Firstpost Editor's Picks: India vs Bahrain in Asian Cup, sympathy for Yogi, govt to breach fiscal deficit target again, today's must-read stories

AFC Asian Cup 2019: India eye historic knockout berth as desperate Bahrain provide an awkward obstacle

The performance of Stephen Constantine’s men won several admirers despite not being enough to secure any points. On the basis of sheer performance, India have been the best team in the group and have caught the eye of everyone in the UAE. However, failure to finish the job in the last game has left India in a sticky spot with the Blue Tigers needing a point against Bahrain, who also lost their previous match to Thailand, after making an impressive start in their 1-1 draw against UAE.

Budget 2019: Govt breaching 3.3% fiscal deficit target no big deal, but then why we need an FRBM Act that no one serious about? Budget 2019 is not far and there are signs of the government missing the 3.3 percent fiscal deficit target set for 2018-19 under the Fiscal Responsibility Budget Management (FRBM) Act. If that happens, this will be the third consecutive year the government being stuck at almost the same deficit level of 3.5 percent. The FRBM came into existence in 2003 in order to make the government accountable to sound management of its finances but it has not been a big success so far. This Act was reviewed in 2016 and the committee concerned charted out a path to cut the fiscal deficit to sub-3 percent in the years post-2020. The Central government is not legally bound to honour FRBM targets; at the best, it is a guiding path. In the UPA years too, there have been multiple occasions when these targets were given a convenient miss. But, the question is if no government is particular about the FRBM Act if the targets are too flexible to tweak every now and then, do we really need an FRBM Act?

Politics on the go: In Uttar Pradesh, voters have a tinge of sympathy for Yogi Adityanath despite falling confidence over BJP In old Lucknow, the disappointment with the BJP government is palpable. However, there is a tinge of sympathy for Yogi Adityanath. No one doubts his sincerity, hard work and honesty. He has contained corruption at the top level. There is greater accountability among top bureaucrats, with a premium on performance. There is also a feeling that he is being let down by his team and the lower rungs of the administration. And also because of the fact that, the chief minister lacks experience. At the mutt, his word was the command. In the government of a state as large and complex as Uttar Pradesh, there are wheels within wheels. Besides, there are old loyalties and caste equations still alive. Here, Adityanath’s hands-on approach put more problems on his plate.

Petta vs Viswasam box office race proving tough to predict; Pongal holiday collections will be key

Superstar Rajinikanth’s Petta versus Thala Ajith’s Viswasam was billed as a classic confrontation at Tamil Nadu’s Pongal box-office. Both the films released on the same day, Thursday, 10 January, with the first day first show starting as early as 1 am in Chennai suburbs. The early Pongal weekend collections clearly indicate that both films are hits. But the box-office pattern of collections is different. Viswasam leads in Tamil Nadu, but Petta is way ahead in Rest of India (ROI) and overseas markets. The final collections will be known at the end of 10-day Pongal festival and both films are likely to get the same share from the Tamil Nadu box-office.

India’s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj emphasized strong India-Central Asia links while participating in the first-ever ‘India-Central Asia Dialogue’ at Uzbekistan’s Samarkand. Swaraj proposed dialogue on air corridors with Central Asian countries in an attempt to boost connectivity for enhancing trade and commerce. While India’s interest in expanding ties with its extended neighbourhood stems from New Delhi’s desire to promote security, stability and growth, strengthening of relations between India and Central Asia is a win-win proposition as it would benefit all countries involved, including Afghanistan.