Opinion

Close to 90% of world’s refugees come from countries that are the most affected by climate change – and the least able to adapt

By Stavros Karamperidis Several months ago, I warned that the crisis in container ships could jeopardise Christmas by leaving retailers without enough goods on their shelves. Since then, there have been similar fears all over the media, not only due to shipping problems but also shortages of lorry drivers and unavailable products. As we approach […]

Remaking cities is a chance to make them more equitable for the 21st century and beyond

By T Muralidharan On 29 September, for the first time, five FICCI southern State councils — Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, AP and Telangana — came together and organised a GST Southern State Finance Minister’s conclave. The industry Minister of Karnataka, and Finance Ministers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu shared their views. It was a very […]

By Nayakara Veeresha The coronavirus pandemic has triggered an economic crisis pushing people into the vicious cycle of poverty and indebtedness. At this critical juncture, economists and political analysts believe that the Congress’ electoral promise of Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY = Minimum Income Plan) in 2019 has relevance to the common man’s economic problems. NYAY […]

By Prof N Laxman Rao While campaigning for power, political parties make jobs a key issue. But when they come to power, the very same parties do not notify jobs in the States where they are in power. Jobs are many but the governments prefer recruiting through outsourcing, where middlemen/agencies make a lot of money, […]

By Fernanda G Nicola The World Bank, a behemoth of an organisation that provides tens of billions of dollars in aid to mostly developing countries, is in the middle of one of its biggest scandals since being founded in 1944. The crux of the crisis relates to its Doing Business Index, which ranks the ease […]

By J R Janumpalli The Economist Intelligence Unit published the 13th edition of the Democracy Index in February 2021. The index began in 2006, and records how global democracy fared year after year. It provides a snapshot of the state of democracy worldwide in 165 independent states and two territories. This covers almost the entire […]

By Mansi Goyal, Dr Moitrayee Das The Covid-19 pandemic has intensified the already dwindling scenario of workplace mental health challenges, forcing employers to take a sharp look towards a holistic and methodical approach to workplace mental health. The discussion and debates around the need for conversations, resources, and policies around mental health are stronger than […]

The ending of poems, especially in the 20th century and after, has almost always delivered a sense that humanity seeks: a return to order

By Deepthi Ravula Everywhere is a potential opportunity for entrepreneurs. A big decision a startup entrepreneur makes is to finalise the location for the startup that adds value to the business. For many entrepreneurs, the list of essentials for an ideal location includes capital, customers, access to talent, industry expertise and markets. A cluster of […]

By Dr K Srinivasa Rao With the Reserve Bank of India granting licence to National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL), October 4 marks a historic development in the financial sector. NARCL is set up to declutter banks from part of the burden of non-performing assets (NPAs). Unlike the other existing private sector asset reconstruction companies […]

By E Revathi, Venkatanarayana Motkuri The Telangana State Council for Higher Education (TSCHE) has initiated necessary steps to implement the National Educational Policy-2020, beginning with the cluster system in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in the State. To begin with, nine autonomous degree colleges in Hyderabad have formed a cluster. Cluster approach as a strategy enhances […]

By Pramod K Nayar For a few hours, the global audience did not know what was going on. Literally. With Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram crashing, people discovered a lot of time on their hands. Ironically, the principal sources of disinformation – online and social media platforms – were themselves subjected to disinformation. In an era […]

By JR Janumpalli There is a wide variation in the key economic indicators of the Indian States. GDP, GDP per capita, GINI(ce) and percentage of poverty differ greatly, underlining the very uneven economic performance, in the country’s 33 States and UTs. (See infographics). The configuration is as spiked as in the case of the countries […]

By B Yerram Raju The Centre recently passed the Account Aggregators’ Bill in Parliament and claimed that the subjects of the Bill, viz, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, would get easy access to the credit window through Open Credit Enablement Networks. Last June, the MSME Development Act, 2006, was amended to give credence to the […]

A move for peace and prosperity will benefit the entire region, particularly Pakistan, whose economy is in the doldrums

By Pramod K Nayar A film set in High Royds Hospital, Yorkshire, gives us three repeated motifs: visuals of confetti/snowflakes, music/poetry cut into by grating sounds, and visuals of doors. The film poem, Black Daisies for the Bride (1993), by Tony Harrison, made waves when it was published, and the film, directed by Peter Symes, […]

By Nayakara Veeresha The second wave of the Covid pandemic has hit the economy, polity and society hard. The first wave was broadly an urban phenomenon whereas the second wave percolated into the rural and semi-urban areas. In the context of Covid-19, the ongoing discourse has widely covered the aspect of healthcare reforms. One of […]

Commitment to support only sustainable pumped hydro developments is urgently needed

By Tony Walker An accelerating arms race in the Indo-Pacific is all but guaranteed now that China finds itself a target of new security arrangements — AUKUS and the Quad — aimed at containing its power and influence. This has the makings of a new great game in the region in which rival powers are […]

By David R Boyd Industrially produced food appears to be cheap but is actually very expensive. Recent estimates of the hidden costs of today’s food systems range from US$12 trillion to US$20 trillion annually. These mind-boggling figures include food’s devastating environmental and human rights impacts and poor health caused by unhealthy diets.To put these costs […]

By Alexey D Muraviev The global opinions on the new AUKUS security pact between Australia, the US and the UK have been decidedly mixed. China and France immediately blasted the deal, while others, such as Japan and the Philippines, were more welcoming. Russia, one of the other few nations armed with nuclear-powered submarines, was more […]

By Dr K Srinivasa Rao The recent roll-out of two sets of directions by the Reserve Bank of India, Transfer of Loan Exposures and Securitization of Standard Assets, are set to galvanise the credit flow in the financial sector, more so in the banking system. The new avenues permitting secondary sale of bank loans can […]