The Prime Minister’s Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) wants to make it mandatory for medium and large enterprises in key sectors to set aside funds for research and development after the Economic Survey pointed out the abysmal levels of investment in this area. It had said that R&D investment in India has been stagnant for 20 years at 0.6-0.7% of gross domestic product with that by the private sector at 0.35%.
Enthusiasts think BRICS is taking on the US-led West. Critics think it is just a weak wannabe. In reality, BRICS is undergirding the new global order that will bring together friends and foes alike. A Deep Analysis by Drishtikone.
Swami Dhirendra Shastri called for a meat-free Navratri in Bengal. Parties answered by invoking Shakta tradition. A restricted rite, stripped of its disciplines, has become “culture”, and Bengal uses its first taste of political freedom in decades to flaunt the very decay that helped undo it.
