Tag: business standard

Context: This article, the first in a series of three, suggests that although the rule of law is a necessary condition for the survival of civilised society, but it is not sufficient for the delivery of justice. This first article will focus on the judiciary, especially the higher judiciary, the next one on police reforms,… Continue reading Why the judiciary is failing?

Context: Addressing the chief ministers of the states recently, Prime Minister said that the Union government had reduced excise duty on fuel last November, but pointed out that some states had not followed this lead. States raised several objections to his statement. They pointed out that the Union government has earned windfall gains on fuel… Continue reading Reforming fuel taxes

News: Recently, Britain formalised a symbolic “self-isolation” through Brexit in 2020. However, despite the economic shocks that were anticipated from both the COVID and the nation’s withdrawal from the European Union, Britain attracted more Indian students to its shores during a pandemic.  What is the nature of the UK-India relations wrt education? Britain’s institutions have… Continue reading Shitij Kapur on why India offers opportunities in educational partnerships 

Context: At present, Russian invasion of Ukraine is facing a lot of criticism from the international community. It seems Russia is not going to win the war. This is going to be very similar to the Russian and US failures in Afghanistan, and their failed interventions in West Asia.  Contents1 Why is Russia not going… Continue reading The march of folly 

Context: Recently, the World Bank and the other by the International Monetary Fund published two different papers to assess the level of poverty in India. They concluded that poverty in India had declined considerably in recent years. In this backdrop, the government has done well to restart the consumer expenditure survey process because the survey… Continue reading Data-dependent policy 

News: Recently, a report was released by the Parliamentary Standing Committee which draws a comparison of India’s defence sector spending on research and development with the US and other countries.   What are the findings of the report?  According to the report, India spends too little on research and development (R&D) in the defence sector.  The… Continue reading Rethinking innovation in defence

News: Recently, the European Union (EU) has approved landmark legislation known as the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).   What are the issues with social media platforms?  They are being used for spreading disinformation and hate speech to influence elections, racist violence etc.   The major problem lies in revenue models of the social media platforms. They… Continue reading On EU’s Digital Services Act: Responsible content 

Context: Ever since it was announced by the prime minister in October 2021, the Gati Shakti mission has been billed as one of the most transformational projects in the country. Successfully planning and executing large scale infrastructure projects in India have always been a nightmare, leading to significant cost and time overruns. Gati Shakti is… Continue reading On Gati Shakti Mission: Plugging the infra gaps