The Adani-Modi Nexus Faces Its Greatest Test
To contend that the indictment of Gautam Adani, his nephew, and their associates, in the United States has dealt a blow to the ambitions of one of India’s, and the world’s, richest men, would be an understatement. The prominent tycoon, whose proximity to Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the stuff
Bibek Debroy (1955-2024): The Scholar Who Shaped India’s Economic Transition
Bibek Debroy—”Bibekda,” “Bibek sir,” and simply “Bibek” to his close friends and colleagues—who passed away on November 1, 2024, was a policy advisor of a different breed. He straddled the complexities of economic policymaking with ease. His breadth of understanding of issues, diverse interests, ability to communicate intricate policy matters
Samsung Workers’ Strike Is a Milestone in Tamil Nadu’s Labour Movement in the Post-Liberalisation Era
When the workers of the Samsung Electronics unit in Sriperumbudur, 40 km from Chennai, went on strike for better wages and improved conditions on September 9, little did they realise that their struggle would evolve into a watershed moment in Tamil Nadu’s labour movement in the post-liberalisation era. When it
Data | Indian manufacturing sector on its way up post COVID-19: Annual Survey of Industries 2021-22
Employment fell marginally in 2020-21 due to the pandemic but gained momentum in 2021-22 with 7 per cent year-on-year growth in the manufacturing sector, according to the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI). “In fact, the estimated number of persons engaged in this (manufacturing) sector in 2021-22 has exceeded the pre-pandemic level (that is 2018-19) by more
SUM AND SUBSTANCE | What broke Paytm?
It was a picture of contrasts. At the Davos World Economic Forum in 2023, Paytm CEO and founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma was asked by the business channel CNBC TV18 about the mood in the “new-economy contingent” he was representing. VSS, as he is commonly known, was asked about the frequent
Kerala vs Centre: A battle of finances and federalism
“Bharanavum Samaravum” (Administration and Agitation) was the slogan coined by E.M.S. Namboodiripad in 1967 when he was sworn in for the second time as Kerala’s Chief Minister, heading a seven-party alliance. The call for agitation was against what he saw as the Central government’s political and economic discrimination against the
Follow the money: Supreme Court’s electoral bond ruling marks a significant step in India’s anti-corruption journey
In 2017, then Finance Minister, the late Arun Jaitley, rose to announce a new method of electoral funding. Individuals, associations, and corporations wishing to make donations to political parties could approach India’s largest public sector bank, State Bank of India (SBI) and purchase tax-free, time-limited bearer bonds during certain windows of
Is India’s fiscal federalism breaking apart?
Indian federalism is on the verge of a breakdown. Ministers from opposition-ruled States have taken to the streets in New Delhi to protest against discrimination by the Centre. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who leads the use of a divisive majoritarian agenda for political gains, has attacked the protesters saying
Centre versus West Bengal: Can Mamata Banerjee stay defiant?
December 26, 2021. This was the date on which West Bengal last received funds from the Centre for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). It was within months of the BJP’s defeat at the hands of the Trinamool Congress in the 2021 Assembly election in West Bengal.
SUM AND SUBSTANCE | From sunrise to sunset? India’s IT sector loses shine as jobs dry up
In her interim budget speech this year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the establishment of a Rs.1 trillion corpus to boost innovation and research in sunrise domains, that is the start-up and tech industries. “For our tech-savvy youth, this will be a golden era,” Sitharaman said. What may have dulled