The Gujarat election will revive charges that Narendra Modi killed a thousand Muslims in the 2002 Gujarat riots, with the BJP accusing Rajiv Gandhi of killing 3000 Sikhs in the 1984 Delhi riots. To get a sense of perspective, i […]
Declassify report on the 1948 Hyderabad massacre Read More »
Chief minister Nitish Kumar keeps demanding that New Delhi should make Bihar a special category state. But New Delhi points out that special category status-which entitles a state to get 90% of central assistance as grants instead of loans-is meant
A sandy solution for Nitish\’s revenue coffers Read More »
Chief minister Nitish Kumar keeps demanding that New Delhi should make Bihar a special category state. But New Delhi points out that special category status-which entitles a state to get 90% of central assistance as grants instead of loans-is meant
A sandy solution for Nitish\’s revenue coffers Read More »
Spending vast sums on elections is not an Indian speciality. The US just spent $7 billion in the latest election cycle, up from $5 billion in 2008, equally divided between the presidential and Congressional elections. Yet the outcome suggests that
Lesson from US: money does not buy elections Read More »
The UPA government\’s theme song for eight years has been that we have achieved record GDP growth but not been inclusive enough-poor people and backward states have not benefited enough. The very opposite is now evident. Backward states are advancing
Backward states surge even as India slows down Read More »
An expert panel appointed by the Supreme Court has suggested a 10-year moratorium on field trials for genetically modified (GM) crops, ending prospects of their cultivation in the foreseeable future. Chengal Reddy, secretary general of the Consortium of Indian Farmers’
GM foods considered safe in US, but not in India Read More »
The government\’s new Companies Bill will reportedly ask large companies to spend 2% of their net profit on CSR (corporate social responsibility). The theory is that corporates must aim for social goals, not just profits. It\’s unclear whether the 2%
CSR: a cloak for crooks Read More »
Will the Robert Vadra expose help end corruption? Or will it be just another rib-tickler that titillates the middle class for a few weeks and is then forgotten? Will politics remain India\’s biggest business by far? I am not optimistic.
Exposes need convictions to have impact Read More »
The Kelkar Committee report has painted a dire picture of government finances. It emphasizes the need to phase out unwarranted subsidies (such as those on diesel, cooking gas and urea) while maintaining warranted subsidies (on education, health, food) and targeting
Raising prices sensibly can reduce inflation Read More »
Without infrastructure, an economy cannot grow. Industry and services cannot expand without highways, electricity, ports and airports, rail links and pipelines. The 12th Plan (2012-17) projects infrastructure investment of a trillion dollars. Alas, infrastructure has hit a wall, and been
Infrastructure crisis endangers future growth Read More »
Sign up to get all the latest posts and news sent to your inbox.
