Warrier's blog

Business Line : Columns / A Seshan : Wrong diagnosis, wrong prescription Also read the online comments including mine M G Warrier

Law Minister wants fast-track trial of cases against politicians - Moneylife

RBI may cut policy rate by at least 0.25% on Tuesday, say bankers - Moneylife

Universal healthcare: When will the government act? - Moneylife

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Stop subsidising the rich The article opens a debate on the need to stop 'subsidising' the rich. The rich should voluntarily plough back a fraction of the huge gains they made from resources obtained earlier free/at heavily subsidized prices. The idea of taxing the super-rich should be seen in this perspective.

Business Line : Columns / P V Indiresan : Justice, at slow speed Justice delayed is justice denied

Universal healthcare: When will the government act? - Moneylife After gold, NPS, Direct Cash Transfer, Inflation......My views on Healthcare Please read and respond M G Warrier

Need to educate politicians M G WARRIER Kerala has the highest literacy rate. But when it comes to financial literacy and political literacy, one wonders whether all is well with the education system in Kerala. The low level of political literacy, or simply put, the below average performance of politicians when it comes to communicating with people and media has been a cause of concern in the recent past. The latest provocation to pen this article is the reported outburst of state minister Ibrahim Kunju in a meeting in Pattambi. According to the minister, governance of Kerala is under the control of Muslim League, but the party generally does not admit it. But this happens to be a fact and due to the benevolence of Allah, nothing unacceptable to League will move in Kerala. The minister further explained the point he was driving at. Home minister Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan struggled to save the situation arising from the League minister’s speech by saying that such claims are quite no...

Business Line : Columns / S S Tarapore : Not yet time for RBI to relent Also read my online comments: M G Warrier

Annual confidential reports of all IAS officers gutted in Mantralaya fire - Moneylife Games governments play

Introduction of Contributory Pension Scheme in Kerala - Moneylife Just a report on the Kerala Govt employees' agitation against introduction of Participatory Pension Scheme for employees joining service from April 1, 2013. For more on NPS and other articles by M G Warrier in Moneylife use links provided in this article.

Business Line : Columns / B S Raghavan : Give yourselves holidays from gizmos! A must read for all who would like to bring about changes in tech-addiction

The Hindu : Business News : Golden ideas for senior citizens Also read my online comments about the plight of senior citizens as a result of diminishing returns on savings and rising cost of living

The Inflation Elixir (BUSINESS STANDARD, JANUARY 18, 2013) Ashoka Mody & Michael Walton: The inflation elixir Govt populism drives inflation, which transfers resources from the poor to the rich Ashoka Mody & Michael Walton / Jan 17, 2013, 00:55 IST From about 84 per cent of GDP in 2003, India’s public debt-to-GDP ratio has steadily declined to 67 per cent, and projections show a continuing decline. While much of the world is preoccupied with rising debt ratios, India appears to be singularly well-positioned. Or is it? Here’s the odd thing. Indian general government deficits have been consistently high, averaging about eight per cent of GDP during 2003-2008 and jumping to 9.5 per cent of GDP since 2009. India’s fiscal deficits lead in the elite league of G20 nations. The public deficits of the other BRIC countries have been consistently lower. The only countries that at present match India are the advanced nations fighting recessions. The Indian government has live...

M G Warrier’s My Page A monthly bulletin from M G Warrier incorporating select published letters/articles (and some stray thoughts based on what he read/saw and wrote during the month). Mailed during the fourth week of every month. Please send your responses and views to mgwarrier@rediffmail.com Vol III, No 1, January 2013 M G Warrier, MLR-116-B, Mangalam Lane, SASTAMANGALAM-695010 (9349319479) Dear Reader My Page is also being posted on Warrier’s Blog at mgwarrier.blogspot.com Links to articles and important comments are posted at the blog as and when they are published. Those esteemed readers who have difficulty in accessing blog can contact mgwarrier@rediffmail.com (Exrbites members can access Warrier’s Blog by clicking at "Visit Your Group" in the bottom most line of any group mail and then at "Links". You can also Google search "M G Warrier" to reach the blog). Regards M G Warrier January 20, 2013 The following articles were publis...

EXCERPTS FROM A MESSAGE RECEIVED VIA EMAIL From: National Portal of India Subject: 64th Republic Day Celebrations, 2013 Date: Saturday, 19 January, 2013, 2:47 AM Republic Day of India evokes the feelings of patriotism in the heart of every Indian, reminiscing India's glorious history, rich culture and precious heritage. National Portal of India brings an exclusive Vibrant Website to celebrate this Momentous Occasion. This exclusive Website provides information on National Awards & Recipients such as Padma Awards, Bravery Awards, Police Medals etc. Hon'ble President's address to the Nation and Republic Day Parade from New Delhi will be Webcast live to you. We request you to publicize the website (http://knowindia.gov.in/republicday) as wide as possible. Also request you to provide link to this website on your personal & official web pages. Be a Proud Indian!!

