Page 2 - Editorial Comment

Engines of employment: Large cities create more opportunities

The first PLFS report on million-plus cities highlights stronger urban employment and wages but reveals wide disparities in female participation and manufacturing pay

Respecting consumer choice: Ethanol blending programme needed better design

India's E20 rollout should balance energy security with consumer choice, smoother vehicle transition and a shift towards more sustainable ethanol feedstocks

Looking beyond generics: Wockhardt is showing the way in antibiotics

Wockhardt's FDA-approved Zaynich marks a breakthrough in India's pharmaceutical innovation, offering a new weapon against antimicrobial resistance

Enhance monitoring: Social media needs stronger safeguards to protect kids

MeitY's action against Meta over CSAM ads highlights the need for stronger AI oversight, platform accountability and stricter safeguards for online child safety

Economics of energy: India needs transparent pricing and a fiscal strategy

India's dependence on oil imports and its climate commitments require that petroleum consumption is replaced, to the extent possible, by electricity, preferably renewable

Spanning two oceans: The India-Japan partnership grows deeper steadily

Security and economics are not, in today's world, particularly distinct realms

Improving incentives: Delhi's new EV policy needed more efficiency

Delhi's EV Policy 2.0 aims to accelerate electric mobility, but its success hinges on charging infrastructure, clean power and coordinated action across the NCR

Fallen on hard times: AI pressure is mounting on the Indian IT industry

AI-led disruption, weak client spending and the rise of GCCs are reshaping India's IT sector, weighing on earnings, hiring and stock valuations

Mercury rising: Fossil-fuel dependence is powering heatwaves in Europe

Europe's deadly heatwaves expose the dangers of fossil-fuel dependence, underscoring the urgent need to accelerate the transition to renewable energy worldwide

Emerging challenges: India needs to do more to attract stable capital flows

Falling oil prices offer India short-term relief, but the RBI warns that geopolitical tensions and shifting global capital flows continue to pose financial stability risks

AI's financial frontier: India must be prepared for potential macro risks

The BIS warns that the AI boom is becoming a macrofinancial risk, with concentrated investment and rising debt posing potential threats to global financial stability

A robust platform: Mospi's latest initiative will strengthen governance

Mospi's proposed AI-powered Common Data Platform could unify official statistics, improve policymaking and lay the foundation for an India-specific statistical LLM

AI's hidden footprint: Ambitions must be matched by resource planning

The challenge is that many of the states attracting these investments are already grappling with water stress and rising electricity demand

Rational regulation: India's battery-recycling norms must evolve with tech

The concern of the auto sector is that the current rules require manufacturers to begin collecting 70 per cent of batteries after eight years of use

AI's missing inclusivity: The tech revolution is amplifying gender bias

A major reason for this neglect is that women themselves are largely missing in the AI ecosystem

Rethinking quality control: The new order will not solve the problem

The original purpose of QCOs was to ensure quality standards to protect consumers, improve product quality, and keep substandard imports out of the Indian market. Over time, however, the policy expand

Monsoon readiness: Focus must be on both immediate and long-term solutions

Reports of setbacks to the sowing of pulses such as tur, moong and urad in parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra underline the vulnerability of rainfed farming

Listing Tata Sons: RBI's directions could strengthen group's governance

Tata Sons was designated an upper-layer NBFC by the RBI in September 2022, mandating its listing within three years

UK's 'Bregret' syndrome: Decade on, Brexit objectives prove unworkable

A decade after the Brexit vote, slower growth, higher trade costs and persistent immigration challenges have fuelled rising public regret over leaving the EU

Currency questions: Higher costs of incentives for NRIs must be debated

RBI's push to attract FCNR deposits may ease external pressures, but improving conditions raise questions over the costs, risks and necessity of the incentives