The Haryana government’s proposal to reserve jobs in new private sector units for “locals” is part of a dangerous precedent set by Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat of prioritising regional identity over the national growth story. Such moves could not only create ripple effects in other industrialised states but also encourage a climate of inter-state discrimination in employment, as the second edit points out here.
Other opinion today focuses on the poor state of state finances. Kanika Datta sums up the views
Ashok Banerjee and Partha Ray of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta assess trends in market borrowings of 27 states and point to the need for greater prudence and innovation in borrowing programmes. Read it here
The feted Ujwal Discom Yojana or UDAY plan to tackle discom debt has failed for insufficient reform by the entities themselves. The latest audited accounts suggest that discoms now pose a major risk to parlous state finances, says the top edit. Read it here
My column talks of the necessity of leveraging the experience of setting up mega-Covid-19 medical facilities as a standard operating procedure for India’s underserved public health system in the long run Read here