Counterview

By Vikas Meshram   The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act ( MGNREGA ), which for nearly two decades provided a solid foundation to India's rural employment policy, has now been replaced by the Viksit Bharat Rozgar Aur Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Guarantee Adhiniyam, 2025 , known as the VB-GRAM JI Act . This new law is set to come into force across all states and union territories of the country from 1 July 2026, and MGNREGA will officially stand repealed.

By A Representative   The health rights advocacy group Jan Swasthya Abhiyan India (JSAI) has expressed serious concern over persistent inequalities in infant and maternal health outcomes across India, despite improvements in national health indicators highlighted in the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) Bulletin released by the Office of the Registrar General of India. According to the SRS Bulletin 2026, India’s Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has declined to 24 per 1,000 live births. However, several states continue to report significantly higher mortality levels. Chhattisgarh recorded the highest IMR at 36, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh at 35 each.

By Prof. Hementkumar Shah*   Nearly 100 crore people in India need greater consumption, not more savings. The renowned 20th-century British economist John Maynard Keynes argued that while saving is a personal virtue, it can become a public problem when practiced collectively by society. According to Keynes, if individuals save for their future needs, it is considered prudent behavior. However, if everyone in society simultaneously increases savings, the overall economy can suffer because aggregate consumption declines. Reduced consumption weakens demand for goods and services, leading to unemployment and economic slowdown.

By Dr Anurag Verma   The modern world stands at a strange historical crossroads. Scientific progress has reached astonishing heights, yet public trust in global institutions is eroding across continents. The anger is no longer confined to fringe corners of the internet. Increasingly, ordinary citizens across Asia, Africa, and Latin America are raising uncomfortable questions about power, medicine, global governance, and the unequal structure of the international order.

By Dr. Mohammad Asaduzzaman*  In recent years, a narrative has emerged from the rugged and forested terrain of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), portraying the region as the site of a “silent relocation” — a mass forced migration of Bangladesh’s non-Muslim ethnic communities into neighboring India and Myanmar.

By Harsh Thakor*  A philosopher, author, and activist. An existentialist, Marxist, and feminist—Simone de Beauvoir’s contribution to modern thought remains almost unparalleled. Her writings and life continue to inspire generations to question, to dream, and to act.