Sachin Saini is Special Correspondent for Rajasthan. He covers politics, tourism, forest, home, panchayati raj and rural development, and development journalism.
Articles by Sachin Saini
Queen of the forest: Machhli, Ranthambore’s iconic tigress, dies
Machli, arguably India’s most iconic big cat and the face of the country’s tiger conservation programme, died inside the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan of old age on Thursday morning. She was 19.
Updated on Aug 18, 2016 08:55 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Most photographed tigress ‘Machli’ unwell
Machli (T-16), the longest surviving tigress often referred to as the ‘queen of the Ranthambore National Park’, is critically ill. The tigress has been unwell for the last four days and barely moving or eating
Published on Aug 17, 2016 08:38 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Women take lead in Rajasthan panchayat to vote out sole liquor vend
No tipplers here please, warn women at Kachhabali, a small panchayat comprising 12 villages in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district.
Updated on Aug 18, 2016 12:43 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Kacchbali (rajsamand)
Rajasthan won’t seek more time from NGT to give green nod to mines
The state has decided not to seek more time from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to grant green clearance to mines as relaxation of norms by the Centre exclusively for Rajasthan has sped up the clearance process.
Updated on Aug 11, 2016 10:37 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Pitching tourism online, the Rajasthan style
The Rajasthan tourism department has launched a blitzkrieg campaign on social media to attract more visitors. It is also preparing a specially designed tourism mobile application.
Updated on Jul 06, 2016 09:06 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Rapes up by a third over last three years in Jaipur
All crimes against women in Jaipur between January and April declined by 8% compared to the same period last year but cases of rape jumped by a third, police statistics say.
Updated on May 12, 2016 04:32 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Rajasthan drought brings more to MNREGS door
State demands `850 crore from the Centre to carry on the scheme
Updated on May 04, 2016 04:22 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Jaipur civic body doesn’t give a monkey’s about this menace
The Jaipur Municipal Corporation has no emergency plans to handle simians on city roads even as cases of monkey bites and fatal accidents due to them continue to rise in the Pink City.
Updated on Apr 26, 2016 03:22 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Rajasthan: Leopard count takes a leap but black buck falls
The 2015 wildlife census has shown a 3% uptick in leopard population and 2% slide in black buck count in Rajasthan.
Published on Apr 20, 2016 01:17 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Veenu started driving at 12, had a narrow escape as a teenager: Parents
The father of Veenu Paliwal, one of the leading woman bikers in the country who was killed in a road accident on Monday, said his daughter was passionate about two wheelers since she was a small girl.
Updated on Apr 13, 2016 01:22 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini and P Srinivasan, Jaipur
First e-auction flops as high fee, rising mining costs scare bidders
Online auction of mines was an idea forced down the throats of states in May 2015 by the Centre to check corruption in the allocation of leases. However, more than six months later, states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are struggling to allocate mines via the electronic mode due to the low number of bidders.
Updated on Feb 16, 2016 01:52 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini and Neeraj Santoshi, Jaipur/bhopal
Rajasthan: Rural schemes on slow lane, half of funds used
With less than two months left for the financial year to end, the rural development department has just managed to utilize 47.17%.of funds allotted for various development schemes in the state, official data show.
Published on Feb 08, 2016 01:27 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Taste food before your kids eat midday meal: Rajasthan govt
The Rajasthan government has decided to rope in students’ parents to taste midday meal before it is served in schools to ensure a stricter quality control, a senior official said.
Updated on Jan 07, 2016 06:23 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Rajasthan likely to bring in e-auctioning of mines
The Rajasthan government is likely to introduce online auctioning of mines very soon to bring in transparency in a cash-rich sector which has seen some of the biggest scams in the state in recent times, top officials said.
Published on Oct 30, 2015 04:40 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Rajasthan assembly passes bills for Gujjar, EWS reservation
The Rajasthan Assembly on Tuesday passed separate bills providing 5% reservation to Gujjars and other communities under Special Backward Classes (SBC) and for 14% quota to Economically Backward Classes (EBC) of unreserved categories.
