A new Urban Commission has been formed in Kerala after 38 years, similar to the National Commission on Urbanization led by Charles Correa in Rajiv Gandhi's time. The 74th Constitutional Amendment brought a positive change in urban development policies, focusing on private initiative and investment.
Need for Urban Commission: Over 56% of the global population lives in cities, causing urban challenges such as pollution, housing, water, and sanitation issues. City development has become a significant driver of capital accumulation, and urbanization has caused spatial and temporal changes.
During the Nehruvian era, centralized planning and master plans were emphasized but failed as manufacturing declined. In the 1990s, cities were privatized, focusing on real estate and competitiveness, leading to project-oriented development.
Challenges - Various efforts such as Swachh Bharat Mission, AMRUT, HRIDAY, and PMAY have not been successful in achieving desired outcomes. Challenges in city governance persist, including the delay in transferring subjects from the 12th Schedule and discussions on the appointment of managers instead of elected officials.
The Kerala Urban Commission was formed in 2024, consisting of members like M. Sathishkumar, Janaki Nair, and K.T. Ravindran. The commission aims to address urbanization challenges in Kerala, with a 12-month mandate to develop a 25-year roadmap for urban development.
The Kerala Urban Commission can be a model for other highly urbanized states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Punjab in India. The establishment and progress of the urban commission in Kerala can provide valuable insights for other states dealing with high urban populations.
Alarming Reports Reveal Low Employability among Indian Graduates - Less than half of India's graduates were employable in 2021, according to recent reports. Furthermore, the unemployment rate among graduates is on the rise. These findings raise concerns about the quality of online education, and the employability of students who graduated during the pandemic.
Examining Employability and Online Learning Trends- While employability issues have existed before the rise of online learning, Santosh Mehrotra acknowledges that there are challenges that must be addressed. Between 2006 and 2018, higher education saw a massification that led to a proliferation of private colleges which affected the quality of education. Unfortunately, online learning has only exacerbated the issue, causing further learning losses and downsizing of ed-tech companies.
Alarming Increase in Unemployment Rates among Graduates and Postgraduates - Between 2012 and 2021, unemployment rates among graduates and postgraduates have surged, revealing deep-seated issues that need to be addressed. The following factors contribute to this problem: Inadequate regulatory oversight for private colleges & Insufficient expenditure on research and development (R&D).
Higher Education's Impact on Job Creation: Despite the need for skilled workers in the services sector and conventional agricultural practices, traditional graduates have limited job opportunities. To address this issue, higher education institutions must prioritize creating new knowledge, promoting innovation, and supporting entrepreneurship and start-ups.
The current workforce landscape presents a gender gap in employment opportunities. Shockingly, reports suggest that there is a higher percentage of employable women graduates in comparison to their male counterparts. In India, despite significant progress in women's education, there is still a low percentage of female workforce participation due to limited job opportunities.
Evaluating the National Education Policy (NEP) - The National Education Policy (NEP) has faced considerable controversy and confusion due to its selective implementation. Despite its promise of integrating skills with traditional syllabi, there has been no real change observed on the ground, posing significant hurdles. The NEP needs to include specific equity actions for marginalized communities such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Muslims. The policy should focus on social growth equity and inclusiveness strategies tailored to different groups. The rapid growth of ITIs and Polytechnic colleges raises concerns about quality.
Conclusion: The challenges surrounding graduate employability in India highlight the pressing need for systemic reforms in higher education, targeted equity measures, and a thorough evaluation of the effectiveness of the National Education Policy.
The twin blasts in the southeastern Iranian city of Kerman at a memorial for Qassem Soleimani, the Quds Force commander whom the U.S. assassinated in Baghdad in January 2020, expose the security vulnerabilities of the Iranian regime at a time when conflicts are spreading in West Asia. At least 84 were killed in the worst terror attack in the Islamic Republic’s history.
The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility. For the IS, Soleimani was a sworn enemy as he had mobilised Shia militias to fight the IS in Syria and Iraq.
For Iran, the attack has come at a precarious moment when tensions are rising in West Asia. Hezbollah, which has been engaging Israeli troops in a limited way since October 7, has vowed retaliation.
While in the Red Sea, Iran-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen have been repeatedly attacking commercial vessels since late November. Pro-Iran Shia militias have targeted U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria since October 7, and on Thursday, a U.S. strike in Iraq killed a Shia militia commander.
Conclusion : The Israel-Hamas war is no longer about just Israel and Hamas. It has put the whole region in a ring of fire. As chaos spreads the IS seems to have found an opportunity to strike its old enemy which is under pressure.
