Best of BS Opinion: Governance gains risk stalling without deeper reform

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

The Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) platform has emerged as a key instrument in pushing stalled public infrastructure forward. Since 2015, more than 3,300 delayed projects worth about Rs 85 trillion have been reviewed under the mechanism. The urgency is clear because as of November 2025, cost overruns in centrally funded projects had risen to 22.2 per cent. As our first editorial highlights, PRAGATI’s record shows that monitoring and coordination help, but durable gains will depend on faster approvals, stronger state capacity and better sequencing of clearances so capital spending translates into timely outcomes. 

Meanwhile, the proposed nationwide Adult Skills Survey in 2026 marks a shift towards grounding skilling policy in actual workforce capabilities, notes our second editorial. With nearly three-fourths of workers having only basic schooling and graduate employability still near 55 per cent, India lacks a credible adult skills baseline. Recent gains driven by digital skills and AI adoption are encouraging, but audits have flagged weak outcomes in flagship schemes. If conducted rigorously, the survey could guide curriculum reform, address regional gaps and align training more closely with labour market demand. 

R Jagannathan argues, India’s trade talks with the US and the EU are far more uncertain than official briefings suggest. In the US, negotiations are complicated by Donald Trump’s unpredictability and the absence of durable institutional consensus, raising questions about whether any deal would survive political or legal challenges. In the EU, internal divisions, economic stress and political fragmentation continue to slow progress, as illustrated by the decades-long EU-Mercosur negotiations. The case made is for India to avoid optimistic timelines and prepare trade strategy for prolonged uncertainty. 

The recent gig workers’ strike in quick commerce has sharpened attention on labour practices in a sector that now underpins everyday consumption, writes Nivedita Mookerji. Industry leaders acknowledge that thousands of workers cycle out each month, pointing to dissatisfaction with pay stability and working conditions. Global experience suggests that ultra-fast delivery works best as a premium service with flexible timelines. For India, easing rigid delivery targets, mandating social security contributions and setting clear safety norms are necessary if the sector is to grow without exhausting its workforce. 

Finally, in his review, Chintan Girish Modi engages with Surviving Climate Anxiety by Thomas Doherty, which frames eco-anxiety as a rational response to a worsening crisis rather than a disorder. Drawing on clinical practice, Doherty situates climate breakdown as a public health challenge, linking environmental disruption to trauma, grief and chronic stress. By allowing fear and hope to coexist, Doherty offers readers a way to reclaim agency without denial or despair. 

Stay tuned!