Opinion

CONGRESS INTROSPECTION MUST FIX ACCOUNTABILITY FOR FAILURES

21 Dec 2020 02:50 AM IST

A day after the five-hourlong meeting convened by interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her 10, Janpath residence, party workers were wondering why an honest introspection has not taken place during the past six-and-a-half years despite the drubbing in two parliamentary elections. The party since 2014 has been slipping and

How our universities can fare better among global rankings

21 Dec 2020 02:48 AM IST

While there is an overwhelming wish to see Indian institutions among the top universities of the world, it cannot be fulfilled until strong policies and sufficient resources are dedicated towards higher education funding, supporting research-intensive universities and overcoming other inadequacies.

SONIA’S ATTEMPTS TO RECONCILE DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE CONGRESS

19 Dec 2020 03:12 AM IST

In an apparent move to quell dissidence within the party, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi shall on Saturday be meeting some of her associates, who in August had written a letter to her demanding certain remedial measures to energise the organisation. The move, which is aimed at bringing about reconciliation,

Modi 2.0: The big renewable energy push

19 Dec 2020 03:09 AM IST

Marrying energy security with environment friendliness is never easy due to the natural conflict involved. However, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has managed this conflict seamlessly.

GANDHIS NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON PAWAR, KEJRIWAL AND ALSO STAKEHOLDERS WITHIN

18 Dec 2020 04:15 AM IST

While the BJP is busy battling the farmers, there’s an interesting churn going on within the Opposition. We have had Sharad Pawar’s followers pitching for him to be the next chairperson of the UPA whenever Sonia Gandhi steps back. And given her lack of public appearances in active politics, this

The great transition of country’s farms

18 Dec 2020 04:12 AM IST

Agriculture is a new weapon of international politics and as the land becomes scarce and population continues to expand its ominous cover over prime agricultural areas, there is need to protect not just the farms but also the farmers.

FARMERS’ PROTEST: WHEN POLITICIANS’ RHETORIC CAN BE MISINTERPRETED

17 Dec 2020 07:21 AM IST

Shiromani Akali Dal president, Sukhbir Badal, until recently a close ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party has suddenly discovered his erstwhile ally of 23 years to be communally divisive and polarising. Calling the BJP the real “tukde tukde gang”, he tweeted on Tuesday, “BJP…has smashed national unity to pieces, shamelessly

Mind your language in national interest

17 Dec 2020 07:20 AM IST

One of the salient features of the NEP 2020 is its emphasis on Indian languages. If its recommendations for teaching young learners in their mother tongue along with imparting knowledge of regional Indian languages are followed well, it has the potential to strengthen the spirit of ‘unity in diversity’ for

India needs more than laws to stamp out farm fires

16 Dec 2020 04:18 AM IST

The problem of crop stubble burning is hurting our society in multiple ways. It virtually buries Delhi under a cloud of haze every year, as well as destroys beneficial soil bacteria. Thousands of tons of paddy straw, convertible to green fuels or manure, simply go up in smoke. So, how

SHOULD SHARAD PAWAR TAKE OVER AS THE NEXT UPA CHAIRPERSON?

16 Dec 2020 03:47 AM IST

There has been a lot of debate recently around the office of the UPA chairperson. Currently that post is being held by Sonia Gandhi, but given the fact that she wants to take a step back from active politics, there is speculation as to who should succeed her. Since the

The economic fallout of Covid-19: A case of déjà vu?

16 Dec 2020 03:46 AM IST

Financial crises in the history of the world have had more in common than we realise. But the one triggered by Covid-19 is unprecedented since it has hit a global economy which was already slowing down and depends on the future course of a very unpredictable virus.

BENGAL CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO DESCEND INTO VIOLENCE

15 Dec 2020 02:48 AM IST

As the elections to next year’s West Bengal Assembly approach, the situation in the state is becoming increasingly volatile. With the 2021 elections expected to be keenly contested between the ruling Trinamool Congress and main rival Bharatiya Janata Party, it’s looking like that the state is hurtling down a perilously