THAT the large non-performing assets (NPAs) on the books of banks, especially public sector banks, is the only blemish in India’s continuing economic story, is the official view. Speaking recently at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley reportedly declared that NPAs were “one very big challenge” facing the government, and resolving that problem was its “top priority”. Parallel to this, others such as top-level Reserve Bank of India officials, have been floating trial balloons, in the form of recommendations on various methods of addressing the NPAs.

TODAY, Munnar is not merely the name of a region in the state of Kerala. It has evolved into a political-social-media matter. This shift has a devious political objective. This objective has not appeared all of a sudden. It had begun much earlier and displayed its potential on an earlier occasion as well.The publishers of the Oxford Dictionary have selected ‘post-truth’ as the word of the year 2016. The word depicts a situation where truths are campaigned as non-truths or vice versa. The socio-political campaign on Munnar will certainly fall in that category.

IF we are to believe the propaganda of the BJP and Sangh Parivar – the cattle of India are on the verge of extinction. The blame for this imminent extinction, is laid at the door of those who consume and sell bovine meat – mainly Muslims. Equally blamed are the slaughter houses from where, apparently, beef is being exported on a massive scale, threatening the survival of the species.Armed with these claims, the BJP has been promoting hysteria among its supporters against minorities and dalits, who are involved in transportation of cattle.

THE former Pakistan army chief, Gen. Raheel Sharif did not have to wait long for his next job. The Saudi Arabian government selected him as the head of a so-called Islamic army that has been in the works for some time now. It is a proposed “counter terrorism” alliance of around 39 Sunni states funded mainly by the Saudi monarchy and the rich Gulf emirates. The headquarters of the proposed military alliance will be based in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The Saudi government had announced plans for its creation in December 2015 as it embarked on a fratricidal war against neighbouring Yemen.

EDITORS and in-charges of the CPI(M) guided dailies, weeklies and other publications met at Hyderabad for a two day brain storming session last week.