-Business Standard Chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian discusses the Budget, goods and services tax, Centre-state relationship and larger issues facing the economy with Dilasha Seth, Arup Roychoudhury and Indivjal Dhasmana. Edited excerpts: * In the mid-year economic analysis, you talked of revisiting the fiscal numbers for 2016-17. Is it a view of the chief economic advisor (CEA) or that of the government? I see my role as a member of the government. I...
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How to check the pulse of rising food prices -Sanjoy Narayan
-Hindustan Times Nearly half of what the average Indian earns she spends on food. And when food prices rise, the average Indian’s budget feels the strain. In November, the consumer food price index, which tracks food prices at retail sales points, was up 6.07% as compared to 5.25% in October. Even data relating to the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), which tracks prices of commodities when they are traded in bulk, show...
More »Pulses buffer stock plan hits quality wall -Sandip Das
-The Financial Express The plan to build a buffer stock of pulses, akin to such facilities for rice and wheat, has run into a hurdle after the agriculture ministry insisted that only lentils that meet the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. The plan to build a buffer stock of pulses, akin to such facilities for rice and wheat, has run into a hurdle after the agriculture ministry insisted that only...
More »Inflation falls to -4.95%, spurs deflation fears, rate cut hopes -TCA Sharad Raghavan
-The Hindu Overall, industry bodies are positive about the ongoing contraction in inflation, but there is some wariness regarding deflation. Wholesale price inflation contracted for the tenth consecutive month, coming in at -4.95 per cent in August compared to -4.05 per cent in July. This follows Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian’s comments cautioning that India’s economy could be nearing deflationary territory. The data also comes two weeks before the Reserve Bank of...
More »Swaminathan MSP: Solution to Agrarian Crisis and Farmers’ Distress? -Ranjit Singh Ghuman
-Economic and Political Weekly Farmers' unions and political parties have been demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan minimum support price (cost plus 50%) to address agrarian crisis and farmers' distress. But they have not raised demands for the implementation of the recommendations of the National Commission on Farmers, which have the potential to provide lasting solutions. Ranjit Singh Ghuman (ghumanrs@yahoo.co.uk) is a Nehru SAIL Chair Professor, Centre for Research in Rural and...
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