-BBC Economist Jean Dreze's new book makes an increasingly necessary argument that creating a morally good, progressive society is as important as improving traditional development indexes, writes Nilanjana S Roy. The jhola, a sturdy, often exuberantly decorated cloth sling bag, can be spotted all across India. Over time, this precursor to the backpack and the man bag became the accessory of choice for a varied set of Indians, from sadhus (holy men)...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today constituted an economic advisory council, shedding a three-year policy of relying on loose-knit groups and reviving a formal set-up that had helped Manmohan Singh navigate the global downturn a decade ago. The "course correction" by Modi is being linked to the grim news on the economic front largely in the wake of demonetisation and teething troubles in the implementation of the GST. The council...

-Firstpost.com So, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has got his three wise men and one wise woman to advise him on managing the economy. The Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) has been revived with Bibek Debroy as chairman and Surjit Bhalla, Rathin Roy and Ashima Goyal as members. Ratan Watal, a career bureaucrat, will be member secretary. No one can deny that it’s a great team with impeccable credentials, both as economists...

-Scroll.in Hike government spending, pour money into rural areas, cut interest rates, refrain from disruptive moves like demonetisation. India’s economic growth is slowing but can the government bring it back on track? This is what Finance Minister Arun Jaitley reportedly discussed with ministers and officials Tuesday evening. While a concrete plan to address the problem is apparently being developed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s blessing, a section of the industry and...

-Livemint.com The trajectory of wealth concentration in the country, not just the levels of recently estimated inequality, is important A flurry of estimates regarding Indian inequality have captured public interest recently. Whether one believes the wealth inequality numbers presented by Credit Suisse or the distributional income accounts by Lucas Chancel and Thomas Piketty, evidence seems to state that India has high economic disparities. But inequality is to be expected in a developing...