Three decades Licence Raj was dismantled, Inspector Raj persists . Businesses must navigate 26,134 compliances hosting the threat of imprisonment. Enabling employment and wealth creation at the grassroots demands a recast of laws. By Shankkar Aiyar |Published: 13th February 2022 07:13 AM | ‘Useless laws weaken the necessary laws’. The…

Government websites list hundreds of schemes. DBT Bharat lists 310 schemes run by 53 departments. NPCI lists 8976 user codes for schemes on direct benefit transfers. How many schemes do the Centre and states manage, what is being spent and what is the quality of outcomes? By Shankkar Aiyar |…

Free trade was, effectively, never free. The idea of mutualism and shared prosperity is being upended by economic, demographic and geopolitical factors. The fear of competitive deficiencies is finding expression in new rules on trade and investment. By Shankkar Aiyar | Published: 22nd January 2023 01:12 AM | Twenty-seven is…

The genius of the idea propagated by Klaus Schwab is essentially the scent of relevance it conveys, of being somebody. Does Davos Deliver? The optics is about making the world a better place. The opportunity is about networking amidst moolah and minds with messianic zeal. By Shankkar Aiyar | Published…

The issue is should the government own everything that it owns and must the government manage everything which it manages. Why not divest enterprises listed for privatisation from political management and place the holdings in a sovereign trust? You could call it the eleventh hour fifty ninth minute phenomenon. Come…

In 2023 expectations and the preferred phraseology of predictability, stability, and sustainability are challenged by a unique confluence of disruptions — Covid19 variants, fear of recession, shifting demography, geopolitics and climate change. By Shankkar Aiyar | The Third Eye | Published: 01st January 2023 01:04 AM | Every year arrives…

Every session of parliament presents data which illuminates state of affairs, the gap between what is needed and what is delivered — from doctors at hospitals to teachers in schools to vacant posts to bad loans recovery. By Shankkar Aiyar | Published: 25th December 2022 01:36 AM | ​E​very session…

The global economy seems set for a Wile E Coyote Moment as central banks are flying blind. India is better placed than others. But the vulnerabilities are undeniable and buying into theories of ‘decoupling’ worsens risks. By Shankkar Aiyar | Published: 18th December 2022 12:23 AM | The limits of…

The stage seems to be set for another round of contestations between the government and judiciary. Pendency is worsened by the availability of judges but more critically by systemic deficits in the legislative and administrative landscape. By Shankkar Aiyar | Published: 11th December 2022 01:04 AM | ‘To no one…