Roshan Kishore is the Data and Political Economy Editor at Hindustan Times. His weekly column for HT Premium Terms of Trade appears every Friday.
Articles by Roshan Kishore
India’s population will be 25% more than that of China by 2050, says study
Population Reference Bureau figures show that, at the moment, the Indian and Chinese populations are estimated to be 1.37 and 1.39 billion respectively.
Updated on Aug 23, 2018 04:33 PM IST
New Delhi, Hindustan Times | Roshan Kishore
India’s economy actually touched the magical 10% mark in 2006-07, says report
While the report deals with a larger gamut of issues, one of its chapters is devoted to linking the old and new GDP series.
Published on Aug 17, 2018 11:03 PM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a Prime Minister who catalysed India’s infra, telecom revolutions
India witnessed one of the highest growth phases in the construction sector under his government. This was not by fluke.
Updated on Aug 17, 2018 04:26 PM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
The pros and cons of a depreciating currency
The real world is often drastically different from the abstract assumptions of economic textbooks. The argument for currency depreciation leading to an improvement in trade balance assumes price elasticity of imports and exports.
Updated on Aug 15, 2018 08:23 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
Amid contradictions and poll alliances, pan-India anti-BJP front unlikely for 2019
An anti-BJP front in 2019 is more likely to function at the state-level rather than as a pan-India alliance under the leadership of the Congress.
Updated on Aug 12, 2018 11:32 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
Why the severity of India’s rape problem can’t be captured by crime statistics
India does not recognise marital rapes as a criminal offence. According to the 2015-16 National Family and Health Survey (NFHS), around 6% of Indian women aged 15-49 have experienced sexual violence at least once.
Updated on Aug 09, 2018 07:43 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
Nitin Gadkari is right: There aren’t enough government jobs to go around
Growth in public sector jobs is a useful metric to gauge the usefulness of reservations in solving employment problems of the social groups who either enjoy reservations or are demanding it.
Updated on Aug 07, 2018 01:03 PM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
We need a better understanding of intra-caste inequalities
While average figures for the broad caste groups confirm to the received wisdom, with upper castes being most well off and STs being the worst off, intra-caste or jati based trends do not always conform to this broad hierarchy.
Updated on Aug 06, 2018 12:50 PM IST
BJP vulnerable in face of strong pre-poll alliance for 2019 election
The BJP will probably not enjoy the 2014 campaign tail winds in the next elections. However, a lack of hope that the economic situation will improve significantly – economic mismanagement is an important Opposition charge against this government – in the next one year
Updated on Aug 03, 2018 11:13 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
RBI Consumer Survey: Confidence in NDA down, but still ahead of Opposition
The RBI’s Consumer Confidence surveys ask questions about current and future (year ahead) perceptions about income, employment and the general economic situation
Updated on Aug 03, 2018 10:12 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
Can rate hikes prevent oil and MSP driven inflation?
The Reserve Bank of India had increased the policy interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 6.25 per cent in June.
Updated on Aug 02, 2018 11:09 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
No GST on sanitary napkins shows shift in government’s priorities
The government had earlier said reducing GST on sanitary napkins will harm local manufacturers whose gains may now be hit due to exemption.
Updated on Jul 26, 2018 09:10 PM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
Here’s why Marathas protest for reservation time and again
Marathas, who have historically dominated politics, are feeling threatened in the new economic order, where education and jobs matter more than farm incomes.
Updated on Jul 25, 2018 07:18 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
US and China in a soybean standoff
An analysis of US agricultural trade data shows that soybean exports to China have increased consistently and now account for more than one-fifth of its bulk agricultural exports.
Updated on Jul 24, 2018 11:33 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
Are neighbouring states gaining from illegal alcohol sale in Bihar?
