“Mother tongue… the term snacks of some kind of purity test. Bureaucrats ask for it in forms, ministers extol its virtues. It’s really complex-ridden linguistic gatekeeping disguised as heritage preservation. Retire the phrase, not because it’s silly because it’s inaccurate. Call it ‘comfort language(s)’ instead.”
Editorial titled ‘Don’t bother with mother tongues’ (The Economic Times, June 28)
“This chaos is a blow to the aspirations of millions of Indian families who make considerable financial sacrifices for private CBSE schools. A robust English-medium education to them is not a luxury but an essential tool for their children to get ahead, excel in national exams, and compete in a gloaslised world.”
Ra Shhiva, advocate and founder of Citizens for Law and Democracy, on the Central government’s circular directing all states to deliver primary education in pupils’ mother tongues (The Times of India, July 1)
“Eight years on, the Modi government’s GST is not a tax reform – it’s a brutal tool of economic injustice and corporate cronyism. It was designed to punish the poor, crush MSMEs, undermine states, and benefit a few billionaire friends of the Prime Minister.”
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on the eighth anniversary of the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on X (July 1)
“While Indian women now outpace many global peers in education, comprising over 45 percent of undergraduates, their participation in the labour force, especially in urban areas, remains alarmingly low at just 28 percent, half of the remaining G20 average that exceeds 56 percent… Investing in FLPRs will transform the living standards of families and raise GDP to even higher levels, paving the way for changing patriarchal norms and mindsets as it benefits everyone.”
Ratna Sahay & Akash Dev of NCAER, Delhi on how India can increase its FLPR — female labour participation rate (Times of India, July 7)