Business Line : Opinion : Don’t undermine CAG’s role Support from outside like this boost the morale of institutions like CAG. Read my online comments.

The Hindu : News / National : Whose baby are missing children? SC summons 6 Chief Secretaries Why not a Website for making search easier? See my online comments

Govt raises cap on supply of subsidised LPG cylinders to 9 - Moneylife

Business Standard, January 14, 2013 A K Bhattacharya: Appointments with a purpose The newfound enthusiasm surrounding the selection of financial services secretary reaffirms the government's intent to oversee state-run banks A K Bhattacharya / New Delhi Jan 14, 2013, 00:36 IST Rarely has the appointment of a secretary in the financial services department of the finance ministry generated so much debate and heat within the bureaucracy as with the finding of a successor to the incumbent, Dinesh Kumar Mittal. The secretary in the financial services department is one of five secretaries in the finance ministry. The other four are those in charge of the departments of economic affairs, revenue, expenditure and disinvestment. Some excitement over choosing a successor to any of these five secretaries is understandable, since all of them are quite central and critical to the finance ministry’s task of macroeconomic management and raising resources to bridge the fiscal deficit. Yet...

When and where the roads of Govt and Reserve Bank will meet? T. V. Gopalakrishnan January 13, 2013: As the Government has decided to walk alone with its fiscal policy measures, the Reserve Bank also seems to have decided to walk alone for some more time with its monetary policy measures till it finds comfort level in the matter of inflation Control. From the latest policy announcement it has been amply made clear that the RBI prefers to remain highly professional not yielding to market sentiments or the Government pressures either. On the basis of the current macroeconomic assessment, which has not registered any perceptible change since the last review of the monetary policy, the Reserve Bank has decided to keep the cash reserve ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks unchanged at 4.25 per cent of their net demand and time liabilities; and keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 8.0 per cent. Consequently, the reverse repo rate under ...

Business Standard, January 14, 2013 A K Bhattacharya: Appointments with a purpose The newfound enthusiasm surrounding the selection of financial services secretary reaffirms the government's intent to oversee state-run banks A K Bhattacharya / New Delhi Jan 14, 2013, 00:36 IST/Business Standard Rarely has the appointment of a secretary in the financial services department of the finance ministry generated so much debate and heat within the bureaucracy as with the finding of a successor to the incumbent, Dinesh Kumar Mittal. The secretary in the financial services department is one of five secretaries in the finance ministry. The other four are those in charge of the departments of economic affairs, revenue, expenditure and disinvestment. Some excitement over choosing a successor to any of these five secretaries is understandable, since all of them are quite central and critical to the finance ministry’s task of macroeconomic management and raising resources to bridge the ...

Received as a forward via Email: Some may differ but nevertheless a thought provoking view point ! Indians are Hobbesian.(culture of self interest) Corruption in India is a cultural aspect. Indians seem to think nothing peculiar about corruption .It is everywhere... Indians tolerate corrupt individuals rather than correct them. No race can be congenitally corrupt. But can a race be corrupted by its culture? To know why Indians are corrupt , look at their patterns and practices . First: Religion is transactional in India. Indians give God cash and anticipate an out-of-turn reward. Such a plea acknowledges that favours are needed for the undeserving. In the world outside the temple walls, such a transaction is named- “bribe”. A wealthy Indian gives not cash to temples, but gold crowns and such baubles. His gifts can not feed the poor. His pay-off is for God. He thinks it will be wasted if it goes to a needy man. In June 2009, The Hindu publ...

#.UPNO_lYnt7A.blogger#.UPNO_lYnt7A.blogger Hindu article on Gold in the context of RBI initiative to manage gold better

The Hindu : States / Other States : Congress reminds corporate biggies of Nazi Germany UPA-II should takenote of the timely warning coming from Congress spokesperson. See my online comments.

Business Line : Opinion / Letters : Gold rush Please also read my letter on 'Retailing G-Secs" (Second one) Xpress ur views

Government will ensure common man benefits from banking: Finance minister - Moneylife FM may kindly use his good offices to make Centre to revise the stipulation of six cyliders to nine

Business Line : Industry & Economy / Banking : G-secs need more retail investors, says RBI’s Khan See my online comments

Rajeev Malik: Silencing the RBI How can the central bank governor deliver appropriate monetary policy when he can't even get the deputy he wants Rajeev Malik / Jan 09, 2013, 00:59 IST Being a central banker is a thankless job. This is especially true in developing economies, such as India, where the central bank is not legally independent. This shortcoming makes the bank vulnerable to government interference at multiple levels, including the formulation of monetary policy. The finance ministry’s recent decision not to extend Subir Gokarn’s three-year term as the Reserve Bank of India’s ( RBI&select=1 target=_blank style=text-decoration:none;cursor:hand;>RBI’s) deputy governor, which ended recently, is a good example. The handling of the case also highlights the numerous gaps that exist in understanding India’s macro challenges and policy making, and our inability to – or insecurity about – responding adequately to market-driven signals across various indicators. ...