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Editorials

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Budget’s first steps to secure gig workers

Editorials

Updated on Feb 02, 2025 09:14 PM IST

Given the vulnerability of gig workers — estimated to reach 23.2 million by 2030 — some manner of solution needs to be teased out from welfare schemes

Implementation is where legislative measures to give social security to gig workers have been foiled, given the complexities and challenges that mark the changing nature of work the gig economy represents REUTERS/Rupak De Chowduri/File Photo (REUTERS)

ByHT Editorial

Destabilising the world economy

United States President Donald Trump may have set off a tariff war that will trigger chaos and disruption that affects the world

That Trump does not appreciate that the interdependence of complex economies is only a part of the problem (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) (AP)

Editorials

Updated on Feb 02, 2025 09:11 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

A budget that ticks all boxes

The generous tax relief package for the middle class should boost consumption and act as a stimulus for the economy.

Ranchi, Feb 01 (ANI): People watch the live telecast of Union Budget 2025 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha of the Parliament, at a television showroom in Ranchi on Saturday. (ANI Photo) (Somnath Sen)

Editorials

Published on Feb 01, 2025 11:26 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Road map to Viksit Bharat

The 2024-25 Economic Survey emphasizes India's macroeconomic stability and calls for sustained 8% growth through domestic investment and reforms.

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala with her team of officials while giving final touches to the Union Budget 2025-26, in New Delhi, Friday, Jan. 31, 2024. (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary) (PTI)

Editorials

Updated on Jan 31, 2025 08:07 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Don’t mess with the midday meal scheme

Investing in the health of children is the first and best investment towards building a Viksit Bharat.

Ludhiana, India - July 22, 2023 : Students eating midday meal in school hours at Government School in Ludhiana. (Photo by Gurpreet Singh/Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Editorials

Updated on Jan 30, 2025 08:04 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Stop choking the consuming class

The call for a rational income tax regime in India grows as the tax base remains narrow, with heavy reliance on the already taxed consuming classes.

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: India's Ministry of Finance building is silhouetted against the setting sun in New Delhi April 2, 2015. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo/File Photo (REUTERS)

Editorials

Updated on Jan 30, 2025 08:03 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

The tragedy at Maha Kumbh

Managing a crowd of tens of millions is a tall task, but better planning can prevent a repeat of Wednesday’s stampede

Indian Hindu devotees arrive for a holy dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers, on the eve of the 'Mauni Amavasya' or new moon day during the Maha Kumbh festival, in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh) (AP)

Editorials

Published on Jan 29, 2025 08:34 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

The messaging in Uttarakhand’s UCC

With several states indicating that they’ll follow Uttarakhand’s limited UCC model, it is clear the BJP has found a workable solution

Dehradun: In this image by @pushkardhami on Jan. 27, 2025, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at an event to announce the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), in Dehradun, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (@pushkardhami via PTI Photo)(PTI01_27_2025_000088B) (@pushkardhami)

Editorials

Updated on Jan 29, 2025 08:34 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Tread carefully on the Himalayas

The GLOF in Sikkim underscores climate crisis impacts; while dam redesign aims to enhance safety, experts warn mega hydro projects in the Himalayas are risky.

Shimla: Snow-covered Himalayas mountain range, seen from Shimla, Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. (PTI Photo)(PTI02_09_2024_000167A)(PTI12_30_2024_000217A) (PTI)

Editorials

Updated on Jan 27, 2025 08:21 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

MAGA won’t gain from weaponising tariffs

If the Trump administration doesn’t balance things, MAGA could very well end up as a project targeting smaller allies, rather than real competitors.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: A Pro-Trump supporter holding a MAGA hat stands outside of the United States Capitol before the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Jim Vondruska / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP) (Getty Images via AFP)

Editorials

Updated on Jan 27, 2025 08:21 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Surviving in politics without perks of office

Increasingly, parties that lose office or fail to win power are finding it difficult to retain leaders and legislators

Access to funds and the ability to extend patronage is central to the political economy of power, especially when political outfits lack a larger purpose of public good or ideology

Editorials

Published on Jan 26, 2025 08:53 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Closure in the 26/11 attacks

Tahawwur Rana’s extradition will help NIA unearth more details about Pakistan’s role in plotting the Mumbai terror strike

It is necessary that Rana , like Kasab, is made to stand trial in an Indian court and held accountable for his role in the crime (Hindustan Times)

Editorials

Updated on Jan 27, 2025 09:58 AM IST

ByHT Editorial

How the budget can deliver Viksit Bharat

Budget FY26 consultations stress tackling economic headwinds, while prioritizing Make in India, farm prosperity, sustainability, and women-led development.

