One Week UNDER PROGRESSPromise: We will also ensure that starting a trade or business in Delhi takes a maximum time of one weekStatus: Working towards the goal, shop registration is now done in a day via Delhi State Industrial And Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited. VAT registration and TIN number registration is now also done on same-day basis.#46 No FDI In Retail FULFILLEDPromise: Our government will continue with its decision of not allowing FDI in retail in Delhi.Status: FDI in retail is not allowed in Delhi.#47 Lowest VAT Regime UNDER PROGRESSPromise: Delhi will have the lowest VAT regime in India. We will simplify VAT and other tax structures. One portion of the VAT collected from every locality and market will be used for the maintenance and upgradation of that market to foster business and tradeStatus: In August 2015, VAT was reduced from 12.5% to 5% for items falling under three categories: utensils or cutlery items made of metal (including pressure cookers/pans) except those made of precious metals, wax of all kinds and wood and timber. However, the Delhi government on June 30 introduced a VAT Amendment Bill that will allow the government to hike the tax on 11 goods by up to 30 per cent in future. In January 2016, the state government raised VAT on petrol to 27 per cent from 25 per cent and VAT on diesel was increased from 16.6 per cent to 18 per cent. Though the VAT was increased, it is in line with tax in neighboring states, not higher. More initiatives need to be taken to achieve the stated promise.#48 Simplifying VAT Rules UNDER PROGRESSPromise: AAP will simplify VAT rules, processes and forms. The 30 page long VAT form will be crunched into one page for traders. All communication with the concerned department will be online. Licenses will be applied for and received at home.Status: To facilitate business in Delhi and prevent evasion of taxes, in September, the Delhi Government introduced a new online form: Delhi Sugam-2 (DS2), replacing the earlier T-2 form. Form is to be filed in a non-interactive mode through online/SMS to end dealer’s queues. The new form is much more simplified. The dealer is now required to fill only 17 fields whereas in the earlier T-2 form, a dealer had to fill 33 fields.#49 Delhi Skill Mission UNDER PROGRESSPromise: AAP will promote vocational education and skill development of Delhi's youth in schools and colleges, to bridge the real skill gap in Delhi. We will create the first ever Delhi Skill Mission to train and enable one lakh youth per year for the first 2 years, ramping up to five lakh youth per year for the next 3 years.Status: The Delhi government has launched the Higher Education and Skill Guarantee Scheme. Under the scheme, loans up to Rs. 10 lakh are to be provided without any collateral. Students pursuing any skill development course or diploma or degree course after finishing qualifying examination from any School/Educational Institution in Delhi are eligible under this scheme. The scheme will also be applicable for ITIs and polytechnic colleges. Further, vocational training in 200 schools was piloted.#50 Create 8 Lakh Jobs YET TO STARTPromise: AAP will create eight lakh new jobs in the next five years. AAP will facilitate innovative and private start up accelerators to provide support to entrepreneurs. We will create an ecosystem that enables private industry to create more jobs.Status: In the two job fairs organized by Delhi government at Thyagaraj stadiums, around 14,000 people got jobs in private sector.#51 Delhi To Be Startup Hub YET TO STARTPromise: The government will encourage startups by setting up business and technology incubators in universities and colleges. As a pilot project, we will also create three million square feet of affordable business incubation space.Status: Nothing yet.#52 Contractual Posts To Be Regularized YET TO STARTPromise: AAP will fill 55,000 vacancies in the Delhi government and autonomous bodies of the Delhi Government on an immediate basis. 4,000 doctors and 15,000 nurses and paramedics will be made permanent.Status: No policy in place yet. Officials conveyed that government is in process of finalising the policies of regularisation. Each department has been asked to submit its own scheme.#53 Reducing Pollution UNDER PROGRESSPromise: Delhi Ridge, the lung of the city, will be protected from encroachment and deforestation. Environmentally appropriate afforestation would be carried out in all parts of Delhi in collaboration with the local Mohalla Sabhas. We will acquire mechanized vacuum cleaning vehicles to clean the city. Public transport will be improved to reduce the number of cars on the road. Additionally, incentives will be provided for low emission fuels like CNG and electricity. Government will encourage car-pooling and will crackdown on fuel adulteration to reduce pollution.Status: Major initiatives were taken to curb pollution. Odd-even scheme was one of the most talked about campaigns in the first year. Car-free days were also conducted to spread awareness among people of Delhi. Further, the Delhi government has imposed a penalty of Rs 50,000 on 38 major projects across the city for causing dust pollution. Vacuum cleaning on all PWD roads will begin from April 1, 2016.#54 Unified Transport Authority YET TO STARTPromise: AAP will formulate holistic transport policies for all forms of transport including the metro, buses, auto rickshaws, rickshaws and e-rickshaws. A 'Unified Transport Authority' will be established for this purposeStatus: Nothing yet.