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Tuesday, July 22, 2025
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The FinePrint

Annamalai, Kishan Reddy, Vijayendra—why BJP’s war horses in South are running out of steam

Now that PM Modi is in his third term, perhaps the BJP is losing the will to fight in the southern states. It would rather consolidate its gains in the north.

Rajasthan is going all out to save the great Indian bustard. Its next big step—rewilding

Hand-fed and protected, artificially incubated great Indian bustards have been raised like pets at Jaisalmer's two conservation breeding centres. But their progeny hold the key to rewilding.

MP govt wanted pvt players to run its hospitals, set up colleges. The pushback is forcing a rethink

In MP’s Sidhi, the Mohan Yadav-led govt’s proposal to privatise district hospital has drawn flak from patients, doctors, patient rights groups & even some within the ruling BJP.

Indians don’t know how their credit scores are calculated. CIBIL needs govt oversight

A lower CIBIL score enables banks to charge higher interest rates. This raises questions about a concerning nexus between financial institutions and credit bureaus.

Taliban’s Afghanistan has become a giant prison for women. The world couldn’t care less

Following 9/11, former first lady of the US, Laura Bush, said, ‘The fight against terrorism is also a fight for the rights and dignity of women.’ Except, it wasn’t.

Tollywood trade union is ‘bleeding’ Bengali cinema—forced hires, work limits, boycotts

Bengal’s film industry is in the throes of an existential crisis as union rules hike costs, block talent, and stall shoots. Film projects have plunged from 134 in 2023 to just 37 this year.

Vibrant village programme bringing people back to LAC villages; tourists knocking

Out-migration from border villages emboldens the Chinese to further expand their territorial claims beyond the existing deployment.

UP, Bihar and the dancing women obsession

Forced to perform socially sanctioned sleaze, young women in UP and Bihar fight a daily battle against exploitation and danger—both on and off stage.

Ajmer Dargah survey isn’t about righting historic wrongs. It’s an assault on Indian history

There is nothing a premodern Muslim ruler, teacher, or devotee could ever do to be accepted as Indian by the far Right—even if premodern Hindus accepted or even worshipped them.

It’s too much to hope for BJP to give up Mandir-Masjid or for Indians to say enough is enough

Were Indian Muslims right to reject Babri compromise? Sambhal, Ajmer is what they said would happen.

On Camera

Bihar mimics 19th-century American South. Citizenship is now weaponised to exclude voters

Disenfranchisement by institutional fiat is profoundly undemocratic. The effect of the ECI's new documentary process in Bihar will tilt the scales in favour of the BJP.

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.

Not just AK-203, India & Russia to jointly manufacture AK-19 and PPK-20 for domestic use and export 

India-Russia JV is also racing to deliver 7,000 more AK-203 assault rifles by 15 Aug. These are currently being made with 50% indigenisation and this will surge to 100% by 31 December.

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.