In The Media ⁽⁴⁰⁰⁾

Reforms initiated in 1990s sought to introduce transparency by unbundling SEBs into 3 separate cos entrusted with generation, transmission and distribution.Read full article The power failure in India on July 30-31 was big news in US media. When the radio and TV stations began calling with the question whether this spelt the end to India's claims to global-power status, my first reaction was to remind them that a similar failure of the grid in 2003 had drowned the entire Northeast and Midwest in the US and Ontario in Canada into darkness. But, alas, the similarity between the failures in North America and India ended there. In the US, ageing equipment and poor management by local distribution companies result in outages that can sometimes last for days. But residential and industrial customers can generally count on regular flow of electricity. In my 38 years in the country, not once have I experienced scheduled power cuts. Nor do most customers maintain backup generators. Except when a storm knocks down power lines, electricity flows continuously at a steady voltage.

Read full article Abstract: Nitish Kumar has lifted the state from the depths, but much remains to be done The political row between chief ministers Nitish Kumar of Bihar and Narendra Modi of Gujarat has spilled over into an acrimonious debate on the performance of their respective states. Defenders of each state have gone on to rubbish the accomplishments of the other state. This is a painful spectacle since the achievements of both states are considerable and deserving of celebration rather than rebuke.

On June 21, 2012, precisely a year to the day after Suresh Tendulkar passed away, India lost another of its leading light of economic reforms, Dr Abid Hussain.Read full article On June 21, 2012, precisely a year to the day after Suresh Tendulkar passed away, India lost another of its leading light of economic reforms, Dr Abid Hussain. Affectionately known to his friends as Abid Bhai or Abid Sahib, he was a warm, wise and witty gentleman. His conversations and speeches were peppered with humour and memorable anecdotes. Those who came into contact with him or heard him speak invariably came away with interesting material for future conversations. My own first substantive interaction with Abid Sahibfollowed a brilliant speech he delivered at the World Bank in 1990, soon after his arrival in the United States as India’s ambassador. The speech narrated how protectionism and licensing had hurt India.

There is widespread belief in India today that one of the country's two main political parties, the Indian National Congress, has now run its course and will sink into oblivion. Unlike past predictions of the Congress's inevitable demise, this time the forecast of fatal decline is probably right. Read full article (on Project Syndicate) NEW YORK – Politics in Asia’s two giants, India and China, has suddenly turned very uncertain. China remains in authoritarian mode, of course. But egregious human-rights violations and suppression of dissent are raising the specter of growing internal disruptions, particularly in the wake of purges within the top leadership. By contrast, India, with its firmly rooted liberal democracy, smells to some like roses. But many believe that India, too, faces uncertain political prospects. In particular, there is widespread belief in India today that one of the country’s two main political parties, the Indian National Congress, essentially run by Sonia Gandhi and her son, Rahul Gandhi, has now run its course and will sink into oblivion. According to The Economist: “The Congress Party…is in a funk” and “in…

Read full article Abstract: It's unfortunate that the nation barely remembers Narasimha Rao, architect of the new India. Fifty years from now when historians take stock of the makers of the new India, two individuals from our times will figure prominently on their lists: Prime ministers P V Narasimha Rao and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. If justice prevails, by then, the nation would have also honoured them with Bharat Ratna. Today, we celebrate the 91th birth anniversary of Narasimha Rao. An accidental prime minister — he was all set to retire from politics and return to his native Andhra Pradesh when the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 placed him at the centre of Indian political scene — his tenure came to define the dividing line between the old India and the new. If Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru gave the country a vibrant democracy, Rao (and Vajpayee) gave it a modern economy.