The Election Fix: Have BJP’s attempts to solve India’s education problems done more harm than good?

Welcome to The Election Fix. On Sundays, we take a closer look at one theme that will play a significant role in India’s Lok Sabha elections. In the past, we’ve looked at things like agriculture and the discrimination faced by Muslims in politics. This week, Shreya Roy Chowdhury takes a look at education, from how the big promises made by the Bharatiya Janata Party have turned into piecemeal efforts to the major challenges facing India’s policymakers in the future. We are running a reader survey about the Election Fix and what you would like to see from our…

Softbank may invest in Jio as Mukesh Ambani deleverages business

NEW DELHI: Japan’s Softbank is reportedly looking to make a $2-3 billion investment in India’s fastest-growing telecom firm Reliance Jio as billionaire Mukesh Ambani looks to deleverage business by selling stakes. This comes on the back of reports of Saudi giant Aramco in discussions to buy a 25% stake in Reliance Industries’ refining and petrochemical business for $10-15 billion. “Softbank has long been seen as a potential investor in Jio,” JPMorgan said in a research report.”For the past 2 years, our conversations with investors have highlighted expectations of Softbank investing in Jio and hence…

Private investment in infrastructure must go up

In addition to financial sector reforms, funding infrastructure through private sector participation needs reforms in the contracting mechanism.(AFP) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) manifesto promises to spend Rs 100 lakh crore on infrastructure in the next five years. This can only happen if there is an increase in private participation, for which India needs to undertake financial sector reforms that encourage the creation of a pool of domestic long-term savings to be invested in infrastructure projects. The scale of investment targeted is more than what can be done through government…

Why you should rebuild your business as often as possible

Over the course of my company’s 15 year trajectory, we’ve never stopped rebuilding it. Rebuilding isn’t an option; it’s the only way forward. It’s how we adapt to market conditions, client requirements, and employee needs. A rebuilding mentality drives forward-thinking practices and ultimately ensures that we stay not just relevant but ahead of the curve. After years of focusing on a rebuilding strategy, I’ve distilled the approach into the following five rules: 1. Don’t give in to routine Businesses are born everyday. Everyday someone with a fresh idea or a…

BJP’s Record on Education Runs Afoul of Its Own Manifesto

In their short social life and even shorter life in public memory, election manifestos perform a variety of tasks. Attempting to strike different notes at once, they sway between grandiose promise-making, novelty and a teaser of all good things that would unfurl post-elections. Intentions, promises and possible actions form common elements of the script that covers broad issues including foreign relations, defence and social security. While revealing an overall direction, focus and emphasis, manifestos also do the work of re-framing, re-naming and signalling. Given its crucial role in not just…

Foreign direct investment inflows fall amid pre-election uncertainty

NEW DELHI: The flow of foreign direct investment into India is dropping and may suffer its first full-year decline since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. The reversal from strong numbers in Modi’s initial years in charge may indicate that investors are being deterred by the government’s recent protectionist policies and uncertainty about this year’s general election result. Inbound foreign direct investment (FDI) dropped 7 percent to $33.5 billion in the nine months between April and December 2018, compared with $36 billion in the year-earlier period, according to figures released over…