BUSINESS
Withdrawal of farm bills unfortunate: key agriculture bureaucrat Ashok Dalwai
His 14-volume Committee on Doubling Farmers’ Income proposals were the basis of the now-withdrawn farm legislations introduced by the Modi government
BUSINESS
A major improvement in air quality is unlikely to happen: Sunita Narain
During winter, excessive emitters from all sectors must be checked, but air pollution action must continue throughout the year for sound results, she says; GRAP without long term action cannot be fully implemented.
INDIA
Positivity in the country has enthused the youth to join the RSS: Sunil Ambekar
With 55,000 daily shakhas covering most districts, the Sangh has steadily expanded its footprints across the country, making it one of the world’s largest non-governmental associations
INDIA
Char Dham highway project | India’s most important climate change case today: Colin Gonsalves
The Supreme Court has this week reserved its judgment on an appeal by the Ministry of Defence for relaxing its September 2021 order that specified the road width under the Char Dham project of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
BUSINESS
New Chinese border law, hardly conducive to disengagement
Is the new legislation just hot air or will it have an impact on the ground? Two ace Indian diplomats, who have dealt with Beijing, offer their perspectives
POLITICS
CIA-NSC meet: Americans, facing Chinese heat, reach out to Russia
Patrushev, the National Security Council head from Moscow and Putin's right-hand man, is dealing directly with the world’s strategic big wigs
BUSINESS
BJP’s all-caste push in UP in run up to the assembly elections
Caste rallies held, christening institutions undertaken to keep the numerically superior OBCs at the centrestage of poll mobilisation
POLITICS-MCMINIS
How BJP doubles down on caste symbolism in run-up to UP polls?
Party undertakes mass mobilisation through rallies, naming of institutions and building a coalition of castes to keep OBCs at the centre stage.
POLITICS
Longest-ever, 17-day encounter continues in J&K, 11 army men perish
Security experts express concern; say with modern logistics, it should not take so long to ferret out terrorists; army points to inaccessible topography
CORONAVIRUS
Safe, for now from new Delta variant of COVID19: Only 20 cases of AY.4.2 in India
No real threat for now, but information on the new mutant is relatively scarce
BUSINESS
Re-opening schools regardless of vaccination ‘most important policy action’ for women and child mental health: Vikram Patel
Vikram Harshad Patel is one of the best-known psychiatrists and researchers, renowned for his work on child development and mental disability in low-resource settings.
BUSINESS
To address the mental health challenges of children and women, schools must reopen: Vikram Patel
The Harvard University professor is one of the best-known psychiatrists and researchers, renowned for his work on child development and mental disability in low-resource settings.
BUSINESS
India’s one-billion vaccine mark sparks off celebrations; experts urge restraint
The country needs to give more than 12 million doses a day to fully vaccinate all eligible adults by the end of 2021
BUSINESS
With about 40 crore children to vaccinate, Bharat Biotech has a mountain to climb
Plan to inoculate those in the 2-18 age group presents a more-than-stiff challenge
POLITICS
After a two-year lull, violence bares its fangs in Kashmir
Even a severe clampdown has not come in the way of the emergence of new anti-India groups in the Union Territory
POLITICS
Pak ISI chief goes in military reshuffle, sends ripples down the political system
Lt Gen Faiz Hameed will be the new Corp Commander, Peshawar. His posting, either as a reward for sewing up the alliance in Kabul or a penalty for exceeding his brief, will impact the 2023 Pakistan elections
POLITICS
'I don’t see an exodus from the Congress'
Veteran party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, who came up with the G-23 moniker, does not see the party imploding
POLITICS
'The Congress is in a churn, and you will see results soon'
Party's veteran leader Salman Khurshid believes that dissent does not lead to desertion
POLITICS
Congress’s existential crisis: Can they turn adversity into an opportunity?
The party’s seemingly contradictory positions defy logic--there is a leadership vacuum and a welcoming of younger leaders into positions of authority
POLITICS
India proves diplomatic heft in Sri Lanka’s $700M deal
New Delhi has worked both official and unofficial channels in Colombo for the past few months to swing the deal
BUSINESS
What Aukus means for the Quad in the Indo-Pacific: Four top diplomats weigh in
Will the new anglophone trilateral alliance act as an extension or counterweight to the quadrilateral, with China as their central focus?
TRENDS
Assam’s eviction of illegal settlers could stir ethnic cauldron
With encroachment pegged at 20% of the state’s total land area of 30,285 square miles, the recent evictions could be the beginning of a larger, deadlier tussle.
INDIA
Jobs for locals, free water and power—it’s raining freebies as poll season begins
Ahead of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur polls, political parties are promising the moon. The question, however, is do such measures pay electoral dividends?
INDIA
Come September and India’s public exam system is leaking like a sieve
From the IIT entrance exam to NEET, from mid-term school papers in Punjab to sub-inspector recruitment in Haryana, nothing is off-limits anymore
