13 C 
Loss and damage fund: Keep count of climate resilience
A $3-billion UN investment in early warning systems (EWS), the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure's (CDRI) Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund (IRAF) with a promised sum of $50 million, and the Global Shield Financing facility are some of the other funding sources that would support the agenda.
US is pulling out the stops to establish closer strategic defence ties; India must move files faster
It's been three years since India agreed 'in principle' to send liaison officers to the US Indo-Pacific Command (Indopacom) in Hawaii and to Special Operations Command (Socom) in Florida. But the eagles have not yet landed. India's defence ministry is no doubt 'seized of the matter,' but not enough to make a decision. External affairs ministry also has a say and no one knows why the files don't move faster.
Monetary policy: RBI has sent a clear messageit may not be done yet
RBI has kept the CPI inflation forecast for FY2023 at 6.7% - spiked by prices of cereals, milk and spices. Naturally, its FY2023 GDP forecast has come down to 6.8% from 7%. Since the highs of June 2022, food inflation has moderated in November. But RBI's worry is that there are not many factors that would taper down CPI in the immediate months.
The chocolate exception explained
Chocolates have a spike in demand when income goes up, as with any normal good. But they experience a rise in demand when the income of the consumer goes down too.
Mint Explainer: Zero-COVID rollback brings risks for China
Public health experts are warning of a major exit wave of cases.
Mint Explainer: Why e-rupee may replace physical cash in the long term
Anonymity could be the secret code to e-rupee's success.
Decoded: What Gujarat, Himachal assembly poll results mean for BJP, Congress & AAP
It is the first time that BJP increases its tally of seats in Gujarat since 2002. It is also the first time it wins there with a single majority of votes, something that no party had achieved since Congress in 1985. Most BJP candidates won by huge margins across the state. Only 15 of the 157 seats it won were closely contested (with a victory margin inferior to 5%).
Can 'Kantara' kindle the hope of a rural renaissance?
In the make-believe world of the film, there is a deeply spiritual and closely bonded community with very few needs and apparent contentment
BJPs mammoth win in Gujarat further cements Prime Minister Modis singular value
Like the Windies skipper, PM Narendra Modi leads every battle from the front and disallows morale of his team to sag, even when potential adversaries replicate a few of BJP's tricks - as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Arvind Kejriwal do.
Google faces a big threat from ChatGPTs answers to queries
A new chatbot from OpenAI took the internet by storm this week, dashing off poems, screenplays and essay answers that were plastered all over Twitter by the breathless technoratti
Election results in the Americas show that democracy is resilient
Recent political developments highlight its self-correcting mechanisms and the power of people as citizens in difficult times
How latest GDP numbers reveal Indian economy's ongoing structural transformation
Among the curious trends in the data is the decline in government consumption expenditure during the quarter, even though there was a jump in public administration and other services. This is a new trend in GDP data that has been perplexing since the pandemic and has important implications.
Lets reflect on whatll make India a developed country
During his recent United Nations General Assembly speech, external affairs minister S
The five most significant eventsof calendar 2022 in technology
As 2020 was defined by COVID, and 2021 by lockdowns, 2022 has been defined by wars
What cubes do that squares dont
The fraction of integers able to be expressed as the sum of two rational cubes is well over 0%
Mint Explainer: How inflation changed its texture in India
It's a change that will make monetary policy more effective.
RBI worried at low bank participation in UPI
It should worry any central bank or a government which owns several banks if much of the innovations come from outside the mainstream banking system.
A tale of two economies trying to put covid behind them
The Chinese Communist Party rarely steps back from mistaken policies
A new tax for the govt to boost its revenues
Climate change is something we are worried about
School-goers can recover covid learning losses if we get it right
What is the countrys progress on recovering learning losses through the near-two year shut down of schools during the covid pandemic? Unsurprisingly, the all-India report card seems mixed, with systematic variations across states
Arjunas eye by RBI will need a tighter fiscal bow
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) eased off a bit in its withdrawal of accommodation on Wednesday, after its Monetary Policy Committee voted to raise its repo rate by 35 basis points to 6
The MPC might shy away from more rate hikes if inflation remains stubborn
Inflation was characterised as well above target and expected to moderate, but print above 4% over the next 12 months. Seen in the context of cut in growth projection, the comment that further calibrated monetary policy action is warranted to keep inflation expectations anchored, break the core inflation persistence and contain second-round effects, appears decidedly hawkish.
US fantasies of cheap debt will cost American taxpayers dearly
All the talk lately about the size of US national debt is obscuring the real problem: The US government made the wrong bet on interest rates, and that will cost taxpayers for years to come
RBIs monetary policy statement should have offered more clarity
Its latest review offered no clear policy direction and this ambivalence could risk failure on both inflation and growth fronts
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced an expansion in the functionality of the UPI Wednesday
BL Explainer:The impact of the price cap on Russian crude oil
All about the price cap imposed on Russian crude oil and its impact on Russia and the world
The RBI seeks a new balance between growth and inflation
It seems the RBIs statements have been highlighting the hopes and aspirations of the economy while downplaying, or nuancing, the downsides.
