Best of BS Opinion: Arun Jaitley's legacy, impact of stimulus and more

An appraisal of Arun Jaitley's contributions, a review of finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman's stimulus measures, and a call for improving data collection. Pallav Nayak sums up the views.

Arun Jaitley’s death has, unquestionably, left a void in Indian politics and public life that would be difficult to fill. Jaitley was an orator, a strategist, an erudite lawyer, and an outstanding bridge builder among the current generation of leaders, says our first edit.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's announcements to revive growth indicate that the government has emerged from a state of denial and recognised that the economy faces serious problems. Importantly, the government is willing to address these problems without disturbing the fiscal balance, says our second edit.

Lack of trusted and timely data hurts policy making in India. There are three problems: elements of information are faulty, the data comes in with a lag, and year-on-year growth rates do not tell us what is going on right now. Ajay Shah offers three solutions to the problems. Read here

Food that's healthy, creates employment and gives us pleasure in eating must win over processed and factory-grown food. The growth of good food has to be nurtured so that becomes the flavour of our life, writes Sunita Narain. Read here

 

Quote of the Day

 

"I think it's going to be touch and go. But the important thing is to get ready to come out without a deal."

— British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on getting a Brexit deal from the EU.