POLITICS
Drones take forward both security and prosperity
India is already behind countries like the US, Japan, China, Brazil and ASEAN members in drone technology and usage, but what it has correctly done is ensure that technology development and regulation go hand in hand
BUSINESS
A road map for the greening of Mumbai
India’s financial and business capital has just given itself a Climate Action Plan (MCAP) which seeks to save itself from the ravages of climate change by targeting net zero emission levels by 2050
POLITICS
The ‘Delhi model’ of development that won Punjab for AAP
The key elements of this model are better public services, good quality schools and hospitals, women’s safety and empowerment, doorstep delivery of services like rations, free power and water supply
POLITICS
Election results will be good for private investors
The public had a chance to choose between a political line of thinking that opted for more welfare spending at a time of pandemic induced distress and core Hindutva, and it has chosen the latter. This should make private investors happy
BUSINESS
The Green Pivot: Green hydrogen a giant step towards energy security for India
Hydrogen is emerging as very useful in storing and transporting renewable energy over long distances so that regions surplus in renewable energy can help meet the needs of deficit regions. This will help decarbonise heavy industry, long haul freight, shipping and aviation
BUSINESS
Mumbai, Lucknow, Patna, Ahmedabad: Cities that will bear the brunt of climate change
The latest climate change report breaks new ground by focusing on cities where more than half the global population lives
BUSINESS
By invading Ukraine, Putin puts India in a spot
The Indian economy will be badly affected by the war and the sanctions, nipping the recovery in the bud
HEALTH-AND-FITNESS
Why India must achieve full vaccination coverage quickly
As new age groups are added to the eligible population, it's essential to move quickly to attain full coverage and bring the pandemic to an end
BUSINESS
Ease supply shortages, put more money in the hands of the poor to raise demand
Without robust demand growth, companies will not invest and rightfully so. Private consumption is still below 2019-20 levels
BUSINESS
Rail Budget high on investment, low on realism
There is nothing in the budget which indicates that the national carrier is addressing its major handicap – having to spend over half of its earnings on staff costs and pensions
BUSINESS
‘Jobs for locals’ is poor economics and unlikely to work
Reserving jobs for locals is not going to work and may end up harming them if businesses decide to move out of the state. Instead, the state should do its utmost to equip its residents with the skills needed to get jobs anywhere in the country, or even abroad
BUSINESS
Why hasn’t the government made enough budgetary provisions to vaccinate everybody?
Is the token allocation in the Budget aimed at keeping the fiscal deficit low?
POLITICS
Should we have simultaneous elections at the Centre and states?
There are good arguments on both sides but regional parties may be at a disadvantage if the ‘one nation one election’ rule comes into force
BUSINESS
For efficient Budget making, follow US open system
Instead of the current opaque budget-making process, India should adopt the far more democratic US system
BUSINESS
Railways: Budgeting amid huge uncertainty
The Railways spends over half what it earns on staff expenses and pensions. The committee on restructuring it has described this as extremely high and unmanageable
BUSINESS
Budget 2022: Urban job guarantee scheme holds the key
Raghuram Rajan, former governor of RBI, has proposed extending the rural employment guarantee programme, which assures at least 100 days’ work to anyone who seeks it, to urban areas
BUSINESS
Budget gives a chance for urgent course correction on healthcare
The pandemic has exposed the glaring gaps in India’s health infrastructure. While involving the private sector in tertiary care is fine for primary and secondary care, public resources must be augmented
BUSINESS
Learning to live with the virus
Once everybody is vaccinated, we can treat COVID19 like the common flu
BUSINESS
India must join the global mainstream in fighting climate change
Extreme weather events are becoming a regular phenomenon globally and in India, posing threats on several fronts. The government must move fast to limit its impact on the country
BUSINESS
Promoting ethanol will do more harm than good
Instead of promoting a water guzzling crop like sugarcane, the way to reduce fuel imports is to go in for solar energy and electric vehicles
BUSINESS
Wage, work environment must for factory growth
Modern manufacturing cannot go forward on the back of a workforce that is not paid on time, made to live in unhealthy overcrowded dormitories and consume a shoddy diet
TECHNOLOGY
Digital revolution and COVID set to transform urban India
Smaller urban centres stand to gain from the shift in business delivery centres to them
BUSINESS
Health index reaffirms old divide between southern and bimaru states
Notably, there is negative correlation between the health index scores and the poverty levels of states as measured by the multidimensional poverty index put out by Niti Aayog. This means you can be poorer but healthier. It indicates that factors beyond income determine health sector performance
BUSINESS
Edtech gets a warning but doubtful if it will work
Many parents opted for aggressively marketed online educational help with coaching and individual counselling and paid out what were princely sums to them, only to realise not too far down the line that they had been conned