New Delhi, India - Feb. 1, 2024: Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of Finance along with Bhagwat Karad and Pankaj Chaudhary MOS Finance leaves the Finance Ministry carrying the Finance Budget ahead of the presentation of interim Budget 2024 in Parliament at North Block in New Delhi, India, on Thursday, February 1, 2024. (Photo by Sanchit Khanna/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Editorials

Updated on Jan 24, 2025 08:10 PM IST

ByAnish Shah

UGC opens new front in federalism battle

The UGC draft threatens to annul the state law, usurp the powers of appointment from the state executive and invest it in the office of the governor.

The UGC draft, effectively, threatens to annul the state law, usurp the powers of appointment from the state executive and invest it in the office of the governor.. HT Photo By Sonu Mehta

Editorials

Updated on Jan 23, 2025 08:18 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Spare the H-1B visa programme

Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential elections has come on the back of support from a very diverse coalition

TH-1B is a key (although not as key as it once was) pillar of the business model of the IT industry in India. / AFP PHOTO / OZAN KOSE (AFP)

Editorials

Updated on Jan 23, 2025 08:18 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Stop stonewalling talks on Indus treaty

The neutral expert’s ruling this week that he is competent to adjudicate on the issue is a vindication of India’s position

The Indus Waters Treaty is undoubtedly the most durable agreement between the South Asian rivals (PTI Photo/Kamal Kishore)(PTI01_27_2023_000054A) (PTI)

Editorials

Published on Jan 22, 2025 08:08 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Hurting culture with litigation

Nudity is not conflated with profanity in Indian cultural traditions. There is a long aesthetic tradition of depicting gods and goddesses in the nude

Husain, who has worked with the Ramayana and Mahabharata traditions on the advice of socialist leader Rammanohar Lohia, is hardly disrespectful to his subjects in his works

Editorials

Updated on Jan 22, 2025 08:08 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Trump-shaped climate disaster

Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and rollback of climate policies signals a return to fossil fuels, risking a worsening climate crisis.

Homes reduced to rubble by the Palisades Fire are seen in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 18, 2025. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (AFP)

Editorials

Updated on Jan 22, 2025 08:28 AM IST

ByHT Editorial

Rethinking women’s education in Kabul

Delhi could capitalise on Kabul’s need for educational infrastructure, including offering learning facilities and scholarships for girl students.

(FILES) Afghan female students studying health studies walk along a street in Kabul on December 3, 2024. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP) (AFP)

Editorials

Updated on Jan 22, 2025 08:30 AM IST

ByHT Editorial

The bovine beliefs of a man of science

What is disturbing is that Kamakoti is not alone. There is no shortage of people willing to tailor their views to suit those of the State.

Editorials

Published on Jan 20, 2025 08:34 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Engaging with President Trump

The India-US relationship has grown to such an extent that it is unlikely to be affected by a change in the White House.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump attends a service at St. John's Church on the inauguration day of his second Presidential term in Washington, U.S. January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria (REUTERS)

Editorials

Published on Jan 20, 2025 08:34 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

For Tejashwi, Lalu legacy is a mixed bag

The political survival of Tejashwi Yadav — and the RJD — will depend on him consolidating the party’s Mandal-Mandir legacy

Lalu Prasad was seen as uncompromising in furthering one of the two major strands of post-1980s national politics, Mandal, and opposing the other, Mandir. However, his legacy also includes a period in Bihar politics that was characterised by corruption, general lawlessness, and the collapse of the State and its institutions. (Photo by Santosh Kumar/ Hindustan Times)

Editorials

Published on Jan 19, 2025 08:00 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

AI challenge to electoral process

EC action on AI-generated content needs to be stringent and strictly enforced. Mere labelling won’t be enough

Deepfakes are a unique and evolving problem that needs a more dynamic solution (Getty Images)

Editorials

Published on Jan 19, 2025 07:56 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Side-stepping NEET issues

A country that needs many more doctors than it has can’t let the sanctity of the medical entrance exam come under a cloud.

Srinagar: Medical students from Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, holding placards take part in a silent protest against the reduction of Open Merit (OM) seats in postgraduate admissions under the NEET PG framework, in Srinagar, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (PTI Photo) (PTI)

Editorials

Published on Jan 17, 2025 08:33 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

The prospect of peace in Gaza

World should help firewall fragile ceasefire deal from churn in Israel politics, restart rehabilitation of Palestinians

Destroyed buildings by Israeli bombardments as seen inside the Gaza Strip from southern Israel, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) (AP)

Editorials

Published on Jan 16, 2025 09:18 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Congress’s legacy of unease with legacies

The attempt to resurrect the memory of a leader suggests a belated move on the part of the leadership to honour Rao’s memory and claim his legacy

NEW DELHI, INDIA - JANUARY 14: Final touches of Indira Bhavan - Indian National Congress Headquarter, on the eve of the Inauguration, in New Delhi India on January 14,2024. (HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)

