The Economic Times

By themselves, the state elections in Punjab and Uttrakhand are not important. But they hold lessons for the big event of the year, the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, India’s largest state, in April-May. Lesson no 1. Sonia Gandhi’s Aam […]

Indian GDP growth has averaged 8% for four years. Indeed, it has crossed 9% in the first half of this fiscal year. The updated BRIC report of Goldman Sachs claims that India can sustain 8% growth for over a decade.

After Mohammed Yunus of Banladesh’s Grameen Bank won the Nobel peace prize, microcredit has hogged the headlines. We now need to focus on the next big thing: microfranchising. Microcredit has certainly empowered poor women and helped alleviate distress in South

Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz spoke in New Delhi this week about his new book, “Making Globalisation Work.” Indian reformers like me will agree with much, though not all, of what he says. The problem lies in what he does not

I find myself constantly asked what will happen to the stock market in 2007. I protest that predicting markets astrology more than economics, but in vain. So, here is my astrological forecast for 2007. Taurus, the great bull of the

The Sachar Committee has done a good job in putting together data on the Muslim community, and in exposing the many ways in which they suffer deprivation and discrimination. Yet its analysis and recommendations leave much to be desired. The

Traditional sceptics on global warming are becoming believers. Al Gore\’s film \”An Inconvenient Truth\” has convinced many waverers. The Stern report in Britain has just called for urgent action to check global warming. So, the current UN conference on climate

Management guru CK Prahlad is famous for his book “The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits.” This shows that the poor, often neglected by corporations as having no purchasing power, can be converted into the

Should iron ore exports be banned? No. Should an export tax be levied on iron ore? No. Should the royalty on ore be raised? Yes, hugely. Should iron ore exploration be opened to the private sector and FDI? Absolutely? Should

For decades, I have argued that police independence and reform are crucial for governance. Public order is intrinsically political and must be handled by the Home minister. But crime detection and prosecution should not be political, and should be done