After tripping badly on the Sasan 4,000 Mw ultra mega power project, when the credentials of the successful bidder were found to be different from what had been stated in the bid documents submitted

Cheaper power?

Business Standard

A country with a billion people to choose from can lead to two attitudes. One is to accept with good cheer that there will be unimaginably vast amounts of talent, available for practically anything

How to choose an Indian idol

The Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline agreement reached last week is hugely significant for several reasons. It is the most important regional economic co-operation agreement so far in this part of the

Breakthrough

This week marks the tenth anniversary of the East Asian crisis of 1997. When it happened, it was seen by many to mark the end of the great Asian growth story. As things turned out, however, it really

Ten years later

The debate over offshoring has become a regular feature in high-wage countries that fear large-scale job losses. While informed observers argue that offshoring benefits corporations and the entire

And now, PPO

Changed expectations with regard to interest rates as well as continued good news at specific counters would explain the current rally on the stock market, and a new high for the Sensex after nearly

On a new high

The finance minister is reported to have said in London that he is thinking of how to help exporters tide over the impact of a rising rupee. The option, of course, would be to try and keep the rupee

Back to export subsidies?

Protectionism against imported competition, even if not defensible, is at least understandable if the effort is to protect local industry. When no such objective is served, it can only be described as

Meaningless reduction

With US firms unwilling to pay even minimal taxes, NAFTA has hardly helped create the necessary infrastructure in Mexico for the enhancement of trade.


How not to globalise

The drama in Keralas Munnar hill resort is not just over the re-claiming of land by the state government from Tata Tea. The story began on another issue altogether, many weeks ago, when newspaper

Low drama in the high range

Given how assiduously the government has pushed ahead with its programme for special economic zones (or SEZs), it should not be difficult to guess how it will treat the cautionary report on the

But no one is listening

Judging from the celebratory scenes all over the country, ordinary Indians have been jubilant about the inclusion of the Taj Mahal in the list of the Seven Wonders of the World compiled by the Swiss

Wah, Taj?

The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones. Thus Mark Antony at his funeral oration for Julius Caesar. As much can be said about the late Prime Minister,

Pragmatists` pragmatist

Even as outsourcing to India continues to gain momentum, reverse outsourcing is slowly gaining ground too as Indian companies outsource their processes and information technology applications to

Now two-way

Telecom Minister A Raja appears to have got everyone on the back foot, including his interlocutors in the Prime Ministers Office, by comparing the bid that MTNL got for its cellular network ($69 per

Cross-connections

Had President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan been a less dodgy sort of fellow, it would have been possible to feel some sympathy for him. As it happens, even his friends probably feel that he had it

Beginning of the end

The index of industrial production (IIP) for May 2007, released yesterday, shows that the overall index, comprising the manufacturing, mining and electricity sectors, grew by 11.1 per cent over May

Lopsided momentum

Health Minister A Ramadosss plan to end the shortage of doctors in villages by increasing the duration of medical courses in the country and posting freshly minted medical graduates in the rural

Better options available

Creating facilities for irrigation is the easiest, as also the surest, way of boosting agricultural production. Yet, this aspect is getting neither its due priority nor adequate funding, so that it

Wasted potential

The public distribution system (PDS) has long been criticised for both its ineffectiveness and its inefficiency. One more damning piece of evidence on both these fronts has emerged from an analysis of

Pathetic distribution system

Does India have an unusually large chasm between its leaders and followers? So it would seem, judging by some recent multi-country surveys. For instance, Ipsos sought out elite opinion (mostly

Measuring satisfaction

Incisive columns and editorial comment by top opinion leaders

Page 271 - Editorial Comment