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The Food Security Act has revamped the PDS

As anticipated, implementation of Public Distribution System (PDS) reforms as mandated in the National Food Security Act, has reduced leakages




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Stick to fiscal deficit as the norm for fiscal prudence

With the current lower levels of household financial savings, having 3% of GDP as a limit to fiscal deficit should be the focus




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Policy paralysis, a weakened public health sector

Primary care is weak while there has been a boost to the growth of the private sector in secondary and tertiary care




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Regulatory reform stuck in a loop in Health Ministry

The policy initiatives of recall guidelines, good distribution practices and the use of similar brand-names either lack the force of law or are poorly thought through




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A panoramic view of the 2024 China-Africa summit

With African governments finding it more comfortable to deal with China, the recent FOCAC conference needs objective scrutiny; there are takeaways for India




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Instability and uncertainty stalk Bangladesh

The troubles in Bangladesh are by no means over and India may need new strategies to deal with the situation to its east




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India’s sickle cell challenge

With over a million people affected with sickle cell disease, India bears the world’s second largest burden of this condition.




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Putting the brakes on ‘bulldozer justice’

The thread in extra-legal demolitions carried out across different parts of India is a lack of due process and a blatant disregard for directives issued by the judiciary in the past




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Being ‘trans’ is being human

It is ‘trans-sceptics’ who are fragmenting the integral human self




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Indian military export to Israel — aiding genocide

The top court’s dismissal of a petition on the subject highlights the limits of judicial review over executive decisions in matters of foreign policy, especially in violations of humanitarian law




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The continuing distribution of the death penalty

Creating a safer environment for women and children is a complex issue; punishment alone cannot change society




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Shed the myopia, refocus on the relevance of English

The government must prioritise the promotion of English not as a competitor to Indian languages but as a vital tool for national and international communication




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India’s place in Russia-Ukraine peace-making

There are indications that New Delhi is engaging with all parties and developing its role as an interlocutor but there are the ‘ifs, ands, or buts’




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Reflections on America’s customary face-off

The long tradition of American Presidential debates has meant make or break for Presidents and presidential aspirants




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India needs a ‘National Security Strategy’

It needs to bring together diverse aspects such as defence and finance into a coherent whole; however, this is an exercise that needs to be conducted quietly




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Weighing in on business as usual with China

From strategic, security and economic angles, India would do well to take a differentiated policy towards economic relations with China




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A break from the past, a new beginning in Sri Lanka

The political space for Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the National People’s Power also flows from the impact of the 2022 ‘Aragalaya’ or the citizens’ protest movement




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The misplaced move of ‘one nation one election’

On the contrary, the holding of frequent elections in India has many positive benefits




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Going bullish on investment in Tamil Nadu 

Tamil Nadu is a beacon of inclusive and sustainable growth in India, and in the global search for alternatives to China, is a strong contender for global investments




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Keep the fire of the self-respect movement going

With growing cultural homogenisation and divisive ideologies in India, the movement must step up the fight for social justice, equality and rationalism




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Bridging the chasm of global inequality

The big lesson from the Summit is that developing countries have yet to exploit the opportunities presented by the U.N. system




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Plain-speak on the AKD phenomenon in Sri Lanka

The election result in Sri Lanka must be viewed by India as faith in the self-renewing power of the democratic voice




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Having private participation in India’s nuclear energy

With the government proposing such a partnership, the existing framework governing the nuclear energy sector needs to be assessed




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The Waqf Bill 2024 is one that needs review

The Bill suffers from procedural irregularities and has retrograde steps and irrationalities




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A case of nothing but patent censorship

The Bombay High Court ruling on the amendment made to the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 is a verdict in defence of the right to free speech




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An obsession with ranking is harming India’s universities

The metrics-focused system has created a situation which implies that education is a market rather than a citizen’s right and the state’s duty




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A three-tier war in West Asia with no endgame

This is a conflict loop where no side is deterring its rival. With no way to break out of the loop, Israel chose to climb up the escalation ladder




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A re-balancing of India’s great power relations

By attempting to play a meaningful role in resolving the Ukraine conflict, India can hope to reset the terms of its engagement with both the West and Russia




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Sunset for the U.K.’s coal-fired power, lessons for India

India could learn from the U.K.’s transition, ensuring that it does not make the mistakes Britain made




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Mental health in India’s material world

The theme of World Mental Health Day (October 10) this year is about ‘prioritising mental health in the workplace’. The critical link between mental health and work is examined in three articles on the Editorial and Opinion pages. India is facing a mental health epidemic, with the urban living, financial instability and fierce competition as significant contributors




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The gruelling course of litigation in India

Court scheduling and case management continue to be a hurdle that litigants face




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China, India and New Delhi’s Quad dilemma

It would be prudent for India to proceed with care in its dealings with China on the one hand and with its Quad partners on the other




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Israel’s brutality in Gaza, India’s pin-drop silence

New Delhi’s response to the Gaza war is a reflection of the ‘new India’s’ collective anti-colonial amnesia




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A food-sufficient India needs to be hunger-free too

There needs to be a transformation of India’s agri-food system, ensuring that healthy diets are available and affordable for all




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The battle cry for justice in the ‘City of Joy’

The people’s movement, ‘Justice for RG Kar’, is also a battle against a system that perpetuates many injustices




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A modified UBI policy may be more feasible

As a core issue is financial feasibility, what may work best in India is using a modified policy as a base to which other transfer policies can be added as and when appropriate




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A perilous highway to salvation in the Himalayas

There is growing scientific evidence that the Char Dham Highway Project will have catastrophic consequences for the mountain ecology




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India’s choices in a world becoming bipolar again

India cannot allow itself to be reduced to a pawn in the renewed contest between China and the U.S.




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An approaching milestone in constitutional governance

India has every reason to celebrate 75 years of constitutional governance




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The world needs blue helmets who act as blue helmets

By being reduced to ‘bystander’ status in the ongoing and serious conflicts in the world, the United Nations is frittering away the dividends of its ‘enforceable peacekeeping’




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The Manipur crisis, the issue of managing diversity

The healing touch of constitutional accommodation is the only way out




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Move on madrasas, the alienation of Muslims

A statutory commission such as the NCPCR should not be eroding pluralism in India; it needs to step back from its move




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Sharpen the anti-defection law, strengthen democracy

The anti-defection law has played a crucial role in political stability, but there are gaps which need to be addressed to make it more effective and impartial




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Caught in intersections, the Harris multicultural tent

The Trump-Vance campaign is trying to trigger conflicts in the Democrat tent to dent the Democrats’ appeal to multiple group identities




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The under-representation of women in the judiciary

There is a need for women-centric perspectives which would pave the way for greater participation of women in the judiciary




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Dhaka court indicts 7 over Italian’s murder




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Indian, Pak. communities make common cause in U.S. election

‘Both have a shared goal — to prevent Trump from becoming the next President’




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‘IS militants kill 30 civilians in central Afghanistan’

There has so far been no official claim of responsibility from the group.




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National Geographic’s ‘green-eyed Afghan girl’ arrested in Pakistan

The picture of Sharbat Gula, taken in a Pakistan refugee camp by photographer Steve McCurry, became the most famous cover image in the magazine's history.




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Jaffna shooting was breach of discipline: Police chief

‘Unclear if the situation warranted a shooting, as there was no robbery or organised attack’