Defence Budget: In need of direction
Defence and diplomacy are two sides of the same coin and India can't afford to ignore either of these. Look out for a high-scoring Indian economy!
Overall, this is a budget with a pro growth stance with an attempt at fiscal restraint and some initiatives with major long term implications. It stays within mid-on and mid-off but does score boundaries. Budget: In the same old style of the early 1980s
The Budget has no reforms, no move to facilitate GST for next year introduced, too many exemptions given and hardly a few withdrawn. Budget: Big reforms pushed out
The government has to realise that at some stage it will have to deliver on big ticket items. The paradox of FM's Budget strategy
Mr Mukherjee has presented a good budget, perhaps even a very good one under the circumstances, but he has shied away from presenting a great budget. Budget: The real fiscal challenge lies ahead
Pranab Mukherjee will have to stay lucky if he is to climb the big mountain that lies ahead. Defence Budget: Alarm bells ringing
Stagnant defence expenditure in India and set back to modernisation would be music to the ears of Gen Kayani and Hu Jin Tao. 'Budgets rarely follow the Survey's sermon'
Last year, the Survey suggested a long list of reforms, but most of these found no place in the Budget. Urgent needs that FM's Budget must address
Certain key initiatives are necessary to build a greater momentum towards growth and increased penetration of the insurance industry. Reason triumphs over Bt brinjal!
By embargoing Bt brinjal, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh may have done a greater service to democracy than he intended, says Praful Bidwai. Students are prisoners of classrooms
Students in eight medical colleges in Mumbai recently discovered the wealth of knowledge they could gain by spending time with people. KN Raj inspired others to think big
The late economist inspired a generation to think big and to aim at understanding the larger political economy of India. Column: The Pranab Mukherjee Budget
Will the finance minister present a legacy-seeking Budget? Banks: Time for more aggressive regulation
The RBI should step into a more aggressive market development mode and require banks to allocate capital for asset-liability mismatches beyond a particular level. Want to be a good leader? Here's how
Leading HR experts say a coach can bring in the edge that is vital to make the transition from just another boss to the boss. Get ready to face a new economic reality
The world is going to see a new economic reality, which may not be as attractive as that of the heady years of unprecedented growth. Column: Lessons from the NTPC fiasco
There can be no forgetting the Margaret Thatcher principle of leaving something on the table for the small investor. The political ploy over Bt Brinjal
If a public debate ended in a near-ban on Bt brinjal, the next review could well end up the other way. Will Obama's banking proposals ever become law?
The internal battle within the Obama administration seemed to have been won by Paul Volcker, the impressive and outspoken former Federal Reserve chairman who has long been a critic of financial innovation. How to make mobile banking viable in India
The possibility of this is inextricably linked with the Unique ID project. 'Indians must have access to basic utilities'
A draft of the infrastructure portion of the Budget speech for Pranab Mukherjee's consideration. Why are govt policies blind to human needs?
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was the first law in India to mandate child-care facilities for women at work sites. Bt brinjal and the politics of knowledge
A moratorium 'for now' on Bt brinjal is a healthy breathing space. It could still turn toxic if any one technology is pushed at the cost of a multi-dimensional approach to securing our food future, says Rajni Bakshi. Right time for fiscal consolidation
The government response was key in overcoming the recent financial crisis, but the time is now ripe for credible fiscal consolidation. How to sustain new white collar jobs
It took India's IT-BPO sector just over a decade to grow more than 12 times, from $4 billion in 1998 to a shade under $50 billion in 2009. Admittedly, the target set by the software service providers' body Nasscom was off by a year. The uniqueness of Professor Raj
A personal tribute to a guru, a great economist and a nation-builder Jairam Ramesh is right
The research on Bt brinjal isn't unequivocal and hasn't been publicly-funded either - given the concerns, it's not worth the risk, says Sunita Narain. Car makers want stimulus to go on. Here's why
Car makers fear that when car prices go up and loans become expensive, running a car will also cost more. Thus a stimulus-pullback will act as the straw that broke the camel's back, says Bhupesh Bhandari. Why the coming Budget is very significant
The time has come to seize the opportunity and convince investors that UPA means business, says Akash Prakash. Budget might not articulate government's vision
Demand indicators have turned hot and despite the bad monsoon, India's GDP growth is likely to top 7 per cent, says Jahangir Aziz. Towards an open Budget system
In February 1997, Mr Chidambaram fixed the income-tax rates for individuals at 30 per cent, 20 per cent and 10 per cent, depending on specific income slabs. The rates have not changed since then, although some finance ministers have imposed surcharges on these rates and some have withdrawn them. 10 things India's common man needs from the Budget
The challenge before India is to make the process of development inclusive so that the gap between the rich and the poor decreases, says Sandeep Pandey. India's food crisis was foretold, but. . .
The food crisis was obvious in July but the government had unrealistic hopes of a good rabi, says Shreekant Sambrani. Remember, the money doesn't belong to you
CSR should be re-labelled ISR, Individual Social Responsibility, and each of us, as individuals ought to feel the need to give back, says Gurcharan Das. Column: Regulatory failure in the financial sector
It is unwise to stifle innovation while improving regulation Pay-cut days over, but don't get carried away
India Inc is hiring once again, but caution is still the watchword, says Shyamal Majumdar. Noise, water pollution must be checked
Billions of rupees spent on river cleaning programmes have gone down the drain. This situation cannot be allowed to continue, says Business Standard. Petro price hike can help cut Budget deficit
The room for political manoeuvre to raise petroleum prices is the highest at this point in time, says Business Standard. A tribute to Subir Raha, leader extraordinaire
The former ONGC chairman's passion for everything that he set out to do was such that he would settle for nothing short of being the best, says Sudhir Bisht. Column: Last call for Mr Mukherjee
The challenge of fiscal empowerment... Budget: The best vs the good
While the time frame may therefore be pushed back by a year, the debate on various aspects of the new tax regime has begun in earnest. Prominent among these is the question of whether there should be two sets of rates (one for the Centre, one for the states) or a single rate, the revenues from which would be shared between the Centre and the states. Money alone can't buy inclusive growth
The signal is that it is willing, but it is a bit open if it will be able to. The death threat to Gori Ganga!
If you are confused about the severity of human-induced climate change, it might help to focus on the death threat to Gori Ganga, says Rajni Bakshi. February 2010 | March 2010 | April 2010