News / Columns / Rajesh Mahapatra

Rajesh Mahapatra

Rajesh Mahapatra was the Chief Content Officer at Hindustan Times. From sports to politics, analytics to economics, he has an interest in everything that makes news. He tweets as @rajeshmahapatra

Articles by Rajesh Mahapatra

Jokes on 1-paise cut in fuel price notwithstanding, govt will have to bite the bullet sooner than it wishes to

Elevated oil prices will mean higher inflation, which, in turn, will add to the pressure on the rupee. Subdued exports growth and rising import costs have already weakened the rupee by more than 6% in the past three months

In the current scenario, most analysts expect crude prices to stay in the range of $70-$80 per barrel, at least until the end of 2018(AFP)

opinion

Updated on May 30, 2018 08:48 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Kairana bypoll: In battle of ‘honour’, yearning for social peace shapes political realignment

As the sugar bowl gets ready to vote on May 28, economic distress and growing clarity about the need for social harmony are shaping a new political alliance in Uttar Pradesh’s Kairana.

Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Choudhury at a gathering in Bhainswal village. under Kairana Lok Sabha constituency.(HT Photo)

india news

Updated on May 28, 2018 09:32 AM IST

Hindustan Times, Shamli (UP) | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Has Karnataka verdict 2018 unsettled India’s mandate 2014?

The stitching up and the survival of the JD(S)-Congress post-poll coalition has underlined the importance of the Constitution, the need for institutional checks and balances and the urgency for making electoral democracy a meaningful winner. But it has also opened a fresh space to rethink about smaller and regional politics

Congress workers in Patna, Bihar, celebrate after BS Yeddurappa steps down before facing floor test in the Karnataka assembly, May 19(PTI)

opinion

Updated on May 20, 2018 10:56 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Why Karnataka wasn’t a Modi versus Rahul fight

In a state that hasn’t allowed any incumbent to retain power in the past 33 years, this election was more about who could take Siddaramaiah’s place

BJP's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa meets Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala after the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 results, in Bengaluru on Tuesday(PTI)

analysis

Published on May 16, 2018 06:50 PM IST

ByRajesh Mahapatra

Win some, lose some: Karnataka elections were the semi-final that wasn’t

Karnataka has turned an important chapter in the coming together of regional parties, which have wisened up to what BJP really means for them.

Congress leader Siddaramaiah, left, and Janata Dal (Secular) chief ministerial candidate H D Kumaraswamy, right, prepare to speak to journalists in Bangalore after staking their claim to form the next government in Karnataka.(AP)

analysis

Updated on May 16, 2018 07:31 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Can election-bound India weather the storm that is brewing on the economy?

The triple whammy of a higher inflation, a depreciating rupee and a widening current account deficit comes at a time when India’s economy was gaining steam.

The spike in retail fuel prices, unsurprisingly, has caused widespread resentment among consumers who understandably want the government to reduce duties so that the scorching rise in costs can be cooled(AFP)

opinion

Updated on May 10, 2018 06:55 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Has the Congress returned to battleground Odisha?

Rahul Gandhi’s decision to put one of his most trusted aides, Jitendra Singh, in charge of Odisha and appoint Niranjan Patnaik as the chief of the Pradesh Congress Committee seems to have given exactly the shot that the Congress party needed to revive its fortune.

Thousands of Congress supporters and workers thronged the Biju Patnaik International Airport to welcome Niranjan Patnaik on Saturday.(Picture courtesy: INC India/Twitter)

opinion

Updated on Apr 23, 2018 11:18 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Why the economy can’t be the narrative for Narendra Modi in 2019

The latest consumer confidence survey by the RBI shows the double-whammy of demonetisation and GST is far from over. What is also more clearly revealed is that a growing disconnect is strikingly visible between what people expected and what they actually got.

If the RBI survey correctly mirrors the economic sentiments of the urban middle class, then the economy and its growth story (or the lack of it) cannot be the main narrative for Prime Minister Modi’s re-election bid in 2019.(PTI File Photo)

opinion

Updated on Apr 09, 2018 01:44 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

BJP’s Dalit trouble in UP: There is more than meets the eye

The Dalit MPs of BJP have rebelled against the party for not doing enough to protect their community. All of them are first time MPs from Uttar Pradesh, where the government of Yogi Adityanath has come under attack for discriminating against the Dalits.

BJP MP Savitri Bai Phule offers tributes to Dalit icons Bhim Rao Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram during a rally in Lucknow.(PTI File Photo)

opinion

Updated on Apr 08, 2018 08:26 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

When change matters, can Congress make the difference in Odisha?

