in

Risk, uncertainty and COVID-19: A stark choice

Risk has a known probability distribution. For uncertainty, the probability distribution is unknown. Covid-19 makes us confront uncertainty, not risk




in

Safety first: Punish attacks on doctors, but also focus on dispelling Coronavirus fears

Traditionally, our response to laws failing to arrest healthcare violence has been to simply increase the quantum and severity of punishment the next time.




in

Designing minimum income guarantee post-Covid-19 collapse

Transfer amounts should also be linked to CPI. While PM-KISAN covers only farmers and is much more expensive and exclusive, such a transfer would avoid narrow coverage, also avoiding inclusion/exclusion errors




in

Across The Aisle: Hoarding government, starving people

The worst fate that can befall a person is being locked down, alone or with his family, with no money and no food.




in

Inside Track: Amid COVID-19 crisis, steps seem afoot to ensure Rahul Gandhi returns as Congress president

The impression was reinforced when Rajnath Singh, and not Shah, was appointed last month to head the 15- member high-power ministerial committee coordinating with states on ensuring movement of essential supplies during the lockdown.




in

Magnanimity of the rich: Cricket needs to take a leaf out of tennis’s book to maintain equilibrium

When the game returns, the struggling cricket boards will be dependent on three superpowers—India, England, Australia—for bailouts




in

Dial-A-Doctor: eSanjeevani portal for telemedicine a welcome move by govt

As more governments integrate the service—Himachal Pradesh was latest to do so, on April 21—one can expect traffic to increase.




in

Arbitrary arbitration: Enforcing global awards is getting more complicated

“The export without permission would have violated the law, thus, enforcement of such award would be violative of the public policy of India”, the SC said.




in

Rebooting the economy: India needs a stimulus package of at least 5% of GDP

To bounce back from the pandemic quickly, India needs a stimulus package of at least 5% of GDP that focuses on broad-based development in laggard eastern states.




in

The 40-70 rule of decision-making

Leaders should take a decision when they have 40-70% of the information required for taking that decision.




in

Institutional challenges to migrants’ welfare

Not only has the registration of migrant workers by states been unsatisfactory, but state welfare boards’ capacities to offer assistance also varies, hampering daily wage labourers’ access to social and food security during the crisis




in

Franklin Templeton AMC is to blame for poor investment choices, not Coronavirus

Can’t blame Corona for crisis, investment choice was poor




in

Saving the rural economy: The govt will have to deepen its procurement operation

In the long term, the govt will have to deepen its procurement operations, expanding from the wheat-paddy complex.




in

Breathing easy on ventilator quality

A good ventilator must be a high-precision product, a combination of top-class engineering efforts, optimum manufacturing capability, and robust financial backing.




in

Lacking Leadership: Trump, Bolsonaro and others need to take their accountability seriously

The president has claimed that he was being sarcastic when he talked about injecting disinfectant and exposure to high-dose UV rays as ways to fight Covid-19.




in

Hunting for an anti-COVID-19 drug

WHO’s Solidarity and Oxford’s RECOVERY trials can give a clearer picture on some drugs that showed early promise.




in

A new White Revolution: How COVID-19 could benefit the dairy industry

Covid-19 could benefit the dairy industry as consumers could shift from meat-based to dairy-based protein. The govt may consider reducing GST on ghee and milk fat from 12% to 5% .




in

Online Education: Ending an apartheid

Just seven of India’s 993 Universities have online-education licenses; Meanwhile, as the Lockdown shows, Foreign varsities make hay of the Indian demand for online courses.




in

COVID-19 may double poverty in India

Even a 25% fall in their incomes due to the lockdown will make 354 mn more people poor. fixing this with cash transfers will cost the govt Rs 19,500 cr per month.




in

Schools are functioning despite extraordinary challenges, no ground to deny them fees

However, the High Court rejected this invocation of Rule 165, ruling that the it specified only the payability conditions of fees, and not the chargeability of it.




in

Fighting Corona: Look at local data, not a national curve

An RT-PCR test takes several hours for the result to be available. We cannot make a patient who comes with a non-Covid-19 problem wait till that result is available.




in

India’s lightbulb moment: Not using this crisis for meaningful energy sector reform would be a waste

The trend of low power demand, now furthered in the post-Covid economy, and increased RE generation, will continue to put a ceiling on the PLF of the thermal fleet.




