Nirmala Sitharaman

Budget 2022: Blind to today’s challenges, Modi government promises Amrit Kaal in distant future

Budget 2022: Blind to today’s challenges, Modi government promises Amrit Kaal in distant future

February 4, 2022

Despite the din of gushing praises showered by the numerous pro-government media as well as practically every single industrialist and business lobby that jumped as if on a cue as soon as Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the union budget for 2022-23, a few soun...

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Budget 2022: Travel and tourism ignored once again, says TAAI

Budget 2022: Travel and tourism ignored once again, says TAAI

February 1, 2022

Travel Agents Association of India, (TAAI), India’s premier and largest travel and tourism association, expressed deep dissatisfaction with the Union Budget 2022 presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament on Tuesday. “Our trade has suffered tremendousl...

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Cryptocurrency still under crosshair in India

Cryptocurrency still under crosshair in India

December 19, 2021

Unlike gold, silver or physical banknotes, a cryptocurrency is a digital form of money in form of a few lines of code. Until now, no Central Bank has issued any cryptocurrency in the world, which are created by using blockchain technology and a cryptography network. The cryptogra...

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GDP growth data hides deep potholes on road to recovery

GDP growth data hides deep potholes on road to recovery

December 1, 2021

The growth in Indian economy in the second quarter of the current year was more or less as per expectation of analysts. With 8.4 pc growth in the quarter ending September 30, added to the 20.1 pc growth registered in first quarter of the fiscal year, Indian Gross Domestic Product...

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Indian economy: Pandemic recovery long way off

Indian economy: Pandemic recovery long way off

September 8, 2021

On August 31, the Union finance ministry tweeted a self-congratulatory message saying its prediction of a V-shaped, or very rapid, recovery in the Indian economy had come true as the Gross Domestic Product in the first quarter, ending on June 30, 2021, spiked by 20.1 pc over the ...

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Farm talks at WTO continue to undermine Indian farmers

Farm talks at WTO continue to undermine Indian farmers

March 9, 2021

On March 10, the agricultural negotiations committee of the World Trade Organisation will undertake yet another round of discussion on numerous contentious issues that have been lined up for discussions by the Geneva-based trade regulator. These talks are significant for several ...

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Privatisation is not the magic pill

Privatisation is not the magic pill

February 11, 2021

In her budget speech on February 1, union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman outlined the government’s ambitious plans for privatisation, both in the current year as well as a government policy. She said that the government will privatise all public sector enterprises, other t...

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Budget 2021: Devil in details

Budget 2021: Devil in details

February 3, 2021

For weeks, it had been touted as the most crucial budget that an Indian finance minister has had to place before the Parliament in several decades, if not since the independence of the country. After all, this was the first budget that the government has presented since the full-...

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Budget 2021: Focus on demand boost, inequalities & jobs

Budget 2021: Focus on demand boost, inequalities & jobs

January 31, 2021

Rare are the occasions when an Indian finance minister would pay heed to a report by a charity about what she needs to do in order to set the country’s malaise right. But on February 1, when union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman steps up to present the union budget for 2021...

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By sitting out of RCEP, India does not lose economically

By sitting out of RCEP, India does not lose economically

November 20, 2020

As Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement becomes operational, there is pressure on India to join the world’s largest trade grouping. But India needs to stay away from trade deals in general as its gains may not amount to much.

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India’s GDP meltdown: Unprecedented but not unforeseen

India’s GDP meltdown: Unprecedented but not unforeseen

August 31, 2020

The only shock about India’s first quarter GDP numbers is the extent to which the economy has tanked. However, it may not be enough to shake Nirmala Sitharaman out of her stupor. Finally, the cat’s out of the bag. It’s official and on record. The catastrophic drop of 23.9 p...

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Healthcare in India needs urgent injection of funds

Healthcare in India needs urgent injection of funds

February 20, 2020

With the world’s largest poor population, India’s low public health spending has serious implications. Besides low funding, poor infrastructure and shortage of doctors, the shortcoming for India’s public healthcare system are too many.

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