Opinion

22May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

Narrating the nation abroad

(From left) IUML MP E.T. Mohammed Basheer, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj, BJD MP Sasmit Patra and Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde arrive at the IGI airport in New Delhi on May 21, 2025 to leave for UAE, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. | Photo Credit: ANI India’s decision to send diplomatic envoys and delegates to various countries to explain its position on the recent combats with Pakistan and the terrorist attack that triggered them raises an important question: is this display of proactive diplomacy a mark of strength or a gesture of reassurance?On the surface, the move can be seen as a strategic effort to manage international perception, pre-empt misrepresentation, and reinforce India’s standing...

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21May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

From Anganwadi to Balavatika: Inside UP’s game-changing early education reform

Archana, a single mother from a village near Prayagraj, knows education is the key to a better future. But when her son started Grade 1 in a government school, he struggled — his teacher said he should have attended preschool first. Now, Archana worries for her three-year-old daughter at the local Anganwadi. Will it prepare her for school? With no government preschool nearby and private options costing over ₹10,000 a year — far beyond her ₹40,000 income — she faces an impossible choice between securing her child’s future and meeting daily needs.For countless parents like Archana, this is the reality. And for their children, the crucial early years — when 90% of brain development takes place — pass by without structured learning. The fallout is stark. According to ASER 2019, 86% of four-yea...

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21May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

Progress should not just be fast but future-proof

As climate change accelerates, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe. Representational file image. | Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN India’s climate future is not written in the stars — it is written in the rising temperatures, erratic monsoons, and intensifying disasters. The question is: what are we doing about it? The World Bank states that more than 80% of India’s population lives in districts at risk of climate-induced disasters. From unrelenting monsoon floods in the north-east to heat-induced crop failures in central India, these events are no longer isolated incidents — they are systemic threats to economic stability, public health, and national security. Yet, despite mounting eviden...

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20May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

What India can learn from U.S. academic freedom crisis: When politics enters the classroom

With conservative State governments in the United States enacting policies that opponents claim jeopardize academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and intellectual diversity, American colleges have recently turned into arenas for ideological conflict. Although freedom of thought and inquiry have long been defended by the U.S. as essential components of its higher education system, that basic foundation is currently in jeopardy. This incident serves as a frightening reminder to Indian administrators, students, and policy intellectuals of how readily university integrity can be undermined by politicization.A disturbing patternLaws that limit the teaching of subjects like race, gender, and sexuality in schools have been passed in a number of conservative-led U.S. states, including Florida, ...

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20May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

Kerala Congress: New leaders, old troubles

Sunny Joseph, the newly appointed president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, being welcomed in Kozhikode. | Photo Credit: K. Ragesh After deliberating for more than six months, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on May 8 effected a leadership change in the party’s Kerala unit by appointing Sunny Joseph as president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). Mr. Joseph, a three-time legislator from Peravoor, has replaced K. Sudhakaran. Incidentally, the announcement came soon after Mr. Sudhakaran publicly asserted that he had no intention of relinquishing the post. However, the AICC was determined to revamp the KPCC given the pressure from senior State leaders. The matter was ultimately reso...

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20May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

Letters to The Editor — May 20, 2025

Diplomacy and actionI write with reference to the Editorial and the Editorial page article (both May 19).” Nearly a month after the tragic Pahalgam attack, the perpetrators remain at large. I have full faith in our security agencies and armed forces. But, at the same time, as we dispatch all-party delegations abroad to counter Pakistan’s diplomatic offensive, we must arm ourselves with incontrovertible evidence. It is imperative that our agencies hunt down the attackers swiftly and transparently, demonstrating our resolve to bring terrorists to justice; uncover and present the attackers’ chain of command— and thereby expose the complicity of Pakistan’s ISI and Army (as we did in the 2008 Mumbai attacks by arresting Ajmal Kasab, who was interrogated, tried and sentenced to death by our judi...