The state will hold its assembly polls next year, concurrently with the parliamentary elections. If the Grand Old Party remains complacent, 2019 could see a bipolar fight between the ruling BJD and the BJP

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar after the party candidate Rita Sahu won the Bijepur by-election(PTI)

analysis

Updated on Apr 04, 2018 08:57 AM IST

ByRajesh Mahapatra

Gujarat election results 2017: The first tremors of a youthquake

A clear message from Monday’s verdict has been that if the BJP could be given a tough fight on the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, it could be challenged anywhere else. The Opposition has finally found a leader to rally behind — Rahul Gandhi

The improved tally for the Congress in North Gujarat showed that the coming together of Hardik Patel (with the mic), OBC leader Alpesh Thakor and Dalit activist Jignesh Mevani helped in moving youth votes away from the BJP.(PTI Photo)

opinion

Updated on Dec 18, 2017 06:07 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Gujarat elections 2017: A tale of two organisational models in Indian politics

The Gujarat elections of 2017 have revealed new types of vulnerabilities and strengths in the two very different political organizations of the Congress and the BJP.

elections

Updated on Dec 15, 2017 11:38 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Has the ‘Gujarat Model’ failed the smartphone generation?

The youth in Gujarat are not simply unhappy or angry and dissatisfied. To anyone willing to make sense of their words, there appears to be a ‘generational disquiet’. Increasingly, caste and class are morphing into a strong demographic demand for state-aided education and jobs

Hardik Patel is the leader of an ongoing movement by the Patidar community demanding reservation in government jobs.(PTI PHOTO)

india news

Updated on Dec 10, 2017 10:03 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

The great Indian disagreement on demonetisation, GST: Why economists are split

It would be more than naïve to believe that interpretations about the economy – given what they are in India at the moment – can escape the taint of politics. This disagreement or quarrel is over interpretation rather than fact.

In this picture taken on September 25, 2017, a man works at a garment factory in Ludhiana. Over the last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rolled out controversial reform measures that have affected small traders.(AFP)

columns

Updated on Oct 22, 2017 10:08 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

There’s no shortcut to growth: Indian economy’s revival will need more than temporary stitches

An analysis of latest Labour Bureau points to an absolute decline in formal employment between 2013 and 2016, for the first time in many decades

Bibek Debroy, chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister with members Ratan P Watal, Rathin Roy, Surjit Bhalla and Ashima Goyal(PTI Photo)

columns

Updated on Oct 15, 2017 08:08 AM IST

ByRajesh Mahapatra

Swachh success needs more than just cleaning up

Building toilets is just half the problem solved as the other half requires regular maintenance involving a steady supply of water and cleaning chemicals

columns

Updated on Oct 09, 2017 05:00 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Slowing economy, shrinking jobs: India has a ‘missing middle’ problem

Experts have warned against the risks of the ‘missing middle’ – mid-sized companies that bridge the gap between limited large-sized firms that have lesser jobs with higher growth and small-sized firms with more jobs but slow growth.

A worker cuts metal inside a workshop manufacturing metal pipes in Mumbai. India’s manufacturing industry can largely be divided into a limited number of large-sized firms and a preponderance of small, household enterprises, with a gaping hole in the middle.(Reuters File Photo)

columns

Updated on Oct 02, 2017 07:26 AM IST

ByRajesh Mahapatra

What’s ailing Indian economy and how to fix it? Proper diagnosis a must before any booster dose

Besides weak demand and lack of easy finance, the fear of policy uncertainties has discouraged private investment. It is time the government committed itself to policy stability.

India's growth slumped to 5.7% in the first quarter of the financial year, official data showed on August 31. (Reuters File Photo)

columns

Updated on Sep 24, 2017 11:21 AM IST

New Delhi, Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Widening current account deficit a new worry for Modi government, RBI

A slowing economy and a growing Current Account Deficit make a lethal combination. While the former would tend to discourage FDI, the latter would impact inflation

The imperative in the immediate term for the Modi government would be to identify all such imports that do not aid growth or investment and bring measures to curb them – gold, obviously, should top that list.(REUTERS FILE)

columns

Updated on Sep 17, 2017 10:06 AM IST

ByRajesh Mahapatra

Income tax overhaul is a good idea, but wait for GST to stabilise, demonetisation impact to wane

It would be prudent for the government, therefore, to wait for the effects of demonetisation to wane and the GST system to stabilise. In fact, the success of any overhaul of the direct tax system will be tied to the success of GST in delivering a truly “good and simple tax.”

