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Opinion

Opinion

Violence, homelessness, and women’s mental health

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) presents a sobering picture of the pervasive violence against women in India. Almost 30% of women between the ages of 18-49 years have experienced physical violence beginning at age 15; 6% reported sexual violence. Evidence indicates that violence and mental health conditions have a reciprocal, cause-and-effect relationship, and both factors significantly heighten the risk of homelessness. In the three decades of working with homeless women with mental health conditions at The Banyan, we have witnessed this recursive interaction between violence against women, homelessness, and mental health almost universally.Findings of relevance A survey of 346 women accessing outpatient services at The Banyan found that relational disruptions, often in the ...
Opinion

The MIRV leap that fires up India’s nuclear deterrence

‘With the successful test of the Agni-5 MIRV missile, India has crossed a key benchmark in its march to become a highly credible nuclear and missile power’ | Photo Credit: Getty Images The Agni-5 ballistic missile test dubbed the “Divyastra”, that was conducted by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is strategically consequential. With a range of over 5,000 kilometres, the Agni-5 is the longest-range missile India has tested so far. But it is not simply its range but, equally, its potency which represents a watershed moment for India’s nuclear deterrent. The potency of India’s nuclear deterrent is enhanced because this variant is integrated with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs).A comparison with China Though MIRV technology is not new, i...
Opinion

All eyes are now on the Indian Ocean region

Image for representation. File | Photo Credit: ANI While the Indian government’s focus from January 2021 was fixed on the Indo-Pacific with a sustained endeavour to strengthen the Quad, policy attention has shifted back to the Indian Ocean since October 2023. Of course, the Indo-Pacific strategy covers both the Pacific and Indian Oceans, but when danger deepens, the immediate neighbourhood matters more than distant shores.The policy shiftThe Maldives, with Mohamed Muizzu as President, seems to be heading on a collision course with India. Despite New Delhi’s patience and diplomatic tact, Male continues to deepen its embrace of China. In contrast, Sri Lanka showed greater sensitivity to India’s security concerns by imposing a year-long moratorium on foreign research ships, including Chin...
Opinion

It’s raining tickets for turncoats in Telangana

Bharat Rashtra Samithi MP Ranjith Reddy joins Congress in the presence of Telanagana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Telangana AICC in-charge Deepa Dasmunsi and others, in Hyderabad. File | Photo Credit: ANI The Congress, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are all fielding turncoats to improve their chances in the Lok Sabha elections. However, the party that is facing the brunt of these defections is the BRS.Defections galoreIn the 2019 elections, the BRS won nine Lok Sabha seats, followed by the BJP with four, and the Congress with three. But today, five BRS MPs — B. Venkatesh Nethakani (Peddapalli SC), B.B. Patil (Zaheerabad), P. Ramulu (Nagarkurnool SC), Pasunuri Dayakar (Warangal SC) and G. Ranjit Reddy (Chevella) — have already defected to othe...
Opinion

Trade puzzle: The Hindu Editorial on exports and global trade

Towards the end of a tumultuous trading year, India’s goods exports jumped 11.9% in February, marking the healthiest uptick in 20 months. The $41.4 billion tally is the highest in 11 months, and only the third occasion in two years that the $40 billion mark has been breached. It is remarkable that this spurt, significantly higher than the average export tally of $35.4 billion in the first ten months of this year, comes amid persistent concerns about disruptions in the Red Sea and the drought-hit Panama Canal that have throttled vital trading routes and spiked the time and cost of moving consignments. While the last two months’ trade numbers suggest that India is yet to feel the full impact of the logistics challenges for servicing key markets in Europe and the Americas, it may be too si...
Opinion

Many elections, AI’s dark dimension

The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) models suggests that we are at an inflection point in the history of human progress. The speed with which the development of newer skills is taking place suggests that the day is not far off when Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) will transform into Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), which can mimic the capabilities of human beings. Such a situation could revolutionise our ideas about what to expect from machines. Breakthroughs in the AI domain will bring about a new chapter in human existence, including the way people react to both facts and falsehoods.The potential of AI is already clear. Many such as Sam Altman of OpenAI in the United States, believe that it is the most important technology in history. AI protagonists f...
Opinion

The Myanmar conflict is a regional problem

In Nam Hpat Kar, Kutkai township, in Myanmar’s northern Shan State | Photo Credit: AFP Three years ago, on March 9, 2021, army trucks pulled up in front of Mizzima’s headquarters in Yangon, Myanmar. Soldiers proceeded to ransack and loot the office of the independent media group, taking whatever they wanted. This scene was played out across the city, as the junta enforced legislation that outlawed Myanmar’s independent media scene on the heels of the coup in February 2021 to overturn the results of the November 2020 general election. The situation on the ground With many being targeted, a number of Myanmar journalists were forced to abandon their native places, seeking refuge in neighbouring countries, or in regions in Myanmar that were outside junta control. This exodus of journalists...
Opinion

