A Dangerous Election Practice
In The Indian Express, Tavleen Singh criticises the growing trend of using taxpayer-funded welfare schemes as electoral bribes, citing examples like Maharashtra’s Ladki Bahin and Bihar’s Mahila Rozgar Yojana. She argues this undermines democracy, distracts citizens from real issues through nationalism, and replaces genuine political journalism with speech reportage, warning that such practices normalise vote-buying with public money.
She writes: "If you can shut down all critics, then who will ask important questions like why taxpayers money is being used to win elections? The Bihar election interests me more than usual this time because I have openly endorsed Prashant Kishor, so I have watched the news from that state carefully."
"In the hysterical bulletins and raucous debates that fill my TV screen every evening, I have waited for one serious attempt to discuss whether schemes that materialise on the eve of voting are not bribery," Singh adds.
Shared Future
In The Telegraph, Rudra Chatterjee argues that the next major global economic story may unfold through a partnership between India and Africa. It highlights their deep historic ties, shared youthful demographics, and rapid growth potential — India’s and Africa’s economies could combine beyond US $30 trillion by 2040.
Chatterjee writes: "By 2050, demography will rekindle opportunity. Africa has long struggled with sparse population density, but better health and political stability are changing that. Together, we will house more than 3.5 billion people, half under twenty-five. This shared youth bulge will form the world’s most dynamic market for housing, healthcare, education, food, and energy. If we stay the course, Africa could become our most consequential partner."
To succeed, the piece says they must move past raw‐commodity trade toward collaboration in consumer goods, healthcare, education and tech, leveraging India’s business adaptability and Africa’s emerging markets.
Delhi & Kabul: A Bond Tested by Geopolitics
Ajay Darshan Behera, in his piece for The Indian Express, traces India–Afghanistan ties from ancient civilisational links to present-day pragmatism under Taliban rule.
The article contextualises Afghanistan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s 2025 Delhi visit as a cautious diplomatic reset, reflecting India’s effort to regain influence through development and trade amid Taliban control, while balancing security risks, Pakistan’s shadow, and enduring cultural-historical bonds.
"Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to New Delhi marked the highest-level contact since 2021. India’s outreach to the Taliban is not a seal of approval but a pragmatic necessity. It is a response to unfolding realities. Afghanistan and India have been bound together for centuries by geography, commerce, religion, and culture. These ties have endured empire, ideology and invasion. But they have also been influenced – sometimes distorted – by the politics of the time."Ajay Darshan Behera
Looking Backward, Moving Forward
In her column for The New Indian Express, Preeti Shenoy reflects on the statue of Christopher Jones, captain of the Mayflower, as a metaphor for personal roles we carry from childhood. She argues that while these roles (golden child, scapegoat, peacemaker) may feel safe, they limit growth. To evolve, we must look backward with awareness but move forward with intention — choosing ourselves rather than remaining bound by familiar patterns.
"Carved from weathered sandstone, set upon a plinth shaped like a ship’s prow, stood the statue of Christopher Jones, captain of the Mayflower, the ship that carried English Pilgrims to America in 1620. It’s a voyage every American schoolchild learns about. He’s rendered as St. Christopher, the patron saint of travellers, carrying an infant," Shenoy writes.
She continues, "What struck me was the tension in that stone. Jones’s face is furrowed, etched with worry, his gaze fixed backward toward England, the Old World he’s leaving behind. The infant in his arms gazes forward with blissful hope, looking towards America. The captain bears the weight of departure; the child embodies the lightness of arrival."
Whose City Is It Anyway?
In his article in Deccan Herald, Ashwin Mahesh argues that cities like Bengaluru suffer from governance failures: despite the state asserting dominance over both society and markets, it struggles to manage basic urban challenges effectively — visible in infrastructure breakdowns, civic neglect and shrinking public trust.
As the decibel levels of anger over poor road conditions rose earlier this month, the government indicated that it was open to letting some corporates use their CSR funds to maintain the roads around their offices, rather than complain. This raises the question – who should solve public problems? Over many decades, the government has maintained that it alone is responsible for this, because it alone is capable of doing so and can be trusted to do so in a manner that is fair to all citizens. Citizens and businesses can help, of course, but in the government’s view, they should not have much say in deciding how to solve problems.Ashwin Mahesh
This piece highlights how rapid urbanisation in India has outpaced institutional capacity, turning the “smart-city” dream into a patchwork of public and private actors wrestling for control rather than sharing the city’s future.
