Editorials

H.E.H. The Nizam has granted a firman or charter to the Osmania University — about which some little speculation has been rife — which was opened on the 6th October current synchronizing with the 1st Mohorrum, Hegira 1887. The objects of the University are to teach religion, moral science, philosophy, …

The steps taken by the Union government over the last few years to widen its tax base may finally be yielding some rewards. The total number of tax returns filed in the country increased by over 80% over the last four financial years, according to data released by the Central …

At one level, what is going on in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is a ‘turf war’, a battle of egos between two individuals at the helm. But the unsavoury developments involving the CBI Director and its Special Director are reflective of a much deeper malaise — a big …

N. Chandrababu Naidu, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and national president of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), has again sprung a political surprise. After suddenly walking out of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, earlier this year, ostensibly over the denial of ‘Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh’, he …

The CEO of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana on the challenges and scope of the health insurance scheme and responses from the States Indu Bhushan is the CEO of the world’s largest government-funded health insurance scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), which was launched by Prime Minister …

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s whirlwind visit to Delhi earlier this month, lasting less than 24 hours, came just a month after the visits, in September, of U.S. Secretary of State Mike R. Pompeo and Defence Secretary James N. Mattis to participate in the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with their Indian counterparts, …

The Labour Housing Association held its annual conference at Derby on 31st August. Mr. J.W. Ogden, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trade Union Congress, who presided, said that according to an estimate, 500,000 working-class houses were required at present, and to meet the needs of an increasing population …

Reuter’s Correspondent at British Headquarters telegraphing last evening [October 22 at 10-35 p.m.] said: The enemy resistance is stiffening. In Flanders we have reached the west bank of Escaut between Pecq and Lenfer, both of which are in our possession. The Enemy is maintaining heavy fire from the opposite bank. …

How a few women dealt with a bunch of angry, mostly male reporters Change, as the cliché goes, begins at home. This is what some of us journalists realised at a press meet organised by the South Indian Women’s Film Association last week. Members of the association, including playback singer …

Historically, mob violence has resulted in political gains for some Scapegoating is a well-worn political technique to divert attention from governance failures. For instance, in 1905, the Tsarist government in Russia organised a pogrom of Jews to divert attention from its military failures. Hitler blamed the Jews for Germany’s economic …

Saudi Arabia’s official version ofJamal Khashoggi’s death just doesn’t add up Saudi Arabia’s admission that Jamal Khashoggi, the dissident journalist who was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, died in a “fistfight” inside the building raises more questions than it answers. According to the latest …

The RBI makes a valid case against the proposal for a separate payments regulator The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Union government are once again at loggerheads over the legitimate extent of their powers. In a rare gesture, the central bank last week made public its reservations against …

The challenges for the success of Ayushman Bharat are more than just at the financial and infrastructural level On September 24, the government launched the grand government-funded healthcare scheme, the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). While some see its ambitious goals as its main strength, others are sceptical …

Political will is crucial to reform India’s criminal justice system In an acknowledgment that the more than a century-old system of prisons in India needs repair, the Supreme Court, late last month, formed a committee on prison reforms. Headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice Amitava Roy, it is to …

With Pakistan seeking an IMF loan, Imran Khan will struggle to keep up his rhetoric It is two months since Imran Khan became Pakistan’s Prime Minister with the very partisan and public support and assistance from Pakistan’s military and its clandestine organisations, when his main opponent, Nawaz Sharif, and his …

It is an opportunity to ensure that the defamation law is no longer used as a tool for harassment In Isaac Asimov’s famous Foundation novels, one of the protagonists often explains that “violence is the last refuge of the incompetent”. In India, the fallout of the #MeToo movement has recently …

The first Ladies’ Conference in Mysore was held on the 18th afternoon in the Maharani’s College Hall, Mysore, under the Presidency of Mrs. Chandrasekhara Iyer. About 200 ladies attended. The proceedings began with an invocation song tastefully rendered by four young ladies of the High School classes. Mrs. Chandrasekhara Iyer …

On Friday [October 18], the “Rangoon Times” extracted an article from the “Bombay Chronicle” of the 12th October setting forth a scheme for the handling of the rice trade in Bombay. The rice market was closed on Saturday, but to-day [October 21] the matter was widely discussed and a largely …

The by-election victory of Anwar Ibrahim, the de facto leader of Malaysia’s ruling coalition, marks another milestone in his dramatic comeback, putting him within touching distance of the prime ministership. During a chequered career, as Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s deputy in the 1990s and later as leader of the People’s …

The ghastly Dasara disaster at Amritsar that has left 59 people dead is a harsh reminder, if any were needed, that government departments have not yet taken official protocols for safety at mass gatherings seriously. In the aftermath of the entirely preventable carnage, in which spectators crowding a railway track …