THE central government is set to introduce a bill to raise the marriageable age for women to 21 years. Given its majority in parliament, this bill will probably become law. Yet there are so many important issues that require deeper consideration that the better course would be for the government to refer the bill to the relevant standing committee, instead of pushing it through.A woman is considered an adult at the age of 18. All laws that apply to adult citizens, including criminal laws, will apply to a woman at the age of 18. She is held responsible for the actions she takes.

THE place is Kothattai village in Cuddalore district. We have to travel a bit to reach the village from the main road and further walk over an uneven area to arrive at the Irula tribe's hutment. About 20 families are settled there. During the first wave of Covid, some relief work was done in their area and surroundings by the CPI(M) Parangipettai taluk committee. Soon after that, taluk committee secretary Ramesh Babu received a call from Ranjita belonging to the tribe.

THE Global Inequality Report 2022, released last week, has confirmed what common people were painfully aware of – the rich have become richer and the poor have become even poorer. The report has marshalled an enormous amount of data from countries across the world to reveal that the richest 2,750 billionaires now own 3.5 per cent of world’s wealth while the poorest 388 crore people of the world (50 per cent of world’s population) own a mere 2 per cent of global wealth.Unsurprisingly, data from India follows the global trend.

THE decision of the government of Andhra Pradesh to direct its DISCOMS to enter into long-term PPAs for purchasing 7000 MW or 17,000 MU solar power per annum from Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for a period of 25 years in three tranches from September 2024 (3000 MW), September 2025 (3000 MW) and September 2026 (1000 MW) and granting approval to the proposal by APERC(Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission) within three days is questionable and detrimental to the interest of the state for various reasons.          The demand approved by APERC for the fourth and fifth contr

THE ruling BJP and its allies are trying to undermine the very democratic system of our nation by taking away the rights of parliamentarians. The last monsoon session saw some of the most humiliating days for our democracy. The ongoing winter session is witnessing an even worse phase. Listening to the opposition is unavoidable in democracy. But the BJP is trying how not to answer the questions posed by the opposition, and how to silence the MPs asking questions.