Much beyond symbolism
Though the country is set to witness a contest for the post of the next President, the victory of the NDA’s choice Draupadi Murmu is beyond doubt. The focus of this week’s Cover Story is on the upcoming presidential poll and the certainty of an Adivasi (Tribal) occupying the highest post. It may appear mere symbolism to some, but the political significance of an Adivasi woman being the Head of the Republic can’t be undermined, says our story.
Besides charting the career-graph of the next President, the story explains how PM Modi’s masterstroke has put the Opposition in disarray. As part of the package, we have a story on an inside page which says that Murmu’s choice reflects a paradigm shift in the Government’s approach to tribal development and welfare. Another story is about the Opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha, his political career and his “habit of taking calculated risks.”
The Centrespread this week deals with corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the context of Toby Usnik’s book ‘The Caring Economy’. CSR was deliberately picked as the topic of the week to motivate and help brands, old and young, to focus on engaging employees, consumers, and other stakeholders around corporate missions that align with the business goals and, as our report mentions, with the broader purpose of responsibility towards the society. The report offers a lively tour through the CSR landscape of global businesses, and the challenges and opportunities of today. There are excellent guiding steps for businesses that are figuring out how to manage their triple bottom-line (People, Profit and Planet) and for business leaders developing or expanding CSR efforts. The essence of the piece is that successful CSR practitioners, who are capable of helping their companies deliver on the triple-bottom-line, will lead the way into the future.
As part of our Globetrotting series, we arrive in Germany, one of Europe’s largest countries. India, recalls our report, was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic of Germany after the Second World War.
Today, Germany is an important partner in India’s quest for a new political role in the region and the world, for its ambitious economic reform programmes and for the development of its industrial sector.
Germany is India’s most important trading partner in the EU and its sixth most important trading partner worldwide, reveals our report. We also carry a related report on Germany’s adoption of policy guidelines on the Indo Pacific region in 2020 and how it has been pushing the European Union into articulating a coherent Indo-Pacific policy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third successive presence at the G7 summit in Germany is a strong affirmation of India’s growing role in global affairs. Our special report deals with the deliberations at the summit and elucidates how PM Modi successfully navigated discussions to prioritise the need to address the concerns of the developing countries in transition to green energy.
Enjoy the package!