#55 Large Scale Expansion in Bus Services UNDER PROGRESSPromise: We will expand bus services in the city on a massive scale, adding at least 5,000 new buses to the city fleet in five years. This will reduce the cost of transportation and pollution in the city.Status: Government plans to add 2,000 new buses, including 1,000 premium buses. Tenders have been floated but no bidders yet.#56 Just And Fair Policy For E-Rickshaws FULFILLEDPromise: E-rickshaw drivers of Delhi spent many months mired in confusion. They lost their livelihood for months due to the BJP's policy paralysis. AAP will formulate a clear policy and standards for the ownership and operation of e-rickshaws, keeping safety aspects in mind.Status: Following a bill passed by the Lok Sabha to regularise e-rickshaws, Delhi government started registration of e-rickshaws, special camps were organized and about 24,000 drivers got enrolled. Subsidy of Rs.15,000 was announced for purchase of e-rickshaws from the Air Ambience Fund.#57 Metro Rail 2.0 YET TO STARTPromise: We will collaborate with the Indian Railways to extend and develop the Ring Rail service in Delhi. AAP will also work towards large-scale expansion of the Delhi metro, especially in rural areas. Senior citizens, students and persons with disability will be provided concessional passes on buses and in the metro.Status: Issue of Ring Railway services was taken by Mr.Kejriwal with Railway minister Suresh Prabhu. Railways will increase frequency of services. Delhi will improve condition of approach roads to railway stations on this rail line. No concrete steps taken yet.#58 Fair Arrangements for Auto Drivers UNDER PROGRESSPromise: The number of auto rickshaw stands will be increased. We will facilitate fast bank loans for the purchase of auto-rickshaws. Special trainings will be conducted for auto drivers to improve their overall conduct. The interests of commuters will be protected by taking strict action against auto drivers in case of violation of laws or misbehaviour. At the same time, we will prevent harassment of auto rickshaw drivers by the police.Status: Plans for stands held up due to unavailability of land. Government plans to issue 5,500 new auto permits, but recently, more than 900 letters of intent were scrapped and three transport department officials were suspended after allegations of corruption. Special training camps have been organized but strict action in cases of violation of laws or misbehaviour is wanting. Special powers of the Traffic Police to impound autos in case of minor traffic violations were curtailed.#59 Freehold Of Resettlement Colonies FULFILLEDPromise: The Aam Aadmi Party proposes a simple solution of conferring freehold rights to resettlement colonies. Original allotted will receive ownership of their plots for just Rs. 10,000. Those who are not original allotted will get the ownership rights of their plots for less than Rs. 50,000 depending on their plot size. The cumbersome multi-page form will be simplified and condensed into a single page form.Status: In the budget speech, Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Manish Sisodia announced: "Residents of the 45 Resettlement Colonies have been waiting for decades for workable and rational rights to their leasehold plots. We will ensure that they are given Freehold Rights to their small plots. We have already resolved in the DUSIB that original allottees and their legal heirs will get freehold rights at the rate of Rs.10,000 per square metre and all others at the rate of Rs.50,000 per square metre. This will give them great support and relief from exploitation."#60 Regularization And Transformation Of Unauthorized Colonies UNDER PROGRESSPromise: We will provide registration rights with regard to property and sales deeds in resettlement colonies. Further, we will provide water and sewer lines, electricity, schools and hospitals in a systematic and phased manner. Multi-pronged action to make available these basic necessities is the only way of empowering unauthorized colonies, which is something that has never been attempted by the BJP or the Congress.Status: The AAP government has relaxed the regularisation policy and has waived off the penalty/regularisation charges from unauthorised colonies of F, G and H category. The waiving off of penalty charges will be major relief as 90 per cent of unauthorised colonies in Delhi fall in these categories. Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has connected eight new unauthorised colonies. Now, 205 of 1105 unauthorised colonies have piped water connection The government has approved a budget of Rs 800 crore for development work such as roads, street lights and storm water drains. In the last six years, Delhi government has spent approximately Rs 4,000 crore on development tasks in unauthorised colonies. Mapping by GeoSpatial Delhi Limited (GSDL) is underway to check unauthorised construction.#61 All unauthorized colonies to be regularized in one year BROKENPromise: Within one year of our government formation, these unauthorized colonies will be regularized and residents will be given ownership rightsStatus:#62 Affordable Housing For All YET TO STARTPromise: We will construct affordable housing for lower income groups. Over 200 acres of land is currently lying vacant with the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board that can be used for affordable housingStatus: Nothing concrete yet. As a first step, a survey of slums is underway.