State excise revenues from Bihar had a share of 15.6% in total state excise revenues of these four states during 2011-12 to 2015-16
Updated on Jul 19, 2018 07:44 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
Empathy cannot be a substitute for prudence in agricultural policy
Is it possible to think of a programme which rewards individuals/communities for taking up environment friendly (but expensive) practices in farming through subsidised/preferential access to health and education? Imagine a government deciding to open better schools and primary health centres in villages, which adhere to cultivation of locally suited crops or self-regulate irrigation through tube wells.
Updated on Jul 18, 2018 11:41 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Roshan Kishore
What India needs for long-term double digit growth trajectory
If India has to place itself into a long-term double-digit growth trajectory, the country needs to boost farm incomes and reduce income inequality.
Updated on Jul 12, 2018 09:53 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Roshan Kishore
Will Samsung plant boost India’s electronics output?
An analysis of World Integrated Trade Solutions (WITS) data from the World Bank shows that intuitive reasoning can be very misleading in evaluating the impact of decisions such as Samsung setting up a plant in India.
Updated on Jul 11, 2018 08:30 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
Minimum Support Price for rice gave return of 50% over cost 13 times since 1996-97
The union cabinet announced Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for the 2018-19 Kharif marketing season on Wednesday. MSPs for all crops are at least 50% more than the projected A2+FL cost of production.
Updated on Jul 06, 2018 09:16 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
Has GST been inflationary for India?
There are two ways in which GST could have caused a spike in inflation: by raising the rate of tax on goods and services, and bringing within its coverage business activities outside the tax net earlier.
Updated on Jul 01, 2018 11:56 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
Empiricism won’t take the Congress very far
The Congress’s decision to maintain neutrality on AAP vs BJP was driven by feedback from its workers in Delhi. Should a political party decide its position on all these matters by seeking views from its cadre or should they challenge, say, retrograde and discriminatory values?
Updated on Jun 28, 2018 09:42 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Roshan Kishore
How Congress should play its cards for the 2019 elections
The Congress should focus on getting back to its 1996-2004 performance rather than make more ambitious plans with 2009 in mind.
Updated on Jun 28, 2018 08:58 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
NDPS Act fails to curb Punjab drug menace, says report
Punjab’s all-India share of crimes under Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act climbed from 9.2% in 2001 to a peak of 42.3% in 2013.
Updated on Jun 26, 2018 09:17 AM IST
New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
Is the communal fault line behind PDP-BJP break-up in Jammu and Kashmir?
An HT analysis shows that BJP’s 2014 assembly performance is strongly related to the presence of Hindu voters.
Updated on Jun 21, 2018 07:45 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore, New Delhi
Working on skill deficit key to boost farm economy
Unless the deficit is addressed, plans to improve incomes in the farm sector are unlikely to succeed
Updated on Jun 19, 2018 10:32 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
Lower returns on produce behind farmers’ distress
Profitability takes a hit as real MSPs have not risen over the years
Updated on Jun 19, 2018 11:20 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
Breaking down India’s non-agricultural workforce
According to the 2011 census, 45% of India’s total workers are employed in the non-agricultural sector. This number excludes those who work as either cultivators or agricultural labourers
Updated on Jun 18, 2018 10:46 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
14 bypolls, one message: United Opposition can dent BJP’s 2014 seat tally
In a blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Opposition parties emerged victorious in 11 of 14 Lok Sabha and Assembly bypolls.
Updated on Jun 01, 2018 11:30 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore
Why polarisation may still drive poll choices in west Uttar Pradesh
An HT analysis of demographics and election results shows that bulk of the non-Dalit Hindu population might still be consolidated behind the BJP.
Updated on Jun 01, 2018 10:04 AM IST
New Delhi, Hindustan Times | Roshan Kishore
BJP got Rs 532 cr in donations above Rs 20K, more than 12 times of Congress: ADR
Congress says BJP will be the biggest beneficiary of introduction of electoral bonds and will “coerce and threaten” the people for donations.
Updated on May 30, 2018 11:42 PM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Roshan Kishore