Blogs

Why India’s next development dividend lies in connecting livelihoods with water, sanitation and health India may be sitting on one of the world’s largest—and least appreciated—development assets. It is neither a highway network nor a digital platform. It is a vast institutional ecosystem of rural women, built patiently over more than a decade through the…

Politicians are among the most diligent practitioners of the maxim “pick your battles”. Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay appears to have picked one he cannot win in Parliament, so he can win something more valuable at home. The meeting with Tamil Nadu MPs that the TVK govt convened on Aug 8 to discuss…

Why letting doctors trained in one system prescribe medicines from another is a bad idea Should a doctor trained in one kind of medicine prescribe medicines from a different kind of medicine they haven’t properly studied? No. It sounds obvious, but there are some important reasons: Patients could get the wrong treatment. It could become…

The 2025 conflict with Pakistan accelerated India’s drone development, with both sides deploying reconnaissance drones, FPV drones, drone swarms, and electronic warfare. India also uses drones for border security, military operations, intelligence gathering and civilian applications. As India expands drone capabilities, Ukraine offers lessons beyond the battlefield. In Kherson, Russian FPV drones have transformed the way a city is attacked, defended and…

The debate around reintroduction of merchant discount rate (MDR) on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions has resurfaced after Lok Sabha passed the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026. If implemented, the proposal is expected to restore MDR on select UPI transactions. Importantly, this is not about charging consumers for using UPI. Rather, it is about creating a sustainable economic…

Climate change will make rough flights more common. Airlines and passengers must put safety first Flying is one of the safest ways to travel. Yet many people are afraid of it. That is understandable. We are used to walking on the ground and swimming in water. But thousands of feet above the ground, we are…

Can life continuing beyond death have a basis in logic? Kurt Godel – hailed by many, including Einstein, as one of the greatest logicians and mathematicians of all time – was convinced that the soul outlived mortality and continued to exist, not in a changed reincarnation, but in its earthly identity. Like a blazing comet, Austria-born Godel…

The political and social landscape has been stirred up following the alleged student protests in Delhi. Various facets underlying this agitation are now coming to light—facets that defy the imagination of the common person. The forces that instigated this movement by using students as a front were operating from abroad. Their primary tools for stoking…

Dual registration is a bad idea, and will weaken patient welfare without addressing shortage of MBBS docs in rural areas  Should doctors trained in one system of medicine, prescribe medicines of another system, in which they have no expertise? Obviously, no. Patently evident, but here’s why. 1) For the high risk of mistreatment. 2) For…

Air turbulence incidents will only increase with climate change. Airlines and passengers should focus on safety Commercial planes are the safest way to travel, statistically. Yet, people dread flying more than any other mode of transport. It’s easy to see why. We have evolved to walk on land and swim across water, but up in…