WIDENING GAP
THE WEEK|November 08, 2020
Beyond the economy and the pandemic, the Centre-state tussle could continue to be vexing
K. SUNIL THOMAS
WIDENING GAP
BIG BROTHER THROWING his weight around? Or ‘elder brother’ offering compassionate guidance? Be it either, the relationship between the Union government and states reached a new low two weeks ago over the Goods and Services Tax compensation issue. Despite the last-minute rapprochement salvaging the situation, there are many more cracks waiting to burst open. And not just in matters of economy.

“The BJP has been far more aggressive in its pursuit of centralisation in its second term,” argued Yamini Aiyar, president and chief executive of the think-tank Centre for Policy Research, in a recent essay. “The grammar of cooperative federalism has been eschewed in favour of ‘one nation’.”

What does this rift mean for a country struggling to deal with a pandemic? “Regaining the spirit of ‘Team India’ in the current downturn is an imperative. Otherwise people will continue to suffer,” said Pradeep S. Mehta, secretary general of Consumer Unity & Trust Society, an international consumer advocacy organisation.

There are, however, arguments that the current circumstance requires a different approach. “In a pandemic situation, some powers have to be ceded to the Centre for a standardised approach,” said Shashank Tiwari, government strategy & transformation leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers India.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 08, 2020 من THE WEEK.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 08, 2020 من THE WEEK.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من THE WEEK مشاهدة الكل
We need to engage more with communities
THE WEEK India

We need to engage more with communities

Designer Aratrik Dev Varman of the label Tilla has long been a lover of history. One could comfortably call him part-aesthete, part-archeologist, for his clothes dip into vintage styles of the Kutch, Sindh, Balochistan and Afghanistan, bringing alive antique styles and crafts. Tilla, the store and atelier, are situated on a tree-lined avenue in Ahmedabad.

time-read
4 mins  |
May 26, 2024
The great luxury slowdown
THE WEEK India

The great luxury slowdown

A year or so ago, if anyone had told me that Tommy Hilfiger would have stolen the show at New York’s Met Gala, I would have laughed. But it seems the end of giant luxury labels is upon us even before we expected it. The American ready-to-wear designer Tommy Hilfiger seems to have created the maximum media buzz at the 2024 Met Gala, according to several data analytics firms.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 26, 2024
RAP BRINGS RAPTURE
THE WEEK India

RAP BRINGS RAPTURE

How indie artistes, especially hip-hoppers, are driving the phenomenal rise of Malayalam music

time-read
6 mins  |
May 26, 2024
Employability issues are a narrative created by the corporate world
THE WEEK India

Employability issues are a narrative created by the corporate world

Prof Yogesh Singh is the 23rd vice chancellor of the century-old University of Delhi (DU). An engineer with a PhD in computer engineering, Singh has an impressive track record of teaching, innovation and research in the area of software engineering. He has more than 250 publications and his book, Software Testing, published by the Cambridge University Press, is well-received internationally. In an interview with THE WEEK, Singh talks about trends in higher education in India, the challenges faced by big universities, and how to make higher education more interesting. Asked about the perception that Indian graduates are “not employable”, he reacts strongly, and emphasises the difference between training and higher education. Edited excerpts:

time-read
4 mins  |
May 26, 2024
SERVING WITH DISTINCTION
THE WEEK India

SERVING WITH DISTINCTION

Conceived as a university like no other, Jawaharlal Nehru University became India's best. Here is how

time-read
10+ mins  |
May 26, 2024
Mandela Effect and Liar's Dividend
THE WEEK India

Mandela Effect and Liar's Dividend

The complex tapestry of AI's impact on society

time-read
6 mins  |
May 26, 2024
The other Sabyasachi
THE WEEK India

The other Sabyasachi

I am Sabyasachi Mukherjee, not to be confused with my namesake, the celebrated fashion couturier, declared the venerated director-general of Mumbai’s pride, George Wittet’s Indo-Saracenic jewel, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 26, 2024
THE MANGO HUNTERS
THE WEEK India

THE MANGO HUNTERS

'Naadan Maavukal' started out as a Facebook group, but what it does offline has helped conserve many indigenous varieties of mangoes

time-read
8 mins  |
May 26, 2024
ANGRY, YOUNG AMERICA
THE WEEK India

ANGRY, YOUNG AMERICA

Campus protests against the Gaza war continue to linger as students demand a realignment of US ties with Israel

time-read
7 mins  |
May 26, 2024
BJP LEADERS, TOO, HAVE HAD ENOUGH
THE WEEK India

BJP LEADERS, TOO, HAVE HAD ENOUGH

Farmers’ protest has taken the centre stage in Haryana, which goes to the polls on May 25. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is confident that the Congress, which has been out of power for 10 years, will regain its hold on the state. “People who voted for the BJP are disappointed today. It is clear that they want change,” he told THE WEEK.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 26, 2024