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Unless a plane crashes or a jeep turns turtle, Congress politicians always seem to have a long autumn. The long and short: regardless of what happens, Congress politicians carry on with stoic resolve. Not even self-respect comes in the way. But it is "self-respect" that has dissuaded Congress veteran Anand Sharma from kowtowing to the Congress high command any further. The 69-year-old has resigned from the chairmanship of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Steering Committee for the upcoming state assembly elections.

Prices of even essential drugs have been officially allowed to be hiked in India since April 1, 2022. Only about a year ago, prices for vaccines for COVID-19 were allowed to be charged much more from the private sector and even state governments than the centre, a differential approach to benefit manufacturers, an act of the Modi government that was to be modified after stiff opposition from the people. Now, the centre has come with a new bill, the draft of which allows even lowering the quality of drugs, decriminalises production and supply of non-standard drugs up to a new lower standard, and reduces punishment for manufacturers for below the newly envisaged lower standard drugs. Both the national and multinational manufacturers of drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices have been favoured at the cost of patients.

India’s climate change commitments made last year in Glasgow COP26 has grown weaker just three month ahead of COP27 scheduled to be held in Egypt during November 7-18, 2022 due to a range of issues. Energy demand in the country is growing and financial need to transform the energy sector from unclean to clean green fuels is largely unmet.

The hegemony of the US dollar was based on the fact that the world’s wealth-holders considered it to be “as good as gold”, even when it was no longer officially convertible to gold at a fixed rate, as it had been under the Bretton Woods system, after the collapse of that system. These wealth-holders were of two kinds: private individuals and institutions, and central banks that held the foreign exchange reserves of their respective countries.

The CBI action against AAP excise and education minister Manish Sisodia is betraying uneasiness in the BJP. More so, after America’s ‘No.1’ newspaper, the New York Times, put Sisodia on its front-page, declaring him the world’s 'No.1 education minister'. This, two days after AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal launched the party’s ‘Make India No.1' campaign.

The line-up against Narendra Modi for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is expanding steadily, but not in terms of its overall clout, but in the number of divisions.

THIRIVANTHAPURAM: The confrontation between Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government of Kerala on the Kannur University issue has touched a new low.

Labour market in India is becoming more and more elusive for youth. During the last six years their participation in the total workforce in the country has dropped from 17 to 13 per cent at a time when their population increased from 26 to 28 per cent, a phenomenon that has increased mental pressure on them to an extent of going astray. Majority of them are not even engaged in education and training, and for majority of them who are it is just concealed unemployment.

The third millennium began in the midst of resurgence in telecom and computer sector. India with its reservoir of technologists soon came in the front line of that global churning with the Indian engineers making a big name in the software sector. But in the course of that churning, some setbacks also took place. The dotcom ventures which grew exponentially throughout the world, busted in the absence of a viable revenue model. Indian ventures were also affected.

Here’s something about Nitish and the number 7, Circular Road. As Chief Minister, he has been at 7, Circular Road, while using 1, Anna Marg, the official residence as his office. Now, with CM severing his five-year-old old alliance with the BJP and walking over to the Mahagathbandatan camp, many point that to a famous Delhi address — 7, Kalyan Marg (Racecourse Road), the official residence of Prime Minister—could be in his mind. After all, as he left NDA, Nitish Kumar, sent out dare, couched as prophesy, to the current occupant of 7, Lok Kalyan Marg: “the one who came to power in 2014, would he also return in 2024 to Lok Kalyan”.