The emphasis on better utilisation of existing capacity in the Indian railways has obviously come to stay, though the railway budget of 2006-07 also outlines investment possibilities that are to be...
Budget
What kind of Goods and Services Tax is under contemplation? Will it only replace CENVAT and the service taxes levied by the centre, leaving, the state VATs untouched? Or will it also displace the...
The finance minister has tried to balance economic reforms and social justice in tune with the Common Minimum Programme. However, given the degree of agrarian distress and problem of low wages and...
The reform packages that the different governments have come up with might have varied in terms of the language used, but have been identical in content. Not much public debate has ever taken place...
The fringe benefits tax and the tax on cash withdrawals has attracted controversy, but it is the abolition of the category of 'Standard Deduction' in income tax law which is a faux pas. The finance...
The announcement of the National Rural Health Mission and the commitment in the recent budget to increase allocations for health are necessary steps in the right direction to correct India's...
An attempt is made here to evaluate recent reform of the non-corporate tax structure by examining its current base, the rate structure, selected administration reforms and likely implications of...
Budget 2005-06 seeks to paint a picture of a government committed to pushing the development of sectors that have been neglected during the process of economic reforms. Unfortunately, it wishes to do...
Its obvious importance notwithstanding, the power sector seems to have been overlooked in the budget proposals. Despite the fact that power cuts and poor quality of supply are rampant across the...
In a democracy many of the measures that are necessary for mass employment generation and of utility to the masses are branded as being populist. This budget is populist only because it proposes...
The budget appears to be a balancing act between conflicting interests, and appears to be carrying forward the reform process.
The finance minister had clear evidence supported by a mass of data that there was an urgent need to propose strategic measures on healthcare and fund these programmes adequately. The proposals on...
The macroeconomic situation is likely to remain challenging in the coming months. Some of the assumptions behind the budget may turn out to be overly optimistic and require adjustments in plans.
Expanding the insurance services without considering whether medical services are available or not is a sure way of making the scheme dysfunctional from the beginning. Who will regulate the practices...
Well-accepted epidemiological, managerial and social dimensions of a health service system need to be factored in if the financing of healthcare is to yield commensurate results. There is no evidence...
