000-tobecategorised

 Where’s the V-shaped recovery? https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/wheres-the-v-shaped-recovery/3368633/ Santosh Mehrotra January 19, 2024
Data on real wages, jobs, savings, consumption, etc, point at a K-shaped rebound 

the share of India’s Biggest 5 firms in total assets of the non-financial sectors rose from 10% in 1991 to nearly 18% in 2021, whereas the share of the next Big 5 business groups fell from 18% in 1992 to less than 9% in 2021. This growth has been the biggest in the last decade. “In other words, Big 5 grew not just at the expense of the smallest firms, but also of the next largest firms,” Acharya said.

The Biggest 5 industrial groups referred to in the paper are Mukesh Ambani-helmed Reliance Group, Tata Group, Aditya Birla Group, Adani Group, and Bharti Telecom. He said the growth of such conglomerates raises several concerns, like the risk of crony capitalism, related-party transactions within their byzantine corporate organisation charts and overleveraging due to an implicit too-big-to-fail perception among others. This is what drives government spokesmen to claim the importance of ‘national champions’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IThzagMI_Y0&t=10s

Lest We Forget the Teesta Disaster 2023

Report and Recommendations: Praful Rao, SaveTheHills and Darjeeling Himalaya Initiative

The Teesta Valley Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) of 04Oct2023 was certainly the biggest disaster to have affected the Darjeeling- Sikkim Himalaya after the mega -disaster of Oct1968. It was coincident that both the disasters occurred on the same date only half a century apart.

But while this disaster was totally under-reported in the national media, we in SaveTheHills and the Darjeeling Himalaya Initiative have made an attempt to correct this by featuring many posts in our blog and also making a formal report to the NDMA as well as the SSDMAs of Sikkim and W Bengal states on the impact of the GLOF as well as suggesting some short term measures which would see us thru the monsoons of 2024.

Top Modi Official Blows Whistle On Government Finances https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWzqra3KQbs the reporters' collective  Jan 18, 2024
Niti Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam reveals Modi held backdoor negotiations with the Finance Commission to cut tax funds allocated to states, and says gov't finances are so shady, they could be hit by a 'Hindenburg'.
Read the entire report   https://assets-global.website-files.com/600865f0dc1db856edc28cd0/65a929d8239db578e685ee94_CSEP%20Transcript.pdf.  Or watch https://www.youtube.com/live/B3unBGDHoPE?feature=share

As PM, India’s Modi secretly tried to massively cut state funds  https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/1/18/as-pm-indias-modi-secretly-tried-to-massively-cut-state-funds The Finance Commission’s firm stance forced the Modi government to hastily redo its maiden full budget in 48 hours and slash funding across welfare programmes since its assumption of retaining a greater portion of the central taxes did not pan out. At the same time, Modi falsely claimed in Parliament that he welcomed the Finance Commission’s recommendations on the tax portions to be allocated to the states.

Comments: @in-human1698 In the audio recording, BVR Subramanian never says Modi wanted to reduce the state's share. He says there was a discussion about whether to accept at 42%, or keep at 32% or some number in between. The fact that the Union Government accepted the Finance Commission's recommendation of raising the share from 32% to 42% even though the Finance Ministry was against it (acc to BVR) only shows that Modi played a role in raising the state's share from 32% to 42%. Don't forget, the fact remains that the Modi Government raised the state's share from 32% to 42%. And obviously, to cover that loss, Central Govt has to cut down its budget from other schemes. JAIL these Reporter Spreading Misinformation.

@selvarajuthangavelu887 Even this 10% increase to States was nearly set off by reducing the no. of centrally sponsored schemes and reducing the central share in css

@ravips698 How does this change the life of an ordinary citizen? As long as the public money is not being swindled it must be used for betterment of country.atleast am happy about that. What is important is central government releases funds to states in a timely manner and sets up enough checks and balances to ensure no corruption.aljazeera is an infamous news channel which seems to be paid to launch this news at "right time" else why 2014 news is being published in 2024?

@sudhirnegi6008  Some journalists only highlight the negatives. GST is a boon for transparency and business. Ask any accountant his troubles with vat regime if he had inter state operations. Secondly all Govts fudge their budgets to balance it, not this Govt alone. Expenditures are pushed to subsequent years. Loans are taken by Govt subsidiaries not a part of budget thus containing deficit. This should be acknowledged by the anchor. Pinning this on only one Govt is bias. Secondly look at the infrastructure spending by this Govt which will be a boost to the businesses. This is money well spent. Would states have done the same?