Celebrated writer, Jnanpith awardee Vinod Kumar Shukla passes away at 88

Renowned Hindi poet and author and 2024 Jnanpith Award winner Vinod Kumar Shukla passed away in Raipur on Tuesday.

Shukla received several recognitions, including the Sahitya Akademi Award, and was the first Chhattisgarh writer to receive the Jnanpith, India's highest literary honour. 

Pakistan is back in West Asia's good graces

Field Marshal Asim Munir has been pivotal to this, taking advantage of the prevailing geopolitical situation. 

A good template

India's FTA with New Zealand can be a precedent, not an exception 

India's recently announced closure of negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) with New Zealand marks a maturing in New Delhi's approach to global trade. 

End the exploitation

One of the worst forms of modern slavery is child trafficking, and the Supreme Court of India has issued a stern wake-up call about the prevailing situation in India. In a December 19 judgment, it observed that child trafficking is a "deeply disturbing reality" in the country where sexual exploitation of children by organised cartels continues to flourish despite protective laws.

The upskilling gap: why women risk being left behind by AI

As 2025 ends, Indians are consumed by two anxieties whether artificial intelligence (AI) will take over their jobs, and whether the future belongs to 80-hour work weeks or the right to disconnect after office hours. But for millions of working women, a near 80-hour work week is already a lived reality, as their workday continues long after office hours, filled with unrecognised and unpaid labour. Unfortunately, no Al or algorithm has yet threatened to take over women's "unpaid work" or rescue them from the long hours spent on cooking, cleaning, caregiving, planning, and emotional management. 

How exports are concentrated in few States

For decades, development theory assumed export expansion would serve as the primary bridge from agriculture to mass industrial employment. That link is now broken. There is now a clear trend of capital deepening while the ratio of capital to labour increases permanently. 

Manipur: Kuki groups resolve to impose complete ban on poppy cultivation from 2026

Civil society organisations belonging to the Kuki community have resolved to halt poppy cultivation across Manipur's Kangpokpi district from January 1, 2026.

The resolution by these organisations, including the Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills and the Sadar Hills Chiefs' Association, is considered significant as poppy cultivation is perceived to be one of the factors contributing to the ethnic violence in Manipur since May 2023.