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The All India Congress Committee (AICC)/Congress Working Committee session in Ahmedabad, on April 8-9, aimed to convey the Congress’s intent to usher in organisational reforms at the grass-roots level and bring ideological clarity. The capital city of Gujarat with a rich history in India’s freedom struggle was a symbolic setting to reflect the crisis that … Read more
Tariff ‘war’ Yes, only China is in a position to ‘fight to the end’ in an American-imposed tariff war. The flip-flop by U.S. President Donald Trump is baffling. Perhaps Mr. Trump should realise that in the modern era, the U.S. cannot dictate terms to the world. It has to adopt a ‘live and let live’ … Read more
‘We are trying to create a higher education structure that broadly resembles the American system at its zenith’ | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto The National Education Policy proposes to change India’s siloed higher education system by establishing large multidisciplinary educational institutions. The emphasis will be on having a more cross-disciplinary education, a pedagogical shift towards … Read more
Colossal Biosciences is an American company with an unusual marketing line: combining genomics with conservation — not in its traditional form, but through de-extinction, which is resurrecting species extinct for thousands of years. Leading this project is Harvard geneticist George Church, a prominent promoter of the company, who aims to bring back the woolly mammoth, … Read more
Last month, unaccounted cash was reportedly recovered from the official residence of former Delhi High Court judge, Justice Yashwant Varma. In response, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna initiated an in-house inquiry into the matter. Justice Varma has since been repatriated to his parent High Court in Allahabad and will not be assigned any judicial … Read more
Opposition MPs protest in the Lok Sabha against the Waqf Amendment Bill during the Budget session of Parliament, in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: ANI The recently concluded Budget session of Parliament found its place in history. Both Houses sat through the night, closing only before sunrise, when parts of Delhi were just beginning to … Read more
Trump and tariffs The U.S.’s move to single out China by slapping an unprecedented 125% tariff on it while pausing tariffs for most other countries shows that the escalations begun by the U.S. are fuelled by political motives. It seems to be part of a broader American strategy to contain China on the global stage. … Read more
‘Relying on a piecemeal approach can fail to account for the precarious nature of all informal work’ | Photo Credit: Getty Images India’s efforts to establish social security for online (app-based) gig workers are gaining momentum, with the central scheme awaiting Cabinet approval. Benefits announced include health coverage under Ayushman Bharat, registration on the eShram … Read more
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s Monetary Policy Committee’s unanimous decision to cut the repo rate by 25 basis points, to 6%, is a timely reprieve for India’s business community. For weeks now, exporting sectors have been imploring the government to hasten bilateral trade negotiations with the U.S. to attempt to shield themselves from President … Read more
Delimitation, enshrined in Articles 82 and 170 of the Constitution of India, has stirred unprecedented passions that have taken shape in both serious and ludicrous ways. The serious ones stem from what the Constitution provides and its possible implications if implemented as provided. The ludicrous ones include calls by some who are asking people to … Read more