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Wednesday, July 23, 2025
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The FinePrint

Agra’s centuries-old footwear industry has a new challenge—quality control

In Agra, shoemakers fear the change and disruption in the old ways of doing things. Industry associations fear fallouts, while workers are worried that they’ll be laid off.

Ethnicity was manipulated to control Manipur insurgency–the hate this unleashed set it on fire

Finding resolutions to identity conflict needs genuine democratic institution building, which will allow communities to meaningfully exercise power over their own lives.

Gita Press at 100—the cultural powerhouse made Hinduism relatable, affordable, portable

Gita Press has found the most formidable patron in PM Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to visit Gorakhpur next week. The Hindi publishing house's moment in the national story has never been more aligned. 

Modi’s Parliament inaugural was an elaborate mimicry. It displayed the sham that is New India

The first republic’s founders were dedicated to building institutions. The second republic’s custodians are devoted to entrenching a cult of personality.

The India tech layoffs story isn’t all gloom and doom. But there’s a ‘40-40 problem’

In India, there is life after layoffs — even if it is in WhatsApp groups and LinkedIn, and in start-ups such as Koo.

Rahul Gandhi’s acceptability as PM nearly doubled since 2014. More than half are non-Congress

There’s an increase in proportion of people willing to vote for Congress ‘if elections were held tomorrow’. But this appears to be coming at the cost of ‘other’ parties, not BJP.

Darjeeling tea estates are now luxury tourism hotspots. Taj Hotels offering leaf picking, spa

With the West Bengal govt's push for opening homestays and creating more jobs, private players are being bullish on expanding tea estate tourism in the city.

Opposition can’t junk everything BJP & not all opposition corrupt. Need working relationship

The BJP cannot preach vasudhaiva kutumbakam abroad while the Indian parliament is itself a house divided.

Bihar’s Dalit women at the mercy of greedy doctors—robbed of uterus in 2012, kidneys now

Bihar has changed, but not for poor Dalit women who continue to be victims of doctors running blacklisted clinics. They end up with stolen uterus or kidneys—and a huge financial debt.

China’s G20 Srinagar game plan was hollow. PoK to Taiwan to Tibet, India can turn the table

Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia will soon realise the drawbacks of aligning with China by boycotting G20 Srinagar meet. India's economy must be prepared.

On Camera

Jagdeep Dhankhar’s abrupt exit says three things about the Modi govt

The reason Jagdeep Dhankhar got so far in the Modi era was that he was willing to function as an effective hatchet man for the government.

India-US set to ink mini trade deal soon, reach understanding on agricultural & dairy products

Mini deal will likely see no cut in 10% baseline tariff on Indian exports announced by Trump on 2 April, it is learnt, but additional 26% tariffs are set to be reduced.

Indian firm sets up titanium, superalloy plants to meet global need. Safran, Dassault, BAE line up

PTC Industries is investing Rs 1,000 cr in 4 manufacturing plants in UP, has already started supplying titanium parts to BAE Systems for its M-777 howitzers that India also uses.

Strategic partner one day, tactical nightmare the next: India’s learning Trumplomacy the hard way

Public, loud, upfront, filled with impropriety and high praise sometimes laced with insults. This is what we call Trumplomacy. But the larger objective is the same: American supremacy.