Editorial Analysis

Recently, the Supreme Court of India reaffirmed the vision of Section 12(1)(c) of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, symbolising ‘equality of status’ under Article 14 and 21A of the Constitution.

India’s heritage protection regime is over-centralised, uniform, and counterproductive, often failing both conservation and development objectives.

India’s presidency of BRICS comes at a time of global uncertainty marked by geopolitical tensions, economic fragmentation, and technological disruptions, aimed to utilise the potential of BRICS countries together for greater global welfare.

Recent State Assembly elections witnessed promises of cash transfers, free electricity, transport, and goods, seen as populist measures playing a crucial role in inclusive growth, poverty alleviation, and demand generation, along with cautioning against fiscal irresponsibility.

Recent geopolitical tensions (e.g., US-Iran conflict) and restrictions on Strait of Hormuz leads to supply shortages and fertiliser inputs flows in India, as it is highly dependent on Gulf-origin fertilisers.

India’s urban incomes have grown faster than rural incomes across all segments and emerged as a key driver of national growth as it absorbed labour, and nurtured a rising middle class. However, this growth is unevenly distributed.

India seems headed for a third consecutive year of a balance-of-payments deficit with the rest of the world.

Recent trends in India’s fertiliser subsidy, particularly of urea, has led to nutrient imbalance, fiscal stress, and environmental degradation, calling for urgent reforms in subsidy design and delivery, rather than optimal agricultural outcomes.

A major crisis in foundational learning is unfolding globally, as the World Bank estimated  nearly 70% of children in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) cannot read a simple text by age 10, reflecting schooling deficits and deeper systemic failures in early childhood development.

India–South Korea relations have evolved significantly over the past three decades, increasingly defined by strategic convergence, shared developmental pathways, and alignment in global geopolitics.