Best of BS Opinion: Job crisis in rural India and need for peace in Kashmir

A warning note about the dearth of jobs in rural India; a call for restoring peace in Kashmir; and a review of TRAI's cable television channel pricing has worked out. Pallav Nayak sums up the views.

Rural India is witnessing the highest labour participation rate in over a year, but it is not finding jobs. Rains have been erratic and sowing is lower than it was last year. Urban India is not a great absorber of labour: employment rate there has been falling steadily. Therefore, any weakening of the rural labour markets could be ominous, writes Mahesh Vyas.

India can build a generation of waste warriors through school education. Make waste management part of national curriculum and children will learn tackling trash. As they have shunned crackers, children will lead the way against trash and make parents to do the same, writes Anjuli Bhargava.

TRAI is now attempting to solve a problem that it itself created by fixing cable television channel pricing. Its regulation on tariffs were meant to ensure that customers paid only for what they wanted to view. However, it has in practice led to chaos, says our first edit.

It's pointless to claim that it is all peace and quiet in Kashmir, while security forces continue a lockdown in region. International opinion and domestic optics demand that the region should be seen as functioning as normally as possible, says our second edit.

QUOTE OF THE DAY 

"We spoke last night about Kashmir, the prime minister (Narendra Modi) really feels he has it under control. They speak with Pakistan and I'm sure that they will be able to do something that will be very good."

— US President Donald Trump.