I don’t believe that the US-India relationship has deteriorated beyond repair. There are ways of handling Trump, even if the Pakistanis have outplayed us this year.
1. Citizens wish to know what prevented UPA government from giving minimum income guarantee? Great economist turned politician P Chidambaram was Union Finance Minister for many years in UPA regime. 2. Poll promises are absolute lies, and this poll promise of minimum income guarantee is similar, made without realizing cost implications and without identifying sources of revenue to meet huge expenditure on payment of guaranteed income to millions of those who are below poverty line. 3. Instead of taking steps to increase farm productivity and farmers’ income, job opportunities in rural areas, and semi urban areas, politicians indulge in implementation of wasteful schemes like Income Guarantee Scheme and waiver of farmers’ loans. This is the bitter truth. 3. Citizens would never be fooled by Rahul Gandhi’s promises. They have to demand justice to all small & marginal farmers. 4. If idea is to give financial assistance to small & marginal farmers in distress, tax-paying citizens will gladly pay a special tax/surcharge on income tax if proceeds of this tax go to needy farmers’ bank accounts.
Both the BJP and the Congress are promising to put money in the hands of our poor countrymen to make sure that no one goes to sleep hungry. That’s a nice, humane thought. But no one is talking about the last-mile grocery seller and last-mile vegetable vendor. The moment some extra (and easy) money is available to our consumers, we can be 100% sure that these two unscrupulous groups of our citizenry will start jacking up the prices of all essential commodities. So, one sure fallout of the proposed Minimum Income Scheme will be food inflation which will harm the entire middle and lower middle classes of our society, people like me, who constitute perhaps the 95% of our population.
No one has the courage to “bell the cat”. BJP certainly never can even think of doing it, because the last-mile “bania” is a vast voter bank for it. Perhaps for the same reasons even the Congress cannot think of doing it. But THIS — nationalization of “farm to consumer” chain, to control prices both for producers and consumers — is the ONLY PANACEA for much that is wrong with our society. In one fell swoop it will give a fresh lease of life to farmers as well as the entire consumer base of more than 100 crore Indians.
The real test of the success of this scheme would be that a family is then able to buy the goods and services it needs for a modest standard of living. Its children study in private schools, it does not depend on the PDS, it accesses private healthcare, farmers pay a market tariff for power and fertilisers, etc etc. Woh toh kabhi ho nahin sakta. So one more subsidy, good for 2019. 2024 ke liye kuchh aur sochna padega.
A vision has been presented. Details are not known. Many many theories of doom have come up. Indias smartest of the smart are commenting on the idea. People are linking the support to MNREGA wages. The next question is individual or family. The next question is size of family. The issues involved in these calculation are not a subject of debate. Everyone is aware of (i) number of poor, (ii) family size of poor, (iii) those eligible for MNREGA monies and so on. The number in need of support never need be in doubt. Of course of late government data has been questioned. of course we all make a living of putting forward our views.
Everyone is aware of other schemes which may be subsumed in this vision. However no one has asked the proposer or visionary of this scheme what they believe to be the true story (sorry India Today and ET have) . Post that comments may be more reasonable and reasoned Amazing India
Most horrific responses by Rajesh Jain and Aman Thakker without either reading or understanding what the policies are meant to be.
Mr Rajesh Jain – your argument is fundamentally flawed. No one said 50k will be taken from one and given to the other to bring both to 1L. Read Mr Chidambaram’s information. in your example 5-k will be provided to one without reducing the 1.5L of the other. That 50k will come from various sources as Mr Chidambaram has mentioned. So, either your understanding is bad, or you are deliberately misleading thorough your comments.
Mr Aman Thakker – INC for one has not abandoned any reform agenda. They have made it clear several times, in case you did not bother to read the news, t hat farm loan waivers are only a stop gap measure and much more needs to be done. As for your contention that the priorities are welfare programmes, of course they are. That’s what a government exists for. To provide welfare for the not so fortunate. No one has said subsidies loan waivers and other ‘handouts’ as you call it will be the only measures. your usage of the word ‘handouts’ only shows your disdain and contempt for the poor. But then, you left our country for greener pastures and are now in Washington, DC. What else can be expected of you.
