BUSINESS
Battle royal over distribution of spectrum for space communication
The global space communications market is likely to double between 2020 and 2030, and India’s share of this market is set to double to 10 percent
BUSINESS
Nithari acquittals will make victims’ families ask if the poor can get justice under the system
The High Court has called the slipshod quality of the investigation a betrayal of public trust. Accountability must be fixed for the abysmal quality of the investigation
BUSINESS
A growth hurdle for Indian IT companies may sour middle class dreams
Securing a job with a software company is seen as a route to a better life, but it may be a difficult one as some IT companies may skip campus hiring altogether
BUSINESS
More jobs are being created, but are they of the right kind?
Policy needs to focus on growing the share of formal employment and doing more to improve women’s participation in the workforce
ENVIRONMENT
Sikkim disaster: A wake-up call to fix accountability for ecological damage
Should a Rs 13,000 crore hydroelectric power project which took two decades to build in an ecologically sensitive glacial region have been allowed to come up, critically without climate adaptation features?
BUSINESS
Political imperative underlies India-Bangladesh move towards free trade
A major bilateral economic agenda is never followed unless it is set within a political context. Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina needs all the goodwill to remain in power amid elections
BUSINESS
India’s policies must be more nuanced to fight poverty
According to some number crunching done by Business Standard, OECD data indicates that the average Indian in a low-income household will take seven generations to reach median income levels!
BUSINESS
Reforming multilateral development banks is urgent as climate goals await
Multilateral development banks will have to triple their lending by 2030 and Larry Summers prescribes that they look at new areas like derivatives, mutual funds, insurance and guarantees to raise money
BUSINESS
Rupert Murdoch retires, leaving behind a chequered legacy
Murdoch built up a powerful media empire, but his editorial policies left a lot to be desired
BUSINESS
Having more women MPs, MLAs not enough to improve status of women
World Bank data show that the female labour force participation rate was 26 percent for Bangladesh and 27.8 percent for India in 1990. In 2022, the World Bank data show that this rate had improved to 37.7 percent for Bangladesh and fallen to 24 percent for India. We need to learn from Bangladesh
BUSINESS
Microfinance works, but is not a magic pill
Perhaps more important is the realisation that microcredit has made a marginal and not transformative impact on the lives of its beneficiaries, the poor women borrowers
TRENDS
The way to end Kota suicides
Coaching capital Kota puts students into a rigorous preparation for life, but ignores mental health. Perhaps institutions need to refashion entrance tests to reduce the pressure on students that drives them to the point of suicide
BUSINESS
Giant chipmaker Nvidia seeks to make India global AI hub
Nvidia has partnered with Reliance and the Tatas to bring AI systems and language models. The government needs to ensure engineers are reskilled to meet the gap between current IT talent and what AI needs
WORLD
A dam that does neither China nor India any good
China is unilaterally proceeding with its project to dam the source of the Brahmaputra despite clear rules for the sharing of international river waters
BUSINESS
G20: Tech talent to inflation control, PM Modi pitches India as Global South leader
Prime Minister Modi will showcase India’s talent and prowess in tech at the G20 summit as also how deftly it handled inflation post the pandemic and the Ukraine war that unsettled prices across the globe
BUSINESS
Protectionism isn’t the solution for the PLI debacle for IT hardware
A key reason raising trade barriers can be counterproductive is that the moves can eventually end up harming the Indian export effort. Higher import duties across the board lead to higher cost of imported inputs
BUSINESS
MSME growth needs to come to the rescue of gig workers
To resolve the unemployment problem, we must address the disconnect between India’s GDP growth rate and employment growth rate
BUSINESS
Sustainable urban development holds the key to a better tomorrow
The right model of development is needed to ensure that we build cities that drive growth but at minimum damage to the environment
BUSINESS
Price pain: Knee-jerk trade measures mar India’s image
If India is to emerge as the growth engine for the rest of the world even as the Chinese economy is faltering, it must be ready to play host as a destination for both global exports and investments
BUSINESS
Respect nature to save Himachal
A primary reason for the floods is the pathway for the natural flow of rivers being blocked by debris which are dumped in them and those deposited by landslides
BUSINESS
Regulating doctors only first step in addressing ills of healthcare
Even if doctors start following some of these regulations, there is no point if the pharma scene remains marked by poor and indifferent product quality
BUSINESS
New criminal laws will move things forward, up to a point
The three new laws seek to speed up the trial and conviction process, sanitise evidence gathering and allow the option of community service for minor offences
BUSINESS
An outline for judicial reform needs a close look
An extension in retirement age of judges will ensure those with greater experience and appropriate calibre stick around longer and help reduce the huge number of cases pending before the higher judiciary
BUSINESS
Reintroducing import licensing for laptops is a step backward
India cannot be a high-cost island but needs to be part of the global supply chain with low tariff barriers and minimum border controls by way of licences and phytosanitary restrictions
