India’s international development assistance programmes need revisiting
Development cooperation has clearly become a significant aspect of Indian foreign policy discourse and strategic thinking. In the last two decades, lines of credits worth more than $25 billion have been provided to about 60 developing countries
Making a mountain out of a moratorium
Putting pressure on lenders to reduce the number of loans under moratorium defeats its very purpose
India needs to plug the loopholes in restrictions against Chinese firms
Despite the elaborate definition of ‘beneficial owner’, the July 23 memorandum inadvertently overlooks a possible workaround which may be used by Chinese companies to overcome the registration requirement
Chart of the Day | PMI survey shows manufacturing activity declined at a faster pace in July
Eliot Kerr, Economist at IHS Markit, said: "The survey results showed a re-acceleration of declines in the key indices of output and new orders, undermining the trend towards stabilisation seen over the past two months. Anecdotal evidence indicated that firms were struggling to obtain work, with some of their clients remaining in lockdown, suggesting that we won't see a pick-up in activity until infection rates are quelled and restrictions can be further removed.”
Big industry had the lion’s share of the increase in loans outstanding in June
But how much of the increase is on account firms not repaying their dues on account of the moratorium?
Monsoon Watch: Rainfall disappoints in July
All of July has seen rainfall trends head downward, mainly due to two clusters of Northwest and Central India. So far, sowing has held up
Chart of the Day | The central government boosted spending in the June quarter in spite of the pandemic
Lower revenues and higher expenditure led to a much higher deficit, supporting growth
Moneycontrol Pro Exclusive: S Naren on what equity investors should focus on and the asset allocation strategy
We are at the worst point possibly in the economic cycle but not the market cycle, says CIO of ICICI Prudential AMC
Interview | Central banks, more than fundamentals, driving market rally, says CIO of ICICI Prudential AMC
We are at the worst point possibly in the economic cycle but not the market cycle, says S Naren
Should investors worry about the FMCG sector’s low growth forecast?
Nielsen has forecast low growth or even a decline for the FMCG sector in 2020. But its data reveals some trends that could comfort investors
When radio sang a different tune
Home listenership of the radio has spiked over the past few months, and that’s good news for the 350-plus radio stations in India
There’s no banking on banks
As COVID-19 has forced us to remain indoors, one would expect banking services to be professional and efficiently digital. It is also expected that banks facilitate doorstep banking for senior citizens as advocated by the RBI. The reality far from this
Lessons young Congress leaders can learn from Narasimha Rao
In an era where Congressmen are falling like ninepins to the lure of power, Narasimha Rao nipped in the bud efforts to draw him into leading a rebellion against his party, even when he was being ill-treated in the party
Why the proposed environmental rules might incentivise illegal activity
The draft EIA notification is likely to incentivise the practice of setting up industries without any regard for environmental concerns — knowing that any violation is highly likely to be condoned in due course
The trouble with consumption
India has for long had just one engine of growth and even that is faltering
WFH puts office property market at a crossroads
Is there a change in sentiment that might reverse the WFH model and draw employees back to their office in India? Will companies adopt WFH as a new normal to save costs? The jury is still out, says a report from Kotak Institutional Equities Research
Ban on Chinese apps — A boon or a bane?
National security and data privacy are of paramount importance, but excessive surveillance can spoil the local tech ecosystem
A shift to more capital-intensive agriculture
While the shift to a more professional farming is desirable, jobs need to be found for marginal farmers and others displaced by it
How US funds reach the terror groups it fights
It’s going to take dedicated effort and sustained investigation by various US government agencies to understand, isolate and prosecute Islamists who claim to represent all American Muslims and dominate the discourse
The NEP promises a much-needed overhauling of higher education in India
The NEP has a welcome focus on system overhaul in higher education, but much will depend on the actual rules and sub-rules and implementation, apart from the ability of the government to increase funding to the sector
COVID-19 | How the pandemic is affecting India’s 140 million-strong senior citizens
The government should identify and take special care of elderly households in an effort to protect them by providing immediate health attention and other basic necessities, including special cash transfers
Chart of the Day | What bankers think about the economic recovery
Majority felt that banking sector prospects will diminish considerably, shows RBI systemic risk survey
Chart of the Day: Why China’s peers may not mind its steely embrace
The world is going in one direction as far as steel is concerned, down. Somebody forgot to give China that memo
GAIL should stop complaining and use the present crisis to its advantage
The glut in the LNG market is hurting both buyers and sellers and as in the case of crude oil, gas is finding its way into storage tanks
