An Ode to Black Money

Ever since I started focusing on economic issues, that is some 30 odd years back, black money has been in the news.While I was a student of economics, I was taught that bad money drives good money out of circulation. That is what Gresham law says. That may be true in the case of black money also; it must be driving the good money, the so called white money, out of its relevance. At this rate, this debate: How to tackle the menace of black...

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Today in Kerala is the day of Boozers

If yesterday was the day of the booze haters today belongs to the opposite camp. A bench of Kerala High Court stayed the order of the single judge regarding closure of bars in three and two star hotels. The stay is for one month till the double bench court decides on the issue. it has given the bar owners a short reprieve and some degree of confidence to fight out the case.  The stay  of the order of th single bench which ...

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MGNREGA Connect

If  you ask me what is the lasting connect between governors and governed in India, I  would say it is the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, popularly known by its acronym MGNREGA. Of course, I owe an explanation. Because, it is the only scheme that gives the employment cover for those who are willing to work. Though it guarantees work up to 100 man days in a year, in effect the total employment per year...

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An Economy of Watering Holes

The Kerala High Court decision upholding the decision of the Kerala Government for closure of the bars in two and three star’s hotels in the state by today evening was on the expected lines. The lobby working for the closure of the bars was powerful and had built sentimental inroads into every person who abhors drinking, cutting across party lines. Its vociferous supporters were women and some activists. Now the Kerala Bar Owners’ Association...

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FDI in Construction: More Rhetoric and less Action

The decision taken by the Indian Government to relax the rules in the construction sector, presumably to bring in more FDI into the cash-starved sector, is at best a ploy to tinker with policy framework, which may not yield the desired result. By reducing the threshold of minimum amount of FDI, minimum floor area and other cosmetic changes will not suffice the purpose. The reasons are not far too seek. Our construction sector including the...

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