In the backdrop of record foreign exchange reserve in India’s kitty, there is one more good news that may strengthen the hands of prime minister Narendra Modi when he visits Europe this month
India`s economic growth is expected to improve to 7.9 per cent in current fiscal year. This figure has been given by global rating agency Crisil and foreign brokerage Morgan Stanley in their report
Satisfaction and positive sentiments are major themes of one year of Modi government. This is what came out at a press conference on Friday addressed by finance minister Arun Jaitley in the nationa
Reforms have buoyed confidence and falling oil prices have reduced vulnerabilities and India’s economy will grow by a robust 7.5 per cent rate in 2015. At this growth rate the country is set
The road ahead has many possibilities and Niti Aayog has to define many. In an interaction with Shubhendu Parth, Aayog’s member Bibek Debroy speaks about
In an evaluation carried out for 30 states over the last few months, Maharashtra has been ranked number one in this year`s survey on for tourism, travel and leisure. The state`s rank
The just concluded Make In India Week has garnered business commitment of Rs 15.20 lakh crore in investment from global and domestic companies – of which close to Rs 8 lakh crore will g
* 100% deduction for profits to an undertaking in housing project for flats upto 30 sq. metres in four metro cities and 60 sq. metres in other cities, approved during June 2016 to March 2019 and co
* A Task Force has been constituted for rationalisation of human resources in various Ministries. * Comprehensive review and rationalisation of Autonomous Bodies.
* A comprehensive Code on Resolution of Financial Firms to be introduced. * Statutory basis for a Monetary Policy framework and a Monetary Policy Committee through the Finance Bill 2
Finance minister Arun Jaitely, presenting the budget 2016-17 on Monday, said that the national agriculture marketing (NAM) e-platform will be launched on the birth anniversary of Dr. Baba Saheb Amb
Delhi would soon have a large fleet of high-end buses, laced with technology to check unsafe driving and to ensure passenger safety, to address the problem of heavy rush in the metro and scanty tra
A panel of civil society activists campaigning for right to food, education, rural employment, maternity and pension entitlements, has said that the 2016-17 budget does not serve the interest of fa
Jean Dreze is equally concerned with theory of development economics as with its practice. A visiting professor at the department of economics in Ranchi University, he has extensively worked on
The Rajya Sabha witnessed the kind of debate it has not seen at least in recent decades as it took up for consideration the Aadhaar bill on Wednesday. Essentially, the opposition in the upper
Filmstars and business tycoons are among the 500 Indian names that were revealed through the Panama Papers, which are over 11 million leaked documents – bringing into focus black money, a pol
The Narendra Modi government wants to banish poverty from India by the year 2032, a target that is ambitious and fraught with potential pitfalls. The government has thrashed out an a
If the long queues at the employment exchanges and the crowds at private job fairs are an indicator, then trouble lies ahead for the Indian economy. The time has come to make employment generation
There is no dearth of government policies and programmes to ensuring food for all; questions can be raised only about their effective implementation, says National Human Rights Commission chairpers
Before making an investment, an investor has to consider not only the best-case scenario but also the worst-case scenario – unless a unit is allowed to close down properly if the business goe
In the second bi-monthly monetary policy statement of 2016-17, RBI governor Raghuram G Rajan on Tuesday decided to keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged
It’d be truism to say that the world of the future is being shaped right now. Which are the big factors that can help figure out what would be the shape of things to come? Harinder S Kohli, f
Has Modi govt erred in Raghuram Rajan`s
Amidst the speculations and debate over serving a second term as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor, Raghuram Rajan declared that he would return to academia after his term finished in September.
Commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday tried to play down the controversy regarding RBI governor
Just when did Dr Raghuram Rajan’s equations with the new government start going downhill? In hindsight, there will be many remarks and decisions that will fit the bill. A speech at IIT Delhi
On June 23, Thursday, Britain will decide, through a countrywide referendum, whether it wants to stay with the European Union (EU) or not. Popularly known as ‘Brexit’ (from ‘Brita
With friends like this, Narendra Modi does not need enemies. Subramanian Swamy has tasted success and he is continuing his nation-building mission with all the more zeal.
As Britain and the world waits with bated breath for the result of the June 23 referendum on the Brexit issue, we take a look what this means for India. Will it be a win-win situation for the count
Thursday’s Brexit referendum has generated high passions, dividing people not only of Britain but across the world. Will Britain ‘remain’ part of the European Union or ‘leav
As Britain voted to opt out of the EU Friday, India has asserted that it is well prepared to meet its consequences. “We are well prepared to deal with the short and medium ter
As Britain voted to opt out of the EU Friday, India has asserted that it is well prepared to meet its consequences. “We are well prepared to deal with the short and medium ter
Is Modi`s `snub` to Swamy too late, now t
The outcome of the June 23 referendum has shaken the postwar European order. Since the EU’s founding 1957 Treaty of Rome, this is the first time that a ‘major’ member state will
India now ranks 35 in the World Bank’s logistics performance index, in which Germany is right at the top and Luxembourg a close second. Sweden occupies the third spot. The repo
With the union cabinet having accorded its approval to the recommendations of the 7th Pay Co
As the NDA government, aims for a double-digit growth trajectory of the Indian economy, a pay hike to almost one crore government employees and pensioners can come handy, as it will push demand. Th
The crisis of 1991 is the most momentous event I was ever involved in; it is also perhaps when I did the greatest service to my country. But it is also when I met colleagues with sharp knives &ndas
Vinay Sitapati, who teaches at As
Growth in Asia and the Pacific’s developing economies for 2016 and 2017 will remain solid as firm performances from South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia help offset softness from the US e
For the last one month, India has been wallowing in a cool, scented pool of self-congratulation over the 25th anniversary of economic reform that began in July 1991. But as has been well said, what
After teaching English literature in a postgraduate college for nearly a decade, Dr Shiv Kumar Gilra managed to save Rs 4,500 for a scooter. Then, back in the seventies, one had very limited option
You can see them around you all the time. They cut across geography, gender, caste, class, community and religion. Almost all of them have tell-tale signs – they are young, generally between
If there is one person from the bureaucracy who has made the biggest contribution in planning and implementing the economic reforms, it has to be Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Commerce secretary at t
THE DIAGNOSIS ‘At the edge of precipice’ 2. The new Government, which assumed office barely a month ago, inherited an economy i
It was the former prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi, who first wanted to introduce economic reforms. In the pursuit of that, I saw Rajiv as someone who got himself into what I may call a
I was still in civil services when economic reforms were introduced in 1991. A more dramatic event around that time [1992] was the demolition of Babri Masjid. In retrospect, one realises ho
The Bangkok Outcome Document, released by the Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), calls upon global economies to explore and adopt new business models to achieve long-term business sustain
Manas Kumar Thakur was recently elected the president of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAI) – the apex body for cost accountants with around 5 lakh
Doing away with yet another long-standing tradition, the cabinet has decided to do away with the
What do the income disclosure or amnesty schemes reflect on the government? What it suggests is that the government under the normal schemes is not able to take care
