India a vegetarian nation? It’s a myth

Recently, on an inter-city train, after I asked for a non-vegetarian meal, two women sitting next to me shifted to other seats. They explained that they could not sit next to someone who was eating meat. That made me want to find out what percentage of Indians are meat eaters and whether the projec…

Alarming decline in bird populations highlights conservation urgency

A recent report on India’s bird numbers says 178 species are in need of urgent conservation measures and others are in danger of serious decline too. Blame it on change of land use, urbanisation, ecosystem degradation, monocultures, infrastructure development, pollution and climate change. Please l…

Education reform is not just about what’s taught in school, but recreating society

The New Education Policy, while offering the promise of better schooling, also brings into focus the failures of education reform in India. While there have been improvements in infrastructure and enrollment, equity, learning levels and uptake of public schools are lagging. Priyadarshini Singh, res…

15 years on, lessons from the global financial crisis

September 15 marked a decade and a half of the 2008 global financial crisis precipitated by the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Here’s looking back at what happened, how India was impacted and the learnings from that time to keep in mind today. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter.

What the future holds for India’s space industry

The successful launch of Chandrayaan-3 was a moment of pride. It intensified the focus on India’s space technology. A report said India has the potential to create a $40-$100 billion space industry by 2040. What are the areas it could focus on and what kind of investments does it need? Please liste…

Important to link gender to foreign policy; India can do it

There is growing awareness about inclusive policy making, but very few in India have talked about how to link foreign policy to gender. At the international level, several countries are gender-mainstreaming their foreign policy, beginning with Sweden’s adoption of a Feminist Foreign Policy, or FFP,…

Ashoka University has let itself and academic freedom down

By refusing to stand by Sabyasachi Das, a faculty member whose research found indications of manipulation in the 2019 general election, Ashoka University showed a lack of spine. Which raises the question, is Ashoka merely an institution that likes to talk about things like academic freedom but won’…

Can India capitalise on China’s slowdown?

China’s GDP growth could slow to 5% on the back of a real estate crisis, changing demographics and government debt. With investment seeking a new home, this could well be India’s moment. But first, it has a lot to do: build quality infrastructure fast, enlarge the skilled workforce, raise literacy …

Financial institutions should handhold customers through KYC process

There is an effort to simplify the KYC process to make it more ‘risk-based’, instead of one-size-fits-all, and amenable to digital needs. KYC has faced challenges over the years, but it’s needed to safeguard financial institutions and their customers. Ganesh Ram, MD and CEO of MF Utilities, tells A…

‘Overhaul’ of criminal justice system raises more questions than answers

The government claims that the replacement of the Indian Penal Code, the Indian Evidence Act and the Criminal Procedure Code with new laws is the transformation the criminal justice system needs. But there is a sense of disquiet with what is being proposed. Experts and activists have issued warning…