The military’s continuing hold over Pakistan

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz inspects the guard of honor at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad. | Photo Credit: AFP After much waiting, Pakistan’s election drama appears to be over, with Shehbaz Sharif becoming the Prime Minister for the second time after his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) joined hands with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to form a coalition government. The two parties may claim that they have taken this step to save Pakistan from instability; however, in reality, this is only poised to exacerbate the economic and political chaos. In the days ahead, the new government will have its task cut out to alleviate Pakistan’s troubles while also pandering to the military’s whims and fancies.In Pakistan, it is a known secret that the military establishment interfer...
Opinion

Tamil Nadu | Advancing equitable access to kidney care

The need of the hour is to check blood creatinine levels to assess kidney function and use the dipstick method to check whether there is excess protein in urine among high-risk populations, in primary care. Image for representation. | Photo Credit: Getty Images World kidney day is celebrated every year on the second Thursday of March. The theme of this year is ‘Advancing equitable access to care and optimal medication practice’. The first Department of Nephrology in India was started at the Government General Hospital and the Premier Institute of Madras Medical College in Tamil Nadu in December 1971. The State has crossed many milestones since, including running a successful dialysis programme under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) — only Tamil Nadu a...
Opinion

Corrections and Clarifications — March 18, 2024

In the story titled “On the final day of Nyay Yatra, Rahul criticises Gautam Adani, PM Modi” (March 17, 2024), Akhilesh Yadav was erroneously referred to as “RJD leader.” It should have been “Samajwadi Party leader.” Read Comments () Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Source link
Opinion

On the ballot: The Hindu Editorial on the general election to the 18th Lok Sabha 

The general election to the 18th Lok Sabha will be spread over seven phases and 44 days, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4. The announcement marks a formal beginning but campaigning has become a perennial affair of Indian politics as if to vindicate the ruling BJP’s call for ‘one nation, one poll’, which it argues will reduce the time spent in electioneering. Simultaneous elections and other contentious questions form the backdrop for the long-drawn election season, the largest such exercise anywhere in the world. While India has enough reasons to be proud of its vibrant democracy and exhilarating diversity, an honest introspection can be sobering. From 2019, India has witnessed rapid and massive changes, the good and the bad. The BJP, naturally, is trying to present its s...
Opinion

Letters to The Editor — March 18, 2024

‘Poll ready’ The Prime Minister’s grandiose declaration in “Standing on the cusp of history, PM says NDA ready for poll” (Inside pages, March 17) comes as no surprise. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is flush with funds and has also ensured that the main Opposition party is hampered in this area. Had the Supreme Court of India not junked the electoral bond scheme, the BJP would have continued to reap a rich harvest. Unlike the INDIA bloc which continues to flounder on issues such as seat sharing, the BJP has sewed up all alliances and has already released lists of candidates. C.V. Aravind, Bengaluru The Opposition is not following a credible narrative to counter the BJP. While the BJP is promoting a developmental theme, the Opposition is only talking about issues such as the alleged mi...
Opinion

Bonded favours: The Hindu Editorial on the electoral bond scheme, sordid revelations

Sordid revelations that keep pouring from the disclosure of details about the purchasers and recipients of electoral bonds confirm the early apprehension of sceptics that the anonymous political funding scheme will have undesirable consequences. Ranging from likely quid pro quo deals to flagrant proximity between companies being investigated by central agencies and the purchase of electoral bonds worth hundreds of crores by these firms, the scheme has played out exactly as its detractors predicted. Fears that shell companies and loss-making entities may be used to buy the electoral bonds and donate them to parties seem to have come true. The argument that waiver of the rule that political donations can be made by companies only up to a certain percentage of their profits will render the...
Opinion

Limits of simplification

The plea for laws in plain English is a centuries-old matter across the globe.  | Photo Credit: Illustration: Soumyadip Sinha The language of law is self-contained and distinct from plain English. It has certain defining peculiarities such as domain-specific vocabulary, lengthy sentences, repetition of words within the same sentence, inclusion of foreign expressions, use of obsolete words, and so on. As a result of these distinctive characteristics, it is often referred to as legalese and is criticised for being incomprehensible to the layman.The Union government, to make the statutory texts clear and comprehensible to common people, has initiated a mission to simplify the legal language in India by aligning it with the vision of the access to justice scheme titled DISHA.Simplification...