More than two years on, many of India's poor are still dealing with the effects of PM Narendra Modi's financial reforms.
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Indians are voting in the seventh and final phase of national elections, wrapping up a six-week-long campaign season with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeking re-election for another five years.
Nearly a 100 million people are eligible to vote on Sunday in 59 constituencies across seven states - including the politically-critical Uttar Pradesh in the north and West Bengal in the east. Sunday's voting also covers Modi's constituency of Varanasi, a temple town where he was elected in 2014. He spent Saturday night at Kedarnath, a temple of Hindu god Shiva nestled in the Himalayas in northern India. To help voters make an informed decision during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has once again underscored the significance of technology and innovation.
Coming up with a number of initiatives like cVIGIL, PwD, Suvidha apps and Voter Helpline-1950, among others, the poll panel has been continuously innovating to empower citizens in order to ensure free and fair polls in India. On March 27, India destroyed a low-orbiting satellite in a missile test that puts the country in the space “super league,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. This announcement was made months ahead of national election in which PM Modi is seeking a second term in office.
The Indian Government is seeking to develop a comprehensive and overarching national policy on e-commerce. The Government’s Department of Commerce has set up a think tank for development of a Framework for National Policy on E-commerce.
India’s e-commerce sector is growing rapidly, with online retail projected to grow to $200 billion by 2026 from $15 billion in 2016. But challenges remain due to poor Internet penetration, inefficient delivery infrastructure in rural areas and financial inclusion issues. India was ranked 83rd in the UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) B2C (Business‐to‐Consumer) E‐commerce Index, 2017, which evaluates the processes involved in an online shopping B2C transaction. India has an abysmal record in public health. It presently spends a little over 1% of GDP on public healthcare, one of the lowest levels in the world.
The insurance scheme announced in the federal budget - dubbed "Modicare" after Prime Minister Narendra Modi by his supporters - would cover more than 500 million Indians and provide 500,000 rupees ($7,825; £5,520) in medical coverage for each family annually. The culture and history of Southeast Asia is influenced by India, and also China to a large extent, as a dominant power in the past. India is poised today to regain its former glory, driven by its Act East policy.
The policy, first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 2014 ASEAN Summit, is an upgraded iteration of the Look East policy of 1992, announced by then prime minister Narasimha Rao. India is now aiming for better engagements with countries to its east, including those of ASEAN, not only in the realm of economics, but also politics and security. India’s biggest tax reform since independence was launched Saturday to a mixture of protests and confusion among businesses and consumers. Yet despite the initial implementation dramas, analysts have pointed to potential longer-term gains for Asia’s third largest economy.
Formally enacted in a late-night session of parliament Friday, the new goods and services tax (GST) has unified 29 states and 1.28 billion people into a single market for the first time. The move is expected to strengthen government finances, reducing complexity and boosting foreign investment, among other economic benefits. Budget aimed at winning over voters in wake of controversial currency policy, say analysts.
With state polls ongoing, India's Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has unveiled a Budget that boosts government spending to help the poor while cutting tax rates. The Budget unveiled yesterday represented an effort to win the support of voters by blunting the negative impact of the government's controversial move last year to get rid of black money by demonetising high-value currency, say analysts. |
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