The current income tax regime places a relatively higher burden on the middle class, especially the salaried.(File Photo)

columns

Updated on Sep 10, 2017 08:59 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Raghuram Rajan: For high growth, India must resolve problem of bad loans, revive stalled infra projects

Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan said India’s reputation as a reforming economy was still intact despite the recent slowdown.

Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan during an interview with HT in New Delhi on Thursday.(Mohd Zakir/HT Photo)

business

Updated on Sep 08, 2017 11:59 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Raghuram Rajan speaks on demonetisation, economy and life after RBI: Full text of interview

Raghuram Rajan talks to Hindustan Times on his new book – I do what I do – in which he has said neither he nor the RBI under his watch favoured demonetisation.

Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan during an interview with HT in New Delhi on Thursday.(HT Photo)

business

Updated on Sep 07, 2017 10:05 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Raghuram Rajan: Note ban put interest burden on RBI as people found ways to convert black money

RBI data shows that all but 1% of the bank notes demonetised have returned to the banking system, meaning black money hoarders found ways to legitimise their cash that now earns interests.

business

Updated on Sep 08, 2017 12:22 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByRajesh Mahapatra

India’s most intriguing political puzzle: Who took demonetisation decision?

Who advised the government to go for demonetisation? Were the other alternatives suggested by the RBI duly considered? With Raghuram Rajan’s new book, the demand for answers to these questions will grow louder.

File photo of people waiting in a queue to withdraw money from an ATM in New Delhi in December 2016, a month after the government’s shock recall of high-value banknotes.(Ravi Choudhary/HT File Photo)

columns

Updated on Sep 04, 2017 12:40 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Raghuram Rajan breaks silence, says neither he nor RBI under him wanted demonetisation

Raghuram Rajan makes the disclosure in his latest book -- I do what I do – which is a compilation of speeches he delivered on a wide range of issues as the RBI governor.

Former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan’s book I Do What I Do is a compilation of his speeches from his days at the central bank.(File Photo)

india news

Updated on Sep 05, 2017 01:51 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Jaypee insolvency: Indian real estate’s boom-to-bust story has lessons for all

While a critique of the Nehruvian model of mixed economy has become common sense, the triumph of the neo-liberal market in India is also now revealing dangers and vulnerabilities. It is time for the Indian middle class to seriously reflect and reconsider. The real estate boom-to-bust story has lessons for everyone.

Jaypee group home buyers protest against the owners and the management of company, in New Delhi on August 19, 2017.(Sushil Kumar/HT Photo)

opinion

Updated on Aug 27, 2017 12:27 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Lesson from Gorakhpur: Fix the public healthcare system, here and now

For decades, we have talked about increasing government spending on healthcare to 2.5% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), but it continues to hover around 1.3%. A country like China, with a GDP five times that of India, spends more than 3% of its national income on public health.

Government spending in healthcare in India is split 2:1 between the states and the Centre. Given the states’ ability to raise new revenues are limited, the onus of any significant growth in public health spending rests largely on the Centre.(Bijay/Hindustan Times)

columns

Updated on Aug 20, 2017 02:39 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

India at 70: The idea of progress cannot be taken for granted, or assumed

The past few years have seen a spurt in agitations and massive stirrings by ‘backward caste’ farming communities, who urban India believed had gained much from commercial agriculture, green revolution technologies, subsidies and the expansion of primary commodity markets

The Maratha community holding a silent protest to demand reservation in government jobs, Mumbai, August 9.(PTI)

columns

Updated on Aug 13, 2017 09:47 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

Script gone wrong: RBI takes demonetisation hit and government gets a cut

The RBI has not been able to protect its income, thanks to demonetisation. For 2016-17, it will pay Rs 30,459 crore in dividend to the government, compared to Rs 65,876 crore it paid last year.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) dividend to the government has come down by half. (REUTERS file photo)

opinion

Updated on Aug 12, 2017 11:56 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByRajesh Mahapatra

NPAs weighing down growth: Deal with bad loans to get Indian economy up and running

The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks to initiate bankruptcy proceedings against 12 large loan defaulters, accounting for a quarter of nearly Rs 9 lakh-crore that the banking system has piled up in bad loans.

As the central bank works to put the banking system back on track, the government needs to act on reviving fortunes of those sectors where most of the bad loans accumulated — power, telecom, construction, textiles and steel.(Reuters)

columns

Updated on Aug 07, 2017 05:19 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByRajesh Mahapatra

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Rajesh Mahapatra

Rajesh Mahapatra was the Chief Content Officer at Hindustan Times. From sports to politics, analytics to economics, he has an interest in everything that makes news. He tweets as @rajeshmahapatra

Elevated oil prices will mean higher inflation, which, in turn, will add to the pressure on the rupee. Subdued exports growth and rising import costs have already weakened the rupee by more than 6% in the past three months

As the sugar bowl gets ready to vote on May 28, economic distress and growing clarity about the need for social harmony are shaping a new political alliance in Uttar Pradesh’s Kairana.

