-The Hindu   If some communities have been denied the benefits of development on grounds of religion, this development is anti-secular, argues Rajeev Bhargava, political theorist Arch rivals the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party continue to trade accusations against each other of playing the communal card in the campaign to the general elections. These are classic instances of the confusion over what secularism is in India. Restoring clarity on the conceptual aspects...

-The Hindu While an increased turnout in Assembly elections is not an indicator of the same in Lok Sabha elections, aggressive campaigning points toward a higher turnout in this poll If the pattern of turnout in the Assembly elections held over the last couple of years are of any indication, the turnout in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections should significantly increase. Almost all the Assembly elections held in different States between 2012-13...

-Frontline     Significant part of economic migration is still the result of desperation rather than hard-headed economic calculation. This, in turn, affects the conditions under which workers migrate and their lives and work as well.   PERHAPS the most poignant moment in the film Peepli Live-even though the movie is really more about the media than about the socio-economic realities of India-is at the very end, when the hapless protagonist, now a former farmer...

-The Business Standard Associates say Bose always tried to make complex things simple and understandable Finding out the essence is more important than getting lost in statistical jugglery" is what Ashish Bose, the country's foremost demographer, who passed away on Monday, once told Amitabh Kundu, his friend and professor of economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Kundu's description perhaps summarises the personality of Bose, best known for coining the term BIMARU (in a paper...

-The Business Standard   Policy roadblocks holding back solar power The solar energy sector is beset with several problems that need to be sorted out to allow it to expand to its potential. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, which was set up in 2010, has largely failed to supercharge the sector. Its first phase aimed at creating 1,100 megawatts of new capacity; only 252 MW has been added. Its second phase...