By Dr. Gyan Pathak The pace at which India is moving forward in providing social safety net for workforce is too slow to cover entire workforce in years to come. The monthly provisional data just released by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) reveals that the situation is still...
By Sushil Kutty We’ve heard of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 56” chest, and we’ve heard of how Modi can stand on one leg and give Baba Ramdev a run for his Yoga. Modi’s superhuman exploits would fill a tome the size of a NYT bestseller, and if people never...
By Dr Arun Mitra The Under Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) in its video conference meeting held on 17th February 2022 has decided to replace the Hippocratic Oath taken by the doctors to affirm their commitment to medical ethics while treating the patients....
By James M Dorsey Three scantily dressed samba dancers wearing traditional feather headdresses laid bare the limits of social liberalisation in Saud Arabia when they earlier this year danced on the streets of Jizan, a historically conservative city on the border with Yemen. Invited to participate in the Jizan...
By Paras Ahuja The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 broadly classifies offences into two types: ‘bailable’ and ‘non-bailable’, under Section 2(a) read with Schedule 1. It is pertinent to note that while the grant of bail is a matter of right in case of bailable offences, as provided under...
By Arun Kumar Shrivastav These days Kashmiri farmers are battling a new type of terrorists who destroy their apple and almond trees in the orchards. These terrorists are porcupines, a variety of rodents with long and prolific thorny shoots. Porcupine invasions in Shopian, Pulwama, and Budgam districts have destroyed...
By Harihar Swarup This year’s assembly elections have signalled two significant political undercurrents. The first has been the ugly display of post-ideology politics marked by endless cross-party defections. What has happened during the election season has been an extension of the massive exodus of fortune seekers whose only concern...
By Ashis Biswas It is their shared colonial past that brings together the three major South Asian countries — India, Pakistan and Bangladesh — into adopting a neutral, hands-off approach on the current war raging in Ukraine. Ignoring bitter local disputes and a notoriously conflicted relationship affecting all three...
By Sushil Kutty The Congress without the Gandhi family would not net a single MP seat in Kerala. A few MLA seats, perhaps, but not one of the 20 Lok Sabha seats. That is for sure. The Congress party’s Malayali vote-bank does not recognize Ghulam Nabi Azad or Kapil...
By K Raveendran The massive humanitarian crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is engaging the attention of all concerned. The pain and suffering caused by the war to innocent people, manifesting in some three million seeking refuge in Ukraine’s European neighbour states provide unbearable visuals. But away from...
By Amulya Ganguli It is easy to understand the mindset of Narendra Modi’s acolytes. Their devotion is clearly propelled by his strongman image. What is less easy to comprehend is the admiration of the right-wing in India for Russian President Vladimir Putin. That this adoration for machismo is a...
By Nilanjan Banik and Guido Cozzi In his State of the Union address, United States President Joe Biden made it clear that the US was not planning to send troops to Ukraine. On earlier occasions, former POTUS Bill Clinton sent troops to Yugoslavia, George W. Bush to Iraq and...
By Rahil Nora Chopra The Congress’s Group of 23 had an interaction at the residence of former Leader of Opposition, Ghulam Nabi Azad, over dinner on Wednesday to formulate future strategy, as well as to discuss the party’s poll debacle in the just-concluded assembly elections. While Congress interim president...
By Subrata Majumder Paranoia loomed large on Indian economy with the outbreak of Russia – Ukraine war. Indian economy was expected to bounce back. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget for 2022-23, assuming the factors potential to reverse the downtrend. Hope belied. Oil price hiked, stoking inflation. Stock...
By Arjavi Indraneesh New policies relating to the mining sector have the potential to kickstart gold mining in India in a big way, according to an assessment of the World Gold Council has concluded. India has a long history of mining gold, but at a low level: the 2020...
By Binoy Viswam A party that leads a rightist government at the Centre has come out victorious in four out of five states in the recently-held elections. That party with its undeniable fascist characteristics is known for its manoeuvring skills too. They have proven expertise in the management of...
By Arun Kumar Shrivastav Almost 3 weeks into the war, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has numbed all of us. The recurring images of lofty neighbourhoods bustling with life and laughter turning into lifeless concrete with no signs of humans have left most of us unsettled. The idea of...
By Dr. Gyan Pathak Small and Medium-sized enterprises are widely regarded as the backbone of economies around the world. Their contribution to gross domestic product and exports is unique and they employ a greater share of population than many bigger enterprises globally. In Asia they typically comprise more than...