Image
In India over 75 per cent of electricity is generated from coal-based thermal plants. Oil accounts for less than 2 percent of electric power, writes S. Majumder for South Asia Monitor
Neglecting the demands of Ladakhis can have bearing on India's national security
Mixing politics with national security in sensitive border regions like Manipur and Ladakh can cost us dearly. China is a rogue state with aggressive designs and well well-advanced in hybrid and conventional conflict with an expanding arsenal of nuclear weapons.
India's rising inequality: Government should work toward a workable wealth tax
One of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations calls for a reduction in inequality. On that count, India must exert more by making the income tax net wider and ensuring a lower indirect tax burden
Gandhi to Modi: The debasement of India’s political discourse
Contrast this exchange against the utterly crass and debased rhetoric, both during the election season and otherwise, that India’s political and cultural leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, employ.
Unveiling the complexities of Naxalism: Socio-economic disparities, violence, and resistance in contemporary India
The narratives elucidate how historical marginalisation, compounded by contemporary socio-economic inequities, lays fertile ground for the propagation of Naxalite ideology, which promises liberation from caste-based oppression and economic deprivation.
More on Perspective
South Asia does not value its manhours: Change working hours
The simplest solution will be to change working hours by advancing it to 0700 hours and ending the workday at 1530 hours, so that the entire working hours are during daylight hours, writes Amb Sarvajit Chakravarti (retd) for South Asia Monitor
China, India woo Nepal’s political parties ahead of general elections
Under no circumstances would New Delhi like to see a break in the recent momentum in bilateral relations generated through increased economic and developmental cooperation, even if there is a change of the government in Kathmandu later this year, writes Shraddha Nand Bhatnagar for South Asia Monitor
Pakistan gets breathing space with IMF deal, but will it bite the bullet of structural reforms?
For Pakistan's political elites, it has become a cycle of securing loans from allies to fund its ever-ballooning deficit and again approaching the IMF when funds dry up, writes Shraddha Nand Bhatnagar for South Asia Monitor
With rising global food costs, first I2U2 projects to tackle food insecurity in South Asia and Middle East
The I2U2 will work in six areas – water, energy, transport, space, health, and food security – combining the expertise and the resources of the four nations, Modi said
Selfies in bedrooms, swimming in pool: Protestors in Sri Lanka explore besieged presidential palace
A short video, which went viral on social media, showed people searching for leftover food in the kitchen.
Perspective
Taliban summarily executed over a hundred suspected ISIS militants, says HRW; Taliban says ‘baseless’ as fears of internecine war intensify
The bodies recovered by the residents showed evidence of torture and brutal executions, including some with missing limbs and ropes around their necks. Others had their head beheaded or slit throats, according to the report
Nepal to form fresh citizenship rules after withdrawing controversial bill; could have damaged cross-border familial bonds
Nepal, which shares a long open border with India to its north, west and east, enjoys cultural, historical, and civilizational bonds with India for centuries. People across the border in both countries have been inter-marrying for ages, which led to the “Roti and Beti ka Rishta” (cultural and marital bond) tag to the relationship between the two neighbours.
Ukraine fallout in South Asia: Now Bangladesh seeks IMF support, prepares for 'harder days'
Other countries in the region, such as Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Nepal, are also struggling to arrest the depletion of their foreign exchange reserves as a result of high fuel prices. However, Bangladesh is still better placed and has enough time to work out a deal with the IMF.
Pakistan’s trade deficit at a historic high: Can Islamabad bite the bullet of structural reforms?
Experts have pointed out Pakistan’s need to undergo deep structural reforms to avoid recurring cycles of loans and knocking at the IMF's doors
Sri Lanka’s fuel crisis threatens its prized tea industry; 400,000 jobs at risk
For Sri Lanka, which is in dire need of foreign exchange reserves, tea is among a few commodities offering an assured income in dollars. The industry faced immense hardship during the last year’s ban on chemical fertilisers
India establishes a tentative diplomatic presence in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan
The move isn’t a recognition of the Taliban regime which remains internationally isolated. The emphasis on people-people and civilizational connections underscores New Delhi’s attempt to retain its soft power in the country
The clock is ticking for Pakistan to secure an IMF deal
From withdrawing the fuel subsidies, hiking electricity tariffs and reducing expenditure to increasing tax rates, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government has gone all out at the expense of its own political capital to get the IMF programme running
Nepal in a cleft stick: Another US programme stirs domestic politics with Beijing watching
Notwithstanding the Deuba’s government push to strengthen ties with the US, Nepal is still far from signing any security pact with it. Further, China, despite suffering a relative pushback in Nepal, is unlikely to take such a deal kindly
Amid ruling party infighting, a former Maldivian president waits in the wings
If Yameen returns to power in the Maldives, it would have repercussions on the present close strategic ties with India
Newsletter Subscription
SAM Facebook