-The Hindu The increasing cost of production and the increase in GST on cartons has triggered protests in Himachal Pradesh Apple growers in Himachal Pradesh are out on the streets some three decades after their last big agitation. The protests are not surprising; their anger has been simmering for a while. To understand the present crisis, it is crucial to understand the developments of the last few decades. In the 1970s and 1980s,...

-NDTV.com At a time when Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation has remained above RBI's upper tolerance level of 6% for seven consecutive months and the WPI inflation rates are at the highest levels since January 2007, it is good that the issue was finally discussed in parliament and the RBI's recent rate hike signals recognition of the concern. However, during the debate in the parliament, the Treasury bench largely took a...

-TheWire.in There are no watertight categorisations that clearly demarcate where a subsidy ends and a so-called freebie begins. Amaravati: A maelstrom has been brewing in the political landscape over the precise markers of a subsidy and a freebie. Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the first blow last month when he pointed out that other political parties were propagating a “revdi culture” which was dangerous to the youth as well as to the...

Is India going to face inflation in cereal prices during the rest of the current financial year? Experts differ on this. An analysis by Nomura Global Economics and CEIC finds that a below normal monsoon does not always translate into high retail inflation in food. Similarly, an above normal southwest monsoon does not always bring down the rate of food inflation. However, some agricultural experts (please click here, here and...

-The Hindu Business Line The Centre should pay attention to fertiliser subsidy which is overshooting estimates by unacceptably large margins The economic crisis in India’s South Asian neighbours has turned the spotlight on fiscal profligacy leading economies on the path to ruin. While this has sparked debate on our States doling out freebies and subsidies, the fact is that the Centre too has some soul-searching to do on this front. Even as...