In a state that hasn’t allowed any incumbent to retain power in the past 33 years, this election was more about who could take Siddaramaiah’s place

Karnataka has turned an important chapter in the coming together of regional parties, which have wisened up to what BJP really means for them.

The triple whammy of a higher inflation, a depreciating rupee and a widening current account deficit comes at a time when India’s economy was gaining steam.

Rahul Gandhi’s decision to put one of his most trusted aides, Jitendra Singh, in charge of Odisha and appoint Niranjan Patnaik as the chief of the Pradesh Congress Committee seems to have given exactly the shot that the Congress party needed to revive its fortune.

The latest consumer confidence survey by the RBI shows the double-whammy of demonetisation and GST is far from over. What is also more clearly revealed is that a growing disconnect is strikingly visible between what people expected and what they actually got.

The Dalit MPs of BJP have rebelled against the party for not doing enough to protect their community. All of them are first time MPs from Uttar Pradesh, where the government of Yogi Adityanath has come under attack for discriminating against the Dalits.

The state will hold its assembly polls next year, concurrently with the parliamentary elections. If the Grand Old Party remains complacent, 2019 could see a bipolar fight between the ruling BJD and the BJP

A clear message from Monday’s verdict has been that if the BJP could be given a tough fight on the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, it could be challenged anywhere else. The Opposition has finally found a leader to rally behind — Rahul Gandhi

The Gujarat elections of 2017 have revealed new types of vulnerabilities and strengths in the two very different political organizations of the Congress and the BJP.

The youth in Gujarat are not simply unhappy or angry and dissatisfied. To anyone willing to make sense of their words, there appears to be a ‘generational disquiet’. Increasingly, caste and class are morphing into a strong demographic demand for state-aided education and jobs

It would be more than naïve to believe that interpretations about the economy – given what they are in India at the moment – can escape the taint of politics. This disagreement or quarrel is over interpretation rather than fact.

An analysis of latest Labour Bureau points to an absolute decline in formal employment between 2013 and 2016, for the first time in many decades

Building toilets is just half the problem solved as the other half requires regular maintenance involving a steady supply of water and cleaning chemicals

Experts have warned against the risks of the ‘missing middle’ – mid-sized companies that bridge the gap between limited large-sized firms that have lesser jobs with higher growth and small-sized firms with more jobs but slow growth.

Besides weak demand and lack of easy finance, the fear of policy uncertainties has discouraged private investment. It is time the government committed itself to policy stability.

A slowing economy and a growing Current Account Deficit make a lethal combination. While the former would tend to discourage FDI, the latter would impact inflation

It would be prudent for the government, therefore, to wait for the effects of demonetisation to wane and the GST system to stabilise. In fact, the success of any overhaul of the direct tax system will be tied to the success of GST in delivering a truly “good and simple tax.”

Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan said India’s reputation as a reforming economy was still intact despite the recent slowdown.

Raghuram Rajan talks to Hindustan Times on his new book – I do what I do – in which he has said neither he nor the RBI under his watch favoured demonetisation.

RBI data shows that all but 1% of the bank notes demonetised have returned to the banking system, meaning black money hoarders found ways to legitimise their cash that now earns interests.

Who advised the government to go for demonetisation? Were the other alternatives suggested by the RBI duly considered? With Raghuram Rajan’s new book, the demand for answers to these questions will grow louder.

Raghuram Rajan makes the disclosure in his latest book -- I do what I do – which is a compilation of speeches he delivered on a wide range of issues as the RBI governor.

For decades, we have talked about increasing government spending on healthcare to 2.5% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), but it continues to hover around 1.3%. A country like China, with a GDP five times that of India, spends more than 3% of its national income on public health.

The past few years have seen a spurt in agitations and massive stirrings by ‘backward caste’ farming communities, who urban India believed had gained much from commercial agriculture, green revolution technologies, subsidies and the expansion of primary commodity markets

The RBI has not been able to protect its income, thanks to demonetisation. For 2016-17, it will pay Rs 30,459 crore in dividend to the government, compared to Rs 65,876 crore it paid last year.

The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks to initiate bankruptcy proceedings against 12 large loan defaulters, accounting for a quarter of nearly Rs 9 lakh-crore that the banking system has piled up in bad loans.

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