Updated on Sep 23, 2015 09:29 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
State mulls luxury old-age homes under PPP mode
The state government is considering running luxury old-age homes in all the seven divisional headquarters under the public private partnership (PPP) mode, notwithstanding recent protests over its privatisation plan for schools and primary health centres
Updated on Aug 06, 2015 05:21 PM IST
None | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
IAF saves family marooned by floods in Rajasthan
They were separated by 400 metres, but the man couldn’t do anything to rescue his family of eight – five women, two boys and a girl – as death seemed imminent for them with flood waters rising sharply.
Updated on Jul 28, 2015 04:11 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Successful district projects may be adopted across Rajasthan
Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje is impressed with some government initiatives like smart classroom project, GPS-enabled mobile inspection and monitoring system and rural development projects, and has planned to take them statewide.
Updated on Jul 27, 2015 10:36 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Rahul attacks Modi, assures opposition to land bill in Parliament
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence on issues of corruption involving his party leaders and assured the farmers that the Congress would not allow the central government to go ahead with the "anti-farmer" land bill.
Updated on Jul 16, 2015 09:39 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini and Rakesh, Hanumangarh
Rahul Gandhi reaches Rajasthan, to begin padyatra in Hanumangarh
Rahul Gandhi, in his 9-km padyatra, will cover Khotanwali, Surawali and Amarsinghwala villages in Hanumangarh district and interact with farmers and different groups of people. His padyatra will conclude in Amarsinghwala at 5pm.
Updated on Jul 16, 2015 02:02 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Hanumangarh
SECC survey: 97% rural families do not pay income tax
A lot has been claimed about inclusive development and bringing rural India in mainstream by many governments in last six decades, but the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 reveal surprising facts
Updated on Jul 07, 2015 05:19 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Gehlot targets Raje, demands probe into Dholpur Palace, haveli deals
Rajasthan chief Vasundhara Raje should step down, says senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, alleging that Raje’s Dholpur Palace deal and heritage haveli sell-offs in Jaipur also involved Lalit Modi money.
Updated on Jun 26, 2015 08:38 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Govt committee identifies over 200 ‘outdated’ laws for repeal
The Rajasthan government has identified over 200 laws that are outdated and are likely to be repealed – a move apparently in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s poll promise of doing away with archaic laws that affect governance adversely, official sources said here.
Updated on Jun 18, 2015 09:18 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
PM Modi a 'messiah born in a thousand years': Uma Bharti
Union water resources minister Uma Bharti said the PM was nothing less than “messiah born in thousand years.”
Updated on Jun 05, 2015 08:29 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
CM Vasundhara Raje flags off Jaipur Metro, takes a ride too
Jaipur on Wednesday became the fifth city in the country to have metro service when chief minister Vasundhara Raje flagged off the first train before she boarded it for a ride from Mansarover to Chandpole station.
Updated on Jun 04, 2015 10:06 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Jaipur: 10-year-old critically ill boy becomes police chief for a day
A critically ill Girish Sharma’s wish fulfilled by the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Rajasthan police. The foundation grants a wish to young children suffering from critical illness. Girish has been receiving treatment for chronic kidney malfunction at the Sawai Mansingh Hospital for the past two months.
Updated on Apr 30, 2015 10:26 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Apathy turns child homes into hell
The condition in all the 40 child protection homes across Rajasthan is worse than just gloomy — they are overstuffed, dingy and housing common and juvenile criminals together, according to the latest government inspection report
Updated on Apr 28, 2015 01:00 AM IST
None | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Rajnath calls Muslims ‘patriots’, says extremism alien to them
Launching a scathing attack on Pakistan, Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said if the neighbouring country stops supporting terrorists, the security situation in South Asia will improve significantly.
Updated on Mar 19, 2015 08:00 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
Teachers tear into govt plan for surya namaskar in schools
Even as the Rajasthan government is mulling over the idea of introducing surya namaskar and yoga in its schools, teachers’ bodies and sociologists in the state termed it as an infringement of individual freedom. Bounding a student to chant mantra while doing surya namaskar is violation of an individual’s freedom, praying is a personal choice and cannot be imposed.
Updated on Jan 31, 2015 12:14 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur
PM may launch soil health card scheme: Agri minister
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to launch a soil health card scheme for farmers across the country from Rajasthan in February, state agriculture minister Prabhu Lal Saini said on Thursday. The card will have a universal number which will link the holder to the details of a land on computers.
Updated on Jan 30, 2015 12:20 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sachin Saini, Jaipur