The story of urbanisation in the Global South – and particularly in India – is not one of industrial expansion or prosperity. It is a story of pauperisation. Cities today are swelling not because factories are hiring, but because the countryside is expelling. This new urbanisation is driven by desperation rather than development – by the push of agrarian collapse, not the pull of industrial promise.
Although GST rate rationalization was lauded, another low-hanging fruit that could come next is disinvestment.
Bhutan, one of the most important countries from a Geostrategic angle, is located between Tibet and North-East India and also to the nearest points of the Chumbi Valley of Tibet, Sikkim and the Eastern borders at the same time the proximity of Bhutan from the Siliguri corridor which is the connecting point of the seven north eastern states of India is crucial for both India and Bhutan.
The much-delayed Fourth Plenum of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee met in Beijing from October 20-23. Of the seven plenary sessions during a CCP congress, the fourth typically focuses on strengthening the party and governance. At this meeting, the formulation of the 15th Five-Year Plan for 2026–2030, personnel appointments and policy changes took precedence over other matters.
There are good reasons for India to continue sourcing oil from Russia, notwithstanding the latest American sanctions on Russia’s oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft. India has a stake in Russia retaining its great power status, for which Moscow needs to have continued access to its only all-season naval base in Sevastopol, Crimea. That, in turn, calls for Ukraine to stay neutral, rather than join NATO, and for Russia to have control of eastern Ukraine, through which run the land routes from Moscow or St Petersburg to Crimea. Buying Russian oil is not primarily about cheaper energy, as far as India is concerned.
Transit-oriented Development can curb India's urban dysfunctions by integrating land use with transport, but fragmented governance, weak execution, and poor planning hinder its transformative potential.