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The government has notified draft rules relating to the digital privacy protection law. Undoubtedly, this underscores a critical moment in the ongoing evolution of privacy legislation. The law, ostensibly designed to safeguard citizens, particularly children, from the darker corners of the digital realm, also raises profound concerns about the potential for governmental overreach. While protecting children from exposure to inappropriate online content and ensuring their well-being in an increasingly digitized world is a commendable goal, these measures must be balanced against the risks of misuse of personal data by those in power. Past experience provides ample evidence of how such power, if unchecked, can encroach upon individual freedoms and erode the trust between the state and its citizens.

The year 2024 saw the Union Government of India meticulously preparing the ground for proposed labour reforms, including the four controversial labour codes, and Employment Linked Incentive (ELI), though could not roll them out because of a range of issues, including hesitant attitude of India Inc and opposition from the joint platform of the 10 Central Trade Unions (CTUs). However, preparations reached an advanced stage, and the Union Government is almost ready to implement labour reforms in a big way in 2025.

Sambhal is an inflection point with many implications, some of which are already in play. One, there is a new 'old Sambhal' emerging before disbelieving eyes, the preserved remains of a long-lost town that existed much-much before the majority of those among today’s living were born, maybe even their parents and their grandparents were born, going back to several generations.

Farmers have already been protesting against the Centre demanding legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops and also implementation of Swaminathan formula C2+50 per cent for calculating MSP so that they could get remunerative price for their produce, where C2 is the comprehensive cost of production which includes the actual cost of production, family labour, imputed rent on owned land, and interest on owned capital.

2024 was a happening year. Happenstance, 2025 also will be. There was a new government at the Centre in 2024 — with the same old Prime Minister and a brand new Leader of the Opposition! In year 2025, there will be a new government in Delhi and the same old Chief Minister, maybe?

At the time of Indian independence in 1947 with GDP at 2.7 lakh crore that is 3% of the world's total GDP, it was a big challenge and horrendous task to meet aspirations of all sections of the society particularly the marginalized ones. Since the number of socially and economically deprived sections was very large, the policies had to be framed which would ensure an inclusive growth. Several schemes were floated for social welfare.

India is witnessing a transformative era in its naval history. On January 15, 2025, the Indian Navy will achieve a historic milestone by commissioning three advanced combat platforms—Nilgiri, Surat, and Vagsheer—on the same day. These platforms signify technological advancement and mark a crucial step in India's journey toward strategic sovereignty. Beyond their operational value, these vessels highlight India's growing influence in shaping the security architecture of the Indo-Pacific region.

The year 2024, which has ended, has been a tumultuous one both nationally and internationally. In India, the year began with the State-sponsored installation of the idol at the newly-built but incomplete Ram temple at Ayodhya, a signal from the BJP rulers that the era of Hindutva raj has begun. This was followed by various attacks on opposition leaders through the central agencies, including the arrest of two chief ministers.

The Indian newspapers have been full of stories about the fall of the rupee vis-à-vis the US dollar in the last few days. Just over a month ago, on November 27, the value of the dollar was Rs 84.559; by December29, it had risen to Rs 85.5. And this fall of the rupee has occurred despite a running down of foreign exchange reserves by the Reserve Bank of India to stabilise the rupee: the reserves which had amounted to $657.89 billion on November 22, had come down to $644.39 by December 20, and yet the fall of the rupee could not be prevented; without the running down of the reserves the fall would clearly have been even greater.

Falling enrolment of students in schools of India for the second year in a row in 2023-24 is a matter of serious concern. The year preceding the shutdown of schools across the country due to outbreak of the COVID-19 in 2020, enrolment of students had crossed 26.45 crore. However, in 2023-24 only 24.8 crore students could be enrolled, which is a fall of 6.23 per cent. Even in 2022-23, there were 25.18 crore enrolments. The Question is where are the children missing from the education system at a time when right to education is their fundamental right in the country?