Best of BS Opinion: When comfort and dangers of the dark are intertwined

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

Nights can be deceptive. A street may seem safe under the glow of lamps, a tune drifting out from a window may feel like comfort, yet in the silence beyond, a low growl can change everything. It unsettles us to the core. That is the nature of our times too, where assurances arrive wrapped in melody, but the undertone is uneasy. Promises of progress, visions of power, and even the voices that carry through our politics often sound soothing until the sharper notes emerge. It is, in many ways, like a lullaby sung by a wolf in the dark. Let’s dive in. 

 

The National Skill Development Corporation was born in 2008 as a public-private partnership to train India’s workforce, its tune meant to be uplifting. But the recent ouster of its CEO on charges of irregularities and poor lending has revealed the cracks. With only about 200 staff overseeing vast responsibilities under the Skill India Mission, outcomes have been disappointing, notes our first editorial. The promise of empowerment has drifted into dissonance, reminding us that smaller, grounded models like apprenticeships may be the tune worth listening to. 

The new National Policy on Geothermal Energy is another melody layered with risk. India’s 10,600 MW potential of clean, round-the-clock power could light up industries and homes without the interruptions of sunless skies or still winds. Yet, not even 1 MW has been tapped so far, highlights our second editorial. Drilling risks, groundwater contamination, and seismic tremors lurk in the background, as Ladakh’s Puga Valley once showed. The wolf’s growl here is clear: safety, community trust, and strict oversight must accompany ambition if the song is to last. 

Fiscal policy too has shifted. A K Bhattacharya writes how with GST rate cuts and income-tax relief putting Rs 2.5 trillion into people’s hands, the government is betting on a “Festival of Savings” to drive demand. But while the lullaby is welcome to consumers, the undertone is fiscal stress. Demand stimulus may cheer industry, but it risks fiscal discipline with the FY26 deficit target already under strain. The comfort of extra cash might carry the bite of long-term imbalance. 

Meanwhile, Amit Tandon notes how proxy advisory firms, often derided for their sway, are sharpening corporate governance by arming investors with equal access to information. These proxy advisory firms are neither villains nor saviours, but intermediaries making shareholder voices sharper and harder to ignore. They democratise access to expertise and push reforms on pay and accountability, thus disciplining the wolf without silencing the song. 

And Neha Bhatt reviews Missing From the House: Muslim Women in the Lok Sabha by Rasheed Kidwai and Ambar Kumar Ghosh. She finds the voices of 18 Muslim women MPs since 1952, faint yet steady, resilient against barriers of gender and faith. Their journeys rise like a counter-song, reminding us that even in darkness, the human voice can outsing the wolf. 

Stay tuned!