The government’s prognosis overlooks the rural stress that is at the heart of the economy’s troubles
Last week saw a flurry of activity from the government aimed at reviving the economy. So far, it was in denial, but it has now woken up to the economic crisis that is spreading like wildfire. The vice-chairperson of NITI Aayog termed the crisis the worst since independence. Several members of the economic advisory council to the Prime Minister also expressed their concerns. As a first step, the recognition by New Delhi that all is not well is welcome. Most likely, the quarterly gross domestic product data to be released on Friday would confirm that the slowdown which set in two years ago is continuing.
While there is now acknowledgement of the problem, and there also seems to be an urgency to address it, there is still no recognition of the reasons why the economy is in this state in the first place. Going by the hurriedly-called press conference of finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, it further appears that the steps announced are not only cosmetic, but also misguided.
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