Best of BS Opinion: Adjusting the flavours of modern systems for perfection

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

Cooking up a perfect dish is an art and life often feels like trying to perfect a recipe. You tweak, taste, and strive for balance, but the salt's too much one day, the chilli's overwhelming another, and something always feels just a bit off. Just like a recipe, India’s many 'dishes' often chase the perfection of a balanced blend that remains elusive. Whether it’s transportation planning, EV dreams, or fostering talent, perfection often slips through our fingers. Today’s stories remind us that in the grand kitchen of progress, every effort to create the perfect blend has its over- and under-seasoned moments.  India’s Metro network, now over 1,000 km strong, is an ambitious recipe. Yet, poor integration and missed ridership targets leave many city networks underwhelming. Unlike the well-balanced Delhi Metro, others struggle with accessibility. Sometimes, simplicity — like suburban rail — is the missing spice. Read our first editorial for more. 

Meanwhile, the PM-eDRIVE scheme aims to electrify India’s roads, offering 80 per cent subsidies for fast chargers. But will it avoid the delays that soured earlier plans? Our second editorial today highlights that China’s EV market offers a recipe for success, but India must find the right balance to make this dish its own. 

On the other hand, retrospective mineral taxes, allowed by recent Supreme Court rulings, are like vinegar overwhelming a delicate dish. The cascading costs could drive industries to imports or demand tariff protections, writes M Govinda Rao in his column. India’s investment climate needs a steadier hand in policy seasoning. 

Similarly, India’s corporate kitchens brim with talent, but family-dominated recipes hold back global acclaim. Startups offer hope, but toxic cultures often overpower the mix. Kanika Datta writes that a fresh recipe for nurturing creative leadership is the need of the hour. 

In today’s book review, Gunjan Singh draws our attention to Dhruva Jaishankar’s 'Vishwa Shastra: India and the World'. The book serves up a flavourful history of India’s foreign policy but leaves some global regions underseasoned, writes Singh. Still, it’s a hearty introduction for anyone curious about India’s geopolitical journey.