Editorial Analysis

New Delhi is set to host the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit on September 12-13, during India’s BRICS presidency is guided by the theme ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’.

The subject of municipal leadership in Indian cities kept coming up in policy debates and there was a feeling that Indian cities, particularly the major metropolises, needed a strong mayor.

The growing influence of external powers and hostile regional pacts directly threatens India’s trade routes, energy security, and the welfare of millions of Indian citizens living in the Gulf.

The second World Humanoid Games in Beijing highlighted China’s ambition to combine AI, robotics and manufacturing to become a global science superpower amid intensifying US-China technological competition.

The fifth anniversary of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, alongside the Road Accidents in India 2024 report, has renewed focus on India’s persistent road-safety crisis.

The Supreme Court’s recent approach to the meaning of ‘industry’ has narrowed the scope of institutional activities covered by industrial relations law, raising concerns over worker protection, wage growth and India’s manufacturing ambitions.

India enters its next employment decade with a larger workforce and stronger foundations in infrastructure, formalisation, skilling and entrepreneurship. The challenge now is to convert this scale into productive, formal, well-paid and inclusive employment.

Recently, a devastating flash flood in Nepal’s Bhotekoshi River system caused widespread destruction across Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading.

India needs technological capabilities along with increasing R&D expenditure and private-sector participation to be globally competitive.

Nepal is scheduled to graduate from the UN’s Least Developed Country (LDC) category on November 24, but has sought a three-year deferral to better prepare for a smooth and sustainable transition.