Articles
Mar 05 2013
BUDGET 2013
Chidambaram's lip service to his own goal
BUDGET 2013 : Chidambaram's lip service to his own goal
Taking a 360-degree view of the Union Budget 2013, Shankar Jaganathan points out that despite 'inclusive and sustainable development' being a stated goal, the emphasis has primarily been on growth and finances.
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Feb 26 2013
OPINION/ECONOMY
BUDGET: Why more taxes may be good
OPINION/ECONOMY : BUDGET: Why more taxes may be good

It is time for the Union Budget 2013. Shankar Jaganathan argues why, in an economy such as India, despite the general public vote against taxes, raising the tax-to-GDP ratio is more critical than restraint in fiscal spending.

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Feb 26 2013
NOT READY YET
Government ignores adverse TEC report
NOT READY YET : Government ignores adverse TEC report
The Ministry of Agriculture moves to introduce adoption of genetically modified crops in India, in the name of food security. Scientists, however, are critical of this move. Neha Saigal reports.
Feb 25 2013
OPINION/MEDIA
Terror reporting reveals gaping holes
OPINION/MEDIA : Terror reporting reveals gaping holes

The pervasive tendency to speculate and insinuate involvement of individuals and selective groups in instances of terror, without authentication or references to source of information, is not only an unfair attack on those implicated but against the very essence of journalism. Ammu Joseph elaborates.

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Feb 24 2013
MEDIA FREEDOM
Why is Naveen Soorinje still in jail?
MEDIA FREEDOM : Why is Naveen Soorinje still in jail?

Despite a political decision to drop charges against Kannada TV reporter Naveen Soorinje, he continues to remain in prison. A PIL filed soon after the decision has put the case in limbo. Satarupa Sen Bhattacharya tracks and analyses the developments.

Feb 21 2013
CAUVERY RIVER DISPUTE
Cauvery: Preferring politics to solutions
CAUVERY RIVER DISPUTE : Cauvery: Preferring politics to solutions
Findings of a unique apolitical initiative that brings farmers from the Cauvery basin together indicate that a fair distress-sharing formula may not be as elusive as it seems. Shamala Kittane reports.
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Feb 18 2013
FOOD SECURITY BILL
Neglecting children a blunder: Sen
FOOD SECURITY BILL : Neglecting children a blunder: Sen
The National Food Security Bill is an important step towards ensuring the country's founding principles of health, education and nutrition services for all, but can achieve that end only when it addresses children's entitlements more effectively, argues economist Amartya Sen in a speech given in New Delhi on 15 February 2013.
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Feb 14 2013
DELHI GANGRAPE
Verma Committee: Key recommendations
DELHI GANGRAPE : Verma Committee: Key recommendations
In late January, the Justice J S Verma Committee recommended amendments to the India's criminal law so as to provide for quicker and more effective redress of sexual assault against women. PRS Legislative Research provides highlights.
Feb 11 2013
MUSLIM MARGINALISATION
A good school for Maqbool
MUSLIM MARGINALISATION : A good school for Maqbool
The refrain of late has been that a Muslim middle class is developing, implying that Muslims are beginning to do well in the country. Why, then, is it so hard to find Muslim children in elite schools, asks Firdaus Ahmed.
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Feb 10 2013
OUT-MIGRATION
Opting out of the chaos
OUT-MIGRATION : Opting out of the chaos
Endless ethnic clashes in the state since the 1990s, coupled with chronic flood and erosion, have triggered large scale migration from Assam to greener pastures outside the state. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports.
Feb 06 2013
OPINION: TAXATION
Founders would have wanted inheritance tax restored
OPINION: TAXATION : Founders would have wanted inheritance tax restored

Given our Constitutional mandate to "endeavour to eliminate inequalities in status, facilities and opportunities," Shankar Jaganathan explains why reintroduction of the Inheritance Tax may be a step worthy of serious consideration.

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Feb 06 2013
POLITICS OF NEUTRALISATION
Law, justice, and the 'placebo' of compensation
POLITICS OF NEUTRALISATION : Law, justice, and the 'placebo' of compensation
Governments have taken to announcing monetary compensation for victims' kin in cases of criminal acts as well, but it hardly masks their failure to impose the rule of law or bring about systemic improvements, says Harish Narasappa.
Jan 30 2013
THE BIG QUESTION
Is India at its 'progressive moment'?
THE BIG QUESTION : Is India at its 'progressive moment'?
Over the past few years, demands for change have been getting louder in India. But when you have a political system which is not willing to run with this new tide, the cost of this transition is going to be much higher, says Pratap Bhanu Mehta, calling the Congress party a monarchy and the BJP a church.
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Jan 25 2013
WILDLIFE
A lost emperor's cry for sovereignty
WILDLIFE : A lost emperor's cry for sovereignty

Simultaneous protection of rights of both tigers and human tribes is a utopian dream; where co-existence is an inescapable reality, political will to reduce human imprint to a minimum and sensitisation of forest dwellers are critical to conservation, writes Malini Shankar.

Jan 25 2013
PRE-RELEASE: BOOK ON AMBANI GAS WARS
Natural gas, unnatural realities
PRE-RELEASE: BOOK ON AMBANI GAS WARS : Natural gas, unnatural realities
Veteran journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta's forthcoming book tentatively titled Gas Wars: Ambani brothers and the fight for India's natural resources, co-authored by Subir Ghosh delves into the unholy world of crony capitalism in India, writes Satarupa Bhattacharya.
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Jan 22 2013
CULTURE
Imperious authoritarianism in the garb of modernity
CULTURE : Imperious authoritarianism in the garb of modernity
Our deities can't be bullied into becoming soulless robotic creatures that yield to every new wave of political fashion. Madhu Purnima Kishwar wants protection from the new missionaries of uniformity.
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Jan 22 2013
INDO-PAK TENSIONS
The new 'normal' at the border
INDO-PAK TENSIONS : The new 'normal' at the border
The gruesome beheading along the Line of Control should alert us that the intensity and the nature of the ongoing conflict with Pakistan is far worse than we are led to believe, writes Firdaus Ahmed.
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Jan 10 2013
BOOK REVIEW
Why ants didn't win the Nobel prize
BOOK REVIEW : Why ants didn't win the Nobel prize
In his latest book, The Wisdom of Ants: A Short History of Economics, with numerous revealing historical arguments and anecdotes, Shankar Jaganathan traces how economics emerged from being a relatively obscure field to a structured discipline that may be used to explain the basis for every aspect of human life and society, writes Satarupa Bhattacharya.
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Jan 05 2013
URBAN DESIGN
Delhi is designed for rape
URBAN DESIGN : Delhi is designed for rape

It will require a change in the DNA and design of the city for a reduction in the number of rapes in Delhi. Addressing the structural problems of Delhi is a critical component of improving the situation, argues Jacob John.

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Dec 31 2012
GAME THEORY
Should bribe-givers be let off?
GAME THEORY : Should bribe-givers be let off?
Researchers conduct experiments to study Kaushik Basu's idea that only bribe-takers should be punished, and get insight that may help anti-corruption efforts. Tarun Jain reports.
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