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The FinePrint

Beti Bachao an empty slogan in Haryana now. Sex ratio falls again, 9 districts at crisis point

Haryana is slipping again and Beti Bachao has become just another govt programme. Targets, slogans, incentives are all lost in the great Indian bureaucratic complacency.

Ram wasn’t always top god in India. Political chaos, conflict with Turks elevated him

For centuries, Ram was considered a semi-divine hero and ideal king, not a supreme god. It’s only from the 1200s that major Ram temples were built.

Why FDI in India is lowest in 16 yrs — no real ease of doing business, ill-considered treaty moves

As percentage of GDP, gross & net FDI are lowest since mid-2000s. ‘Rigidities’ in doing business here, and India’s decision to terminate bilateral treaties are to blame, analysts say.

Kharge as INDIA bloc’s PM candidate kills 2 birds with 1 stone for Mamata and Kejriwal

Mamata Banerjee floated the idea during the 4th meeting of the INDIA bloc on 19 December, with backing from Kejriwal. Now crowned as INDIA chief, Kharge seems like a logical choice.

Iran’s dramatic airstrikes on Pakistan have brought Middle East proxy war too close to home

As Pakistan faces multiple internal crises, from its economy to terrorist violence, it now has to contend with a battle with its volatile western neighbour.

When did large Hindu temples come into being? Not before 500 AD

Dharmashastras opposed temple-based religious and ritual activities. Vishnu Smriti says that Vedic recitation shouldn't be conducted 'in a temple, in a cemetery, at a crossroads, or on a road.'

A Mumbai police officer is dog’s best friend. He files FIRs against cruelty

Sudhir Kudalkar of MHB police station is on a mission to save street dogs. He has become a social media darling with nearly 50,000 followers on Instagram.

Ramanandis’ historical foes in Ayodhya were Sanyasis, not Muslims — the sect & its claim to Ram temple

Ram Janmabhoomi trust general secretary Champat Rai's claim that Ram temple 'belongs' to Ramanandis has put focus on large & influential sect, whose origins are shrouded in mystery.

Darbhanga to Deoghar, small towns are dreaming big with UDAN airports. With some turbulence

PM Modi's ambitious UDAN scheme, launched in 2016, has introduced 517 new flying routes and 76 airports in small towns and cities over the past 7 years. But flight path has been bumpy.

Congress boycott right. Ayodhya event not about Ram, but coronates Hindutva as state religion

To accept that the spectacle about to be staged in Ayodhya can be extricated from politics is to sanctify the falsification of our living memory.

On Camera

MBBS guidelines for students with disabilities reduce a life to a limb

The guidelines ask whether a student can climb stairs, but not whether the college has a ramp. They ask whether a student can bear weight, but not whether the system can bear the weight of its own prejudice.

How mining, manufacturing & power sectors weighed on India’s industrial output since January 2024

India’s industrial output growth saw a 10-month low in June, with Index of Industrial Production (IIP) growing by mere 1.5% as against 1.9% in May 2025.

Legacy of Air Chief Marshal LM Katre, the man who flew Spitfires & ushered IAF into a modern era

ACM Katre was 2nd IAF chief to die in harness. It was at a memorial lecture in his honour where IAF chief AP Singh revealed that India shot down 6 Pakistani aircraft in Op Sindoor.

Modi’s ready to risk it all for farmers. Farm reform can answer Trump with new Green Revolution

Standing up to America is usually not a personal risk for a leader in India. Any suggestions of foreign pressure unites India behind who they see as leading them in that fight.