Six Aces For Higher Education’s Swadeshi Six-Pack
In The New Indian Express, S Vaidyasubramaniam argues that India’s higher education system must adopt a “Swadeshi six-pack” framework to deliver on the ambitions of National Education Policy 2020 and the proposed Higher Education Commission of India Bill.
The six key areas: Admissions (streamlined national process), Academics (greater autonomy via NIRF-NAAC metrics), Administration (better governance), Atmanirbharta (self-reliant institutions), Arogya (student & staff wellness) and Anushtana (discipline & practice-oriented culture)—are intended to shift from conventional incremental reform to a multi-stroke “engine” for long-term transformation of Indian higher education.
"Prime Minister Modi’s patriotic appeal for Swadeshi Bharat for Viksit Bharat is a wake-up call for those dreaming elsewhere and living in Bharat. Modi’s “Garv Se Kaho Yeh Swadeshi Hai” is a proud roar of a tiger economy that is experiencing the second coming of its first leadership position in the global comity of nations."
"The re-imagination of India towards Viksit Bharat @ 2047 is a multi-dimensional policy prescription that cuts across all socio-economic growth sectors like public infrastructure, defence, manufacturing, healthcare, education, Agriculture, etc. With active public and private participation in various economic spheres spurring growth, the push for alternate models of engagement with social sectors like education and healthcare cannot come at a time more appropriate than now," Subramaniam adds.
Crime, Clemency and The Grey Space of Convicts’ Rights
This article by Nigam Nuggehalli in the Deccan Herald examines how India’s justice system struggles to balance punishment, rehabilitation, and executive clemency.
Using a 2003 case as an example, it highlights how remission and pardon powers often blur the line between justice and political influence. It raises critical questions about fairness, transparency, and the state’s role in protecting convicts’ rights.
Nuggehalli writes: "The idea that one can recede from the law cannot be decided by the judicial system itself. The law recognises that such decisions must come from outside. Clemency is granted by the executive and not the judiciary. There must be a separation of powers, and the power of clemency is an exercise of political morality, not legal reasoning. Because the law takes a back seat, the process of clemency is obscure."
"Politicians make decisions based on public opinion and a sense of justice, but the process of decision-making is not always clear, and probably deliberately so. In the past seven decades, through various decisions, the judiciary has made it clear that it can review the decisions of the executive in cases of clemency, but this review is narrow and limited. When it comes to clemency, the law realises its own limitations and makes space for grey in a sea of black and white," he adds.
Time For The World to Reinforce Trust in UN
In his piece for The Statesman, Rajdeep Pathak argues that the United Nations (UN) is facing a legitimacy and capacity crisis: donor cuts (especially from the US) and geopolitical blockages are eroding its ability to act meaningfully on global peace, security and humanitarian challenges.
Yet he reminds readers that the UN remains the only genuinely universal platform for global cooperation, and urges member states to reinvest in it, reform its structures, and align it with 21st-century threats like climate change, cyber warfare and migration.
"In a fractured world defined by nationalism, technological disruption, and climate emergency, the path forward for the United Nations requires reimagining multilateralism beyond traditional state diplomacy. Partnerships with civil society, regional organizations, and private actors must complement formal state mechanisms. The UN’s focus should increasingly shift toward global challenges that transcend borders – climate change, cyber threats, and migration. Given the magnitude of growing challenges, it is undeniable that the United Nations continues to embody the world’s collective aspiration for peace."Rajdeep Pathak
Empowering Women
In her article in The Statesman, author by Gargi Sengupta emphasises that empowering rural women is essential for inclusive development in India. It explains how women play pivotal roles in agriculture, households and community-life, and argues that access to education, decision-making and resources enables better livelihoods and sustainable growth.
It highlights the success of self-help groups (SHGs) and programme-reforms such as Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission, noting that while participation is strong, challenges in access to credit and meaningful autonomy persist.
She writes: " participation in rural development is crucial for social, economic, and environmental progress, as they are central to agriculture, household management, and community cohesion. Their involvement ensures that development initiatives address key issues like education and healthcare, promote gender equality, and lead to more sustainable and inclusive growth."
"Empowering women through access to resources, education, and decision-making roles is vital, as it directly contributes to improved livelihoods and community well-being. India has been a welfare state since Independence and government policies and programmes were designed to alleviate rural poverty," Sengupta adds.