Across the Aisle: Toward USD 5, 10, 20 Trillion Economy
P Chidambaram, in his column for theIndian Express, points out that he had urged the Finance Minister not to stop at the goal of a USD 5 trillion economy in 2024-25, but instead look at how the size of the economy would become USD 10 trillion six or seven years later, and 20 trillion six or seven years after that.
Chidambaram mentions that while the first goal is not a bad one, it isn’t extraordinary, and explains the logic through simple math and a table. He also asks some critical questions:
“1. How do we quicken the rate of nominal growth from 11 or 12 per cent to 14 per cent (which is when India will achieve the double digit GDP growth rate of 10 per cent). 2. What will be the rate of increase in the per capita income of the average Indian? 3. Will inequality between the poorest 10 per cent and the richest 10 per cent widen or narrow?”
How to Win Hearts in Defeat? Learn From the Kiwi Captain
In her column ‘Politically Incorrect’ for The Times of India, Shobhaa De looks at how New Zealand’s captain Kane Williamson has won a million hearts and has everyone crushing on him. She also recalls the match between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, where Federer’s loss also affected us deeply – just as much as Williamson’s/New Zealand’s in the cricket world cup. Why did we feel so very much? De ponders.
“It isn’t just the pedestrian ‘rooting for the underdog’ syndrome. It isn’t about extending sympathy, experiencing deep empathy for losers. It is far more than that. Basically, what we identified with was their dignity and grace in defeat. In a world full of braggarts and show-offs, in an environment that celebrates chest thumping and aggression, these two sportsmen demonstrated admirable restraint by maintaining perfect equanimity under pressure. One must also hand it to Djokovic for his brutally honest admission. Knowing he was playing in front of an obviously partisan crowd chanting ‘Roger Roger’, Djokovic didn’t allow negative energy to distract him from his goal. Post-match, he shared another priceless takeaway, “When the crowds chant Roger, I hear Novak.””
Domestic Violence Has Not Got the Attention It Needs
Lalita Panicker, in her column for the Hindustan Times, talks about a poignant and pressing issue – that of violence behind closed doors – and mentions how worrying it is to think that seemingly loving partners can overnight turn into monsters. She also looks at how many choose to continue in that abusive relationship till it becomes life-threatening. Inspired by a documentary she watched on the issue in England, she is heartened by the fact that the support system is efficient, however, and the police are quick to respond to complaints. Panicker then turns her attention to the issue in India:
Inside Track: Snatch and Grab
Coomi Kapoor, in her Sunday column for the Indian Express, looks at how Amit Shah has mounted an ambitious game plan to trigger enough defections in the Upper House by year end. The BJP believes it needs this, she asserts, in order to have enough numbers to pass legislation such as the triple talaq bill in the Rajya Sabha. Shah’s operation, she believes, started with four of the six TDP MPs switching to the BJP, followed by the lone INLD MP. Kapoor, in another snippet, also looks at how the capital’s journalists are finding it increasingly difficult to get news breaks.