The ‘Digital India’ initiative aligns the country with the fourth industrial revolution, focusing on building robust digital capabilities and creating meaningful prospects for investmen
The distribution of monsoon this season has been the best in the last three years, with only a third of the districts seeing deficiency compared with almost half in fiscal 2015 and 46 percent in 20
Ahead of the BRICS Summit, underway in Goa from Saturday, a clutch of civil society movements f
Can you imagine a day without cash? The answer is an obvious ‘no’. The rustle of notes and jingle of coins still have the power to light up any face. In fact, more than 99 percent of tr
Is Gandhi still relevant today? Or, is it still a relevant question today? Ramachandra Guha, renowned public intellectual with a biography of Gandhi to his credit, says his political experiments ar
In April, former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan launched united payment interface (UPI), a payment technology product by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), an umbre
Prime minister Narendra Modi’s dramatic Tuesday evening announcement to scrap currency notes of Rs.500 and Rs.1000 denomination is aimed putting an end to the grey economy,
If banning high denomination currency notes can curb black money, the whole problem would have been solved in 1978 – when the Morarji Desai government did it. Banning Rs 500 and Rs
Prime minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation on Tuesday evening caught everyone, not just black money hoarders, by surprise. Minutes after the announcement, the news about Rs 500 and
Taking Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes out of currency is, of course, not enough to fight black money. In the days to come, the Modi government will have to take a series of moves to make this step e
As soon as the government announced its decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on the night of November 8, there has been an emergency-like situation across the country. With serpentine q
What Sitaram Yechury of CPM said during the demonetisation debate in the Rajya Sabha on November 16 (mildly edited and truncated for clarity): [...] If you don’t
It’s been 10 days of suffering and chaos for people,and the way the government is continuously learning from its mistakes - announcing reliefs and exemptions, and then even rolling back some
You have read (or heard or seen) countless analyses, points-counterpoints, theories-conspiracy theories and allegations-counter-allegations on the historic move to ban high-denomination currency no
At a time, when the country was in the middle of a deep economic crisis and was facing internal insurgency, PV Narasimha Rao, the first ‘accidental’ prime minister, not only restored po
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh and finance minister Arun Jaitley sparred over demonetization in parliament on Thursday. Manmohan spoke of the “monumental management failure” in im
Remember the Lokpal? The one-point panacea for all corruption and black money. It is a law, on the statute book. And while the government has launched a surgical strike against black money that has
The sudden announcement of demonetisation came as an inconvenience to 76-year-old SK Nangia. The morning after November 8, he had to travel to Hastinapur from Delhi by road, covering a distance o
Since November 8, never-ending queues, rising tempers, despair and frustration have become a routine. It’s a nightmare for people who are struggling to deposit or exchange money at banks. And
The prime minister has directed MPs of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to declare their bank transactions to the president of the party in a bid to lead by example to come clean on their actions a
South Asia has the highest share of public procurement in GDP, at 19.3%; followed by sub-Saharan Africa at 14.9%. “India procures 20% of GDP publicly, Pakistan 19.8%. East Asia has the lowest
Anya Shankar, a resident of Delhi, became nervous when her Paytm passbook went blank. A message from the company popped on her screen saying it was a “temporary glitch”. “Because
East Asia went through an economic miracle between 1960 and 1990, with income per capita nearly tripling. The four Asian Tigers – Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea – achieved
Concerned about the abuse of power, French sociologist David Émile Durkheim in 1912 wrote that there could be no society which, at regular intervals, did not feel the need to uphold and reaf
Anand Kumar, from Palwal, a small town in Haryana, had gone to bustling Bombay in the late 1980s as a teenager in search of work. “I had thought I’d drive a taxi or something, it would
I am made of both Delhi and Mumbai. Intellect will tell you sharply that Mumbai and Del
Mumbai is a proud city. There are two kinds of pride. The first kind is fairly common, more so in India. It’s inherited from one generation to another, it’s transmitted by mere associat
I came to Delhi from Kanpur in 2003 for higher studies. Since
In the next three years, the median age in India is projected to be 28.1 years, as compared to China (38.1 years), Japan (48.2 years) and USA (37.3 years), said a report of the standing committee o
Demonetisation, while immobilising black money and fighting corruption, may lead to temporary slowdown of the economy, said president Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday. “We all will
I came to Mumbai from Sikar [in Rajasthan] to make a living. Mumbai gives me better work opportunities as compared to other cities. Here, I manage to save about Rs 40,000 per month, whereas in my h
The growth in GDP during 2016-17 is estimated at 7.1 percent as compared to the growth rate of 7.6 percent in 2015-16, according to First Advance estimates of national income at constant (2011-12)
Manufacturing growth has underpinned India’s recent economic performance, which may help buffer demand for the region’s commodity exporters, said an International Labour Organisation (I
If fighting black money is the aim, demonetisation is the wrong weapon, says India’s largest and oldest business body. “Demonetisat
Investment growth in emerging market and developing economies has tumbled from 10 percent in 2010 to 3.4 percent in 2015 and was below its long-term average in nearly 70 percent of emerging and d
Before one takes a call on whether or not India should go down the universal basic income (UBI) route, some myths about the UBI need to be addressed. A universal basic income is an unconditional, r
Demonetisation has had some intended and many strange and unintended consequences. It appears that the zeal to reform the economy post-demonetisation has permeated to the general public, which has
As cash transfer programs continue to grow as major vehicles for social protection, it is increasingly important to understand if these programs break the cycle of intergenerational poverty, or whe
In the Jammu and Kashmir budget, you have announced a basic income for construction workers, and also mentioned the concept of universal basic income. What was your rationale behind it?
Sarath Davala has a strong opinion about public welfare. “The public welfare regime in India,” he says, “is an exercise in futility.” Some $20 billion (or about Rs 1.3 trill
“This budget would tremendously strengthen the economic muscle of the country. It is directionally correct, fiscally prudent and strengthens the governance fabric of the nation,” said F
SEWA Bharat had initiated a unique pilot project on cash-for-food (that is, cash replacing PDS goods) in Delhi some time ago. However, the basic income pilot project in Madhya Pradesh goes
Flush with funds after demonetisation, State Bank of India has trimmed its lending rate to revive credit demand. In an interview with Geetanjali Minhas, Rajnish Kumar, managing director (nation
While presenting the budget in the Lok Sabha, the finance minister made some announcements about the manner in which he sought to make donations to political parties more transparent. If the propos
9.44 The irresistible force of even as powerful an idea as UBI will run into the immovable object of a resistant, pesky reality. So, what is the way forward, always remembering t
From Mahatma Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram to corporate talkshop Davos, it’s creating a buzz everywhere. If nothing is stronger than an idea whose time has come, then people in more and mor
India faces significant challenges in the area of trade policy— the global economic slowdown, increasing protectionism, the stalled mega-trade deals that could in time be revived, and perhaps
It’s a well-known fact that Indian citizens are a well-travelled lot. Our citizens contribute significantly to the tourism spends in countries such as Switzerland, UAE and Singapore.
