Editorials

There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare”. What the Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu said more than 25 centuries ago, is now extremely relevant for Russia and Ukraine alike. The militaries of both countries, now engaged in a war that is 200 days old, are known to have studied Sun Tzu’s […]

Efforts must continue to conclude the Teesta river water agreement which has been hanging fire for over a decade.

The death of former Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry in a road accident in Maharashtra’s Palgar district is a wake-up call for road safety in India which accounts for more than 11% of the total fatalities in road mishaps worldwide. What is more disturbing is that a majority of these tragedies are preventable. The critical […]

The latest United Nations report detailing the serious human rights violations by Chinese authorities and mass detention of Uyghur Muslims is a powerful indictment of the suppression of ethnic minorities in a country that has been flexing its muscles in the region and blatantly displaying territorial hegemony. The significance of the report — published after […]

Being indigenously made, the Cervavac vaccine is expected to cost Rs 200-400 as against the imported ones available for Rs 2,800 to Rs 3,300 per dose.

Given the rapidly changing security scenario, India needs to carry out military modernisation at a much faster pace

Though India’s economy grew 13.5% in the first quarter of this fiscal, the clouds of gloom still hover over the country as the looming headwinds — worsening global growth prospects, the impact of rising inflation on consumption, and the progressive hike in interest rates — could end up denting the growth momentum. The GDP growth […]

There are multiple alarming trends in the just-released report of the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB). An increase in the instances of crime against women and children and a sharp rise in the number of suicides among daily wage earners are among the ominous indicators of a society that is grappling with the long-term socio-economic […]

The pendency of cases in courts is a huge legacy issue in India. The pandemic has only exacerbated the problem. Addressing the pendency issue forms a key aspect of judicial reforms. The Supreme Court’s latest decision to revive the Constitution Benches and ensure that they function throughout the year is a welcome move in this […]

As the Congress party is getting ready for its mass contact programme 'Bharat Jodo' Yatra, a five-month-long pan-India march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, what it urgently needs to do is a Congress Jodo Yatra.

The revelation that the Central government did not cooperate with the Supreme Court-appointed technical committee on the Pegasus scam does not come as a surprise. It fits into a pattern of systematic obfuscation of the NDA government on the issue of snooping on the opposition leaders, dissidents and critics. Again, not surprisingly, the court-appointed panel […]

Weaponising the Central investigating agencies to target political opponents and crush dissent has been a troubling trend. The NDA government has been blatantly misusing the probe agencies to go after the rivals in a manner that is transparently unethical and immoral. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been turned into a tool to torment the opposition […]

The government’s decision to expand the policy of lateral entry into the bureaucracy is, no doubt, appreciable, but it alone cannot solve the crunch of IAS officers nor can it be seen as a panacea for the ills plaguing the administrative machinery. The primary objective of this initiative is to hire experts and specialists from […]

What is more appalling about the preventable road accidents in India caused by potholes is that no one is held accountable for such tragedies. Even the conservative official figure puts the pothole death toll at 5,626 between 2018 and 2020. This is quite alarming for a country that aspires to compete with developed nations in […]

Jammu & Kashmir’s tryst with electoral democracy has always been marred by controversies. This time too, it is no different. As the volatile region is headed for Assembly election after a gap of almost a decade, a fresh political row has erupted over the inclusion of ‘non-locals’ in the electoral list. Understandably, the opposition parties, […]

The allegation that freebies worth over Rs 1,000 crore were paid to the doctors for prescribing an irrational dose of popular fever drug Dolo-650 during the Covid-19 waves exposes the deeply-entrenched corruption in pharmaceutical marketing. The brazen indulgence in unethical practices also brings the conduct of the drug regulatory system under scanner. While the market […]

The impact of the slump in the Chinese economy is bound to be felt across the world in the coming days. Supply chain disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in China, have already dealt a massive blow to the global economy. The latest economic indicators emerging from Beijing are quite disappointing, a fact […]

The Gujarat government’s decision to grant remission and prematurely release the 11 convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gangrape case is outrageous and has shaken the public faith in the justice system. It is ironic that the move by the BJP government in the poll-bound State runs contrary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s oft-repeated assurance […]

Hyderabad: Given its hegemonic actions and blatant breach of international protocols in the recent past, China’s move to dock its spy ship in Sri Lanka must be viewed with suspicion. India’s concerns in this regard are quite justified as the ‘Yuan Wang 5’ is a powerful tracking vessel whose significant aerial reach — reportedly around […]

For the first time, the Independence Day celebrations witnessed the display of an indigenously developed artillery gun at the iconic Red Fort. It was truly a proud moment for the defence research community as the Advanced Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) demonstrated the country’s prowess in developing arms and ammunition indigenously. This also reflects a key […]

The recent inauguration of India’s first modern ethanol plant in Haryana’s Panipat, on the occasion of World Biofuel Day, marks an important milestone in the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy but, at the same time, food security concerns surrounding ethanol production must be addressed. India’s target to have 20% ethanol blended in petrol by […]

As India celebrates completion of 75 years of independence with pomp and fervour, a hard look at the social realities on the ground reveals a gloomy picture; a scenario that is nothing to be proud of. For a vast majority of people, there is still no freedom from discrimination, inequality, exploitation, and atrocities. The Independence […]

Terrorism is a global menace that warrants joint international response and coordination. It cannot be tackled in isolation, nor can it be condemned selectively. The nations which infamously pursue ‘good terrorist, bad terrorist’ line of policy are bound to swallow their own bitter medicine. By blocking the joint bid by India and the United States […]

Never in the recent past the threat to the core values of federalism was as serious as it is now, with the NDA government systematically usurping the rights of the States and taking unilateral and arbitrary decisions. No wonder there is a growing sense of frustration among the States over the steady erosion of the […]