-The Telegraph The Left in Bengal had often criticised him whenever he red-flagged excessive local tyranny, and spoke about the industrial decline in Bengal. The incumbent ruling party may make tall claims about changes in Bengal since the Trinamul government came to power but he has been candid enough to suggest that he hasn't seen much change either in industrial expansion or in investment in infrastructure. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has...

-Livemint.com Sluggish wage growth, lower crop planting, fluctuating prices paint a dismal picture for farmers and the agriculture sector New data released by the government on rural wages, crop prices and sowing of winter crops reveals that rural distress is worsening. Planting of wheat, the main winter crop, between October and early January was 5% lower than a year ago due to lower sowing in Madhya Pradesh by close to a million hectares;...

-The Indian Express DMRC and Union minister for urban development Hardeep Singh Puri are right that the daily ridership of Delhi metro hasn’t declined by 3 lakhs due to fare hike. It has declined by 4.8 lakhs. Economists are frequent targets of ridicule by politicians for failing to predict crises or having vastly differing opinions of major economic events (e.g. demonetisation). But all economists agree on one fundamental tenet — demand reduces...

-Frontline.in The Assembly elections have put under intense scrutiny Narendra Modi’s Gujarat model of development which is touted as worthy of replication throughout the country. Audit reports of the CAG provide ample evidence of it being inefficient, corrupt and not beneficial to the common people. THE standard indicators of development, as is understood in theory and practice, comprise a range of indices, and not necessarily the level of private investment in...

-The Indian Express Delhi metro’s fare increase prices out the poor. Those arguing against offering subsidies ignore the multiplier effect of an affordable mass transit system. The most enduring image I have of the Delhi metro is that of a shared ride with a construction worker. His shoes and clothes, turned a uniform grey by dirt, told the story of a hard day’s work spent on a construction site. A comfortable ride...