#63 Taking Care Of Our Senior Citizens UNDER PROGRESSPromise: The government will initiate a universal and non-contributory old age pension system immediately. A minimum dignified amount indexed to inflation will be provided. Delays in disbursement and arbitrary decisions regarding pensions will be eliminatedStatus: For the 1,10,000 pension applications that had been stuck, re-verification camps were conducted in the months of April, May and June. 38,000 of them didn't turn up, which perhaps, according to government, are fake. To enhance the process, the government has decided that henceforth, verification would be held at the Mohalla Sabha level with inputs from community members. Further, the government is planning to start 38 new recreational centers for the elderly. (102 are in place already)#64 Controlling Price Rise UNDER PROGRESSPromise: In the retail and wholesale business, stringent measures will be taken to prevent hoarding and profiteering. Our government will use the its full strength to stop black market operations, hoarding and speculative trading to curb the rising prices of vegetables, fruits and other essential commodities. Ration shops and the public distribution system will be corruption-free and shield the Aam Aadmi from rising costs.Status: e-ration card was introduced. 5.5 lakh people availed benefit. With this card, all history of purchases are now logged. Further, 2400 fair price shops will soon be equipped with PoS (Point of Sale) device. Active steps were taken by the Delhi government to curb the onion price rise last year. For instance, to check hoarding and black marketing, monitoring teams were sent on ground, among various other steps.#65 Drug-Free Delhi UNDER PROGRESSPromise: AAP wishes to make Delhi a completely drug-free state. We will prevent drug trafficking by means of tight monitoring and ensuring strict punishment for the guilty. The number of de-addiction centers shall be increased and mental and psychiatric support for rehabilitation purposes will be provided. We will also ensure that effective counseling is easily available in schools for adolescents.Status: A scheme for de-addiction is being worked upon. The focus of the government is on prevention. Concerns like supply of drugs comes under the Delhi Police. To understand the problem in depth, a survey by AIIMS is underway to find out the number of children who are addicted and other related issues. Further, government will be setting up counseling centers at all anganwadis for timely addressal of all queries and to ensure minimum cases of dropouts. A pilot is being planned in collaboration with 5 NGOs. Also, the government approached National Institute of Social Defence to run educational modules in schools to sensitize kids, parents and teachers against drug abuse.#66 Empowering The Disabled UNDER PROGRESSPromise: We are committed to protecting the rights of Persons with Disability (PwD), and hope to make Delhi an exemplar for the rest of India. AAP will ensure implementation of the 3 percent reservation for persons with disability. We will strive to make education truly inclusive by hiring special educators in government schools. AAP will help children with disability get admission into schools and colleges and ensure financial support to institutions working especially for their needsStatus: There was no state policy in Delhi for disabled people. AAP-led Delhi government has initiated the process, and the draft policy - State Policy and Action Plan for People with Disabilities - had been prepared and put up on the govt website inviting suggestions. The 3% reservation would be enforced once the work place buildings are made disabled-friendly, without which, the reservation has no practical meaning. In collaboration with NGO Samarthyam, government is planning out the infrastructure to set up disabled friendly workplaces. 20 hospitals in all districts of Delhi have been notified as Medical Authority for Issuance of Disability Certificate for general disability and another 10 for in case of neurological and intellectual disability.#67 Justice For Victims Of Anti-Sikh 1984 Carnage FULFILLEDPromise: The 1984 anti-Sikh carnage was one of the lowest points in the history of Delhi. Those responsible continue to roam scot-free. The Aam Aadmi Party understands the feeling widespread in the Sikh community that they have been denied justice. Further, the fact that the BJP-led government at the Centre still feels the need to constitute a committee to decide whether an SIT is needed or not on this issue is mystifying. We promise to notify the SIT that we had ordered in January 2014 to reinvestigate the 1984 anti-Sikh killings, particularly the involvement of high profile Congress leaders. Cases where investigations were not carried out properly or witness testimonies not recorded will be reopened.Status: Note that the BJP-led NDA government's move to set up SIT into 1984 anti-Sikh riots was announced in February 2015, immediately before the time when polls to the Delhi Assembly were to be held. In October 2014, a hike in compensation to Rs. five lakh had been announced by the Central government, five months after the BJP had formed its government at the Centre. In August 2015, the Delhi Cabinet decided to distribute enhanced compensation cheques as announced by the Central government to the kin of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with his Deputy Manish Sisodia distributed the enhanced compensation cheques of Rs. 5 lakh to the kin of each of the 1,300 people killed in the violence and paid homage to the victims on the 31st anniversary of the riots. The Delhi Government has estimated an expenditure of around Rs. 130 crore on compensation for around 2,600 families of anti-Sikh riot victims. The Centre will later refund the compensation amount to the Delhi government.