Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], September 16 (ANI/BusinessWire India): South First, a South-focused news portal, is holding a live event here on Saturday, with a galaxy of speakers airing their views on the topic, "Is India a Truly Federal State?"



South First's live event, its first since a soft launch on Independence Day, is scheduled for Sept. 17 (Saturday) at ITC Kakatiya hotel in Hyderabad.



The day-long conference will feature panel discussions on the following subjects:

- Can the South build consensus on federalism?

- Civil society movements: Can they strengthen federalism?

- Role of judiciary in building federal polity

- Has India lost the spirit of federalism?

Panellists include leading ministers from three southern states -- KT Rama Rao, IT Minister, Telangana; Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Finance Minister, Tamil Nadu; and Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, Finance Minister, Andhra Pradesh.



Other panellists include MPs Shashi Tharoor, Kapil Sibal and Asaduddin Owaisi; retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Jasti Chelameswar, and Prof. G Mohan Gopal, former vice-chancellor, National Law School of India.



Civil society leaders participating in the conference include Meera Sanghamitra and Brinda Adige.



South First's editorial operations are led by Managing Editor Shibi Alex Chandy, who was previously the editor of IANS news service, and includes former television reporter Anusha Ravi Sood, who serves as political editor for the South-focused news portal.



"South First -- as the website's name suggests -- will aim to provide accurate and non-partisan news from the Southern states, and more importantly, create a platform for informed analysis of politics and policy in the region," said GS Vasu, the founder of Dakshin Digital Media Pvt. Ltd., South First's publisher. "No aspect of our lives is unaffected by politics, be it economy, social welfare, public health, or even cinema. Hence the focus on politics and policy."

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