ENVIRONMENT
The journey to sustainability will necessarily be slow
A prime example of hastening down the road to clean and safe energy without thinking through all eventualities is that of Germany. It is beginning to have second thoughts on its decision to end nuclear power generation
BUSINESS
Urban employment guarantee: An idea whose time has come
Rajasthan's launch seeks to address the stress among urban unemployed. The need is evident but careful designing is required to avoid pitfalls
BUSINESS
Bengaluru, nation’s pride, laid low by private greed
A way to go ahead with some consensus is to activate ward committees in which citizens participate in decision making and buy into initiating what is good for them
BUSINESS
New beginning in India-Bangladesh ties after a quarter century
The Kushiyara water sharing agreement will benefit both India and Bangladesh and opens the way for broader economic and anti-terrorism co-operation between the two neighbours
BUSINESS
India gets two new vaccines, must be ready for more quick breakthroughs
The broad policy for vaccine manufacturing is already in place. It just needs to be suitably fine-tuned to produce the best and the quickest results
BUSINESS
India's demographic dividend is not paying out
The youth are faring worse than the overall population on labour force participation and unemployment fronts
BUSINESS
Indian IT faces headwinds abroad, new opportunity at home beckons
Indian IT's traditional hunting ground for revenue is seeing sentiment drop as businesses in the US and other Western markets ready for a slowdown. A new business opportunity at home offers hope
BUSINESS
A proper public healthcare service will drive out quacks
What will make a difference is taking affordable healthcare of minimum quality to people who live in remote areas and for whom going to a proper hospital means foregoing a day’s wages
POLITICS
Delivering safe tap water to all is first step towards prosperity
Nearly half of rural households have access to tap water, the rest are to get it by 2024. But a lot remains to be done before we can drink water straight from the tap
BUSINESS
Climate change hits all, but where’s the cash to fight it?
India may have set ambitious climate goals, but to reach them the funds required run into trillions of dollars
BUSINESS
Want national income to gallop? Treat women as equals and encourage them to work
Women’s workforce participation rate has gone down by almost half in 15 years, from 32 per cent in 2005 to 19 per cent in 2021
BUSINESS
Banning Chinese mobile phones is not the way to encourage domestic industry
History has shown that Indian businesses have prospered when competition has been encouraged. Then, why is the government contemplating a ban on cheap Chinese-made mobile phones?
BUSINESS
Data protection bill’s demise will be mourned by none
In drafting the new bill, the government has an existing model to look at and pick up what it wishes to. This is the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation
BUSINESS
If the government and courts are on the same page, what is holding back judicial reform?
All are agreed that a specialised agency is needed to manage the judiciary’s administrative functions. The union finance ministry said in 2019 that an “Indian Courts and Tribunal Service” is needed
BUSINESS
Why the BSNL bailout is throwing good money after bad
In order for a rescue package to work, it has to be accompanied by bold decisions which will seek to promote efficiency, enabling the organization to compete with private players
BUSINESS
Attrition costs hit IT companies, but the worst may be over
One reason why the worst appears to over in staff attrition is that tech startups have not only slowed down their recruitment in the face of dwindling funding but also started to lay off staff
BUSINESS
Dream run of startups gets a jolt of reality
The global withdrawal of liquidity is affecting the funding of startups and market conditions have become less supportive
BUSINESS
SBI report says agriculture making gains, but why is rural wage growth so poor?
Farmers’ income rose by as much as 1.3-1.7 times during 2017-18 to 2021-22. Those cultivating cash crops did even better with their income doubling during the period
BUSINESS
Huge policy response need of the hour as India gets older
The demographic dividend that India was hoping to reap will disappear even before it arrives
BUSINESS
No road map for privatising PSBs
Opposition from employee unions and quality of management could play spoilsport in finding buyers for PSBs
BUSINESS
Inclusive growth the country’s new mantra
Ramping up of the jobs programme in both town and countryside and meeting the cash needs of small businesses must get policy priority
BUSINESS
A revolution is coming at India’s e-commerce marketplace
The ONDC framework will open up the e-commerce channel to all sellers and intermediaries, democratising access to the market
BUSINESS
National programme to improve ‘ease of doing business’ is producing results
The approach is cohesive, seeks to break up silos and improve collaboration with the states in order to boost investor confidence, foster a business friendly climate and improve the ease of doing business
BUSINESS
A safety net for gig workers is an imperative
A social security framework for gig and platform workers will go a long way in plugging the employment gap in a durable manner
