Modi-Hasina legacy: Golden Chapter?
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited India twice within twelve days in June 2024. First, she attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s oath-taking ceremony. Second, she paid a state visit at the invitation of Modi. These visits symbolized the high priority that India and Bangladesh accord to one another due to their mutual and organic dependence. Modi and Hasina share unbroken tenures as PMs since 2014. Their complementarities in governance have deepened...[By Philip Mudartha]
Indo-Bangladesh relationship
Following the overthrow of Hasina-led Awami League (AL) government, the Khaleda Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is very vocal about the Indo-Bangladesh relationship. Below is a summary of the party’s views. “India’s foreign policy mandarins in South Block have committed a massive blunder. They promoted and sustained a friendship between the two governments and not between the two peoples. It’s a policy blunder. The Indian government mistakenly...[By Philip Mudartha]
Monti Phest: A Rich Heritage of South Canara
The celebration of the Birth of Mary, known as the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary or fondly known as Monti Phest, holds significant cultural, religious, and social importance in South Canara, Karnataka. This region, with its rich tapestry of traditions and diverse communities, observes this feast with great reverence and enthusiasm. The celebration not only reflects the deep-rooted Christian faith of the local population but also serves as a unifying event that fosters community and family spirit and cultural identity...[Fr Anush D’Cunha SJ]
Bangladesh at the crossroads: fall of Hasina
Bangladesh is finally free from the autocratic rule of Sheikh Hasina after 15 long years of oppression. Many Bangladeshis have expressed that they have attained independence for the second time. No doubt, it is a critical juncture for the nation. After four days of chaos, evidenced by vandalism, arson, and attacks on minority communities, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Prof Mohammed Yunus has sworn-in...[By Philip Mudartha]
India is caught in middle-income trap
“Socialism is more than an ideology in our dear Bharat Mata. It is a means of extorting vast sums of money from those who spend years of blood, sweat and tears building world-class institutions. So shameless are our officials (elected and unelected) that they do not allow fine private hospitals and colleges to be built without taking their cut. It is not Indian industrialists who have failed India. It is those who are responsible for governing this country who have not done their jobs”...[By Philip Mudartha]
Analysis: 2024-25 Union Budget (Chapter 2)
Let us begin from where we ended previous chapter and list the positives. At the macro-level, the FM has shown the Government of India’s (GoI) commitment to the financial consolidation path. In the interim budget unveiled in February 2024, the fiscal budget for FY 2024-25 was projected at 5.1% of GDP. In this full budget, it has been revised downwards to 4.9%. That’s is of course a positive. No, do not clap your hands in applause of GoI. Not yet! Because a) The RBI gave it a record dividend of Rs 2.11 Lakh Crore (Previous year Rs 87,416 Crore) on 21st May 2024. b) The ECI enforced Model...[By Philip Mudartha]
A perspective on Union Budget FY 2024-25
On 23rd July 2024, the Union of India Budget day, Nirmala Sitharaman reminded us why she is on Forbes’ World’s Most Powerful Women list: She is ranked 32, and shares the list with Taylor Swift and Melinda Gates. During the 86 minutes of her Budget speech, investors, businessmen and taxpayers tuned in from around the country, to see what would happen to their bank balances...[By Philip Mudartha]
Billionaire Tax, Emergency, and By-polls
A group of former presidents and prime ministers of the G20 countries have expressed themselves in favour of "billionaire tax". In their open letter to the current leaders of G20 group, they wrote that this initiative is a rare political opportunity. The Indian National Congress (INC) asked what Modi’s position is on such a tax and what will India’s stand be when the matter is discussed at the G20 meet in Rio Janeiro later this month...[By Philip Mudartha]
The Crippled Dictator and other views
In the 18th Lok Sabha, the opposition is strongest in our political history, with the INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) securing a record 234 seats. The BJP has a strength of 240, 32 short of the majority mark of 272. TDP and JDU together hold 28 seats and along with BJP’s other allies, NDA has formed the government. It’s no longer the Modi 3.0 government...
[By Philip Mudartha]
Why Modi is PM and not the Leader of Opposition?
Modi was set to lose 2024 like Vajpayee in 2004. Here’s what changed: If just 1 (one) out of the 66 people watching the government propaganda had changed their mind, the Supreme Leader would have been the Leader of Opposition today”. Yogendra Yadav, Shreyas Sardesai, and Rahul Shastri write in their opinion piece for the Print on 14th June 2024 based on voter..[By Philip Mudartha]
Inflation: This unannouced tax hits the poor hard
In earlier exclusives, I have dealt with two crucial issues: 1) Unemployment, especially youth unemployment due to which our youthful demographics is wasted. And 2) increasing inequalities of incomes and weath. To recap, the following pie-chart summerises the unemployment situation in India according to the “Mood of the nation”..By Philip Mudartha
The State of Inequality in India
Inequalities in Incomes and wealth declined since independence due to the socialist policies adopted by successive Congress-led governments till mid-1980s. The land re-distribution laws enacted by the state governments, especially in the communist ruled states contributed most. In Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh staunch socialists like Devaraj Urs and PV Narasimha Rao enacted Land Reforms Acts. Thus, by redistribution of agricultural land to the landless tillers by state intervention of the state, farm outputs rose and they were lifted from extreme poverty...[By Philip Mudartha]
Wasting our youthful demographics
At the markets in Navi Mumbai where I shop for groceries, vegetables and fruits, young women and girl-children accost me and implore to buy garbage bags for a few tens of rupees. I wonder if they earn enough for two square meals a day. Then there are Swiggy, Zomato and other platforms whose delivery boys arrive at our door-steps with freshly cooked food from restaurants, daily essentials like fresh milk, eggs and bread etc. Have you wondered what they must be earning per day?...[By Philip Mudartha]
Women’s Day Special: Rev. Dr. Mariola BS-A Sister With Social Conscience
It has been a common perception that religious, either men or women who find vocation join the orders or congregations of their choice and live an isolated life of prayer, sacrifice and abnadonment of worldly responsibilities. This may be true in some of the cloistered religious comunities. However, with the chaninging times, the church has been quite aware of the need to serve the people not only spiritually but also respond to their social, economic, legal and emotional needs. Hence, a number of religious congregations encourage their community memebrs to take up higher education...[By Dr. Eugene DSouza]
Jai Sri Ram and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra
Given the political and highly contestable nature of the Ayodhya conflict, the 9th November 2019 unanimous verdict by a five-judge constitution bench expectedly continues to generate contrasting opinions. The bench had ruled that the entire 2.77 acres of disputed land in Ayodhya be handed over to a trust to be constituted for the construction of the Ram temple at the site, and five acres allotted at a ’prominent site’ in Ayodhya to build a mosque. Many legal luminaries opposed to the judgment had pointed out that it was “bad in law” but “politically pragmatic”...[By Philip Mudartha]
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