-Economic and Political Weekly The recent debate on the acceptability of foreign direct investment in the retail sector in India has been mostly political. It is necessary to look into the pros and cons of FDI in retail from a purely economic point of view. This article identifi es the safeguards that should be undertaken before allowing giant multinationals to function in the country. Abhirup Sarkar (abhirup@isical.ac.in) is with the Indian Statistical...

-The Washington Post The case of a 23-year-old medical student who died Saturday after a brutal gang rape on a bus in New Delhi has seemed to snap India to attention about its endemic sexual violence problem. Hundreds of Indians poured into the streets of New Delhi to mourn the young woman, and police announced that the six men arrested in connection with the attack had been charged with murder. In recent...

-The Hindustan Times The much-anticipated two-day debate on the government’s decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail got off to a spirited start in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, with both the Opposition and the Congress fiercely defending their stands. But, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had the government on tenterhooks a day ahead of the vote on a resolution opposing the FDI move. Even as...

-Down to Earth FSSAI initiates prosecution against manufacturers of 19 leading food brands for making unscientific claims about their products Whether it’s Complan or Horlicks, they claim to make a child taller and smarter. But their promises are not based on any scientific data.  Now such food products in the Indian market have come under the scanner of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for making false health claims on the...

-Outlook Don’t blame globalization for inequality – but rather policies hijacked by a few Economic globalization in the sense of expansion of foreign trade and investment is, of course, somewhat anaemic, reflecting the impact of global recession, although still vigorous in the sense of continuous international transmission of technology, information, ideas and social media. But in the world of politics and policymaking a cold wind is blowing, dimming earlier enthusiasm for global...