Overall, the assessment is that the impact of demonetisation on the real economy has been transient, given the information available so far, said a Reserve B
Bharatiya Janata Party’s spectacular show in the elections 2017 – especially, the victory in Uttar Pradesh, has put a stamp of invincibility on prime minister Narendra Modi’s pers
The biggest ever universal basic income exercise is taking place in Kenya, and if it works, it may be replicated in other parts of the world. India too is looking closely at UBI, with pilot project
The government feels that the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model needs to be revisited, said a World Bank expert. “As for the attempts to revive the “flow” of PPP proje
Ever since Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1439 and paved the way for the Industrial Revolution, two new classes of society emerged – the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. Th
With the Indian IT and other industries facing daunting challenges from protectionism in the US and Artificial Intelligence (AI), an ASSOCHAM-PwC study has made out a case for government –ind
A section of people’s movements and other civil society organisations across India are holding more than 100 protest actions between May 1 and May 7 to mark the 50th anniversary of the establ
Arvind Panagariya’s is one of the most elegantly done up offices in Lutyens’ Delhi. Its modern furnitu
India’s growth is expected to rebound to 7.2 percent in FY 2017-18 as the cash shortages accompanying the currency exchange initiative ease, said an International Monetary Fund report that wa
The rise of populism – the revolt of common people against the elite or the ‘system’ – has been one of the broad themes of the past decade. Till 2000, populism was confined
Trying to make the most of the demonetisation drive, the government has taken yet another follow-up step and launched an Operation Clean Portal. Its aim is to “enable citizen engagement for c
If you want to learn more about the Indian economy, you can’t get a better chance than this. Arvind Subramanian, the chief economic advisor to the government of India and otherwise a teache
Some think there is only one way to score a bull’s eye, by hitting the bull’s eye. Then there are creative souls, who first shoot, and then draw a bull’s eye around the
A gasping economy means bad politics for the Bharatiya Janata Party that is hoping to recreate the 2014 magic when it won the parliamentary election with a brute majority. Demonetisation
Farmers in several parts of the country are on the warpath. Under stress, they are demanding more support from the government, especially higher MSPs and a loan waiver. But after a year of normal
Just as farmers in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and elsewhere were gathering for violent protests to press their demands, the chief economic advisor to the government of India, Arvind Subramanian,
Job prospects appear bleak with the recent release of the provisional estimates of annual national income in 2016-17. The lacklustre performance of the Indian economy observed during the fourth qua
A lot of debate that we witness in the media on the cattle question these days suffer from the disease of speculative utopian imagination of a ‘cow-nation’ and relentless abuses for t
For the past 25 years, India has been rising in stature. It is continually called an upcoming superpower but has been unable to reach the promised status. India’s importance in the world is m
India began her tryst with destiny almost seventy years ago, in the midnight intervening 14th and 15th August 1947. The country the British left behind was but a collection of over 600 native state
There is a need for speedier clearance of projects by states, RBI’s monetary policy committee said and added that there is an urgent need to reinvigorate private investment, remove infrastr
Martin Shkreli, a former hedge fund manager who is infamous for overnight spiking up the price of a lifesaving drug by 5,000 percent, was convicted on three counts of fraud in an American federal
New railway minister Piyush Goyal has his work cut out for him as he has to prioritise safety and restore confidence since the railways is going through a rough patch due to successive derail
Economic reforms, launched in 1991, have reduced poverty, claim all its supporters. But critics say the reforms have increased inequality, or the gap between the haves and the have-nots. That
For the first time in our history, India has the opportunity to wipe out poverty. If India is able to lift another 350 million people out of poverty by 2030, it would be an achievement that t
This month marks the 150th anniversary of Das Kapital. On September 14th, 1867, Karl Marx wrote this seminal text where he explained the theory of capitalist system, which still provides a framewor
Some people are born with silver spoon in their mouth. Some tend to acquire it. Former finance minister Yashwant Sinha is neither. He belongs to a unique genre of career bureaucrat-t
The projection of real Gross Value Added (GVA) growth for 2017-18 has been revised down to 6.7 percent from the August 2017 projection of 7.3 percent, with risks evenly balanced, said the Res
Prime minister Narendra Modi strongly defended the fundamentals of the Indian economy, gave a befitting reply to
The Congress described as “melodramatic theatrics” the speech by prime minister Nare
The Congress has criticised the changes made in the Goods and Services Tax (GST), say
Goods and Services Tax (GST) has been simplified for small businesses and exporters. Here are the key changes that were introduced following a GST council meeting that was chaired by
Disruptions from demonetisation and events surrounding the implementation of GST led to a setback in economic activity and a potentially larger negative effect on the poor and vulnerable, said a Wo
There is clear evidence now that slowdown effect of demonetisation and GST has now more or less played it out, said finance minister Arun Jaitley Participating in an interactive semi
Digital India program has the potential to provide an incremental 20-30 percent increase in India’s GDP by 2025. Since its launch in July 2015, significant progress has been made in several i
Here are the key points regarding India’s macro-economic fundamentals. India grew at a very strong pace of 7.5% p.a. in the three years of 2014-17 with growth
India carried out a number of reforms that helped the country dramatically improve its rankings by 30 spots to 100th position in the
Post-demonetisation, there has been a crackdown on shell companies, a way to convert black money into white. Recently, prime minister Narendra Modi said that shell companies would all be elimin
SV Nathan, partner and chief talent officer, Deloitte India spoke to Praggya Guptaa about the current job market situation and the upcoming opportunities in India. How would you a
A fundamental shift is under way in payment habits of the Indian economy, said a RBI document that looked at the impact of demonetisation. RBI’s interventions on promoting elec
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 6.0 per cent.
The ‘Ease of Doing Business’ report of the World Bank could not have come at a better time for the NDA government. The first anniversary of demonetisation, where everything from plannin
The rise in income inequality has been gradual in India, said the World Inequality Report which noted that at the global level, inequality has risen sharply since 1980, despite strong growth in Chi
As of writing, there are only leads, and the gap between the BJP and the Congress is somewhat increasing. Yet, it looks like a close battle – not what all the exit polls had forecast.
After ”disruptions" like lingering demonetisation effect and GST roll-out, the Indian economy may reach a 7 percent growth in 2018 with government policies tilting towards the stress-rid
The growth in South Asia slowed to a still strong 6.5 percent in 2017, in part reflecting businesses’ adjustment in India to the country’s new Goods and Services Tax and to the adverse
The foreign direct investment (FDI) policy has been further liberalised. The union cabinet chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to a number of amendments in
Prime minister Narendra Modi underlined the need for a consensus among the nation to realise the dream of a beautiful shared future, as he addressed the plenary session of the World Economic Forum
A series of major reforms undertaken over the past year will allow real GDP growth to reach 6.75 percent this fiscal and will rise to 7.0 to 7.5 percent in 2018-19, said the Economic Survey 2017-18
Over the past two fiscal years, the Indian stock market has soared, outperforming many other major markets. Since end-December 2015, the S&P index has surged 45 percent, while the Sensex has su
The budget promises to make it easier for the common man too – easier to leave, though it is not clear leave what.
Prime minister Narendra Modi used the occasion of the budget presentation by finance minister Arun Jaitley to launch a “political psy-op”, to borrow a phrase used by intelligence agenci
India might actually be able to reduce its fiscal deficit to 3 percent by 2019-2020, said a top official. “Fiscal Deficit at 3.3% for 2018-19, backed with statutory commitment
Political parties rarely survive on static social bases in a democracy. The BJP has been experimenting with shifting its social bases and coalescing them in a formidable vote bank in every round of
Union minister Mansukh L Mandaviya, 45, is among the younger politicians to have made it to the cabinet. He is in charge of road transport and highways, shipping, chemicals and fertilisers. In
Budget 2018, forecast to be a “please all” budget, has come out as a “disappoint all” budget. The public is looking askance at a budget that gives with one hand but takes aw
The large-scale fraud perpetrated on Punjab National Bank has hit its rating. Fitch Ratings has placed its Viability Rating of `bb` on Rating Watch Negative (RWN). The rating firm said it will reso
The Right to Information (RTI), used efficiently, could have helped activists and bankers expose irregularities much before they snowballed into full-fledged scams – the one at Punjab Nationa
Could RTI have saved banks from scams?
Diagnosing what ails India’s governance, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar used to name three units or offices that are so corrupted that they are beyond redemption: village patwaris, police
The UP investors’ summit has received an overwhelming response. On the opening day, Wednesday, 1,045 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 4.28 trillion were signed at the summit &ndas
Uttar Pradesh, a state not known as investors’ paradise, is making news. On the opening day of the UP Investors’ Summit, the state attracted memorandum of understanding (MoUs) worth a w
The preface of the current Economic Survey concludes with the words of TS Eliot: “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language. And next year’s words await another v
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with French president Emmanuel Macron who is on a four-day visit to India, inaugurated the 75 MW solar power plant in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday.
