Times of Better Bharat

Bharat, in perspective — every morning · est. 2026

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A new edition every morning at 06:00 IST, written from the day’s official releases and the data behind every ranking on this site. Every edition is kept in the archive, exactly as it was printed.

Latest edition — No. 17Open MONDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 2026 ›
TIMES OF BETTER BHARAT, MONDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 2026 — front pageMONDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2026DIGITAL DAILY EDITIONTIMES OF BETTER BHARATBHARAT, IN PERSPECTIVE — EVERY MORNINGNO. 17EST. 2026BY THE NUMBERSAS THEY READ THIS MORNINGGDP GROWTH7.6%2025INCOME PER HEAD$2,7602025GOVERNMENT DEBT83.4%2026INFLATION2.4%2025UNEMPLOYMENT4.2%2025NATION & SECURITYA Diwali at the FrontierIs the Easy PartThe Defence Minister's visit to forward posts in Sikkim is the rightgesture; the test is whether the year that follows it is spent as carefully.he Defence Minister spent Diwaliwith soldiers at forward posts onthe China border in Sikkim, andtold them that the country's ability to cel-ebrate the festival in peace was made pos-sible by the sacrifice and dedication of thearmed forces([NDTV](https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rajnath-singh-celebrates-diwali-with-army-at-indo-china-border-in-sikkim-12300456#publisher=newsstand)).The Defence Ministry's own release re-cords the visit to the forward areas in thestate([PIB](https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2334152)).There is nothing to sneer at here. A minis-ter who marks the festival with the menand women who will hold that groundthrough the winter is doing part of thejob, and doing it in the right place.But it is a part, and the flattery of the ges-ture should not be mistaken for the sub-stance of the policy.The frontier is judged by duller thingsA border is not held by a photograph of aminister with a plate of sweets. It is held bythe rotation schedule that does not break abattalion, the winter stocking that arrivesbefore the passes close, the road that staysopen, the shelter that keeps, the sensorthat detects, the rifle that fires when it iscold and dirty. None of that appears in afestival visit. All of it decides whether thevisit is a courtesy or a substitute for one.The deeper problem is economic. India'smilitary expenditure stands at around 2.3per cent of GDP by SIPRI's reckoning([WorldBank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS)),in an economy of roughly US$3.96 trilliongrowing at 7.6 per cent ([WorldBank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD)).Yet arms imports remain substantial, at2.86 billion in SIPRI trend-indicator value([WorldBank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.MPRT.KD)),and research and development spendingsits at 0.6 per cent of GDP in UNESCO's2020 data ([WorldBank](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/GB.XPD.RSDV.GD.ZS)).A large, fast-growing economy with thatresearch intensity is choosing, whether itadmits it or not, to rent much of its milit-ary capability rather than build it.The indigenisationargument, honestly putThis is contested ground and should bemarked as such. The case for importsis real: Indian industry has repeatedlymissed timelines, and a soldier on a for-ward post needs the equipment that worksthis year, not the equipment promised for2035. The case for indigenisation is alsoreal: dependence is a vulnerability thatno amount of border tourism cures, andevery foreign purchase is a supply chainsomeone else can throttle. My judgement— an argument, not a fact — is that thebalance has tilted too long towards buyingand too little towards the patient, un-glamorous funding of design, testing andproduction. The remedy is not a sloganbut procurement reform and sustainedTContinued on page 2 ›INSIDE TODAYSOCIETY & JUSTICEA Minor's Complaint, aGranite Fortune, and theOnly Test That MattersThe Hindu reports today that a fresh sexualharassment complaint has been filed againstthe granite businessman Veeramani, and thataction has been initiated on the…Page 2 ›PUBLIC REASONA deportation is a deportation,whichever flag is flyingThe report is short, and should be read as itstands: Israel has deported fourteen peoplewho were on a Palestinian solidarity mission,among them a…Page 2 ›ECONOMYOne crore millionairesneed one crore enterprisesThe Telangana government has set itself atarget of making one crore women millionairesby 2034, with a promise of greater economicopportunity for self-help group…Page 3 ›ECOLOGYLight Without AirA festival of light, lit under a sky we cannot seethrough. Delhi's air quality was already 'verypoor' on Diwali day, with an average AQI…Page 4 ›WHERE WE STANDIndia first. Nocamp, left or right.Criticism that strengthens the country,never diminishes it — and a citizen'spressure on the problems no party will own.Read our stand ›Times of Better Bharat · timesofbetterbharat.comNo. 17 · MONDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2026PAGE 1 OF 4

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No. 17MONDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 2026
5 articles
No. 16SUNDAY, 8 NOVEMBER 2026
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No. 15SATURDAY, 7 NOVEMBER 2026
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No. 14FRIDAY, 6 NOVEMBER 2026
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No. 1SATURDAY, 24 OCTOBER 2026
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