Page 4 - Editorial Comment

Betting on the middle class: Budget fuels growth with consumption boost

While public capex has been retained at its elevated level, it appears that the finance ministry believes that without a more direct push to household demand, growth will subside to unacceptable level

The growth path: Economic Survey 2025 presents a realistic assessment

It discussed the medium- to long-term challenges in detail, which should guide policymaking

India, China agree on better ties, but border tensions still persist

The language and tenor of the statements issued by both countries suggest a new cordiality five years after incursions by China along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh

Securing critical minerals: India's new mission for future growth

There is, of course, an important national-security element to this effort. Globally, the extraction and processing of critical minerals are dominated by China

Aser 2024: Learning gaps persist, but signs of progress emerge in education

Despite improvements, Aser shows wide learning gaps

Stock market slowdown tests new investors amid FPI selling pressure

Part of the pressure on the currency is due to continuous selling by FPIs. In the last four months (including January) FPIs have sold over Rs 1.75 trillion of rupee-denominated equities

Personal & political: Uttarakhand's UCC should have been more accommodating

The discretionary power of a faceless state bureaucrat to legally intrude into the private decisions and personal morality of Indian citizens is patriarchal, unwarranted, and unjustified

Deep discount: DeepSeek can alter the rules of artificial intelligence game

In geopolitical terms, the United States will have to rethink its strategy of trying to maintain an edge in AI by denying access to computing resources outside the US and a few chosen allies

Small steps to equity: Lowering SIP threshold should increase penetration

While Sebi may be prepared to subsidise the scheme to some extent, there would still be little headroom to publicise the sachet schemes or invest in distribution

Protecting consumers: Rules for ecommerce must be comprehensive, clear

Estimated at around $137 billion, India's ecommerce market is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of over 20 per cent between 2025 and 2030

Durable foundation: The Constitution reflects India's founding values

Constitution remains a guarantor of Indian democracy despite the efforts of those who seek to undermine it

Fiscal health check: NITI Aayog's initiative will inform policymaking

The FHI covers 18 large states and has been developed with a focus on five sub-indices: The quality of expenditure, revenue mobilisation, fiscal prudence, debt index, and debt sustainability

No grey areas: Regulated trading before listing will increase transparency

Transaction prices on the grey market are opaque and impossible to verify

Withdrawal symptoms: US is ceding global leadership where it matters most

Both decisions represent expressions of Mr Trump's "America First" agenda

A decade of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Progress, challenges, and road ahead

The data from the "Unified-District Information System For Education" shows that the GER for girls in higher-secondary education increased from 56.41 per cent in 2015-16 to 58.2 per cent in 2021-22

Trump's tariff threats return: Implications for global trade and India

The basic argument is that the world has benefited from low US tariffs, and that has affected manufacturing and jobs in the US

Blending dilemma: Conflicting priorities on flex-fuel need clear policy

Ethanol in India is derived primarily from sugarcane, a crop that is not only water-intensive but is also being increasingly diverted to ethanol production

Back to a Maga future: Mr Trump's second coming signals more disruption

Mr Trump earned the loudest and longest cheer for his intention, backed by an executive order, to declare a national emergency on the southern border

India's auto sector at crossroads: Adapting to EVs and global competition

The auto-component sector must also be given time to evolve, through the creation of alternative ecosystems

India pitches for investments at Davos amid uneven domestic economic growth

Behind the rhetoric of big themes, Davos is undoubtedly known for the opportunities it offers for behind-the-scenes deal-making