Azure Power Accused of Land Grab for Solar Power Project in Assam | EXPLAINED
In 2019, the descendants of an erstwhile zamindar family entered into an “agreement of sale” for 91 acres of land to Azure Power Forty Pvt Ltd in Mikir Bamuni Grant village in Assam’s Nagaon district to build a solar power plant. The land deal directly affected the livelihoods of at
Adani Group Faces Global Scrutiny While SEBI Stands Silent: What’s at Stake?
In a proverbial “when it rains, it pours” moment, the Adani Group is having a rather disastrous close to the year. French oil major TotalEnergies won’t make any more investments in the Adani Group, saying it was not informed of the US bribery charges against Gautam Adani. Kenya has canceled
Bihar Alcohol Ban 2016-2024: Impact, Failures, and Political Future
When Chief Minister Nitish Kumar banned the sale of alcohol in Bihar in 2016, it sparked mixed reactions. Recently, the Patna High Court castigated State government officials, suggesting that they were making money from the rampant illicit liquor trade enabled by them. The High Court made strong remarks while overturning
India’s Elderly Care Crisis: Healthcare Costs, Digital Divide, and Policy Gaps Affect 153M Senior Citizens
“I still use checkbooks at the bank and don’t own credit cards, debit cards, or any net banking app,” says R. Sampathkumar, an octogenarian from Chennai. A retired deputy manager from Indian Oil Corporation, he is recovering from knee surgery performed seven months ago. He lives with his wife in
Book Review: Neha Dixit’s ‘The Many Lives of Syeda X’ is Uniquely Authentic and Eye-Opening in Portraying Working-Class Women
At a construction site in New Delhi on April 30, 2009. Syeda’s story busts several myths about women in general and Muslim women in particular. It opens our eyes to industrial growth and development, smart cities, labour laws, government policies, and welfare programmes. | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA India
Deep-Sea Fishermen of Kerala and Tamil Nadu: Life, Risk and Survival in the Arabian Sea
The fishermen who go for deep-sea fishing are the most valiant among the marine fishing communities inhabiting the coasts of Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram. Their predecessors used to set sail in all seasons on the Arabian Sea even before the arrival of GPS and wireless communication. | Photo Credit: Joseph Rahul
India’s Economic Inequality Crisis: How Elite Development Models Failed the Nation
On June 4, 2005, the venerated business house of the Tatas signed an agreement to set up a steel plant in Bastar, Chhattisgarh. Virtually on the same day, a private militia known as Salwa Judum (“Peace March” or “Purification Hunt” in south Chhattisgarh’s Gondi language) emerged in Bastar to protect
Punjab Paddy Crisis 2024: Worst Procurement Delays in 25 Years Hit Farmers
Gal lag ke seeri de jat rove, Bohlan bichon neer vagya, Le aa tangli, naseeban nu faroliye, Tudi vichon putt Jagya. (A farmer embraces a peasant, and cries, As sorrow flows through the grains. ‘Bring a rake, let’s sift through our fortune, In this heap of chaff, O son Jagya.’)
Bibek Debroy (1955-2024): The Scholar Who Shaped India’s Economic Transition
Bibek Debroy—”Bibekda,” “Bibek sir,” and simply “Bibek” to his close friends and colleagues—who passed away on November 1, 2024, was a policy advisor of a different breed. He straddled the complexities of economic policymaking with ease. His breadth of understanding of issues, diverse interests, ability to communicate intricate policy matters
Why has the Indian Rupee Slumped to a Lifetime Low, Slipping Below the Level of 84 to the Dollar?
In a recent tweet, a staunch supporter of the BJP government wrote about the Indian rupee’s strength versus the Turkish lira pointing to the lira’s staggering 92 per cent drop against the Indian rupee in 11 years. This, he believed, reflected significant economic instability in Turkey: the subtext of course,