A new book on the Modi years mixes actuality with amnesia
Aakar Patel, former head of Amnesty International in India, has savaged the seven years of Narendra Modi\’s rule in his latest book, Price of the Modi Years. Backed by considerable research, it has more credibility than other rhetorical denunciations of
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Why poll panel should return to single-day voting
Covid cases are rising exponentially in India with the third wave causing one lakh infections per day. The US has crossed one million cases per day, and India is likely to exceed that soon. Should upcoming elections in five states
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High growth, high risk: Growth will be brisk but major challenges range from inflation to BJP losing nerve on reforms
The International Monetary Fund has projected India’s GDP growth at 9.5% in 2021 and 8.5% in 2022, making it the fastest-growing economy in the world. Deepak Parekh of HDFC, doyen of the private sector, says he is more optimistic than
There’s no correlation between female empowerment and age of marriage
GoI has proposed raising the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 years to 21, the minimum age for men. This supposedly aims to empower women and erode patriarchy, giving girls more time to study and choose their future.
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Some die for their country, some lie for it
Bangladesh was created fifty years ago when Pakistani forces in Dhaka surrendered to Indian troops on December 16. The official Indian version is that the war began when Pakistan bombed India on December 3 and was concluded in a mere
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War may not be probable, but geopolitical clouds threaten the world economy
Stock markets have soared to absurd heights this year, and the current correction is no surprise. Fears remain that the downtrend will gather momentum and become a crash. Which factors will most likely produce a crash? Some point to rising
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Piketty’s super-rich tax is not going to end inequality
The World Inequality Report 2022, drafted by French economist Thomas Piketty and his colleague, once again highlights high and growing inequality across countries. It calls for draconian taxes on the super-rich to help the poor and middle class. The authors
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Power freebies show pitfalls of electoral politics
Always sacrifice economic sense if it wins a few more votes. That logic drives competitive politics in India, spurring myopic measures that inflict long-term damage. Too many elections are dominated by three issues — subsidies, job reservations and communalism. Economists
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