-Livemint.com The country can’t expect to be a superpower with gender disparities worsening the way they are The latest bulletins from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) present a dismal picture. The calamitous fall in employment in April 2020 was followed by a partial recovery in May and June, but the recovery tapered off by September. October and November saw declines again. This slowdown in economic activity can be seen in...

Just before Dhanteras and Diwali this year, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the November edition of its monthly bulletin. The latest RBI Monthly Bulletin says that the GDP has contracted by -8.6 percent in the second quarter of fiscal year 2020-21 (i.e. July-September, 2020) as compared to the gross domestic product (GDP) during the corresponding period last year. It may be noted that India’s GDP shrunk by -23.9...

-The Telegraph Why are animal spirits in quarantine? Animal spirits, the primordial driver of growth that is unquantifiable, are once more in the spotlight. The current context is the dire growth outlook from the Covid-19 impact, future prospects and how to improve these. However, the absence of animal spirits has been felt and commented upon longer than that. It can be traced as far back as the 2012-13 slowdown, or the shortfall...

-The Telegraph By all indications revival in 2020 is not possible The year 2019 has played out on a mixed note. Politically, the general election outcome upheld the popular choice of a majority government. Economically, conditions deteriorated rapidly through the year. In fact, an undercurrent of concern about the economic situation prevailed throughout 2019. This surfaced upfront immediately after the May election and reached a flashpoint by the middle of the...

-The Indian Express Consumers today are willing to pay for organic produce. What is required is a policy framework to enable farmers to cater to this market. A few months back, I was at an artisanal products exhibition, where there was a stall showcasing organic leather bags. A buyer marvelled: “Wow, we have organic leather too?” The stall-person’s response was, “Sir, this is from animals that were fed only natural grass...