On that note, let’s get to today’s edition.

Big story

Election season is upon us once again. This time, the focus is on the national capital, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated several key infrastructure projects worth Rs 12,200 crore on Sunday. He even promised that all ongoing welfare schemes under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government would continue if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were voted into power.

Teamwork?: Not one to stay behind, the AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal called the infrastructure push a “joint venture” between the Center and the Delhi government.

Attacks and counters: Referring to a report by The Indian Express, the Prime Minister hit out at the AAP government for building a “sheesh mahal” in place of the Chief Minister’s residence. What does the report say? It details the findings in a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the expenses incurred in renovating the CM house. The costs went up thrice the expected budget to over Rs 33 crore. The AAP has called the report a “diversionary tactic” ahead of the elections.

Only in Express

Women in IITs: Six years ago, a supernumerary quota of 20% was set aside for women at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) across the country. Since then, the campuses have witnessed a gradual shift. It brought more hostels and washrooms for female students, their own sports teams, and a change in mindsets. But have IITs kept pace with the growing number of women? Challenges remain.

From the Front Page

Martyred: Mukesh Chandrakar, a journalist from Bastar, was found dead in a septic tank on January 3 shortly after he reported on corruption in his district. Chandrakar’s death hits the very soul and spirit of the profession. Ashutosh Bhardwaj, Editor of The Wire Hindi and former Chhattisgarh correspondent of The Indian Express, writes on Chandrakar’s fearlessness and those who sought to suppress it.

Alarm bells: Villagers around the Rani Durgavati Tiger Reserve, recently formed in Madhya Pradesh, aren’t too happy. They claim that their access to forest resources has been restricted and they were forced to relocate outside the reserve. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has directed the state government to examine the matter.

Must read

Mother Tongue: You’d think that the sentencing of eight Pakistani men for smuggling heroin into India would be nothing out of the ordinary. But in a rare case, the convicts, their Indian defense lawyer and their prosecution attorney were all united on one thing—they all spoke in Sindhi.

Twinning: Why are more and more cars looking similar to each other? Case in point the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyrider. For consumers, the choice between the “twins” often rests on familiarity with the brand, warranty on offer, or convenience of reaching a dealership. For automakers, ‘badge engineering‘ is a winning, cost-cutting strategy.

Jai Kisan: In our Opinion section today, Ashok Gulati makes a case for the farmers, and why the government must focus on increasing their incomes for a Viksit Bharat (developed India) by 2047.

And finally…

Time is not on Novak Djokovic‘s side. The 37-year-old legend is trying to keep up with challengers closer to his kids’ age than his own. Last year, Djokovic clinched an Olympic medal, just weeks after a knee surgery, proving his fitness and mental wherewithal to keep going. Would we see him win another Grand Slam? Only time will tell.

🎧In today’s episode of the ‘3 things’ podcast, we talk about the world’s largest dam—The Brahmaputra dam project—China is constructing and its impact on India.

Business As Usual by EP Unny