Are there limits to a fudge?
RN Bhaskar
Both pictures are courtesy Canva -- https://www.canva.com – The term 2+2=5 is reminiscent of George Orwell’s 1984 where the protagonist wonders if the constant propagation of this foolish formula could lead people to...
What US magic will be on display after 20 January 2025?
RN Bhaskar
Picture from https://www.canva.com/
The countdown has begun. The world watches with bated breath. All eyes are on the US. What will it do after January 20, when Trump assumes...
Picture source https://www.canva.com
Only jobs and good education can end the desperate times for the poor in India
RN Bhaskar
Before we get to the article on desperate times, there are two items on the agenda.
First, Festive greetings. My greetings can be...
When money become skittish
RN Bhaskar
Last week, a Bloomberg newsletter disclosed a very interesting fact. That as many as 107 companies overseas, accounting for a total value of $16.5 billion had been acquired by Indian entrepreneurs. This represented the largest...
Property Taxes don’t reflect any maturing of the Indian economy
RN Bhaskar
On 2 February 2024, the Municipal Commissioner of the BMC (BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation or the erstwhile name Bombay Municipal Corporation) made a formal statement about the Corporation’s annual budget. ...
Much of India is poorer than the sub-Saharan region
By RN Bhaskar
After all the talk about Viksit Bharat, last fortnight’s developments have highlighted the hollowness of such claims. What is ironic is that instead of focussing on the key economic...
The ghosts of demonetisation
By RN Bhaskar
On November 25, the Finance Ministry of India made a surprisingly candid statement before the Lok Sabha (https://www.business-standard.com/finance/news/fake-currency-notes-of-rs-500-rs-2-000-surge-threefold-in-3-years-finmin-124112700867_1.html). It admitted that the number of fake Rs.500 notes was on the rise. Effectively, it was...
The FM should look at the causes – Interest rates are the symptom
RN Bhaskar
In recent days the Finance Minister, N. Sitharaman has made public statements about the need for banks to lower lending rates (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/interest-rates-need-to-be-far-more-affordable-fm-nirmala-sitharaman/articleshow/115431945.cms). She said that the...
The world order changes swiftly; the West has become less relevant
RN Bhaskar
Last month had three momentous developments. First was the BRICS meet in Kazan, Russia (free subscription -- https://bhaskarr.substack.com/p/brics-gold-and-gdp)..
Irrelevant West; relevant BRICS
Today BRICS is an intergovernmental organization. It comprises...
The dangers of pushing ideology
RN Bhaskar
Last week, at a Business Standard conference, RBI governor, Shaktikanta Das made some observations that caused many observers to roll back their eyes. The governor said that the Indian economy and the financial sector...
