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Sunday, January 18, 2026
TopicState

Topic: state

An American helped IAS officers like me ask the right questions—why James Scott is important

Scott looked at the State as it is—based on its functions rather than through the prism of Kautilya's Arthashastra, Machiavelli’s The Prince, or the Marxist concept.

India’s State institutions are failing citizens because they were built to control, not govern

While centralising elements are necessary at times, the problem is that India’s institutions have not evolved along with the country’s growth.

Modi govt must treat farmers as businessmen & introduce ease of doing agri-business index

If Narendra Modi wants to double farmers’ incomes, then the Centre has to create a system that can rank states according to agricultural performance.

Centre gives a lot of money to states for social welfare. A good policy, but only on paper

In the last 18 years, the Centre spent Rs 14 lakh crore on social services. But centrally sponsored schemes are undermining state say.

Bengali Muslims are not sure where they belong this Lok Sabha election

TMC’s electoral games to garner Muslim votes in Bengal and BJP’s NRC push has made an entire community vulnerable to statelessness.

After Lok Sabha polls, new govt must be wary of big-bang ideas that lead to bad outcomes

From bank nationalisation to demonetisation, the Indian state often rushed into things it was not able to handle well.

State regulation in India – the art of rolling over rather than rolling back

Regulatory bodies were created to de-politicise decision making. But in India, something different has happened.

Of mindless words and a vacuum of ideas: Indian politics under Modi reflects emptiness

Indians have ceased to be ‘argumentative’; instead, they have started surrendering. There’s no intellectual debate; only status-seeking, clever discourse. The very popular, but quite cynical, perception...

On Camera

Harmlessly mean is the new flirting strategy. It comes in 2 flavours—negging & rage-baiting

Most people can tell the difference between someone being harmlessly mean and someone who simply enjoys tearing down another person’s self-esteem.

Wharton India Economic Forum: How India’s sustainability transition is turning pragmatic

Experts discuss India’s sustainability journey and how it is evolving from a narrative of climate intent to one grounded in economics, infrastructure, and long-term returns.

The curious case of Pakistan’s JF-17 ‘orders’

Pakistan lacks capacity to deliver aircraft at pace suggested by its claimed contracts as it depends on China for avionics, electronic warfare, weapons, and on Russia for engines. 

Pakistan se azaadi. Grow up India, stop giving it prime real estate in your psyche

Pakistan not only has zero chance of catching up with India in most areas, but will inevitably see the gap rising. Its leaders will offer its people the same snake oil in different bottles.