Page 32 - Opinion
Teak is out of the woods as farmers embrace it as a wealth-generating crop
Going by the timber industry's reckoning, India annually needs around 1.80 billion cubic feet (approximately 51 million cubic metres) of teakwood
 "Teak is out of the woods as farmers embrace it as a wealth-generating crop")
Declining relevance: US actions are restructuring global perception
Only six countries in this year's survey favour the US more - Israel, Poland, the Philippines, South Korea, India and Japan. Apart from India, caught up in border tensions with China, all the others a
 "Declining relevance: US actions are restructuring global perception")
Making the business case for sovereign AI models as demand accelerates
Geopolitical shifts and national concerns quietly reshape global AI, driving a subtle balance between local control and innovation
 "Making the business case for sovereign AI models as demand accelerates")
Congress's opening in India's emerging one-and-a-half-party system
Even if it's a municipal election where the Congress is a cipher, you will find the BJP targeting it. It's an acknowledgement that Mr Modi sees the Congress as his only likely challenger
 "Congress's opening in India's emerging one-and-a-half-party system")
Best of BS Opinion: Does corporate power now rival state power globally?
From Big Tech's growing influence and Sharad Pawar's political calculus to the Congress' future and the rise of storyselling, here are today's top Opinion pieces.
 "Best of BS Opinion: Does corporate power now rival state power globally?")
Why 'storyselling' is replacing traditional advertising narratives
Why Ads That Don't Look Like Ads Are Winning
 "Why 'storyselling' is replacing traditional advertising narratives")
Sharad Pawar weighs survival against legacy over the delimitation bill
Sharad Pawar is assessing whether he will still land on his feet if he jumps from the safe perch of INDIA to the NDA. Can a Great Betrayal be presented as a tactical move?
 "Sharad Pawar weighs survival against legacy over the delimitation bill")
Techno-feudal giants worldwide have upended the state-corporation balance
The West would like to believe that oligarchs exist only in Russia, but that isn't the case beyond ideology
 "Techno-feudal giants worldwide have upended the state-corporation balance")
Power, promise and an unfinished dream: The paradox of America at 250
For generations, millions of immigrants crossed oceans in search of freedom, security or simply a better life
 "Power, promise and an unfinished dream: The paradox of America at 250")
Jal Jeevan 2.0 must deliver water, not just more tap connections
Learning from its first phase, the mission must now move beyond intent to honest execution
 "Jal Jeevan 2.0 must deliver water, not just more tap connections")
Best of BS Opinion: New urea policy skirts fertiliser subsidy reform
From fertiliser subsidies and Russian oil tariffs to regulatory independence, rural water reforms and the politics of interfaith marriage, here are today's top Opinion pieces.
 "Best of BS Opinion: New urea policy skirts fertiliser subsidy reform")
GST re-labelling misleads and obscures the true revenue picture
GST's tax relabelling has blurred revenue trends, altered Centre-state fund sharing and raised fresh questions about transparency and fiscal federalism
 "GST re-labelling misleads and obscures the true revenue picture")
An unreasonable Bill: Tariffs on Russian oil importers make no sense
A proposed US Bill targeting buyers of Russian oil could disrupt India's energy security and trade, even as West Asia tensions threaten global oil supplies
 "An unreasonable Bill: Tariffs on Russian oil importers make no sense")
New urea policy tackles imports, but ignores fertiliser subsidy distortions
India's new urea policy boosts domestic production, but leaves unresolved the subsidy imbalance driving overuse, soil degradation and rising fertiliser costs
 "New urea policy tackles imports, but ignores fertiliser subsidy distortions")
India's regulators need more independent voices, less insider control
Complex markets require independent voices and diverse expertise. India's regulatory architecture is missing both
 "India's regulators need more independent voices, less insider control")
Making India attractive to foreign capital: Beyond the RBI's June measures
The RBI's June measures have bought India some time. The challenge now is to use that time wisely
 "Making India attractive to foreign capital: Beyond the RBI's June measures")
Farmer-led cooperatives can drive the next phase of agricultural growth
The role of the producer- and cooperative-controlled sector may be relevant for an emerging option that could be a substantial source of income for farmers
 "Farmer-led cooperatives can drive the next phase of agricultural growth")
Best of BS Opinion: Dixon-Vivo joint venture hints at pragmatic approach
New services production index, a shift on Chinese investment, farmer-led agricultural reform, city labour markets and life under siege in Iran feature in today's Best of BS Opinion.
 "Best of BS Opinion: Dixon-Vivo joint venture hints at pragmatic approach")
India's million-plus cities reveal stark differences in jobs and pay
In building the first city-level portrait of urban work, the National Statistics Office has taken a step towards the evidence-based view that sound urban policy depends on
 "India's million-plus cities reveal stark differences in jobs and pay")
Vivo-Dixon venture signals a pragmatic shift in China investment policy
The initial move in 2020 to shut off all Chinese investment followed the clashes on the Line of Actual Control in the Himalayas
 "Vivo-Dixon venture signals a pragmatic shift in China investment policy")