Recently, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge quipped that the “U” in UPS (Unified Pension Scheme) stands for U-turn. While that could be seen as stretching the
In 2017, the Niti Aayog submitted a white paper to then Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. The paper titled ‘Dispensing with the Railway Budget’ made the case
On August 24, the Union Cabinet approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), which guarantees an assured pension to government employees who joined the service after
Disinvestment: The big privatisation pushback Source link
People waiting outside a bank for cash, in Badal village of Punjab, in the wake of demonetisation. | Photo Credit: KAMAL NARANG On the evening
In recent times, the financial world has been in a state of excitement after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced the launch of the
If we ignore the hype that accompanies and follows the presentation of the Central government’s annual Budget, there are principally two strands in it that
The government’s economic spokespersons have been celebrating an ostensibly remarkable recovery in the country’s public banking sector. The evidence does suggest that public sector banks
Inside a textile mill of Orient Craft Ltd. in Gurugram, Haryana. | Photo Credit: ANINDITO MUKHERJEE/REUTERS In her poignant and meticulously researched book, Labouring Lives:
India, the Modi government never tires of declaring, is among the fastest growing economies in the world. Combine that with a one-year G20 presidency and
Sumitra Rabha, a 57-year-old widow, was killed when the boundary wall of her house on Kharghuli Hill in Guwahati collapsed on her from the force
Over 70 per cent of India’s population cannot afford healthy food. | Photo Credit: V.V. Krishnan Government think-tank NITI Aayog’s recent report, released on July
The political economist believes that even if BJP were to lose in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, its brand of politics will not go away
The passing of the Rajasthan Platform Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Act, 2023, by the Rajasthan Assembly on July 24 is a celebratory moment
No single political leader can end a democracy; no single political leader can rescue one either,” write Steven Levitsky and Daniel Zilblatt in How Democracies
The 2023 CAG report ignited calls for greater financial prudence and governmental transparency. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto The Comptroller and Auditor General of India
Nivrutti Nyaharkar, a farmer from Vahegaon Saal village of Chandwad tehsil in Nashik, expressed his anger at the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) Chandwad on
Employees working in an information technology firm at Rushikonda in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. | Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak On the completion of 76 years since
As SEBI takes steps to regulate digital financial gurus, questions arise about the thin line between insightful guidance and potential manipulation. In a decisive move
Union government has imposed a duty of 40 per cent on export of onions effective till December 31 to meet the demand of domestic market.
Himachal Pradesh of the 1990s and early 2000s, when I was growing up there, was a largely self-contained world: with institutions and businesses that you
For nearly two years running, the Central government’s decision to withhold funds for several rural welfare schemes, including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
The growing conflict in West Asia has raised geopolitical concerns about stable prices and oil supply. The ongoing Israel-Hamas war is causing concern in India
Cheered on by the state, it has infused an alarming disregard for ethical conduct and public accountability. Starting in early 1989, the Indian stock market
So long as everyone feeds off its flesh, the culture of illegality will thrive. And the scams will continue. From 1991, when liberalisation kicked off,
In the hype and celebration surrounding India’s GDP growth, many have argued that two important features of those growth numbers tend to be ignored. The
The headline news about the Indian economy is that a new growth cycle began in financial year 2021-22. Put forward in the Finance Ministry’s Economic
On the morning of December 21, Ajay T.G., a documentary filmmaker, and Alok Shukla, the convener of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan—a people’s movement opposing the privatisation
LISTEN: Today, scams are lauded for the hyper-individuality they showcase. Lawless financial capitalism has infused disregard for moral norms and public accountability. Starting in early
Unannounced rain had turned the magnificent natural surroundings of Uri ominously dull and colder than usual. It formed an apt setting for a group of
While presenting the Union Budget in 2020, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman spoke for 162 minutes—besting her own record of 137 minutes in the previous
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during a news conference in New Delhi on February 1. In her last Budget speech before the general election, Sitharaman said
