Editorials

The move to merge banks is understandable, but shareholders should have been consulted Asking healthy banks to take over weak banks appears to be the strategy to handle the bad loans crisis. On Monday the Union government proposed the merger of three public sector banks — Bank of Baroda, Dena …

Twitter wars over the label ‘urban Naxal’ do nothing to address the deprivation of marginalised groups One of the main things that the 21st century will be known for is the formation of what Bruns and Burgess call “ad hoc issue publics” or the formation of selective channels centred on …

The Apollo Hospitals chairman on the growth of private health care, Jayalalithaa’s illness, and expectations from the Modi government As Apollo Hospitals celebrates the 35th anniversary of its founding, the group’s chairman, Prathap C. Reddy, is looking ahead to make the most of the global advances in medical technology rather …

The crises in emerging economies show how vulnerable they remain to the vagaries of U.S. economic policy Economists thrive on crises. The East Asian crisis of 1997 caused a rethink on full capital account convertibility and fixed exchange rates. The Internet bubble and bust of the early 2000s led many …

The Secretary of the Bengal Branch of the Anglo-Indian Empire League, in a letter [from Calcutta] to the Governor, says that on the whole his Council are of opinion that the reform scheme is suited to the present needs of India. After thanking H.E. the Viceroy and the Secretary of …

With a view to popularise the Y.M.I.A. and bring the members into closer bonds of friendship with each other, the Executive Committee have arranged for a series of social gatherings and lectures. The first of these was held yesterday evening [September 17] in the Gokhale Hall [in Madras]. In response …

Beer-brewing practices existed earlier than assumed How important was alcohol to early humans? Since when did human beings think it worth investing time and energy in preparing it? Was humanity genetically primed to enjoy alcohol? A 2014 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences argued that a …

The politicians conducting Brexit negotiations are as ill-informed and ignorant as the rest of the population British attitudes to international affairs have changed greatly in the past half century and the current plans to leave the European Union represent a crucial element of that change. Those plans also reflect British …

India must fix its lines of communicationwith Nepal and arrest the drift in ties Despite several attempts at a reset, ties between India and Nepal continue to be a cause for concern. The disconnect between the two governments was most visible at the seven-nation Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral …

As a first step, the capacity of treatment plants along all rivers must be urgently expanded The finding of the Central Pollution Control Board that the number of critically polluted segments of India’s rivers has risen to 351 from 302 two years ago is a strong indictment of the departments …

Cooperation among governments and tolerance among citizens will help us find a solution to the refugee crisis A large number of people in the world today are stateless and are thus deprived of the rights that the majority enjoy. This problem is particularly significant in the Indian context now — …

Enacting just laws is more desirable than tinkering with personal laws for the sake of ‘uniformity’ In a consultation paper released recently, the Law Commission of India has boldly said that a uniform civil code (UCC) is neither feasible nor necessary at this stage. The response must come as a …

Political parties in Tamil Nadu today must heed Periyar’s message in rejecting Hindutva overtures In 1944, an unusual meeting took place between the pre-eminent leader of the non-Brahmin movement, Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, and a major leader of the Hindu Mahasabha, Balkrishna Shivram Moonje. Periyar and Naidu’s friendship On September 19 …

India risks going down the ‘slippery slope’ of becoming a U.S. acolyte in conflicts not of its choosing The much heralded 2+2 Dialogue between the U.S. and India finally fructified on September 6. The 2+2 format, involving the Defence and Foreign Ministers of the two countries, unconventional though it may …

Material to be presented tomorrow Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said on Monday that the Supreme Court will set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) if the material relied on by the Maharashtra government to raid and arrest five activists on August 28 in the Bhima-Koregaon violence case is …

The Green Agriculture project synergises biodiversity conservation, agriculture production, and development India is signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity. As four of the 35 biodiversity hotspots are located in India, it is biodiversity-rich. However, climate change and development without consideration for biodiversity are leading to loss of biodiversity. India’s …

Ad hoc steps to check the currency’s decline must not deflect from the deeper problems The rupee, which is currently the worst-performing currency in Asia, is finally receiving some help from the authorities. The Union government, after a meeting with Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel, on Friday announced …

The law should be enforced vigorouslyto eliminate manual scavenging in its entirety The death of five young men who were employed to clean a septic tank in an upmarket residential community in New Delhi is a shocking reminder that India’s high-profile sanitation campaign has done little to alter some basic …

This newspaper always draws the line between news and views A reader wrote to us wondering whether discussions on technological disruptions and their impact on the news ecology are a ploy to deflect attention from the failings of the news media. He listed a set of “non-stories” — speculations at …

Reinvigorate the crop insurance scheme to provide social protection to every farmer Excess rains and floods in Kerala, deficit rainfall in eastern and north-eastern India, and associated large-scale crop losses have again highlighted the need for providing social protection to poor farmers. A highly subsidised Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana …