“Every day when I pick up the newspaper there is some incident… Some women have been assaulted. It could be a college student, a child, or a middle-aged lady. (There must be) something wrong with Indian men if we can’t address this problem… This goes back forever but is now talked about since the Nirbhaya tragedy of 2012 and now the R G Kar Hospital rape and murder of 2024.” Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP, on rising sexual violence against women countrywide (August 31, Deccan Herald) “The size of the civil service is quite small by international standards, and its composition needs considerable change – there are too many clerical and administrative staff, and too few technocratic experts, teachers and health workers.” Ajay Chhibber, co-author Unshackling India, on why India’s needs major administrative reforms (Business Standard, September 5) “While a four-medal haul in Rio was India’s best at the time, they captured 19 medals at the deferred 2020 Tokyo Paralymics and have gone past the 20-medal mark in Paris, winning more golds than the total tally in Rio.” Deepti Patwardhan, sportswriter, on the dream run of Indian para athletes at the Paris Paralympics 2024 (Mint, September 7) “Consider this: India has won just 41 medals at the Olympics since 1900. China, on the other hand, clinched 91 medals in Paris alone. India spends roughly $5 million on its athletes. The United States spends $200 million and China $350 million.” Vishal Menon in an essay titled ‘India’s Olympic-sized ambition’ (Business Standard, September 7) “Our present education system is what it is, but it cannot take us to 2047. We need a tsunami of upskilling and uplearning by using the power of the digital and online space that can solve things at scale…” Ronnie Screwvala, co-founder upGrad and Swades Foundation (Business Today, September 15)
