Facing Economic Shock By Dhurjati Mukherjee The outlook for the Indian economy in the current fiscal sadly does not appear quite encouraging, despite growing 7.8% in January-March quarter of the last fiscal. The Reserve Bank of India left the repo rate unchanged at 5.25% but reduced its growth forecast for FY27 and raised its inflation
India & The World By Dr. D.K. Giri (Prof. International Relations, JIMMC) Why Min Aung Hlaing, President of Myanmar chose Delhi as his first visit and what India must do next? Admittedly, in diplomacy, the first visit of a Head of State matters. It tells you who a leader trusts, fears or needs. At the
NEET Exam Leak & After By Dhurjati Mukherjee The lack of good governance in the country is widely acknowledged. Effective and stringent oversight of public institutions could significantly enhance efficiency and substantially reduce corruption. The recent leak of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) examination is yet another example of administrative lapses and inadequate accountability in
BJP’s 3 Ds By Poonam I Kaushish A bird should not build a nest in a tree that has no leaves. An African proverb which fits today’s ‘nowhere people’. Awash in saffron West Bengal has changed its tune: 3 Ds are the new buzzword in BJP-ruled Kolkata: Detect, delete, deport and throw out illegal Bangladeshi
Pakora to Petrol Price Trap By Shivaji Sarkar Inflation in India is not merely the result of global shocks; it is increasingly a product of high fuel taxes, cesses and pricing policies that amplify costs across the economy. The country’s heavy dependence on petroleum and gas—further entrenched by schemes such as Ujjwala—has made energy prices
EU-India FTA Ratification By Dr Krzysztof M. Zalewski (Centre For Intl Relations, Poland) Against the backdrop of major global geopolitical tensions, the European Union and India continue to move forward with one of their most ambitious economic projects: EU–India Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Negotiations had formally concluded in January 2026, but the treaty is still
Cockroach Bites By Poonam I Kaushish “There are already parasites who attack the system, and you want to join them. There are youngsters like cockroaches who do not get any employment…some of them become media, some become social media, some RTI and they start attacking everyone,” observed Chief Justice Gavai about unemployed youth resulting in
Rs Nears 100, Inflation Soars By Shivaji Sarkar The rupee has breached Rs 96-a-dollar mark and is now racing towards crossing the psychological Rs 100 barrier, despite repeated efforts to steady its fall. As the dollar surges, markets grow nervous, policymakers scramble for answers, and ordinary Indians brace for rising costs. The weakening rupee is
Modi’s Five-Nation Tour By Dr. D.K. Giri (Prof. International Relations, JIMMC) Prime Minister Narendra Modi just concluded the five-nation tour (15-20 May) with quite a few goodies in his bag as well as at least one monkey on his back. In this column last week, I had mapped the possibilities before the tour. Today, we
What Austerity! By Poonam I Kaushish Austerity? What’s that? In a milieu of George Orwellian ‘more equal than others’ India, this term sounds hollow. So, when Prime Minister Modi recently urged Indians in the name of patriotism to rediscover restraint in Viksit Bharat 2047 by using public transport or car pool, go Swadeshi, avoid buying
India’s Energy Future By Dhurjati Mukherjee India’s energy future is challenging with fuel prices quite high and availability a matter of concern. If oil prices stay at around $95-$100 a barrel, over last year’s average of $70 a barrel, the impact would be a little above $40 billion or above 1.5% of GDP. The government’s
PM’s Five-Nation Trip By Dr. D.K. Giri (Prof. of Practice, Institute of Management Bhubaneshwar) West Asia is on fire, Strait of Hormuz is closed, crude oil sells at $120, Rupee is at record low and India’s forex reserves are fast depleting. Above all, the Prime Minister issues an advisory at home to cut on fuel
Missing U In Unity? By Poonam I Kaushish Unity in disunity or disunity in unity? Flummoxed? Certainly, as Opposition fault lines cracked wide open post BJP’s victory and TMC, DMK, CPM’s defeat mingled with despair in the recent State polls. It is easy to slice, dice and analyze if INDIA Bloc has lost its vitality?
TN Rises, WB Moves Up By Shivaji Sarkar India’s economic geography is changing rapidly. The gap between states that build industry, attract investment and create jobs and those trapped in political confrontation, debt and administrative drift is widening sharply. Even in growth, the contrast is visible between Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The new governments
Lotus Blooms In Bengal By Poonam I Kaushish At the end, it was all about feel good. A six-week long grueling election which culminated in the lotus blooming in West Bengal, Sarma continuing to brew tea in Assam, Vijay rath rolling out in Tamil Nadu and Kerala opting for UDF, all winning tough gladiatorial contests.
UAE’s OPEC Exit, Higher Oil Risks By Shivaji Sarkar None, not even US analysers, expected that a “non-descript war” with a small country like Iran could change the global energy scenario, that America is keen on monopolising. The US plans a conflict decades before as it had envisioned the 1969 Camp David accord with Egypt
India Chairing BRICS By Dr. D.K. Giri (Prof. of Practice, Institute of Management Bhubaneshwar) In 2001, Goldman Sachs coined the acronym BRIC – Brazil, Russia, India and China – to do an investment story. Twenty five years later, India is chairing the BRICS in 2026 as a governance story. From asset creation, it has moved
Re Slide Costs RBI $40 Bn By Shivaji Sarkar The Iran war is hurting India more than it could ever imagine. It’s hitting gas supplies, NRI remittances, FDI and causing immense losses to Reserve Bank of India. India also has to reposition itself in diplomacy. As of April 2026, the RBI burnt approximately $40 billion in foreign
Opposition Stands By Poonam I Kaushish Last Friday was historic in more ways than one. First, the Modi-led NDA Government tasted its first defeat since taking office 2014. Two, the first time a Constitutional Amendment Bill collapsed in Lok Sabha since 2011. All by 54 votes. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026 granting 33% reservation
By Inder Jit (Released on 8 October 1974) Domestic issues are again to the fore after a brief interlude in the shape of the visit by the Shah and Shahbanou of Iran. But it has an interlude which New Delhi has every reason to remember with pleasure and satisfaction. Few visits by heads of State
