01 FEBRUARY 2024

An Indian Apartheid

Ideals of the proletariat, their commune and a proletariat dictatorship lay fossilised as painful photos of scores of migrant labourers walking many hundred miles to reach the safety of their village hit headlines in India in the early days of the first wave of Covid-19 in 2020

Suchetana Ray - February 01, 2024

Market Forces Alone Not Enough To End East’s Poverty

Without converting its rich human resource to high quality human capital, the eastern region could see the large population becoming a liability rather than an asset

Rajiv Kumar

& Chavi Asrani - February 01, 2024

A Deeper Alliance With Deepfake

While it has gained notoriety for its unethical use, deepfake technology has the ability to revolutionise businesses in areas like advertising, education and political campaigning. Regulatory support and greater inclusion in the formal IT sector can lend it the much-needed legitimacy

Nandini Keshari - February 01, 2024

Aviation on a Net-Zero Flight

The aviation industry’s rapid growth is triggering concerns over carbon emissions. Investing in sustainable aviation fuel, modern infrastructure and technology, besides giving the obvious returns of reduced emissions, will help amplify India’s pitch as a responsible partner in the global climate action story

Naina Gautam - February 01, 2024

Taking Off On The Right Foot

Hailing from Amarkantak, a town nestled amid mountains in Madhya Pradesh, love for activities like mountain climbing, paragliding and bouldering came naturally to Abhimanyu Saxena, co-founder of edtech start-up Scaler

Chitra Nair - February 01, 2024

Vijai Kishan Radhakrishnan

Head, Fidelity Wealth, India and Regional Chair, Fidelity Investments India

Time for Sunrise in the East, Says Amit Mitra

The eastern region has been dealt a raw deal for a long time, says former West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra. The oversaturation of economic activities in the western and southern regions will push investors towards the cheaper, resource-rich east, he believes. Edited excerpts:

Parth Singh - February 01, 2024

CBAM Knots in India’s Textile Story

Months after the European Union launched the transitional phase of its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the textile sector, though not yet included in the target sectors, in India finds itself highly unprepared for the impact. From challenges posed by environmental compliance demands to rivals’ growth and slow governance support, the industry faces a complex fabric of issues

Ankita Mookherjee - February 01, 2024

Rage of the Fast and Furious

Southern states are angry despite being beneficiaries, along with western states, of the country’s unequal industrial development. In their rush to gather new forms of industrial opulence, they continue to benefit from the cheap labour of central and eastern regions. Will the former share their riches for a more equitable growth of the union of states?

Abdul Haleem Sherif

& Ayaan Kartik

& Parth Singh - February 01, 2024

Rathin Roy: Tax Sops, Investments Won’t Erase Growth Fault Lines

Social factors play a big role in preventing development of states, says Rathin Roy, economist and former member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council. Critical of the penchant to manufacture for the rich, he calls for a political conversation around the need to address unmet demands for affordable access to basic necessities like healthcare, education, housing and textiles. Edited excerpts:

Parth Singh - February 01, 2024

Ola on Full Charge for Its IPO Ride

The electric two-wheeler manufacturer is betting big on its proposed IPO, with nearly half the shares on offer for sale coming from founder Bhavish Aggarwal’s account. While its position as a market leader is a huge confidence booster, Aggarwal’s past failures, unfavourable reports around regulation violations and battery mishaps might dent its prospects

Vinita Bhatia - February 01, 2024

Wipro's No to Narayana Murthy: A Rejection That Changed Indian IT Sector’s Face

Before he set up what was to become one of Indian IT sector’s biggest success stories, Narayana Murthy was rejected by Wipro chairman Azim Premji. The Infosys chairman later found out that Premji considered this one of his gravest errors of judgement. In her latest book An Uncommon Love Story, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni explores little known facets of Murthy’s life and the influential role his wife Sudha played in it

Meltdown in the Power Corridors

After years of dominating the power trading market, the Indian Energy Exchange stares at loss of leadership position and relevance as the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission gears up to implement market coupling of power exchanges. Seen as the first step towards a centralised power distribution, this move could pose an existential threat to IEX

Ayaan Kartik - February 01, 2024

Collaborative Efforts Key to Eastern India’s Development: Shaurya Doval

The transformative journey of eastern India is not just a regional narrative but a crucial chapter in the country’s quest for inclusive and sustainable development

Shaurya Doval - February 01, 2024