What have the past ten years meant in the transformation of the Indian economy for the citizens of the country? Over the past ten years, India’s economic landscape has gone through the storms of demonetisation, GST, pandemic, lockdown-induced distress, decreasing social spending, policies benefitting a few and rising inequality. Global uncertainties have painted a complex canvas of challenges. This series, co-curated by The Wire and Centre for Financial Accountability, embarks on a journey to decipher the intricacies of this economic saga, delving into the struggles and tribulations that have shaped the lives of its 1.4 billion citizens over the past 10 years.
Part 1
Doubling Farmer’s Income: A Tale of Empty Promises, Deceit and Propaganda
by Vijoo Krishnan
Far from seeing doubled incomes, farmers are caught in the pincer of low, unfair prices for their produce and ever-rising input costs. Read here.
Part 2
Is the Pandemic Really Over? Unearthing Stories of Death, Debt and Distress
by V R Sreya
Marginalised sections are still feeling the impact of the pandemic – and still waiting for answers from the authorities. Read here.
Part 3
Narendra Modi’s Decade in Power Has Brought a Shrinking Welfare Landscape to India
by Asmi Sharma and Nancy Pathak
Declining allocations on social welfare spending, and neglect of existing schemes and programmes, underscore how welfare has come to be constrained in the past ten years. Read here.
Part 4
If There Was Political Will, India’s Raging Cost of Living Crisis Could Be Eased
by Anirban Bhattacharya and Pranay Raj
While the government is happy to externalise the crisis to the invasion of Ukraine alone and its effect on fuel prices, it is the food inflation that has seen a much sharper upward swing. Read here.
Part 5
A Decade of Write-Offs: How the Govt and Banks Failed to Tackle NPAs and Helped Big Corporations
by Devidas Tuljapurakar
The government has time and again stated that ‘write off’ does not mean relief to the borrower as recovery processes continue. But in practice, banks are compelled to forgo any hope of recovery. Read here.
Part 6
Average 30 Farmer Suicides Per Day in Modi Govt Years Points to a Systemic Apathy
by Anirban Bhattacharya, Pranay Raj and Nancy Pathak
The attempt by neoliberal governance has been to steadily depoliticise farmers’ suicides and strip them of any deeper messaging. Read here.
Part 7
Budget 2024: How the Modi Government Has Neglected Social Security Pensions Once Again by Asmi Sharma
There is an urgent need to review the National Social Assistance Programme for it to be effective and meaningful. Read here.
Part 8
Concrete Ambitions: The Environmental and Livelihood Toll of BJP’s Decade-Long Infrastructure Drive
In the past decade, NDA’s approach to development through relentless pursuit of infrastructure has come at a steep cost. To say the least, it has been both uncooperative and myopic in nature. Read here.
These articles were originally published in The Wire read the first article here, the second here the third here, the fourth here, the fifth here , the Sixth here , the Seventh here and the Eighth here.