Daily Hindu Editorials

For Offline Reading => Click here 👉When you have complicated ties with neighbours, it makes sense to strengthen ties with your neighbours’ neighbours👈 Sandwiched between U.S. President Donald Trump’s acrimonious public exchanges with other leaders at the G-7 (group of seven industrialised countries) summit (June 7-8) and the headline-hogging U.S.-North Korea summit (June 12), the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Qingdao, China (June 9-10) attracted little international attention. It was the first SCO summit attended by India as a full-fledged member (It has been an observer since 2005.) The SCO grew out of the Shanghai Five grouping — of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan — which was set up in 1996 to resolve boundary disputes between China and each of the four other members. It admitted Uzbekistan in 2001, re-christened itself the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and broadened its agenda to include political, economic and security c...

For Offline Reading   =>  Click here 👉The BJP and the PDP can finally go back to being the polar opposites of each other👈 A marriage of convenience ends the moment a divorce becomes more convenient. In Jammu and Kashmir, the post-poll coalition of the two polar opposites, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Peoples Democratic Party, was never meant to coalesce into a credible pre-poll alliance. But while the PDP would have been willing to wait till the Assembly election in 2020 before breaking ties, the BJP had its compulsions for pulling out of the alliance before the Lok Sabha election next year. Both parties feed off the denominational divide, the BJP depending on the Hindu vote bank in Jammu and the PDP on the Muslim vote bank in Kashmir. Neither party’s campaign rhetoric would have appealed to the other’s support base. The divorce was thus foretold from the beginning: what was left to be decided was the most opportune moment for separation. For the BJP, the cont...

For Offline Reading   =>  Click here 👉The conduct of the board of ICICI Bank raises questions about corporate governance👈 The board of ICICI Bank has finally acted on the allegations of misconduct against its CEO and managing director, Chanda Kochhar. It had earlier maintained that she was on annual personal leave; now, she will stay away from the office till the completion of an inquiry into the charges levelled against her by a whistle-blower. Rather than allow the controversy to fester, the board of ICICI Bank, an institution that often sought to hold a mirror up to the inefficiencies of public sector banks, should have acted earlier. Till the inquiry is complete the bank will be steered by a new chief operating officer, Sandeep Bakhshi. The official version is that he will report to Ms. Kochhar, who herself took the decision to go on leave till the end of the inquiry — but this is at best a face-saving cover for a board that was reluctant to act since the contro...

For Offline Reading   =>  Click here 👉Why India urgently needs a national asylum policy👈 This month, it is five years since Nargis first arrived in Delhi. The Afghan journalist in Herat, Afghanistan had to flee her country after the Taliban threatened to kill her. But as a refugee in India, she has had no opportunity to earn a living and has been unable to rebuild her life. Today, India is host to over 200,000 refugees like her who have been forced to flee conflict and persecution in their home countries. On World Refugee Day (June 20), there is a need to reassess India’s approach to refugee protection, particularly in light of the regional refugee crisis after the mass exodus of the Rohingya from Myanmar. Traditionally, India has hosted several persecuted groups such as Tibetans and Sri Lankans. While it is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and has no domestic asylum law, it has reiterated its commitment towards the protection of refugees at va...

For Offline Reading   =>  Click here 👉When it comes to improving learning outcomes in India, we have no time to waste👈 I’m not a big fan of Elvis Presley but a line from one of his songs has stuck in my mind — “A little less conversation, a little more action, please.” When it comes to improving learning outcomes in India, we have no time to waste. No time for conference speakers to drone on, no time for research that only produces another report on poor learning levels in the country, and no time to complain about how accountability systems and processes are broken. Too many children are not learning and every moment that we don’t act is a moment wasted in a child’s life. We also need to act in ways that will focus on improving learning. While there has been an increase in education spending over the last five years, learning outcomes have been poor and have been declining. First, we need clear examples of what good quality education looks like. There aren’t en...

For Offline Reading   =>  Click here 👉A frightening encounter in a forest that ended well👈 Sighting a tiger in a forest is a dream for a photographer. So, during a morning safari on a recent trip to Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, when I saw Matkasur, one of Tadoba’s most aggressive tigers, walking towards rows of tourist jeeps, I was thrilled. But my jeep driver Chandu Bhoyer’s eyes swiftly scanned the area ahead. With years of experience in the forest, he had sensed something wrong. “Sir, let’s leave quickly. Choti Tara (a tigress) and her two cubs are ahead,” he said. I was excited to see Matkasur, but I trusted Bhoyer’s instincts. Little did I know that the experience of the next half an hour would be haunting, and the photos captured of that scene unusual. As the jeep went uphill to a secluded spot in the heart of the jungle, we saw a big group of grass cutters. About 30 people were atop two tourist jeeps and 15 villagers were hiding behind one...

💥 Daily Word Bytes - 2  from editorial  -  On Colombia's first presidential election: In the shadow of FARC 💥 In the shadow of (phrase) – in a situation when attention is influenced on someone (who is a better known & skilful person). Hindu Editorial usage  : On Colombia's first presidential election: In the shadow of FARC accord (noun) – agreement, pact, deal. Hindu Editorial usage  : Iván Duque’s election as Colombia’s President puts a question mark on the peace accord throw up (phrasal verb) – produce something. Hindu Editorial usage  :  Colombia’s first presidential election since the landmark 2016 peace deal with the FARC Marxist guerrillas has thrown up the youngest winner in its history. right-wing (adjective) – alt-right, conservative, rightist (section of a political system). Hindu Editorial usage  :    But the victory of the 41-year-old right-wing candidate, Iván Duque, raises questions for ...

💥 Daily Word Bytes - 1  from editorial  -  Delhi stand-off: Power crisis 💥 standoff (noun) – deadlock, stalemate, impasse. Hindu Editorial usage  :  The standoff in Delhi has placed everyone in a bad light in a bad light (phrase) – in an unfavourable situation. Hindu Editorial usage  :  The standoff in Delhi has placed everyone in a bad light provocation (noun) – prompting, inducement, incitement. Hindu Editorial usage  :  The immediate provocation for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sitting on a dharna at the residence of the Lt. Governor might have been a run-in with the bureaucracy, run-in (noun) – argument, dispute, difference of opinion. Hindu Editorial usage  :  The immediate provocation for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sitting on a dharna at the residence of the Lt. Governor might have been a run-in with the bureaucracy, confrontation (noun) – conflict, fighting/, face-off. Hindu Editorial usage ...