Page 14 - Editorial Comment

Crouching dragon

Xi Jinping's absolute power will test the world's second-largest economy

Revisiting disinvestment: Going for a 'bottom-up' approach

The government should give up its dependence on disinvestment as an instrument for containing the fiscal deficit

Turmoil in Britain: Its political crisis is a self-inflicted wound

Govts should respect fiscal constraints as once confidence is lost in a country's institutions and political maturity, it cannot be easily regained

The Rs 40,000-crore defence challenge

Boosting defence exports requires a major emphasis change. Instead of focusing on low-value consumables such as ammunition, India needs to concentrate on high-value, complex combat platforms

A sporting proposition for BCCI

Indian cricket could benefit from much-needed transparency

Pricing pressure: Sebi should avoid over-regulation

The idea of asking independent directors to justify pricing does not make sense

A missed opportunity: Congress votes for status quo

Mallikarjun Kharge's election as party president points to the continuation of Gandhi family hegemony with all its opacity and confusions ever since Rahul Gandhi stepped down as president in 2019

Rising global risks: India will need policy space

Given the global economic outlook, the policy focus should be to first preserve financial stability and not take undue policy risks

Global Hunger Index: Menace of malnutrition continues to haunt India

Existing schemes do not focus on balanced food. Serious corrective action aimed at improving the consumption of diverse and nutritious foods can no longer be ignored

Xi's China syndromes: Projection of power takes centre stage in his plans

His Party Congress speech presages continuing global tensions. The need to strengthen intelligence networks and military infrastructure along India's disputed borders has never been more urgent

Headwinds from the West

Weakening global discretionary spend makes IT industry cautious

An insecure partner

US National Security Strategy raises concern

Reducing the legal burden

Decriminalisation eases compliances for companies

Lessons from Maiden: Gambia deaths raise several questions

Pharma regulatory system needs re-examination. It's not just overseas buyers of Indian pharma products who are at potential risk. Counterfeit drugs remain a major threat in the domestic market

Going beyond the inflation target

RBI has to manage multiple risks. Economists argue the system has got so used to lower rates and higher liquidity that a sudden tightening could lead to financial market dislocations

The glare on moonlighting: It needs creative solutions

The underlying principle of using carrot rather than sticks may work better in tackling a problem that the IT biggies cannot wish away

Oil & Gas: A discouraging history

Past mistakes in the hydrocarbons auction must be avoided

A troubled world: IMF paints a bleak picture

The growth projection for India has been lowered to 6.8 per cent for this fiscal year

Ineffective implementation: Ban on single-use plastic is not working

The menace of plastic pollution cannot be mitigated without ensuring plastic-product manufacturers' stringent compliance with the extended producer responsibility

A new kind of war: Do costly weapons platforms have a future?

It may be time to rethink the large amounts being spent on weapons platforms like tanks, jets and helicopters