As many as 18 people have so far been arrested in the Punjab National Bank fraud involving diamantaire Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi, parliament was informed. As per Reserve
Statistics has come a long way from the time when British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli observed: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Statistics is no
1.33 billion. Let that large number sink in. That number is nearly 18 percent of the total global population, and almost the number of people estimated to currently reside in the republic of India,
End poverty – that’s the mission of the World Bank. Sounds noble. And poverty is indeed ending. Thanks to global and local efforts, poverty (individuals living at $1.9, or about `135,
In an illuminating chapter introducing Public Affairs Index (PAI) 2018 is the narrative on how the core ideas of human welfare – amidst the sole focus of governments on GDP numbers &n
India has been ranked 147 out of 157 countries in terms of its commitment towards reducing inequality, according to a latest report of Oxfam and Development Finance International. The
The recent uproar in the country regarding the finance ministry apparently coercing the RBI in doing things it is unwilling to do has spiked to such heights that the RBI deputy governor valiantly w
Vibrant Gujarat, the biannual gathering organised by Gujarat, will go beyond pitching for investments and will provide a forum to explore trade and export opportunities. The ninth edition of the ev
In their eponymous book on debt crises, noted economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff remarked that the most dangerous words in any language are: “This time is different.” The n
Karl Marx once asserted that “history repeats itself, first as a tragedy and, second as a farce.” The observation is valid to this day when one observes the behaviour of dominant and
Soon after the India Sweden Business Day (November 12) in Stockholm, Indian ambassador to Sweden Monika Kapil Mohta spoke to Rupali Mehra on business ties between the two sides, the ‘Make
India’s Silicon Valley has received the top spot as the world’s most dynamic city in the latest Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) City Monument Index report. Earning the top posi
An official who worked closely with Narendra Modi during his stint as the chief minister of Gujarat told me an anecdote to explain his style of working. Just before the 2007 state assembly election
What are 600 million people? Almost twice the population of the US. What are 500 million people? About three-fourth of the population of Europe. Why are we talking about these numbers? Well, becaus
The elections, acrimonious as ever, are over. The results, predictable as ever in hindsight, are out. Now the elected leaders should get down to delivering what people have asked for. The election
“The banking sector under the leadership of prime minister Narendra Modi has seen major announcements like the bold step of demonetization and PMJDY which were never seen before. We are now l
Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort for the first in his second term, prime minister Narendra Modi highlighted the new beginnings his government has made in recent days, and und
With Mumbai city battling myriad civic issues and annual flooding year after year, stakeholders and experts came together to discuss ways of dealing with these issues as community work. The discuss
Contrast prime minister Narendra Modi’s first Independence Day speech in 2014 with his latest, the first in the second term, and you know the difference. His first speech was less about futur
The central board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to transfer Rs 1,76,051 crore to the government, ending a long debate and opening new options for injecting fresh money into the eco
The petroleum and energy sectors will play a vital role in making India a 5 trillion dollar economy, as envisaged by prime minister Narendra Modi. Addressing the 7th convocation of
Allaying fears of an economic slowdown, RS Sodhi, managing director of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF) which owns the brand Amul, has said there is no slowdown in the dair
Aiming to dispel the clouds of a slowdown, the government on Friday announced a series of measures including corporate tax breaks to revive economic activities. The stock market, depressed for a wh
The Promise of India: How Prime Ministers Nehru to Modi Shaped the Nation (1947-2019) By Jaimini Bhagwati Penguin Viking, 385+xxix pages, Rs 799
The Indian economy has benefited from the climate of political stability in the country, prime minister Narendra Modi said, as he invited the global investor community to India.
After prime minister Narendra Modi in his independence day address to the nation referred to the environmental harm caused by single-use plastic, the government was widely expected to come out with
The real estate sector is arguably the most representative of the slowdown in the economy. The government has moved to offer it a helping hand with a Rs 10,000 crore package, which has the potentia
The global rating agency Moody’s Investors Service has changed its outlook on India’s ratings from ‘stable’ to ‘negative’, but the finance ministry maintained th
Amid oversupply, slackening demand and financial troubles, many builders have not been able to deliver homes to buyers, leaving the latter in the lurch. The buyers in turn have taken recourse to fi
In a rare development in Sri Lanka’s history, two siblings are now at the helm of the island nation’s affairs. While the younger brother, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is the new president, elder
In the new year, India will not only infuse more life into its traditional political and economic ties with Africa, but also consolidate its defence relations with the continent – all this in
Nobel laureate economist Abhijit Banerjee has sounded an alarm on the economic crisis and compared the present situation to the 1991 economic crisis, stressing that to revive the economy it is impo
Every middle-class Indian dreams of a home coupled withlanded property to live off the rent. However, large initial investment, particularly inmetros, and low yields ensure that real estate is out
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the union budget for 2020-21 on Friday, providing significant relief in particular to middle-class taxpayers. Here are the main proposals related to ta
Presenting the first union budget of the third decade of the century, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday unveiled a series of far-reaching reforms, aimed at energizing the Indian econo
“Our prime minister has laid before us ‘Ease of Living’ as a goal to be achieved on behalf of all citizens,” said minister for finance Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting th
Preparation is in full swing for US president Donald Trump’s India visit on February 24-25. This will be his maiden India visit as president. As per the ministry of external affairs press rel
America loves India, America respects India, said US president Donald Trump as he and first lady Melania Trump began their short visit of India from Ahmedabad on Monday, welcomed by prime minister
On the second and last day of US president Donald Trump’s India visit, prime minister Narendra Modi said the real foundation of Indo-US friendship is people-to-people relations. Trump, meanwh
In the more than 40 hours of stay in India during his two-day visit, US president Donald Trump exhibited his talents as a politician and also a showman with acumen to provide the Indian audience an
Importance of strengthening city governance Cities in India contribute to about 60% of the economic output of the country, acting as the engines of economic growth [
India has so far been successful to a degree in containing the spread of COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus, the prime minister’s address to the nation has set the 1.3 billion people to avoid
The world is in grip of the serious virus crisis which is also affecting the global economy, and crushing GDP growth, says Fitch Ratings in its latest quarterly ‘Global Economic Outlook&rsquo
As the coronavirus outbreak is impacting the economy, the government on Tuesday came out with a package to provide relief to various sectors of the economy. Addressing the press thro
Covid-19 may turn out to be the last straw that broke the camel’s back so far as the real estate sector is concerned. It broke out at a time when pundits were estimating the GDP to be hoverin
This analysis originally appeared on the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) webs
As the lockdown to halt the spread of Covid-19 continues into its second month, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray believes it’s high time some relief is granted, with precaut
Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan has cautioned that after opening up if you are forced to shut down it would that be devastating for economic activity as it would create a trust deficit. It would
At a time when countries around the globe are trying to save human lives from the Novel Coronavirus outbreak, addressing other issues, for example, containing the economic distress caused by it, is
Fear is the Indian bureaucrat’s best friend. As the fear of Covid-19 grips people, an opportunity has arisen—for the regulatory inspectors to make the country dance to their tunes. Taki
There are two sides to the coin of the Covid-19 disaster. The heads is the heads; i.e., lives of the people. The tail side is the economic damage sustained by almost every sector. In other words, t
India has decided to extend the lockdown, in place since March 24, once again – till May 31 now – though with more and more relaxations, even as the number of infections in the country
For the rest of the world, it is not easy to understand China when it comes to politics or economics. Under pressure from the international community, it has accepted to open the country for a &ldq
India is determined to “set an example” for the rest of the word in the post-pandemic economic revival, prime minister Narendra Modi has said, underling the need to become self-reliant.
