Editorials

The terrorist attack on a gurdwara in Kabul, killing two people, comes as a grim reminder of the challenges that India faces in its engagement with Kabul. An extremist group with a medieval mindset that makes no secret of its animosity towards minorities and women and has bombed and killed its way to grab power […]

Despite the growing international condemnation, Pakistan refuses to mend its ways on terror funding and cross-border misadventure. As an instrument of state policy, terrorism is so well entrenched that the Deep State has no means to come out of the self-created trap. No wonder the global anti-terrorism watchdog —Financial Action Task Force (FATF) — is […]

The continued protests over the Agnipath scheme, a short-term contractual employment in the armed forces, reflect poorly on the NDA government’s style of policy making, amounting to repeating the mistakes made in the case of farm laws. In both the cases, the decisions were taken in haste and sought to be thrust upon people without […]

The imminent rollout of 5G services will give a major fillip to digital connectivity and boost new-age businesses but an unreasonably high reserve price set by the government could be a dampening factor. It seems that the Centre is driven by the impulse of revenue maximisation in the 5G airwaves auction, to be held in […]

Deploying bulldozers to target the houses of the accused in criminal cases and political opponents has been a disturbing trend, fraught with communal overtones. The ‘bulldozer justice’, being mastered by the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, is a direct assault on the fundamental constitutional rights of citizens. What is appalling is the way the […]

Touted as the historic reform in the recruitment policy for armed forces, the new scheme ‘Agnipath’, a short-term appointment of soldiers on a contractual basis, will certainly help in reducing the burgeoning defence pension burden and giving a more youthful look to the defence forces. However, there are certain concerns that need to be addressed […]

The sudden spurt in the new coronavirus cases in the country, the biggest jump since January, comes as a wake-up call for those who have dropped their guards and slipped into complacency in the battle against the pandemic. While there is no need to panic, the governments and the public, in general, must adhere to […]

Rattled by the international backlash over the BJP spokespersons’ derogatory comments against Prophet Mohammad, the NDA government appears to be making desperate attempts to repair the damage caused to India’s secular image. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on his return from the G7 summit in Germany later this […]

Cancer, the emperor of maladies, is considered the last frontier of medical knowledge, posing complex challenges that researchers are yet to overcome. It’s still largely a losing battle for humanity, despite tremendous strides made in the medical field. However, a recent drug trial, conducted in the United States, has brought cheers to the patients and […]

The much-touted ‘Vishwaguru’ tag will remain elusive for India if the country’s universities continue to fare poorly in the global rankings. No Indian university figures in the global top 100 institutions and only three institutions find a place among the top 200. The QS World University Rankings 2023, released recently, comes as yet another reminder […]

The Reserve Bank of India’s decision to raise the repo rate — for the second time in over a month — by 50 basis points sends a message that the central bank is focused more on taming runaway inflation. However, the move is expected to hurt economic recovery as home and vehicle loans are set […]

For a country that figures among the world’s largest arms importers, India’s oft-repeated assertion about achieving self-reliance in the defence sector may appear too ambitious. At the same time, it cannot afford to compromise on defence preparedness because it is wedged between two hostile neighbours — Pakistan and China. In this context, the Defence Ministry’s […]

India’s outreach in Afghanistan, the first since the Taliban captured power, carries immense significance and serves as a test for the country’s diplomatic skills. The Indian delegation’s visit to Kabul, led by joint secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs JP Singh, has demonstrated New Delhi’s eagerness to engage with the Taliban regime, which still […]

India is known all over the world for its centuries-old syncretic culture, religious diversity and ethos of assimilation. They define the essence of the idea of India. However, the recent incendiary outbursts by two BJP spokespersons against Prophet Muhammad and the Muslim community come as an affront to these core values. Ironically, the self-proclaimed guardians […]

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s observation that there was no need to search for a ‘Shivling’ in every mosque and start a new dispute everyday must be welcomed. More such voices of moderation and reconciliation are needed at a time when attempts are being made to flare up religious emotions based on […]

A fresh wave of terrorist attacks targeting Hindus and migrant workers has triggered fear and panic, prompting the Kashmiri Pandit families to leave the Valley in a turn of events that brings back the bitter memories of the 1990s when militancy was at its peak. The Centre must take the responsibility for the rapid deterioration […]

An already weakened Indian economy has been hit hard by the double whammy of the Ukraine war and the Omicron-driven third wave of the pandemic. As a result, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by a dismal 4.1% — the slowest in 12 months — in the final quarter (January to March) of 2021-22. […]

There was a time, not long ago, when prophets of doom had a field day making alarmist predictions in the event of the formation of a separate Telangana State. It was as if darkness would envelop the region once it became a separate State. However, in a journey marked by indomitable spirit and dogged determination, […]

The plight of sex workers in India — whether they are forced into flesh trade or drawn into it voluntarily — goes largely unnoticed by policymakers. They are marginalised, stigmatised and vulnerable to harassment in a society that is deeply patriarchal and judgmental about the choices that women make. The Supreme Court’s recent direction declaring […]

Framing celebrities in controversial cases to earn media spotlight and attention has been a dangerous tendency among a section of officers of the central investigating agencies. In the process, enormous damage is caused to the reputation of the accused persons and their families. The high-profile drugs case involving Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan […]

It’s a moment of immense pride for the country as Geetanjali Shree’s translated Hindi Novel, ‘Tomb of Sand’, has won the prestigious International Booker Prize, becoming the first work in any Indian language to receive the honour. Originally published in Hindi as ‘Ret Samadhi‘ in 2018, it is translated into English by Daisy Rockwell. ‘Tomb […]

The way the Pakistani leaders, across the political spectrum, reacted to the conviction of Yasin Malik, the chief of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), on terror funding charges demonstrates the level of toxicity prevailing in the neighbouring country and their unabashed support to terrorist elements out to foment trouble in India. A […]

There must be something terribly wrong with the system that makes buying military-grade weapons off the shelf cheaper and more accessible than buying health insurance cover. For all its sheen of freedom, democracy, equal opportunity and liberal values, America’s worst kept secret is the menace of mass shootings. One fails to understand why any legal […]

The NDA government’s ambivalence on the caste census has been exposed by its ally Janata Dal (United) with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar deciding to go ahead with the exercise which is essential to fine-tune the reservation policy. Though the Constitution doesn’t explicitly allow the States to conduct a census, it must be pointed out […]