The Rich Are Getting Richer, but the Poor Are Not Getting Poorer: T.V. Somanathan
Increasing consumption among the middle class and the poor in India is a valid policy challenge, the answer to which lies in creating more jobs, says T.V. Somanathan, finance secretary and secretary of expenditure in the Union Ministry of Finance. In an exclusive interview, he also discusses why the current income tax rates are reasonable and why he finds the 3% fiscal deficit target questionable among other issues. Edited excerpts:
Neeraj Thakur - February 29, 2024
Time for Sunrise in the East, Says Amit Mitra
The eastern region has been dealt a raw deal for a long time, says former West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra. The oversaturation of economic activities in the western and southern regions will push investors towards the cheaper, resource-rich east, he believes. Edited excerpts:
Parth Singh - February 02, 2024
What Led to Urjit Patel’s Resignation? An Insider Explains
There have been resignations in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), but governor Urjit Patel’s in 2018 over policy differences was a rare event in the history of the central bank, writes former finance secretary Subhash Chandra Garg in his book. He details the frustration of the government with the RBI under Patel and the circumstances that eventually culminated into the latter posting his resignation on the RBI website
October 31, 2023
Get Rid Of The E, S & G Of The ESG: Aswath Damodaran
Aswath Damodaran is a fierce critic of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) concept. The corporate finance and valuation guru at the Stern School of Business at New York University believes that he “can stir the pot” on this issue. In an email interview with Rajiv Tikoo, Damodaran questions the basis of the ESG concept and its “hindsight revisionism” in the context of the Adani episode and the Ukraine war
Rajiv Tikoo - March 28, 2023
ESG Stands For Future-Proofing Business: Dipankar Ghosh
Concepts of sustainable finance or responsible investment are here to stay, and, increasingly, businesses need to demonstrate their ESG quotient to attract money. Capital markets, globally, are networked like never before, and alternatives will be difficult if red flags are raised about a business by any investor
Dipankar Ghosh - March 28, 2023
Govt Wants To Remove All Tax Exemptions: P. Chidambaram
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget for 2023–24 may have promised further momentum to the economy through a push on infrastructure, but, according to the opposition, it has failed to address the needs of the poor and the middle class. Congress leader and former finance minister P. Chidambaram tells Pragatti Oberoi how the government’s claims on allocations for infra projects could be exaggerated and the budget could push the middle class away from saving money. Edited excerpts:
Pragatti Oberoi - February 27, 2023
On Growth Trail Of A Microfinancing Entity
Microfinance has been globally recognised as a key enabler for financial inclusion. Anushree Jindal, founder of Svamaan Financial Services, talks about five factors that determine the success of a microfinance company
January 02, 2023
Green Attracts Green In India’s ESG Era
Proponents of sustainable financing are in search of enabling policies, regulations and disclosures to realise its potential in India
Rajiv Tikoo - August 28, 2022
One Nation, Many Burdens
The GST system of indirect taxation completes five years in 2022, and it already seems to have caused cracks in the idea of fiscal federalism. States feel shortchanged at losing revenue year after year. Was it worth surrendering their taxation powers to a GST Council that tends to agree with the Centre?
Kamalika Ghosh - January 28, 2022
A Real Image Of The Real Economy
In his latest book, The $10 Trillion Dream, author Subhash Chandra Garg, former Finance and Economic Affairs Secretary, Government of India, does a comprehensive analysis of policymaking over the years while talking about how it can define narratives
January 28, 2022