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Sunday, February 15, 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.
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On Camera

YourTurn

Opinion

How Nehru defended restrictions on freedom of speech and the press

Jawaharlal Nehru -
On 29 May 1951, Jawaharlal Nehru defended adding 'reasonable restrictions' to Article 19, arguing that free speech must be balanced with national security and unity.

Rakhi Sawant understands virality better than Bollywood. Give her a talk show already

Blackheads keep coming back? What you are doing wrong

Economy

Andhra proposes Rs 100-cr wealth fund, eyes Norway-style sovereign fund model to drive growth

Prasad Nichenametla -
Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav presented a Rs 3.32 lakh crore budget for 2026–27 in the assembly Saturday.

Defence

Top US military commander applauds ‘India’s tactical execution’ during Op Sindoor; adds ‘there’s lessons too’

Snehesh Alex Philip -
On bilateral ties, Admiral Paparo said India-US ties have an exponential effect on deterrence, because it demonstrates a unity of purpose among us to maintain the peace.

National Interest

The new Great Game—Trump’s playing for time, China for leverage & India for wiggle room

Shekhar Gupta -
This is the game every nation is now learning to play. Some are finding new allies or seeing value among nations where they’d seen marginal interest. The starkest example is India & Europe.

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