Probing data concerning increased job creation and the decline in unemployment has been holding the attention of economists and been subject of discussions in several think tanks in the preceding m
The two-month Covid-19 lockdown has been both a bane and a boon for India’s 27 crore tobacco users. With tobacco not included in the list of essential goods and many states explicitly b
After the announcement of the decisions by the government for reforms in the agricultural sector for raising the income of the farmers as part of the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the p
Coronavirus is the proverbial last nail in the coffin of globalization. Following this pandemic, we shall be constrained to live in a changed world. The claims of global solidarity and intern
The corporate sector around the world is expected to suffer losses in revenue worth USD 5 trillion, according to a report prepared by Fitch Ratings. “
In India’s pursuit for becoming globally competitive, prime minister Narendra Modi has pitched for ‘Make in India’ with ‘Zero Defect, Zero Effect (ZED)’ culture with t
The rating agency Fitch Ratings on Thursday revised the Outlook on India’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to ‘Negative’ from ‘Stable’ while aff
Wild plant species used in herbal treatments of Covid-19 are set to come under heightened harvesting pressure, as a result of both increased demand and more people turning to wild harvesting as an
In an attempt to revive the economy hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, the government has decided to bet on infrastructure development in a big way. The union cabinet chaired by prime min
For all intents and purposes, India is going to reset its relations with China and a subtle hint to this regard has been given by the Narendra Modi government after the deadly June 15/16 night face
India, facing China’s aggressiveness at border, has banned 59 smartphone apps, including TikTok, as they were indulging in activities harmful to India’s sovereignty and integrity.
In a major development on July 6, the Chinese army started moving back its tents, vehicles as well as troops from locations where disengagement was agreed upon in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Vall
India would play a leading role in the global revival, prime minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, as he addressed the inaugural session of India Global week via video-conference.
It is perhaps neither new nor is it unacknowledged by people in general that India has, after the deadly scuffle with Chinese soldiers on the Line of Actual Control, decided to do away with caution
Given the government guidelines under which units have to work and lack of bank support to the MSME sector, a V shape recovery cannot be expected, and the road ahead will be slow and painful.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution has steadily amalgamated information communication technology (ICT) in every aspect of modern human life, having a profound impact on economic and social systems by
The continuing spread of COVID-19 has emerged as the biggest roadblock to development in 2020. Citizens across the globe have been breathing an air of panic, fear, and confusion, not knowing what l
Advertising veteran Sam Balsara has lamented the lack of support from the government to the industry and said that it has completely ignored the sector. Balsara, the founder, chairma
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a platform for “Transparent Taxation - Honouring the Honest” through video conferencing. Addressing trade and industry b
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a platform for “Transparent Taxation - Honouring the Honest” through video conferencing. Addressing trade and industry b
As the lockdown and movement restrictions in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic come to hurt economic activities, India’s electricity demand is set to drop by 4% during the financial year
SEEDS, a not-for-profit organization, enables community resilience in the areas of disaster readiness, response and rehabilitation. Manu Gupta, co-founder of the organization, is a doctorate in
Hailing prime minister Narendra Modi`s Atmanirbhar Bharat package of Rs 20 lakh crore and terming it extremely well directed to the poor who need it the most, financial wizard Vallabh Bhansali, co-
Fitch Ratings in its latest Global Economic Outlook (GEO) expects global GDP to fall by 4.4% in 2020, a modest upward revision from the 4.6% decline expected in the June GEO. The recovery in econom
The print media has faced severe challenges of late, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic breakout; but it has survived and has potential to grow in the years to come, believes Ashish Pherwani, m
Sections of the news media have degenerated into becoming the pet performing poodle of the government, says Manish Tewari, former information and broadcasting minister and a member of the Lok Sabha
The Indian electricity sector is going through an interesting phase right now. Many reforms are being introduced to increase competitiveness and transparency in the sector. The power market in Indi
In India, the third most affected country due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the poor and marginalised forest communities have faced the loss of livelihoods, employment, food insecurity and resultant so
Congress leader and former union minister Kapil Sibal feels the media, the fourth pillar of democracy, has actually dismantled itself and is in self-destruct mode. He was in a live
To revive an economy badly hit by Covid-19 and the resulting long lockdown, the government has announced yet another stimulus package, putting more money in the hands of citizen just in time for th
Acknowledging that much needs to be done in the banking sector, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra has said that the government was working on the nitty-gritties. “As far a
The revival of the government’s reform agenda in response to the coronavirus pandemic shock has the potential to raise India’s medium-term growth rate, Fitch Ratings has said in a new a
Coming down heavily on the government for economic de-growth and job losses, Congress national spokesperson Supriya Shrinate has said that even before the Covid pandemic struck, the economy h
Countering the criticism of a minuscule sample size for TV audience measurement to gauge the viewership taste of a large Indian population, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India CEO Suni
Union minister for finance & corporate affairs Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday chaired the last of a series of pre-budget consultation meetings for the union budget 2021-22, interacting via vir
Union minister for finance & corporate affairs Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday chaired the last of a series of pre-budget consultation meetings for the union budget 2021-22, interacting via vir
Coming down heavily on the NDA government for ignoring parliamentary processes, Ghanshyam Tiwari, national spokesperson, Samajwadi Party, has said that there have been more Sundays than working day
India has been witnessing a sluggish demand growth for power amidst COVID-19. It has affected both thermal as well as renewable energy (RE) sector. While thermal sector (coal) plant load factor (PL
The Maharashtra government has announced a spending of Rs 2,500 crore annually to develop infrastructure of state-owned distribution company Mahavitaran (MSEDCL). Out of the to
How much time do Indians spend talking on phone? It is on average 761 minutes per month, according to a new report from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The telecom
With the clear intent of achieving fiscal targets and affirming the government’s commitment towards prudent fiscal management and boosting investments, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman pro
The Union Budget 2021-22 presented in Parliament on Monday by the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeks to further simplify the tax administration, litigation management and ease the compliance
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday presented in Parliament the Union Budget 2021-22, the first budget of this new decade and also a digital one against the backdrop of unprecedented COVI
In the budget speech on Monday, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman drew the attention of the Parliament on the fact that the pandemic’s impact on the economy has resulted in a weak revenue i
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech on Monday announced the total budget allocation Rs 54,873.66 crore for school education and Rs 38,325.15 crore for higher education in Budge
The Union Budget 2021 is aimed at restoring growth in the aftermath of heavy economic losses suffered by the country due to Covid-19 pandemic by enhancing the investment ecosystem in the country, s
Prime minister Narendra Modi has described the farmer protest as genuine (“pavitra”), while blaming other activists – “Andolanjeevis” – for hijacking it and givi
We have just witnessed a historic Test match and series win where an Indian team plagued with injuries to all its top bowlers and without their captain and best batsman, Virat Kohli, achieved a con
In 2018 to preserve and build a cost-efficient supply chain for agro-produce and to empower rural women and farmers, the Maharashtra government entered into a pilot project with S4S Technologie
The government’s recent notification to regulate digital media is an attempt to suppress all social media platforms including digital news platforms, Dr. Shama Mohamed, Congress Spokesperson,
Maharashtra, among the worst Covid-affected states, has allocated Rs 7,500 crore for construction and upgradation of health institutions over four years, and provided Rs. 5,000 crore for quality he
India and the Pandemic: The First Year Essay from The India Forum Orient BlackSwan, 335 pages, Rs 695 It’s about time for the first ann
As many as 283 firms were admitted into corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP) between April and December last year, as the pandemic and lockdown came to hurt businesses. As
With the second wave of Covid-19 hitting migrant labourers hard, a delegation of the Working People’s Charter (WPC) met Maharashtra Food and Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal urging him to se
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, since March 2020 the economy of not only India but the entire world has weakened tremendously and a major factor is unemployment. The challenge before the nation is ho
The World Happiness Report, one of the best tools for evaluating global happiness, is based on how ecstatic people perceive themselves to be. It considers six characteristics to rank countries on o
Though there is no weekly viewership data for individual news channels coming since mid-October 2020, after allegations of manipulation of television rating points (TRPs) by three news channels, pe
The Tamil Nadu government has announced the `Economic Advisory Council` to the Chief Minister comprising Nobel laureates, Raghuram Rajan, former governor of Reserve Bank of India and various other
The Government of Gujarat has launched a web portal and a mobile application to facilitate online registration of workers from the unorganized sector by giving them smart cards for availing various
Minister for MSME and Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has called for the creation of a rating system for MSMEs and a Dashboard for effective monitoring of MSM
