Daily Hindu Editorials

💥The chilling details of the Kathua rape are important, but so is the disturbing politics behind it The tragic and gruesome rape and killing of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua, Jammu, with a blatantly communal agenda (as suggested by the details that have come to light in the charge sheet filed by the Jammu and Kashmir police), and the events following it, demonstrate a descent into the deepest levels of depravity. This is shocking even for India where a swiftly accumulating record of lynchings, rape and brutalisation on the grounds of caste and religion is being allowed to happen not only with impunity but also, and often, with support and protection from members of the political establishment. 👉Overcoming obstacles In this case, a minor belonging to a marginalised community of Bakherwals, a nomadic tribe based in the Pir Panjal and Himalayan mountains, was abducted, raped and murdered in January this year. An investigation was launched and completed with the efforts o...

💥A mere wish to be praised as a global or regional power should not be allowed to guide our foreign policy There is a lot of talk these days, not so much among government circles as among the ‘strategic community’, about India being a major or even global power, with the capability, even responsibility, to play an ‘important role’ on the world stage as a balancing power between major powers and as a ‘security provider’ to others. We need to temper this rhetoric, be more realistic and less ambitious. The dividing line between national pride and national ego can be thin. 👉 Nehru’s vision India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was convinced that India was bound to play an increasing and beneficent part in world affairs. He had developed a zeal for diplomacy that was not backed by the needed military and economic hard power. He was banking on our moral high ground because he and the nation were proud of the non-violent manner in which we had achieved our indepe...

💥The Mecca Masjid acquittals will reinforce cynicism about the state of the justice system The acquittal of five suspects in the Mecca Masjid bomb blast case is likely to reinforce public cynicism in the country about the state of the criminal justice system. Regardless of whether the acquittal was owing to the innocence of Swami Aseemanand and four others belonging to a Hindu right-wing group, or because the prosecuting agency lacked the resolve and freedom to obtain their conviction, the outcome is undoubtedly a substantial denial of justice for a crime that killed nine people and injured many others. It also shattered the lives of dozens of Muslims who were taken into custody by the Hyderabad police in the immediate aftermath of the blast in May 2007; their arbitrary incarceration, alleged custodial torture and the protracted court hearings amounted to grave miscarriage of justice. It has a striking similarity to the Malegaon blasts in Maharashtra: a group of Muslims being port...

💥The sudden cash crunch shows that remonetisation remains a work in progress Nearly 18 months after the government’s decision to scrap currency notes of ₹500 and ₹1,000, which accounted for over 86% of the currency in circulation at the time, large parts of India are in the throes of a severe cash crunch again. The government started acting belatedly on Tuesday in response to reports of cash shortages from States including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh over a fortnight. Terming the shortage a manifestation of an ‘unusual spurt in currency demand’ over three months, the Finance Ministry has emphasised that the first 13 days of April recorded an increase in currency supply of ₹45,000 crore. Yet, thousands of automated teller machines are either not functioning or not dispensing adequate cash as banks are reluctant to divert cash to them at the cost of customers visiting branches for withdrawals. The Ministry has asserted that over ₹1.75 lakh crore of cash l...

💥The improving fundamentals owe more to favourable external circumstances than to domestic policy choices. The Indian economy is currently growing at about 7%, after dipping below 6% following demonetisation. It is projected to grow over 7% this year. That is faster than China’s growth rate and makes India effectively the fastest-growing economy in the world. The Indian economy’s foundations have also been strengthened in the last few years. Inflation has come down to the 4-5% range. Trade balances with the rest of the world have improved, and the current account deficit has come down to about 1.5% of GDP. India has also systematically built up its foreign exchange reserves — now a comfortable $420 billion. These figures appear to tell the story of a dynamic economy. But is it truly that rosy a picture? Deeper analysis indicates that growth may be overstated and the economy prone to significant vulnerabilities. 👉Kinks to iron out In order for growth to be both high...

💥Stopping short of implementing the RERA Act will adversely affect the State governments and builders in the long run The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, mandatorily requires promoters to register all real estate projects with the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) in their respective States. This registration is vital for any real estate project, because even the marketing of a project without this registration is illegal. Naturally, the existence of the RERA and the rules which govern its procedure are important prerequisites to such registration. Almost two years have passed since the enactment of the Act, but there are still some States which are yet to put in place these basic requirements. In Kerala, for instance, there is only an authority and no rules, while in West Bengal, the draft rules haven’t been notified yet. The period set for States and Union Territories to establish the RERA and notify the rules lapsed on July 31, 2017. In States wh...