IPA Special
Supreme Court’s Refusal To Grant Bail To Khalid, Imam Marks A Troubling Moment For Democracy
By Brinda Karat The Supreme Court’s refusal to grant bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, while accepting the bail pleas of five other accused in the same case, is not merely a judicial order affecting two individuals. It marks a deeply troubling moment for constitutional democracy in India....
Election Commission Must Ensure Level Playing Field To All Parties In Assembly Polls
By Nilotpal Basu Now that five states are going to the polls for their respective state assemblies, it is necessary to see the big picture. This is also relevant from the standpoint of the republican Constitution that we have. It is necessary to rekindle the memory of our readers...
Centre Must Take All Steps To Hike Outlay For Jal Jeevan Mission In Next Budget
By Krishna Jha Reports of the Centre planning to massively reduce the outlay of its flagship rural tap water scheme – Jal Jeevan Mission (JLM) – are ominous. This would mean cutting the outlay of the JLM by almost 60 percent from Rs 67,000 crore allocated in Budget 2025-26...
Congress-Led UDF’s Expansion Plans Suffer A Setback
By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The expansion plans of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF)suffered a major setback with the Kerala Congress-(M), an ally of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), ruling out leaving the Front. The intense speculation which was rife for the last few weeks has ended when...
Geopolitical And Economic Risks Rise In New Age Of Global Competition, Says WEF
By Satyaki Chakraborty The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2026, released on January 14 finds geoeconomic confrontation emerges as the top risk for the year, followed by interstate conflict, extreme weather, societal polarization and misinformation and disinformation. The outlook from leaders and experts shows deep concern. Half of...
Can India’s Legal System Combat The Rising Threat Of Digital Arrest Scams?
By Harsh Gour In recent months, India has witnessed a troubling new form of cyber-fraud: victims, especially older citizens, are being “digitally arrested” in their homes by anonymous callers. In one incident, fraudsters posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers digitally arrested an 80-year-old man and extorted ₹33...
Oil Displays An Uneasy Calm Amid Trump’s Brinkmanship On Iran
By K Raveendran Oil prices have jumped roughly six percent in the span of a week, pushing benchmarks to around $63 a barrel and jolting a market that had grown accustomed to softer expectations closer to $50. The move has been swift enough to prompt talk of an over-reaction,...
US Withdrawal From UN Agencies Offers A Good Opportunity To India
By Asad Mirza The US President Donald Trump has ordered US withdrawal from 66 international organizations including 31 UN entities and 35 non-UN bodies, targeting climate, human rights, and gender equality institutions. The administration characterizes these organizations as serving globalist agendas contrary to American interests. However, this mundane decision...
How America’s Middle Class Got Fleeced While The World Watched
By T N Ashok NEW YORK: While families across America opened their January insurance statements to find premiums doubled overnight, governments from New Delhi to Brussels were doing something the United States Congress refused to consider: fighting back. The contrast is damning. As 22 million Americans lost enhanced healthcare...
US President Donald Trump May Address World Economic Forum Meet At Davos
By Satyaki Chakraborty U.S. President Donald Trump will be addressing the World Economic Forum meet at Davos during its session on January 19 to 23 elaborating his programme for 2026 and his evolving steps regarding the eco-political relationship with the European nations. Last year, Trump as the second time...
Ajit Doval’s Talk Of Revenge Is Fraught With Dangerous Consequences
By Dr Arun Mitra In a speech riddled with contradictions, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has, in a subtle yet unmistakable manner, called upon the youth to embrace the idea of revenge. Addressing a gathering of nearly 3,000 young people at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue on 10...
Employment And Social Trends 2026 Flags Jobs Gap And Job Quality Deficits
By Dr. Gyan Pathak Global jobs gap and job quality deficits remain very large. Labour markets remain stable, but this stability is fragile. Unemployment remains stable, but progress towards decent work has stalled. Inequality persists, especially for women and young people. Global trade disruptions are adding uncertainty to labour...
Decoding Activist Bengali Writer Mahasweta Devi On Her Birth Centenary
By Tirthankar Mitra KOLKATA: Inarguably an author who penned the joys and woes of a marginalized populace and had a life style in which the people she wrote about were an integral part of, Mahasweta Devi’s works began where histories fell silent. Had she been around now, the author...
How The GOI Bills Forcing Farmers’ Unions To Adopt Agitational Path?
By Jag Mohan Thaken CHANDIGARH: The Indian farmers’ unions are once again girding up their loins, but why? Why do they term the Seeds Bill -2025 a corporate charter disguised as reform, and not a farmers’ law? Why does the Electricity Bill 2025 irritate the farmers’ unions? Why do...
Modi Distorted Vivekananda’s Teachings By Projecting Him As A Hindutva Icon
By Nitya Chakraborty Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leadership have been most pro-active in recent years in projecting Swami Vivekananda as Hindutva icon of the RSS variety without understanding the teachings of this great religious leader and social reformer who underlined the special role of youth in...
Prime Minister Has Done A Good Job By Ensuring Return Of Buddhist Relics At Piprahwa
By Sant Kumar Sharma Scholars believe that modern-day Piprahwa was the site of the ancient city of Kapilvastu. Incidentally, Kapilvastu was capital of the Shakya kingdom, where Siddarth Gautam had spent 29 years of his life. It was here that he grew up as a Prince, born to Queen...
Maharashtra Polls Spring Up Symptoms Of Sinking Of The INDIA Bloc
By Dr. Gyan Pathak Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections scheduled to be held on January 15, have sprung up the symptoms of sinking of the INDIA bloc, while fighting erupted on seat sharing between the Congress and the DMK in Tamil Nadu just before the Legislative Assembly Election likely...
A Tariff Shock In The Oil Market Could Blow A Hole In Centre’s Budget 2026–27
By R. Suryamurthy The threat from Washington to impose punitive tariffs of up to 500% on countries buying Russian crude is not just a foreign policy problem for India. It is a fiscal one. As New Delhi prepares the Union Budget for 2026–27, the shadow cast by the proposed...
