'Restrictive' software tools being used for SIR, says SC

The Supreme Court on Monday said the Election Commission (EC) was using "very restrictive" software tools, at least in the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal, with scant tolerance for "natural" differences and inconsistencies commonly found in India, including Bengali households.

Bonded labour continues despite 50 years of its abolition

When the nation was observing 50 years of the enactment of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act on February 9, Chamru Majhi, his wife and three children were rescued from a brick kiln in Nadia district's Aranghata. It was a joint effort by several departments, including the officers of the Taherpur police station, and the District Legal Services Authority Secretary.

A 2020 report estimated that West Bengal has around 11,000 brick kilns employing nearly 8 lakh workers. 

Rights activists and experts said despite the abolition under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976, the practice continues to persist in hidden informal sectors, particularly affecting the poorest and most vulnerable communities.

The next big commodity is the mineable self

A global market in a new commodity is growing exponentially in front of our eyes. It is not artificial intelligence (AI). It is not rare earths. It is not some new source of energy. It is not even in pharmaceuticals, media, or finance. It is integral to each of them and might determine the future of all of them. It is an infinitely renewable resource, which will last at least for as long as human beings and our planet continue to exist.

This commodity is the self, in which a global market has gradually emerged. It cuts across all domains of human life, from entertainment to journalism, from streaming to gender transitions, from banking to branding, from identity politics to soft power, and from crowdfunding to the tariff wars. 

Stories, technology platforms and digital markets are transforming humans into commodities

A chance for India to polish the Kimberley Process

As chair of the Kimberley Process for 2026, India can steer meaningful reforms in global diamond governance

Tale of two consumers: Rural aspiration vs. urban caution

While rural Indians began the year feeling relatively confident, their urban counterparts remained cautious, according to a reading of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s consumer confidence survey. While the rural population is driving consumption beyond essentials, urban consumers remain financially conservative, despite enjoying slightly better income stability, the survey results suggest. The conclusions are based on the January 2026 round of the survey.

What is the new RRTS project in Kerala?

RRTS is a viable and acceptable high-speed rail system, which has been successfully implemented in the Delhi-Meerut corridor, demonstrating its feasibility in India, including its integration with the Meerut Metro.

Kerala has conceived the project for a total length of 583 km, from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, in four phases.

The project is estimated to cost approximately 1,92,780 crore. However, the final cost can only be determined upon completion of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) after finalising alignments, technical models, signaling systems, and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) models.

What is the current controversy around Form 7?

Form 7 is used for objecting to the inclusion of another person's or one's own name on the electoral roll on specific grounds such as death, duplication or shifting of residence.

According to the EC, more than 50.94 crore enumeration forms have been distributed since the launch of Phase II of the SIR.

At the heart of the controversy is the bulk submission of Form 7 applications by anonymous or fraudulent actors seeking mass deletion of voters from electoral rolls in the ongoing SIR.

On gravity's role in the earth's journey through space

Revisiting the significance of gravity as it keeps mankind grounded and enables earth's rapid movement through space at 1,07,000 kilometres per hour, emphasising the remarkable journey of life amidst the vast mysteries of the universe

Several houses torched as tribal groups clash in Manipur's Ukhrul

Twenty houses burnt in arson by Kuki-Zo and Naga community members; people suffer injuries in ensuing violence; Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh appeals for peace and restraint; Deputy CM Losii Dikho visits conflict zone

Anaemia, blood disorders can distort diabetes test HbAlc results, says study

Glycated haemoglobin (HbAlc), which is commonly used to diagnose and monitor Type 2 diabetes (T2D), may mislead diagnosis and monitoring in South Asia, particularly in India's population, due to the high prevalence of anaemia, haemoglobinopathies such as sickle cell disease and thalassaemia, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, says an article published online in Lancet Regional Health: Southeast Asia.

RBI tells banks not to insist on collateral for loans to MSMES

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Mon-day asked banks not to insist on collateral security for loans up to 20 lakh extended to units in the micro, small enterprises (MSE) sector.