Indian economy
Latest GDP numbers appear to have slain the demon of DeMon, but economic fundamentals remain a challenge
From Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s made-for-TV ‘Gabbar Singh Tax’ jibe to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s retort on the ‘Grand Stupid Thought’ of an 18% cap on GST rates, Modi government’s economic performance has been shaping the prestige poll battle in Gujarat. The stakes are high for both: a resurgent Rahul, campaigning with a newfound overt […..]
Look beyond waivers for Kisan 2.0: Agri policy must set market mechanisms free to work effectively
When Lal Bahadur Shastri first shouted ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ at Delhi’s Ram Lila Maidan in 1965, he fleshed out a cardinal truth about India’s political imaginary: the idea of the brave soldier and the hardworking farmer as bulwarks of the nation. BJP, in the past three years, has adroitly managed to hook its political […..]
Forget GDP, worry about the financial state of our states
For a government so focused on triumphal messaging and with the ‘3 saal bemisal’ celebrations reaching a crescendo, new economic numbers released this week make for sobering reading. Finance minister Arun Jaitley has pointed to the impact of global factors, vociferously asserting that 7-8% growth is the new normal and “fairly reasonable”. The government’s chief […..]
