Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian on Monday spoke to media to talk about the Economic Survey for 2018. Among other achievements of the Centre’s Narendra Modi government on economic front, Subramanian paid special attention to the rolling out of GST and what he termed were ‘twin balance sheet challenges.’
He said, “I will single out two achievements. One is the launch of the GST. There were bound to be teething challenges. Secondly, we had spoken about the twin balance sheet challenges. For the first time in 14 years India got the Sovereign Ratings upgrades.”
Subramanian also said that the central government had this year projected the economic growth at 6.75% hoping that private investment picks up.
“The growth projection of 6.75% is higher than the CSO assessment. Inflation is higher in the second half than the first half. I think there is upside potential. Export growth could be greater. There is a chance that private investment could pick up. We need to watch oil prices carefully. My own view is that the govt. doesn’t have to do anything new or radical. They should finish what they started out. They should stabilise the GST. Finish privatising Air India. Head off macro economic pressures and possibility of a sudden stall from rising oil prices and sharp correction is stock prices.”
Subramanian also claimed that the this year’s economic survey book’s cover was deliberately kept in pink colour to show the government’s support to the movement ‘in favour of women and women’s empowerment.’
He said, “Of course the cover is pink. We just wanted to make sure that we too in our own small way contribute, expressing our support to movement in favour of women and women’s empowerment. In fact there’s whole chapter in the survey on gender.”
As expected Subramanian allegedly stereotyping women’s movement for gender equality did not go down well with many. Some even asked if the government was serious about women’s empowerment, what was stopping it from bring in the Women’s Reservation Bill in the parliament.
Here are some of the reactions;
All it takes to empower Indian women is changing the colour of the Economic Survey cover to pink.Imagine it took Independent India's most illiterate govt to point that out. https://t.co/rNXqNHGpyf
— LEENA (@kunfaaya) January 29, 2018
Lord! Someone tell me this is fake news. Cant't be true https://t.co/oHqK8NsLc0
— Sneha Mordani (@snehamordani) January 29, 2018
https://twitter.com/DesiPoliticks/status/957919877024579584
https://twitter.com/akdwaaz/status/957914241989623809