Beyond Accidents: The Call for Institutional Reform in Infrastructure
Infrastructure development is not just about building it. It requires governance standards and political financing benchmarks to evolve.
Category Economy and Infrastructure
The Crisis of Safety: Vacancies and Negligence in Indian Railway
Railways has an estimated 2.74 lakh vacancies, of which 1.7 lakh are related to ensuring safety. Running an organisation with such a huge number of vacancies, especially in roles that underpin safety, is gross managerial failure.
Revolutionize Cultural Norms and Beliefs to Encourage R&D Investment in Companies
WhatsApp showcases tales of ancient glory, while global reports highlight India's rankings in hunger, press freedom, and sustainable development. India ranks 40th on the GII 2023, above all BRICS nations except China.
WhatsApp is a good place to feel great about ourselves as a nation, with prolific tales of ancient glory. A more prosaic view of where we stand as a nation is available from assorted global reports, for example, on hunger (111th out of 125 countries), press freedom (159th out of 180 countries), and UN's sustainable development ranking (112th among 166 countries). In comparison, India's rank of 40 on the World Intellectual Property Organisation's Global Innovation Index (GII) 2023 isn't so dismal. India ranks above all BRICS nations, except China.
cultural
Who Are India’s Labharthis– the Visible and the Veiled
Is there something wrong with 'labharthi' schemes? Why has this issue become important of late?
Coalition Politics and Economic Progress
Stock market jitters over economic prospects under coalition rule are misplaced.
The stock market’s volatility index has doubled, from the level seen on April 23rd, as traders worry about a BJP majority.
Is feel good real in India
The ruling party is in election mode with daily pronouncements about how well the Indian economy is doing and benefitting not just the well-off but also the poor in the country. It has claimed a big reduction in poverty in India. It is stated that the Indian economy growing at about 7% is the fastest growing large economy in the world. Further, inflation is said to be tamed and employment generation robust, in spite of global head winds due to the Ukraine war and the pandemic.
It is claimed that India has weathered these global storms better than most rich countries, so, it has become `Vishwaguru’. The Presidency of G20 has been cited as evidence of India becoming a dominant player on the world stage. It is claimed that India’s stock in the world has gone up since it is getting respect from other countries and its stand on various world affairs like, wars in Ukraine and Gaza, is being appreciated. Another sign of good performance is stated to be the desire of major world corporations to invest in India.
BJP and Congress Align Closely on Economic Policies, Highlighting Consensus in Indian Politics
The dichotomy between their economic stances is dubious; the difference is in politics and in shaping the social coherence essential for the economy to function.
Social media is awash with spurious claims of the intrinsic merits and contrast between the economic programmes of the Congress and the BJP.
The BJP is pro-growth, the Congress stands for welfare and redistribution. The BJP is pro-market, the Congress is socialist. The BJP makes India more attractive to foreign investors while the Congress will drive investors away.