Venky Vembu
Read biographyVenky Vembu attained his first Fifteen Minutes of Fame in 1984, on the threshold of his career, when paparazzi pictures of him with Maneka Gandhi were splashed in the world media under the mischievous tag ‘International Affairs’. But that’s a story he’s saving up for his memoirs… Over 25 years, Venky worked in The Indian Express, Frontline newsmagazine, Outlook Money and DNA, before joining FirstPost ahead of its launch. Additionally, he has been published, at various times, in, among other publications, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, Outlook, and Outlook Traveller.
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Why fear is the key to beating the economic slump
Like a Cassandra-come-lately to the Gloom and Doom party, C Rangarajan, who heads the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, has acknowledged that India’s current economic plight may not be as rosy as other leading policymakers, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, make it out to be. Writing in the February edition of #C Rangarajan #Economic growth #Inflation #Manmohan Singh #Montek Singh Ahluwalia #P. Chidambaram #Stagflation
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What other states can learn from Gujarat: Economic freedom
When Tamil Nadu’s charismatic film star-turned-Chief Minister MG Ramachandran introduced the Midday Meal Scheme in Tamil Nadu – to provide school-going children one nutritious cooked meal a day — it was dismissed as a “populist” extravagance that would burden the state exchequer. Cynical commentators at that time derisively wondered if schools #Economic Freedom #Education #Gujarat #Human development #Maharashtra #Midday Meal Scheme #Tamil Nadu
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Indian conspiracy behind Italy’s refusal of marines’ return?
There is an air of a conspiracy that surrounds the Italian government's decision - conveyed peremptorily to the Indian government late on Monday - that the two Italian marines accused of killing of two fishermen from Kerala off the Indian coast last year would not return to face trial before #diplomacy #Enrica Lexie #Geopolitics #Italian Marines #Judiciary #Supreme Court
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Downsize! It’s time to put govt on a weight-loss programme
For all the breathless talk from the Manmohan Singh government about implementing economic “reforms”, it has failed to grasp the idea that the most fundamental reform it can possibly usher in is to downsize itself. In fact, the Manmohan Singh government has arguably been the most egregious expander of Big Government, #Big Government #China #Crony capitalism #Railways Ministry
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Modi’s ‘secularism’ mantra has to convince Advani first
Barely a fortnight ago, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi delivered a speech to his diehard support base within the BJP, which was intended to fire them up and get them battle-ready. In the language of political lexicon, it was pure "red meat" - hardcore political conservatism that appealed squarely to #BJP #LK Advani #Narendra Modi #PoliticsDecoder #RPN Singh
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Reforming Delhi gangrape accused? Rahul Bose is poor man’s Arundhati Roy
It is easy to empathise with Rahul Bose's earnest attempts to project himself into a higher intellectual orbit than is normally assigned to Bollywood actors. He is a halfways-decent "method actor", and is rather more articulate in English - he even rolls his 'r's - than the "hot bods" that populate the #Arundhati Roy #Crime/Punishment #Delhi gangrape #Law #Mercy #Rahul Bose #TheOddAngle
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Why Pak PM Ashraf’s Ajmer visit is being needlessly politicised
In 2001, while visiting India for official talks with the AB Vajpayee government, Pakistan's then military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf was scheduled to offer prayers at the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti's dargah in Ajmer. Since the talks in Agra appeared tantalisingly close to a historic deal, Musharraf delayed his #Ajmer dargah #diplomacy #Pakistan #Raja Pervez Ashraf #Religion #State and Religion
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India is doomed to fail if we keep obsessing about silly 8 percent growth
Even if the Indian economy has bottomed out, it will be scraping the bottom of the barrel for a lot longer in the absence of supply-side initiatives and game-changing structural reforms. Without these, to talk of 8 percent growth is just so much hot
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Our obsession with 8 percent GDP growth is silly
Like most economic policymakers in India, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has over the past three years been wildly off the mark with his projections in respect of both GDP growth and inflation rate. With all the persuasiveness of a faith healer, Ahluwalia has been claiming – even #GDP #HowThisWorks #Manmohan Singh #Montek Singh Ahluwalia
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Why Manmohan-the-mouse should have roared sooner
If parliamentary debates were the stuff of WWF cage fights, Manmohan "Bonecrusher" Singh may be said to have gotten the better of LK "Iron Man" Advani on Wednesday with his uncharacteristic exhibition of restrained aggression. Like a smiling assassin, Singh mocked Advani, pointing out that in 2009, the BJP had fielded #BJP #Manmohan Singh #Narendra Modi #parliament #UPA government