scorecardresearch
Add as a preferred source on Google
Friday, January 23, 2026
TopicState of the State

Topic: State of the State

‘State of The State’ is a series by Sanjeev Chopra that analyses policy, civil services, and governance in India. 

Sanjeev Chopra is a historian and Festival Director of Valley of Words. Till recently, he was the Director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration.

UPSC debarring Puja Khedkar isn’t enough. Those who conspired with her must be punished too

Sanjeev Chopra -
Those like us will draw the lesson that while passing executive instructions or quasi-judicial orders, attention should be paid not just ‘to the spirit, but also to the letter of the law’.

Statue of Unity is central to IAS officers for Modi’s Aarambh course

Sanjeev Chopra -
Patel integrated all the 562 princely states and laid the foundations of a strong civil service structure. All fresh entrants must take their inspiration from his works.

India’s Amul milk model has a lot to teach its state cereals, pulses procurement schemes

Sanjeev Chopra -
Only when the procurement of an entire range of commodities – from Manipur oranges and Uttarkashi apples to Sunderban raw honey– is put on an even and transparent keel will India’s rural economy grow.

For SMART police, India needs to train constables in law, forensics, tech. Not just their bodies

Sanjeev Chopra -
For long, ‘order’ took precedence over ‘law’ in India. It’s time to select the right constables.

NAFED, IFFCO, ICAR can fix India’s food security by going global

Sanjeev Chopra -
Our leading agribusiness organisations and farmers can set up agriculture operations in Central Asia, Latin America, and Africa where arable lands are aplenty.

NTA exam centres for IITs, AIIMS set to go global. Next wave in Indian education

Sanjeev Chopra -
From wresting the ICS exam from the UK to Delhi to the rise of IITs, India has come a long way. There's no stopping now.

Why Murshidabad lost out to Calcutta—Unlike Mughals, British didn’t depend on banking families

+TFP Sanjeev Chopra -
Murshidabad was one of the first districts established by the East Indian Company. Now Mamata Banerjee govt is set to trifurcate it.

Modi govt takes IAS promotions to next level—Additional, Joint Secretary now come closer

Sanjeev Chopra -
Under the new system, even though the undersecretary will be promoted to a deputy secretary and then to a director, the function will remain the same.

India has 71 towns, cities under Police Commissionerate. It just creates hierarchy

Sanjeev Chopra -
There is a need to re-examine not just the 1861 Police Act, but also the colonial practice of four-stage recruitment and the non-involvement of city governments in law and order.

India is understaffed. PM’s nudge to fill lakhs of public sector job is affordable and doable

Sanjeev Chopra -
From teachers to doctors to IAS officers, India has lakhs of vacancies. Keeping them empty hurts our Sustainable Development Goals.
Load more

On Camera

YourTurn

Opinion

Palak paneer prejudice and the food racism Indians face abroad

Amana Begam -
This is a case of conflict within a multicultural society. The question is, how can minority practices that offend majority sensibility coexist in the same place and be reconciled?

Fear comes to India’s property developers

Trump’s fight for Greenland has shaken his most committed European allies—the Far-Right

Economy

RBI to focus on pace of Rupee’s drop, strategists say

Malavika Kaur Makol -
The RBI has spent $45 billion since October to defend the currency, according to estimates by Kotak Mahindra Bank.

Defence

Rafale saga: 25 yrs of detours, deadlocks & political hesitation. Now IAF getting what it always wanted

+TFP Snehesh Alex Philip -
Instead of buying more Mirages outright in early 2000s, the requirement was tweaked in favour of a medium-weight, multi-role fighter with Mirage-like performance. 

National Interest

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

Shekhar Gupta -
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.

Follow us

Copyright © 2025 Printline Media Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved.