Must Read News Articles – February 8

The Hindu

Front Page / NATIONAL

‘1892 Cauvery pact an unequal bargain’: It can claim no validity after birth of Indian Constitution, Karnataka counsel tells Supreme Court.

SC dismisses TN’s review plea on remission power: The 2015 verdict held that Centre, not State, will have ‘primacy’ in deciding on remission of sentence.

Talks to end economic blockade in Manipur fail: Tripartite talks to end the over three-month-long economic blockade of a crucial highway in Manipur failed to make any headway on Tuesday with the Naga group spearheading it refusing to relent from its position of not allowing seven districts to be carved out.

Editorial/OPINION

Pride as well as prejudice: The tribal bodies’ protest against reservation for women in local municipalities in Nagaland must not be allowed to settle the argument.

Time for upgrade: Since Independence, the military has remained at the forefront of dealing with the changing character of conflict both along as well as within India’s borders.

ECONOMY

PSU banks to join BHIM by February-end: All Public Sector Banks are expected to join the Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) app for digital payments by the end of February, the National Payments Corporation of India said.

Indian Express

Rehab for the balance sheet: A centralised Public Sector Asset Rehabilitation Agency (PARA) could help over-leveraged corporates and bad-loan encumbered banks.

Live Mint

India’s de facto carbon tax is excessive: It is not necessary for India, whose per capita consumption of electricity is barely half the world average, to embrace the highest rate of carbon taxes in the world.

The budget sidesteps geostrategic risks: Arun Jaitley’s budget seems to contain very little—by way of either allocations or strategic intent—to mitigate risks that endanger the Indian economy.