Miscellany

The UN has issued a staggering warning that the world is now in "global water bankruptcy." It is a post-crisis failure where lakes, rivers, aquifers, and glaciers are overdrafted beyond recovery. Almost 75% of the world’s population lives in water-insecure countries. 4 billion people, half the world, are facing extreme water scarcity at least one month every year. But the headlines shout about Trump policies, the Greenland debate, Elon Musk being called an "idiot," while your faucet is about to run dry!!

Water Crisis Warning Issued on 20th Jan, 2026

The Global Water Bankruptcy Report by UNU-INWEH finds that many areas are “living beyond hydrological means.” Drought has an annual cost of $307 billion. 3 billion people and half global food production sit on declining water storage. 170 million hectares of agricultural land are in critical stress, larger than Iran. The world’s cities are sinking due to groundwater depletion, leading to 6 million sq km subsidence, impacting 2 billion city dwellers.

What is Happening in the World?

Jakarta is sinking. Tehran is rioting. Ethiopia is starving. The Colorado River supplies 7 US states, now rationed. Pakistan's Indus River is shrinking. Saudi Arabia imports 80% of its food while water grows nothing. 44% of corporations report water crippling factories. 800 children die daily from preventable diarrhea.

Meanwhile, at Davos, the debate rages over crypto, while COP is hot on carbon credits. "Many regions are living beyond their hydrological means, and many critical water systems are already bankrupt,” told the lead author Kaveh Madani, Director of the UN University’s Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), known as 'The UN’s Think Tank on Water. Current solutions fail. Demand for water increases by 1% a year. The 2026 UN Water Conference in Dakar urges leaders to hit the reset button on the global water agenda, from crisis response to bankruptcy management.

How Will the Future Look if Action isn't Taken?

Your kids will line up for water like Day Zero survivors in Cape Town. In India 600M face scarcity which will rise significantly in the near future leading to Gen beta treating water as a luxury item! Your city's mayor would begin rationing plans as water reservoirs reach record lows. And the worst best part? food prices will skyrocket as half of global crops die off (currently 170M hectares, which is 11% cropland, is stressed). 

What Is Helping and Will Fix the Water Crisis?

• Desalination costs HAVE fallen 90% since 1970
• Singapore treating 40% of its wastewater. 
• Drip irrigation conserves 50%. 
• Rainwater harvesting should be done everywhere. 
• Pricing reform can kill waste.

But water doesn’t campaign. Markets crash? Front page. Taps empty? Silence. Remember, global water bankruptcy MURDERS quietly while we wage currency wars.

The water crisis isn't future fiction. It's happening now! 2 billion already queue for water daily. Your turn comes soon... but there's still hope as the UN report said “Water stress reflects high pressure that remains reversible." The UN has rung the alarm on Jan 20; Wake up before your glass runs dry. 

Often branded the “side-hustle generation,” India’s Gen Z has grown up in an era marked by economic volatility, rising education costs, and shrinking job security. While they are frequently assumed to be driven primarily by money, new data suggests a far more nuanced reality. For a majority of young professionals, long-term career growth now matters more than short-term financial gains.

According to The Gen Z Work Code: What Drives, Engages, and Retains Them, a new report by recruitment platform Naukri, 57% of Gen Z professionals in corporate India define career growth as the opportunity to learn new skills on the job—outweighing salary hikes and promotions. The survey is based on responses from over 23,000 Gen Z professionals across more than 80 industries.

Learning beats promotions and pay hikes

The data reveals a clear shift in how young workers evaluate success. While 57% associate growth with skill acquisition, only 21% see salary hikes as their top priority. Promotions come even lower in the list of career progress markers, only 12% seeing them as the main signal.

This love of learning is particularly evident in creative industries such as design and advertising, where almost 78% of the participants relate growth to upskilling. These disciplines typically require one to be proficient with the latest tools, platforms, and formatsthus, learning continuously is no longer a matter of choice but a necessity.

