The Romans’ version of stoicism is rapidly picking popularity on Instagram — Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca are some names that get thrown at you when you fire up your screen.
Germany’s erstwhile Christian Democratic Union govt, led by Angela Merkel, prevented sale of small arms to police forces in states they perceived had ‘bad human rights record’.
A theme has not yet emerged for BJP & people see lack of a contest, which makes it unexciting. For all these reasons, 2024 is turning out to be an unexpectedly theme-less election.
I would be thrilled if the fiscal deficit could be contained to 5%. For the last five odd years, the much vaunted fiscal responsibility and restraint is largely a figment of the imagination. Huge windfall receipts from lower oil prices, off balance sheet borrowings by institutions such as Minister Gadkari’s NHAI and FCI, hoovering out of accumulated reserves – even advance premium payments – of LIC, ONGC, lately the RBI, we really do not know how large the fiscal hole is, beyond understanding that the state governments are equally stretched. So one would not agonise over 50 basis points above 3.3%. 2. It is now becoming clear that the economic slowdown, attributable almost entirely to how the economy has been managed, is adding to fiscal stress. It is also exacerbating the NPA mess, because few corporates could have foreseen in September 2013 where we would end up.
I would be thrilled if the fiscal deficit could be contained to 5%. For the last five odd years, the much vaunted fiscal responsibility and restraint is largely a figment of the imagination. Huge windfall receipts from lower oil prices, off balance sheet borrowings by institutions such as Minister Gadkari’s NHAI and FCI, hoovering out of accumulated reserves – even advance premium payments – of LIC, ONGC, lately the RBI, we really do not know how large the fiscal hole is, beyond understanding that the state governments are equally stretched. So one would not agonise over 50 basis points above 3.3%. 2. It is now becoming clear that the economic slowdown, attributable almost entirely to how the economy has been managed, is adding to fiscal stress. It is also exacerbating the NPA mess, because few corporates could have foreseen in September 2013 where we would end up.