Best of BS Opinion: India's journey through farms, courts, and climate

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

Like a sailboat on an open sea, it is the wind that gives both speed and direction. Without it, even the strongest vessel drifts. Sometimes the gusts are steady, filling the sails with promise, while sometimes forcing a constant hand on the ropes. Watching the play of winds is a reminder of how societies move, always adjusting to crosscurrents. Today’s writeups capture that rhythm. Some show India catching favourable winds, others reveal how headwinds slow its journey, and a few remind us of the unseen currents that steer us whether we notice or not. Let’s dive in. 

India’s farm sector, once tethered to diesel pumps and erratic electricity, is beginning to find new wind in its sails through solar energy. Under the PM-KUSUM scheme, demand has surged, with loan sanctions rising 27 per cent to nearly Rs 47,453 crore in FY25. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy now plans Phase 2, with stronger financial support. Yet, the gust is uneven, notes our first editorial. Land aggregation hurdles and free state electricity blunt incentives. As with a sailboat adjusting ropes, India must align policies to harness solar power fully. 

But in the courts, the wind has stalled. Fast Track Special Courts, meant to deliver swift justice in rape and child sexual abuse cases, are themselves slowed by systemic drag. Delhi’s FTSCs have cleared less than half their caseload, with POCSO trials stretching to five years. With 50 million cases pending nationwide, the judiciary struggles against headwinds of staff shortages, weak infrastructure, and overburdened forensic labs, highlights our second editorial. Without structural reform, these courts risk sailing without any breeze. 

Meanwhile, global climate negotiations, writes Nitin Desai, are another arena where the winds are shifting. At COP30 in Brazil, emerging economies like India face pressure despite their low per capita emissions. Meanwhile, developed nations sail on historical carbon debt yet demand others to row harder. With the world on track for a 2.6-2.8 degree Celsius rise, only stronger commitments from the wealthiest emitters can stop the climate boat from capsizing. 

Trade winds, too, are turbulent. Rajeswari Sengupta notes how US tariffs of 50 per cent on Indian goods risk undercutting investor confidence and supply chains. The answer lies not in retreat but in bold reforms and deeper global integration. Handled wisely, this shock could be the gale that redefines India’s economic course. 

And then, a reminder from culture. In Meet the Savarnas: Indian Millennials Whose Mediocrity Broke Everything, reviewed by Amritesh Mukherjee, Ravikant Kisana unmasks caste privilege as the invisible wind shaping opportunity in India. Through institutions, marriages, and cinema, the breeze lifts some while holding others down. His “glass floor” metaphor shows how exclusion is not just about ceilings but about who even gets to step on deck. 

Stay tuned!