The state of the government’s finances leaves no real option but to go for second generation reforms The daily rise in fuel prices makes the government seem both clueless and callous when crude oil is at a record low...
Category - Economy
Prosenjit Datta
Bad Data and Policy Making
Policies are only as good as the statistics used for arriving at the decisions – and the Indian government has been found wanting in that respect. For a government that is extremely fond of repeating that Data is the...
The King Can Do No Wrong
The myth of the Great Leader with incompetent followers A recent article in Business Standard newspaper by noted journalist Shekhar Gupta tried to analyse why Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s big ideas do not lead to any...
Lockdown Diaries8: The Absence of Coordination
The center and the states are not discussing matters and that is marring the response to the pandemic The confusion in the resumption of domestic air travel is only the latest symptom of how little the centre and states...
Of Pithy Slogans and Makeshift Policies
The Prime Minister’s vision of making India a manufacturing powerhouse has not been backed by coherent policy making When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in his latest address to citizens the big new thrust to...
Lockdown: The Chaos Continues
So far, the union government’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic has been more theatrics and less planning and good execution Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a flair for dramatics and a yen for suspense. He...
Liquor is Quicker
Candy may be dandy but alcohol gives immediate revenues to state governments – and that is why they want liquor retailing to be allowed now When the national lockdown was announced, the union government left...
An Exploding Humanitarian Crisis
The 40-day lockdown may well flatten the curve. But for the poor and the ailing, the treatment prescribed may be worse than the disease. Twenty-seven days into the national lockdown, it is apparent that the union...
Wasting a Lockdown
The first 21 days have been frittered away by the Union government. The remaining period should be utilised properly. Whether India should have imposed a national lockdown when relatively few cases of Coronavirus had...
Lockdown Diaries5: What Is An Essential Product?
Essential goods and services should be available uninterrupted said the Prime Minister. But who decides what is essential and what is not? “Essential”— The Dictionary defines it as “completely necessary” or...
