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Uttam Gupta
Free food scheme is inherently prone to misuse
As the Government continues to provide free foodgrain to over 800 million people, a closer look reveals troubling patterns of misuse, policy distortion, and an urgent need for reform. The question now is not whether food should reach the poor — but how best to do it without enriching the...
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Record RBI dividends: A boon for the Govt, but at what cost?
04 June 2025 | Uttam Gupta -
Crack the whip to rescue discoms and energise reform
28 May 2025 | Uttam Gupta -
Self-reliance in natural gas: Clearing hurdles in the way
21 May 2025 | Uttam Gupta -
Don’t undermine oil self-reliance to fund fertiliser subsidy
15 May 2025 | Uttam Gupta -
Trump’s ‘tariffs’ trigger global trade turmoil
30 April 2025 | Uttam Gupta -
Delhi budget: Big push for capital spending
01 April 2025 | Uttam Gupta -
The ailing discoms need structural changes
26 March 2025 | Uttam Gupta
Spiralling food subsidy: The urgent need for reform
India’s food subsidy bill continues to rise despite budget projections suggesting otherwise. Without structural reforms in procurement and distribution, the financial strain on the exchequer is set to escalate, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of India’s food security programmes In the Union Budget for 2025-26, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has...
Finding money for ‘freebies’: BJP faces an uphill task
The challenge now is not just about delivering on electoral promises but also about balancing an already precarious fiscal equation that could see deficits skyrocket Having swept the polls in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi with a clinching 2/3rd majority, Rekha Gupta-led BJP - government faces the daunting challenge...
RBI should go for an ‘accommodative’ stance
While inflation has been steadily declining, the RBI opted to retain its ‘neutral’ stance, signaling a measured approach rather than give push to boost liquidity and demand On February 7, 2025, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra announced the decisions taken by the six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)...
Balancing growth with fiscal discipline
Key measures, including tax reliefs and incentives for private sector, reflect a balanced approach to making India a developed economy by 2047 A theme that reverberates in the Union Budget for FY 2025-26 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2025, is ‘sustaining the momentum of high economic growth...
US sanctions: A bold move or another futile attempt
The US has imposed a fresh round of sanctions on Russia’s energy sector in a bid to cut its oil revenue. The crucial question remains: Will these measures be effective On January 10, 2024, the outgoing Biden administration of the United States of America (USA) made public its latest round of...
Freebies could push Delhi to fiscal disaster
Despite repeated warnings from the Supreme Court about the detrimental impact of freebies on free and fair elections, political parties continue to offer them In the din of blistering campaign in Delhi with the central theme of major political parties being on “freebies†- an acronym for ‘something given free of...
LPG subsidies: Give it to the poor and needy
As state-owned oil companies grapple with massive losses from selling LPG below cost, the Govt is set to allocate Rs 35,000 crore in subsidies to mitigate the financial burden During the current financial year (FY) 2024-25, the state-owned Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum...
