How India Allowed RP-Sanjiv Goenka Firms to Beat Coal Auctions
The Narendra Modi-led government enabled private firms to continue to bypass competitive processes to corner large coal reserves.
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Marginalized Indian Rural Economy: Its Challenges
This marginalization of the rural economy is a result of the policymakers’ focus being on the organized part. No wonder the agriculture sector which provides the most important item of consumption — food — has been marginalized.
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‘Bofors Pales Into Insignificance’: Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Ravi Nair
Interview with journalists Ravi Nair and Paranjoy Guha Thakurta on the much talked about Rafale deal, the many unanswered questions related to it, the scrapping of a previous deal, and the unilateral decision of the Prime Minister in this matter. Excerpts from their interview to Frontline.
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Making Aadhaar-Based Payments Compulsory for NREGA Wages Is a Recipe for Disaster
A recent order of the Ministry of Rural Development has created a situation where a majority of NREGA workers cannot be paid. Also: NREGA Sangharsh Morcha’s open letter to the Ministry of Rural Development, refuting the ministry’s recent claims on the status of the MGNREGA Scheme.
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Hindutva Development Model vs Dravidian Rights-Based Welfare: Looking Beyond the ‘Freebies’ Debate
Hindutva has reduced citizens to passive political subjects where people devote themselves to the leader’s ascribed duties towards the nation’s development.
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Unmasking India’s Crony Capitalist Oligarchy
The recent allegations of accounting fraud and stock manipulation against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani made by Hindenburg Research has startled many in the financial world. The episode is a necessary reality check for those who are expecting India’s star to burn bright in the global economic firmament.
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Modi Claims 2004 to 2014 Was India’s ‘Lost Decade’. Is That True?; Also: Rising Suicides Among Poor
The number of poor fell sharply during this earlier period, and has risen in recent years. Also: “Daily Wage Earners, Housewives Among Largest Categories of People to Die by Suicide in 2019-21.”
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India Budget 2023: Green Only in Name?
India’s Finance Minister mentioned the word ‘green’ about two dozen times in her 2023 Budget speech. But does this signify a significant shift towards orienting the economy towards ecological sensitivity? Or is it greenwashing of the kind this government has become increasingly adept at.
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Fragilities in India’s Balance of Payments
The Economic Survey claims that India has managed the past year very well in external terms, actually increasing its share of world exports. How much of this self-congratulation and optimism is actually warranted?
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A Sweet Solution? India’s Push to Use Sugar for Fuel May Create More Problems Than it Solves
India, the world’s second-largest sugar producer, has started to turn its surplus into bioethanol as it strives to lower energy costs and meet climate pledges. However, this ignores greenhouse gas emissions embedded in the ethanol supply chain. There are also several other problems.
