Bite the bullet

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee played safe with the Budget. This has partly been attributed to the UPA being hamstrung by the competitive populism of certain allies and opponents. So, it's good that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has firmly said governance means managing the economy, coalition compulsions notwithstanding. In this context, he stresses the need to "bite the bullet" on reducing subsidies. But, subsidies being a politically combustible issue, can the government deliver? 

Read Full Story>>