This paper critically examines the future of the CPI and CPM in Kerala, drawing lessons from West Bengal, global experiences, and sustainability imperatives. It concludes with ten actionable recommendations for a people-centric, sustainable communist ideology in Kerala.
From Corruption to Confidence: Can India Embrace an AI Minister for Procurement and Justice?
India need not wait for another scandal to act. By repurposing lessons from Albania, Estonia, and South Korea, and embedding them in our own frameworks, we can craft a future where procurement is corruption-resistant and justice is time-bound.
An AI Minister for Procurement and Justice will not replace human institutions—it will reinforce them. It will give citizens confidence that their taxes are well spent, and restore trust in the judiciary’s ability to deliver.
For a country that prides itself on being the world’s largest democracy, this could be the most consequential governance innovation of our decade.
Kerala Skill Development and Entrepreneurship University (KSDEU): Vision 2031
Kerala, though globally acclaimed for its high literacy and health indicators, faces a paradox that continues to challenge its development narrative. The state’s higher education and skill development ecosystem, despite widespread access, fails to consistently achieve global standards of quality, employability, and innovation. The proposed Kerala Skill Development and Entrepreneurship University (KSDEU), envisioned under Vision 2031, seeks to transform this landscape through a model of education rooted in entrepreneurship, vocational excellence, applied research, and innovation-led growth.
Counting the Nation, Digitally: Why Kerala’s Hills, Plains and Ports Are at the Heart of India’s 2027 Census Rehearsal
After an unprecedented delay of seven years, India’s population census—the single largest administrative exercise in human history—is returning to the field. The Census of India 2027, to be rolled out in two phases between 2026 and 2027, is poised to mark a technological and methodological watershed.
For the first time, the entire enumeration will be conducted primarily through digital tools—tablets, mobile apps and online self-reporting—ushering in a paradigm shift in how demographic and socio-economic information is collected, verified and aggregated in the world’s largest democracy.
Beyond the Smoke: Physical and Metaphysical Dimensions of Stubble Burning in North India
Stubble burning in North India is an annual ritual that transcends mere agricultural practice, affecting public health, urban life, and climate resilience. While farmers perceive it as an economic necessity to prepare fields for the next crop cycle, the resulting smoke engulfs cities like Delhi in toxic haze, elevates respiratory illnesses, and exacerbates climate change. Beyond these tangible consequences, stubble burning holds deeper socio-cultural and metaphysical dimensions, reflecting systemic inequities, governance gaps, and a human-environment disconnect. This article analyzes the historical context, farmer compulsions, urban fallout, environmental impacts, and policy responses to stubble burning. It proposes a comprehensive framework balancing technological interventions, economic incentives, regulatory enforcement, and cultural awareness.
The AI moment and its inevitability
The twenty-first century has been marked by many revolutions, but none so pervasive, so quietly invasive, and so rapidly self-propelling as Artificial Intelligence. What began as a laboratory curiosity in the 1950s has now matured into the most powerful technological force shaping economies, ethics, and even existential reflections. From autonomous vehicles and precision agriculture to intelligent weapons and generative art, AI today is not merely a tool—it is the defining grammar of progress. The march is irreversible; as the World Economic Forum (2024) observes, the world is entering an “intelligence economy” where data is capital and algorithms are labour.
AI’s inevitability stems from three converging streams: exponential computing power, abundant data, and the democratisation of cloud infrastructure. Unlike earlier industrial revolutions that were regionally anchored, the AI wave is global by design—driven by digital interdependence and competition for cognitive supremacy. Every nation now stands at the threshold of re-engineering its social contract with technology.
FROM FIDELITY TO FLUIDITY? Reassessing Sexual Ethics, Commercial Sex and Family Values in the Twenty-First Century: Policy Reflections for Future Generations
Across much of human civilisation, marriage was regarded not merely as a private contract but as the cornerstone of social order. The ideals of lifelong fidelity, stable parenthood and mutual responsibility were upheld by virtually every major civilisation and religion. During the past six decades, however, unprecedented social, technological and economic transformations have altered both attitudes and behaviour concerning sexuality, marriage and family life.
The commercialisation of sex, the digital revolution, changing gender roles, declining religious participation, delayed marriage and growing individualism have collectively reshaped intimate relationships across many societies. While these changes have expanded personal freedoms and challenged long-standing inequalities, they have also generated important questions concerning family stability, demographic sustainability, mental well-being and social cohesion.
Using Japan as an illustrative case study—together with evidence from Britain and other developed societies—this paper examines whether traditional concepts of fidelity remain socially significant or whether they are gradually being replaced by more fluid relationship patterns. Rather than advancing a moralistic argument, the paper analyses empirical evidence, demographic trends and public policy implications.
The central question is neither whether society should return to the past nor whether changing sexual norms are inherently harmful. Rather, it asks whether future generations can preserve the enduring values of commitment, responsibility and mutual respect while adapting to rapidly changing social realities.