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19May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

Copyright’s tryst with generative AI

Image for representation only | Photo Credit: Reuters Copyright law has always been a product of technology. It was created in 1710 to deal with the outcome of the invention of the printing press, to protect publishers against any unauthorised publication while encouraging learning, and to further their economic interests.Since inception, copyright law has adapted itself to various technologies from the time of the printing press to the photocopying machine, to the recording device, and to the Internet. In each stage, the law has worked its way around technology. However, today there is a belief that generative AI has the potential to upset the copyright law. Such a debate is not new: it surfaces roughly every ...

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19May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

Brewing trouble for the DMK

The ED’s spotlight on Tamil Nadu’s cash cow has put the DMK on the defensive Source link

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18May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

Clean and lean Japan

A squeaky clean road in Tokyo. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto During my visit to Japan on a family holiday, I was astounded by two features. The first was the pristine cleanliness across the country. As we travelled through big cities and rural areas, public spaces such as parks, markets and train stations and along the seashores, river fronts, ponds and even roadside canals, nowhere did we find any litter; not even a bottle, can, or piece of paper. Surprisingly, when we wanted to dispose of some coffee cups, we just could not locate a trash can. We had no option other than to shove the paper cups in our backpacks. How does the whole of Japan stay squeaky clean? As we travelled further, we realise...

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18May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

Tale of a beautiful theatre

The interiors of a vintage theatre in Jhalawar city of Rajasthan. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Would you believe there is a theatre in Rajasthan where real chariots and even elephants were brought on the stage during the performance of dramas? The theatre in Jhalawar city is popularly known as Bhawani Natyashala. The beautiful public theatre was built in 1921. It still exists, but in a poor condition.Raj Rana was the title of the erstwhile rulers of Jhalawar. Raj Rana Bhawani Singh had great interest in cultural activities. When he visited some of the opera houses in Europe, he decided to build one such in his princely state. Thus the Bhawani Natyashala was born. Huge spending As much as ₹1.5...

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17May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

Letters to The Editor — May 17, 2025

Right stanceIndia’s Defence Minister is right in his demand that the nuclear arsenal of Pakistan should be brought under the watch of the International Atomic Energy Agency (Page 1, May 16). A country that uses the threat of ‘nuclear blackmail’ cannot be trusted to be restrained under any circumstances. A country with a state policy of nurturing and exporting cross-border terrorism makes this a situation that is all the more dangerous. Kosaraju Chandramouli, Hyderabad Presidential Reference The developments around the Supreme Court’s ‘timelines’ to Governors and the President while dealing with State Bills, show that the intent of the Centre is to not let go of its stranglehold on States, thus gagging a healthy federal set up in the country (“Stalin calls out Presidential R...

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17May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

Closing argument: On the Presidential Reference to the top court

The Union government has missed an opportunity to put a lid on the prolonged controversy over the arbitrary and the undemocratic use of power by unelected Governors. A Supreme Court judgment on April 8, 2025 clarified the constitutional position over the powers of the Governor and the President in giving assent to Bills passed by State Assemblies. A Division Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan held that Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi’s act of withholding 10 State Bills was “illegal” and “erroneous”. The well-reasoned judgment had outlined the possible courses of action for the Governor and the President once a Bill is before them for their assent, though the Constitution does not specify timelines. The judgment established long awaited and much required clarity on several ques...

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17May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

The new normal after Pahalgam, India’s response

Operation Sindoor is on ‘pause’ and though the ceasefire began somewhat shakily on Saturday evening (May 10, 2025), it seems to be holding. On May 12, 2025, the two Directors General of Military Operations (DGMO) — India and Pakistan — had a follow-up conversation and discussed further de-escalatory measures to reduce troop presence in the forward areas that had seen a buildup in recent weeks.Addressing the nation on Monday evening (May 12, 2025), Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared, “Operation Sindoor has redefined the fight against terror…setting a new benchmark and a new normal in counter-terrorism measures.” Kinetic retaliation is not new. The Modi government conducted “surgical strikes” across the Line of Control (LoC) in 2016 after the Uri attack, and an air strike on a Jaish-e-Moh...

