-The Hindu In the heated debate on jobs, the crucial link between macroeconomic policy and unemployment has not been flagged Innumerable tasks with respect to the economy await the winner of the parliamentary elections now under way, but two may be mentioned and they are connected. The first is to review the conduct of macroeconomic policy. Though it must come across as arcane, this is an element of public policy that makes...
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The government's anti-corruption scorecard -Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri
-The Hindu The last five years have seen consistent attacks on anti-corruption laws and institutions The popular sentiment that helped the BJP in the 2014 general election was resentment against corruption in public life. The party’s clarion call for a corruption-free India resonated with the electorate, who believed the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate when he pledged, “Na khaunga, na khane dunga (neither will I indulge in corruption, nor allow anyone else to...
More »From Plate to Plough: Cow and cane -Ashok Gulati
-The Indian Express Farm distress, particularly the stray cattle menace and the crisis in livestock sector, and mounting sugarcane arrears could dampen the BJP’s performance in UP. If one wants to know the quality of our evolving democracy, one must watch the ongoing election campaign in India. It is great fun too. And nothing is more interesting than tracking it in Uttar Pradesh (UP), where the real political battle is being...
More »No work, but Rajasthan labour chowkis say Modi better for nation -Shalini Nair
-The Indian Express In the two-cornered contest in Rajasthan, voters, irrespective of whether their allegiance rests with the BJP or Congress, are critical of the decline in jobs. Ajmer, Jaipur, Rajsamand, Udaipur (Rajasthan): For about half an hour, starting 8 am, buses halt at Udaipur’s Syphon labour chowki to offload passengers huddled on their roofs. Hundreds of daily wage workers commute to the 10-odd labour chowkis in Udaipur city, from villages...
More »Cash for votes -- Tamil Nadu's best kept open secret -T Ramakrishnan
-The Hindu No party admits to offering BRIbes to voters, even though it is common knowledge that they all do. In the just-concluded elections to 38 Lok Sabha constituencies and 18 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu, cash seizures alone added up to around ?215 crore, almost 10 times the haul during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. While some activists blame the ‘freebie culture’ in the State, others call for an overhaul...
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