NIRBHARTA STARTS AT HOME
Introduction The first instalment of the Rs. 20 Trillion (Lakh Crores) package of measures announced by the finance minister on 13th May 2020 is an important major step towards keeping the economy afloat (instead of revive). Not all of the Rs. 20 Lakh Crores constitute extra fiscal expenditure. They include extra expenditures, loans, loan guarantees and […]
HEED THE DIFFERENCE: STRATEGIES TO EXIT LOCKDOWN
Introduction The two imperatives, of extending the lockdown to reduce the rise in number of COVID-19 cases and relaxing lockdown to increase economic activity, might seem conflicting. But the key to resolving the impasse lies in recognising that different states have different needs and demands, and they should be given a greater say in decisions […]
WHICH SECTORS DEPEND ON IMPORTS, AND WHICH DO NOT?
What sectors heavily depend on imports Electrical equipment such as smartphones and computers are a key part of India’s import bill. Around 88% of the components used by the mobile handsets industry are imported from countries like China. Over 60 per cent of the country’s medical devices are imported as well. Other products heavily imported into the country […]
PROVIDE INCOME SUPPORT, RESTORE JOBS
Why in news? States such as Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujrat have scrapped Labour laws as a move to bring about reforms to attract new investors who are looking to exit from China. Employers’ associations have urged the central government to do away with most labour rights to address temporary labour shortages. The abrogation […]
WHY LABOUR LAW REJIG IS NO REFORM?
Concerns with the existing Labour Laws in India The Labour law in India is rigid, and restricts mobility. The list of laws that govern India’s workforce is itself formidably large—at least 40 central laws and more than a 100 state-level acts and regulations. The Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946 goes to the extent of […]
GETTING CASH TRANSFERS OUT OF A JAM
Introduction The Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (sometimes referred to as: JAM trinity) has been propounded as a dream cash-transfer infrastructure for India. It was born in chapter 3 of the Economic Survey 2015, titled “Wiping every tear from every eye: The JAM number trinity solution”. An illusion and its fading The original formulation, in 2015, mentioned two […]
RIDING ROUGHSHOD OVER STATE GOVERNMENTS
Introduction During the lockdowns the Centre has issued guidelines from time to time, ostensibly under the Disaster Management Act of 2005, containing varying restrictions on public activity and commerce which the States are expected to enforce. The Centre directs the State governments to scrupulously enforce every new set of guidelines, with the States ONLY being […]
REDUCE THE COUNTRY’S PREFERENCE FOR CASH
Why in news? The first two weeks of March 2020 saw a jump of about ₹53,000 crore in cash available with the public, a spike over the fortnightly average of ₹8,435 crore over the previous 12 months. The surge continued into lockdown, in spite of apprehensions that RBI notes could act as carriers of coronavirus. […]
THE NEED FOR A SECOND CHAMBER: BICAMERAL LEGISLATURE
Introduction The Rajya Sabha came into being on April 3, 1952, and had undergone severe prenatal scrutiny in the Constituent Assembly. History of Formation of Bicameral Structure in India The central legislature that came into being under the Government of India Act, 1919 was bicameral with a Council of States and a Legislative Assembly. The membership and […]
PLAYING OUT LIVE, A NARRATIVE OF DISCRIMINATION
Key insights into migration The government gave a tentative estimate of there being 10 crore migrant workers in India but admitted to many being largely undocumented and unregistered as workers. The last National Sample Survey Office migration survey, which was published more than 20 years ago, showed that between 1992-93 to 2007–08, the proportion of migrant households […]