With the looming danger of the possible third wave of Covid-19, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has directed top state industry heads to ensure mass vaccinations of workers, safety of e
The need for digital connectivity has never been more pressing. The pandemic has changed work ethos and day-to-day lives of people across the globe. The new norm is ‘Technology First’,
There has been an active debate globally and in India about the digital divide. This debate has gained additional weight during the Covid-19 pandemic because the acceleration of the need for digita
The Standing Committee on Finance of the parliament has come out with a report on implementation of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) - pitfalls and solutions. It was presented in both house
While the pandemic has brought radical changes in the way people work and work-from-home (WFH) has become the standard protocol of following Covid-appropriate behaviour world over for almost 18 mon
Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman said that overall improvement of health infrastructure will help build the confidence of the peopl
Amid the geopolitical uncertainty after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, India cannot have any kind of diplomatic relations with a militant regime, believes GVL Narasimha Rao, Member of
The notion of a V-shape economic recovery is an exaggeration, and the informal economy and the poor have been terribly hurt during the Covid-19 period, says Gurcharan Das, author, commentator and p
Goa, after becoming the first state in the country to complete 100% vaccination in the first round, will complete all its second doze vaccinations starting October 30, chief minister Pramod Sawant
The launch of the Gati Shakti master plan will be a booster dose for India growth story. The plan, as the name indicates, will ensure Gati, i.e., speed and Shakti, i.e., empowerment to the ₹1 tri
Rubbishing the recently released Global Hunger Index 2021, wherein India has slipped to 101 position to be placed below Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, Arvind Panagariya, professor of economics at
For those not familiar with chess nomenclature, a gambit, like king’s gambit, is move that offers a material sacrifice of a pawn or bishop, in return for a strategic advantage that may benefi
Work: A History of How We Spend Our Time By James Suzman Bloomsbury, 464 pages
To ensure bigger access to farm produce and provide new markets with quick transportation and subsidy at 50%, the Kisan Rail has been bringing prosperity, joy, and hope to farmers of Maharashtra. O
Agriculture economist Vijay Sardana has said that middlemen have been siphoning off farmers’ interests, and the repeal of the three farm laws that were brought in to minimise the exploitation
Covid-19 came as a rude shock and hit the world with several disruptions, halting economies and destroying livelihoods. While research for the new variant, Omicron, thought to be less lethal than D
The infrastructure sector offers a wide range of investment opportunities, union minister for road transport and highways (MoRTH) Nitin Gadkari said here Friday, encouraging investors to come forwa
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) compiles an annual ranking of countries based on an index comprising of health, education, and income. For the year 2020, for which data has be
Oxfam India has this week released ‘India Supplement 2022’ with deserving caption ‘inequality kills’. The supplement discusses India’s governance structures that promo
Once the schedule for the next assembly elections has been announced, there is a flurry of activity around building caste coalitions. This is more intense in the most populous state, Uttar Pr
The anxiety and chaos that we face on our city roads are endemic, dangerous, and deadly. It emerges from a combination of too many vehicles, road conditions, ineffective traffic controls, poor plan
Why sanitation in budget 2022-23 is important? The upcoming budget 2022-23 will be of significant value as India is in the middle of the third wave of the pandemic. The bud
COUNTDOWN Can India Rebound from the Meltdown of the Century? By Anshuman Tiwari and Anindya Sengupta Bloomsbury, 268 pages, Rs. 799
The Union Budget 2022-23 will be presented on February 1, amidst the third COVID-19 wave. After the two waves of the pandemic, the GDP for FY 21 contracted by 7.3% but following a V-shaped recovery
The Indian economy is estimated to grow by 9.2 percent in real terms in 2021-22 (as per first advanced estimates) subsequent to a contraction of 7.3 percent in 2020-21. Next year, GDP is projected
The Union Budget, tabled in Parliament by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, seeks to complement macro-economic level growth with a focus on micro-economic level all inclusive welfare.
The government aims to attain the vision of promoting energy transition and climate action during the “Amrit kaal”. While presenting the Union Budget 2022-23 in Parliament Tuesday, Fina
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Tuesday announced the introduction of Digital Rupee to be issued by the Reserve Bank of India starting 2022-23. Presenting the Union Budget 2022-23 in the Parlia
Amidst the third Covid-19 wave raging the country, India`s finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered her shortest ever budget speech and presented the budget of 2022-23 on February 1. With a vi
Calling the union budget merely a vision document and not a financial statement that is presented in parliament, Arvind Mayaram, former finance secretary, has said that the budget this year has lef
The union budget for 2022-23, presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in parliament Tuesday, has been described as growth-oriented. In Prime minister Narendra Modi’s words, “Th
The government needs to do to its disinvestment deals in a transparent and above-board manner and ensure that deals are free from the investigative scanner, well-known banker and chartered accounta
At the COP26 Climate Change Summit, held in November 2021, India pledged to become a net-zero carbon emission country by 2070. Hence, the expectations from the union budget to nudge India towards a
Escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine have made the Indian government worried if the market situation is conducive but it will go ahead with the upcoming initial public offering of the sta
Faces of Inequality Stories of the Poor and underprivileged from India’s grassroots By Pradeep Baisakh Notion Press, Rs 350, 310 pages [
Rising: 30 Women Who Changed India
India is likely to be the most impacted country by the effects of climate change and the most impacted large country.The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report on Climate Change (2021) outlines speed
The tensions between Ukraine and Russia are seeing new heights. All the media outlets, leaders of powerful countries, social media users and citizens all over the world are witnessing, and talking
The PEW Research Center released a report on the Indian attitudes towards gender roles, at home and at society at large. The findings are based on a survey of around 30,000 people conducted in 2019
The World Happiness Report 2022 ranks India at 136th position, or tenth from the bottom of the list. Among 146 countries, Finland tops the list, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, the Nethe
Responding to the popularity of the much-debated film ‘The Kashmir Files’, political analyst and social activist Tehseen Poonawala has asked the opposition, if it has no burning issues
In the early days of human civilization, man had to work all seven days a week as a hunter-gatherer in order to meet his basic needs. As time went on, man developed tools and machinery and with the
The Mumbai International Cruise Terminal at BPX-Indira Dock, the much anticipated and ambitious project of Mumbai Port Authority, is expected to be commissioned by July 2024. Mumbai
Merger is a corporate strategy involving two companies to combine and form a new legal entity under a common corporate name. Merger deals between industry rivals have always attracted considerable
Merger as a corporate strategy involves two companies coming together to form a new legal entity under a common corporate name. Mega merger deals have always attracted considerable attention from a
The coronavirus fear seems almost over now, and many state governments have withdrawn most of the pandemic-related restrictions. Lives for almost all seem to be back on track, airlines are back to
The Sri Lankan economy is undergoing a twin crisis: debt and foreign exchange crisis. The total current external debt for Sri Lanka stands at $45 billion. However, in February 2022, the country onl
The Power of the Ballot: Travail and Triumph in the Elections
Unfilled Barrels: India’s Oil Story By Richa Mishra Bloomsbury, 200 pages, Rs 699 Over the past month or so, the oil prices are on
Vote For Pant: But, Don’t By Sorabh Pant Rupa Publications, 200 pages, Rs 295 Do not vote for comedian Sorabh Pant. He is irrelevan
Michelle Obama once said, “No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens.” That should be
This time it was not Lord Hanuman, but the poor decision-making of the political leaders combined with several global economic factors that set Sri Lanka in flames. A state of emerg
The Government of Gujarat had set up a task force committee in February 2022 under the chairmanship of Dr. Hasmukh Adhia, former union finance secretary, to work out a strategy for the state to con
MODI @ 20: DREAMS MEET DELIVERY
India’s state-run ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) has said that it plans to increase production by 20% by 2025. The behemoth aims to spend Rs 30,000 crore on capital expenditure in 202
GAIL has said that it expects to monetize Rs 4,000 crore of its assets in the FY 2022-23.The state-owned company saw an increase of 6% sales demand last year and expects a stable 6% to 8% sales gro
In an open letter, Mumbai Mobility Forum, a transport think tank based in Mumbai has suggested Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to electrify and introduce more and longer trains and reducing the t
Unemployment or Unemployability? What is the root cause of the current economic situation in the country? What is the real issue that is causing the increase in the number of jobless youth? The iss
The Singapore-based Chandler Institute of Governance recently released its Good Government Index 2022. The Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI) measures Government capabilities and outcomes across
From Dependence to Self-Reliance: Mapping India’s Rise as a Global Superpower By Bimal Jalan Rupa Publications, 184 pages, Rs 695 Bimal
The gig economy has arrived in India, as the Covid-19 pandemic has propelled a flexibility of employment. As many as 77 lakh workers were engaged in the gig economy, constituting 2.6% of the non-ag
How many times a day do you flush the toilet? This number is probably between five and eight times for an average person. How many times a day do you spare a thought towards what happens to the hum
India stands committed to reduce Emissions Intensity of its GDP by 45 percent from the 2005 level by 2030 and achieve about 50 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil f
The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) has released a blueprint for the country’s economic future over the next 25 years, leading to the centenary of independence.
