India as a bridge between the Global North and South

‘Global South countries are disillusioned with present economic paradigms, burdened with debt and conditionalities’ | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto In his address in January 2025, in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, while addressing the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention, the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, said, ‘Today’s India not only firmly asserts its own point but also strongly amplifies … Read more

Gaza and Trump’s ‘expanding the canvas’ strategy

‘Before the Gaza war, America’s regional diplomacy was focused on Riyadh-Tel Aviv reconciliation’ | Photo Credit: AFP Donald Trump, a consummate dealmaker, often relies on the “expanding the canvas” strategy to resolve an intractable stalemate. Nevertheless, he made his most audacious ever deal-bid on February 4, 2025: with typical nonchalance, he wanted the Gaza Strip … Read more

Letters to The Editor — February 11, 2025

The Delhi result The defeat of the grand old party in the Delhi election should be an eye-opener to the Gandhi siblings. It is going to be a long road for the Gandhi family to get the slow train moving again. Arunkumar Sadanand, Chennai The Indian electorate is, by and large, a moderately tolerant people, … Read more

Maharashtra: a State of uneven growth

Maharashtra, hailed as India’s economic powerhouse, presents a paradox. While cities such as Mumbai, Pune, and Thane thrive as global commerce hubs, regions such as Marathwada and Vidarbha are poor and underdeveloped. This stark regional imbalance, persistent since the State’s formation in 1960, has widened economic inequality and fuelled social crises, including caste agitations, farmer … Read more

The problem of regulating live-in relationships

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announcing the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Dehradun. | Photo Credit: PTI Uttarakhand recently implemented a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), governing various aspects of civil life. One of the novel aspects of the UCC is that it mandates compulsory registration of opposite-sex live-in relationships, and criminalises … Read more

Utilising doctorate holders in plotting the growth of India

In today’s knowledge-driven economy, the synergy between academia, industry and government plays a critical role in shaping innovations, solving complex societal problems and fostering economic growth for a better world. Doctorate holders, who are the epitome of specialised knowledge and advanced research skills, can contribute significantly to all three sectors. However, despite their deep expertise, … Read more

What scientists make of R&D allocations in the 2025 Union Budget

Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology (DST): The Budget provides an overall and possibly unprecedented thrust on research and innovation by setting aside Rs 20,000 crore for DST towards research in the private sector, including corporates and startups. There is a focused attempt to bring together academia, private sector and startups  to work … Read more