Articles by Arun Kumar

fashionable these days to speak of India as 'a nation-in-the making'. One might add that if you leave it to the ruling classes, India may well be on its way to be 'a nation-in-the-unmaking') This third path is today the correct theoretical position for the pursuit and advancement of the alternative revolutionary people's politics in Punjab and in India as a whole. As such it is also the only effective counter to the Sikh extremists' ideological-political practice

and Growing Surplus Arun Kumar The 'Economic Survey, 1986-87' and the Union Budget for 1987-88 claim that the growth of the industrial sector has accelerated. The real growth, however, has been in the services sector which today has become the lead sector. It is in (his sector that the under-reporting of income is also substantial and therefore the growth rate officially given is less than the actual.

without Growth Arun Kumar The Budget for 1986-87 presented by the government as pro-growth and pro-poor is neither. Within a modified model of 'conflict', as applicable to the Indian context, any pro-poor policy must accelerate the growth of national income as a pre-requisite. The earlier policy of growth through an accelerated programme of public investments has been replaced in the recent past by dependence on increase in private investments. However, caught in the contradictions of conflict over taxation and expenditure policies to influence shares in national income, the new strategy has lost its thrust in the Budget for 1986-87. Yet the old policy has not been revived. The contradictions it had run into, which prevented the necessary resource mobilisation effort from being made, have not been resolved. The growth impulses in the economy thus face uncertain prospects and the 'conflict' over shares in national income is likely to sharpen further to the detriment of the lot of the unorganised poor THE Central budget for 1986-87 has come towards the end of a year of major changes in economic policies. The central budget for 1985-86 had ushered in major changes in regard to direct taxes, and announced substantial alterations in the industrial policies (like, delicensing of 25 industries and changes in MRTP). These were followed up by the provision of broadbanding of similar products for licensing purposes, further changes in MRTP, policy initiatives in textiles, sugar and electronics industries, announcement of the Long Term Fiscal Policy (LTFP), etc. Important reports, like the Chakravarti Committee Report and the Report on the Black Economy were received and action initiated. In sum, the contours of a new economic policy were becoming clear. In contrast, the central budget for 1986-87 appeals to be a damp squib.

Haves Have while Have-Nots Nought Arun Kumar The important ingredients of the 1985-80 Budget are (a) major cuts in direct taxes, (b) increases in indirect taxes, (e) the largest planned budgetary gap in addition to the biggest market borrowing plan, (d) an attempt to improve the climate for business in India, and, most significantly, (e) a paltry increase in the Plan size, in spite of 1985-86 being the first year of the Seventh Plan.

country over the developments in the Valley, Far from raising the issue of denial of civil liberties to the people, detentions without trial and expressing legitimate Kashmiri aspirations, the media are full of the Congress(I) outcry against threats to national interest in Kashmir and accusations of Farooq's complicity with anti-national forces. He is being accused of being soft towards them because more of them have not been detained and of being soft towards detenus because they are not being treated more harshly.