BUSINESS
Want national income to gallop? Treat women as equals and encourage them to work
Women’s workforce participation rate has gone down by almost half in 15 years, from 32 per cent in 2005 to 19 per cent in 2021
BUSINESS
Banning Chinese mobile phones is not the way to encourage domestic industry
History has shown that Indian businesses have prospered when competition has been encouraged. Then, why is the government contemplating a ban on cheap Chinese-made mobile phones?
BUSINESS
Data protection bill’s demise will be mourned by none
In drafting the new bill, the government has an existing model to look at and pick up what it wishes to. This is the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation
BUSINESS
If the government and courts are on the same page, what is holding back judicial reform?
All are agreed that a specialised agency is needed to manage the judiciary’s administrative functions. The union finance ministry said in 2019 that an “Indian Courts and Tribunal Service” is needed
BUSINESS
Why the BSNL bailout is throwing good money after bad
In order for a rescue package to work, it has to be accompanied by bold decisions which will seek to promote efficiency, enabling the organization to compete with private players
BUSINESS
Attrition costs hit IT companies, but the worst may be over
One reason why the worst appears to over in staff attrition is that tech startups have not only slowed down their recruitment in the face of dwindling funding but also started to lay off staff
BUSINESS
Dream run of startups gets a jolt of reality
The global withdrawal of liquidity is affecting the funding of startups and market conditions have become less supportive
BUSINESS
SBI report says agriculture making gains, but why is rural wage growth so poor?
Farmers’ income rose by as much as 1.3-1.7 times during 2017-18 to 2021-22. Those cultivating cash crops did even better with their income doubling during the period
BUSINESS
Huge policy response need of the hour as India gets older
The demographic dividend that India was hoping to reap will disappear even before it arrives
BUSINESS
No road map for privatising PSBs
Opposition from employee unions and quality of management could play spoilsport in finding buyers for PSBs
BUSINESS
Inclusive growth the country’s new mantra
Ramping up of the jobs programme in both town and countryside and meeting the cash needs of small businesses must get policy priority
BUSINESS
A revolution is coming at India’s e-commerce marketplace
The ONDC framework will open up the e-commerce channel to all sellers and intermediaries, democratising access to the market
BUSINESS
National programme to improve ‘ease of doing business’ is producing results
The approach is cohesive, seeks to break up silos and improve collaboration with the states in order to boost investor confidence, foster a business friendly climate and improve the ease of doing business
BUSINESS
A safety net for gig workers is an imperative
A social security framework for gig and platform workers will go a long way in plugging the employment gap in a durable manner
INDIA
India must prepare to combat risk of climate-induced hunger
The delayed onset of the Southwest monsoon adds to the list of unpredictable weather and geopolitical events affecting the poor
TRENDS
Looming US recession need not break the back of Indian IT
The domestic IT market is waiting to be addressed and if a recession in the developed world pushes the IT firms to look homeward, then that will both make them robust and take development forward
BUSINESS
India relents, WTO ministerial delivers
The agreement to ban subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing or fishing of an overfished stock has the potential to reverse collapsing fishing stocks
BUSINESS
Forces veterans doubt efficacy of new recruitment scheme
The foremost need is to have a more technically trained but smaller force able to handle the new sophisticated equipment being acquired. So the aim really should be to reduce headcount and raise training hours. The new scheme falls down on both counts
BUSINESS
Use poor show in environmental performance to take right policies forward
Instead of getting unduly aggressive about our low rank, a better approach would be to consider the reasons for our poor performance and change policies accordingly
BUSINESS
Ethanol makes sense right now, but the future belongs to solar, wind power
Since sugar is a water-guzzler, the policy focus should be to encourage the use of bio wastes like rice straw, corn cobs, stalks, stems and bagasse to produce ethanol
BUSINESS
Pakistan in economic crisis as reserves plunge
The fundamental problem facing its economy is that it stands on a weak political foundation
BUSINESS
Dream freight corridors need a wake-up call
What began as a Rs 21,000 crore project is now set to cost Rs 1.2 lakh crore, that is nearly six times more
TRENDS
The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the learning abilities of children
The results of the latest National Achievement Survey will help in systematically understanding the consequences of prolonged closure of schools in terms of children’s “socio-emotional and cognitive development”
ECONOMY
Export push goes awry on knee-jerk government policy
The way in which the new restrictions have been imposed mark a journey towards more discretionary regulation
