Page 104 - Editorial Comment

Another regulatory spat: Govt must insist on independent payments regulator

Following certain recommendations of an inter-ministerial committee, an element of controversy seems to be brewing over the location and leadership of the proposed regulator

Too much disturbance

Trai's solutions remain inadequate

Just hope will not do: India's farmers need much more than PM-Aasha

While the farmers view the PM-Aasha as old wine in new bottles, the state governments consider it financially burdensome

The Isro tragedy: Who will be held accountable for a cooked-up spy case?

Not only did the careers of Chandrasekhar, Narayanan and D Sasikumar collapse, but also the development of cryogenic engines based on Russian technology suffered, as did Indo-Russian co-operation

Sebi should be complimented for trying to give investors a fair deal

By reducing the total expense ratio of mutual funds, the markets regulator has walked the talk

Too sweet to handle: Yogi's statement on sugar is wrong at many levels

UP CM Adityanath exhorted farmers to grow less sugarcane as too much sugar caused diabetes; he should realise his state's farmers produce too much sugar because his govt is incentivising them to do so

Bank consolidation blues: Forced mergers could be a tricky affair

After it merged five associate banks into SBI last year and followed it up with LIC's proposed takeover of IDBI Bank, govt is now amalgamating Bank of Baroda, Dena, and Vijaya Bank

Beyond RSS charm offensive: Time to bridge gaps between words and action

A single speech cannot undo the damage RSS and its affiliates have wrought on Indian society; cynics may suggest his statement is little more than paying lip service to India's diversity

Govt must respond to horticulture challenge by taking a more proactive role

Some significant agriculture trends emerging from the ministry's latest crop estimates for 2017-18 call for pertinent policy responses

Indian boards need to take their fiduciary duties more seriously

In recent months, the almost wholesale abdication of responsibility by corporate boards has given away India Inc's relative institutional immaturity

Positive signals, but

India still has a lot of catching up to do in HDI

Govt's economic fire-fighting

A mix of good and bad in recent announcements

Allow on-court coaching

The opaque nature of the rule makes it redundant

10 years of Lehman collapse: What has changed since, and what has not

The genuine changes are under the surface - and those too need to be examined carefully to see if they still retain their usefulness as crisis resolution becomes less of a priority

Transparency on Rafale deal: The govt must explain these key issues

The govt's response to the Opposition's campaign against the purchase of 36 Rafale fighters from France has not been open enough, encouraging the impression that it has something to hide

Ailing Indian exports made only worse by confusing GST notifications

While efficiency-enhancing govt reform has not materialised, the persistent overvaluation of the rupee means relative prices of Indian exports globally do not get any help from that quarter either

What after Jack Ma? Succession plan deepens speculation on Alibaba's future

The "accidental" businessman, who will step down as executive chairman of Alibaba in 12 months, is almost synonymous with Asia's most valuable company

NPA uncertainty: Supreme Court decision will muddy the waters further

SC has stayed further moves against the power sector by its creditors, transferred all pleas in various courts to itself and directed RBI to maintain the status quo until the plea is heard in November

When the saffron 'parivar' betrayed its discomfort with non-supporters

BJP chief Amit Shah on Sunday openly praised Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the Pune police crackdown on five activists by the law enforcement agencies

Closed chapter: Bandhs are no longer a useful protest technique

The bandh rarely enjoyed much traction among the electorate even during the notoriously inefficient, inward-looking licence raj