|By Shashi Tharoor| NEW DELHI – India’s Solicitor-General, Ranjit Kumar, recently declared that India would not seek the return of the Kohinoor diamond – one of the world’s oldest and most valuable – from the British, to whom India had “gifted” it. The statement shocked India and unleashed passionate debate – so passionate, in fact, that the government scrambled to ...

[By Mari Marcel Thekaekara|New Internationalist] Once upon a time, possibly around two, definitely three decades ago, Bangalore was a charming little town. It was known as the pensioners’ paradise because it was a tiny town with quaint cottages and pretty bungalows surrounded by lovely gardens. And the weather was perfect. Everyone knew everyone else on their street and in their ...

[By Brahma Chellaney] NEW DELHI – Asia’s water woes are worsening. Already the world’s driest continent in per capita terms, Asia now faces a severe drought that has parched a vast region extending from southern Vietnam to central India. This has exacerbated political tensions, because it has highlighted the impact of China’s dam-building policy on the environment and on water ...

We pretend that people are not condemned to the caste system, Mari Marcel Thekaekara writes. In 1996, I listened in disbelief as Martin Macwan, a dalit leader, told a Delhi gathering, ‘I am ashamed that as a dalit, working with my people for over 10 years, I did not know that balmiki people still carry shit on their heads everyday of ...

Anyone who has ever traveled abroad will tell you that no matter where you go, no matter how developed the country it is that you’re travelling to, if you are a British national or a Caucasian American, the doors become friendlier. The security becomes less pressurising. Visa queues are shorter. Procedures are simpler. If you’re a brown Pakistani man (or ...

[Ben Rich|The Conversation] Islamic State (IS) was quick to claim responsibility for bombings at two major transportation hubs in Brussels on Tuesday that left at least 30 people dead. With attacks like these, the group is seeking to sow fear among its enemies, maintain itself as the forerunner in the global jihadi brand war with al-Qaeda, and maintain the veneer ...

[By Shashi Tharoor] NEW DELHI – A number of seemingly unrelated controversies in India actually have one important element in common: They all relate to criminal offenses codified by India’s British imperial rulers in the mid-nineteenth century that India has proved unable or unwilling to outgrow. The problematic features of the British-drafted Indian Penal Code include the prohibition of “sedition,” ...

[By Brahma Chellaney] NEW DELHI – As US President Barack Obama prepares to embark on an historic visit to Cuba, the future of the communist-ruled island is the subject of widespread speculation. Some observers are hoping that the ongoing shift toward capitalism, which has been occurring very gradually for five years under Raúl Castro’s direction, will naturally lead Cuba toward ...

Answer by Sanyam Gupta: FISCAL DEFICIT The government had set an ambitious target of reaching a 3.5% fiscal deficit from 3.9% last year though this target is hugely expected to be revised: A) PAYMENTS One Rank One Pension: As defined ‘same pension, for same rank, for same length of service, irrespective of the date of retirement’, is going to lead ...

Answer by Gaurav Agarwalla: Budget 2016-17 is a mixed bag. If I was to be a economist I would give it 3.5/5. IMPORTANT Pros for AAM AADMI: Focus on agricultural Economics and agrarian crisis. PM Crop Insurance Scheme and PM irrigation scheme are emphasised and heavily allocated with resources.( “The total allocation for agriculture and farmers’ welfare is Rs. 35,984 ...