Context: The current price rise in Indian economy is largely driven by the non-core elements in the retail consumption basket. The food element in the non-core is being driven up both by primary global supply shortages and the rise in the fuel cost of transporting food. The key, therefore, is the cost of fuel. Core… Continue reading Inflation and what to do about it: Secure cheap Russian oil at least
Tag: gs paper 3
The status of the Naga peace talks
News: The annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) released recently said that the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) was involved in 44% of insurgency-related incidents in Nagaland in 2020. The Union government had, in 2015, signed a framework agreement with the NSCN-IM to find a solution to… Continue reading The status of the Naga peace talks
Let’s make GST a good and simple tax
The introduction of GST might be the most important tax reform. It was a unique experiment in cooperative federalism, where both the Union and the state governments gave up their tax autonomy in favor of harmonizing domestic trade taxes. However, some negative features have been inserted into the tax to make it acceptable. Why single rate… Continue reading Let’s make GST a good and simple tax
Climate arbitrage: Cost of carbon versus capital
News: Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has hiked the main policy rate like the central bank of the western economies. Further, Holcim, MNC of cement making is rearranging its portfolio (sell in India) to fit its climate adaptation plan for 2025. Contents1 Why was the policy rate hiked? 2 Impact of the policy hike 3… Continue reading Climate arbitrage: Cost of carbon versus capital
The workers hit the hardest
News: Recently, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) released the Consumer Pyramids Household Survey. According to the survey, employment in India fell from 408.9 million in 2019-20 to 387.2 million in 2020-21 and then recovered to 401.8 million in 2021-22. Contents1 General trends of employment in India 2 What is the category-wise employment trends in… Continue reading The workers hit the hardest
Inflation control needs another model
News: Recently, the Monetary Policy Committee has announced its primary focus on inflation or the” inflation targeting. Keeping the high inflationary pressure into consideration, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised the policy repo rate in order to ensure price stability. Status of inflation in India The wholesale price inflation has been in the double… Continue reading Inflation control needs another model
What severe disruptions taught us about supply chain resilience
Context: Events like Covid Pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war have highlighted the importance of global supply chains for economic resilience. The global events of the last 2 years have proved that intermediate goods procurement is really important. For example, the shortage of semiconductors has upset the production schedules of automobile companies across the world. How have… Continue reading What severe disruptions taught us about supply chain resilience
Agri trade beyond the Ukraine war
Context: The conflict in Ukraine has created an opportunity for India’s agricultural exports, particularly wheat. But, India’s chances of becoming a stable supplier of wheat are limited in the absence of a long-term policy on foodgrain exports. Out of the around 200 million tonnes (mt) of global wheat exports, Russia and Ukraine export 60 mt.… Continue reading Agri trade beyond the Ukraine war
How safe are India’s dams?
Context: Jal Shakti Minister recently told the Rajya Sabha that since 1979, there were 42 instances of dam failures, the latest being the Annamayya reservoir in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh that led to the death of at least 20 people in November 2021. India has the 3rd largest number of dams in the world… Continue reading How safe are India’s dams?
Like Nero, we fiddle as the world burns
News: Recently, the temperature level of four to eight degrees above normal have been recorded in South Asia. Such intense heat waves have not been seen in more than a century. Contents1 Pattern of extreme weather events due to climate change 2 Measures already taken to mitigate the climate change 3 What are the challenges wrt… Continue reading Like Nero, we fiddle as the world burns
