Page 5 - Editorial Comment

Comfortable position: Low inflation may not lead to another rate cut

Prices of oils and fats, for example, increased by over 17 per cent and may require policy attention

Exclusion errors: ECI must ensure genuine voters are not left out

Ever since it was set up, and without a definitive proof of citizenship issued under the Citizenship Act, the ECI has done a commendable job in preparing inclusive electoral rolls

Low visibility: AAIB report on Air India crash needs technical clarity

The problem with the AAIB's 15-page report is that it has sparked damaging speculation about "pilot error" or, worse, pilot suicide

Build to last: Maintaining structures is as critical as building them

But the tragedy is not an exception. Last year, the government admitted that 42 major and minor bridges collapsed in the past five years

Managing excess liquidity: Financial markets need more clarity now

Excess liquidity could also incentivise the banking system to extend loans at lower rates

Gaps in data gathering understate actual levels of inequality in India

According to the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2022-23, inequality in consumption did decline

India must deepen ties with Asean nations, not abandon its trade agreement

Some within the government, as well as prominent voices in industry, have complained that the FTA with Asean allows for the dumping of Chinese goods in India via Southeast Asia

Nutrition transition: Focus should now be on diet quality, protein shifts

More importantly, the wide disparities in calorie consumption between the poorest and the wealthiest have narrowed significantly, signalling a welcome reduction in nutritional inequality

Letters and the spirit: Trump pushes global trade into uncharted territory

With the end of the 90-day pause on the imposition of the so-called reciprocal tariffs and the US sending letters, a few things are now clear

Fast probe required: Crash investigation should be quick and credible

It should be noted that Air India itself, while troubled on several dimensions, has not had a major fatality due to a crash (as distinct from terrorist action) since Boeing 707 crash-landed in Mumbai

Direct impact: Foreign investment dynamics must be studied carefully

In the normal course, repatriation by foreign multinationals and overseas investment by Indian corporations should not be cause for concern for a large and open economy like India

Dredging problems: West Bengal and the Northeast need a deepwater port

This situation cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely, particularly given that the geopolitical situation has turned adverse

Currency gains: Why increasing the risk buffer is a prudent move

The RBI has been generating higher surpluses on account of, among other things, higher interest income and foreign-exchange gains

India's Covid-19 response must go beyond vaccines, follow global practices

Several advanced countries are offering annual Covid-19 booster doses, especially to vulnerable groups

Auto firms need to think innovatively to attract buyers back to small cars

Car-market executives attribute the drop in small-car sales to stagnating incomes across the board, with only 12 per cent of Indian households earning over ₹12 lakh annually

Retail MF investors' patience is helping provide risk capital to India Inc

Ideally, equity portfolios should be diversified and held over the long term to capture growth trends across the corporate landscape and to allow for compounding effects

Vodafone Idea must stop seeking waivers from government and courts

Vi must urgently raise capital

Courting reform: Newly appointed CJI B R Gavai must address case pendency

Justice Gavai has been part of several seminal apex court judgments - among them, upholding the revocation of Jammu & Kashmir's special status, the one on demonetisation

Increasing productivity: Genome-edited rice varieties to boost yields

Critically, gene-editing technologies like SDN1 do not introduce foreign deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), distinguishing them from traditional genetically modified (GM) organisms

A legend retires: Berkshire Hathaway will continue to be closely followed

Mr Buffett started investing as a schoolboy with the earnings from delivering newspapers. He learnt the theoretical structure of valuation at Columbia Business School in the 1950s