EDUCATIONPLUS

India's higher education sector has grown remarkably, boasting 1,168 registered universities and 45,473 colleges serving millions of students. Despite this expansive network, the government's move to allow foreign universities to establish campuses in India raises some concerns.

Roll recall

In what must be seen as a rap on the knuckles of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Supreme Court of India ordered it to pu-blish the names of 65 lakh voters excluded from Bihar's draft electoral roll, and the reasons, fol-lowing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exer-cise. That it required the Court to compel the ECI to follow the basic principles of natural justice for these voters underscores the pressing lacunae in the institution's conduct of the SIR and the pre-sumptuous and hasty manner of its implementa-tion. There has been no consolidated list of the excluded electors whose names, the ECI claims, have been removed because they have died, or are untraceable or have fake/duplicate entries. No reasons have been provided against each name. Data analysed by The Hindu and ground reports have highlighted significant anomalies. A much higher number of women (close to 32 lakh) than men (close to 25 lakh) have been excluded despite more men having migrated, and recent death rates having been slightly higher among men too. Reports indicate that several voters have been wrongly identified as dead or had not been enumerated despite having valid voter IDs and proof of residence across areas. The Court's intervention now provides a meaningful way the ECI deadline of September 1 to complete the filing of claims and objections is near for such voters to address their anomalous situations. 

A conservation manual, drafted by the ordinary citizen

In his Independence Day addresses delivered from the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been exhorting fellow citizens to preserve the memory of those who overthrew colonial rule.

Even as his reminders have been timely, his tactics enumerating a few freedom fighters' names and including some of their words in his speeches - are as well-worn as the Archaeologica Survey of India's (ASI) approach to conserving the nation's built heritage. With a few exceptions, the ASI has largely been content with selecting monuments, isolating them, repairing them and occasionally polishing them. Given the enormity and complexity of India's past and the risk of large sections of it fading from our collective consciousness, it is time to articulate a more thoughtful and holistic approach to the conservation of ASI monuments. 

In Namibia, India shows a new way to engage Africa

In his address to Namibia's National Assembly in July this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi quoted a Namibian poet, invoked the symbolism of the Welwitschia mirabilis plant (the national plant) and the Springbok, and sprinklec his remarks with phrases in Oshiwambo, earning laughter and applause.

The gesture suggested a deliberate effort to engage with culturally meaningful terms, reflecting a more grounded approach to partnership-building. It is a sharp contrast to western engagement, which continues to be shaped by conditional aid, travel bans, and episodic withdrawals such as the recent USAID cutback, and is increasingly tied to migration deterrence, with assistance hinging on controlling outward migrant flows. 

A case for judicial introspection

At least a few from the ruling dispensation have asked why the Opposition is not formally taking up the electoral roll issue before the Supreme Court. However, the reluctance shown by the major Opposition parties is quite reasonable and even justifiable. 

India's patent landscape: universities as changemakers

For 'Make in India' to succeed, India must "first discover, then invent, and then make," said David Gross, American theoretical physicist and corecipient of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics, at the inaugural Quantum India Bengaluru Summit 2025. Investment in research and development (R&D) and the strengthening of innovation capabilities are particularly relevant, given the growing uncertainty in global trade and financial flows.

What has been the impact of ethanol blending?

E 20 petrol, which contains 20% ethanol and is being sold by Indian oil refiners, has been much in the news lately. India has achieved its target to blend 20% ethanol per litre of fuel five years ahead of the target under the National Policy on Biofuels. Ethanol blending in India rose from just 1.5% in 2014 to 20% in 2025, backed by the government's strong fiscal incentives to the sugarcane industry. While the government says ethanol blending achieves a range of goals such as cutting greenhouse gas emissions, bolstering farmers' incomes and reducing India's oil import bill, its benefits to the environment require closer scrutiny. 

How 'honour' killings in India are reinforced and legitimised

Caste in India is not an individual problem it is a deeply rooted social phenomenon. Caste survives and thrives not just because individuals insist on it, but because families, communities, and entire social structures continue to enforce and legitimise it, knowingly or otherwise.

At the heart of this caste endurance lie social customs passed down and protected within households. Children grow up internalising boundaries who to talk to, who to marry, who to avoid long before they can even articulate why. As a result, the caste system remains one of the most resilient social frameworks in India.

Nepal PM likely to visit India next month; officials meet in Kathmandu

Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli is likely to visit India in September, sources said on Sunday as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Mr. Oli in Kathmandu.

Mr. Misri, who reached Kathmandu on Sunday morning, met Foreign Mi-nister Arzu Rana Deuba and held a detailed meeting with officials of the Ne-pal Ministry of Foreign Affairs led by his counterpart Amrit Bahadur Rai. 

Grassland invaders stifle Assam's island-like national park home to feral horses: study

A new study has identified at least two native plants that have joined invasive species to alter the riverine ecosystem of eastern Assam's Dibru-Saikhowa Na-tional Park (DSNP), the on-ly habitat of feral horses in India.

How to plan for 10X rise in education expenses

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for taking investment decisions. Yet, some are applicable and financial experts consider them the thumb rules for attaining the target.