Editorial

The BJP always believed that with the stroke of a pen they could change the fate of India. However, it is not easy to bring down institutions, which have been in existence for almost 70 years. The resilience of the Constitution depends on its versatility.

India’s democracy, the world’s most populous, is a marvel of the modern age: 1.3 billion people who speak more than 700 languages uniting under one roof. Its immensity also slows the decision-making needed to keep up with its people’s aspirations. Feeble public services, high inflation, crippling corruption and crumbling infrastructure are ever-present grievances of an increasingly fed-up population, most of whom live on about $3 per day. Indians yearn for better education, more jobs and faster development as a path to prosperity.

The major challenge facing farmers is the economic viability of farming. The economic survey of India has drawn attention to the need for making agriculture profitable. The National Commission on Farmers also emphasised the importance of giving an income orientation to farming. The prime minister has announced that every effort will be made to double the income of farmers. While the recognition of the urgency of imparting economic security is recognised the pathway through which this can be accomplished have not been articulated in detail.

Perhaps from the time of dawn of civilisation there has been ongoing struggle within and amongst human beings — between ‘I’ and ‘you’, ‘mine’ and ‘not mine’, between ‘us’ (another form of I) and ‘they’. Common sense and proponents of synergy say 1+1 will be more than two. Marriage, family, partnerships, mergers of companies, formation of alliances and common markets/trading blocks are all based on the principle of synergy.

Independent India’s biggest tax reform — GST — is turning one, triggering reviews about the on-ground impacts in all sectors. One of those few segments that wholeheartedly welcomed GST was the organised jewellery. But, one year down the line, it is more misses than hits in its return gift hamper.

Human resources are the most valuable assets in any industry and more so in the service industry where the success of the organisation is almost solely dependent on the performance of human resources. From time immemorial, HRD specialists and senior management have been laying out various criteria for evaluation of managers and staff members particularly in ‘knowledge-based industries’ like IT (software & services), marketing & advertising, telecom services, finance, asset management, insurance and banking and many more. 

Russia’s natural gas export monopoly is set to expand its position as the dominant fuel supplier to Europe after a deal between the two resolved a seven-year-old anti-trust dispute.

The agreement between Gazprom PJSC and the European Commission gives gas buyers more flexibility in handling imports and greater leverage to push for lower prices. That’s likely to make flows from Russia more attractive than alternatives such as expensive new links to fields at Europe’s southeast corner or tanker shipments of liquefied natural gas.

Is United Opposition a chimera or a possible reality? And what can be its strategy and roadmap before the mother of all elections can come?

We all know how globaliation has contributed towards creation of wealth, improving standards of living, allowed consumption of greater variety of goods, created employment and promoted convergence of income across economies. Though the initial beneficiaries definitely had been the larger corporations but the time has now come to shift the focus towards SMEs, the largest segment of economy for the majority of the nations.

E-commerce has thrown open opportunities for retailers and wholesalers like never before, enabling them to facilitate 24x7 direct online selling for both B2B and B2C operations. With such ease of selling through online channels, consumers have smoother access to niche products that they wouldn’t otherwise find in brick-and-mortar stores or products that are not available in their local regions. Businesses can serve a much larger audience when they are present online, as distributors can sell their goods directly by avoiding retail costs and maximise their potential revenues.