Business Standard Editorial Comment

Increasing threshold: Ensuring more people contribute to income tax

The most important question is this: In a country at India's income level, is it right or wise to exempt those earning ₹12 lakh a year from the income-tax net?

Debt management: India must focus on sustained fiscal consolidation

Although public debt has gone up across the world after the pandemic, it is in India's interests to reduce it to a more manageable level

A new model: Revamping BIT calls for a fresh approach to boost FDI

With India facing consequences such as having its foreign assets seized as a result, government has essentially been defensive, including terminating BITs with some 75 countries between 2016 and 2021

Prepare to bargain: India must create a strategy to deal with US tariffs

The tariffs on Canada and Mexico are so high precisely because the President will want to sort out a favourable deal with these two neighbours as soon as possible

Boost for agriculture: Budget proposals will help farmers and consumers

In terms of Budget allocation, agriculture and its allied sectors have seen a healthy jump of about 22 per cent to about Rs 1.71 trillion

The nuclear option: Budget bets big on nuclear power, but questions remain

Budget bets big on nuclear power but questions remain

Betting on the middle class: Budget fuels growth with consumption boost

While public capex has been retained at its elevated level, it appears that the finance ministry believes that without a more direct push to household demand, growth will subside to unacceptable level

The growth path: Economic Survey 2025 presents a realistic assessment

It discussed the medium- to long-term challenges in detail, which should guide policymaking

Brace for change: A key development on the anvil is the green taxonomy

The central bank is in the process of finalising and issuing a guidance note on scenario analysis and stress testing of climate-related risks

India, China agree on better ties, but border tensions still persist

The language and tenor of the statements issued by both countries suggest a new cordiality five years after incursions by China along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh

Securing critical minerals: India's new mission for future growth

There is, of course, an important national-security element to this effort. Globally, the extraction and processing of critical minerals are dominated by China

Aser 2024: Learning gaps persist, but signs of progress emerge in education

Despite improvements, Aser shows wide learning gaps

Stock market slowdown tests new investors amid FPI selling pressure

Part of the pressure on the currency is due to continuous selling by FPIs. In the last four months (including January) FPIs have sold over Rs 1.75 trillion of rupee-denominated equities

Personal & political: Uttarakhand's UCC should have been more accommodating

The discretionary power of a faceless state bureaucrat to legally intrude into the private decisions and personal morality of Indian citizens is patriarchal, unwarranted, and unjustified

Deep discount: DeepSeek can alter the rules of artificial intelligence game

In geopolitical terms, the United States will have to rethink its strategy of trying to maintain an edge in AI by denying access to computing resources outside the US and a few chosen allies

Small steps to equity: Lowering SIP threshold should increase penetration

While Sebi may be prepared to subsidise the scheme to some extent, there would still be little headroom to publicise the sachet schemes or invest in distribution

Protecting consumers: Rules for ecommerce must be comprehensive, clear

Estimated at around $137 billion, India's ecommerce market is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of over 20 per cent between 2025 and 2030

Durable foundation: The Constitution reflects India's founding values

Constitution remains a guarantor of Indian democracy despite the efforts of those who seek to undermine it

Fiscal health check: NITI Aayog's initiative will inform policymaking

The FHI covers 18 large states and has been developed with a focus on five sub-indices: The quality of expenditure, revenue mobilisation, fiscal prudence, debt index, and debt sustainability

No grey areas: Regulated trading before listing will increase transparency

Transaction prices on the grey market are opaque and impossible to verify