If a budget is to resolve any problem, it needs to put the money where the mouth is. This budget fails in this regard.

Renowned economist Arun Kumar delves into the pressing economic challenges India faces ahead of the 2025-26 Union Budget.

Tributes to Singh as a person are well-deserved, but the focus needs to be on his contributions to the nation’s journey.

One can follow the letter of the Constitution without following it in the spirit. Over time, the ruling dispensation has made a pretense of being constitutionally correct while subverting it. 

The inadequate incomes of the poor lead to a shortage of demand even for the organised sector. The root is rising inequality.

A new cold war is building up and adding greater uncertainty and accelerating deglobalisation.

Majoritarianism is an admission of weakness which needs an ‘other’ to assert itself and feel superior to gain confidence.

Ratan Tata no doubt had a vision for the growth of the Tata group. But when it comes to assessing his systemic or national vision, much was lacking.

Perhaps JNU played a small part in making Sitaram what he was – an affable democrat who was widely admired.

Institutions of higher learning need to be led by intellectuals of high standing rather than by those with a bureaucratised mindset who only curb autonomy.

The Hindenburg report pointed out that short selling in Adani stocks was due to cronyism and stock market manipulations. That is what is spoiling the investment climate, not the exposés by Hindenburg reports.

The reprioritisation that was so necessary, by allotting substantially higher funds to cater to the needs of the marginalised sections is not visible in the Budget for 2024-25.

The official data is partial and manipulated to mask adversity. That is why an alternative picture needs to be sketched which captures the reality of growing economic, political and social instability in the country and rising strife.

The former chief economic advisor's characterisation of criticism against Indian economy as being 'unpatriotic' is in line with the current environment in the country of wanting to show loyalty to the King.

A change in policies would be good for the nation and Modi, because the alternative would be a government buffeted by crisis and instability.

Is there something wrong with 'labharthi' schemes? Why has this issue become important of late?

Who gets how much is a result of the system, education, opportunities, and so on. Many of the rich people have become rich through cronyism, cutting corners, and bending rules.

The last decade points to the individualisation of decision making in India leading to huge problems. As can be expected, these go unmentioned in the manifesto – after all the manifesto is supposed to create a feel good factor in the nation. The end result of 'Modi’s guarantee’ could be contrary to the promises.

The official agencies should by now have started to investigate and prosecute. Money donated by loss-making companies could be cases of money laundering. However, can the official agencies be trusted to carry out independent investigations against the ruling dispensation?

The methodology of data collection for the latest Household Consumption Expenditure Survey has changed in this round. Therefore, the survey results raise a lot of questions since alternative data is at variance with it.