The Times of India

Critics accuse the government of surrendering to food inflation instead of combating it. The government has raised the effective procurement price (including bonus) of wheat by a whopping 21%, from Rs 700/quintal last year to Rs 850/quintal this year. I […]

The Centre for Science and Environment has launched a campaign to make drivers of cars and two-wheelers pay the full social cost that they impose on the economy, which I fully support. These costs are typically invisible to the public,

India’s two biggest future challenges could be agriculture and energy. Agriculture is in crisis since grain production has stagnated for seven years. And if India’s GDP rises 40-60 times by 2050, as predicted by Goldman Sachs, energy consumption will rise

Many Indians, including respected foreign policy analysts, believe that the US invaded Iraq and ousted Saddam Hussein in 2003 simply to grab his oilfields. \”Its all about oil,\” they said. Well, it\’s now four years since the invasion. Yet, we

Many Indians, including respected foreign policy analysts, believe that the US invaded Iraq and ousted Saddam Hussein in 2003 simply to grab his oilfields. \”Its all about oil,\” they said. Well, it\’s now four years since the invasion. Yet, we

Unlucky finance minister Chida-mbaram: he had to present his budget one day after his Congress Party was thras-hed in state elections in Punjab and Uttarakhand. Partymen in both states blamed the defeat on inflation, and hence (indirectly) on Chidambaram. The

Unlucky finance minister Chida-mbaram: he had to present his budget one day after his Congress Party was thras-hed in state elections in Punjab and Uttarakhand. Partymen in both states blamed the defeat on inflation, and hence (indirectly) on Chidambaram. The

Ten years ago, I was among those congratulating Palaniappan Chidambaram on presenting a dream budget. Here’s what I wrote in 1997. “Chidambaram’s budget has vision. Most budgets make niggling tax changes to meet the limited challenges of the coming year.

Education is a mess because politicians refuse to discipline teachers who sabotage primary education. Surveys show that government teacher absenteeism ranges from 20% to 57% in different states, yet they earn thrice or more than private sector teachers, Some teachers

Finance Minister Chidambaram is feeling the political heat. Inflation at the wholesale level crossed 6.58% last week, the highest for over two years. The consumer price index for rural labour has risen by over 10% in three North Indian states