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New Delhi: Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian holds a copy of annual Economic Survey 2017-18 that was tabled in Parliament in New Delhi on Monday. PTI Photo by Kamal Kishore (PTI1_29_2018_000127B)

Too clever by half?

Despite its deeply flawed neoliberal perspective, Economic Survey 2017-18 is rich in detail, has many useful analytical discussions at different level

VENKATESH ATHREYA

Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi seen arriving to preside over the first meeting of the reconstituted Planning Commission, on July 23, 1971. Also seen in the picutre is Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and Union Planning Minister Mr. C. Subramaniam. PHOTO: THE HINDU ARCHIVES

Demise of planning

India’s planning process has had serious democracy deficits, but the country needs a similar mechanism to cope with the challenges posed by neoliberal

VENKATESH ATHREYA

Sophisticated neoliberalism

Economic Survey 2015-16 covers vast ground but its premises are essentially neoliberal, marked by an overwhelming focus on fiscal consolidation and an

VENKATESH ATHREYA

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA, 24/08/2013: Workers under the MGNREGS clean up a canal to facilitate free flow of water at Peringamala near the city on Saturday.
Photo: S. Gopakumar.

‘Free market’ manifesto

The Economic Survey, while containing rich empirical material, is limited hugely by its unswerving faith in the “optimality” of free markets.

VENKATESH ATHREYA

Indian tribal women hold up their voter identification cards prior to casting their ballot at a polling station in Uttamjoypara, around 210 kms from Agartala, the capital of the northeastern state of Tripura on April 12, 2014 during the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha (lower house) elections. India's 814-million-strong electorate is voting in the world's biggest election which is set to sweep the Hindu nationalist opposition to power at a time of low growth, anger about corruption and warnings about religious unrest. AFP PHOTO/ ARINDAM DEY

For fair representation

It is time India moved towards a system of at least partial proportional representation as the present first-past-the-post system often results in ske

Venkatesh Athreya

B:LINE:(right to left) President, CII, Mr. Adi Godrej, President-Designate, CII, Mr. S. Gopalankrishnan, Chairman and Sr. MD,DCM Shriram Consolidated Ltd. , Mr. Ajay Shriram and Jt. MD, Hero MotoCorp Ltd. and Chairman, Hero Corporate Services Ltd., Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal during the Budget vewing session , in the capital on 28-2-13. Pic Ramesh Sharma

Wages of neoliberalism

The Economic Survey’s response to the problems of the Indian economy is “structural reforms”, which translate into reducing the fiscal deficit by sh

VENKATESH ATHREYA

Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner of India Dr C. Chandramauli releasing the provisional results of Census 2011-PTI

Positive signals

The first results of Census 2011 put India's population at 1,210 million, indicating a demographic transition.

VENKATESH ATHREYA

Patients forced towait outside a diagnostic centre at a hospital in Secunderabad. The National Common Minimum Programme of UPA-1 was committed to raising the combined expenditure of the Centre and the States on health to between 2 and 3 per cent of GDP. But, as per the Budget Estimates for 2010-11, the actual spending was a more meagre 1.27 per cent.-NAGARA GOPAL

Neoliberal refrain

Economic Survey 2010-11 presents the annual restatement of neoliberal faith, embellished with elegant but highly superficial arguments.

VENKATESH ATHREYA

Avadi, January 19, 1955: C. Rajagopalachari addresses a subject committee meeting at the 60th annual session of the Congress party. It was at this session that the Congress made the establishment of a socialist pattern of society, where 'the principal means of production are under social ownership or control', its goal.-THE HINDU PHOTO LIBRARY

Myth of socialism

THE term socialist was added to the definition of the republic in the Indian Constitution during the infamous period of internal emergency through the

VENKATESH ATHREYA

THE CHALLENGE BEFORE the Left Front in West Bengal now is that the acquisition of land for industry is not entirely avoidable, and it is here that Basu's emphasis on people's participation in decision-making acquires great significance. Above, farmhands harvesting jute in Singur, Hooghly district.-ARUNANGSU ROY CHOWDHURY

Power to the people

AN aspect of the media coverage of the passing away of one of the tallest statesmen of India, Jyoti Basu, was the tendency in some quarters to focus o

VENKATESH ATHREYA

In a remote village in Chhattisgarhs Bilaspur district, children wait for food under the midday meal scheme. A file picture.-V.V. KRISHNAN

Far from healthy

THE 25 years since the launch of Frontline have been an eventful period in the life of the Indian republic. As the 60th year of the republic approache

VENKATESH ATHREYA

Taking stock

A QUICK look at the distribution of Frontline stories by broad content groups brings out a few interesting features. In an exercise undertaken in-hous

VENKATESH ATHREYA