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Sunday, April 6, 2025
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Standard Deviation

Why Red Sea crisis could cost India—Modi govt sets energy goals but doesn’t follow through

Just because India's increased oil imports proved beneficial after Russia-Ukraine war doesn't mean Modi govt should continue with it. Israel-Hamas conflict could hurt us now.

RBI must regulate risky loan apps, cooperative banks. They are plaguing the banking sector

The act of banking involves a social responsibility that the banks must honour on their own, without the RBI forcing them to.

RBI must see crypto as assets, not currencies. No one’s using it to buy grocery

India is seeing the second-highest levels of crypto transaction volumes after the US. A missing regulatory environment would leave Indians to the sharks.

Something worrying is happening in economy. Modi govt must shift focus to commerce ministry

Europe's share in Indian exports has gone up while Asia’s share is declining. The problem for India is: Europe’s economy is expected to struggle while Asia is set to drive global growth.

Make-in-India iPhone story shows govt isn’t really reducing imports or helping produce cheap

Can India subsidise its industry to the same level as China? No. We just don’t have the resources.

Indians spending beyond their means. Don’t just fix it with freebies, bring policy changes

Most Indians are spending more on essential items than last year while earning either less or the same amount. No wonder they turn to 'buy now, pay later' schemes.

Stable economy, unstable deals—How Modi govt’s well-intended sudden bans hurt India globally

Modi govt needs to own its globally disruptive policies taken in India's interest. The suddenness of export bans hurt India's friends and go against its vishwa guru ambitions.

Modi can’t prove India is 5th largest economy. Data will fail him

The Economic Census is nine years old, the employment survey is 12 years old, as is the Index of Industrial Production.

Modi govt wants to hurt China with laptop import curb, but it will end up hurting India

Unless India lines up a ‘Plan B’ before Modi govt can nix the model it has come to depend on, the unimpactful attempts to hurt China economically will continue.

Indian freebies are working. But it’s not reducing poverty, only making people spend less

Subsidies are here to stay. Worryingly, subsidy expenditure will likely increase as Indian politicians try to meet a wider set of aspirations through more diverse freebies.

On Camera

‘I’m not a BJP person, nor do I subscribe to its ideology,’ Manoj Kumar said in 2021

Manoj Kumar let me interview him four years ago even though he wasn't well enough to meet people. At the time, his 'so-called buddies' in the film industry had stopped visiting him.

Why Trump’s tariffs are unlikely to severely impact the Indian economy

The jitters in Indian markets are likely ‘short-term’. Experts say this could serve as a key growth opportunity & that India must accelerate FTA talks with major countries, including US.

Meet Sardar Swaran Singh, 82-yr-old tailor who stitched uniforms for Sam Manekshaw, SRK in Fauji

Sardar Swaran Singh stitched uniforms for Army chiefs, supplied to UN missions, and catered to Shah Rukh Khan during Fauji. He has been stitching uniforms since he was 15.

Manoj ‘Bharat’ Kumar sang so Sunny Deol could yell—journey of Bollywood patriotism

This isn’t an obituary of Manoj Kumar. It's about the influence he had in defining patriotism for two generations of Indians across our most perilous decade, say from 1962 until the run-up to the Emergency.