“Has the pervasive control of universities helped the cause of higher education? No Indian university ranks in the top 100 universities of the world (prepared by QS). The highest ranked Indian university is IIT, Bombay that took the 118th rank. In a reply in Parliament, the government disclosed that as on October 21, 2024, the number of vacant teaching posts in central universities alone was 5,182.”
P. Chidambaram, Congress MP, in an essay titled ‘University education in peril’ (Indian Express, April 20)
“Mandatory front-of-pack labelling to inform consumers of high sugar, salt and fat content is an evidence-based intervention. Banning aggressive marketing — especially to children — is critical to reduce the appeal of UPFs (ultra processed foods). These regulations should be monitored independently… The battle against obesity will not be won in drug companies’ boardrooms. It will be won in our kitchens, schools, workplaces and public policies.
Dr Arun Gupta, former member, PM’s council on India’s nutrition (Economic Times, April 18)
“India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth. India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism. Terrorism will not go unpunished. Every effort will be made to ensure that justice is done. The entire nation is firm in this resolve. Everyone who believes in humanity is with us.”
Prime minister Narendra Modi promising justice after the Pahalgam terror attack (April 24)
“It is not the duty of the court to tell the media: delete this, take that down… Both the judiciary and the media are the foundational pillars of democracy which is a basic feature of our Constitution. For a liberal democracy to thrive, both must supplement each other.”
Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, Supreme Court judge, delivering a jugdement in a defamation case betwen Asian News International and Wikimedia Foundation (May 9)
