Pause rate hikes; Heartburn among kids; Gandhis take Kharge shelter
Opinion Watch
Pause rate hikes
Following in the footsteps of the US Fed Reserve, the Reserve bank of India raised the benchmark rate by 50 basis points, and also lowered its growth projection for the current fiscal to seven per cent.
The Times of India has urged the RBI to hold its horses, and pause the rate hikes. Indeed, the daily in its Editorial stuck to the line that the inflationary pressure would remain firm.
Repo Rate now stands at 5.9 per cent after fourth hike by the RBI since May this year, adding 190 basis points in a short span of time. Rupee has sunk by 6.8 per cent against dollar, which also accounted for dip in the foreign currency reserve, down almost by $100 billion, and RBI has scaled down its growth projection from 7.2 per cent to 7 per cent.
The New Delhi-headquartered daily hints at the government’s possible ability to allow the RBI to pause the rate hikes, with a redo of May tax cut on fuel prices, which had knocked off 0.4 per cent from the headline inflation number.
Indeed, crude oil at $80 per barrel despite rupee depreciation gives the government room to think out of the box and allow the growth to breathe fresh air by pausing excessive freebies.
The Indian Express in its Editorial has given an account of the events that led to the RBI decision on Friday.
Heartburn among kids
Health of children needs urgent attention for post-Covid consequences.
Deccan Herald in its Editorial has cited a study in Bengaluru to state that “at least 73 children in the age group of 3-16 years studying in government schools in Bengaluru have been diagnosed with heart ailments”.
This surely raises concerns about cardiac health of children in general, while the sample largely came from the slum areas.
The Bengaluru-based daily has claimed that the findings “could just be the tip of the iceberg, as the health check-up conducted by Careworks Foundation, a non-profit organisation, was limited to 11,276 children across 75 government schools and anganwadis”.
The children complained of chest pain, difficulty in walking, and breathlessness.
This indeed should call for a larger survey, and a general practice for the primary health care centres to regularly hold health checkups in schools within their jurisdiction.
Why not it be a practice for all the schools, private and public, to join hands with public medical colleges to hold health checkups at least once in six months for all the kids.
Gandhis take Kharge shelter
After an entertaining fortnight, Congress high command, the Gandhis, has fallen back on the most loyal Mallikarjuna Kharge to be the ‘official’ candidate in the Congress president election.
Energetic speaker and Thiruvananthpuram MP Shashi Tharoor is the challenger in the poll. Kharge is 80 years old, and Tharoor at 66 has indeed fresh legs and lung.
The Pioneer in its Editorial has dissected the selection of Kharge for being a Dalit leader, seniority that got the backing of even G23 member Bhupinder Singh Hooda, also for being widely respected in the party.
The daily explained out the Gandhis dropping former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, as he has been asn easy target for the Bharatiya Janata Party for his “rabid anti-Hindtuva” rhetoric and also his buffoonery for coming up with “Osamaji” sorts of remarks. The BJP would have slayed him on a platter to make Congress insignificant, and thus Kharge indeed is a far better choice.
The Noida-based daily lists out two challenges for Kharge – take out Congress from the ICU and convince the Gandhis to spare the party from more damages.
About The Author
Increasing health problems in children are definitely a matter of concern and alot of that stems from bad lifestyle, busy parents not paying attention, increasing consumption of processed foods, and excess utilisation of electronic gadgets.
Appreciate the analysis on growth projection by RBI, congress presidential candidate and children health issues post covid.
Facts presented in a simplistic way for easy understanding.