The last time I wrote about the Indian budget, which was exactly a year ago, I had said that our budget-making is as per Murphy’s Law. I meant that in not realizing the previous year’s mistake, we once again created a union budget that ignored the needs of the common man and woman. This, while… Continue reading India Budget 2023: Capex vs Capacity Building
Even as last year ended, there were rumblings of the possibility of the free foodgrain distribution scheme being extended beyond 2022. This is the additional 5kg of foodgrain that was offered free to households eligible under India’s PDS (public distribution system of heavily subsidized foodgrain) during the Covid pandemic. It must have brought tremendous relief… Continue reading Indian Economy Once More in Election Mode
The recently concluded state assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh yielded results along expected lines. It’s just that no one could tell the extent of the BJP’s landslide victory in Gujarat, nor how close it would be in Himachal. And it was India’s two leading national parties slugging it out in both states. These… Continue reading Another Landslide Victory and What it Says About the State of the Indian Economy
We should have seen it coming. The economic slowdown, after a couple of terribly volatile years, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. While the first year of the Covid pandemic prompted strict lockdowns in many countries adversely impacting the services part of the economy, manufacturing chugged along, even if a little slowly. Thanks to that, international… Continue reading How Advertising Agencies and Brands Should Negotiate 2023
There isn’t a single news programme or article on the global economy these days that doesn’t mention recession. This has been so for the past many months, but as central banks – especially the US Federal Reserve – keep raising interest rates to combat inflation, the prospect of a recession draws ever nearer. In their… Continue reading The Indian Economy: Bright Spot or Dangers Lurking?
Just last year, I had written on the occasion of the start of India’s 75th year of independence, about the long, Sisyphean journey our country had taken to reach where we are today. And about the challenges that remain. I had written it also from the point of view of our own personal experiences as… Continue reading A Democracy Fraying @ 75
On hearing the news of India’s FY22 GDP growth announced a few days ago, you might think – like the Indian government and some sections of the media – that ours is the fastest growing large economy. Never mind that the fourth quarter was the slowest growing in a long time – 4.1% - and… Continue reading Growth Depends on India Going Back to Work
It’s been a while since I wrote on the Indian economy and since our second quarter GDP news was released just a fortnight ago, I thought it might make sense to consider this news as well as other issues looming on the horizon. Which is why this piece is not so much about the Q2… Continue reading The Three Es of India to Look Out For in 2022
Peripatetic Perch 