News: Gaps of income and wealth have worsened after liberalization, causing various ramifications, including political ones. A response is clearly necessary. Contents1 What are the stats to substantiate that the wealth gap in India is increasing?2 What are the implications?3 How the income and wealth inequality in India is having political ramifications?4 What is the… Continue reading We need a renewed conversation on economic inequality in India
Tag: gs paper 3
Boosting agrifood life sciences is key to India’s agricultural future
News: Innovations in Agrifood life sciences in India remain deeply neglected by venture capital investors and even entrepreneurs. For instance, globally, $6 billion was invested in agrifood life sciences startups in 2020, while India raised slightly over $10 million. India is becoming a global outlier, with the US, Israel, Europe, and China all building unicorn… Continue reading Boosting agrifood life sciences is key to India’s agricultural future
On COP26: Home truths on climate change
News: Surprising many, India announced its net-zero target, including many other new commitments, at the recently held COP 26 meeting in Glasgow. This has established India as a world leader in fighting the climate change crisis. But, there is a gap between what the government says on the international stage and what it does at home.… Continue reading On COP26: Home truths on climate change
On USO Fund: Speed up broadband roll-out
News: It has been almost two decades since the Union government’s telecom policy set aside 5% of its receipts from the sector towards the Universal Service Obligation (USO) fund. The USO fund now totals in excess of Rs 1 trillion. The management of this fund is often in question. Also, in light of the size… Continue reading On USO Fund: Speed up broadband roll-out
Bank-NBFC co-lending: how it works, and the concerns it raises
News: Several banks have entered into co-lending ‘master agreements’ with NBFCs, and more are in the pipeline Recently, the RBI permitted the banks to co-lend with all registered NBFCs (including HFCs) to increase lending to the priority sector based on a prior agreement. This has led to unusual tie-ups between banks and NBFCs. For instance,… Continue reading Bank-NBFC co-lending: how it works, and the concerns it raises
The tug of war within the gig economy
News: This year, Uber lost a significant legal battle against its workers in the UK. The U. K’s Supreme Court upheld a previous ruling by the employment tribunal that the 25 drivers who had brought a case against Uber are indeed employees and not contractors. Consequently, Uber announced that it would start treating all its… Continue reading The tug of war within the gig economy
Why Farmers Won, People Lost
News: Lesson that can be learnt from the farm laws episode for navigating reforms in the future. Economic reforms produce winners and losers. In the case of farm laws, losers were the relatively large farmers with a marketable surplus, who feared losing the protection of the minimum support price (MSP). On the other side, potential… Continue reading Why Farmers Won, People Lost
The stepping stones in the post-pandemic world
News: India must leverage international partnerships for ensuring a robust and sustained economic growth path. Why International partnerships are important ? Firstly, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected growth, trade and investments, and employment, among others. In this context, international cooperation is critical to combat the current & future challenges related to growth. Secondly, strengthening global… Continue reading The stepping stones in the post-pandemic world
The good and not so good of new bank ownership norms
News: RBI’s internal working group, set up in June 2020, had made 33 recommendations on the ownership and corporate structure of private sector banks. The RBI has accepted 21 of them, with minor modifications in some cases. The rest, are under examination. What are the key recommendations made by the RBI’s IWG? Entry of corporate… Continue reading The good and not so good of new bank ownership norms
The question of US monetary policy
News: Headline inflation in the US has reached 6.8%, the highest value in 40 years. In this context, if the US Federal Reserve resort to monetary tightening policy (Fed Tapering) to control inflation, it will have important consequences for the world economy. What are the implications of Fed tapering? Flight of capital from the emerging… Continue reading The question of US monetary policy
