Best of BS Opinion: Govt's borrowing plan, coronavirus outbreak, and more

Here's a selection of Business Standard opinion pieces of the day

Economic activity has resumed selectively after a 40-day hiatus but it’s a long road ahead for the Indian economy still, as columnists point out today. Kanika Datta sums up the views

The government is trying to position India as an alternative manufacturing destination to China. Debashis Basu explains why its optimism may be significantly overstated. Read it here

Road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari announced Rs 15 trillion worth of highway projects to implement over the next two years. A K Bhattacharya does the math here to show why this is a tall ask Read here

The government will need to spend more to revive the pandemic-hit economy but, says Mihir Sharma, it should credibly commit through institutional reform to future transparency and prudence. Read it here

State governments are making radical changes in labour laws to breathe new life into the economy. Reforming labour laws was long overdue, but not at the cost of workers’ right, the second edit argues here

The expansion in government borrowing was inevitable, but the manner in which it was announced has left much to be desired, and might create confusion in financial markets. The need to present a credible macroeconomic picture is long overdue, says the lead edit here

Tamal Bandyopadhyay explains why lending to MSMEs makes good business sense. Read it here

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The government announced the fiscal support package of 0.8 per cent of GDP. Is that sufficient? No, it was not sufficient when it was announced on March 26. It looks even lesser now

Former RBI governor Duvvuri Subbarao