Issues that matter!!

  Gasping for oxygen, scrambling to get a bed in the hospital, fighting for pyres in the cremation ground, fear overpowering the minds leading to hesitancy to step out of the house and facing the odds with the surging cases of COVID-19, this defines the lives of an ordinary citizen of India, for whom, this COVID wave has opened the floodgates of misery and helplessness. “Why the god has chosen my mother?” asked one, “Why don't even the doctors helping us?” asked the other. In between these questions, the moot point is, what could have been done differently for a continued retreat of the virus? In my previous article , I delve into the problem that India is facing in the present context and what has led to this problem. However, the need is felt to write this article for the sole purpose of what ought to be done to deal with the current situation. The article is based on the two conflicting ideas- first , an argument between lockdown v/s no lockdown, or to put it differently in t...

  With the resurgence of the second wave of COVID-19 in India hitting new heights in terms of the number of cases and fatality, the debate over life v/s livelihood has resurfaced to the fore. Given the benefit of the knowledge of hindsight of the first wave, the recent announcement by PM Narendra Modi to consider Lockdown as the measure of the last resort seems a sensible move given the economic cost it inflicts. However, the question remains, what has gone wrong this time? Why the biggest manufacturer of vaccines around the world reached this point and what needs to be done to curb this problem? To understand the rise of coronavirus, we first need to look at the data of the first wave. During the previous wave, cases started plateauing around the mid of September after which a decline was seen. Given the fact that as cases started declining in September and started increasing again in March, four reasons contributed to this disastrous situation. First , complacency and laxness s...

  The assumption that India will become a global-power has a long history, with its own set of supporters and critics. The endowment of having the second-highest population in the world, a strategically positioned geography, growing economic might and its democratic credentials, all have been helping India, since its Independence, to ascend as a legitimate actor in the International political realm. The LPG reforms in the first half of the 1990s helped India to assert itself as the fastest-growing democracy in the world, and its performance in the backdrop of the financial crisis of 2008-09, getting out unscathed, compelled the IMF to praise India’s resilience in the tumultuous times. While the world has not stopped to woo over India’s indicators and eulogize it as the major-power in the making, four trends have emerged which are a cause of concern and needs continuous pondering to help us discern that, Is India on the path to becoming a major power or do we need a recalibration of...

  The controversy created by the three new farm bills, enacted by the parliament of India without due deliberation and consultation, has culminated in a widespread protest by the farmers of Punjab and Haryana, who are now joined by the farmers from all over the country. Whilst these bills were hailed as a watershed moment for the agricultural sector by the government, farmers, state governments and traders alike, feel the other way round. So, what is so controversial about these bills?  The three bills,   Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 (FPTC, 2020),   Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020  (ECA,2020), and   Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 (FAPAFS, 2020), tries to bring some radical reforms in the existing structure of our agricultural sector which hitherto was considered as hand to mouth activity in India. Thus, these bills are trying to make...

It all started with the clarion call of PM Narendra Modi on May 12, with slogans like "Aatma-N irbhar Bharat" and "vocal for local" to make India a self-reliant country and increase India's share in the global supply chain. Then came decisions to ban Chinese apps and Chinese investments. Next in chronology came the defence production and export promotion policy (DPEPP, 2020) which aims to increase India's self-reliance in the defence industry. Analysing how things are transpiring in this time of Pandemic and increasing Chinese belligerence, India's call for self-reliance looks hefty not just in numbers but also in its intent. India's reliance on imports in defence as well as in other areas has been pointed out many a time as unsustainable for India's growth but negligent to these calls, India's growth has been feeding onto this very idea. The call of an Aatma-nirbhar Bharat with no clear-cut policy and long-term vision coupled with an arc...

On 13 July the result of CBSE Class-XII was announced, which brought relief to students in these trying times of the Pandemic where they have been facing a crisis in their studies from late results to late admissions and even cancellation of some exams. The very next day, while reading the newspaper I came across those happy faces who were dull spending their time at home after the start of this ensuing crisis. Out of 12 lakh of students who appeared for the examination, overall 88.78%  of Children cleared the exam. I wondered if the result this time seems to be good, so I started reading further about statistical information. To my utter surprise, I came across some shocking statistics. A total of 38,686 students have scored more than 95% and above marks in aggregate of all subjects, up by 118.6% from the previous year in 2019. As many as 1,57,934 students have scored more than 90% and above, 67.48% higher than the previous year's tally. Adding jewel in the crown, I came a...

It is now a well known fact that Corona Pandemic has devastated the Indian Economy, disrupting not only the informal sector but also the formal one. The GOI has launched a ₹20 lakh crore stimulus package including both fiscal and monetary measures called Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package to rescue the Indian Economy. The real direct cash benefits from the current package by the GOI as estimated by various experts is to be around ₹2.5 lakh crore, roughly equivalent to 1-1.5% of Indian GDP, not 10% as pointed out by the government. Now the questions arise, Is the tactics adopted by the GOI tenable for the current times and what is the best way forward to rescue the Economy reeling under due to Pandemic and prepare for such hard times in future. Economic Package- A Relief or an illusion?  The current situation is a mixture of supply-side and demand-side disruptions, so the Economic stimulus in this situation will be small, no matter how big it is given. It is a matter of the fact that th...

Playing and spending time with his friends, going to school everyday with enthusiasm, having randomised visits to relative's place, and going with family for outings, all these are things of the past for that small boy who loves to manifest dreams in his small world, living his life to the fullest away from all the tensions of this world and brewing new ideas everyday in his mind. Today, when an invisible virus(COVID-19) has wreaked havoc all around the world, we are wondering how will the post-COVID world look like, wondering how the global economy as a whole and national economy in particular will survive, but none of us pay heed to the effect, this Pandemic is having on those hundreds of thousands of Children (our future generation) across the globe. IMPACT ON CHILDREN With a sudden blow, people are locked-in their houses, plying on roads and all social activities have been banned, the smaller-ones who know nothing much about this unprecedented situation, are bearing the brunt ...