Page 21 - A K Bhattacharya

A K Bhattacharya: 7 key takeaways from Election 2013

It would be naïve to conclude that the BJP's resurgence is the only important message from the Assembly elections

A K Bhattacharya: The trouble with disinvestment

What should have primarily served as an instrument for improving PSU management has over the years become a mere financial exercise to raise revenue to reduce the fiscal deficit

A K Bhattacharya: Dealing with government

Reforms may have removed many controls on industry, but the need to deal with the government or its civil servants has not declined

Why non-IAS experts feel unwelcome in govt-run bodies

It's time the finance ministry and its civil servants put in place a system whereby non-IAS experts feel welcome to operate in govt-run bodies

A K Bhattacharya: Politics of indifference

The list of candidates contesting elections in the current round of Assembly polls shows that not much has changed with regard to political parties' approach to candidates with a criminal track record

A K Bhattacharya: The Montek school of thought

Under Ahluwalia, the Planning Commission has become an active participant in policy-making rather than a mere resource allocator

A K Bhattacharya: It's the government, stupid

Little thought appears to have gone into the manner in which our political leaders have formulated their ideas about what they actually mean by 'governance'

A K Bhattacharya: Rules of disengagement

For how long should a retired bureaucrat be held responsible for acts of commission or omission while in office?

A K Bhattacharya: Mr Modi's five mantras

A K Bhattacharya: Crisis and complacency

The absence of a full budget this year and a busy election season are signs of a problem that the policy makers must acknowledge and tackle

A K Bhattacharya: A long winter

Lopping off a little over ten per cent of the time voters give an elected government to perform, and that too in the name of pre-election preparations, is always questionable

The challenge of staying relevant

A new book reflects on how it will be suicidal for journalists and news organisations to remain hostage to the old structures of journalism and not adapt with the changing reality

A K Bhattacharya: Austerity and entitlement

The latest effort to cut govt expenditure mtay yield solid benefits this fiscal but the issue of hierarchy-based austerity may cause problems

A K Bhattacharya: Getting more numbers with 'chemistry'

The critical question is how the new BJP leadership can overcome the arithmetical hurdle with the help of the Modi wave

A K Bhattacharya: The vanishing cadres

Retaining young economists in government and facilitating their growth and development remains an elusive goal

A K Bhattacharya: Taking care of food and land

Whatever may be their flaws and the adverse impact on industry or the Centre's finances, the food security and land acquisition Bills are likely to be seen by voters as people-friendly initiatives

Democracy by an elite

Democracy does not progress by elections alone, says sociologist Dipankar Gupta but by an "elite of calling" that makes bold, transformative decisions

The missing dream team

The 1990s team worked wonders because the leaders took care to build a tier of competent secretaries and advisors under them

A worrying disconnect

If politicians are not even aware of the deep economic trouble a country is in, the crisis can only escalate and create bigger problems for politicians aspiring to gain power

First-quarter misses

An analysis of government's financial performance in the April-June period indicates the extent of the challenge that the finance minister faces