XIth Plan: Going beyond platitudes

Sunday 13 August '06

I doubt many would argue that India should not invest in infrastructure and social services, but some kind of credible plan for implementation, and for a time-bound return to fiscal discipline is esse...

Don''t fault nature, Surat''s misery man-made

Friday 11 August '06

If 30 lakh people in Surat have been without food, drinking water and electricity for four days now, they can blame it on the administration.

XIth Plan, or XIth version of same Plan?

Sunday 6 August '06

The disability which faces Five Year Plans is that given the present electoral cycle, it commences at the mid-point of the government in office. Given anti-incumbency factors, a mid-term appraisal whi...

Moving from holding to acting mode

Sunday 30 July '06

On the India China story, while none doubted that the current economic momentum in China will continue in the foreseeable future notwithstanding problems, there were concerns on India''s ability to ad...

Soccer: We need to set the ball rolling

Sunday 23 July '06

The penalty imposed on Zinedine Zidane for his in-famous head-butt and on Marco Materazzi for his provocative remarks by FIFA...

The young pledge to innovate

Sunday 18 June '06

The interesting session on energy dramatically highlighted how 87 per cent of fuel in the gasoline tank is wasted and only 7 per cent actually goes to power the engine.

The future: productivity and sustainability

Sunday 11 June '06

India must improve total factor productivity, or its incremental capital-output ratio, to realise the somewhat daunting growth targets contemplated for the Eleventh Five Year Plan.

Stanford re-examines federal complexities

Sunday 4 June '06

There are already multiple examples where state governments which are part of the ruling configuration at the Centre or are well-disposed towards the ruling configuration have derived significant adva...

When report cards are ready reckoners

Sunday 28 May '06

P Chidambaram can draw comfort from withstanding pressures of fiscal profligacy or reversing tax reform and securing universal acceptance of VAT.

Energy prices vs global warming

Sunday 21 May '06

Global warming is primarily a result of excessive fossil fuel use, which is induced by low energy prices. If people pay market-related price for energy...

Australia seeks greater Asian engagement

Sunday 14 May '06

Growth using the same technologies as in the past may not be sustainable; the pattern of resource consumption required not only to employ these workers...

The Asian way of development

Sunday 7 May '06

Notwithstanding our claims about economic liberalisation, procedural simplification and de-bureaucratisation, India ranks poorly in the index presented in the Asian Development Outlook 2006 on 'Doing ...

Reforming the IMFtoo late and too little

Sunday 30 April '06

In popular perception, the IMF has been preaching reforms to all developing countries and urging them to take timely decisions...

The new 'Consensus Mantra''

Sunday 23 April '06

While advising the industry to take voluntary affirmative action and leaving space for greater consultations on quota reservations in educational institutions, PM is seeking a new consensus.

Public-Private Partnership no panacea

Sunday 16 April '06

Public-Private Partnership is a favoured fashion. Its newly discovered virtues, both at the Centre and the states, endow it with almost magical qualities to resolve the multiple ills which plague our ...

Getting projects on track

Sunday 9 April '06

If the underlining approach is resource conservation, discouragement of disbursements and fear of objections from supervisory agencies, delayed implementation is inevitable

Engaging the statesthe Stanford way

Sunday 2 April '06

Six years ago the Stanford Center for International Development, with the support of the Indian diaspora in the Silicon Valley...

We must fear the lack of fear

Sunday 26 March '06

Few will disagree that Harvard remains a prime centre of academic excellence.

Centre-state relations: A wake-up call

Sunday 19 March '06

Looking at the somewhat opaque manner in which various ministries allocate funds to states, it is difficult in one place to collate all the funds which any state has received in a fiscal year and rela...

When truth is worthy of reiteration

Sunday 12 March '06

A surfeit of high-profile visits has kept policy makers somewhat distracted. It is now customary for visiting dignitaries to be accompanied by a contingent of high-profile CEOs exploring enhanced inve...