#68 Respecting Our Ex-Servicemen WISHLISTPromise: Delhi is home to a large number of ex-servicemen and women from the Armed Forces. AAP will stand by the nation's ex-servicemen in their fight for "One Rank, One Pension". We will ensure the existing quota in government jobs for ex-servicemen is filled up.Status: OROP comes under the purview of the Union government#69 Development And Equality For All Minorities YET TO STARTPromise: The recent communal tension witnessed in Delhi is totally out of sync with the social fabric of the city. We stand firmly against attacks on places of worship and inflammatory speeches across Delhi. Upholding the spirit of Swaraj, Mohalla Sabhas will set up peace committees to ensure harmony in their respective neighborhoods. We will bring transparency in the functioning of Delhi Waqf Board and ensure that encroachments on Waqf property by private parties as well as the government are removedStatus: In January, The Delhi Waqf Board told the Delhi High Court that it was suffering in getting its 990 properties vacated from illegal and unauthorised encroachers as the Waqf tribunal has not been constituted. AAP government has "superseded" the Delhi Waqf Board, transferring all its powers and duties to the secretary (revenue) in the city administration.#70 Dignity To The Safai Karamchari UNDER PROGRESSPromise: AAP will end contractualisation in "Safai Karamchari" posts and will regularize existing employees. Workers who enter sewers will be provided with protective gear, masks and appropriate equipment. Like fire fighters, they will receive medical insurance. To help in their career advancement, Safai Karamcharis will be provided assistance in education and training.Status: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has started a process to regularise more than 50,000 employees working on contractual basis in its different departments. The services department of the Delhi government has approved a policy to employ 'eligible' candidates on a regular basis, an official said. Officials conveyed that the government has recommended all 3 municipal corporations to start cashless medical facility for Safai Karamcharis. Also, Safai Karamchari has been treated as a Skilled Worker in the Minimum Wages Act.#71 Dignity To The Safai Karamchari YET TO STARTPromise: On the death of a "Safai Karamchari" on duty, Rs. 50 lakh will be given to the bereaved family.Status: No announcement yet.#72 Loans to Scheduled Castes to Start Businesses FULFILLEDPromise: Entrepreneurs from Scheduled Castes will be provided zero or low-interest loans to set up businessesStatus: The Delhi Government revamped the entire working structure of Delhi State Finance Development Corporation (DSFDC). Major changes have been done in the "Dilli Swarojgar Yojna" scheme, which was initiated by the previous government. Now, no guarantors are needed for loans less than Rs. 50,000, which used to be a major roadblock earlier. For loan of Rs. 5 lakh and above, the borrower may arrange two persons as guarantors, who have been paying Income Tax consecutively for the past three financial years and have a net worth of Rs. 25 lakhs each. According to government officials, in the year before AAP government came into power, only 1 loan was santioned. This year, 60 loans were given and 150 applications were disposed (which didn't fulfil the criteria).#73 Caste Certificate Process Simplified UNDER PROGRESSPromise: Procedures for obtaining caste certificates will be simplified.Status: The process has been simplified by doing away with affidavits and now only self-affidavits are required. Also, certificates can now be availed online via e-ditsrict platform.#74 Transgender Community UNDER PROGRESSPromise: The long neglected transgender community will be provided access to health, education and appropriate identity cards that will ease their engagement with institutions.Status: Following the recommendations of expert committee on issues of transgender community, the Delhi government announced setting up district level screening committee that will issue certificate of being a transgender person, among other things.#75 Promote Sports Culture: YET TO STARTPromise: We will create new sports facilities, improve the existing infrastructure and provide coaching assistance to sportspersons.Status: Nothing yet.#76 Promote Sports Culture: FULFILLEDPromise: We will open for the youth Delhi's sports stadiums and complexes that at present are lying underutilized.Status: To promote sports among people of all age groups, Delhi government has decided to launch "Pay & Play Scheme" at the designated stadiums or sports complexes where they can play the game available there after paying a nominal fee of Rs 100.#77 Promote Sports Culture: YET TO STARTPromise: More than 3000 government school playgrounds will also be made available to the local community after school hours.Status: Nothing yet.#78 Public libraries: UNDER PROGRESSPromise: A public library or community-reading space will be created in every constituency of Delhi.Status: In the eleven constituencies where the Mohalla Sabhas are active, people asked for libraries in their communities; especially in low income areas, where there is no place to study. Since land is not easily available, government is renting rooms to create space for libraries and getting the infrastructure in place.References: The Hindu, The Indian Express.