It is only natural that one changes their expectations as they gain more experience. For example, in more experienced Gen Z workers, the share of those who place salary rises at the top of their priorities goes up to 25%. This indicates that even though money still counts, it is not so great as to be able to overshadow the importance of acquiring new skills at any stage of one's career.

Work-life balance matters almost as much as learning

Beyond professional development, Gen Z is also redefining what a “good job” looks like. The report shows that work, life balance is the next most crucial factor in job decisions for 50% (after salary). Among the group with a work experience of 5, 8 years, this number rises to 60%.

Having a flexible schedule, reasonable workload, and personal time that is not to be compromised are nowadays no longer considered as just added benefits but are a must for being able to work happily and healthily for a long time. For many young professionals, burnout is definitely not a trophy but a sign of trouble.

Recognition means opportunity, not applause

Another striking finding from the report is how Gen Z interprets workplace recognition. A massive 81% prefer recognition in the form of growth opportunities—such as learning programmes, mentorship, or clear career pathways—rather than verbal praise or public appreciation.

Only 9% said praise alone feels meaningful. Among those earning between Rs 15–25 lakh per annum, interest in monetary rewards increases to 28%, compared to just 8% at entry-level salaries. This indicates that preferences do shift with income levels, but the core desire for tangible progress remains consistent.

Stress is structural, not personal

The survey also sheds light on Gen Z’s mental health concerns at work. The foremost stress factor for work, life balance imbalance was mentioned by 34% of those surveyed, and closely behind was the lack of growth opportunities which was pointed out by 31% of respondents.

Compared to Millennials, it seems that Gen Z is less bothered by micromanagement as only 16% of them indicated it as a significant source of stress against 25% of the older groups. Toxic coworkers were a cause of concern for 19% of the Gen Z respondents but a lot less than systemic issues such as workload stress and stagnation.

India's Gen Z associates career security more and more with how much they can learn today in order to be employable tomorrow. As AI, automation, and global competition continue to reshape the job market, skills rather than titles are becoming the new currency.

The report indicates that companies that want to attract and keep young talents should revise their strategies. Formal learning, flexible working arrangements, and clear advancement opportunities may count more than just slight salary increases.

As the data makes clear, Gen Z is not rejecting money—they are rejecting stagnation. And for organisations willing to invest in their learning journeys, the returns could be far greater than a simple salary negotiation.

Media organisations often take the moral high ground. They run powerful exposés on modern slavery, labour exploitation, corporate abuse, and state oppression. They champion workers’ rights and speak passionately about dignity of labour. But underneath those self righteous headlines, a disturbing fact is hidden: the very media outlets that publish these headlines regularly ask freelance journalists, especially investigative reporters, to work without pay.

This double standard, besides causing shame, is also dangerous.

Investigative journalism is time consuming, costly, and requires a lot of energy. A freelancer's work could go over months in time just by following up on tips, cross checking the paper trail, getting familiar with the sources, and figuring out the legal risks. Many rely on grants from organisations such as Journalism fund Europe to make this possible. But here’s what most editors and publishers conveniently forget: these grants fund the investigation, not the publication.

The research phase is only half the job. After that comes writing, rewriting, structuring, fact-checking, legal vetting, editing, and adapting stories for different platforms. This is labour—skilled labour. Yet journalists are increasingly told: “You already got a grant, so we won’t pay.”

This logic is deeply flawed. Grants exist to enable public-interest investigations that commercial newsrooms no longer fund. They should not be considered as a replacement for editorial budgets.

If newsrooms decide not to cover the expenses of post, investigation work, it is tantamount to them gathering free labour at their disposal while enjoying the benefits of exclusive stories, awards, credibility, and traffic.

The power imbalance is brutal. Freelancers want their stories published. They want impact. They want accountability. Media houses know this—and exploit it. The unspoken message is: Take it or leave it. You should be grateful for the platform.

But exposure does not pay rent. Prestige does not cover healthcare. Bylines do not fund groceries.