Iconic Indians: 75 Extraordinary Individuals Who Inspired the Country By Sanjeev Sanyal and Rajesh Singh Rupa Publications, 360 pages, Rs 695
The ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare has released the third Advance Estimates of the area and production of various horticultural crops for 2021-22. A record 342.33 million tonnes are es
The combined Index of Eight Core Industries increased by 7.9% (provisional) in September 2022 over the same month a year ago. The production of cement, coal, fertilizers, electricity, steel and ref
The total coal production in the country stands at 448 million tonnes (MT) for the month of October 2022 which is 18% higher than the production of the corresponding period of last year. The growth
Union minister for finance and corporate affairs Nirmala Sitharaman has concluded the pre-budget consultation meetings for Budget 2023-24 that were held from November 21 to 28 in the virtual mode.
As the post-pandemic fallout and geopolitical uncertainty slows down global economies and sanctions against some nations, energy crisis and inflation are adding to the troubles, India is projected
World GDP forecasts for 2023 have been revised down again as central banks intensify their fight against inflation and the outlook for China’s property market deteriorates, says Fitch Ratings
Ashok Lahiri is among those few policymakers who can take credit for having shaped India’s economic history in recent decades. The economist, who is now a member of the West Bengal Legisl
Growth in India’s power demand is likely to decelerate in the second half of the financial year ending March 2023 (2HFY23), after robust 11.3% y-o-y growth in 1HFY23, Fitch Ratings says.
India has reiterated that it stands committed to reduce Emissions Intensity of its GDP by 45 percent by 2030, from 2005 level (as per the updated NDC submitted to UNFCCC in August 2022) and to achi
India is projected to surpass China in terms of population in 2023, becoming the most populous country in the world, according to the United Nations. More than half of India’s population is u
The combined Index of Eight Core Industries (‘ICI’) increased by 5.4% (provisional) in November 2022 as compared to November 2021. The production of cement, coal, electricity, steel and
As the ‘third wave’ of Covid-19 subsided and people resumed travelling after a long gap, the railways’s earnings have recorded a sharp uptick. The total approximate earnings in th
The union cabinet on Wednesday approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission. The initial outlay for the Mission will be Rs.19,744 crore, including an outlay of Rs.17,490 crore for the Strategic Int
The union cabinet on Wednesday approved an incentive scheme for the promotion of RuPay debit cards and low-value BHIM-UPI transactions (person-to-merchant) for a period of one year from April 2022.
Union Budget 2023-24, presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament on Wednesday, outlined the vision of Amrit Kaal which shall reflect an empowered and inclusive economy.
Union minister of finance and corporate affairs Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2023-24 in Parliament on Wednesday. The highlights of the Budget are as follows: PART A
On mission mode, Indian Railways` Freight loading for first ten months of this financial year 2022-23 has crossed last year’s loading and earnings for the same month. On cumula
On February 1, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Union Budget. As Dr. Rajiv Kumar, the Pahle India Foundation chairman and former NITI Aayog vice chairman, succinctly summed up, &ld
The Bee, The Beetle and The Money Bug: The Bankbazaar Guide to the Financial World By Adhil Shetty with A.R. Hemant Rupa, 272 pages, Rs 395
The union cabinet has approved Centrally Sponsored Scheme, ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ (VVP), for the financial years 2022-23 to 2025-26 with a financial allocation of Rs. 4,800 crore.
A movement of young women trained as ‘agricultural guides’ is now leading effective action on climate change through sustainable agriculture in rural Africa. More than 8,500 individuals
It is time for digital media to convert impressions to GRPs (gross rating points) to get measurement numbers. An advertiser is entitled to know the content where their ad is placed. These were amon
As prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of G20 via video message, he underlined why India had chosen the theme of ‘One Earth, One Family
India’s overall exports, including services and merchandise, have crossed US$750 billion, minister of commerce and industry Piyush Goyal has announced. This is an all-time high and this achie
Logistics has become the centerpiece of India`s policy making in its journey towards becoming a developed nation and a leader in international trade, union minister of commerce and industry Piyush
The government of India has decided to invite bids for 50 GW of renewable energy capacity annually for the next five years – from Financial Year 2023-24 till Financial Year 2027-28. These ann
India’s Blind Spot: Understanding and Managing Our Cities By Devashish Dhar HarperCollins, 408 pages, Rs. 899.00 Indian policy has been
The Big Bull of Dalal Street: How Rakesh Jhunjhunwala Made His Fortune By Neil Borate, Aprajita Sharma, Aditya Kondawar Penguin Business, 256 pages, Rs 399
MADE IN INDIA: 75 Years of Business and Enterprise By Amitabh Kant Rupa, 240 pages Rs 595 Seventy-five years after India attained freedom at
The union cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, approved the National Medical Devices Policy, 2023 on Wednesday. The medical devices sector in India is a sunrise sector w
The union cabinet on Wednesday approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme 2.0 for IT Hardware with a budgetary outlay Rs. 17,000 crore. Context: *
We are not paying sufficient attention to the rapidly growing oil imports (from pre-Covid-19 to post-Covid, in 2022). They surged from 102 million tons (MT) in 2019-20 to 168 MT in 2022-23, an incr
The foodgrain production of 3305.34 lakh tonnes is estimated in the current agricultural year 2022-23 – higher by 149.18 LMT as compared to the previous year, according to the Third Advance E
Urging use of alternative and cost effective fuels to reduce pollution caused by vehicles, union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said finding cost-effective fuels is
In a major decision, the Government has decided to grant waiver of ISTS charges to Off-Shore Wind Projects and extend the waiver to Green Hydrogen/Green Ammonia. This decision has been taken to fac
The gross Good & Services Tax (GST) revenue collected in the month of May, 2023 is ₹1,57,090 crore of which CGST is ₹28,411 crore, SGST is ₹35,828 crore, IGST is ₹81,363 crore (includin
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is intrinsic to our day-to-day lives today. It helps access our phones or a place through face recognition. When Facebook suggests friends or Netflix recommends what to
Ties between India and the United States of America subsist on a substratum of “shared values” wherein the life practices of the order of rule of law, democratization of tyrant nations
Union minister of commerce and industry, consumer affairs, food and public distribution and textiles Piyush Goyal highlighted the ``10x`` growth in procurement from Government e-Marketplace (GeM) i
A record 13.5 crore people moved out of multidimensional poverty between 2015-16 and 2019-21, as per NITI Aayog’s report ‘National Multidimensional Poverty Index: A Progress Review 2023
Who Cares About Parliament: Speaking Up to Protect India’s Great Institution By Derek O’Brien Rupa / 224 pages / Rs 395
In a move to offer respite to households from inflationary pressures, the government Tuesday announced a Rs 200 reduction in the price of cooking gas. Effective from August 30, the
At 7.8% year on year, India’s growth rate towers above the growth rate in several other leading economies, Dr. V. Anantha Nageswaran, chief economic adviser (CEA), ministry of finance, has sa
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lauded the adoption of the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration and expressed his gratitude to all fellow G20 members for their support and cooperation.
