Opinion
Appeal
The legacy of IPA, founded by Nikhil Chakravartty, the doyen of journalism in India, to keep the flag of independent media flying high, is facing the threat of extinction due to the effect of the Covid pandemic. Only an emergency funding can avert such an eventuality. We appeal to all those who believe in the freedom of expression to contribute to this noble cause.Can Germany’s Left Beat The Ever-Repressive Powers Coming From The Right?
By Nick Wright LONDON: Finding myself last weekend back in Berlin after several years’ absence, I found many changes but some constants. A power outage which cast some of Berlin’s southern districts in to darkness for days brought forth some very old themes in Berlin politics. A fire damaged...
2026-27 Budget Offers Modi Govt A Great Opportunity To Reshape Strategy
By Ashok Nilakantan Ayers When India’s finance minister Ms Nirmala Sitharaman rises to present the 7th Union Budget on February 1, a record of sorts, the moment will carry an uncommon weight. This is no routine fiscal exercise, no mere balancing of columns and commas. Instead, the budget is...
Mystery Shrouds Over ED Becoming Super Active In The Run-Up To State Elections
By Dr. Gyan Pathak Supreme Court of India hearing high profile politico-legal cases involving leaders of opposition and Enforcement Directorate (ED) of India is not new. However, the case that the Supreme Court heard on January 15 has a special significance in the run-up to state election of five...
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...
