- Home
- Columnists
- Uttam Gupta
Uttam Gupta
The ailing discoms need structural changes
India’s power distribution companies (discoms) remain trapped in a cycle of mounting losses. Can the government’s latest ‘Reforms-Linked, Result-Based Scheme for Distribution’ (RLRBSD) aims to curb inefficiencies and improve their financial health The power distribution companies (discoms) stand at the core of the power supply and distribution network in the country....
-
Spiralling food subsidy: The urgent need for reform
11 March 2025 | Uttam Gupta -
Finding money for ‘freebies’: BJP faces an uphill task
01 March 2025 | Uttam Gupta -
RBI should go for an ‘accommodative’ stance
25 February 2025 | Uttam Gupta -
Balancing growth with fiscal discipline
19 February 2025 | Uttam Gupta -
US sanctions: A bold move or another futile attempt
06 February 2025 | Uttam Gupta -
Freebies could push Delhi to fiscal disaster
31 January 2025 | Uttam Gupta -
LPG subsidies: Give it to the poor and needy
20 January 2025 | Uttam Gupta
Relief from high power bills: Delhiites are chasing a mirage
A significant reduction in the Power Purchase Adjustment Cost levied by Delhi power companies have raised eyebrows due to their timing and magnitude On December 26, 2024, the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) announced a reduction in the Power Purchase Adjustment Cost (PPAC) imposed by the three power distribution companies (discoms)...
Farmers shunning use of nano-urea despite promotion
Despite a strong push from the government and ambitious targets for production and adoption, the fiscal year 2023-24 witnessed a sharp 43 per cent drop in nano-urea sales Last year, around this time, the Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya had said “Consumption of urea this fiscal (read: FY...
Capitalising on ‘China Plus One’: Will India step up?
As global trade dynamics shift under Donald Trump’s policies, India stands to gain from the move by multinational companies to diversify supply chains beyond China Releasing a report the ‘Trade Watch’, on December 25, 2024, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam has suggested that trade policies under US President-elect Donald Trump could result...
State budgets on the brink: RBI sounds alarm
With outstanding debts exceeding the prudential threshold, the RBI urges states to adopt “next-generation” fiscal rules to ensure sustainable financial management According to a report on ‘State Finances: A Study of Budgets of 2024-25’ released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on December 19, 2024, the consolidated gross fiscal deficit...
Slowdown in growth: Is it a temporary blip?
This temporary slowdown, attributed to reduced government spending, raises broader concerns about the structural challenges underpinning India’s growth story The GDP (gross domestic product) growth during the second quarter of the current financial year (FY) ending September 30, 2024, decelerated to 5.4 per cent down from 8.1 per cent achieved during...
Call for fast-tracking WTO agricultural negotiations
In a recent WTO meeting, India urges prioritisation of issues, including a permanent solution for public stockholding and special safeguard mechanism In a meeting of the Committee on Agriculture (CoA) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) held in Geneva on December 4, 2024, India insisted that negotiations on unresolved/previously mandated issues...
Advancing the Centre’s liberalisation agenda
Agri-marketing reforms can be achieved by enabling bulk buyers to purchase directly at farm gates and creating multiple private-sector e-trading platforms In June 2024, the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ welfare set up a 12-member committee, under the chairmanship of additional secretary, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai with the mandate to formulate...
