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Uttam Gupta

Saving fertiliser subsidy with DBT
The Government should stop routing subsidies through manufacturers and give these as direct benefit transfer Splurge in fertiliser subsidy in the last three years is giving jitters to policy makers, especially the Union finance ministry, which has to foot the bills. Fertiliser subsidy amounts to payments made to manufacturers or importers...
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GST compensation can’t be perpetual; States must be prudent
10 August 2022 | Uttam Gupta -
Financial discipline a must for states
01 August 2022 | Uttam Gupta -
Let free market discover the price!
26 July 2022 | Uttam Gupta -
Electricity Bill: Where is the spark?
22 July 2022 | Uttam Gupta -
Hydrocarbons may give India energy freedom
12 July 2022 | Uttam Gupta -
India faces sharp fiscal deficit slippage
04 July 2022 | Uttam Gupta -
Control mindset hurts privatisation process
29 June 2022 | Uttam Gupta

WTO MC-12: Deft handling by India
While it was advantage developed countries all the way, India was able to avoid more harm to its interests At the World Trade Organization (WTO), even as all decisions are taken by consensus and every member country has equal voice, when it comes to actual confabulations, there are glaring inequalities. The...

Govt faces a dilemma over e-commerce
Any tweak in policy will upset foreign investors, while the status quo will hurt small traders Ever since Indian retail was opened to foreign direct investment (FDI)—albeit through the so-called marketplace model in 2016—foreign giants like Amazon and Walmart-owned-Flipkart have been embroiled in protracted legal battles. In a public interest litigation (PIL)...

RBI hikes repo rate but more is needed
While there is no guarantee that the RR hike will tame inflation, we can’t rule out the risks to growth Normally, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) conducts a review once in every two months based on which the RBI makes policy announcements at the beginning...

Fuel tax cuts: Easier said than done
It would be fair to keep the fuel tax rates in a lower slab, say, 18 per cent, but the Centre and States would start wobbling at the very idea To rein in the inflationary pressure, on May 21, 2022, the Narendra Modi Government announced reduction in the central excise duty...

The policy flip-flop on wheat exports
Obtrusive controls on food supply and distribution are a major constraint on exports. They aren't also good for India's fiscal health In the backdrop of increase in international price of wheat (courtesy, Ukraine crisis) early this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had exhorted that India can help meet the global requirements...

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Among other things, free discoms from State control, allow them to set tariff for all consumers and permit private firms into the distribution business Faced with an acute power crisis caused amongst others by sudden spurt in power demand in this season, the Modi Government has fired all cylinders to tackle the...

Food politics hits subsidy reforms
The Government should look at ways for pruning subsidy. Indeed, there is an unprecedented scope for it The Union Government has extended the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for a further period of six months till September 30, 2022. Having already spent over Rs 260,000 crore during the first...