business

A healthy winter harvest of vegetables reined in food inflation to a five-month low of 6% in January, driving down India’s consumer price inflation to 4.3%, tantalisingly close to the 4% median target pursued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). For urban consumers, in fact, inflation eased to 3.9%, while rural consumers faced a … Read more

The Teesta. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu On January 27, 2025, an expert committee constituted by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change recommended a proposal to rebuild the Teesta-3 dam on the Teesta river in Sikkim. In October 2023, a powerful glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) from the South Lhonak lake had … Read more

In Manipur, with the Bharatiya Janata Partyunable to identify a successor to N. Biren Singh for the post of Chief Minister and the Assembly also not having been convened even six months since its last sitting, President’s Rule was imposed in the State with the Assembly under suspended animation. Since mid-2023, in any case, a … Read more

President’s Rule With some much-needed steps in conflict-ravaged Manipur having been initiated, the Government of India must leave no stone unturned in expediting the economic advancement of the region. Making sincere efforts to get to the root of the conflict, paying heed to the legitimate concerns of the locals and taking steps to integrate them … Read more

Stories of the folk goddesses of India are often lost in myriad oral versions. Which ones do we consider authentic? A common thread is some form of sexual violation followed by brute violence. We can say these are tales of (almost) marriage and (almost) murder. Are these to be taken literally or metaphorically? In Jammu, … Read more

Rohin Bhatt | Photo Credit: Special arrangement Lawyer and activist Rohin Bhatt was an active part of the marriage equality case. Bhatt and others have been pushing for inclusivity for the community at the Supreme Court, and their efforts have led to positive changes. In a new book, The Urban Elite v. Union of India, … Read more

Project near border The issue raised by the Congress party (“Congress slams Centre over Adani project near border”, February 13) is likely to be dismissed by a large section of the public as yet another example of the periodic Adani baiting indulged in by the Opposition parties. However, the subterfuge used by the government to … Read more

Vikas Walkar (left), father of Shraddha Walkar, who was brutally murdered, allegedly by her live-in partner, in 2022.  | Photo Credit: The Hindu I spoke to Vikas Walkar for the first time when every journalist wanted an exclusive interview with him. Walkar was the father of Shraddha Walkar, who had been brutally murdered, allegedly by … Read more

The Supreme Court on January 30, 2025, permitted High Courts to appoint retired judges on an ad-hoc basis to address the mounting backlog of cases. However, these judges were authorised to hear only criminal appeals as part of a bench led by a sitting judge. Is appointing ad-hoc judges a viable means to reduce backlog? … Read more

A picture, of 2021, that shows the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in Nyingchi, China | Photo Credit: AFP The planned construction by China, of a massive hydroelectric dam on the lower section of the upper stream of the Yarlung Zangbo river in Tibet, has become a matter of concern for India due to its potential … Read more