Page 6 - T N Ninan

Agricultural reforms, farmers' agitation, and the power of narrative

A group of people holding an elected govt to ransom and a govt turning against its own citizens in the name of law and order are both instinctively troubling in a democracy, writes T N Ninan

Budget for the victims: Some silent crises for Ms Sitharaman to address

A consumption boost through continued pay-outs for another year to those at the bottom of the pyramid, and still more money for the employee guarantee scheme should be in order, writes T N Ninan

Manufacturing might or services - what will steer India's future economy?

We must acknowledge that India cannot replicate the export orientation of the East Asian manufacturing story, or even Bangladesh. The services story will have to compensate for this, writes T N Ninan

What unicorns' coming of age means for big business and retail investors

While foreign investors like Japan's Softbank, China's Alibaba, and the US' Sequoia are big players in the start-up space, India doesn't have a serious VC sector with risk appetite, writes T N Ninan

Annus Horribilis: It wasn't just Covid that made 2020 one of the worst years

The food crisis of the 1960s gave birth to the Green Revolution, and out of 1970s' stagnation was born the first, weak impulses for economic reform. T N Ninan wonders what good will come out of 2020

Big Tech's big worries: Why are govts everywhere out to de-fang FAANG?

So far, there seems to be limited debate about their activities in India, where virtually all FAANG companies have teamed up in different ways with India's most powerful businessman, writes T N Ninan

Aspiration and realism: How Kashmir and Palestine have a similar story

A great many in Kashmir dreamt of 'azaadi', whose definition changed from one phase to the next. Palestinians also did. But people of both places demonstrated a clear lack of realism, writes T N Ninan

Unrealistic to expect manufacturing to be 25% of India's GDP, even by 2030

The decision to stay out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership has the potential to become in the long term one of the Modi govt's major blunders. T N Ninan explains why

Savings, profits, stocks can't stay high for long amid low income and interest rates

Things that cannot go on forever will not go on forever. There will be a change in the direction of the wind. One must hope it will be slow and calibrated, writes T N Ninan

Two routes to atmanirbharta: Why both China and India are looking inwards

While both have seen a drop in external trade in relation to GDP, the reasons are quite different - in China it is in part a problem of success, in India it points more to failure, writes T N Ninan

Amid grim fiscal outlook, this 'act of god' could salvage Sitharaman's Budget

If the Finance Commission recommends a smaller tax share for states, the Centre will get more money. On what that would do to 'cooperative federalism', you don't need to guess, writes T N Ninan

Looking at the canary: Do SBI Cards' bad loans have a deeper meaning?

If Covid-19 causes a fresh havoc to government-bank finances, it could be back to the old story of large-scale losses prompting further capital infusion by the government, writes T N Ninan

Don't bet just yet on Bangladesh as South Asia's economic champion

Bangladesh might overtake India this year by per capita income in nominal dollars, but it is not yet close to becoming South Asia's economic powerhouse anytime soon. T N Ninan explains why

Necessary, not sufficient: Labour reforms a good start; will we see more jobs now?

If the law changes work, everyone can celebrate. If not, it will be for want of reforms in several other areas like land, transport, electricity, and tax laws, writes T N Ninan

Fixing farm income is not so simple; govt must take the hard path

The debate must go beyond the binaries spun out by politicians who either condemn the new farm Bills or consider them the agricultural equivalent of the 1991 de-licensing of industry, writes T N Ninan

Popular leaders and patchy economic legacies: Can Modi buck the trend?

The last three PMs who served full terms started out in their early 70s. Mr Modi is younger and fitter. Now he needs to find it in him to change course if he is to beat economic odds, writes T N Ninan

More hospitals, fewer schools: India's population trends require solutions

There will be more people in the north, but wealth will be in the south: good governance can manage such rifts, write T N Ninan

The market as weapon: What China has long exploited India has rarely used

Opening up India's market to neighbouring countries can be as strategic as access denial to others. The game should be played both ways, even if it upsets domestic business lobbies, writes T N Ninan

NEP's thrust on mother tongue, the fate of English, and a migrant question

It may never be the language spoken in most homes and remain much smaller than mother tongues, but English will continue to have its place as one of two official languages in India, writes T N Ninan

Best of BS Opinion: When the chickens come home, Covid-19 crisis, and more

Business Standard opinion pieces for the day, among other things, talk about why it's important for the government to re-examine its approach