Does it Make Sense to Tax International Trade?

Free trade remains the benchmark, but tariffs or subsidies can improve welfare when they target distortions that domestic policy cannot reach.

Amitrajeet A. Batabyal*

August 14, 2026 at 4:51 AM IST

istock.com

The Comforting Illusion of Purchasing Power

Purchasing power can adjust prices. It cannot adjust reality.

R. Gurumurthy

August 12, 2026 at 4:05 AM IST

IStock/RealPictures

The Real Price of Intelligence: Why AI's Race for Scale Cannot Ignore the Earth Beneath It

AI is not a purely digital product, but a physical one too - assembled from silicon, copper, rare-earth elements, cobalt, lithium and water. Countries and corporates that exercise resource discipline as a strategy will be the ones still standing decades from now.

Chirayu Sharma

August 7, 2026 at 8:42 AM IST

istock.com

How Public Procurement Must Balance Technical Standards With Public Trust

A little-noticed clause in India's polymer currency tender shows why governments must procure not only what works, but also what society is willing to embrace.

Venkatesh R Vedanthi

August 7, 2026 at 7:07 AM IST

istock.com

RBI Reopens Door For Urban Cooperative Bank Licences After 22-Year Freeze

BasisPoint Insight

August 5, 2026 at 6:26 AM IST

The World Needs Compassionate AI

With AI having become the frontline of an intense global competition for economic and geopolitical power, speed is rewarded, scale is celebrated, and market dominance is prized above all else. Under such conditions, we risk forgetting the most important question: Whom is this intelligence ultimately meant to serve?

Kailash Satyarthi

July 31, 2026 at 6:50 AM IST

istock.com

India’s Financial Reforms Risk Becoming Policy Vapourware Again

India excels at headline reforms, but crucial financial sector overhauls keep stalling. Delaying invisible safeguards today could make the next crisis far costlier.

Utsav Saksena

July 21, 2026 at 5:42 AM IST

istock.com

The Limits of Military Technology?

Weapons evolve, battlefields change, technology advances. Yet wars are still decided by human endurance, conviction and will.

Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd)

June 8, 2026 at 7:13 AM IST

istock.com

India’s EV Policy Rewards Scale but Leaves Innovation Waiting

India’s EV PLI scheme has boosted manufacturing but sidelined innovation. By rewarding scale over technology, it risks weakening the ecosystem it hopes to build.

Nilanjan Banik

March 10, 2026 at 9:52 AM IST

iStock.com

Briefing

Beyond the Hype: Why AI May Not Deliver as Advertised

AI is being priced as destiny. History suggests technological revolutions travel a slower, more uneven path than markets assume.

V Thiagarajan

March 4, 2026 at 2:26 PM IST

iStock.com

AI Will Transform Business, Not Just Jobs

Debates about the impact of AI have centered on potential job losses, with far less attention paid to its implications for the business landscape. But corporate leaders should be thinking about how the technology can enhance their organisational capabilities and, in turn, increase economy-wide productivity.

Diane Coyle

February 19, 2026 at 4:44 AM IST

Why India’s AI Challenge Is About Power, Not Just Productivity

India’s unique opportunity to transition from back-office IT servicing to AI-building offers a promising pathway to global trade leadership in a services-driven economy.

Ninupta Srinath

February 17, 2026 at 6:55 AM IST

iStock.com

Indian IT’s AI Reckoning Is Painful but Not Terminal

NIFTY IT has fallen 25%, erasing ₹9 trillion. As AI disrupts billing models, is this capitulation or the start of a deeper reinvention?

Dhananjay Sinha

February 14, 2026 at 5:13 AM IST

iStock.com

Beyond Big Numbers: Making AI Investments Work for India’s Sovereignty

Global AI investments bring scale to India, but sovereignty depends on ownership, data control, and capability, not just capital, data centres, or big headline numbers.

Shubhranshu

December 18, 2025 at 6:42 AM IST

Alvarez/Istock.com

Why Intel’s Chip Deal May Undercut India’s Push for Self-Reliance

China, facing US chip bans, doubled down on indigenous chipmaking—with success. If India leans on Intel instead of investing in homegrown R&D, it could miss its chance to replicate that model.

TK Arun

December 12, 2025 at 11:14 AM IST

iStock.com

Guarding the Self in the Age of Deepfakes and Digital Deception

As generative AI blurs the line between real and fabricated, India’s celebrities turn to courts to protect their voices, faces and digital dignity.

Shruti Mahajan

October 10, 2025 at 5:17 AM IST

Bollywood Hungama/Via WikiCommons

When AI Meets Culture: The Real Test of India’s Health Revolution

AI’s success in India’s healthcare system will depend on how it integrates with the country’s diverse culture and rural-urban divide

Hemachandra Padhan

October 7, 2025 at 10:13 AM IST

iStock.com/stefanamer

Act Before It’s Too Late, Build a Sovereign Digital Backbone

India’s economy and security are deeply reliant on US software, cloud, and social media platforms, creating a major vulnerability in times of geopolitical tension.

Ajay Srivastava

September 14, 2025 at 12:35 PM IST

iStock.com

Import the Seed Technology, Not the Crop

US trade talks offer India a chance to lift farm yields by licensing GM seed tech, not importing bulk crops that risk hurting domestic producers.

G. Chandrashekhar

August 11, 2025 at 6:02 AM IST

iStocks

Why Data Must Become Strategic Core of Modern Banking

Banks sit on a data goldmine, but real value will only emerge from structure, speed, security, and a clear-eyed view of risk and responsibility.

Anupam Sonal

July 14, 2025 at 6:50 AM IST

Technology

Grok: Paving Way For Constructive Conversation On Generative AI Regulation

Grok has shown willingness to generate responses that other AIs would typically refuse. But it seems to mirror the tone of the user too.

Meghna Bal

April 7, 2025 at 7:29 AM IST

iStock.com/lixu

The Bureau

Market Wrap: Stock Indices Fall as HDFC Bank, Metals Drag; Rupee, Bonds Weaken

POLL: India April-June GDP growth seen around 7.4%, SBI most bullish at 8%

India April-June GDP Growth Seen at 7.5%, Above RBI View: Barclays

US targets Economic Blockade of Iran as Military Campaign Reaches Stalemate

UPI & RuPay Payments May Soon Cost You: — Here’s What Could Change

The Foster Mother of Lodhi Garden