Indian generic makers need to crash drug prices at home too
Azmardas price has dropped, but why should a drug that's gone off patent still cost 50% of the innovator's price in India?
Mint Explainer: Why a gas price cap is only half the battle for India
Supply snags will continue to cast a shadow over the country.
In the course of a chit-chat with other bankers, the conversation veered around to central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). A senior official of a global bank who was on a visit to India quipped that, at present, CBDCs look like a solution in search of a problem.
Girls must attend school for our per capita income to rise faster
In 2021-22, Indias gross domestic product (GDP) growth was 8
Is RBI's much-touted retail digital rupee really a 'game changer'?
Some think that retail CBDC is revolutionary because, unlike currency, it will remain on RBI's balance sheet. This comes from the mistaken belief that commercial banks execute real currency payments and loans. The truth is that commercial banks hold bank tokens in bank accounts (in lieu of actual currency deposits) and only convert those bank tokens into rupees on demand, at a branch or ATM.
Its too risky to revert so slowly to policy as usual
Its obvious why fiscal and monetary policy both had to shift into rescue mode after covid bared its fangs in 2020 as a threat to the Indian economy
Since Sep MPC, several global commodity prices have shown signs of better stability
The World Bank predicts that Indias economy will grow 6.9% in 2022-23, up from the 6.5% estimated earlier
Lets assure the global labour market a better recovery
Indias G20 presidency presents an opportunity to take stock of the situation, assess the intensity of these challenges, and renew our commitments at both the national and international level
A research study shows major gains from a 4-day work week
The first large-scale study of a four-day workweek has come to a startling close: Not one of the 33 participating companies is returning to a standard five-day schedule
The pandemics big disruption of schooling calls for close analysis
An in-depth look at why children dropped out or went absent will help us tackle crisis-created challenges of education better
Why Myntras sales announce the quiet rise of small-town India
Rising incomes and internet penetration are helping blur the rural-urban divide.
The chaos of the Eras presales and ticketing at the World Cup
Football draws 1,000 times as many fans, who try to buy tickets with complications of dealing in multiple currencies, etc.
India, like others, has been affected by the spillovers from the G10 CB actions
Minimize behavioural biases to reduce project delays
Time and cost overruns of central sector projects (CSPs) have remained a problem.
The Supreme Courts of India and the US' contrasting approaches to reverse discrimination
The US Supreme Court, in a landmark judgment in 1978, banned use of racial quotas for admissions to colleges and universities. In India, quotas are the norm. In university admissions and government and public sector jobs, 22% of the seats are reserved for scheduled castes and tribes (SC/STs), 29% are reserved for other backward classes (OBCs), and another 10% for economically weaker sections (EWS).
Why we can delay but not escape the global economic crisis
Unsustainable debt pile-ups make stagflation hard to fight and a moment of reckoning inevitable.
Impress upon the West the futility of its oil cap
The Wests latest attempt to squeeze Russias earnings is just as futile as its other sanctions. India should initiate talks on a global treaty aimed at barring the weaponization of trade
Climate finance must take centre-stage in global action
Climate finance lies at the heart of climate action
How to make India more competitive reform distorted markets
India has directed investments well and made plenty of progress but distortions persist that could yet act as economic drags.
Reforming distorted markets will enhance Indian competitiveness
India has directed investments well and made plenty of progress but distortions persist that could yet act as economic drags
To accelerate climate finance, it is necessary to scale up various multilateral development banks like the World Bank, including the International Finance Corporation (IFC), as well as various development finance institutions.
Not only do services contribute the bulk of our gross domestic product, but their revival could also play the job-generation role
Startups can drive hardware innovation and seize the big opportunity
The governments thrust on Make in India is not just a visionary statement but the need of the hour, considering the fast-paced technological density, transformation and digital adoption happening now.
Why we should thank Minister Jaishankar for saving India the blushes
Today, there is grudging acceptance of Indias stance that it would take whatever position is in the best interest of its people.
Why the West is talking of talks with Russia: 9 points
With military gains unlikely, the US seems to have brought plans for diplomacy and dialogue out of cold storage.
Do you agree with some economists' view that inflation pressure is set to ease?
In a baffling display of anti-monopoly zeal, NPCI wanted the top two to resist user demand and reduce their slice of a rapidly growing pie by the end of 2022
Scot free for a climate partnership
This was a pivotal moment, not only for India but for the entire world. Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing us all, and it is up to everyone to act now to ensure an inhabitable world for our children, and our children's children. It was fitting that Modi chose to make these net-zero and renewable energy pledges in Scotland, one of the first countries to declare a climate emergency.
A key role in reforms of the international financial architecture and leveraging of climate finance will be the modernisation of the Bretton Woods twins, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, set up at the end of World War 2.
