Over-centralisation threatens federal health policy

‘Given chronic specialist shortages, domicile quotas ensure a predictable supply of doctors familiar with the State’s health-care landscape’ | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto The recent Supreme Court judgment, in Dr. Tanvi Behl vs Shrey Goyal (2025), which struck down domicile-based reservations in post-graduate medical admissions in the respective medical colleges in States, marks a significant … Read more

Letters to The Editor — March 6, 2025

The U.S. and Ukraine It looks as if it is a case of playing musical chairs for Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when it comes to dealing with the United States (Page 1, March 5). Mr. Zelenskyy is now struggling for survival with the shadow of economic woes over him. This is also a case of … Read more

A step backward for Odisha’s economy

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Odisha presented the State Budget for 2025-26 in February, with a total Budget size of ₹2,90,000 crore. The Budget document underlines the government’s vision for ‘Samruddha Odisha’ by 2036, aiming to become a $500 billion economy. However, the BJP government’s fiscal performance over the last nine months has … Read more

Remodelling the UAE-India aviation partnership

‘Enhanced cooperation in the aviation sector is just one example of how the UAE-India partnership can evolve to unlock new avenues of mutually beneficial growth and integration’ | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto During a recent tour of the Navi Mumbai International Airport in Maharashtra, I was left deeply impressed by the scale of India’s aviation … Read more

Designing India’s AI Safety Institute

India’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) ambitions took a significant leap forward when Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the country would launch an indigenous AI model and establish an AI Safety Institute (AISI) under the Safe and Trusted Pillar of the IndiaAI Mission. Rather than relying on rigid regulations that may quickly become outdated, governments worldwide … Read more

Little has changed in the Income-Tax Bill, 2025

In February this year, the Union Finance Minister introduced the Income-Tax Bill, 2025, in Parliament. If enacted, the legislation will replace the Income-Tax Act, 1961, and, according to the government, will simplify the law for both taxpayers and administrators alike. The current law, of 1961, the government claims, has become unwieldy and unclear not only … Read more

Letters to The Editor — March 5, 2025

Online ‘vulgarity’ In the report, “SC seeks regulatory steps against ‘vulgarity’ online” (March 4), the counsel’s argument that his client — the YouTuber who is now in trouble — “had no sense of humour” and that “the prohibition would affect his livelihood and that of his 280 employees” is ludicrous. Self restraint must form a … Read more