Opinion

Rethinking FDI: Investment policy must evolve with changing realities

The revised guidelines should help improve the ease of doing business and attract FDI

Local job quotas expose a dangerous new wave of nativist politics in India

Covid-19 exodus demonstrated the cynically utilitarian treatment by local residents towards people from other Indian states who play a vital role in sustaining economies far away from their homelands

Getting to the AI frontier: India must move from access to leadership

India cannot remain only a user of AI systems shaped elsewhere

A Finance Commission that questions states but spares the Union government

The Commission appreciates the Union government's fiscal restraint during the pandemic and the subsequent reduction in deficits and debt following the sharp spike seen in the pandemic year

Labour Codes and India's continuing search for regulatory clarity

The first of a two-part series on labour Codes looks at wage definition, compliance challenges, and the road ahead

Birth incentives and bad economics: The flaws in Andhra's demographic plan

The policy runs the risk of creating adverse outcomes. First concerns the quality of human capital. Given that India's and Andhra Pradesh's falling TFR is the result of improved education and incomes

Best of BS Opinion: Policy gaps across farms loans, jobs, and banking

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

Employment for growth: India needs a vibrant apprenticeship ecosystem

A NITI Aayog report calls for major reforms to India's apprenticeship system, urging stronger industry participation and better integration with education to support job-led growth

Waiver danger: Repeated agricultural loan bailouts must be avoided

Maharashtra's new farm loan waiver may fulfil a poll promise, but repeated debt relief risks weakening credit discipline and straining the state's fiscal balance

Bank fraud: The blind spots of risk control and the culture behind failures

Sophisticated systems track risk, but culture - shaped by incentives and frontline pressures - remains the real control

Govt must improve its ability to plan and execute hiring programmes

Despite a push to fill vacancies through Rozgar Melas and recruitment drives, India's Union government workforce has barely grown in a decade, highlighting limits in hiring capacity

Best of BS Opinion: Oil turmoil and India's looming economic risks

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

Why India needs Russian oil: Energy security outweighs US pressure

Oil prices have already risen 23.6 per cent, from about $72 per barrel a day before the war began on February 28 to around $89 per barrel now

A clear derating: Markets risk underperformance without growth revival

Absolute foreign ownership of the Indian market is at a 15-year low, and we see foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) selling on a daily basis

A broken model: China is unwilling to implement the reforms needed

China's growth model has lasted longer than expected but is now losing momentum, as the government runs out of fiscal space to sustain investment-driven expansion

Rising external uncertainties: Iran war can complicate economic management

Economists expect a CAD of about 1 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) this financial year. This could increase to about 1.5 per cent in 2026-27

India's urban reset: What 16th FC report, Budget 2026-27 mean for cities

Record Finance Commission grants promise greater fiscal autonomy for cities, but sharp cuts in central schemes shift the burden of urban transformation to states and municipalities

Best of BS Opinion: Broader ecosystem response needed to check cyber fraud

Today's Opinion highlights RBI's draft digital fraud framework, Nepal's political churn under Balen Shah, questions around India's growth optimism, LBS reforms, and a book on plastic's global spread.

EXIM Matters: Deferred duty payment scheme extended to eligible importers

Now, CBIC has prescribed the eligibility criteria not only for manufacturers but also for traders who send imported goods to job-workers registered under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) laws

Building trust in open finance framework anchors India's financial future

In the wake of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the industry must transition from passive compliance to radical transparency