Full Circle: Tunnel Light; Big League
Opinion Watch
Full Circle
Several dailies in their respective Editorials have shed spotlight on political career of Sharad Pawar, concurring that the master strategist who could split parties and alliances at will is facing a test of his art in the winter of his life. The Tribune in its Editorial has said that Pawar’s loosening of the grip on his party, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will have consequences for the Opposition unity.
The Indian Express and The Asian Age too have commented on the Maharashtra development, while noting that the Opposition camp has been rocked at the very start, and certainly this is not going to be the last test of the non-BJP parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The dailies have concurred that Pawar has been outsmarted by his nephew Ajit Pawar, who became a deputy chief minister for a third occasion.
Maharashtra in the last five years has seen only acts of political machinations to form and topple governments. The state reports over Rs 20,000 crores in GST collections, almost double than second spot taker Karnataka, and Maharashtra surely deserves a better political class.
Tunnel Light
The Telegraph, while commenting on the Repo Rate at 6.5 per cent and inflation on slope downward, has opined that inflationary pressure affected the private consumption and the capital formation, which are key to the growth of the economy. The daily argued that lowering interest rates may prove daunting, for cyclical flare up process stoking inflation once more.
The Kolkata-based daily reasoned that the price stability, necessary for lowering the interest rates, may not be guaranteed in the near future. It noted that high cost of borrowing is having a telling effect on expenditure.
A better Monsoon augurs well for the price management and the improving global supply chains should enable the Reserve Bank of India to show agility in adjusting the interest rates. The government also should lower stinging taxes on fuels to leave disposable incomes in the hands of the middle class.
Big League
The Economic Times in its Editorial has said that India is the seventh most represented country in the QS World University Rankings 2024, accounting for 45 Indian institutions in the club of 2900. Yet, the daily said, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) slipped out of the top 225.
The business daily stressed that the Indian institutions need to stress on research activities, while improving on quality of teaching (faculty-student ratio, faculty recruitment and retention) and internationalization (student and faculty composition).
Fact of the matter is that India has hardly made any progress except for the IIT-Mumbai in gaining place of eminence on the world stage. The ambitious plan for which the tag of institute of eminence was launched has also been a victim of sloganeering by elite speakers’ club led by the likes of gaslighters Amitab Kant and his tribe.
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