Why contentment could let people down as India grows
As I do not hang out anymore with literary novelists, people with a moral compass and those who study sociology, I feel highly optimistic about the immediate economic future of India
Public sector procurement of AI must take a principled approach
As both a buzzword and real-world application, artificial intelligence (AI) has found its permanent place in the public policies of governments around the world
Dharavi redevelopment is a big-reward challenge
The mention of Dharavi, Mumbais slum sprawl, evokes a variety of images and conjures up numerous associations
GDP data has a pointer for Indias budgetary direction
Indias real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 6
A long way ahead for us to be the best democracy
Everyone and anyone with even the remotest interest in politics is anxiously waiting for 8 December
The most likely outcome of the December MPC review appears to be a 35 bps rate hike
Here comes the friendly, neighbourhood Terminator
San Francisco is stepping into an approaching future by planning to deploy robots to tackle dangerous assailants.
Two big cyberattacks tell us India needs something more than tech
India must shield itself with the most efficient tech and equipment, but warding off a cyber threat is more than a question of technology.
Why Q2 GDP estimates must be interpreted with care
High degree of discrepancies and manufacturing GDP shrinking significantly complicate the GDP estimates.
Mint Explainer: How the world of cryptos unravelled
The crypto crisis highlights the imperfections of a free market, like the Lehman collapse did in 2008.
Mint explainer: How allies' support to US tech curbs on China is shaking
Japan and the Netherlands, crucial to deny tech export to China, don't want to toe the American line.
Air India and SIA will jell very well, but they can jar too
The Air India-Vistara merger will also bring its problems as has been seen globally and even in India.
What the number of citations can be made to suggest by tweaking them
Heard of the Erds number? Its named for the great Hungarian mathematician Paul Erds
How the RBI's digital currency can help economy
More than 50 central banks are planning to issue CBDCs worldwide.
AI parental aids cannot credibly claim expertise
They are offering to take parental supervision to new levels, even flagging the moods of our children. But this opens a disturbing frontier that AI tool makers and users should be wary of
One earth with one family... and many kinds of love
In recognition of how grossly unjust it has been to deny that right to the LGBTQ community, countries across the world have legalized same-sex marriages ever since the early 2000s, when the Netherlands became the first to do so
We must temper celebrations over the new Alzheimers drug
Biogen and Eisai caused a stir in September when they announced positive results in a late-stage trial for an Alzheimers drug, lecanemab
State elections and the troubling return of the old pension scheme
The current spate of states reverting to it poses a fiscal threat with serious portents for the financial stability of the country
Vikram Kirloskars death casts shadow over future of Toyota partnership
The space ceded to the junior Indian partner by the Japanese company is in sharp contrast to other attempted tie-ups in India.
No, SIPs didn't outrun Mercedes-Benz the car could have lagged behind
Santosh Iyer of Mercedes-Benz has blamed mutual fund SIPs for slow sales. But one of the problems could well be with the brand itself.
Mint Explainer: Jiang Zemin, the leader who steered China's rise
Jiang burnished Chinas global image, built bridges with India and took China into the WTO.
Mint Explainer: 7 things to know about Macron's rare US visit
When the US-EU marriage is being rocked by several contentious issues, Macron's visit to the US is an attempt to find alignment.
India on the whole faces a growing retention problem
While many countries are talking about an impending recession, there are very few such worries in India. Indian stock markets are at a historical high
Levy a Tobin tax for the climate loss and damage fund
We require an imaginative approach to raise funds without burdening any government, and not by robbing the rich to pay the poor
The divergence between Indias primary and secondary sectors resembles the income-wise K-shaped recovery
A noodle bowl of FTAs can help us ascend the export value chain
In recent months, India has embarked on a signing spree and operationalized FTAs with the UAE and Australia.
Generative AI is generating a big ethical and legal quagmire
Well probably look back on 2022 as the year generative AI exploded into public attention, as image-generating systems from OpenAI and Stability AI were released, prompting a flood of fantastical images on social media
Indian universities must prepare for foreign competition at home
Our institutions of higher learning will need to adapt quickly as local campuses of foreign universities start springing up
This global water audit should not gather dust
The WMO has issued a report on water resources that can guide global climate adaptation and nudge countries with glaring crisis hotspots, like India and Pakistan, to take action
Protests may die but a new message for Xi rings loud and clear
CPC has been show-casing a supposedly more efficient approach to dealing with crises and issues of governance.
Adanis super-app will have to confront a bunch of challenges
Gautam Adani is ready to unveil his super-app, made by an inhouse startup he hopes will be the Ferrari of the digital world
The business of business is business but do it responsibly
CSR should not be reduced to a budget target in a country where theres plenty of responsibility firms must bear
Indias law should be practical about breaches of data
Despite the many ways in which our privacy can be violated, we are, arguably, at our most vulnerable when the data weve entrusted to a service provider somehow makes it into the public domain
