The Indian budget every year has always been an eagerly awaited event. For many decades, the best minds in economics, finance, tax, business and industry throng the media house to analyze the provisions shared by the Financial Minister.
Sometimes major events completely disconnected may be data points for the plans of the different powers around the world. The challenge is to discern what purpose they serve? More critically, what are we moving towards?
When the US Ambassador threatened India's "Strategic Autonomy" policy over India's friendship with Russia - much more than meets the eye was at stake. Let us unpack how the Ukraine war has fundamentally changed the US and the world. And why are we here anyway?
Gujarat election campaign is bringing in sharp repartee from both the sides and Narendra Modi has probably decided to not take it lying down. So he is giving it back to Congress nice and heavy.
As soon as Sonia finished her speech in south Gujarat campaign rally, Modi attacked Sonia’s allegations in his rally at Falla in Jamnagar.
“It doesn’t suit her when Soniaben criticizes the situation of Law and order in Gujarat. Recently two Muslim girls (Facebook case fame) told Mumbai newspaper that Congress-ruled Maharashtra was not safe and therefore they wanted to live in Gujarat. Soniaben should understand that the answer given by these girls is like a slap for her. Think seven times before lying, before defaming Gujarat,” Modi said.
It is fairly fashionable to keep criticizing Gujarat and Modi and in that attempt, the Central Government and the ruling parties have almost treated Gujarat as an enemy state!
“They wanted to achieve 4% growth rate in Agri sector, but couldn’t achieve more than 2.5% in 8 years.It is only Gujarat where farmers worked hard and government came out with the schemes to supply irrigation water, constructed check dams, water bodies and worked on Narmada project, due to which the Agri growth rate is more than 10%. They want to make the people fool in the name of farmers to gain votes, they should speak truth,” Modi said.
“You tell us about nation’s situation and we will tell you Gujarat’s situation. While India has rich rivers like Ganda, Yamuna, Krushna, Godavri, while India has fertile lad, we have only one Narmada river which carries water throughout the year, we have a large desert area, we used to face scarcity of water in seven out of ten years,” Modi said.
Modi also reacted to Sonia’s remark over poor situation of roads in Gujarat.
“Whenever someone from outside come to me, the first thing he praises is Gujarat’s roads. Part of what you pay for petrol goes to the Pradhan mantri gramin sadak yojna. But the government in centre doesn’t give Gujarat anything under this scheme. The PM says that Gujarat villages have already good roads, and therefore further fund is not needed. Now on one side the PM says the roads are good, and on the other side Sonia says the roads are not good. The fact is that wherever there’s national highway, the situation is poor. The centre behaves with Gujarat like an enemy state and doesn’t perform well whe it comes to national highway existing in this state.”
The Indian budget every year has always been an eagerly awaited event. For many decades, the best minds in economics, finance, tax, business and industry throng the media house to analyze the provisions shared by the Financial Minister.
When the US Ambassador threatened India's "Strategic Autonomy" policy over India's friendship with Russia - much more than meets the eye was at stake. Let us unpack how the Ukraine war has fundamentally changed the US and the world. And why are we here anyway?
This visit of India left me with many questions. Many observations and inputs from different people and sections. Food for thought that I have tried to contemplate on and make sense of. Sharing all that with you.
When you analyze the last 60 years of the economic miracles of Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia versus the continued impoverished Indian economy, you get very interesting lessons. Can Indians have the wherewithal in them to do in one generation so that the coming generations may rise?
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