The Economic Times

BJP would do well to ignore Rahul Gandhi and Congress’ advice to the contrary The Bharat Bandh called by Congress and sundry opposition parties, to protest against rising fuel prices and a falling rupee, represents the sad populism common before […]

Jailing traders is no remedy for unrealistic minimum support prices Month after month, as India approaches the next general election, BJP is ditching its claim to be the party of economic freedom and reform, and rushing into zany populist schemes

Alarmism over genetically modified foods is unscientific and false As an old fan of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), I deplore its campaign against genetically modified (GM) foods. The global anti-GM chorus flows from various prejudices, ranging from leftist

Why just 10 posts for lateral entry into the bureaucracy? Why not 500? This column has argued for decades for the lateral entry of outside experts into top administrative positions to usher in world-class expertise, independence and a different worldview.

RBI should discipline states to end high cane prices that cause recurrent crises Farm distress in India currently flows mainly from excess production of one crop after another. This has depressed agricultural prices, yet left them too high to permit

India must take steps to attract global talent for cutting-edge technology This year’s Budget raised import duties on 40-odd items to meet the threat posed by Chinese competition in what GoI viewed as crucial areas such as kites, candles, plastic

Walmart should become India’s battering ram to crack the Chinese market   Walmart’s takeover of Flipkart for $16 billion has made global headlines. It is the largest takeover ever in India. It creates a new global strategy for Walmart, using

The US has placed India on its watch-list of ‘currency manipulators’. This is a warning: economic sanctions may follow if the US determines that India is, indeed, a manipulator. There is no immediate danger. The US has three criteria for

Finance Commission should prod states to empower city governments The terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission have raised a storm of protest, because they mandate the use of 2011 census data, not the 1971 data used by earlier

Threats to global growth moderate Narendra Modi’s election prospects In January, this column highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s streak of lucky breaks (‘Modi is a Very Lucky Man,’ goo.gl/D6wxo4). These included awidely forecast surge in global GDP growth in 2018, spurring