By Prof. Hemantkumar Shah*  The recent push toward implementing 12-hour workdays in India is not merely a policy misstep — it is a direct violation of both international labour standards and the Indian Constitution’s foundational values. It reflects an erosion of hard-won protections for workers and a retreat from the country’s commitment to social justice, dignity, and equitable development.

By Aarna Gupta*  The proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Arunachal Pradesh, India, has emerged as a contentious initiative shaped by strategic, environmental, and social concerns. Indian officials, including Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, have voiced strong support for the project. One of the primary motivations is China’s plan to build a 60,000 MW hydropower dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River (the upper stretch of the Brahmaputra) in Tibet, which Indian authorities see as a threat to water and national security. In response, the 11,000 MW Siang Dam, with its 9 billion cubic meter reservoir, is viewed as a necessary countermeasure to manage water flow and reduce vulnerability.

By Rumaan Mecci   “His brain had splattered across the entire car.” These words, uttered by Vihaan’s parents, shocked me to my core. Vihaan, a young schoolboy, an only child, had just entered the cusp of teenagehood when his entire life was forcefully snatched away. While his body was mortal, not much was left of the spirit of his parents’ lives either.

By Bharat Dogra  Hysterectomies are vital in many medical situations, but it's a well-established medical principle that they should not be performed indiscriminately. Less invasive procedures and medication should always be preferred when viable, given the potential for serious side effects. Crucially, all patients must be fully informed about their options, the genuine need for the procedure, and its potential consequences. Unfortunately, compelling evidence from various parts of India reveals a disturbing trend: hysterectomies are frequently performed without adequate consideration for safer alternatives, particularly among poorer and less educated women. This is highlighted by the unusually high number of younger women undergoing the procedure, a stark contrast to the significantly higher average age in many developed nations. Numerous women who have undergone hysterectomies report a lack of proper information regarding the procedure, its necessity, or alternative t...

By A Representative  The Gujarat Urban Development Mission (GUDM), a state government agency, has announced the transformative integration of Bandicoot Mobility+, an advanced vehicle-integrated manhole cleaning robot, into the Swachh Bharat Mission’s Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSU) fleet across multiple Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). This strategic deployment is considered Gujarat’s commitment to revolutionizing urban sanitation, eliminating manual scavenging, and enhancing worker safety and dignity, aligning with the state’s declaration of 2025 as the Year of Urban Development.

By Harsh Thakor*  Alexander Fadeyev was a prominent Russian author best known for his contributions to Soviet literature during the mid-20th century. His works, often associated with socialist realism, portrayed the early Soviet experience through complex characters and narratives. While some critics viewed him as ideologically rigid, others acknowledged his literary abilities and his depiction of the transformative processes under socialism.

By A Representative   The All India Catholic Union (AICU) has strongly condemned the arrest of two Catholic nuns and their tribal aide in Chhattisgarh, calling it a grave assault on religious freedom and a reflection of growing anti-Christian violence in India. In a statement released on August 1, 2025, the AICU demanded the unconditional release of Sister Preetha Mary and Sister Vandana Francis of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI), along with their aide Sukhman Mandavi, who were detained on July 25 at Durg Railway Station.

  By Rajiv Shah  A recent peer-reviewed study has sharply criticized Project Cheetah—India’s high-profile initiative to reintroduce African cheetahs into the wild—as ethically compromised, scientifically flawed, and socially unjust. Titled “Delineating the Environmental Justice Implications of an Experimental Cheetah Introduction Project in India”, the paper is authored by Yashendu C. Joshi, Stephanie E. Klarmann, and Louise C. de Waal, and was published in  Frontiers in Conservation Science.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*   India’s relationship with the United States has often been portrayed as a rising strategic partnership built on mutual respect, democratic values, and shared interests. Yet, a closer look at the historical and contemporary trajectory of this relationship reveals an uneasy alliance, shaped more by American strategic and economic calculations than any enduring commitment to India's development or sovereignty. The recent imposition of 25% tariffs on Indian exports by the Trump administration is not an aberration—it fits into a long history of U.S. policies that have sought to pressure India into compliance with Washington's geopolitical objectives. With China resisting American economic coercion, India is increasingly being targeted through trade measures, diplomatic pressure, and strategic alignments designed to serve U.S. interests in Asia. 

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent move to impose high tariffs on Indian goods is yet another example of his aggressive, unilateralist economic policy—an attempt to pressure and punish rather than to negotiate. This is not an isolated action. Trump has shown similar hostility toward other countries aligned with the BRICS bloc—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—reflecting his disdain for multipolar global cooperation and his desire to maintain American economic supremacy at all costs.

By Bharat Dogra  The Bundelkhand region, encompassing 14 districts equally divided between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, is once again in the news due to severe farmer distress. This time, prolonged and excessive rainfall in June and July has significantly damaged Kharif season crops, including oilseeds like groundnuts and sesame, and pulses such as urad (black gram) and moong (green gram), making initial sowing efforts futile for many. 

By Shankar Sharma*  The escalating risks and threats to the true health of our rivers can be gauged by numerous media reports on river restoration efforts through dam removals. As one the news articles , referring to the scenario in the West, states, there seems to be an increasing trend in this regard in many parts of the world, but our country seems to have not learnt anything from these worldwide realisations. "The rate of dam removals in the United States has increased over time, in part driven by dam age. As of 1996, 5,000 large dams around the world were more than 50 years old. In 2020, 85% of dams in the United States were more than 50 years old. In the United States roughly 900 dams were removed between 1990 and 2015, and by 2015, the rate was 50 to 60 per year."

By A Representative   The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested student and labour rights activist Priyanshu Kashyap in connection with the Lucknow Conspiracy Case (FIR No. RC/01/2023/NIA/Lucknow). Kashyap, a former history student at Delhi University and associated with the Delhi General Mazdoor Front (DGMF), was apprehended by the Haryana Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) from Hisar around July 26–27 before being formally arrested by the NIA and transferred to Lucknow.

By Harsh Thakor  "Maoist Economics and the Revolutionary Road to Communism: The Shanghai Textbook on Socialist Political Economy" (1975) presents a detailed exposition of the Chinese perspective on socialist political economy under Mao . Developed during the Cultural Revolution, it outlines a theoretical framework for the functioning of a socialist alternative to capitalism. The book was formulated under the direction of Zhang Chunqiao, who played a central role in discussions, content planning, and final reviews of the draft.

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra*  The dominance of strongman Vladimir Putin on Russia’s political stage since the turn of the century marked a decisive shift away from the post-Soviet era’s pro-Western foreign policy. Putin openly criticized Soviet leaders like Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin for their role in the USSR’s dissolution and their reliance on Western integration as a path to progress. Under Yeltsin, Russia had sought closer political and economic ties with Europe and the U.S., but Putin viewed this as a betrayal of Russia’s historical grandeur. Determined to restore Moscow’s lost glory, he pursued a strategy of reuniting former Soviet territories—often through coercion.