August 2014
Despite half-hearted reforms, there is a revolution waiting to happen.
So far, the story that I have related in this series of blogs is one of half-hearted reforms. Each of the adventures embarked upon so far - unbundling, privatization and the promotion of energy markets - has not eased the travails of the consumer. It is easy to say that the inability to bite the bullet on power tariffs, and in particular, the fear of charging farmers for the power they consume, has been the bane of the power sector. However, on a closer look, power subsidies to farmers are like any other policy of subsidizing them. It is possible to provide – though it might be difficult to sell the idea to them – a complete basket of subsidies in the form of cash transfers, and then withdraw service wise subsidies, such as in power, or irrigation, or fertilizer.
My days as a garbage collector
Eight blogs back, I tossed a coin to decide whether I should write a layperson’s introduction to the power sector or the garbage problem. A coin’s toss favoured the power sector. I hoped that the problem of garbage in my city, Bangalore, would go away, but it has gotten worse. So here goes; let me tell you my garbage story too. Read more »
A Day of Swaraj
I suppose each one of us has a favourite Independence Day recollection. Yet, funnily enough, my defining Independence-day moment did not happen on the fifteenth of August.
The Planning Commission and Its Future
Last week in his Independence Day speech, the Prime Minister announced the intention of the government to replace the Planning Commission. Furthermore, he has asked people to give their suggestions on the next steps in replacing the Commission with another suitable institution. Read more »
A Planning Commission or a Scheming Commission?
To say that there is no need for centralized planning because we have a liberalized economy, is about as wrong as one can get. A liberalized economy requires planning too, but of a different kind. Read more »
A Planning Commission or a Scheming Commission?
To say that there is no need for centralized planning because we have a liberalized economy, is about as wrong as one can get. A liberalized economy requires planning too, but of a different kind. Read more »