A month ago, social media (LinkedIn and WhatsApp especially) were abuzz with an infographic which showed that Uttar Pradesh’s economy (as measured by Gross State
Recruitment drives held over the last week of January, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and Rohtak, Haryana, for Indian workers to undertake construction and caregiver jobs
Employment fell marginally in 2020-21 due to the pandemic but gained momentum in 2021-22 with 7 per cent year-on-year growth in the manufacturing sector, according
“Bharanavum Samaravum” (Administration and Agitation) was the slogan coined by E.M.S. Namboodiripad in 1967 when he was sworn in for the second time as Kerala’s
The issue is whether Karnataka has been getting rightful share in the devolution of funds between the Union and States, not how it spends the
In 2017, then Finance Minister, the late Arun Jaitley, rose to announce a new method of electoral funding. Individuals, associations, and corporations wishing to make donations
Indian federalism is on the verge of a breakdown. Ministers from opposition-ruled States have taken to the streets in New Delhi to protest against discrimination
December 26, 2021. This was the date on which West Bengal last received funds from the Centre for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
In the early years of independent India, resource mobilisation was crucial for the planned development of the country. The Indian postal system, through strategic messaging
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister says unlike the BJP or any other party, the DMK is not interested in hatred politics. Tamil Nadu’s Finance Minister Thangam
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu explains the difference between Ram Rajya and Dravida Rajya Source link
In her interim budget speech this year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the establishment of a Rs.1 trillion corpus to boost innovation and research in
National Students Union of India members during a protest march against unemployment on September 17, 2020. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR A recent report
A chain reaction is a series of related events in which each event causes the next one, or a chemical reaction in which each change
Let us start with four apparently disparate examples. Example 1: Ajay Mishra Teni, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, is the BJP member of
Jagdeep Chhokar. | Photo Credit: By special arrangement The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) was the lead petitioner in the challenge to the electoral bonds
Imagine a house. The residents of this house are general fans of cleanliness. But one day, everyone wakes up to find a small pile of
Speaking at the 90th anniversary of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it was time for the RBI to prepare
Untreated sewage is discharged from Thames Water Sewage Treatment Works near Chalgrove, UK. | Photo Credit: Dylan Martinez/Reuters Thames Water, one of England’s many regional
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s return to power at the Centre in 2019 marked the beginning of their unrelenting stance to privatise the state-owned Visakhapatnam Steel
Across the posh multi-storey homes of South Delhi, there is a new common theme. Saffron flags lie limp in the oppressive heat at the entrances
A feature of the ongoing election to the 18th Lok Sabha is an extraordinarily communal campaign led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The debate on
World Bank president Ajay Banga with treasury secretary Janet Yellen during the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings at the World Bank headquarters in Washington on April
A decade ago, in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Narendra Modi, then still the Chief Minister of Gujarat, famously declaimed: “Na khaoonga, na
As Prime Minister Modi stokes divisive fears, can the opposition offer a compelling alternative focused on lives, livelihoods and liberties? As I write this, a
The situation, marked by widespread unemployment and inequality, calls for policy that improves the lives of the working people while taxing the rich. The economic
Unemployment and underemployment have always been important issues in post-Independence India. We have always been a primarily agrarian, labour-surplus economy with low capital stock that
The BJP is only discussing religion as opposed to the country’s struggling economy. | Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak India is on track to surpass Japan
At the halfway mark of India’s elections, food remains a pinch point, for both consumers and producers. Inflation numbers bear the pain out: even as
“Among every 1,000 men in our villages, around 300 voters are working outside the State. It is not possible for all of them to return
The opium factory in Ghazipur | Photo Credit: Anand Mishra India’s first opium processing factory, set up 200 years ago in Ghazipur district, Uttar Pradesh
WATCH | Digital Darkness: India leads the world in internet shutdowns In light of India’s ranking in global internet shutdowns, watch this explainer about the
