Page 3 - Editorial Comment
Why the Supreme Court is right to question ECI's voter review in Bihar
The court has correctly stepped in to point out that, under the law as written, a unique ID must be accepted as proof of identity, more so as the ECI plans a countrywide SIR
 "Why the Supreme Court is right to question ECI's voter review in Bihar")
India's contract labour surge carries risks for jobs and the economy
Contract workers are typically not directly employed by factories but are hired through third-party agencies
 "India's contract labour surge carries risks for jobs and the economy")
Healthy outcomes: Address key gaps to make infant survival universal
India's infant mortality rate hits a record low, but stark regional gaps in nutrition, immunisation, and newborn care threaten to slow public health gains
 "Healthy outcomes: Address key gaps to make infant survival universal")
Market signals: A combination of factors has pushed up bond yields
Bond yields rise despite RBI rate cuts as fiscal risks, GST revenue loss, and global conditions fuel market anxiety, dimming hopes of easing borrowing costs
 "Market signals: A combination of factors has pushed up bond yields")
Bima Sugam can deepen insurance penetration, but must be fair, transparent
Bima Sugam aims to transform insurance with a digital one-stop platform for buying, managing, and claiming policies, targeting "Insurance for All by 2047
 "Bima Sugam can deepen insurance penetration, but must be fair, transparent")
Updated industrial classification will help capture new economy data
India's NIC-2025 update to include digital, green, and gig sectors, ensuring accurate economic data, global comparability, and better policy planning
 "Updated industrial classification will help capture new economy data")
It's raining crises: Cities need urgent plans for climate change impacts
At first glance, the easy culprit to pinpoint is growing indiscriminate urbanisation
 "It's raining crises: Cities need urgent plans for climate change impacts")
A new GST: The indirect tax system simplified for greater efficiency
The removal of the 12 and 28 per cent slabs and the shifting of items from these slabs to 5 and 18 per cent will make a large number of consumer items cheaper
 "A new GST: The indirect tax system simplified for greater efficiency")
Fighting air pollution will take more than masks and symbolic fixes
The human cost is staggering. If India were to bring its pollution levels down to WHO norms, life expectancy will increase for everyone
 "Fighting air pollution will take more than masks and symbolic fixes")
Chips on the table: Phase 2 of semiconductor mission must shift the focus
Modi says India will capture a major share of global semiconductors as ISM Phase 2 shifts focus to ecosystem support and supply chain resilience
 "Chips on the table: Phase 2 of semiconductor mission must shift the focus")
Horticulture push: Diversification can lift farm incomes, living standards
If India can align technology adoption, efficient market integration, and supportive policies, horticulture has the potential to become the durable engine of farm growth
 "Horticulture push: Diversification can lift farm incomes, living standards")
A GST reset: Simplify the tax structure to boost revenue collection
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced in his Independence Day address that the GST system would be rationalised
 "A GST reset: Simplify the tax structure to boost revenue collection")
Faltering ties with US drive deeper bilateral ties between India, Japan
Modi's Tokyo visit boosts India-Japan ties with 21 pacts, $67 bn investment push, and deeper cooperation amid US trade tensions and Indo-Pacific challenges
 "Faltering ties with US drive deeper bilateral ties between India, Japan")
Among the challenges ahead for India, trade is the biggest risk to growth
Nearly all segments of the economy supported growth in the first quarter
 "Among the challenges ahead for India, trade is the biggest risk to growth")
Policy models will need to evolve as OpenAI, others make their India play
OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman has argued that this is, in some sense, a test launch into its second-largest market, and it will roll out similar plans worldwide
 "Policy models will need to evolve as OpenAI, others make their India play")
The RBI's monetary policy framework has worked well, change not required
The trend-inflation rate has hovered close to the target, except mostly in times of excess volatility, and the credibility of the central bank has visibly strengthened
 "The RBI's monetary policy framework has worked well, change not required")
Nuclear energy can help power India's economic growth, private push welcome
For decades, state control was justified by concerns over radiation safety, misuse of nuclear material, and strategic security
 "Nuclear energy can help power India's economic growth, private push welcome")
Govt must bite the bullet on land reforms to ease manufacturing growth
How to make land available quickly and cheaply for development, without alienating landowners or eroding their rights, remains a point of contention
 "Govt must bite the bullet on land reforms to ease manufacturing growth")
Not just 'friendly critics': Independent directors need more accountability
This era of the sinecure may be changing, however, with Sebi and the courts increasingly holding independent directors liable for corporate malfeasance
 "Not just 'friendly critics': Independent directors need more accountability")
Independence Day resolve: India must work to strengthen its institutions
What India achieves in the coming years and decades will depend a lot on how its politics and governance evolve
 "Independence Day resolve: India must work to strengthen its institutions")
