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India faces a serious challenge in the management of its agricultural residues. With over 350-500 million tonnes generated annually, most agro-waste is either burned or left to decompose inappropriately, resulting in severe air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and the persistent depletion of organic carbon in the soil. Drawing on the transformative success of the Amul … Read more

If we look at the most striking political and economic happenings in the past few days, it would undoubtedly be the allegations about large-scale electoral roll irregularities, posing an “existential threat” to India’s electoral democracy, and Trump’s tariff tantrum and “dead economy” jibe at India. Yet, most indicators such as voter turnout and GDP numbers … Read more

Allegations of ‘vote theft’ In India, the word ‘election’ is one that evokes immense civic pride in a citizen. Therefore, it is the duty of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure that the entire election system ensures a fair poll as the running of a democracy rests on this. But why is the … Read more

Organ transplantation is one of modern medicine’s greatest triumphs. A miracle of 20th century medicine, organ transplants are the gold standard treatment for terminal and irreversible organ failure. Yet, in India, more than half a million lives are lost every year for lack of a suitable donor organ. This is despite the number of transplants … Read more

The August 11 Supreme Court order represents the most forceful judicial intervention yet on the matter of free-roaming dogs. By directing Delhi and its satellites to collect every street dog within eight weeks, confine them permanently in pounds, and expand shelter capacity at speed, the Court has signalled its willingness to override administrative lethargy. Delhi … Read more

Last week, a few dozen students of a Tribal Welfare Residential School for Girls in Parigi in Vikarabad in Telangana protested against the absence of math and chemistry faculty. In July, students of Left organisations agitated at the Secretariat in Hyderabad over poor education policies. Around the same time, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) … Read more

The Chenab railway bridge in Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir. | Photo Credit: PTI The recent inauguration of the Chenab railway bridge by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is emblematic of India’s new politics of imagery. Hailed as the world’s highest rail arch, the bridge leaps across a chasm in Jammu and Kashmir, its elegance rendered … Read more

The downsides to ethanol use when compared to petrol are well known, including in the U.S. and Brazil, that have led in ethanol blending. But the engineering behind the safe and efficient use of ethanol-blended petrol, from 5% to 100%, is established too. Ethanol blending began as a response to the oil shock of the … Read more

Operation Sindoor, facts After the Indian Air Force chief made a statement that India ‘took down six Pakistani aircraft during Operation Sindoor’ (Front page, August 10), it is all the more necessary for the government to be frank about the losses incurred by India. This disclosure will only prove how far our forces were able … Read more

The ‘Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam (Medicine at people’s doorstep’) scheme, introduced in Tamil Nadu in August 2021, and the Karnataka’s Gruha Arogya scheme, launched in October 2024 and expanded to all districts in June 2025, aim to deliver health care at doorsteps for persons with non-communicable diseases. Several other Sates are implementing similar programmes. While such … Read more