Restarting the economy

The first tranche of the stimulus package focuses on liquidity

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation on Tuesday night made an eloquent case for what he called “self-reliance”, which raised some concern that in the midst of the crisis caused by the spread of Covid-19, India may be showing signs of turning towards an autarkic view of the economy. That concern was allayed by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman a day later. Self-reliance, she insisted, was not about isolating India globally, but building an integrated India. The economic package the finance minister has begun to announce will hopefully live up to that assurance. It is good that the government