CSR spend: Listed firms record 16% rise to 17,967 cr in previous 

HDFC Bank tops list with ₹945.31 cr, Reliance Industries next at ₹900 cr. AIDED BY a surge in profits, funds spent by listed companies on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) rose by 16 per cent to Rs 17,967 crore during the year ended March 2024 as compared to Rs 15,524 crore spent in 2022-23, says a report. HDFC Bank topped the list with a CSR spend of Rs 945.31 crore, followed by Reliance Industries Rs 900 crore, TCS at Rs 827 crore and ONGC Rs 634.57 crore.

FLOW AND EBB

Globalisation-The free flow of goods, services, labour, capital and ideas - has been incontrovertibly beneficial for India, lifting its average annual growth rate to nearly 6.5 per cent since the early Nineties (from 3.5 per cent during 1950-1990) and per capita GDP from $320 to $2,500. While international trade in goods may have slowed down since 2010, the other components of globalisation haven't, at least until recently. In fact, India's export of services, particularly software and back-office/business support operations through global capability centres, has boomed in the past decade, even as it has remained the top global recipient of remittances and continued to attract capital flows. But this phase of globalisation-aided growth is increasingly facing challenges, if not coming to an end. It's something India must be prepared for.

A volatile stand-off 

There is a strong sense of deja vu in the air. There has been yet another horrendous Pakistan-sponsored terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir followed by the ticking of all the familiar boxes: Widespread condemnation within the country, expressions of resolve by our leadership to bring the perpetrators and their sponsors to justice, and expressions of sympathy by key world leaders. But past experience leaves one with an uneasy feeling that this attack may not be the last. Sadly, after suffering Pakistani terror for over 40 years, several peace moves by India and our avowed muscularity of the past 10 years, there is no end in sight to this scourge. 

MAN AND THE MISSION

Every time a person in one of India's 115 "backward" districts logs in to the internet or the weather office issues an alert to farmers, or people receive a timely cyclone warning, the country reaps the benefits of research by scientists at its premier space agency - ISRO. Unlike their counterparts in the US or the former Soviet Union, India's science planners did not envision the country's space programme as an extension of the country's geopolitical ambitions. India, instead, used its satellites as developmental and modernising forces. K Kasturirangan, who died on Friday at the age of 84, played a defining role in this endeavour. From being part of the team that launched India's first satellite, Aryabhatta, to preparing the groundwork for the missions to Mars and the Moon, the astrophysicist left his mark on virtually every landmark development in the country's space odyssey. As ISRO's head from 1994 to 2003, he steered the agency during a particularly challenging period when India faced strict international restrictions on access to technology. 

OCEAN IS EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS

The Indian Peninsula is surrounded by an ocean, with about a third of India's population living in coastal areas. With 7,517 km of coast-line, India is among the countries whose daily life, economy and environment are most impacted by the ocean. This is acknowledged in the Indian government's Vision 2030, which recognises the blue economy as one of the 10 core dimensions of growth.

The ocean is a global commons - it belongs to all of us. It feeds and protects our peoples. It makes us dream and travel. It provides us with sustainable energy, the means to trade, resources, and infinite scientific knowledge.

A revolution of clean energy

International Mother Earth Day was celebrated on April 22. It was established by a resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2009, although its roots lie in the 1970s. The main objective behind this is to promote the Harmony with Nature initiative for the sustainable development of humanity. Earth, as of now, is the only known planet to host life. There is no "Planet B" for humanity so far, although Elon Musk has ambitions to occupy Mars. The specific conditions and complex biosphere that sustain us are unique to Earth, making it irreplaceable for human survival. So, it is everyone's duty to ensure that in the race for economic development, we take care of Mother Earth's basic resource endowments, be it air, soil, water or biodiversity. But have we done so? The answer, unfortunately, is negative. As Gandhi ji said, "The earth, the air, the land and water are not an inheritance from our forefathers but on loan from our children. So, we have to hand over to them at least as it was handed over to us."

Reframing the world

New definitions of interstate relations, new behaviours, and doctrines are taking shape

Multipolarity Is Gaining salience around the world. It has been on the agenda of developing countries since 1955, when the Asian-African Conference was held in Bandung, Indonesia (April 18-24). Seven decades on, the relevance of its equal-power-distribution concept is being acknowledged even by proponents of unipolarity, reflecting an understanding of a world in profound transition. In the early days of his administration, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called unipolarity "an anomaly" and "a product of the end of the Cold War". He also signalled that the world was "going to reach back to a point where you had multiple great powers in different parts of the planet". 

Understanding the danger

The Us National Commission, which in-quired into the 9/11 attacks, explained what it called "imagination" in Chapter 11 of its final report, titled "Foresight and Hindsight". This report, running into 589 pages, should be compulsory reading for all our security professionals engaged in preventing terrorism.

In the Commission's opinion, the elements of strategic imagination should be "understanding the danger", "institutionalising imagination" by interpreting the danger, formulating policy to counter it, building up capability to prevent and suppress danger through overt or covert means, and finally operational and institutional management. 

'Strong domestic demand, lower export reliance cushion from external spillovers'

Amid the uncertainties faced by major global economies due to tariff-related risks, India offers a strong growth and stability to investors looking for long-term value and opportunity, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra said.

India continues to be an economy supported by stability - monetary, financial and political; policy consistency and certainty; congenial business environment; and strong macroeconomic fundamentals, the Governor said.

'Bilateral trade agreement: India seeking parity treatment from US on tech access'

India will pitch hard for the US to ease export controls on assorted high-technology sectors in negotiations for the proposed bi-lateral trade agreement (BTA) with the world's largest economy.

Indian negotiators, who wrapped up the talks under mutually agreed terms of reference (ToR) between the two countries late last week, have demanded that the US should enable Indian firms to upgrade and operate in cutting-edge tech sectors like telecommunications equipment, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, quantum computing and semicon-ductors, sources privy to the matter said.

The history and evolution of monsoon forecasting in India

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast 'above normal' rainfall - 105% of the long-period average (LPA) - during the June-September southwest monsoon season.

The IMD said earlier this month that all major drivers of the Indian monsoon, such as El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), were favourable.

The four-month southwest monsoon season brings almost 70% of the country's annual rainfall. It is critical for agriculture and crops, for the economy as a whole, and to recharge reservoirs and aquifers. Accurate forecasts of the monsoon are key for the government to prepare for a range of eventualities.

The April 15 forecast was the first of the IMD's long-range forecasts for this year's monsoon. A second-stage or updated forecast will be made in the last week of May, ahead of the monsoon striking the coast of Kerala. Long-range forecasts can be made for 30 days to up to two years into the future.

Question before SC: are 'unopposed' election victories unconstitutional?

The Supreme Court suggested recently that in case there is only one candidate in an election, she should be required to obtain a minimum vote share, rather than winning without the election being held.

The court was hearing a petition by legal research think tank Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy questioning the constitutionality of Section 53(2) of The Representation of the People Act, 1951.