Page 101 - Bs Opinion

Blaming welfare schemes for labour woes ignores real economic shifts

For India Inc, like big business everywhere, the standard response is to view welfarism as an impediment to business plans

NITI Aayog's fiscal health index needs clarity and better data use

Despite fact that Constitution assigns states predominant role in provision of social services and co-equal responsibility in economic services, their fiscal performance has not received much focus

Agriculture in Union Budget 2025-26: balancing continuity with change

Given that agriculture and rural development are state subjects, an inter-state council on the lines of GST Council is very important for better coordination between Centre & states

The blind state of media metrics: Publishers unfazed by lack of data

Maybe newspaper publishers are right - if the biggest platforms and advertisers don't give a damn about data, why should publishers?

Ambivalence on PSU policy: Budget 2025 eyes higher dividends, lower equity

In a departure from the past many years, its contribution to the PSUs' capital outlay by way of equity and loans will decline

Learning to grow: India needs greater investment in higher education

Overall public expenditure on education (Centre plus states) is also woefully short of the National Education Policy target of 6 per cent of GDP

Trump's trade order: India has an early opportunity to present its position

Economics and geopolitics are intertwined, at least in the context of China, and it is in the interests of both the US and India to continue cooperating

The illusion of decoupling from China: Costly trade barriers vs engagement

The G7 economies have continued to run massive trade deficits with China, a key issue in US presidential elections

A health financing perspective: Fiscal space for social sectors shrinking

In the 2025-26 Budget, the finance minister addressed public health seven times, emphasising accessible, high-quality, and affordable healthcare

AI and the human soul: What new books reveal about us and our purpose

Could AI ever function as a spirit ambulance, shuttling us through the uncanny valleys that keep us, as Shantideva knew, from accepting others?

Which road to Viksit Bharat? Charting India's path to development by 2047

Historically, most nations have managed to move only one income bracket higher over the past 80 years

DeepSeek versus ChatGPT: Is another tech revolution on the horizon?

But I can see one thing for sure: The tech community, which was getting ready to use the ChatGPT fever and raise unlimited capital for their businesses, is going to face tougher obstacles now

Donald Trump's belligerence will help China's image as reliable partner

Trump has threatened to increase the import duties on goods from Taiwan, Europe and India

Central banks have work to do on price stability and inflation targeting

The consumer price index (CPI) has extensive relevance in people's daily lives. Periodic review of CPI composition and weights assigned will keep it robust and relevant

Give retirees the choice of variable annuities to hedge against inflation

Truth be told, the government can also benefit from a successful variable PPP. If private-sector employees adopt it, government employees could follow

The phoenix of India's financial system: Microfinance's path to recovery

Karnataka is going the Andhra, Assam way to take the microfinance industry head-on. Will it rise from the current mess?

Want free trade? May I introduce you to the tariff-driven reality

Free trade is a myth-not because it doesn't work, but because it doesn't exist. This is why democratic governments should come together and create a new trade regime to enforce balance

Hacking AI for the big bang: Exposing risks of sensitive data leaks

Given its mutable ethics, manipulating AI into yielding information on sensitive subjects, such as how to make nuclear bombs, is not difficult

Closing off the 'donkey route': Addressing human trafficking from India

There are many ideas on how to deal with this among the self-styled leaders of the Trump coalition, and it is possible that the President will try them all one by one

Time for light-touch but useful rule for fair consumer-facing services

Rules for consumer-facing services, such as cab aggregators, need to be reviewed to ensure both drivers and passengers are treated fairly