Editorials

There is little understanding of the behaviour of the Indian Ocean and monsoon impact India’s most torrential monsoon in a quarter century officially ended on Wednesday. This has been the most delayed withdrawal of the monsoon since 1961 but both the quantity and the timing have had no effect on …

Climate change is still not integral to the planning of Indian cities and towns, despite the risks it poses Can cities, which generate over 80% of the world’s GDP, be the driving force for mitigation of climate change as national governments fail to provide leadership? At a recent summit of …

The Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana appear to be of limited interest elsewhere, and commentaries focus on personalities. The advantageous position the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) finds itself in is credited to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis; the decline of …

Despite limitations, the use of randomised control trials has led to a paradigm shift in development policy evaluation If Rip Van Winkle was an academic economist and woke up from a two-decade long sleep this week, he would be baffled by the news of the Nobel Prize in Economics this …

Strengthening the manufacturing industry and increasing domestic demand are key imperatives The IMF expects global economic growth to be just 3% this year, the lowest since the 2008 global financial crisis. Unlike in 2008, when India was insulated from a global economic meltdown, the economy now is on the ebb, …

For several years now, the problem of introducing powerlooms to the large number of weavers in Tamil Nadu has been postponed, but the present Government has announced its determination to see the scheme through. It has been pushed in this direction by the yarn industry which now depends on distant …

There is evidence of the overall benefits that accrue from investing in women’s education If the evidence is clear and present, then not acting on it would be a chilling demonstration of inability and inefficiency, and the lack of will to bring about change. There should be no doubt that …

There is a compelling case for Justice Mishra to withdraw from the land acquisition case Should Justice Arun Mishra recuse from a five-judge Supreme Court Bench formed to give an authoritative interpretation of a provision in the 2013 land acquisition law? There is quite a compelling case that he must. …

India and China must aspire to ensure that Asia’s seas are not arenas of contestation The bonds of commerce and cosmopolitanism that had illuminated the First Asian Millennium were on ample display at the second informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Mamallapuram. At …

Technological solutions cannot combat ecological challenges From producing artificial meat to using renewable energy, businesses seem to be driven by concern for our planet. But are they really? Or is this all an attempt to gain a sense of credibility for a project otherwise driven by the mundane, old profit …