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16May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

Is Bihar’s high replacement rate a consequence of poverty?

According to the Sample Registration System report for 2021 released by the Registrar General of India on May 7, the Total Fertility Rate (TFR), which is the average number of children that a woman is expected to have in her childbearing years, in India was 2.0 in 2021, the same as in 2020. While Delhi and West Bengal reported the lowest TFR of 1.4, Bihar reported the highest at 3.0. Is Bihar’s high replacement rate a consequence of poverty? Saswata Ghosh and Prasenjit Bose discuss the question in a conversation moderated by Shiv Sahay Singh . Edited excerpts:What does a TFR rate of 3.0 mean for Bihar? Does it have any association with poverty?Saswata Ghosh: The TFR has hovered around 3.0 for the last 6-7 years in Bihar. According to the Expert Committee on Population Projection, Bihar wil...

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16May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

Farewell, Justice Khanna

Former Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna during the swearing-in of his successor Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai as the 52nd Chief Justice of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on May 14, 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI Days before Justice Sanjiv Khanna was to be sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India (CJI), reporters as usual began scrambling for an exclusive interview with him. Calls and texts to his staff were met with silence or a non-committal “will let you know”.It was strange — the man who was then serving as the top judge made news almost everyday. Justice D.Y. Chandrachud was articulate, suave, and charismatic. A reporter who attended a blood donation camp recounted how he spoke for 10 mi...

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15May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

Global student mobility shift: How India can emerge as a top destination amid visa curbs in U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia

As per the Government of India, the number of Indian students pursuing higher education in foreign universities has gone up steeply by 47% in the last two years, from about 907,000 in 2022 to 1,330,000 in 2024. In the last three months, however, policy measures taken by the U.S. President Trump administration are discouraging students to go to the U.S. for higher studies. Governments at destinations like the U.K., Australia, and Canada placing restrictions on student visas and caps on admission of foreign students presents an excellent opportunity for India to attract more foreign students, besides retaining some Indian students back home. This article analyses the factors affecting international students’ mobility and opportunities for internationalisation and suggests strategies to tap t...

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15May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

On the draw — May 15, 2025

Published - May 15, 2025 12:24 pm IST Read Comments Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Source link

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15May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

The road to safety

“The foundation of all road safety efforts must rest on a fundamental constitutional principle: the right to safe road travel is an essential component of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution”  | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto India is at a crucial juncture in mobility transformation, where economic growth and urbanisation bring both opportunities and challenges to road safety. With one of the world’s largest road networks, India also carries the burden of having among the highest number of road traffic fatalities globally. In 2022, India recorded 1.68 lakh road accident fatalities. This translates to approximately 12.2 deaths per 1 lakh population. To put this in perspective, Japan an...

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14May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

A death that spotlights irrigation problems

The agricultural sector accounts for almost 80% of the water withdrawal in India. Every year, 688 billion cubic metres of water is consumed by the farm sector, the highest in the world. Irrigation is an inevitable input for increasing agricultural production. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu On March 13, 2025, Kailash Arjun Nagare, a 2020 Young Farmer Award recipient, from Maharashtra, died by suicide, citing unaddressed irrigation demands. While India reports the highest water usage in agriculture globally, access to water for irrigation remains a contentious issue. Nagare’s death points towards the inequity in distribution, with social inequalities, water governance mechanisms, and policies determining the cont...

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14May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

Justice comes closer to Rayalaseema

The Andhra Pradesh government has expedited the process of setting up the High Court Bench in Kurnool and has identified buildings to accommodate 15 judges. It may be recalled that the State Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution for the setting up of a High Court Bench in Kurnool in November 2024.The government’s decision to set up a Bench in Kurnool has been welcomed by everyone in the Rayalaseema region, particularly those from the legal fraternity, especially given that the previous YSR Congress Party government, which had proposed Kurnool as the judicial capital, had failed to keep this promise due to various legal issues. Discontented with the YSRCP government, the legal fraternity had viewed its three-capital proposal as a political move to derail the grand project of Amarav...

