BUSINESS
Some red flags in the economy numbers: Agriculture is the most alarming
When agriculture’s GVA growth climbed from -0.2% in 2014-15, to 0.7% in 2015-16, everyone expected agriculture to continue doing well. This was confirmed by this growth rate further rising to 4.9% in 2016-17. But what happened now?
BUSINESS
Will lithium become the new bottleneck?
But solar and wind power – even hydro power – cannot be stored. They must be consumed, or the energy is lost. For centuries, the energy potential of sun and wind was untapped because man did not have the means first to harness it, and then to store it.
BUSINESS
Gujarat elections: How the Hindutva beef ban may have actually hurt the BJP
The Bharatiya Janata Party has won an underwhelming victory in Gujarat. And, ironically, one reason the result is a damp squib in this laboratory of Hindutva could be the measures the BJP government at the Centre took to protect the animal that Hindus revere, the holy cow.
BUSINESS
Explainer: What is MDR and why are merchants not happy with it?
On December 6, RBI lowered MDR to 0.4 percent for businesses with turnover of less than Rs 20 lakh. For businesses over Rs 20 lakh, MDR is capped at 0.9 percent.
BUSINESS
A solution to India’s parking & hawker problem that kills graft, rewards investors, unclutters roads
Instead of letting hawkers occupy existing open spaces, the government should allow for more parking-cum-hawking multiplexes. Developers will be happy. So will motorists and pedestrians.
BUSINESS
Traffic violations: misplaced sentiments, loopholed policies, and sticky fingers
Traffic police in Mumbai recently towed away an illegally parked car with a woman inside feeding her baby. Could the cops have reacted differently? And who is to blame? Big questions and answers are few and far between
BUSINESS
Why ‘protection’ from markets leads to rip-offs: An example from tribal India
When politicians come forward to reserve entitlements for the common folk, they are the ones who are usually benefitting from their own offers.
