Congress Gained Publicity But Achieved Little

May 22, 2020

One of the most heart-wrenching outcomes of the lockdown has been the plight of migrant labourers. In these uncertain times, with no money or food, lakhs of workers set out on foot to travel as much as 1,000 km to their villages. While this is a grim reminder of what...

Fewer companies will now go bankrupt thanks to measures announced by FM: CII DG

May 14, 2020

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled first in the series of economic measures as part of the Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus announced by the Prime Minister. India Inc has given a thumbs-up to the focus on MSMEs which are facing severe credit squeeze. CII DG Chandrajit Banerjee spoke to...

Time to supplement stimulus package with mega reforms

May 14, 2020

The government’s big-ticket announcement of a mega stimulus package to rescue the Covid-ravaged Indian economy needs to now be supplemented by mega reforms. Measures to ensure large-scale bankruptcies of MSMEs are averted are very welcome and will ensure some business continuity. This needs to now be followed by tough reforms,...

Government must use additional oil taxes for big stimulus package

May 7, 2020

The global crude oil price crash -- a corollary of the global economic meltdown due to coronavirus -- has massive ramifications for India. A precarious fiscal position, a slowing economy before Covid-19 hit the world limits India’s options to shore up revenues. The government had budgeted to bring down fiscal...

Why Rahul interviews fail to strike chord

May 7, 2020

Congress MP from Wayanad and former president of the party Rahul Gandhi has been in news lately. From donning the hat of a journalist and asking questions to eminent economists and Nobel laureates to congratulating Indian photo journalists for winning Pulitzer prize, he seems to be making headlines for all...

‘Next one year will be very tough for art landscape’

May 6, 2020

With shows cancelled, no new concerts in pipeline and expectation of free online shows to be the new normal, artists around the world have been seeking special assistance from the government to tide over the present uncertain times. Padma Vibhushan Sonal Mansingh spoke to The Daily Guardian on the letter...

Time to start manufacturing activity even in Red Zones: CII president

May 5, 2020

As India lifted certain restrictions in districts where coronavirus cases have reduced drastically, CII president and Kirloskar Systems MD Vikram Kirloskar said that government and district officials could begin some economic activity even in containment zones by following protocols. Q. At a time when cases are still rising and there...

ILO predicts half of world’s workforce may lose jobs in pandemic

May 1, 2020

Even as there is no clarity as to when the economy will start functioning full throttle, there are now warning signals that it needs to do so soon. The International Labour Organization (ILO) came out with its report raising red flag about the kind of widespread unemployment the global economy...

The Media must challenge any attempt to curb its freedom

April 30, 2020

Freedom of the media and freedom of speech are foundations of any democracy. And as the world’s largest democracy, it is India’s duty — both to its citizens and to the comity of nations — that these principles enshrined in our Constitution are adhered to. Both in letter and in...

Centre should amend law, allow mining in Goa: CM

April 29, 2020

Even as there is no clarity on how long the present lockdown in India could be extended to, its significant economic repercussions are now being felt by most states. The latest is Goa, which is now Covid free and has not had a single coronavirus case since April 3. It...