-Livemint The development economist on the Modi government's initiatives and his stand on them, and MGNREGS The Narendra Modi-led government should consider replacing inefficient subsidies with a basic monthly income for all citizens, says Pranab Bardhan , emeritus professor of economics at the University of California at Berkeley. Bardhan, who recently sparred with economists Jagdish Bhagwati and Arvind Panagariya in a debate over the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS),...
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Policy Watch: Food & water crisis ahead -RN Bhaskar
-DNA India's rising affluence and water profligacy could trigger a food crisis very soon At first blush, there is a lot to be cheerful about. India's index of industrial production has resumed its climb. Stalled projects are being dusted and revived. There is a good chance that employment figures, too, will begin rising by the end of the next quarter. Then there is more good news. Per capital GDP (Gross Domestic Product)...
More »NC Saxena, Former secretary-Rural Development Ministry and former member of the NAC, interviewed by Aditi Phadnis
-The Business Standard NC Saxena, a former member of the National Advisory Council believes that the regulatory regime in the states continues to be oppressive. In an e-mailed interview with Aditi Phadnis, Saxena says that the fundamental problem in India is the low tax-GDP ratio and neither the last government nor the current one seems interested in increasing revenues. Edited excerpts: * The new government appears to be watering down a lot...
More »Internal remittances need focus -Jairam Ramesh
-Livemint Less than a third of internal remittances flow through formal institutional channels (like banks) and this where the use of Aadhaar can have a major positive impact India is the largest recipient of remittances from its workers abroad. It received close to $70 billion in 2013-14, which was about a not-insubstantial 3.5% of GDP (gross domestic product). About 30% of these remittances are from West Asia and another 30% or so...
More »Getting India’s agri support maths wrong -Tejinder Narang
-The Financial Express The USDA projection of 29% of agri GDP is faulty as it counts rural development expenditure also, it is only 13% In a report titled "India's Agricultural Exports Climbs To Record High" (click here to access), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) speaks of a steep ascent in Indian agro exports-from $5 billion in 2003 to $39 billion in 2013. This may be flattering, but the facts and figures...
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