Opinion

By Ajit Ranade India’s fiscal federalism runs on a deceptively simple bargain: the Union collects most broad-based taxes, while the States carry the frontline responsibility for essential public services—schools, hospitals, policing, local roads, water supply, and much else. The tax revenues and spending duties do...

Jayati Ghosh & Diego Llumá In January, India’s Supreme Court ruled that the US-based hedge fund Tiger Global must pay taxes on its $1.6 billion sale of a stake in the e-commerce platform Flipkart to Walmart. The ruling, delivered just days before the EU-India Free...

Shivaji Sarkar It has been a week of pure hungama in Parliament. Rarely has the Lok Sabha appeared so charged, so combative, and so visibly tilted against the government. The Opposition seized the initiative early and never let go. Tempers flared, slogans echoed, and adjournments...

By Bhaskar Nath Biswal Temples have long served as the heart of Indian social and spiritual life, offering a sanctuary of peace and a conduit for divine communion. Millions flock to these sacred places seeking solace, guidance and a sense of belonging. Yet, paradoxically, these...

By Dhurjati Mukherjee India’s large population—about 30–35% of whom live at or near the poverty line—needs strong healthcare prioritisation. However, governments have long neglected this sector, leaving many rural and underprivileged health centers without sufficient staff or basic equipment like operational X-ray machines. A thorough...

By Tobias Bunde and Sophie Eisentraut The world has entered a period of wrecking-ball politics. Leaders have risen to prominence by promising sweeping demolition rather than careful reform. They seek to tear down rules and institutions at home and abroad, which they falsely claim hinder...

By Rajdeep Sardesai  Even by the morally vacuous standards of social media, a venomous video put up by the Assam BJP marks a new low. The controversial video – now deleted – showed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma using an air rifle at ‘point...

By Brahma Chellaney For over two decades, the United States has regarded India as a “natural partner” — a rising power whose geography, military capabilities, and democratic credentials made it indispensable to America’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific. Five successive US administrations, Republican and Democratic alike,...

Pratigyan Das Recently, three minor sisters jumped from the ninth floor of their apartment building in Ghaziabad, UP, allegedly after their parents objected to their gaming addiction. The deaths of these minors have again brought attention to the risks linked to digital challenges. The Economic...

Charudutta Panigrahi India’s steel industry is poised for exponential growth, targeting 300 million tonnes of production by 2030. Yet this ambition collides with a stark reality: coal-heavy technologies drive emissions of 2.6 tons of CO per ton of crude steel, far above the global average...