A snapshot of India's economic performance under Modi

Infographic: Modi's Economic Report Card

Business Standard

There is considerable discussion among the press and the public about the performance of the central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In my opinion, one outstanding achievement is the fact that he has restored prestige to his post. In the previous regime, the image of the prime minister's post was shattered to the extent of the incumbent being at the receiving end of jokes associated with a particular linguistic community in the country. International journals and dailies made uncomplimentary references to him. He had no authority over his ministers since they were all appointed by the leaders of the parties constituting the coalition government.On the eve of the previous prime minister leaving for Brazil to sign an important agreement, one minister raised questions, asking how India and Brazil could engage in economic cooperation since they were competitors in international trade. In the normal course, the prime minister should have dismissed him for hi

Letters: The prestigious PM post

'Islamic State' not as distant from India as is being imagined

West Asia to South

Support for indices as middle class gains confidence

Markets turn realistic

Auto-rickshaw drivers have been among the most loyal supporters of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal - both during his first and current stint. So, when Kejriwal held an open Cabinet meeting at Connaught Place's Central Park to mark 100 days in power, hordes of auto-rickshaw drivers arrived at the venue and parked their vehicles along the boundary of the park. While they could not make it inside the venue - since it was restricted to the first thousand-odd people - they patiently stood outside and watched Kejriwal and his Cabinet speak on the achievements of the government on seven giant LED screens installed outside. Most refused to ferry passengers, apologising and admitting that they wanted to listen to Kejriwal. Of course, the chief minister hadn't forgotten them and had already promised an annual fare revision for auto-rickshaws.

Outside support

One had assumed that the merger with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) would give the staff of the Forward Markets Commission (FMC) space in the swanky Sebi headquarters at north Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex. Alas, that was not to be; Sebi has sought from the government resources to buy or rent office space of 30,000 sq ft in the Air India building at Nariman Point to house the FMC staff. So, even if the regulators are merged, there would not be any mingling of the staff of the commodities and the securities regulators.

Living apart together

A Delhi-based media executive was nominated to the board of a Mumbai-based company. When it was time for him to attend the first board meeting, he landed up in casual attire, down to chappals. Though this raised eyebrows, it was too late to go shopping for shoes. However, the new entrant was more than adequately briefed to turn up for future meetings dressed "properly" and maintain the "decorum" of the board.

Missing shoes

This refers to the editorial "Begin with retail" (May 26). The retail sector is one of the largest providers of livelihood to the people. This includes millions of small grocery and daily goods shops across the county. Online retailing has not only affected the margins of big retail chains, it has also made inroads into the online sale of grocery, medicine and so on. Online retailers - supported by foreign funds - are capable of providing huge discounts to customers, thus moving the customer away from traditional retail. There is a virtual price war on online sites for capturing the maximum share, which seems to be unsustainable in the long-run.It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that this price war does not cross the unsustainable level. At the same time, some mechanism needs to be devised to maintain a level playing field between online and offline retailers.Badal Jain  JalgaonLetters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bah

Letters: The right buy

T N Ninan's column "For a softer Mr Modi" (Weekend Ruminations, May 23) is an interesting observation on how the prime minister looks smiling abroad and grim here in his public appearances. One reason may be that - aware of his image of an aggressive and ruthless politician (due to the 2002 Gujarat riots) - he wants to project a friendly and benign face to the foreign people but appear stern in India, in tune with his reputation of a tough and no-nonsense leader.Besides, the foreign media gets more opportunities to click and flash Modi in many public functions, while in India, he is visible publicly on just a few occasions and that too with long intervals of time. This is because much of his time here is devoted to work and interaction with his team behind the scene.Also, a sense of humour is necessary for a natural cheerful disposition. Modi lacks it, but Atal Bihari Vajpayee was bestowed with it in abundance. His replies to the Opposition in public meetings and in Parliament were acc

Letters: The PM's different faces

This refers to the editorial "Instant change" (May 25). In recent years, social media giant Facebook has brought about drastic changes not only in its content but also in its presentation. This means that the social platform is providing more and more content and providing users with a preferred place to consume that content. In this digital era, social media - predominantly Facebook - has become like a "gatekeeper" of information. Publishers might be concerned about ceding too much control to Facebook, but the concept of users consuming more and more news through Facebook seems like another inevitability.Content diversification has opened up new revenue models for Facebook. The instant articles benefit publishers but will take a toll on the marketers. Audiences are more fragmented than ever, so diversifying presence across multiple platforms represents a publisher's best chance at achieving the reach and coverage they need to survive. It is up to the media companies to keep producing

Letters: Social media to the fore

No Modi speech is complete without a dash of acronyms thrown in. Before the elections, ABCD stood for "Adarsh, Bofors, Coal scam and Damaad". After the elections, Modi used it to describe the "Avoid, Bypass, Confuse and Delay" culture of the government, which he wanted to reform. Then there were: 'MoM' for Mars Orbiter Mission; '4Ps' for People, Private, Public Partnership; 'SMART' policing for Strict but Sensitive, Modern and Mobile, Alert and Accountable, Reliable and Responsive, Tech-savvy and trained; 'FDI' for First Develop India, three 'Ds' unique to India: Democracy, Demography and Demand and three 'Ds' that can improve India: Direction, Dedication and Determination. Then again, B2B for Bharat to Bhutan, and INCH (India and China) towards MILES (Millennium of Exceptional Synergy

MODI TRIVIA

BSE 500 and the benchmark Nifty gain 17% and 14%, respectively, in the past year

A year under Modi: Markets score 6/10

From confusion over Smriti Zubin Irani's qualification to V K Singh's tweets, Giriraj Singh's controversial remarks, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti's hate speech and the rape controversy surrounding Nihal Chand, some ministers in the Narendra Modi government remained in the news for the wrong reasons during their first year in office

Ministers in news for wrong reasons

Apropos the editorial "No walk in the park" (May 21). The 20 per cent post-harvest losses in fruits and vegetables, and similar losses routinely incurred in procurement, processing, storage and distribution in other food categories (notably cereal) are usually ignored by economists if the segment is showing growth in terms of money value (revenues)

Letters: A walk in the food park

As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government completes a year in office, the leitmotif of the BJP leaders' statements on its achievements is that it has come out with a corruption-free image

Letters: BJP: Nothing different?

This refers to the editorial "Ending child labour" (May 20). The recent amendments brought by the Union Cabinet in the law prohibiting child labour - allowing children to "work in family enterprises" - have garnered controversy

Letters: A double-edged sword

Second rung of ministries will determine NDA's fate

Below Raisina Hill

One-size-fits-all policy needed for online and offline retail

Begin with retail

The RBI, as it approaches its review of monetary policy on June 2, will have noted that, as shown in Table 1, both wholesale and retail inflation have been steadily declining

StatsGuru: Factors RBI will consider while deciding monetary policy

The Narendra Modi government completes one year in office on May 26. What are their plans for the remaining four years of their term?

Press blitzkrieg to answer all queries?

Strengthening digital marketing content strategy is a priority for marketers across APAC

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