Opinion

Melvin Durai If I were a snake, there is no other state I’d want to be in other than Odisha. About one-third of the land in Odisha has been classified as forest land, so I’d have plenty of space to slither around without running into...

Ashok Mahapatra Economy is defined as the system of trade and industry by which the wealth of a country or region is mobilised and used. In its broader term, this could also be viewed as a social domain that emphasises the practices, discourses and material...

Shivaji Sarkar The much-awaited New Education Policy has turned out to be old wine in new bottle. It takes us back to the 1960s and not to 2100, with virtual repetition in concepts, approaches and making the whole report cumbersome with an unnecessary four-year degree...

Ajit Ranade This past week saw the publication of two books by two senior former central bankers. Former RBI Governor Urjit Patel published his book called Overdraft, which is dedicated to the Indian saver. This was much awaited from someone who was otherwise extremely reticent...

Sudha Devi Nayak ‘In the Country of Men’, the debut novel of the Libyan writer Hisham Matar that was nominated for the Booker Prize 2006 and the Guardian First Book Award, has also garnered a few other international awards. Written in lucent, mellifluous prose, the...

Sudarshan Iyengar The New Education Policy announced after 34 years claims to make way for large scale transformational reforms in education on the foundational pillars of access, equity, quality, affordability and accountability. The announcement needs to be welcomed. The three outstanding features of the NEP...

Moin Qazi Digital finance finds itself at an inflection point as the world continues to tackle the socio-economic fallout of the Covid-19 crisis. The pandemic could be a game changer for digital financial services. It seems as if digital financial services may become and remain...

Bharat Jhunjhunwala Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to make Varanasi the Global Spiritual Capital, during his 2014 electoral campaign. The same can be done better for Ayodhya which is now at the centre of global attention with the construction of the Ram Temple. The...

Ramdas Roy Do students learn to respect the time of the teacher? Are they obedient and disciplined when it comes to actions such as spending their allotted time on the laptop as is now the case?  Do we, as parents, help the teachers with our...

Vali Nasr and Ariane Tabatabai Iran says it is negotiating a 25-years’ agreement with China encompassing trade, energy, infrastructure, telecommunications, and even military cooperation. For Teheran, the prospect of a strategic partnership with China comes at a critical time. The Iranian government has been confronting...