Editorials

The Tamil Nadu public health model is iconic. It has ensured equity in the delivery of health care, led to big improvements in maternal and infant mortality and universal immunisation coverage, and led to a low total fertility rate compared to the all-India average. In the public health sector, there …

A major announcement in Tamil Nadu’s budget for 2023-24 was that the schools run by different departments for so long to cater to specific needs will be merged with the School Education (SE) department. The announcement has evoked mixed reactions from civil society. What are these schools? While the government is …

A coordinated approach to regulating crypto assets, managing debt vulnerabilities and reorienting global financial institutions have been identified as critical focus areas of the Finance Track agenda for India’s G-20 Presidency, which will kick off with the first meeting of G-20 finance and central bank deputies in Bengaluru on Tuesday. …

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the Employees’ Pension (Amendment) Scheme, 2014 of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organistion as “legal and valid” while reading down certain provisions. Most important, the court used its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to allow eligible employees who had not opted for …

India will insist on “action” and a clear pathway that developed countries must follow to deliver long-promised finance to developing countries for adapting to climate change threats, ahead of the 27th edition of the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) in Sharm-El-Shaikh, Egypt that begins on November 7. “This ought …

The original intent of the reservation policy in newly independent India was to level the playing field for the most marginalised sections, those stigmatised and discriminated against on account of their birth into specific caste and tribal groups. While these groups were also economically deprived, that was not the main …

Russia’s allegation that Ukraine was planning to launch a so-called dirty bomb shows how dramatically the Ukraine conflict has escalated. Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu held talks with many of his global counterparts, including Rajnath Singh, accusing Ukraine of potential “nuclear terrorism”. A dirty bomb is not a nuclear bomb …

Israel and Lebanon on Thursday separately signed a U.S.-brokered maritime border deal which paves the way for lucrative offshore gas extraction by the neighbours that remain technically at war. The agreement is set to go into effect after two exchanges of letters — one between Lebanon and the U.S., the …

The Kerala government has constituted a technical committee for preparing an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) for the downstream part of the Mullaperiyar dam in Idukki district. Headed by the Chief Engineer (Inter-State Waters), Irrigation department, the six-member technical committee is expected to draft and submit the EAP within three months. …

Recently, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) grouping’s fifth summit took place in Colombo, Sri Lanka (Host for the Fifth Summit). Key Highlights of the Summit The signing of the BIMSTEC Charter was the main outcome of this summit. Under this Charter, the members were expected to meet once every two …