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Much has been written and will be written about what Manmohan Singh was. Here are a few lines on what he was not. Manmohan Singh was not a representative of New India. He was a leader from the older idea of India. He stressed inclusion...

India faces a severe shortage of IAS, IPS, and IFoS officers, straining administrative efficiency and law enforcement capabilities. As of January 2024, data from the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) reveals a 19% shortfall in IAS officers, with 5,542 in service against a sanctioned...

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine is approaching its third year, the war between the two countries has assumed new proportions with targeted killing of top Russian commanders. It also speaks volumes for the guts and daring of Ukrainian spies to take the battle into...

One of the cornerstones of a functioning democracy is transparency as the people have every right to information on all matters that concern them. The electoral procedure is one such aspect of a democracy that needs to be sacrosanct and kept out of any sort...

What should we look forward to in 2025? I mean “look forward to” in the sense of anticipate rather than welcome. It will be a defining year and period in several ways. The most important developments will come after Donald Trump takes over as US...

The appointment of Directors General of Police (DGPs) is one of the crucial issues the Supreme Court has, once again, had to remind states of their responsibilities. It’s perplexing that certain states still appear to be choosing not to follow the landmark 2006 Prakash Singh...

I t may appear strange in most democracies, including India, that losing a no-confidence vote against a government leading to its fall is a cause for celebration for the ruling party. But, this is a normal phenomenon in German politics where defeat in a no-trust...

The collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria is not an isolated event in the Middle East, but part of a vast realignment of forces in the region. The new changed scenario gives rise to the possibility of growth of democracy but it is also...

The people of South Korea and their representatives showed the world last weekend how real democracy works. The country’s parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol following his surprising declaration of martial law that only lasted six hours. Yoon’s presidential powers and responsibilities have...

In 2021, I wrote a book called “Price of the Modi Years.” In one of its chapters, I compared India’s rankings on various global indices that I had been tracking over the years to see whether they had improved, stayed the same or deteriorated since...