Daily Hindu Editorials

More and more farmers in Kashmir are switching from paddy to high-yielding apple varieties from Europe. This is boosting the rural economy and creating jobs, but there are also environmental concerns, reports Peerzada Ashiq As the mellow winter sun prepares to set, the lengthening shadows turn hazy from the smoke in Nazeer Ahmad Dar’s paddy fields, some 59 km away from Srinagar. The 52-year-old resident of Anantnag’s Sir Hama village in south Kashmir will soon burn the last of his paddy shoot stocks, spread over the 20 kanals (1.1 hectares) of his farm. Having spent six decades cultivating paddy, the Dars, a family of six, have taken the tough decision to switch crops and await the change in their fortunes. “My neighbour’s son uprooted expensive and well-nursed traditional apple trees and replaced them with high-density, high-yielding, foreign variety apple trees. I can see how things have improved for them in the last four years. I want to replicate their suc...

It can deliver a fatal blow to a relationship, but therapists say couples stand a good chance of overcoming the trauma Marriages fall apart for many different reasons, but one of the most common and most challenging to overcome is the discovery that one partner has “cheated” on the other. I put the word cheated in quotes because the definition of infidelity can vary widely. Though most often it involves explicit sexual acts with someone other than one’s spouse or committed partner, there are also couples torn asunder by a partner’s surreptitious use of pornography, a purely emotional relationship with no sexual contact, virtual affairs, even just ogling or flirting with a non-partner. Infidelity is hardly a new phenomenon. And marriage counsellors report that affairs sometimes occur even in happy relationships. According to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, national surveys indicate that 15% of married women and 25% of married men have...

The anti- Padmaavat massgoondagiri stems from a disease that has been eating away at our society for a long time So, imagine this: you are a young man getting on with your daily life when someone from your religious community, caste or ethnic group comes and taps you on your shoulder. “Hey,” he says. “Have you heard? Such and such a film (or book) has insulted our great _______ (fill in god, deity, prophet, historic leader, icon), and we are gathering to protest! Come!” You growl: “What? They insulted him or her, how dare they?” In a heartbeat you drop everything and go off to join the protest. Such is your seismic fury, your sense of being personally attacked, that you suddenly find yourself a part of a mob that’s pelting stones at a school bus full of children, that’s bashing the hell out of anyone you can find who is not identifiably part of your group. You haven’t read the offending book (you don’t even read books, maybe),...

Rama was born normal. By the time she was six, her life underwent catastrophic events — blindness, breathing problems, asthma, growth problems. These resulted in consultations with multiple doctors and repeated hospitalisation. After six years, her condition was given the name Maroteaux-Lamy Syndrome, a genetic disorder that no one had ever heard of and with no cure. But Rama is not alone; 90 million Indians suffer from one rare disorder or the other. There is no standard definition, but those that affect fewer than 5-7 people per 10,000 population are deemed “rare diseases”. More than 7,000 such diseases have been classified, affecting 300 million people in the world; 80% are genetic disorders. Unlike tropical diseases, they affect all nationalities and are a global issue. Despite many being affected by such rare, life-threatening and disabling conditions, public health statistics are unavailable. A lack of data translates into the absence of attention and vice-versa...

As February approaches, the Finance Minister suddenly starts looming large everywhere. From social media chatter to cocktail party conversations, the focus turns to what he will or will not do. This trend started during the early years of economic reforms, when the government began to slip in significant policy changes into the Budget, which, being a Money Bill, ensured that legislative assent for key reforms was not held prisoner to the shifting numbers game in Parliament. This trend was reinforced by saturation media coverage before, during, and immediately after the Budget, ensuring that India’s annual presentation of accounts and spending plans became something else altogether — an annual statement of policy intent and direction which is watched and analysed by millions at home and abroad. 🔹The last full Budget Amongst the most avid Budget-trackers will be the great Indian middle class — largely salaried taxpayers in whose hearts, despite a long history ...

Athletes from North and South Korea will march under a unified flag at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics when the 2018 edition gets under way in PyeongChang in February. In a breakthrough, both countries are even to field a joint women’s hockey team, a goal that has proved elusive in the past. But for all the symbolism and diplomatic show of unity, the games could yet draw closer the two peoples divided by the deadly conflict dating back many decades to the start of the Cold-War. 🔷  An opportunity The PyeongChang events have opened a fresh window for Moon Jae-in, South Korea’s President and a reputed human rights lawyer. Mr. Moon has prioritised regional stability no less than the country’s long-standing alliance with the U.S. Seoul and Washington have already decided to delay their annual joint military exercises, an act which Pyongyang sees as U.S. muscle-flexing, until after the Winter Olympics. The development falls into an emerging pattern...

India can act as a vital bridge between South and East Asia Prime Minister Narendra Modi used India’s Republic Day to host heads of state/government of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). As India’s ‘Look East Policy’, matures into an ‘Act East Policy’, a strong relationship with ASEAN is no longer a policy option; rather it is an economic and strategic necessity. 🔷  Economy, trade, investment While India-ASEAN trade value stood at $76.53 billion in 2014-15, China-ASEAN trade value reached $452.2 billion in 2016, almost six times than that of India. Similarly, Indian investments continue to remain marginal in the ASEAN region — it was around $224 million in 2015-2016 while Chinese investment over the same period totalled over $3 billion. However, Indian investments in ASEAN are likely to grow as there has been increased liberalisation and deregulation regarding outward foreign investments. The Ta...

India needs to expedite steps that can help minimise the impact of higher oil prices As international oil prices head higher, India will have to brace itself for the economic risks of expensive energy. Brent crude oil futures were trading at about $70 a barrel on Friday, marking a four-year high and a price increase of close to 6% since the start of the year. The rise in international prices has been particularly sharp given that oil had been selling at below $45 in June. This is a rally of about 55% in a matter of just months. Oil price dynamics have often been explained by changes in the supply outlook influenced by the decisions of major oil producers. Oil trading at $70 should offer some respite to traditional oil producers like the OPEC members, which have suffered the onslaught of U.S. shale producers. According to the IMF, last year, for instance, Saudi Arabia would break even on its budget with oil at $70. The recent spurt in oil prices, however, seems to be more the result of...