Explained: What government can do to revive India's shrinking economy
India TodayThe government needs to act fast to prevent India’s economy from sinking further, according to several experts who anticipate the country’s Gross Domestic Product to shrink more if corrective measures including additional stimulus are not urgently taken. India’s GDP shrinks by 23.9% in first quarter of FY2020-21 Not just Rajan but many other economists including the likes of former Prime Minister and economist Manmohan Singh and former Union Finance Minister P Chidamabaram red-flagged certain issues that have become serious hurdles of growth following the pandemic. Various growth projections released by credit rating agencies and research firms indicate that the first leg of the stimulus package failed in addressing the massive demand void aggravated by the pandemic. As the government prepares for another round of fiscal stimulus to revive the economy, here are some aspects the economists want it to focus on: FRESH STIMULUS FOR MIDDLE-CLASS Experts have already highlighted how the first economic stimulus package failed to focus on India’s aspiring middle-class population. While West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to intervene, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac wrote in an opinion column that the central government’s stance on GST compensation to state is “untenable” — both legally and morally.