I think this is not only unethical behavior but also self-sabotage in a way. The fact is that investigative journalism is hardly standing on its own legs these days. If media outlets continue to undermine the profession in this way by making unpaid labor a standard, there will be no next generation of the watchdogs at all.

The irony is painful. Journalists who expose exploitation are themselves being exploited—by the very institutions that claim to defend justice.

If media organisations want to call themselves the fourth estate, they must act like it. That begins with paying journalists fairly—always. Even when grants are involved. Especially then.

Because a press that feeds on free labour cannot claim to stand for freedom.

For millions of Indian students, the National Testing Agency (NTA) was supposed to be a solution. Established in 2017, the body was supposed to bring in transparency, efficiency, and standardization to important entrance examinations. However, the acronym stands for nothing less than puzzlement, anxiety, and turmoil in the minds of the aspirants today.

The National Testing Agency's (NTA) has been repeatedly plagued with technical issues, has been releasing results late, and some students have even found errors in their question papers. The agency's credibility issues are piling up day by day. Students and scholars are now doubting if the agency is really awarding merit or just giving marks to those who have survived the disorder and have rote learned.

“It Doesn’t Test Research Ability”

Many students along with academics vigorously claim that examinations brought forward by the NTA are not measuring the attributes that they are supposed to. Chandni Yadav, who did UGC NET and is currently doing first year PhD in History at BHU, has expressed her biggest doubt in the very purpose of such examination. She feels that the test is checking for memorization ability rather than the research aptitude.

Her statement resonates with the general sentiment in the academic community that the focus of exams UGC NET and JRF is that a student remembers and regurgitates facts instead of undergoing analytical thinking, building a line of argument, and methodological understanding skills which are indispensable for carrying out serious research.

Considering the scenario, if a system is meant to select the future scholars, then it was a rather counterproductive move to spotlight rote learning.

A Pattern of Errors

Beyond academic concerns, the agency’s recurring “technical errors” have a human cost. Server crashes, wrong answer keys, mismatched question papers, and inconsistent marking schemes have repeatedly disrupted students’ futures. In some cases, candidates have even been forced to resort to filing court petitions or starting social media campaigns for their grievances to be resolved. More often than not, these examinations serve as the only vehicle of social advancement for students who come from rural pockets, economically weaker sections, or are first generation learners. If such a way is made uncertain, then the harm caused is not only at the level of education but also at the level of the mind, money, and every person.

An Exam System That Encourages Coaching, Not Curiosity

Critics also argue that the NTA’s model encourages coaching-driven performance rather than intellectual curiosity. Rather than encouraging conceptual clarity, the system is designed to reward pattern, cracking and speed, based strategies, thus making costly coaching centres more powerful than schools. This destroys the very notion of equal opportunity. While India is discussing the future of its education system, the scandal of the NTA prompts a bigger question: Are entrance exams designed to list students in order of merit or to really assess their potential?

If the agency goes on to emphasize scale at the expense of sensitivity and automation at the expense of accountability, it will run the risk of turning education into a mere mechanical filtering process rather than a sincere assessment of capability.

A recent report by CRISIL Ratings paints a glowing picture of India’s education sector. Revenues are expected to grow by 11–13% over the next two years, driven by rising student enrolments and continuous fee hikes. From K–12 schooling to engineering and medical education, demand remains strong across segments. Private institutions appear financially stable, with steady cash flows and low debt.

But the real question is: Is this “growth” actually expanding access to education, or is it merely strengthening institutional balance sheets?

Fee hikes: The heaviest burden on parents

According to the report, rising inflation in urban areas is pushing schools to raise fees regularly. This income-driven growth model hits middle-class families the hardest—households already struggling to keep pace with the cost of living.

While increasing fees may be the easiest path to higher revenues for institutions, does it not make education increasingly unaffordable? The projected 9–10% annual revenue growth in the private K–12 segment highlights this very trend.

Growth is real, but so are rising costs

Alongside higher revenues, institutional expenses are also rising rapidly—staff salaries, administrative costs, and capital expenditure on new classrooms and infrastructure. This is why operating margins are expected to remain “stable” at around 27–28%.