As politicians and policymakers make speeches at the United Nations during a high-level summit next week to assess the lack of progress on the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG
The domestic aviation industry has witnessed a remarkable surge in passenger traffic during the first eight months of 2023. According to the latest data analysis, the number of passengers carried b
Prime minister Narendra Modi addressed the programme marking 20 years celebration of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit at Science City in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. The Vibrant Gujarat
The ministry of ports, shipping and waterways is organising the Global Maritime India Summit 2023 (GMIS-2023) in Mumbai from on 17-19 at MMRDA, BKC. The event, which is going to be the 3rd edition
Air pollution in Delhi has been in headlines, as every year in recent times. Mumbai too has suffered from air pollution, despite being a coastal city. Apart from many other metros such as Bangalore
Hitting out at prime minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that it has saddled the country with a debt of Rs 200 lakh crore and atrocities against Dalits have increased
Prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 10th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar on Wednesday. The theme of this year’s summit is ‘Gateway
Shashank Mani`s ‘Middle of Diamond India: National Renaissance through Participation and Enterprise’ (Penguin Viking) reveals the hidden stories of those in the Middle, that is, those i
Prime minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of eight AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) projects worth around Rs 2000 crores in Solapur, Maharashtra on Friday
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be presenting the Budget for FY2024-25 on February 1, 2024. Since this is an election year, the finance minister will table a “vote-on account”
FY24 marks the third successive year of 7% plus strong growth of the Indian economy even as the global economy struggles to grow at more than 3%, the finance ministry has said. At th
As the fiscal year concludes, heightened expectations surround the upcoming interim budget, which serves as a precursor to the comprehensive budget. This interim budget is anticipated to address ke
A Summary of the Interim Union Budget 2024-25 * CAPITAL EXPENDITURE OUTLAY FOR THE NEXT YEAR IS BEING INCREASED BY 11.1 PER CENT TO RS 11,11,111 CRORE, WHICH WOULD BE 3.4 PE
Despite uncertainty from adverse geopolitical developments and expansionary fiscal measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian economy has demonstrated resilience and maintained healthy
Modi’s Northeast Story Edited by Tuhin A. Sinha and Aditya Pittie Rupa, 22 pages, Rs 595
The idea of decentralized planning, particularly in the Indian context, has been a recurring theme for decades. Despite its acknowledged importance, the implementation of decentralized planning has
The world is at the cusp of a revolution based on Industry 4.0 and green technologies, including AI, big data, IoT, EVs, solar power, etc., which offer developing countries the opportunity to leapf
Addressing the Viksit Bharat Viksit Uttar Pradesh program in Lucknow on Monday, prime minister Narendra Modi launched 14,000 projects across the state, worth more than Rs 10 lakh crore at the fourt
The union government has approved a scheme to promote India as a manufacturing destination so that e-vehicles (EV) with the latest technology can be manufactured in the country. The policy is desig
Indian banks` profitability is likely to continue to improve, although net interest margin (NIM) compression will limit earnings upside over the medium term, according to Fitch Ratings.
The Supreme Court declared the Electoral Bonds (EB) scheme unconstitutional on February 15 and ordered the Election Commission of India (ECI) to provide the names of individuals and business entiti
Election manifestoes of all political parties and their policies must prominently include issues and problems faced by senior citizens, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Senior Citizens Organisat
The Reserve Bank of India has reached a historic landmark today completing 90 years of existence, prime minister Narendra Modi said here on Monday. He was addressing the opening ceremony of RBI@90,
The provisional figures of direct tax collections for the financial year 2023-24 show that net collections are at Rs. 19.58 lakh crore, 17.70% more than Rs. 16.64 lakh crore in 2022-23.
The gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections hit a record high in April 2024 at ₹2.10 lakh crore. This represents a significant 12.4% year-on-year growth, driven by a strong increase in dom
A first-of-its-kind study on the economic loss due to premature death from oral cancer in India by the Tata Memorial Centre has found that this form of cancer has a premature mortality rate of 75.6
India is the world’s fifth largest economy with a GDP of USD 3.7 trillion today, and it is expected to become the third largest economy with a GDP of USD 5 trillion in five years. The Narendr
Banks across India are levying inconsistent service charges on basic savings accounts. A study, “Benchmarking Reasonableness of Service Charges by Banks in India”, uncovers and exposes
The combined Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) increased by 6.3 percent (provisional) in May 2024 as compared to the Index in May, 2023. The production of electricity, coal, steel, natural gas a
In recognition of the notable contributions made by Professor (late) Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in the fields of statistics and economic planning, Government of India has designated June 29 every
India’s coal production for June 2024 reached 84.63 MT (Provisional), with a growth rate of 14.49% compared to the corresponding period in the previous year, which was 73.92 MT.
The Ministry of Defence has achieved the highest-ever growth in indigenous defence production in value terms during financial year 2023-24, on the back of successful implementation of the policies
With the return of the NDA to power in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, all eyes are now on finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s full budget for the FY 2024-25. The interim budget
As the Indian concept of welfare transforms into empowerment, India is transitioning from women’s development to women-led development, highlights the Economic Survey 2023-2024.
India’s real GDP is projected to grow 6.5–7 per cent in 2024-25. The Indian economy recovered swiftly from the pandemic, with its real GDP in FY24 being 20 per cent higher than the pre-
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2024-25 in Parliament on Tuesday. The highlights of the budget are as follows: Part-A
SUMMARY OF THE UNION BUDGET 2024-2025 Key points INDIA’S INFLATION CONTINUES TO BE LOW, STABLE AND MOVING TOWARDS THE 4
Several attractive benefits to provide tax relief to salaried individuals and pensioners opting for the new tax regime were announced by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Uni
Shooting oneself in the foot with a regressive step for short term political gains is how I would define the Karnataka government’s recent decision to reserve jobs in the private sector for t
Bihar is a state brimming with potential, yet socio-economic challenges have long impeded its progress. Citing its economic backwardness, the state has long advocated for `special category` status
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, has approved three projects of the ministry of railways with a total estimated cost of approximately Rs. 6
India’s per capita consumption of edible oil has seen a dramatic rise in the recent decades, reaching 19.7 kg/year. This surge in demand has significantly outpaced domestic production, leadin
The Union Cabinet chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday approved seven schemes to improve farmers’ lives and increase their incomes at a total outlay of Rs 13,966 crore. T
One of the busiest and oldest railway systems in the world, Indian Railways, is the country’s lifeline. Prime minister Narendra Modi has given increased focus on the modernisation of the nati
In the ongoing problem of facing environmental challenges, the call for sustainable practices has become more pressing than ever. Nations have started to strive to reduce their carbon footprint and
