Hello and welcome to Best of Business Standard Opinion, our wrap of the day’s editorial page.
The United States’ suspension of eight technology companies, including Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and HCL Tech, from the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme threatens a pathway to green cards for skilled foreign workers. While Indian IT majors expect limited immediate impact, the move could raise hiring and compliance costs over time. Nasscom notes that firms have reduced H-1B dependence and increased local US hiring, with registrations by six leading Indian IT firms falling 92 per cent in financial year 2027. Today’s first editorial warns that the restrictions, compounded by disparaging remarks from US officials, undermine the shared ambitions of the two countries.
The first all-India household travel survey by the National Statistics Office exposes India’s inadequate public transport and inequitable urban development. Only 15 per cent of workers use public transport, while 46 per cent rely on two-wheelers or cars. Commuting costs average Rs 785 monthly, rising to Rs 1,044 for urban workers, squeezing household incomes. The second editorial argues that poor transport networks and unaffordable housing force workers into unhealthy settlements far from employment centres. Greater investment in safe, extensive public transport and low-cost housing could widen employment opportunities, particularly for women. Better public transport would also ease congestion and pollution. The survey’s findings must translate into actionable policy.
The leadership dispute at Tata Sons reflects a breakdown in governance, with differences among Tata Trusts trustees spilling into the holding company’s board. Laveesh Bhandari examines how the group’s tradition of absorbing professional managers into its wider family ecosystem can blur accountability and weaken the chain of command. With Air India still loss-making, Tata Digital seeking direction, Tata Electronics making major bets and artificial intelligence challenging TCS, the group needs decisive leadership. Bhandari rejects a split or compromise arrangement, arguing that the professional heading Tata Sons must have strategic autonomy, clear accountability and the confidence of Tata Trusts, while remaining at arm’s length from its ownership.
PRAGATI-50, launched on September 29, seeks to sustain visible cleanliness across 50 cities, building on Swachh Bharat Mission’s gains in waste processing and collection. Amit Kapoor argues that lasting progress depends less on campaigns and targets than on municipal capacity. Audits reveal staff shortages, limited recruitment powers, weak revenues and fragmented control over urban services. New waste-management rules also risk burdening households without ensuring cities have adequate infrastructure, while waste pickers could be displaced by mechanisation. Kapoor calls for stronger municipal finances, clearer accountability, professional staffing and regional facilities, with monitoring that measures institutional capacity alongside visible outcomes. Larger cities should mentor smaller towns.
Shantanu Nandan Sharma’s Rebel Bastar: History, Maoism and the search for answers in India’s Heartland draws on extensive field reporting, archival records and colonial accounts to illuminate the history, politics and tribal culture of a region that remains poorly understood. Aditi Phadnis praises its account of Bastar’s dynasties, British exploitation, the Bhumkal uprising and the enduring legacy of tribal hero Gunda Dhur. The book’s strongest section explores how Maoism took root among Bastar’s communities, shaped by their distinctive beliefs and social fabric, which the author calls the Mahua ideology. Phadnis finds the lengthy detour into Mao’s history unnecessary but considers the book outstanding for its research, despite structural weaknesses.
