Central Mirror

In the quiet corners of India’s engineering colleges, a crisis is brewing, and it goes beyond issues of attendance or grades; it is a crisis of competence. For years, the Indian engineering degree has been marketed to parents as a guaranteed pathway to success. However, from my three decades of teaching and observing thousands of graduates, I have realised an uncomfortable truth: we are producing degree holders, not true engineers. When I compare the engineers of the 1950s to 1970s with those of today, it becomes clear that our current system is failing in terms of practical wisdom.

As India dreams of being the ‘Vishwa Guru’ and charts its path to a $10 trillion economy, a silent implosion is taking place in the labs, fields, and urban slums of the nation. We are witnessing the slow, painful atrophy of a sector that has historically acted as the shock absorber for our democracy and the sharpest tool for our growth: the non-profit, grassroots, and private autonomous research ecosystem.

In August 2025, the Supreme Court delivered a harsh criticism - not just to a state government, but to a mindset that has quietly become the norm across India's economy. Assistant professors in Gujarat, the Court noted, had been drawing a mere ₹30,000 per month since 2012 while their permanent counterparts earned over ₹1 lakh for identical work. "It is disturbing," the bench observed. "It is high time that the state takes up the issue."

It has always been a matter of perspective. Half-empty or half-full, in the psychiatrist’s lingo. This applies to what the anthroposphere regarded as wastes not so very long ago. Half-empty has become half-full now with the onset of the circular economy. This is truer of course in the western world which has leapfrogged in the 21st century with new technologies and investments in research and development in improving resource use efficiency – resources of all kinds, energy or material, biotic or abiotic, stock or fund or even flow.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report titled ‘Drowning in Plastics’ states, of the 9.2 billion tonnes (Gt) of plastics made in the 67-year period (1950-2017)

Ecological restoration is widely treated as an unquestioned public good in the face of climate change, desertification, and biodiversity loss.

As India aims to reduce GHG emissions by 45% by 2030, boost clean energy usage, and enhance carbon sinks, there is a rising interest in the ways of achieving these goals. On a global scale, India has promoted initiatives like Mission LiFE and the Panchamrit commitments at COP26.

India has been making dedicated efforts to introduce policies and schemes that promote achievement of sustainable development goals. However, at times, conflicts and trade-offs arise when using a sectoral approach to policymaking to pursue these goals.

A thriving civilization produces waste as a byproduct of its activities. If this waste is not adequately managed, it can lead to accumulation problems. History has shown that this accumulation of waste can devastate human lives, often resulting in health crises.

Water sustainability challenges are widely acknowledged, yet effective strategies to address them are urgently needed. While local approaches play a crucial role, it is essential not to overlook broader macro-level policies. Regulatory, fiscal, and market-based instruments drive these policies, each offering unique advantages and disadvantages.

India has a pivotal position among the global superpowers in terms of military strength, space research, culture and traditional heritages. When the country is aiming for a leadership position through deepened co-operations, it is swiftly pacing on a trajectory to rapid economic development through growing markets and improved value chains.

Given the socio-ecological, environmental, and economic imperativesof plastic waste management, the Indian government introduced the policy of extended producer responsibility (EPR) through Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.

Corporates, being major producers and consumers of goods, generate a significant amount of waste, and can take responsibility for managing the waste by participating with local authorities. However, there are five key areas where corporates can have a major impact in the management of solid wastes.