https://www.freepressjournal.in/analysis/indias-deceptive-economic-performance
India's economic performance may be worse than is being claimed
RN Bhaskar
Last week government sources were proud to showcase India’s GDP growth during the current fiscal at 13.5 %. It was left to analysts to point out that this was...
https://www.freepressjournal.in/analysis/policy-watch-how-aadhaarpan-could-threaten-banking-and-financial-integrity
Article 139AA has created a big money laundering machine in India
RN Bhaskar
On 27 October 2020, there was a Twitter chat— “Curious case of PAN-Aadhaar linkage” -- that was organised by the prestigious Economic and Political Weekly (EPW). It raised...
R N Bhaskar
January 28, 2014
First, the good news. The government finally cleared a slew of projects worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore what had been gathering dust, possibly because it adopted a suitcase by suitcase approach towards clearances. There was also...
http://www.freepressjournal.in/analysis/expect-2018-to-be-more-unsettling-than-2017/1178960
An unsettling 2018
— By RN Bhaskar | Nov 30, 2017 07:52 am
Most marketmen are a bit confused about what the markets and the leading economies have in store for 2018. The first of such reports is already out. Credit Suisse...
https://www.freepressjournal.in/analysis/policy-watch-what-the-fm-did-not-announce
Policy watch
To ease economic distress, the country needs demand revival, not mere credit guarantees
RN Bhaskar
News is made when you do something great. But news is also made when you do something stupid, or something that looks like sensible action,...
http://www.freepressjournal.in/analysis/india-harms-its-demographic-dividend/1217369
India ignores its demographic dividend
— By RN Bhaskar | Feb 08, 2018 07:53 am
One would have thought that any government that was keen on improving the lot of its people would have focussed on two critical areas – education and...
Economy indicators defy GST growth
By RN Bhaskar
Image generated through https://deepai.org/machine-learning-model/text2img
On 1 June 2025, the government announced that its GST collections had climbed 10% year-on-year (https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2022459).
Illusion of strength and health
It said that the GDP growth was “driven by a strong...
In the Bing generated image above, the onlooker observes how pygmies try to weigh down a larger and more powerful person. That can be a terrible tragedy when the big and powerful are sought to be pulled down by...
http://www.freepressjournal.in/analysis/rn-bhaskar-the-sludge-and-the-fudge-in-education-sector/994226
Education – automatic promotions fudge data and corrode standards
Last week, the legal department of the government of India finally agreed to modify the Right to Education (RTE) Act (http://mhrd.gov.in/rte). The RTE was successfully steered through Parliament in 2009. Sadly,...
18 May 2026
Trump’s fantasies about blockading Iran
By RN Bhaskar and Sakeena Bari Sayyed
Images: Copilot
Trump has begun the attempt to blockade Iran. No oil is ostensibly being allowed to go out. At the same time, little food is reportedly being...
