In view of global supply chain fragilities and realignments, MNCs are aggressively pursuing “China Plus One strategy” to minimize the potential adverse effects on their supply chains. This provides an opportunity for India to emerge as a viable alternative destination for manufacturing due to its large domestic market, cheap labour costs and strategic location. To lure global corporations  to invest in India requires focus on enabling business policies, infrastructure development, and a greater synchronization between trade, investment, competition policies

One thing is clear: AI is no fad. It’s not even a standalone phenomenon, like the pandemic. It’s fast becoming an intrinsic part of the socio-economic fabric. And while 2025 saw some clear trends emerging, the path forward remains less than certain. The biggest source of uncertainty is whether the current trajectories will yield exponential improvements in capabilities, or will plateau, requiring fresh thinking. 

The rupee’s fall reflects a convergence of factors—a strong global dollar cycle, foreign capital outflows, and a high import bill—playing out simultaneously. Given India’s underlying fundamentals, analysts expect the exchange rate to remain range-bound rather than experience an unchecked slide.

As India aspires to become a knowledge superpower, internationalisation must be embedded at the heart of our higher education strategy. This journey transcends state boundaries. It is a national mission with global consequences. If pursued thoughtfully and inclusively, it can transform not only our universities but also our economy, society, and global standing.

The only way out for Bangladesh, the only way forward, the only way to deliver us from the current instability is to hold the elections as scheduled. This is what the Bangladeshi people want and this is what the country needs. We must all come together to make sure that it happens. The only people who benefit from elections being delayed are the enemies of the Bangladeshi people.

The Indian freedom struggle was inherently multi-religious, multilingual, and multi-ethnic, with women and men participating across communities to forge a united nation. While the Muslim League demanded Pakistan in Muslim-majority areas, the Hindu Mahasabha and RSS pursued the idea of a Hindu nation. The Constituent Assembly, however, embodied the collective will of an inclusive India and resolved symbolic questions such as Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana through dialogue and compromise.

The airline brought national disaster. The nightclub hotel was a more localised story. But both mock the nation and its growth story in their own ways, highlighting the hidden costs of a faster growth that has beaten the “Hindu rate of growth” but has brought us a disaster that unfolds at periodic intervals to shock the nation and ridicule its governance structures.

In such a world, the greatest danger is not that AI becomes alien. The danger is that humans start behaving less humanly by outsourcing thinking, surrendering responsibility, and hiding behind the machine while letting it make decisions we should be making ourselves. Leaders may find it convenient to blame the algorithm. Companies may find it profitable to exploit it. Ordinary citizens may find it easier to trust AI’s shortcuts than to cultivate patience and understanding.

IndiGo’s meltdown, telecom’s flip-flop policy history, the fragility of airport PPPs, the helplessness of education regulators—all point to one truth: India’s regulatory state is not yet strong enough to discipline the giants it has created, nor can they rein in monopolies. Until regulators regain independence, authority, and credibility, India will continue to oscillate between private excess and public helplessness. Rogue companies will be blamed, but the deeper fault will lie in a system where rules are flexible for the powerful and rigid for everyone else.

India does not need political rhetoric around its elections. It needs independent, bipartisan, and technically competent audits of its electoral infrastructure. It needs transparent review of data partnerships. It needs clear legal boundaries for foreign political consultancies and digital firms. And above all, it needs to rebuild public confidence that government is derived from consent, not calibration.

Many respected organisations in India have already achieved notable success in CSR and ESG initiatives. They lead impactful programs in renewable energy adoption, community health improvement, environmental protection, gender inclusion, education and ethical governance. Their experience and leadership are invaluable assets for the country.

The problem in the Indian context is not about the legal codes but about the on-ground working conditions that remain markedly at odds with what is professed from the corridors of power and from the boardrooms of owners and directors. When this market reality meets with a government that has not built capital with the workers and is further seen as working in favour of business lobbies, then in effect trust disappears and the government has hurt itself and the so-called reforms by pushing through measures that could trigger fierce resistance.

The real taste of the pudding, the real measure of progress, will be revealed only when the average Indian experiences opportunity, fairness and security as everyday realities. When a dispute is resolved in weeks instead of years, when a farmer receives fair price directly, when a start-up gets clearance swiftly, when a citizen is treated with respect in a government office, then only the transformation will have occurred deep down.

क्या अंग्रेज़ी ने क्षेत्रीय भाषाओं को दबाया? इतिहास इसके विपरीत संकेत देता है। शिक्षा के विस्तार ने क्षेत्रीय भाषाओं को भी मज़बूत किया। लोकमान्य तिलक ( केसरी, महारत्ता ) और गांधी ( नवजीवन ) ने क्रमशः मराठी और गुजराती में प्रभावशाली अख़बार शुरू किए। रवींद्रनाथ टैगोर (बंगाली) और मुंशी प्रेमचंद (हिंदी) जैसे साहित्यिक दिग्गज इसी दौर में फले-फूले।

Did English suppress regional languages? History suggests otherwise. The expansion of education strengthened regional languages as well. Lokmanya Tilak (Kesari, Maratha) and Gandhi (Navjivan) launched influential newspapers in Marathi and Gujarati respectively. Literary giants such as Rabindranath Tagore (Bengali} and Munshi Premchand (Hindi) flourished during this very period.