Sutanu Guru

Old Pension Scheme: Pampering a small minority at the cost of the vast majority

Any policy measure needs to be measured on two counts: Is it fiscally sustainable? Two, is it morally sound? On both counts, the OPS comes a cropper.

23 Feb 2023

How pre-election budgets of UPA & NDA differ fundamentally 

What can we expect from Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2023? 

24 Jan 2023

Four 'pre-election' budget speeches of 21st century & how India changed through them

Jaswant Singh delivered the “pre-election” Budget speech in 2003; P Chidambaram twice in 2008 and 2013 and Arun Jaitley in 2018.

22 Jan 2023

Why Agnipath is a landmark fiscal reform

When Dr Manmohan Singh presented his first Budget in 1991, cynics laughed at his talk about responsible financial behaviour. They are laughing at Nirmala Sitharaman too. But the last laugh...

29 Dec 2022

Why aspirational India is still reluctant to spend

One big manifestation of this is the continuing sluggishness in two-wheeler sales even as passenger car/SUV sales break all records.

15 Dec 2022

Data suggests AAP is a national player now

There was a marginal dip in the BJP vote share. Most voters who opted for AAP in 2013 were traditional Congress supporters.

09 Dec 2022

Taxing agri income is food for thought

At best, about 50 lakh prosperous farmers in the country who drive SUVs and live in air-conditioned luxury will pay income tax. That sounds fair by any yardstick of equity.

26 Nov 2022

Who will pay if the old pension scheme makes a comeback?

If the Indian state was as rich as welfare-focused Scandinavian countries, such largesse could be explained away. But it is not.

18 Nov 2022