In other words, while institutions earn more, there is little indication that students or teachers will see proportionate improvements.

Rising demand, limited opportunities

Another key takeaway from the report is that demand for engineering courses remains strong despite global economic uncertainty. Medical courses continue to see demand far exceeding supply. Even with government efforts to increase MBBS seats, thousands still compete for every available spot.

Meanwhile, demand for nursing, pharmacy, and paramedical courses remains moderate—an alarming sign, considering these fields form the backbone of India’s healthcare workforce.

Financially sound, but socially fair?

The most reassuring aspect of the CRISIL report is that institutions are expected to maintain strong cash flows without needing additional borrowing. Gearing levels and interest coverage ratios remain healthy.

But who is actually benefiting from this financial strength? Are more schools and colleges opening in rural areas? Are fees becoming more affordable? Is quality education becoming accessible to all?

The answers to these questions are far less encouraging.

The future of the fee-based growth model

Privatisation in Indian education has accelerated rapidly. But its social cost deserves equal attention. A sector boasting double-digit growth can only be considered truly successful if it invests more in quality and transformation, reduces the financial burden on the middle and lower classes, gives equal importance to public institutions, and ensures better pay and job stability for teachers and non-teaching staff.

Rising revenues alone do not strengthen education. Education becomes strong when it becomes more accessible, more equitable, and more meaningful.

CRISIL’s report offers a positive snapshot of the sector’s financial health, but it also reveals a parallel reality—education is becoming increasingly expensive, and the heaviest burden is falling on the poor and the middle class. This growth model urgently needs rebalancing.

Education should not be about profit-making—it should be about capacity-building. Until that balance is restored, the gap between economic growth and social reality in India’s education system will only widen.

Leadership is not a thing that students get as a reward after their degree. It is a way of thinking that has to be cultivated even before they enter the campus for the first time.

Most of the times, leadership gets a very small part of the attention. It is kept in the domain of workshops, seminars, or annual events, which people see as 'extracurricular'. Not as one of the main educational outcomes, however.

Yet if educating in universities means truly preparing young people for living in real world then training in leadership cannot stay as an option. It must be embedded into the academic journey itself.

Real leadership is something that takes time to develop. It is a product of one's curiosity, learning from mistakes, receiving guidance, and in the environments that support students to try, fail and try again. For this reason, a handful of forward, looking schools are now transitioning away from isolated leadership initiatives towards a more integrated model one based on early identification, structured mentorship, experiential learning, and meaningful recognition.

The first step is identifying talent early. Not all leaders make their presence known; some uncover their leadership skills only when the right opportunities are provided to them. Student councils, interest, based clubs, and community projects serve as the laboratories where students are able to learn teamwork, accountability, and decision, making. Even informal roles such as leading a sustainability campaign or organizing a cultural even that help youngsters understand that leadership is about responsibility and not about the status.

Yet initiative alone is not enough. Mentorship transforms raw enthusiasm into mature judgment. Mentorship turns initial zeal into well, considered decisions. Mentors, be it teachers, experienced students, or alumni, offer what you cannot get from books: insight, candid feedback, and firsthand experience. Discussion, focusing on failure, insecurities, and development, essentially help leaders grow in a way that no motivational speech ever could.

Most of all, leadership is something that is most effectively taught through practical experience. By placing students in unfamiliar situations of real life such as rural outreach programmes, internships, service, learning projects, etc., they are compelled to adapt, negotiate and take responsibility. Such experiences create resilience, empathy, and a clear sense of ethics.

Last but not least, leadership should definitely be understood as a process rather than a personality trait. Students' portfolios, digital badges, and co, curricular transcripts serve as a means of tracking their development, reflecting on their decisions, and expressing their values.

When academic programmes are penetrated with the notion of leadership, educational facilities do nothing less than prepare graduates for employment. They are essentially raising citizens who are capable of critical thinking, ethical behaviour, and purposeful leadership, traits the world of today is in dire need of.