More than a decade ago, when media and civil society were going gung-ho against the then UPA government for the “Coalgate” scandal, the furore was
India has voted. And as we emerge from that occluding corridor of time, there is space to see more clearly. A few grim realities continue
India’s stock market crashed on June 4 as it became clear that the BJP would not make it past the halfway mark alone and that
This year, Gujarat’s Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said his government aims to become a $500 billion economy by 2026-27. Much of this stellar growth, said
The Global Gender Gap Report 2024, released by the World Economic Forum, presents a dire picture of the current state and evolution of gender parity
A man carries a child, head covered with a towel to protect from the heat, in Jammu on June 2, 2024. | Photo Credit: Channi
Modi’s policies have caused an unusual increase of income and wealth concentration in the hands of a few business houses. | Photo Credit: AMIIT DAVE/REUTERS
The influx of foreign capital to India is creating domestic vulnerabilities by causing a credit boom, particularly in retail lending. | Photo Credit: REUTERS Figures
Inaugurating the Bundelkhand Expressway at Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh, on July 16, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned against the revadi (freebie) culture “that is detrimental
In the recent general election, many voters gave their material interests priority over Hindu nationalism, delivering a shock to the ruling BJP. In doing so,
India is still host to a large population afflicted by poverty and social deprivation. This photo shows metal sheets hiding slums from delegates attending the
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaks in the Lok Sabha during the first day of the Parliament session, in New Delhi on July 22. |
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 23 announced income tax relief for the middle class, a Rs.2 lakh crore outlay for job creation schemes
In the snap TV analysis post Budget, an industry head struggled to find the right adjectives to commend what he had just heard. “Frankly, I
The hype around the presentation of the Union Budget is often overblown in India, but it still merits attention. Because it provides an indication of
In the Union Budget 2024-25 presented in Parliament on July 23, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi allocated Rs.2.652
In her 2023-24 Budget speech, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman emphasised nari-shakti, or “women’s potential”, and stated that facilitating inclusive, women-led development was the government’s priority. This
The Forbes World Billionaires annual list for 2024 included 25 new names from India, taking the number of Indians to 200. The Narendra Modi decade
If one were looking for just one example of what is wrong with politics in the State of Maharashtra, a statement by the BJP leader
Maharashtra’s economy dwarfs that of several national economies. In 2023-24, the nominal income of the State was Rs.40,44,251 crore. In dollar terms, at $483.1 billion,
Pundits yell their views on television. Analysts dissect incomprehensible statistics. Others torture the data to reconcile fake GDP growth numbers with joblessness alongside anaemic consumption
In a report published on August 10, US-based firm Hindenburg Research alleged that Madhabi Puri Buch, the chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Board of
An onion farmer in Beed, Maharashtra, in May 2024. The Indian onion farmer has lost a big opportunity to capture the international market. | Photo
The first myth is in invoking the “middle class” as synonymous with income taxpayers, investment gains, and so on. Promoting policies for the middle class,
The performance of SEBI has a direct impact on market operations, mergers and acquisitions, and the overall economy. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The integrity
Each year, five organisations—the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the World Food Programme—join hands
When the Satyam scam came to light in January 2009, it was a bolt from the blue for India’s stock market. Unlike anything ever seen
The devastating landslides that wiped out two villages show that climate change is here to stay and the need for adaptation is clear and present.
To now create artificial rifts and systematically strip States of fiscal rights, as the Centre is doing, is destructive. | Photo Credit: Soumyadip Sinha When
India’s quasi-federal democracy, which was in danger of collapsing into a centralised authoritarianism, seems to be holding up. The results of the 2024 Lok Sabha
The frequency and intensity of disputes between the Centre and States regarding allocation of resources have increased in recent years, creating persistent frictions in India’s
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime period has witnessed the emergence of a new slogan: “double engine government”. It virtually declares that a State where
During the United Progressive Alliance years (2004-14), the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, led the brigade of States on each and every issue
