Opinion

Best of BS Opinion: Automation surge and the fragile nuclear peace

Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

CPI base revision reflects both methodological rigour, practical relevance

MoSPI's revised CPI modernises price collection, updates weights and aligns with global standards, reshaping how inflation trends are measured and interpreted

Overhaul the labour regime: Unions ill-prepared for tech reshaping work

India needs simpler, more flexible labour Codes and modernised trade unions, not a return to 29 outdated laws that hurt productivity, formalisation and competitiveness

A paradigm shift: Threat is increasing for routine IT roles across services

The advent of useful new technology always leads to disruption as some functions are phased out. For example, horse breeders suffered an apocalypse when the automobile arrived

A START for multilateralism: Nuclear proliferation needs a global treaty

The US and Russia currently account for 90 per cent of all nuclear weapons. But there are now a total of nine nuclear-armed states, which collectively account for 12,241 warheads as of January 2025

Best of BS Opinion: Trade deals a positive, but more reforms required

Today's Best of BS Opinion explores India's trade deals, RBI's stance amid base-year revisions, co-operatives' regulatory dilemma, equity market challenges, and Russia's wilderness in history

Stable environment: Base-year revisions may not have immediate implications

The RBI's MPC held rates steady, citing improved growth and benign inflation, while announcing regulatory steps to boost credit flow and strengthen digital payment safety

After the trade deal: Exporters will benefit if New Delhi stays active

The India-US interim trade framework signals a thaw in ties, tariff relief for exporters, protected farm interests, and a renewed push for reforms to make trade gains sustainable

Recent trade deals are a relief, but high valuations remain a headwind

Trade deals ease risks for Indian equities, but weak demand and stretched valuations raise questions over whether optimism-especially in smallcaps-can turn into a sustained bull run

Co-operative banks: RBI's inclusivity pitch runs into regulatory dilemma

The RBI needs to think out of the box vis-a-vis cooperative banks

Union Budget 2026-27 surprises that faded amid India-US trade deal noise

The most visible reform that affects all international travellers arriving in India and a pleasant surprise is the introduction of the Baggage Rules, 2026

The contours of fintech 2.0 are becoming clear in era of AI governance

The industry is shifting from pandemic-era exuberance to AI-driven discipline, prioritising sustainable unit economics and robust governance over vanity metrics for long-term growth

Consumer Protection: Follow procedure when sending sample for testing

Vamanan attributed the medical problem solely to the consumption of those dates, as this was the only "outside food" he had consumed

Wanted: A new model for microfinance as MFIs explore secured products

Some MFIs are turning into business correspondents. They are also looking for more secured loans, one of the products being loan against gold

Best of BS Opinion: America's about-turn poses a global dilemma

From prosperity and human flourishing to the decline of American dominance, shifting global blocs, Bangladesh ties and disability policy, today's Opinion page maps key faultlines

RBI walks the line between growth confidence and inflation risk

Inflation risks may prove to be broader than what that explanation implies

Dear Narendrabhai, can you again restore strategic stability to our east?

By next weekend, Bangladesh will have an elected government. This is India's moment to reboot broken ties by moderating the 'ghuspethiya' rhetoric in poll-bound West Bengal and Assam

As the US closes its doors, world economies must prepare for a new future

How the US is abandoning the openness that helped it win the Cold War

Does the struggle for subsistence precede the struggle to live well?

Material abundance has not broken democratic capitalism - nor has it absolved societies of the harder, older task of learning how to live well

At empire's end: Countries have to guarantee their security on their own

As Washington turns inward, the world must confront what a narrowing US role means for security, alliances and the fragile order it once underwrote