Best of BS Opinion: Putin's visit, CBAM pressure and rooftop solar's future

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

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s first India visit since the Ukraine invasion delivered strong symbolism but mixed substance, notes our first editorial. PM Modi’s welcome underlined India’s continued closeness with Moscow despite Western pressure, while Putin gained diplomatic legitimacy after sanctions. The visit saw announcements aimed at future cooperation with Programme 2030 seeking to expand bilateral trade to $100 billion and push national currency settlements. However, defence ties showed no major progress. India still lacks clarity on additional S-400 systems or the Sukhoi SU-57 platform. Overall, the visit avoided dramatic geopolitical shifts. The real impact will unfold over the next few weeks. 

Meanwhile, India’s economic outlook for 2025 has improved, with inflation falling sharply and the Reserve Bank of India cutting interest rates again, bringing total reductions this cycle to 125 basis points, highlights our second editorial. October inflation at 0.25 per cent is the lowest in current data. The RBI now expects inflation for the year at 2 per cent, and growth forecasts have been raised to 7.3 per cent. However, the near-term concern lies in the rupee, which has fallen past 90 to the dollar following heavy foreign equity outflows. The currency’s depreciation may help exporters but also points to external-sector pressure. 

Climate policy is also entering a new phase. Ajay Shah writes that India must prepare for Europe’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism from 2026, which prices carbon on imports similar to domestic emissions rules. Indian producers of steel and cement appear competitive partly because they avoid paying for pollution, but that advantage disappears when carbon costs are included and China’s larger renewable share may offer it an edge. Instead of resisting CBAM, India may need to adopt domestic carbon pricing to keep revenue at home and protect exporters. 

Even energy transitions are playing out unevenly. Sunita Narain points out that rooftop solar promises a decentralised electricity future, yet adoption remains slow because batteries remain expensive and grid economics are strained by households exporting day power and importing night power. Kerala saw losses when utilities bought cheap and sold costly, prompting tariff changes and a collapse in installations. Pakistan’s exemption-driven boom shows similar stress. The unanswered question is whether rooftop solar can scale without destabilising distribution companies or if grid rules must be redesigned. 

Finally, Amanda Hess reviews Barbieland: The Unauthorized History by Tarpley Hitt, a book that challenges the myth that Barbie was a feminist invention and traces its origins to the German doll Lilli, which was aimed at adult male audiences. Hitt documents reverse engineering, aggressive competition suppression, internal politics and surveillance as the driving force, more than a social revolution. Barbie’s story reflects relentless corporate branding rather than liberation, exposing a gap between marketed empowerment and profit-driven reinvention. 

Stay tuned!