The Hindu Business Line : Tuesday, February 18, 2003

Packaged poison
FOOD SAFETY AND consumer health issues have moved a long way in the last few years, only in the reverse direction it seems. Not long ago one could drink water straight from the tap in cities like Mumbai; but no longer. Even bottled water — ... More

ECONOMY

Will Jaswant be at his strategic best?
Though the Finance Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, is new to the job, he has shown great finesse. Also, he has done his best to make the Budget process as transparent as possible. What development strategy will the Finance Minister follow in the preparat ion of the Budget this year? asks T. C. A. Ramanujam. More

Fiscal consolidation — The unfinished agenda
CORRECTING fiscal imbalances is undoubtedly the most important of the unfinished agenda of economic reforms. The two-pronged fiscal consolidation strategy, of augmenting revenues and rationalising expenditure, has not been successful. Though ... More

Middle-class muddle
IN THE last five years the middle-class population has been badly hit by the reforms and the effect of the globalisation on the economy. Traditionally, the middle-class has depended mainly on the white-collar jobs offered by various government ... More

ENVIRONMENT

Coastal zone management authorities — Why the poor policing
AFTER several years of environmental tragedies, 1991 saw the Government propelled into presenting the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification (CRZ) — a law promising protection to the fragile coastal areas and the marginalised communities, ... More

PETROLEUM

Oil politics and tensions in West Asia
ASSERTIVE enforcement of political and economic dominance by the powerful, and the resistance against it by the less privileged ones makes the history of global political economy. If physical and military means were the only route for ... More

EDUCATION

How to extend the IIT brand
A three-pronged strategy would help promote the IIT-brand. Internationalise the IITs beyond the Indian and American shores. A strategy must be in place for continuous improvement in the standards of the IITs. Also, the learning from the successful ex perimentation in creating the IIT brand must be used to improve the content of education at other engineering colleges. More

TOBACCO

Tobacco: It can turn a new leaf
CIGARETTES in their current paper-wrapped form were first smoked in the 16th century by the beggars of Seville in Spain who picked up discarded cigar butts, shredded them and rolled them in scraps of paper. However, it was only in the 18th ... More

LETTERS

Tea workers' plight

Inconsistent stand on divestment

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