China is rapidly emerging as a technology superpower. This will have far-reaching implications for India
Yogesh Gupta | Former Indian ambassador
The Times of India
Gupta attempts to demonstrate the wide gap that exists between India and China in various technological domains. He notes that China will roll out 5G from 2020, and become just the second country after South Korea to do it. China has also made rapid progress in Artificial Intelligence areas like image and facial recognition. He further mentions that China is enhancing its military capabilities by researching autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, and also by developing various quantum systems.
He writes if this disparity continues, it will have serious consequences for India’s economy, defence and foreign policy. He asks the “political leadership, defence establishment, scientific and academic institutions, and industry” to come together and create a strategy to “develop select applications at an accelerated pace”.
What is to be done about growth
Kaushik Basu | The writer is C. Marks Professor at Cornell University and former chief economist and senior vice-president, World Bank.
The Indian Express
Basu argues that while he was initially sceptical of Arvind Subramanian’s claims of overestimation of India’s GDP, he is now “convinced about the significance of his research”. He also provides evidence, beyond what has been provided in Subramanian’s paper, to suggest that an economic slowdown looms large.
For instance, he discusses India’s low investment rates at present. He writes the investment rate has steadily fallen in recent times. Also, the automobile sector has stalled and the balance sheets of Indian companies have become worse.
To ward off any short-run risk and achieve long-run sustainable development, he recommends a “Keynesian demand boost” even if it leads to a “measured” increase in fiscal deficit for a year or two. He suggests directing that extra expenditure to the poor and the agricultural sector, and also asks the government to increase spending on infrastructure.
Protect the poor against medical negligence
Sinjini Mukherjee | The writer has a PhD in anthropology from South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, and her research focuses on science, technology and medicine
Hindustan Times
Mukherjee argues that in India, we should not just think of doctors, but also of patients. She makes a case against the proposed Protection of Medical Service Persons and Medical Service Institutions Act, 2017, which “recommends a 10 year imprisonment term and a penalty of Rs 5 lakhs for physically assaulting doctors and healthcare professional”.
Acknowledging that doctors indeed require a safe professional environment to work, she terms the above proposal harsh. She contends that when doctors commit medical negligence resulting in even death, the maximum jail term is just two years, with or without fine.
For the poor, she writes, the only option in cases of medical malpractice is to simply accept their fate, and this proposal will institutionalise it.
She recommends that we need to improve the quality of our primary healthcare centres. Also, instead of providing security at public hospitals, we need to address the problem of staff shortage.
What does it mean to oppose Brahmanism?
Rajeev Bhargava | The writer is a political theorist with the Centre for Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi
The Hindu
In this piece, Bhargava cites some reports, which indicate the extent of atrocities against Dalits. He argues that the reason behind these atrocities is Brahmanism. He, however, cautions that opposition to Brahmanism does not imply being “anti-Brahmin”. He writes that all Brahmins can’t be collectively held responsible for these atrocities.
He describes Brahmanism as “a sociopolitical ideology that encodes a memory of an ideal past and a vision of society in the future, one in which Brahmins occupy the highest place not only as exclusive guardians of a higher, spiritual realm but also as sole providers of wisdom”.
He further argues that Buddhists and Jains can also be Brahmanical, and so can be Muslims and Christians. Brahmanism is an ideology, “naturalises existing power, privilege and higher status”, he writes.
He concludes by saying that Brahmanism as an ideology is fundamentally opposed to the principles of Indian Constitution.
Is Sub-Sovereignty Safe?
Neeti Shikha | Head, Centre for Insolvency and Bankruptcy, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, and Karan Gulati, Consultant, Symbiosis Law School, Noida
Economic Times
They write on the decision of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board to issue a sovereign bond and how it may be unconstitutional. They question if such fund raising is sustainable and point out that there is no uniform framework to regulate such issuances by states or state-owned bodies. The writers argue that due to lack of such a framework, there could be a race to the bottom by other states that face a fiscal challenge, similar to the one Kerala faced in the aftermath of the floods that hit the state.
They conclude that besides the pros, there are cons as well, which need to be carefully evaluated.
The heroes and villains of 1969’s bank nationalisation
Shruti Rajagopalan | Assistant Professor of Economics, Purchase College, State University of New York
Mint
Rajagopalan writes on how Indira Gandhi managed to nationalise banks and the people who played a key role in it. She writes how Gandhi proposed greater state presence in economic life to set herself apart from the Congress Syndicate, which was moving away from socialism.
The writer describes how Gandhi, along with her secretary P.N. Haskar, RBI governor L.K. Jha, chief economic adviser I.G. Patel and President V.V. Giri worked to promulgate an ordinance to surprise banks.
She writes that after one of the shareholders of the bank challenged the ordinance, the government was forced to eventually provide higher compensation to banks under the redrafted act.
Telecom’s UPI moment?
T.V. Ramachandran | President, Broadband India Forum, and Chandra Ramamoorthy and Kartik Raja of Phimetrics Ltd
Financial Express
They write on the need for widespread broadband connectivity and point out how India performs poorly in terms of the number of hotspots both in terms of area coverage and population. They write on how Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s architecture — Wireless Access Network Interface (WANI) — is open and easy to set up and has the potential to democratise wifi access across the country.
The writers point out how mobile spectrum cannot cope up with exploding data volumes while providing good speed. The next wave of telecom revolution will be driven by millions of small entrepreneurs as adoption of WANI transforms connectivity like UPI did for digital payments, they conclude.