Page 18 - Business Standard Editorial Comment

Campus calls: Pressures on US universities could be India's opportunity

With notable exceptions, the state of higher education in India leaves much to be desired

Resource allocation: Finance Commission needs to address multiple issues

The second important issue raised by some states was that of the increased use of cesses and surcharges by the Union

Trading with machine: Algorithms now dominate all parts of financial mkts

Arbitrages of tiny price imperfections, and responses to news flow, such as quarterly results, are now controlled almost entirely by silicon

Transition time: IT services sector to see new winners and losers

American retailers - such as Best Buy, Walmart, and Target - have indicated that higher prices are affecting their sales

Favourable outlook: A good monsoon may lead to growth-enhancing steps

Despite improvements in irrigation coverage, precipitation during the southwest monsoon remains crucial for agricultural production

Governance matters: Startups need strong, independent boards for growth

With Gensol, and its consumer-facing sister company BluSmart, coming under the Sebi lens, the list of startups caught on the wrong side of the law has grown longer

Flawed justice: Poor training weakens an already under-resourced system

To be sure, ticking boxes on pre-determined metrics does not fully reflect the reality of the justice-delivery system as experienced by its people

Changing objectives: Centre must not lose sight of disinvestment

There seems to have been a subtle change in the approach of the government towards disinvestment

Uncertain tides in oil: India's gains tempered by multiple export risks

Expectations of higher supply and lower demand were already visible in the price movements for crude oil over the past weeks

Hardening soft power: US President Donald Trump is undermining the US

The taskforce, which meets each week to supposedly discuss discrimination on college campus and reviewer grants, was ostensibly set up to counter anti-Semitism in universities

Manufacturing momentum: Encouraging signs emerge in Uttar Pradesh

Looking forward, there are clear opportunities for further strengthening the manufacturing ecosystem in Uttar Pradesh

Road map for efficiency: India must rethink its transport strategy

Proper transport planning can address infrastructure bottlenecks by facilitating larger-scale, pan-Indian connectivity

Developing disorder: China's step set to shake up supplies of rare earths

It has been known since at least 2010 that China has been seeking a monopoly on certain critical minerals, and that it would also be willing to use this monopoly for the purposes of economic coercion

Transaction declined: UPI outages raise tough questions for NPCI, RBI

To be fair, NPCI has done phenomenal work over the past decade. It has revolutionised digital payments in the country with about 600 million average daily UPI transactions

Think long-term: Rafale-M deal good, but IAF's bigger needs remain

The question now is how to fill the increasingly urgent needs of the IAF. It is worth recalling that the desired strength of the IAF is 42 squadrons, though it now has 31 squadrons

Closing the gender gap: India still has miles to go in growth story

While there has been near gender parity in panchayati raj institutions, the percentage of women elected to the Lok Sabha is on a downward trend relative to the number of women candidates

It is not over: Trump's tariff pause does not fundamentally change much

A tariff pause doesn't fundamentally change much

Supreme Court ruling redefines governor's role in state legislation

There should be two different sets of consequences of this case, one specific to this particular issue and one general. Specifically, the Tamil Nadu governor's position has now become untenable

Policy adjustment: RBI rate cut prudent move in face of global uncertainty

Although uncertainties in the global economy have increased significantly because of a sharp increase in tariffs by the United States, the decision for MPC this week was fairly straightforward

Balancing acts: PM Narendra Modi's visit strengthens Sri Lankan ties

As first foreign dignitary to visit Sri Lanka since election of supposedly China-leaning President Dissanayake, both countries have added an impetus to recalibrating relations that began three yrs ago