Editorials

The change in the shareholding pattern in Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL), with the Central government becoming the largest shareholder with 35.8% equity, may have come as a rescuing act for the ailing telecom company but sends confusing signals. There are unanswered questions regarding the future role of the government in the company. One wonders what […]

The BJP is getting a taste of its own medicine. A party that revels in engineering defections in rival parties to shore up its numbers is now facing desertions from its own ranks in the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. A string of exits, including some senior Ministers and legislators, has put the saffron party on the […]

It’s truly a watershed moment in medical history that offers hope to millions of patients with failing organs. For the first time, American surgeons have successfully transplanted the heart of a genetically engineered pig into a human patient. The ground-breaking procedure will have major implications in future and could help transform the way we handle […]

Pakistan’s invitation to India to participate in the much-delayed South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit is an empty gesture and doesn’t deserve any attention. New Delhi has rightly rejected the offer because there has been no change on the ground as far as Islamabad’s active support to terrorism is concerned. The hostile neighbour […]

By now, the BJP’s political template has become tiresomely familiar; play the communal card to seek electoral dividends. Whether in States where it is already in power or in States where it is in the opposition, the saffron party has made divisive politics its core principle. Stoking public fears over an imaginary enemy and invoking […]

Conducting elections in the midst of a massive surge in coronavirus infections could be a daunting task. The coming round of Assembly polls in five States, including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, may well be the first elections in India without any physical rallies. Given the bitter experience of the previous round of Assembly polls last […]

While the Indian economy is on the path of overall recovery from the worst hit it took at the start of the pandemic, the situation remains volatile in the face of the rapid surge of the Omicron variant and the informal sector continues to be in the red. What is more worrying is the rising […]

What should have been a matter strictly under the realm of security protocols has been blown out of proportion and turned into a full-fledged political war in the poll-bound State. There is no doubt that the glaring security lapse in Punjab, resulting in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cavalcade being stranded on a flyover for over […]

India is known all over the world for its centuries-old syncretic culture and ethos of assimilation. They define the essence of the idea of India. However, the recent incendiary outbursts at a Hindutva conclave in Haridwar, targeting minorities, come as an affront to these core values. The hate speech, calling for genocide against religious minorities, […]

China’s recent announcement renaming 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh in mandarin language appears to be part of psychological warfare to keep India on tenterhooks and gain an upper hand in the border talks. Beijing must realise that merely assigning invented names to places does not alter the truth and that Arunachal Pradesh has been and […]

India is now in the grip of the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic with active cases crossing the one-lakh mark and the daily new infections hovering over 30,000. The New Year has brought in its wake a sense of anxiety and trepidation because the trend in daily case numbers is worse than what it […]

There is a sense of déjà vu in the way the NDA government has been approaching the task of law making. Act in haste and repent at leisure appears to be the mantra. No consultation with stakeholders and no public debate before introducing the Bills in Parliament, that too in a tearing hurry. The developments […]

Bungling in decision-making and then retracting seems to be the hallmark of the BJP government at the Centre. It is also clear that the union government sees reason only when tremendous pressure is mounted on it or it faces a threat of mass uprising. We saw this in the case of the infamous farm laws […]

Rythu Bandhu, the investment support scheme launched by the TRS government in May 2018, is by far the most innovative and landmark initiative of the administration that has had a profound impact on the farm sector, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The scheme not only pulled out farmers from the debt trap that they were in […]

Telangana may be the youngest State in the country, just into its seventh year of existence, but when it comes to bagging top ranks on various fronts, it has been giving other well-established major States a run for their money. In the past one month alone, Telangana has been in the news for its rapid-fire […]

When a law becomes a symbol of State oppression instead of protecting the interests of the citizens, it’s time for it to go. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), based on a 1942 British ordinance intended to contain the Quit India movement, is a classic example of how unbridled powers to security forces would […]

Though delayed, the Centre’s approval for booster doses for healthcare and frontline workers and senior citizens with co-morbidities and vaccinating the young population in the age group of 15-18 is a welcome move. There is no reason, whatsoever, for the delay in administering the booster doses to the general population since there is no shortage […]

The global scientific community could not have asked for a better Christmas gift. The successful launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the most powerful and complex space observatory ever built, serves as a perfect gift that is expected to unravel the mysteries of the universe. The launch of the $10-billion telescope, a far […]

e-Shram portal needs to be followed by restructuring social security and social protection programmes

Stepping up vaccination coverage and enforcing Covid-appropriate public behaviour are the only two ways to counter the spread of the new coronavirus variant Omicron, which has higher transmissibility compared with the earlier strains. Going by the rate at which the new variant has been spreading, the possibility of a third wave hitting India cannot be […]

The tragic and untimely death of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat has cast a shadow over the ambitious reforms in the armed forces, a task that was close to his heart. His death has not only created a vacuum at the highest level of the military hierarchy but has left the […]

Silence of political parties on mob justice amounts to normalising despicable acts like lynching in the name of religion

Sri Lanka is a friend who is in desperate need of help. And, like a true friend, India needs to reach out with large heartedness, putting the misunderstandings of the past firmly behind it. Colombo’s deepening embrace of China should not come in the way of efforts to win back the confidence of the island […]

The Joint Parliamentary Committee’s report on the Personal Data Protection Bill, tabled in both the Houses, has ended up raising more privacy concerns than it has managed to address. Instead of prioritising the protection of citizens’ privacy, declared as a fundamental right by the Supreme Court, the JPC has approved more powers to the state […]