All stories by Ishan Bakshi
'Modi is in the top 3 leaders I've ever seen!'
Rediff.com7 Aug 2017Says CISCO executive chairman John Chambers, who's 'met every leader in the world, and got to know them very well.'
Has note ban boosted tax base? Answer is in the detail
Rediff.com22 Jun 2017On the face of it, there could be a bump up in tax filings, but its impact on tax collections is not that straightforward
Has currency in circulation reached a new normal?
Rediff.com20 Jun 2017With weekly additions slowing, it's likely that demand could be slackening
Agri sector spoils Modi's achche din dream
Rediff.com15 Jun 2017While overall employment rose from 456 mn to 463 mn between FY11 and FY15, with farm employment falling by 26 mn over the same period, the net addition to employment over the entire four year period was a mere 7 mn.
Fulfilling promises will add to UP's financial burden
Rediff.com31 Mar 2017The BJP's manifesto for UP elections promised many things. But, given the state's precarious financial position, fulfilling these promises is likely to prove tricky, says Ishan Bakshi.
A nation of tax avoiders?
Rediff.com7 Mar 2017Exemptions, and the fact that farm income is outside the tax net, ensure that India's tax-GDP ratio stays low.
GDP versus other economic indicators
Rediff.com6 Mar 2017It is difficult to reconcile the GDP numbers with other economic indicators.
Why India's GDP grew at 7.9% in FY16
Rediff.com24 Feb 2017RE of GDP for 2015-16 show that the economy grew 7.9% in 2015-16, rather than the earlier estimate of 7.6 per cent.
Can railways meet its 2016-17 targets? What the figures say
Rediff.com24 Jan 2017In his last Budget, Suresh Prabhu, set an ambitious target for capital expenditure.
Data shows economic activity falters after note ban
Rediff.com17 Jan 2017Leading indicators suggest economic activity has been disrupted after demonetisation.
Govt's tax revenues soared in note-ban November
Rediff.com10 Jan 2017In the post-demonetisation phase, the govt's tax revenues have ended up soaring in November.
Why advance GDP estimates won't fully capture note ban effect
Rediff.com4 Jan 2017Much of the Q3 data will simply not be available for the CSO to factor in its calculation.
More bad news as investment outlook continues to be grim
Rediff.com4 Jan 2017The contraction in November this year is the second biggest fall in the current financial year.
8/11 and after: The going won't be easy for some more time
Rediff.com31 Dec 2016The bigger worry is that its effects could linger well into the next financial year.
Hardship set to linger
Rediff.com31 Dec 2016With cash -- the primary medium of exchange -- all but disappearing, it is now unlikely that the expected fillip to demand on account of a good monsoon and proceeds from the Seventh Pay Commission payout will materialise.
The challenges of branchless banking
Rediff.com5 Dec 2016Some believe the shift to mobile-based transactions will be seamless considering that the urban tele-density is 148%. In rural areas, it is touching 51%. But smartphone penetration in India is a mere 12%. Growth of mobile money has been extremely slow: It is currently 1%.
Cost of RBI's CRR diktat to banks: Rs 18,000 crores a year
Rediff.com30 Nov 2016Much depends on how the liquidity situation evolves over the coming months, with greater clarity expected from the next monetary policy meeting scheduled for December 7.
Bharat has 70% of population, but only 19% of ATMs
Rediff.com28 Nov 2016Lens on rural transactions. Only 38% of branches of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) are in rural areas
Cash deals cost India 1.7% of GDP: Visa
Rediff.com6 Oct 2016Reducing it to 1.3% would lead to savings of Rs 70,000 crore over 5 years
Vision 2020: India to grow at 7.7%, China at 6.4%
Rediff.com12 Aug 2016Creation of 115 million non-farm jobs over next decade critical to sustaining growth, says McKinsey