Editorial Comment

Passengers must pay: Rail freight revenue can increase, but so must fares

A parliamentary panel has urged Indian Railways to diversify freight beyond coal, revisit tariffs and confront passenger fare subsidies to keep the system financially viable

FDI for growth: Foreign participation in insurance should raise competition

Even as the sector opens up to greater competition and foreign investment, long-standing challenges continue to constrain its reach and credibility

Trade possibilities: Latest numbers should not distract policymakers

Strong November export growth offers relief, but trade uncertainty persists as India races to seal a deal with the US amid tariffs, capital outflows and rupee pressure

Regulating higher education: Focus should be on improving outcomes

The UGC oversees non-technical universities, the AICTE is concerned with technical education, while the NCTE is the regulatory body for teachers' education

Harnessing nuclear energy: Bill seeks to address key investor concerns

Changes in the provision on operator liabilities can be expected to encourage investment

Revamping rural employment: New law will bring significant changes

The Bill proposes to increase the number of guaranteed days of employment to 125 per household

The label wears Prada: How global deals can galvanise India's handicraft

As the Prada-Kolhapuri deal demonstrated, IP protection lies at the core of any dynamic collaborative arrangement between domestic artisans and global marketers

Sustainable growth path: China needs to do more to rebalance its economy

The government in Beijing has been far too hesitant in carrying out essential reform, and is now facing the consequences of that delay

Copyright protection: Better framework is needed for AI training

A central government-appointed body will collect and distribute these royalties while a separate committee will set rates, subject to judicial review

Nuclear energy for growth: Sustaining a vibrant enabling environment is key

India's goal is to boost its installed nuclear-power capacity to 100 Gw from the current 8.8 Gw by 2047

IndiGo crisis: A reminder that Railways must carefully reassess duty hours

The problem is being compounded by staff shortages. As of March 1, 2024, nearly 15 per cent of train-driver posts were vacant across the network

US policy differences will require monitoring as Fed rate cuts spark debate

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, in his remarks, said the policy interest rate was now in neutral territory, which means it is neither expansionary nor contractionary

Higher spending but fewer visitors: India must fix its tourism strategy

India ranks 39th on the World Economic Forum's 2024 Travel and Tourism Development Index, performing strongly on natural and cultural resources

IPO mania is the new normal but the real test remains value creation

This is part and parcel of a market where many startups seek listing, which in itself is not an unhealthy trend

Solar transition: Reforms needed to improve long-term performance

Grid-level constraints compound the problem. Solar generation is geographically concentrated, while transmission capacity and energy storage remain severely inadequate

A worrying shift: New security strategy in US reflects changing worldview

Control of the Western Hemisphere is necessary to achieve ends that are important in domestic politics

Declining dependence: Declining MGNREGA demand is a positive sign

This improvement is attributed to multiple factors, including stronger real wages in both agricultural and non-agricultural work, increased tractor and fertiliser sales, healthy growth in farm credit

Flighty governance: IndiGo fiasco reflects collective systemic failures

This deficiency, in turn, raises questions about the role of the board, staffed by luminaries from business and industry

India's economy outdoes expectations but rupee strain raises fresh risks

The headline inflation reading for October, at 0.25 per cent, was the lowest in the current series. The MPC has revised the inflation projection for the current year to 2 per cent

Putin's red-carpet visit: Strong optics but uncertain strategic gains

It is also an open question whether any of India's immediate objectives were met, although there was an abundance of promise mostly built on Mr Modi's visit to Moscow last year