Opinion

Passengers must pay: Rail freight revenue can increase, but so must fares

A parliamentary panel has urged Indian Railways to diversify freight beyond coal, revisit tariffs and confront passenger fare subsidies to keep the system financially viable

FDI for growth: Foreign participation in insurance should raise competition

Even as the sector opens up to greater competition and foreign investment, long-standing challenges continue to constrain its reach and credibility

India's FDI story: Recent factor-market reforms can draw foreign investors

Recent factor-market reforms are a step in the right direction and will increase India's attractiveness to foreign investors

Weak regulation hurt public policy in 2025; fixing it is 2026's big task

From aviation to finance, regulatory failures marked India's economy in 2025, exposing weak state capacity and the urgent need to redesign how regulators function

Best of BS Opinion: Trade data should not distract from US trade deal

Today's pieces look at why a US trade deal is critical, issues in the higher education reform, the need for more services exports besides PMC, why India must develop design skills, and Malala's memoir

Trade possibilities: Latest numbers should not distract policymakers

Strong November export growth offers relief, but trade uncertainty persists as India races to seal a deal with the US amid tariffs, capital outflows and rupee pressure

Regulating higher education: Focus should be on improving outcomes

The UGC oversees non-technical universities, the AICTE is concerned with technical education, while the NCTE is the regulatory body for teachers' education

Growth in services exports essential to reduce concentration risk

India must broaden its services export base beyond IT and consulting to reduce concentration risks, boost competitiveness, create jobs and sustain growth amid global protectionism, say economists

India must treat design as a civic skill to build more liveable cities

The scale of the challenge becomes clearer when one examines who is expected to design India's urban future

Best of BS Opinion: New rural jobs law will bring significant changes

Today's wrap looks at the new rural jobs law, the push to open civil nuclear power to private investors, a US strategic reset, RBI's views on bank ownership, and a book on American power

India needs Indian banks: Why domestic lenders matter most for growth

RBI's bank ownership policy has shifted towards regulated institutional investors, but over-reliance on foreign capital risks limiting India's credit growth and domestic banking depth

Harnessing nuclear energy: Bill seeks to address key investor concerns

Changes in the provision on operator liabilities can be expected to encourage investment

US steps back as global leader, sees continuity for India in Indo-Pacific

The new US national security strategy signals a retreat from global dominance while reaffirming continuity in India's role in Indo-Pacific security and Quad cooperation

Revamping rural employment: New law will bring significant changes

The Bill proposes to increase the number of guaranteed days of employment to 125 per household

Best of BS Opinion: China must find political will to rebalance economy

Today's opinion pieces offer a sharp mix of macro and culture: China's demand shortfall, Prada's Kolhapuri move, the rupee's policy trilemma, why RBI needs better data, and a candid chess memoir.

Rate cut amid strong growth signals that monetary policy needs good data

For the RBI, it makes its job very difficult. To target inflation effectively, the RBI must set interest rates based on its inflation outlook

India needs a serious debate on monetary policy and the impossible trinity

The report concluded that although international policy consensus was shifting towards multiple-target, multiple-instrument frameworks, India should first focus on reducing the then high inflation

The label wears Prada: How global deals can galvanise India's handicraft

As the Prada-Kolhapuri deal demonstrated, IP protection lies at the core of any dynamic collaborative arrangement between domestic artisans and global marketers

Sustainable growth path: China needs to do more to rebalance its economy

The government in Beijing has been far too hesitant in carrying out essential reform, and is now facing the consequences of that delay

Best of BS Opinion: Energy bets, AI rules and growing market risks

Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today