Editorials

Published on Jan 16, 2025 09:18 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Russian roulette for Indian jobseekers

It is perplexing that this issue has not been resolved by the Russian side despite being taken up at meetings of the top leaders on two separate occasions

It is unclear how many are currently serving in the Russian army or are with units engaged in the fighting with Ukraine. Some reports have suggested a handful of Indians have been reluctant to give up their jobs in the Russian military, perhaps because of the pressure to recoup the huge amounts they paid to recruitment agents. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP) (AP)

Editorials

Published on Jan 15, 2025 08:07 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

The meat of the obesity problem

The Lancet urges a shift from BMI to better obesity metrics, emphasizing the need for accurate assessments to address rising obesity rates, especially in India.

A man uses measuring tape on his waist in California on Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/JoNel Aleccia) (AP)

Editorials

Updated on Jan 15, 2025 08:07 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

When Establishment memorialises Orwell

To honor George Orwell’s 75th death anniversary, the Royal Mint released a special 2-pound coin celebrating his novel 1984, reflecting on his complex legacy.

This photo, provided by The Royal Mint on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, shows a portrait of George Orwell and a new £2 coin. (The Royal Mint/PinPep via AP) (AP)

Editorials

Updated on Jan 14, 2025 08:21 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

Worry over a falling rupee

A strong currency is no reflection of a strong economy. Exchange rates are best left to economists to manage

Editorials

Published on Jan 14, 2025 08:20 PM IST

ByHT Editorial

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News / Editorials

Editorials

Given the vulnerability of gig workers — estimated to reach 23.2 million by 2030 — some manner of solution needs to be teased out from welfare schemes

United States President Donald Trump may have set off a tariff war that will trigger chaos and disruption that affects the world

The generous tax relief package for the middle class should boost consumption and act as a stimulus for the economy.

The 2024-25 Economic Survey emphasizes India's macroeconomic stability and calls for sustained 8% growth through domestic investment and reforms.

Investing in the health of children is the first and best investment towards building a Viksit Bharat.

The call for a rational income tax regime in India grows as the tax base remains narrow, with heavy reliance on the already taxed consuming classes.

Managing a crowd of tens of millions is a tall task, but better planning can prevent a repeat of Wednesday’s stampede

With several states indicating that they’ll follow Uttarakhand’s limited UCC model, it is clear the BJP has found a workable solution

The GLOF in Sikkim underscores climate crisis impacts; while dam redesign aims to enhance safety, experts warn mega hydro projects in the Himalayas are risky.

If the Trump administration doesn’t balance things, MAGA could very well end up as a project targeting smaller allies, rather than real competitors.

Increasingly, parties that lose office or fail to win power are finding it difficult to retain leaders and legislators

Tahawwur Rana’s extradition will help NIA unearth more details about Pakistan’s role in plotting the Mumbai terror strike

Budget FY26 consultations stress tackling economic headwinds, while prioritizing Make in India, farm prosperity, sustainability, and women-led development.

The UGC draft threatens to annul the state law, usurp the powers of appointment from the state executive and invest it in the office of the governor.

Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential elections has come on the back of support from a very diverse coalition

The neutral expert’s ruling this week that he is competent to adjudicate on the issue is a vindication of India’s position

Nudity is not conflated with profanity in Indian cultural traditions. There is a long aesthetic tradition of depicting gods and goddesses in the nude

Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and rollback of climate policies signals a return to fossil fuels, risking a worsening climate crisis.

Delhi could capitalise on Kabul’s need for educational infrastructure, including offering learning facilities and scholarships for girl students.

What is disturbing is that Kamakoti is not alone. There is no shortage of people willing to tailor their views to suit those of the State.

The India-US relationship has grown to such an extent that it is unlikely to be affected by a change in the White House.

The political survival of Tejashwi Yadav — and the RJD — will depend on him consolidating the party’s Mandal-Mandir legacy

EC action on AI-generated content needs to be stringent and strictly enforced. Mere labelling won’t be enough

A country that needs many more doctors than it has can’t let the sanctity of the medical entrance exam come under a cloud.

World should help firewall fragile ceasefire deal from churn in Israel politics, restart rehabilitation of Palestinians

The attempt to resurrect the memory of a leader suggests a belated move on the part of the leadership to honour Rao’s memory and claim his legacy

It is perplexing that this issue has not been resolved by the Russian side despite being taken up at meetings of the top leaders on two separate occasions

The Lancet urges a shift from BMI to better obesity metrics, emphasizing the need for accurate assessments to address rising obesity rates, especially in India.

To honor George Orwell’s 75th death anniversary, the Royal Mint released a special 2-pound coin celebrating his novel 1984, reflecting on his complex legacy.

A strong currency is no reflection of a strong economy. Exchange rates are best left to economists to manage

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