Expanding powers

Recent decisions have extended govt's reach

Many notable successes of the first term of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government were reforms that reduced the powers of the Union government or its bureaucrats, or which created independent institutions and processes. The goods and services tax (GST), for example, vests the powers to set indirect tax rates with a GST Council that includes the states. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code created a process that, hopefully, insulates bankruptcy from political pressures. The monetary policy framework agreed with the Reserve Bank of India enhances the independence of India’s monetary authority and makes it less subservient to political