India has some deep soul-searching to do as we explore the question: Are we truly a democratic nation? Or is democracy the story we sell to ourselves and the world when the nation and its people know that we are not what we think or claim to be?
Somnath Temple: Instrumentalizing History As A Political Tool
History is not a tool to divide society and perpetuate the injustices of the past. It is there to show us what wrongs have happened in the past which should not happen again. We need to march towards a just society where all live the life of dignity and respect, a society where all of us enjoy equal citizenship rights.
Sri Lankan Government In A Fix Over Proposed Education Reforms: PM Under Pressure
Public opposition towards the reforms escalated after a web link to a gay dating site was found in one of the lessons in the grade six English language module. This website was subsequently blocked by the regulator for internet users in Sri Lanka. The lesson was intended to teach ten-year-old kids how to make online friends.
India's Celebrated Space Programme Under Cloud: ISRO’s second successive rocket failure Raises Uncomfortable Questions
Producing satellites for any purpose is an expensive endeavor. Failure to launch them has a profound impact not just on the client entities’ bottom lines but even the quality of science and services they may be seeking to pursue. Fifteen out of the sixteen satellites on the failed mission were from foreign entities, which constitute a lucrative market for ISRO. If they begin to nurse misgivings about ISRO’s reliability it can seriously dent not only the agency’s revenue but, more important, its reputation
Internationalisation Of Higher Education In India Is Key To India's Social Progress And National Strength
Internationalisation also plays a crucial role in addressing the long-standing issue of brain drain. For decades, large numbers of Indian students have pursued higher education abroad, particularly in North America, Europe, and Australia. While this has strengthened India’s global presence, it has also resulted in substantial outflow of talent and financial resources. Many students who leave choose not to return, contributing their skills to other economies.
More on Perspective
After giving a clean chit on human rights, US should lift sanctions against Bangladesh's RAB
Bangladesh still has a terrorism problem and cross-border drug cartels pose a significant threat to its national security. And the elite force remains one of the important agencies to curb terrorism and narcotics control.
Need to understand the invisible economics of nature
The reason we are losing nature boils down, in my mind, to one basic problem: our inability to perceive the difference between public benefits and private profits.
Bangladesh has a resilient economy, will not collapse like Pakistan; is streets ahead of it in all-round development
Pakistan will never catch up with Bangladesh in the race for economic development. The GDP growth rate of Bangladesh increased gradually to 8.13 percent in the fiscal year 2018-19. In 2020-22, the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war slowed down the growth rate of Bangladesh, but it was much higher than that of Pakistan and the growth rate is estimated to exceed 6.5 percent in the fiscal year 2022-23.
S. Jaishankar and George Soros: Politically at odds, but both speak up for the Global South
Another result of Jaishankar’s active advocacy for the Global South is the recently held “Voices of Global South Summit” which was hosted by India. Jaishankar led the summit with participation from 120 developing countries.
IMF‘a call to regulate cryptocurrencies a necessary step to ensure global financial stability
I believe that the increased regulation of cryptocurrencies is a necessary step to ensure the stability of the financial system and protect consumers, and can be achieved through collaboration between governments and industry participants.
A crying need for empathy and equity in India's education system
There is a culture that refuses to understand the pain of an entire class of population subjugated over the centuries, a harshness that translates in general to every other aspect of Indian life, superimposed on which is the ever-present threat of violence (State and non-State) that makes the claim of a nation that stands for non-violence hollow.
Giving poor easier access to welfare benefits: Need to develop citizen experience-focused policies
Across India, accessing the correct eligibility documents is many times harder for the poor than an average privileged caste and a class person. If we add complex digital interfaces for application to paperwork ordeal, then the experiences of the poor worsened. This burdensome citizen experience either dampens the confidence of citizens in welfare policy or reduces the net benefit access due to the cost borne by the citizen.
Elections in Meghalaya: A paragon of civility in India's coarse democratic politics
It was interesting to observe how focused party representatives and voters in this small northeastern state bordering Bangladesh were on basic development issues; and how vocal voters are in seeking their basic rights at the local level, perhaps showing what genuine grassroots democracy should reflect.
Clean up the mess: A case for action in the Adani saga
The government has a choice it can sit back and do nothing, or it can choose swift regulatory action and full-fledged investigations into what has been alleged to be, in the words of Hindenburg Research, “the world’s 3rd richest man pulling the largest con in corporate history.”
Oil magnet to lead the global conference to phase out oil? UAE has a unique opportunity to show the way: An Indian perspective
Dr Al Jaber has been awarded the Champion of the Earth award from UNEP. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi conferred on him a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to energy security, building bridges to emerging Asian economies, and reshaping traditional energy business models.
Lessons from the Adani stock crash: Indian regulator must restore faith in the market
No doubt that the Adani Group will do its utmost to bounce back, but regulators and policymakers must ensure that investors’ trust in the markets is not dented. India’s stock markets are world leaders in terms of technology and surveillance systems. The regulators and exchanges must match that in terms of excellent governance and strengthening the foundation of trust.
India adds its first tactical ballistic missile to its military arsenal
The newly developed missile, fired from a canister, can make precise manoeuvres before impacting a target.
Healing hands in a disaster: Poignant notes from flood-ravaged Sindh
Flash floods destroyed 70 per cent of the region’s standing summer crop. The stagnant flood water has derailed the planting of the next crop. For a population already tethering on the brink, this spells doom. I’m petrified of the famine looming on the horizon – something my friends at the #FixSindhDrainage Twitter Space have been communicating for the past three months.
Who gained from India's ill-conceived demonetisation policy?
The net impact of the overall Rs.32.12 lakh crore currency in circulation at present is that the benefit of demonetisation stands undone, resulting in a disturbing level of growth of a parallel economy and corruption in the country.
