The Hindu: Tactical abstention

• India abstained vote on UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka
• reflects unwillingness to upset neighbour, utilising the opportunity to preserve diplomatic space and contain influence of China on Sri Lanka
• while simultaneously maintaining support for Tamil minority
• India has not been comfortable with externally mandated investigations- in the past said that Tamil aspirations and unity and integrity of Sri Lanka, both important
• recently, Sri Lanka facing democracy deficit, current regime has backed off on promises made to UNHRC by previous regime
• India's limitation: continues to be weighed down by Chinese presence in region

The Hindu: Arts and Awards

• some attributed awards to political alignment of personalities and films
• some said deserving candidates were overlooked
• films across regions, languages awarded, fair share of less-known and well-known films
• a National award should ideally help film industries that rarely get traction, reach a wider audience- hope so because increasing consumption on digital platforms
• suggestion: a framework too bring these films to limelight will incentivise filmmakers striving to narrate stories

The Hindu: Tamil Nadu's distinct growth path is in peril

• major concern in India contemporary development : widening socio-economic disparity across groups and regions
• Bhagwat- Sen debate: Bhagwat argues for trickle down approach, Sen argues for capability centred developmental path where investment in human capabilities will lead to economic development

Tamil Nadu's Trajectory

• But TN has defied this trend, with high levels of human development with economic dynamism
• thanks to populist political mobilisation against caste-based inequalities
• 2 policy interventions: 'social popular' - rights-based interventions, 'economic popular'- driven by electoral imperatives and tend to address absolute poor

No elite bias in TN

• scholars have said that India's human development policies are biased towards elites: privileging higher education rather than universalising primary education, investing in curative and tertiary healthcare rather than preventive and primary healthcare
• TN has countered elite bias: inclusive education policies, successful healthcare policy, lowest out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare share of wages in organised manufacturing among the highest
• however asymmetries are developing in this development trajectory- federal constraints and reduced autonomy in charting policy : case-in-point is imposition of NEET for medical admissions