in

COVID-19 crisis and the art of giving

A case could be made out for including chief ministers' relief funds in the list of entities eligible for corporate CSR funding




in

COVID-19 pandemic: Reviving the aluminium industry to challenge China

The industry is the most apt for creating livelihoods. Govt should consider supporting SMEs in the sector through tariffs to prevent their collapse due to the pandemic




in

Coronavirus crisis: India simply can’t afford another lockdown extension

Even supporting the poor—whose numbers will double—can cost Rs 65,000-130,000 crore per month




in

Why extending lockdown could be catastrophic

Extending the lockdown well beyond mid-May would shave 8-9% off the real GDP. but, the damage being done doesn’t seem to be filtering up to those in charge




in

Rishi Kapoor: A ‘lovely lover’ who was destined to be a star

Rishi Kapoor was old Bollywood, but he was also cracklingly fresh, spoke to an India trembling on the cusp of a new era




in

Fighting Covid: Need to expand Aarogya Setu to make it better

It must include those quarantined as well instead of just the infected; wider testing critical if the app has to work.




in

Covid crisis: Govt orders like no pay and job cut can severely dent business confidence

Government orders on waiver of rents impinge on contractual rights.




in

Covid fallout: 265 million people likely to face acute food insecurity

Corona will worsen world hunger, while malnutrition facilitates increased vulnerability to the pandemic.




in

Dressing Covid numbers: Bengal’s handling of the Covid outbreak raises many questions

Bengal’s handling of the Covid outbreak raises many questions.




in

Covid-19: Time to think of key tax reforms — Few suggestions

The Covid 19 crisis is an opportunity to redefine tax policy and law. A calibrated approach to balance welfare economics with a vision to pioneer economic activity and national growth is needed.




in

Covid crisis: India at the cliff edge of a rating downgrade

India’s Achilles heel on ratings is its parlous state of fiscal affairs and the risk of a sharp deterioration of government debt to potentially ~75-80% of GDP.




in

Coordinating Covid-Response: Global coordination needed to tackle Covid-19 crisis

The world must use this opportunity to fund global public goods and rebuild global systems to fight the right battles.




in

Walk in the park: Golf courses around the world are under pressure to open up as parks for the general public

Nearly 7,000 people have signed a change.org petition to open up courses in the UK as parks during the pandemic.




in

Need to renew industrial growth: Modi 1.0 launched Make in India, now is the chance for renewal

The need is for a temporary unemployment benefit scheme for up to 100 days a year similar to the MNREGS so that urban workers do not suffer during short periods of unemployment.




in

Across The Aisle: Imagination is everything in war against reality

On May 3, the governments would have got 40 days time to do those things; the question is, do governments need more time?




in

Governments need to incorporate battling strategies for diseases like COVID-19 in their national security plans

In India, which is the biggest democracy in the world with over 1.3 billion people, the question of public health has never been debated in public.




in

Without due process: Government orders on waiver of rents impinge on contractual rights

By Abhinav Mukerji Recently, there have been a spate of news reports on measures issued through executive orders directing waiver of rents, reduction or freezing of school fees, continuation of employment, restriction on termination of employees, and restriction on reduction in salary in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The government has also issued executive […]




in

Building a resilient India: COVID-19 crisis is an opportunity to redefine tax policy and law

The Covid 19 crisis is an opportunity to redefine tax policy and law. A calibrated approach to balance welfare economics with a vision to pioneer economic activity and national growth is needed.




in

Virtually Real: Gaming has been serious business for some time, but Fortnite’s experiment shows the success of metaverse

Gaming has been serious business for some time, but Fortnite’s experiment shows the success of metaverse.




in

Covid-19 testing rates do not match mortality rates

We should continue to implement all the needed public health measures instead of projecting testing rates as the sole path to salvation




in

China’s foray into digital currency could spark wider acceptance for crypto

While this makes China the first country formalising digital currency—Bitcoin alternatives have existed for long now—it also sounds the bugle for other central banks to join the race.




in

What India should do when oil prices have crashed

With crude price low, the govt should think of moving completely to DBT for food, fertiliser and power.




in

Private hospitals have a point in not admitting patients without testing for Covid-19

Lack of PPE & shortage of testing kits is a real issue.




in

Covid-19: Centre needs to refine the graded action plan if it is to work

Containment zones must be marked ‘red’, not the entire district; also, will activity be curtailed if areas turn ‘red’?




in

What India should do to bolster confidence of investors in post Covid world

India’s share of world manufacturing output is just 3%; it can easily be raised to 6% in 3-4 years, and 15% by 2030




in

COVID-19 lockdown: Stricter action required against violators of social distancing norms

Liquor-store crowds show the masses still don’t understand the importance of social distancing in fighting Covid-19




in

Challenges beyond Covid-19 crisis: UGC should seriously think about an SAT-style entrance test

Covid-19 presents an opportunity for UGC to push for US SAT-style common entrance exam




in

Gathering Coronavirus data from states: More central monitoring teams is a good idea

Even now, a state like West Bengal’s data looks dodgy; others like Gujarat and UP also pose challenges