-Livemint.com Public support measures helped India’s small businesses survive the pandemic better than feared The robust recovery of India’s economy from the profound shock of the covid pandemic has expectedly triggered debates about the nature of this recovery. While our economic recovery, as reflected in various supply and demand indicators, is acknowledged by many unbiased observers, an examination of its inclusivity is necessary. As an immediate response to the pandemic, the government put...

-Ideas for India The share of bank credit extended to MSMEs increased dramatically during the pandemic. In this post, Harsh Vardhan discusses the the government guarantee of bank Loans as a possible driver of this growth. He outlines the current policy of providing credit against collateral, and the constraints MSMEs face while borrowing– which leads to decreased investment and firm productivity. He argues that the learnings from the credit guarantee scheme...

-The Hindu A critical facet of the consequences of an interest rate increase is the correction of asset prices. Interest rates act as gravity to stock market prices The Federal Reserve and other central banks around the world have raised interest rates to curb inflation. The rationale behind raising interest rates is that the cost of borrowing rises whenever they are raised, and the incentive to save and invest rather than consume...

-The Telegraph Drought-like situation prompts the state to widen reach Jamshedpur: Jharkhand, staring at a drought-like situation, has set an ambitious target of linking 25 lakh farmers with the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme by March 2023. The Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loan is available to farmers at a seven per cent interest rate, with a waiver of three per cent of the interest by the Centre, when the loan is repaid within...

-The Hindu Business Line The Centre should build on the success of PMJDY to promote other financial products for the lower sections of society As the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) completes its eighth year, it is becoming increasingly clear that this is a rare State-initiated welfare scheme that has not just met but exceeded its initial promise. That the scheme has made a material difference to financial inclusion is evident...