business

Behind the hazardous cleaning deaths of 150 people in 2022 and 2023, a social audit of 54 of which the Ministry of Social Justice has tabled in Parliament, lies a deleterious business model. Local contractors had hired 38; only five were on a government payroll. The rest were public sector workers ‘loaned’ to private employers, … Read more

Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) isn’t just in the background anymore. It’s on your phone, in your inbox, and perhaps even helping you write your next business email. AI technologies are as common for Gen Z and Millennials as coffee in the morning. Microsoft’s 2024 Work Trend Index says that a whopping 75% of Gen Z workers … Read more

Rankings and celebrations apart, the ninth edition of Swachh Survekshan, branded as the world’s largest cleanliness survey, provides policy makers and city managers a reality check on urban sanitation and waste management, and a reliable database. The annual survey steered by Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)-Urban had not only over 4,500 cities competing, compared to less … Read more

July and August are prime months for Delhi to prepare for air pollution episodes in autumn and winter, which are now a defining feature of the National Capital Region (NCR). The electoral mandate this year has created a rare moment of political alignment across most States in the Delhi-NCR, opening the door for coordinated action … Read more

Machiavelli believed that in politics, one is guided solely by the harsh realities of political life, viz., a struggle for power and survival. Today, we are at a point in history when old rules that once governed international politics appear to be in terminal decline. Alongside this, the means to achieve dominance are undergoing fundamental … Read more

The Maharashtra Special Public Security (MSPS) Bill, 2024 follows the disturbing pattern of executive overreach in the name of security. Existing laws are often misused against political opponents and critics of the ruling party, including commentators. Charges are often vague and sweeping, and the process itself becomes the punishment in many of these cases. Given … Read more

In a landmark judgment in a divorce case (Vibhor Garg vs Neha), the Supreme Court has accepted the admissibility of secretly recorded conversations between a married couple as reliable evidence. Vibhor Garg had filed a divorce petition under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 in a family court at Bathinda in Punjab on the grounds of … Read more

Unceremonious exit The Vice-President’s office, once a symbol of parliamentary balance, is now seen as a new front in partisan conflict. In our constitutional design, neutrality in high offices is not optional but foundational. Yet, this principle has been steadily eroding, perhaps more rapidly of late. Neutrality in constitutional roles ensures institutional trust and continuity. … Read more

Last week’s violence in southern Syria, which saw the killing of hundreds from the Druze community, was a grave reminder of the country’s deep-rooted sectarian tensions, now ruled by a former Sunni jihadist. When the Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), formerly an al-Qaeda affiliate, captured power in Syria in November 2024, its leader Ahmed al … Read more

‘Conducting experiments on laboratory-grown anatomical parts would also help the development of the nascent field of tissue-engineering or regenerative medicine’ | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto As human beings are superior to animals, and as animals instinctively rely on the benevolence, goodwill, and protective nature of man, we must fulfil our obligation to treat our fellow … Read more