In conversation with The Wire‘s M.K. Venu, renowned economist Jayati Ghosh analyses the interim budget, with special attention to how older promises like that of income to farmers and “achchhe din” or better days have now been ignored in favour of a “Vikshit Bharat” or developed India – without adequate attention to the collection of real data which could reflect the ground realities of India today.
Ghosh speaks of unemployment and the effects of demonetisation and COVID-19-driven poverty and how these are big challenges the country faces.>
With Venu, Ghosh unravels the tradition of “rejection of entitlements” – where what is owed to the people is being presented as largesse by the prime minister – as part of the “broader rejection of rights”.