The way to make AT1 bonds attractive again is to clarify the insurance-linked role that sets them apart from pure debt, revert to valuation as per the time period of call options, and vastly improve banking supervision via enhanced management of banking data.
Indian agriculture is a gamble on the Monsoon. This cliché would have been sufficient ground for the Goods and Services Tax authorities to slap a tax of 28 per cent on the value of crop output if agriculture had not been kept out of the ambit of GST.
None of the arguments that the RBI has given to justify the demonetisation move are valid.
In a sudden though not unexpected move, currency notes of the denomination Rs 2,000 are being withdrawn from circulation. This is announced via a notification released by the Reserve Bank of India and not the government (as at the time of demonetisation). These notes are not being withdrawn from circulation, but actually, they will stop circulating right away given that they will have to be deposited in a bank or exchanged for lower denomination notes.
Ten years ago, when then-prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi promised India bullet trains, he probably did not bargain for the system's resistance to high speed. The journey from an average speed of 60 kmph to a bullet speed of over 300 kmph would take longer than expected. It required an entirely new state-of-the-art infrastructure and a new mindset. However, that did not dissuade the pragmatic Modi as PM Modi from bringing greater speed to the railways by introducing the Vande Bharat trains that run at 120 kmph.
Capitalism is facing multifaceted challenges due to the problem of policy-making based on incorrect data. Governments and international agencies like the World Bank that depend on faulty official data cannot correctly analyse and help resolve the problems facing the world and its poor.
Despite an increased share (30%) of livestock in the agricultural GDP, most of the big-ticket budget items in agriculture, such as food subsidy and fertiliser subsidy, cater to the crop sector.
ANIMAL husbandry, the practice of breeding and nurturing domesticated animals, has been an essential part of agriculture since ancient times. It played a crucial role in the development of human societies by providing milk, meat, wool and leather. Now its role in producing and exporting dairy-based products (cheese, butter, ice cream etc.), meat and meat products, eggs and leather is increasing.
