Best of BS Opinion: Short circuits and sharp jolts in India's policy wiring

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

It starts innocently enough. A flickering tube light, a fan that won’t start. You figure it’s just a loose connection. So you open up the old switchboard, twist a couple of wires, maybe even feel a little proud of your DIY bravado. But then. Zap!! You’re on the floor, your fingers tingling, your trust in household electricity forever shaken. That’s the thing about systems we think we understand: the shock only comes once you dare to touch them. That is what it feels like today, institutions try to tinker, patch, or redirect the current, but instead of a quiet fix, they get a dangerous surge of resistance, unintended consequences, or just plain misjudgment. Let’s dive in. 

Take the India-US trade talks. After months of cautious optimism, the government’s effort to rewire its trade dynamics short-circuited spectacularly, as noted in our first editorial. President Trump slammed Indian exports with a 25 per cent tariff and penalties, using oil imports from Russia as a pretext. What began as a negotiation to avoid escalation, is threatening to end with sparks flying, and not the celebratory kind. 

Meanwhile, as the government readies the 8th Central Pay Commission, it’s facing its own overload. Our second editorial highlights how public sector wage tweaks, meant to keep the grid stable, are burdened by a swelling wage bill and outdated structures. The CPC needs to avoid another power trip and focus on long-term circuitry: merit-based raises, fiscal sustainability, and detangling overqualification traps in the labour market. 

In a column by Pranjul Bhandari, the power drain is in India’s credit system. Despite the RBI flipping every switch with rate cuts, and liquidity infusions, the demand isn’t flowing. The current has shifted from supply-side shortages to structural kinks: informal sectors are lighting up, formal sectors dimming, and banks are left with plenty of volts but no takers. 

And in a piece by Shishir Gupta and Aalhya Sabharwal, the disconnect is painfully visible in the female workforce. India's low female labour force participation rate isn't just about norms — it’s also about bad wiring: rigid labour laws, poor education, and a demand-side system that fails to create jobs where women can thrive. Unlike Bangladesh’s high-voltage garment sector, India hasn’t even plugged into the right socket. 

Finally, Kanika Datta's review of The CIA Book Club: The Best-Kept Secret of the Cold War by Charlie English, offers the rare case where flicking the intellectual switch worked. Smuggling books like Animal Farm into Soviet zones turned out to be a quiet but powerful rebellion. Sometimes, you don’t need brute electricity, just a spark of an idea. 

Stay tuned!