 "Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Swachh Bharat mission, pm modi, narendra modi, sanitation")
The Swachh Bharat Mission, launched on Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday 10 years ago, has some commendable achievements to its credit. According to National Family Health Survey, 82.5 per cent of households now have access to toilet facilities, up from just 45 per cent in 2004-05. But in declaring India 100 per cent “Open Defecation Free” in 2019, the government may have celebrated prematurely. A closer look at the data suggests the battle against open defecation is yet to be decisively won, especially given declining toilet usage in rural India since 2018-19. The urgent need for maintenance and pending critical last mile infrastructure. The gains from the Swachh Bharat programme are too significant and hard-won to be dissipated for lack of funds or organisational momentum. More durable gains can also be delivered through progressive decentralisation, with the Centre focusing on institutional capacity building at the grassroots in collaboration with state governments and the third tier of governance, the top edit points out. Read it here
In other views:
Ajai Shukla makes the case for the defence ministry supporting defence exports in a major way. Read it here
Amarendu Nandy argues that India must balance it economic interests vis-à-vis the EU’s carbon border tx with proactive climate action. Read it here
The second edit says the Supreme Court has rightly put the onus on politicians to refrain from weaponising religion. Read it here
 "Indian equities continue their upward trajectory but largecaps, those stocks valued at Rs 20,000 crore or more, continue to underperform the broader market. The largecap-oriented BSE Sensex is up 31.9 per cent since the end of October last year laggi")
 "Manufacturing employment creation picked up in FY23, says NSO survey")
 "The work of reform is never finished. Last month, economist M Govinda Rao made an eloquent case in a column published in this newspaper for reforming the Goods and Services Tax (GST), both in terms of its direction and timing. He argues that the time")
 "Since its inception, the RBI's monetary policy committee has confronted significant external challenges in managing inflation in India")
 "Many people are fascinated by investing in real estate. The typical middle-class dream is to buy three houses: One to live in, one for a child, and one as an investment. Land enthusiasts say “the thing about investing in land is that they aren't maki")
 "In March this year, Arvind Kejriwal, then Delhi chief minister, was arrested on suspicion of money laundering in connection with alleged corruption in awarding liquor licences.")
 "Assessing state integration under GST")
 "market regulation")
 "Stock Market, BSE, NSE, Nifty, Capital")
 "According to Morgan Stanley, India crossed China to become the largest market in the emerging markets (EM) universe at the end of August. This is based on India's weight in the MSCI All Countries World IMI (investible large, mid and small cap) index.")