1. Citizens wish to know what prevented UPA government from giving minimum income guarantee? Great economist turned politician P Chidambaram was Union Finance Minister for many years in UPA regime. 2. Poll promises are absolute lies, and this poll promise of minimum income guarantee is similar, made without realizing cost implications and without identifying sources of revenue to meet huge expenditure on payment of guaranteed income to millions of those who are below poverty line. 3. Instead of taking steps to increase farm productivity and farmers’ income, job opportunities in rural areas, and semi urban areas, politicians indulge in implementation of wasteful schemes like Income Guarantee Scheme and waiver of farmers’ loans. This is the bitter truth. 3. Citizens would never be fooled by Rahul Gandhi’s promises. They have to demand justice to all small & marginal farmers. 4. If idea is to give financial assistance to small & marginal farmers in distress, tax-paying citizens will gladly pay a special tax/surcharge on income tax if proceeds of this tax go to needy farmers’ bank accounts.
Both the BJP and the Congress are promising to put money in the hands of our poor countrymen to make sure that no one goes to sleep hungry. That’s a nice, humane thought. But no one is talking about the last-mile grocery seller and last-mile vegetable vendor. The moment some extra (and easy) money is available to our consumers, we can be 100% sure that these two unscrupulous groups of our citizenry will start jacking up the prices of all essential commodities. So, one sure fallout of the proposed Minimum Income Scheme will be food inflation which will harm the entire middle and lower middle classes of our society, people like me, who constitute perhaps the 95% of our population.
No one has the courage to “bell the cat”. BJP certainly never can even think of doing it, because the last-mile “bania” is a vast voter bank for it. Perhaps for the same reasons even the Congress cannot think of doing it. But THIS — nationalization of “farm to consumer” chain, to control prices both for producers and consumers — is the ONLY PANACEA for much that is wrong with our society. In one fell swoop it will give a fresh lease of life to farmers as well as the entire consumer base of more than 100 crore Indians.
The real test of the success of this scheme would be that a family is then able to buy the goods and services it needs for a modest standard of living. Its children study in private schools, it does not depend on the PDS, it accesses private healthcare, farmers pay a market tariff for power and fertilisers, etc etc. Woh toh kabhi ho nahin sakta. So one more subsidy, good for 2019. 2024 ke liye kuchh aur sochna padega.
A vision has been presented. Details are not known. Many many theories of doom have come up. Indias smartest of the smart are commenting on the idea. People are linking the support to MNREGA wages. The next question is individual or family. The next question is size of family. The issues involved in these calculation are not a subject of debate. Everyone is aware of (i) number of poor, (ii) family size of poor, (iii) those eligible for MNREGA monies and so on. The number in need of support never need be in doubt. Of course of late government data has been questioned. of course we all make a living of putting forward our views.
Everyone is aware of other schemes which may be subsumed in this vision. However no one has asked the proposer or visionary of this scheme what they believe to be the true story (sorry India Today and ET have) . Post that comments may be more reasonable and reasoned Amazing India
Most horrific responses by Rajesh Jain and Aman Thakker without either reading or understanding what the policies are meant to be.
Mr Rajesh Jain – your argument is fundamentally flawed. No one said 50k will be taken from one and given to the other to bring both to 1L. Read Mr Chidambaram’s information. in your example 5-k will be provided to one without reducing the 1.5L of the other. That 50k will come from various sources as Mr Chidambaram has mentioned. So, either your understanding is bad, or you are deliberately misleading thorough your comments.
Mr Aman Thakker – INC for one has not abandoned any reform agenda. They have made it clear several times, in case you did not bother to read the news, t hat farm loan waivers are only a stop gap measure and much more needs to be done. As for your contention that the priorities are welfare programmes, of course they are. That’s what a government exists for. To provide welfare for the not so fortunate. No one has said subsidies loan waivers and other ‘handouts’ as you call it will be the only measures. your usage of the word ‘handouts’ only shows your disdain and contempt for the poor. But then, you left our country for greener pastures and are now in Washington, DC. What else can be expected of you.