Page 574 - Editorial Comment
Message in voting numbers
Congress is inching back to its pole position in Indian politics, helped by its resurgence in the heartland states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
Rajapaksa's next challenge
If he truly wants to enter his name in the history books, he needs to rise to the humanitarian challenge in the east and north of his country
Starting anew
India's problems will not all be solved in the next five years, but this is a moment that provides an opportunity to start afresh. It should be seized
Grain mountain, again
Seven years ago, a mountain of foodgrain inventory proved led to huge losses¿which the taxpayer bore. History now seems about to repeat itself
A long 'Pending' list?
The new government will soon have to start doing what people expect it to because there is no place to hide any longer
For a smaller Cabinet
The bald fact is that there isn't enough work for 29 cabinet ministers, 40 ministers of state & another 8 ministers of state with independent charge
Conciliatory trend
It is an encouraging sign that the legal system has of late taken conscious steps in the direction that takes litigants away from protracted arguments
More of the same
Since India is a diverse and complex country with people having a multiplicity of identities, it is important to reflect this diversity in the Cabinet
Ready for Bt-brinjal
Gene manipulation with bio-tech tools can address some challenges before agriculture, and we should have foolproof testing & approval processes
Changing govt accounts
The transition of govt accounting system to a greater level of transparency and efficiency has begun with Indian Government Accounting Standards
Challenging railway schedule
After nearly a decade, Mamata Banerjee returns to railways, which now faces an uphill task in terms of both revenue and expenditure
For a power market
The new power minister needs to understand the levers available and use these to make sure that a free market develops for power
A check on state laws?
The Binayak Sen and Nimesh Kampani cases must be used to draw up some markers that state assemblies should be advised to not cross when passing laws
Curbs on the Internet
A more nuanced approach is needed to regulate the Internet, and not the use of a hammer for every minor infringement
Yamuna is not Thames
E Sreedharan's strategy to clean and beautify the Yamuna and release land from its riverbed for development and other purposes is not very practical
Toxic negotiations ahead
The UN climate change negotiating text leaves no one fully satisfied, especially given the yawning gap between positions of rich and poor countries
Clause 49, RIP?
About 500 independent directors have quit, partly due to potential reputational/other risk by being on boards where they may not be aware of things
An accidental global brand
IPL, which went eyeball-to-eyeball with govt, moved the games to South Africa and refused political advertising, lives to tell the tale
Politics' unacceptable face
The Varun Gandhi episode has brought under scrutiny not just his suitability for public life, but also the conduct of many others
Last chance for Detroit
"What is good for General Motors is good for the USA" is not true any more