Columns

The right to stand for elections is neither a divine nor a human right. It is not even a fundamental right as per the Constitution of India. Hence the right to contest an election to become a people’s representative has some restrictions. For the Lok Sabha, you must be 25 years of age and for the... read more

The killing of an executive by police constables in the dead of night on the streets of Lucknow has sparked outrage across the nation. Sensing the mood, police have registered a second FIR at the instance of the wife of the executive who was hit in the neck by a bullet that shattered the... read more

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting this week comes under the shadow of the massive IL&FS default that has shaken the markets, added to the current set of macro concerns and raised new questions on the regulatory framework. The complexity of the IL&FS set up with its 169 direct and... read more

September 15 this year marked the tenth anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers, a century old gold standard investment bank of Wall Street. Its bankruptcy had a domino effect, leading to a deep financial crisis across United States and Europe. It is now popularly referred to as the Global... read more

Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Manthri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), described by many as the largest social health insurance programme launched anywhere in the world, has been launched on 23rd September. Some have even suggested that the Prime Minister be nominated for the Nobel Price for this historic... read more

‘Dalit’ is a popular identity in India as it is in Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and other parts of the world. Further, ‘Dalit’ is not limited to the Hindu religion alone. The identity transcends religion as there are Christian Dalits, Muslim Dalits, Sikh Dalits, Buddhist Dalits and Jain Dalits, too.

At the root of India's failing system is a health network that has become a money-spinning racket.  Anecdotal accounts of what goes on in the name of health care at the bigger hospitals and the mushrooming set of fancy nursing homes and older ones rechristened as “specialist” hospitals with... read more

There are two wings on which scandals of the Rafale and Bofors variety take flight. One is plain fact and the other is perception. The government has its back to the wall on both counts. There is now little doubt that it is fast losing or has already lost the political battle on the Rafale deal.... read more

The recent measures announced by the authorities may provide some short term relief but the sustainable solution to the problem is encouraging green field FDI and non-oil exports such as iron and steel, non-ferrous metal, and automobiles. Fixing the slide requires clear policies and prioritisation... read more

The big news this week was on two key prices. One is the price of the almighty dollar, and the other is the price of petrol (or diesel). These two are the most important price signals in the economy. And both are of imported items. India has a huge shortage of oil since domestic supplies meet... read more

One obvious casualty of widespread restructuring was the supervision of banks. The examiners of banks never had a clear idea on what to do with the so-called restructured loans, particularly in respect of medium and large enterprises, which were indistinguishable from NPAs. Or, for that matter how... read more

The idea of winning elections through so-called strategists like Prashant Kishor is far removed from what elections in India actually are (and of course what they are meant to be). It is the desperate search for the magic pill that will get votes, unmindful of the simple fact that such a formula... read more

On August 31, it reported that India’s GDP growth rate for the April to June quarter was a solid 8.2 percent, well past the psychological level of 8. This was the highest growth rate recorded in the past nine quarters and makes for some good news on the economic front. Growth was much higher than... read more

Hardly anyone is aware today that in Britain there existed a party called the British Union of Fascists (BUF) whose members were known as the Black Shirts. The BUF had its genesis in 1932, mainly due to the overzealous efforts of a Member of the British Parliament, Sir Oswald Emald Mosley (1896-... read more

India’s GDP growth has come in at 8.2 per cent for the quarter covering April, May, June of 2018.  The growth number is by any standards robust. Dr. Bibek Debroy, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister has said that it reflects “superior acceleration in India... read more

Dominant peasant castes occupying significant space in the economy and polity in their respective States are not giving up the battle for quotas. The Marathas are once again up-in-arms against the State demanding reservation in educational institutions and government jobs, an agitation that has... read more

Long before the battle lines are drawn more clearly, we have a case that rests on winning not because the lead runner is strong or good or capable but because the other runners will not catch up. Of course, the argument that the BJP offers a good government is added on by the supporters, but it is... read more

In analysing the situation, it is important to note that episodes of volatility are not a new phenomenon in India and this isn’t the worst of what has been seen in terms of volatility. The depreciation five years ago, precisely on August 28, 2013, remains a watershed as the Rupee touched Rs.68.3611... read more

The floods in Kerala and the quantum of aid it needs versus what is on offer from the Centre has brought back the debate on Centre-State issues. It is also pertinent since the Fifteenth Finance Commission (15FC) is in the middle of deciding the devolution framework and quantum.  In Kerala’s case,... read more

There was great uncertainty in 1999 about the outcome of India’s national election and concern that India’s development would be disabled by India’s competitive politics. The dominance of a single party, the Congress, in national and State politics was fading then. Regional parties had gathered... read more