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13May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

When water standards don’t hold water

The per capita standard, combined with population figures, is used to compute the domestic water demand of a city. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu How much water should a person receive each day? In India, this question is not answered by science or necessity, but by an arbitrary metric — the per capita water supply standard, prescribed in litres per capita per day (lpcd). While the human right to water guarantees access to safe and clean water, and obligates governments to provide basic services, in practice this right is shaped by the per capita standard. This benchmark not only dictates how much water citizens are entitled to demand for their daily needs, but also drives planning and investments in urban wate...

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13May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

A rally with a deeper intent

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin leads a rally in Chennai on May 10, 2025 to express solidarity with the Indian armed forces. | Photo Credit: M. Vedhan Last week, when India’s defence forces launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror networks in Pakistan, M.K. Stalin was among the first Chief Ministers to commend the military action. He made it clear that Tamil Nadu stood resolute with the Indian Army in its fight against terrorism.Two days later, Mr. Stalin announced plans to lead a solidarity rally in Chennai. “This is a time to unite and show our support for the Indian Army, which is courageously confronting Pakistan’s repeated violations and acts of terrorism,” he declared. Even Chief Ministers belonging to...

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13May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

​A belated admission: on the undercount of India’s COVID-19 pandemic deaths

It has been four years since the delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus hit India. The country bore the brunt of the pandemic’s devastating impact, with harrowing scenes of overwhelmed health-care systems, oxygen-supply shortages and even bodies floating in the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh. Reports based on data sourced from the Civil Registration System through RTIs and other means, by The Hindu in particular, besides independent surveys, showed that the toll was clearly staggering and in millions, much more than the official tally. The government’s response was defensive and dismissive; the attempt was to consistently undermine the findings. After maintaining that the reported number of COVID-19 deaths during this period was accurate, the government, through the Registrar General of India, rele...

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12May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

The women who remain largely invisible

Across India and South Asia, women have long been at the forefront of movements resisting unjust development, extractivism, and climate degradation. They have led protests against destructive mining, dams, and infrastructure projects. Yet, when it comes to decision-making, these women are largely invisible.From the forests of Odisha to the coastlines of Tamil Nadu, women have led some of the most sustained resistance movements. In Sijimali (Odisha), women continue to protest mining projects threatening their forest-based way of life, often facing police violence. In Jharkhand, Adivasi women in Dewas are blocking coal mining operations to protect ancestral land. In Tamil Nadu, women from fishing communities have been at the forefront of protests against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. T...

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12May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

The twin challenges for the M.P. police

Prince Garg, a head constable of the Madhya Pradesh Police, died on Friday, nearly two weeks after a man shot him inside a police station in Satna. Garg is the second police personnel in the State to have allegedly been murdered in the last two months. In March, Assistant Sub-Inspector Ramcharan Gautam was allegedly lynched to death when a police team, which was on a mission to rescue a man held hostage by members of a tribal community, came under attack in Mauganj. The hostage was killed too.Apart from Garg and Gautam, nearly 10 incidents of attacks on police personnel or a team have been reported in the State in recent months, including in Indore and Bhopal. In Indore, in February, a group of men assaulted and attempted to kidnap a uniform-clad Sub-Inspector during night patrolling. Simi...

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11May By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

A grief that refuses to fade

The morning after the Pahalgam massacre, we remembered the laughter that vanished mid-air. Children looked for faces that will not return, mothers dreamt of voices that the wind had stolen. And still, the men who plot wars draw their maps in silence, remaining unshaken by the wailing. For me this is not just grief, but the death of meaning. Surely, they died for no reason. And we live with no reason.It is not just the dead who suffer. The living too ache with fractured memories and empty hands. Mothers fold clothes that will never be worn, and fathers set an extra plate that they must soon take away. They thought we would forget but we remember. We remember the small shoes left at the door, the songs half-sung, the meals half-eaten. We remember the laughter that vanished mid-air, the goodb...

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