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Column : Don’t knock the politics in the Budget

Coming up with a budget is an arduous task in the best of times. This year it was particularly hard. In addition to the usual reforms vs aam aadmi balancing act there was the constraint of an already stretched fiscal situation. To make things tougher, there were the enhanced expectations from impatient reformists given that this was the first year of a term with a clear mandate.

Column : The final battle for our computers

That Google would eventually launch an Operating System has been rumoured for years-Rick Skrenta of Topix wrote about Google running its own large, custom computer, with its own operating system, which blogger Jason Kottke nicknamed GooOS.

Column : Global business and a cup of coffee

Do you think your morning commute is expensive? Think again. A ride on a bus or subway in Tokyo costs $3.25. And if you grab a newspaper and a cup of coffee on the way the total comes to about $11.70.

FE Editorial : From the books

Another corporate results season, for the first quarter of 2009-10, is upon us. Infosys, as usual, starts the process, with its results out today. The results will be scrutinised for signs of broad recovery or the lack of it.

Letters to the editor

In the railway Budget for 2009-10, operating expenses have increased to 92.5% of revenue, against 75.9% achieved in 2007-08.

Letters to the editor

In his Budget speech, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee praised Indira Gandhi on her bank nationalisation decision, calling it wise and visionary.

Column : How government has made it tough for RBI, industry

Corporate India could find it difficult to raise bank finance at attractive rates in the near term. The Centre’s heavy debt programme could potentially eat up a large chunk of funds.

Column : You pay it, but do you know it?

Further, the tax incentives are also available in three categories, viz. exemption of income, deductions from gross total income and deduction from individual heads of income. Though, the purpose of all the three categories remains the same, this categorisation has resulted in unwarranted interpretation, confusion and litigation.

Column : Safety net becomes a hammock

The Rs 39,000 crore allocation to NREG in the Budget may be the largest allocation to a poverty reduction programme since independence. If taxes are the price to pay for civilisation and NREG-type programmes are the cost of getting reformist governments elected then so be it.

FE Editorial : Sell, then pay off debt

One of the key debates in the context of disinvestment is how to use the money. This issue probably explains why Pranab Mukherjee went almost quiet on disinvestment in the Budget, but subsequently said a roadmap will be ready in 90 days.

FE Editorial : The lost metro

Speak of the state of India’s infrastructure and you are likely to invite a torrent of invectives about how it’s holding back the country’s economy. The finance ministry says that infrastructure inadequacies hack away about two percentage points from India’s growth rate.

Letters to the editor

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has presented a pro-aam aadmi Budget that aims at inclusive growth. The editorial has given a long list of what the UPA II can do in the next eight months.

FE Editorial : Monetising debt

The Central fiscal deficit is budgeted at a staggering sum of Rs 4 lakh crore. This is roughly 40% of the expenditure of government. It is hard to even comprehend such big numbers; perhaps it is easier to visualise it as requiring borrowing of Rs 76 lakh per hour.

FE Editorial : Thin end of the wage?

Should the government become the employer of the first resort in villages? And is that a good thing? The Budget has proposed an increase of NREG wage to Rs 100 per day and also proposed to maintain this at real levels.

Column : The indirect disinvestment route

The finance minister, in his budget speech, rightly said that deep, non-manipulable markets require larger and diversified public shareholdings of both public sector and private sector companies.

Column : Before food security, talk agriculture

The past year was terrible for the global economy and indeed the Indian economy. But now, for agriculture the good news is that investment by the Union Government has been kept up.

Column : Good you gambled, but drop the bees

It is now two days since the budget documents were presented to Parliament and to the public. During this time, experts have gone over them with a fine tooth-comb, searched for hidden messages, pried out actual and imaginary statements that support or oppose their ideologies and, rated the budget exercise according to their likes and dislikes.

Letters to the editor

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee deserves accolades for presenting a pro-aam aadmi Budget that will be welcomed by all.

Column : One bad year, fiscally

The impact of the economic slump on fiscal numbers has been really devastating any way you look at it. While the pick up in growth-UPA I was fortunate to have successive years of 9% plus growth until the slump in 2008...

Column : Found, but only after translation

Obfuscating official language is something we have all got used to. Typically such language is not intentional but just a matter of habit that keeps the public guessing. Such guessing games were not consequential when market participants were few belonging to the same boys club.

Column : Give him time, read between his lines

The fashionable way to run government policy in the UPA II era, it seems, is through dramatic, reform-laden 100-day plans usually announced with much fanfare by glib ministers in the presence of the media corps in their full strength.

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Column : Don’t knock the politics in the Budget

Column : The final battle for our computers

Column : Global business and a cup of coffee

FE Editorial : From the books

Letters to the editor

Letters to the editor

Column : How government has made it tough for RBI, industry

Column : You pay it, but do you know it?

Column : Safety net becomes a hammock

FE Editorial : Sell, then pay off debt

FE Editorial : The lost metro

Letters to the editor

FE Editorial : Monetising debt

FE Editorial : Thin end of the wage?

Column : The indirect disinvestment route

Column : Before food security, talk agriculture

Column : Good you gambled, but drop the bees

Letters to the editor

Column : One bad year, fiscally

Column : Found, but only after translation

Column : Give him time, read between his lines